Auchroisk Old Malt Cask K&L Excl., 24yo (1994/2019)

Rating28.3/40
OriginScotland, Central Speyside
DistilleryAuchroisk
OwnerDiageo
DistilledFebruary 1994
BottlerDouglas Laing
SeriesOld Malt Cask
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt
CaskRefill Hogshead HL15186
BottledJune 2019
Bottles239
Strength54.5% (106.8 Proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants

Auchroisk is not exactly a well known distillery with a significant presence on store shelves. And so it’s always a pleasure and interesting to find some expression, especially an older one like this. Let’s see how it stacks up!

Nose: Purple flowers. Why purple? I don’t know. But it does smell like purple flowers. Not lavender though. Some other purple flower. It’s not easy getting past that floweriness and diving deeper into the nose because it’s quite snappy like a tense cat. Approach at an angle it doesn’t like and you get bit. Quite pretty but flowery noses aren’t generally my thing. (6.7/10)

Palate: The flowery notes don’t go away but they cease to be flowery. Probably because someone has set the bouquet on fire and then tried (and failed) to put it out with honey water. (7.3/10)

Finish: A quite wonderful heat spreads down the back of the throat toeing but not crossing the line to discomfort. The flavors however do not keep up with the heat leaving little but prickly sparkles of mild bitterness along the roof of the mouth. (7.1/10)

Balance:  I think some folks would like this a lot more than I do but it’s just not well aligned with my preferences. For me it’s a decent dram that doesn’t quite manage to deliver on its innate potential. (7.2/10)

Auchroisk Hepburn’s Choice K&L Excl., 21yo (1996/2018)

Rating32.8/40
OriginScotland, Central Speyside
DistilleryAuchroisk
OwnerDiageo
Distilled1996
BottlerHunter Laing & Co.
SeriesHepburn’s Choice
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt
CaskRefill Hogshead
Bottled2018
Bottles283
Strength52.6% (105.2 Proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchant

This cask strength Speysider came out of a refill hogshead hotheaded and with a temper even after 21 years of ageing. Auchroisk doesn’t do a lot of official releases and most of it seems to go straight into J&B so it’s usually only available in this form of an independent bottling. I find them to generally be on the brighter and sharper side but, of course, it’s hard to tell if that’s the real distiller profile with such limited exposure.

Nose: Hothothot! Ok, phew, that was just the first hit fresh out of the glass. Now I can actually smell something… lemon batter mixed with straw? Hard to get much out of this… after that initial violent burst of alcohol it settles into a somewhat restrained state. (7.8/10)

Palate: A small, fiery, angry black hole centered on the middle of my tongue seems to draw everything around it inwards while refusing to give anything up. There’s a compact, spatially contained fierceness to it. Then some bright flavors. But everything seems to want to stay low following a flat profile across my tongue. I would have expected this one to expand upwards but it’s simply not wanting to do anything like that until much later. Some chewing and swishing finally unleashes this beasty and releases it to freedom. It still doesn’t want to expand upwards but rather drives a heated cloud of flavor straight into the back of my throat.  I can’t pinpoint the notes but it’s good and still vaguely related to the batter from the nose. Perhaps we’re baking the lemon-straw tart now? (8.6/10)

Finish: A few sips in I become aware of a burgeoning heat in the back of my throat that later fills up with flavor as well. The heat manages to push and plow its way down behind my sternum until it reaches almost all the way to my solar plexus. (8.2/10)

Balance: There’s a bit of a struggle involved in coaxing this one out of its fiery, angry shell. But it’s worth it. If only the nose gave up a little more of the treasures and secrets hidden deep inside its tense and fiery little heart. (8.2/10)

Springbank K&L Excl. Sovereign, 22yo, 1995/2018

Rating37.5/40
OriginScotland, Campbeltown
DistillerySpringbank
OwnerMitchell Family
DistilledDecember 1995
BottlerHunter Laing & Company
SeriesThe Sovereign
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt Whisky
CaskRefill Hogshead HL15295
BottledMay 2018
Bottles108
Strength52.5% (105 Proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants

I have not acquired this one for myself but thanks to a generous friend (thanks IFLS!) I’ve been lucky enough to get to try this amazing whisky. There was a reason I had not purchased it myself. It’s just not what I usually go for. And, while being right about that evaluation, I was also utterly wrong about not getting any of it. File this one under R for regret. What a stunning expression of Springbank!

Nose: Linen sheets, still warm, fresh out of the dryer after having been washed with meadow flower scented detergent. The pages of old, heavily used books that haven’t pulled out of a tightly packed shelf in a long time. Lemon zest arches far above a slow river of mild honey. My only complaint is that I desperately want to turn up the volume. (8.5/10)

Palate: Can you extract liquid from the pages of an old book? It’s very dry, almost dusty, but underneath all of it there is that quiet slow river of honey again, which at the end, subsumes all the other stuff, except the bright flurry of dust above it all, sparkling in the light of a reading lamp. This is not at all in my general ballpark. But, holy crap, it is amazing! A whisky to stay with, pay attention to, sink into like when one is getting lost in the stories found inside an old, well-read book. (9.5/10)

Finish: At first, after coming back up from the mysterious depths of this book, there is just this coating of honey, left behind by that river. My tongue is rough from all the dry, ancient paper. There is gentle yet deep and rich, dusty smoke permeating my throat and chest. And then, for a time, the lemon zest shows up again, albeit in a rehydrated form of blended lemon zest and juice. Just wonderful. After a long time a single fruit emerges under the roof of my palate and it is… a plum! (10/10)

Balance: This is… so unexpected. None of this is what I typically look for. It is not loud but it is powerful.  Best enjoyed alone. Let this envelope you and permeate you undisturbed and in silence. I suspect one might miss most or all it has to offer if surrounded by a crowd. Wow. (9.5 /10)

Bowmore Old Malt Cask K&L Excl., 21yo, 1996/2018

Rating33.5/40
OriginScotland, Islay, Loch Indaal
DistilleryBowmore
OwnerSuntory Holdings via Beam Suntory via Morrison Bowmore Distillers
DistilledDecember 1996
BottlerDouglas Laing & Co.
SeriesOld Malt Cask
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt Whisky
PeatedYes
CaskRefill Hogshead #HL15197
BottledJune 2018
Bottles120
Strength52.8% (105.6 Proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants

This bottle came and went quickly at K&L and I had missed my opportunity. Luckily a great friend brought his personal bottle to one of our gatherings and let us try this absolutely wonderful Bowmore. Thanks so much, Andrew! This one made me think deep thoughts.

Nose: A freshly showered mildly bite-y fish, perhaps a low-odor salmon that is resting on a bed of steamed parsley root and other sweet root vegetables. The fish in questions likely swam past Bowmore distillery last year, probably a sightseeing detour through Loch Indaal on the way to the spawning grounds, because there is only the very faintest echoes from far, far away and barely perceptible of that old lavender perfume so typical of the distillery. (7.5/10)

Palate: A sanded unfinished wooden board upon which the fish is going to be served, in anticipation of that happening to it. Perhaps some smoke is rolling in through the windows from one of the other Islay distilleries… it’s hard to tell for sure. Some thin high quality chocolate splinters around the edges. The realization of all the things the wooden board has seen. It has a functional and utilitarian perspective on life. It just does what it does. And I like it. Old school palate. Unapologetic. No frills. (8.5/10)

Finish: Layers in quietly. This wooden board has an unassuming manner that only initially succeeds in hiding its real power and solid structure. I like hanging out with this wooden board. Sitting next to each other on deck chairs, quietly watching the waves roll in under a darkening sky. I want this wooden board to be my friend. I think it likes me. I’m happy. (9/10)

Balance: This just keeps getting better and better and better as it goes though there is a price to pay because eventually the lavender does being to appear on the nose. Not as annoying as usual luckily. The rest is glorious. But not obvious. Who knew stoic, sanded, unfinished wooden boards could be such good friends and companions. (8.5/10)

Mortlach Faultline K&L Exclusive, 22yo, 1995/2017

Mortlach Faultline 1995/2017, 22yo, close-up
Rating30/40
OriginScotland, Speyside, Dufftown
DistilleryMortlach
OwnerDiageo
Distilled1995
BottlerAlexander Murray & Co
SeriesFaultline
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt Whisky
CaskFirst Fill Sherry Butt #7301
BottledDecember 4th, 2017
Strength53.3% (106.6 proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants
Price$120 (Sold Out)

Nose: Oranges, flowers mingle in minty heat. Water drops it to faint notes of a wet leaf-covered ground. (8/10)

Palate: Hot orange-flavored hard candy. Water dials fruitiness up to 11 and spreads everything out wide. (7/10)

Finish: Astringent wood and unripe, acidic oranges. (8/10)

Balance: Somewhat unbalanced. Adding water, while nicely boosting the palate, messes with the bookends in rather disappointing ways. The heat on this one definitely requires warming up ones palate with something else first. (7/10)

Bowmore Old Particular K&L Excl., 20yo, 1997/2017

Bowmore Old Particular K&L Excl., 1997/2017, 20yo., close-up

Rating31/40
OriginScotland, Islay, Loch Indaal
DistilleryBowmore
OwnerSuntory Holdings via Beam Suntory via Morrison Bowmore Distillers
DistilledMarch 1997
BottlerDouglas Laing & Co.
SeriesOld Particular
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt
PeatedYes
CaskRefill Hogshead #DL11677
Bottled April 2017
Bottles281
Strength55.7% (111.4 proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants

Nose: When first opening the bottle there is peat smoked paprika rubbed on grilled sardines that had been washed with lavender soap. Once aired out the very Bowmore lavender component disappears. Very nice! (9/10)

Palate: Damn. The Bowmore floweriness comes through on the first hit with hot lavender flavored muratic acid. Really brightens the old grout between your teeth. A field of lavender. On fire. (7/10)

Finish: The initial wave of fire breaks in the back and floods the throat with wood and heat. This one gets rougher and dirtier with water. Some dry dark chocolate emerges. (7/10)

Balance: Not my favorite perhaps but nice and interesting enough. (8/10)

Bowmore Sovereign K&L Excl., 22yo, 1995/2017

Bowmore Sovereign K&L Exclusive, 1995/2017, 22yo, close-up
Rating30/40
OriginScotland, Islay, Loch Indaal
DistilleryBowmore
Owner Suntory Holdings via Beam Suntory via Morrison Bowmore Distillers
DistilledMay 1995
BottlerHunter Laing & Co.
SeriesSovereign
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt Whisky
CaskRefill Hogshead #HL13035
BottledAugust 2017
Bottles256
Strength51.8% (103.6 proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants

Nose: Fresh cut plums polished with shoe wax. Someone is eating milk chocolate in the distance. (8/10)

Palate: Bowmore-ish right off the start. Hot. Someone said “coffee” while I was tasting it and, boom!, there it is. (8/10)

Finish: Waiting for the finish… surely it must be coming soon!… but so far all I got is just a bit of a burn on the tongue. Hey! Moving my tongue hither and to does kick up a few splashes of nice flavors. But if I stop moving they instantly disappear again. Strange one, this one. (7/10)

Balance: Not too shabby in the front but just a bit weird in the back. (7/10)

Highland Park Old Particular K&L Excl., 20yo, 1997/2017

Highland Park Old Particular K&L Excl. 1997, 20yo, Close-up
Rating33/40
OriginScotland, Islands, Orkney
DistilleryHighland Park
OwnerWilliam Grant & Sons via the Edrington Group
DistilledSeptember 1997
BottlerDouglas Laing & Co.
SeriesOld Particular
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt Whisky
CaskRefill Hogshead #DL12125
BottledSeptember 27th, 2017
Bottles263
Strength53.1% (106.2 proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants

Nose: Honey, something… incense? Later tart apples. (8/10)

Palate: Dry. Very dry. Barely qualifies as a liquid. (9/10)

Finish: Bit of a drop off here… it just doesn’t seem to want to reach deep on the back end. (8/10)

Balance: One of the great ones but it takes a LOT of time in the glass. Be patient with this liquid and it will reward you. (8/10)