(60.6%, Dewar Rattray, Sherry, C#2466, 188 Bottles)

A bottling for Liquor Barn & Liquor Depot in the Province of Alberta, Canada (the remainder of the cask was bottled at 25yo and distributed in Europe). On the nose we have buttered peat smoke, coal smoke, sweet light sherry notes in the back ground, bonfires on the beach and hints of gauze. Very nice. The taste is much like the new 5yo Octomore but much smoother despite the similar A.B.V level; pepper, lime, plasticine, peat smoke heavily layered, very strong and one dimensional. The sherry is essentially buried beneath the peat smoke, coconut matting in the back ground. The first mouthful brings smoke and juniper mingled together, gin qualities abound. The finish is like wet matting with a curious back ground of shrimp crisps (very maritime!), cereals, smoke and creosote with little evidence of the promised sherry. No loss, sometimes a peat monster is enough. Quite long, warming.

A very nice Port Ellen.

Priced at C$225

Score: 83 Points

Not a hint of either the years of distillation or bottling other than the 25yo age statement, however despite these mysteries it does not disappoint. On the nose there is Demerara sugar inter mingled with oak, spice and furniture polish. There isn’t a hint of an off note. What a cracker! The taste reveals sweet wine, sherry, raisins, fruit cake and toffee with perhaps the ever slightest hint of smoke? There are also pleasant wood notes; saw dust, cedar and fragrant pine. The finish is very dry and long with a continuation of all of the above however dryness is predominate and once again there are an absence of off notes. A pleasure. Malt at the very end after a number of minutes, a nice surprise.

Priced at C$125 and worth every penny.

Score: 88 Points

Singleton of Glendullan 12yo (40%, OB, 750ml, 2008)

There are several versions of the Singleton; Glen Ord in the Far East (initially Taiwan & Korea), the Singleton of Dufftown in the UK and the Singleton of Glendullan in the USA. The bottle is a greenish blue and is 50% wider than a normal bottle and is flask shaped; thus it stands out quite remarkably on the shelf. Clever.  Now to the actual single malt; spicy wood notes nicely mingled with cereal, heather, vanilla, tea and pine on the nose. Very well balanced and happily lacking any off notes. The taste reveals some more wood notes with a surprising follow of warming smoke and after a minute of contemplation some vivid malt and sweetness. A second taste brings forth the sherry heritage as promised on the label (& bourbon casks too, evidently). The finish is slightly oily with malt, fruit and spicy wood notes.

 A bargain at US$50

 Score: 82 Points

(Official Bottling)

A new bottling from Deanston and I suspect it will be replacing the older version of the 12yo which was bottled at a lower ABV of 40% and sported a cream card board tube with green banding etcetera. A good nose with some spirit and sweetness, very delicate fruit and floral back ground notes. Additionally some spice, something bark like; cinnamon? Actually quite pleasant but simple. Not a bad thing however. On the taste we have some complexity with a very pleasant start that quickly reveals some varnish and tobacco with great warmth in the month; this actually tastes quite strong however it is not over whelming. Later moments of cereal. The finish starts off quite strong and then fades with some grace with the sweetness once again. Butter notes?

All in all a very pleasant single malt that is a significant improvement over the older version of the 12yo 40%. Extremely well priced at £27.50

Score: 76 Points

This exceptional private single cask bottling of Bowmore was specially selected and bottled for the West Coast Whisky Society www.wcws.ca with a very low outturn of 206 bottles from cask # 2058, a 1st Fill Sherry Butt. It’s a great pity that there weren’t more bottles! The nose is redolent with peat smoke, Christmas fruits, slight hints of coffee, immense chocolate and cocoa and faint maritime in the back ground. The typical Bowmore nose is fully evident and is very reminiscent of the current official bottlings (post FWP). The taste is initially sweet followed by a mouth watering dryness and spice. This is followed by some creaminess and fruit, tar and beach (high tide). The finish is long with the dry notes predominating with some very light floral notes lingering in the back ground. The smoke is layered with a trowel and is an excellent addition to this exceptional dram.

Find a bottle if you can! $110 (Canadian Dollars)

Score: 88 Points