Daftmill 2009 Single Cask c. 028/2009

 

 

 

60,6°

Distillery : Daftmill - Lowlands

1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Farm Estate

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

In operation since 2006, but not having released a single bottle until 2018, Daftmill is a very unique distillery. Run by the Cuthbert brothers, it is first and foremost a farm, where a small amount of whisky, the equivalent of around a hundred casks a year, is distilled at quiet times of the year, in summer and winter. As the whisky is made entirely on site, from harvesting the barley to bottling, this is the only distillery to carry the Single Farm Estate label. The cask we're talking about was made from Optic barley, harvested on the farm in August 2006, malted in the summer of 2007 and finally distilled on 8 July 2009 in a 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt. After 11 years of maturation, the cask has filled 649 bottles, and was then sent to the shelves of La Maison du Whisky for priority sale in France.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Languorous but not overpowering sherry, salted butter caramel, blood oranges, barley sugar, mandarins, mirabelle plums, grapefruit, papaya, currants sprinkled with cinnamon, red fruits in the background, blackberries and bilberries. Alcohol is still present, and a bit of water needs to be added. On the palate, honey drips over morello cherries, a little nutmeg and walnut, brown tobacco crumbs, buttered Shimeji mushrooms. The finish is quite nice but not extremely long, with dark chocolate and coffee, clods of earth, cloves and light forest hints.

 

In Short, 

Really interesting, full of varied fruits and sweetness, this little thing. However, it's very good but not sublime, because there are a few little flaws. It's a bit alcoholic on the palate, but the finish isn't that explosive, I'd have preferred the opposite. That said, it's really something to discover, unfortunately the price is exorbitant, even at auction.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Eilen Jewell - I Remember You

Jura 1993 Mossburn Vintage Casks 28 yo

 

 

 

48,2°

Distillery : Isle of Jura - Islands

Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By Mossburn Distillers & Blenders

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

Mossburn is a trading company founded in 2017, and it appears that this Jura is their highest rated expression on Whiskybase. Great opportunity to discover their portfolio, starting with the best. Aged in a Hogshead for 28 years, this batch yielded 220 bottles.

Let's Taste It : 

Airy bourbon, whipped up by the sea breeze, and at the same time beautifully indulgent, warm bread fresh from the oven, moist yoghurt cake, a hint of vanilla larded with salt. Shortbread biscuits, with a medicinal touch, ointment, aniseed sweets. On the palate, melted butter, toasted cereals, pastry cream, a slightly costal character, with hints of almonds. The spices are very discreet, but there is a pinch of clove nonetheless. The finish is long, elegant, controlled, woody, clovey, with a touch of the open sea, streaks of salt, warm chestnuts and peppermint.

 

In Short, 

It's indeed a great success, one of the very best Jura I've ever drunk, if not the best. However, I felt that it lacked a little je ne sais quoi to make it great, a little power perhaps. In any case, if you can afford it, I'd advise you to go for it and buy one of the last bottles still lying around on the shelves of some wine shops. The price is proportionate to the age, quality and rarity of the product, that means rather high, but still acceptable.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Ram Dass & Awaré - The Water Poem

Bunnahabhain 1991 Untold Riches 28 yo

 

 

 

49,1°

Distillery : Bunnahabhain - Islay

28 Bourbon Hogsheads and 3 Sherry Butts

Independent Bottling 

By Wemyss Vintage Malts Limited

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

At Wemyss Malts, they love bottling Bunnahabhain, which is undoubtedly the distillery they use the most, along with Bowmore. Here, they offer a very special product, a blend of 31 casks distilled between 1987 and 1991, 28 of which are Bourbon Hogsheads and the last three are Sherry Butts. A total of 6,500 bottles were produced and released in February 2021. The entire stock was quickly sold out. An amusing and often mocked detail: there's a spelling mistake on the label, the name of the distillery is missing an ‘h’ - they've written it Bunnahabain! The importance of choosing the right sub-contractors.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The nose opens with a delicate iodine, a whiff of sea breeze, and very quickly, buttery vanilla, ripe white fruits, brown sugar, unctuous caramel, blood orange, hints of charcoal and a shadow of smoke. On the palate, it's soft and sweet, cat's tongue biscuits, a knob of butter with caramel and vergeoise, crunchy genoise, marzipan, and in the background some fairly robust spices, cloves and cumin, which open onto a lovely, long finish, salted butter caramel, peppery chocolate, light touches of liquorice, to land on a beach of fine sand, iodine and limestone lace, a grain of salt.

 

In Short, 

You have to give a medal to the Master Blender who conceived this little thing, because it really is a little masterpiece. At once costal, greedy, highly complex, expressive and fine, it's one of the best Bunna I've tasted so far. And yet it's reduced. Unfortunately, because it's sold out, the price of the few bottles you can find on the secondary market has rocketed. A purchase of this little marvel is therefore no longer an option.

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :                                           

 

                                           CocoRosie - Fairly Paradise

Laphroaig 1997 Cask Strength Collection 17 yo c. 8365

 

 

 

50,2°

Distillery : Laphroaig - Islay

Bourbon Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By Signatory Vintage

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2014

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 43 ppm 

Signatory Vintage has acquired nearly 25 casks of Laphroaig dating from 1997, all distilled on the same two days, 28 April and 8 October. I'd already had a small sample of cask 8368, which I'll talk about here. This one, 8365, was distilled on the same day, but bottled 4 months earlier. 242 bottles were produced. It will be amusing to see the differences between the two almost-twin casks.

Let's Taste It : 

The first impression is costal, a beautiful sunny beach whipped up by vigorous waves, foam, kelp, seaweed, sand and salt. Immediately afterwards, a powerful herbaceous character emerges, with angelica, arugula and tall herbs. Then a peat at the same time soft and mineral joins the party. All this balances out perfectly after a while, it's a bit dirty, but just the right amount, a medicinal touch, gas oil, motor oil, but in the background, and up front, it's greedy, custardy vanilla, white fruits, mirabelle plums, honey. On the palate, it's silky, pineapple, lemon, on top of a layer of thick, chalky, rough peat, with a lovely woodiness binding the two together. Nuts, almonds and fine spices, pepper and cloves. The finish is on a par with the rest, quite long, explosive, a touch of liquorice, damp earth, braised mushrooms, lemon zest, vanilla bean. Cardamom.

 

In Short, 

It's amazing the difference between the two casks. I didn't like the 8368 too much, to be honest, I thought it was very gentle for a Laphroaig, with some lovely exotic fruits and vanilla, but not much else. No doubt the cask had played its part a little too much. With this cask, the balance is perfect. A distillate that retains all its character, and is made more complex by the influence of a sufficiently measured cask. The result is superb, I thought. At 17 years of age, this is of course a softer Laphroaig, but it retains its originality. Sold out a long time ago, it's nowhere to be found, but the release price seemed pretty fair for its time.

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Trees of Eternity - Broken Mirror

Edradour 2003 Conquête 17 yo

 

 

 

56,6°

Distillery : Edradour - Highlands

1st Fill Sherry Butt Finish

Original Bottling

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

Distilled the year after Andrew Symington, who already owned Signatory Vintage, bought the distillery, this Edradour is one of the oldest you can find. Released to celebrate the 65th anniversary of La Maison du Whisky, it has been finished in a first-fill Sherry Butt, and has joined the Conquête range, which means exclusive sales on the French market. 674 bottles were filled. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The Sherry is remarkable right from the first nose, dark chocolate, blood orange, with beautiful spices, black pepper and cloves. Dried and candied fruits, raisins, quinces, medlars, a drop of lemon, woody hints. Almonds with their pods, velvety walnuts. Silky and syrupy on the palate, with a few citrus fruits as well as raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. The discreet markers of the distillery in the background, malted cereals, touches of yellow fruits, light vanilla. Well-crafted, fairly long finish, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, earthy, woody notes, bark. Mentholated freshness at the very end.

 

In Short, 

A well-made, subtle product, but in which the Sherry is predominant, as is often the case with this distillery. This time, you can still smell the cereals and other details that give it a personality, but, given its age and price, I don't think that's enough. You can still find it in some shops in the depths of Europe, above the release price, which was already very high, but I don't think it's worth the effort.

Score : 88 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Sven Zetterberg - Let's Straighten it Out

Ledaig 2009 The Whisky Kingdom 11 yo

 

 

 

54,4°

Distillery : Tobermory - Islands 

Bourbon Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By The Whisky Kingdom

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 37 ppm 

The Wu Dram Clan is the association of three seasoned enthusiasts, two Germans and a Japanese, who have been making waves in the spirits world for five years now. Initially, their distribution company was called The Whisky Kingdom, but from 2020 onwards, they began releasing their products through Duckhammer's Rare & Fine Spirits. So this Ledaig is one of their first works, the fourth if connoisseurs are to be believed. And it was the talk of the town. Aged in a single Bourbon Hogshead for 11 years, it should retain all the splendour of its distillate. 279 bottles have been released for sale.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Fairly woody attack, drifting towards gingerbread and cinnamon. The peat is in the background, well smoked, charcoal-like, but not very medicinal. Some seaweed and sea spray, but no iodine. Prunes, dates, a few drops of caramel. The wood becomes varnished, with honeyed hints. Very sweet on the palate, with candied figs and melting milk chocolate, quince marmalade, medlars and a knob of butter. The spices are full-bodied without being aggressive, nutmeg, cloves. The finish is long but not violent, with chestnut shavings, aniseed and, I think, even floral notes. Artichoke heart.

 

In Short, 

I've read all the reviews about this very well-known bottling, and I can say that my impression, and that of the people who've shared my tasting, is very different. It's a very smooth, woody, relatively fruity Ledaig that's unrecognisable. It was tasted blind, and I would never have recognised a Ledaig, let alone an island whisky. Sure, it's peated, but the peat is mostly smoky, not very iodised, almost not medicinal, and even less dirty, as Ledaig usually is. I was thinking more of a country peat, Benromach or Glenturret. It's disappointing, of course, because it's not what you'd expect, but once you've got over the disappointment, you realise that it's quite good anyway. The only thing I wasn't too keen on was the palate, which I found too sweet. In any case, it's a famous bottling, hard to find these days, so of course the price is very high, I'm not sure I'd recommend buying it.

Score : 88   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Nilüfer Yanya - Midnight Sun

SMWS 2012 53.423 Pirate Ship Cruise 10 yo

 

 

 

58,8°

Distillery : Caol Ila - Islay

Refill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead 

Independent Bottling 

By Scotch Malt Whisky Society 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 35 ppm

This is already the 423rd bottling of Caol Ila by Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Given that it has been in existence for 40 years, it's safe to assume that the trading company releases almost one Caol Ila a month on average, which isn't bad. This one was aged in a simple Refill Bourbon Hogshead, but I suspect that some Sherry staves were nailed to the cask. 280 bottles were put for sale, and quickly disappeared.

Let's Taste It : 

First of all, thick, razor-sharp smoke, a full ashtray that's still hot. You're inside the chimney of a steam locomotive, massive fragments of lignite, glowing coals, but behind that traces of grassiness, dark chocolate, soft caramel, and a mineral character, sandstone, slate, quartz. Fermented fruits. On the palate, burnt toffee, gingerbread, marzipan, on a layer of seaweed-filled peat. Broad spices, nutmeg, clove, ginger. Quite a long, explosive finish, charcoal, earthy, damp bark, black berries.

 

In Short, 

On a blind test, I hesitated to identify it as Caol Ila, as there was none of the iodine characteristic of the distillery. It's maritime, though, with seaweed and kelp, but nothing more. All the other hallmarks of the distillery are present. That's why I wonder if there weren't a few Sherry staves in the Bourbon Hogshead, because Caol Ila in Sherry casks is always much less iodised. Or maybe it was me, we were at the end of the tasting, and it's possible that I didn't appreciate all the nuances of the juice. In any case, it's a very good product, quite extreme, with a devastating smoke and a very deep finish. What's more, the price was quite affordable. No wonder it sold out so quickly.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Seeping :

 

                                           Swallow the Moon - Dark Paths of the Soul

Bowmore 1999 Hand Filled 20 yo

 

 

 

54,9°

Distillery : Bowmore - Islay 

1st Fill Pedro Ximénez Sherry Cask 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2019

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 25 ppm

 

 

 

I've never visited the Bowmore distillery, but apparently when you do, you have the opportunity to buy these regularly released bottles from the Hand Filled series. They are, as the name suggests, hand-filled, the particulars of the juice are noted in pencil on a small notebook supplied with the bottle and the alcohol content is also written in pencil on the label! This one is said to be the 33rd Batch in the Hand Filled series, aged for 20 years and 6 months in a Pedro Ximénez Sherry first-fill cask, numbered 26, and reportedly sold out 2 days after going on sale, bearing in mind that this bottling can only be purchased from the distillery. I don't know how many bottles were produced, but there are at least 659.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Very intense and quite woody sherry. Blackcurrant and frangipane. Ribbed velvet, cherry jam, gooseberries and liquorice. Raspberry lollipop, chocolate and caramel, genoise, treacle. Coulis, pomegranate, a few herbaceous touches. It's silky on the palate, rosewater, satiny vanilla, red fruits but not overpowering, cloves and pepper, light rancio, fermented fruits. The finish is long and explosive, meandering between the woody and morello cherry flavours, chocolate filled with ganache, stretto coffee and cherries, red fruit mousse and very slight bitterness. Cola nut.

In Short, 

I haven't had such a good Bowmore for a long time. It's quite exceptional. The Sherry is very intense but perfectly proportioned, velvety, coated in a layer of caramel, pure candy and at the same time very deep, a beautiful variety of pulpy fruit. In a word, magnificent. Be careful, it's not a good swimmer, so it's best not to add water. It's hard to get hold of it these days, you can sometimes find it at auction, but you have to pay the price.

Score : 91

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Jacob Gurevitsch - Lovers in Paris