Whisky Intelligence has reproduced (with permission) The Gauntleys Whisky Newsletter for August 2008. The author, Chris Goodrum, has some excellent insights into the whiskies being commented on which makes for excellent reading on a Sunday.  Enjoy!

Dear Whisky Customers,

NEW RELEASES FROM DUNCAN TAYLOR

Just to prove I have tasted some whisky this month!

Bunnahabhain 1970 (38 year old) 40.3% £139.95 Cask 4073
My god this is fruity! Buckets and buckets of pure Seville orange, lime, lemon, tangerine, kumquat, mature honey and a touch of menthol. Amazingly fresh for its age with developing mature vanilla/ butter, cut dried grass, hay and fresh barley. The palate is very much like the nose. The oak is a little bit more forward and finally there is a touch of salinity (I would guess this cask has spent a number of years maturing on the mainland). Amazingly oily and luscious. The finish is pure citrus. Ideally I would drink it neat as water doesn’t do a lot for it, maybe emphasising the oak and mature honey, but subduing the palate too much for my liking. Absolutely stunning!

Bowmore 1982 (25 year old) 54.2% £88.95 Cask 85033
A very saline beginning followed by an intensity of medicinal bog myrtle, camphor, iodine, rubber, soot, honey, vanilla and earth. There is a delightful, delicate peat background and a superb depth of all things rubbery and fishy. I love it! The aromas are very robust and have an amazing purity. On the palate it is again salty, but it’s actually very fruity. The peat smoke is quiet dry and gentle and there is initially quiet a bit of wood tannins evident. It’s considerably more mellow than the nose would at first suggest. Superb length with a very herbal/ botanical/ seaweed finish.

A drop of water calms the nose down a bit and allows its fruity character to become more apparent, the iodine and rubber notes just float in the background and allow the amazingly fresh citrus orange notes to take centre stage. On the palate it’s all change, the water brings out a sherberty note along with buckets of once hidden cinnamon spices, clove and nutmeg. Still the botanicals hang in there but the peat and soot have gently drifted off. With this dilution I feel it’s now showing its age and delicacy. What an amazing experience, it’s unusual to find a malt that changes so dramatically with a drop of water. You will just have to try it to believe it!

Mosstowie 1975 (33 year old) 48.4% £114.95 Cask 5816
The nose opens with a lovely crisp, earthy barley note followed by orange, liquorice and very intense vanilla oak. It’s ever so slightly spirity initially, but it soon passes as a huge dollop of mature honey arrives. Over time the oak really begins to take over and it becomes very buttery. The palate begins much like the nose with the crisp barley. It’s full of rounded, soft apricot and orange fruit. The alcohol is a bit intrusive as is the oak, however the length is sensational with buckets of gorgeous summer fruits and a slight soupcon of tannins at the death.

Adding a drop of water ramps up the wow factor considerably bringing out the most delightful liquid honey character and soft, dusty, dry spice notes. The palate becomes quiet unctuous again emphasising the spice, however the finish becomes a tad dry. Like the previous bottling (Cask 5811) I reviewed awhile back it has its flaws but I’m quiet happy to accept them as the overall quality is pretty damn good!

Dallas Dhu 1981 (27 year old) 53.7% £93.95 Cask 428
This is another in a long line of excellent casks of Dallas Dhu that they have bottled. The aromas just pronounce it to be a classic Highland. Deep, rich and fruity (squishy yellow fruits – technical term that!) with that lovely hard granity edge. Loads of smooth spices bob just below the surface along with delightfully creamy oak, barley and a slight dunnage note. The palate is unsurprisingly soft and delightfully smooth with squishy yellow fruit, apricot, banana and a slight floral note. It’s exotically oily, yet balanced superbly by the granity hard barley and alcohol. Lovely maturity, and don’t forget the oh so gentle spices!

Adding some water it is orange heaven! Pure Seville orange marmalade freshly shredded too! The oak is a little bit more prominent now and it brings out a lovely barley sweetness on the palate. The length is still awesome. A real classic!

MacDuff 1968 (40 year old) 49.1% £112.95 Cask 8550
Monsterously fruity, with that classic Macduff diesel oil note! Yum! The senses are assaulted by waves of blood orange, tangerine and apricot. Followed by very mature honey, wax, earth and a beguiling violet note. Damn it’s amazing; I could swear it has metamorphosed into an old Glenrothes! It’s fabulous, so deep you can practically loose yourself in it or drown! There is no let up on the palate; it’s intense, oily and fruity. There are buckets of gingery wood spices along with toffee and a hint of diesel oil. The alcohol somewhat dominates the mid palate but it leaves a delightful honeyed/ floral finish. A superbly tart finish with a distinct Bourbon-esque note.

Water makes the nose very floral now and really emphasises the orange fruit and crisp barley. It’s still wonderfully deep and fabulous! The palate becomes a tad watery and cardboardy (maybe I’m being a bit over analytical and critical here!) however there are plenty of oils to compensate. Ok it’s a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde malt, but I’m still going to recommend it, just don’t whatever you do dilute it.
Tamdhu 1968 (40 year old) 40% – Not Stocking Cask 4103
It begins with an intense leafy aromas of fern, bracken, bog myrtle and a touch of menthol, followed by perfumed orange, mature honey, vanilla, a Highland-esque crisp granity note (Yes I know it’s a Spey!) and a slight earthiness. The palate is crisp and granity but balanced by plenty of oils. Quiet floral with orange, barley and a touch of grist. However it all starts to go a bit pear shaped – For such a low abv the alcohol is very intrusive and it develops this odd (not necessarily unpleasant) milky/ lactose note. The finish is very dried out and tannic.

Ok, so not being totally convinced I added a drop of water to see if it would tame the alcohol and oh dear – butter coated cardboard! What a shame.

NEW BOTTLING OF BLADNOCH

Bladnoch 18 year old 55% £47.95
Initially very grassy on the nose – Not freshly cut but old, dried grass, rushes and straw followed by deep, mature orange and lime with hints of honey and caramel. Lovely and rounded with a slight barley note. Dry, gentle and mellow on the palate, the flavours reflect the nose. It’s quiet oily and the alcohol dominates somewhat. A drop of water subdues the alcohol and allows the juicy, delicious fruit to show. Excellent intensity and length with a touch of earth and gin like botanicals. Definitely and old lady!

Well that’s it for another (hopefully) action packed newsletter.

Regards

Chris Goodrum

http://www.gauntley-wine.co.uk/