Mannochmore 18yo 1990-2008 54.9% OB
Once producer of the now strangely very sought after Loch Dhu - the black single malt, Mannochmore is a malt you rarely find, or at least rarely find good stuff said about. It smells spirity, cloying, needs some time, then a light, extremely sweet smell appears, like some fruity bubble gum, say hubba-bubba. The taste is again extremely sweet, and a bit spirity. A very one-dimensional malt. I'll add some water just for fun. Still sweet, with a weird rubber-plastic aftertaste.
This is some weird stuff: 3
Mannochmore 16yo 1984-2001 43% Signatory Vintage cask#4576
Today I'm doing a vertical of some distilleries I'm not tasting too often. This Mannochmore comes from 16 years in a refill sherry butt, and it's paler than a 3-year old bourbon matured whisky. What's been in the cask prior and how many times have it been refilled? Well, better pale than black might some say having tasted the Loch Dhu. The nose is fresh, vibrant, grassy, oily, some winey notes. The taste is dry and very burnt, much sulphur going on, unpleasant, let's add water. Now it becomes a bit more sweet, some minty fragrance, mint leaves and cotton... But still there's that extremely burnt taste that just puts me off.
A foul whisky from a foul cask: 2
Mannochmore 16yo 1990-2006 46% Connoisseurs Choice Gordon & Macphail
I've not tried to many of the newer bottlings by G&M with higher abv and no colouring. This one is from the rarely bottled Mannochmore Distillery. It has a nice earthy, salty and grassy smell. Oh yes, it has a distinct taste of dark chocolate and praline. With a grassy finish that just goes on and on and on. There aren't too much good said about Mannochmore, but this one is wonderful in all it's simplicity.
Some great and distinct flavours: 7
søndag 29. august 2010
fredag 20. august 2010
3 Ardmores tasted between 1.4.2008-28.5.2011
Ardmore 12yo 56.2% James Macarthur's
Returning to the 2000's with this Ardmore from James MacArthur's. Ardmore is another speyside distillery producing whisky with additional peat, but they do also make non-peated whisky. This smells totally different, really herbal with much more alcohol influence. Well, I guess none of the whisky here has had the commodity of reciding in a sherry caskt then...(?) Allright, the taste is herbal, peppery and again very influenced by the high abv. Actually, it gets a bit more aromatic and also oaky and buttery.
The difference between new and old is immense, but this is good: 6
Ardmore NAS 1977-? 40% G&M
Another one from bygone days bottled by G&M outside the CC-series. It smells very sweet, camphor and marshmallows, like flour sugar. The taste is also very sweet and light, it seems to not be peated, like the current NAS-version from the distillery is. There's caramel, champagne, walnuts, rum and sugar peas. The aftertaste is short and hardly worth to mention. It's a good whisky allright, and at it's time probably a good value for money malt, but this vintage would probably hit a price far above its less than gourmet-standard on todays market.
a nice and clean malt, a beginnerswhisky: 5.5
Ardmore NAS 46% OB
Should be about 6-8yo this one. A strongly peated highlander, and it is interesting to see what generous amounts of peat does to a mild highlander. It smells very rough, white pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, parsley and yeast. Not as smoky as I envisioned, perhaps it's local peat, and of course the flora is quite different in the Highland than on Islay. The taste is quite straight-forward with garlic, chilli, honeybread and snow peas.
A classy youngster: 7.5
Returning to the 2000's with this Ardmore from James MacArthur's. Ardmore is another speyside distillery producing whisky with additional peat, but they do also make non-peated whisky. This smells totally different, really herbal with much more alcohol influence. Well, I guess none of the whisky here has had the commodity of reciding in a sherry caskt then...(?) Allright, the taste is herbal, peppery and again very influenced by the high abv. Actually, it gets a bit more aromatic and also oaky and buttery.
The difference between new and old is immense, but this is good: 6
Ardmore NAS 1977-? 40% G&M
Another one from bygone days bottled by G&M outside the CC-series. It smells very sweet, camphor and marshmallows, like flour sugar. The taste is also very sweet and light, it seems to not be peated, like the current NAS-version from the distillery is. There's caramel, champagne, walnuts, rum and sugar peas. The aftertaste is short and hardly worth to mention. It's a good whisky allright, and at it's time probably a good value for money malt, but this vintage would probably hit a price far above its less than gourmet-standard on todays market.
a nice and clean malt, a beginnerswhisky: 5.5
Ardmore NAS 46% OB
Should be about 6-8yo this one. A strongly peated highlander, and it is interesting to see what generous amounts of peat does to a mild highlander. It smells very rough, white pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, parsley and yeast. Not as smoky as I envisioned, perhaps it's local peat, and of course the flora is quite different in the Highland than on Islay. The taste is quite straight-forward with garlic, chilli, honeybread and snow peas.
A classy youngster: 7.5
mandag 16. august 2010
4 Glenallachies tasted between 1.4.2008-28.5.2011
Glenallachie 17yo 1989-2007 58.5% Cadenhead's btl.x/240
Glenallachie has never been too good if I remember correctly, a pretty young distillery making a malt with hint of industrial spirit. Smells pretty ordinary, young, underdeveloped for a 17yo. The taste is dry all the way, fino sherry, just a bit too strong, bitter and dry flavours to discover much else. With water it gets a bit lighter, but it's still to bitter to really enjoy, actually if I tasted this one blind I'd guess it was a bitter schnapps.
A bitter Glenallachie: 2.5
Glenallachie 12yo 43% OB
One from back in the days when most distilleries used the -Glenlivet ending. Glenallachie-bottlings are hard to come by even though it's a pretty young distillery. It smells of alcohol and polluted air, rush hour traffic in London, not very pleasant but not directly bad either. The taste on the other hand is nice and clean, but just too bland. It smells really industrialized, just thrown in some re-re-refill bourbon casks and put out there. The taste is at best a bit oaky. Any aftertaste is not present in this malt.
I think Glenallachie is a malt very dependent on a fresh cask: 4
Glenallachie 13yo 1991-2005 43% Dun Bheagan cask 90261-90262 1800btls.
This is a sherry-finished bottling by Dun Bheagan. I haven't tried to many Dun Bheagan's yet. The smell is nice, fruity with a small hint of lemon and chives. The taste is very fresh and peppery, a straight-forward malt. This is wonderful, a nice combo of oak and sherry notes. No pretentious extravaganza, just a simply nice and enjoyable malt. The aftertaste is a bit phenolic and kind of minty, but not in any way a letdown.
A powerful malt with a gentle touch of sherry: 7
Glenallachie 12yo 1992-2004 43% Signatory Vintage
One from Signatory Vintage who seems to have been stacking up on some unusual spirits for some time. It smells very smoked, peat, Puerto Rican cigars. It has a nutty flavour, some bitterness, fernet, tonic water. With some drops of water the bitterness disappears, and a richer flavour of nuts and dried dates appear.
Will never be a classic, but nice however: 5
Glenallachie has never been too good if I remember correctly, a pretty young distillery making a malt with hint of industrial spirit. Smells pretty ordinary, young, underdeveloped for a 17yo. The taste is dry all the way, fino sherry, just a bit too strong, bitter and dry flavours to discover much else. With water it gets a bit lighter, but it's still to bitter to really enjoy, actually if I tasted this one blind I'd guess it was a bitter schnapps.
A bitter Glenallachie: 2.5
Glenallachie 12yo 43% OB
One from back in the days when most distilleries used the -Glenlivet ending. Glenallachie-bottlings are hard to come by even though it's a pretty young distillery. It smells of alcohol and polluted air, rush hour traffic in London, not very pleasant but not directly bad either. The taste on the other hand is nice and clean, but just too bland. It smells really industrialized, just thrown in some re-re-refill bourbon casks and put out there. The taste is at best a bit oaky. Any aftertaste is not present in this malt.
I think Glenallachie is a malt very dependent on a fresh cask: 4
Glenallachie 13yo 1991-2005 43% Dun Bheagan cask 90261-90262 1800btls.
This is a sherry-finished bottling by Dun Bheagan. I haven't tried to many Dun Bheagan's yet. The smell is nice, fruity with a small hint of lemon and chives. The taste is very fresh and peppery, a straight-forward malt. This is wonderful, a nice combo of oak and sherry notes. No pretentious extravaganza, just a simply nice and enjoyable malt. The aftertaste is a bit phenolic and kind of minty, but not in any way a letdown.
A powerful malt with a gentle touch of sherry: 7
Glenallachie 12yo 1992-2004 43% Signatory Vintage
One from Signatory Vintage who seems to have been stacking up on some unusual spirits for some time. It smells very smoked, peat, Puerto Rican cigars. It has a nutty flavour, some bitterness, fernet, tonic water. With some drops of water the bitterness disappears, and a richer flavour of nuts and dried dates appear.
Will never be a classic, but nice however: 5
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