I’m a bit confused here. I’m quite sure today’s WhiskyFacile samples have been sent to me only a couple of months ago, but they seem to have been bottled two or three years ago. Somehow this also means all bottles are sold out from their online shop. It’s a very wide selection, from Islay to America.
Campbeltown Blend 9 yo 2014 (54,3%, WhiskyFacile 2023, hogshead #23, 96 btl.)
Nose: PX, I would say. It’s full of treacle, dried figs and some mild meaty hints. Subtle hints of charred orange peels and wood shavings, especially cedarwood. Worn leather, brown bread and copper coins too. Slightly rugged but not exactly dirty.
Mouth: active wood comes out now, with firm hints of cigar boxes and leather, along with raisins, figs and dates. Then back to orange peels, as well as some minty notes and sour berries. Mid-palate bitterness comes forward (herbal liqueur). There’s some Campbeltown funk as well, including a touch of flints and gunpowder.
Finish: long, becoming leafier, on tobacco and salted caramel.
Rumoured to be a teaspooned Glen Scotia. Quite characterful and not as dirty as I feared. Only the woody side is borderline for me.
Copperworks 3 yo 2018 (56,8%, WhiskyFacile 2022, virgin oak barrel #287, 239 btl.)
Nose: a bit funny, starting on orange blossom honey and Vino de Naranja. Then vanilla, a whiff of mango, even a hint of IPA. Something Irish. Pencil shavings and aromatic tea too, but the honey is always on top.
Mouth: sweet and fruity, with more mango, peach and plenty of honey again. Orange juice and orange peels, tropical fruit jam and vanilla. Quite sweet and bourbonny, with plenty of active wood spice as well. Nutmeg, aniseed and ginger.
Finish: medium length, sweet and honeyed, with some fruitiness and new oak.
A nice surprise, this American single malt, even though it feels a little pressure cooked. Some nice syrupy fruits come out. Score: 87/100
Williamson 12 yo 2010 (58,4%, WhiskyFacile 2023, refill bourbon barrel #923, 156 btl.)
Nose: straight into briney notes, maritime smoke, lemons and vegetal oils. Iodine, cider apple and sour grapefruit, a bit of youthful sharpness and a herbaceous note.
Mouth: much more intense than the nose suggested. Deep smoky notes, with black olives, lemon peels and bonfire embers. A bit of leather and charred peach. Then darker hints of ham and coffee, along with barbecue ashes and a bit of toffee sweetness.
Finish: long and sooty, with a lot of seawater, smoked fish, black pepper and burnt plastics.
The nose suggested a middle-of-the-road profile, but on the palate it goes a step higher. Three totally different whiskies, yet they all have a similar high(-ish) quality. Score: 87/100