Littlemill 20 yo 1990 (53,9%, Malts of Scotland ‘Clubs’ 2010 for Fulldram, cask #736, 183 btl.)

Nose: a little closed and grassy at first, but it grows fruitier by the minute. Honeydew melon, kiwi, green banana, lemon balm. Lots of pink grapefruit. Lovely hints of frangipane as well. Almond paste. Succade. A bit of freshly sawn wood and a few estery notes (bubblegum / nail polish remover) now and then. Really great. Compared to cask #915 a tad more fruit and slightly higher complexity. Mouth: very punchy and beautifully fruity, but soon evolving on bitter grapefruit again (still too overpowering, just like in the sister cask). Lemon zest, some vanilla. Pungeant ginger and nutmeg. A faint waxiness as well. Hints of cinnamon. Woody notes in the aftertaste. With water: almonds. Finish: rather long with spices from the oak and bittersweet citrus.

Another Littlemill with a great nose. It deserves a few points more than its sister cask because of the bigger fruit and the slightly higher complexity. It gets even better with a few drops of water. Congratulations to the Fulldram members for picking this cask - one of the best Lowland whiskies I’ve had so far.

Most bottles were bought by club members but a handful are still available from QV.ID (a club member’s shop). Priced € 86.

Score: 90/100

Laphroaig 20 years old ‘Double Cask’ is a limited edition that will only be sold by the French Duty Free retailer Aelia. Essentially it is the recent bourbon matured Laphroaig 18 years with an extra maturation in small quarter casks and bottled at 46,6%. We can expect it to be slightly sweeter and probably a bit richer than the original.

750 individually numbered bottles will be made available at € 225 later this month. Something to look out for if you’re passing through Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

Linkwood 20 yo 1989 (53,5%, Malts of Scotland 2010, cask 1826, 263 btl.)

Nose: quite sharp and alcoholic at first. Rather neutral flavours to be honest (malt, cereals, freshly sawn wood). Hints of rosewater (quite typical for Linkwood – more noticeable with a few drops of water). Some vanilla. Apples. Mouth: more or less the same remarks. Strong but not very complex. Pepper. Green apples. Citrus. After a while, it gets tannic and really gingery. Grains. Hints of tonic with a slice of lemon. Quite dry. Water doesn’t help to improve, it even becomes slightly perfumy. Finish: long, spicy. The bitter tonic is quite dominant.

This Linkwood is not my favourite bottling among the new releases by Malts of Scotland. Not bad, but overshadowed by the other new bottles on offer. The overall quality of this bottler is still very high. Around € 90.

Score: 80/100

19.44 is the 44th cask of Glen Garioch (distillery n°19) by SMWS.

Glen Garioch 20 yo 1988 ‘Old Grandad Whisky’ (53,4%, SMWS 2009, 19.44, 251 btl.)

Nose: sweet start with a winey touch. Rum / raisins. Dried apricots. Strawberries with white chocolate. Vanilla. The ‘old granddad’ should come from notes of tobacco and leather. The hints of pipe tobacco are certainly there but the leather is less detectable. Very nice overall, although there are also some savoury / herbal notes (cup-a-soup powder with whiffs of sweet mustard) that I found a bit distracting. Mouth: candied start, growing surprisingly floral. Lots of flowery notes, in the direction of lavender and geraniums (both of which I don’t like). A bit too close to perfumy notes for my taste. Lots of toffee. Again some tobacco. Finish: rather short with toffee and pine wood.

Quite an unusual dram. Strawberry notes are not very common and the combination with herbal notes is strange but interesting. I was a bit disappointed by the flowery profile on the palate. Around € 90.

Score: 81/100

This Hakushu 1989 single cask comes from a sherry butt, which is very rare (it’s probably the second single cask sherry release ever). It has a very dark, mahogany colour.

Hakushu 20 yo 1989 (62%, OB 2009 for The Whisky Exchange, sherry butt #9O 50021)

Nose: a bit restrained at first, but it opens up with big sherry notes of course. Excellent plums and raisins but also lovely fresh, sweet/sour notes of tangerines and bramble liqueur. Fragrant honey. Balanced wood influence: it’s certainly there but it never overpowers. Water brings out a hint of smoked wood. Mouth: hot and woody at cask strength but very rich. Spicy cake (some cinnamon and ginger). Plums again. Definitely from a clean sherry cask (why do the Japanese always seem to pick perfect casks?). The sandalwood gives it a dry and tannic edge, maybe even a few rubbery hints. Finish: quite long and smooth. Warming sherry with a sweet aftertaste.

A perfectly balanced sherry bomb – a Japanese Macallan, as it were. On the other hand, I still prefer the Longmorn 1969, which is just as sherried but less dry and more complex (although it’s older). This Hakushu 1989 is one of the Gold Medal winners that is still available from TWE (around € 200).

Score: 90/100

Together with the Glenury Royal 23 yo 1971 (IWSC Gold Medal 1996), this Brora is one of the few Rare Malts releases that received an award (IWSC 2004 – Best Cask Strength Whisky).

Brora 20 yo 1982 (58,1%, Rare Malts 2003)

Nose: very attractive Highlands style, fruity (peach, apple, lemon), a bit perfumed even but slightly austere at the same time. A few salty notes (sea-air, iodine, oysters). Some smoke and peat but quite subtle and on par with the fruitiness. Hints of shoe polish and paraffin. Some leather. Very balanced, you can just sip this and enjoy or really get into it and unwind its complexity. Mouth: malty and spicy, with a firm kick at cask strength and an oily texture. Bittersweet with a touch of vanilla. Lightly peated again. Tobacco and dark chocolate as well (sweeter than other Brora). Finish: rather long and warm, slightly peppery, drying and smokey.

Certainly different from the 1970’s Brora style. I miss the farmy notes and the peat is quite subtle, but overall the 1982 still has a very nice coastal profile. What a shame my bottle is going to be finished soon. Quite rare now. Expect to pay around € 200 for a bottle.

Score: 90/100

Pittyvaich 20 yo (57,5%, OB 2009, 6000 btl.)

Nose: fresh, rather light for a 20 year-old, but pleasant. Holding the middle between a malty, mineral and a fruity profile. Pears, biscuits. Some pineapple. Quite creamy. Subtle hints of oak polish and fresh, new leather. Vanilla. A touch of freshly cut grass. Mouth: a rather sharp attack with grassy notes and zesty fruit. Apples and orange skin mostly. Soft hints of vanilla. Then there are a few earthy notes, with toast and a little tobacco. Coffee. Finish: medium length on oranges, with very faint hints of salt. Again waves of cut grass.

A Pittyvaich that seems 10-15 years old rather than 20. Apart from that, it shows a pleasant, unique character which proves that even neglected distilleries can produce beautiful stuff. But at around € 120 the price vs. quality ratio is rather weak.

Score: 82/100