Feddie 4yo

Feddie 4yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Vestlandet
Pale yellow

42.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, lemon zest, nectarines, white pepper, toffee, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens slightly, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Lemon zest, nectarines, fresh baked bread, leather, malted grains, nutmeg, vanilla, hints of diesel exhaust. 
Finish: Long. Marzipan, lemon zest, nectarines, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

Light fragrant and flavourful distillate. Quite impressive give the age, the flavour notes are well layered and distinct. Plenty of complexity too. Very good whisky indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

West Midlands Inaugural Release - Oloroso Cask

West Midlands Inaugural Release - Oloroso Cask

Official bottling
Single malt - Staffordshire 
Dark amber
53.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, fresh baked bread, cocoa nibs, maraschino cherries, black pepper, hints of rye bread. With water, vanilla sponge, raisins, hints of dried blueberries. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, volatile, hot, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Maraschino cherries, cocoa nibs, cocoa butter, damson jam, magic marker, prunes, cloves. With water, cocoa butter, maraschino cherries, magic marker. 
Finish: Medium. Fresh baked bread, damson jam, maraschino cherries, cocoa nibs, hints of rye bread. 

Comments: 

The pungent peppery nature of the distillate is tempered by the sherry cask, bringing out notes of maraschino cherries and prunes. Water brings out more dried fruit and some more estery flavours.

Verdict:

I like this.

Knockando 13yo 1974/1987

Knockando 13yo 1974/1987

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pears, raisins, orange peel, lohan fruit, nutmeg, cloves, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, volatile, expands. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, leather, lohan fruit, cloves, vanilla sponge, orange peel, hints of cinnamon. 
Finish: Long. White pepper, lohan fruit, vanilla sponge, orange peel. 

Comments: 

Quite herbal, lots of raisiny dried fruit flavours with plenty of vanilla. No water, it’s perfectly drinkable as is. The finish is surprisingly peppery and fragrant.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Chichibu Distillery II (Ichiro’s Malt)

Chichibu Distillery II (Ichiro’s Malt)

Official bottling
Single malt - Kantō
Amber gold 
55.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Malted grains, pears, fresh cut grass, white grapes, orange peel, barley sugar, nutmeg, mace. With water, pears, magic marker, lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, volatile, expands, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Pears, orange peel, leather, barley sugar, malted grains, magic marker, ink, mace. With water, mace, pears, magic marker, leather. 
Finish: Medium. Pears, orange peel, malted grains, lemon zest, hints of smoke. 

Comments: 

Lots of lovely balanced flavours, mainly spices, pears and a big leather note that is quite characteristic of Chichibu in my opinion. Water brings out some estery flavours with more of that leather. This is actually from their new production facility, but they’ve maintained their character well. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tsunuki Yakushima Aging 5yo 2016/2021 (bottled for LMDW)

Tsunuki Yakushima Aging 5yo 2016/2021 (bottled for LMDW)

Official bottling
Single malt - Kyushu
Amber brown
61% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, raisins, sandalwood, pears, dried apricots, malted grains, fresh baked bread. With water, raisins, winter melons, leather. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, volatile, evaporates, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Oak chips, sandalwood, malted grains, dried apricots, barley sugar, raisins, pears, hints of winter melons. With water, malted grains, raisins, barley sugar. 
Finish: Long. Dried apricots, leather, raisins, barley sugar hints of sandalwood. 

Comments: 

Cask 2069. Floral and herbal, very intensely flavoured with a hot, volatile mouthfeel. No doubt it’s due to the high ANv. Water brings out cereally sweetness with more raisins too. Quite interesting and somewhat typical of the Yakushima aging style.

Verdict:

I like this.

Longmorn 30yo

Longmorn 30yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber red 
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, golden syrup, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, clotted cream, wet stones. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, tingly, hot. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Clotted cream, raisins, cloves, nutmeg, golden syrup, butter, barley sugar, wet stones, hints of molasses. 
Finish: Medium. Nutmeg, black pepper, cloves, raisins, hints of molasses. 

Comments: 

A gentle, sweet, syrupy dram. The bitterness is that of molasses and slightly burnt caramel, but the predominant notes are creamy golden syrup, and buttery barley sugar. Very good whisky indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Caperdonich 13yo 1968

Caperdonich 13yo 1968

Connoisseur’s Choice, Gordon & Macphail
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Wet stones, raisins, orange peel, dried pineapples, black pepper, honey, sandalwood, hints of lohan fruit. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, tingly, warm, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, dried pineapples, dried apples, cloves, honey, black pepper, hints of lohan fruit, hints of farmyard. 
Finish: Medium. Cloves, honey, dried pineapples, raisins, vanilla. 

Comments: 

Minerally, with a bitter herbal edge, very prominent on the tongue. But under that there is a classic dried pineapple note, which I’ve found in a number of Caperdonich. There’s a bit of farmyardy tang at the end.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glen Grant 1948

Glen Grant 1948

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside 
Pale amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, lohan fruit, leather, sandalwood, roast chicken, hints of white pepper. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Leather, sandalwood, white pepper, black pepper, cumin, roast chicken, lohan fruit, smoke. 
Finish: Long. Smoke, leather, black pepper, orange peel, lohan fruit. 

Comments: 

Bitter sweet, with the bitter note being quite herbal, almost savoury. Not the most complex whisky, but very well layered with distinct flavours. It builds to a long, very smoky finish. It was a privilege to try this.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glen Grant 5yo 1974 (OB for Italy)

Glen Grant 5yo 1974 (OB for Italy)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside
Very pale yellow
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, lemon zest, sandalwood, sea salt, malted grains, white grapes, hints of yeast extract. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Salty sour. Lemon zest, yeast extract, roast chicken, sea salt, starfruit, pears, white pepper, hints of gunpowder. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, sea salt, white pepper, malted grains, hints of roast chicken. 

Comments: 

Gentle and light, but with a citrusy, savoury edge. There’s a roast chicken note which starts to take over on the tongue, and et the very end, something flinty, minerally and sulphurous. Superb old whisky

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Tomatin 13yo 2010/2023

Tomatin 13yo 2010/2023

Soho Selection, Milroy’s of Soho
Single malt - Speyside
Bronze gold 
50.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, elderflower, wet stones, honey, sea salt, fresh baked bread, hints of coffee. With water, sandalwood, fresh baked bread, leather, lemon sweets. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, expands, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Fresh baked bread, honey, elderflower, nectarines, coffee, leather, hints of lemon sweets. With water, fresh baked bread, lemon sweets, elderflower, coffee. 
Finish: Long. Coffee, grapefruit, nectarines, leather. 

Comments: 

Floral and rich, but also minerally. Lots of cereal notes underneath, and water brings out more floral notes with a robust bitterness. Rather good whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.