Flavour tag: Red fruits | Tasting Notes

85

Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique #W121225131A

The critically acclaimed Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique, a whisky that we’ve looked forward to reviewing for a long time. We really liked the Solist Sherry Casks, so what could go wrong? Honestly, it’s quite a gamble to buy something purely based on reviews. Especially when the price tag is...

90

Edradour Ballechin SFTC 12yo Heavily Peated Bordeaux Cask 2007-2019

It’s an open secret that I (Dion) am really digging into the wine-casks lately, I personally think that a Cabernet Sauvignon, or a nice Malbec is the next best thing. But don’t worry, whisky was my first love, and it will be my last. I promise you that. That...

87

Benriach 1999-2016 17yr Ventisquero finish

Lately, Dion is aiming for whiskies with a wine finish or maturing, so when we stumbled upon this beautiful looking Benriach bottle, finished in a Viña Ventisquero Grey Carmenere Barrel, we couldn’t resist.

88

The Arran 18yo

Guest review by our good friend Jan Temming This Arran 18yo is “a wonderfully balanced expression of the arran malt whisky which displays the tremendous depth of character of our distillery” the label says. Matured in 70% ex bourbon and 30% ex sherry cask, we where very excited to...

84

Bunnahabhain 2001 16yo Bn7 – Elements of Islay

Heave Ho, hoist the colours high for this Elements of Islay Bunnahabhain 16yo. Bottled at a 55.7% cask strength. We always feel a strong connection between Bunnahabhain and the pirate’s life. Maybe it’s the location of the distillery, overlooking the Sound of Jura. Possibly it’s the prison-like look of...

87

GlenDronach 12yo Original

Can you name a better way to ease into the dreaded Monday than with this classic from the Highlands? GlenDronach 12yo is easily one of our go-to sherried twelve years olds. Mainly because it’s, of course, GlenDronach. But also because it’s balanced to near perfection. A good introduction to...

85

Arran Small Batch 2009-2019 St-Émilion

This is a guest review by our good friend Jan Temming Arran St-Émilion is specially bottled for the Netherlands with only 1920 bottles. As the name says, the whisky has completely matured on St-émilion red wine casks (Bordeaux, France). There has been no colouring and the whisky is bottled...

84

Edradour 2008-2018 9yo 1st Fill Sherry by Beek

Beek is a fairly new Dutch brand by Jan Beek, know for The Ultimate. After our tastbuds exploded with the Millstone bottling, we were of course incredibly curious for the Edradour. Fun fact: only the first batch of bottles wear Edradour on the label, Jan Beek had to relabel...

92

Glenglassaugh PX Sherry Finish

Let’s have a look at this easy to enjoy dram from Glenglassaugh. In particular for sweet tooths like us!

90

Glen Garioch 1990-2009 Vintage Batch 34

We planned on visiting Glen Garioch next month, Destination Management Scotland did a great job on mapping out an awesome trip through the Highlands, but we had to cancel a while ago. Not because of Covid-19 tough…

84

Tullibardine 228 Burgundy Finish

We’ve had a fair share of Tullibardine which were bottled by independent bottlers, so it was about time we tried an official bottling. Honestly, we were quite sceptical at first, given how low the price of this bottle is and the non-age-statement. But pleasantly surprised when the first pour...

90

Glenrothes 6yo 2011 – Cooper’s Choice

This is where the love of independent Glenrothes bottles began: with a mere 6 year old by Cooper’s Choice.

85

Aberlour 12yo Double Cask Matured

A classic in a renewed packaging. The Aberlour 12yo is a good showcase of typical Speyside notes, with some extra warmth coming from the second maturation on sherry casks. It’s been a while since we’ve tasted this one, so when this new year’s gift by Aberlour arrived on the...

90

Port Charlotte 10yo

This ‘shampoo bottle’ may look weird, depending on who you ask, but who cares? It’s one of our go-to peated malts. It’s everything but the casual peated Islay-whisky and beautifully complex. As lovers of the Octomore range, we often speak of this as ‘Octomore Light’. It doesn’t provide that...

87

Glenrothes 11yo 2007-2018 PX Octave Finish by Claxton’s

We have a thing for independently bottled Glenrothes. It’s just very hard to find one that isn’t tasty. We have a huge indie ‘rothes line-up waiting to get reviewed, but this is the one we’d like to start with. It perfectly suits the drizzly weather that we’re facing at...

85

Arran Amarone Cask Finish

The typical fruity and coastal Arran style is beautifully enhanced by the sweet spicyness of the amarone cask, check out our notes right here:

87

Kilchoman 2010 Vintage & Kilchoman 100% Islay 9th Edition

Thanks to Kilchoman, we were given the opportunity to sample two wonderful new releases: the 2010 Vintage and the 100% Islay 9th Edition. And since we’re a huge fan of the first 100% Islay releases, we decided to have them accompanied by the 100% Islay Inaugural and 3th Edition....

91

Tomatin 14yo 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Matured

It’s very hard to find a Tomatin that’s not tasty, this Cabernet Sauvignon matured edition is a fine example of that!

85

Edradour 10yo 2009 Straight From The Cask Sherry Butt 59

Can it get more autumnal than this? Last weekend we purchased the Edradour 10yo Straight From The Cask.

83

Bimber Distillery Vertical

London’s brand new Bimber Distillery was so kind to send us a couple of beautiful samples last summer. We were quite impressed and let Matt know our thoughts. Let us share our findings with you too. Here are our unaltered notes, as sent to the distillery…

88

Glen Garioch 9yo 2010-2019 Douglas Laing’s Old Particular

A nice find at the liqour store this weekend: a 9yo single cask Glen Garioch bottled by Douglas Laing, specially bottled for Gall & Gall. A distillery we quite adore, because of the ‘old style’ earthy and fruity taste. The colour is stunningly pale, which is something I quite...

86

Classic of Islay by Jack Wieber’s 2018

As a Dutchman I’m very pleased to have such great neighbors. Among many other independent bottlers, Germany brings Jack Wieber to the table. This cask strength bottle, named Classic of Islay is a solid staple in our collection. It has no age statement and it’s probably a young sherried...

91

GlenDronach 1995-2017 22yo PX Sherry Puncheon #4038

I love rainy autumn days like these, it’s a perfect moment to enjoy some bold sherry flavours in the form of this GlenDronach Cask bottling.

88

Springbank 12yo Cask Strength 2019

Never been much of a Springbank fan, but this bottle might tempt me to change that fact!

93

Glendronach 1994-2018 23yo Malts of Scotland #18011

I love it when two of my favourite things come together: Glendronach and German bottler Malts of Scotland. Both almost never lets me down, so I was incredibly excited when I received this birthday present from Dion.

89

Aberlour A’bunadh Batch 47

Time to revisit my favourite batch of Aberlour A’bunadh: number 47!

85

Scotch & Tattoos: Dalmore 5yo ex-Aultmore Oloroso Octave Finish

A release from one of the friendliest guys we’ve ever met. Tattooed his arms with his favourite whisky brands and killing it with a wonderful series of single malt. That’s some dedication right here!

85

Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon

It’s only our second bottle of bourbon after the Buffalo Trace, and it leaves us wondering: why don’t we try bourbon more often? Perfect for summer nights and as a welcome change between a line-up of scotch. There’s absolutely no reason not to! We brought the Elijah Craig along...

83

Jura 10yo Origin

It may not be entirely our taste, but we can’t deny the fact that many starting whisky lovers find in Jura a good starting point. We often referenced a certain hint to ‘an almond urinal block’, which is definitely not something you’d say is mouthwatering. But as with many...

85

Kilchoman Port Cask Matured 2018

Whisky: Endless possibilities, varying opinions and lots to discover. Let’s do a little experiment!

87

Deanston 9yo 2008 Bordeaux Red Wine Cask Matured

We saw this Deanston passing in review quite often lately, so we decided to buy one for one of our tastings. That was a good call!

87

Speyburn 2004-2018 Single Cask

We’re not so familiar with Speyburn, but it certainly made quite the entrance to our cabinet with this Single Cask botting.

86

GlenDronach 15yo Tawny Port Finish

Let’s have a look at the Glendronach 15yo Tawny Port Finish, a smooth and lingering expression of the distillery we all love.

84

Highland Park 18yo

Highland Park 18yo is a classic, a soft and gentle classic. It offers many facets, but there isn’t one that overpowers.

85

Bunnahabhain 16yo 2001-2017 Claxton’s

Bottled for whiskyshop The Old Pipe in The Netherlands, this 16 year old Bunnahabhain was something I couldn’t resist taking it home. It has matured on oloroso sherry casks and was bottled at 55.8%. Could you? Not the easiest Bunna, mainly because of the peppery notes, but have a...

86

Glenfarclas 105

Value for money, bang for your buck, call it what you will, but Glenfarclas 105 definitely falls into this category