Caol Ila 10 yo 2010/2021 (52.9%, Thompson Brothers, 500 bottles)
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: sharp citrus, yeasty notes, active washbacks, sourdough, oysters with lime juice and some more 'outdoors' notes of tarry rope and fishing harbours. With water: rock pools, and swimming pools, all the pools! Also elastoplasts, mouthwash, wood ashes and bonjella mouth gel. Mouth: wonderfully ashy, lemony and coastal. Lots of seawater, some tart grapefruit, mineral salts, lemon peel and wee briny touches with a hint of vinegar. With water: nicely thickened with a richer, deeper smokiness. Kippers, lemon juice, anchovies in olive oil, chives, white and black pepper and some green olives in brine. Finish: long, lemony, smoky, coastal, sharp and pristinely fresh. Comments: yup, excellent quality, pretty faultless modern Caol Ila. Gathers one or two extra points with water in my view.
SGP: 356 - 86 points.

Caol Ila 10 yo 2010/2021 (58.2%, Watt Whisky, hogshead, 326 bottles)
Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: Mark Watt has some interesting things to say about getting aromas as colours when nosing whisky. It's something I also find myself on occasion and indeed, this one has a distinctly 'green' coastal vibe of capers in brine, wet seaweed, seawater and things like parsley, grass and petrol. With water: cornichons, more brine, preserved lemon and freshly chucked oysters. Mouth: very salty, almost like plunging mouth first into a Margherita with these notes of agave and particularly mezcal. Also lemon juice, wool, pickling brine, more seawater and green olives. With water: a slightly metallic edge to the smokiness, still razor sharp, immensely saline and increasingly mineral. Finish: long, on malt vinegar, mercurochrome and seawater. Comments: hard to argue with the purity and gutsy, saline power of this one.
SGP: 357 - 87 points.

Caol Ila 15 yo 2005/2021 (57.5%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur's Choice for The Whisky Exchange, cask #301507, refill sherry hogshead, 266 bottles)
Colour: deep gold. Nose: I think peat and refill sherry more often make better bedfellows that peat and first fill sherry. That's the case here where there's a wonderfully leathery smokiness with cured game meats, earthen floor cellar funk and plenty of natural tar extract, tobaccos, pickled walnuts and anchovy paste. A lovely sense of concentration and balance. With water: more of these elegant meaty tones with notes of cured Iberico ham, some more leathery notes, more hessian, tar and black olive bread. Mouth: cured meats, smoked sea salt, brine, old leather and lots of hessian and canvass notes. Some black pepper and paprika too. Lovely balance again and an excellent weighty texture. With water: big, punchy, leathery saltiness now. More of these impressions of smoked sea salt, smoked olive oil, black olive tapenade, tar, bandages and hot paprika. Finish: long, tarry, smoky, leathery and briny; quite a bit of spiciness and meatiness in the aftertaste. Comments: there was something distinctly Spanish about this one, perhaps I just really, really need to go back to Jerez. Excellent as ever.
SGP: 566 - 89 points.

Caol Ila 1977 (63.8%, Gordon & MacPhail 'CASK', 1980s)
How many amazing, often rather enormous, whiskies has this series sheltered over the years? This should be one of the earlier releases, probably bottled around 10 years old. Colour: deep gold. Nose: what I find both charming and extremely cool about these bottlings, is that the initial nose actually appears quite subtle and shy despite the ABV. We're initially all on petrol, wet rocks, sheep wool and wee touches of camphor, brine and aniseed. There's a feeling of fatness and richness that the modern ones lack I think. With water: doubles down on anchovies, capers, seawater, brine and lemon juice. Extremely fresh and coastal but still with a deeper sense of weight to the distillate. Mouth: this impression of petrol and seawater immediately, but with added layers and textures of smoked olive oil, fir wood, pine resin, natural tar and black olive paste. Also many wee notes of tobaccos, seawater, hessian and sandalwood. Extremely clever whisky that hops between power and subtlety with ease. With water: perfect now. Briny smoke, olive oil, sardines, capers, parsley, mineral salts, rope and tar. Huge whisky but brilliantly controlled and inviting. Finish: very long, tarry, every shade of olive, some kippery smoke, hessian and dried seaweed. Comments: I think the key difference with Caol Ila from these 1970s vintages is the distillate was a little broader and 'fatter' in texture. That's really on display here and it works excellently I have to say. Makes the drinking experience a bit easier and hugely pleasurable.
SGP: 477 - 91 points.

Caol Ila 19 yo 1974/1994 (61.1%, Signatory Vintage, cask #12566, 380 bottles)
These batches are pretty hallowed nowadays. Colour: gold. Nose: seawater, medicines, bandages, lemon juice and peat smoke. All brought together with brilliant precision and purity and with this same sense of 'weight' that was in the 1977, only here it feels even more distinct and powerful. I think power and control are the key words here. With water: green olives, fresh chopped herbs, lemongrass, gauze, pink sea salt, gorse and wet beach pebbles. Gathers a wonderful complexity that keeps evolving. Mouth: hugely dense and smoky on arrival, but not acrid smoke, rather deeper, quilted, soft kiln smoke. Pure, silky peat smoke, black olive, natural tar, hay loft, farmyard notes, many medical embrocations, iodine, kelp and bonfire embers. Becomes increasingly tarry over time, quite immense! With water: stunningly oily now! The texture is just brilliant. The impression of peated olive oil, smoked limoncello (I know when I'm getting carried away because start using tasting notes for things that don't exist), pickled mussels and gherkins, natural tar and fir wood. Also many various wee ointments and these savoury qualities of Maggi, vegetable stock and soy sauce. Keeps evolving in completely compelling ways. Finish: long, extremely deep and broad. Salty, leathery and full of soft, thick peat smoke, brine, wood ashes, olive oil, tar and mineral oil. Comments: this kind of tasting note that could easily have been three times as long. The evolution, depth and complexity is just wonderful. And water seems to work miracles on the palate with this one. They really did get things right straight off the mark in 1974.
SGP: 476 - 93 points. 

Bruichladdich Origins (57.5%, OB for Feis Ile 2021, 3000 bottles)
A 13 cask 'cuvee' composed of whisky from 12 different vintages with a minimum age of 7 years old, 6 barley types and 9 different cask types. It sounds just as busy as Bruichladdich's courtyard on open day. Let's see what has emerged from such a medley… Also, I note the bottle image says 56.3% and my sample says 57.5%. Dear Bruichladdich, does this mean that I'm trying a vat sample rather than the actual liquid from the bottle? Colour: pale gold. Nose: the good news is that there's a very familiar 'freshness' that I find characterises modern Bruichladdich and it's on display here front and centre. So rather a lot of ripe green fruits, some softer coastal tones, sea air and even some lighter medicinal aspects such as bandages. In time there's a little more peppery heat which feels like it's coming from the wood, but no complaints here. With water: a lovely and generous fruitiness now with water, overripe green fruits, fruit salad juices and a style that feels almost closer to that of 70s Bruichladdich. Mouth: the wood is more grippy on arrival in the mouth but it's nicely balanced with the enjoyably fat and gloopy distillate. Some notes of melon, olive oil, pollens, sandalwood, banana chips, hessian. Pulls in quite a few directions, but it still feels nicely 'Bruichladdich'. With water: again, rather fruit forward with hints of mango, limoncello in tonic water and some touches of lanolin and white pepper. Finish: medium, a little drier, more peppery and still nicely fresh. Comments: I suddenly wish I was on Islay, rather a lot. I find this very good and the composition of all these various forces seems to have settled in balance, which is no mean feat. I especially like this rather generous and easy fruitiness and freshness. An ideal Feis Ile release.
SGP: 651 - 87 points.

Port Charlotte 8 yo 2011/2021 PAC:01 (56.1%, OB, bourbon & ex-red wine)
Matured for 6-7 years in bourbon barrels then re-racked into ex-Pauillac red wine casks. Colour: gold. Nose: I actually find it extremely fresh and pure, all on wet rocks, seawater, sea spray, brine and then these softer notes of ink and hessian. Impressions of coal smoke and peat embers. Really lovely nose! With water: really doubles down on this impression of hessian, tarry rope, creel nets, ink and oily sheep wool. But still also quite saline and fresh. Mouth: a little more spicy encroachment from the French oak now, pickled onion Monster Munch (a delicacy, look it up!), sardines in olive oil, tar, embrocations, paprika. Ever so slightly unusual but still works I think. With water: water seems to brush aside these spicier oak tones and it's now more on green pepper, miso, smoked olive oil, tar, medical embrocations and a little plasticine. Finish: long, quite a lot of lemon oils, tar, caraway, iodine and pickling juices. Comments: I think the finishing here was done with a light touch and worked pretty well. There's no sense of overly-lopsided red wine sloshing about the place. Same quality as the Origins in my view.
SGP: 466 - 87 points.

Port Charlotte 18 yo 2001 (60.4%, OB Private Cask 'HJW No2', #R09/216-8)
Hey, wasn't that cask number a droid in Star Wars? Colour: deep gold. Nose: there is undeniably 'something' about these first few vintages of Port Charlotte, especially at this age. I get immediate notes of Brora, bandages dipped in seawater, mercurochrome, petrol and natural tar. It's also wildly salty and briny with notes of anchovy paste and more seawater. With water: smoked olive oil, verbena, wormwood, olive brine and pine wood. Indeed, these olive notes get pretty loud with impressions of black olive bread and sea salt. Mouth: wonderfully emphatic, tarry, oily, peaty, briny and textural in terms of mouthfeel. Like peated petroleum jelly. Some dried herbs, wintergreen, soot, engine oil, camphor and Barbour grease. More of these distinctive Brora / farmyard vibes too. With water: perfectly salty, chiselled and yet also wonderfully oily and textural still. Camphor again, petrol, tar, iodine, mentholated oils, dried seaweed and dried rosemary. Finish: long, farmy, deeply oily, smoky, many more dried black olives, herbs and wee sooty touches. Comments: really watch these batches! In the words of great Michiel Wigman: "Future classic!"
SGP: 476 - 91 points.

Lg 11 2007/2021 (54.1%, Elixir Distillers 'Elements Of Islay', 1067 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: very coastal and pure. Lots of wet rocks, seawater, fishing nets, wet seaweed and sand. I also fine lemon juice, brine and smoked olive oil with a slightly leathery peat smoke. Classy stuff! With water: much ashier, sootier and more to do with fabrics, bonfire smoke, sea salt and brine. Simpler with water. Mouth: hot peppery peat smoke, ashes, brine, lemon juice, oysters and seawater. Very modern, pristine peated malt. Some oily tufts of sheep wool in there too along with some suggestions of coal dust. With water: smoked barley, hay loft, mercurochrome, more soot, wet rope and a bigger impression of tar and capers in brine. Finish: quite long, sharply citric on fresh lemon juice, a touch of parsley and more gutsy peat smoke. Comments: all perfectly fine, precise and excellent. Although, feels a notch simple overall for me. 
SGP: 367 - 88 points.  

Lagavulin 11 yo (61.5%, OB for The Syndicate?, 1980s)
A rather scarce and mysterious bottling of Lagavulin done in the 1980s, most probably for this group of private cask owners known as 'The Syndicate'. Colour: white wine. Nose: wow, another level! Hugely petrolic and full of mineral oils, sandalwood, natural tar, anchovy paste, oyster sauce, lemon infused olive oil and touches of kelp and fir wood. Superbly aromatic and 'thick'. With water: pin sharp coastal air, seawater, beach foam and wee touches of horseradish, aniseed and bath salts. Mouth: wooft! This stunning combination of petrols, oils, peat smoke, tar, TCP, iodine, embrocations, beach wood and preserved lemons in brine. Crystalline peat smoke with hints of shellfish, smoked olive oil and more impressions of pine wood again. A sense of impeccable cohesion and concentration. With water: absolutely brilliant with water. Opens spectacularly on medicines, dried herbs, salt-cured fish, tar, deep drying phenolics and a soft but huge peat smoke. Finish: long, stunning peaty, smoky, lemony, tarry and full of olive oil, seawater and more petrol. Comments: totally stunning young Lagavulin. Impeccable distillate that balances purity, precision, power, and crucially also depth. I love it! 
SGP: 368 - 93 points. 

Port Ellen 18 yo 1982/2001 (43%, Douglas McGibbon 'Provenance', sherry)
A 1981/2000 version in the same series I tried recently was excellent (WF90), let's see if this adjacent vintage is a match. Colour: amber. Nose: a lovely nose, all on soft medical embrocations, natural tar, fir wood and pine resin. Eucalyptus oils, BBQ embers, peppered game meats and a very salty and precisely earthy old school sherry. Many smaller notes of walnuts and balsamic beneath. I think Port Ellen can be extremely charming at these kind of lower ABVs sometimes. Mouth: wonderful arrival, all on intensely concentrated tars, oily, slightly grubby peat smoke, smoked black pepper, more cured game meats, incense, TCP and iodine. Huge for 43%! Finish: long, leathery, black puffer smoke, smoked fish, dried seaweed and pickled walnuts. Comments: just totally marvellous balance between peat and sherry, both being rather powerful but perfectly entwined. I adore this humble wee Port Ellen. I think the bottling strength was extremely clever here. 
SGP: 566 - 91 points. 

Auchentoshan 21 yo 1999/2021 (51.3%, Lady Of The Glen, cask #501673, refill bourbon barrel, 30 bottles)
Only 30 bottles, what happened here I wonder? Colour: bright gold. Nose: hey! What's this? Honeys, pollens, mirabelle, olive oil cake, beeswax, eucalyptus oil. Gregor seems to have bottled some 40 year old Glen Grant by mistake. Seriously, this is just a pile of soft honeys, green fruits and wonderfully concentrated syrupy natural sweetness. With water: abundant green fruits, freshness, wildflowers, waxed canvass and honeycomb. Lush! Mouth: I'm beginning to understand why there might only be 30 bottles now. This has the profile of an extremely concentrated, oxidative profile which also held its strength well. More of these very rich honeys, pollens and beeswax, but with a much bigger voice from the wood now too. Clean, toasty wood spices, bergamot, bitter orange peels, tarragon and more eucalyptus resins. Still excellent mind you. With water: works very well with water as it eases up on the woodier dominance. There's more balance now with some spiced jams, quince, putty, aniseed, crystallised citrus fruits, candied peels and more of these wonderful resinous beeswax qualities. Finish: good length, again maybe a tad too astringent but we're still comfortably in these nicely honeyed, fruity and waxy territories. Comments: only the slightly astringency on the neat palate and finish will prevent me going higher. But this is still the best Auchentoshan I've had in ages. Now, go find a bottle…
SGP: 651 - 88 points.

Auchentoshan 21 yo 1997/2019 (50%, Hunter Laing 'Old Malt Cask', cask #15754, refill hogshead, 249 bottles)
Colour: pale straw. Nose: typically light, cereal-dominated Auchentoshan. Almost effervescent with these subtle notes of toast, oatcakes, breakfast cereals and fresh linens. Some citrus air freshener and touches of icing sugar. With water: a little more character now with some nice notes of bailed hay, soda bread and popping candy. Mouth: this is the trouble I so often find with Auchentoshan, plainness. It's fine, clean, light and nicely sweet, it just feels kind of plain and airy and thin. This impression of lemon air freshener again, barley water and a little bubblegum. With water: lemon barley water diluted with soda. Malt extract, cream soda, a little lemon peel. Again, it's just a bit plain. Finish: short, light, sweet, cereal dominated. Comments: It's fine, very pleasant in some ways, it's just the 'triple distillation' issue for me.
SGP: 531 - 81 points. 

Arran 8 yo 2012/2021 (59.2%, Watt Whisky, bourbon barrel, 173 bottles)
I haven't tried any Arran for far too long, let's immediately rectify this unacceptable situation… Colour: straw. Nose: creamy porridge! At least that is the first impression I get, porridge with a big spoon of honey run through it. Then some very attractive notes of yellow plums and daffodils, sometimes I get aromas in colour co-ordination, which is absolutely the case here, this is a very 'yellow' whisky. Ah of course, now daffodils too! With water: I find it developing more towards dry cider, flowers and vase water. Feels quite summery, which is great because it's currently pissing with rain here in Edinburgh. Mouth: custard, sweet wines, cider apple, subtle hints of melon and some more robust barley sugar notes. With water: opens up more onto pure cereals, baking powder, starched linens, white flowers, small hints of hessian and white pepper. Rather big in fact with a lovely freshness. Finish: medium, grassy, lightly sappy, more cereals, seeds and various pollens and flowers. Comments: 8 years is a lovely age for many whiskies, don't you think? I'm a big fan of this humble wee Arran. Bags of freshness and easy charm. Feels as though it would make a superb highball, or is that still sacrilege to say?
SGP: 541 - 86 points.

Arran 17 yo 2002/2020 (49.2%, The Whisky Agency, barrel, 185 bottles)
Colour: bright straw. Nose: what's fun is that there's quite a bit of similarity to the 2012 in that you get this immediate impression of freshness, sweet porridge, plain cereals, raw barley and flowers. However, there's clearly an added dimension from the extra age in the form of a globally more honeyed and syrupy character. Some wonderfully concentrated notes of green and orchard fruits beneath those initial aromas. Very attractive. Mouth: a slightly lactic and milky sweetness on arrival, milk bottle sweets, creamy porridge vibes again, condensed milk, custard and vanilla cream. Some impressions of custard doughnuts and various other 'naughty' pastries. Sweet, easy and with just the right glimmer of fruitiness and floral notes. Finish: long, and actually with some wonderfully vibrant and more assertive fruits coming through such as guava, star fruit, kiwi and grapefruit in the aftertaste. Comments: that big flush of fruits in the finish was a great wee surprise.
SGP: 641 - 87 points.

Westport 21 yo 1999/2020 (43.8%, The Whisky Cellar, cask #800075, hogshead, 164 bottles)
Westport of course being Glenmorangie 'incognito', as well disguised as a giraffe in dark sunglasses at a Pterodactyls only techno night. Colour: white wine. Nose: light, delicate and extremely elegant. All on apricots, yellow plums, dried flowers, vase water, sunflower oil, hand cream and condensed milk. The perfect whisky for an evening's first dram. I also find tiny impressions of mineral oil and sandalwood. Mouth: interestingly, it is these mineral touches that come through more clearly here. Along with some unusual notes of cardboard and acrylic. Concrete, white flowers, plasticine, hessian and bitter herbs. Slightly unlikely perhaps. Reminiscent of some old school Cadenhead AC bottlings from the 1990s. Finish: medium, light bitter, herbal, floral and on plain cereals. Comments: loved the nose, the palate was little more challenging I think, but overall it's a pretty fascinating, 'bare bones' take on the distillery character.
SGP: 451 - 84 points.

A Highland Distillery 16 yo 2005/2021 (57.1%, Watt Whisky, refill sherry butt, 628 bottles)
There are whispers on the wind that this is from a distillery that rhymes with 'Mensporranflea'… Colour: amber. Nose: mmmm, big fudgey, nicely sharp, prickly sherry. Tinned dark fruits, sultana, malt loaf, singed raisins, Irish coffee and a wee sprig of fresh mint. An excellent sherry cask I think. With water: ever so slightly gamey now with touches of old pinot noir, date cake, hessian, fig, five spice and baked plums. Mouth: fudge, raisins, sultanas, cocoa, bitter chocolate, walnut wine, cough mixtures and a few dried mixed herbs. Direct, straight, classical and extremely good! With water: really hits its stride now. Lots of soft, mulchy earthiness, light tobacco notes, more of these lovely soft dried fruits and further notes of espresso and bitter chocolate. Finish: long, leafy, lightly minty, fresh with bags of this super clean, lightly earthy, fruity sherry in the aftertaste. Comments: Terrific selection. I love this kind of refill sherry cask that has plenty left to give but never drifts into total sherry bomb territory. Super clean, bright, but still rich and full bodied. I could quaff this all night long.
SGP: 561 - 88 points.

Glenrothes 9 yo (58%, Dràm Mòr, cask #2851, moscatel finish, 340 bottles)
Moscatel being a very sweet style of sherry wine not dissimilar to PX. Colour: rose gold. Nose: indeed, sweet, young Speyside malt. Lots of nectars and syrups and various honey notes. A very nice impression of sweet wines like young Sauternes, also grape must and lemon curd. With water:  interesting, reduction brings a more cereal and vegetal side, rather as if it 'deleted' the finishing. Mouth: same, very sticky, syrupy but not 'unnatural' which is always good news I think. Various sticky fruit jams, citrus curds, candied fruit peels and jams. Some impressions of freshly glazed pastries too. With water: unlike on the nose this still rather sweet, only now more floral and perhaps more obviously vinous and green with some snapped twigs and grape must. Finish: medium, jammy, some green bramble leaves, white pepper, hessian and more of these nice musty notes. Comments: I think this finishing was quite smart and worked very well. Watch these young Glenrothes, they are pretty good drams I think.
SGP: 641 - 85 points.

Glenrothes 21 yo 1997/2019 (40.8%, The Single Cask, cask #262, refill sherry hogshead, 270 bottles)
Colour: orangey amber. Nose: very soft, as you'd expect from the ABV, but also rather charmingly old school with this very leafy, aromatic sherry profile that incorporates many subtle dark fruits, milk chocolate, leather, rancio and even some lightly crystallised exotic fruit notes too. Some earthy teas, eucalyptus and plum wine. Sort of fragile, but very beautiful. Mouth: perfectly fresh, clean and rather nutty sherry. Also with a lot of milk chocolate so that it becomes rather like a Snickers bar with this additional caramel sweetness. Indeed, there's further notes of caramel and coconut chocolate wafers, rosewater, mint tea and red liquorice. The strength may be low, but it never feels like it's holding it back. Finish: medium in length, soft, juicy earthiness, tobaccos, mushroom powder, miso and hints of soy sauce and pomegranate molasses. Comments: Extremely dangerous whisky. Please do not store your bottles near a tumbler glass or you may find them mysteriously evaporating. A little more oomph of ABV would have propelled this one very close to 90 I think. As it is…
SGP: 651 - 88 points.

Ledaig 12 yo 2008/2021 (55.8%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 244 bottles)
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: typical and typically great! Crystalline peat smoke, lemon juice, some slightly more grubby puffer smoke in the background, creel nets and a big surge of pure seawater. Impeccable and pristine modern peated malt whisky. With water: big, sooty, slightly mechanical smokiness, with impressions of preserves lemons, black olive bread and smoked sea salt. Mouth: richer, oilier and rounder than the nose suggested. Big, thick notes of tar, malt vinegar, chip fat, mercurochrome, lemon juice and smoked olive oil. Impressions of sardines and anchovies in brine along with green olives in dirty martinis. With water: more refinement, goes towards gentian eau de vie, natural tar, vapour rubs, bandages, medical tinctures, TCP and smouldering peat embers. Really great with water actually. Finish: long, perfectly sharp, coastal, medical and still displaying a lovely depth and weight to the peat smoke. Comments: modern Ledaig is very hard to argue with.
SGP: 367 - 90 points.

Ledaig 12 yo 2008/2020 (55.9%, Archives 'The Fishes of Samoa', cask #70003, hogshead, 249 bottles)
Seriously guys, when are we going to get 'The Chips of Samoa'? Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: a notch lighter, more petrolic, towards mineral salts, malt vinegar, brine, seawater, kiln smoke, wet rope, sheep wool, old workshops. There's more subtlety and more complexity here, but still a residual sense of coiled power too. With water: simpler now, focussed on seawater, bandages and brine. Mouth: seawater, gherkins, capers, anchovy, English mustard, aniseed and horseradish. There's also oysters and lemon juice too, with a splash of spirit vinegar. With water: antiseptic, seaweed crackers, seawater again, a touch of grapefruit and some nice notes of smoked olive oil. Finish: long, softly smoky, lightly herbal, still very coastal and with some more vinegar and lemon juice. Comments: I think I preferred the Cadenhead by a midgie's moustache, it was just a little more 'emphatic', but this is still serious stuff! 
SGP: 366 - 89 points. 

Glen Grant 12 yo (43%, Moray Bonding, Giovinetti import, 1960s) 
I've already recorded notes for a few of these releases on WF. But the colour from bottling to bottling never seems to sit still so no doubt there's considerable batch variation. That's my excuse anyway. Colour: pale amber. Nose: it's easy to forget when trying many very good modern whiskies, just how fucking incredible old style sherry was / can be. I'm sorry, but this just kills any modern sherry cask stone dead. A stunning mix of mentholated wood resins and honeys. Fir wood, natural tar, long-aged herbal liqueurs, walnut wine and a soft yet wonderfully deep rancio. Simple, but kind of to die for. Mouth: similarly stunning. Hugely resinous, herbal, peppery and waxy. The impression of fat, textural, peppery distillate all wrapped up in some wonderfully salty, fruity, nervous old school sherry. Mint chocolate, black coffee, more walnuts and more dried herbs. Finish: medium, loses one point here, but still wonderfully leathery, earthy, chocolatey and riddled with rancio, dark fruits and tobacco. Comments: There are of course many technically better whiskies, but if you told me I could only have one whisky to drink for the rest of my life, it's entirely possible I might chose an old Glen Grant like this. Pleasure, decadence, opulence, grace, subtlety, class and charm epitomised. This is 'happy whisky' for me.
SGP: 652 - 91 points. 

Glen Grant 67 yo 1953/2021 (59.4%, Gordon & MacPhail 'Mr George Legacy', 1st fill sherry butt, cask #4209, 355 bottles) 
Of all the people in whisky I wish I could have met, George Urquhart is right up there with the Bessie Williamson's of yesteryear.… Colour: deep, ruby mahogany. Nose: it's tricky with such whiskies, because you very much 'steel' yourself to be impressed. Which is definitely the case here where the word that feels immediately appropriate is 'precious'. Precious hardwood resins, many types of honey and the conjunction of long-aged demerara rums and Grande Champagne cognacs. A perfectly deep and precise rancio. And many, many smaller aromas of things like natural tar, aged teas, old medicines, tobaccos, earth. Familiar aromas in this type of whisky but the interplay, nuance and complexity are utterly brilliant. With water: perfect now! The fruits begin to really sing, with these crystallised and exotic fruit notes emerging. Jammy, fat, herbal, textural, medical and with a stunning earthy depth. Mouth: the power is immense on arrival. The wood is big, spicy and with these brooding, chocolatey tannins everywhere. But they are clean and controlled, while the alcohol feels like it provides essential structure. Superbly dense, sticky dark fruits, more ancient, rancio-drenched Cognac, salted liquorice, natural tar, herbal liqueurs and walnut wine. It is the length and depth of this whisky that is so impressive, you can only follow it in so many directions at once, and wherever you follow it leads you somewhere new. With water: the best cough medicine you ever tasted. Stunningly resinous, peppery, deep, pristinely spicy, chocolatey, medicinal and endlessly complex and evolving. A distilled essay on time. Finish: an endless, perfectly bitter, peppery afterglow. Warmth, fruits, herbs, medicines, spices and earth. Comments: As ever, hard to disengage the emotions in such instances. Unlike so many other very old whiskies, I would say the palate matches, and even surpasses, the nose here at times. A truly brilliant whisky that is a very worthy demonstration and celebration of how great age can, on rarefied occasion, be a tremendous asset. A genuinely great achievement and a very fitting tribute to George Urquhart, to whom we whisky geeks undoubtedly owe a significant debt. 
SGP: 562 - 94 points.