Glenfarclas 10 yo 2008/2018 (58%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 264 bottles)
Ironic only because so many of the older ‘anonymous’ Speysides are often assumed to be Glenfarclas, whereas this young one is out and proud and will be the only named distillery in today’s flight. I know, I know. More barrel scraping than one of Diageo’s rejuvenated hogsheads. But onwards we must go! Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: cut grass, slightly spiritous, chalk, barley water, paint thinner and touches of wet plaster and limestone. It’s clean and pure but it’s extremely raw and youthful as well. With water: hello? Baking soda, crushed aspirin, damp grains. Hard to grasp. Mouth: raw barley, gravel, newspaper, touches of glue, lemon peel - funny stuff! A lick of cardboard as well along with some plain porridge oats and more grassy qualities. New make and pear drops evolving towards acetone. With water: get’s a little nicer, some soot, lemon peel, barley water again and some vapour rubs. Still a bit tough I’m afraid. Finish: very short. A puff of plain breakfast cereal wrapped in cardboard and its gone. Comments: Bottled a mere one or two decades too soon in my wee book. A cask that has left the distillate literally nowhere to hide can be an amazing thing if the distillate is up to the task, but I’m not convinced that’s the case here.
SGP: 241 - 74 points.

Undisclosed Speyside 11 yo 2007/2019 (60%, Berry Brothers for Whisky + Beijing 2019, cask #13917)
Theoretically this one should be from the ‘second best’ distillery in Rothes… Colour: gold. Nose: from one stylistic extreme to the other. Here we’re very much in ‘active’ wood territory with lots of bubblegum, varnish, pink peppercorns, sawdust, hot workshops, curry leaf, pencil shavings and putty. A pretty unlikely mix I have to say, but it’s not without its charms. With water: hot paprika, sunflower oil and plywood. Mouth: Indeed. Varnish, pepper, strong black tea, wood extracts, a few herbal cough medicine notes and pine air freshener. I’m struggling with this one a little. With water: rather brutal, getting lopsided towards varnish, green wood astringency and peppery heat now. A touch of sourness as well. Finish: short, some red chilli heat, some sawdust and a little vanilla syrup. Comments: I’m very sorry, but I’m just not a fan of this either, we’ve swung from austerity to excess. However, this does still technically count as upwards…
SGP: 341 - 76 points.

Speyside #2 25 year old Batch 1 (51.6%, That Boutique-y Whisky Co, 2415 bottles)
This one is another single malt but not much info on distillery of origin. Colour: straw. Nose: the danger with trying these things after whiskies like the first two is that you can get carried away. For example we appear to have warped comfortably into another galaxy in terms of quality here. Lots of honey and butter on brown toast, pollens beeswax and touches of chamomile and green teas. Some pineapple jelly, lemon curd and sweet glazed pastries. Very lovely! With water: hessian, cider apples, mead, salted butter, lime leaf and some delicate ointments. Mouth: seriously, this is really lovely! A prickle of wood spice then crystallised papaya and mango chunks, ripe banana, star fruit, orange oils, camphor, touches of hessian and wax. Wonderfully honeyed, lightly tropical, the perfect bit of spice keeping things lively and fresh in the mouth. Embarrassingly pleasurable. With water: excellent development. Warming spices, heather, some fruity new world IPA, more hessian and things like lanolin and lamp oil. Still perfectly fruity. Finish: good length, some slightly bitter herbs emerging along with putty, yellow plums and dry farmhouse cider. Comments: I’m still paranoid that a large part of my enjoyment here is magnified by the mirage of lopsidedly beneficial comparison. So, with that in mind, I’m going to be extremely cruel and dock it a single point. I’m sorry Boutique-y.
SGP: 651 - 89 points.

A Speyside Distillery 26 yo 1992/2018 (51.5%, Archives, cask #1408806, bourbon barrel, 250 bottles)
Another unnamed single malt. Colour: straw. Nose: we’re in a similar ballpark to the Boutique-y (obviously Angus - it’s called ‘Speyside’), but this time it’s more towards green fruits such as apples, pears, gooseberry, underripe banana and a hint of pineapple. There’s some sunflower oil, very light medical notes, herbal teas, runny honey, fruity muesli and freshly made breads. It’s not really possible that anyone could be against such an open, easy and inviting profile if you ask me. With water: evolves more towards breads, light lemony yeasty notes, autolytic qualities and some fruit scented tobaccos. Sometimes you get a feeling a whisky was captured at a perfect age and I get that sense here. Mouth: Zap! Perfectly fruity, alive, even now slightly tropical with more pineapple, mango and a little passion fruit. Lime, lemon barley water, cough sweets, white flowers, bergamot, floral teas, orange peel and dried mint. Just superb! With water: perfect! The texture becomes fuller and more oily. There’s a perfect balance between ripe fruits, white pepper and cereal aspects. Annoyingly enjoyable. Finish: medium in length but full of honey, ripe banana, star fruit and hints of plums, cereals, lemon cordial and elderflower. Comments: Ok guys, I give up, what’s the distillery? My guess would be Lagavulin…?
SGP: 641 - 90 points.

A Speyside Distillery 26 yo 1992/2019 (51.9%, Archives, cask #1408809, bourbon barrel, 269 bottles)
Ok, so a sister cask I think it’s safe to assume. Colour: straw. Nose: very similar. Which cannot be bad news. Only here there are perhaps a few more touches of stone fruit such as lychee and plum. More fruit eau de vies and concentrated extracts. Herbal resins, fruit cordials, elderflower, lemon cough drops. But a similar degree of cereal/autolytic/bready aspects. Is it possible for a whisky to give the impression of youth and maturity simultaneously? Answers, as ever, in the post to Serge please. With water: leafier, greener, fruitier, lots of meadow flowers, ripe apples, grass, some mineral notes and hessian. Mouth: shut the fridge door! This is superb! Waxed canvases smothered in olive oil, sweet cereals, herb butter, lime zest, camphor, putty, mead, crystallised tropical fruits. Similar profile to the previous one but I’d say we’re even up a rung on the ladder of concentration and quality. With water: it doesn’t quite ‘flesh out’ in the same fashion as its sibling, instead there’s an added nervousness and tension to proceedings. Sharper, more peppery, more cereals, waxes, herbs - a clearer division of flavour. Finish: similar length but warmer, more peppery, more herbal, a tad sooty, waxy and with some nice easy fruitiness. Comments: I’ve been writing notes for quite a few Archives bottlings recently and, honesty Whiskybase, I think it’s time we talked about which specific model of widescreen television I’m looking for…
SGP: 651 - 90 points.

Speyside 27 year old 1991/2018 (48.8%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 318 bottles)
I could make up some story about how, despite my initial statement that the Glenfarclas we had at the start would be the only named distillery we’d have today and, in my cool and cavalier attitude, I’d decided that - to hell with it - we’ll have this one from Speyside Distillery as well! However, I think we all know that what happened was that I didn’t properly check my samples before commencing this tasting. So, here we are, Speyside Distillery everyone… don’t all rush at once now. Colour: pale gold. Nose: a pure and rather polished cereal character to begin. Brown bread, nutmeg, quite a bit of cinnamon powder and chopped hazelnuts in muesli. Easy, pleasant and perfectly lovely but a tad boring as ever with this imaginatively titled distillery. Mouth: the first thing you notice is that the texture is oddly thin. While there’s plenty nice notes of orange juice, barley water, heather ale, putty, green tea and plain toast. Again this is all perfectly serviceable, mature malt whisky - it’s just that you get a little lost in the valleys of Glen Boring. Finish: medium in length, plenty of crisp cereals, some butter, a touch of sunflower oil and a few more tea notes. Comments: Nice weather we’re having isn’t it…
SGP: 441 - 83 points.

A Speyside Distillery 28 yo 1990/2019 (50.9%, Archives, cask #18001, hogshead, 207 bottles)
Apparently this one also hails from the town of Rothes. Please insert your own salmon jokes. Colour: oaked white wine. Nose: lime leaf, tobacco, overripe plums, fig, ointments, mineral oil. A rather unusual but excellent and vivid profile at first nosing. Hints of leather, orange marmalade with coriander, pistachio, dried mixed herbs. There’s aspects of it which feel kind of sherry-derived, even though it is evidently not a sherried whisky. There’s also a rather distinct note of crème de menthe, rosewater and orange cordial. Very syrupy and concentrated in style. With water: gets quite waxy and sooty now, greasy notes of canvas, chalk, pebbles, oily rags and olive oil. Unusual but extremely good. Mouth: surprisingly old school with these rather fat and oily mineral / waxy qualities. Reminiscent of some Ben Nevis or even an old greasy Cadenhead Dumpy with this specific metal polish / old highland’s style profile. Really excellent! Get’s a little sweeter with candied fruits, wood resins and lightly bitter citrus piths. With water: superb texture with water. Fat, greasy, waxy, full bodied and weighty. Mineral oils, herbal teas, fruit resins, medicines and hessian. Finish: long, citrusy, lightly medical, perfectly drying, waxy, peppery and mineral. Comments: Seriously? Rothes? Ok Whiskybase, I think the Samsung QE82Q950R 82 inch should do the trick. And I’ll need a slightly bigger apartment to fit it in as well if you don’t mind…
SGP: 462 - 91 points.

A Speyside 43 yo 1973/2017 (52.2%, Whisky-Doris, cask #12, sherry butt, 221 bottles)
Many such bottlings have emerged in recent years and, in my wee book, almost all have been very good. Colour: gold. Nose: a familiarly profile that’s both exquisite and exotic. Boasting an embarrassment of ripe fruits, waxes, honeys and pollens. Overripe banana, mango, pineapple syrup, fruit teas, plum jam, hessian, melon and putty. The kind of gooey, enveloping, syrupy, tropical concentration you can just close your eyes and sink into. With water: beeswax, pollens, wildflowers, carbon paper, dried mint, eucalyptus resins, light chalky notes and some fruity IPA beers. Fantastic. Mouth: what’s often so great about these casks is how the fruity abundance of the nose is often matched by the freshness of the palate and that’s once again the case here. Although it feels oddly a little lighter than the strength suggests, it’s green, lively and full of olive oil, butter, candied tropical fruit chunks, syrups, waxes and concentrated fruit cordials. Retains that wonderfully syrupy texture that the nose kind primed you for. With water: lemon cordial, elderflower liqueur, herbal teas, jasmine and even a little cannabis funk. Finish: long, very herbal, fruity, lightly earthy, hints of fruity tobaccos, citrus peels, green fruit cordials and a tiny peppery nibble from the wood. Comments: Make sure you add one of those wee cocktail umbrellas to your glass when you drink this stuff.
SGP: 651 - 91 points.

Glenfarclas 37 yo 1970/2008 (46%, Simon Brown Traders, ex-bourbon cask)
Let’s booked this rather nonsensical session with another Glenfarclas. Simon Brown Traders is a little known (well, outside Germany at any rate) German bottler/merchant. Colour: amber. Nose: quite a departure from everything else we’ve had today. Really more towards stewed dark fruits, molten chocolate, damp earth, tobaccos, sweet liquorice, hessian, wild strawberries, hawthorn and earl grey tea. Elegant, leathery, lightly sooty and earthy in a rather broad and sumptuous fashion. Blind I’m sure I’d have said sherry rather than bourbon. Very good so far. Mouth: opens with a similarly bold earthiness but also adds medicine, dried herbs, pot pourri, dark fruit jams, hardwood resins and wildflowers. Quite a deep and resinous profile with a few interestingly complicated offshoots of flavour. There’s a bready and rather stodgy texture to it with some notes of meat stocks, wax and juniper. Plenty more tobaccos, leathery notes and a more bitter chocolate streak now. Finish: Long, drying, bitter herbs, dark chocolate, hints of soy sauce and salted caramel. Comments: Are we sure this wasn’t from sherry casks? Anyway, a very fine old Glenfarclas. On reflection there are quite a few aspects that feel rather like good old Cognac to me - make of that what you will.
SGP: 461 - 89 points.

Inchfad 17 yo 2000/2018 (56.2%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society #135.4 ‘Lip-smacking seduction’, 2nd fill barrel, 248 bottles)
This is a relatively new number from the SMWS, Inchfad is one of those funny ones that they make unpeated, lightly peated and heavily peated versions of, but all under the one name. The one constant is that spirit is always collected from a mid-cut point in the run. This is an unpeated version. Also of note is that this one was produced using organic malt. Colour: pale gold. Nose: This could really just be some old Irish pure pot still style whiskey. You know the kind that is made with unmalted barley in the mash and displays this kind of glossy sweetness mixed with metal polish and a rather precise grassy note. There’s plenty of that on display here. Also yellow gorse flowers, some clean cereal notes, pollen, straw and fresh fabrics. Abundant personality and very good in my view. With water: some jellied fruits such as pineapple and crystalised lemon, candied oatmeal and grapefruit. Mouth: Again this curious mix of chalk, fabric, limoncello, juicy fruit chewing gum, gorse, putty, some mineral oil (perhaps this one could join the Axis of Minerality Serge?), cornflour and citrus flavoured boiled sweets. A sense of fatness and syrupiness in the texture with notes like sunflower oil and waxed canvass. With water: some bitter lemon, tonic water, very light medical touches, chalk, white flowers, cereals, more putty and some bitter, very grassy olive oil notes. Finish: Good length, getting rather bitter and peppery with more cereals and fabrics. Comments: It’s worth remembering how much damage the former owners of Loch Lomond did to their brand name amongst enthusiast circles over the years by bottling just any old shit lying close to the warehouse doors. The flip side of that is that it’s been a very pleasing revelation to rediscover these malts in recent years and find that they are often quite distinctive and very good. That’s certainly the case here – although it probably remains an acquired taste to a certain extent.
SGP: 641 – 86 points.

Inchmurrin 23 yo 1995/2018 (53.2%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society #112.37 ‘Teasing and enticing’, refill barrel, 115 bottles)
Inchmurrin is unpeated malt made in its own pair of pot stills with cooling heads and collected from a high cut point. There’s also a heavily peated version made in the same stills and cut point called Inchmoan. I’ve enjoyed quite a few Inchmurrins in recent years, many are notably quite fruity in my wee book. Maybe an ‘Axis of Fruit’ Serge…? Colour: gold. Nose: Indeed! Exotic fruit syrups and extracts such as guava, pineapple and papaya. Some ripe melon, poire Williams and wee touches of citronella, marshmallow and lemon curd. Quite excellent! With water: citrus piths, lime zest, coconut water and some rather light fruit teas. Mouth: pin sap mixed with orange cordial! Some pink peppercorns, damp earth, tobacco leaf, strawberry lace sweeties – a real mix of stuff! Some extractive notes from the wood that nibble the gums and add a pepperiness to proceedings but it remains well balanced by the fruits which are still rather syrupy and oily. With water: a little dryer and more bitter now. Herbal extracts, light medical touches, crisp cereal notes, brown toast and some rosewater. Finish: Medium and rather ‘polished’ with things like light sooty touches, cough sweets, chopped mixed herbs and grassy aspects. Moves more in line with the Loch Lomond character now. Comments: A very fine dram and worth seeking out. There’s a notable fruitiness about Inchmurrin that I don’t think is quite as present in the other makes. Overall this is still quite a departure from other mainstream Scottish malt whisky styles I think, which is absolutely to be commended.
SGP: 631 – 88 points.

Croftengea 7 yo 2011/2018 (57.5%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society #122.24 ‘Spray-lashed spinnakers’, 2nd fill barrel, 240 bottles)
Let’s have some peat now. By the way, if anyone is looking for some exceptionally rare old peated Loch Lomond bottlings from the 1990s, I believe Serge will pay you good money to take them off his hands… Colour: straw. Nose: there’s a gravelly, antiseptic-led purity that wouldn’t be out of place in one of these 10ish year old Caol Ilas. Here there’s also a background waft of farminess as well, along with a whiff of boiler smoke. But also plenty aspirin, wet rocks, lemon juice and smoky wort. Mature beyond its years at first nosing. With water: gets ashier and more direct now. White pepper, petrol, peat embers, seawater, more lemon juice etc… Mouth: Really, this is pure disinfectant and antiseptic. The kind of mysterious liquid your Mum would produce every time you grazed your knee or sliced a finger as a child. There’s also some very nice notes of smoky bacon, soot, paraffin and mercurochrome. The whole is extremely ‘hospital’. Some light notes of yeast and sourdough in the background betraying youth. With water: Elastoplast, gauze, vinegar, old lambic ales, some dried parsley and tarragon. A big oily chunk of smoked mackerel. Finish: long and getting heavier with a deeper smokiness. A meaty aspect again and still bags of medicine and sooty qualities knocking about the place. Comments: It’s slightly annoying how much I’m enjoying this. Hopefully there are some sister casks that will be left a little longer, at 12-18 this should be really something.
SGP: 367 – 87 points.

Inchfad 13 yo 2005/2018 (53.2%, Thompson Brothers, refill hogshead, 295 bottles)
Back to Inchfad, but a peated variant this time. Colour: straw. Nose: quite a different peat profile. Far more towards yeast, fermenting wash, various freshly baked breads, chalk, beach pebbles, ointments and surgical ‘things’. Some oily sheep wool, salted almonds and anchovy paste. With water: lots of lime, ink, cereals, seawater and crushed seashells. Very fresh and pure. Mouth: the peat is actually surprisingly light compared to the nose. Instead there’s lots of brine at first along with some green pepper and then a strangely assertive and rather tart fruitiness. Like lemon jelly and cider apples with some hessian and barley water. Farmyard and seashore in impressive balance. With water: gets fatter and more towards freshly malted barley, hessian, wood smoke and some salted peanuts. Earthy coal smoke in the background. Finish: rather long, sooty, earthy, smoky and lightly tarry. Plenty of medical embrocations and touches of gentian eau de vie. Comments: A curious head on collision of the first Inchfad and the Croftengea. If you ever get the chance to visit Loch Lomond distillery then do take it as it’s a fascinating place to see round. Having said that, I think if I had to be manager there I’d go insane within a month trying to juggle all the various distillates.
SGP: 466 – 86 points.

Ben Nevis 22 yo 1996/2018 (49.5%, Archives for Shinanoya, cask #521, hogshead, 265 bottles)
There are many lovely drams sheltered in this series I think. High hopes here… Colour: straw. Nose: perfect mix of soft fruits such as ripe banana, green apple, star fruit and lemon peel mixed with very soft waxes, mineral oil, putty and chalk. Some stone fruits such as lychee an pear as well. Something like gin and tonic sorbet if you’re feeling wretchedly middle class about it. Also a rather ‘sauvignon’ note of nettles mashed up with passion fruit. I just love these late 90s Ben Nevis. In case you couldn’t tell. Mouth: superb fruits, elegant waxes, green tea, herbaceous, tropical, cereals, minerals (Axis worthy indeed!) more inks, putties, melon, bitter lemon. Just superb and extremely fresh and balanced too. Finish: long, some rather crisp lemon notes, lots of fresh breads, cereals, camphor, wax, olive oil. Just great! Comments: Is it boring that these Ben Nevis are all so good? Discuss…
SGP: 651 – 90 points.

Ben Nevis 22 yo 1996/2019 (53.5%, Archives, cask #1862, hogshead, 202 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: whereas the first one had a more immediate and obvious fruitiness, here we’re rather on waxes, cereals and an almost Clynelishesque minerality. Chalky, notes of sandalwood, white flowers, heather, dried herbs. There’s even a very slight coastal element too along with things like petrol, putty, vapour rubs. Really excellent! With water: full of lovely notes of oily sheep wool, hessian, ink, fabric, pebbles, vase water, seashells and dried flowers. More medical, more fatty and more waxy with water, I love it. Mouth: Seriously, blind you could say this is an old Clynelish. Or even some old Cadenhead dumpy bottling due to these wee metallic and sooty touches it displays. Something extremely pure, old school and distillate dominated. Gets increasingly polished, waxy and sooty. More medicine too. With water: that slight grassy edge is fully developed now and there’s lots of overripe green fruits, baked banana, custard, lime cordial and elderflower. Hints of fennel seed and waxed canvas too. Finish: long, herbal, medical, waxy and slightly salty. Comments: I’m always looking for reasons to score whiskies down, or not to go to 90+ etc. However, this one is pretty indefatigable and unequivocally superb. This really could be some old full-bodied highland malt distilled in the early 60s.
SGP: 562 – 91 points.

Ben Nevis 27 yo 1990/2018 (59.4%, Signatory Vintage 30th Anniversary, cask #1505, fino sherry butt, 593 bottles)
In my experience the early 1990s Ben Nevis could be a little more funky, although, almost everything in this series so far has been uber impressive, so let’s see… Colour: coppery gold. Nose: indeed, this is a rather different profile, although still impressive with these lovely notes of apricot jam, tinned peaches, olive oil, sultanas, daffodils, wildflowers, pollens, carbon paper and leather tobacco pouches. There’s also some nice medical aspects such as gauze, crushed aspirin, ointment and bandages. With water: some darker shades of fruit such as fig and date but also a slightly resinous saltiness and a leathery note too. Some game meats, old toolboxes, metal polish and camphor. Mouth: wonderfully syrupy arrival. Old herbal liqueurs, lightly tarry, bouillon stock, miso, camphor, toasted pistachios, verbena and wormwood. Quite a departure from the 1996s but we’re in the same territory in terms of quality. With water: the texture holds well and the whole becomes more complex and elegant. Extremely herbal, nicely bitter, hints of salted liquorice, jasmine tea, dried mint, pot pourri and some dry earthy notes. Finish: wonderfully long, salty, meaty and still glimmering with a few candied fruits and grassy olive oil notes. Comments: I’m not really sure why Ben Nevis wasn’t picked up by whisky geeks sooner, it’s such a terrific distillate, even when it’s not technically ‘good’ it’s still hugely entertaining. This one however, pulls no punches! Terrific distillate in a perfect cask + time. Another great selection in this lovely series from Signatory.
SGP: 662 – 91 points.

Clynelish 2009/2019 (57.3%, OB for the Highland Whisky Festival 2019, cask #303029, 1st American oak hogshead)
It’s not often that Diageo cough up a single cask. Well, at least that used to be the case before they discovered rich people. Anyway, this cool wee bottling was done earlier this year for the first Highland Whisky Festival. Everyone seems to be starting their own whisky festival these days. You’d never catch me doing that (ahem). Colour: light gold. Nose: happily this is very fresh and pure and Clynelishy at first nosing. No clouds of sawdust clogging things up. Instead it’s more on pineapple syrups, wet rocks, beach pebbles, sandalwood, gorse and citra hops. In fact there’s a rather nice citrus zing about the whole thing. A wee thread of wax running through it all as well. With water: funnily enough I do find a wee sawdusty note with water but it’s only slight and kept in check by bath salts, dried seaweed, wildflowers, olive oil and plenty freshly chopped and muddled herbs. Mouth: buttery and herbal on arrival. Chopped chives, parsley, nettles, crisp grassy Sancerre and getting nicely saline. Some notes of Edinburgh rock, sweet pastries and American cream soda. With water: gets more waxy and traditionally ‘Clynelish flavour’ now. White jellybeans, hints of pastis, eucalyptus throat sweets and a light chalky note. Finish: long, lemony, lightly herbal, cough medicine, soft waxiness and some flowers and fruit tea notes. Comments: Top notch young Clynelish that remained commendably true to the distillery character. I’ve tasted quite a few younger Clynelish recently and it’s extremely heartening to see that it remains a great distillate. More stuff like this please Lord Diageo!
SGP: 662 – 89 points.

Clynelish 23 yo 1995/2019 (55.4%, Signatory Vintage for The Whisky Exchange 20th Anniversary, cask #11252, refill sherry butt, 550 bottles)
I hear that Sukhinder is planning to celebrate TWE’s 20th anniversary by allowing his staff to leave 10 minutes early on a Monday night next January. Colour: bronze/amber. Nose: the sherry is quite voluminous here. Lots of damp earth, leather tobacco pouches, strawberry jam, Maggi, some old Cointreau and herbal bitters. Soot, beef stock, waxed canvas and hessian. You can also add some very expensive dark chocolate and a chunk of salted liquorice into the mix as well. With water: salted almonds, marzipan, pancetta, paprika – all rather classical and excellent. Mouth: Hello Clynelish! The distillate character comes through more clearly here. A lovely chocolate-accented waxiness, with dried herbs, Darjeeling tea, pollens, cough medicine and nutmeg. I find Clynelish and sherry don’t always dance too well together but here they have found harmony. In time it gets more meaty, tobacco and chocolatey. With water: gets more peppery and spicy. Lots of wood spice, cumin, paprika, some rather fruity red chilli and also things like cinnamon dusted breakfast cereals and sultanas. Finish: long, leathery, deeply earthy, full of black tea, bitter chocolate, game meats, hessian and some kind of lightly spiced wax. Comments: It’s more about the sherry than the Clynelish most of the time but it’s a terrific cask that has delivered a highly polished, clean profile. Mucho pleasure here.
SGP: 562 – 90 points.

Unknown Cadenhead Dumpy. Presumed 46%.
A bottle cracked open by our friend Harrison from Whisky Online. It’s dark sherry and from one of those old Cadenhead Dumpies that didn’t display vintage but instead just an age statement. The only fragment of label remaining on this bottle was a small piece of the collar label. So, if any of you can narrow it down based on those factors then let me know. Colour: dark brown/coffee. Nose: Ooft! Nosing these old school sherry monsters is like getting into a time machine nowadays. Beautifully deep and stunningly aromatic old school sherry. Abundant fruits, both dark and tropical. Bitter chocolate and herbal extracts. Kirsch, rosewater, wormwood, ancient herbal liqueurs, soy sauce and strawberry wine. Not forgetting some of that funky Italian green walnut liqueur. Dense, profound, deep and totally spellbinding. Mouth: immensely herbal and medicinal at first. Lots of black pepper, tar, ointments, lime pith, Maggi and other liquid seasonings, umami paste and a hint of smoked sea salt. Camphor, soot, old tar liqueur, metal polish. It’s remarkably fresh and punchy, not a shred of OBE about it. The sherry also starts to reveal a mineral side as well. Humbling stuff! Finish: endless! Dazzling, poetic and majestic. Fruits, spices, wax, chocolate, earth, medicine, tar, herbs…. Everything! Comments: Ok, non-vintage collar label + dark sherry. Internet… assemble!
SGP: 664 – 95 points.

Caol Ila Distillery Exclusive (58.8%, OB, 2017, 3000 bottles)
One of Diageo’s distillery only NAS bottlings that they feature at quite a few of their distillery visitor centres now. Colour: straw. Nose: typically crystalline, clean peat. Chalk, seashore, brine, lemon juice antiseptic. Very ‘millimetric’ as Serge would say. Some nice ashy smokiness in the background. With water: beach pebbles, chalk, sandalwood, seaweed crackers and with a lovely, fresh coastal quality. Mouth: despite the relatively high strength this has a pretty approachable profile. Rather lemony, oily, ashy, kippery and with lots of kiln smoke and mineral salinity. With water: develops towards yeasty sourdough and salty, bready qualities. Very briny and medical now. Pin sharp peaty notes. Finish: long, ashy, smoky, very salty and with quite a bit of sharp lemon juice. Comments: straightforward, clean and very in keeping with this modern blade-like Caol Ila. Very good and the sort of fun thing that would work well for what it’s designed for: cracking open somewhere windy on Islay!
SGP: 367 - 87 points.

Caol Ila 10 yo 2008/2019 (51%, Thompson Brothers, refill hogshead, 338 bottles)
The pace of bottling appears to be increasing steadily up there at Dornoch Castle, no bad thing as many are very good in my opinion. Colour: white wine. Nose: fresh fabrics, linens, pure sea air, lemon peel, chalk and many mineral qualities such as flints and beach pebbles. A rather more elegant and chiselled style of Caol Ila with a pretty direct and brittle minerality. Some fragrant notes of bath salts and dried herbs. With water: petrol cut with seawater. Smoky grist, cooling wort and other pretty raw, unvarnished distillery aromas. A rather coarse coastal edge with a little lemongrass. Mouth: rather dry, salty, autolytic and getting increasingly bready and rich with a few yeasty notes underneath. Very good! Some notes of kippers and brine. With water: a tad sootier and moving towards a greasier peat profile. Boiler smoke, tar and more kippery notes. Some oily smoked mackerel with black pepper as well. Finish: long, herbal, nicely oily, sooty and with a some notes of hessian and seawater. Comments: I’m not sure it bears repeating, but what an impeccable distillate Caol Ila is.
SPG: 366 - 88 points.

Caol Ila 11 yo 2008/2019 (53.6%, Usquabae Bar, cask #311532, bourbon barrel, 328 bottles)
This for the excellent Usquabae bar in Edinburgh. Well worth a visit if you find yourself in the city. Colour: white wine. Nose: more immediately medical than the TB bottling. More on vapour rubs, antiseptic and elastoplasts. Also rather saline, mineral and lightly cereal. An easy and quite approachable Caol Ila. With water: green apple now, the peelings in particular and some tart cider apples too. Gooseberry, lemon juice and a touch of malty sweetness. Mouth: lots of mouthwatering salinity, beach pebbles, soy sauce, hints of camphor, petrol and mineral oils. Very good and very pristine and crystalline. With water: peaty, medical, very salty and slightly tarry as well. Finish: long again, some more mechanical smokiness such as boiler smoke, engine fumes, tar, hessian and green olives in brine. Comments: It’s fun to spot the wee variations between these young Caol Ilas but they evidently share the same pin-sharp helix of DNA. In other words: a little nurture, but mostly nature. Same score.
SGP: 467 - 88 points.

Caol Ila 14 yo 2005/2019 (54.5%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur’s Choice for The Whisky Exchange, cask #19/051, refill sherry hogshead, 142 bottles)
The Whisky Exchange is 20 years old this year. Happy birthday! Colour: light gold. Nose: indeed there is a different profile here, we’re on a more immediately syrupy and sweet kind of peat. Oily rags, embrocations, whelks, lemon juice, olive oil, anchovies and tar. A few black olives bobbing about in the background. There’s a leathery and gingery quality from the sherry but thankfully it’s nicely restrained and well integrated. With water: evolves more towards wet rocks, sheep wool and herbal cough medicine. A rather camphory and oily edge developing. Mouth: pretty powerful delivery. Although the texture is impressively full and oily. Lots of hessian, peat, wood char and embrocations. Mercurochrome, pink peppercorns, sea salt and coal smoke. Excellent stuff! With water: superbly tarry, herbal, peppery, lightly fishy in a good way and a few nervously salty notes of seaweed and some liquorice. Finish: long, herbal, oily, camphory and full of things like putty, kelp, olive oil mixed with brine and lemon rind. Comments: We’re within a whisker of 90 points here, just lacking that tiny extra layer of complexity to jump over the hurdle. Nevertheless, a great wee cask, very well selected by team TWE!
SGP: 466 - 89 points.

Caol Ila 19 yo 1997/2016 (40.1%, Jack Wiebers ‘Fighting Fish’, sherry, 159 bottles)
An unusual one from our German friend Mr Wiebers. I wonder if this is the natural cask strength? I expect so but it’s very low for a 19yo whisky... Colour: gold. Nose: smoked lemons, pear syrup, hessian, liquid seasonings, soy sauce and wee hints of things like old fashioned herbal toothpaste, sheep wool and bandages. It’s light but there’s still a nice sense of roundness and elegance about proceedings. Some pine sap and cough medicine too. Mouth: pickling juices, lemon peel, brine, sardines in oil and a kind of funny mix of golden syrup, chopped herbs and peat embers. It’s really on the lightest end of the Caol Ila spectrum - which is not surprising but definitely interesting to experience as its rather a rare occurrence. Some smoked sea salt and hints of green pepper. Finish: a bit short but quite salty with some nice notes of dried herbs, lime and smoked cereals. Comments: A funny one. Not for most Caol Ila enthusiasts but if you’re looking for an easily quaffable and unusual Islay malt then this will do the trick.
SGP: 454 - 84 points.

Caol Ila 25 yo (43%, OB, 2018)
Always a fun bottling to follow. Colour: gold. Nose: ahhh yes! Gentle medical embrocations, dried seaweed, seashore, various shellfish, lemon infused olive oil, dried herbal aspects, some light petrol notes and lots of old school cough medicines. The height of sophistication and elegance! Mouth: this is the missing link between these great early 1980s casks and the mid-1990s ones. Many medical balms, cooking oils, gentle smoke, sootiness and a rather earthy and herbal peat profile. Wee touches of camphor, ink and waxed canvas. Some pebble-driven minerality too. Great balance and perfect poise. Unequivocally excellent. Finish: good length, some wonderfully resinous coastal and salty characteristics. Smoked fish, black pepper, olive tapenade and oyster sauce. Comments: I think this bottling improved again over some previous batches. A kind of old fashioned style of bottling that you might have found more readily in the 1990s (Caol Ila’s Laphroaig 30 year old if you see what I mean?), but I think it really works very well. Effortless and charming stuff.
SGP: 465 - 90 points.

Caol Ila 35 yo 1982/2018 (57.1%, OB ‘Casks of Distinction’, cask # 0021, European oak, 288 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: what’s great is that even so many years later these rather chiselled and pure Caol Ila qualities remain not only present but vibrant and direct. Only here there’s an extra layer of coastal complexity, time has also added some distance and a rather deep and elegant nuance. Smoked sea salts, grassy olive oil, gentle medical embrocations, green tea with lemon, bergamot and a rather prickly white pepper note. Typically excellent! With water: a lovely and very easy smoky / cereal combination. Mineral salts, dried seaweed and something like smoked wildflowers. Mouth: pretty powerful and punchy. Raw salinity, sheep wool, various mechanical oils, mineral oil, green peppercorns, smoked teas, hot paprika, lime zest and raw shellfish. Some kind of extremely fresh ceviche perhaps. A rather brittle and pure peatiness with touches of lamp oil and camphor. With water: this lovely oiliness is enhanced and becomes more enveloping and textural. Lots of lemon cough medicines, citrus infused oils and syrups. Also quite a few dried herbs such as verbena, parsley and bay leaf. Some big notes of hessian too. Finish: long and rather drying, ashy, herbal, lightly briny, some sharper lemon juice notes and very pleasant warming peatiness. Comments: No surprises here, but still abundant pleasure. Many of these early 80s Caol Ilas are still holding at pretty high strengths even after 35+ years now. I suspect these are the kinds of bottles that will really become stellar with time in glass in around 20-30 years. A wee treat for survivors of civilizational collapse, lol! Have a lovely weekend.
SGP: 465 - 91 points.