Redil Whisky NAS 43% Italy

I know little to nothing about this one, other than that its bottled for a company based in Bologna, Italy. It holds mere 3cl and has a plastic cork top. The color is white wine. It smells sweet, sweet colourants, spirit, cheap cologne, grassy, chalkdust, stale beans. I can't get this notion of wet, rotting hay out of my mind... The taste is plastic, cheap vodka, spinach, grassy, mild on flavor and heavy on alcohol is what I'm getting on the palate. I could very well add water to this, for opportunists sake. Now it turns into some bland pear-ish, perhaps even apple-juicy, thing.

It was fun to try, but by now I should know better: 1.5

From Seagram's, it's quite an established brand. The decanter apart, it could be a rather appreciated one.  The color is golden. It's adjusted by caramel, as I'm sure most of you will be aware of by now. It smells caramel, cinnamon, honey liqueur, apple cider, meringue, syrup, willow sap, camphor. It's far from complex, but seems rather delicate initially. The taste is sweet, green peppers, burnt onions, earthy/burnt veggies. Boring? No, well, yes, I mean, it seems more a whisky for a shot bar than one to enjoy in the long hours till dawn. The finish is peppery, starchy, licorice, quite pleasant.

Everyday blend style: 3

Next tasting: Isle of Jura Distillery

Royal Lochnagar 12yo 40% OB

Hard to find Royal Lochnagars these days, a miniature will do. I do however believe that Royal Lochnagar is one of the most overlooked distilleries when it comes to what quality they can produce. I've not had many, but I've never been disappointed. Let's have another go at the 12yo. The color is golden and non-chill filtered. It smells malty, peppery, wheat biscuits, heather, cinnamon, orange zest, porter/stout, unripe bananas, dark chocolate, dry white wine. The taste is caramel, hazelnuts, malt syrup, port jello, camomile tea, vanilla, potato starch, leather. It's a traditional whisky in many aspects, no fuzz and bottled at perfect sipping strength. The finish is malty, dry and peppery.

The nose was good, the palate had its parts, but the finish dropped the whole experience for me: 5.5



Next tasting: Whisky from Canada and Italy (weird combo...)

Fettercairn 23yo 1989-2012 46.3% Blackadder Raw Cask cask#1348 btl.20/210

Time to try this one. I've actually had it one time before, and I remember it was a rather gentle one. But that time I had it at a shop right after a Ledaig. Quite possibly it could also be light due to greedy angels. I thought for the Raw Cask-series, a low strength whisky from one of the lightest distillate characters in Scotland, is a bit of an unusual choice. From a bourbon hogshead. The color is light golden. It smells heather, wax, gasoline, ashes, linseeds, parmesan cheese, hazelnuts, dried fruits. This nose shows character aplenty! The taste is flinty, oaky, burnt knitting wool, you know that harsh smell of burnt wool, thats the notion I get on my palate now. Also chili peppers, ginger, earthy, pine wood, rhubarb, quince jelly, bacon. My oh my, it's a flawless one, even though the burnt wool notes might send some conservative tasters of the coach. The finish is minty, peppery, cigar smoke, mulled wine, heather, light oaky notes. I won't add water as I see it will not improve on this whisky, I can't explain why, its just that sometimes a whisky tells you that it ain't thirsty.

About this whisky I can only say good things: 9



Next tasting: Royal Lochnagar Distillery

Re-tasting my first ever Ledaig, paired with a newer one, not even half its age.

I remember back in 2007, I think it was, when I purchased a similar miniature at the Cadenhead's whisky shop in Covent Garden, London. The shop is now moved elsewhere, but I still to this day remember bickering with the clerk that day. I insisted Smokehead was a single malt whisky, whilst he refused that stating that only whisky bottles with distillery names on them could be single malts. He was not very far off his pension age, and I was a cocky young man. How times flies by, back then I guess it was a discussion between recently gained knowledge and experience from days gone by. Needless to say, that Smokehead I bought was my first ever full bottle of whisky, and it was all distilled at Caol Ila distillery. :-)


Ledaig 6yo 2005-2012 53.6% Malts of Scotland cask#12027

Only 6yo and already dropped well below 55%abv? Greedy angels.. The color is pale straw. It smells coastal, sea salt, smoked salmon, smoked herring, cigar smoke, peat, bonfire, ashes, earthy, damp, licorice, stale grass, compost. It's not very spirity, as one could suggest at this age. The taste is peaty, peppery, very powerful, salty, green peppercorns, pickled onions, sweet vinegar, wasabi, oaky, lime peel, lime juice, very bitter citric notes on the finish. Let's add some water. Now it turns a bit oakier, more salt, bacon grease, smoked meat, it improves by becoming gentler, and dressing up like a much more mature malt. Well done!

Without water it's a 5.5, with added water it becomes a: 6


Ledaig 15yo 56% Cadenhead's

No vintage on this thing, but I'm guessing it was bottled around the mid nineties. The color is golden. It smells peaty, vanilla, smoke, ashes, mild minty, spearmint perhaps, sweet white wine, a much more rounded and well mannered Ledaig, but its not as coastal either. Reminds me a bit of Ardmore from bourbon wood. The taste is more on lemon, sour, grapefruit, slightly bitter, grenadine, white rum, oaky, The finish is bitter. With water it turns sweeter, sodapops, honey, fizzy drinks, really a lot of weird swetness now. One to keep bare.

I can't remember my initial score, but this time its a: 4.5



Next tasting: Fettercairn Distilery

Glen Mhor 33yo 1975-2009 40.2% Duncan Taylor Rarest of the Rare cask#4035 btl.59/250

I've had my ups and downs with both Glen Mhor and Glen Albyn, but I think that Glen Mhor was the better distillery in Inverness, at least in my opinion. And there was also Millburn, all gone by now... The color is amber, sort of dirty, earl grey-ish amber. It smells sweet, licorice, vanilla, ashes, sooth, damp, boiled cauliflower, washed linens, butter, air freshener, clean, more so than what you'd expect at this age. The taste is vanilla, ashes, mint, citrus, lemon meringue, chestnuts, coconut flesh, brittle. This seems it could just as well be a decent 12yo, but all expectations aside, its a delicate and sweet dram. The finish is peppery, drying, bitter, grassy, raw garlic. With added water it turns more sweet, plums, purple grapes, vanilla, pear compote, raisins, really a sweet treat, dessert stuff.

It's hard to fall asleep knowing all those Inverness distilleries are lost: 8



Next tasting: Laphroaig Distillery

Teaninich 20yo 1974-1994 56.9% James MacArthur's

I have no photo of this miniature as blogger won't accept the file. Poor... However, the reason why I'm trying this whisky is not that I believe it necessarily is a great whisky, I've had my ups and downs with Teaninich. But the other day I received a rather strange e-mail. I could not understand the letters in the mail, so I pasted it into google translate and chose languages until I got to Arabian. From what I understand, a blog reader in Egypt had (...) to say about me tasting too many widely available malts these days. And with my recent half-assed attempt to sample the range of Diageos Classic Malts, I guess thats kinda true. Therefore, here's a tasting of a Teaninich from James MacArthur's, distilled almost 40 years ago and bottled 20 years later... The color is light amber. It smells rich, peppery, vanilla, honey, ashes, peanut butter, red onions, fried red onions to be more precise, smoked paprika, very complex nose. The taste is all on peppermint, licorice, salmi, quite drying, dry sherry, ginger, wheat crisps, dried onions. I'd say its definitely no classic malt, but it's a supreme whisky in its own right. This is a whisky to enjoy on any rainy autumn day, pair it with a cheese platter and some pesto, then top it with a dram of this dry, nutty whisky and a cigar, and you're home. The finish is sort of drying and leathery, old books, dust.

Thank you Gahiji H., it was really worth it: 9



Next tasting: Tobermory Distillery

Edit:

I've got a couple of reactions on my last tasting note, Chairman's Choice Speyside Distillery. It's now come to my attention that this might be a whisky from another Speyside Distillery as it lacks the "The" in front of the "Speyside Distillery" on the label. A bit like "Glenlivet" were changed to "The Glenlivet"? I'm not sure, but I suppose that could be. So, if you know where this was distilled, except The Speyside Distillery, please feel free to drop me a line on the subject. If not, keep dramming and enjoy every drop. ;-)

Spey NAS 40% OB/IB? Chairman's Choice Speyside Distillery

Speyside Distillery then, of Drumguish fame, a bit too often reminding us what a small distillery they are, have created this rather fancy miniature. Chairman's Choice? Have they changed their PR strategy? But lets not forget that this is a distillery yet to really make its mark on the map of single malt whisky. The color is dark golden. I'm suspecting its not a natural color. It smells spirity, caramel, lime rind, grapefruit, butter, salt, restrained. The taste is that of a young and fruity spirit, some hints of calvados and young armagnac. This is more in the blend territory, light and easy. Perhaps it would work as a digestive to a light supper? The finish is raw onions and dandelion leaves.

It's not a leap, not even a small jump up in my opinion, from the Drumguish: 2.5



Next tasting: Teaninich Distillery