Single Malt Lover!

It is said Diageo will put more effort in Caol Ila and Tasiker next year.  It is certainly a good news to us.  Let's look at some of the "standard" bottles.

Caol Ila 12yo (43%, OB)

Award Sample.  Very peaty.  Strong.  Malty.  Some background nut.  Light and refreshing.  Must be bourbon cask only.  no sherry influence.  very light heather.  Score 88.

Caol Ila 10yo 1993/2003 (43%, Dun Bheagan Cask#3450-3452, 1,200b. Hogshead)

Sample from bird.  Light Yellow.  Very Nutty.  mint.  lightly peated.  no legs, thin.  a little bit caremel.  Feel like the Bowmore Legend.  Adding water nose gone but taste better. finished weak.  Score: 77.

Yamasaki 12yo (43%, OB)

Many foreign friends told me they were surprised by the quality.  I must admit I've never try it before.  Thus, I bought one in Taiwan, and would send to to other maniacs to see everybody's comment.  Color: Yellow Brown.  Nose: sweet, lot's of flower.  Colore to perfume, very strange.  Some hidden citrus fruit.  Woody.  Palate: buriing,  candy.  robust.  Finish: dry, short.  Score: 75.  For me.  This is an average malt.  Must be better than the suntory blend for sure.  But not exactly like normaly scotch.  I think it would be easy to tell Yamasaki house style if I have the chance to taste more different IBs.  I also think there is a little bit caremel inside. And the woody type would also be a key component.  Seems to be matured in fresh oak cask instead of ex-bourbon or ex-sherry.  Lot's of buring tannins. 

Bladnach 18yo 1983/2002 (46%, Chieftain's, cask#78, 756b., Sherry Butt)

Sample from Bird.  Brown.  Sherry. Flowerish, Citrus, very litte mint.  Warm Mild.  A little bit toffee.  Finished short.  Nutty and Chocolate.  Score: 81.

Linkwood 15yo 1987/2003 (43%, Signatory Vintage, cask#4133, 784b.)

Sample from Rubinstein.  Golden color.  clear lesgs, slow.  Mint, Malty.  Nutty.  weak in palate.  Finished weak at a very strange back throat place.  Woody.  Soft.  A little bit too weak and too young.  Not quite Linkwood.  Score: 73.

Balvenie 30YO (47.%, OB)

Said to celebrate Master David Steward's 30 years work in Balvenie.  Some information said there is only 2 casks available for the the vatting.  I read it through the label very carefully, but did not find any evidence to proof it.  Only limited realease on the label, but not the total bottling numbers.  Color: Yellowish Brown.  Nose, singature honeyish.  Very smooth, some back ground flower, but domanant cirrus fruit.  Lot's sherry influence, but very pleasant and enjoyable.  Palate: sweet, smooth, cholate, very complex.  Finish: long, mild, warming.  Adding water get more chocolate feel.  If only by straight, wait for a while, you's get more fruity feel.  And the one I liks most is the silky feel.  It comes to me that people believe Balvene is the most smooth single malt in the world.  A winner.  Score: 90.  I believe you'll ask if it is true.  Well, this is not the one you get the strong personally.  But silky smoothly is also a personalty.  Think about that, howmany single malt can let you feel the smoothly.  That's Balvenie. And, it looks like I am the first one in Taiwan to taste it.  Even 5 seconds before their brand manager.

The comparision of this bottle. Notes has posted earlier. Just doing a comparison taste.

Glenfarlas 105 (60%, OB, old lable)

With more caremel.  Score: 82.

Glenfarlas 105 (60%, OB, new lable)

Almost no caremel.  And from the distillery sales manager: this one is now un-chill-filtered. I can actully feel more venella nose and creaming fell.  The sweet comes from the malt itself.  I also suspect it has more re-fill sheery cask.  No wonder it nose mucht better.  I am glad to see another distillery recognize the importance of un-chill-filtered.  Even my wife can tell the difference. Score: 88. This one also won the ban-for-your-ass award 2004 of Malt Maniacs.   Excellant job.

Taiwan Single Malt Tasting Club 2^nd Meeting.  Our topic this time is the hard to find distilleries.

Allt-A-Bhainne 17yo (43%, Dun Bheagan, Cask#28943/28944, Hogshead)

Golden Yellow, Malty, Nutty, A little bit peaty.  Citrus, Honey.  Very thin body.  No finish.  Some bitter feeling last for a long time: Score:74.  (Brian:70, Bird: C, Rubinstein:72, Muder: 70, Richard:68, BrianChen: 73, Gerry: 75, David: 77, Ben: 70)

This blind tasting was hold in the famous Paris 1930 restaurant.

Morlach 25YO 1975/2000 (58%, Signatory Bottling, Cask#6258, 198b.)

Brown Golden.  Honey, Fruity, Flowerish.  Deep and pleasant.  Citrus.  Light Body.  Complex.  High Alc., palate killer.  Score:90. My favorite today.

Benrinnes 23YO 1980/2003 (53.9%, Blackadder Bottling, Raw Cask, Cask#1352)

Golden. Nutty, malty, craming. A little bit tropical fruit.  Thin body? Sweetness comes from malt.  Score: 82.  I think this one need some time to open up.

To celebrate, I opened this bottle:

Glen Garioch 29yo 1968 (53.7%, OB, Distilled on 27.4.68, Cask#627, Hogshead)

Color: Dark Brown.  Heavily sherried.  Lots of chocolate, tropical fruit. Not so peated as house style.  Seems to be rounded as year goes by.  A little bit smoky at the back ground. Very stong and robust, not like an 29yo at all.  Finished long.  Stong body.  Balanced well.  Score: 90.  Hey! you bottled too early, this one can matured for another 10 years but still not tired.

Rosebank 14yo 1990/2004 (56.3%, Blackadder Raw Cask, Cask#225, 148b, Hogshead)

Golden Color, Malty, some hint of fruit, white chocolate, soft, finish long, salty.  This one lost extramly large during within the 14 years.  Very strange, Robin noticed that, he has no explanation.  But this cask is the best among his Rosebank casks. Score: 85.

 Cragganmore 14yo 1989/2004 (56.6%, Blackadder Raw Cask, Cask#1969, 260b. Hogshead)

Golden.  According to Robin, this comes from an sherry hogshead.  Some hint of craming nose.  Tropical fruit.  Honey?  A little bit peat but not obvious.  Some orange feel in the back, but can't tell the house style.  Finished short.  Adding water improved quite a lot.  not only brings out clear fruity nose, alse help taste softer and finished longer.  Some bonus point.  Score: 86.

Glenury 30yo 1973/2003 (50.7%, Blackadder Raw Cask, Cask#6861, 167b.)

Hold by distillery's new agent.

Glenfarclaus 12yo new label (43%, OB)

Golden Brown, Sherry, a little bit smoke.  Tropical fruit.  Sweet.  Firm body.  Strong, robust.  Finished long.  adding water taste a little bit better.  Score: 83.

Ballentine's 12yo Pure Malt 43%

I don't know why they put this one as a comparision.  Not at the samle level. Score: 70.

Bruichladdich  NAS 3D The Peat Proposal  (46%, OB, 12,000b.)

Peaty Malty Fruity, I like it.  Score: 87.

Bruichladdich 20yo 2nd Edition Flirtation (46%, OB, Mourvedre finish)

Not so pink, but color varies in different position. Wine, Fruity. dry finish. complex. Score: 86.

Taste some Whisky Galore sample at their Taiwan agent. No cask and age detail, will be available later this year.

Glen Elgin 1991 (46%, Whisky Galore)

perfect speyside nose.  too weak in palate.  But still my favorate today.  Score: 86.

Rosebank 1990 (46%, Whisky Galore)

Simple lowland, but not bad.  Score: 82.

Domaine de la Vieille Julienne,Châteauneuf-du-Pape,2001

Tough stil cough sometimes, seems revorering from the seruous flu.  Stopped the award tasting since Tue.  Ready for some wine!  Just got this bottle two days ago.  Still need some time in the cellar, but already very nice.  I guess I'll try the old vine version recently.