Glenesk 26yo 1981-2007 59% Duncan Taylor cask#934 btl.112/439

Glenesks are seriously becoming rarer and rarer, and yet it seems to never grasp any interest in whisky circles. A shame.. Now lets try this one, but don't let the color fool you, it's only a sherry "finish". The color is dark brown, chocolate/thin coffee. It smells mustard, grainy, coffee bitterness, orange peel zest, fresh thyme, lime, coriander, mint, hazelnut, caramel, wax, peat, engine oil, sweet sulphury notes, gasoline. I'm amazed, never had a finished whisky quite like this. It literally reeks of sensational sherry, but let's first have a taste. The taste is sweet at first, some camphor and caramel, honey and nutmeg, then it turns all on peat and peppery notes, some wax and sharp vinegar notes as well, hard to pin down. Please remember, 59%abv. after 26 years, I'm only saying.. Let's add some water. With a teaspoon of added water it turns sweeter, cinnamon, chillies, grape soda, coffee bitterness, herbal tea, spices, linseeds, turmeric, garam masala, earthy notes of indian spices, cumin. If there's any Glenesk casks left, please finish them in... no. But this is quite a powerful Glenesk, it has the distillate-driven sharp edges and yet a lot of characters from the casks. The taste is powerful, yet the flavours are always distinguishable. The finish is herbal, grassy, longlasting, again with this bitterness I find in very strong coffees, peppery at the end. 

I just know I'll have to crush my piggybank now, to go look for more Glenesks: 9

Next tasting: I think that's it, thanks for now, perhaps I'll be back here someday...

Talisker 20yo 1981-2002 62% OB btl.#4571

This one was exclusively matured in sherry casks, and if you look at the strength, well, I think I'm in for a beast! I've seen these go for upwards of 1000€ at auctions these days. This one I purchased in Denmark a couple years ago for about 200€, and that says a bit about the increase in scotch whisky prices. The color is amber+. It smells rich, sweet, cinnamon, red onions, a bit perfumy, lavender, thyme, shortbread, caramel, chipotle, honey, nougat, almonds, like a spicy chocolate with these hints of syrup. The taste is supersweet at first, cinnamon, caramel, honey, beeswax, ginger, earthy notes, vanilla. Then after that initial sweetness, there's peat, iodine, smoke, ashes, peppery notes, tar, lime rind, balsamic vinegar, tobacco. A devious malt, seems so sweet and light at first, then hits me with everything that makes Talisker Single Malt so special, in excess of what I've found in other bottlings. I'll add some water. Now it does not change much with water, other than both the sweetness and the extreme coastal/peaty notes becomes more restrained. Please skip the water if you can handle this neat, but its a damn fine whisky when watered down too. The finish (neat) is peat and tar, quite simple, but it just goes on and on, almost like a strong cigar, it just stays on the tongue. A Talisker that in style, I see little hope will ever resurface. Get one while you still can! 

Stellar whisky, the nectar of gods: 10

Next tasting: Glenesk Distillery

Dailuaine 31yo 1975-2006 55% Gordon & Macphail Reserve cask#4374

                                                   

They do not come much darker than this, but a dark whisky, at least in my experience, isn't always a sweet oloroso-driven one. I've found that it's as well to do with the size of the cask. The smaller the cask the more likely to get a more oaky, volatile and bitter sherried dram. Octaves on the other hand, I find, often smears the sherry on a bit gentler. The color is almost coca cola, a dark marsala wine perhaps. It smells a bit burnt, sulphur, cinnamon, cardamum, phenol, honey, coffee, cigar smoke, a more than decent oloroso-driven malt it seems, without being too sweet. The taste is creamy, licorice, hot cinnamon, burnt, sulphury, it's one of these thick sherry-monsters that often needs some water. Let's add two teaspoons right away. Now it goes on with more sweetness, dates, figs, plum juice, cinnamon, beetroots, ginger, leather, peat, quite some peaty notes actually, also black pepper, cocoa and chillies. The finish is long and bittersweet, a bit like genevers. 

The best sherried one I've had since long, much better than the A'bunadhs for example: 9

Next tasting: Talisker Distillery

Arran 14yo 46% OB

Its gaining some age now, and the prospects have promised good things, let's have the 14yo Arran. I've tried this once before, but then in a rather heavy vertical tasting, time to try it on its own. The color is natural light golden, also no chill-filtration. It smells moss, smoke, earth, clay, bonfire, chopped onions, garlic, leather, cloves, ginseng, hints of mortar, brimstone (sulphur). The taste is at first sweet, honey, ginseng, ginger, plum syrup, coriander, Jameson, smoked cheddar, cauliflower, red bell peppers, cardamum, coriander, sweet chillies. A lot going on here, and with a real punch in the finish, its a massive 14yo. My dream would be that this was available at CS, maybe it is, must check upon things. Lets add a small drop of water. The taste is now more vegetal, more herbal, some bitter notes of hay and rotting cauliflower. I must say I preferred it neat. The finish is on both occasions rather short and peppery. 

A very decent dram at 14yo, no beginners malt: 7

Next tasting: Dailuaine Distillery

Macallan 23yo 1976-1999 56.9% Cadenhead's

An old Macallan from sherried oak, certainly ought to bring back some fine memories. I'm wondering how many bottles of sherried Macallan we're about to see in the years to come. I've understood that the number of sherry casks at Macallan warehouses are on decline. The color is auburn. I'm not expecting an overly sweet-ish oloroso matured one. It smells leather, rubber, chalk, gun powder, honey, red bell peppers, kiwis, raspberries, simply mouthwatering in my opinion. The taste is peppery, peaty, tar, wax, clay, raspberry liqueur, a strange sweetness of that liqueur and malt syrup. Oh, and some tobacco and coffee notes too. Adding water. Now it turns sweeter, more honey, floral notes, ashy, soap, really decent, but its lost its bite. I do not recommend adding water to this dram. The finish is long on peppery notes, hot cinnamon, spices and leather.

 If you love the new NAS Macallans, hold on to that notion for awhile, then try this: 9



Next tasting: Arran Distillery