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)

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

Rating34.7/40
OriginScotland, Islay, North Shore
DistilleryCaol Ila
OwnerDiageo
DistilledAugust 2010
BottlerHunter Laing & Company
SeriesSovereign
StyleSingle Barrel Single Malt Whisky
Peatedyes
CaskSherry Finished Butt HL15300
BottledJuly 2018
Bottles556
Strength59.9% (119 Proof)
RetailerK&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)

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 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)