1990-1999 – 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)

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)

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)

January 11, 2020May 28, 2021

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

*Rating*	33.5/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, Loch Indaal
*Distillery*	Bowmore
*Owner*	Suntory Holdings via Beam Suntory via Morrison Bowmore Distillers
*Distilled*	December 1996
*Bottler*	Douglas Laing & Co.
*Series*	Old Malt Cask
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt Whisky
*Peated*	Yes
*Cask*	Refill Hogshead #HL15197
*Bottled*	June 2018
*Bottles*	120
*Strength*	52.8% (105.6 Proof)
*Retailer*	K&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)

March 9, 2018May 28, 2021

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

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

*Rating*	31/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, Loch Indaal
*Distillery*	Bowmore
*Owner*	Suntory Holdings via Beam Suntory via Morrison Bowmore Distillers
*Distilled*	March 1997
*Bottler*	Douglas Laing & Co.
*Series*	Old Particular
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt
*Peated*	Yes
*Cask*	Refill Hogshead #DL11677
*Bottled*	April 2017
*Bottles*	281
*Strength*	55.7% (111.4 proof)
*Retailer*	K&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)