Dark rich toffee, brandy snaps, honeyed and spiced stewed dark fruits and cranberry/blueberry liqueur.
Exquisite full-bodied mouthfeel, seductively smooth with rich rumtopf and that honeyed spiced dark fruit chugging in the engine room.
This dram opens dramatically with fruit gums and blackcurrant with Rowntree's blackcurrant pastilles now dominating the palate, the finish long, fruit-laden and salty.
Cola, late harvest, liquorice allsorts, rich stewed dark fruits, toffee'n vanilla with a grapey bottom note.
This dram has a massive mouthfeel of succulent, smooth, sweet pressed grapes, raisins and currants with a sweet chilli finish and that grapey note appears that just lingers forever......
Soooooo delicious. 93
This was a silver award winner at the 2009 Independent Bottlers' Challenge Highland 13-18Years Old.
Oloroso sherry immediately assails the nostrils, then delicious dark toffee, stewed prunes with the European oak and barley creaking in the depths.
A sublime combination of oloroso and pedro ximenez sherries on the palate, soft and ohhhh soooo sexy with raisins completing this gorgeous, rich, sweet sherry concoction with a dash of anise...moreish beyond belief! One of the few truly addictive whiskies....92
The palate is all liquid vanilla and icing, then lemon sherbet and loads of salt on the finish.
I've always loved the dichotomy of this style of whisky, like Springbank and Old Pulteney, that are so intensely sweet initially then finish with a bucket-load of salt.
Water pumps up the barley on the nose and sweetens the vanilla icing on the palate, tempering the salt.
The sweet vanillas are immediately evident on the tongue, then some spicy, peppery notes mid-palate finishing with strong American oak and a lingering apple sweetness.
A dash of water boosts the sweetness on every level.
A very pleasant dessert wine style dram. 85
Hazelburn 7yo 2001 Small Oak Casks 49.4% Cadenhead's Bond Reserve Single Malt
Vanilla, orange blossom and malted barley are prevalent with a faint, youthful off note way down.
Despite the age and abv this dram is oily and so velvety smooth on the palate with plenty vanilla, a mid-palate of spicy pepper and a finish of toasted oak with the slight young rubbery note lingering. 82
Interestingly this whisky one a gold award at the 2009 Independent Bottlers' Challenge Campbeltown 12 Years and Under.
Royal Lochnagar 12yo 1996 Recharged Butt 58.5% Cadenhead's Authentic Collection Cask Strength Single Malt
Vanilla soaked barley developing to honeycomb and despite the abv there are distinctive notes of clean cut grass and sweet spring flowers.
Intensely vanilla sweet on the tip of the tongue, then the cask strength ambushes the back of the palate, leaving traces of molten honey and malted barley.
Water brings out more of the floral note with white talc but bitters the mid-palate and finish losing the soft cereals and honey.
