Historic Distilleries: Glen Mhor

Glen Mhor was founded in 1892 and started distilling in 1894. The distiller was situated in inverness, along with Glen Albyn and Millburn, which all have gone to sleep now. Glen Mhor was the first ever distillery to use a saladin box for the malting process. They stopped doing that in 1980 to cut costs. The distillery were not only the first to install a saladin box, but also one of the first distilleries to use steam heating for their stills. DCL took ownership of the distillery in 1979 and closed it some 14 years later as they also did with Glen Albyn Distillery. Today the distillery site is a Coop grocery store, needless to say, times have not been kind to old Glen Mhor Distillery. Glen Mhor never released any OB bottlings and made little produce altogether. I apologize for the rather leaning photo.



Glen Mhor 14yo 1978-1993 43% The Master of Malt cask#4041,4042

A youngster from some casks The Master of Malt shared with Signatory, I remember they did that with some casks where all the output went into miniatures. It smells of raw spirity notes, lemon, lime, sodium, acidic, fizzy drinks, rather unpleasant. The taste is sweet, bitter, peppery, dry white wine, grape soda, grape fruit, bitter fruitiness. As this whisky progresses on the palate it just becomes more and more hard to enjoy, more spirity and more citric as it goes along. Water changes nothing here, just becomes a tad sweeter. The finish is sweet, peaches, dried fruits and honey.

The finish is one of the few shining lights in this one: 3.5


Glen Mhor NAS 1980 43% Gordon & Macphail

Two years older vintage, but the label states nothing about how old it is, but I imagine it's not any older than 12yo. The color is golden. It smells bacon, cheddar, citric, dry white wine, oranges, peppery and spirity. The taste is peppery, vanilla, citric, acidic, lemon, grape fruit, lime, dry white wine. Not far from the #4041&.. in my opinion. But this is not very good anyhow, light and spirity. I'll add some water. Now it turns vanilla, estragon, citric, acidic, burnt notes. I does improve with water. The finish is gone with the wind from my Mac-fan, nothing at all.

Similar to any MOTR blend: 3


Glen Mhor 25yo 1970-2005 45% Campbell & Clark Ltd. cask#1164,1165,1166

Time for a real oldie then. I have no information about Campbell & Clatk Ltd. The color is brown amber, it smells of spirity, pear spirit, sour apples, rubbery, cinnamon, glue, wheat, peppery, grape fruit. The taste is cinnamon, oranges, papaya chutney, strawberries, licorice, yoghurt, curry spices, red bell peppers. The finish is medium long, on heather, honey, cinnamon and pistachio. I must add that although this whisky is both clean, soft and very sip-able, it has some old style sherried charm.

Great Glen Mhor, old sherried style: 7


Glen Mhor 28yo 1982-2010 47.2% Blackadder Raw Cask cask#1232

Unfortunately they've not managed to transfer any of the cask sediments into this 3cl sample. Low strength. From a bourbon hogshead. Blackadder bottled all casks#1231-1234 as single in the Raw Cask-series. The color is golden. It smells citric, vanilla, honey, creamy, banana peel, light and bitter. The taste is citric, acidic, sour, hops, ginger, raw onions, pickled cucumber, leather, herbal. I must admit that even at CS Glen Mhor does strike me as a bit light and boring. The finish is wheat, biscuits, drying, coal.

At this age, strength and presumably price, I'd expected a bit more: 4.5


Glen Mhor 28yo 1982-2010 56.8% Signatory Vintage cask#1328

Another bourbon cask filled in 1982, this time bottled by Signatory and at almost 10% higher strength. Lets hope that can have some more impact on the register of flavors in this one. The color is golden. It smells wheaty, peppery, black peppery, oily, onions, light, easy. seems to come from some tired wood. The taste is sweeter, honey, peppery, creamy, vanilla, by far the richest and fullest expression in this session. The finish is gingerbread, cream cheese, marzipan, peppery.

Seems Glen Mhor improves with strength: 7.5


Glen Mhor 20yo 1977-1997 59.3% Signatory Vintage cask#1552

This one comes from a series called "Silent Stills", which one would believe consisted of whisky only from closed distilleries. And back then it was, but some of those distilleries have been resurrected since then. This series, which have been discontinued are reaching extreme prices online these days. The color is golden. It smells peppery, wheat, hay, olive oil, garlic, vanilla, kinda raw and spirity, oaky. The taste is peppery and spirity, strong, licorice, restrained and spirity, I hope some water will help it open up. Water added. Now it turns just a bit more hay and porridge. The finish is spicy, licorice, camphor and vanilla.

Glen Mhor, sadly lost, never to return: 6


Glen Mhor 8yo 40% Gordon & Macphail

Flat miniature, white cask on pink backdrop printed on the label. These flat miniatures from G&M are only 4cl, not 5cl as most guys selling them online claims. Just a curiosity, but worth mentioning I think. The color is dark amber. It smells peppery, burnt, sugar, honey, gingerbread, cinnamon, drying, licorice, waxy. The taste is licorice, ginger, soy, butter, oloroso sherry, sweet red wine, honey, creamy sweetness, shallots, kiwi, I bet there's some older stock in this, as it seems much more mature than 8yo. The finish is earthy and peppery.

Like a lighter version of the "C&C" bottling, light sherried style: 5.5


Glen Mhor 8yo 57% Gordon & Macphail

Another flat square bottle from G&M, this time at 57%, or at 100 Proof, as G&M used to bottle back in the days. The color on this one is golden. It smells rich, vanilla, coffee beans, caramel, glue, honey, stewed onions, milk chocolate. The taste is peppery, syrup, honey, cinnamon, really rich, sweet, sugary, plums, thick and sweet. The finish is buttery, oregano, basil, leeks, bay leaves, banana leaves, a most herbal Glen Mhor. Adding water. Now it turns drying, wheaty, red onions, grassy.

Great young whisky, flawless, but not much complexity in this one: 5


Glen Mhor 15yo 1976-1991 60.9% James MacArthur's

Quite some vintages of Glen Mhor in this session, but none of the seems supreme, or very different from another in any sense. This seems perhaps that they had a clear steady style "house style" at Glen Mhor, which really is a fundament for any successful distillery. The color on this one is white wine. It does seem to come from a tight cask, or bigger cask, with this its strength. I'd like to speculate that this one comes from a european oak barrel of some kind, but I could be dead wrong. It smells of acorns, oaky, nutty, honey, vanilla, bourbon, hay, buttery. This seems a bit young and underdeveloped, but lets taste first, the judge. The taste is light, sweet, biscuits, white wine, drying, wheat beer, really light and easily drinkable.

A pretty standard whisky to end this variable session, but Glen Mhor will be missed!: 6

Glen Mhor when in business

Glen Mhor in 2011, behind PC World, a sad sight...













Next tasting: Millburn Distillery

Historic Distilleries: Glen Albyn

Glen Albyn was a highland distillery of much history but less appreciation. Its water being sourced from Loch Ness might have something to do with it? It was founded in 1844 and began distilling in 1846. The first Glen Albyn soon closed due to a fire in 1849, before a new one was founded in 1892, and that's the Glen Albyn I'm about to try (surprise, surprise!). It had same owners as Glen Mhor and those distilleries has since suffered much the same fate. No expenses were spared and new Glen Albyn had state of the art equipment when distillation began. And they kept the stream of whisky flowing until WWI. It started distilling again in 1920 and kept on in good manners until 1972, when it was bought by DCL. DCL wanted to make whisky in cheap manners and rushed out some of the good equipment before mothballing it in 1983. What many people don't know about Glen Albyn is that they actually peated their whisky. Along with Glen Mhor and many others the distillery has now been demolished to make room for a supermarket. Time to try these 9 Glen Albyns of which I've saved up for quite a while.



Glen Albyn 12yo 43% Master of Malt cask#2947

Not many 12yos from Glen Albyn left in the world today I think, thankfully I got the opportunity to try one for my site. I know the Master of Malt a while back rebottled some Signatories into miniatures, could this be one of those? The color is lighter than white wine, borderline water. It smells of white wine, white pepper, licorice, dry, grassy, orange zest, yellow tea, tobacco, lemon. A bit like Cardhu 12 if you ask me. The taste is apples, pears, sweet fruits, agave juice, honey, white grapes, melon, peaches, a real fruity symphony. The finish is peppery and sweet, hanging for a while, then gets pleasantly bitter.

A great everyday dram in my opinion: 7.5


Glen Albyn 22yo 1972-1994 40% Gordon & Macphail Connoisseurs Choice

Seems Glen Albyn can perform very well at both young age and low strength, lets try this older one from Gordon & Macphail. The color is amber orange. It smells orange zest, aubergine, agave liqueur, peat, leather, ripe pears, plums and peaches, dried fruits, kind of bland but rather flawless. The taste is sweet, peppery, slightly peaty, bitter lemon, banana, grape seeds, avocado, peppermint, pistachio, again very light and easily drinkable in huge quantities, and such it is a dangerous malt. But it is far from an interesting one. The finish is a bit dry and peppery, but very short. Typical MOTR CC-bottling from Gordon & Macphail, a good introduction malt whisky for newbies, but unlikely to be chosen for that purpose.

Light and flawless, could be used to mix drinks with: 4.5


Glen Albyn 27yo 1979-2006 53.2% Part des Anges Closed Distilleries cask#362

Part Des Anges is a fairly new independent bottler, but it seems they've already been putting out some more exclusive bottlings, especially in their "Closed Distilleries"-series. The color is deep golden. It smells of vanilla, mandarin, kiwi, exotic fruits, coconut milk, old books, attic dust, thyme. A bit like a two-dimensional nosing, at first its fruity and exotic, then old and rustic. The taste is smooth, creamy vanilla, honey, plum juice, cream liqueur, vanilla ice cream, milk chocolate, sambuca, aniseeds, a most delightful Glen Albyn. The finish is drying, sweet, buttery, vanilla, dark chocolate, roasted almonds, pesto. Superb, I'm glad I've been able to collect this many whiskies from this, in many peoples perception, little missed closed distillery.

Creamy, honeyed, fruity, not much complexity, but that's for someone else to long for: 8


Glen Albyn 27yo 1975-2002 54.8% OB Rare Malts Selection

A bottling by Diageo I think. As you see most bottlings in this series were done some years ago and I'm not sure how many casks of Glen Albyn there's around anymore. Tasting a bit of scottish history? I think I sure am. The color is golden. It smells of aniseed and spirity notes, vodka, lime peel, perfumy, a bit less enticing than the single casks. The taste is peppery, marzipan, sweet liqueur, really intense, needs a bit of water to open up? Now waters added. It now tastes sweeter, moss, grassy, earthy, spirity, burnt sugar, honey. This one is quite frankly a bit off. Not a very good whisky in any way. The finish is spirity. I think perhaps that Diageo bottled this just to fulfill a series? Who knows...

Let's hope this was a one-off for Glen Albyn: 2.5


Glen Albyn 25yo 1979-2005 56% Duncan Taylor Rarest of the Rare cask#3958 btl.218/238

One that I got a full bottle of after I discovered a great Glen Mhor from the same series, but as I remember it, I was perhaps a bit optimistic, but its been some years since last time I tasted this. The color is golden. It smells of peppery, nutty and spirity notes, peanut butter, salty butter, oily, sweet, vanilla, green paprika, lemonade. The taste is really sweet, honey, vanilla, spirity, sort of sulphury and spirity, what I'd imagine gasoline to taste like. Some notes of burnt plastic. This is a Glen Albyn that's really hard to follow. I was pleasantly surprised by the nose, but then it alt went pear shaped for me. I stand by my word that this is not a worthy bottling for either Duncan Taylor or Glen Albyn.

A few good sweet notes: 2


Glen Albyn 20yo 1969-1989 55% Signatory Vintage cask#483,484 btl.403/1000

This is an even earlier distillation than what I've tried so far. How was Glen Albyn in the late 60's? The color is hazy, amber orange. It smells of sweet and spirity notes, vodka, black pepper, horseradish, wasabi, a very raw and spirity one. The taste is peppery, zesty, cigar smoke, intense smoke and cigar notes, parsnip. I believe its a bit raw and due for some water. Now it turns sweeter, red onions, heather, cinnamon, oranges, milk chocolate, caramel, butterscotch, a real treat. I'm conflicted whether this could be a sherried whisky or not, but its a rich one anyway. The finish is sweet on cinnamon and cranberry.

Beautiful stuff, but water is a necessity here: 8


Glen Albyn 25yo 1964-1989 58% Signatory Vintage cask#942,943 btl.648/1200

In some aspects quite similar to the #483,484, but this is an even older distillate, one can usually only imagine what a Glen Albyn distilled almost half a century ago will taste like. So, the oldest and strongest one, what casks? The color is hazy golden. It smells of bitter sweet notes, honey, thyme, orange zest, gingerbread, gingery notes, cointreau, white wine. The taste is sweet, caramel, honey, milk chocolate, oranges. But once again its very dry and needs some water, I think. Water added. Now it tastes sweeter, more oranges, white grapes, lemon, pistachio, not a favorite I'm afraid, but a very complex, peppery highland malt. The finish is peppery, malty, red onions, coleslaw, wax, but very stale, rubbery, not a very good one, I think all in all Glen Albyn is an either hit or miss whisky.

It really lacks some depth, an one-dimensional whisky: 3.5

Glen Albyn back when the district was thriving

What once was the back of Glen Albyn Distillery, dreary...















Next tasting: Glen Mhor Distillery

Btw: Today is the annual celebration of women in Norway, congrats!

Historic Distilleries: Glenlochy Distillery

Most of what used to be Glenlochy Distillery are now demolished and there are raised vacation flats on the ground and the remaining buildings are used as offices. The distillery had a chequered history with multiple mothballings, different owners and never getting much word of mouth. In 1983, alongside a lot of other distilleries, Glenlochy went out of business and most of the buildings were destroyed in 1992. Although never missed like Brora or Port Ellen Distillery, this peppery and spicy highlander have gained a bit of a following lately. A couple of decades too late, but well deserved in my opinion. Unfortunately there are slim to none chance of a revival of this distillery. In this area of the western highlands, Fort William, there used to be 3 operating distilleries, Nevis, Ben Nevis and Glenlochy, now there's only one left. If you ever have the chance, try some Glenlochy beside some older Ben Nevis, and you'll clearly see some similarities, I guarantee! What's really sad is that all, or at least nearly all output from the distillery went into blending and it first became available as a single malt after 1983, and then both rare and expensive. One of my absolute recommendations to get a sip of before its too late! I've only got five bottlings rom this distillery, but I think it'll be enough for this, very likely to be the last time, I try more than one Glenlochy in one session, but one should never say never.



Glenlochy 17yo 1974-1991 40% Connoisseurs Choice Gordon & Macphail

The Connoisseurs Choice series is probably your most affordable option when it comes to tracking down whiskies from closed distilleries, but beware, not all the bottlings in this series are containing whisky thats representative of some of the best whisky the distillery had to offer. Some are even far from that. The color on this one is deep golden, most certainly with some E's added. It smells of oaky, spirity, battery acid, burnt sugar, little zing in this one, more like a blend gone bad so far. The taste is sweet, burnt sugar, peppery, chillies, lime zest, morning glory, thai food, chili. I'll add some water now. Now it turns more herbal and peppery, pickled cucumbers, vinegar.

One to take neat, nice young Glenlochy: 6


Glenlochy 27yo 1980-2008 53.9% Signatory Vintage cask#2823 btl.92/231

From a hogshead, presumably an ex-bourbon cask. The color is golden. It smells of spirity, peppery, vanilla, hay, smoky, grapefruit. This is just too raw and young-ish for a 27yo. It's more like a 12-14yo at CS from a tired cask. The taste is sweet, vanilla, jackfruit, coconut milk, banana, sour milk, pretty raw and young-ish still. The finish is zesty, bitter and long. Now lets add some water. And now we're really talking BITTER whisky, vinegar, lime peel, pickles, red onions, grape seeds, grapefruit, it's frankly a bit hard to enjoy if you don't wanna put it under a magnifying glass in a tasting session. Certainly not for everyone.

Like them bitter, please add water, if not, its quite alright neat as well: 4.5


Glenlochy 27yo 1980-2007 58.3% Part Des Anges Closed Distilleries cask#2826

Same age and vintage as the #2826, and not many cask between them either, but a significantly higher %abv on this one. The color is golden. It smells of honey, peppery, ginger, apple cores, oaky, wheat biscuits, mild cheeses, goat cheese, feta. The taste is sweet, drying, gingerbread, cinnamon, black pepper, salty butter, popcorn, vanilla, peanut butter, waxy, vegetable oils, brown sugar, sweet licorice. The finish is long, waxy and peppery. A splendid version which highlights the sweet and peppery style of Glenlochy.

One of the better Glenlochies I've tried: 7.5


Glenlochy 16yo 1977-1994 59% Cadenhead's

A young CS Glenlochy, how rare is that nowadays? I love these old CS Cadenhead's as they're usually very good value for money and often contains whisky from distilleries which are often hard to obtain whisky from. The color is pale yellow. No cask sediments. It smells of honey and wheat beer, soy, buttercups, daffodils, onions, raw bacon, grease, waxy. Floral and meaty style, not an usual one. The taste is very dry, peppery, leather, vinegar, but much more concentrated than the prior ones, this is bitter hardcore Glenlochy. Time for some water. Now it turns even more floral, some rosé water, acrylic paint, grassy, apple cider, really nice now.

One to add water and enjoy in small sips, it's a BIG whisky: 7


Glenlochy 32yo 1980-2012 60.1% Signatory Vintage cask#1759

From a refill butt, and butt matured whiskies do often have a very high strength when compared to the age of the spirit inside. Is it because its bigger than hogsheads, or that they're more often european oak which is a bit tighter than american? Lets just be happy there's still high strength 30-somethings out there. The color is golden. It smells of white wine, rhubarbs, sun-dried tomatoes, peppery, peaty, spirity. This quite nice, but as I've found in some of these Glenlochy's, they're kinds spirity and immature for their age. The taste is bittersweet, grape seeds, dry herbs, red onions, rhubarb, burnt oak, dark chocolate, cornflakes, smoked cheddar, buttery, red wine vinegar, salty. A good one. The finish is bitter and peppery, much like I expected, but there's something honest and charming with these longlasting peppery notes at the end of a good swallow of whisky.

A rich and complex Glenlochy, I'm sad there won't be many more: 7.5

Glenlochy before closing

Glenlochy, flats for rent in 2012














Next tasting: Glen Albyn Distillery

Historic Distilleries: Ladyburn

Ladyburn was another lowland distillery situated within a grain distillery, such as Glen Flagler, Inverleven and a couple of others. These stills, within Girvan Distillery that used to produce Ladyburn was only active for 12 years, from 1963-1975. Their main purpose was to distill single malts to be used in Grants blends. William Grant & Sons Co. owned and Girvan Distillery. There was never released any young Ladyburn, so what its reputation is based on are a few scarce OB's and indies from the 2000's and forth. The reception of these bottlings was however far from great, and the expensive prices comes foremost from a reputation of being a very rare malt, which probably is true. Some difficulties on the ownership of the name Ladyburn led to many IB's naming their Ladyburn bottlings "Rare Ayrshire", or just "Ayrshire". The Ailsa Bay Distillery which should be up and running in a couple of years are also located within Girvan Distillery, so perhaps a copycat that can make shame on those that put the distillery down so many years ago. Although I would like to think the distilling methods varies a bit from 1975 to 2013. Lets enjoy two rare whiskies from this distillery.



Rare Ayrshire 35yo 1975-2010 45.5% Signatory Vintage cask#553

The last year of Ladyburn production within Girvan. It should be pretty solid stuff after 34 years on oak. The color is amber golden. It smells honeyed, floral, peaches, dried fruits, figs, dates, nutty, coffee, barley cream, vanilla, floral. This is a surprise, a well-rounded, creamy, rich lowlander. The taste is drying, white wine vinegar, strong licorice, honey, porter, oily. Not nearly as refined as the nose suggested, time for some water. With added water it turns richer, caramel, burnt, oaky, sulphur. Looks like the oak got the best of this in the end. The finish is sugary, menthol eucalyptus, fresh.

A good whisky, but I believe the age have had a tiring effect: 4.5


Rare Ayrshire 34yo 1975-2009 46.9% Signatory Vintage cask#562 btl.78/172

This seems to have been a rather small cask to hold a whisky for such a period, lets hope its not over-oaked. I think this is a sample of one I bought right after they started showing up on the market, Ladyburns from SV. Today they are much more expensive, and as it seems, over-priced, but that may not be true for this one. The color is amber. It smells grassy, nutty, caramel, oranges, buttery, perfumy, heather. Another one that surprises me positively on the nose. The taste is peppery, grassy, licorice, mint, feints, herbal. This is weird as theres once again little or no coherence between what I find on the nose and on the palate. The finish is peppery, rubbery, spirity.

35yo, it seems much younger than that: 4


Unfortunately there's no photo's here, but a few photos of Girvan Distillery is out there. Go fetch!



Next Tasting: Glenlochy Distillery

Historic Distilleries: Inverleven/Dumbarton

First things first, Inverleven was never a distillery on its own, but a single malt whisky produced at Dumbarton Grain Distillery in the lowland region of Scotland. The Dumbarton Distillery was raised as recent as 1938, ceased distillation in 1991, and now it has been demolished. There aren't many single malts made within grain distilleries today, other projects similar to this was Glen Flagler at Moffat, Kinclaith at Strathclyde, Ben Wyvis#2 at Invergordon and Ladyburn at Girvan, all closed and not the most missed I believe. What else is to take note of when having this whisky is that about 50% of the Inverleven was distilled by a Lomond Still, such a whisky which produced the short-lived Glencraig at Glenburgie and the Mosstowie at Miltonduff. Today only Loch Lomond Distillery still mainly uses the Lomond Still, and today they too have a questionable reputation as a single malt. One could get skeptical thinking what whiskies Inverleven shares similarities with, but lets not judge yet.



Inverleven NAS 1991 40% Gordon & Macphail

This whisky was distilled in the final year of distillation at Dumbarton. So pretty much as recent single malt as you'll ever get from that distillery. And still broadly available, so you can very well snatch a piece distilling history for a fair price here. The color is golden. It smells of latex, restrained, needs time to open up on some cloves, grassy, notes, banana leaves, sour gum, grapefruit, not much more to it, very bland and weak nose, maybe its triple distilled? The taste is hoppy sweet, wheat, citric, grapefruit, lavender, oily, waxy, this a very restrained malt that needs both time and patience. Its easy to get frustrated by such a bland whisky. Pour it at a blind tasting and you'll see what I mean. After 45 minutes of breathing there's some fresh green apples and egg whites. Water added. Now it turns rounder, maltier, wheat biscuits an more sweet green apples. The finish is, well, there is none, perhaps some wheat, maybe.

Hello? Inverleven, are you there?: 4


Inverleven NAS 1985 40% Gordon & Macphail

Most Inverleven from IB's are bottled pretty old, it seems it took some times for other IB's than G&M and Cadenhead's to really discover this lowlander. If you want a younger version I believe these bottlings from Gordon & Macphail are your best option. The color is pale golden. It smells of vanilla and hay, ginger, small spirity notes, greengages, grassy, floral, more lowland-style here than in the 1991. The taste is sweet, strawberries, floral, peppery, honey, a bit drying, wheat, mild cheddar. Water added. Now it turns sweeter, marzipan, strawberries, banana, vanilla, quite a sweet treat. The finish is vanilla and peppery.

Becaus of the complexity alone, this will climb over the 1991: 5


Inverleven NAS 1984 40% Gordon & Macphail

One year down, 1984 is the year after many distilleries in Scotland closed, and I don't see that many 1984 vintages around, perhaps the distillers became a bit vary after 1983 and produced less in 1984? Or perhaps more 1984's will come in the years to follow. The color is golden amber. It smells of wheat, raw onions, earthy, grassy, chives, white wine, peppery. Seems the older vintage the more complex an Inverleven gets. The taste is very bitter, tonic water, sulphur, grainy, gin, sulphur. Water added. Now it turns more one-dimencional and bland, peppery. The finish is vanilla, peppery and spirity.

I believe there's some sherry wood involved here, but it doesn't work, falling between two stools: 2


Inverleven NAS 1979 40% Gordon & Macphail

12 years younger than the most recent vintage in this session, it's fun to see how this distillates dtyle have changed through a bit over a decade. The color is amber orange. It smells of garlic, green peppers, fresh peppercorns, vinegar, feta cheese, wheat. The taste is drying, dry white wine, rubbery, peppery, dry licorice. This is better in all perspectives as it has a good amount of oak influence and lets the sherry wood, that also was apparent in the 1984 speak. I guess its just a much more complex and fun dram. The finish is on dark chocolate and caramel, plus some peat(!) and phenol.

The best of the G&M bunch. 6


Inverleven 21yo 1966-1988 46% Cadenhead's

A short lived design by Cadenhead as they had different color on the letters for which region the whisky came from. I must agree that it was maybe not the greatest look for a whisky bottle. The color is white wine. So now I've tried distillate from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's. I don't believe there are Inverleven vintages from other decades available today. It smells of grassy, onions, coriander, parsley, a lot of green herbs. A simple and light whisky so far. The taste is rich, sweet, peppery, banana leaves, oaky, ginger, I like this a lot as it shows a clear lowland style. This clean and fun whisky, but one to have by on its own, this not nearly complex enough to enjoy besides a loaf of bread. The finish is peppery and bitter.

Clean and fresh lowland whisky: 5.5


Inverleven 27yo 1973-2010 48.85% Chivas Brothers Deoch and Doras

Time for a CS, and its one of these embarrassingly parochial %abvs. One of the cheapest, but just as effective I guess, comparing it to the Nc2 and such, ways to market your bottlings as "something else". Anyway, even if their marketing scoop is a bit rich, I think its great that they bottle whiskies like this as there's far too few Inverlevens around these days. The color is golden. It smells of rich, nutty, buttery, stewed onions, malt syrup, malty, oranges, heather, caramel, minty, cinnamon, great stuff. The taste is buttery, rich, peppery, fish oil, salty, fried scallions, cashews, soy, very rich and pungent whisky. This is by far the most complex Inverleven I ever had. It's a rich and full whisky. The finish is buttery, peppery, sage, oregano, hay.

A rich whisky, classic and fulfilling, like going to the spa.... WHAAAT?: 8


Inverleven 30yo 1997-2007 49.2% Signatory Vintage cask#3603,3604 btl.64/279

Oldest one in this session, but only the second CS. I wish I had an Inverleven approximating 50%abv, or even 60%abv. I guess that's what comes from the use of mostly refill bourbon wood, low strength and a lot of cask character. Who could be against that? The color on this one is amber golden. It smells of dry white wine, clay, licorice, minty, mint leaves, spearmint, buttery, rich, cocoa milk, rich and creamy. The taste is bitter, grassy, heavy floral notes, rich, banana peal, grassy, floral, roses, tulips, oranges. Water added. Now it turns sweeter, vanilla, mandarine, sugary, dark chocolate. The finish is peppery, pistachio and onions. The finish is rich and peppery, oregano, basil, licorice.

It's a nice whisky, fresh and rich, lowland as it should be: 7

Dumbarton back in its heydays, this must be the backside of the distillery, with the river Loch Lomond running on the left side of the picture behind the padoga top of the distillery.

The last bit of Dumbarton Distillery still standing back in 2009















Next tasting: Ladyburn Distillery

Historic Distilleries: Convalmore

Convalmore Distillery was built back in 1894 and already within 12 years it had changed hands in ownership twice. After being mothballed in the fatal 80's by Diageo, it was sold once again in 1990 and has since then been used as warehousing facilities by Wm Grant & Sons. Single malt bottles of Convalmore are rare and usually bottled by low strength ranges such as Connoisseur's Choice and Chieftain's Choice, and the quality is usually that of whisky from well used refill casks. No OB was ever bottled. Raised in the heart of Speyside its hard to find palatable similarities to neighbors Glenfiddich and Craigellachie, as this very much was a whisky created for blending purposes. The distillation equipment in the distillery have all been removed and the only thing that's left from what once was Convalmore-Glenlivet Distillery Co. are the buildings.


Convalmore 12yo 1969-1981 40% Connoisseurs Choice Gordon & Macphail

The color on this one is amber orange, I'm sure its been tampered with some E150 of some kind. Caramel coloring that is. It smells of wheat, dry white wine, light, aperitif style, some bitter herbs and grape seeds, pesto. This is very light and sure makes me think of some grain whisky more than malt whisky. The taste is bitter, glue, emphasis on alcohol, a bit austere and very spirity and not enjoyable to be frank, but perhaps a drop of water can reveal a difference. Now it turns even more bitter, burnt almonds, grassy, rhubarb, floral, seems more like a lowlander of questionable quality this one. The finish is longlasting on green tea and mint. I won't be too harsh as it seems a clean spirit and probably perfect for its intent, but as a whisky to enjoy you might as well buy a Famous Grouse.

Light, floral, bitter, Bladnoch? No, Convalmore!: 3


Convalmore 16yo 1981-1998 43% James MacArthur's

Even J.McA bottled this diluted, and they usually keep it at CS, I wonder why, thankfully there are some CS bottling in this concluding session of my Convalmores. The color is hazy grey-brown-ish, at least no coloring here. It smells of honey, cream, vanilla, wheat biscuits, aniseed, sweet licorice, toffee, dark chocolate, coffee, bailey's cream, as a matter of personal fact this is quite brilliant nosewise. The taste is sweet, vanilla and honey at first before it becomes bitter and grassy. Some floral notes, dry white wine, weeds, unripe plums, glue, synthetic, rubber, sour in an odd fashion. The nose and initial palate is what made this whisky an enjoyment, but after that it just got sour and bitter with too many off-notes.

A two-edged whisky: 4.5


Convalmore 15yo 1983-1998 43% Chieftain's Choice

I remember I purchased a full bottle of this at a reasonably fair price (around 70 Euros), and at first I disliked it, but when air got into the bottle it seemed to enhance the minimal goodness that was there at first. So, I decided to put some of that into 5cl miniatures and see how it taste a couple years on, now that time has come. The color is amber orange, very similar as the G&M. It smells of wheat, glue, orange peel, clay, pears, plums, garlic, coriander, lemon. The taste is sweet, sour plums, grapes, melon, very sweet and fruity whisky. The finish bitter, white wine, almost a bit hard to handle, despite being very light, but water will not help here. Tonic water.

Totally MOTR: 4


Convalmore 31yo 1975-2006 46.1% Scott's Selection

Scott's Selection is an all CS series which is both affordable and very often of excellent quality which would be much more expensive at other bottlers. The oldest one in this session. I do not know what cask type is used here as SS leaves little information of such. The color is amber and turns cloudy straight away, certainly not colored or chill-filtered which is good news. It smells of malty, oaky notes, caramel, burnt sugar, irish cream liqueur, butter, eucalyptus, quite fresh and clean, some minty notes, even hay and shoe polish. The taste is malty, licorice, vanilla, vodka, very sweet and light, sip-able to any extent, but not very complex. Seems a very nice spirit that have endured many years in a rather tired old cask.

This is quite flawless, yet not very interesting: 6


Convalmore 28yo 1977-2005 57.9% Market House

Amber color on this one, I do not believe I've tried many whiskies from Market House, but as I've understood it is a small dutch IB. This should anyway make for a quite different spirit than the latter 4, as they were all more than 10%abv lesser. It smells of cinnamon, green apples, butter, vanilla, plums, nicely spirity, gasoline and white spirit, rubber, I guess many would consider this a whisky with many off-notes, but the lack of spirity notes makes them all shine. This is absolute superb on the nose, one of the best I've had. The taste is sweet, oaky, burnt, bitter liqueurs, butter, grassy, needs a couple drops of water. Now it turns more bitter, green grapes, grape fruit, lime, burnt butter.

Once again Convalmore excels on the nose and fails on the palate: 6


Convalmore 25yo 1978-2003 59.4% OB Rare Malts

One of the few OB's, which all have been bottled after the the shutdown of the distillery. The color is golden. It smells of honey, alcohol and mustard, a bit like some high strength meads to be fair. Certainly a malt that would be considered volatile by some, as the alcohol level does get a say here, but that sweet vanilla, watermelon, honey and grainy character is just clean and fresh enough to overshadow any off-notes. The taste is red onions, radish, vinegar, floral, bitter liqueur, unripe apples, very sour and bitter, a water that needs some water to become balanced I think. With a small drop of water it turnssweeter, vanilla, banana, orange marmalade, a very nice whisky, with water that is, and perhaps a very good example of Convalmores potential. There won't be much Convalmore like this in years to come, so I suggest this for anyone that want to try HQ Convalmore.

One that holds high standard on both nose and palate: 7.5

Convalmore then

Convalmore now

















Next tasting: Inverleven Distillery

Historic Distilleries: Imperial

#1

#2

Imperial Distillery was built in 1897 by the owners of Talisker and Dailuaine, so I guess they should know how a good whisky would be made. Neighboring distillery Dailuaine is still alive and kicking.When closing in 1925 it didn't open till 1955, and having already been mothballed for almost two decades prior to 1925 one could easily start wondering if there was something odd about this distillery. In 1965 it was partially upgraded for on-site barley malting, but then it closed again just two decades later. In 1989 distillation started again, but just for 9 years this time, being mothballed again in 1998. Todays owners Chivas have said they'll never start distillation at Imperial again, but then why did they buy it? There are rumors Imperial is to start distilling again in the near future, but with new equipment. Officially its only mothballed but by the looks of these photos in the link below, its hard to believe distillation will ever recur unless a nearly total renovation is done.

http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=19401#.URGEUXgyddo

Remember, as there were no official bottlings from Signatory, the bottlings that have made it to the market have all been by independent bottlers. Especially 1976 and 1979 seems to be popular vintages. Let's hope that even with new equipment, Imperial can be able to make some great whisky in the future. There's quite some Imperials on my shelves so I have to split this session in two.



#1
Imperial NAS 1976 43% The Whisky Connoisseur

I've enjoyed some of the older bottlings from The Whisky Connoisseur, but it seems by their more modern watered down bottlings they've lost some their sparkle. The golden eagle on the label makes it look a bit like a novelty whisky I guess. 1976 is often referred to as a very good year at Imperial, a lot of good whiskies in that vintage. The color is golden. It smells of musty, spicy, bitter, vinegary tomato pulp, rubbery sweetness. The taste is sweet, vanilla, banana, sugary, syrup, custard, meringue, a sweet treat. The finish is peppery, licorice, heather, this is a real nice one, not edgy in any way, just a pure clean fun whisky. If this is the standard Imperial held its a shame they didn't produce more.

Great allround whisky: 8


Imperial 10yo 1998-2009 46% Duncan Taylor Nc2 cask#1022 btl.209/323

A much more recent distillation. From this series which I think Duncan Taylor started bottling around 2008, quite similar to the "no coloring no chill-filtration"-series from Signatory. The color on this one is light golden. It smells of vanilla, mandarin chutney, honey, sweet white wine, certainly an active ex bourbon cask, but it lacks a bit of the depth the 1976 portrayed. The taste is vanilla, oaky, rubber, sweet, peppery, very light and easily sip-able malt, but not complex in any way. Sort of a bland whisky that lets the cask do most of the talking. The finish is drying and short, some hay and grassy notes.

It's nice there's affordable ways to try Imperials even today, if maybe not at their best form: 5


Imperial 15yo 1995-2011 46% Signatory for the Nectar Belgium cask#50309

The big difference in quality, in my opinion, between the 1976 and 1998 makes me dread not purchasing more older Imperials, but this will might show there can be magic in more recent distillate as well. From a hogshead. The color is amber golden. It smells caramel, butterscotch, stewed onions, dark chocolate, musty, gravel, earthy. If you like this kinda "dirty construction site" style, its definitively one to check out. The taste is buttery, floral, vanilla, candy cream, melted vanilla ice cream, white bell pepper. The finish is on parsley, black pepper and grassy notes.

A good whisky that shows a style which is becoming rarer and rarer these days: 4.5


Imperial 16yo 1995-2012 53.1% Dewar Rattray cask#50070

Lets see how Imperial stacks at cask strength. From a bourbon hogshead. It seems sherried Imperials are few and far between, but I'll have a couple of them later as well. The color is golden. It smells of cinnamon, vanilla, dried bananas, figs, dates, cured ham, dried meat, a bit smoky, mustard, pickled cucumbers, leather. The taste is peppery, smoky, hickory smoke, barbecue sauce, vanilla, nutty, almonds, caramel. This is in need of some water I think. Strikes as a bit raw. With added water it turns peppery, honey and oranges, bittersweet, much more lively and fruity now, hints of citrus notes and melons, kiwis and other sweet fruits.

Water is needed for this to shine: 6


Imperial 16yo 1995-2012 53.9% The Whisky Fair

Third 1995 Imperial in a row, lets hope this vintage keeps improving for me. Another refill hogshead, I'm assuming its a bourbon hogshead as the age, color and strength are pretty similar to those of the #50070. The color is golden. It smells of vanilla, butter, vanilla, grassy, floral, burnt oak, phenols, drying. Once again its not really blowing me away on the nose, kinda withdrawn. The taste is sweet, spicy cinnamon, sweet chillies, buttery, egg cream. Sweet and spicy would be a good description of this whisky. The finish is bittersweet, leather, strong coffee.

Another good Imperial, lets hope the new distillate will at least match the old on quality: 6


Imperial 35yo 1976-2011 50% Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask cask#7431

Another 1976, let's hope for another goodie from that vintage. The color is golden. It smells of buttery, peppery, spicy, tangy, rubbery, wool, sugar cane, rum, leather, port wine, very special. The taste is all on leather, plums, raisins, red grapes, hay, apple cider, warming, clearly another very nice 1976 Imperial, but lets add some water just for fun. Now it turns sweeter, cinnamon, coriander, marshmallows, minty, sweet sticks, slightly perfumy, oily.

A sweeter and lighter Imperial, but that denies no quality here: 8


Imperial 20yo 1991-2011 55.3% Silver Seal

Another CS, but this time a bit older. Pale golden color. It smells of rubber, peppery notes, leather, pomegranate, kiwi, spirity, herbal. This is a bit more nasty than the prior ones in this session, seems a bit young and unfinished. The taste is honey, vanilla, ashes, spirity, cranberry syrup, pomegranate, apple peel, something very sweet here, probably from bourbon wood, but it just lacks some bite. The lack of spicy and peppery notes leaves a little to be desired for me in this one as it lets the alcohol dominate a bit too much. Adding water. Now it becomes sweeter and drier, some licorice and vanilla, but no vast improvement here.

A bit spirity and bland whisky: 4


Imperial 25yo 1977-2002 57.6% Cadenhead's

I got a full bottle of this, with good fill level, from an online auction back in 2010 for 70€ only. Thankfully I rebottled 5cl into a miniature so I now have a chance to make tasting notes. From a bourbon hogshead. The color is golden amber. It smells of honey, butter, sweet oranges, kiwi, mango, melon, raw parsnip, red onions. The taste is honey, oaky, nice bourbon notes, vanilla, custard, pisang liqueur, banana mash, potato starch, rice wine vinegar. Lets add some water. Now it turns more dry, peppery, ginger, spirity, don't add water to this is my best tip. The finish is peppery, waxy, longlasting, this reminds me more of some coastal highlanders than a Speysider.

Very good one, granted you don't add any water: 6.5


#2
Imperial NAS 1979 40% Gordon & Macphails

I have about the same number of 1976's and 1979's in these this session, lets hope that 1979 is another superb vintage from Imperial. I think this one was bottled back in the 1990's, but I'm not sure when. Easily, this is one of those questionable IB's disguised as OB's from Gordon & Macphail. The color is pale golden, I'm pretty sure by the looks that this is a naturally colored whisky. It smells of grape fruit, oranges, lime, glue, green apples, apple peel, sweet citrus, spirity, some rubbery, sweet, zesty notes. The taste is rather spirity, peppery, green apples again, chili, really a strong and not refined, rich or savory in any way. This just seems young and spirity, new-make style. The finish is buttery and peppery. I'm struggling a bit with this one,seems a bit rough and edgy. I indeed think this is a bottling done as a camouflaged OB on purpose.

Burnt, spirity, raw, heat, ralfy talks about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPrjVUg7hCU : 2


Imperial 15yo 1979-2005 43% James MacArthur's

I have no idea why this whisky, contrary to many other Imperials and JMcA's were diluted prior to bottling, they didn't make many of those, and certainly not from closed distilleries. The color is amber golden, reminds me of some young sherried malt, but I'm pretty sure that isn't the case here. It smells of honey, white wine, bitter notes, hermetic fruits, light, fruity and spirity. One might mistake this for any cheap blend, but the vanilla and toffee finish implies for a bit more lavish whisky. The taste is sweet, cinnamon, oranges, vanilla, peppery, spirity, burnt, quite hard to handle, seems to me the '79 vintage isn't one of my favs. I've always been a fan of J.McA, but it seems this one is a bit out of order. Bitter and spirity whisky, let's move on to another vintage.

Really an off whisky: 1.5


Imperial 14yo 1979-1993 64.9% Cadenhead's

In hindsight I'd ever understand why a sincere IB like Cadenhead's would put a young 1979 Imperial into their range, but then again, perhaps its improved at CS, one never knows. Must've been a tight cask to hold this strength after 14 years. The color is light amber. It smells of peaty, spirity notes, potato starch, rubbery, spirity, really bitter and hard to follow, lets hope its a bit better on the palate. The taste is peppery, intense, waxy, dried sage and bitter leaves, chillies, concentrated heavy spirity notes. Let's add some water. With added water it turns sweeter, but yet spirity and peppery, really harsh, raw onions, I wish I'd never taste this whisky, its really putrid. Let's hope for some redemption with the 1976's and others.

This is an extreme macho whisky, as spirity as it gets: 1


Imperial 17yo 1970-1987 40% Gordon & Macphail Connoisseurs Choice

One whisky that I've been looking forward to as I think this is the oldest vintage I've tried by Imperial. The color is shiny golden, surely adjusted with some E's. It smells of leather and tobacco, mustard, vinegar, tannins, dry red wine, barbecue smoke, coal, excellent! The taste is oily, malt syrup, vinegar, bitter and acidic, some lime zest. Pretty oaky and spirity at this low strength. Adding water. Now it turns more drying, wheat crackers, rye, wheat flour, white bread, a very timid and shy malt now. I guess not all old CC-bottlings were excellent, I mean, now I know that for sure. Finishes on gelatin and syrup.

Seems a poor spirit: 3


Imperial 16yo 1976-1993 43% Master of Malts cask#7560 btl.223/240

Now time for three 1876's in a row, let's start with this one from Master of Malt. Anyone know the story about these old miniatures from MoM, are they bottled by the same guys at www.masterofmalt.com, have they re-bottled older bottles into miniatures (unlikely), or is "The Master of Malt" an old lost indie which's name is now in use at another establishment? White wine color. It smells sweet, vanilla, sugary, burnt sugar, heavy bourbon notes, even some honey and perfumy notes. Very sweet, candy floss, marshmallows, gotta love whiskies with a sweet nose to enjoy this, but in that aspect it's really full on. The taste is very musty, white pepper, earthy, mosses, nothing sweet here, more a tight and restrained whisky. Perhaps some water will help it open up? Now it turns more wheat, acidic, glue, fabric, cotton, doesn't open up much despite the additional off-notes on the palate. The finish is short on some shortbread and wheat.

I preferred it neat, but its a hard whisky to get excited about: 3


Imperial 16yo 1976-1992 43% Master of Malts cask#7559 btl.200/360

This one has a copyright statement of "1992 The Master of Malt Ltd." is that the same company as the current online shop? Stop being lazy, use wiki. It now seems The Master of Malt is a company established in 1985 and still running. Then the mystery is then solved, all to easily for my liking. ;-) The color is hay. It smells of citrus notes, vanilla, citron, lemon meringue, apple juice, white wine vinegar, dry white wine. It does smells more punchy and spirity than its sister, cask#7560. The taste is peppery, bitter spices, nutmeg and cardamum, aniseeds, pretty difficult one. I'll add some water. Now it shows to become cardboardy, dry, attic dust, peppery, white pepper, soft licorice, ginger peel, parsley.

No rise in quality here: 3


Imperial 19yo 1976-1996 43% Signatory Vintage cask#7561 btl.311/1200

My guess is that this cask all went into miniatures. A bourbon cask. Maybe some more aging will do this one good, as you see all these three casks were consecutively filled at the distillery. I know MoM and Signatory even shared some casks back in the days. The color is white wine. It smells of wheat, hay, dry white wine, bitter apples, grapefruit, lemon meringue, white pepper. The taste is vanilla, peppery, onions, bitter white wine, grapefruit, much what the nose promised. Time to add some water. Now it turns more spirity, bitter, hay and wheat, rye, cologne, bitter white wine, I guess this one is even worse than #7559 and #7560 despite being well older.

Whisky deteriorates in a bad cask, rather bottle young and make a fire: 2


Imperial 12yo 65% James MacArthur's

Finishing this rather disappointing tasting of Imperials with a thunderbolt at 65%abv. And 12yo as well. But since the younger whiskies made the slightly less bad impression of me in this #2 sitting, the young age might be good news. The color is golden amber. It smells of sweet vanilla, honey, caramel, creamy, stewed onions, butterscotch, barbecues sauce, sweet vinegary notes, sun-dried tomatoes, rich sweet sherry notes, cinnamon, phenolic, sulphur, cedar wood, cigars. The taste is very phenolic, acidic, drying, peppery, a real sherry monster, time for some water. With added water the nose opens up with a lot more cinnamon, fish market, dried herrings, this old musty fish smell. Amazing! I usually find little or no changes on the nose when adding water, but this is an exception. The taste is now still phenolic, burnt oak, extremely peppery, bitter, drying, I'd imagine this from some dry amontillado sherry cask or something. The reason for that is after the initial extreme sherried notes some sweet bell peppers, honey and buttery notes appears. Its a great version of Imperial, and at this high strength, lets just say it handles water quite well.

Anymore young sherried Imperials out there?: 8

Imperial then

Imperial now (not much have changed, except the inside)

















Next tasting: Convalmore Distillery

Historic Distilleries: Glenglassaugh (pretty recently re-opened)

Glenglassaugh have actually been closed about half of its life-span even though being established as early as 1875. Last mothballing was back in 1986, before it was revived in 2008. I will try some of the new, though possibly a bit immature Glenglassaughs against some of the old ones from times gone by in this session. This whisky was always hard to get a hold of from IB's which often means there couldn't be much old stock left in the warehouses after the last mothballing. The distillery equipment left at Glenglassaugh was installed in the 1960's, and have only been used for 26 years at most, therefore one can easily see this whisky as a modern malt despite the age of the distillery. Let's try old vs very new Glenglassaugh in this session.



Glenglassaugh NAS 2009 50% OB The Spirit Drink That Dare Not Speak Its Name

Surely one of the longest titles for a whisky there ever was. I've not included this in the photo as it came from a sluggish sample bottle and was, well, the color of water, as you'd might expect, this being approximately about half a year old. The new-make from the recently re-opened Glenglassaugh Distillery. I must admit that apart from some Bladnoch and Bruichladdich I've tried little new-makes. It smells of fresh herbal notes, grassy, waxy, peat, glue, raw onions, kinda fresh but far from whisky. The taste is peppery, burnt, butter, grainy, oat meal, very light and easy. This sure is a fine new-make, like a high quality vodka, or thereabout, but it lacks any complexity.

Hard to give points here, really not my game, for a new-make it's quite nice, so: 5


Glenglassaugh 21yo 2009 46% OB

Kinda the counterpart to the new-make, I think releasing this alongside some new-make was a great way to showcase both what was and what are to become Glenglassaugh single malt. Time to try them side by side. The color on this one is golden brown. It smells of sweet vanilla, honey, butter, cinnamon, licorice, surely some sherried oak involved here, malt syrup, stearic, milk chocolate, leather. The taste is red wine vinegar, bittersweet, perfumy, starchy, onions, cherry tomatoes, dried paprika. More on dried fruits, rubber and starch after a while. This is just a bit hard to follow, but I believe it is made in the best interest. Perhaps they've saved some of the best older casks for later bottling.

This is pretty forgettable, MOTR whisky: 5


Glenglassaugh 23yo 1974-1997 43% Blackadder cask#9766

An older version bottled last millennium, there'll be a couple of those in this session, which is fun as it often helps shines light on any development on the spirit over time. The color is dark golden. It smells of mint leaves, mango chutney, oranges, caramel, pear, honey, peanut butter, cloves, really refreshing highland style. Reminds me a bit of some older Ben Nevis. The taste is light, rubbery, waxy, grassy, floral, peanut butter, pesto, nutty, peppery. Rather short and peppery finish. It's a most pleasant nose, the palate is a bit too light for me and the finish is just a slight echo of the palate.

Light whisky, one that needs both time and patience to be discovered: 5


Glenglassaugh NAS 46% OB Revival

I think this whisky is all 3yo, but could be there's some 4yo in it as well. At least, it's the first OB whisky expression distilled after the re-opening. The color is light hazel. It smells of hay, rubber, grassy, floral, perfumy. The taste is sweet, porridge, papery, vodka, dry, phenol, oaky, leather, gin. This sure seems a bit underdeveloped, or unfinished if you like. I do not believe whisky will be able to help such young a whisky which already have been diluted so I'll keep it neat. The finish is peppery, dry licorice, aniseed, honey liqueur, and possibly the best side of this whisky.

Potential here, but far from delivering a complete whisky experience yet: 3.5


Glenglassaugh 3yo 2009-2012 46% OB Ayinger Beer Cask Finish

I actually had a 20cl bottle of this, original, but I threw it away. Too bad, as it would've looked sharp in the photo. Instead I poured last 5cl on a Cadenhead's mini which did not make the photo due to its grim looks. Enough abou that. I have not tried much whisky from beer casks, last one I think was a blend from Grant's. The color is amber orange, really nice vibrant color. It smells of honey, oat meal, hops, a lot of hop flavor, an ex-IPA cask? Smells to me like some IPA beer. Quite simple. The taste is sweet, buttery, hoppy, drying, earl grey tea, latex, licorice, drying, dusty. This dry sensation seems to be quite dominating in both the Revival and this one. The finish is all on hops and phenols.

Seems that beer cask finishes really can work: 6


Glenglassaugh 12yo 1985-1997 43% James MacArthur's

I'm switching between older and very recent Glenglassaugh in this session, none bottled between '97 an '07. Time to try one distilled in the 85, one year before it was mothballed for its last time. There really haven't been many bottlings from Glenglassaugh when it was closed compared to such as Glen Keith and Rosebank. I must say these old versions seems more fruity and sweet than the recent versions. The color is golden. It smells of vanilla, perfumy, salty, licorice, plum spirit, ginger, vanilla, orange zest, nestles. This taste is very light, sweet, honey, malty, but most of all its a easily drinkable malty spirit. One could drink litres of this. But its far from an experience worth hunting down.

Light and easy whisky: 4


Glenglassaugh 28yo 1983-2011 49.8% OB The Master Distillers Selection

From a sherry cask, one of the casks that was left in the warehouses when new owners arrived. I hope there's more like this to come. The color is golden copper. It smells of honey, tea shop, dark grapes, dark berries, rhubarb, barbecue sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, red wine, tannins, sulphury. This is promising, great sherried style with heavy oloroso influence. The taste is sweet, honey, cinnamon, licorice, peppery, sweet chili, butter. The finish is drying and peppery, seems to me there's been some superior and some less good casks in this one.

Good sherried whisky with a drying finish: 6.5


Glenglassaugh 21yo 1986-2007 53.4% Dewar Rattray cask#162

Distilled in the last closing year at Glenglassaugh Distillery. From a sherry cask. The color is brown. It smells of cinnamon, bamboo, pine, cedar wood, honey, leather, cigar smoke, sulphur, ashes, paint. The taste is peppery, chili, cod liver, sulphury, latex, ashes, oaky. Very dry and sulphury indeed, lets add some water. Now it turns sweeter, spicy cinnamon, oaky, red paprika, bell peppers, honey, rosé wine, mint. The finish is long, sweet, bell peppers, earthy, banana leaves, tonic water, ginger, oaky. A classic sherry style.

Another example of a good sherried Glenglassaugh: 6.5


Glenglassaugh 25yo 1984-2009 54.7% Malts of Scotland cask#186

25 years and a sherry butt should make for a good combination. The color is dark brown. I'm suggesting an oloroso cask, but I could be wrong. It smells sweet, dark chocolate, honey, cinnamon, wax, heather, diary cream and pistachio paste. The taste is caramel, brown sugar, honey, chili paste, leather, cinnamon, ginger ale, starch, oloroso, zinfandel wine, butter. This is first class sherried whisky. Are there more casks like this still left in the warehouses at Glenglassaugh? I have to add water, but not much, its already very delicate. Now even more of the sherry comes forth, opens up on sweet dark berries, honey and cinnamon. What a whisky!

Excellent sherried one, an instant classic in my book: 9


Glenglassaugh 15yo 1977-1993 59% Cadenhead's

One of those high strength youngsters from Cadenhead's, god bless them. I've had the opportunity to try many young whiskies from whiskies that was closed even before my birth due to these old Cadenhead bottlings. And they very often give more of a representation of a distillery character than the 30-something year olds bottled nowadays. The color on this one is light golden. It smells of chalk dust, leather, oaky, drying, cumin, mustard. Old style whisky, one to savour when you got some time on your hands, this is quite closed, so to speak. The taste is custard, honey, oranges, herbal, leather, starch, dry licorice, marshmallows, aniseed, acrylic, stearic, nutty sweetness, shows Glenglassaugh can perform brilliantly even at this level. The finish is very long and peppery, tongue-numbing and absolutely the grand-finale this whisky deserves.

Another stupendous one, hopefully new Glenglassaugh can reach these standard: 9

Glenglassaugh, could this be from the 1930's?

The distillery entrance before re-opening, hopefully for the last time, in 2008.












Next tasting: Imperial Distillery

Historic Distilleries: Glen Keith (about to re-open this year?)

So, maybe not as historic anymore, as when I planned these sessions.. Glen Keith was mothballed from 1999 and its future looked bleak, but thanks to the public consumption of Chivas Regal, Glen Keith now seems to once again start producing whisky, the rumor has it that'll be sometime in 2013. Glen Keith has always been a strong workhorse for blends such as Passport Blends, and in the future, hopefully new owners Chivas. It's also a pretty young distillery built as late as 1957. More than that they've already produced both tripple-distilled whisky and peated whisky. The great Glen Keiths may have been few and far between, but as the distillation have been as steady as an earthquake, no wonder. But some of the stuff they've made, especially some released from IB's have been superb. Very little is traditional at Glen Keith, being a quite young distillery they were also the first one to use gas fired stills in 1970. In 1980 microprocessors were installed to control mashing, milling and distilling. A technical centre and laboratory were added later. In that case one could suggest Glen Keith Distillery more of a Guinea Pig for the industry than as a serious prospect for steady distillation of great whisky. Time to try this one and get to know what kind of whisky was really produced there. It'll be fun to watch how much of the future produce Chivas will release as single malts or release to IB's as single malts. Let's hope everybody can enjoy good Glen Keith in the future.



Glen Keith 13yo 1995-2008 43% Chieftain's Choice cask#44146,44148,44150

I purchased this bottle of, my first one ever, Glen Keith back in 2009, so I poured a sample right away to keep for times like this. The rest of the bottle was generously shared with friends. In fact, this bottling and a couple of samples from others made me sort of luke-warm to Glen Keith, but more recent bottlings (older ones!) have shown to be better. The color is pale golden. It smells of sweet vanilla, strawberry bubble gum, peaches, green tea, pisange liqueur, nice, clean, fruity, but also short and hardly complex. As I remember I think reading somewhere that this was a peated Glen Keith, but that I'd never guessed by the nose. The taste is sweet, acidic, rubbery, bitter, herbal, some earthy and sweet notes, latex, chalk, pencil eraser and tonic water that is. Very unlikely and not very pleasant. Let's add water. Now it turns more rubbery, nutty, some honey and floral notes, kiwi, butter, fish oil, rhubarb, vanilla, hay. The finish is short-lived with little to it except a small hint of what resembles a peppery note. Surely a light-weighter in every sense of the word, except the actual weight.

To have in a mixed drink of some kind?: 3.5


Glen Keith 30yo 1978-2008 46% Daily Dram "Keen Light"

Daily Dram used to bottle some whisky using monograms of the distilleries as titles. So was often a fun brainer to spot which distillery the whisky came from. This one at 30yo is one of the oldest Glen Keith's I've had, but I'm a bit bummed they didn't bottle at CS. The color is golden. It smells dry, peppery, rubbery, ginger, bath salt, drying oak, bitter, lime peel, vinegar. Definitively a fino-driven Glen Keith. Some green apples and pear drops in the background, also peat. The taste is extremely dry, tannic, burning, peppery, lamp oil, gasoline, one that does need water or I'll wave my tastebuds goodbye. With added water it becomes sweeter, some hay, vanilla, grape juice, grapefruit, bitter, white syrup, grenadine. The finish is bitter on herbs, coriander, parsley, olive oil, banana leaves and orange zest.

Bitter and big whisky, if you love your dry fino sherry, you'll adore this: 4


Glen Keith 19yo 1990-2009 52.9% Part des Anges Closed Distilleries cask#13677

From a bourbon barrel, I haven't seen this series for a while, but I guess they're maybe lurking around warmer waters. The color is golden. It smells of sweet vanilla and black pepper. Some burnt notes, blackberries, burnt oak, butter, malty, oaky, pretty standard whisky, seems younger than 19yo. This could be any young highlander/speysider. The taste is peppery, vanilla, oaky, grainy, floral, herbal, bok choi, nestles, rhubarb, not a very pleasant one. This is more lowland style if you ask me, Littlemill and Bladnoch comes to mind. Perhaps some water will help it along a bit. With water it turns more oaky, vanilla, clay, earthy, peas, chicken stock, mild chili, dried coriander, significant improvement in my opinion. The finish is buttery and peppery, gingerbread, and dark chocolate.

Water is really a lifesaver here: 6.5


Glen Keith 21yo 1991-2012 54.2% The Nectar of the Daily Dram

Another 1990's Glen Keith, lets hope this slightly higher strength will make it excel up towards an 7 or an 8 if I'm lucky. But then again it could go both ways. The color on this one is deep golden. It smells of butter, charcoal, nestles, lentils, beans, earthy, burnt, dry roasted beef, rubber. The taste is bitter, salty licorice, eucalyptus, blackberries, leather, a really raw-ish malt. I can't stop wondering why all of these whiskies seems so bitter. Perhaps its a bit of Glen Keiths spirits usual profile. Now lets add water. The taste is now more floral, heather, unripe apples, banana leaves, bitter fruity would be the style I guess.

A whisky that seems younger than its age, and quite tamed as well: 4.5


Glen Keith 25yo 1974-1999 52.7% James MacArthur's

Now we're talking, a Glen Keith chosen and bottled when the distillery weren't on any hype due to closure, as an collectors item or investment or other such things. That sure isn't a guarantee for success, but often makes for a better cask as other sensations would not sell this whisky alone. The color is pale bronze. It smells of sweet licorice, honey, tannins, white wine, gunsmoke, leather, marzipan, moscatel wine. Now this is most enticing! The taste is sweet, honey, sweet sherry, marzipan, cinnamon, strawberries, gingerbread, mustard, some nice layers of vanilla and tarry smoke, even some iodine. This is great stuff, and for once with a Glen Keith in the glass, I won't add any water. It seems this sherry cask(s) (I presume) really classes up the spirit which seems less bitter in this older distillate. The finish is bitter, peppery, duck liver, dark chocolate, grapefruit. Longlasting finish!

Great Glen Keith, one of the few I've had thus far: 8


Glen Keith 26yo 1968-1994 62.5% James MacArthur's

Even older Glen Keith from JMcA. And this time at a very high strength too. Another strength on the new-make? Or just a very tight cask? Who knows, lets taste. The color is deep golden. It smells of alcohol, spirity, black markers, resinous, rubber, glue, extremely raw. But lets be brave and try it without water first. The taste is sweet, perfumy, nutty, orange juice, white wine, cream, grenadine, nice and fruity at first before the high strength strikes with some spirity notes. But this is far from as volatile as the nose suggested, and just a pinch of water can, and I hope, will make a difference here. Water added. Now it turns more peppery, starchy, grainy, definitively shouldn't have added water. The finish is short and peppery with water, when neat it was more spirity and sugary. Why did they stop the triple distillation practice in 1970? This is good stuff!

Without water this was a revelation on the palate, I'm struggling a bit more with the nose and finish: 7


Glen Keith-Glenlivet 22yo 1973-1995 57.1% Cadenhead's

The color on this oldie is pale golden. Bottled back when "-Glenlivet" was an ending Cadenhead's used on many of their bottlings from lesser known distilleries. It smells wheat, yeasty, rich vanilla, red berries, some licorice and raw onions. The taste is all on citrus, lemon, oranges, grapefruit, white grapes, lemon meringue, white plums, a very delicate one despite being 57.5%abv. I will not add any water to this. It also has some peat going on, white pepper, dried onions, gingery, grenadine, rhubarb, a great bourbon-matured Glen Keith. The finish is drying, peppery, tongue numbing, finally the strength kicks in.

Very well made old Glen Keith, bottled in its prime: 7.5

(Glen keith Back in the days, or just after construction???)

(Mothballed distillery awaiting news on its future back in 2006, the pagoda was raised by current owners)














Next Tasting: Glenglassaugh Distillery (I know, probably not that historic anymore that one either)

What I'm about to do next?

Dear readers,

I've now reached a time in my tasting career(?!?) where I find it harder to get the whiskies which I base most of my reviews on. Miniatures from GB are due to new laws, harder to ship to Norway at affordable prices. The sellers of samples (3cls) are requiring more and more money for exclusive whiskies while the range of affordable samples are getting tinier by the minute. Whisky in general are becoming younger and younger while the prices are sky-rocketing. This have lead me to the wise, yet devastatingly dreadful decision to stop this blog. That sounded dramatic! Well, not totally stop it, I'll sure be posting some new whiskies once in a while, or other whisky stuff like from festivals, tastings I've been to or such. But the www.maltdiary.com will from now on be more of a monthly thing, or maybe not even so, in my life. The reasons for this are simple ones, I'm about to move from my home in central Kristiansand Norway and that takes both time and effort, I'm about to become a father, and I feel that the whisky industry is going in a direction I'm not too found of. Younger and more expensive whisky! But, there are still distilleries that thankfully keeps going steady strong. This blog have become a phenomenon in my life and I don't believe there are many like it out there. I went through the links at whiskyfun.com and found most of the links were either down or active like a sloth. I'm proud to have completed nearly, and sure to be before I'm finished, 5 whole years of interesting whisky tastings. I've had 1938 Mortlach and 1948 Glenlivet amongst others, but also fantastic Inchgowers, Fettercairns, Bruichladdichs, Laphroaigs, Clynelishes, Ardmores, Broras, Kilchomans, Highland Parks, Taliskers, Port Ellens, Banffs, and even more. The list is too long... www.maltdiary.com have had a steady and increasing flow of visitors through the years, showing that one day there might be 680 visitors from USA, the next day there might be 27 from Bangladesh, it shows that whisky has a broad interest in many different cultures. But after all, this site was never intended for me to read comments or count visitors, it was a way of showing how a young man could get to taste many whiskies from most of Scotlands distilleries in half a decade without having all that money or contacts within the industry. I'm 100% independent, I've tried about 10-60 whiskies from every single malt distillery available in Scotland, except Ben Wyvis, I'm still regretting not buying that one Ben Wyvis when I had a chance at it at 70GBP a couple years ago. I've wanted to try both closed and open distilleries, Highlands, Lowlands, Campbeltowns and so on, and much so try whiskies which are representatives of the distillery character. I believe many people today would try the consecutive Special Releases of Brora and Port Ellen and rave about how it's a shame they closed down. Great distilleries, no doubt. But remember, its really when you sit down with down with a youngster from a tired cask you really get the idea of how great the distillate really was, and not by that one cask that had some exquisite malt 30+ years after the distillery's closure and costs about the same as a car.

In the following sessions I will taste most of the distilleries which closed in Scotland after 1950, and in most cases both younger and older ones, and I hope you'll join me into a fantastic journey of whisky that in most cases, won't ever be repeated. Its been fun and its been an hobby thats left me with some fantastic moments with what I consider the best liquid in the world. But now its time to focus on other aspects in my life. I hope you'll follow me through the lost distilleries of Scotland in the following months, it's been an privilege, a joy and most of all an honor to share my experiences of the whisky world with you.



Thanks,

Jonas Bratteli

Tasting one Bowmore

I remember trying the Mariner from a miniature bottle maybe 5 or 6 years back, and I thought it was pretty good, though it sure was no winner at that point. Lets see what the 2012 version of the same whisky has to offer.


















Bowmore 15yo 43% OB Mariner

I think they released some 40%abv standards of this one. And the last one I tried had a light golden color. This one has a more amber brown-ish hue. The name suggests a traditional Islay character of coastal and maritime notes. Lets see for myself. It smells peat smoke, iodine, caramel, bourbon, coal, sugary, very clean, orangey, dried bananas, figs. The taste is sweet, peaty, red apples, peaches, burnt, citrus, lemon, melon. Not that coastal, but a certain peatiness that really makes for a great whisky. I do not know why they'd wanna brand a taste to look for in their whiskies, and I'll probably ever know, but I think the general perception of this whisky would be better if they didn't.

Good Islay whisky, but don't expect a real "Mariner" or coastal Islayer: 6



Next tasting: Closed Distillery#1 (which?)

Tasting something completely different: Mead Balsam!!!

Mead, what? The old drink the Vikings made to get drunk when on tellus, and if one slaughtering enough men and then died in battle, they would later get to enjoy mead and violence in valhalla for all eternity? Well, here's how you do it:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Mead

But this mead is not like the old norse tradition, not only because its made by a lithuanian company, but also because it holds no less than 75%abv. I'm being a bit of a daredevil/jackass in this session if you ask me.









Zalgiris Mead Balsam 75%

The color is golden, as you'd expect a honey spirit to be? It smells of honey, black pepper and toffee. no need to say this is a drink to proceed with caution. The taste is sweet, honeycomb, crust, fried wheat flour. But most of all it is extremely drying and spirity. Let's add some water. Now it turns more drinkable, more honey sweetness, but still very drying and hard to enjoy. I guess this just affirms I'll never be a Mead connoisseur of any kind, but I think it can sure be a lovely drink at 10-25%abv.



Next tasting: Bowmore Distillery

Tasting one special Fettercairn

In the middle of last decade, right about when W&M started renaming Old Fettercairn Fettercairn 1824, there was a bunch of single casks bottled, primarily for the japanese/asian market. I have gotten hold of some of these rare bottlings and will taste one of them for you, and of course myself, right now.
















Fettercairn 1824 15yo 1989-2005 64% OB cask 2454 btl.54/260

Some of the print is hand-signed. This comes from "white oak", which I guess means bourbon wood in this case? A very high strength after almost 16 years on oak. Good fill level in the bottle as well. A lot of 1989 casks have been released as singles by Fettercairn, and other distilleries as well, must have been a good year? The color on this one is deep amber. It smells of peat, honey, sage, lacquer, latex, rubber, choriander, sweet grapes, phenolic, sweet phenols? Smoky and peaty phenolic whisky, quite beasty, and on a personal note, AMAZING!!! The taste is sweet, sugar, honey, leather, peaty, just a bit too spirity, but thankfully I have some water right by my side (as always). Adding two teaspoons. Now it turns more peaty, waxy, drying, rubbery, I'm starting to wonder, well I'm actually getting more and more convinced, this comes from a white fino cask, one that makes a whisky bitter, brutal and quite superb! I've never ever had a Fettercairn that resembles this one before, and its hard to make a fair score. But for me, this is a must have for any real Fettercairn fan, as it shows how this malt really lets the oak do the talking and merely provides a small sweet contrast itself. The nose was outstanding, but the palate needs just a bit of water to release its potential, but so does most sherried whiskies, right?

Fettercairn in Fino casks, watch out for those: 8



Next tasting: MEAD!!!

Tasting one peaty Bruichladdich

Heavily peated Bruichladdichs are becoming more and more usual these days. I hope its a trend that continues even with new owners.




















Lochindaal 4yo 2007-2011 67.2% OB cask#3332 btl.70/134

This is a Lochindaal, which I have no idea how peated are. Is it the same level as Port Charlotte or Octomore? And at only 4yo and 67.2%abv, I guess this must be some kind of extreme? But with a rather small number of bottles I suggest it comes from a smaller cask which usually speeds up the maturation. The color is light golden. It smells of peat smoke, tarry, burnt rubber, acidic, gasoline, sweet vanilla, not spirity or even immature, just superbly coastal and bourbon-influenced on the nose. The taste is sweet, raisins, figs, bananas, cream liqueur, honey, a real sweet after dinner dram on the palate. After that it turns extremely peaty, smoke, tarry, oak wood, peppery, raw onions, sulphur. A whisky that indeed is divided in three. If tasted blind I'd never expect this at its age or strength, superb quality in that matter.

Gotta love these whiskies that rebel against general perceptions: 8



Next tasting: Fettercairn Distillery

Tasting one Lagavulin

The 2006 version of this special release from Lagavulin, which was the last I had, fell a bit short in comparison to former ones. Time to try the 2009 edition and see if Lagavulin still has the capability to produce stunning youngsters.


















Lagavulin 12yo 2009 57.9% OB

The color is dark straw/wet straw, not brown, not yellow, not golden, pale brown? It smells of peat smoke, tar, charcoal, bonfire, salty, lemonade, burnt sugar, dried shrimps, salt water, orange marmalade, garlic sauce, fried snails. One of the most coastal Lagavulins I've had thus far. The taste is bitter, salty, pine oak, unripe blackberries, bitter red wine, pinot noir wines, smoky, rubber, peaty, earthy, very bitter, sort of tonic water and sodium. This is not for beginners, a whisky to enjoy if you think the standard Laphroaigs or Lagavulins are becoming a tad too cliché.

A small vanilla sweetness sure would've lifted it to a winner: 7




Next tasting: Bruichladdich Distillery