score 3
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Bruichladdich 18 Year (2004), Re/DefineBourbon, Sauternes, and Port casks50% Nose: Quite lemon-sweet over glazed, doughy notes. Slightly astringent. Faint orange creamsicle. Palate: Peppery and malty, lemon, cream. Honeysuckle. Finish: A puff of char as the palate transitions. That astringent note tickles around in the palate but really builds in the finish. Mildly dank. Score: 3.5/5Mental…
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Glenburgie 9 Year (2014), SMWS 71.108“European Vacation” (aka “Orange Blossoms and Pink Peppercorns”)1st fill bourbon cask producing 180 bottles61.7% Nose: Hot and zesty, but sweet. Creamy lemon, limoncello. Sugar cookies, frosting. A bit of vanilla. Took a while for the notes in the nose to come out and become interesting. Much more impressed with the…
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Dailuaine 14 Year (2011), Creetown DistillersCreetown Distillers, bottled by Whisky Broker.Calvados barrique finish, cask # 304725, total of 305 bottles. Nose: Candied green apples. Sawdust. Palate: Sweet, malty. Just a touch of the apple. A rather pleasant pepperiness. A touch of almond extract. Mouthfeel builds a bit, but is overall too thin. Finish: More of…
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Iniquity distillery, bottled by Barrel and Bottle. Two single casks of shiraz and bourbon married together. I didn’t see much info about this. Iniquity is the distillery (Australian) and Barrel & Bottle is the bottler? Looked to be ~280 bottles, cask strength, and unfiltered. Bottle had % breakdown of shiraz vs. bourbon, but I couldn’t…
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Strathmill 12 Year (2012), SMWS 100.45“On the side of equilibrium”1st fill shiraz hogshead58.6% abv Nose: Feisty and bold. Heat, peat (!?), and rich fruit reduction. Old leather. A little bit of clove. After water, a touch of popcorn. I think I get some coffee. Palate: Also quite feisty and bold. The alcohol is not tame.…
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Compass Box Metropolis, The Extinct Blends QuartetBlend of Bowmore (refill bourbon cask), Aberlour (bourbon), Miltonduff (1st fill bourbon), some unnamed blended scotch parcels (bourbon and sherry casks), and an unnamed grain parcel (refill bourbon).49% abv Supposedly a throwback to blends of yesteryear, with Compass Box hinting at some old blended stock making its way into…
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Ardbeg Smokiverse48.3% Nose: Yum. Very maritime. So smooth and rounded. Grilled white peach, dying coals, burnt sugar, rosemary salt. Peat builds on sourdough. Limoncello. Palate: A touch hot. Creamy peat. Sweet with just a touch of sour, hyper-ripe stone fruit with a drizzle of lemon. Clove. Perhaps some sauternes. Salty, minerality. Finish: Herby bitterness. Sweet,…
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Lagavulin 15 Year, Fèis Ìle 2025Moscotel de Málaga finish55.7% abv Nose: Flowery, medicinal. Salted caramel, buttery. Just a touch of smoke. Water brings out a hint of lemon. Palate: Peat shows boldly. Toffee. Bready. Initially sweet, then peppery. Honey undertones bring some sweetness back. Water brings out nutty characteristics. Subtle popcorn. Faint citrus. Finish: Flowery,…
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Amrut is a distillery I’ve not tried, and I have heard pretty mixed reviews, so I was eager to try this. Neidhal is their first Single Malts of India release, which I saw described as sourcing hidden gems from around India and perfecting them at Amrut. So is this truly an Amrut? No idea. The…
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This is Dramfool’s 2nd iteration of the Elderly Elvis Tilting, which you might notice is an anagram of The Glenlivet. Aged for 25 years in a bourbon barrel from 1998 to 2023. (Image credit: Dramfool) Whisky: The Glenlivet 25 Year (1998), Dramfool’s Elderly Elvis Tilting #2Country/Region: Scotland/SpeysideCask: Bourbon barrelABV: 55.4% This has a beautiful and…