Mortlach 16 - Scott's Selection

Mortlach 16 yrs, 1990-2007, 56%

Color: Chenin Blanc.
Nose: Red fruits and berries, smoky tones as well, dry leaves of green bushes... (sorry I'm Dutch...) this is going to be something very nice... on the nose that is. Earth and smoke, slightly medicinal...
Taste: Fruity, smoky and quite peppery. Some seasalt comes in, in the middle, the spirit becomes dryer, softer, some caramels, expensive chocolates, deliciouss!
Aftertaste: Dark dried fruits, berries, sweet like candy, quite a short finish... Pleasant anyway!
Score: 92.
Remarks: Mortlach is one of my favorites... This one get's quite close to the Port Finish...

Benriach Arumaticus Famosus - OB

Benriach Arumaticus Famosus, Original Bottling, 12 yrs, 46%

Color: Light gold.
Nose: Ammonia, sweet, vanilla, some seasalt. candy.
Taste: Soft and sweet with marshmellows.
Aftertaste: Very flat aftertaste on some very strange notes... what is it... is this whisky? I think Benriach has "overdone" it with this one... Match it up against the Benriach Curiositas (which I gave 95 points once) and that on is much bigger, that ones leaves a signature behind... Was it my taste at that very moment or is this Benriach really dreadfull? So flat without any particular note on the palate... Show me I'm wrong, please!
Score: 65.

Bladnoch 15 - Cows label

Bladnoch 15 yrs, OB, miniature Cows-label, 55%

Color: Sweet white whine.
Nose: Wet rocks, some peat dripped in here as well. Heather again (typical for Bladnochs? or am I typical?) I'm getting some Port-like notes... What barrel was used for this? Quite peppery on the nose, don't stay to lang with your nose in that glass, plastics, rubbers..., some flowers in there as well. Very particular nose. But nice. Like meeting your best family if this is your like...
Taste: Develops on something peppery and dry. Gets dryer and dryer with roses and sweet tannines of bitter chocolate. Quite nice! A real surprise after the nose. I learned already that Bladnoch makes quite exceptional whiskies... this one is surely a good buy. Will it be still available? Raymond Armstrong (the manager) slipped this bottle in my pocket and told me: "This is one to enjoy for yourself", so who knows?
Aftertaste: Same development, but gets dryer more quickly. A sudden death is constructed with some rose-leaves and bitterness. Very nice Bladnoch, again!
Score: 91.
Remarks: Raymond..., I would love to taste this one at 18 or 21 yrs! Is it available?

Bladnoch 13 - OB

Bladnoch 13 yrs, Original Bottling, 46%

Color: Light gold.
Nose: Heather, sweet honey, some smoke in the back, sweet berries.
Taste: Sets of with quite a peppery start, growing bigger every second... black pepper so quite softer than normally... Develops on sweet-sour notes. The wood struggles to get come closer. it's being pushed away by some sour-notes... bit rubberu with some very strange wood-influences. Should try this one a second time... Oh wait... It's the fourth time I try this one... Strange. Quite warm at the end as if the warm sweet berrie stake control at the end. Quite complex this one. But nice!
Aftertaste: Slightly smoky, peppers, heather, honey, leather, gets dry, not to much though, keeps quite warm and satisfying. A mellow glow in the background of an unique Lowland whisky!
Score: 85.

Bladnoch 18 - Bourbon Finish

Bladnoch 18 yrs, Bourbon Finish, 18 yrs, 55%

Color: Light gold.
Nose: More sweet and soft as the 13 yr old... Slightly some wood in the middle, vanilla and quite some soft herbs. Delicate sensations.
Taste: Quite peppery though, soft herbs and pepper, a strange mixture...
Aftertaste: Quit full bodied. Sharp on pepper and a whisper of salt in the back. Gets quite bitter whilst getting closer to the end... which is pretty dominated by chocolate and fudge.
Score: 87.

Bladnoch 6 - OB Sherry Finish

Bladnoch 6 yrs, Sherry Finish, 6 yrs, 56%

Color: Dark brown.
Nose: Quite woody and with a typical sharp bitterness. Sherry notes on the palate as well. Sweet overtones in the back.
Taste: Woody, sherry-notes, dark chocolate, pralines, quite exceptional.
Aftertaste: Warm and sweet with vanilla notes, woody and compact. Quite a sour end to all this beautifull. Finish mostly on old sherry-notes. Was that "old" really necessary?
Score: 89.

Bladnoch 6 - OB Lightly peated

Bladnoch 18-20 PPM,
6 yrs, 58.1%

Color: Light white whine.
Nose: Pretty heavy peat. Full and warm, spicy with herbs, something sweet on top of it...
Taste: This Bladnoch is completely like all others... it takes hold off you and won't let go that fast... You try to resist, but it does'nt work. One to discover. Over and over again...
Aftertaste: Soft and very sweet warm peat. Subtle herbs with some honey in the back. Very nice made.
Score: 85.
Remarks: No time to leave yet... Let's stay for a while.

Tullibardine 16 - Daily Dram

Daintier Bull (Tullibardine),
16 yrs, 54.8%

Color: Light yellow.
Nose: Some peppery notes, flowerish, lemonpeels, dusty, glue, a little edge with ammonia.
Taste: Sweet but hot and spicy as well. Not on spices... creamy middle with vanilla and yogurt?
Aftertaste: Medium long, spicy...
Score: 80.
Remarks: A remarkable whisky, no doubt about that.

Kilchoman Optic

Kilchoman Optic, 27-07-2007, 63.5% (50 PPM)

Color: Teawater...?
Nose: I must apologise up front of my language but there's mo better way of telling you this... F**ck, this is really peaty! Nothing like the Port Charlotte, this is great stuff. I'm spilling it on my blouse... what a waste...
Taste: This is how some freshly cut peatreeks taste... Start quite warm and mellow but then develops into something beyond this world. Enter the world of peat! They should print that on the label... just as a warning. All crevasses in your mouth are filled with this raw peat-taste.
Aftertaste: Are you having a gum-infection in your mouth? No, not at all I just took some zips from a glass of Kilchoman. Aftertaste is very short but burny like hell... and that's where this peatmachine came from. No doubt about that!
Score: 85.
Remarks: Not for sale yet. As far as I know...

Miltonduff + Imperial - Daily Dram

Tasting two Daily Dram bottlings in the church:

1) Mille Tonnes D'oeufs (Miltonduff), 8 yrs, 46%

Color: Chenin blanc (white whine).
Nose: Oh, this is just the best I nosed today! Roses and flowers... Give me some more! Reminds me of a great Rosebank... that's good news in my opinion. Let it be for a while they said behind the stand... oh yes I will do that every time I poor this in one of my glasses. (Bought the bottle directly after tasting it... and truly that's the first time around!) Only for the nose you should buy this bottle. Develops on apples, citrusfruits, cactus, melon and apple peel. I think I never nosed such a great whisky... Please: whatever you do... nose this great bottle!
Taste: Soft water with roses. Sparkling. Sweet herbs and spices, and some vanilla in the middle. Teaspoon of pepper in the back. This is great stuff!
Aftertaste: Medium long finish with fresh citruslike herbs and roseleaves...
Score: 95.
Remarks: Not so expensive if you might think. Only 33 euros. I would really like to try this one at cask strength sometime... The score might be even higher I'm guessing...

2nd tasting: Still the same as the above, even a whole week later... Very nice made whisky!
Score: 95.


2) Lime Pair (Imperial), 11 yrs, 46%

Color: Light applejuice.
Nose: Granny Smith's apples, soft and sweet, sour, toilets, dried fruits and some citrus notes.
Taste: Sweet and soft but quite spicy and hot. Really rippes your gums... Sweetness becomes heather.
Aftertaste: Sweet, apples and pears. Citrussy peels all over the place.
Score: 75.

Glenfarclas 41 - Daily Dram

Feral Clangs (Glenfarclas), 41 yrs, 45.7%

Color: Medium gold.
Nose: Vanilla, dried fruits, taste likes a lowlander. Very subtle fruits and herbs.
Taste: Soft and sweet. This can't be a Glenfarclas... where's the dominant Sherry influence? Sorry? It's because it matured on "bourbon" wood? Finally!
Aftertaste: Very fresh from the beginning onwards. No sherry or smoke influences are 'that' necessary to create a great allround whisky.
Score: 85.
Remarks: Unfortunately it costs like 190 euros... Aren't there any cheaper bourbon barrels available for the less fortunate whiskyenthousiasts among us?

North Port 23 - Scott's Selection

North Port, 23 yrs (1980-2004), 58%

Color: Light gold.
Nose: Nettles, dusty like an old book... A brick wall, the smell of a church in winter time. Some feinty hints take control of my eyes... small tears are the result.
Taste: What a nice and heavy start. That looks promising... Peppery notes with great spices. Some heather and honey in the middle as well. Quite soft if I may say so. I never tried this brand before... why didn't I?
Aftertaste: Medium long finish on pepper and honey.
Score: 85.

Rosebank 16 - Gordon & MacPhail

Rosebank GMP, 16 yrs, 54.4%

Color: Dark gold
Nose: Roses, there they are again! Quite a dozen of those... Woody hints as well.
Taste: Quite full with wood and sherry hints. Quite sharp in the middle, not as I am used with Rosebank... strange...! The wood takes a step forwards, too much in my opinion. Where is the flowerish Rosebank gone to?
Aftertaste: Soft, wet cardboard..., slightly salty?
Score: 78.

Rosebank 17 - Clydesdale

Rosebank Clydesdale, 17 yrs, 56.3%

Color: White wine
Nose: Oak and wood, soft herbs, some nice spices.
Taste: Slightly pepper, sweet, vanilla, oaky in the middle. Soft and Light.
Aftertaste: Sweet and soft. Some salt liquorice in there as well... quite long!
Does'nt taste like a Cask Strength to me... more like a very soft and delicate Speysider.
Score: 80.

Whisky in the Church

From now on I am sort of forced to write my blog in English. Mostly because of all the people I know in this great industry. Sharing my thoughts with them is only possible like this... My feelings now go out to Raymond and his wife (owners) of the Bladnoch Distillery. I sent him an e-mail for some brochures of the 13 yrs old, for my club... what I got was a bottle of new make spirit. Something quite unique! (Visit my tasting on July 12 for that please.)



These photo's are taken at the event "Whisky in the Church", a nosing & tasting by invitation of Aad van Zuylen and Jean-Marie Putz only (malt maniacs and true connoisseurs ((like me? Oh yeah!)). I have had a great time in Loosduinen that day and I sincerely hope that next year I'll be part of it again... Perhaps behind your stand Raymond? You know where to find me!

Enjoy my tasting notes of the event...
(they will be published later this week)

Port Charlotte 6 (2001)

PCB 6, 2001, 61,6%, 68,95

Kleur: Lichtgoud
Neus: Aarde, natte rotsen en turf. Wat houtigs in de achtergrond, maar
waar komt dat vandaan? Dit is een jonge whisky... Benzinelucht, een
bezoekje aan het tankstation. Daarna rubber en iets kwark-achtigs.
Smaak: Medicinale tonen en turf voeren de boventoon. Gaat erg diep
alsof je brandende turf in het glas hebt geschonken. Wordt even later zoeter
en zachter. Marshmellows, zwavel en licht zurig.
Afdronk: Nog nooit heb ik vloeibare pure turf mogen proeven... wat een sensatie!
Islay op en top maar met een bijzonder zoet einde met heide, honing en romigheid.
Score: 9.5 uit 10.

Rosebank 15 - Dun Bheagan

Rosebank Dun Bheagan, 15 yrs, 46%, 47,95

Kleur: Goud
Neus: Rozen, bloemig, heide, snufje honing, een natte regenjas.
Smaak: Witte peper, rokerig en droog. Licht fruitig, of zijn het bloemen?
Tikje hard in het midden maar daarna vanilletonen en opnieuw zachte rook.
Afdronk: Zurig maar met rode peper. Vanille, rook en heide. Gepeperde bloemen
geven de afdronk een licht drogend karakter. Eén om van te genieten... vandaag,
morgen en overmorgen... Een absolute reden om Malt Maniac ambities te hebben!
Score: 9.0 uit 10.