A sprint session again: 9 bottlings from Whisky AGE in Taiwan (including their Whisky Blues series). They are rather prolific but samples arrive late here in Europe, so it’s always a guess which ones are still available.
Allt-a-Bhainne 26 yo 1997 (52,1%, Whisky Blues for Mujo 1st anniversary 2024, ex-Williamson barrel, 236 btl.)
Nose: sour fruits like Granny Smith and star fruit, along with fresh grassy notes. Green pears and green banana. Then also candy necklaces and hints of lemon yoghurt. This moves to chalky notes and lemon peels. Not sure we’re getting a Laphroaig vibe here.
Mouth: very naked again, all on green fruits (pears, gooseberries, cider apple) and white pepper. A subtle salty note as well. Mid-palate there’s a light resinous / chalky note again, as well as some grassy hints. Now a very light medicinal hint could be discovered, but probably only because I went looking for it.
Finish: medium, with honeyed green tea and more lemon.
Very naked and also quite simple, to be honest. It seems younger than the stated age and there’s not much to keep me interested. False start.
Benriach 26 yo 1997 (61,2%, Whisky Blues 2023, hogshead #7336, 165 btl.)
Nose: ripe apple again, with a bigger oak influence here. Some vanilla, hay, almonds and oranges. Then hints of ripe pineapple, as well as apple cake and drops of honey. Over time it becomes a bit more spiced and sherried, on blonde tobacco and hints of fruit tea. Really rich and aromatic.
Mouth: now even more bourbonny, to be honest. Honeyed, almost caramelized nuts, some stewed apple, raisins and plenty of sweet vanilla pastry. Lots of ginger biscuits and hints of peaches. Then increasingly more spicy, with clove, prickly ginger and herbal tea.
Finish: long, slightly hot and gingery, with a mild bittersweet edge. Nutmeg and ginger in the end.
Good whisky, with a very nice nose. There are some nice stewed fruits and subtle hints of sherry, but overall the wood is quite loud and makes me go for a conservative score: 88/100
Braeval 23 yo 2000 (57,9%, Whisky AGE 2023, sherry puncheon #15631, 438 btl.)
Nose: a slightly lactic note at first, then toffee apples, oranges and walnuts. A slightly funky combination, but it settles down. After a while more classic aromas of raisins, brown sugar and some walnuts. Some clove and nutmeg underneath.
Mouth: sweet and spicy. I’m getting raisins, sweet berries and orange candy, mixed with some punchy pepper. Kaki fruits, hints of hazelnuts and more oranges. Polished wood in the background, leading up to liquorice and clove.
Finish: medium. The zesty side becomes bigger (orange peels), along with salty notes, a bitter edge and hints of walnuts.
Entertaining whisky with a few interesting elements. This must have been a bit of an outlier cask. Less classic than the Benriach, obviously. Score: 86/100
Bowmore 26 yo 1997 (50,1%, The Whisky Blues 2023, butt #64, 317 btl.)
Nose: promising. Nice camphory notes, cold ashes and herbal smoke, but also juicy berries and pink grapefruit in the background. Also tobacco leaves, hints of cinnamon, drops of brine and sour apples.
Mouth: a bit more peat smoke now, with bonfire ashes and some oily elements. There’s some of that early 2000s fruitiness but a little less tropical than I hoped. Then sour berries, peaches and citrus. Cardamom and almonds too. Maybe a wee soapy note, but hardly noticeable.
Finish: quite long, on walnuts, grapes and ashes.
Bright fruits in a nice balance with the fairly gentle Islay side. Now I think Bowmore made some significant improvements in the early 2000s which are not entirely noticeable here. Really good, in any case. Score: 89/100
Bushmills 20 yo 2002 (54%, The Whisky Blues 2023, barrel #11344, 212 btl.)
Nose: crystal-clean, starting on crisp green apple, unripe pears and yellow gummi bears. Then hints of straw, some green leaves and broken branches. Fresh barley, whiffs of ink and hints of floral honey. Just a touch of vanilla.
Mouth: oats and malty notes, with green fruits and citrus. Lemons, pears, gooseberries and white pepper. Some unripe mango and guava, although a little restrained. Belgian triple beer. Liquorice, fine ginger and hints of butter cream.
Finish: medium length, with some fresh oak, apple, vanilla and mint.
Good but not as exuberantly fruity as we’d like. Simply a pleasant profile with plenty of green fruits and a lot of freshness. Score: 87/100
Glen Garioch 11 yo 2011 (55,8%, Whisky AGE 2023, barrel #2755, 225 btl.)
Nose: round and vibrant. Rather honeyed, with sweet rhubarb and gooseberries, some mirabelles and a nice fatty edge. A little wheat beer. Some floral notes (dandelions) and a drop of almond oil. Melon skins and a whiff of sheep wool.
Mouth: quite oily, with some sweeter notes (mead, honey, almond) as well as sharper elements (green pepper, grass, chlorophyll and lemon peels). Lots of chalky hints. Just a hint of vase water and mash.
Finish: rather long, with mineral / waxy hints, lemon zest, more pepper and a flinty touch.
Plenty of character in this young Garioch. It finds a nice balance of roundness and sharpness. Very entertaining whisky. Score: 88/100
Glenrothes 10 yo 2013 (61%, Whisky AGE 2023, hogshead #1701, 272 btl.)
Nose: a funky sour woody note appears first, some coppery notes too. Oak shavings. Hints of fresh figs, but also ink and floral notes, in between roses and lavender. Then back to walnuts and Madeira cake. Maybe a little leather. Not exactly classic.
Mouth: quite spicy, but at the same time lacking some body in the middle. Ginger and peppercorns, along with pencil shavings. Still this sour winey note, exotic wood bark and autumn leaves. Cold sour coffee and more coppery hints.
Finish: quite long, still spicy and sourish.
At times I thought the sample could be tainted, but it seems sister casks also have a funky edge. A quirky selection. Score: 78/100
Williamson 14 yo 2010 (61%, Whisky AGE 2024, second-fill Oloroso quarter cask #1038, 150 btl.)
Nose: full of peanuts, toasted oak and cold ashes. Hints of smoked fish, mercurochrome and seaside saltiness.Pencil shavings. The wood is having its say, including a little sourness again. Surprisingly thinner than other expression from this distillery.
Mouth: red apples, tarry notes and barbecue smoke. Then some lacquered meat, along with more coffee notes, tart berries and some roasted walnuts. A pinch of salt too, along with these firm woody hints. Hints of burnt toast and cloves as well.
Finish: long, salty, with cranberries and charred meaty notes.
This one feels a little distorted by the quarter cask, taking away some of the typical Laphroaig intensity. Are hopes are now on the Staoisha to end this session with a bang. Score: 83/100
Bunnahabhain Staoisha 15 yo 2009 (53%, Whisky AGE 2024, STR barrel #180, 254 btl.)
Nose: nice enough. Clean ashes, with lemons, a little mocha and subtle iodine. Overall fairly mild for Staoisha, but of course it’s already a bit older. Extinguished beach bonfire and bacon. Spearmint and nutmeg. Then perhaps some green fruity elements in the distance.
Mouth: milder than expected again. Minty peat, with truckloads of lemons and limoncello. Drops of brine, nutmeg, yellow apple and maybe eucalyptus. Not a lot of STR influence, except for mild cardamom perhaps.
Finish: medium. Back to citrus, with oak spice and a little vanilla.
Nice to see a much milder expression of Staoisha. As if the STR barrel worked as a filter, rather than something extra. Not a highflyer, but a nice whisky nonetheless. Score: 86/100