Tag: Single Vintage

Bruichladdich: Octomore 9.3

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
Bruichladdich Octomore 09.3

Continue reading “Bruichladdich: Octomore 9.3” →

Nose: Loads of fresh malted barley, milk arrowroot biscuits, along with apple & honey porridge come first up. Then comes the peat - strangely medicinal for an Octomore. There's also hints of wood shavings, and a faint eucalyptus note. Palate: Raw malty spirit, smokey tea, lemon sponge cake, and soggy hay. Loads of smoke - perhaps a little more ashy and tarry than is normal for Octomore. Mouthfeel: Thick and chewy - it coats your mouth and just stays there. Finish: Long, dry, and smokey. The more medicinal notes return, along with a lingering saltiness. The Octomore of Octomore. The…

Would I Drink It Again?

Total Score

Maybe - not sure I'd pay for another bottle though.

Bruichladdich: Octomore 9.1

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
Octomore 09.1

Continue reading “Bruichladdich: Octomore 9.1” →

Nose: Soft, malty, earthy. Weet-bix with creamed honey. A touch of burnt gingerbread. There's smoke lingering, but it's only really in the background. Palate: Lots of vanilla, and big on the malt-biscuit notes as well. A little bit nutty, and thoughts of wet grass in there somewhere too. There's also some floral overtones as it passes to the back of the tongue, and wafts of strong black tea turning into a deeply vegetal smoke. Mouthfeel: Soft, creamy, velvety. Typical Octomore - nearly 60% shouldn't be this soft! Finish: The honey hides, and the malt biscuits are now coated in dark…

Would I Drink It Again?

Total Score

Absolutely - a solid whisky.

Bruichladdich: Islay Barley 2004 – Feis Ile 2010 Bottling

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2004 for Feis Ile 2010

Continue reading “Bruichladdich: Islay Barley 2004 – Feis Ile 2010 Bottling” →

Nose:  Burnt sugar, raisins, dried red berries, vanilla, and burnt fruit cake. Palate:  Both sweet and sour.  Pretty much the same as the nose - definitely heavy on the berries and vanilla.  Also quite a solid malty creaminess enveloping the other flavours. Mouthfeel:  Mid-heavy weight, dry, creamy, with an alcoholic tingle right on the tip of the tongue. Finish:  Pretty long.  Some heat from the higher than average alcohol.  Not as sweet as the palate - some dried cake at the back of the throat.  The finish doesn't last a long time, but the impression the whisky leaves behind lasts…

Would I Drink It Again?

Total Score

Absolutely. This is a stunning whisky made even more desirable by its rarity.

Bruichladdich: Octomore 9.2

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
Bruichladdich Octomore 09.2

Continue reading “Bruichladdich: Octomore 9.2” →

Nose: Rich, smokey, sweet, and dark. Like opening the lid on a barbeque after you've left a rack of lamb glazed with berry jam on the grill for just a touch too long. Jammy (mixed berries), meaty, and a little ashy. Palate: Straight up, this is quite a dark, closed whisky; with ash, meat juice, some cloves, and pepper, being the mainstay on the palate. Add a dash of water though and you get a whole lot of tart raspberries and sour cherries on the palate. The ash turns more earthy and medicinal - going from barbeque to beachside camp…

Would I Drink It Again?

Total Score

Probably - not my favourite Octomore, but still a good whisky.

The Ten #3: Clynelish 2008

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
The Ten Number 3 Clynelish

Continue reading “The Ten #3: Clynelish 2008” →

Nose:  Young sweet malt, fresh cut grass, honeyed oats, and icing sugar. Palate:  Fresh toast, oats, hints of honey, and faintly tropical.  Slightly grassy as well. Mouthfeel:  Dry, slightly warm, mid-weight, quite waxy. Finish:  Short, dry, some slight wood spices, and a bit waxy. Balance: Just about perfect - this whisky is fresh and reasonably light all round, with perhaps just a touch more weight on the tongue than the rest of the whisky would suggest.  A consistent whisky right from the first nosing through to the finish. [divider] The first thing I have to mention about this whisky is…

The Ninja's numbers - A completely subjective score.

Nose
Palate
Mouthfeel
Finish
Balance

Auchroisk 1996 Berry’s Own

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
Auchroisk 1996 Berrys Own

Continue reading “Auchroisk 1996 Berry’s Own” →

Nose:  Very sweet.  Jersey caramels, fairy floss, golden syrup on pancakes, and sugared fruit jelly lollies.  Quite the fairground. Palate:  Vanilla, caramel toffee & caramel fudge, oak spices, nutmeg, and fresh timber.  Surprisingly light on flavour given its ABV. Mouthfeel:  Thick, dry, and warm.  A slight burn on the tip of the tongue that dies off quickly. Finish:  Medium length.  Burnt toffee; dry and slightly bitter.  Hints of salted walnuts, and traces of floral notes after a while. Balance: This whisky a bit all over the shop.  The mouthfeel could be said to match nicely with the nose, but the…

The Ninja's numbers - A completely subjective score.

Nose
Palate
Mouthfeel
Finish
Balance

Glen Grant 1960 Gordon & MacPhail

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
Glen Grant 1960 Gordon MacPhail

Continue reading “Glen Grant 1960 Gordon & MacPhail” →

Nose:  Charred oak, old grapes, celery, and sweet spices.  Quite an unusually sweet nose considering the notes. Palate:  White wine, stewed berries, oak spices, and burnt hot mocha.  Slight traces of fruit lollies and aniseed as it heads to the back of the tongue. Mouthfeel:  Thick and chewy.  Very smooth, and also quite dry.  No burn. Finish:  Dry, very dry.  Grape, and a touch of soot are present; also a slight trace of ethanol - which is a bit odd considering the age. [divider] An earlier release of this bottling got 96 points in Jim Murray's 2014 Bible.  This one…

The Ninja's numbers - A completely subjective score.

I wrote tasting notes for this one a while ago, and never wrote down any marks for it - and at the cost of a bottle of this whisky, I doubt I'll ever drink it again to do so.

The Glenrothes: 1992 Second Edition

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
The Glenrothes 1992 Second Edition

Continue reading “The Glenrothes: 1992 Second Edition” →

Nose:  Fruit lolllies, packham pears, desert spices, vanilla bean, slight hints of fresh coconut. A little bit all over the place, and a small amount of fresh spirit at the back of the nose - surprising given the age of the whisky. Palate:  Candied lemon, poached pears, coconut cream with vanilla essence, traces of milk arrowroot biscuits and mandarin peel, and hints of cinnamon and cloves.  Quite solid, and well balanced - much more so than the nose. Mouthfeel:  A little warm, but no burn.  Reasonably thick, and quite dry - heading towards creamy. Finish:  A long finish on this…

The Ninja's numbers - A completely subjective score.

Nose
Palate
Mouthfeel
Finish