Category Archives: Whisky Reviews & Tasting Notes

Glenlivet Nàdurra 16 y.o. (Batch 0712U) Review

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038Glenlivet Nàdurra 16 y.o. (Batch 0712U)

55.5% abv

Score:  89/100

 

I cracked open this batch of Nadurra with a bunch of good friends just shy of two weeks ago.  Between us, we managed to put a healthy dent in the bottle that night (along with a few others), and I’m not gonna lie…the bottom half of this one has been calling to me in the evenings ever since.  I figured we should maybe get ’round to sharing some notes before there was nothing left to share notes on.

Nadurra is, quite simply, one of the most consistent and seemingly underrated malts on the market. Maybe ‘underrated’ is the wrong word.  ‘Under-mentioned’, is more in line with what I’m trying to get across.  While quite universally respected, it never seems to garner as many mentions as several of its contemporaries do (105, a’bunadh, etc).  I’m not sure if this is due to the preconceptions associated with the rather simple and prototypical Speyside profile we generally ascribe to the name Glenlivet, or if there are other factors at play.  Or maybe its simply a matter of where I’m looking and who I’m speaking to.  Either way, Nadurra deserves to be held up as a shining example of well-crafted single malt whisky.

‘Nadurra’ is the Gaelic word for ‘natural’.  It is a batch-released whisky served up big and bold, and is sort of a poster child for the model that, in my opinion, all distilleries should be following (age-stated, cask strength, non chill-filtered, etc).  I think we’ve gone through most of this before spiel before, so let’s just get on with it.  What say?

I should note, before we get into tasting notes, that I specifically remember the day I bought this bottle.  I was wandering the shop with a handful of dollars burning a hole in my pocket and a view to doing a future write-up.  I couldn’t really find anything that was lighting my fire, and ended up settling for this one.  I recall leaving the store slightly disappointed that I hadn’t found something more exciting and unique to bring home, but there is absolutely no regret now.  This is a great bottle, and one I may try to track down a second of if any are still dust-gathering around here.

Nose:  Peach tarts.  Freshly peeled apples.  Perfume / floral notes.  Toasted wood.  Cinnamon.  Pepper.  Ginger.  Slightly creamy.  Utterly brilliant nose.  Nothing too complex, but rings out like a beautiful harmonic.

Palate:  Great delivery.  Kinda peppery.  Woods and apple right up front.  Just a hint of peach again, but that may be olfactory carryover.  Now ginger and mixed spice.  A kind of ‘champagne-like’ nutty, herbal note.  Tart apple skins on the finish.  Somewhat drying.

Thoughts:  Great right off the cork, but even better once it settles down in the glass for a few minutes.  There’s a wonderful creaminess that develops over time. Great stuff. I love it when a malt I remember as being a favorite from way back still manages to knocks my socks off by now being even better than I recall.  This is still a top notch malt, years on from when I first tried it. Absolutely no quality slippage here, and this particular batch is one of the best versions of Nadurra I’ve come across.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

 

 

SMWS 1.172 “Sophisticated, Delicate And Feminine” Review

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SMWS 1.172 “Sophisticated, Delicate And Feminine”117

55.7% abv

Score:  89/100

 

This feels wrong.  So wrong.  Naked Glenfarclas from a refill hogshead.  Unlike pretty much all of the distillery’s output, there is no sherry influence here (unless they built this hoggy from cut down staves of a disassembled butt, but I doubt that.  Or…maybe this hoggy held sherry at one time?  Also doubt it).  Either way, seeing Glenfarclas this exposed feels sorta like walking in on someone in the shower.  Perhaps I should also add that for an anorak such as I, it gives the same perverse sort of thrill.

Whisky geeks will most likely be all over a malt like this.  It ticks all the right boxes for the purist.  Big natural cask strength, no added coloring, no chill-filtration, bottled at a suitably mature age and well labeled for clarity.  But most importantly, it’s a unique malt in that it offers up something different for all of us to natter about in our infinite geekery by breaking the distillery’s stereotype and showing us a very different iteration of a much loved theme.

To me, this is exactly the kind of release that makes whisky exciting and keeps it fresh.  It is a 19 year old bottling from an outturn that yielded just 230 bottles.  But pushing aside the inherent awesomeness of all of the meta associated with this one, let’s discuss the actual ins and outs of this particular expression.  Its 55.7% abv delivers flavour by the spadeful, and instead of those exceptional leathery, dried fruit and Christmas cake notes so typical of Glenfarclas, here we’re treated to more ripe fruits and deeper spice notes.  

I wish more folks out there, especially the really devout Glenfarclas fans, could have an opportunity to try this one, but unfortunately that’s the nature of not only the SMWS, but single cask bottlings in general.  This one just happens to be even more exclusive than most single cask releases out there, as it is only available to SMWS members (or was, as I assume it is now long gone). 

If you get an opportunity to try this one, do so.  Highly recommended.

Nose:  Earth.  Candy and floral notes.  Let’s call it Turkish Delight-ish.  Orange jelly.  Grape jelly.  Stewed peaches and apples in baking spices.  Canned pears.  Pie crust.  Very firm oak notes.  Dry cinnamon sticks.  Moist tobacco.

Palate:  Very tangy arrival of fruits and jelly candies.  Quite lush.  Clean wood, but slightly bittering around the mid to back end.  Allspice and candied ginger.  Ever eaten flower petals in a salad?  This latter note may help contribute to that bittering influence.  Some orange zest and pith.  More apple sauce. A touch of honeycomb.  Very un-Glenfarclas.

Thoughts:  Arguably the most apt name I’ve ever seen on an SMWS label.  This one definitely exemplifies all three adjectives.  Also…decent tasting notes on the bottle.  I can’t say I disagree with much of it.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Convalmore 28 y.o. Review

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Convalmore 28 y.o.028

57.9% abv

Score:  91.5/100

 

This is an exciting whisky to finally get ’round to tasting and reviewing.  I’ve been wanting to do this one for a couple of years now, ever since it made its way into whisky lore and became a part of the cult canon.

Convalmore is another of those ethereal malts that only exist in print and tall tales for many of us.  The distillery was closed in ’85, not long after the rash of distillery closures that claimed victims such as Port Ellen and Brora, and as far as I know, the distillery was subsequently dismantled.  For shame too, if this malt is any indication.  Very few Convalmore OBs exist (two, proper; three, if you include the Rare Malts edition), and indies are nearly as scarce on the ground.  I think it goes without saying that if the opportunity presents itself, it is well worth making the effort to taste it.

This dram is held in very high regard by some incredibly gifted palates in the industry (Broom, Buxton and the bunch), and early reviews of this 28 y.o. malt helped to launch its reputation  far into the celestial stratosphere.  As you can imagine, that sort of ringing endorsement by gents I respect had me slavering for an opportunity to taste it.  My curiosity here was twofold; first, to try something from this now defunct distillery and second, to form my own assessment of the validity of hype for this collectible l’il gem.

On the more topical front, the plain jane packaging on this Diageo special release has earned more than a few comments over the years, and I must concede even I’m not immune to its ‘old tymee county fair’ look and subtle charm.  Keeping it simple compliments the rather uncomplicated whisky within.  Uncomplicated, however, does not mean without depth.  This really is a very elegant Speysider with enough going on in the glass to stay interesting for many long nosing and tasting sessions.

And while it never does quite reach the heights I had presupposed (my own fault, really), it is a really fine whisky nevertheless.

Nose:  Caramel candied apple.  White pepper.  Cinnamon.  A mix of citrus juices (orange, pink grapefruit, tangelo).  A touch of wax and oil paint.  White flour.  Soft white and milk chocolates.  Hot cross buns.  Vanilla.  Moist tobacco and clean soil.

Palate:  Beautiful mature waxy notes with a touch of char.  Strong and syrupy.  Tart and tangy fruit notes.  Very spicy…very chewy.  Rich in ginger, ground nutmeg and cinnamon.  Just a touch of fennel.  More juicy fruit notes, moving into more tropical flavours like tangerine and pineapple.  Mouth-coating and delicious.  The cask is still singing loudly here, but it’s clean and lovely.

Thoughts:  Bottled at an absolutely gorgeous age and state.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Bruichladdich Scottish Barley Review

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Bruichladdich Scottish Barley176

50% abv

Score:  86/100

 

Bruichladdich is no stranger to No Age Statement whisky.  In fact over the past ten or twelve years they’ve probably been one of the most visible proponents of the concept.  I think this approach was first viewed by the distillery as a necessary maneuver in order to get whisky on the shelves throughout the first decade of production after their 2001 reopening.

Considering how fundamentally opposed I am to the idea of opaque marketing with whisky, I imagine it’s somewhat surprising (even to myself, if I’m to be honest) how much I adore and support Bruichladdich.

Let’s face it…no other distillery has done as much to reinvigorate the whisky world over the last few years as Bruichladdich.  They’ve pushed hard for higher bottling strengths – first 46% as a standard, and now 50%.  They’ve foregone artificial colouring.  They’ve made a mockery of the concept of chill-filtration.  Their employment of local labour is staggering, especially viewed in contrast to the two-man crews running some of Diageo’s multi-million litre producers.  Their innovative cask play, phenol manipulation (and exploitation!), terroir-first approach, experiments with organic barley, unprecedented guerrilla marketing, over-the-top bottle designs and simply unparalleled passion are more than enough reason to keep dollars flowing from my bank account into theirs.   There’s no two ways about it.  Bruichladdich have made whisky exciting.  I do begrudge them the NAS thing, but absolutely support them in perpetuity for everything else.

So that’s Bruichladdich.  Now let’s talk about this Bruichladdich: the new Scottish Barley core release.  This malt supercedes 2011’s Laddie 10, the distillery’s first proper 10 year old under the new regime.  Unfortunately, if all the sources I’ve culled are correct, Bruichladdich simply couldn’t keep production at a level that would support an ongoing 10 year old at this time.  That particular malt was met with such positive acclaim and widespread demand that the distillery finally had to step away from the idea of the Laddie 10 as their core expression and back up a few steps into the NAS territory again to give themselves some breathing room.  The Laddie 10 is still available at the distillery, from what I understand.

Oh well.  There are worse problems to have than overwhelming demand, I suppose.

The logical first question would most likely be whether or not the Scottish Barley is a step down from the Laddie 10.  And I honestly wish I could answer that for you.  Unfortunately I don’t have a bottle of the Laddie 10 open at the moment.  In a couple weeks time I will be able to try them head to head and assess which comes out on top.  There may be slight score adjustments to the respective reviews at that time.  Either way…that score is a personal assessment.  Don’t get hung up on the number.  Instead, just read the tasting notes below.  At the end of the day, though, this is a really good whisky.  Well worth your time.  Well worth your money.

Nose:  Orange.  Maybe a vague touch of tangerine or something semi-tropical.  Scone dough.  Very mild vanillins.  Rosewater Turkish Delight.  Lemon.  The barley is still recognizable through it all.  Sweet and balanced.

Palate:  Some nice heat on arrival.  Barley sugar sweetness up front.  A nice candied fruit follows.  Grassy Sauvignon Blanc tones.  A very slight (but very nice) fuel note that dissipates with time in the glass.  Still getting some orange.  A touch of pepper.  Toothpick and apple skin.  Quite drying.  None too complex, but doesn’t need to be.

Thoughts:  This is NAS, so the immediate assumption is youth, and while there is certainly a heft of young whisky in here, I think there are a few slightly older casks thrown in to add a little softness and knock the edges off a bit.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Compass Box Oak Cross Review

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Compass Box Oak Cross107

43% abv

Score:  88.5/100

 

Let’s repeat the idiom we’ve trumpeted here since day one.  We love Compass Box.  We love John Glaser.  We love his maverick style and damn-the-torpedoes approach.  Most importantly though…we love his whiskies.

So many of the expressions he’s created over the years have really great stories behind them, built on evocative imagery, esoteric naming conventions and revolutionary displays of non-conformity.  These controversies have been well articulated through the whisky ‘media’, and have only served to make the SWA look stupid and outmoded.  The organization itself, and its adherence to tradition in most matters, only make sense when industry-vested interests are removed and a liberal dose of logic is applied.  Otherwise, every innovation is a perceived threat.  It’s this butting up against logic that has been the thorn in the side of someone like John Glaser, who is merely trying to stretch the canon, not overtly bend the rules.

The name of this vatted malt (again…I refuse to bow to the idiocy of the unnecessarily confusing SWA-enforced ‘blended malt’ nomenclature) is a reference to the juxtaposition of malts matured in both both American and French oak.  The whisky that results from this crossing of the more effusive American oak and the tighter-grained, refined French oak brings a profile that, while not necessarily instantly unique, is immediately charming.

Strip away all of the adornment of cask (and cask head) play, clever name, and snazzy packaging, however, and you’re apt to find a little bit of a surprise.  So often when we pull back the curtain, what we find is that we’ve been awed by nothing more substantial than so much smoke and mirrors.  In the case of Oak Cross (and Compass Box as a whole, really), behind that curtain we actually do find a real modern day wizard.  One who is making things happen as promised, and not simply talking the talk.  Glaser set out to make great whisky.  And once again, he has.

I read the company’s spec sheet on this one and started doing my own sleuthing to find out which distilleries from the regions disclosed therein were actually included in this three malt vatting, before finding a shortcut in simply Googling the answer.  As it turns out: Dailuaine, Clynelish and Teaninich.  An odd threesome, but a menage that certainly equates to more than just the sum of its parts.  The integrated whole here is spectacular, and the suggestion of this being a blending of any sort (even one comprised entirely of malts) seems almost preposterous.  Try it if you doubt me.

I should note…I have tasted this whisky many times over the years, and this is not the same dram I remember from earlier releases.  This is a malt that seems to get better as the years go on.

Oak Cross seems to fly under the radar a bit compared to some of the other Compass Box releases.  Not sure why.  I can only imagine that will change soon.

Nose:  Gawdayum!  Is this ever clean.  Orange and lemon zest.  Some polish.  Buckets of spice (mild cinnamon, clove and nutmeg).  Oily vanilla.  Apple and a hint of peach.  Pepper and just the faintest earthy peatiness (almost like good clean soil).  Spiced cake.  Salty home made play dough.  LOVE the balanced profile.

Palate:  More oak and vanilla notes here than the nose hinted at, but not overwhelming at all.  That pithy citrus zest again with some ginger and other spices.  Some clean, farmy barley flavours now.  A touch of peat.  A little drying.  Red apple skin.  It’s the Clynelish that really shows through the most here.  A few notes that remind of ’70s peated Glen Keith (Glenisla).

Thoughts:  Far too drinkable.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Talisker 30 y.o. (2009) Review

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Talisker 30 y.o. (2009)barry's place pics 065

53.1% abv

Score:  92/100

 

One more old Talisker for the books before we move on into something else.  This is the 2009 special release of 30 year old from the only distillery on the Isle of Skye.  Not a lot of lead-in required here (especially after the amount of older Talisker we’ve covered in the last while).  It’s a great malt from a great distillery at a great age.  As you can imagine, this one is a killer.

Peat, pepper and soft fruits work together here in one of those inexplicably awesome combinations like chocolate and chili…Plant and Krauss…sex and…well…pretty much anything goes with that one, but you get what I’m saying.  A little bit of heat paired with a little bit of sweet is magic. 

And for any out there that want to contest that older isn’t usually* better…well…try this against the 10 year old and let me know how that works out for ya.

Nose:  Peaches.  Buckets of peaches.  Smoke, but very soft.  Chocolate of three kinds: white, dark and milk.  Pepper, of course…this is Talisker, after all.  Salt.  This is very soft and restrained on the peat notes.  Great fruits here.  Kinda like canned fruit cocktail, cherries n’ all.

Palate:  Starts off creamy, but dries out fairly quickly.  Never hits the depths of tannic dry-mouth, but definitely leaves the sides of the mouth a little puckered.  Much salt and pepper.  The fruits are still here.  Melon and some borderline tropical notes.  The peach is less prevalent, but still there and very pleasant.

Thoughts:  A beautiful old salty dog of a Talisker.  Not quite as great as the 2010 edition, but hey…we’re talking single point differences.  In short…exceptional.

*before the cannibals sharpen their teeth, note I said ‘usually’, not ‘always’.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Talisker 57° North Review

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Talisker 57° North 068

57.0% abv

Score:  89.5/100

 

Talisker 57° North.  Named for the northerly line of latitude at which the distillery is situated on the Isle of Skye.  Pretty fitting name and concept.  I can get behind this one.

57° North is a high-test no age statement single malt from Talisker.  Notice I’m not using the words ‘cask strength’ even though this one boasts a sky-high (pun intended) abv of 57%.  Based on a lot of reviews I’ve been reading lately, it would seem many folks out there are confusing high alcohol content single malts with ‘cask strength’ single malts.  ‘Cask strength’ is a natural occurrence, wherein the whisky is pulled from the barrel and not reduced in strength before hitting the bottle.  You often end up with decimal places behind the alcohol percentages on these bottlings.  It’s most likely this attribute, more than any other, that leads to the belief that a whisky is at natural barrel strength.  In some cases, the distilleries are opting for a higher abv simply as the best vehicle for delivering flavour to the taste buds…and we love ’em for it!  Cases in point: Ardbeg Uigeadail at 54.2%, Ardbeg Corryvreckan at 57.1% and Amrut Intermediate Sherry at 57.1%.  All manufactured strengths, and arguably a good part of the reason these whiskies are so universally adored.

Talisker 57° North has been carefully engineered to an even keel 57% abv.  I kinda think some of the other big producers could take a lesson from what Diageo has done here.  Higher abv equals greater flavour concentration.  If your whisky is good, wouldn’t you want the drinker to experience all of it’s subtleties and nuances?  And at the end of the day, if I’m in the mood for something a little lighter, I’ll add my own water, thank you very much.  But hey…this is Talisker we’re speaking of.  Who the hell wants less flavour?

Moving on…

Let’s talk about one other whisky geek subject here before we get into tasting notes.  Terroir.  The idea that ambient location adds to the character of the spirit (i.e. the soil, the barley strain, salty seaspray or oceanic breezes, etc).  A contestable subject, to be sure, and one that we’ll dedicate a much greater wordcount to at some point in the coming days, but it has a relevance here I want to quickly touch on.  I’m only going to use one particular talking point here to illustrate my case:  It’s very interesting to note how many of the coastal distilleries (Pulteney, Talisker, Scapa, Highland Park, the Islays, etc) boast a profoundly seaside-ish and briny character.  Even those that end up partially (or fully!) matured on the mainland.  Hmmmm.  Curious, I’d say.  Anyway…something for you to mull over.

Let’s get back to the malt at hand.  This is big and bold Talisker, redolent of all of the qualities that make Talisker special.  I love seeing it given a supercharged outlet for its exuberance.  This is a whisky that likes to be loud…and should be heard that way!

Nose:  Creamy.  Chocolate.  Pepper, peat and ash.  Smoke and a bit of over-heated rubber (have you ever blown a radiator hose?).  Chilis.  Lemon.  Wet hay and other farmyard aromas.  Brine.  Shoe polish on good leather.  Ginger.  There are also some sweeter fruit notes that develop over time.  Kissing cousins to Port Charlotte and Longrow.

Palate:  Big, beautiful arrival.  Pepper up front.  Immediately sweet, in a ju-jube kinda way.  Almost fruitcake-like too.  Peat comes next, on waves of salt water, smoke and lemon juice.  A bit more rubber now.  Surprisingly not a really long development or linger, but great throughout.

Thoughts:  This is like a concentrated variant on what Talisker 10 used to be a few years back.  NAS, but firing on all cylinders in its (assumed) relative youth.  Very well put together dram.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Talisker Storm Review

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Talisker Storm144

45.8% abv

Score:  87/100

 

The skies opened up tonight here in Calgary.  An ominous wall of bruised black and grey cloud built up in the Northwest and slowly rolled in across the sky like a surging army.  The thunder rumbled and lightning flashed from time to time.  And of course we were out on a family walk when this all developed.

As we walked the last half kilometer or so back home it dawned on me how perfectly aligned the universe is sometimes.  Earlier today I’d pulled out a couple Taliskers for a little tasting session.  The 10 year old, just as a point of reference and to maybe update a rather sh*tty earlier review; the 57° North; and, of course, Storm, of which you’re reading now.  Serendipitous natural occurrences.  Love ’em.

First things first.  I like this whisky.  Quite a lot actually.  It’s not the best of Talisker, but it’s a solid addition to the range, and another worthy variation on a theme.  That’s the good news.

The bad news is a little less palatable for me.  At the end of the day, it’s simply a matter of principle.  Some may not take exception to this particular issue, but it’s sort of a topical subject for me at the moment, and this malt is a perfect tool to use in making a case.  Storm is yet another NAS whisky.  I doubt there are any of you out there not ‘in the know’ at this point, but if so…don’t sweat it.  NAS means ‘no age statement’.  In short it means that the distillery is best served by NOT telling us how old the whisky in the jar is.  In some cases the dram still comes together cohesively and age is a non-issue (but should still be declared, in my humble opinion).  In other cases, there are absolutely easily detectable nuances of overly young whisky in the mix.  Storm is a prime example of this less than flawless blending.  The whole is better than its individual parts (the individual casks), I assume, but the parts, unfortunately, are all visible.  And some seem young indeed.

Let’s not get too down though, or start flogging a dead horse.  At the end of the day…it’s still a good malt.  I like it.  And will happily continue to give my money to Diageo.  If the price is right, don’t feel bad about dropping a few bucks (Pounds.  Euro.  Whatever).

Nose:  A little more on the dry peats and wet rock notes than the standard Talisker.  Young barley sugar.  Supposedly a mix of old and young, but the youth rules.  Somewhat of a creamy, custard note.  Vanilla ice cream-ish.  With cracked pepper atop, that is.  Peat and seaspray.  Sour green candies.  Occasional waft of smoke.

Palate:  Peat and pepper.  Lemon juice on oyster shells.  Fairly active wood, faint licorice.  Cinnamon.  Slight fishiness (or smoked seafood of some sort).  Chewy fruit sweets.

Thoughts:  Smells young.  Still works, but could have been much more with a little more oomph and age.  Oh well.  Any Talisker is a good Talisker.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Talisker 25 y.o. (2005) Review

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Talisker 25 y.o. (2005)053

57.2% abv

Score:  91/100

 

Another very special old and rare Talisker 25 year old.  This was one of the earlier editions before the evil empire brought the abv down to their more standard (though still rather respectable) 45.8%.

While this particular 25 is a knockout dram (and anything over a 90 score should absolutely be considered as such, I’d argue), it’s pretty much running neck and neck with the 2008 25 year old in terms of scoring.  Maybe a slight notch higher.  Either way…these quarter century malts from Skye were absolute killers prior to the aforementioned emasculation (read: alcoholic reduction).  Now…at the new bottling strength…they’re just really, really good, instead of being really, really great.

Those familiar with Talisker in its younger incarnations can likely approximate what’s in this malt, as it’s pretty much blueprint Talisker, but one that’s been allowed to sleep in late.  And take my word for it; those extra years have been very kind.  All of the more subtle (and deeply buried) fruity notes begin to swim forward at this age.  Peat and pepper are loud and clear, of course, but are now a bit more egalitarian when it comes to sharing the spotlight, instead of just elbowing aside the bit players.  Works a treat, lemme tell ya.

If you get a chance to sample these older editions, don’t hesitate.  A beautiful bit of whisky history in a glass.

Nose:  Very creamy.  Surprisingly so, actually.  Whiffs of smoke and subdued peat.  Some neat ‘toasted’ notes as well.  Maybe peach.  Soft cream pie.  Pear and pepper.  Lemon and salt.  Mature notes of old books and such.

Palate:  The arrival and early delivery are creamy as hell too.  Crème brûlée-ish almost.  Pepper and peat.  Fruit syrup.  Salt and licorice.  Some seriously amped peppered pear and apple notes.  Very big and alive.

Thoughts:  Great dialogue between the nose and palate on this one.  A master class in balance.  Exceptional ‘young’ and vibrant older Talisker.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Gordon & MacPhail Glentauchers 1994 Review

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Gordon & MacPhail Glentauchers 1994117

43% abv

Score:  91/100

 

Incredible that a distillery which produces nearly three and a half million litres of spirit a year (and has a capacity even higher than that!) can still languish in relative obscurity.

If the name Glentauchers is unfamiliar to you, don’t sweat it.  It’s unfamiliar to most of us whisky nerds and keeners too.  These bottlings are few and far between.  As rare as hens teeth, in the words of my dear old grampa.  The vast majority of Glentauchers’s output has ended up in blend oblivion, buried in the mass vattings of Teachers and Ballantine’s, according to all I’ve read.  There are, of course, bound to be single malt ‘casualties’ along the way that are used to produce blends, and I don’t begrudge that.  Every now and again, though, I find a bottle like this one that almost makes me wince, wondering how many stellar casks have been relegated to obscurity in the search for consumer-driven widespread palatability.  Sigh.

Enough barely concealed malt snobbery for now.

This Glentauchers is one of the rare Gordon & MacPhail semi-official releases.  Roughly translated as an independent bottling, in reality.  Typical mixed blessings here.  On the one hand, we thank G&M for the depth of their warehouses and the treats they occasionally bottle for us.  On the other, we ‘tsk tsk’ at the neutered bottling strength.  This is another release that would have been well served by being decanted closer to barrel strength.

And for those curious…Glentauchers is a Speyside distillery. 

Nose:  Lemon (and a little orange).  Soft creamy custard.  Cantaloupe and vanilla ice cream.  Clean oak.  Slightly biscuity.  Florals and perfume.  A hint of tropicalia, but more like tropical Mike & Ike’s or something, instead of real fruit.  Fresh wax.  Honey.  A very tangy and ‘alive’ nose.

Palate:  Tangy fruits up front now, seeming a little more real on the palate than the nose.  Creamy arrival.  Very dessert-like.  Lush and broad on flavour.  A little cinnamon and vanilla sprinked over grilled pineapple.  Lightly toasted oak.  Orange zest.

Thoughts:  Really, really great nose.  Uber clean and vibrant.  This seems like what the Auchentoshan Valinch could be if was allowed to grow up.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt