Vintage – DramWorlds

September 22, 2021September 22, 2021

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

*Rating*	28.3/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Central Speyside
*Distillery*	Auchroisk
*Owner*	Diageo
*Distilled*	February 1994
*Bottler*	Douglas Laing
*Series*	Old Malt Cask
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt
*Cask*	Refill Hogshead HL15186
*Bottled*	June 2019
*Bottles*	239
*Strength*	54.5% (106.8 Proof)
Retailer	K&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)

September 17, 2021September 17, 2021

Glen Garioch Old Particular K&L Excl., 8yo (2010/2018)

*Rating*	30.4/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Eastern Highlands
*Distillery*	Glen Garioch
*Owner*	Beam Suntory via Morrison Bowmore Distillers
*Distilled*	January 2010
*Bottler*	Douglas Laing & Co
*Series*	Old Particular
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt
*Peated*	No
*Cask*	Refill Hogshead DL12556
*Bottled*	August 24th, 2018
*Bottles*	290
*Strength*	59.5% (119 Proof)
Retailer	K&L Wine Merchants

A powerful rough little gem from the purportedly oldest legal producer of whisky in Scotland dating back to 1797. This youngster may be a bit off balance here and there but it certainly provides for a very interesting and enjoyable experience.

Nose: Bleu cheese? Just for a moment anyway. Though a certain sour note does hang around, as the nose shifts towards notes almost reminiscent of a cask aged vegetable pasta sauce that’s too light on tomato. It’s a bit… weird. But I don’t dislike it. Later on there are some hints of very dry wood and then something else that’s reminiscent of wine or at least white wine vinegar. (7.3/10)

Palate: Well, whatever happened to that pasta sauce, it did not make it through to the palate. Instead there is vinyl flooring and rubber coats, clean sheets of fresh paper and a generous sprinkling of coarsely ground pepper that’s been sitting out in the open for a couple of days. It’s geometrically quite flat and really, stubbornly clings to the tongue instead of relaxing and opening up. (7.5/10)

Finish: A bit of deliberate chewing and swishing of this stuff does finally open and spread its flavors far and wide, just as the liquid goes down. My entire mouth is radiating with those notes, including some dry apple that is so desiccated that it’s almost turned bitter and dusty. After a minute the flavors start fading only to be replaced by a lightsaber shaped column of heat down the center of my chest. (8.0/10)

Balance: A bit off center perhaps but there’s enough very interesting stuff going on to make this a very entertaining dram moving from sip to sip. (7.6/10)

June 11, 2021September 17, 2021

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

*Rating*	32.8/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Central Speyside
*Distillery*	Auchroisk
*Owner*	Diageo
*Distilled*	1996
*Bottler*	Hunter Laing & Co.
*Series*	Hepburn’s Choice
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt
*Cask*	Refill Hogshead
*Bottled*	2018
*Bottles*	283
*Strength*	52.6% (105.2 Proof)
Retailer	K&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)

May 28, 2021May 28, 2021

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

*Rating*	37.5/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Campbeltown
*Distillery*	Springbank
*Owner*	Mitchell Family
*Distilled*	December 1995
*Bottler*	Hunter Laing & Company
*Series*	The Sovereign
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt Whisky
*Cask*	Refill Hogshead HL15295
*Bottled*	May 2018
*Bottles*	108
*Strength*	52.5% (105 Proof)
Retailer	K&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)

May 19, 2021September 8, 2021

Tobermory Fino Sherry Finish, 12yo, 2005/2018

*Rating*	37.1/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Highlands, Islands, Isle of Mull
*Distillery*	Tobermory
*Owner*	Distell Group vis Burn Stewart Distillers
*Distilled*	2005
*Style*	Single Malt
*Cask*	Fino Sherry Finish
*Bottled*	2018
*Strength*	55.1% (110.2 Proof)
*Whiskybase*	Whiskybase

One of my all-time faves. The little sherry-finished Tobermory engine that could. And it seems to have flown below the radar of a lot of folks. Perhaps because it’s list price wasn’t exactly cheap for a distillery with a relatively low profile compared to the big players.

Nose: (9.1/10) A fresh squirt of fussy cola jumps over the rim of the glass first, revealing a deeper layer of dark shoe polish hiding behind it. This slowly peels off of some heavy furniture that’s been polished with teak oil. I watch all this happening while munching on delicate blackberry gummy bears. And the whole thing comes with free nose tickles. Lovely.

Palate: (9.5/10) A huge, thick, heavy sheet of concentrated, dry sherry slices and rumbles through my mouth like those flexing steel plates classical orchestras use for making thunder. This is sherry thunder and lightning in a bottle. On subsequent sips things calm down a bit and I can hear myself think again. But that sense of a vast expanse of dry sherry demanding room to fill doesn’t go away. If anything some of the furniture and shoe polish related notes are managing to make themselves heard and add further depth and complexity to the experience. That initial bit of cola, however, does not seem to have survived the storm. This is a gorgeous palate. Damn.

Finish: (9.2/10) Right after the impact of that palate perceiving the finish requires a conscious effort. Though it will rise to awareness on its own over time. A great dry, peaceful silence settles on everything. There is a residual glow lingering at the top of the palate. There is a mild warmth in the chest (and I wish there was just a little more heat there). And, whodathunk, that little bit of cola did survive after all and alights on each breath like a bunch of sun motes wafting about on the fading esophageal thermals. I am happy.

Balance: (9.3/10) What can I say. This is some really, seriously, very good whisky. Wish I could find more of it. Wish I had bought more at the time but, not knowing, it seemed pricey. The only complaint I have, and it barely qualifies as such, is that perhaps the finish could have been just a little stronger so the drop in intensity from the palate wasn’t quite so steep. What an astonishing dram. This kind of experience is why I love this stuff. Amazing.

May 10, 2021May 10, 2021

Ardbeg K&L Excl. Chieftain’s, 15yo, 2004/2019

*Rating*	35.1/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, South Shore
*Distillery*	Ardbeg
*Owner*	LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE via Glenmorangie
*Distilled*	March 2004
*Bottler*	Ian Macleod Distillers
*Series*	Chieftain’s
*Style*	Single Malt
*Peated*	Yes
*Cask*	Ex-Bourbon Barrel 700177
*Bottled*	August 2019
*Bottles*	162
*Strength*	58.8% (117.6 Proof)
Retailer	K&L Wine Merchants
*Whiskybase*	Whiskybase

The mere 162 bottles of Ardbeg yielded by this particular ex-Bourbon cask turned out to be a very unique expression of a fuzzed out, warm blanket of peaty comfort. Come on in from the biting cold, kick back and relax. A forceful Islay take on what the Germans refer to as Gemütlichkeit. Almost as much of a meal as it is a drink.

Nose: Wait, is my backyard burning down? No. It’s probably just this nose right here. Meaty chunks of sweet peat drizzled with Bordelaise sauce, roasting in a cast iron frying pan over an open fire. Just what the doctor ordered after getting a vigorous back rub with heavily charred wood blocks wrapped in plum skins. I should really check on the backyard though. But that would mean getting up and walking away from this whisky. And that’s just crazy-talk. Over time the nose diminishes just a little. Or maybe it’s simply numbing my sensory apparatus.(8.6/10)

Palate: Prickly chocolate-peat cactus. Spikey bursts of peat bob around in a sea of chocolate milk. The chocolate milk has a thick, almost oily and rather coarse texture to it and leaves a similar coating on my tongue. Clearly whole, perhaps even raw milk was used, and the chocolate wasn’t ground too finely. You can almost eat this with a fork. Later bursts of smoke rise up, nearly a little bitter, as if the whisky has smoldered its way through all of it’s wood and peat resources.(8.9/10)

Finish: A vigorous burn develops on the sides of my tongue and the very back of my throat. Chocolate smoke rises from the depths and fills my head like a balloon. Breathing out is fun with this one. Everything alights and all the embers bloom. I wish it showed more presence deep in my chest but that’s really the only complaint I have. (8.8/10)

Balance: This is quite something. Beautiful. It has a much broader, deeper, warmer and fuzzier structure of peat than I’d usually associate with Ardbeg. I tend to perceive Ardbeg peat as a powerful, sharp blade slicing through my skull like a masterfully crafted Katana. This, however, is big, satisfying and comforting. I love it. A lot. (8.8/10)

April 21, 2021May 28, 2021

Caol Ila K&L Excl. Sovereign, 7yo, 2010/2018

*Rating*	34.7/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, North Shore
*Distillery*	Caol Ila
*Owner*	Diageo
*Distilled*	August 2010
*Bottler*	Hunter Laing & Company
*Series*	Sovereign
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt Whisky
*Peated*	yes
*Cask*	Sherry Finished Butt HL15300
*Bottled*	July 2018
*Bottles*	556
*Strength*	59.9% (119 Proof)
*Retailer*	K&L Wine Merchants

What is a “sherry finished butt” you ask? In this case the bottler has taken a used sherry butt, re-filled it with sherry for a year for a bit of a boost, and then used it to further age some young Caol Ila. This results in a stronger sherry influence than a traditional sherry finish. Basically a fancy form of double maturation in a refreshed sherry cask. Either way, the result is rather convincing and I hope they’ll be doing this a lot more often!

Nose: Big, bite-y, beautiful beat, uh, peat. Velvety, too. Can velvet bite? I guess it can. Faint hints of chocolate flit about playing hard-to-get. This nose is not uber-complex but it is great regardless. (8.1/10)

Palate: Big and expansive right out of the gate. Even the chocolate gets a slight boost but mostly it’s that same thick peat smoke from the nose. A bright and shiny layer that’s almost acidic floats above it all. It’s not exactly citrus though. More like a cask aged vinegar perhaps that’s had a chance to mellow out over time. That vinegar, it seems, may have been used to marinate a few blood oranges. The more velvety aspects of the nose do not present themselves here. (8.5/10)

Finish: Now, this is one of those whiskies that can light a beautiful, warming fire all the way from your mouth down into your belly. The smoke stays up top and fills the skull, held in place by convections rising from the deep heat far below. Just like the nose the finish is not particularly complex, but, honestly, it really doesn’t have to be. It is so big, smoky, expansive and warm, and it comes alive with vigor on every single breath… what more could I possibly need? (9.1/10)

Balance: What a wonderful dram for those of us who love big, powerful, peated single malts! It starts out great and then keeps on getting better. And it was ridiculously cheap too. Under fifty bucks if I recall correctly. This can easily compete with (and beat) a ton of whiskies that would cost significantly more. The only sad thing about it is, that it was a single barrel bottling and is, by now, long gone. And that’s a serious bummer. (9.0/10)

April 21, 2021April 21, 2021

Caol Ila K&L Excl. SVUC, 8yo, 2009/2018

*Rating*	33.0/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, North Shore
*Distillery*	Caol Ila
*Owner*	Diageo
*Distilled*	Oct 22nd, 2009
*Bottler*	Signatory Vintage
*Series*	The Un-Chillfiltered Collection
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt Whisky
*Peated*	yes
*Cask*	Hogshead 319401
*Bottled*	Jul 16th, 2018
*Bottles*	287
*Strength*	56.9% (113.8 Proof)
*Retailer*	K&L Wine Merchants
Whiskybase	Whiskybase

A youthful, energetic and aggressive single barrel bottling from a cask hand-picked by the folks at K&L Wine Merchants back in 2018. Balance is not what this one is about but it has plenty to offer in other areas.

Nose: Sharp, bright peat jumps right out of the glass snapping excitedly at your nose with the sharp and pointy teeth of a young pupper that’s been cooped up inside all day and desperately needs to burn off a good amount of pent up energy. Apparently it tore into a bucket of powdered vanilla cream at some point, which is now caught in its fur. (8.0/10)

Palate: The same sharp, bright peat cuts through the oral cavity like a bright but narrow beam of sunlight that found its way into a dark room through the crack of a door left slightly ajar. While it indirectly lights up everything, it doesn’t itself spread out and you can clearly see the crisp geometry of the shaft where it lights up countless peaty dust motes in its path. (7.5/10)

Finish: Hoo boy! At first that beam of light illuminates some very young, freshly cut wood, but luckily that somewhat unpleasant, unripe smell burns away quickly. With the distraction of the bright beam gone the peat finally expands into a massive cloud filling the entire mouth and top of the throat. Heat is crawling down into my chest but I keep losing track of it as I’m too busy chewing on that billowing smoke, which intensifies and thickens with every breath. Wait, did I eat chocolate earlier? Where did that suddenly come from? (9.1/10)

Balance: A bit rough in parts and volatile and bouncy as one might expect from a younger whisky. In fact this one feels considerably younger than it actually is. If I had tasted this blind, I would have guessed it might be 5 or 6 years old at best. Water doesn’t really help it calm down or integrate more… it just… lessens it. That big smokey finish though… damn. It makes up for a lot. (8.4/10)

February 10, 2021May 28, 2021

Aberlour, Old Particular K&L Exclusive, 25yo 1995/2020

*Rating*	34.7/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Central Speyside
*Distillery*	Aberlour
*Owner*	Pernod Ricard via Chivas Brothers
*Distilled*	May 1995
*Bottler*	Douglas Laing & Co.
*Series*	Old Particular
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt
*Cask*	Refill Hogshead DL14246
*Bottled*	August 2020
*Bottles*	211
*Strength*	58.4% (116.8 Proof)
*Retailer*	K&L Wine Merchants

Independent bottlings of Aberlour single malts are less common than those of other distilleries. Even more atypical is the absence of any sherry aging or finishing. As such this particular release represents a wonderful opportunity to experience the true heart of Aberlour’s spirit, laid bare, undecorated and without the fanfare of, say, an explosive A’Bunadh. Not that those aren’t great. Don’t get me wrong.

Nose: A mild spring breeze, carrying the scent of high quality hard orange candy, wafts along a linen sheet, just out of the wash and still minty fresh, hung out to dry on a pale bleached wooden rack in the early sun. A light breeze is all there is though. It never grows bigger or bolder than that even if one covers the glass. The only noticeable change is that, over time, the minty notes gradually morph into citrus ones, mostly fresh cut lemons. (7.5/10)

Palate: Oh, wow… damn… what??? The nose did *not* give that away. Like at all. Kaboom! This took the mild sunlit spring breeze of the nose and turned it into a glorious spectacle of a psychedelic spring storm, as if you’re experiencing all the same things while on mushrooms. Rich, flavorful, assertive, it overwhelms your unsuspecting senses. The orange candy is still there. So is the citric acid. So is the bright light. But all of it has been dialed up to 11 without losing any of its internal balance. Amazing… (9.5/10)

Finish: After that cosmic cataclysm of a palate the finish requires conscious effort just to remember there is one and to register its presence with your senses. On any other whisky it would be a grand finish but here it can barely make itself heard over the ringing echoes of the palate in my mind. Not as much warmth spreading through the chest as one might expect from a whisky of this strength. Most of the whisky’s heat seems to want to form a glow at the top and back of the throat. The orange candy theme steadily continues and ultimately settles into a lasting, pleasant coating. (8.5/10)

Balance: What a palate! But make sure to sit and focus on the finish as well. It takes time to assert itself but inevitably it will. And it’s worth the wait. This is good. Very good. Which is a good thing because this bottle ain’t exactly cheap. (9.2/10)

February 6, 2020February 6, 2020

Edradour, Ballechin, The Chronicles, 2009 Vintage

*Rating*	30.5/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Highlands, Midlands
*Distillery*	Edradour
*Owner*	Signatory Vintage
*Distilled*	2009
*Series*	The Chronicles
*Edition*	2009 Vintage
*Style*	Small Batch Single Malt
*Peated*	Yes
*Cask*	First Fill Bourbon Barrels
*Bottled*	September 25th, 2019
*Strength*	46% (92 Proof)
Whiskybase	Whiskybase

The 2009 Edition of the Chronicles series of the peated Ballechin single malts distilled at the Midlands’ Edradour, one of the few remaining independently owned distilleries in the country.

Nose: Peat. Simple, nice peat. Wait, is there mint? Minty peat? Peat mints? Hmmm… not sure. Either way, it’s not exactly complex but certainly nice. (7.5/10)

Palate: No surprises here. The simple, nice peat continues right off the bat but the minty bits go into hiding. The whisky doesn’t quite want to expand here no matter how vigorously I swish and chew. Perhaps not surprising at 46% (6.5/10)

Finish: Aha! That’s where the minty bits went! They must have dashed to the very back of my mouth and jump off out over the throat to do some recreational paragliding on the thermals of my breath. The peaty parts have finally decided to expand as well once freed from the actual liquid. Very nice! Bright and entertaining. It doesn’t reach very deep but with all that long lasting smoke wafting about it still feels satisfying and like something I could happily spend a lengthy amount of time with. (8.5/10)

Balance: The unexciting drop in the middle doesn’t matter all that much in the end because the finish is quite lovely and rewarding. A perfectly enjoyable little dram from one of Scotland’s most intimate distilleries. (8/10)