8yo

Edradour 8 yo 2003/2012 Ruby Port

June 5, 2013
Thumbnail image for Edradour 8 yo 2003/2012 Ruby Port

The tasting notes may read worse than the whisky actually is, but this is just too immature and drowned by the wine. – Rating: 77/100

Bowmore 8 yo 2002/2011 L’Esprit

May 15, 2013
Thumbnail image for Bowmore 8 yo 2002/2011 L’Esprit

The nose and the first seconds on the palate are really nice but the flavours quickly fade away into a nondescript peaty sweetness. – Rating: 80/100

Arran Orkney Bere 2004/2012

January 26, 2013
Thumbnail image for Arran Orkney Bere 2004/2012

Surprisingly mature for its young age, this is an excellent example how using an ancient barley variety not designed for high yield can shorten maturation time. – Rating: 85/100

Glendronach 8 yo Octarine

January 9, 2013
Thumbnail image for Glendronach 8 yo Octarine

Quite a pleasant albeit not very complex daily dram on the sweet and fruity side. – Rating: 81/100

Isle of Skye 8 yo

August 28, 2012
Thumbnail image for Isle of Skye 8 yo

Not really an unpleasant blend, but the flavours are just a bit too generic to lift it significantly above the major brands that sell for less. – Rating: 72/100

Dufftown 8 yo

July 24, 2012
Thumbnail image for Dufftown 8 yo

No sensational old malt, but a very interesting one. Especially on the nose there is a slight meatiness that is totally lost in today’s Singletons. – Rating: 83/100

Edradour Natural Cask Strength 2nd Release

April 15, 2012
Thumbnail image for Edradour Natural Cask Strength 2nd Release

Another very young Edradour, but this time without cask experimentation. And indeed the spirit does benefit from not fiddling around with it. – Rating: 81/100

Port Charlotte 2001/2010 Malts of Scotland

April 11, 2012

The sweetness is a little too dominant here to make it a truly great malt. Still quite a good dram, though. – Rating: 85/100

Port Charlotte 2002/2010 Malts of Scotland

April 11, 2012

Ultra-rich in taste but quite sweet, this is a great dram for contemplative sipping with a little going a long way.
– Rating: 89/100

Port Charlotte 2002/2010 Malts of Scotland

January 10, 2012

This dram has a rather medicinal character. If you like that style of whisky, you will love this one. – Rating: 87/100

Mortlach 1998/2006 C&S Dram Collection

November 27, 2011

Very fast cask maturation here, it does not matter at all that the whisky is ‘only’ 8 years old. It is rich and creamy with a nice slightly dry fruitiness. – Rating: 86/100

Mortlach 1987/1995 Cadenhead’s

September 25, 2011

As could be expected, this young bourbon cask Mortlach is not really typical, but it is a very nice malt anyway. A single digit age is not a problem at all here.
– Rating: 83/100

Sheep Dip

July 24, 2011
Thumbnail image for Sheep Dip

A delicious blended malt full of rich flavours. It is a bit on the sweet side, but fruit and gentle spice give it a good balance. – Rating: 86/100

Hazelburn 8 yo Cask Strength

June 20, 2011
Thumbnail image for Hazelburn 8 yo Cask Strength

Even though it is only 8 years, this malt shows some characertistics of older whiskies. There is a lot going on in this fine and richly flavoured dram. – Rating: 85/100

Hazelburn 2002/2011 Sauternes Finish

May 25, 2011
Thumbnail image for Hazelburn 2002/2011 Sauternes Finish

The sweet wine finish puts the trademark orange notes into the background. A quite enjoyable malt, but there seems to be some sulphur present that contrary to my usual preferences does detract a bit. – Rating: 82/100

Caol Ila 2000/2008 Murray McDavid

December 29, 2010

Zinfandel running amok. The heavy finish even manages to overpower the peatiness of a young Caol Ila. If you like smoky Cassis, you must buy this bottle. I don’t. – Rating: 71/100

Springbank 2001/2009 Small Casks

January 18, 2010

This is Springbank’s interpretation of the Quarter Cask, and it’s a successful experiment. My favourite Springbank so far (although I haven’t had too many yet). It is surprisingly peaty with both a youthful punch and a mature complexity. – Score: 89/100

Hazelburn 8 yo from 2007

January 15, 2010

Nice and fresh with strong citrus note. Not bad, but I definitely prefer the 12yo. – Score: 80/100

Glen Garioch 8 yo from the 1980s

December 13, 2009

A very interesting older young whisky. A youthful edge combined with the complexity and smoothness of “Golden Promise” barley. – Score: 86/100

Ben Nevis 1999/2007 Murray McDavid

August 16, 2009

Defined manily by its finish. Bottled a bit too young for my taste as it is a bit “scratchy”. But still not a bad dram. – Score: 78/100