Springbank NAS (46%, OB, “CV”, +/-2010)

From the website; Springbank CV is the product of a variety of different cask types and sizes, all specially selected by Director of Production Frank McHardy and Distillery Manager Stuart Robertson. Frank and Stuart’s years of experience allowed them to choose a range of casks, every one complementing the other to ensure a great whisky with lots of flavour and the classic Springbank style. What does CV mean? Chairman’s Vat? Curriculum vitae? Cuvee of Vintages? It means whatever you want it to mean, enjoying the whisky is the most important thing.

The nose is mildly green and very peppery at first, this soon settles down to reveal some fruit (banana, tinned fruit cocktail) along with some sherry notes however the green and pepper notes are still present. Very light hints of sweet smoke, at first but this increases over time and fragrant heather and/or roses. A pleasant collection of aromas but where is Springbank? MIA. The taste is mild at first contact but it soon builds into a mouth warming, sweet peated whisky that is actually complemented by the green, the pepper and the fruit and sherry. AHA! Springbank has finally arrived with some smoke, now things are moving along. Buckets of sweet smoke with the first gulp.  The finish is warming, mouth filling with some good typical Springbank moments. Sweetness, some malt and hints of smoke as well as the ever present green notes (which gives it some bite) and the pepper. The finish is very long, consistent and active.

Very nice and well priced.

£29 at Loch Fyne Whiskies

Score 83 points

http://www.springbankwhisky.com/springbank/

Glenturret 17yo 1990/2007 (40%, G&M ‘MacPhail’s Collection’)

A final Glenturret for the week and an independent bottling form Gordon & MacPhail (from a refill sherry hogshead). The nose is sweet and sour (honey and something mildly industrial) along with some malt and then something akin to mint and sea breeze (oddly).  With some time in the glass it improves and the mildly industrial notes fade away (thankfully). Also slightly peppery and white wine along with some syrupy notes. The taste is good, malty and flavorful; this is a pleasant surprise after the industrial notes on the aroma. There is also the grape fruit noted in the 8yo, more malt, quite dry in the mouth, slightly floral and quite oaky. The finish is sweet at first and then the dry oak, some really good malt moments and the dry white wine. The dryness theme continues for quite a while until all that is left is some really good malt moments and even hints of cocoa.

http://www.gordonandmacphail.com/

+/- $75

78 Points

Glenturret 8yo (40%, OB, +/- 2009)

A minor expansion of the Glenturret recent official bottlings (the others being the 10yo 40% and the 14yo cask strength 59.7% at £87.50!). The nose is fruity, malt and gently honeyed with some mildly aggressive pungent notes in the back ground (think of grape fruit & leather). Black pepper. There are also some hints of varnish, heather and lightly burnt cake. Moments that are good and moments that are challenging. The taste is surprisingly assertive at first, the grape fruit & leather quickly followed by the heather, honey, malt and the oaky notes. Uncomplicated but good which is a bit of a relief after the close call on the nose. The finish is malty and honeyed with some of the black pepper smacking the taste buds around. A bit of a rough edge which is good, you know you’ve had a dram. The finish is quite pleasant with none of the challenging moments in the nose.

Improves from start to finish; the taste and finish are good.

£27.50 at Loch Fyne Whiskies

Score 80 points

Glenglassaugh 21yo (43%, OB, +/-2009)

Hand bottled at the distillery and is winning award after award. The nose is pleasantly sherried; rich Christmas fruit cake, delicate apricots and pear, marmalade, warmed Demerara sugar along with spicy oak notes. All in all a sensational collection of aromas that work very well together. The taste is on the dry side and still fruity but the oak spice and associated flavours are dominate and very good. After a moment the sweetness from the sherry comes to the fore, all very nice. Warming, sherried but still some nice dryness.  The finish quite oaked, dark unsweetened chocolate and oak spice, cold tea (no milk or sugar please!) and then the sherry comes back after a few minutes. Quite sensational. After some more time the finish continues but is very delicate but does not collapse. Fragrant moments; light.

A really enjoyable dram and well deserving of the recent awards.

C$260

Score 88 points

Springbank 21yo (46%, OB, Late 1990’s bottling, tall bottle with ‘ruffled label’)

This was being kept for a future tasting, however the cork was failing and the neck level was starting to fall. There was only one option; open it and share with friends, quickly! The nose is beautiful, dark dried fruits, sweetness, hints of leather and clove followed by hints of old musical instruments, raisins. This is really nice.  It’s not overly complicated but what there is of it is sensational. The taste is warming, sweet, sherried followed the fruit and then the dry oakiness and the wood spice plus hints of cocoa, leather and cured but unlit tobacco. Wood working shop, shavings and Oolong tea. The finish is warming dry and filled with head swirling aromas. Then a brilliant moment of the sweetness and more of the bourbon like perfection. If memory serves this is much like the old bottling of Aberlour 1976 from a bourbon cask. If memory is not correct it’s still brilliant either way. This sample was not spit out but swallowed with gusto even though it’s yet noon. To do other wise would be unthinkable.

Score 92 points

£299 at the Whisky Exchange

Ardbeg 14yo 1994/2008 (55.3%, MMcD Mission, Bourbon, 270 Bts.)

A bottling that escaped finishing. The nose is of peat smoke, pears (warmed), juniper, burnt twigs, mildly vegetal, some malt dust, oats/porridge (cooked) and bourbon (vanilla & oak spice). A very good nose; perhaps this is why it escaped finishing. With water a bit more of the juniper pops out and a little less of the peat smoke which is a shame. The taste is warming and gently peated at first whit some dark chocolate and then the some of the burnt twigs and vegetal notes but then a huge dry peaty taste comes roaring out of the back ground. Very nice indeed. Loads of peat here but it has the good manners to bring along other flavours and this only enhances the taste which is very good. With a good dollop of water it is much tamed but still good, don’t add too much. However, don’t despair, if you do, you can always add a bit more whisky to correct the mistake. The finish is malty and peated which quickly becomes oily dry, very mouth coating and big but quickly changes to gentle and consistent. Prawn chips (the ones you find in Chinese restaurants) It is very long (like a Toyota on a long and straight highway; unlikely to stop) and persistent and reflects the nose and taste.

Bravo, what an excellent Ardbeg.

C$93

Score 89 points.

(Sample Bottle)

BenRiach 15yo 1994/2009 (57.1%, OB, for Kensington, Madeira HHD, C#4810, 250 Bts.)

Some people start to experience breathing difficulties when the term ‘finished’ is mentioned in relation to scotch whiskies. If you’re such a person, it’s time to strap on the oxygen mask because here’s an example of a finished whisky. This one strikes all the bells in the tower; single cask, cask strength, non chill filtered, natural color, Madeira finish and bottled exclusively for Kensington Wine Market in Calgary, Alberta Canada.

The first sniff (nose) into the top of the glass reveals some strength and a very slight sourness (like sour cherries) and then a rich sweetness comes roiling up for the depths of the glass. Thick of warm fruit in the bowl, sun dried raisins, brown sugar followed by some malt and then moments of something dark and even richer, earthy, slightly over cooked (reduced not burnt) marmalade and the slight hints of sour cherries. Simply put a stunningly good collection of aromas. With water the aromas become slightly less fruity and more earthy/malty/woody but the rich fruit is still very much in evidence. The taste is once again rich and much like the undiluted aromas, rich concentrated fruits and now some leather and tobacco enter into the fray roiling around in the mouth; after a moment or tow it becomes almost creamy. Excellent. With water the taste is much gentler with loads of the fruit, malt and the earthy notes. The finish is malty, dry and oaky with the afore mentioned fruit and some of the leather and tobacco. It is very long, warming and quite good. After a number of minutes raisins and malt are still present.

Try it neat for nosing and with water for drinking but quite simply any combination works. Finishing can work… Another excellent pick from the Kensington team. Well done Andrew.

C$110

Score 88 points

Macallan 17yo (43%, OB, ‘Fine Oak’, +/-2010

This is the newer version with the ‘two tone’ label’ white upper and mauve lower, the back label describes it as ‘triple cask matured in a unique, complex combination of exceptional oak casks; European oak casks seasoned with sherry, American oak casks seasoned with sherry and American oak casks seasoned with bourbon.”

The nose is fragrant and honeyed at first, delicately, followed fruit and malt. There’s also a significant amount of sherry and it’s very good. Spicy oak also makes and appearance along with hints of bees wax; it’s a really fine collection of aromas that are in harmony. The taste sweet (sherried) along with the malt and then the oak spice and smooth, gentle but not docile; it’s much like the nose but very good. This is brilliant whisky. The dryness and hints of Fry’s cocoa powder are really good. The finish is dry at first followed by more of the cocoa and hints of leather and cured but unlit tobacco. More spice, very active and very good. Sherry and spice. Very long, warming and pleasant. After a few minutes a dry sweetness develops and is in a steady holding pattern for quite a while. Never an off note…

What a very nice dram. Fine Oak indeed; worth a try once again, things have changed.

C$115

Score 88 points.

(Sample kindly provided by Macallan ambassador J. Wheelock)

Glenturret 10yo (40%, OB, +/- 2009)

From the home of the Famous Grouse experience. Considering that this particular bottle was not bought in Greece but in North America the fact that the back label is in Greek is a bit of a surprise. Such is international trade. None the less it’s was in the bottle that counts. The nose is of hessian, tinned fruit cocktail, malt and then ‘poof!’, the hessian is gone but there is now some grape fruit and slight hints of juniper along with pizza dough and green peas. The taste is malty, fruity and much, much better than pervious samples to be honest. This is a pleasant scotch whisky without a huge amount of bells and whistles. Black pepper. Spice. It’s good without being over the top is any regard. The finish is warming, slightly Oxo like, malty and hints of milk solids but this quickly dissipates and you’re left with fruit and malt. It’s also warming, quite dry, oaky and reasonably long.

Much improved and one to share with friends by the fire. Odds are it would be much better at 46% without chill filtration.

$60

Score 79 points

Doesn’t seem to have a website…..

Glen Elgin 16yo (58.5%, OB, 9000 Bts, +/-2008)

A bit of a rarity; an official bottling from Glen Elgin and also at a higher strength of 58.5%.  The undiluted nose is sharp at first but then shows mild citrus, honey, bees wax, hints of pine resin, some slight hints of malt and oak spice. It’s pleasant. As it spends more time in the glass it opens up further. With water the nose changes considerably and becomes meaty with hints of Bovril followed by some fruit (Lychee) but the Bovril/maltiness remains in the back ground. The undiluted taste is strong, resin-y, fruity with a solid firm back ground plus some good sweetness and then the Bovril which upsets the apple cart some what. Some honey saves the day however. The diluted taste is meaty, sweet and fruity. Very much unlike the undiluted sample. Hints of the Bovril in the back ground. It unclear if the Bovril is helping or hindering. The finish shows malt and a creaminess that is quite pleasant, long and warming at first but then some unhappy bitter notes creep into the picture.

All in all mildly confused; some good, some challenging moments.

£55 at the Whisky Exchange London http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/

Score 80 points