Fahrenheit 173 - Aged Spirits

Penderyn Sherrywood 46%:
Aged in ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. Malty, cereally, youngish nose but with nice notes of dried fruits (prunes, raisins) and oak. Rich, sweet, chewy palate with custard and very nice fresh notes of clementine and apricot. De­velops oak and spices (black pepper). Grows quite spicy (but can be tamed with a drop of water). Oaky, spicy, peppery finish. Hot and warming. (86 p)

Penderyn Madeira Finish 46%:
The classic ex­pres­sion, aged in ex-bourbon and finished in ex-Madeira casks. Fruity nose with apricot, lemon and sponge cake. Also oak and mint. Quiet but nice. Sweet, chewy, fairly rich palate. Drying, de­velops oak and lovely fruity notes of apricot, peach and lime. Very nice! Fruity, oaky, nice finish. (87 p)

Penderyn Peated 46%:
Aged in ex-bourbon and ex-peated Scotch casks. Oaky, peaty nose with notes of citrus, vanilla and malt. Sweet, chewy palate with oak, peat and fresh notes of lemon, lime and pepper­mint, also malt. Smooth, nicely bal­anced and very nice. Very nice finish with mint and citrus. Oak and peat at the end. All in all bal­anced and more-ish. Rather mild for its 46% ABV (might be even nicer at 50%). (87 p)

Martell VSOP:
Fragrant, rather nice nose with notes of dried fruits (prunes, figs), oak, vanilla and honey. The palate is rich, sweet (honey) and fruity (raisins, orange marmalade) with a note of mint. De­velops spicy oak and grows fairly hot. On the finish the dried fruits return briefly, then it turns oaky, spicy and warming. All in all zesty and en­ter­tain­ing but too hot and spicy. A bit dis­ap­point­ing, actually. (86 p)

Renault Carte Noire Extra:
Subtle, complex and in­ter­est­ing nose with notes of oak, citrus and plums. Also hints of mint and cheese. Light, smooth, clean palate with oak, white pepper and vanilla. It's on the dry side of sweet. Very nice finish with oak, gin­ger­bread and dried fruits. All in all very nice! It's very mild and won­der­fully bal­anced. (Much nicer than a few years ago.) (87 p)

Braastad My Selection:
Complex nose with oak, dried fruits and notes of custard and cheese. Also herbal with notes of black tea and sage. Subtle and a little quiet yet very nice. Rich, sweet, fruity palate with a note of mint. Smooth and bal­anced. Drying, de­velops notes of oak and gin­ger­bread. Oaky, spicy, fairly dry finish. All in all complex, bal­anced and very nice. (88 p)

Bache Gabrielsen Christmas XO:
Fragrant, very nice nose with oak, prunes, vanilla and mint. Rich, sweet, smooth palate. Sweet fruits and spicy oak in a very nice bal­ance. Quite oaky finish with oak shavings, citrus and mint - very nice but perhaps a little too oaky. A rich, extremely well crafted digestif. Will be perfect after the Christmas dinner... (89 p)

Allt-a-Bhainne 1991 19 y.o. (55.6%):
Citrus and oak on the nose, un­for­tu­nately also a note of per­fumed soap. Rich, sweet, quite fruity palate with citrus, oak and malt - much nicer than the nose. Oak and vanilla on the finish. The perfume returns, but only faintly this time. A note of mint at the end. (82 p)

Braeval 1998 12 y.o. (57.5%):
Fragrant, fruity, slightly floral nose. Notes of citrus, oak shavings and vanilla. Very nice! Sweet, fresh palate with honey and a little oak. Zesty and nicely bal­anced. Fruity, oaky, very nice finish with a note of mint. All in all clean, fresh and very drinkable. (88 p)

Craigellachie 2002 8 y.o. (sherry butt, 60.0%):
Complex, unusual yet nice nose with honey, caramelized sugar and spices (spiced rum). Also citrus. Sweet palate with dried fruits, a bit like a Spanish brandy. Drying, de­velops notes of oak and honey. Very nice bal­ance between sweet fruits and spicy oak. Nice oaky, fruity finish. All in all unusual but unusually good for an 8 y.o. (87 p)

Glentauchers 1981 30 y.o. (refill sherry butt, 56.0%):
Nose: Honey, orange marmalade, pepper­mint and a little oak. Palate: Fresh, sweet and smooth with orange and oak. De­velops spices. Finish: Oak and citrus. Overall: It's amazingly fresh for a 30 y.o. with sur­pris­ingly little oak. It doesn't have much of a sherry character either but it's bal­anced, very nice and very drinkable. (87 p)

Tormore 1992 18 y.o. (49.7%):
Fruity nose with citrus and oak. Orange marmalade. Nice yet slightly earthy. Sweet palate with malt, honey and citrus. Un­for­tu­nately also a little musty. De­velops a dull oaky note. Quite oaky finish but - again - dull. (A little over­aged, I suspect.) (82 p)

Aberlour 1989 21 y.o. (57.5%):
From a bourbon hogshead (unusual for Aberlour). Nice, fresh, fruity nose with notes of citrus (lemon drops), oak and mint. Fairly light palate with sweet fruits and oaky spices in a very nice bal­ance. Oaky, dry finish (slightly dis­ap­point­ing). (86 p)

Bladnoch 1990 21 y.o. (53.5%):
Fresh, fruity nose with notes of lemon and lime, also oak and vanilla. Quite nice yet a little sour. Fruity palate with notes of citrus and mint. At first briefly sweet, then drying, de­velops notes of oak and cardboard. Not bad, but a little dull. Dry, mostly oaky finish. All in all dis­ap­point­ing despite the promising nose. (83 p)

Caperdonich 1980 27 y.o. (56.8%):
On the nose it's nice yet a little shy with notes of honey, orange marmalade and vanilla. Sweet palate with honey and citrus. Also oaky and a little spicy. Notes of vanilla and custard. Fresh, smooth and bal­anced. Nice finish with notes of oak, orange and pepper­mint. Surprisingly light and fresh for its age. (From the Chairman's Stock line.) (89 p)

Glenfarclas 1990 21 y.o. (54.3%):
Unusually for Glenfarclas, this came from a bourbon hogshead. Fresh, in­ter­est­ing nose with notes of apples, pears and calvados. Un­for­tu­nately also a sour, disturbing note. Very nice palate, however: sweet, fruity and zesty, also oaky. Drying, de­velops more oak. Dry, oaky, spicy finish. Dis­ap­point­ingly dry. (85 p)

Glenlossie 1993 18 y.o. (sherry wood, 55.1%):
Quite nice nose with notes of oak, gin­ger­bread, cardamom and honey. Big, very oaky palate with dried fruits (reminiscent of a Spanish brandy). Sweet at first, then drying. De­velops gin­ger­bread. Oak and gin­ger­bread on the finish. Dry yet nice. All in all power­ful and quite sherried but rather nice. (87 p)

Pulteney 1990 21 y.o. (56.7%):
On the nose it's a little shy yet nice and fresh with notes of citrus, vanilla, custard, oak and pepper­mint. Rich, chewy palate. Sweet, fruity and fairly oaky with notes of honey, orange marmalade and malt. Very nice! Oaky, fairly spicy finish. Nice and complex with notes of citrus, spongecake and mints. Black pepper at the end. (88 p)

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey x 4
A review of Maker's Mark, Woodford Reserve, Eagle Rare and Blanton's Straight From The Barrel.

Six random Speyside single malts
A review of Ardmore 25, Auchroisk 1990 (DL), Benriach Horizons, Dailuaine 1983 (DL), Glenlivet Nàdurra and Strathisla 25 (GM).

Jack vs Jim - the two heavyweights of American whiskey
A review of Jack Daniel's Old No. 7, Jim Beam White Label, Black Label and Yellow Label.

Five single malt whiskies from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society
A review of Glenmorangie 11 y.o., Glen Moray 26 y.o., Glen Scotia 12 y.o., Laphroaig 20 y.o. and Littlemill 17 y.o.