Single Malt Lover!

 A. H. Hirsch Reserve 1974 (45.8% , Bourbon)
A very strange American Whiskey.  Distilled with a pot sitll in Pennisvania, bought by an Bourbon company and move to Kentuky and mature there for one year.  Then bottled in 1990 as Bourbon.  very soft and complex.  Score: 86.

Inverleven 27yo 1977/2004 (5.4%, Duncan Tayler, Rarest of the Rare, Csk#3098, 167b.)
Very nice, deep fruit, craeming, warming, adding water more mint.  Score: 87, 3 points less than last time.

 Macallan 10yo 1989/1999 (50%, OMC, 292b. Sherry Cask)
Brown, not very Macallan, well balanced, sherry influence.  taste nutty.  a little bit disappointed for the palate.  finished thin.  Score: 79.

Macallan 14yo 1990 (59.8%, Blackadder, Cask#2643)
Brown, heavily sherried.  sweet.  chocolate.  nutty.  warm.  tropical fruit.  quite nice.  Score: 86.

G
Glen Garioch 12yo (43%, OB) Score: 78
Glen Garioch 15yo (43%, OB), Very nice and complicated, Score 86
Glen Garioch 21yo (43%, OB), Score: 82.
Glen Garioch 15yo (Bordaux Wine Cask Finish (50%, OB, 1,800b.) Redish Brown, Creaming, Malty, Fruity. Score 83

 Ben Nevis 11YO 1992/2003 (59.6%, Blackadder Raw Cask, Cask#687, 239b. Bourbon Hogshead)
Straw, greenish, fine black dust.  Sea Nutting, Flowerish?.  very salty.  Strong.  Medium finish.  Adding water taste still good.  Score: 82.

Laphroaig Quarter Cask NAS OB
Golden Brown,  Iodine, peat.  quite oil.  medium body.  finished nutty.  some woodiness.  Score: 88.

BALMENACH 1990/2004 (46%, Blackadder, Aberdeen label. Cask No.2500)
Yellow, fresh fruit, simple, easy drinking. Score: 84.

Tamdhu 1989 Cask#8132
Light yellow, Malty, Grassy. Some fresh fruit and flower. Very Grass again. Robut Finished long. Guess at 57%. Score: 78.

Ardbeg Kildalton 1980/2004 (57.6%, OB)

Lightly peated.  Malty sweet.  Light fruit.  I like it. Score: 90.

Longrow 10yo 1992 (46%, OB)

Peat .Sweet Light, finished weak.  Score: 84.

Linkwood 15yo 1989/2004 (59.3%, Blackadder. Sherry Butt#5625, 567b.)

Ben Nevis 11YO 1992/2003 (59.6%, Blackadder, Raw Cask#687, 239b. Bourbon Hogshead)

Color: Straw, a little bit greenish  Very Salty.  pure malty.  some light nut.  Very enjoyable.  Reminds me Scape.  Score: 84

Caol Ila 26yo 1975/2001 (56.1%, Signatory, cask#459, 242b.)

Second trial.  seems better than first time.  simple, peat, bourbon cask.  light.  tropical fruit.  finished long.  salty.  warming.  Score: 82.

Port Ellen 21yo 1979/2001 (50%, OMC, 618b., Sherry cask)

Warm.  dark.  smooth, balanced well.  tropical fruit, chocolate.  dry.  medium finish.  a very nice sherry Islay.  Score: 88.

Port Ellen 21yo 1979/2001 (50%, OMC, 636b.)

Royal Brackla 1979/1998 (51.3%, Malt Master's selection)

Golden.  very nice nose.  Fruity.  Bourbon cask.  Oil.  Finished a little bit weak.  Sea.  Salty.  Score: 83.

Bunnahabhain 36yo (40.2%, Peerless, Cask#3325, 234b.)

Very light peated.  almost feel like Bruichladdich at the first.  Fruity, woody.  veyr oil.  mild.  a little bitter.  very little nut.  with venella hint.  Score: 80.

Longmorn (51%, Dunken Tayler, Cask#5710, 200ml bottle)

Light yellow.  Bourbon cask.  Very nice nose.  Fruity.  a hint of flower.  Thick.  Finished medium.  Score: 87.

Tomatin 12yo (40%, OB, 2004)

MM award 2004 sample.   Sweet, amlty, a little bit citrus fruit.  light easy.  a little bit nutty.  Score: 79.

Tomatin 1990/2004 (?%, Blackadder, Cask#7720)

Sample from Richard.  Light Yellow.  Malty, citrus fruit, guess at around 50%.  verry litty nut.  oil.  balanced, taste nice.  salty.  dry.  feel even a little bit older.  finished long.  adding water sweet.  Score:83

Macallan 1989/2004 (?%, Blackadder, Cask#1249)

Edradour 10yo 1993/2004 Burgundy finish (57.4%, OB, Cask#04/13/3, 458b.)

Sweet, wine? very fruity.  finished nutty.  nose better than palate.  not my style.  Score: 72.same as the point I gave in the MM Award 2004.

Edradour 10yo 1993/2004 Sauternes Finish (56.8%, OB, Cask#04/11/2, 445b.)

Standard house style.  more tropical fruit.  grassy.  malty.  even candy.  dry finish? better than last one.  Score: 78. two points lower than MM Award 2004.

Edradour 21yo 1983/2004 Port finish (53.6%, OB, Cask#03/1041, 776b.

Port Charlotte 3yo 2001/2004 (67.3%, private bottle, Cask#286, 336b.)

Officially, it is not yet available, however, one German individual investor insist to ship it out and bottled.  I managed to get a bottle and share with my friend.  Just to prove my point that this is just tomorrow'sstar.  Watch this one.   Score: 91.   I love it.

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.