Balblair 1990 (46%)

Dark amber color, small moving legs.

Nose: sherry wood, citrus, sweet but not overpowering, vanilla.

Taste: delicate sweet arrival, some spices, sherry wood.

Finish: long, spicy, sherry is still present.

Very nice whisky, lots of sherry, delicate taste. You can tell the extra aging has done it's job. I was surprised to read that this was finished for two years in sherry after 21 years in Bourbon barrels, as it tastes like it spent way more years maturing in sherry.

Was a whistlepig promo guy at binny's the other day when I went.

The 10yo was great I thought.

no whisky in 3 days El_Timon
u are slacking big time

Too true. Balblair 90 is a good one to pause on though, my pick of the whisky fringe this year!

Hahaha, I kept writing notes but stopped spamming the thread, but since there's interest I'll keep posting them.

Ben Nevis 10 (46%)

Nose: very alcohol forward and unrefined. After getting past that first impression I get some cut grass and vanilla. Smelled like American oak first but then I started getting hints of sherry. Glad I didn't give up on the nose after my first impression. With water that initial funky alcohol smell is still there, but the sweet vanilla note gets more intense and the cut grass goes away. After messing around with aromas I realize that it's the phenolic note that it's hitting me at the beginning. Reminds me of that awful talisker 5 year old I have stored somewhere, just too strong n the nose.

Taste: spicy. Sweet on the back of the tongue. Less spicy with water, but not a lot of flavors.

Finish: sweet then dry. Lingers for a bit. With water the finish gets sweeter and a little longer, with a subtle sherry taste that lingers for a while.

Enjoyable drink once I get past that initial unrefined alcohol smell. However, that initial impression is so strong that I don't see myself buying a bottle.

Benriach 12yo horizons (50%)

Nose: cut grass, a little sweetness underneath the alcohol smell. Not a hint of peat or smoke.

Taste: sweet and spicy. Honey.

Finish: semi long, grassy and sweet notes.

Very nice whisky, I'm a fan. Adding this one to my shopping cart.

Last one for today.

Benriach 17 yo Septendecim (46%)

Very light amber color, must be natural.

Nose: smoky. Lagavulin type smoke, not ardberg or laphroaig. Freshly cut grass. Slightly maritime. Menthol. Turns phenolic as soon as I added water.

Taste: lightly peppery. Water adds sweetness to the taste.

Finish: smoky, long and developing spicy flavors with a little sweetness mixed in. Ends in a woody note that lingers for a while.

Another winner from Benriach. I really like the flavor and how they work with the peat.

@Manndl, I remember that you have a pretty big Benriach collection. Which others would you recommend?

The peated port cask finished 12 years and my favorite right now from them the solstice 17.
The 12 year sherry cask is great too,but really sweet.
Interesting i allways have the smell of a old cider cellar(earthy) in my nose with the septemdecim.
I dont like the OB ben nevis at all.ben nevis needs a sherry cask in my eyes.
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http://www****bo.com/lcbo/search?searchTerm=benriach

any of those worth getting mandl?

no idea why it's censored but it's www. lcbo .com

glendronach 12 is a nice sherry cask whisky
ledaig 10 is a smokebomb same as the laphi quarter cask.
laddie 10 is the only whisky with a normal price.
Benriach Importanticus Fumosus Peated 12 Year is the whisky i recommendet to el_timon
what are your favorites so far?
if i knew that i could give better recommendations

ps:the prices are ugly in my eyes
have u thought about switching to milk

Favourites are ardbeg ugeaidail, aberlour a'bunadh, balvenie portwood.

I usually like smokey and/or wine-y.

I will try the Importanticus (lol name).

Is the heredotus the sherry one?

I recently tried the balvenie 21 Portwood and was not impressed, at least not for the price. Here are my notes.

Nose: sweet honey and refined alcohol, with a little wood in the background.

Taste: very muted and neutral arrival, developing into a little sweetness. Disappointing at first taste.

Finish: very long. Mildly sweet and woody.

Very smooth and enjoyable whisky all around, but it lacks complexity. I don't think it deserves it's price and it doesn't help that it's bottled at 40% either.

yes

@goose
if u haven´t yet give the laphi quater cask a chance too.

I have had it, and do enjoy it. Seems pretty one dimensional though. I have laph 18 on my list but they don't sell it here.

I'd also try their triple wood or cairdeas if I saw one. How do you feel about those ones?

i like both but the triple wood is tricky about 30% of the laphi drinkers don´t like it much.

Benrinnes 15 (43%)

Nose: sherry, sweet fruits, refined alcohol, very pleasant.

Taste: sweet arrival, woody. Not too complex, but pleasant.

Finish: short and not impressive. Becomes dry. Some grassy notes at the end.

It's a good malt, but not great. I would still consider buying a bottle though.

Campbeltown Loch 21 (46%)

Blended malt by the springbank distillery.

Nose: definitely a springbank; honey and maritime smell. Barley and some cut grass. The nose is refined but not too intense.

Taste: sweet and a little spicy. Very pleasant. Reminds me of the hazelburn taste.

Finish: slightly phenolic and sweet. The sweet taste lingers for a while. Finish is less dry than most malts.

Very nice blend, if I'm doing a blind taste there's no way I would call this a blend, as it's definitely as complex as a single malt, and has that distinctive springbank character that I really like.

Goose,

Did a taste-off for you!



Both have similar characteristic Laphroaig character.

The Quarter Cask to me has a little sweeter note to it (even though it hasn't spent any time in sherry casks) at the front, and is definitely a more full-bodied scotch. Has a sort of oilier, more viscous, richer mouthfeel and taste to it.

The Triple Wood is more woody/oaky, and maybe a touch astringent. Definitely a drier feel to it. A little more spiciness, and some sweetness on the back end. Maybe overall little more complex flavors than the Quarter Cask.

I definitely prefer the Quarter Cask, simply because IMO the wood overpowers the other flavors in the Triple Wood.

Thanks El D. I think I will pick up a bottle of the triple wood when I see one as options around here are becoming more and more limited for new drams. I will probably also get another bottle of quarter cask as I think it's great value and mine is almost empty.

Balblair 2002 (46%)

Found this bottle at one of the local liquor stores for $45 and couldn't resist buying it since I had liked the 1999 and 1990. Ralfy's whisky of the year for 2013 too so that had me intrigued.

Very pale golden color, like a white wine.

Nose: young spirit, a little off putting at the beginning but it goes away once you stick your nose in the glass. A little oak wood. Behind all that there's a delicate sweetness to it, like very mild honey. With water all that initial young spirit smell goes away and it turns into a refined fruity nose. Lots of tropical fruit smell. The wood is now in the background and there's some grassy notes there too. This is a remarkable nose if you like fruity whiskies.

Taste: sweet and floral, with some pepper. Flavors remain with water but the pepper becomes more strong. A little bitter note at the end, a bit strange and can't pinpoint the taste but it's interesting.

Finish: short, sweet and woody. Longer finish with water, with tropical fruit flavors developing for a while.

Excellent whisky and highly complex for the price. It needs water and time to fully develop (waited to taste for like 15 minutes after adding water), but once it does the flavor is excellent. Great buy and highly recommended!

Hi El T,

How much better than the 90? I really liked that.

My friend has 3 bottles of 89 as that's his favourite. Just need to make an excuse to hit up his house and split a whole bottle....

Pete,

The 90 and the 02 are very different whiskies imo. The extra aging and sherry finish is what makes the 90 so good. The 02 is a solid whisky and excellent for that price, but I don't think it's fair to do a head to head comparison.

I wish I had a bottle of the 90 to compare them side by side. Good excuse to buy one as part of my Xmas shopping this year

i have a 17 year old balblair out of a refill sherry cask.
i like it alot.reminds me of the applestrudel my grandma used to make.
i will post proper tasting notes in the evening.