Rob Roy NAS 40% blend Stanley P Morrison Ltd.

One in a while I love to try these old 80's, early 90's blends that really can be anything from stellar to crap. Many Morrison blends includes some Bowmore, and hopefully this one also does. The color is golden, with that adjusted shine. It smells very little, some mushrooms and a tad oily, but that's about it. Maybe it needs to breath a bit more, or the evaporation you see in the picture has gotten the best of it. After about 15 minutes of breathing, no changes. The taste is sweet, marcipan, peppermint, peat, salmi, licorice, white peppers. I can definitively see some Bowmore in this one, but it isn't very complex. The finish is peppery with quite some dry licorice/salmi again. 

A pretty sleepy dram, not much going on, but its not boring thanks to the peat and salmi notes: 6

Next tasting: More blend, but this time a recent one...

Jura NAS 40% OB

I've had many a Jura, 8yo, 10yo, 12yo, but never this one. I don't think it was a long running edition. Although the NAS Statement is pretty modern, the 40%abv and lack of gaelic names sure aren't. Jura Distillery is now in the portfolio of Whyte & MacKay, and I think they've done quite some changes within its range to reinvigorate peoples interest for this distillery. The color is golden. It smells cabbage, earthy, mustard, boiled brown rice, ground coffee beans, peat, leather, earthy, mouldy in a good way. The taste is peppery, pumpkin seeds, mustardy, earthy, licorice and wasabi paste. Also there's a taste of blue toothpaste, like pepsodent if you ever heard of it, the one that suited children that couldn't handle mint flavor. With water added this turns into a sweet mess of palm sugar and caramel. Too sweet for me.

The toothpaste flavor nearly killed me, but don't add water, I beg you: 3.5



Next tasting: An old blend with Bowmore in it.

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

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

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

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



Next tasting: Speyside Distilery

Famous Grouse 7yo 43% for Armando Giovinetti Junior

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

This blend speaks fluently Vanilla: 5



Next tasting: Dailuaine Distillery

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

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

No big thrills, but flawless non the less: 6



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

An old friend from Inverness

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

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



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

Laphroaig 11yo 1998-2009 57.3% Celtic Whisky

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

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



Next tasting: Millburn Distillery

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

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

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



Next tasting: Laphroaig Distillery

Dramming away at the break of a new day...

Some Andersonian rephrasing here, but since I've stopped going to bars and started working late evenings I find it more fulfilling doing my whisky tastings earlier in the day. It's not that I ever get drunk or anything, but unless you are going to operate a vehicle, I see no harm in having a small drop of whisky in the mornings. This I have recognized having some very positive effects on my daily life.

1. I drink very little whisky, because the whole house(family) is up by the time I pour my first cl. At late evening/nighttime, I often find myself in a quiet house with nothing more than the bed to look forward to. So it's easy to just keep dramming then. Now I rather just sleep.

2. I am more thorough with each whisky. In the morning, as long as I've had a good nights sleep, I'm sharp, invigorated and inspired. Which makes the tasting experience much more fun.

3. I get better sleep. No matter how little, or much, alcohol one consumes before going to bed, it'll make you more awake, and thus having a harder time falling to sleep.

4. I get up earlier, which pretty much says itself, and means I get more out of the day.

5. It gets my brain started early on. Believe you me, tasting a whisky is a great way to focus your brain. I sniff, memorize other/similar odors. I taste, then memorize other/similar flavors, times, places and so on. I get my momentum for the day, and I'm already loaded with inspiration the minute I walk out the door.


Just a bit of personal experience, but thats what diaries are for?

Old Fettercairn 10yo 43% OB Whyte & MacKay Porcelain Decanter

I've had Old Fettercairn 10yo at 40%abv and 43%abv, from miniature bottles as well as standard 70cl bottles, I've even had it from plastic decanters, but this pot still shaped ceramic 37.5cl is a new one. I've had some bad level experiences with old ceramic decanters before, especially some from Signatory's holding Port Ellen. Let's hope the contents in this one is more intact. The cork was so fragile it fell into the still when I opened it. The fill level seems good. The color is dark golden, almost auburn. Much darker than what I usually find the 10yo. It smells sweet, pistachio, vanilla, malty, coconut flesh, a bittersweet musty note, tartness. The taste is at first nutty, custard, malty, rich sweet notes, hazelnuts, honey, light vinegar. Then it turns more peppery and peaty, some menthol, oaky notes, but most of all I'm pleased with this unusual peatiness. The finish is tannic, drying, rich, smoky, heather and cinnamon.

Takes me back: 9



Next tasting: Fettercairn Distillery

Statesman NAS 40% Blend Blackstone

Why not do a cheap blend for once, just to see what one can get for around 3 quid these days, now that single malt prices are increasing at the level it is. It's got all those nice words such as "Special Quality", "Finest Old", "A rare selection", "Perfectly blended" and "Fully Matured", which all really tells me nothing about the product. It's imported and bottled by german company Blackstone. The color is golden. It smells light, perfumy, malty, some cereals, candy floss, stearic, a bit spirity, surely much young spirit. The taste is sweet, malty, some hay, slightly bitter, but really there's no off-notes or anything, just a very safe and plain spirit/whisky for those that barely can handle their Vodka. Don't get me wrong, there are great Vodkas out there, but this is a very basic whisky.(?) The finish is salty, barley, citric, lemon peel, orange peel, nice bitter notes, a pleasant surprise after the initial vagueness.

Hard to score, the quality of the finish surpasses the nose and palate by miles: 4



Next tasting: Fettercairn Distillery

Ardmore 22yo 1991-2013 53.8% Malts of Scotland cask#13018

I don't think I ever had a sherried Ardmore, not even from from port or wine wood. Only bourbon-matured ones, so this one from a rum-barrel should be something else. For me, Ardmore is the best peated Highlander, there, now I've confessed! The color is golden. It smells fresh, minty, cloves, peat, fennels, ashes, vanilla. This is one of the freshest and cleanest Ardmores I've nosed. The taste is sweet, smoky, barbecue sauce, cinnamon, leeches, honey, ashes, salted butter, a rich and sweet whisky. The finish is a bit oaky and rubbery, tannic notes. All in all a lot of Ardmore, the strange cask haven't tampered with the evidence...

A worthy alternative to the otherwise good bourbon-matured Ardmores: 7



Next tasting: A rather cheap scotch blend

Caol Ila 13yo 1995-2008 59.1% Alambic Classique

Only 60 bottles, most likely a shared cask then? IB Caol Ila is always fun as its usually much more affordable than Ardbeg, Lagavulin and such, but not necessarily inferior in quality. And at a decent age and strength like this, we could be in for a real treat. The color is golden. It smells peaty, earthy, gasoline, clay, baking powder, old attic, lemon zest. The taste is camphor, licorice, butterscotch, rich vanilla and leather. Actually, the nose was much more Islay-style than the palate. The peat on the palate is excellent, but its a very rich and thick palate as well. One might think it was matured in some sweet wine cask, but then again it could be. Info lacking. The finish is peppery and short.

A rich Caol Ila that lacks a bit on the finish: 7



Next tasting: Ardmore Distillery

Edradour/Ballechin NAS 46% OB Batch#6

This was a surprise mini sample I got when purchasing a Talisker at Loch Fyne Whiskies webshop. Ballechin is a peated version of Edradour, I'm a bit unsure to what level it is peated. It's 100% bourbon-matured. I think I've got just about 1cl of this so I will unfortunately not have the opportunity  to investigate it as thoroughly as I usually do. Now Edradour is owned by IB Signatory, and claims to be one of the smallest, if not the smallest, distillery in Scotland. It has no big following, and is often looked upon in a grim light, so to speak. I've had good ones, and also rather unpleasant ones, but very few peaty ones. Was Glenforres peated? The color on this is light golden/straw. It smells buttery, ginger, honey, dark chocolate, a bit raw and spirity, damp and earthy notes. It shows there's no fancy wine finishing to camouflage any unwanted nuances. The taste is fruity, vanilla, banana, mango chutney, meringue, canned pears and peat. How weird. The finish is short and peppery. Btw, stating a code on the label instead of the whiskys name was a clever way to lure me back to the whiskysite, and hopefully lead me onto another whisky purchase(!).



Next tasting: Caol Ila Distillery

Glenkinchie 12yo 43% OB

As the ones of you following this blog on a regular basis may have noticed, I have had quite a number of standard bottlings from Diageos Classic Malts range lately. I'm sort of reintroducing my palate to the basic. I must admit, having a period of very old whiskies, very peaty whiskies, and heavily oak-influenced ones over a period of time does something with your appreciation of other, more mundane whiskies, in general. The color is golden. It smells citrus, lemon, lime, mango, raspberry, hay, appletini, tonic water. What can I say, its sure classic lowland in style. The taste is sweet, lemon tart, grassy, apple cider, lemongrass, rhubarb, well-balanced and just a bit of vanilla sweetness in the end. The finish is short on laurels, garlic and starch.

Great stuff, perfect everyday dram: 7.5



Next tasting: Peaty Edradour

Why we must not blindly trust a whisky review?

A bit of shooting my own foot here, but it seems that these days, points from outer references are becoming more and more important when one wants to buy a new bottle of whisky. Popular Whiskyfun.com of Serge Valentin is often used, also the Malt Maniacs and Whiskybase.com, Ralfy deserves a mention, and so on. I myself often read those reviews after first having tried the whisky. I mean, a whisky at 93+ points anywhere is usually a universally good whisky, but that's not always the case with lower scores. The reasons can at times be pretty simple. I believe that  the elite of whiskies, those that score 93+points is of the kind, and often price range, that it justifies such a score. When you drink whiskies that fetched scores in the 80's and 70's I believe personal taste play a bigger roll. Is the taster a sherry or bourbon fan, is he/she a peat-head? Does he/she love oaky notes, young spirits, wine casks, high strengths or others? (one does not exclude another, I know). Does the taster use little, non or lots of water, lets he the whisky breath for a short or longer period? All these things are factors that can affect a persons opinion of a whisky. I myself try each whisky both with and without added water. I try to taste every whisky from an as newly opened bottle as possible. (That is hard to pin when tasting samples).
One thing conserning many whiskies is that a drop of whisky from a newly opened bottle taste quite different than what the last drops from a bottle that's opened a couple of months ago does. I mean, every so often I get a whisky that I initially find extremely good, often from port wood or heavily peated youngsters. Then I find it more or less faded just within a week of opening the bottle. So, to be fair with the score I would have to try the whisky at at least two stages of fill level to catch the whisky's lifespan quality from when opening the bottle till its empty.
Another is the batch differences. I once had a HP 18 that I scored about 5/10 points, which came from an ill batch. I've since tried it from other batches and found its a solid 8/10 in my book. I know Ardbeg is one of those distilleries where batch differences can be recognizable. There must be many more shades of this issue to enlighten, but I will leave you with this last comment:

Your best scale will always be yourself.

Oban 14yo 43% OB

Since my memories of what used to be the spicy speysider in the Classic Malts range from Diageo, Cragganmore, way surpassed my experience of it a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd have a similar go at the 14yo Oban from the same range. I remember it as a characterful, spicy highlander, and it was one of my first ever whisky-experiences. The color has been adjusted to the level I remember :-). It smells heather, cumin, honeysuckle, peat, ashes, biscuits, sour milk, leather, wax, coal. The taste is sweet, musty, cumin, strong mustard, cinnamon, fennel tea, malt, peat, dry port, yeast, ginger ale, most of all there's unusually strong hints of fennel(!). I can't recall getting the notion of fennel in many whiskies. Adding water makes for a heavier malt, more citrus notes like lime peel and sour fruits, also a bit more malty notes. Unfortunately both the peat and the fennel disappears. All in all I must say this whisky is not far of what I recollect from many years ago, thoughts wander to peated/older Glen Garioch, Clynelish,  and other typical highlanders.

A classic malt that truly carries its stamp: 8



Next tasting: Glenkinchie Distillery