anCnoc (16 year)
Very nice after-dinner. Desserty but robust. Not too sweet or cloying. Complex and with interesting spice and off-fruit notes. Not a great deal of depth, but contemplative.
Category: Reviews
anCnoc (12 year)
This first sample of the entry-level 12 year expression was generally approved-of, with tasters noting many fruits ranging from fresh spring berries to tropical fruits and flowers.
Cardhu (12 year)
Those Spaniards know what they’re talking about: a lovely dram – very gentle. Bright and sweet without being cloying in the least. With so many fruits, it’s like drinking a summer fruit punch with vanilla ice cream floating in it. Yum.
Bunnahabhain (12 year) (Old Presentation)
Caramel and vanilla, full body, almost no smoke or earthiness at all. Salted caramels. This is a good middle-of-the-road dram, mostly notable for its diversion from traditional Islay peat character. Worth a try, although there are better non-peated, non-sherried malts (Speyside, Lowlands) in this price range.
Springbank (10 year)
Springbank is a composite of rarities. It is one of the very few distilleries which performs the entire distillation process from malting on-site (its own floor maltings) to bottling in its private bottling plant. This is eccentric and nuanced, challenging and satisfying. Great stuff – I can’t wait to come back and discover more!
Auchentoshan Classic
What a satisfying dram. It is delicate and subtle, sweet and crisp. Like a sugary glass of lemonade on a hot day. A little rough and undefined around the edges, no doubt due to its youth, which is also responsible for this whisky’s delightful crispness.
Loch Dhu (10 year)
Wow. This is a train-wreck of epic proportions, and it’s a wonder the company ever put it in a bottle. It’s intriguingly bad, like the nasal equivalent of a horrible traffic accident – you can’t help rubbernecking to look for body parts…
The Balvenie (12 year) DoubleWood
This 12 year-old expression from The Balvenie is aged in first- or second-fill bourbon casks, with up to a further year in first-fill oloroso sherry casks. It stands on its own as a beautiful example of what quality Speyside whisky and careful oak aging can do, and with a fantastic price point.
The Dalmore (12 year)
Major sherry with citrus overtones. Orange peel and orange liqueur notes. Overall impression is of candied orange mixed with heavy sherry.
The Macallan (12 year)
Rich bodied, big sherry notes of red plums, canned apricots, and well-aged red wine.