Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 30 yo Notable Age Statements

 

 

 

45,1°

Various Distilleries, all unknown

Sherry Butt Finish

Independent Bottling 

By Decadent Drinks 

Limited Edition 

Blended Malt

Bottled in 2022

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

An unusual way of making a blended whisky: you take all the cask bottoms from Signatory Vintage, all the cask samples and bottling run ends, put them together in a Sherry Butt to smooth out the rough edges, and wait. Sixteen years. Angus MacRaild has dared to commercialise such an expression, and has even made it the spearhead of his new series, Notable Age Statements, of which this is the very first bottling, released in September 2022. In the hodgepodge of juices that have provided this Blended, some are much older than 30 years, dating back to the 1960s. That's very intriguing, but on the other hand we don't know how many bottles were produced.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Delicately waxed wood, along with a wide variety of fresh fruits, apples, bananas, strawberries, but also dried fruits, dates, apricots, and then it's velvety, then tomato soup, a whiff of iodine, icing sugar, salted butter caramel, with a few earthy and barky notes, chocolate fondant, raspberry coulis, malty hints. On the palate, more on honey, lots of red fruits in the background, malt again, woodwax, some spices but light, cumin, cardamom pepper. Chocolate chips, wood liqueur. Long, very woody finish, cedar, tinder, hazelnuts, maple syrup. Cola, minty undertone.

 

In Short, 

The result is truly impressive. The sixteen years of finishing have produced a fine balance, with a honeyed, woody, chocolatey bouquet. It's an old school whisky, with the patina and bewitching charm of old things. The finish, however, is not quite up to the level of the rest, with a slight lack of power and length. Still, the standards are very high. Two years after its release, you can still find it, but now the price is a bit high, I don't know if it's worth it.

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Blues Delight - If I had Money

Bowmore 2001 Cask Strength Collection La Maison du Whisky Exclusive Bottling 12 yo

 

 

 

57,9°

Distillery : Bowmore - Islay

Refill Sherry Butt

Independent Bottling 

By Signatory Vintage

Limited Edition

Single Cask

Bottled in 2014

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 25 ppm

 

 

 

This bottling was released at the end of 2014, selected by La Maison du Whisky for an exclusive sale in their stores. 595 bottles were released. 

Let's Taste It : 

Light stringy peat, a bit mineral, costal, salty. Fruits in the background, mellow, dates, quinces, medlars, apricots. It's malty, cereal-like, which is unusual for this distillery. A medicinal touch, ether, camphor, a zest of lemon. On the palate, it's both sweet and a little bitter, creamy vanilla, lemony drops and some sea spray, it's also waxy. Lively spices, cumin and pepper. Nice finish, quite full, becoming gourmet, pastry cream, vanilla icing, still candle wax, but this time it's well integrated. Mirabelles, fermented lemon. Toasted wheat.

 

In Short, 

I found there a few flaws, and the flavours were a little subdued. It's not a very expressive whisky. The waxy taste may be due to the bottle having been open for a long time, but I don't know. This expression has been sold out for a long time now, but if you come across it at auction or by chance in a liquor store, I urge you to be very circumspect.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Duncan Sheik - Barely Breathing

Bowmore 2004 Islay Sponge Part 5 20 yo

 

 

 

54,9°

Distillery : Bowmore - Islay 

Refill Bourbon Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By Decadent Drinks

Limited Edition

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 25 ppm

 

 

 

Angus McRaild, co-founder of Decadent Drinks, launched this mini-series two years ago, called Islay Sponge. It brings together exceptional bottlings from Islay, and today it's the 5th expression, from Bowmore. 20 years old, a Refill Hogshead, everything the distillate needs to fully express itself. 183 bottles are produced.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Coarse salt and a sea breeze. Kelp, various seaweeds. Lemon juice and grapefruit. Sea spray, foam, samphire. Salt-meadow lamb. Iodine bursting with limestone. Seawater, candied lemon. Papaya and pineapple, but it is above all very citrusy. lychee coated in icing sugar, white grapes. It's smooth and oily on the palate, then spicy, pepper, cumin, lemon velouté, a few boutargues, tuna crumbs, scallops. Creamy vanilla. On the finish, sea urchins, quite violent, then we return to this very costal, salty profile, in harmony with the lemon, and magnified by the spices. Slight forest touches.

 

In Short, 

It's really surprising and interesting. It's reminiscent of the old Bowmore from the 1960s, the great era, but it's different again, it's really modern. A strange and delicious combination of salt, a strong marine profile, citrus and exotic fruits. It's definitely an expression worth exploring, especially if you're a fan of the distillery, as it has its typical character. It's one of the saltiest Bowmores I've ever drunk. The problem is the price, but it has to be said that this is the market price, old Bowmores are very expensive.

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Florence and The Machine - Cosmic Love

Rozelieures Zn09 Malt in France

 

 

 

54,1°

Distillery : Grallet-Dupic - France

Independent Bottling 

By Mava Spirit 

Limited Edition

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Delicately Peated

 

 

 

Zn09 launched this bottling on the occasion of Malt in France, the first trade fair dedicated to French whisky, which took place in Rennes. There are no details about the production process, the casks used or the age, just that it comes from the Grallet-Dupic distillery in Lorraine, owners of the Rozelieures brand. They've been producing and selling their own whisky since 2007, and since 2017 they've been a Single Farm Estate, meaning they control absolutely every stage of whisky making, from growing the barley, which is done on their land, to malting, distilling maturing and bottling. I know of only one other distillery that does this, and that's Daftmill in the Lowlands. In any case, this bottling is very limited and it was the talk of Malt in France, so I had to try it.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Very malty, cereal-like, woody, a little alcohol-laden. Rye bread, a touch of iodine and earth, oak bark. Behind, aniseed sweetness, mirabelle plum, green apple. Cookie hot from the oven. On the palate, more rye, pinch of lemon, medlars, quince jam, chestnut cream. It remains quite woody, with discreet spices, but a hint of cumin and cardamom. Dates, banana. Fine, full-bodied finish, developing slowly, chocolate fondant, wholemeal bread crust, dried fig, sultanas. White gooseberry.

 

In Short, 

It's interesting and has personality. On the other hand, there are a few flaws, such as the hint of alcohol on the nose, but it's still a good, relatively complex whisky. To be honest, I was more than a little wary, given that I hadn't liked anything I'd tasted from Rozelieures at all. But I'm reassured. The price of the bottle is quite high, but you have to take into account the rarity of the product.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Mano Solo - Barbès-Clichy

Bowmore 1997 Xtra Old Particular 25 yo

 

 

 

47,5°

Distillery : Bowmore - Islay

Refill Bourbon Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By Douglas Laing & Co. 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2022

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 25 ppm 

An interesting Bowmore, matured in a Refill cask to allow the distillate to develop its full potential. La Maison du Whisky spotted it and snapped it up for a distribution in France as part of the Antipodes Collection. 219 bottles have been produced.

Let's Taste It : 

Beautiful costal fragrances, slightly lemony. Then it becomes gourmand and vanilla-flavoured, but not without a hint of salt and peat. Seaweed and kelp, but with a pinch of icing sugar. A lovely fullness of iodine. At the end, the peat becomes more present, with mud, shellfish and whelks. Exotic fruits in the background, mango and papaya. Wonderful balance. On the palate, it's the fruit that stands out, and it's almost an explosion, vanilla and mango above all, but also pastry cream, candied lemon, lychee, then pushed aside by a few spices, pepper, cumin, cloves. The finish is superb without being too aggressive, very long, cola, smoked tea, a hint of caramel, a pinch of charcoal.

 

In Short, 

This is an excellent Bowmore, undoubtedly one of the best Bourbon-aged ones you can still find. It's got everything you need to make a good Bowmore: very light peat, costal intensity and, of course, exotic fruits. For any self-respecting fan of the distillery, this is a must-have. Of course, it's very expensive, so now's the time to try your luck at the lottery.

Score : 91

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           iamamiwhoami - A Thousand Years

Line Up #25 : Another slice of Talisker

5 January 2024. 

The Line Up Concept : 

The last time I went to discover this distillery with a Line Up was three years ago. Since then, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. Several limited editions have been released, and I wonder if that doesn't give the distillery a slightly different face. How has it evolved over the last three years? Is it still as costal as ever? Are the gentlemen at Diageo treating it well? Is the quality still there? The marketing department has been on a tear over the last three years, and this represents a substantial budget, sometimes to the detriment of the quality of the bottles. Let's see if that's the case here.

The Tasting : 

Talisker Dark Storm : This bottling was launched more than ten years ago in the Travel Retail Edition, but is now available just about everywhere. The casks have been particularly charred.
The nose is salty and smoky, not very expressive in truth. Tides, seaweed, kelp, foam. On the palate, it's also very maritime, like seawater, but good. With a touch of sweetness and vanilla. The finish is long and quite pleasant, woody and oily. Score : 84

Talisker 10 yo : Now 44 years old, this edition is an absolute classic in the world of whisky. Of course, the quality has evolved over the years.
The nose is much better. Same profile, but more expressive and sweeter. The tide, salt and seaweed are still there, but this time it's welcoming and pleasant. The palate is also softer, with vanilla, but it's still very fishy. The finish is peppery, but a little short. Score : 85

 

 

 

 

 

Talisker Wilder Seas : Last year, the distillery teamed up with the NGO Parley to bring out this limited edition, the profits from which will be used to clean up the oceans. A fine project, and an effective marketing plan.
The nose is more candied, fruitier, with plums and quinces, but still very costal. The palate is still a little light, but apricot-flavoured, with spices. Warm bread just out of the oven. The finish is long, sweet and powerful, with sugar cane, candied fruit and rhubarb. Score : 86

 

 

 

 

Talisker 2011 The Distillers Edition : In 2022, the Distillers Edition lost their vintage and became ageless. A grave heresy. I rushed out to buy what will be the last vintage edition of Talisker's Distillers Edition. Is it better than the previous one I had?
The nose is deep and unified, full of coffee and chocolate, with barely a hint of the distillery's hallmarks. Syrupy palate, marked by apricot and dried banana, very spicy after a while. The finish is long, powerful and earthy, with coffee, red fruit and caramel.. Score : 87

 

 

 

 

Talisker 18 yo : In recent years, the price of this bottle has more than doubled. Even so, it's very hard to find. That's a real shame, because this is a very fine expression.
The nose is delicious, combining creamy vanilla, lemon tart and very fine salty fragrances, all in perfect balance. Ginger, cardamom, light, bewitching smoke. Fresh iodine. Still maritime on the palate, but with some exotic fruits. Long, beautiful finish, with just the right amount of power. Genoise and spices, almond paste. Score : 88

 

 

 

 

Talisker 11 yo Special Release 2022 : The penultimate Diageo Special Release, it is presented as particularly sweet, made from barley with a low peat content. But it's still Talisker. The subtitle is The Curious Creature of the Depth.
Here again, we sense the tide, but softened, as if sanded, with honey and vanilla. Saline hints, seaweed and kelp, but nothing aggressive. The palate is dominated by honey, with just a hint of maritime flavours, fine spices and a powerful, long, lemony finish. Genoise. Score : 88 

 

 

 

 

Talisker 15 yo Special Release 2019 : This is a very famous edition, as it is the oldest Diageo Special Release in years. It is also the best.
This time, the nose is perfect. Ice pellets, vanilla, iodine, everything blends together in perfect balance. Icing sugar, light smoke, lemon zest. Tide, lychee, salt streaks. On the palate, honeyed wonder, syrupy rosewater, vanilla and lemon, young apples. Mastered spices. Very long, explosive finish that makes you see stars. Egg yolk spread on warm croissants. Sugar beads. Score : 90

 

 

 

 

Talisker 1982 Special Release 2003 : A bottling from over 20 years ago, when Diageo Special Releases were great things.
It's soft, ethereal, aerial. Strong iodine, salty tide, but also melted butter, lychee. Pastry egg yolk. Breadcrumbs, brioche. Sweet vanilla. Lemon fillet. Tarte Tatin. Warm apples. Silky mouthfeel, icing sugar, macaroons, but also powerful spices. Warm bread. Sublime finish, very long, vaporous smoke, bubbles of lemon juice, almond paste, white chocolate. Score : 91 

Talisker 57° North : This one was discontinued around 2018, to make more room for Diageo Special Releases. It has never had a very good reputation.
The nose is rather austere, not very expressive, fairly strong smoke, maritime hints in the background. Fresh iodine. A few white fruits. A bit light on the palate, but good, almonds and brioche, then rather strong spices. Violent finish, but short, charcoal, pencil lead. Score : 86 

Talisker 8 yo Special Release 2021 : This one has the particularity of having been matured in heavily peated casks. It is subtitled The Rogue Seafory.
Quite present, and pleasant peat. Vanilla hints. Gradually the tide rises and becomes more present. On the palate, seawater, tons of kelp and seaweed, then spices. The finish is bitter, long, charred, salty and peppery. Chestnut purée and foam. Score : 89

 

 

 

 

What I gain from it : 

• In three years, the distillery's line hasn't changed much, and it's as good as ever. The distillate is more and more assertive, costal, salty, marked by the tide, kelp and seaweed. This is definitely a very maritime whisky, which was less obvious just a few years ago, when the casks were allowed to diminish the qualities of the distillate.
  

 

 

• So the break came not three years ago, but about a decade ago. At that point, the distillery really started to run out of quality casks, and the Diageo Special Releases became much less interesting. In 2013, a magnificent 27-year-old was released, which I've already mentioned here. Then, nothing at all until 2018, when an 8-year-old came out, which I'm talking about there. It goes from something purely marvellous to a very good whisky, but nothing more. And since then, we haven't had anything better than a 15 year old.

 

 

• A further step was taken in 2022, when the Distillers Edition lost its vintage. Now it's a non-age that I barely dare to taste. In the meantime, the 18-year-old has become unaffordable, and now the limited editions on offer are ageless, and of very relative quality, like the Wilder Seas. It's certainly not bad, but there's absolutely nothing exceptional about it.     
   

 

 

 

Conclusion : 

It's all a bit disappointing, Talisker is still an excellent distillery, but it's not at its best. Perhaps in the next 5 years or so, when we can take advantage of the casks that were filled around 2015, we'll see some high-quality bottlings again. But in the meantime, we'll have to make do with the Special Releases, the only affordable expressions that are still very good. Too few casks were filled before 2015, and most of them were quickly sold out in the face of soaring demand.

Other distilleries have the same problem, but with these you can rely on independent bottlings, which are sometimes expensive, but which offer some magnificent opportunities. With Talisker, it's nothing like that, the independent bottlings are very rare, rather young, and at a price that doesn't correspond at all to the quality of the juice. 

 

 

 

Be that as it may, the picture is not all bleak. Even if we no longer have masterpieces, we still have nice things with Special Releases, so there's enough to keep an honest man happy, and for those who can't wait, there's always the possibility of squandering your savings on a pre-2014 expression, which will cost you the earth, but which you'll remember for the rest of your life.

 

 

 

Stagg Jr. 2007 Batch 5

 

 

 

64,85°

Distillery : Buffalo Trace - USA

New Charred American White Oak Barrel

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Bottled in 2015

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

In the 19th century, George T. Stagg founded the distillery that later became Buffalo Trace, now recognised as one of the finest in the U.S.A. In his honour, the Sazerac Company, which now owns the distillery, has been producing a Bourbon Whiskey under the name of George T. Stagg since 2002, which is immensely famous, very expensive and hard to find, aged for at least 15 years. Launched in 2013 at the rate of two bottlings a year, Stagg Jr. is simply the blend of a few casks that were not deemed good enough to be included in the George T Stagg brand. Here, we're talking about Batch 5, which dates back to 2015. It's apparently a blend of two casks, one dating from 2007, the other from 2006. The age is therefore between 8 and 9 years. The number of bottles produced has not been disclosed.

Let's Taste It : 

Slow-flowing braised caramel, glazed with pepper, treacle, melted chocolate, roots and black radish. Thick honey, prunes, cooked damsons, black grapes. Some olives in the background but very discreet, brown tobacco. On the palate, it's consistent, thick, the alcohol is fairly well integrated, it's still strong, but not as strong as we might have feared. Mushrooms, damp earth, nuts, all wrapped up in a caramel bursting with vanilla and overripe greengages. The finish is quite violent and explosive, with smoky tea, liquorice, bark and nutmeg. The tobacco comes back even stronger, with heather and hazelnuts.

 

In Short, 

It's an excellent Bourbon, I must say, perfectly balanced, full of character and intense. My score is a little harsh, though, as I found it lacking a tiny bit of originality. There is less variety of flavour in Bourbon than there is in single malt. As for the price, it all depends on where you find it, and it can vary by as much as double. Look hard enough.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Alex Fawcett Band - No Love No More

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