Birthday Booze: Miltonduff 19 year old 1978 Signatory, cask 1683

Yes, it's been three weeks. Yes, I didn't finish my Mathilda Malts. But my birthday came and went without an opportunity to try my trio of special b-day bevvies, so I'll post about each of these first, then I'll finish the Mathilda Malts with a very special pour. Then I have my post schedule to return to!

Batting leadoff, the 1978 sample. This time it's from Chivas's Miltonduff, owned by Hiram Walker. in '78. The sample was pulled from one of ye olde Signatory dumpies filled with coffee-colored sherry cask whisky. Here's a Whiskybase screenshot:

The whisky in the glass indeed quite dark, with a reddish hue. That's my second least favorite color of contemporary whiskies (right behind DiageOrange™), but that chromaticity (sorry) in dusty bottles still thrills me. So how's the actual whisky?

Distillery: Miltonduff

Current owner: Pernod Ricard

Owner at time of distillation: Hiram Walker & Sons
Independent bottler: Signatory

Range: Vintage Collection

Age: 19 years (23 January 1978 - 14 February 1997)

Maturation: Sherry Cask
Cask #: 1683
Outturn: 180 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 59%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose begins with a swirl of semisweet chocolate, walnuts, mothballs, and old wood. The latter two notes shift to dunnage after ~30 minutes, as wet stones, dried cherries, and coffee grounds appear. Nocino and tobacco rumble in as the palate's bass notes, with limes and dunnage entering as the treble and mid. With time, the whisky picks up hints of wood smoke and barrel char. It finishes with tobacco, sour cherry liqueur, and ash, more bitter than sweet.

DILUTED to ~50%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL of whisky

Maple, dried apple, golden raisins, and wood spice fill the nose. The palate turns extremely woody: sawdust, pulp, resin, tannin. In fact, this is a 19yo bourbon now. Its mouth-drying finish is loaded with bitter oak and clove cigarettes.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Like other heavily-oaked old whiskies from around the world, this Miltonduff offers a vibrant, colorful nose as its best feature. The palate holds off any collapse from the wood's weight, until water is added. Bourbon geeks would probably adore this malt with or without dilution. I prefer it neat, where its dusty, fruity highlights bring curves and angles to the drink. At 15 years old, this might have been a hell of cask.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - ???

Rating - 86 (neat only; drops 10-15 points w/water)

Single Movie Single Malt: The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972) + Glenlossie 33 year old 1984 Signatory, cask 2533

Gonna keep the Mathilda Malts and movie reviews going, though today's film is truly the wrong movie to be reviewing in this case, with the murderous siblings and all, but here it goes anyway.

The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972)

pic source

Because Emilio Miraglia's final film starred both Barbara Bouchet and Sybil Danning, I had to see it strictly for scientific purposes. In The Red Queen, as in many giallo films, psychiatry is shown in a negative light, but paranormal curses? Yeah, they're legit. For instance, two daughters kill each other every one hundred years in the Wildenbrück family. After one murders the other, the dead girl returns to the world of the living to kill seven randos before ending her sister's life. And of course, in 1972, it's that time again!

The plot runs on the guilt Bouchet's character feels for accidentally killing her sister. And then other people start dying. It's all very old school Christian-ish. Divorce/cheating = death. Drugs = death. Naked = death. Somehow, four of the women in the story have either slept with or want to sleep with the charmless leading man (courtesy of Ugo Pagliai). There's body count and then there's body count. And when the murders reach seven, the third act goes super twisty until the reveal answers whether the killer is from this world or the next one.

Most of the second act's questions are answered in the third; such as, "Death leaves voicemails?" and "Death drives a VW Bug?". So the script is pretty reliable for a giallo, except for the fact that everyone is so humorless throughout. Yes, people are being murdered, so knock knock jokes would be tacky. But there's no tonal depth, and few facial expressions are utilized. Sybil Danning appears to be the only one having a good time because her spicy character has spicy character. Though Bouchet plays the lead, she offers the same emotional key in nearly every scene, as does Pagliai in character.

The filmmaking is rather flat as well, except when a dream sequence late in the film offers a burst of energetic editing, framing, and in-camera effects. When the sleeper awakens we're back to the monotone style. Also, the main baddie reveals everything at the end for absolutely no reason, which essentially means the main characters couldn't figure out anything and were passive from beginning to end. Occasionally the music cues clash with the visuals, like when the soundtrack offers upbeat tunes during a murder and the final bleak ending.

The Red Queen Kills Seven Times ends up being a middling giallo. Nothing weird, clever, or unique sets it apart, but the twist isn't terrible, the tale is never boring, the action moves, and there are a lot of purdy people onscreen. A viewer could do better or worse.

Verdict - Middle of the road, being dragged by a car

---

Time for a drink.

Glenlossie, Mannochmore's sibling, offers a consistently decent Speyside malt. I'm not entirely sure what defines its "Distillery Character", but I really enjoyed the last 'Lossie I reviewed three years ago, a 24 year old single cask from Cadenhead. Today I'm trying another indie-bottler's single cask, a 33-year-old from Signatory. Only ten '84 Glenlossies have been bottled to date, and Symington's company is responsible for four of them. This one's the oldest.

Distillery: Glenlossie
Ownership: Diageo
Independent Bottler: Signatory

Range: 30th Anniversary

Age: 33 years (4 October 1984 - 27 July 2018)

Maturation: refill sherry butt
Cask #: 2533
Outturn: 530 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 56.7%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose's ancient oak frames a host of fruits, like dried apricots, cherry juice, tinned peaches, honeydew, and fermenting watermelon rind. After ~45 minutes in the glass, the whisky releases a vivid baklava note. Like real baklava, with rosewater, honey syrup, and pistachios. The palate goes a different direction with mushroom-like umami, cucumber skins, and a whiff of wood smoke. With time it picks up a sharp, tangy Japanese citrus note. It finishes with raw almonds, smoked sea salt, umami, and a hint of the citrus.

DILUTED to ~50%abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The dusty old oak leans a little heavier in the nose, but now fresh apricots roll in, followed by honeydew, walnuts, maple, incense, and charred beef. Friendly old-fashioned sherry cask notes appear in the palate. It's salty, savory, and nutty, with a hint of leather. The smoke note remains, merging well with walnuts, dried apricots, and a touch of cracked black peppercorns. It finishes with salt and pepper, tangy citrus and a little bit of sweet stone fruit.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Here's my new favorite Glenlossie. I wonder how far back this refill sherry butt goes, 1960s? 1950s? It certainly isn't a dead cask, thriving in the nose while holding back its tannins in the palate. Though I haven't seen anyone else mention the smoky note, it's certainly present, adding a lovely little angle to the whisky's flavor. Maybe it's from the cask's previous passenger? Your guess is as good as, though probably better than, mine. But I'm also going to guess that Signatory's warehouses hold many (or most) of Scotland's remaining honey casks.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - $650 to $800

Rating - 90

Single Movie Single Malt: Horror Express (1972) + Banff 17 year old 1976 Cadenhead

Since I missed running out my Mathilda Malt series back in May, now's a good time as any to review the whiskies that I'd selected to celebrate her 11th birthday. Also, I've been watching some grown-up movies. Time to lob all sorts of stuff your direction, like last year.

Horror Express (1972)

pic source

Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and Telly Savalas fighting evil on a train? Yes. Please.

Though this wasn't a Hammer Horror production, Chris and Pete still deliver LOL-level dialogue with unmatched elegance in Horror Express. It's a period piece too, so the fellas can dress up, and Cushing even gets to handle a comically large shotgun.

Using a set borrowed from Nicholas and Alexandra, the production hides its low budget well whenever the baddie isn't on screen. The train cars look great, as do the costumes. The editing waffles between awkward, competent, and (unintentionally?) comic, while the direction is......present.

In 1906, scientician Sir Saxton (played by Lee) finds a two-million-year-old ape man frozen somewhere in China, then boxes it up and hauls it onto a Trans-Siberian train. Then the dumbest characters immediately start dying. Saxton's frenemy Dr. Wells (played by Cushing), tries to find out WHAT'S IN THE BOX and then teams up with the scientist and an inspector (Julio Peña) to solve the crime and stop the evilness. About an hour into the story, Telly Savalas appears, all dick-swanging and cigar-chomping, portraying a Cossack general without even attempting an accent. (He and his troops only serve to stretch the film out to its 88-minute length.) Will Dracula, Dr. Frankenstein, and Kojak outwit the evil not-just-an-ape-man on the train? Or will they all say screw it, hop off at Kharkiv, and do vodka shots until the snow melts?

Eyes are the key to the film. Violence happens through the eyes and to the eyes. And the mystery of the evil thing is solved via a disembodied eyeball in a scene that I had to watch thrice to ascertain it was intended to be funny. (Answer: Probably not.) And though brains are revealed, the zombies near the film's conclusion have nothing to do with said brains.

As much as I may jest about the film overall, most of the WTF questions I wrote down during the film were actually answered by the script. I would absolutely watch it again, though the tale itself would be even better as a sci-fi short story or novella, one with a skeptical tone and more trepanning.

Verdict - Who loves ya baby? Me, kinda.

---

Now the whisky part!

Distillery: Banff

Ownership: DCL (proto-Diageo)

Independent Bottler: Cadenhead

Range: Authentic Collection

Region: Speyside (Deveron)

Age: 17 years old (August 1976 - June 1994)

Maturation: ???

Outturn: ??? bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 60.5%

(sample from a bottle split)

Like the sibling cask I reviewed 10½(!) years ago, this Banff comes from Cadenhead's green glass era, which means nothing is really known about the maturation vessel and outturn. But I do love me some Banff, and this is my last Banff sample. Of course, four years ago I said I was on my last Banff sample then, so let's all make a wish on the morning star for another reasonable Banff bottle split to come my way. That's five Banffs (or six) in this paragraph, so I should be able to remember which distillery this whisky comes from.

NEAT

Malt, toffee, and dark chocolate appear first in the nose, followed by apricots and brine. And it works! There's a little bit of toasted oak and soap somewhere in the middle. After 45 minutes, notes of baklava and dusty books sneak out. The palate is loud but approachable, and quite creamy in texture. Tart nectarines, salt, burlap, and white chocolate dominate, with the soapy hint staying far in the background. It finishes very salty, with milder notes of metal, nectarines, and coal smoke.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or nearly 2 tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The sunnier nose offers lemon peels, lime juice, moss, and barley grist, with musty oak and root beer hard candies in the back. The lightly sweet palate shows toasty oak with a hint of malt, Sugar Daddy candy and the tart stone fruit. It gets a bit minerally after a while. It finishes with salt and metal, tart fruit and bitter herbs, and the quiet coal smoke note.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Many of these green glass bottle Cadenhead releases can be nearly undrinkable at full strength, so I appreciate that this Banff isn't rocket fuel. The nose, neat and diluted, is a complete treat, with a great balance of oak and spirit. The palate might require extensive dilution experiments to find its best spot, though I'm not sure how that would play out on a whisky that's occupied a sealed bottle for 30+ years. At 46%abv, the soap notes completely vanish and the flavors may be more balanced. Had the coal smoke appeared in the palate itself, and if the finish were longer, I'd give this whisky a bigger rave. Still, if this is my last Banff, I feel very lucky to have had this opportunity to taste it.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - ???

Rating - 87

WTF is this? Airem 14 year old, PX casks, Spanish single malt

I know I went halfsies on a bottle of this stuff, but right now I have only one ounce left, and I have no memory of having more than two glasses of this whiskey since the bottle split. So it's not going to be a TIRD, rather a WTF is this?

Really, WTF is Airem? I went through nearly 100 Google search results with no information about who made this stuff. Even the official Airem site doesn't mention a distillery. Everyone just has a lot of marketing blather about the snows of the Spanish Sierra Madre and Granada. I've been so used to innumerable American whiskey brands bragging about their local water and "production" when all the while they were just bottling diluted MGP bourbon and rye. So for a while, I suspected Airem was actually sourced from Scotland and watered down with Granada's tap water. But I think I figured out who made this whiskey.

As of 2024, Spain had 2 distilleries. One was Distilerio Molino del Arco, the folks who made the DYC blend, and then a few malts of their own. The other is a much newer Destilerias Liber founded in 2001 in......Granada. And they use former solera system PX casks. They sling a 5yo and 13yo en España, and have recently started limited batches that are around 14 years old. (Thank you, Ingvar Ronde and the stellar Malt Whisky Yearbook!)

Destilerias Liber if this is you, then flaunt it! Otherwise, some of your markets are going to doubt that this whisky was actually distilled in Spain.

If it isn't you then.....yay DYC?

Distillery: Destilerias Liber, posiblemente?
Brand: Airem
Region: Spain
Age: at least 14 years
Maturation: PX casks

Alcohol by Volume: 43%
Chillfiltered? I think so
Caramel Colorant? ???
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

A big whiff of hot fudge immediately hits the nose, followed by white grape juice. Old wet tree bark floats through the middle, while applesauce and prunes stay behind. The palate rumbles in rougher. Green wood, stale black raisins, bitter tannins, and semisweet chocolate register first. With time, floral and earthy notes offer some dimensions, until a massive burnt note takes over. It finishes vegetal and bitter, with a jammy PX lifting it up a little.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

It's whiskey, indeed. Contemporary stuff. Aging the whiskey in the Granada heat for 14 years has pushed the (actual solera?) PX casks all the way to the front, and I do mean both the PX and the oak. This must be a splintery beast at full strength. At 43%abv, it still fills one's mouth with tannins and dried grapes, which isn't a complete tragedy, though the burnt note is a bit odd. But the nose is very good, full of chocolate and fruit, thanks to all the extraction. This is another one of the rare instances wherein I'd be interested in trying a younger version from a distillery, something in the single digits, before the distillate has been clobbered by too many Spanish summers.

Availability - a few dozen US retailers
Pricing - $120 to $180
Rating - 79

Oban 21 year old 1996, Special Release 2018

Folks from my whisky generation are used to only seeing Oban's 14yo, Distillers Edition, and (occasionally) the 18yo on retailers' shelves. (Nowadays you whisky kids have an NAS and a host of young "Special Releases" to choose from.) So I always enjoy seeing older cask strength versions of Oban hit the market, even though they're usually priced well above any level I deem reasonable. Sometimes I'm able to join a bottle split, like I did with Diageo's other 21yo Oban release, which turned out to be a great whisky, and the 21yo SR that I'm reviewing today. A pour of a 2017 bottling of the 14 year old served as a warmup for this post.

Distillery: Oban
Ownership: Diageo
Range: Special Releases
Region: Western Highlands
Age: at least 21 years (1996-2018)
Maturation: Refill European Oak Butts
Alcohol by Volume: 57.9%
Limited Bottling: ???? bottles
Chillfiltered? No
e150a? Probably not
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose starts off like a similarly-aged Glenburgie, full of fresh stone fruit. With this Oban, it's apricots! Pears, lemongrass, and damp moss fill the middle ground, while saline and crème brûlée linger in the background. Apricots, oranges, and tart cherry compote appear first in the palate, followed by roses and a whiff of wood smoke. It's slightly tannic and drying, though not too much so. It finishes with tart cherries, tart limes, and a tannic touch.

DILUTED to 46%abv, or 1½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

More minerals and saline in the nose now. White peaches, golden raisins, and flower blossoms keep it bright. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and molasses move to the palate's fore, with minerals and tart berries in the aft. Oak spices, lemons, and salt finish it up.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Lovely nose, decent palate. The oak doesn't ruin the palate, but something does seem to keep the whisky flavors from merging and ascending, keeping it from besting aforementioned similar Glenburgies. Experimenting with dilution might help. As always, my score arrives independent of the whisky's price, though the QPR here could be disappointing to those who buy a bottle.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - originally priced around $450, it's now $500-$700
Rating - 86

Things I Really Drink: Compass Box Artist Blend Single Marrying Cask, cask 4 for Binny's (with guest review!)

Generations (11 years?) ago, when Compass Box first released their Great King Street Artist's Blend, it received raves aplenty. But not from me. I thought it was unremarkable, though very drinkable. The 43%abv hurt it, as did the grain component.

Years later, Compass Box started offering exclusive retailer single casks of the blend at 49%abv. (Due to some sort of rebranding the Great King Street and 's were removed, making it "Artist Blend".) The prices tended to be pretty reasonable at $50-$60, so I picked up a bottle from Binny's last year.

This particular cask was an ex-Palo Cortado butt that had previously held Linkwood's single malt:

Though that cask sounds sort of random, there's actual method to it. One of the Doctors Springbank did some digging around, finding out that Linkwood Palo casks were part of Compass Box's Nectarosity blend. It had been a first-fill for Nectarosity, so CB found additional uses for it.

Linkwood is good stuff, and I do like me some Palo Cortado matured whisky, so the $50 sale price made it a given for me.

Unfortunately, I never really "got" the whisky. By the bottle's midpoint, I realized I appreciated it but didn't actually like it. With the looming possibility that I was missing something, I retained the services of both Doctors Springbank, requesting their tasting notes for this bottle. So first, I present ye with their review.

From the Doctors Springbank

Nose: Waxy, overnight oats with honey and orange marmalade. Pear and ginger. Pineapple upside down cake with orange zest 

Palate: Fresh milled barley, hay, walnuts, orange peel, Honey, apricot, white pepper.

Finish: Long lingering dry wood tannins

After sitting in the glass for 40 minutes

Nose: Vanilla tootsie roll, lemon poppyseed pancakes, hay

Palate: Muscovado sugar, poached pear, unripe banana, lemon zest, white pepper, 

Finish: Long dry bittersweet chocolate, walnuts.

Notes: Overall decent dram. It had overwhelmingly bourbon barrel characteristics. We had trouble finding the palo cortado influence.

Thank you both for your notes!

---

I did two separate tasting sessions. First, I compared it's highball side-by-side with that of Johnnie Walker Double Black and Hibiki Japanese Harmony. TIRDs aplenty! Then, on a different night, I consumed plenty of Artist Blend neatly. Here's what I found:

HIGHBALL

Lots of baking spice and caramel right up front. Butterscotch appears in later sips. Mostly vanilla at the bottom of the glass.

This follows the bourbon barrel reference from the Doctors. For what it's worth, I like this highball the least of the three.

NEAT

The nose starts with a curious mix of oranges, nectarines, steel wool, and almond extract. Some cherry bubblegum appears around the edges, with vanilla bean in the background. It gets more floral with time, picking up lemon cake notes. More oranges in the palate, now joined by Granny Smith apples and whole wheat bread. It's tart and acidic at first, then gets much sweeter with time, gaining ginger beer and rose notes. Its decent-length finish offers mostly tart and tangy citrus, dusty spices, vanilla, and ginger candy, also growing sweeter with time.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I'm relieved to see we found similar notes, like oranges and lemon (pan)cakes on the nose; oranges, grain, and sugar in the palate; and woody stuff in the finish. I also can't find the Palo Cortado cask in this, just lots of bourbon barrel action and sweet grain whisky. Could this have been a third-fill, with Nectarosity being #1, the Linkwood Artist Blend element as #2, and the marrying cask as #3? Or did that first blend soak up all the good stuff?

The now-archived Artist Blend was only 45% 11yo first-fill bourbon barrel Cameronbridge grain whisky, yet that ingredient shouts the loudest, with young Linkwood and young Balmenach offering secondary notes.

Having now focused on the whisky in a tasting, I do like it more that I had before. Still, I'm in no hurry to pour another glass of this. When I do, it'll be served neat or with a few drops of water.

Availability - Binny's Beverage Depot
Pricing - $60, or $50 on sale
Rating - 80 (neat only)

Things I Really Drink: Hibiki Japanese Harmony

Speaking of Japan, Hibiki Japanese Harmony blended whisky graces my glass today. I had tried this before and found it uninspiring. Its fancier cousin (the Master's Select) left me feeling the same. So why on earth did I buy a full bottle of the stuff at Binny's last year? Well...

• I'm smitten by highballs during these Midwest summers.
• Fond remembrances of age-stated Hibiki.
• Friends encouraged me to give it another try.
• I adore the bottle shape, those lovely 24 facets.
• It was on sale for $79.99. Yeah, a real frickin' bargain. 😐

Since I've almost finished the bottle, I can start to drop spoilers. Am I sorry I bought the whisky? No. Am I going to buy it again? Not unless I find for clearance prices someday.

Hibiki Japanese Harmony blended whisky has a 🙂 side and a 🙁 side. Before I use any more emojis, I should just begin the review.

Ownership: Beam Suntory
Brand: Hibiki
Type: Blended whisky
Country: Japan
Distilleries: Yamazaki and Hakushu for malt, Chita for grain
Age: ???
Maturation: "The spirit ages in five types of casks, including rare Japanese oak Mizunara, as well as sherry and bourbon casks."
Alcohol by Volume: 43%

NEAT

There's a lot of moderately-aged grain whisky in the nose. It's bready and floral, with touches of toasted oak, lychee candy, banana, and vanilla. That toasted oak registers louder in the palate, with lots of baking spices to go with mild tannins. Wheat and flowers, oranges and maple. Gently sweet. It finishes sweeter with more oranges and straightforwards oak.

HIGHBALL

Dangerously refreshing. The sweetness remains mild, yet the citrus reads more varied and complex than when the whisky is sipped neatly, while the wheat shifts towards barley.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

The contents of this bottle of Hibiki Japanese Harmony have disappeared very quickly via spring and summer highballs. Yes, using an $80 whisky for highballs is obnoxious, but if one is to do so, the bubbly results had better be damned good. And they are. At the same time, I like Suntory Toki's highballs too, and that blend is one-third the price of Harmony here in Ohio. And I'm not going to say a word about Suntory's magical $15 blend in Japan. Circling back to Harmony, I wouldn't suggest drinking it neatly, it wasn't engineered for that purpose. The right balance of bubbles though...

Availability - Wide
Pricing - $70-$120 in the US, $90-$160 in Europe
Rating - 82 (highballs only, when neat it's 5-10 points lower)

Things I Really Drink: Johnnie Walker Double Black (2023)

One night, towards the end of my 2024 Japan trip, my friend who lives in Ikebukuro took me to a neighborhood bar near his home. A sign behind the bar listed their monthly special, a Johnnie Walker Double Black highball for 500 yen. I will repeat that: 500 yen. That was $3.50 at the time. So I ordered one, then another, and maybe a third.

Before that night, I had not been a fan of Johnnie Walker Double Black. That's 13 years. And that all changed when the first highball hit my lips. Yes, I'll happily accept any highball fashioned by a professional in Japan. But these JWDB highballs eclipsed my expectations immediately.

Several months later, back in Ohio, I purchased a bottle of Double Black (for $45, yikes!) and opened it as soon as I returned home from the OHLQ store. A highball was assembled posthaste. And it was good. So, yes, a Johnnie Walker product is a Thing I Really Drink.

Theoretically it shouldn't work. Double Black is louder — heavier char on the cask and more peated malt — and younger than standard Black Label, yet costs 25-35% more. I should be doing my Old Man Yells at Cloud shtick about this whisky. But screw it. The whisky works.

Ownership: Diageo

Brand: Johnnie Walker

Type: Blended Whisky

Region: Emphasis on Islay and West Coast malts

Age: ???

Maturation: Heavily charred casks

Bottle code: L3309

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

Chillfitered? Yep

e150? Indeed

NEAT

The nose arrives in layers. First, a mix of peppery smoke and woody smoke, with sea salt caramels and metal. Then: nectarines, apple skins, and seashells. After some time in the glass, the whisky releases quiet notes of mercurochrome, maple, and flowers. The palate has a creamy dessert-y side, like its sibling 12yo, but it has plenty of smoke and bitterness — more Caol Ila than Talisker — to balance it out. Oysters and iron follow, as does a wee bit of vanilla in the background. It finishes sweeter, saltier, and tangier that the palate, with less smoke. Its length is impressive for heavily filtered and diluted whisky.

HIGHBALL

It offers the saltier side of peat, along with considerable earthiness. Though there are hints of Werther's candies in the background, the sweetness remains mild throughout.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Highballs can be crisp, refreshing, and sweet, but rarely (if ever) does one made from a 40%abv blend generate actual tasting notes. But Johnnie Walker Double Black does it. I like its saltiness a lot, and should probably try to pair up some snacks with the drink. The blend is also enjoyable when neat, which has caught me offguard as well. So, yes, it is better than the standard 12yo Black, neat or bubbled, according to my palate. Keep in mind, it doesn't top some of its ingredients' older siblings, like Caol Ila 12yo or Talisker 10yo, but for a mass-produced blend watered down to the max by its producer, it is very good, especially when enjoyed with bubbly water (at your preferred ratio) and ice on a summer's evening. Bottle emptied.

Availability - Wide
Pricing - $35-$65 in the US and Europe
Rating - 85

A Highland Distillery 37 year old 1985 Cadenhead's Club

Though none of these three whiskies were world beaters (oops, SPOILER ALERT), it's still a tremendous pleasure to drink these old Glenmos after consuming American whiskies 1/5 to 1/10 their age for the past few weeks. As a an added plus, none of these three malts (SPOILER ALERT) were tannic oaky beasts.

It's time for me to switch verb tenses and move on to the last of the trio.

Distillery: Glenmorangie

Ownership: LVMH

Region: Highlands

Independent Bottler: Cadenhead

Range: Cadenhead's Club

Age: 37 years old (1985 - 2022)

Maturation: "Bourbon"

Outturn: 318 bottles (not a single cask)

Alcohol by Volume: 46.1%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

Ah, the most complex nose of the group. Crème brûlée w/ orange zest, talcum powder, and dried apricots up top; a mix of apples and pears, like a Calvados Domfrontais in the middle; dusty and floral with a pinch of baking spices in the back.

On the palate, picture limoncello but with much less sugar. Apricots, peaches, and a squeeze of lime. Toasty oak spice and a little bit of good bitterness. Never too sweet...

...though the finish is sweeter. Mint candy and lemon candy. Oak spice and some of the palate's bitterness.

WORDS WORDS WODRS

The two Cadenhead bottlings fought it out for my favorite from this group. This one has more angles, but also shows more oak, while the other one offers more drinking pleasures, so I'll give Thursday's 37yo "A Highland Distillery" the slight edge. I'd be happy to own a bottle of either......if 30+ year old whiskies were anywhere near my budget. If your budget is broader, and you want a birthday (or child's birthday) bottle of good drinkin', these secret Glenmorangies might be for you.

Availability - Secondary market, maybe
Pricing - probably around the same price as its kin
Rating - 88

A Highland Distillery 37 year old 1985 Cadenhead Original Collection

The second member of this week's 1985 Glenmorangie Secret Highland bourbon casks is a 37-year-old bottled by the folks at Cadenhead. Though this bottling may have been reduced to 46%abv, I have a feeling that it wasn't diluted that much, considering its sibling casks were 45.8% and 46.1%abv.

Yesterday's 35yo was fine, though not as fabulous as one would hope for in a Glenmo at its age. How will this '85 compare...

Distillery: Glenmorangie

Ownership: LVMH

Region: Highlands

Independent Bottler: Cadenhead

Range: Original Collection

Age: 37 years old (1985 - 9 June 2022)

Maturation: "Bourbon"

Outturn: ??? bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 46.0%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

At first, it noses of very old cognac and rum. Sauternes and tobacco with a hint of hard toffee. Brown sugar and whole grain toast crusts linger in the background.

The palate holds a mix of baked peaches, lemon juice, and herbal bitterness. Some oak spice here, Sauternes there. It picks up a delicate earthiness to go with the bitterness after a while.

It finishes with toasted oak, tart nectarines, lemon juice, and a wasabi-like zing.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This one feels its age, in a good way. No overwhelming tannins, nor fragility. The musty and earthy moments mix well with the whisky's steady stone fruitiness. The palate's slight narrowness, and the finish's limited length keep this from climbing into the 90s, but on the whole, the whisky feels almost as luxurious as its price.

Availability - Secondary market, maybe
Pricing - €550 - €650
Rating - 89

Secret Highland Distillery 35 year old 1985 Sansibar

Still trying to get my whisky review legs back under me, I'm going to go with a trio of 1985 indie Glenmorangie casks this week. Since Glenmorangie is one of the many distilleries who do not allow their name printed on another bottler's label, all three of these malts were stuck with generic "Highland Distillery" monikers.

First up is the youngest of the trio, a 35-year-old bourbon cask exclusive to Sansibar and deinwhisky.de. It seems to have found an excellent drinking strength during its fourth decade in American oak, 45.8%abv (aka Talisker Strength or 80 UK Proof). The oldest Glenmo I've had to this point is the terrific OB Quarter Century, so I do not know what to expect with these elders.

Distillery: Glenmorangie

Ownership: LVMH

Region: Highlands

Independent Bottler: Sansibar

Age: 35 years old (1985 - 2020)

Maturation: Bourbon Barrel

Outturn: 178 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 45.8%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

Nutty whole grain bread, covered in sunflower seeds, arrives first in the nose, followed by Granny Smith apples and sour apple candies. Roses, orange peel, dried cherries, and an unexpected black walnut moment follows later.

The mild palate offers mild maltiness, mild vanilla, mild sweetness, and mild bitterness. Tart citrus slowly takes over until the whisky has a crisp, sharp bite.

It finishes with oranges, hay, vanilla, and a moderate sweetness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

A vibrant youthful edge lifts the whisky above a generic "quite good" designation. As is often the case with whiskies of any age, the nose brings the most delight. The palate falls a little short, especially considering this whisky's WB score, so I keep comparing it to its two sibling casks, just to make sure my tastebuds are working. I'd happily drink this Secret Highlandmorangie during any season, but I'd want more from my pour were I in the market for a 35-year-old single malt.

Availability - Secondary market, maybe
Pricing - €500 - €600
Rating - 86

Five decades of Johnnie Walker Black Label: 1930s, 1970s, 1980s, 2010s, and 2020s

Twelve years (and one week) ago, I said I would never again write a post about Johnnie Walker. Since then I've written seven posts about Johnnie Walker. But none of those posts was solely about Johnnie Walker Black Label. Today's post is solely about Johnnie Walker Black Label.

Alexander Walker, Johnnie's son, created the blend in 1865, and copyrighted it two years later. The black labelled whisky was first called Old Highland Whisky. Once the brand expanded, this specific blend was renamed, Extra Special Old Highland Whisky. In 1909, the range was rebranded as Johnnie Walker, though for most of the century "Extra Special Old Highland" was still used on the black label throughout Europe. Meanwhile, the bottles exported to the US had "Johnnie Walker Black Label" in large font on the label.

I'm mentioning this label curiosity, because my friend recently opened this bottle:

Though its tax stamp had a "36" on it, I doubted that it was from 1936. But then I looked closer at the bottom label:

Late King George V became "late" in 1936. And in 2025 my buddy let me take a sample of the bottle's contents home. (Thanks, AP!)

Just before beginning this post, I tumbled down a JWBL internet rabbit hole and started worrying that this whisky might be a fake. But after an hour of mania, I was able to piece it all together — the top label, bottom label, cork, etc. — and felt more confident. Also this official magazine ad from the late '30s helped:

So, ladies and gentlemen, I think I have an actual pour of Black Label from 1936 on hand.

I also have my final fluid ounce from my 1970s bottle. And 60ml from a 1980s bottle split. As well as minis from 2014 and 2020.

Ignore the shiny forehead reflection in the background.

I shall consume them from newest to oldest...

---

Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 year old, 50mL mini bottled in 2020, 40%abv

Though I've had JWBL at bars here and there, I haven't actually consumed any Black Label in my home for nearly 12 years. So I'm not exactly sure what the current version is like under analysis.

Nose: Early sniffs find apples and blossoms on top, crushed brick below. Low-rye bourbon and bread crusts appear later, with kiwi juice in the background. It fades relatively quickly.

Palate: Better than anticipated. Some seaweedy peat up front, a hint of wasabi beneath. Lots of black peppercorns. Caramel may be present, but it isn't too sweet.

Finish: Smoke, peppercorns, and gentle bitterness. Slightly sweeter than the palate.

More words: Before this tasting, I could tell you that Johnnie Black still worked as a highball. Now I'm happy to say that it still works when neat, and one big ice cube probably won't break its back. A good start.

Rating: 81

---

Johnnie Walker Black Label Extra Special 12 year old, 50mL mini bottled in 2014, 40%abv

Right around 2014, when I'd order Black Label in bars or restaurants, I started to find real issues with the whisky. It had gotten sweeter and oakier than it had been just a few years earlier. Was it just my palate or had the blend changed?

Nose: Vanilla-flavored fabric, which isn't a tragedy. But it smells like cheap grainy blended thing like Jameson and Canada Dry. Hints of orange peels and dried raspberries stay far behind.

Palate: Barrel char and grain whisky. New oak sweetness. Mild wood smoke covered by bitter woodiness. Seeing a theme?

Finish: Shorter finish than the 2020. Mostly new oak and woody bitterness, with a touch of smoke.

More words: That was actually worse than I'd remembered, though maybe I was drinking on the rocks when I was out and about. I can imagine this was much better than Red Label at the time.

Rating: 72

---

Johnnie Walker Black Label Extra Special 12 year old, 60mL sample from a 1985-1989 bottling, 43.4%abv

I've had JW Black from many eras, but never from the '80s. It has to be better than the 2014, right?

Nose: Gentle smoke, wet stones, and an ultra dry nutty sherry up front. Metal, maple, and barley emerge later on.

Palate: The polar opposite of the 2014. Lean, dry, and a bit raw (in a good way). Raw walnuts, raw almonds, and Kirschwasser. Canned peaches and honey arrive after a while, providing some balance.

Finish: Honey and smoke match the raw nuts well, as an herbal bitterness provides an additional angle.

More words: Refill casks and a sherry drier than Oloroso? That's more my speed. One won't confuse this with a single malt, but it's of a style that's not contemporary. Enjoying a bottle of this (mostly responsibly) would not be terrible.

Rating: 85

---

Johnnie Walker Black Label, no age statement, sample from my own late 1970s duty free bottle, 43.4%abv

Finishing the final sip of this bottle hits me directly in the feels. This was my first dusty Scotchy, a bottled time machine with thick, Paxy whisky within. Slàinte mhath

Nose: It starts off earthy and fruity. Moss and stones and ocean. Grapefruit, blood oranges, and red plums. Amaretto and Havdalah spice box.

Palate: Very dark chocolate, wormwood, menthol, cayenne pepper, and orange pith. And dates.

Finish: A bitter herbal liqueur subtly brightened with blood orange juice and dates.

More words: One of the great blends. I had thought it may have collapsed after more than a decade in a sample bottle, but it might have actually improved. Had I been of age in the 1970s, I would have been a happy mess, between this and ND-era Old Taylor. Though a 90-point score was not anticipated--

Rating: 90

---

Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 year old, sample from my friend's ~1936 bottle, 43%abv

1936 was another time. Or at least it was for whisky.

Nose: WOW, it is still potent. Apricots, citron peel, Nestle milk chocolate, clay, kelp, dates, palo santo, shoe polish, and dare I say pre-Beam Laphroaig? Er, very pre-Beam.

Palate: Peatier and saltier than the nose. Figs and cigarette smoke. Balsamic reduction and iron.

Finish: Nearly the same as the palate, but with golden raisins sweetening it up.

More words: Such drama and vitality in that nose! Though the palate is merely great, one wonders if it was better 89 years ago. (Or if the nose was worse.) That this was made before blending labs, master distillers, and corporate quality control......is not terribly surprising, but moving nonetheless.

Rating: 88 (a nonsense score)

---

Thank you for spending some time with my words, and allowing me to be insufferably romantic in (online) public. It's been a long time since I did a dusty tasting at home, and this reminds me why I adore keeping this log of my whisky adventures. More to follow, and maybe even another Johnnie Walker post a few years down the line.

Three Macallan single malts from ...... Macallan

Since 2021, Macallan has released at least 47 different non-age-statement non-vintage official bottlings, as per whiskybase. In that same time period its fellow giants, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, released 18 different non-age-statement non-vintage official bottlings combined.

That's a lot of storytelling and mystery Macallan meat. Edrington's cash cow has clearly elected to double down on NAS releases while the rest of the market has backed off from producing the same. They do it because they can. The market exists so it is filled, almost monthly.

Long time readers know I am not part of the Macallan demographic, BUT I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of last week's age-stated independently bottled Macallans. I ended that post with some parting shots, and now it's time for me to fulfill my promise.

Part of the Harmony Collection, Rich Cacao is fashioned from sherry-seasoned European and American oak. It's supposed to taste like good chocolate, and pair well with good chocolates. That link will take you to the official site that offers additional storytelling about Spain, as well as details about the whisky's box that's made with used cacao husks.

The Edition series did actually catch my eye back in the day. Costco used to carry the first two editions for prices below their SRPs, while the whisky flexed well above 40%abv. The boxes are pretty too, if you have the whole collection. Edition No. 2 was partially created by Spanish chefs (just like the Rich Cacao), and is made up of sherry puncheons, butts and refill hogsheads. Thank you, TWE, for sharing the cask detail since Edrington's marketing evades useful information about this product.

And then there's Classic Cut 2023 Edition. Part of an annual range, this edition of The Cut was of interest to me not just because it has a solid ABV, but because its producers admit that the mix includes ex-bourbon casks. Zoiks! What has become of Macallan?!

Here they are:

THREE MORE MACALLAN MATES

Macallan Rich Cacao 44.0%abv	Macallan Edition No. 2 48.2%abv	Macallan Classic Cut 2023 Edition 50.3%abv
Toasted oak, hazelnuts, and Brazil nuts hit the nose right up front, while Chambord, Luxardo syrup, and turpentine stay behind.	The nose starts off slightly paint-y and floral. Semi-sweet chocolate, actual Oloroso, and brine arrive next, followed by cantaloupe and cologne.	The rawest nose of the three, and the fruitiest, with lots of apple skins and port-like berry notes. An even mix of vanilla and barley fill out the edges.
This palate starts off quite similar to the nose, with lots of toasted oak spice, dried blueberries, and something PX-ish. Sweet little oranges tingle in the background.	Toffee, semi-sweet chocolate, and sea salt start the palate. The Oloroso note appears here too, getting drier with time. Hints of marzipan and tart oranges provide additional character.	This very malty, toasty palate reminds me of digestive biscuits (always reliable), with Brazil nuts, tangy limes, and sweet oranges in the back.
It finishes floral and PXy with subtle notes of dried blueberries and sea salt.	The finish is all toffee, toasted almonds, and dried cranberries.	All the maltiness stays through the finish, with a balance of tart and sweet running through the middle.
Comments: This one is a struggle at times. I don't mind the missing chocolate, in fact the whisky's lack of chocolate may make it a better pairing with some nice slabs of the darkest stuff. Instead there's a lot of fortified wine in this mix, resulting in a sweet unbalanced thing. But the salt and oranges do help a bit.	Comments: THIS is the chocolatey one. The spot-on bottling strength helps deliver a bigger whisky than the standard range can offer. It is, of course, all-cask, making it one of countless contemporary whiskies that could have come from nearly any Scottish distillery.	Comments: Though this is probably the youngest of the three, I like it the best. The casks show lots of restraint, something one doesn't often find in this distillery's official releases. Then again, I like the old Fine Oak series more than most folks, so your mileage may vary here.
Rating: 81	Rating: 84	Rating: 85

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Another positively surprising round. I expected to dish out some 70s ratings for C-grade material, but none of the whiskies dipped to that level. Even the Rich Cacao had some good angles. There was a moment when I considered buying the 2024 Classic Cut if I could find a good deal, but then I remembered I was on my third drink, the point when retail therapy replaces rational thought for the night. But I still do not understand Macallan's pricing, as none of these Macs offer anything that cheaper age-stated whiskies could not replicate or better, especially those from a certain independent bottler.

Three Macallan single malts from Signatory Vintage

Macallan, or rather "Speyside (M)", has become hot stuff in the indie bottler scene with specific thanks to Signatory Vintage. At some point the Symington squad scored many casks from Edrington's cash cow. As of today, Signatory has released at least 45 different Speyside (M)s across three different ranges — Cask Strength Collection, 100 Proof Edition, and Small Batch Edition — in less than two years, all (or most) of which had sherry cask maturation.

This will be the first time I have reviewed a Signatory 100 Proof Edition, a range that instantly created its own rung on the single malt pricing ladder, offering age-stated (usually over 10yrs) high-strength, oft-sherried, very small batch single malts at less than 60 euros. They beat everyone to it. And the quality is there, I can attest to that.

Signatory has also expanded their Small Batch Edition range which offers single malts older than the 100 Proofers, with a less fiery ABV, at a slightly higher price.

The Cask Strength Collection continues to soar, though many of the range's whiskies have had secondary maturations.

Today I will indulge in three Speyside (M)s, one from each of these ranges. The first is an official "Things I Really Drink", a 14 year old 2010 (1st and 2nd fill oloroso butts) from the Small Batch range, a bottle I split halfsies with the Doctors Springbank. The second is a 13yo (1st and refill oloroso butts) from the 100 Proof Edition range. And the third, an 18 year old first-fill oloroso butt, comes from the classic Cask Strength Collection.

I probably have not tried three Macallans in one night in nearly 15 years. Things were different then.

THREE MACALLAN MATES

Speyside (M) 14-year-old 2010 Signatory Small Batch #16 48.2%abv	Speyside (M) 13-year-old 2011 Signatory 100 Proof #27 57.1%abv	Speyside (M) 18-year-old 2005 Signatory Cask Strength cask DRU17/A106#5 57.7%abv
The nose offers mint, chocolate, and walnuts up top; dried cherries, dried raspberries, and a hint of dunnage underneath. It gets more milk chocolatey with time. It picks up more dunnage funk once diluted to 43%abv. Dark chocolate and coal mix with dried raspberries and vanilla bean.	The nose, very different than the 14's, dishes out carob, dried blueberries, baklava, cherry bubblegum, toffee pudding, and a whiff of gunpowder. The gunpowder expands once the whisky is dropped to 43%abv. The nose gets more leathery, briny, and meaty.	The deepest nose of the three. Raw cocoa, asphalt, dried cherries, and black currant jam up front, freshly polished leather shoes in the middle, toffee pudding in the back. At 43%abv, it feels darker (if that makes sense) with dunnage, steel wool, pine sap, and orange oil.
This palate goes a direction different than the nose. Savory dried herbs, metal, and cocoa appear first, followed bitterer herbs, toasty oak, dusty smoke. At 43%abv mixed nuts take over, followed by fresher berries and a touch of soot.	No gunpowder on the neat palate. It's actually quite plummy at first, but then shifts gears: tobacco, raw walnut, raw almonds, salt, pepper, and very dry sherry. Diluted to 43%abv, the whisky takes on a gentle honeyed sweetness, with Cow Tales candy and a hint of gunpowder.	Loads of tobacco, metal, and earth arrive in the palate first, followed by blood oranges, dried leaves, and a wormwood bitterness. This palate also gets sweeter at 43%abv, with banana pudding, sugar cookies, toffee pudding, and mint leaf.
The finish follows the un-sweet path with raw walnuts, dried herbs, and tart limes. When dropped to 43%abv, the whisky gets slightly sweeter, with fresh berries being balanced out with salt and pepper.	Raw nuts, salt, pepper, and that very dry sherry finish it off. It switches to honey, salt, and ash once diluted to 50%abv.	It finishes smoky, leafy, earthy, with raw walnuts and herbal bitterness. The 43%abv finish matches the palate, then adds a vibrant peppery zing.
Comments: I am enjoying my 350mL! The whisky has the right bottling strength, though slight dilution doesn't hurt a thing. The prettier nose and grittier palate offer a great contrast, with neither besting the other. Gimme a little dunnage and soot in my Macallan anytime.	Comments: Slightly dirty, slightly wild, with an impressive dryness (when neat) this Macallan has more fight to it than Edrington would ever allow in their standard releases. As noted above, this reads like the cask was seasoned with something closer to Manzanilla than Oloroso, which is a good thing.	Comments: It's a heavy one, a beast that only shows its sensitive side once doused with water. The surprising earthiness gives the neat finish some Kilkerran vibes. The fruits' cameo appearances push this whisky to the big 9-0.
Rating: 86	Rating: 87	Rating: 90 (when neat)

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Ignoring the fact that one could have bought all three of these terrific bottles together for less than the price of one bottle of the official 18......actually, I can't ignore that. It's crazy crazy crazy crazy. Macallan fans, WTF? Why do you put up with Edrington's showily bloated pricing, for heavily-diluted massive-batched whisky, may I add? You know what, never mind. I'm going to do a three-Macallan-OB Taste Off next, just to see where it takes me.

Dalwhinnie 30 year old 1989 Diageo Special Releases 2020

I'm not sure how many more Dalwhinnie reviews are possible, so I'm happy to have the opportunity to include at least one oldie from that distillery on this site.

Newer readers may not realize this, but Diageo's "Special Releases" were once actually special, not ten year old whatsits in wine casks. Both the 2019 and 2020 sets included a 30-year-old 'Whinnie. Today's 2020 release is the more naked of the two, having lived in only refill hoggies. Gimme gimme gimme.

Distillery: Dalwhinnie

Ownership: Diageo
Region: Highlands (Central-ish)

Age: at least 30 years (1989-2020)

Maturation: refill American oak hogsheads

Outturn: 6978 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 51.9%

Chillfiltered? No

e150a added? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Surprise! This isn't your average Dalwhinnie nose. It's chalky and lightly earthy, with caramel, shortbread biscuits, and a hint of butterscotch. Then, baked bananas and grilled pears. A mix of lemon cake and clove cigarettes appears after 45 minutes of air. The palate arrives fruitier than the nose, with guava, limes, and canned peaches. Hints of vanilla and dusty smoke drift through the background. Lightly sweet and lightly bitter, the finish starts with lemon curd, then tilts towards lemon juice after some time.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Lemon cake, shortbread biscuits, dandelions, and strawberry pie filling on the nose. The sweeter and tangier palate narrows a bit, but adds passion fruit to the guava. The tart and sweet finish matches the palate.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This spirit is different than contemporary Dalwhinnie, and I prefer it. Both wilder and more varied, it delivers a fuller and more interesting drinking experience. Though this 30yo was not a home run, I wanted more of it because there's more "there" there. (Excellent sentence, man.) And though I don't make outright recommendations on this site, I do encourage anyone with a bottle of old Dalwhinnie (except for the 15) to open it up and indulge in a style that doesn't exist anymore.

Availability - Secondary market?

Pricing - ???
Rating - 88

Dalwhinnie Distillery Exclusive, batch 1

Because the Buchanan and/or Black & White blends have always been popular somewhere on this blue Earth, Diageo (DCL, SMD, UD, etc.) has very rarely released Dalwhinnie casks into the blender/independent marketplace. The conglomerate has also released very few cask strength versions or unique age-stated bottlings of the Cairngorms-adjacent distillery. As a result, official NAS malts are mostly what curious drinkers have had access to.

Today, I'm going to try Batch #1 of Dalwhinnie's NAS Distillery Exclusive series, bottled in 2022. I don't know much more about it, other than it was bottled in a very non-Diageo 48%abv/NC/NCF format. The 15yo will serve as its drinking partner.

Distillery: Dalwhinnie

Ownership: Diageo
Region: Highlands (Central-ish)

Age: ???

Maturation: ???
Bottling year: 2022

Outturn: 7500 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 48%

Chillfiltered? No

e150a added? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose starts with flowers by the ocean, apricot jam, and peach gummy bears. It picks up smaller notes of barley and white chocolate with time. The lightly sweet, but very tangy palate leads with apples and limes up front. Roses, apricot jam, and orange marmalade soak into the midground, while ginger beer stays in the back. It finishes simply with limes, apricots, and ginger beer.

DILUTED to ~40%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

There's a gentler mix of peach skins, roses, and white chocolate on the nose, with hints of raspberry jam and caramel in the background. The palate matches the nose well with roses and fresh berries in the first sip, fresh ginger, lemon juice, and caramel in later sips. It finishes sweetly with ginger beer and lemon candy.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Another very pretty Dalwhinnie. While I appreciate its better presentation, this exclusive batch reads simpler and softer than the current 15-year-old. It's a friendly, casual pour that can take a few drops of water, if desired. It's definitely something that would appeal to a distillery tourist who wants something "smooth". Contemporary Dalwhinnie single malt is indeed a gentle spirit.

Availability - Sold out

Pricing - allegedly £95 in 2022
Rating - 83

Dalwhinnie 15 year old (1980s) versus Dalwhinnie 15 year old (2024)

After the distillery's founding in 1897, Dalwhinnie passed through the hands of five different ownership groups over its first 29 years, ultimately landing in DCL's (proto-Diageo's) large portfolio where it has since served as an ingredient of the Buchanan and Black & White blends.

Dalwhinnie 15-year-old was one of Diageo's original Classic Malts, entering the market in the 1980s. Over one million Dalwhinnie 15yo bottles are sold each year, often landing it among Diageo's top 5 best-selling single malts. It was also one of my first regular single malts (~20 years ago) because Trader Joe's used to sling it for $39.99!

Before I opened this bottle a couple months ago, more than a decade had passed since I'd last tasted the 15. The first thing I noticed was how easily the Dalwhinnie from my new bottle drank. Yes, the whisky had been chillfiltered and diluted down to 43%abv, but its style also matched the malt's advertised slogan, "The Gentle Spirit". Two years prior, I'd also taken part in a bottle split of the original 15yo bottling from the 1980s. It is now time to match them up.

A quick note before the Taste Off commences: These two Dalwhinnie 15s are not the same spirit. The distillery's worm tub and condensers were replaced in 1986, then the distillery went through further updates six years later. On-site maltings were shut down in 1968, so the '80s version may include some of that previous era's spirit as well.

A Dalwhinnie Duo

Dalwhinnie 15 year old bottled in the 1980s 40%abv	Dalwhinnie 15 year old bottled in 2024 43%abv
The nose begins with wet old oak and wet roots. Maybe a funky dunnage hint too. Pencil shavings, limes, and mint leaf emerge after about a half hour.	The nose starts off very doughy with soft notes of saline, anise, and orange peel, adding Midori liqueur, roses, dandelions, and lemon candy after some time in the glass.
A odd mix of bitter wet cardboard and stout arrives first in the palate, followed by vanilla, brown sugar, sawdust, dusty smoke, and a hint of lemon.	First up in the palate: roasted barley, roasted coffee beans, and semi-sweet chocolate. A bold sweet orange note slowly morphs into bitter peels after a while.
It finishes briefly with iron, sawdust, and brown sugar.	A cooling sensation spreads across one's tongue in the finish, bringing with it sweet and tart oranges and a touch of mocha.
Comments: This may have had some Old Bottle action affecting it. Or United Distillers had a whole bunch of funky musty casks in the Dalwhinnie warehouse, 40ish years ago. No matter the reason, this '80s single malt reads like a '60s/'70s cheap blend. That's not a complete insult since '60s/'70s cheap blends are better than many top shelf blends today.	Comments: Sitting down and focusing on this whisky, I find it better than I'd expected. This bottle has served as my casual single malt for the past two or three months, pleasant but mostly forgettable. But now the nose has a very pretty arrival, and it doesn't die out after an hour in the glass. The presentation does the palate a disservice, likely choking off angles and layers, but the flavors that remain are comfy.
Rating: 73	Rating: 84

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Chillfiltration and dilution do not help either of these Dalwhinnies, but the newer bottling weathers it much better. Is that because the liquid is fresher in the newer bottle, or do the extra 3 points of alcohol help? A little from column A and a little from column B, most likely. The 1980s version is also much darker than the new one, and that certainly ain't due to first-fill sherry casks. In a possibly unpopular move, I'm going to say the newer version is constructed better than the older one. Please forgive me.