WhiskyNotes » 23yo

Nikka Miyagikyo 1988 (cask #92414)

Ruben — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 01:06:00 +0000

La Maison du Whisky is now selling the latest single casks by Nikka. There’s a Coffey Malt 1998 and Coffey Grain 1997, a heavily peated Yoichi 1991 and this Miyagikyo 1988, all presented in a wooden box.

I suppose all these single casks will be quite limited.

Miyagikyo 23 yo 1988
(57%, OB 2011, cask #92414)

Nose: exotic fruits (ripe pineapple, banana) and mirabelles come out first, together with cigar boxes. Then a lot of vanilla, sawdust and beeswax. Hints of eucalyptus and white pepper. Lusciously warm. Mouth: punchy with a fine layer of oak. Still quite creamy and fruity at first (blackcurrant, apricot, plums, hints of Turkish delight) but quickly developing on spices (vanilla, pepper, light ginger). A slightly sharp peatiness as well. Light grassy / leathery notes in the end. Finish: long, spicy with vanilla and light peat. Again these notes of oak shavings.

A very fine Japanese malt, with traces of peat and some very prominent new oak notes. Exclusively available from La Maison du Whisky but I’ve noticed a few bottles are on their way to Holland as well. Around € 145.

Score: 88/100

Glenrothes 1988 (Liquid Treasures)

Ruben — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 01:15:00 +0000

Today we’ll try a very recent bottling for Germany, a 23 years old Glenrothes 1988 in the Liquid Treasures range (third series with “Lighthouses” label).

Glenrothes 23 yo 1988 (48,9%, Liquid Treasures 2011, ex-bourbon hogshead)

Nose: sweet start on buttercups, dandelions and a fair dash of honey. Some sweet oranges and a moscatel aroma. Baked apples. Hints of vanilla and caramel. Nice combination of sweet fruits and flowers. Mouth: sweet and creamy, with malt cookies, vanilla and quite a lot of honey again. Orange marmalade. Fruit cake. Evolves on soft spices (cinnamon, subtle pepper). Finish: medium long, with the same malty / honeyed character.

Quite a typical Glenrothes (albeit without sherry). Rounded, sweet with soft spices. Available from eSpirits. Around € 90.

Score: 85/100

Jura 1988 (Whisky Agency)

Ruben — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 06:34:00 +0000

Whisky enthusiasts are sometimes joking about Jura – the distillery doesn’t have a solid reputation, although there have definitely been some excellent versions in the past. From what I’ve heard, the recent Jura 1976 ‘Feith A’ Chaorainn’ is also worth a try (but probably not worth € 650).

This Isle of Jura 1988 was bottled from a bourbon cask, although the colour could easily trick you into thinking it was a sherry cask. The final bottling in the Romantique series.

Isle of Jura 23 yo 1988 (52,9%, The Whisky Agency ‘Romantique’ 2011, ex-bourbon hogshead, 201 btl.)

Nose: nicely aromatic. There are ripe fruity notes (oranges, berries) but overall it’s fairly dry, heathery and nutty and it shows a distinct coastal character. Very gentle peat, traces of iodine and light camphor. Hints of tobacco, leather and dried herbs. Cocoa. Great surprise. Mouth: good weight, starting on a herbal sweetness. Lovely old peat and smoke in the background. Light pepper. Faint medicinal elements again. Balances nicely with rounded chocolate, dried oranges and soft spices. Finish: long, drier and earthier, with oranges, cocoa and soft oak.

A great surprise indeed. I would have sworn there are traces of old-style sherried Islay whisky in here. A recent jewel coming from Jura, was anyone expecting this? Well priced as well: around € 110. Highly recommended.

Score: 91/100

Longmorn 1969 (G&M #3721 / 5297)

Ruben — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:01:00 +0000

There are a few well-known Longmorn 1969 releases in the Cask series by Gordon & MacPhail. Here’s a twin-cask bottling that I didn’t know of until Bert Bruyneel offered me a dram.

Longmorn 23 yo 1969 (61,2%, G&M Cask series 1993, cask #3721 & 5297 btl.)

Nose: a punchy attack on vanilla and the most beautiful, warm, polished oak. A lot of leather. Gooseberries and tangerines. Yellow plums. Apricot marmalade. Then a whole series of exquisite beehive notes (heather honey, pollen, wax) – I adore these kind of notes. Hints of dried flowers and verbena tea. Mint as well. White chocolate. Impressive complexity with such a close interweaving of all the elements. Mouth: slightly hot but so good! A big fruitiness, with plenty of tropical fruits: guava, tangerine, passion fruits, peach, kumquats. There’s some wood and tannins, sure, but it’s never too dry. Quite some spices towards the finish (pepper and vanilla). Some roasted nuts, Gianduja chocolate and a hint of smoke in the background, right? Finish: long and leathery, still peppery, with drying oak and a vanilla-infused fruit salad.

Tropical notes, beehive notes, juicy oak… what a wonderful stream of fruits. And so punchy. In line with all these great Bowmore 1968s or old BenRiachs. Thanks Bert!

Score: 94/100

BenRiach 23yo 1984 (SMoS)

Ruben — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:00:00 +0000

As you know, BenRiach is a Speyside distillery with a tradition of making peated batches as well. The Whisky Exchange bottled quite a few BenRiach from the 1980’s in their Single Malts of Scotland range, and most of them were really worthwhile.

This BenRiach 1984 won a silver award at the 2008 Malt Maniacs Awards.

BenRiach 23 yo 1984 (54,2%, SMoS 2008, cask #194, 214 btl.)

Nose: clearly a peated version, even though it’s not at all monstrous. Nice dark ashes. Smoked ham. Surprisingly coastal for a BenRiach, with tarry ropes and whiffs of sea air. Nonetheless it’s beautifully balanced with marmalade and honey which makes this one very attractive. Hints of diesel oil. Waves of citrus. Very entertaining. Mouth: very thick and powerful. Much more peated. Really dark, almost like burnt whisky. Lots of pepper (red chilli even) but again there’s a sweet coating. Finish: a bit drier, with coal and diesel oil. Hints of liquorice.

A high quality peated Speysider, very muscular. I really loved the nose, too bad I find the peat a tad overpowering on the palate. Sold out (around € 75 at the time so great value for money).

Score: 87/100

Glenury Royal 1971 23yo (Rare Malts)

Ruben — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 23:00:42 +0000

This Glenury Royal 1971 was part of the first Rare Malts releases in 1995. Two other bottlings would follow. In recent years, mostly spectacular versions have been released, like a 50 year-old and a couple of 36 year-olds. The distillery was closed in 1983 and later demolished, just like most of its neighbours (Glenesk, Lochside, Nort Port).

Glenury Royal 23 yo 1971
(61,3%, Rare Malts 1995)

Nose: delicately fragrant. Sweet nectar. A clear sherry influence with apples, pears and oranges followed by spices (cinnamon, hints of ginger, nutmeg). Quite sweet and fruity but there seem to be delicate drops of peat in the background. Good balance with the oak, which is definitely present but not overpowering. Some vanilla. At times it even had a medicinal edge (iodine? menthol?). Complex and quite unique. Mouth: mouth-coating, with even more wood influence now, very warming. Some honey and plenty of fruit. Lots of spices again. Still hints of peat but overall maybe a little less convincing than the nose. Finish: slightly drying (wood you know) with lingering spices.

A high quality malt with a full, fruity and spicy presence. Very rare. Worth around € 250-300.

Score: 90/100

Thanks for the sample, Dirk!

Benrinnes 1985 23yo

Ruben — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:00:39 +0000

Benrinnes is known to use worm tubs instead of the more modern condensers to cool the spirit vapours and it’s using that as an argument for unique quality. At this moment, only 13 distilleries maintain this tradition.

With this 23 years old Benrinnes 1985 we conclude our series of the Diageo Special Releases for 2009. It was distilled in 1985 and matured in sherry casks.

Benrinnes 23 yo 1985
(58,8%, OB 2009, 6000 btl.)

Nose: what seems to start a bit meaty / sulphury actually stays clear of really bad aromas, with just some notes of gunpowder and a case of matchsticks. I don’t like sulphur but this is okay, especially since there are lots of nutty aromas (Nutella) and nice fruits (berries, prunes, cherries) to counterbalance it. Surprisingly sweet (demerara sugar). Hints of heather. Mouth: hazelnuts again. Raisins with a chocolate coating. A big spicy kick as well. Something slightly metallic. Beefy notes. Getting rubbery towards the end. Finish: spicy (nutmeg) with dry oak and hints of leather and tires.

Not exactly a clean sherry monster but not bad either. I know many fans will love this for its interesting notes of matches. Still too much “on the edge” for me, and I’m not convinced to pay € 140.

Score: 80/100

St. Magdalene 1970 23y (Rare Malts)

Ruben — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:00:20 +0000

Here’s another St. Magdalene that I’ve tasted alongside the St. Magdalene 1982 26y by Douglas Laing. Did you know the St. Magdalene distillery was built at the site of a former lepers colony?

This Rare Malts release is pretty rare, the 1979/1998 version is a lot more common. If you’re able to spot a bottle, expect to pay around € 300.

St. Magdalene 23y 1970 (58,1%, RM 1994)

Nose: powerful and direct. Fruity but… quite some sulphur as well. Too bad really. I decided to let it air for 20 minutes. That helped, but the off-notes didn’t disappear completely. There’s definitely peat on the nose, and some burnt caramel / toffee. Some orange candy, but nothing like the femininity of the 1982 Douglas Laing St. Magdalene OMC. I, fact, this one didn’t appeal much to me. Mouth: powerful and rather grassy (burnt grass even). Slightly nutty (almonds). Oil, marzipan, herbs. Finish: very long and chewy. Herbal notes again, light peat and dry oak.

I find it difficult to evaluate this one. It definitely has some qualities, but I’m missing some finesse. I think “obscure” fits this bottling well. I prefer the Douglas Laing.

Score: 78/100