March tasting was dedicated to Murray McDavid bottlings.
The whole line-up as follows (only welcome drink aka Peatside 6 yo absent):
Peatside 6 yo 2009/2015 Murray McDavid 46% - matured in bourbon and finished in first fill Port & PX casks.
Nose: intense, a bit mashy, lots of peat and sweetness. Quite ok as for 6 yo.
Taste: powerful and peaty.
Finish: long and peaty.
Overall: fairly priced and damn drinkable, rumors way that it's a vatting of peated Benriach and Glenglassaugh.
Score = 21 22 21 21, 85/100!
Bowmore 9 yo 2000/2009 Murray McDavid 46% - matured in a sherry cask and bottled at Bruichladdich.
Nose: creamy, floral and nutty.
Taste: strong one, salty and peaty, tad oaky.
Finish: not very long, peat, typical perfumes and salt.
Overall: certainly not the worst Bowmore. Actually it's better than Legend and 12 yo from standard line at least.
Score = 20 21 21 21, 83/100!
Ledaig 10 yo 2001/2011 Murray McDavid 46% - matured in bourbon and finished in Jurancon wine casks. Bottled at Bruichladdich.
Nose: bacon, sea salt, a bit of typical wet dirty rags, but after 15 min it becomes quite acetic which is not good. Changed the score from 22 to 20.
Taste: thick and meaty, salt and peat.
Finish: peaty, spicy and a bit sulphury.
Overall: disappointed with nose development to vinegar, taste is its strongest component I guess, maybe wine finish isn't good for Ledaig spirit.
Score = 20 22 21 21, 84/100!
Glenrothes 25 yo 1990/2015 Murray McDavid cask #14341 46% - again Jurancon wine cask finish, 255 bottles released.
Nose: elegant, sweet, creamy, nutty, touches of citrus fruits and toffee for dessert.
Taste: sweet with lots of berries, citrus and nutmeg.
Finish: long, develops on sweet fruits, nuts and all kinds of soft spices. Hint of oak and umami note.
Overall: very elegant and drinkable Glenrothes, this time Jurancon cask worked well.
Score = 22 22 23 22, 89/100!
Highland Park 23 yo (vintage 1979) Murray McDavid 46% - matured in bourbon casks, 600 bottles released. Usually it works well with Highland park when it's old enough.
Nose: oh yeah, oranges, vanilla and touch of sea air.
Taste: perfect balance and complexity we adore in Highland Parks, a bit of smoke, touch of heather honey, fruity and floral notes, layer of grass. Splendid!
Finish: long one with accent on green berries (currants), green leaves (currants again) and touch of salt.
Overall: I do like Highland Parks matured in bourbon casks, this one is no exception.
Score = 22 23 22 23, 90/100!
Mortlach 19 yo 1997/2016 Murray McDavid 55.1% - special bottling for Ukrainian Whisky Connoisseurs Club.
Nose: meaty and tad sulphury. Hints of coffee and grapes. Is it really bourbon cask?!
Taste: dense, powerful and spicy. Very clean.
Finish: long, spicy and sharp, umami layer after 15 seconds.
Overall: nice bourbon-matured Mortlach. Recommended.
Score = 22 21 22 21, 86/100!
Bunnahabhain 36 yo 1978/2015 Murray McDavid 50.4% - matured in bourbon and finished in Willi Opiz dessert wine cask, 269 bottles released.
Nose: intense and sweet, apples, dried fruits, coffee and just a minor hint of smoke.
Taste: sweet, a bit spicy, touches of salt and wood.
Finish: quite long with notes of wood and tobacco. A little bit flat and tired imo.
Overall: well, I liked the nose most of all, palate and finish were slightly weaker.
Score = 22.5 22 21.5 22, 88/100!
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