Macallan Edition No 6 (48.6%, OB, 2020)
Created to 'pay homage' to the landscape around the distillery and the River Spey apparently, and done in collaboration with a fly fishing company called Hardy. I have to say, all these 'stories' on Macallan bottles smell funny to me, but at the same time I also have a big soft spot for whisky that ties into nature - even tenuously. So I will admit to a little cognitive dissonance here. Colour: deep gold. Nose: modern, rather peppery and slightly varnish-tinged sherry. So a little closed and with an acetic sharpness at first. However, this opens nicely with time and we're into quite pleasurable tobacco and leaf mulch territories. Some sultana, praline and coffee too. Quite reminiscent of the old OB 12 yo in some ways. I find the nose simple but very attractive. Mouth: good arrival, nice power, the ABV does some fine work here. Chocolate, tobacco, wet leaves, damp earth, walnuts - all very classical, typical and easy. You may add sultanas once again, and some nicely bitter Seville marmalade. Finish: good length, warming, gingerbread, dark fruits and a little touch of hessian and earthiness. Comments: Pretty hard to see how anyone who enjoys classical sherried Macallan wouldn't enjoy sipping this. I still think it would be more interesting with an age statement, in my humble opinion.
SGP: 551 - 85 points. 

Macallan 10 yo (40% / 70 proof, OB, UK, late 1970s)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: bang! Old school sherry. This unmistakeable and utterly charming mix of dried fruits with more luscious ripe green ones overlaid. Also leaf mulch, cocoa, tobacco and a savoury / salty rancio note. Enchanting is often the word that comes to mind with such bottlings. Mouth: very nutty, chocolatey and showing many dense notes of fig, date, sultana and praline. Also some espresso with a single sugar cube. Still muchly, leathery and chocolatey. Only thing is that detracts is a little bit of OBE mustiness. Finish: medium, leafy, autumnal, leathery and with some drier tones. Comments: pretty irrefutable really. We should retrospectively apply warning stickers to all such bottles: 'WARNING: do not consumer alongside current NAS Macallan'. Just that wee bit of OBE will hold this one back, but it's beautiful old style whisky.
SGP: 651 - 88 points.

Macallan 1851 'Inspiration' (41.6%, OB, 2010)
I'm sure you don't need me to tell you the story behind this rather amusing/ludicrous/embarrassing (delete as you prefer) series? Colour: orangey amber. Nose: a kind of halfway house between the 10 and the No 6 in some ways. There's a lovely tropical edge here but it's also more dominated by a nutty sherry profile. Peanut brittle with milk chocolate, praline, pipe tobacco, mushroom powder and this general impression of all things 'old library' - which I'm sure the Macallan directors of the time would have approved. Mouth: a little flat and flabby on arrival. There's a big dollop of marmalade-heavy sherry but it feels rather sweetish and confected. Sugary cafe latte, cheap madeira sponge cake and a touch of leather. Finish: medium, a tad short, not a whole lot going on. Feels like we've travelled a long way from the nose, some after notes of burnt caramel and fudge. Comments: Not sure what to say really. I had high hopes from the nose but the palate kind of went in its own, rather unlikely direction. I know other folk rate this higher, including Serge who had a version of this one at WF86 back in 2007, so it could be the bottle or just me most likely. Anyway, who cares!
SGP: 631 - 80 points.

Glenfarclas 15 yo (100 proof / 57.1%, OB for The Whisky Exchange)
One of two brand new, and rather nifty looking, exclusive Glenfarcli for TWE. Also, 100 proof is always cool. Colour: gold. Nose: golden syrup, toffee, cinnamon breakfast cereals, Biscoff spread - a very easy, open and classical profile where you don't feel the ABV too much. Quite clever in that regard. With water: lovely development on breads and spices, treacle on rye bread, a little aniseed and some malt loaf with raisins. Mouth: a similar, immediate impression of sweet nectars and syrups. Golden syrup, orange marmalade, sultanas and a little marzipan. An easy and gentle sherry profile that remains staunchly classical but with no sense of overt dominance or intrusion over the distillate. With water: the texture is the most striking part I think here, it becomes nicely 'gooey' with water, while there's plenty softer fruit notes coming through as well including kumquat and baked apple. In fact you could just say apple crumble with custard. Finish: good length, on soft cupboard spices, fruit scones, a touch of vanilla cream soda and more sweet cereals. Comments: Extremely quaffable and very well put together I'd say.
SGP: 641 - 86 points.

Glenfarclas 21 yo (94 proof / 54.2%, OB for The Whisky Exchange)
And here's the other half of this pair. Matured for 21 years in 'oloroso sherry seasoned oak'. Colour: deep, coppery gold. Nose: a more vinous style with a more pronounced and resinous sherry profile that takes in hints of acetic and balsamico. There's also something a notch more 'old school' about this one with some impressions of oily rags and camphor. Musty, earthen floored dunnage, putty, sultana and a little black olive bread. Really lovely and quite complex. With water: the fruit comes out more directly now, green banana, star fruit, tangerine and dried apricot. There's also a more reductive jammy quality as well but it remains quite subtle. Mouth: superb arrival! Oily, sharp, almost tart fruitiness. More impressions of hessian and dunnage along with olive oil, mead and putty. There's also an inkiness and various subtle flavours of crystallised and dark fruits. Some kind of crystallised lemon peel perhaps. And Cheng Pi, those long-aged orange peels they make tea from in China. Very impressive so far. With water: sugar caramelising with spices, clove, nutmeg, lime peel, old Cointreau, pot pourri, sandalwood. There's a lot very subtle and interesting stuff happening in here. Finish: long and now much more earthy and directly on classical sherry qualities such as tobacco, leaf mulch, leather, bitter chocolate and fruit liqueurs. Comments: I find the complexity and evolution in this one really impressive. Yet it remains first and foremost extremely drinkable and easy, lots to enjoy here.
SGP: 651 - 89 points.

Glenfarclas 40 Year Old (43.4%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #1.154 'Under the Moonlight', refill hogshead, 61 bottles)
From this mini era where SMWS, for some bewildering reason, thought it was a good idea to stop putting vintages on their labels. Colour: deep orangey gold. Nose: an extremely scented profile where you can tell the cask has started to 'close in'. However, the wood is wonderfully clean so what you get is this familiar mix of beehive waxiness, pollens, toasty wood spices, dried flowers and exotic hardwood resins. Also fruit teas, dried herbs and rosewater. Pretty fragile but there's elegance and beauty still here aplenty. Mouth: it's not as overpowered as you might expect, there's a big hit of sweet coconut along with shoe polish, beeswax, leather, herbal liqueurs, quince and plum wine. The tannins are becoming rather warm and peppery as they nibble around the sides but this is pretty excellent. Finish: good length, on many various assorted teas, herbs, soft medicinal touches and crystallised citrus peels. Comments: If you love scented, slightly fragile old single malts you'll be giggling. It does feel tired in some places so technically it won't get passed 90. But this is extremely bonnie old Glenfarclas for sure.
SGP: 561 - 88 points. 

Glenfarclas 21 yo 'A Princely Whisky for a Royal Occasion' (52%, OB, -/+ 1970)
An extreme rarity, one I never tried before. In the pre-cube, tall bottle presentation. Needless to say: expectations are high… Colour: gold. Nose: I've lost count of the number of times I've written 'another world' at the outset of these kinds of notes. But really: another world! Like spooning molten fruit syrups into a beehive. Green and tropical fruits galore along with a very thick, stodgy pollen and honey combinations. Stunningly thick, textural, waxy and aromatic. It also has this extremely 'liqueur like' vibe which seems only to be found in such old style glories. Some kind of ancient yellow Chartreuse with soft peppery warmth and many tiny medicinal and mineral qualities too. Exquisite! With water: spicier, sootier, oilier and more mechanical and waxy. Opens exquisitely with endless wee notes of dried fruits and flowers. Mouth: seriously, this is just old Chartreuse! Incredible thickness and textural weight in the mouth. Immensely medicinal, herbal, honeyed and yet with this very slight nervous saltiness too. Like salted mead with more pollens, tobacco leaf, mineral oil and thick, powerful notes of camphor, wax and hessian. Stunning! With water: my God! The peat, the herbs, the medicines, the power! Quick, you know who to call! Finish: stunningly long, resinous, herbaceous, medicinal, oily, spicy and waxy. Comments: one of the most powerfully herbal whiskies I ever tried; reminds me more of some ancient late-19th century whiskies than 50s distillate, quite astonishing. Everyone serious about whisky should endeavour to try bottlings of this style and quality on occasion. I appreciate it's an expensive and not exactly easy proposition these days, but it's worth the effort in my view. Nothing else grounds you and re-calibrates your sense of quality quite like these kinds of old masterpieces.
SGP: 663 - 94 points.

Kildalton 15 yo 2005/2020 (54.2%, The Single Cask, cask #ADBG008, hogshead, 304 bottles)
There's a few hints to chose from here, but my favourite is that they chose to bottle this at exactly the same strength as the official Uigeadail bottlings. I'm sure that was totally on purpose ;) Colour: pale white wine (yes!) Nose: crisp, hyper clean, pure 'white' smoke. This wonderful mix of crushed chalk, shells and beach pebbles all mingling together with seawater, oysters and lemon juice. Indeed this fresh shellfish vibe only intensifies with time, also pasta water with lots of lemon juice and olive oil. Some puffs of coal smoke too. With water: a pristine salinity that remains superbly fresh, pointed and sharp, but also with a good deal of intricacy to keep your nose coming back for more. Mouth: big, gutsy, powerful arrival. On herbal peat smoke, salt-encrusted white smoked fish, tar, beach sand, kelp, iodine and petrol. A big fistful of mineral salts too. On Islay, power still lies in the South! With water: we're really into green olives in a dirty martini territory now. Grizzled, gristy peat smoke, coal embers, natural tar, ointments, hessian and TCP. Hotly medical I would say. Finish: long, deeply smoky, powerful, dried seaweed, smoked sea salt, tar, beach wood and a little aniseed. Comments: Pretty uncompromising and heartily powerful stuff. A cursory sip of this might lead you to conclude this is just another excellent modern peated malt. However, it rewards close attention, and there remains something additionally, and undeniably, 'Ardbeg' about this. Beneath all the nonsense, it's still a terrific distillate. Great selection.
SGP: 367 - 91 points. 

Ardbeg 19 yo 2001/2020 (51.8%, Elixir Distillers 'Single Malts Of Scotland', bottled for USA, refill barrel / 1st fill barrel, 216 bottles)
This one spent 10 years in a refill barrel then 9 years in a first fill barrel, so the epitome of a proper double maturation. Colour: gold. Nose: what I love here is that you can tell the cask in this case was rather active, but it has fused with the distillate in such a way as to create this rather singular and gelatinous profile that suggests peat-infused olive oil, herbal extracts and sugary cough medicines. Beneath that natural tar, embrocations, camphor and a touch of seawater. Superb! With water: fresher with some ozone and sea breeze, although also a hint of swimming pools. Mercurochrome and sardines in oil. Mouth: the oak spices are a little louder here, some hot green pepper, graphite oil, tar extract once again, paprika, umami paste and hessian. Smouldering wood embers and dried seaweed. I really like it but the cask is perhaps just a notch too active. With water: more singularly peaty, tarry, peppery and classical now. Big, weighty, spicy and chewy Ardbeg. Finish: long, these warming notes of toasty green pepper and wood spice are back mingling with the peat smoke, brine and tar. Comments: At times it is an extremely classical, contemporary Ardbeg, whereas there's moments when you certainly feel that second cask dragging it in more wood-dominant direction. A very different animal to the 05, but the quality is in the same ballpark. I think water does clever and necessary things here.
SGP: 566 - 90 points.

Ardbeg NAS / 10yo? (80 proof, OB, -/+ 1970)
There are many fakes around with this label, however this bottle comes from within the UK and with impeccable provenance. It's also to be noted that some had a 10yo age statement as a neck label, so this bottling is either NAS or it lost its age label somewhere along the way. The original owner also helpfully informs us that this distillery is 'No longer in existence' - someone should probably tell LVMH. Colour: white wine. Nose: fresh and extremely typical old 60s (or pre-60s as may well be the case here) Ardbeg. Which is to say full of sheep wool, wet rocks, lightly tarred hessian, a kind of chalky, brittle peat smoke and many softer mineral and dried seaweed touches. The DNA of the 70s style is very present but the peat is dialled down while things like medicines and coastal complexities have been turned all the way up. You can add bitter citrus peels, petrol, seawater and ink. I would also say there's a farmyard quality that later styles do not quite possess. Mouth: extremely briny, kippery smokiness, more old rope, hessian, tar, black pepper, smoked teas and tiny impressions of pickled ginger and preserved lemons. Altogether a softer, yet also arguably deeper and more complex style. Some camphory, oily textured peat flavours, green peppercorns in brine, herbal smoke and a perfectly drying, brittle saltiness. Finish: long, bone dry, salty, a sense of citric acidity, tar, phenolics and seaweed once again. Comments: über fresh, pin sharp and almost wine like with its highly chiselled and taut structure. The interplay of peat, coast and farmyard is beautiful. It feels incorrect to call it 'lighter' in style; perhaps it's just that it is more ethereal and complex, but the lasting impression is of a huge and deeply intricate whisky. Majestic and fascinating old Ardbeg.
SGP: 365 - 93 points.