Speyburn 10-year-old

Bought – Justminiatures, 13th November 2013

Ratings:
82/100 – Whisky Bible 2013
77/100 – Malt Maniacs (average from 7 reviewers)
86/100 – Ralfy, of http://www.ralfy.com
Review video: – Ralfy – Speyburn 10yo – YouTube

I received my miniature of the Speyburn 10yo on the very day that Ralfy released his video. Giving it 86/100 I was obviously delighted but I was left wishing I’d saved up for a full bottle! As it is this 5cl ticks Speyburn off my distillery list, as I continue my quest to have a representative bottle from every active distillery in Scotland. Can’t wait to drink this sample so I’m forced to replace it with a 70cl!

Glenrothes ‘Select Reserve’

Bought – Waitrose, 11th November 2013

Ratings:
80/100 – Whisky Bible 2013

80/100 might not seem like an amazing mark from Jim Murray but that still ranks as a “good whisky worth trying”. He deducts most points for the nose of this whisky. I don’t know about you but I tend not to spend a huge amount of time sniffing my dram. I’m more about the tasting! And with Glenrothes we have the exact opposite of the smoky, peaty Islay malts. The ‘Select Reserve’ is the entry-level, typical example of the Glenrothes taste – citrus, floral, bit of spice, dried fruit, creamy finish and enough body to keep you feeling satisfied.

I had a look for a second opinion on Malt Maniacs review page and two dramsters have reviewed this ‘Select Reserve’, one giving it 78/100 and the other 80/100, which is consistent with the Whisky Bible. But it wasn’t the ratings that made me want to buy this. My two main reasons were – 1) every collection should have an example of Glenrothes and 2) the ‘Select Reserve’ is mentioned in Ian Buxton’s book “101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die”. Not only that but he says this bottling “typifies the distillery house character”. So if you want to know the backbone taste of every bottle of Glenrothes there is, look no further than the ‘Select Reserve’.

Oh, one last thing. I was going to say that the packaging is terrible (which it is) but they proudly state on the side of the cardboard box that it’s “from 100% primary unbleached fibre from sustainable forest” so well done Glenrothes! And I love the funky bottle shape too!

Here’s Erik Wait with his review on You Tube (July 2016):

Tamdhu 10-year-old

Bought – Waitrose, 7th November 2013

Ratings:
84/100 – Ralfy, of www.ralfy.com
Review: – Ralfy – Tamdhu 10yo – YouTube

Glenkinchie 12-year-old 70cl

Bought – Morrisons, 5th November 2013

Ratings:
85/100 – Whisky Bible 2013
86/100 – Ralfy, of www.ralfy.com
Review: – Ralfy – Glenkinchie 12yo – YouTube

Having got a miniature of this Glenkinchie in July I finally got around to drinking it and, in a word, yummy! On the tasting map it’s classed as ‘light and delicate’ which is exactly what it is. It has what I consider that classic whisky smell that I remember from my childhood when I got my first whiff of a malt. “That smells nice” I thought, then I tasted it and…”YUK!” The same reaction back then as Brussel sprouts and marmite. The difference now is that I love whisky but I still hate sprouts and marmite. Weird eh?!

As I look around the Glenkinchie on the tasting map I’m beginning to realise that I’m a light-and-delicate kinda guy. I would much prefer a Linkwood 12yo or a Glenlivet 12yo to a glass of the Ardbeg 10yo. I think it’s important to know where your preferences lie, especially if I ever start doing reviews. I’ve watched and read lots of whisky reviews online and I’m yet to see someone declare at the start “I prefer peaty and smoky whiskies so take what I say about the light and delicate stuff with a pinch of salt.” For me that’s very important because for some reviews it would be like having a legs-man judging a wet t-shirt competition! Why don’t I get to do gigs like that?! I’m complaining to my agent! Oh, hang on, I don’t have one!

Glen Orrin 5-year-old (Aldi)

Bought – Aldi, 1st November 2013

This is the first time I’ve bought whisky from Aldi, so I was keen to see if I could find any reliable reviews of this 5yo. Unfortunately not. I’m no expert on the Aldi range but it seems this 5yo version of the Glen Orrin is quite new. Google results are more fixated with a 30yo release rather than this younger, and more commonly available relative.

I tend to think of Lidl and Aldi as much the same, so it doesn’t surprise me that Lidl have also got a 5yo whisky in the Glen Orchy. It’s clearly a tit for tat thing between these two companies. I will have to do a taste comparison to see which one of these 5yos I prefer.

I was curious as to the location of Glen Orrin, which I discover is in the Highlands, west of Beauly and beside the Orrin Reservoir, which was opened in 1961 as part of the Conon Hydro-Electric Scheme. For those of you interested in geneology, according to my clan map of Scotland, Glen Orrin is in the Mackenzie territory. Closest whisky distillery looks like Glen Ord but that’s not to say any of the malt in this blend comes from there, or anywhere close by.

Update (25th November 2013). Tasted it and it’s very good. You can tell it’s a young dram from the nose, where there’s plenty of spirit floating about that hasn’t had a chance to suck the juice out of the sherry, bourbon, etc., casks its component parts were resting in before being blended together. But there’s plenty of fruit perfume there to create a good distraction. I felt the finish was as short as you’d expect for that age and didn’t detract from the overall charm of the drink. After a few sips I added lemonade, which is my mixer of choice with a blend, and that worked well (which isn’t always the case with a blend). Definitely a whisky I’ll take out of the cupboard again!

Wild Turkey (86.8 Proof)

Bought – Online Whisky Auction, 31st October 2013

Ratings:
88/100 – Whiskybase (from 1 member vote)

At last, another bourbon! I’ve been debating for a while between getting a new bottle of 81 or 101 when I spotted this vintage bottle of Wild Turkey up for auction. Nobody was interested in it so I got it for the opening bid of £1. Bargain!

A label on the back of the bottle says “Imported by Atkinson, Baldwin & Co, Regent Street, London.” I did my research and this company was formed on 2nd October 1923 and dissolved on 14th November 2006, at which time they’d moved from London to Uxbridge. I couldn’t find out when they moved from Regent Street but clearly my bottle is older than 2006. It looks quite a bit older but not dating back as far as 1923, unfortunately! The company was described as for “wholesale alcohol and other drinks”.

From hunting about on forums this bottle seems to be from the 1970s or 1980s, made from 7-year-old whiskey and considered by several experienced bourbon drinkers as having a better, fuller flavour than the modern day version. Now the question still remains, do I get a 81 or a 101 to compare this one against?! Heck, why not get both!!!

Rob Roy

Bought – Online Whisky Auction, 31st October 2013

Ratings:
88/100 – Whisky Bible 2006

Because I bought this miniature at auction I don’t know its exact age but it looks quite new.  One of the principal blends from the Bowmore distillery on Islay, Jim Murray in his 2006 bible says of it “a profound whisky with big malt character and impressive complexity. A real no-nonsense, blend-drinker’s dram.”

Bell’s Collection (4x5cl)

Bought – Online Whisky Auction, 31st October 2013

Since I bought these 4 miniature bottles of Bell’s as a job lot I thought I’d post them all together. They are:

• Bell’s ‘Islander’ (NAS, 40%)
• Bell’s Very Rare Royal Reserve (21-year-old)
• Bell’s DeLuxe (12-year-old)
• Bell’s Fine Old Scotch Whisky (12-year-old, 40%)

Prior to the auction I didn’t have any examples of Bell’s in my collection so I took a punt and got all four for £2.25. Clearly they’re nothing special at that price but I thought they’d be interesting to contrast and compare (especially the 21-year-old).

Lochindaal 10-year-old

Bought – Online Whisky Auction, 31st October 2013

Ratings:
81/100 – Whiskybase (from one member vote)

Like the Tambowie, this Lochindaal is one of those mystery malts where the contributing distillery is unclear. I read on a forum about the Lochindaal, and I quote “Loch Indaal is the loch on islay, as well as the old name of the Port Charlotte distillery. The Loch indaal should be either Bruichladdich (if non peated) or Bowmore (if peated).” So only tasting it will reveal its true origin!

Whilst I was bidding on this mini bottle I was frantically hunting on Google to see if I could find a price for a similar version. I was stunned to discover that someone had paid £8.50 for an empty bottle on Ebay. £8.50?! My winning bid was £6.25 and I got a little bit of whisky inside as an added bonus! 🙂

Ross Priory (Bowmore)

Bought – Online Whisky Auction, 31st October 2013

It was clear from the number of Bowmore miniatures for sale in the auction that someone was selling off a collection. I had no idea Bowmore had so many obscure releases! There were Bowmore bottlings for different birds of Britain, airplanes, Scottish Power, railway lines, famous golfers and even one for the centenial of the Forth Road Bridge.

I attempted to bid on several bottles but ended up with only one, paying £1.50 for a Bowmore labelled for Ross Priory, which is the recreational and conference centre for the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. This venue caters for weddings, provides bed and breakfast and offers golf, angling and boating. With a bar and a lounge bar it’s a perfect place to have a mini whisky available for guests. A malty souvenir to remember the place by.

This is another miniature that nearly had me fooled. I thought it was a single malt but it says on the label “Blended and Bottled by Morrison Bowmore” so that sounds like a blend to me. Bowmore’s principal blends are Rob Roy and Black Bottle, so I’ll have to try this Ross Priory and see if it contains one of the standard Bowmore blends.