Our friend and BenRiach collector Serge Reijnders is behind the tasting.

His collection contains the well-known casks such as #8079 for Craigellachie and #8080 for The Nectar, as well as lesser known casks for Asia (#3029 for Shinoya, #3041 for BBI, #3010 for Auld Alliance…) and of course the casks for Germany and France (#3550 / #3558 for The Whisky Fair and #3551 / #3557 for LMdW). There’s also a couple of 1976s bottled by Signatory and in between the flights there will be a peated whisky to balance the fruit galore.

Quite an unbelievable line-up. The tasting will be held in Mol, Belgium on June 23rd 2012. A barbecue and homemade desserts will round it off.

In case you’re interested, check out the Facebook event page. Even though the entrance fee of € 200 may seem high, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. See you there!

Note that Whisky-Doris bottlings are now locally available in Holland (Whiskybase) and Belgium (Jurgen’s Whiskyhuis) which might save you a few bucks on shipping costs.

Tomatin 34yo 1976 (49,5%, Whisky-Doris 2011, dark sherry hogshead #9, 139 btl.)

Nose: not exactly the tropical fruits we’d expected. It’s more sherried with ‘darker’ flavours. Herbal honey and fruits like ripe plums, raisins and blueberries. Overripe melon. Beehive notes. Mint. Some grassy elements, even something remotely earthy after some airing. Mouth: good strength, very sweet and fruity. Almost liqueur-like at some point. Blackberry or forest fruit jam. Prunes. Nicely coated with mint. Some ripe tropical fruits now, but still not as much as others. Then a wave of fresh herbs and oak before it develops some fondant chocolate towards the end. Finish: medium long, with chocolate, fruits and soft oak until the very end.

Maybe not my personal favourite among the Tomatin 1976’s (for being less typical) but still excellent whisky. I suppose it was drawn from a more active sherry cask and this overpowers the more delicate tropical flavours a little. Around € 170.

Score: 89/100

Tomatin 35 yo 1976 (51,4%, The Whisky Agency ‘Moody Lions’ 2011, refill sherry, 313 btl.)

Nose: close to the sister version by Liquid Sun as it starts on faint herbal / nutty notes and oak polish before bringing out the typical fruity notes like apricots, mango, berries, melons… Stewed fruits with honey and mint. Mouth: thick and beautifully sherried with plenty of fruits. Mango, peaches, berries, pink grapefruit… in a jammy / liqueur-like way. Getting more herbal and oaky towards the end with a lovely tropical aftertaste. Finish: long, still quite fruity but more oaky and spicy now with a gentle bitterness in the very end.

Another tasty Tomatin 1976, though maybe not my favourite expression (not as wide, slightly less fruits, slightly more oak). The price went up 20% compared to the Liquid Sun version: around € 180.

Score: 89/100

Dailuaine 35 yo 1976 (50,5%, The Whisky Agency ‘Romantique’ 2011, ex-bourbon hogshead, 148 btl.)

Nose: beautiful, with lots of warm oak and soft turpentine. Wax polish and beehive notes. Some citrus (oranges, pink grapefruit) and ripe banana. Hints of dried flowers. A hint of vanilla, cinnamon and mint as well. Quite complex and very elegant. Mouth: hmm, focuses directly on Seville oranges although there are other fruits and a little vanilla as well. Pretty oaky with an obvious bitterish side. Evolves to a soft peppery / herbal palate. Hints of fruit tea. Finish: long with oranges, ginger, a fair amount of drying oak and a nice nuttiness.

Indeed, high quality again. There’s some firm oak in this Dailuaine but it’s still within limits. Around € 180.

Score: 87/100

Banff 24 yo 1976 (55,8%, Signatory Vintage 2001, cask #2251, 284 btl.)

Nose: malty and fruity at first, as if it was much younger. A little vanilla. Then showing subtle spices and a lovely dustiness. Farmy notes. Some wax and motor oil. A little mustard seed and cold ashes. Then going back to pear and hints of heather. A lot of austerity but also some fruity notes to balance it, I love it. Mouth: now just marginally fruity (tangerine). Quickly moving towards heather and oak. Big grassy notes with a briney coastalness. Quite peaty and sharp in the end (mustard, ginger). The fruitiness comes back with a drop of water. Finish: dry, ashy with a little pepper and some bitterness.

A rigorously Spartan Banff, showing the unique profile of this distillery that seems so far away from the traditional Speyside style. It may be a little harsh for some. Very hard to find nowadays, expect to pay € 200 and more.

Score: 90/100

BenRiach 28 yo 1976 (57,6%, OB for Craigellachie Hotel 2005, cask #8079,
144 btl.)

Nose: a sweet and surprisingly creamy 1976, with peach yoghurt and strawberries with clotted cream. Lots of banana aromas. Hints of coconut and vanilla. Some guava and melon. A very seductive fruit salad which gets more tropical by the minute. Hints of marshmallows. Soft oak and very gentle spices with a very faint earthy / mossy undertone as well. Maybe not the most complex, but warmer and more velvety than I remember other 1976’s. Mouth: plenty of oak now, with some pine resin and spices. Then it develops the creaminess again with coconut oil and vanilla. The tropical fruitiness is less impressive now and has changed into fruit tea rather than a fruit salad. Some green, leafy notes as well. Liquorice and eucalyptus. Some late toffee. Finish: stretches the wood resin a little further, with some bitterness now. Liquorice. Maybe traces of smoke?

A great nose on this BenRiach 1976 for Craigellachie Hotel, but I found it slightly disappointing on the palate because of the subdued fruits and fierce oak. Later 1976 bottlings were better in my opinion – this one doesn’t reach 90 points in my view. Slightly over-hyped (and over-paid at auctions) maybe, but still a nice classic. Long gone of course.

Score: 89/100

Eight of them were finished, two were peated. The oldest casks were classic Speyside style, like this BenRiach 1976 cask #6942. Always a highly anticipated vintage for this distillery.

BenRiach 34 yo 1976 (57,8%, OB 2011, butt #6942, 469 btl.)

This one has a more tawny colour than most 1976′s. I reckon it was a sherry cask? Nose: indeed not the classic 1976 (tropical) fruitiness. More polished oak to begin with. Cedar wood. Leather and some wax. Tobacco. Then the fruit comes out. A lot of juicy plums and raisins. Black cherries. Pastry with apricot marmalade. Whiffs of eucalyptus. A little pepper and cinnamon. Subtle roasted almonds and hazelnuts, maybe even traces of peat smoke? Very faint turpentine. It needs some time but it’s certainly high-class. Mouth: snappy, with roasted nuts again and dried fruits. Quite some spices (cinnamon and nutmeg), herbs and wood. Hints of orange marmalade and Christmas cake. Cherry brandy. Dark chocolate. Works well, juicy enough and none of the components gets too loud. Finish: drier now, balancing between dried fruits, grapefruit and spices.

This BenRiach 1976 requires a totally different point-of-view than the legendary tropical versions. Then again it’s a pretty great example of its sherry style. Around € 230 – already hard to find.

Score: 91/100

Longmorn 35 yo 1976
(53,6%, The Whisky Agency ‘Perfect Dram’ 2011, bourbon hogshead, 187 btl.)

Nose: right. This has the same pastry and honey notes as the Malts of Scotland version. It develops on huge beehive notes, warm wax and all kinds of jams (apricot, mandarin). Papaya, overripe gooseberries and honeydew melon. Butter biscuits with almonds. Subtle mint, vanilla and cinnamon. Intensely fruity and getting warmer by the minute. Mouth: oily and thick, almost a diluted jam with a lot of warm fruity notes (ripe apricots, plums, melon), evolving to citrus notes (oranges, pink grapefruit) but overall much less citrusy than the other 1976’s. Faint leathery notes. A little cinnamon, ginger and mint, but low on plain woody notes. Finish: long, fruity and slightly mentholated. Drier notes only show in the very end.

Longmorn 1976 tends to show more citrus fruits compared to 1975 vintages. That’s not the case for this Perfect Dram: it’s very warm and fruity and the jammy / beehive / pastry notes make it exactly to my liking (and rather similar to 1972 Caperdonich in some respects).

I dare to say it’s my favourite Longmorn among all those releases of the last two years, even though they were all high quality. Around € 180 – now sold out.

Score: 94/100

Tomatin 34 yo 1976
(48,7%, Liquid Sun 2011, sherry butt, 366 btl.)

Nose: typical Tomatin fruitiness, although it starts nutty / musty and develops the fruity notes over time. Tangerines, apricots, mangos. Excellent strawberries as well. Blueberry jam. Very fruity, with silky sherry and soft polished oak. Quite some mint and eucalyptus as well, more so than I remember from previous releases. Mouth: big tropical fruitiness (the whole shebang: mango, guava, tangerine, banana, soft citrus, a little cassis). Almost no oak (a faint peppery note though). Finish: long, fruity with more spices and a little cocoa.

Wow, this Tomatin 1976 combines the best elements from the other recent releases, in my opinion. Very exemplary. The bottle will be empty before you know it. Around € 150.

Score: 91/100

Longmorn 32 yo 1976 (54,7%,
Whisky-Fässle 2008, bourbon hogshead)

Nose: starts slightly less tropical than the Thosop version. More mineral notes, more lemon as well. Oranges as the main element, although the gooseberries and apricots show up after some time. Big waxy notes. Not unlike some Clynelish. Mouth: very fresh and citrusy, plenty of tangerine and grapefruit (both pink and yellow ones). A bit of roasted maltiness as well. Not much oak and less spices than the other releases. Almond notes. Not the most complex Longmorn, but the lack of oak makes it very very enjoyable. Finish: long and citrusy with a tad more oak now.

It would be interesting to make a grid of these Longmorn 1976’s. You could order them by vanilla / honeyed notes (with the MoS leading the pack) or by tropical fruitiness (Thosop) or by waxy minerality (Whisky-Fässle). They’re all very good so in the end it comes down to your personal preferences.

Score: 90/100

Recently we’ve had Longmorn 1976′s bottled by Malts of Scotland and
The Whisky Agency, both very attractive. Let’s find out how this new one compares. Unfortunately at the moment I can only do a direct head-to-head with the Malts of Scotland version.

Longmorn 35 yo 1976
(53%, Thosop, bourbon barrel, 134 btl.)

Nose: very fruity and apparently more complex than the other 1976′s I’ve tried so far. Citrus, tropical fruits (kumquat, mango), gooseberries. Quite some mint and eucalyptus as well, certainly more than the MoS release. Less vanilla though, and almost none of the great pastry notes (you can’t have it all). Then a plethora of small layers in the background: soft and slightly dusty oak, hay, pepper and cinnamon. Excellent. Mouth: oily, with plenty of fruits: grapefruit, tangerine, mango. Balanced by spices (ginger, pepper) and softly resinous oak. Overall more fruity than the others. A little leather. Herbal tea (without the dryness) and hints of toffee towards the end. Finish: long and fruity, with a soft resinous / grassy edge.

On the nose, this Longmorn plays the card of freshness and complexity. The Malts of Scotland version is warmer on the nose (slightly more honeyed / marzipanny), but overall there are more layers to discover in this Thosop version.  I’m happy to give it an extra point for its wonderful balance and richness, despite the fact that I’m instantly in love with the MoS nose every time I try it. Around € 200. I’m sure it will be gone quickly.

Score: 92/100

Strathmill 31 yo 1976
(44,8%, Adelphi 2008, cask #1126, 227 btl.)

Nose: warm apple cake with cinnamon. Malt, dried grass and dust. Not super-fresh, there are hints of a melon that’s past its prime. Honey. Something minty / flowery – close to being soapy. Sandalwood. Mouth: starts herbal and rooty, with hardly any fruits (a bit of lemon peel maybe). Plenty of spices (pepper, ginger, cloves). A bit austere. After a few seconds, it starts to get bitter – very bitter and quite harsh. Woody and resinous aftertaste. Finish: long on tonic and lemon zest with very bitter chocolate.

This Strathmill has some glorious elements, especially on the nose, but overall I don’t find it particularly enjoyable. Too expensive anyway. Around € 175.

Score: 77/100

The resulting line-up contained eight drams, with a few highlights like the Glen Elgin 1975 by Berry Bros, Port Ellen 1983 (cask #66 by Malts of Scotland) and Glenlivet 1972 Perfect Dram (notes will follow). The preferred whisky of most members turned out to be the Tomatin 1976 released by Daily Dram.

That Tomatin seems to be gone now, but a similar release has just been announced by The Whisky Agency in the new Grotesque Crocs series. Let’s do a little comparison.

Tomatin 34 yo 1976 (51,3%, The Whisky
Agency ‘Grotesque Crocs’ 2011, refill sherry butt, 309 btl.)

Nose: difficult to spot differences between both versions. Both are wonderfully tropical: mango, tangerine, apricot and banana with silky vanilla and mint. The pink grapefruit notes were a bit stronger in the Daily Dram version, the TWA focuses more on oak (+ polish) and seems to show more spicy / herbal notes and also a soft layer of dried fruits. But you know, as soon as I swirl my glasses and put my nose back in, I’m wondering whether it’s not simply imagination. The similarities are far more striking than the differences anyway. Mouth: impressive fruitiness again (tropical fruits and citrus), backed up with spices (nutmeg, pepper, cinnamon, vanilla) and oak. Again the spices in this TWA version seem a little louder and the DD version has more pronounced grapefruit. A little dryness in the end, which seems bigger here. Finish: medium long, fruity and spicy.

For those who were unable to get the Daily Dram version: here’s an almost identical Tomatin – again not the most complex whisky but otherwise just as excellent and extremely drinkable. Great tropical fruits tied together by oak spices. Should arrive in stores shortly. Around € 150.

Score: 91/100

Longmorn 34yo 1976 (51,5%, Malts of Scotland 2011,
bourbon hogshead #5892, 132 btl.)

Nose: while it shares a lot of elements with the Whisky Agency bottling, this one shows much more vanilla and pastry notes. You could say the TWA version is more fresh and citric while this one is warmer. A little more tropical as well (ripe mango). Gooseberries. Interesting that both have a different character while they also share common things: a little mint, a little polished oak, a few spices… Less hints of dried grass in this one I would say. Water highlights the vanilla. Both very high quality, but personally I prefer the warmer version. Mouth: again different, with a more bourbonny character which means more wood varnish, more mint and cinnamon. A little eucalyptus again. Hints of vanilla fudge. Herbal tea in the end. Finish: long, drier than the TWA Longmorn. Otherwise quite similar, with mint and grapefruit.

This would be a difficult choice. I prefer the nose of this Malts of Scotland release, but on the palate it gets rather bourbonny. It’s quite unique and I personally don’t mind but I guess that’s not the case for everyone. It’s somewhat drier as well. Anyway no need to force a choice, both are high quality and have the same price. Around € 180.

Score: 91/100

Longmorn 34yo 1976
(50,2%, The Whisky Agency ‘Landscapes’ 2010, bourbon hogshead, 139 btl.)

The nose immediately shows a big fruitiness. If you don’t mind a little generalisation, ‘76 tends to be less tropical than ‘75 Longmorn. It seems right. This one shows quite some kumquat and fresh oranges. Apricots and gooseberries. Lemon balm as well as a little mint and eucalyptus. It shows a nice dustiness and faint flinty notes, but they seem to come and go. Cinnamon. Soft oak. Water brings out grapefruit. Mouth: quite oily. Now the citrus fruits stand out – mainly oranges. Hints of pears. A few resinous notes from the oak. Ginger lemonade. Evolves on grapefruit. Very nice, with a light hint of smoke. Finish: long, on lemon and mint with a little resin again.

This is a very attractive Longmorn, less luscious and less tropical than some of the 1975’s we’ve had, but still really excellent. Around € 180. Limited availability.

Score: 91/100

Tomatin had a very active period between 1975 and 1980 and was the largest distillery in Scotland at that time (more production than Glenfiddich today). With the recent revival and broadening of the range, the future of Tomatin looks good.

Tomatin 34 yo 1976 (51%, Nectar of the Daily Drams 2010, sherry butt)

Nose: very smooth and feminine, with an intense fruit basket. Tangerines, white peach. Tropical fruits like guava and mango. Some apricot marmalade. Pink grapefruit. A hint of vanilla. Lots of honey. Lovely whiffs of mint as well. Fruity but not too sweet as it also shows a warm herbal side. Excellent. Mouth: starts spicy (a little pepper), which made me expect a fair amount of oak, but it doesn’t break through. After a few seconds it goes back to fruit candy, sweet grapefruit, vanilla, oranges, marmalade, a little banana… Then some fresh herbs and cinnamon. Finish: medium length, a tad more woody dryness but still very fruity and warm.

A Tomatin that’s well-aged while maintaining its juicy fruitiness. Recommended. Around € 145. Be quick if you want a bottle.

Score: 91/100

Speyside 33 yo 1976 
(53%, Thosop 2010, cask #1420)

Nose: a warm and enticing nose showing honey and almond milk. Natillas (kind of a Spanish custard)! Lovely vanilla cream with a hint of cinnamon. Melon and apricot marmalade. A hint of crushed mint leaves. Subtle wax and oak polish. Papaya. Very sweet and creamy, like a luscious dessert. I adore this kind of profile. Mouth: immediately resinous, with some liquorice, a hint of pepper. Grapefruit. Nutmeg. Peppermint. Most of the fruity notes are pushed aside by the oak influence. Some apricot in the aftertaste. Finish: medium length. Fruitier again, with grapefruit and tangerine. A hint of mint.

After the heavenly nose, which promised a 90+ mark, the invasive oak on the palate was slightly underwhelming. Still a very nice old Glenfarclas (whoops) with the oakiness on the edge. Around € 170.

Score: 86/100

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

Is this 32 years old 1976/2009 Noh a new star among the highly praised Karuizawa 1970’s casks?

Karuizawa 32 yo 1976 Noh (63%, No.1 Drinks 2009, sherry butt #6719, 486 btl.)

Nose: big sherry, yet less explosive than some previous Karuizawa. Very nutty with big hints of new leather, together with juicy tangerine and honey. Lots of fresh matchsticks (a common thread in 1970’s Karuizawa). Some figs. Ginger. Lovely raspberry jam. Water brings out hints of cigar cases and delicate smoke. So nice! Mouth: hot hot hot, but I pick up some oak, very dark chocolate and liquorice. Let’s add water. Cherry liqueur. Again quite nutty. A pinch of pepper. Gets slightly medicinal in the end, which is a great addition to the Karuizawa profile. Finish: dry with herbal notes and liquorice. Hints of Lapsang Souchong. Very long.

If anyone doubts the quality of Japanese sherried whisky, try this! Very big and flawless. Perhaps too wild and powerful to be hugely complex, but still a benchmark for heavily sherried whisky. More refined than Wait La Mazurka, with more delicate gunpowder notes and a better balance with the sherry. Around € 165 but sold out in the major shops.

Score: 92/100

Brora

Brora 30 yo 1976 (55,1%, Douglas Laing
Old & Rare Platinum 2007, 104 btl.)

Nose: It doesn’t take long before you know this is special. Oh. My. God. The farminess is a bit restrained but it’s certainly there (the hugely pleasant dirtiness that only Brora can produce: horse stable, wet leaves, sheep). Moreover, it’s mixed with silky peat smoke and juicy sherry notes, even strawberry marshmallows and pear candy. Marzipan. And back to the coal smoke. And back to the fruits. And back. Old leather. Soft oak. Everything is coated with a fat waxiness and a slightly maritime edge. Superb complexity, excellent development and just soooo good… A perfect score. Mouth: in line with the nose. More smoke now, still some farminess. The fruit comes out towards the end together with some big herbal notes. Cardamom. Citrus. Liquorice. Pepper. It’s sweet, sour, herbal and slightly bitter (think grapefruit) at the same time. An aromatic rollercoaster! Yet so delicate. Even if it’s not as perfect as the nose, it’s still magnificent. Exactly to my liking. Finish: very long. Smokey (with a little tar even) and farmy. Citrus notes with hints of walnuts.

Although I’m always hesitating to write this, this is probably the best whisky I’ve tasted so far. Enough said. Around € 450 if you’re lucky enough to find one.

Score: 95/100

Oh, I forgot to mention the hay.
And the wet dogs.
And the mocha.
And the dust.
And the salty almonds.
And…