Actually it all should have ended with Glen Ord, but we decided to add Tomatin 30 yo for dessert and eventually a sample of Ardbeg was summoned to this rank of warriors...
Highland Park 10 yo Rebus 30 40% - 10 000 bottles released to celebrate 30-th anniversary of inspector John Rebus.
Nose: quite light and easy at first, vanilla and lollipops, then you get oranges, heather and lightest peat.
Taste: soft, mellow and ... that's all, transforms into finish right away.
Finish: pronounced even at this strength, spicy and gingery.
Overall: well, perfect malt to be taken to the airplane I presume, light, easy, but bearing not that much of Highland Park character.
Score = 21 19 21 20, 81/100!
Highland Park Valkyrie 45.9% - first release in a new viking-inspired core range of Highland Park (Valknut and Valhalla will come in the next 2 years and create Viking legend series). Also we are waiting for Viking scars (replacement for 10 yo), Viking Pride (replacement of 12 yo) and Viking Honour (replacement for 18 yo).
Valkyrie is said to replace Highland Park Dark Origins, but contains less first-fill sherry casks and more American oak (which is an industry trend).
Nose: expressive, roasted fruits, bananas, nuts and raisins, sweet oranges, honey and heather smoke. Quite good I must say.
Taste: dense and punchy with lots of ash, peat, spices and oranges.
Finish: long, smoky and salty with hints of oak, pepper and ginger.
Overall: bold and expressive Highland Park.
Score = 21.5 21.5 21.5 21, 85/100!
Springbank 12 yo Burgundy 53.5% - 10 260 bottles released, matured in first fill burgundy barrels. Already reviewed here, the impression is pretty the same.
Nose: powerful, lots of grapes skin and wine, red berries, hints of salt, old leather and smoke.
Taste: dense, spicy and salty, lots of grapes and berries again, traces of pepper. Very thick.
Finish: long, both sweet and sour, light peat and fruits in good balance.
Overall: well, some of us don't like wine casks in their malts, but this one is very successful example. Despite it's relatively young age it's very complex, nicely balanced powerful Springbank.
Score = 22.5 23 22.5 22, 90/100!
Springbank 21 yo single cask 49.6% - 702 bottles released, oloroso butt maturation.
Nose: oh, that is composure of older spirit, mango, touch of honey, citrus peels, layer of soft smoke afterwards and oak in an empty glass.
Taste: rich and complex on all kind of red and yellow fruits (limes, oranges, pineapples) underlined by wood smoke, sea salt and wet pebbles.
Finish: long and fruity, hints of smoke and salt again, white oak at the very end.
Overall: I wish I had more in a glass, that's a malt to spend some time with.
Score = 22 23 23 23, 91/100!
Glen Ord 28 yo 58.3% - 3600 bottles released.
Tomatin 30 yo 46% - 1200 bottles released, bourbon hogsheads and oloroso sherry butts were used. Already reviewed here.
And again I give myself a word to get some more bottles of ANB, I definitely like it more than recent festival bottlings (Kelpie, Perpetuum and so on). Sweet barley, peat smoke that lasts long in your glass, smoked oily fish, lemons and salt, it's delicious! Score = 91/100!
Glen Ord 28 yo 58.3% - 3600 bottles released.
Nose: fresh with tons of honey pollen, propolis and beeswax, touches of grass and mint. Adorable.
Taste: dense, but it doesn't fell like 58%, mainly on honey and herbs.
Finish: long and oaky, I don't know the taste of bee poison but this should be close.
Overall: definitely a malt you should drink right after the bottle is opened, give it some time and/or water. Liked this one much more than Glen Ord 30 yo.
Score = 23 22 23 23, 91/100!
Tomatin 30 yo 46% - 1200 bottles released, bourbon hogsheads and oloroso sherry butts were used. Already reviewed here.
Nose: oily and tropical, passion fruit, carambola, mango, melon, banana, pineapple and little touch of salted cucumbers after a while.
Taste: sweet and mellow.
Finish: long, sweet and fruity with hints of oak.
Overall: perfect whisky for drinking - fruity, clean and very enjoyable. The ones who like Irish whiskey will love it. Scored 91/100 this time instead of 90/100 (remember that all these scores are very relative!).
Taste: sweet and mellow.
Finish: long, sweet and fruity with hints of oak.
Overall: perfect whisky for drinking - fruity, clean and very enjoyable. The ones who like Irish whiskey will love it. Scored 91/100 this time instead of 90/100 (remember that all these scores are very relative!).
Score = 23 22 23 23, 91/100!
Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist 46% - provided it's bottled in 2007 we have calculated age of approximately 17 years. Full story is here.
And again I give myself a word to get some more bottles of ANB, I definitely like it more than recent festival bottlings (Kelpie, Perpetuum and so on). Sweet barley, peat smoke that lasts long in your glass, smoked oily fish, lemons and salt, it's delicious! Score = 91/100!
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