1. The XL blench batch 1 £549. Another example of how it's good to taste the whisky before figuring out the 3cl bottle would cost upwards of £20 to buy :) Notwithstanding the tasting notes, I thought there was a distinct Port note on the nose. This is a complex and well-balanced whisky (perhaps heather, smoke, and some woodyness) with a long finish ( Read more... )

I'm not actually drinking at this hour of the morning, but I tried these a couple of days ago, and not had time/space to write them up. But I'm running a bit ahead of schedule this morning, so, before I entirely forget...

1. Aberfeldy 12yo £33. A slightly sweet, gentle malt.
2. Balvenie Peat Week 14yo 2003 vintage £60. As the name suggests, this is a ( Read more... )

After a lot of singing today, whisky is medicinal, right? :)

1. Jim Beam Rye £25. Nice enough, but there's not a lot going on here.
2. Peat's Beast £42. No, not a joke about management style at work, this one does what it says on the tin. Very smokey, phenolic whisky.
   

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I'm in danger of not getting to 24 before Christmas again, but I'm not giving up just yet ;-)

1. Irish Single Malt #1 13yo from That Boutique-y Whisky Company £60. A real winner this, smooth and sweet with just a hint of smoke.
2. Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength £47. Good assertive scotch, even watered down somewhat. Dried fruit, perhaps?

This entry was ( Read more... )

I thought it might be worth returning to the whisky advent calendar, what with it being Advent again :-)

Number 16 is Rock Oyster £37. It's a blend of island malts, and felt a little over-peated to my taste.

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The first of these I had a while back, but didn't get to writing up; the other was this evening's accompaniment to some GoT...

1. Kavalan Single Malt £54. I think the first whisky from Taiwan I've ever had. The tasting notes talk about mango and tropical fruits, which I didn't get at all, but there is a gentle sweetness here.
   
2. The Glendronach 12yo £ ( Read more... )

...is Cardhu Gold Reserve £39. It's a slightly sweet, warming comfortable dram. It's not the most complex whisky, but I enjoyed it :)

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Time for a couple of drams this evening...

1. Cotswolds Single Malt £47. The first expression from the Cotswolds distillery; some pleasant sweet notes to this, although I couldn't detect any hints of the red wine casks its spent time in.
   
2. Kilchoman Machir Bay Whisky £43. I do like a good Islay, and haven't had this one before. Plenty of smoke, but it' ( Read more... )

...is Kirkwall Bay £36, from a distillery on Orkney. It's quite gentle for a single malt from one of the islands.

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I'm still quite far behind on these; but this gets me up-to-date with the ones I've actually tasted (a few evenings this week):

1. Hudson Baby Bourbon £50. This is made from corn spirit, and did have an unusual smell to it; interesting, but perhaps not my thing.
   
2. Monkey Shoulder Smokey Monkey £30. A gently smoked whisky; nice but not doing anything ( Read more... )