Distillery/Brand: Glenlivet
Region: Speyside
ABV: 40%
Colour: Sunlight

Nose: 22
Taste: 23
Finish: 23
Balance: 23

Review
This has been one of my favorite malts for a long time. Not because it’s the best malt out there but because it was one of the first I tried early on in my career as a malt enthusiast. And I’m glad it was this one for who knows what would have become of me had I tried something vile.

The uncomplicated Speyside nose is bursting at the seams with an orangey citrus burst on a bed of smooth melon rind. The honey and delicate flowers accompany this fruitiness and make for quite a nice bouquet of aromas.

The beautifully textured spirit is a touch spicy but that quickly gives way to a lovely warm fruit basket mixed with marshmallows. Something oddly comforting about this delivery.

The long and oily finish with a touch of oak keeps taking me back to why I began this glorious journey in the first place.

Rating: 91

Distillery/Brand: Glenfiddich
Region: Speyside
ABV: 40%
Colour: Pale Straw

Nose: 21
Taste: 22
Finish: 20
Balance: 21

Review
This is part one of three of the, now über popular, Age of Discovery series. A 19 year old malt finished in Madeira Wine casks complete with gorgeous box that has, not one, but two doors! So you can understand if I was a little gutted that this one did not blow me away.

The honey sweet nose is both woody and citrusy at the same time. But you really have to coax the aromas out. If you keep at it you’ll be rewarded with a hint of sweet red melon and a touch of something grassy.

The same honey and oak mixed with white pepper are first to greet the palate followed by a spoonful of marmalade, roasted nuts and butterscotch.

The abrupt finish is a little disappointing. I would have liked to nurse the flavors a bit more but there was none of that.

I don’t mind drinking this one again but I would gladly pass this over if offered the 15 or the 18 year old instead.

Rating: 84

Distillery/Brand: Nikka Yoichi
Region: Japan
ABV: 45%
Colour: Old Gold

Nose: 24
Taste: 24
Finish: 23
Balance: 23

Review
What is it with the Japanese? They insist on doing everything so perfectly. Just like this 15 year old beauty from the Asian powerhouse that is Nikka.

Such a heady, almost dizzying, array of aromas greet you as you say hello to this beauty from the East. There’s maple syrup covered dark fruits ladled on a stack of hot pancakes, sprinkled with woody cinnamon and then rounded off with a drizzle of sherry infused with subtle peat. Quite arresting actually.

The maple syrup and black pepper on the palate play a woody chocolatey tune that works in perfect harmony with an edgy pinch of cumin. You’ll want to mull this one over for a while.

The long, oily finish sits on your lips for ages forcing you to make smacking sounds every two seconds. This makes you look quite silly in the process.

But that’s OK…

Rating: 94

Distillery/Brand: Bruichladdich
Region: Islay
ABV: 46%
Colour: Chardonnay

Nose: 22
Taste: 22
Finish: 21
Balance: 21

Review
Bruichladdich are the ever experimenting single malt brand and, even though, it’s hard to keep track of them all there are few expressions that are below par. The Organic is another example of a decent (not mind blowing, mind you) expression – this one made purely from organic Scottish barley.

The lightly peated nose evokes images of green apples strewn on moist grass as you sit on a wooden porch made damp from the morning dew. Completing the picture is a basket of freshly laundered clothes atop which sits the tiniest bale of hay.

The delivery is full bodied and sweet smacking of honeyed cinnamon, moist lemon slivers and a touch of fennel. All this enveloped in a feathery wisp of smoke.

The long and oily finish is chewy and a little minty though, as it fades, it develops a slightly bitter chalky characteristic.

Rating: 86

Distillery/Brand: Glenlivet
Region: Speyside
ABV: 40%
Colour: Gold

Nose: 22
Taste: 22
Finish: 22
Balance: 22

Review
Let’s start with the fact that there is really no bad Glenlivet. Consistent & classic flavors is what this single malt is known for. So even when they come out with cute marketing gimmicks like this expression it’s something still worth drinking!

But first the nose.

Sweet honey; and quite a strong honey at that. Quite zestfully sweet and delicately floral at the same time. Followed by moist barley in a cereal bowl topped with a whisper of vanilla essence. It’s almost like sitting in a field of pretty white flowers.

The lovely, full bodied, honey delivery is first intertwined with a playful pinch of white pepper. Then a caramel-ish toffee sweetness infused with a not-so-overpowering mint sprig coupled with crushed nuts. Very pleasant.

The medium to long finish is oily with a touch of spice. A lovely Speysider that embodies all that is good about that region.

Rating: 88

Distillery/Brand: Bowmore
Region: Islay
ABV: 43%
Colour: Full Gold

Nose: 22
Taste: 21
Finish: 22
Balance: 22

Review
I think Bowmore is a dependable distillery with some solid expressions (Tempest Batch 2) and some not-so-solid expressions (Mariner & Enigma). And that’s what makes a distillery exciting and human, in my opinion. So when I uncorked the 18 year old I had no idea what to expect.

The nose is salty and instantly reminds you of a dank warehouse. The musty smell, I imagine, can be found in the actual Bowmore warehouses housing all the maturing casks. From within the salty sea spray then comes a warm mix of bananas, tangerines and peaches followed by nutty peat and a touch of iodine. The final flourish is unmistakeable butterscotch.

The palate is strong and oaky with a vigorous application of dark spice rub. Bananas and nuts then decide to make a come back accompanied by something pleasantly sweet

The woody medium finish is, of course, peaty with a touch of salt and fennel. There is, though, a hint of something bitter but it’s faint enough not to be a nuisance.

Rating: 87

Distillery/Brand: Laphroaig
Region: Islay
ABV: 48.6%
Colour: Sunlight

Nose: 23
Taste: 23
Finish: 23
Balance: 23

Review:
I’m generally a fan of anything Laphroaig and the distillery has never let me down in all these years, though, I’ve heard of a miscreant 15 year old that may taint an otherwise perfect track record. But let’s cross that bridge when we get to it.

Right. The 25 year old 2011 Cask Strength. Possibly the most un-Laphroaig nose you will ever find. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. The iodine and peat is subdued; it’s there but comes to you in gentle waves riding on a crest of sweet lemon citrus. The citrus is then enveloped in a fine spray of honey and sugarcane. This is possibly the most delicate of Laphroaig noses you will ever come across.

The lemon and honey are dominant on the palate but not before a burst of white pepper greets your tongue. The peat and smoke, as on the nose, play a supporting role as if to nudge you from time to time and let you know this is an Islay.

The finish is long, dry and spicy with a touch of oak and a smattering of nuts.

This is a lovely dram and does all the right things but the question remains; should Laphroaig be producing such delicate whiskies or focus on mouthfuls of iodine, peat and personality?

I’ll let you decide.

Rating: 92

Distillery/Brand: Glenmorangie
Region: Highland
ABV: 46%
Colour: Full Gold

Nose: 22
Taste: 23
Finish: 22
Balance: 22

Review
There are few whiskies that you can seldom go wrong with and Glenmorangie is one of them. So when I picked out the increasingly rare Finealta off a friend’s shelf I already had fairly high expectations.

The nose is soft smoke with sherry undertones mixed in with vanilla and fruit drops. This is followed by a touch of honey and some crushed red grapes. Finally a handful of roasted chestnuts give the nose a nice layer of complexity.

The full bodied delivery is cinnamon spicy at first and then a nice caramel and treacle sweet next. The slightly smoky oak then weaves in quite expertly and brings with it a deft minty touch.

The medium dry finish is a very nice mix of minty leaves and oak shavings.

Rating : 89

Distillery/Brand: Isle of Jura
Region: Island
ABV: 44%
Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: 21
Taste: 21
Finish: 21
Balance: 21

Review
Mr Richard Paterson, who I’ve met at a tasting, seems hell bent on hiding behind intensely sweet flavors. Some time he does a decent job. Most times he doesn’t. This time I think he just might have succeeded.

The peaty sweet nose has all the trademarks of a Paterson expression. Earthy molasses and jaggery with a hint of something floral followed by a not-so-nice sprinkling of dusty talcum powder. A bit confusing for my liking.

Strong spicy nutmeg on the palate gives way to a thick dollop of jaggery mixed with dry nuts and wild berries.

The finish is long, oily and spicy with a hint of dark chocolate. All yummy flavors on paper but never in harmony when you taste them.

Rating: 84

Distillery/Brand: Ardbeg
Region: Islay
ABV: 49%
Colour: Young Sauternes

Nose: 22
Taste: 23
Finish: 22
Balance: 22

Review
If anyone wants to know how to build a cult following have them intern with the folks over at Ardbeg. Who would have thought of sending new make spirit up in space? And then releasing an expression commemorating that? Say ‘hello’ to the Galileo.

I would like to say it has a typical Ardbeg nose but it doesn’t. I mean it has the trademark peaty smoke (which is more pronounced than it’s cousins) and strong honey notes. There is a slight saltiness with a touch of grass which gives way to a chocolatey fruit basket. But the smoke and the wood tend to overpower a little.

The full bodied palate is much more familiar though not as sophisticated as you would expect from this monster distillery. Intensely spicy amidst the dark chocolate, nuts and some citrus.

The rather long oily finish has slivers of phenol and aniseed. There is also, dare I say it, a drop of something bitter.

This is an increasingly rare bottling and a must in the collector’s bar. Even though I would prefer to admire it on the shelf more than on my palate it still is a very drinkable expression.

Besides I heard it just won the World Whisky Award for best Single Malt. I must be daft or something…

Rating: 89