Tobermory, 1995-2025, 30 yrs, Murray McDavid, Wu Dram Clan, #9, 52.4%, WB289784

Tobermory, the plain malt supposed to have max 2 ppm of peat in contrast to the dirty peated version Ledaig at least with an amount of 35 ppm, so its is said. This one is said to have been matured for 30 years in French oak barrels. That been said, I wonder how murderous the tannins are.

Nose: Apple and pear compotes, fried bananas and fresh herbs such as basil, sage and bay leaves. Marzipan and nuts such as hazelnuts, walnuts and peanuts. Chestnuts. Mulberries. The smell of stale wet socks and old cardboard boxes in a damp cellar. Traces of juniper in the background. I'm not sure if these notes are good or bad, but they are intriguing for the moment.

Palate: It is sharp on arrival and unbalanced. There is an unintegrated sweetness in the foreground that overpowers all the other tastes. Everything about this whisky is unbalanced and stands apart: the sweetness doesn’t match the herbal notes or accompany the spices. There is a great war going on; every taste molecule of every congener is fighting each other. It's no fun to drink. I had already waited for hours and played with water. There's nothing to be gained from playing with water, by the way. It just makes the taste worse.

Finish: The finish is surprisingly short. Sweetness lingers in the mouth while the alcohol numbs the tongue. It's overly sweetened, poorly brewed coffee. Overall, I am a bit disappointed by this Tobermory, there is no gold here, but who am I to judge...

87/85/84 

 

The Marketing Malt 2008, Decadent Drinks, The Virtual Malt, 55%, Decadent Drams x Aqvavitae, WB290122

Another secret, another mystery. Aren't I tired of these bottlings? But I couldn’t resist; this one is a special bottling from Aqvavitae and sounds very promising. There are rumors of which distillery is behind this one…maybe I don’t care, or do I? Somehow, it's all a bit too much. The image is supposed to be meaningful and the labels on the bottle are very sophisticated. Perhaps this bottle isn't intended for people like me. Maybe I just don’t understand the concept, since I'm a bit simple-minded. Drinking a good whisky is no longer enough.

On the nose, it's just wow. At first, I couldn’t detect any herbs or spices, just lots of dark fruits, cooked fruits and all kinds of jam. Or should I call it marmalade? Cherries, plums, dates. After a few hours, hints of cinnamon and nutmeg appear.

Palate: It's very sweet with hints of burnt caramel, treacle, dark fudge and dark chocolate. Black pepper, but subtle. Coca-Cola.

Finish: A lingering coffee sensation with an oily, syrupy sweet latte aftertaste. The alcohol burns the mouth slightly. A nice drink for nice people: not too overpowering and not too complex. Of course, this is all just my personal opinion…

89/89/86

Mortlach 1990-2017, Old Chieftain’s, 27 yrs, #5186, 51.2%, WB130774

The distillery with the Klingon name! Every time I hold a Mortlach, I get goosebumps. I must say, this bottle has enough power to challenge a Chech'tluth. Information about this bottle is scarce and murky. I asked the Ian Macleod team about it. Here is their answer:

This bottling is cask strength, bottled at its natural strength of 51.2% ABV without dilution. Regarding the cask, based on the tasting notes, it was most likely a sherry butt, although we don’t have definitive information to confirm this.

Nose: Thick, syrupy and sweet with burnt caramel and a slight tingle. There are also red apples and refreshing herbs such as mint or eucalyptus.

Palate: Strong, concentrated espresso – is that what they call a ristretto? Of course, it's very sweet. Dates, sugar beet syrup and other kinds of syrup from various sweetening plants. There are aromas of sugar cane and muscovado sugar, as well as rum and a lot of leather and tobacco.

Finish: Eternally long and bitter-sweet, but not in a bad way. It elevates my perceptions and makes me start to ponder it mindfully. There is no honour in ignoring this one. Qapla', DaH jImej, maghomqa'jaj.

92/91/91

Glengoyne 2007-2023 Whisky Magazine 25th Anniversary, 16 yrs, #1683 53.9 % WB261858

Glengoyne has become difficult to obtain in recent years, at least for me. At one point, some bottles simply vanished, and when they reappeared, the prices had skyrocketed. I discovered a great discount on this one and took the opportunity.

On the Nose, there are dark fruits, reduced by cooking to a thick, syrupy fluid. Sweetness, maple syrup, dark honey, pine honey. The more the beverage breathes, the more leathery notes appear and aromas of horse sweat develop. I also detect traces of balsamic vinegar and a flavour the French call 'rancio'. After several minutes, or even an hour, a flood of thick, dark chocolate or cocoa powder mixed with fried porcini emerges. Sweet and sour sensations linger in the air.

Palate: There is an alcoholic sharpness at the forefront, which numbs some of the taste buds. However, the sweet armada is lurking in the background, ready to take over the mouth again at the right moment. However, there is another plot: tannins rush forward with dark red wine notes and strong, sweet coffee with thick, creamy milk.

Finish: Espresso and very dark chocolate with a lot of sweetness. A creamy sensation lingers, like clothed cream mixed with dark mousse. Very old brandy shows its respect. 

90/88/90

Meikle Tòir 5 yrs Glenallachie The Turbo 2025 50%, WB282226

I was quite impressed by this one’s previous twins and siblings. Finally, some successful experiments from Billy Walker. In some circles, Turbo is considered the new Octomore, but I don't know — we shouldn't get carried away. It has its merits, though. Octomore, however, is a different story. What story does this one tell us?
Nose (hours and hours): It's walking in the forest at night. Why? It's a blind tasting; I can smell truffles and other brown mushrooms. It's like burying your nose in the forest floor. There is a dinner going on; meat is being served, heavily fried with lots of umami. I can smell all kinds of sauces, such as balsamic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and Japanese fish sauce. There is a camp fire in not so much distance. Now I can smell pears, but they are heavily fermented, along with all kinds of other fruits in the middle of a fermentation process.
Palate: A camouflaged sweetness that is easily exposed. Why? Because there is profound saltiness going on here. It is a perfumed experience with some sweet dried fruits, such as apricots and sultanas. Now I can smell sandalwood and liquorice.

Finish: The finish is smoked tofu with a medium length. A creamy sensation lingers alongside dried porcini mushrooms. One should drink more often at night because, as a famous man once said: 'I often think that the night is more alive and more richly coloured than the day' — Vincent van Gogh.
90-89-89

Bunnahabhain 23 Feis Ile 2024 - Triple Sherry Wood Finish 2023 53.3%, WB249710

This one is quite polarising. The ratings range from 63 to 99, so let's try to form our own opinion. 
Nose (4h): Burnt matches, silent fireworks, not much fire, sulphur. Hidden behind the sulphur are hints of sweetness. All kinds of berries. There's cotton candy at the fair, and hints of sweets being sold on every corner. Hints of dates, rum raisins and stewed plums emerge. But instantly, those aromas are suffocated by a devilish cloud of sulphur.
Palate: It could have been nice; it could have been a wonderful dram. I could have told you about apple juice, pineapple and other tropical fruits, as well as dark fruits, dates, nuts and dried figs, BUT there is a coating of coriander flavour that covers all the other subtle flavours. Sulfur takes over. A sulphury VIP is claiming: 'We'll take it from here...' 

Finish: It could be a pleasant, lingering finish. But it isn't. Fresh coriander slaps you in the face. If you don't like it, you'll just taste soap. This one is a tragic soap opera in the end.
But, as the saying goes: 'This too shall pass.' —Persian adage. 

89/85/84

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.