These were mainly Coilltean releases, though in any case Samaroli bottles are worth trying.
The whole range as follows:
Allt-a-Bhainne 1995/2016 Samaroli cask # 187857 45.0% - 170 bottles released, the most difficult distillery name for me to pronounce, internet tells us that it should be said as "altà VANJA", which means "burn of milk" in Gaelic.
Nose: all about lollipops and duchess pears.
Taste: fresh, bitter, apricot stones and green peaches.
Finish: relatively long, wood-driven spices and mineral touch.
Overall: summer malt with a playful character :)
Score = 21 22 22 21, 86/100!
Braeval 1994/2016 Samaroli cask #165655 45.0% - 240 bottles released, distillery is also known as Braes of Glenlivet.
Nose: lollipops again, but far more interesting, fresh butter, touch of warm bread, lemon peels and white pepper. Keeps developing.
Taste: dry and austere.
Finish: long on wood spices, ginger, pepper and touch of mint at the end.
Overall: that was really nice, the nose was getting better and better with time.
Score = 23 21 22 22, 88/100!
Nose: earthy notes, then you get some juicy berries and unexpectedly fish. Quite tired fish I should say.
Taste: leathery and spicy, doesn't stick to the nose at all though the palate is big.
Finish: again leather and spices, but with some rotten touch.
Overall: well, that actually depends on whether you like these notes or not, some guys rated it high, some not, I was perplexed with nose, taste and finish being very different, can't rate it high, but that's a matter of taste.
Score = 20 22 21 21, 84/100!
Nose: dense and assertive, malty notes, yellow fruits, burnt matches, but not that much.
Taste: big and fat, fresh, fruity and spicy.
Finish: long, fruity, slightly sulphury.
Overall: just very good in every component.
Score = 22 22 22 22, 88/100!
Bunnahabhain 1988/2016 Samaroli cask #636 43.0% - 230 bottles released.
Nose: smoke, iodine, the label doesn't specify type of a cask, but some "dirty" sherry notes are there (powder if you like that more).
Taste: salty and sea-driven.
Finish: lingering saltiness with fresh spicy notes.
Overall: could have been 88/100 if the nose was a bit "cleaner". But surely a nice malt.
Score = 21 22 22 22, 87/100!
Bunnahabhain 1989/2015 Samaroli cask #5877 45.0% - 286 bottles released.
Nose: lo-o-ts of smoke, rubber, roasted barley. Not so typical flavour profile for Bunna.
Taste: malty and far more smoky than you expect from aged Bunnahahabhain.
Finish: rather long on licorice, salt and smoke.
Overall: I liked previous one tad better.
Score = 22 21 22 21, 86/100!
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