The Arran Private Cask Sherry Matured 10 Year

 

Much thanks to Rob Martin for the sample! I particularly liked the old bottling of The Arran 10 Year that I had last fall, which absolutely dripped with honey sweetness - one of the purest honey notes I can remember having. This is their Private Cask series, which seems to be a single cask series bottled at natural strength - an attractive prospect from such a good distillery. While some/most of the bottles seem to be produced for specific stores/entities, and labeled as such, there seem to be some directly from the distillery as well. 

Macallan 12 Year (SMWS 24.147 "The Deepest of Mahogany")

 

It's not very often you run across an independent bottling of Macallan, one of the Fine Old Names in Scotch. Well known for having old bottles selling at auction in the tens of thousands of dollars/pounds, they tend to guard their brand very, very carefully, and presumably they don't like to have their name and reputation out there floating around outside their control. 

On the other hand, their brand has become a bit silly in the last few years, with rapidly climbing prices and more and more No Age Statement bottlings that verge on the ridiculous with the amount of hype and pretension invested in them. Many people have commented that they are perhaps too obsessed with their own image. So what to make of this bottle?

Tobermory 15 Year (SMWS 42.54 "Adventures by the Sea")

 

Purchased during the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's Highlands Festival 2021, this is a 15 Year Tobermory, a distillery I have before today never experienced in its unpeated form! Hailing from the Isle of Mull, Tobermory is perhaps better known by their peated imprint Ledaig, which I have quite enjoyed in the past, and that has a distinctive dry peat flavor I liked. Tobermory, the core distillery, is a real mystery to me. 

Benriach "The Original Ten" 10 Year

 

Having reviewed - and loving - the Benriach Smoky Twelve, along with a wonderful independent bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, I am super curious about this ten-year expression, which features virgin oak intervention along with the ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.

Loch Lomond "Original" (NAS)

 

Loch Lomond is a Highland distillery that originally dates to 1814, but was closed for much of the intervening years. It only reopened around the mid-1960s, and today bears the distinction of making both single malt and grain whiskies - one of only a very very few places to make both.

Johnnie Walker 18 Year Blend

 

A good friend bought this bottle to drink with me after a rough day; it was much appreciated. Over the course of a few months, we emptied the thing steadily, and I accumulated tasting notes. 

Ardmore 11 Year (SMWS 66.186 "Bivouac Breakfast")

 

Boy, do I love me some Ardmore. They seem capable of creating all kinds of great flavors in their spirit. Although they used to have a great distillery bottling called The Traditional Cask, it was discontinued a few years back; now, their website lists four options: "Legacy," "Tradition," "Port Wood Finish," and "Triple Wood." 

However, I haven't seen any of these in shops near me in Washington DC, nor are they available online anywhere that I can find. Maybe a UK-forward rebranding that is just getting off the ground? Crossing my fingers...

Glenallachie 8 Year (SMWS 107.21 "Bounty on the Galleon")

 

Glenallachie has received a lot of attention lately, after Youtube/Patreon legend Ralfy declared their 12 year old his best whisky of 2019. Glenallachie arrived on the Scotch scene in 1967 as blend fodder - like so many before it. But eventually they worked their way up. And along with their official bottlings, this Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) bottling also entered the radar; 8 years matured in sherry casks, bottled at 63.3%, nicknamed "Bounty of the Galleon": 

Clynelish 8 Year (SMWS 26.161 "Put the Pebble to the Petal!")

 

Ah, Clynelish! How I love thee. Both the official 14-year bottling (surprisingly complex of both flavor and texture), and all the strange, exciting independent bottlings I've had. This bottle, an 8-year from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), is aged entirely in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, and bottled at a wonderfully stiff 60.9% ABV. Part of the "sweet, fruity, and mellow" flavor profile, it's nicknamed "Put the Pebble to the Petal!" which is curious, and suggestive. Official SMWS tasting notes include putty, clay, wax, chalk, stone, pineapple jelly, and gorse. Fascinating!! Let's see what I find:

Balmenach 7 Year (SMWS 48.118 "Trekking in the Jungle")

 

Balmenach is one of those "hidden" distilleries that generates spirit that is almost exclusively used in blends; in this case, MacArthur's and Hanky Bannister. It's owned, ultimately, by Inver House, who also owns Balblair, Knockdhu/anCnoc, Speyburn, and Old Pulteney. There is no formal single malt release from the Balmenach distillery, although I have seen (and tried) some independent bottles of it.

Dalmore 7 Year (SMWS 13.82 "Life's Simple Pleasures")

 

Here is an independent bottle I simply could not pass up: a young (7 year!) and quirky expression of Dalmore, which is probably best known for a stately 15-year distillery bottling that is filled with oranges, chocolate, cloves, and sherry notes. I reviewed their 12-year bottling long, long ago (seven years ago), and I've had the 15-year a few times since, though I've never formally reviewed it here.

Bruichladdich The Organic Barley 2009

 

Another addition to my Bruichladdich reviews: The Organic Barley 2009! I almost bought another Bere Barley - it's so so good - but I wanted to expand the blog, try something new So here we go. 

Highland Park Cask Strength Release No. 1 (NAS)

 

I haven't had Highland Park in seven years, or more. Since those early days of my scotch reviews, Highland Park has completely, totally rebranded in a rather unattractive Viking-forward way: Viking this, Viking that, Viking everything. Magnus this, Valkyrie that, etc etc. Always at a pathetic 40%, filtered, colored, etc. All seems maximized for profit and minimized for enjoyment by people who actually enjoy Scotch malt whisky. 

Glengoyne The Legacy Series Chapter One 2019 (NAS)

 

Yes, the name is a real mouthful: Glengoyne The Legacy Series Chapter One 2019. Glengoyne is a very old distillery ("Unhurried since 1833" the bottle and packaging proudly says), but very new to me. One of the bottles I tend to overlook as my hand drifts around the shelving. However, perhaps it's time to rectify this; thanks much to Rob Martin for this bottle!