Ootori 15 yo (40%, OB, 66 cl.)

Nose: creamy and biscuity. Plenty of vanilla cake. Peach and green banana. Coconut. Some hay. Sweet with big grain notes but also a volcanic / spicy hint of Karuizawa malt. Mouth: a bit strange, sweet and mineral, creamy and slightly harsh at the same time. Shows malty notes and some fruits (oranges and the coconut / banana combo again). Finish: quite short with vanilla and chocolate.

Certainly enjoyable, but at times the grain and malt components seem to fight each other rather than… well… blend. Interesting but too expensive for what it is. Around € 75.

Score: 80/100

Imperial 15 yo 1995 (46%,
Signatory Vintage for The Nectar 2011, hogshead #50309, 281 btl.)

Nose: bright start, young in a good way. Juicy fruits (white peach, apples and pears, melon). Quite some barley notes (maybe a tad too grainy but that’s fine). A few sparkles of mint and citrusy sourness. Mouth: slightly oily attack, quickly getting hotter (pepper) and spicier (soft cinnamon). Nice fruity notes (melon, pear, citrus again) as well as vanilla sweetness. Simple but nice and clean. Finish: medium long, half sweet, half spicy.

Nothing spectacular but perfectly enjoyable. A bright young Speysider at an excellent price. Around € 45.

Score: 85/100

This Glenlivet was distilled in 1954 and imported by Baretto, their exclusive Italian importer at that time.

Glenlivet 15 yo 1954
(45,7%, OB for Baretto Import Milano)

Nose: dried fruits with honey and quite some vanilla. Smoked apricot? Bread crust. Candle wax. Whiffs of coal. Caramel and milk chocolate (hints of Milky Way). Nuts. Rather great, excellent example of old style, “hand-made” malts. Mouth: not too thick. Toffee and almonds. Hints of peat in the distance? Praline and nougat. Waxy and slightly smoky. Camomile tea. Develops a few savoury notes as well. Finish: still quite sweet, with dried fruits and a soft bitterness. Cocoa.

A very enjoyable and classy Glenlivet. It’s a bit soft on the palate (not uncommon for such old malts) but that’s about the only downside. Certainly high quality. Auction value around € 400-500? Many thanks, Dominiek!

Score: 89/100

Macallan 15 yo 1995 (46%, A.D. Rattray 2011, bourbon cask #11251, 334 btl.)

Nose: caramelized apple with cinnamon. Heather honey. Apple cake. Muesli bars. Nice duality of sticky sweet (almost greasy) butterscotch notes and a more fresh and sour fruitiness. Traces of toasted cereals. Herbs in the background. Nice. Mouth: starts a little soft. Not the amount of sweetness I expected, more like a herbal fruitiness. Cider apples, peaches and citrus. Honey and caramel. Sweet grains. Soft liquorice. Not bad but lacking some punch in the middle. Finish: not too long but nice chocolate notes and hints of Turkish delight. Still some apple flavours.

This Macallan started with an inviting and interestingly different nose, but the palate wasn’t totally convincing. Should be € 50 round.

Score: 83/100

Scapa shares the island of Orkney with Highland Park. In 1994, the distillery was mothballed, refurbished, operated during short intermittent periods, and re-opened in 2005 (although they still only operate Monday to Wednesday). They’re only maturing in first fill bourbon wood and the complete production is bottled as a single malt.

Scapa 15 yo 1993 (50%, Douglas Laing OMC 2008, refill hogshead, ref. 4713,
331 btl.)

Nose: starts fresh and youthful with a nice fruity sweetness. Apples and pears. Vanilla. Very lightly coastal. A few heathery notes and a little wax maybe. Simple but certainly not bad. Mouth: grainy with a bittersweet aroma that holds the middle between fizzy aspirin and grapefruit juice. Not an attractive development in my opinion… Then a soft vanilla sweetness, dusty flavours and resin. And again big grapefruit flavours. Really bitter at times and hard to spot other flavours. Finish: long, bittersweet with a lemon / salt combo.

I’m afraid this Scapa doesn’t hit the right notes for me. There must be better expressions of this distillery. Around € 70.

Score: 72/100

Tomintoul 15 yo 1992 (55,5%, Norse Cask Selection 2008, hogshead CS059, 227 btl.)

Nose: malty with fresh oak and citrus. Apples and pears. Light Speyside style. Soft floral notes and some hay. A little wax maybe. Mouth: there’s the same sweet maltiness with orchard fruits and vanilla, but it’s now slightly harsher. Liquorice and a salty tang. Some bitterish herbal notes as well. Finish: long, half fruity, half bitter.

This Tomintoul starts gentle and slightly boring, but takes off on the palate and bursts into different directions. A bit of Speyside anarchy, quite entertaining even tough it’s not entirely succeeded. Sold out. Thanks Bert.

Score: 83/100

Clynelish 15 yo 1995 (52,7%, Nectar of the Daily Drams for Germany 2010, ex-bourbon)

Nose: starts a little raw maybe but it settles down nicely. Quite maritime, with brine and seaweed. Sweet pineapple and vanilla. Over time it shows notes of hay and paraffin. A little less typical than I hoped it would be. Mouth: sweet start with the typical waxiness now. Lemon balm. Nicely rounded with honey, citrus and marzipan but quickly developing more austere grassy notes and an interesting saltiness. A little pepper. Spiced oak. Hints of peat? Finish: quite long, with Seville oranges, punchy spices and a salty edge. Still hints of peat, or is that my imagination?

A nice Clynelish which combines typical and less typical elements. Available from German web retailer eSpirits. Around € 65.

Score: 86/100

This kind of ceramic decanter is quite rare. In the same period Zenith also imported Rosebank in common clear glass bottles (15yo and 20yo).

Rosebank 15 yo (50%, OB for Zenith Italy, 1980’s, 75cl ceramic decanter)

Nose: very fragrant, grassy en slightly perfumy. Big notes of lemons (juice, zest, marmalade…). Yellow apples. Hints of walnuts and wax. Very clean with just a hint of smoke. Mouth: starts a bit dusty and undecided but picks up its freshness after a while. Again all kinds of lemon notes: crystallized lemon, dried lemon, cleaning cream. Overall quite sweet and rounded. Then evolving towards sharper grapefruit with a slight bitterness. A grassy / salty twist in the end. Finish: medium length, more of the same (lemon, lemon, apple and lemon).

Very clean, typical Lowlands style exploring every shade of flavour in lemons. Very enjoyable but also a bit mono-dimensional. Not all that different from more recent Rosebank. Worth around € 400 in auctions.

Score: 85/100

Ardbeg 15 yo 1993 (58,9%, Duncan Taylor 2009, cask #1724, 292 btl.)

Nose: nice combo of heavy smoke notes and floral elements. Soot and coal with a few farmy notes (stronger when you add water). Heavy peat. Brunt heather. A few marine notes (brine, tarry rope). Rough like most official Ardbegs lately and a little mono-dimensional. Mouth: oily, very very peaty, dry and ashy. Sea brine and lemon. Rather grassy as well. An independent Supernova, so it seems. A little sweeter in the aftertaste, especially when you add water. Finish: long, peaty, fading on salty liquorice.

Intense Ardbeg. Recommended for those who liked the Supernova and are looking for a single cask variation on the theme. Don’t expect major complexity though. Around € 95 at the time. Now sold out.

Score: 85/100

When I first read about this Bowmore 1995 and the fact that it was matured in an ex-sherry cask, I was hoping for something close to the Bowmore 1995 by Single Malts of Scotland. The colour is very different though. As I mentioned before, half of this cask was bottled by The Nectar of the Daily Drams at a lower strength of 46%.

Bowmore 15 yo 1995 (54,1%,
The Whisky Agency – Anatomy series 2010, ex-sherry butt, 132 btl.)

Nose: despite the difference in colour, the first impressions of the nose are very similar to the SMOS bottling. Leather, big hints of kelp, pipe tobacco, walnuts… A couple of wet dogs. After a while it becomes clear that the TWA release has less emphasis on chocolate and dried fruits, yet more coastal / mineral notes and whiffs of fresher fruits (orange zest, lemon or yellow plums). The longer you let them breathe, the further they move away from each other. Overall the TWA nose is cleaner, albeit a little less expressive and less complex. But still very nice. Mouth: very punchy, with heavy earthy peat, some ginger and pepper and a faint honeyed edge. Hints of oranges and leather again. Almost none of the sherry / chocolate notes that we found in the SMOS version. Again: cleaner and simpler. Finish: less dry than its sister, with more oranges, peat and a hint of salt.

Well, this Bowmore 1995 has a slightly different profile than the SMOS bottling. There’s less sherry influence so the end result is a little cleaner and a little more straightforward. Still these 1995 casks all seem to be of high quality.
Around € 70.

Score: 88/100

Bristol Brandy was an independent bottler with a few legendary releases at the beginning of the 1990’s. This Aultmore 1976 is one of them.

Aultmore 15 yo 1976 (43%, OB 1992 for Bristol Brandy Company Ltd)

Nose: hmm great sherry nose. Very much on tobacco and cigar boxes. Milk chocolate. Hints of oak polish and leather. A bit of library dust. Dried fruits of course, mostly apricots and figs. Elegant and not too overpowering, which is an advantage but also a disadvantage because it’s not very punchy. Mouth: slightly sourish attack, soon overtaken by an avalanche of spices and wood resin. Very woody and rather tannic. Pine trees. Again not very big nor very complex. The flavours struggle to fight the wood. Finish: spicy (cloves, pepper) with hints of chocolate.

Lovely sherry influence on the nose, but the woody palate more or less spoils the overall experience. I expected more of this.

Score: 83/100

The new release caused a lot of joy (and high expectations) among the fans of Irish whiskey. This inspired me to do a direct comparison between the old and the new edition. The 2009 release is already available from European retailers and the US will get it towards the end of the year.

I’ve already reviewed its younger brother, the Redbreast 12 Years at 40%.

Redbreast 15 yo (46%, OB 2005)

Nose: very crisp grapefruit with sweeter notes of peach and honey. Fresh and playful. Whiffs of cut grass. Vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon. Coconut and pineapple. Papaya. A slight waxiness. Very Irish. Mouth: gentle and accessible. Again very much on grapefruit, growing spicier with hints of caramel. Some banana and citrus. A bit floral as well. Not the most complex but certainly very sippable. Finish: medium length. Delicate fruits with vanilla and hints of cocoa.

Score: 85/100

Redbreast 15 yo (46%, OB 2009)

Nose: starts in a flatter way, the fresh grapefruit and tropical fruitiness of the 2005 edition is almost gone. More cereals, more dust, more toffee. Camomile? Quite rubbery as well. Hints of nougat. After a while, fruit confit comes through, but very restrained. Mouth: basically the same differences: more spices (gingerbread, cardamom), less fruit (some bramble maybe). The stunning clarity of the 2005 release doesn’t repeat itself in this 2009 version. More green, vegetal notes. Finish: medium length with hints of gooseberry and hints of vanilla.

Score: 81/100

One thing I’ve learned is that the original Redbreast 15yo is a perfect example of a fruity and accesible Irish whiskey. The new 15yo – although still enjoyable – fails to live up to the standard set by the previous edition. Around € 65.

Let’s be honest, most of the Belgian whiskies are curiosities hardly worth buying, but a couple of weeks ago, I received an e-mail from Bert Bruyneel telling me I would be surprised by this one!

Limousin is a French region around the city of Limoges. It’s not a great wine producing area but Limousin is well known for their oak barrels, used in other regions for maturing white wine.

Goldlys 1994 ‘Single cask Limousin’ 
(55%, OB 2009, 440 btl.)

Nose: starts on white wood glue but it gets better. The oak stays very present, but it is balanced by fruity notes (yellow apples, unripe banana). Burnt sugar. Vanilla. Some waxy notes. Nice but there’s something artificial that kind of spoils it for me. Mouth: certainly not as sweet as I would have expected. Very very resinous, is this liquid pine tree? Similar to some bourbons in that respect (Pappy Van Winkle 20 years old pops to mind). Herbal notes. Lots of spices (nutmeg, ginger and pepper). Some notes of burnt caramel as well. The fruit seems to be buried somewhere. Finish: rather short and dry, mostly the wood that’s talking.

My fellow reviewers really like this and there’s not a single bottle left in stores. Still I don’t really get the hype. Sure, it’s different and probably the best Belgian whisky to date, but when tasted blind I would say this is closer to a mediocre bourbon than to a quality Scotch. € 30.

Score: 77/100

Thanks for the sample, Bert!

This Longmorn is rather legendary, especially in Belgium. Some of our Malt Maniacs discovered this in Paris and advised the Belgian importer to make it available. A wise decision, as we will see.

Longmorn 1990/2005
(46%, Berry Bros. 2005, cask #30111 & 30112)

Nose: very fragrant nose. Peach, grapefruit, strawberry. Fresh lemon. Cooked apple. Sweet and fruity, but there’s a lot more going on. Some vanilla. Mint. Milk chocolate with nuts. Dried flowers. A delicate layer of smoke. Hints of wax. What a wonderful complexity! Mouth: sweet and direct. Quite floral as well. Notes of herbal tea and citrus. Vanilla custard. Grapefruit again. Almonds. Light smoke. Banana. Finish: the same beat keeps going: vanilla, grapefruit and almonds, mixed with light peat smoke. Rather light in the end.

The nose is to die for. The mouth and finish keep developing the same flavours in endless variations. Around € 50 at the time. Now impossible to find. Damn!

Score: 91/100

Dalwhinnie 15yo (43%, OB 2007)

Nose: light, malty (beer and cereal notes) and very honeyed. Slightly phenolic. Fruity (peach, citrus). Rather expressive, I must say. Mouth: quite malty and honeyed. Oily. Some heather and vanilla. Lemon. Again a little more smoke than I expected. A few roasted and sugary notes. Slightly herbal towards the end. Finish: falls down a bit. Rather grassy.

A good middle-of-the-road dram: full-bodied, clean and sweet without being cloying. Indeed a representative of the Highlands style and great quality for the price.

Score: 84/100

This March 1982 vintage was matured in sherry wood and has a wonderful amber colour. It seems impossible to find this bottling any more.

Yamazaki 15y 1982 
(45%, OB 1997, Sherry Wood)

Nose: delicious notes of cedar wood (cigar box) and walnuts. Plum jam. Some toffee and raisins. Clearly sherried, but not full-on. Minty chocolate. Roasted nuts and caramel. Mouth: more in-your-face sherry now. Prunes, dried fruit, bitter oranges. Grapes. Berries. Long finish, getting very dry (cloves) and rather oaky. Hints of Pedro Ximenez sherry in the aftertaste.

Very well made, with a wonderful nose. Too much oak to be stunning though.

Score: 85/100

The village of Craigellachie is also home to the world famous Craigellachie Hotel, which has one of the largest single malt selections in the world.

This is the first Craigellachie released by The Whisky Exchange.

Craigellachie 15yo 1994
(46%, Single Malts of Scotland 2009, cask #5901, 325 btl.)

Nose: holds the middle between orangey and buttery notes. Orange cake? Slight hints of shoe polish and a bit of vanilla. Yellow apples. Very fruity in a “warm”, biscuity kind of way. Mouth: malty / fruity, quite creamy with lots of vanilla fudge. Hints of fruit liqueurs. Dried pineapple cubes, some marmelade. Not very powerful but pleasantly drinkable. Spicy oak influence after a while, but nothing huge. Finish: long enough, basically on the same flavours. A few added hints of nutmeg.

Very pleasant stuff. It seems that few Craigellachies are spectacular but most of them are very enjoyable. A late summer whisky. Around € 52.

Score: 84/100

Jura Paps ‘Mountain of Gold’ (46%, OB 2009, Pinot Noir finish, 1366 btl.)

Nose: slightly more dusty, with indeed some hints of mushrooms in the distance. Apart from that, lots of cocoa. Almonds and violets. Generally a more spicy profile. Mouth: rather spicy (aniseed, slightly peppery), the most prickly of the trio. Blackberry marmelade. Hints of tobacco and liquorice. Finish: slightly more woody. Drying and peppery.

Personally I think this one has the biggest influence of grapes. It didn’t impress me as much as the other two. Around € 100.

Score: 75/100

Jura Paps ‘Mountain of the Sound’ 
(46%, OB 2009, Cabernet Sauvignon finish, 1366 btl.)

Nose: very fruity again, but this one has a slightly nuttier / woodier profile. Hints of blackcurrant and cedar wood with almonds with whiffs of milk chocolate. Cantaloupe (hami melon). Cloves. Mouth: obvious red wine taste. Spicy taste. Orangettes (chocolate covered orange candy), toffee. Sweet and honeyed. Nutmeg towards the end. Finish: spicy cake aroma, nutmeg and chocolate again.

Isle of Jura really managed to get the wine finish right, which is not at all an obvious achievement. In general I’m not a big fan of wine finishes, but this is interesting. Around € 100.

Score: 80/100

Jura Paps ‘Sacred Mountain’
(46%, OB 2009, Barolo finish, 1366 btl.)

Nose: fragrant and fruity. You certainly notice the grapes but they’re well integrated. Notes of red berries, tangerine and oranges. Pomegrenate. Lots of floral notes as well: rose water, honeysuckle, some lavender. Really elegant. Mouth: sweet. Slightly more wood influence now, and caramel (natural I guess). Toffee, still some berries and oranges covered in chocolate. Finish: sweet with some wood but still nicely balanced. Not too long though.

I like the nose very much. The typical Barolo aroma of rose petals works very well. Around € 100 which is too expensive though.

Score: 82/100