Raasay Oak Species Maturation 2025 50.7%, WB278860, WB278859, WB278858, WB278857

When I was watching my favourite series for the fifth time, I suddenly became aware of the word 'borborygmus' in an episode. It is commonly associated with hunger and an empty stomach, but it can occur at any time, whether the stomach is empty or full.
To be honest, those Raasays don't make me hungry. They are still very young, unbalanced and experimental. Here we have different oak maturations, from left to right: Quercus humboldtii Colombian oak (RH), Quercus petraea Hungarian oak (RP), Quercus robur French oak (RR) and Quercus muehlenbergii chinkapin oak (RM). Do we have a chance of telling the difference? Yes, we do.

Nose (3h):

RH: Mustiness, some old cellar, no wine though. Powder sugar, sugar canes, young rum. After a while cider. 85

RP: More sugar canes, almost demerara, sweet almonds. Maybe cherries, maybe cranberries. Orange marmalade. Other jams jamming. 87

RR: This one is an old wine cellar. I get leather, tobacco, wood, library, no fruits nor vegetables, maybe forest. 89

RM: Oh, I smell nothing… a bit of a sea breeze, surf, hints of seaweed saltines. Subtle maritime. 83

Palate:

RH: Sugar water, white tea, hint of apple juice and a few drops of grapefruit. 85

RP: Red wine, like Montepulciano, Hints of marzipan. 85

RR: Red wine, like blue Portuguese, subtle sweetness, wine juice. 85

RM: Very unspectacular. A very thin white wine juice. Maybe hints of lychee. 82

Finish:

RH: A bit oily, bitter almonds, lemon oil, medium long. 84

RP: Dry, Tannins, oaky, Brazil nut, medium long. 85

RR: Medium dry, Tannins, mouth coating, a bit short. 84

RM: Vanishingly short finish, reminiscences of some sweet white wine. One or two tannins that’s it.  80

Interesting, I don’t have expected that. But as a great guy once said: "If you do not expect the unexpected you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail". – Heraclitus.

Lagg Small Batch Ex Palo Cortado finish 2025, 56.2 %, WB279436

Hearing the words 'Palo Cortado' gives me goosebumps. According to the Wikipedia article, Palo Cortado is a rare variety of sherry that is initially aged under flor to become a fino or an amontillado. However, it then loses its veil of flor and begins ageing oxidatively, like an oloroso. The result is a wine that combines the richness of an Oloroso with the crispness of an Amontillado. This kind of sherry is extremely tasty yet very complex. Does this whisky inherit those features? No.

Nose (2h): Medium-rare steak, campfire, BBQ and campfire bread – that dough you stick on a stick and grill. There are also some floral fragrances, such as roses. Clove and cinnamon can also be detected. There's nothing Palo Cortadish yet, just dates and a hint of plum jam. The cigar smoke lingers for a while, mixing with the roastiness.

Palate: It begins with a burning sensation and a sharp arrival, yet it is thin. It lacks aroma and has a little peatiness and oiliness, as well as a aromaless wateryness. There are hints of sage, almonds and maybe other nuts, as well as nutmeg, cinnamon and clove. A hint of Christmasness.

Finish: Extremely short. I could stop here. But let's double-check. Interestingly, despite the high ABV, there is no trace of it in the aftertaste.

To be honest, I have had better Laggs, but I am not giving up on them and am willing to try new releases. As a great man once said: 'Life is short, kiss slowly, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly.'

– Paulo Coelho.

84/83/80

Ardnahoe Aqvavitae Small Batch 2019 2025 6 yrs, 55% WB: 282782

Nose (2h): Bon fire, vanilla and sweets. Apples of paradise. Candy floss, but a barbecue or fireplace nearby, no meat yet. Fresh green apples, some banana and coconut. Other tropical fruits are hiding. A teaspoon of water lures out peaches and apricots. A honeydew melon tentatively ventures outside. Creme Brule, pancakes, pannacotta creme.

Palate: So sweet, grilled banana, pineapple, melon, some espresso. Some tannins, Chardonnay or Pinot Gris. Vanilla ice cream with lots of vanilla sauce. Fading summer, last rays of sunshine, once again warm and nice.

Finish: Unexpectedly long, warming, umami, oily, milk chocolate,

cappuccino. Rice pudding without cinnamon, or with? However…

"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken." - James Dent

89/90/90

Isle of Raasay for the Maclean Foundation 2019 2025, 5 Years old, #19/1092, 61,1% ABV, WB290184, WB283551

Nose (1h-2h): Cognac flavours and fruit spirit, cherry. Behind the superficial youth there are flashes of preserved dark fruits. However, the youth gains the upper hand in a tingling manner. Alcoholic freshness on the nose, manifested in mint and eucalyptus. Not far from cough drops. Mountain herbs and Klosterfrau lemon balm spirit. Smells like a cold and hospital. Get well soon from the 'Final Touch'. Other glasses reveal sultanas, baker's yeast, bread, caramel, toffee, marzipan, dusty library.

Palate: sage, orange pips, tonnes of bitter almonds. Marzipan with

candied orange peel. I liked the nose much better. No easy drink. Diluting with water does no good. Grappa with very high ABV. No more cognac, no more brandy, 'just' alcohol with flavour.

Finish: The finish is very burning and short, the bitten-through seeds linger unpleasantly in the mouth, the high alcohol burns unpleasantly. The mouth is flooded with grapefruit juice and the white part, the pith, of the grapefruit.

Ultimately a very young and unbalanced whisky. Bought to support the project, but not a real pleasure to drink.

We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

88/85/80

Bladnoch 35 yrs 1990 2025 54,2% DeDr, WB270987

Chameleonic, a word I came across while googling strange animals with strange behaviours. It has interesting meanings, according to Collins: as in fickle, changeable in purpose, affections, faithless, temperamental; as in mercurial, lively and unpredictable, volatile, even erratic, unstable. An adjective I would very much like to use as a prescription for Bladnoch.

Bladnoch is hard to describe, as production-wise its style is varied. This bottling is perhaps from a light and floral period. At the beginning of the Bell's era it was light and floral, but towards the end of their ownership the Blenders template of nutty and spicy became the norm. There have also been peated versions, rumour has it, but in the Armstrong era. Now, under Australian owner David Prior, the style is very different, light, grassy and malty. Chamalonesque indeed. Is it the same on the palate?

On the nose, after quite a long time: You are right to recognise the repetition of descriptions when you say "candyshop", but of course there are many candyshops and this one is different from the previous ones. It is as if this shop is struggling a little because the sweets have been sitting there for a long time. It's a kind of sweetness you get when the jar of sweets gets a bit wet and dusty. Change of shops, not before buying a few caramels, toffee and skipping the bakery and the gelateria (not original Italian though). Restaurant, this one is Italian, dessert is due, of course tiramisu, rice pudding, a little cinnamon, lots of vanilla sauce, still warm, topped with white chocolate mousse. But there is more, if you are in the right mood, it is as if you are flying towards the sky, floating between the clouds, somehow getting high. Different glasses reveal more subtle aromas, such as the grassy ones I mentioned earlier. But wait, shouldn't they appear later?

Palate, much later: A mixture of Mediterranean fruits such as overripe melon, ananas, peach, apricot. Lots of sharbat, but also white pepper. Interesting matching to Italian dishes: I get espresso and all kinds of coffee, mainly Arabica beans are used.

Finish: In the mouth you get an oily texture, almost a chewy experience, a mouthfeel that I would describe as very elegant. But then the elegance is severely disrupted, the chameleon-like whisky kicks in hard with chilli flavours, more black pepper, angry tannins, she doesn't like the way I talk about her. I am sorry. I offer her a few drops of water. Her mood changes a lot, on the palate it becomes more grapefruit, like biting into lemon, orange or apple seeds. I don't know, water doesn't seem to suit her. I rather skip the water and stay high. As a great man once said: I looked through a lens and ended up abandoning everything else. Sebastiao Salgado (RIP)

92/92/90

Kilchoman Feis Ile 2025 Founder's cask research

1) Kilchoman 2011 2025 14 yrs 55.3% vol. 145/2011, WB274176

2) Kilchoman 2010 2025 14 yrs 50.0% vol. 497/2010, WB274180

3) Kilchoman 2011 2025 14 yrs 53.4 % vol. 258/2010, WB274177

4) Kilchoman 2006 2025 18 yrs 50.3% vol. 163/2006, WB274175

1: Nose: metallic, mineral, chalk dust, mild smoked tofu, now salmon, marine.

Mouth: Grappa, eau de vie, cinnamon, dates, Christmas bread, leavened bread, gingerbread with chilli.

Finish: Ginger, white pepper, numbingly alcoholic. Burnt sugar. Espresso.

88/85/84

2: Nose: Old leather sofa, cellar mustiness, wet coal, wet animals, cats, dogs, hamsters. Smoked bacon. Some honey, cream candy and heather, perhaps pine and cedar. Toffee.

Mouth: Salted caramel candy, peat forward, sweet overripe red apples. Apple scramble.

Finish: Oily, mouth coating, ocean surf, seaweed, bacon and wild mushrooms.

88/87/87

3: Nose: Solvent, glue, varnish, hospital, burnt tyres, paraffin after an accident. Oil can, garage.

Mouth: Ashtray, bread dropped into campfire, taken out and licked. Charcoal, coked and extinguished, of course. Burnt sausage, more like sucuk or chorizo, but very coked. Umami. BBQ.

Finish: Cigarette butts, if you leave them smoldering over the filter. Long, brandy, coffee, dark chocolate.

88/87/84

4: Nose: Smoked eel, but very subtle. Strawberry jam, cheese bread with honey and jam, a thin slice of smuggled Black Forest ham. Slate, wet asphalt.

Mouth: Chewy, grainy, salt grains, tannins. Red wine, Shiraz, Australia. Chocolate, latte macchiato.

Finish: Espresso, black pepper, sticky, burnt sugar, sea vegetables, mussels.

89/87/85