Flavour tag: Complex | Tasting Notes

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GlenDronach 19yo 1995-2015 Single Cask #2380 Oloroso Butt

Some bottles are made to open right away and some are for a special occasion. This 19 years old GlenDronach Single Cask is one we bought for the latter.

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Finlaggan Original

There aren’t many whiskies we can get for under €20 that always seem to deliver. But this bottle of Finlaggan nails it every single time.

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Arran Machrie Moor Cask Strength 4th Edition 2017

Have you ever considered trying a cask strength Machrie Moor by Arran? We strongly suggest you do.

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The Glendronach 21yo Parliament needs no introduction, because you know what’s coming: sherried flavours galore! It was one of my first Glendronachs, next to the old Revival and it’s still a staple on my shelves. Despite some major differences in flavour throughout the past years (my first bottles were...

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Glen Garioch 1995-2012 Vintage Batch 10

Glen Garioch was one of the distilleries I started my journey with. They’re a bit of an underdog in the scene, but definitely worth exploring. The 12yo and Founder’s Reserve are great daily drams, but these Vintage Batches offer a whole different experience.

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Caol Ila 15yo Unpeated (2016 release)

Caol Ila, often referred to as the workhorse of Islay, is capable of doing incredible stuff. And so they did with this 15yo Unpeated release.

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Lagavulin 12yo (bottled in 2012)

Lagavulin, one of the heavier distilleries on Islay. Not particularly because of the peat level of the barley, because that’s exactly the same as Caol Ila’s. It’s the shorter fermentation and shape of the stills which make Lagavulin this bold and full of phenolic flavours.

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GlenDronach 18yo ‘Allardice’

While not being impressed back in 2014, we revisited the GlenDronach 18yo Allardice and it blew our mind. I have a slight idea of what might’ve happened, let’s find out!

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Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16yo

Maybe not the prettiest bottle, but the price and taste certainly are. Let’s have a look at this rather unknown independent bottle, named Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16yo.

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Bowmore 10yo Tempest Batch IV

A whisky that captures the spirit of Bowmore perfectly, that’s what I’d like to call this Tempest Batch IV.

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Glengoyne 21yo

Glengoyne; often compared with GlenDronach in the sherrybomb league. But never reached such a high popularity. I wonder why, because this 21yo expression truly stands its ground.

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Bunnahabhain 14yo Pedro Ximénez Finish

Sweet, warm, chewy, sticky, syrupy, juicy… only so much words can describe this incredible release from one of our favorite distilleries.

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Starting the Festive Season with Redbreast 12yo Cask Strength

The leaves have fallen and it’s getting colder. The festive season has started! The robins are looking for food in our gardens, and we love to help them a bit. Especially when the robins (or Redbreasts as we roughly translate it from our Dutch language) look like this.

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Delicious discoveries: Deanston 10yo PX Finish

I have the annoying habit of finding the first couple of drams of new whiskies incredible, getting a little bored after a while and looking for something new.. But certainly not with this one!

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Octomore Masterclass 08.1

We’ve already talked about high peat levels and how it doesn’t matter that much. We brought this one to a blind tasting two weeks ago and asked the participants which glass contained a whisky with such a high peat level as this Octomore (168ppm). Most of them were wrong, and chose an Indie NAS Lagavulin, which is only peated to a level of 35ppm. So let’s focus on the taste, which is most important of course!

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Raasay While We Wait 2nd Release

What to do when you’ve built a distillery, but you have to wait before your whisky reaches the age of 3 years old? In the case of Isle of Raasay Distillery you just show off your skills by taking whisky from another distillery and let it finish for a while, to reach something that resembles what’s yet to come.

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Mortlach 1997 18yo by Wilson & Morgan

Wilson & Morgan are one of my favourite independent bottlers, especially their barrel selection. No need to turn around it: this Mortlach is incredible. It was finished on Marsala cask, but it didn’t overshadow the true character of the spirit.

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Millstone 2014-2018 – Triple Distilled – PX Sherry Cask – Beek Vintage

I love a good story when it comes to whisky. Entering Jan Beek, formerly known from Van Wees, the Dutch independent bottler of The Ultimate series. He began his own brand last year: BEEK spirits, which has a large focus on quality and craftsmanship.

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Ardmore 2003-2017 – Malts of Scotland

If you ask me which whisky blew my mind most in the last couple of years, I will answer with: Ardmore 2003 bottled by Malts of Scotland. This most definitely is my definition of a sherry bomb. What blew my mind is that it’s only 3 years old.

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The Glenlivet Nàdurra 16yo

Does this one need any introduction? It’s easily my top core-range Glenlivet. Bottled at cask strength, non-chill filtered and matured in American oak, which makes your taste buds explode with honest, natural flavours.

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Sherwood’s Craigellachie 9yo

Not for the feint hearted, but what an incredible Craigellachie from the new Dutch bottlers Sherwood’s.

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Highland Park Valkyrie

Highland Park goes all in on the Viking theme lately. A bit too much in my opinion, but does it distract them from creating a proper dram? Let’s find out.

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GlenAllachie 25yo

The last and by far the most expensive bottle of the new GlenAllachie core-range. Does the taste justify the price?

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Redbreast Lustau Edition

Redbreast 12yo Cask Strength has been an all-time favourite in our whisk(e)y collection. So I was beyond excited to try this Lustau edition, which is a perfect marriage between Ireland, the United States and Spain.

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Blackadder Peat Reek RAW Cask PR2017-10

Ever wanted to use your whisky bottle like a snow globe? Well, here’s your chance!

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Bunnahabhain Moine Bordeaux Red wine Cask Matured

Imagine yourself on a hot day, with a smoking barbecue with huge chunks of glaced meat, sipping a glass of robust red wine. That’s basically what’s in this new addition to Bunnahabain’s limited edition range.

Rime of the ancient mariner

What does Iron Maiden have to do with whisky I hear you ask. Well, let’s sit down for a moment and emerge in this great musical experience…

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Aberlour 25yo 1992-2018 Whisky Broker

Whiskybroker is a bottler we haven’t noticed before, until last week. I bought this 25yo Aberlour for the insane price of just 75 pounds. How is that even possible? And how good can it be at that price?

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The Caol Ila 14yo Unpeated 2012

The Caol Ila 14yo Unpeated from 2012 is a part of the collection for quite some time. To me, this has always been a good competitor for the discontinued Glenlivet Nadurra 16yo.

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Kilchoman Distillery Exclusive 8yo Madeira Cask Matured 2010-2018

A quick stop at Kilchoman, discussing their early years and a review of the Distillery Exclusive 8yo Madeira Cask Matured edition.

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Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask #S100209030a

With every single cask, there’s a great chance of differences with every batch. The previous Solist we reviewed, was lighter in colour and fruitier and woodier in taste. The one we’re reviewing today (#S100209030a) is a lot darker…

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