The Lakes Distillery Gin 40%

100% English Wheat

Distilled with 14 botanicals (6 native to Cumbria) Cumbrian Juniper, Meadowsweet, Bilberry, Heather, Hawthorn, Mint, Cassia Bark, Coriander

Tasted: Feb 2015

The aromas are soft and slightly wheaty. There is definitely more spirit character than botanical character, but some subtle, soft juniper is evident along with heather, spice, cassia bark and some sweet floral notes which must be the meadowsweet. Quite crisp and clean.

The palate is soft and creamy and like the nose, displaying more wheaty spirit character than botanicals. Hints of lemon, juniper, flowers, cassia bark and ginger come through....

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Tamnavulin 1993 (21 year old) 50%...

Cognac Tiffon – Chateau de Triac, Reserve de la Famille 40%...

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Tomatin 1994 (20 year old) 50%

Bourbon/ Code: OMC2452/ Dist: Oct 1994 Btl: Jan 2015/ Tasted: Feb 2015

Dusty and spicy, nutmeg and ginger with hints of honey, melon, granulated sugar and sawdusty oak. The aromas freshen with time as hints of lime and green apple come through.

The creamy vanilla oak on the palate blunts the fruitiness of the nose, but there still a touch of melon, honey and lightly herbal spice. The spice really kicks in on the finish although it’s a tad on the dry side. The oak has overwhelmed the spirit...

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Macduff 2008 (6 year old) 46%...

A.D Rattray Glendullan 2000 (14 year old) 54.6%

Bourbon, re-racked into Sherry/ Cask: 9417/ Dist: 2010 Btl: 2015/ Tasted: Feb 2015

A nose of chunky, coffee’d sherry with plenty of herbal notes which display a light juniper edge. The sherry isn’t too overblown and it allows hints of white fruit and dusty barley to appear.

The palate is soft, opening with coffee-caramel and barley. It has a gentle sherry sweetness along with a touch of earth and developing tannins. Good length with the alcohol masking the finish a little but the lightly mentholated coffee lingering.

With water the nose becomes...

Arbikie Highland Estate Potato Vodka 43%...

Maverick Drinks Reference Series I 47.5%

Tasted: Dec 2014

Nose: Gorgeously tropical with squish banana, pineapple, cantaloupe and gala melon. Gently honeyed with some dusty, mature oak. With time some light grain notes appear along with hints of toffee. Water makes it more oiler and mutes the tropical fruit while emphasising the barley and herbal grain

Palate: Less tropical than the nose with more barley character. Quite intense and mineral with the alcohol masking. Dilution makes it watery and unfocused.

Finish: Long and spicy with hints of chilli pepper and coriander along with the lightly herbal grain nibbling.

Conclusion: A...

Tullamore DEW Original 40%

Tasted: Dec 2014

Nose: Dusty barley and apricot with plenty of herbal grain aromas. Hints of coffee and a developing green fruit note appear.

Palate: Soft and barley led with hints of fleshy apricot, mango and vanilla. A touch of unsweetened honey and some edgy grain notes come through on the middle.

Finish: Good Length with lingering spice and green fruit notes.

Conclusion: , A pleasant blend with the nose showing a little more complexity than the palate.

Tullamore DEW 12 year old Special Reserve 40%

Tasted: Dec 2014

Nose: Oily, dried fruit grain with hints...

Master of Malt 10 year old Blended Whisky 47.5%...

Wemyss Velvet Fig 46%...

Glen Talloch 40%...

Waldviertler Whisky Original Rye Whisky J.H 46%

60% Unmated Rye & 40% Malted Barley

Tasted: Dec 2014

Nose: Plenty of Armagnac-esque dried fruit and violets to begin with. Dark honey coated prune, raisin and sugar coated herbs follow. The aromas are a little raw at the edges but with time hints of warm vanilla and grainy coffee appear.

Palate: Edgy and a lot rawer than the nose. It has an Armagnac-like Baco 22a foxiness and no shortage of herbal marc-like notes. Very intense and surprisingly alcoholic!

Finish. Long and mouth-watering with the herbal marc-like notes lingering.

Conclusion: Is this whisky?...

Lark Distillery Port Matured, Single Cask, Cask Strength 58%

Tasted: Dec 2014

Nose: Dense aromas of very clean herbal sherry with dried orange, sultana and an almost sherry-like herbal intensity. Hints of over stewed tea, toffee, dusty/ powdered sweet spice along with a late vanilla note.

Palate: Lightly oiled and very soft. Quite figgy and raisinated with plenty of clean, dry sherry notes. The dusty spices build on the middle as the alcohol powers through.

Finish: Long and juicy with a chocolate malt and herbal rye-like finish.

Conclusion: For 58% it’s very easy to drink neat, although the finish is...

Starward Wine Cask Edition 1 41%

Matured in re-coopered 100lt and 200ltr ex-Australian Shiraz casks

Tasted: Dec 2014

Nose: Aromas of boiled sweet sherry with loads of toffee and almost sweet corn notes. A hint of malt but it’s predominantly oak.

Palate: Very sweet and flabby. Almost liqueur-like in its sweetness with oily vanilla and buckets of sweet toffee.

Finish: Medium length with the alcohol attempting to freshen but ultimately failing.

Conclusion: Sherry and first fill American? Far too sweet. All oak and no trousers.

Starwood Apera Cask 43%

Matured in Apera (Australian style sherry) casks

Tasted: Dec 2014

Nose:...

Hellyers Road Distillery 12 year old French Oak Cask 46.2%

Tasted: Dec 2014

Nose: Youthful, oily and estery (green banana). Lightly straw marc-like notes mingle with some solid, underlying toffee’d oak. With time the herbal notes emerge along with a touch of barley and citrus.

Palate: Young and estery – banana and pineapple chunks along with chunky toffee’d oak and hints of herbs. Piquant alcohol freshens but the toffee becomes sweeter and more dominant.

Finish: Long and toffee’d with the herbal notes and alcohol just about balancing.

Conclusion: A little chunky perhaps and majbe lacking a little elegance and maturity...

Limeburners Single Cask Peated 48%

Bourbon Cask M59 (2 years old)

Nose: Broad, aromatic and juicy with a bright barley character. Hints of earth, manure, peat, tobacco, hops and herbal rye-like notes appear. Late touch of vanilla oak.

Palate: Full and barley’d but quite herbal. The oak is a little more dominant and the toffee takes the edge off the spirit but the alcohol counters. Lovely body.

Finish: Long and mouth-watering with a touch of honey joining the barley and lingering herbal notes.

Conclusion: A lovely, vibrant malt.

Limeburners Single Cask 61%

American Oak Sherry Cask M97 (3 years old)...

Czysta de Luxe Pure 40%...

Viche Pitia Classic 40%

Dark Rye Bread

Tasted: Dec 2014

Nose: Pungent and straw-like aromas. Raw and a little green with quite a heavy buscuity/ shredded wheat note.

Palate: Light and oily with hints of buscuits, nuts and a touch of camomile?

Finish: Medium length with the buscuity notes lingering?

Conclusion: A good spirit but the flavouring was far too subtle for the ‘flavoured’ category. Mind is the world ready for Shredded Wheat flavoured vodka? – majbe! (Actually it was Dark Rye Bread)

Viche Pitia Caraway 58%

Tasted: Dec 2013

Nose: Quite creamy and intense, liquorice and aniseed with hints...

AK-47 Vodka 40%

Tasted: Oct 2014

Nose: Lightly oiled with plenty of barley and whisky-like notes. With time a touch of smoke emerges.

Palate: Soft and lightly creamy with a touch of barley and smoke.

Finish: medium length with a slightly peppery finish.

Conclusion: Distinctly average.

AK-47 Vodka 40%

Re-Tasted: Dec 2014

Nose: Quite broad and oily aromas with a light vanilla note along with hints of nuts. With time it becomes a little perfumed.

Palate: Full and soft. Gently oily with some sweet vanilla and a hint of nuts.

Finish: Good length with a light spicy bite in the...