Glen Scotia 2003 Campbeltown Festival 2019 Review

Hi everyone,

After a meet up with some of the lovely people from the Toronto Whisky Society last night, it has come to my attention that I have been slacking in the review department. I’ve had a bunch of cool things I’ve tried and written notes on but just haven’t had the time to actually get around to posting them. You guys deserve better though, so we will continue to soldier through.

This one, I imagine a few people are interested in. Limited edition, cask strength, peated Scotia finished in rum barrels…

 

Glen Scotia 2003 Festival 2019 51.3%

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Coals, creamy vanilla, tropical fruit and dust (specifically the stuff that gets behind the radiator), a little closed.

Water: Opens up a little, more of the rum, more dust and a little perfumed.

Taste: Fresh and fruity, lemon and orange, then more spicy and peaty with ginger, black pepper and a medicinal edge.

Water: Softer, with less spice and peat.

Finish: Long length. More medicinal here with some white sugar and white rum.

For Campbeltown festival 2019, Peated Rum Finish. 15yo. Disappointed with this compared to the 2018 and this is more expensive. The dust isn’t an off note but it’s just a bit too closed off and I couldn’t get it to open up a lot.

71/100

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Review #754

Whisky Network Review #896

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Kilchoman Sauternes Finish, Rum Finish & Machir Bay Cask Strength Reviews

Hi everyone,

Kilchoman have been putting out some new whiskies that I’ve been trying to try as I’m quite a big fan of the distillery and what they put out.

So I’ve got some small batch stuff they released this year for your enjoyment and salivation.

Kilchoman Sauternes Finish 50%

Colour: Yellow-y Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Classically Kilchoman, smoky and sweet, slightly sugary, white sugar, stone fruit, fresh plum, a little funky and sugary candies, Mezcal.

Taste: Mineral arrival, then soft with sea salt and lime, little actual smoke, creamy sweetness, then more minerals come in with lots of smoke.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Peaty and mineral, the smoke really takes over, very little sweetness by this point.

The latest of the Kilchoman small batch releases and unusual in that it’s a finish rather than a full maturation as all the others have been. Nice but doesn't quite pull off the smoke and sweetness together. Here it’s one or the other.

74/100

 

Kilchoman Small Batch Rum Finish 56.2%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Oh so fruity, fresh fruit and peat smoke, kiwi, lime juice and cigarette smoke, PUB LIFE memories, complete with sticky floors, literally smells like a night out. Nougart candy note and banana now too.

Taste: Soft arrival, great transition into white sugar, kiwi, tropical and smoky, quite soft for cask strength, the classic mineral notes coming in now.

Finish: Short/Medium length. More smoke kicks up here, more mineral, some hard candy- candy cane.

4 casks, 2x 2011 & 2x 2012 bottled in late 2018 for the German market. Great unique nose but the taste is a bit out of kilter and lacking some staying power. Was quite excited by this as I hadn’t seen any other Kilchoman from Rum casks… Hypefully (intentional spelling) more of this to come.

77/100

 

Kilchoman Machir Bay Cask Strength 59.8%

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Very smoky, very mineral, very intense, cutting lemon citrus and creamy vanilla.

Water: Opens up with time, more creamy biscuit and vanilla blending with the smoke. More citrus and lemon too.

Taste: BIG, malty, lemon juice, mineral notes building. Powerful but lacking in the complexity department.

Water: Tequila, lime, sugar and salt, smoke. Better balanced and opens up.

Finish: Short length. Creamy with vanilla and biscuit and some smoke but it’s gone far too quick.

I preferred the normal Machir Bay I tried back in 2014. This was released as part of the European Tour 2018.

73/100

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Reviews #706-#708

Whisky Network Reviews #843-#845

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Arran 1996 Alembic Rum Finish Review

Hi everyone,

Arran seems to be putting out some good stuff at the moment, and is a bit under my radar actually. I should give them more credit, as some of the stuff is getting really good. Like this one.

In retrospect I should have taken a bit more time to appreciate this one. I should have told the guy who gave it to me “Slow down a minute, this is good shit” but I didn’t. That’s my bad, but even from a small sample, I manage to make a few notes.

Arran 1996 Alembic Rum Finish 50.6%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Lovely tropical nose with a very delicious white sugar note. Great nose.

Taste: Sugary hit first then fresh fruit, pineapple, green apple, long development.

Finish: Long length. Dry oak and another white sugar cane hit.

A 4 year finishing in a Barbados Rhum barrel, bottled @ 21yo. Seriously delicious stuff. My second favourite Arran I’ve had so far. It seems to work better with the sweeter flavours, as a long PX finish was my other favourite.

82/100

Distillery: Arran

Average Score: 76.4

Distillery Ranking: 25th/ 62 places

Up/Down: 28>25 (Up 3)

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #629

Whisky Network Review #749

Network Average: 74.9

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Kilkerran 2004 Rum Cask Sample Review [Swiss Army Man]

Hi everyone,

Got a sample here now from Campbeltown’s newest, oldest distillery (as they style it).

No chance of getting a’hold of this as it’s a cask sample to show off what they can do (and boy, does it!)

This particular cask was matured in a Rum barrel for 12 years and then moved into a neutral oak barrel (because oxidation is nine tenths of the law) until this sample was taken (I assume this is still maturing away).

Kilkerran 2004 Rum Cask Sample 60%approx.

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: Wonderfully herbal, spice/herb box, thyme, green peppercorns and rosemary. It’s like stepping into a spice cupboard and herb garden all in one.

Taste: Lovely arrival, chalky, sooty, austere, lemon, increasingly dry, some orange peel, then thyme. More Springbank-y on the taste, similar style anyway.

Finish: Long length. Great transition into more herbal territory, thyme and green peppercorns.

Great stuff, can’t wait to try more Kilkerran, especially as it gets a bit older (imagine an 18yo! shivers) I think it’s going to be fantastic stuff.

84/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #497

Whisky Network Review #573

Network Average: 74.6

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Springbank 24 Show Bottling [London has Fallen]

Hi everyone,

Every year at the Whisky Exchange Show, they release a bottling or two specifically for the show. Oh, also they’re usually fantastic.

Whisky Exchange went all out this year, with a competition for the label design (of this bottle actually). There are five other bottlings in the same series too, all with specially designed, cool labels. I only got the chance to try the Clynelish and this, although I heard good things about the others.

Anyway, how was this one?

Springbank 24 for TWE Show 2017 51.7%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Suitably dry and sooty and tropical. Interesting PVA glue and popscicle sticks. Opens up with water.

Taste: Soft, very very good, this dry chalky tropical flavours, sooty, there's a slight 'green' note though. More spicy with water.

Finish: Medium length. Tropical, sooty and chalky. Spicier with water.

From a Rum cask apparently. No where near last year’s bottling though. A little too spicy with any water, but not enough complexity without, although the sooty, chalky, tropical thing is nice.

80/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #476

Whisky Network Review #543

Network Average: 74.3

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Teeling Trio: Small Batch, 2004 Single Cask & 13 Revival Reviews

Hi everyone,

Because I’m awesome and have the most epic job in the world I get to work at whisky festivals. It’s a relatively new thing, but I’m loving it because it doesn’t feel like work.

So this Saturday I was in the Netherlands for ‘Whisky in Leiden.’ A great event on all fronts, hosted in a huge church with a bunch of amazing whiskies. I was with Bresser & Timmer on their stand and on the stand with me was Speciality Drinks and Teeling as well as a few other whiskies.

Knowing that I’ve only tried 8 Irish whiskies and 400 or so Scottish, I felt like I should make an effort with Teeling. Many thanks go to Shane, the awesome guy presenting the whiskies for Teeling.

 

Teeling Small Batch Blended Whisky 46%

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Light

Nose: Sugar cane, white rum, clean column still spirit, toffee apple.

Taste: Light, white rum really comes through, green apple, lemon, spice building.

Finish: Medium length. Some alcohol and lemon.

Finished in Rum casks. A fun twist on tradition.

66/100

Teeling 2004 Single Sherry Cask 57.1%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Intensely fresh! Tonnes and tonnes of green apple, fresh lemon and some lime, melon too.

Water: Some underipe orange.

Taste: Soft arrival, really fresh and lively, green apple, acidic citrus, lemon juice, spicy malt, sour underipe citrus, dry oak.

Water: Softens but doesn’t change it much.

Finish: Long length. Wow! Really steps it up with the first bite of an acidic green apple, lovely sour finish.

Single malt from a Sherry cask but not a trace of Sherry that I can detect.

78/100

 

Teeling Revival 13 46%

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Loads of pear drops, very fresh, fruity and sweet, green apple but also those smaller yellow ones.

Taste: Soft pear, then those yellow and green apples come through, some dry oak builds too.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Spice kick then more dry oak.

Finished in apple and pear Calvados casks for 1 year.

73/100

Thanks for reading!

Irish Whiskey Reviews #9-#11

Whisky Network Reviews #367-#369

Network Average: 74.4

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 44

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?