Tag Archives: 12

Connemara 12 Peated

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Distillery/Brand: Connemara
ABV: 40%
Colour: Sunlight


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

Review
Did the Irish invent whisky? I don’t really know for sure. But I do know they’re pretty good at this game and this peated Connemara is an example of that.

The delicate honey and sugarcane nose is quite fresh and wafts lazily over the smoky peat on the bottom. Sway it gently and up comes a zing of bright lemon. Very playful.

You know the distiller has done his job when the nose is in sync with the delivery. The honey, sugarcane and lemon on the palate are testament to that!

The minty medium finish is a touch on the shorter side but over all this is quite a pleasant dram.

Rating: 86

BenRiach 12

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Distillery/Brand: BenRiach
Region: Speyside
ABV: 43%
Colour: Sunlight

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

Review
I once had the misfortune of tasting a 20 year old and vowed never to touch BenRiach again. Luckily I changed my mind and decided to forgive the distillery and uncorked this 12 year old expression.

The first nose is immediate bourbon which is quite delightfully interesting. Instantly transporting you to a carnival of aromas where vanilla, coconut, strong caramel, cotton candy and ripe bananas each offer you a ride if you’re willing to go along.

The delicate honey on the palate has a touch of spice on a smudge of marmalade. Un-complex. Simple.

The medium finish is oily with a biscuit and fennel after taste. An easy early evening dram if you ask me.

Rating: 86

Ardbeg Galileo

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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

Nikka Miyagikyou 12

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Distillery/Brand: Nikka Miyagikyou
ABV: 45%
Region: Japan
Colour: Full Gold

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

Review
I have yet to come across a Japanese whisky that I didn’t like. Sure, some are better than others but generally any expression with Kanji symbols on the label is going to be good. And so is the case with this Miyagikyou 12.

A nice nutty nose brimming with honey coated almonds sprinkled over a bowl of treacle with a burnt caramel topping. Finally a drizzle of brandy and coconut shavings give way to something a touch floral.

Here’s where I’m a little stumped. The palate screams unmistakeable sherry but my research shows none of that. Nevertheless there are typical sherry notes in this expression. Honey and clove mixed with big fat red grapes followed by a pleasant cinnamon spiciness and ending with burnt citrus, aniseed and a pod of cardamom.

The dry finish is quite long and has a playful licorice twang to it.

But I keep going back to the palate – I’m sure there is a sherry cask in there. Somewhere!

Rating: 92

Caol Ila 12 Years Old Unpeated

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Distillery/Brand: Caol Ila
ABV: 57.6%
Region: Islay
Colour: Sunlight

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

Review
I’m a sucker for anomalies and anything off the beaten path. So it was nice to get my hands on this un-peated Islay and give it a whirl.

The sweet and salty nose is like pouring honey in a bowl of tepid sea water accompanied by a whiff of wood shavings. I expected more from the nose but that was to be it.

The palate is quite a simple serving of lemon tart dusted with black pepper. And again that is it.

The slightly bitter finalé to this expression is, once again, not up to mark.

I expected more from this expression and did not get it. I don’t know whether this was a case of my high expectations not being met or it was just an average malt. In either case I was quite upset not to be over the moon.

Rating: 84

Inchmurrin 12

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Distillery/Brand: Inchmurrin
ABV: 40%
Region: Highland
Colour: Sunlight

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

Review
Again a not-so-mainstream expression – something I quite like exploring. This one was a 12 year old Highland I nicked off a friend’s bar.

It has quite a strong floral nose reminding me of rose infused incense sticks that you use sometimes as an air freshener. Swirling in the incense smoke is a spoonful of maple syrup, sugar cubes and almonds. It’s quite a heady experience and it takes a while for your nose to adjust to any thing else after that.

Red licorice, cinnamon, grapes, purple fruits drizzled with white pepper course through your palate in an unusual delivery. Like a big plate of all these ingredients which you’re forced to eat all at once. A bit tricky to get your head around it.

The medium finish full of red licorice and cherry drops rounds off an interesting Highland experience but the question is would I drink this one again?

Hhhmmmm, I don’t know. Maybe.

Rating: 84

Tormore 12

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

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

Review
I personally love exploring the not so mainstream expressions out there and so it was quite exciting when I spotted this 12 year old Speyside in a friend’s bar the other night.

It has a typical Speyside nose with butterscotch, honey and almond. Citrusy overtones come next followed by something a touch floral wrapped in a haze of morning dew. Quite fresh and invigorating.

The medium bodied palate is interesting and flavorful. I like the strong minty herbacious attack on a bed of honey, sugarcane and white pepper. Chew it for long and a curious mixture of chalk and nuts forces you to raise an eyebrow. Intriguing.

The decently long finish has a smatter of dry fruits and very strong oaky mint.

This was my first Tormore and, I must say, I quite liked it.

Rating :86

The Macallan 12 Fine Oak

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

Nose: 23
Taste: 24
Finish: 22
Balance: 23

Review
This is what every Speyside single malt should taste like. Delicate and sensitive as well as bold and courageous.

Incidentally this is one of the first single malts I had ever bought and I think it was the reason I fell in love. Familiar aromas of honey, vanilla and hints of coconut remind me of why I got into malting in the first place. Robust barley lightly dusted with brown sugar and then rubbed on bright green pears makes this nose possibly one of my all time favorites to come out of Speyside.

The velvet delivery is almost perfect as it starts off honeyed followed by black pepper and cinnamon. Swish it around your mouth and you can discern the deftest of dark chocolate and a drop of citrus.

The medium to long finish is dry and quite oaky – I think that’s where the Fine Oak comes into it’s own – with a touch of nuts and an eyebrow raising stick of clove.

I have to admit; this malt makes me happy.

Rating: 92

The Macallan 12 Sherry Oak

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Distillery/Brand: Macallan
Region: Speyside
ABV: 40%
Colour: Pale Gold

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

Review
There was a time when I remember wanting to drink only Sherry influenced whiskies and this expression was the reason why.

The nose is pretty much in perfect harmony. Big, fat, juicy, red grapes covered in sugar, sprinkled with black pepper, dipped in caramel and then dusted with dark chocolate are presented to you on a silver platter. A final nose brings out the beautiful wooden sherried oak that makes this nose what it is.

Like most Macallan’s I’ve tasted the liquid is pure velvet. Burnt toast with black pepper and tiny cloves is the first thing to greet you. This is followed by the unmistakable taste of charred orange rind. Finally the palate is wrapped in a swirl of caramel, jaggery and a hint of roasted nuts.

The lovely long finish with it’s dry clove and nuts feels quite mature for it’s twelve years.

Pour your self a dram, sit back and relax. It’s going to be a long night.

Rating: 91

Glen Moray 12

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Distillery/Brand: Glen Moray
Bottling: 12 Year Old
ABV: 40%
Colour: Sunlight

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

Review
The Glen Moray 12 is a remarkably clean and fresh tasting single malt from Speyside and, for me, an expression that is best to start off an evening with.

The uncomplicated nose first brings with it a whiff of freshly kneaded dough next to a bowl of bran cereal. This is followed by a spoonful of leftover rice pudding. Quite comforting as it reminds me of breakfast during my school days. The freshness jumps out next – almost as if I decided to take my bowl of cereal out to my garden on an early spring morning. The relaxing aromas of freshly mowed grass and little white flowers complete a delicate and pleasant nosing experience.

The oily delivery is spicy at first as a pinch of white pepper lands quite dramatically on the tip of your tongue. Wrestle a bit more with the liquid and it rewards you with sweet honey and a hint of lemon tart.

The medium finish is citrusy dry with an aftertaste of red licorice and salty nuts.

A pleasant dram that, I suspect, is perfect to lure the rookie maltie!

Rating: 88