Festival highlights

Here are some of them most interesting new things I was able to try. Most of these will be reviewed in depth in the following weeks.

• Strathmill 1974 (44,4%, Daily Dram)
• Miyagikyo 1988 for La Maison du Whisky
• Bruichladdich 5yo vatting by Jim McEwan for The Nectar’s 5th Anniversary, Château d’Yquem finish
• Glenallachie 38yo 1973 (44%, Malts of Scotland, bourbon cask #11018)
• Glen Grant 1972 (Whisky Agency “Private Stock”)
• Cardhu 27yo 1984 (52,6%, Whisky Agency)
• Port Ellen 27yo 1983 (55,5%, The Whiskyman)

And two excellent oldies:

• - Talisker 1957 (53,3%, G&M Cask 1989)
• - Ardbeg 18yo 1974 (57,7%, Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection 1992, 150th Anniversary bottling)

Of course there were also a few disappointments. Maybe not bad whisky, but expectations were higher than the actual result for the GlenDronach 21yo Parliament (clean but too sticky, too caramelly), the new Bruichladdich 10yo ‘The Laddie Ten’ and sadly also the new official Brora 32yo (see comments).

I was told there would be one more official Brora after this, a Brora 40 years old. Let’s hope it will be outstanding and not priced with Taiwan in mind.

The Whisky Agency masterclass “not yet bottled”

Carsten Ehrlich, the driving force behind The Whisky Agency, brought five samples to the festival from casks that were yet to be bottled. We had a chance to try them (blind) and select our favourite which will be bottled as a special edition Whisky Agency & Spirits in the Sky in the near future. Carsten doesn’t like to host tastings, so Mario Groteklaes had to take his place.

The first three samples were Bowmore 1999 (focused on oily peat, not complex but good drinking whisky), Glen Scotia 1992 (dirty sherry, old-style and definitely not my cup of tea) and a typical Glen Elgin 1984 (similar to the Daily Dram release of last year).

Then there was a terrific Glen Grant 1972 (sherry hogshead) with a superb fruity / jammy nose (cherries, apricot pie, honeysuckle) and a fruity albeit slightly tannic profile in the mouth. Similar to the Glen Grant 1972 bottled for The Whisky Fair 2009.

This Glen Grant was chosen by our tasting committee, although a lot of people preferred sample number 5, a Tomatin 1976. We’ve had quite a lot of these and it’s easy to recognize the tropical fruits. High quality again (some said the best Tomatin 76 so far, especially on the palate) – a close second place.

Keep in mind that all five will be bottled at one time or another (some probably with Liquid Sun or Liquid Library labels). I know many people will look out for the Tomatin but personally I still think the Glen Grant was the best choice!

Sister casks #564, 565, 567, 568, 569, 571, 572, 573 (filled on the same day as this #570) have all been bottled in the Signatory Un-Chillfiltered Collection in 2010 and 2011, in twin cask releases. The cask for Belgium has been selected in 2 masterclasses hosted by Signatory’s Des McCagherty while he was in Belgium at the end of April 2011.

Bowmore 17 yo 1994 (48,8%, Signatory Vintage for The Nectar Belgium 2011, hogshead #570, 227 btl.)

Nose: clean and fresh but not very mature. There are coastal notes to be found (kippers, seashells), faint medicinal notes and pleasant  fruits (lemon, apple, some green banana). Hints of eucalyptus and very nice tobacco. Medium peat and a little wet wool. Quite gentle and not extremely expressive, but I like it a lot. Mouth: again not extremely powerful. Starts sweet, slightly rooty and herbal with pepper and peat. Lots of coastal notes. Smoked tea. Lemon candy. Also flowery hints and some carbolic soap (bummer). Finish: long, salty (liquorice) and peaty with the bitterness of lemon zest.

Around € 70 while several UCF releases are still available for around € 40.

Score: 82/100

GlenDronach 19 yo 1991 (50,4%, OB for The Nectar & LMdW 2011, Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheon #3181, 624 btl.)

Nose: nice sherry, powerful and round. Dried fruits, some nutty notes. Very polished with some waxed furniture, similar to the great GlenDronach 1992 cask #161 in that respect. Blackberry jam and figs, maybe even some black cherries. Sparkling top notes of orange liqueur and mint as well. Rum & raisins. Plenty of good sherry associations. Mouth: rather oily, not really thick or powerful. Starts on dried fruits again, with some added herbal notes and polished oak. Plums. Cocoa. Not extremely complex, but very pleasant. Nice gingerbread and aniseed in the end. Finish: quite long, a little drier, with some tobacco now and some oak and spices.

This cask was a safe choice. It has a few nice touches (oak polish, gingerbread) while remaining within the “classic” profile everyone has come to expect from GlenDronach single casks. Around € 105.

Score: 88/100

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

Caol Ila 32 yo 1979
(52%, The Whisky Agency & The Nectar 2011, bourbon hogshead, 242 btl.)

Nose: beautifully fresh and warm at the same time. The freshness comes from maritime notes (seaweed, shells, mercurochrome) and eucalyptus, while warmer notes are added by yellow apples, soft buttercups and vanilla. The balance is perfect! Hints of limestone. Wax. Leather. And a soft veil of smoke. Mouth: dry, medicinal notes up front (bandages, iodine), with some camphor and kelp. Then a spicy / salty wave, herbal tea and liquorice. A little tar. Leather. Lemon and grapefruit zest. Finish: long, again balanced, softly briny with a coating lemon sweetness.

I would have loved a little more rounded sweetness on the palate, but nonetheless a delicious Caol Ila. Refined as always, very drinkable and extremely consistent.
Around € 190.

Score: 90/100

There’s a Caol Ila 1979, Glenlossie 1975, Longmorn 1973, Tomatin 1966, Glen Keith 1970, Highland Park 1975 and this Glenury Royal 1975. All pretty great.

Glenury Royal 37 yo 1973 (43%,
The Whisky Agency & The Nectar 2011, bourbon hogshead, 146 btl.)

Nose: honeyed nose with apple pie and caramelized sugar. Baked pear, raisins, apricots. Maybe a little papaya. Some nutty notes. Hay. Soft spices (cinnamon, mint). Nicely mellow and “antique” at the same time. Mouth: a bit too soft, but smooth and juicy, showing mainly oranges, both fresh and candied. Pears as well. Developing a spicy side (mint, clove, aniseed) and tobacco which makes it quite oriental. Honey. Some resinous oak and herbal tea. Faint paraffin notes. Finish: not too long, but nicely minty with a bit of drying oak.

Very good whisky, but quite expensive: around € 240 while last year’s Glenury Royal 1973 from the same bottler was only € 180.

Score: 91/100

Bowmore 21 yo 1989 (48,1%,
Nectar of the Daily Drams 2011)

Nose: clean, with peat, seaweed and wet wool. Quite maritime. A little sharp in my opinion and a bit too narrow. Some grassy notes, brine, pepper and mint. A faint vanilla note but very much in the background. Water makes it slightly fragrant (luckily not too flowery though). Mouth: rather dry, very peaty, eartht, with secondary grassy notes and a little lemon. Again a faint vanilla note. Pleasantly salty. Faint hints of Schweppes tonic. Finish: medium long, in line with the palate.

This is not the horrible kind of early 1980’s Bowmore, but I don’t think it’s as good as many 1990’s vintages either. A lukewarm expression in my opinion, very focused but lacking some roundness in addition to the peat and brine. Around € 110.

Score: 82/100

Longmorn 35 yo 1975
(50,8%, Nectar of the Daily Drams 2011)

Nose: holds the middle between the Daily Dram Germany and the Whisky-Fässle releases. Banana and papaya mixed with soft grassy notes, citrus and oak polish. More beehive notes and wax I would say. A slight nose prickle which seems to come more from the spices than from the alcohol. The same mint, nutmeg and soft pepper. Water makes it more citrusy in the style of the 1976 Longmorns. Mouth: very fruity (do I need to repeat the oranges, apricots and tangerines?) with a spicy kick. Honey and marmalade. On par with the Whisky-Fässle bottling, with added hints of aniseed and liquorice. Water seems to make it a little sweeter. A second wave of fruits in the aftertaste. Finish: long, spicy with lingering fruits.

This Longmorn is certainly up there and it has the advantage of being able to play around with water and bring out different elements. I still prefer the 44% bottling and it’s a little more expensive than the others: around € 200.

Score: 91/100

We’ll have it side-by-side with three other Longmorn 1975 releases published in the next couple of days.

Longmorn 35 yo 1975 (40,5%, Nectar of the Daily Drams for Germany, bourbon hogshead)

Nose: sweet and fruity Longmorn, with honey, tangerine and apricots. Lots of papaya and ripe bananas. Spanish membrillo. Almond cookies. Very sweet and rounded, with hints of white chocolate and a little mint and pepper to add to the complexity. Mouth: a fair amount of oak which adds a sourness to the otherwise great fruitiness. Oranges, apricots, passion fruits…  Then showing some more oak juice, fruit tea and grapefruit. Finish: not too long, citrusy and minty with traces of fruit compote.

A great nose with a slightly oaky palate. I started with a big 92 score but the palate brought it down to 87. Still an interesting malt, no doubt. Available from eSpirits, around € 180.

Score: 87/100

When I started collecting whisky, this was a must-have bottle, certainly after it won a silver medal at the 2006 Malt Maniacs Awards.

Caol Ila 21 yo 1984 (58,5%, Dewar Rattray
for The Nectar 2006, bourbon cask #6266,
251 btl.)

Nose: moderately peaty with sweet lemon juice, candied zest and vanilla. Some dried hay and liquorice. Nice balance of pastry notes (butter cake) and drier hints of limestone, minerals and seafood. There’s a great farmy side to it as well, which grows stronger with a few drops of water. Quite rounded and gentle but very complex. Mouth: oily and mouth-coating. A much bigger peatiness now. Bread crust. Caramelized apples. Becomes drier and spicy in the end. Finish: very long, sweet with peat and coastal hints.

One of the best Caol Ila I’ve had. I feel lucky to have secured a bottle back then. Around € 110 but probably impossible to find now, except in auctions.

Score: 91/100

This 18 years old Ardmore 1992 was a joint bottling of The Nectar of the Daily Drams and La Maison du Whisky.

Ardmore 18 yo 1992
(47%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams 2010)

Nose: a smoky nose with charcoal. Some apple / pear notes and ripe banana (maybe papaya even) but what sets it apart are the waxy / oily overtones (candle wax). Nicely integrated whiffs of oak and vanilla. Some heathery notes. A bit austere maybe, but I love the wax. Mouth: sweet and remarkably soft, with honeyed lemon juice, green apples, peach and sugared almonds. Some cereal notes. Earthy peat, still some waxy notes and a faint salty note. Finish: clean and long but not very intense, with a nice almond / banana combination, soft brine and lingering smoke.

This Ardmore shows a nice interplay of dry soot and sweeter fruity notes. The nose is the best part for me, as it looses some subtlety on the palate. Around € 70 (which means good value for money). Still available from LMdW – hard to find in other shops.

Score: 87/100

Laphroaig 20 yo 1990
(52,8%, Nectar of the Daily Drams 2010)

Nose: a fragrant Laphroaig with a nice peppery side (Szechuan) and a medicinal / herbal side (menthol, antiseptic). Faint fruity notes in the background, with sweet smoke and some farmy notes / wet dogs. I’m picking up notes of green tomatoes as well. With water the farminess grows stronger while it also turns to lemons. Nice – well balanced (read: not very peaty) on the nose. Mouth: slightly kippery, then growing more medicinal for a few moments but sweeter as well, with sugared lemon juice. After that, there’s a late burst of peat with some liquorice and pepper again (chilli). Finish: long, quite rounded with sweet smoke and soft hints of green peppers in the end.

Laphroaig of this age shows a little less peat on the nose, but still displays it with full power on the palate. I like the balance of this all-rounder. Limited availability. Around € 125.

Score: 87/100

It was probably a finish as red oak is very open-grained and prone to leaks, it simply can’t be used for 20 years. A sister cask #378 was bottled in the Ichiro’s Malt series last year.

Hanyu 19 yo 1991 (56%, Nectar of the
Daily Drams, cask #377, Red Oak heads)

Nose: very spicy, a little oriental (cinnamon, ginger, mint). Big notes of cigar boxes. Some tangerine and cloves (hints of a high-end vermouth). Butterscotch and fruit cake. Pancake syrup. Nice hints of beeswax and leather. Mouth: powerful and pleasantly oaky with intense spices again. Pepper, some liquorice, a little ginger. Faint hints of aniseed. Sweet dried fruits as well (prunes to name just one) but overall quite savoury. A few smoky undertones. Finish: long but only the deeper spicy notes seem to stand out, most of the freshness disappears. Not too dry.

Hanyu traditionally shows a high oak influence with plenty of spices. This is no different, and I know for some people it will be “too Japanese”. Quite a hefty price as well: around € 180. The combination of its particular profile and price means this will probably be on the shelves a little longer.

Score: 88/100

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

Highland Park 24 yo 1986
(51,8%, Nectar of the Daily Drams 2010)

Nose: mixed fruity notes and coastal elements. Not wham-bam candied fruit but a nice, elegant sweet layer of oranges and ripe apple. More fruits than usually found in this distillery. Nice eucalyptus and wax. Vanilla. On the other hand quite some dry flinty notes and a hint of chalk. Very good. Mouth: oily, mineral and slightly resinous. A hint of peat as well. Quite dry, the sweeter layer with vanilla is now in the background. Grapefruit. Develops on leafy / grassy notes with a hint of bitterness and liquorice. Still pretty coastal (oyster, lemon). Finish: medium length, with hints of herbal liqueur, dry resin and earthy notes.

A high quality dram with different elements: very fruity but also mineral, waxy, coastal elements… An nice all-round Highland Park. Very different from distillery releases though, so be careful if you’re only searching for that kind of profile. Around € 105.

Score: 89/100

The Nectar of the Daily Drams (formerly called Daily Dram – much easier) released this 35 year-old simultaneously with The Whisky Agency who bottled a similar cask at 52,5%. Instinct tells me these casks are all from the 394x or 395x series that were also released by Whisky-Fässle (recently) and Three Rivers (some time ago).

Longmorn 35 yo 1975 
(44%, Nectar of the Daily Drams 2010)

Nose: very elegant and rich. A big amount of peaches, tangerines and almond cookies. Hints of papaya and banana. Lots of honey notes. Lovely beeswax. Also quite some esters: shoe polish, even some hints of marshmallows (these notes fade after a while). Nougat. Subtle mint and spices. Altogether pretty brilliant and hugely attractive. Mouth: starts on wood and spice (soft pepper, nutmeg, some aniseed and mint) but quickly regains its fruitiness, mainly oranges. Less harmonious than on the nose, but punchy and entertaining. Fades on lovely tangerines and pink grapefruit. Finish: long, rather sweet, with citrus candy and honey. Drying in the end.

Great selection by Daily Dram. I would say this is anything but a daily dram though! I’ve also tried the Whisky Agency version (sadly not directly head-to-head) and I had a slight preference for this one. Around € 200 but it will be difficult to find as I was told it was very very limited.

Score: 92/100

ps/ Yet another Longmorn 1975 cask will be bottled by Daily Dram. It will be the last cask of the series, this time with more bottles available. Keep your eyes open at the beginning of February. Other upcoming bottlings by Daily Dram: Tomatin 1976, Ardbeg 1998 and Laphroaig 1990.

The Whisky Agency has a new Anatomy series which features sketches of Leonardo on the labels. This is the line-up:

• Inchgower 36 yo 1974 ex-sherry
  (very citrusy with little sherry)
• Glenlossie 35 yo 1975 ex-bourbon
• Lochside 29 yo 1981 refill hogshead (quite a grainy nose and truckloads of citrus, mainly grapefruit)
• Bowmore 15 yo 1995 ex-sherry

Reviews of the Bowmore and Glenlossie are coming up.
On top of this, there are new additions to the Perfect Dram VI series:

• Linkwood 36 yo 1973 ex-bourbon
• “A Speyside” 41 yo 1969 ex-bourbon (Glenfarclas?)
• Glen Moray 36 yo 1973 ex-bourbon
• Glen Elgin 35 yo 1975 ex-bourbon (review coming up)

It’s interesting to see a lot of joint bottlings and similar casks, a concept that has become very popular lately (more exposure, or a cheap way to have more limited releases?). The Lochside and Bowmore bottled by TWA are also available from Daily Dram which means you can buy the same whisky in different bottles. Note that their Bowmore is bottled at 46% whereas TWA bottles at cask strength. Although both are releasing a Linkwood 1973, there is no mention of co-operation so it’s probably just a similar cask.

Daily Dram also shares a few casks with
La Maison du Whisky:

• Linkwood 36 yo 1973
• Banff 34 yo 1975
• Clynelish 27 yo 1982

I was able to try the last two recently (thanks Jeroen). The Banff is really good and highly recommended but the Clynelish didn’t seem to be on the same level as other Clynelish from the same year (this one was pretty sharp and mineral, I like them rounded with more vanilla). As far as I know, the LMdW versions are yet to be announced.

Conclusion? A lot of new and promising (premium) expressions to choose from, many of them with a label of your choice!

Ledaig 8 yo 2001
(61%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams 2010)

Nose: leathery peat with hints of seawater and tarry boat rope. Quite oily with a sweet background. Candied lemon peel. A hint of toffee. When compared to peated Islay whisky, it’s probably closest to Ardbeg or Kilchoman. Very clean but fairly mono-dimensional. Water makes it slightly fresher and adds hints of lemon. Mouth: straightforward peat (much more than expected), quite sweet and rounded, with a nice lemon/salt combination. Peated margarita? More candied with a few drops of water – hints of sweet tobacco in the aftertaste. Finish: peat, peat, sweet peat.

Well-made with a big peat blast and a coating sweetness. Promising for the future of the distillery but nothing exceptional and still quite youngish in character. Too focused on peat for my taste – a slightly lighter alternative for Kilchoman fans maybe? Around € 40 and readily available in this part of Europe.

Score: 83/100

It would have been interesting to have them all in a direct comparison, but for now it’s just this Daily Dram vs. the Malts of Scotland version.

Glengoyne 37 yo 1972
(52%, Nectar of the Daily Drams 2010)

Nose: very fruity with tangerine, lemon, pineapple and hints of strawberries. A bit of mint. Very tropical and honeyed. Obviously in line with the Malts of Scotland version, but maybe a tiny bit fruitier, with a higher degree of vanilla. Less oaky spices as well. I prefer this Daily Dram version for having a wider array of flavours, but it’s close. Mouth: an oily attack, fruity with a pleasant acidity. The pineapple and honey are supported by more spices (ginger and cloves) and hints of resinous oak, but less so than in the Malts of Scotland release. Very nice integration. Water brings out soft coconut and some dried prunes. Slightly grassy aftertaste. Finish: long, spicy and drier.

An admirable Glengoyne with a delicious fruitiness and well balanced oak influence. I have a slight preference for this one over the 1972 Malts of Scotland version, although the differences are small. The lower price makes it even more interesting: around € 145. Recommended.

Score: 91/100

Longmorn 13 yo 1996
(49%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams 2010)

Nose: a fresh youngster. A few hints of new spirit which disappear after a while. Lots of pears and apples. White fruits. Candied citrus. Gummy bears. Honeysuckle. Hints of almonds. Quite light and fruity. Mouth: very sweet attack. Pear drops. Flower honey. Slightly waxy. Interesting hints of peat smoke in the background, they add quite a lot of depth. Cocoa notes. Finish: oily texture, with nutty notes and subtle smoke.

An uncomplicated but perfectly nice summer dram, this Longmorn.  There’s a BBR bottling with similar specs for less than € 50 and a recent Signatory bottling for € 35 , so its price (around € 60) is perhaps the only thing speaking against it.

Score: 84/100