Dailuaine 21yo 1985-2006 46% Berry Bros & Rudd cask#1064

Ending 2013 with a Dailuaine. Happy New Year! I do believe this one comes from a sherry cask, as most Dailuaines usually do(did?), but the label states no such information. It should come as no surprise I'm thinking highly of Dailuaine's whisky, but I've not tried many distilled in the mid-80's. The color is light amber/dirty golden. It smells spicy, green chillies, honey, leather, black pepper, bananas, fruit compote, ginger, orange jam, an interesting mix of sweet and spicy notes it seems. The taste is drying, burnt, rubbery, ginger again, wheat crackers, some citric notes of lime and melon. It's not my cup of malt, it reminds me a bit of some DE editions from Talisker that I wasn't that thrilled about. Adding some water. Now it turns sweeter, more on madeira, or dry tawny. It's somewhat more drinkable but once again it reminds me more of something that isn't whisky. White rum, calvados perhaps? The finish is middle long, peppery and grassy.

I've tried many better BBR's and Dailuaines: 5.5



Next tasting: Speyside Distilery

Famous Grouse 7yo 43% for Armando Giovinetti Junior

I've had a couple bottlings for Giovinetti (sr.), and I must admit I find this more of a crazy curiosity than a whisky I'm dying to try. Some 8yo Fettercairn amongst others. The color is neo-traditionally adjusted, and there's some sediments that I believe have been released from the inside of the screw cap. It smells heavy vanilla, sage, cardamum, heather, hay, coriander, cinnamon, nuts, caramel, prunes, malt syrup, a rather sweet and malty blend, it seems. The taste is buttery, nutty, caramel, cinnamon, some vanilla, wallpaper glue, stamp glue if you want a tasted reference, some weird notes on the finish. No reason to add water, but lets try just for fun. Now it turns more peppery, minced garlic and chili, lots of spices, still some malty notes and vanilla. A curiosity, well worth tasting, but still a curiosity in my opinion. Merry Christmas!

This blend speaks fluently Vanilla: 5



Next tasting: Dailuaine Distillery

Neumarkt Special Smokers Malt 14yo 1998-2012 43% Tabak Jurewicz Pfeifen Studio, Aachen

What could this be then? a smokers malt from Speyside, bottled in Germany. Could be just about any speysider then? I'll do some guessing along the way, as I taste. I got this one at auction at a vey fair price. What got my attention is the age, for a whisky like this, its rather out of the norm these days. The color is golden. It smells straw, perfume, malty, pickled beetroot, riesling white wine, grassy. I can't avoid thinking of Dufftown Distillery, Glendullan or Glen Moray. The taste is sweet, more on riesling, peppery, vanilla, floral, garden fruits, peach tea, nutty, pears, banana. It's a light, bourbon oak-influenced speysider, and it could be from just any lesser profiled distillery from that region, I think. The finish is on dry licorice, honey, vanilla and apricot jam.

No big thrills, but flawless non the less: 6



Next tasting: Something young, yet old. A rare bottling of a commercial brand to celebrate Christmas.

An old friend from Inverness

I believe this is my third miniature of the 1250 bottles from cask#1102. I'm not definitively sure its all miniatures from this cask, but with that number of bottles, one could very well assume so. 60.1%abv is a decent strength after 16 years on wood. How better to taste a Millburn than with most of its strength intact? The color is amber golden. It smells honey, spirity, waxy, engine oil, butterscotch, dark chocolate, cocoa, burnt butter, oil paint, a slightly strange one. This is quite the whisky, I believe it carries a lot of aroma, enough to keep most punters at bay, but then again, if your adventurous and want to experience the wild side of Inverness, please enjoy. The taste is all on dry white wine, honey, lemon rind, grapefruit bitterness, starchy, peppery, aniseed, mustard, strong stuff! Adding water. Now it turns more honeyed, richer, saltier, more buttery, peat, leather, ashes, filled with sweet bitterness. The finish is dry, oaky, dry white wine, butter, grassy, salt water, wheat biscuits, a bit hard to follow. But with all these fruity/floral whiskies these days, if you wanna have a go at old school, leather and attic smells, this is the concentrate you're looking for.

Not for the wine/sherry cask freaks, rather a humble whisky with a much wilder side: 8



Next tasting: 14yo Smokers Malt from Speyside(???)

Laphroaig 11yo 1998-2009 57.3% Celtic Whisky

One cask (presumably just one) bottled for the shop Celtic Whiskey in Nürnberg, Germany. Don't let the rather pixelated and simple label fool you, this is an authentic Laphroaig. I won this at a recent auction for a very fair price, remember, even Laphroaig prices are skyrocketing these days. There is no mention of cask type, size or anything else. Only age and strength, a glimmer of days gone by? The color is pale, white wine. It smells rather light, vanilla, pears, sweet mint, peat, stearic/waxy notes, ashes, paint thinner, gasoline, pretty much what one would expect from a young Laphroaig, not far off some of the best batches of the QC. If this is what they can produce without any port finishes of other crap, its golden! The taste is raw peat, spirity, vanilla, raw onions, medicinal, herbs, bitter notes, tonic water, lime, sour grapes, ginger, peppery. Reading these notes it could seem like there's quite some off-notes, but I must add there's no peatiness like Laphroaig peatiness, no matter how high you get the ppm level. These seemingly off-notes is the notes that cracks through, it's just so powerful that I'm not able to detect heather, strawberries or tiramisu. I will not add water to this, you may. But Laphroaig is rarely suited for additional water, imho. The finish is longlasting, peppery, peaty, dark chocolate, onions, one of the best "natural" peat-monsters I've had in a while.

Comfortably raw and peaty, a distinct malt, I love it: 8.5



Next tasting: Millburn Distillery

Fettercairn 22yo 1990-2013 51.5% Malts of Scotland cask#13004 btl.29/242

How about that, a Fettercairn from one of the smaller, and some might say more "picky" independent bottlers. I have no reason why they've waited this long. Oh yes, also Blackadder and Whisky-Doris among others released new Fettercairns this year. This one comes from a bourbon hogshead. The color is pale auburn, darker than golden, yet pale. It smells rich, vanilla cream, mashed banana, pickled beetroot, very light vinegar notes, porter/stout, wasabi, leather, mulled wine, cardamom, fresh clover. The taste is vanilla, sour fruits, lemon, mango, pears, kiwi, honey, marzipan, peppery, a bit austere, glue perhaps, stearic. With a drop of water added it loses some of the austere and stearic bits. The finish is peaty, citric, sunflower, cactus, lemon meringue. That was a strange finish. Usually the longer finishes are those of bold spicy and peppery notes. This had more of a peaty lowlandish finish, perhaps a Bladnoch. But Bladnochs fade pretty quick, this ones still hanging around about 30 minutes after I finished the dram.

An enjoyable whisky that for me, scores high on all tasting aspects: 7.5



Next tasting: Laphroaig Distillery