An independent bottling from the famed Elgin based company Gordon & MacPhail featuring the single malt scotch whisky of a mothballed distillery. The cask(s) were a refill sherry hogshead and bottled at 43%. The nose is both very green and positively reeks of banana skins and not a significant amount of anything else. After a few minutes it becomes sweeter with some sherry notes. With water there are some hints of cask and wet bung cloth, very light sherry and fruit. The taste is at first mildly buttery followed by a sweet meatiness and fruit; pear, apricot, raisins and muted banana. Quite pleasant. With water it’s much as described however the mouth feel is a little more subtle and it has lost the meatiness. The finish is a good mixture of malt and sweet sherry with a back bone of malt, oak and sweetness. Intriguingly a hint of smoke at the very tail end of the finish.

Overall a very nice dram.

Score 82 points.

http://www.gordonandmacphail.com/

Tobermory Distillery

Starting on Monday July 13th Whisky Intelligence will be posting a daily tasting note of  Tobermory single malt scotch whisky from the Isle of Mull including official bottlings and independent bottlings.

For information on the Tobermory Distillery visit them at http://www.tobermorymalt.com/

Tobermory Distillery

A single cask bottling from a refill hogshead by Douglas Laing, the independent bottlers, with the addition of colouring or chill filtration. The nose is quite strong at first with very light aromas of heather, vanilla, oak and malt. Even with some hand warming it remains closed. With the addition of a little water the aromas are very earthy and damp; like wet clay followed by some industrial notes. Additionally it’s very sweet with hints of leather. Quite a varied nose. The taste is both sweet and strong with a secondary layer of green malt, espresso and oak. It quickly becomes very dry and malty. With water it is (it takes quite a bit) both malty and chocolaty. The finish is long and warming with vanilla, malt, dry oak notes and some later stages of green plump malt. The maltiness continues for some time.

Not a hint of smoke anywhere and a very nice dram that certainly likes water which makes it quite delicious..

Score 86 Points

C$115

http://www.douglaslaing.com/

For a long time Ardmore did not have an official bottling however this has now been rectified with the launch of the ‘Traditional Cask’ by the distillery owners a few years ago. It has spent an unspecified amount of time in standard barrels and then “matured for a final period in small 19th century style Quarter Casks’. Both peated and non-chill filtered. The nose very sweet and peated with additional notes of varnish, honey and light malt and ever so slight cut grass. With water it loses the vibrancy and becomes less peated and has a smokey medicinal quality intermingled with a touch of coal smoke. The taste is quite sweet at first and then continues with honey, the cut grass, malt and spicy oak notes. With water is has a syrupy mouth feel and is slightly bitter and coal smokey and slightly sappy. The finish is peaty and very sweet and of a good length and at the very end it changes to peat smoke and malt very well intermingled. After a number of minutes the finish is very dry and filled with coal smoke and malt.

The preference is to sample this whisky without the addition of water; it’s much more vibrant undiluted.

US$45 at Binny’s

Score 80 points
http://www.ardmorewhisky.com/

A single cask bottling for the Isle of Arran distillery; the nose is fragrant and spicy with wood notes, very light tobacco, coffee (espresso) and chocolate. After a time there is a very enjoyable sweetness; Demerara sugar perhaps. A little time in the hand finally brings out the bourbon notes and a heavy sweet dessert wine. Quite lovely. With water biscuity malt pops out followed by very faint leather, tobacco, wood notes yet still quite sweet. Quite an amazing nose. The taste is very strong (not a shock considering 57.5%) and is meaty and chewy plus quite a bit of dry malt and some hints of green notes. With water the picture changes dramatically; sweet, malty and full bodied. Some strong fruit (think of fruit leather) and dark chocolate, brandy and a wood workers shop; dusty and dry. The finish has some later stages of bitterness much akin to bitter almonds and wave upon wave of malt. Wood and then the meatiness once again and finally the bitter almonds. An extraordinarily unusual & complex single malt that takes a large measure of water.

£42 at https://www.lfw.co.uk/

Score 84 points

From the back label “Every year our Distillery Manager inspects all of the casks maturing in our Warehouses on Arran. Using his many years of experience and skill he is searching for casks which have matured exceptionally well over the years. When he has determined which casks have developed the most individual and interesting character, these are prepared as a Single Cask bottling. This high quality limited edition product is then made available for sale with each bottle individually numbered as proof of authenticity. http://www.arranwhisky.com/

An independent bottling of Auchentoshan from Duncan Taylor under their Battlehill line. The nose reveals strong alcohol that can be characteristic of lighter whiskies and green notes; cut grass, dough, very mild damp card board, spice/cedar and malt (think of barley as it comes out of the steeps after an over night soaking). With water it opens up to become a little more malty and sweet. The taste is strong with notes of coffee, malt, banana, pear and citrus. Actually quite vibrant with later development of the malt in chocolaty form. With water it is more approachable and sweeter with malt and fruit, also honey and hints of vanilla. The finish is not overly long with a the banana pear citrus malt smoothie being predominant. After a while the malt takes over. Quite nice for a dram of this youth.

C$90

Score 80 points http://www.duncantaylor.com/products/battlehill.htm

Battlehill Single Malt Scotch Whiskies. Named after the famous 16th century clan battles in our home town of Huntly, Battlehill has been produced as an entry level malt for those consumers wishing to move up from blends. Within the range are our finest 6 to 10 year old single malt whiskies that have been selected for their exceptional characteristics. The range includes whiskies from Imperial, Auchentoshan, and Miltonduff amongst others. The whiskies are bottled at 43% ensuring that they are accessible for all to enjoy. Bottlings available in 700ml & 750ml.

A single malt form a company that does not reveal the distillery of origin however does reveal that it is from Islay on the west coast of Scotland. The nose is medicinal and peated with a layer of honey and spice. Brine and bandages, peat smoke and a hint of peanut butter. Very nice. The taste is immediately of cereal followed by lashings of peat followed by a deep sweetness. The second mouthful was the exact opposite. The finish is long and warming with notes of toast (unbuttered) and dry oak and some slight hints of resin. After a few minutes the finish continues as quite woody followed by loads of peat smoke that is very sweet. Malty peat. Later stages or peat ash. A great dram for the peat heads in a social setting with friends.

£23 at the Whisky Exchange  http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/

Score 86 Points

An official single cask bottling of Tullibardine exclusively for Kensington Wine Mart in Calgary Alberta;

Released in June of 2008 this cask of Tullibardine 1987 matured in a Refill-Sherry Hogshead was bottled exclusively for Kensington Wine Market. 191 bottles were produced by cask No. 632 at a natural strength of 54.6%; approximately 50 still available.

The nose is quite strong and very full of rich fruit cake, heavy sherry, Christmas cake, brown sugar and raisins. Butt heads rejoice. There is also oak and very mild tobacco and just a hint of coffee. The taste is not overly strong and is both sweet and woody with a slight hint of tea and sourness however these last two are very faint. There is also some wood notes, oak, brown sugar, toffee and a slight fizziness in the mouth along with a delicate oily/waxy mouth feel. Dry woody notes, a bit of the tea pops up again. Mild spearmint and a meaty quality. The finish is quite long sweet and dry (very dry to the sides of the mouth), a little one dimensional and at the very end the Tullibardine character of distinct maltiness pops through the sherry over tones.

A great example of a single cask offering from Tullibardine. The overall picture is very sherried and quite so for a refill Hogs Head.

C$185

Score 84 Points

http://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/
http://www.tullibardine.com

An independent bottling from The Coopers Choice (The Vintage Malt Whisky Company) and bottled without chill filtration. The nose reveals is clean with spiced malt (wood notes and malt) with a back ground of light vanilla and honey. With water the nose changes and become very green and sweet (pizza dough and honey) but after a few minutes this changes to become much more sweet. The taste is strong and oily (buttery) with light sherry, tea and oak well integrated. There is also some fruit in the form of apricots, orange zest and fruit cake. Later stages of leather or dark black tea. Very much in the fruity and woody slice of the flavour pie. With water the taste improves quite a bit and the mouth feel is smoothed out and much more pleasant. A nice surprise. The finish is long with malt, dry oak and toffee and is quite pleasant. Not an aggressive whisky that jumps up and grabs you by the throat but most definitely improves with both time and water. After a number of minutes the malt character is quite dramatic and is very pleasant.

Great value for the price; malty and winey.

$C115                      

Score 83 Points

http://www.csnwine.com/

http://www.vintagemaltwhisky.com/product-cooperchoice.html

Released in late 2008 this new variant of Arran is made with peated malt; the original owners of the distillery simply did not believe in peated whiskies and never made a peated whisky. The current owners feel differently. At 4 years old this single malt follows two recent trends; a move towards selling whiskies at a youngish age and of describing them as a work in progress although the later descriptor is my own observation. As a bonus to a rare variant this bottling is also from a single ex American bourbon cask. “The Peated Arran”. The nose is fragrant with heather, sweet wine, mild juniper, sea breeze, malt and peat smoke (also bandages and green cereals). With water there is increased peat smoke characteristics and a dramatic jump in the green notes; sweet cut grass, muesli and fresh hay and tea/leather however neatly integrated is vanilla and honey. The taste is strong revealing peated malt in spades with a hint of varnish followed by crisp dry clean malt with a cut grass ending. With water warm oily sweet notes are in the foreground to start followed by a gentle peat smoke delivery and then good malt. This is very nice with loads of character; no a boring dram and no signs of any problems (no off notes). The finish is quite long and is of light peat smoke, vibrant crisp clean malt and at the very end more peat smoke and bitter tea/wood/oak.

It speaks well of Isle of Arran Distillery that such a young whisky has so much character and a lack of off notes.

Score 85 Points

£42 at Loch Fyne Whiskies http://www.lfw.co.uk/

Happy Canada Day!