Fahrenheit 173 - Whisky

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)

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)

Maker's Mark (45%):
Fragrant nose with nice notes of vanilla, apricot, peach, almonds and oak. Fairly prickly however, but mellows with a little water. Powerful, fruity, zesty palate. Also oaky, fairly dry and slightly earthy. With water it's milder, sweeter and richer. Nice, oaky, spicy finish with a note of mint. A bit hot at 45% but with a drop of water it's an easy drinking session bourbon. (83 p)

Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select (batch #70, 43.2%):
Huge nose with oak and linseed oil but also sur­pris­ingly complex with nice notes of vanilla, marzipan, allspice and orange marmalade. Nice but a bit rough around the edges. The palate is quite oaky but sur­pris­ingly smooth. Rich with notes of mint and vanilla. Nice heat. Oaky, dry finish (dis­ap­point­ing). All in all power­ful yet complex, rather nice but uneven. (87 p)

Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10 y.o. (45%):
Fragrant nose with vanilla, oak, ginger, apricot and orange. Fruity iced tea. Nice! The palate is fairly rich and sweet with notes of vanilla, oak and caramelized sugar. De­velops nice fruity notes of orange and peach, also mint. Drying, de­velops oak and a note of lemon. The finish is oaky, peppery and fairly hot. Warming. All in all bal­anced and very nice. (Doesn't need water but a drop won't hurt.) (88 p)

Blanton's Straight From The Barrel (65.45%):
Big, fragrant, fruity nose with apricot, peach, vanilla, oak shavings and a note of rye. Water brings out crème brûlée, more oak, black tea and gin­ger­bread. Very nice! Powerful palate with notes of vanilla, mint, citrus, oak and marzipan. Nice bal­ance between sweet corn and dry oak. The finish is oaky and fairly dry, peppery, almost fiery. (Needs less water than expected; I found it best at ~50%. From barrel 122, dumped on 5-16-11.) (89 p)

A.H. Hirsch Reserve 1974 16 y.o. (45.8%):
Subtle, very nice nose with oak and dried fruits (like a Spanish brandy). Also vanilla, gin­ger­bread, marzipan and a note of mint. The palate is sweet, smooth and bal­anced. Very nice and (for a bourbon) very mild. Drying, de­velops oak. Dry, spicy, quite oaky finish but the oak is very nice. All in all a unique, fascinating bourbon. (90 p)

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.

Premium blended Scotch: Five 12 year old whiskies
A review of Ballantine's Gold Seal, Chivas Regal, Dewar's Special Reserve, Johnnie Walker Black Label and Scottish Prince.