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An interview with Rick from Single Note Whisky

January 14, 2022
BYOB-C, Belgian bottler or club?

July 23, 2021
An interview with Joeri from The Whisky Jury

January 24, 2021
Course: Introduction to Whisky Certificate

January 6, 2021
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Springbank Local Barley 2022

May 20, 2022
Longrow Red 15 year old 2022

April 27, 2022
Glen Elgin 16 year old, Special Releases 2008

April 18, 2022
Laphroaig Cask Strength, batch 14

April 15, 2022
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W.D. O'Connell

W.D. O’Connell

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Single Note Whisky

An interview with Rick from Single Note Whisky

BYOB-C

BYOB-C, Belgian bottler or club?

The Whisky Jury

An interview with Joeri from The Whisky Jury

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Springbank Local Barley 2022
Longrow Red 15 year old 2022
Glen Elgin 16 year old, Special Releases 2008
Laphroaig Cask Strength, batch 14
Ben Nevis 1999, Nanyang Whisky & M&E Drinks

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The lovely Torabhaig distillery..🖤

The lovely Torabhaig distillery..🖤

This is the first time I've bought a bottle of the

This is the first time I've bought a bottle of the Kilkerran 8 year old Sherry Cask matured, and I have to say I really like it. Very tasteful, and the sherry cask influence seems to work nicely with the peat. Great value for money, the retail price, that is.⁠
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What do you think of the Kilkerran 8 Sherry Cask Matured?

This Longrow Red 15 year old is only the second bo

This Longrow Red 15 year old is only the second bottle I have bought from the series. But after last year’s fantastic Red and the festival bottling of 2020, I was pretty curious about this 2022 edition.⁠
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Yes, this series is relatively new to me, mainly because I’m not always the biggest fan of a finish or maturing in wine barrels. It can often be a hit or miss, which makes me a bit sceptical about such a whisky. Sometimes I find it too overpowering, and then it gets a certain sweetness that I don’t like and can’t get around. But when done right, it’s just the opposite and can be delicious. So let’s see how that will work out for this one.⁠
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At 15 years, this edition is the oldest Longrow Red released so far. It matured in bourbon barrels for 11 years before being finished in Pinot Noir barriques for another 4 years. After that, it was bottled at a strength of 51.4% ABV.⁠
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NOSE: a little bit of smoke at first. Then tobacco leaves. Red berries and strawberries. Honey in the background. Smoked ham, followed by Rooibos tea.⁠
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TASTE: oh, it’s very sweet and I have less peat smoke than in the nose. The wine notes have come more to the foreground. Sweet fruity tones of strawberries and a hint of blueberries. Cranberries too. There is this wine gum taste which is quite dominant. Followed by a touch of cinnamon.⁠
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FINISH: mid-long to long with some smoke but mostly strawberries and wine gums.⁠
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I loved the previous edition, but I think this one is a bit disappointing. Although the nose is lovely, the palate and finish are too sweet at some points. The balance seems slightly off, making it too winey. Too bad, but unfortunately, this edition is not one for me.⁠
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SCORE: 83/100

Back to the Port Charlotte 10 year old. A single m

Back to the Port Charlotte 10 year old. A single malt that I already reviewed in 2019, but this is a more recent version. I thought it was a nice dram at the time (and reasonably priced), so I'm curious how it compares to my previous tasting notes. A review of this one will hopefully be online soon.⁠
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What do you think of the Port Charlotte 10?

One of the stills at Glen Moray distillery.

One of the stills at Glen Moray distillery.

The Laphroaig Cask Strength bottlings have proven

The Laphroaig Cask Strength bottlings have proven to be of excellent quality. The annual recurring batches consistently score well on average, but I somehow lost track of them myself for some years.⁠
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Perhaps it was because of the last batch I tasted, which I thought was a bit disappointing, plus that the price has risen considerably in recent years for this 10-year-old classic. Whatever the reason was, I just didn’t feel the need to buy a bottle of this 10 year old classic anymore.⁠
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Although until now, even though I didn’t intend to. I already bought a sample for this review because I was curious how this old favourite was doing now. And that (spoiler alert) turned out to be a delightful reunion!⁠
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This Laphroaig (batch 14) has matured in ex-bourbon casks and is bottled at 58.6% ABV.⁠
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NOSE: quite some peat, bonfire smoke and a whiff of tar. Ashes and iodine. Liquorice in the back, quickly followed by smoked ham. Then seaweed and sea salt. Later also a hint of vanilla sugar, mixed with a few drops of lemon juice and peaches.⁠
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TASTE: it starts a bit sweet with a note of creme brulee. Bonfire smoke. Iodine and a hint of bandages. Followed by oranges and peaches. Later also honey and toffee and a lovely hint of milk chocolate.⁠
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FINISH: long and a little bit dry. Lots of peat again, a hint of ashes and vanilla. A light wood note. A drop of honey and sweet oranges and again a hint of peach.⁠
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It just has all the elements you want to have in a Laphroaig. It’s good quality; it’s complex and tasteful, including those typical Laphroaig notes. I haven’t had that in an original bottling of them for a long time. It was just what I had hoped to taste and why I bought a bottle of this (and it happened to be on sale too!😉).

SCORE: 89/100

There won't be any new reviews on my website this

There won't be any new reviews on my website this week, but I'll be back next week with a few nice ones, like a long-overdue review of this Glen Elgin Manager's Dram. 👀

This Glen Elgin 16 year old was bottled several ye

This Glen Elgin 16 year old was bottled several years ago as part of the Diageo Special Releases 2008. It only cost about €60 at the time, but I thought it was pretty expensive! Ha, little did I know then. 😉⁠
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Yup, times have changed. And in this case, that does not only apply to the prices. The entire Diageo Special Releases series has also undergone a true metamorphosis. The labels are completely different; they were still relatively simple in 2008, but they feature mythical animals in bright colours nowadays. And it used to be mainly unique and older bottles (this Glen Elgin was one of the youngest in 2008); now, it is primarily about unusual casks, and a 16-year-old is one of the oldest in the series.⁠
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However, those old, unique bottles that were once part of the Special Releases are still being released. But these have now been accommodated in the relatively new Prima & Ultima series. With all those changes over the years, I think we can safely assume that the Special Releases have become an entirely new series.⁠
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Anyway, I digress. Because we are here for this Glen Elgin 16 year old, one from the old Special Releases series and so no unusual casks or mythical animals, but a normal single malt with a simple label. Which back then was just special because there weren’t many Glen Elgins was released, not even by independent bottlers.⁠
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NOSE: dried fruits, such as raisins and prunes. Oranges. A touch leather, and it’s slightly oaky. Then walnuts, quickly followed by dark chocolate. A nice drop of rich honey. Later also dark fruits, blueberries, and dark cherries.⁠
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TASTE: quite some oranges and honey. Followed by prunes and blueberries. Raisins and dark chocolate. It’s slightly oaky. A hint of black pepper, cloves and cinnamon.⁠
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FINISH: mid-long to long. Orange liqueur and blueberries. A touch of oak. Black pepper, Cinnamon too.⁠
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It’s just an excellent single malt. Maybe not overly complex, but very rich and flavourful. I actually can’t believe this one stayed on the shelves for so long!⁠
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SCORE: 88/100

Clynelish has 10 washbacks in total, 8 are made of

Clynelish has 10 washbacks in total, 8 are made of wood, and in the very back (almost not visible in this photo), you also have 2 washbacks made of stainless steel. Those two were added in 2008, which allowed Clynelish to run 7 days a week.⁠⠀

This Ben Nevis 1999 has probably travelled more th

This Ben Nevis 1999 has probably travelled more than many a traveller in the past two years. It finds its origin in Scotland, after which it went to Singapore, only to find its way back to Europe, where it finally settled in the Netherlands.⁠
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This bottle was not for sale here in Europe, but it’s a Ben Nevis bottled for Nanyang Whisky and M&E Drinks. Two Singaporean bottlers who released this bottle together.⁠
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A brief introduction: @nanyangwhisky was founded by a group of friends who all share a great passion for whisky. They take cask selection very seriously, so if not everyone on the team enjoys the whisky in question, they won’t bottle it. And that pays off because so far, all their releases score pretty high.⁠
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The same applies to @mandedrinks, run by Mitch & Elise (husband and wife). They share the same passion for whisky and their releases must also be loved by both.⁠
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The fact that they have joined forces for this Ben Nevis can only promise a lot. So let’s take a look at what this one has to offer.⁠
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NOSE: oh, this is lovely, with plenty of (tropical) fruits. Peach and pears at first, but there’s also a hint of pineapple and lemons. Then Mango. Followed by minerals and later also a caramel note.⁠
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TASTE: mouthwatering. And again, quite fruity. Peach, but also nectarines. Galia melons. Bananas in the background. Minerals. A hint of beeswax and caramel. Quite some pink grapefruit too.⁠
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FINISH: mid-long with pink grapefruit and beeswax.⁠
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It reminds me of a few 1996 Ben Nevis releases that I tried. Really nice. It has a slightly bitter edge from the grapefruit, but this disappears after a few sips. After that, the rest of the fruitiness takes over. So yes, this is another delicious Ben Nevis in my books. Great cask pick, guys!⁠
⁠
SCORE: 90/100

Glad to have the latest Springbank 10 again, a reg

Glad to have the latest Springbank 10 again, a regular purchase, at least if I'm lucky and I can buy it. It's an old-time favourite of mine and one you can still find for a reasonable price here. I recently finished one of the previous editions, but I forgot to review it. So that won't happen with this one, I hope. 🙄⁠
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What do you think of the Springbank 10 year old? Is it also your favourite, or do you let it pass you by when it is released?

This Bowmore 21 year old Aston Martin is the first

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Springbank Local Barley 2022
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Glen Elgin 16 year old, Special Releases 2008
Laphroaig Cask Strength, batch 14
Ben Nevis 1999, Nanyang Whisky & M&E Drinks
Bowmore 21 year old Aston Martin – Masters’ Selection
Ledaig 10 year old
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