Black Bull 30 Year Old Blended Whisky 50%

Those good people at Duncan Taylor sent me a wee sample of there new bottling so I thought that I best try it. Hint hint to anyone else that would like to send me stuff please email me at petelamb1970@aol.co.uk Well you got to try!

Any the Black Bull is 50% ABV and is a mixture of 50% malt whisky and 50% grain whisky. The whisky was married together shortly after distillation and then married together for 30 years in sherry butts. I am not sure how well Red Bull will take to them promoting a brand called Black Bull though!

Anyway lets try it and see what I think:

Nose: Warming, sherry, orange, hint of treacle toffee, stewed fruits and bizarely corned beef. Also flat warm cherry coke.

Taste: Big sherry, touch of oak some aniseed and cinammon. Becomes creamier with time. Doesn't taste 50% ABV. Definate chocolate notes (maybe cause I am just getting over easter eggs!).

Finish: A real mixture, slighty drying almost salty, becoming more creamy and a little bit spicy.

Comment: I like this a lot! The grain just adds a cracking creaminess that tames the the sherry. An ever changing dram one to take your time over.

Score: 92/100

NO. 1 KARUIZAWA 1972, 65.0% ABV Cask 7290

I was a huge huge fan of the 1971 bottling of Karuizawa from this bottler when I tried it last year. So when the chance to try this beauty came along well I didn't need to be asked twice. Amazingly still at 65% after all these years. I heard a story suggesting that because of the distilleries location next to a volcano that the humid in the area keeps the abv high - whether this is true or not I don't know! For information on the distillery try the excellent nonjatta site.

Anyway enough of the chitter chatter lets try this monster:

Nose: Big Sherried nose, not to strong alcohol though, rich chocolaty notes and also a creamy orange like note. Some warm flat Dr Pepper. Warm leather and toffee. A faint hint of sweetened tobacco.

Taste: Big sherry, more orange then the alcohol hits you and adds a woody dimension but oh so good....Touch of spice and then also some fruitier notes and then some cracking sandlewood notes and a hint of smoke. Maybe a hint of lavender but very faint and then the creaminess develops.

Finish: Long, very long and very warming, mouth drying sherry and bursts of some citrus fruits along with a faint whiff of smoke.

Comment: I love this, I really love it. To me it tastes like a really good Macallan or how Macallan used to taste. Looking into this after I had tasted it I found that at Karuizawa distillery they only used Golden Promise barley, mainly matured in Ex-sherry butts and have short dumpy stills so surely no coincidence! If you see this and can afford it buy it, even better buy two bottles cause you could never have enough of this stuff.

Score: 97/100

For more impressive reviews please check out whisky pages that was the only review I could find on the net so I must be one of the first for a change!

Price checker:

Royal Mile Whiskies - £154.95

Single Malts Direct - £149.99

Springbank 15yo, 46%

I have always been a huge fan of Springbank ever since the days of the cracking 21yos that were so exceptionally affordable. Oh those were the days.



The current 15 year old I believe is predominately sherry casks and should make for a cracker of a dram. So let's try it.



Nose: Rich toffee caramel, warm oranges and oily. Also a little bit nutty maybe walnut? Certainly a big dram. touch of blackcurrant and a little salty.

Taste: Unmistakably Springbank, hint of smoke, a little woody and then that sherry notes builds up. Slightly coastal and a lot of oiliness. A really chewy dram - quite clawing in the mouth.

Finish: Quite salty, and a little bit drying. caramel and chocolate - like a slightly melted mars bar! A little bit drying.

Comment: I like this a lot - I really do but the slightly clawing note maybe just knocks it down from being a must try! Actually give this ten minutes in the glass and it is a must try!

Score: 90/100

Loch Fyne Whiskies - £41.35
Royal Mile Whiskies - £43.50
Single Malts Direct - £46.99
The Whisky Exchange - £41.49

Duncan Taylor Invergordon 1965 Cask 15532 52.7%

I love old grain whiskies so was delighted to get a chance to try this ancient (43yo) Invergordon. Plus I have been writing to much rubbish on here and not trying enough whiskies!

Nose: Big rich and oily, lots of caramel and buttery notes. Big vanilla and a touch of spice. A rather moreish nose. Some dried bananas emerge along with brown sugar.

Taste: Equally big in the mouth, but also very rounded and chewy, wow this really is chewy, some creamy notes and some floral type notes. Freshly butter toast with lashings of golden syrup on it. There is some a sweeter manufactured taste like Irn Bru bars (A Scottish Treat to rot your teeth but so good!)*

Finish: There could be a touch of salt in the finish (or maybe I am mad!) warm leather and a little bit of nutmeg.

Comment: Wow wow wow this is stunning one of the best whiskies I have tasted in a long time. Doesn't taste 52.7%. Not just a great grain whisky but a great whisky overall.

Score 95/100

Price Check

Royal Mile Whiskies - £94.95

This is a fairly new bottling as this is the only place I could find it on the net.

* Whilst looking for a picture of Irn Bru bars I discovered they have now been rebranded as Wham Brew Bars - this is surely an attempt to stamp down on Scottish Identity - I think a facebook group may need to be started in protest!

Karuizawa 1971 Cask 6878 64.1%

There is more and more good quality Japanese whiskies coming on the market these days thanks in many ways to the guys at the Number One Drinks Company I hope that they keep up the good work. This one is an old one at an amazing strength for its age 64.1%

For a good review of the distillery check out the excellent Nonjatta site

Anyway lets try it.

Nose: Big rich sherry nose, warm leather, cinnamon, and a touch of metallic fruits (like when making Jam). There is almost a hint of smoke as well - the alcohol does hit you if you breath in too sharply. Water opens this up a lot and gives more of the smoked cheese note and also a faint hint of a farmyard - but in a good organic kind of way.

Taste: Lots of prickly alcohol, and then smoked cheese and marmalade. At full strength this is hot! Quite a bit of sandalwood. With water it is softer and the smoke becomes a bit more pronounced and more like wood smoke.

Finish: Long and spicy with a touch of incense sticks. Becomes more like clove studded oranges with more cinnamon once water is added.

Comment: What a dram! Not one you would drink a lot of on one sitting but full of character and definately worth seeking out if you can find it!

Score: 90/100

For a superior review check out Dave Brooms and Gavin Smiths

Talisker 18yo 45.8%

Well this is a whisky with a huge reputation winning an award from the highly respected malt maniacs and also being named best whisky of the year by whisky magazine - actually question this competition as only open to official distillery bottlings but still worth a shout.

Anyway here goes!

Nose: Big, Germolene , oily and a touch of smoke - not huge smoke though. Touch of smoked mussles mmmm smoked mussles and then maybe a hint of menthol mouthwash.

Taste: Chlorine, flat peat, and dry smoke and a little bit grassy! Also a little bit salty with some sherried notes - cracking stuff!

Finish: Wow big - fruity salty finish! Love this! Big and fruity and peat coming through!

Comment: This is cracking - malt maniacs and whisky magazine are right!

Score: 95/100

Colonsay 80 Shilling Ale Pint bottle

I know, I know I can hear you say thought that this was a whisky blog and your blogging on about bloody beer again! Well who cares it's my blog and I will write what I want! Anyway had to tell you about this 80 Shilling from the Colonsay Brewery. This is one of the best beers I have had in a long time rich full flavoured with a creamish finish! Not sure if I can find the smoke they are talking about on there website but then again maybe it's there or maybe I am just looking for it - never feer I will be drinking this alot I imagine so no worries about me checking it out again in the future.

Also being on their site you see a lot of tongue in cheek humour coming through which I feel is there because the guys who put it there are funny and it's mnot just marketing bollocks. Make sure you look up their business plan under the brewery section. Priceless!

Anyway there is an IPA and a lager to try so there will be more on here.

A must try!

Mortlach 16yo Dewar Rattray Cask 4238 55.5%

With the Mortlach 16yo Flora & Fauna now unavailable rumours having it that it will never return or if it does it will be 4 years I have been reccomended this Dewar Rattray bottling as a suitable replacement so here goes:

Nose: Big Huge sherried Mortlach Nose, darl treacle then a creaminess - typical mortlach meatiness and then toffee doughnuts!

Taste: Big bitting sherry, cinnamon and lots of dried fruits in tupperware boxes.

Finish: Thick tingling and warming. Tails off into a little bit of sulphur but not too unpleasant.

Comment: I really like this - if it wasn't for the slight sulphur end this would score more.

Score: 91/100

DTC Carsebridge 1979 28yo Cask 33026 52.4%

I love grain whisky (to be fair I love all whisky) and it annoys me when people don't give it the respect it deserves. Ok compared with malt whisky it is hugely mass produced just looking at the cask number on this confirms that! But put it in a decent cask and give it time and amazing things can happen! Go on you malt snob give it a try!



Nose: Cheap yellow vanilla ice cream. Caramac bars and digestive biscuits with melted butter.



Taste: Rich, velvety a touch spicy with lots of toffee notes and maybe a touch of cheesecake.



Finish: long, very long a touch rye like and a little dry.



Comment: Stunning whisky, if it wasn't for the slight dry note on the finish this would score even higher.



Score: 92/100

Glenfarclas 1966 Family Cask 51.5%

Another absolute gem that I never thought that I would try but by christ I am happy that did get to try it - just a pity its out of my price bracket at £315.00 at http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/ having said that it's worth it and a snip compared with a Macallan 1966 from their Fine and Rare collection at around £1000 a bottle. Anyway on with the tasting!


Nose: Turkish delight and flat cherry coke. And maybe a hint of orange - and bizarley the smell of blood!
Taste: More oranges, sweet sherry hint of wood and a little dry but also loads of raisany fruity notes.
Finish: Lingering sherry and a hint of wood.
Comment: Fecking amazing whisky!
Score: 96 / 100

Macallan 1969 Duncan Taylor Cask 8373

Another old Macallan from DTC this one is at 44.6% so it had a year or so left. They have this on http://www.singlemaltsdirect.com/ at £211.00 a decent amount of money but when you consider the distillery bottling on http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/ is selling for £1700.00

Anyway lets try it:

Nose: Soft, sweet fruits and a touch grassy and oily. Tropical fruits, kiwi fruits and bananas. A great nose with a whiff of orange sherbet.

Taste: A little zesty to begin with, then deeper richer oily nutty notes with and a touch of parma violets briefly enters the mix. Then more typical chocolatey orange notes.

Finish: A hint of spice, orange peel and nutmeg!

Comments: An excellent example of an old yet vibrant whisky that hasn't been over powered by the cask. As they say in the Lilt adverts - A totally tropical taste!

Score 96/100

Strathisla 1967 Duncan Taylor Cask 1894

Was very lucky to be given a sample of this today to try - not everyday you get the opportunity to try a 40yo Single Malt so here goes:

Nose: Sweet, rich touch of rum and softer citrusy notes. Warm oranges!

Taste: Wow, orangey, oily, mouth coating, slim trace of wood this is so full of big lively flavours it almost defies its age bar the faint trace of smoke.

Finish: Slightly nutty, with more big oily fruity flavours coating the taste buds long after this is drunk.

Comment: I had to drink this fairly quickly but would far prefer that I could spend a good evening nursing a few of these - someday maybe I will get a bottle, well I know its only June but I hope Santa Claus is reading this! Great Whisky!

Score: 97/100

Ardmore 12yo 100th Anniversary

This whisky was bottled in 1998/99 in time for Ardmore to celebrate its 100th anniversary. This was about the time that I started really getting into whisky and this was always a favourite of mine at the time so when I saw an open bottle I thought that it would be a good idea to try it again properly and see if it was as good as I remembered - or thought I rememered!

Nose: Sweet, slightly meaty - almost a touch sickly but in a good way...hmmm. A hint of peat, citrus and sherried notes.

Taste: Rich, nice balance between sherry and peat. rich mouth coating with a hint of milk chocolate.

Finish: Clawing sherry and soft peat smoke lingers for some time with the sherry notes building.

Comment: So glad I still like this as was worried it wouldn't be as good as I remembered it was. This is a cracker if it was bottled at a higher strength than 40% then it could have been an all time stunner!

Score: 90/100

Macallan 12yo 43% Bottled Circa 1996

Tried some of this yesterday - what a cracking dram - this for me is what Macallan was all about rich sherry at its very best - shame it seems to be a shadow of it's former self these days. (how many -'s can I use in one sentence)

Nose: Rich heavy sherry without being overpowering. Really rich like chocolate covered cherries and rich burnt oranges with a hint of spice.

Taste: Spiciness is more evident. Fades to allow more rich sherried fruity notes to enhulf your mouth. Very coating - thich and oily.

Finish: Long lingering thich sherry leaves a very moreish feel in the mouth. Spiciness adds a perfect touch of heat.

Comment: It is whisky like this that made The Macallan famouse - bring it back please!

Score 91/100

Bruichladdich 1966 Cask 199

Got the chance to try this the other day, and was very glad to get the chance - I think that this may be the first time I have reviewed a whisky that has been on the legendery website of Serge www.whiskyfun.com all be it he did it in April.

Any way here goes:

Bruichladdich 1966 - cask 199 - 42%

Nose: Sweet, lots of vanila with a touch of Liquorice and Lemon
Taste: Dry peat smoke, coastal with zingy cirtusy notes.
Finish: Lingering lemon coastalness - with a fresh oakiness
Comment: An old whisky with a young heart.

Score: 91/100

An absolutely top drawer whisky and ok so well out of price range per bottle I would say that it is certainly value for money if such a thing can be said for a whisky just shy of £200.00 a bottle.

For a far better review read Serge's review, http://www.whiskyfun.com/archiveapril06-2.html#180406

Queen Of Moorlands Rare Cask Springbank 1991

An Earl Grey Committee bottling from the wine shop in Leek a very limited bottling one of only 36 bottles. This was bottled in 2005 at 46% a cracking wee dram it is too.

Nose: Sweet, orangey, creamy (milk chews) and a touch coastal.
Taste: Sweet, oily very rich more orange peel and gooseberries notes and quite salty and dying.
Finish: Long touch of creamy oakiness and lingering coastalness.
Comment: As I said above this is a cracking dram.

Score: 91/100

Shame there is no more of this left am sure the Committee will pick some more cracking casks soon. www.wineandwhisky.com

Lonach Caperdonich 1968

Got a bottle of this from the whisky shop in Dufftown, have to say that I am always a huge fan of underdog whiskies such as Caperdonich, Scapa, Miltonduff, Glenallachie and the likes so I was
I couldn't resist when I saw this bottle on the shelf,

Caperdonich 37-1968 40,3% Lonach Label

Nose: Lots of fruitiness - apples and other stewed fruits.
Taste: Touch of oak, oranges and more grassy appley notes.
Finish: Light and freshing and a little oakiness.
Comment: A very refreshing whisky - very fresh with just a touch of oak showing its elderly years.
Score 90/100

Scores extra points for the fact that it was only £53.00 a bottle a bargain for a cracking whisky especially one this old. Would definately say you should try this - but I also say you should try all Caperdonichs!

Macallan 1979 Gran Reserva

Cracked open a bottle of this tonight - this was the original gran reserva bottling all of the first fill sherry casks and was bottled in 1997. Now I have a theory that off all the recent vintages of Macallan 1979 was one of the best years (although prior vintages were far superior - however for all the Macallan Gran Reserva bottlings I feel that the 1979 bottling was far better than the 1980 and 1981 bottling). This bottling has now been stopped by Macallan - probably due to the fact that they don't have enough sherry casks!! Ok so maybe that's just me being skeptical.

Anyway I am a big fan of sherry cask whisky but feel that the Gran Reserva is just on the level of as big sherry as you can go without the whisky being over powered by the sherry. Anyway well here goes the tasting notes!

Nose: Intense Sherry, bitter chocolate,meaty with an oily orange back ground and marzipan.
Taste: Again rich sherry, lots of heavy fruits figs and dates very oily and coating.
Finish: Very long and lingering, oily and with a long dry finish that leaves a real richness in the mouth.
Comment: If you like sherry cask whiskies then you will love this - just wish that they had bottled this at a minimum of 46% it could have been a really huge whisky but at 40% it is only big.
Score: 90/100 could have been a lot higher if it had been bottled at 46%