Music. Alcohol. Oysters. Books.

Nc'nean Cask Strength NAS OB 70cl 59% ABV
Batch CS / MN21
Distilled 06.2020 (and earlier), bottled 06.2024
55% STR Red Wine casks, 43% American Whiskey casks, 2% Oloroso Sherry casks
5,021 bottles



Color: amber.
Nose: dates, eraser, baked apples, sugar-coated cranberries, clay, dill, marzipan, cherries, caramel, clove, rye bread, white pepper, lemons, wood shavings, tobacco, strawberries. The wine cask influence is prominent. With water: chocolate and herbs.
Taste: prunes, apples, ginger, figs, pepper, peaches, lemons, oak cask, nutmeg, apricots, cocoa, orange zest. Syrupy and spicy. With water: chalk, mint, and strawberry jam; the sweetness lingers.
Finish: figs, honey, lemons, apricots, dark chocolate, cocoa, pepper, pears, peaches, tobacco.
Score: 8 ½. Good. +2+1+1.

Conclusion: I like whisky matured in wine casks in general, though here they speak a bit too loudly. The nose is lovely, but the taste leans too sweet for me. The malt also feels quite young. Still, it's not a bad whisky. 84/100. My 5th Nc'nean tasted.

Macduff 15YO Lady of the Glen 5cl 55.2% ABV
Lady of the Glen Tasting Set
Distilled May 20, 2009; bottled October 16, 2024
Matured in a hogshead and finished in a 1st fill ex-Pedro Ximénez Sherry cask for 20 months
Cask no. 4089



Color: dark gold.
Nose: dates, figs, prunes, sugar-coated cranberries, chocolate gingerbread, eraser, black peppercorns, soy sauce, cherries, nutmeg, orange marmalade, polished wood, brown sugar. A lot of sweet sherry notes, everything else feels muted.
Taste: oranges, grapefruits, honey, dark chocolate, mint, pepper, cocoa, clove, lemons. The citrus variety is impressive, but the sweetness feels a bit much despite the clear acidity present.
Finish: chocolate, honey, mint, pepper, clove, baked apples, lemons.
Score: 8 ¼. Almost good. +1+1+1.

Conclusion: a sweet malt with a not very convincing aroma. Might improve with water, though the 50ml bottle from the Lady of the Glen tasting set was too small to think about any experiments. 83/100. This was only my fifth Macduff tasted, and the scores for all five were wildly different, ranging between 80 and 92.

( Regular bottle photo... )

Bunnahabhain 9YO Duncan Taylor Exclusively for K&L Wines 75cl 54.7% ABV
Faultline range
Distilled October 30, 2014; bottled July 26, 2024
Peated
Cask type: Sherry Butt
Cask no: 3814010851



Color: amber.
Nose: smoke, dill, ash, barley, tar, garlic stems, olive oil, watercolor paint, dates, lacquer, burnt rubber, a touch of sulfur, peat, iodine, chocolate, oilcloth, rosin. Restless and a bit chemical. With water: more lacquer, chocolate gingerbread, malt, wet newspaper.
Taste: smoky and spicy, iodine, lemon juice, green apples, pears, peat, salt, chocolate, rubber, lime zest, herbs. Not very smooth. With water: more sweet fruity notes, but still quite harsh.
Finish: pepper, salt, iodine, rubber, peat, smoke, lime zest, baked apples, herbs.
Score: 8 ¼. Almost good. +1+1+1.

Conclusion: a heavy-going malt that begs for water, though the water hardly improves it. Far less interesting than the very recent JWC bottling of almost the same age. No idea what kind of sherry butt DT used but hard to believe it was first-fill. The cask number has ten digits, which is something. 83/100. The $50 price per bottle, though, was great.

Longrow 114° Proof NAS OB 70cl 57% ABV
Batch No.1
Matured for almost 4 years in refill Bourbon casks and over 2 years in refill Pinot Noir casks
Time code 06/01/25



Color: golden.
Nose: peat, dill, smoke, rosin, iodine, marzipan, paste glue, wild strawberries, oilcloth, wax, barley, damp newspaper, cherries, rubber, wet stone, red currants. With water: more paste glue, sweet pears, ash, kumquat.
Taste: peat, smoke, cherries, strawberries, black pepper, salt, lime zest, red currants, crème brûlée, vanilla. With water: more sweetness, lemons.
Finish: peat, smoke, pepper, salt, hints of rubber, red currants, crème brûlée, lemons, wet cardboard.
Score: 8 ½. Good. +2+1+1.

Conclusion: a quirky peaty malt. Rather heavy, too much wine and a bit rough overall. Almost 4 years in one cask and over 2 in another likely brings it to only 5 full years, definitely a young spirit. 85/100. In Europe it's bottled as 100° Proof (57.1%), in the US 114° Proof (57%). Interesting for sure. Would I get it again? Probably not, rather would grab another bottle of Springbank 10YO.

Springbank 15YO OB 70cl 46% ABV
Matured in 100% Sherry casks
Time code 14/11/24



Color: dark amber.
Nose: sweet cherries, glossy paper, figs, celery stalk, caramel, resin, clove, peat, smoke, lacquer, rubber, prunes, chocolate, mint, iodine, engine oil, tobacco, oranges, a touch of sulphur, damp oak, hay, almonds, pears, papaya, sardines in oil. Complex and funky. I would say it feels a bit oversherried, but it is still very impressive.
Taste: red currants, caramel, peat, orange zest, strawberries, liquorice, lemons, oiliness, a bit of pepper, black tea, cranberries, lychees, clove. Chewy and delicious.
Finish: pears, tea, pepper, salt, mint, green apples, cocoa, peat, chocolate, coffee liqueur. Quite lasting.
Score: 9. Between good and excellent. +2+2+2.

Conclusion: wonderful malt! Last time I tried it was back in 2010, and then my score was lower, as with the 10YO. Did they improve over the years, or am I just trying to justify these days' ridiculously high prices? I really like this 15YO! Speaking of price, £75 per bottle as listed on the distillery's site is not that high. However, this year the lowest I have seen in US retail was $160, with a few offerings at $250. The demand for Springbank is huge, and many people still use their bottles as investment opportunities. Stop doing this, buy and drink now! I do have some minor complaints about the aroma of this malt, and I prefer the recent 10YO in this aspect. Overall, the 15YO feels somewhat on the heavier side, but its taste and aftertaste are awesome. You don't even need extra ABV. 89/100.

Kilkerran 13YO Cadenhead's 75cl 46% ABV
Original Collection series
Distilled 2011, bottled 2025
Matured in Bourbon & Ruby Port (since 2020) casks
Time code 23/01/25



Color: amber with a pinkish tint.
Nose: plums, pine needles, eraser, apricots, damp oak, tobacco, figs, allspice, cinnamon, rose petals, cherries, creamy ice cream, sea breeze, baked apples, almonds, sunflower seeds, honey, strawberries, vanilla, smoke, ash, forest floor. Absolutely stunning, berry-forward and utterly expressive!
Taste: red currants, apples, honey, iodine, chocolate-covered cherries, rhubarb, pepper, strawberries, lemon zest, creamy ice cream. Delicious, yet quite sweet.
Finish: honey, strawberries, pepper, chocolate, fruity chewing gum, creamy ice cream, a touch of rowanberries.
Score: 8 ¾. Better than good. +3+1+1.

Conclusion: what a divine sniffing malt! The port casks used for extended maturation were quite active, bringing a treasure trove of vivid notes. Alas, it is a predictably sweet whisky, and I don't feel the urge to experiment with water at only 46 percent ABV. 88/100. My first non-OB Kilkerran tasted, and just my second indie malt from the Campbeltown region. By the way, Cadenhead's remains the only independent bottler allowed to use the Kilkerran name.

Ardnahoe Infinite Loch NAS OB 70cl 50% ABV
Matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks
Time code 25/01/04



Color: golden.
Nose: smoke, damp newspaper, dill, cucumbers, roasted nuts, mint, kurabiye cookies, a bit of lacquer, spruce needles, duct tape, dried squid, lemons, peat, marzipan, seaweed, ash, pears, apples, tar.
Taste: smoky and oily, with salt, lemons, pepper, a lot of honey, apples, pears, seaweed, and grapefruits. Somewhat sweet.
Finish: smoky and oily, with honey, pepper, salt, dark chocolate, herbs, and lemons.
Score: 8 ½. Good. +2+1+1.

Conclusion: I like this whisky from the new Ardnahoe distillery, opened in 2019. It hits a lot of great Islay notes despite its obviously young age. I would definitely like to get more of these Ardnahoes. This one feels more like Caol Ila, which is totally fine. No one is going to complain about a new Caol Ila showing up on Islay. But I need to try other bottlings as they become available. 84/100. This is the 115th Scottish distillery whose single malts I've tasted.

P.S. The distillery note says all casks were first-fill, though there is no indication of this on the label or box.

Timorous Beastie Highland Blended Malt NAS Douglas Laing 70cl 46.8% ABV
Small Batch Release series
Batch 22
Time code 08.02.21



Color: very pale yellow.
Nose: apples, turkish delight, black peppercorns, gooseberries, soap, a touch of sulphur, boiled potatoes, chocolate, pencil shavings, meadow flowers, hay, vanilla, juniper, herbs.
Taste: apples, vanilla fudge, pears, lemons, licorice, pepper, chocolate, and raspberries.
Finish: raspberries, cranberries, apples, lemons, pepper, chocolate, cinnamon, and licorice.
Score: 8. Between okay and good. =0+1+1.

Conclusion: the aroma is somewhat disappointing, but the taste and finish are quite decent. The sudden appearance of berry notes is a pleasant surprise. Still, this is a rather weak whisky, only marginally better than The Epicurean. 81/100. Timorous Beastie takes its name from Robert Burns' poem To a Mouse and includes single malts from, among others, Glen Garioch, Dalmore, and Glengoyne distilleries.

Auchentoshan 16YO Lady of the Glen 5cl 55.7% ABV
Lady of the Glen Tasting Set
Distilled October 31, 2007; bottled July 2, 2024
Matured in a refill hogshead and finished in a first fill ex-Ruby Port cask for 17 months
Cask no. 4204



Color: amber with a reddish hue.
Nose: cherries, raspberries, strawberries, damp oak cask, plums, heather, nougat, baked apples, honey cake, and cinnamon. Wonderful!
Taste: cherries, rowanberries, strawberry jam, plums, a hint of pepper, oak cask, chocolate, cinnamon, blackcurrants, and mint. Quite smooth.
Finish: chocolate, strawberry jam, pepper, oranges, lemon zest, oak cask, and tobacco.
Score: 8 ½. Good. +2+1+1.

Conclusion: a rather charming aged Auchentoshan, with a very pleasant aroma, but decidedly on the sweet side, with cloying, compote-like moments. The port cask delivered an abundance of sweet berry notes. It would've been interesting to explore it with water, but the bottle size didn’t permit any experiments. 86/100, my best Auchentoshan to date.

( Regular bottle photo... )

Bunnahabhain "Staoisha" 10YO Jewish Whisky Company 75cl 58.9% ABV
Single Cask Nation series
Distilled 10.2013, bottled 08.2024
Finished for 4 years in a 1st fill American Oak PX Sherry hogshead
Cask no. 160416
215 bottles

Color: mahogany.
Nose: smoke, burnt wood, sandalwood, sardines in oil, lacquer, tea, garlic stems, ash, iodine, oatmeal cookies, tires, chocolate, nuts, oilcloth, peat, pine sap, dates, tar, green apples, pears, meadow herbs, caramel, cinnamon. Extremely rich! The empty glass reveals some metallic notes.
Taste: smoky and oily, with some iodine, pears, plums, green apples, chocolate, a bit of spice, pomegranate seeds, cherries, lime zest, and salt. Smoky and somewhat sweet, though with very pleasant and refreshing sour waves. The salt shines too. Drinks magnificently!
Finish: oily, smoked fish, salt, cranberries, pepper, iodine, peat, lime zest, herbs, green apples. Somewhat spicy.
Score: 8 ¾. Better than good. +2+2+1.

Conclusion: a very solid heavily peated Bunna. Surprisingly not insanely sweet, despite spending four years in a Pedro Ximénez hogshead. The youth comes through toward the end, but the malt is still quite impressive. 87/100. This is only my third Bunna labeled as Staoisha, and it's absolutely the best of them!