Edition Spirits Glengoyne 1996 (20 year old) 60.4%

Bourbon/ Code: EDI0191/ Dist: Apr 1996 Btl: Oct 2016?/ Tasted: Nov 2016

20 years old and over 60% abv? Now that’s impressive! And I have to say, so is the nose. It shows plenty of creamy oak and barley with banana, apricot and a a not too intrusive balsamic note. Intense and tight with dried grass, gooseberry, honey, green apple and cinnamon.

The palate is intense but it doesn’t seem like it’s over 60%. Barley, dried grass, apricot and vanilla oak open the proceedings an there’s not an off note or industrial...

Edition Spirits Blair Athol 1997 (19 year old) 50.7%

Sherry/ Code: EDI0188/ Dist: maj 1997 Btl: Sept 2016?/ Tasted: Oct 2016

Slightly balsamic and treacly on the nose with a lovely, balancing, tart orange note. Aromatic, sherried dried fruit follows with hints of cinnamon and ginger. Wonderfully fresh and vibrant with a touch of barley, prunes and black pepper.

The palate is rich, dark and lightly treacly with crushed berry fruit, malt and sherry spice. Again a lovely citrus note adds balance and a touch of liquorice, stewed apple and raspberry comes through on the middle. Very complex and deep...

Edition Spirits Glen Spey 1990 (25 year old) 53.9%

Bourbon/ Dark Sherry Finish

Code: EDI0184/ Dist: Oct 1990 Btl: Sept 2016?/ Tasted: Oct 2016

A lovely, light and citric nose, which is a bit odd considering it’s been finished in Dark Sherry (whatever that is?). Plenty of lemon zest, malt biscuits and vanilla along with a touch of menthol, grass and mint choc-chip cookies! Aromatic and surprisingly malty with a late hint of roasted hazelnuts, but no sherry that I can see!

Full and elegant with sweet barley, granulated sugar, grass and citrus. It does darken on the middle as...

The First Edition Glen Garioch 1993(?) (20 year old) 58.2%

Bourbon/ Code: EDI0034/ Dist: 1993(?) Btl: Feb 2014/ Tasted: Mar 2014

Dense, dark and malt aromas with treacle, dark spice and dark honey. See the theme? A lithe, refreshing citrus thread runs through it and freshens. Lovely complexity with emerging hints of herbs, earth, liquorice, sawdusty oak, slightly sweet peat and dark chocolate.

The palate is dark, malty and treacly with dark honey and spices. Extremely malty with a balancing citrus note – tangerine and lemon. Very juicy and succulent middle but its still pretty robust, malt and spicy. Good...

Douglas Laing Provenance Glentauchers 2009 (7 year old) 46%...

Edition Spirits Glencadam 1996 (19 year old) 52%...

Hunter Laing Sovereign Strathclyde 1990 (25 year old) 51.7%...

Murray McDavid Benchmark: Tobermory 20 year old 46%...

Wemyss Malt Briny Tangle 1990 (25 year old) 46%

Dist: 1990 Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Sept 2016

Nose: Very mature with hints of treacle, tar and Bowmore-esque parma violets [tasted blind]. A little balsamic coated oxidised fruit and silky malt notes. A gentle waft of cigar ash, wood spice and dry, earthy peat follows.

Palate: Beautifully mature, malty and dusty with treacle, tar, wood spice and a distant echo of peat. Superb salty intensity which builds to a fabulous coastal crescendo on the middle.

Finish: Very long and spicy with oxidised fruit, gentle bittering oak, wood smoke and sweet violet tinged...

Lady of the Glen Auchentoshan 1995 (20 year old) 54.3%

Refill Sherry Barrel 654/ Dist: Dec 1995 Btl: maj 2016/ Tasted: Sept 2016

Nose: Fragrant, summer barley with a touch of dried grass. It has a very noticeable alcohol prickle but the late arrival of white fruits, honey, dunnage and vanilla oak add balance. Water makes it feel older.

Palate: Soft and full with a lovely barley sheen and mouth-watering citrus notes. Hints of rose oil, herbs, vanilla and spice come through on the middle. Water emphasises the oils and brings out an unfortunate old cardboard note.

Finish: Neat it...

Lombard Single Malt Springbank 1965 (25 year old?) 46%

Tasted: Sept 2016

Nose: Mature, gritty sherrywood, moist, dried prune, raisin and malt with hints of fish oils, salt and a sliver of decadently creamy vanilla oak. Late notes of cedar, cigar smoke, coffee, tar and incense.

Palate: Full of robust, typical Campbeltown gritty Oloroso character. Prune, raisin, walnut, coffee with hints of peat, fish and violets. Stunningly deep and mature with hints of sweeter spice coated orange.

Finish: Utterly majestic with lingering Armagnac-esque dried fruit, violets and chocolaty tannins.

Conclusion: This can only come from one distillery in Scotland. Totally...

Ballaglass Blended Scotch Whisky 40%

Tasted: Sept 2016

Nose: Plenty of almost saline fresh grain with some sweet, dried fruit underpinning. A touch of estery apricot and banana follows along with sweet vanilla, toffee and herbal rye-like notes.

Palate: Opens with the lightly oiled but spicy grain with the malt coming through on the middle. Subtly oaked with hints of barley, but the grain is the dominating factor.

Finish: Long and grainy with a touch of coffee and sweet grain notes.

Conclusion: It feels like a grain heavy blend which has a lovely vibrancy and just enough malt character to...

Dalriada Blended Scotch 40%...

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Glen Moray 1992 (24 year old?) 49.8%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: 1992 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Sept 2016

Wonderfully dusty and mature aromas with thick acacia honey and hints of tangerine, melon, gooseberry, straw and gentle oak. Deep and generously endowed with late manuka honey and cigar leaf notes.

The palate is lighter with more refreshing citrus and minerals to the fore. The dusty, mature oak and barley follows on the middle along with a touch of honey and white chocolate. Stunning finish! Long and juicy with subtle vanilla, straw and a touch of bitter spice...

Dewar Rattray Glen Moray 2007 (8 year old) 60.9%

First Fill Bourbon Barrel 5451/ Dist: Nov 2007 Btl: Jul 2016/ Tasted: Sept 2016

A very fragrant and estery nose with pineapple chunks, melon, banana, apricot, dusty barley and porridge oats. With time a slight botanical character appears along with some rye-like herbs and sweet ‘Bourbony’ oak.

The palate opens with waves of intense, estery fruit found on the nose. The middle is quite mineral and the alcohol masks the finish although some banana and ‘Bourbony’ oak returns once the alcohol has passed.

Water brings forward the oak a touch on...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Dufftown 2009 (7 year old) 46%

Bourbon Hoggy/ Austrian Riesling Finish

Dist: 2009 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Sept 2016

Initially the aromas are heavy on the sweet-ish and petroly Riesling. Fresh white fruit, melon, barley, white liquorice, sweet vanilla and toffee follow as it settles down. There is a light industrial note beneath but there are plenty of other characteristics to balance.

The palate opens with a little more of the harder barley notes but again the wine finish softens. Hints of barley, grass and crisp citrus come through and lead into a slightly floral middle. Hang...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Glen Ord 2009 (7 year old) 46%...

Edition Spirits Kill Devil Fijian Rum 2002 (14 year old) 46%

South Pacific Distillery

Code: RUM0037/ Dist: Feb 2002 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Aug 2016

Extremely pungent and herbal nose. Slightly feinty with unsweetened pineapple, oily green banana and almond paste. It becomes slightly manurey with time. Interesting and distinctly natural.

The palate is oily (in a sub-Guyana style) and again slightly feinty. Herbal, but not medicinal with a touch of green banana. There is very little oak character bar a slight vanilla note, so the palate is pretty much all about the crisp spirit. Long and remaining oily with a...

Carn Mor Black Gold Collection North British 1992 (24 year old) 58.3%

First Fill Sherry Hogshead/ Dist: 1992 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: juli 2016

Aromas of raw and intense sherrywood, coffee, treacle, liquorice and dried sherry fruit (raisin and prune). The grain spirit dried fruit notes come through with time as does a touch of smoke, coconut and sweet spice.

The palate is raw and gritty with prune and liquorice. Some dark treacle smoothes the edges and the grainy dried fruit comes through on the middle, along with hints of coffee, smoke and citrus. Long and raisinated with dried grape, sultana...

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Aberlour 1989 (27 year old) 55.1%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: 1989 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: juli 2016

A fragrant and mature nose with a touch of dusty oak and almost mentholated herbal notes. Lovely complexity with hints of barley, dried grape, coconut, lemongrass and a smidge of baked fruit and a sliver of citrus.

The pallet opens with mature barley, vanilla and slightly oxidised fruit. Hints of toffee, coconut come through on the middle with the thread of citrus that the nose displayed. Long and remaining oaky with hints of white and dark chocolate, herbs and...