Set of CS bottlings, why not after all?..
The whole set as follows:
Longmorn 15 yo 2002/2017 cask #800623+800624 57.4% - matured in bourbon barrel, 416 bottles released.
Nose: starts on grass, sweet lemonade, apples and vanilla.
Taste: pretty sharp, water is a must. Spicy and peppery.
Finish: medium-long, sweet, tad oaky.
Overall: nice malt actually, not less, but not more.
Score = 21 21 21 21, 84/100!
Clynelish 21 yo 1995/2017 cask #8672 55.5% - matured in a refill sherry butt, 566 bottles released.
Nose: smoked prunes, some oak, after 10 min typical waxiness appears.
Taste: strong but quick one, lots of oak and apples.
Finish: long, waxy, layers of salt and oak.
Overall: well, I prefer bourbon maturation for Clynelish, that's for sure.
Score = 21 20 22 21, 84/100!
Ben Nevis 26 yo 1991/2017 cask #2377 57.3% - the label doesn't tell that, but it should be sherry butt, 599 bottles released.
Nose: cold black tea, hints of smoke and salt, leaves on ground, hints of lavender.
Taste: dense, mainly on chocolate and grapes.
Finish: resin and sap, grapes juice, long and unusual.
Overall: definitely another level, great malt.
Score = 22 22 22 22, 88/100!
Strathmill 21 yo 1996/2017 cask #2096 57.9% - matured in bourbon hogshead, 241 bottles released.
Nose: starts on grass, bitter herbs, sagebrush. Love that style.
Taste: dense indeed, water helps.
Finish: sharp-cut lunge of bee venom and pollen. Very good.
Overall: can't recall if I've ever tried Strathmill before, but I do like this particular expression. A little bit of trivia about distillery:
- was founded in 1891, now belongs to Diageo, no website, no visitor centre, 99% of its annual output (2.1 mln. ltr.) is used for J & B blend.
- I have found only 4 official single malt bottlings: 12 yo Flora and Fauna, 12 yo Manager's Choice, 15 yo Manager's Dram and 25 yo Special release 1988/2014, but there is no regular bottlings.
- freshly distilled spirit is taken away to Auchroisk for filling, only part is matured at the distillery.
Score = 21.5 21.5 22 22, 87/100! (bought a bottle, but after quite a few drams reduced the score from 88 to 87).
Tormore 28 yo 1988/2017 cask #15585 + 15590 49.7% - vatting of 2 hogsheads, 388 bottles released.
Nose: delicate and grassy, not so bitter as Strathmill, but also lots of bee-driven aromas here.
Taste: wax, propolis, honey pollen and sweet grass.
Finish: long one, the same profile.
Overall: another one distillery you don't meet often. Or let's say you can hardly ever meet :) Some trivia about distillery:
- belongs to Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard), was founded in 1958.
- produces more than 4 mln ltrs of alcohol per year which is used for Chivas Brothers blends.
- official bottlings are 16 yo, 14 yo, 12 yo and 15 yo CS version.
Score = 22 22.5 22.5 22, 89/100!
Inchmurrin 24 yo 1993/2017 cask #2855 52.4% - one of the styles produced on Loch Lomond distillery together with Craiglodge, Croftengea, Inchmoan, Loch Lomond itself and Old Rhosdu. Matured in bourbon hogshead, 177 bottles released.
Nose: grassy and quite humble. Some oak and vanilla.
Taste: cream cake, citrus and vanilla.
Finish: medium-long, mainly on oak and grass.
Overall: step behind after lovely trio of Ben Nevis, Strathmill and Tormore.
Score = 21 21 21 21, 84/100!
Fettercairn 28 yo 1988/2017 cask #2037 51.4% - matured in bourbon hogshead, 203 bottles released.
Nose: nutty, walnut skin and hints of milk.
Taste: fresh and sharp, burst of berries and fruits.
Finish: long, biting, nuts and citrus notes.
Overall: another distillery you don't meet often, though aged expressions are usually very good.
Score = 22 22.5 21.5 22, 88/100!
Blair Athol 29 yo 1988/2017 cask #4859+4860 54.0% - vatting of 2 hogsheads, 427 bottles released.
Nose: fresh and a bit burnt bakery, coal, some berries afterwards, oak and leather.
Taste: dense one, oily and creamy.
Finish: long one on berries, oak spices, lovely touch of gooseberry.
Overall: very good malt, quite sure that distillery fans will like it even more.
Score = 22 21 22 22, 87/100!
No comments:
Post a Comment