Bunnahabhain K&L Excl. SVUC “Staoisha” Heavily Peated, 4yo, 2014/2019

Rating31/40
OriginScotland, Islay, North Shore
DistilleryBunnahabhain
OwnerDistell Group
DistilledOctober 23rd, 2014
BottlerSignatory Vintage
SeriesUn-Chillfiltered Collection
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt Whisky
Peatedyes
CaskDechar/rechar Hogshead #10723
BottledJun 10th, 2019
Bottles284
Strength60.6% (121.2 proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants
Price$70

Nose: The peat appears in the form of compressed chocolate harvested from ancient bogs. The best such chocolate is often apparently somewhat fuzzy. (8/10)

Palate: The fuzzy chocolate from the nose melts into some mild Oolong tea served alongside it. Also, the table legs appear to be on fire. (7/10)

Finish: Heat stings the flanks of my tongue. These peripheral sensations meet up like the arms of a rather strangely shaped tuning fork back down in my esophagus. A hamster appears to have stored chocolate pudding in my cheeks. For the winter one assumes. (8/10)

Balance: A bit bumpy as a ride perhaps, which is not at all surprising for a 4 year old. Nevertheless absolutely enjoyable and well in line with Bunna’s recent push into bolder and peatier territory. (8/10)

Old Pulteney K&L Exclusive Cask #231, 13yo, 2004/2018

Rating33.6/40
OriginScotland, Northern Highlands
DistilleryOld Pulteney
OwnerThaiBev via Inver House Distillers
Distilled2004
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt Whisky
Bottled2018
Bottles242
Strength55.2% (110.4 proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants

Nose: Effervescent earthy orange candy. Rises from the glass like a dew sprinkled mushroom cap, gently glittering in the soft forest light. Don’t get me wrong… there is nothing woodlandish about this. It’s just an image that arose when I was thinking about the movement and character of the nose. Everything is rich and deep, yet gentle like the colors of moss and fern in the soft light under quiet trees. Quite beautiful. Later it drifts towards something resembling a faint BBQ savoriness. (8.8/10)

Palate: Crawling fire spreads here and there. Spots of burning shoe polish emit puffs of smoke wafting about. And yet, as a whole, this palate is bright with almost metallic notes shimmering on top of the subtly smouldering depths. (9.4/10)

Finish: Life is too short. So is this whisky. It never reaches the throat or chest. The finish floats near the roof of the mouth with some lovely orange-flavored smokiness and some decent initial heat that disintegrates into hollow echoes of itself. Sigh. I can’t emphasize enough how enamoured I am by this whisky and how much it hurts to be let down by its finish in this way. (7.5/10)

Balance: If it wasn’t for the short reach and, compared to nose and palate, lacking heft of the finish this whisky would be quite amazing. But that finish fails to live up to everything else and because the finish is, well, the finish it colors the whole experience. Such a bummer. But the rest is still absolutely worth it for early experience. (7.9/10)

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)

Aultmore Sovereign K&L Excl., 9yo, 2008/2017

Aultmore Sovereign K&L Excl., 2008/2017, 9yo., close-up
Rating31/40
OriginScotland, Central Speyside
DistilleryAultmore
OwnerBacardi via John Dewar & Sons
DistilledJune 2008
BottlerHunter Laing & Co.
SeriesSovereign
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt Whisky
CaskSherry Butt #HL13138
BottledAugust 2017
Bottles631
Strength59,8% (119.6 proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants

Nose: The mummified corpses of licorice candies melted under the Saharan sun and shriveled up to a state of utterly desiccated, dark tightness. (8/10)

Palate: Beastly and rough but full of beauty and power in its hot, raging magnificence. (9/10)

Finish: Bitter, medicinal flavors slowly build and layer in the back. (9/10)

Balance: And what rough beast dram, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem my mouth to be born drunk. (9/10)

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)