Old Overholt 4 year old Rye, bottled in 1978

Overwhelmed, insomniac, sitting up in bed, I quickly wrote a non-whisky blog post about my emotional state, 369 days ago. Circumstances have since changed, and not entirely for the better. Goodness glimmers up ahead, but conflict continues to spread out of the dark towards the light like a mutating black mold.

This past August, my local friends — who know a little bit about said circumstances — surprised me with all sorts of gifts during an armagnac tasting event the day before my birthday. They'd raided the Tensuke Market shelves, filling a bag with sweets and savories, bought a Japanese cheesecake, and presented me with French elixirs. To this day I remain humbled nearly to tears about it.

I would have reviewed the Japanese goodies but my daughters and I have consumed all the wonderful individually wrapped treats. But there was a specific 2oz sample of something, gifted by one Secret Agent Man, about which I can opine.

Before Jim Beam swallowed up the National Distillers brands in 1987, Old Overholt rye was still being distilled in Pennsylvania, though its actual source remains foggy. I have greatly enjoyed three of National Distillers's other Olds (Taylor, Crow, Grand Dad) — in fact, if I had any S-W bourbon I would gladly swap it for ND — but I don't think I'd ever tried their Overholt. I, the rye fan, had only had Beam's Old Overcoat. Until now.

My sample of 1978-bottled O.O. had a desperate sparring partner in a diluted pour 2020 Ohio edition of O.O. 114 Proof. And by "desperate" I mean that the bottle has been open for more than seven months and I just cannot finish the damned thing. Both whiskies were labelled four years old, and I dropped the 2020's strength down to meet that of the 1978, at 43%abv. Here's how that played out:

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Old Overholt 4 year old 114 Proof, 2020 Ohio Edition, distilled in KY, diluted to 43%abv

Nose - Cherry lozenges and lemon zest. A little bit of clementine juice and fennel seeds. Intense barrel char and a splash of turpentine. Overall, it's better than I'd expected and remembered.

Palate - Much less there there. Mint and menthol. Tangy lime candy and tree bark. Ethyl and something leafy.

Finish - Fades fast. Woody and peppery, with a hint of limes.

Sorry to steal Randy Brandy's format here. I'm sure he'll forgive me. Right? Anyway, this rye began decently, but gradually descended though the finish, its weak point. Still, I'll bump up the score one whole point.

Rating - 79

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Old Overholt 4 year old, bottled in 1978 by National Distillers, distilled in PA, 43%abv

Nose - So much bigger than one would expect from 43%abv. It is waxy with swirls of dried apricot and dried sweet potato. Pound cake and cold car engine. Snuffed candle and a hint of MGP-style pickle brine.

Palate - A balance of savory herbs and perky baking spices. Toss in a dash of salt, fresh French bread crust and a whiff of sandalwood. Not even a hint of sugar.

Finish - Very long and very spicy. Smoked paprika, lemon pepper, olive oil, salt and sandalwood.

It's not sweet, it's not oaky and it's not raw. I'm not saying the American whiskey industry broke the National Distillers moulds. I'm tellin' you — to quote Dead Man — they killed 'em, fucked 'em, cooked 'em up and ate 'em. This is stellar whiskey. It is of the stars. Thank you, Secret Agent Man, for the opportunity to drink this gem.

Rating - 91

Tullibardine 27 year old 1993 Cadenhead, Wood Range Port Cask

I'm reviewing a Tullibardine because Tullibardine. End of story. But I'll keep typing anyway.

Despite the Ugh Potential of a "Wood Range" and despite the whisky's maroon hue, this Tully spent only ~24 of its moons in a tawny port cask, not all ~324 moons. So it had a legitimate Portuguese summer sojourn rather than a couple months in a tanning bed. I am already ashamed of that sentence.

What concerns me is its 41%abv cask strength. Cadenhead has rolled out at least fifteen 1993 vintage Tullibardines, and all of them left their casks at less than 49%abv. And, for what it's worth, this one was not the weakest of the bunch. So there's something curious about that parcel. But I'm going to drink this anyway, because Tullibardine.

Distillery: Tullibardine
Ownership: Picard Vins & Spiritueux
Region: Highlands (Perthshire)
Bottler: Cadenhead
Series: Wood Range
Type: Single Malt
Age: 27 years old (1993-2020)
Maturation: maybe a hoggie for the first 25 years, then a Tawny Port cask from 2018 to 2020
Outturn: 222 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 41%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

I get one main note on the nose: blackberry jam on rye toast. It's simple but very satisfying. It's light and grainy in the background, like a gentle blend. Cinnamon red hots and cherry lollipops appear around the edges later on.

The palate has a sweet element, like Demerara sugar and Luxardo syrup, but that's held in check by a savory note and fennel seed. There's a mix of malt, ginger beer and oranges in the midsection. With time it picks up tannins and peas (really).

It finishes slightly bready and lightly tannic, with orange peel and cherry cola highlights.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Sure this could have been better a few years earlier when the whisky was ~48%abv, but now it's an easy sipper (or gulper). A bottle of this would vanish quickly much like the cask's contents, but memories of this Tullibardine may also disappear instantly. I'd take it over Monday's Glenallachie, but I’m probably in the minority on that.

Availability - ???
Pricing - it was €200+

Rating - 83

Glenallachie 10 year old Cask Strength, Batch 5

I reviewed the first batch of Billy Walker's Glenallachie 10 year old Cask Strength in April 2019, and was very disappointed by the out-of-balance aggression of that whisky's new oak element. Two-and-a-half years later, the series is already on batch six, so I was probably alone regarding that issue.

A sample of Batch Five was given to me back when it was the new hotness this spring. (No, your spectacles aren't dirty, I am indeed reviewing a 2021 release.) Walker's team added Rioja casks during this whisky's assembly. If you're keeping score, here are the casks for batch five: Pedro Ximenez, Oloroso, new oak, and Rioja. Yep, that must have been some fine spirit he purchased from Pernod Ricard.

Distillery: Glenallachie
Ownership: The GlenAllachie Distillers Company Ltd
Region: Speyside (Aberlour)
Age: minimum 10 years old
Maturation: Pedro Ximenez, Oloroso, virgin oak, and Rioja casks
Outturn: 27,000 bottles

Bottled: March 2021
Alcohol by Volume: 55.9%
Chillfiltered: No
Colorant added: No
(thank you to Dr. Springbank for the sample!)

NOTES

It has a crisp fruity nose, with cherry syrup, dried cherries and orange peel on top with a current of hot fudge, cola, toffee and eucalyptus underneath. Once the whisky is reduced to 46%abv, the nose brightens up and adds notes of dried apricots, peach candies and saline.

The palate is sweet, woody, winey and figgy. Bits of tobacco leaf and coffee grounds linger in the background. It also has a very thick mouthfeel which loosens up once the whisky is diluted to 46%abv. More sugar, more eucalyptus and more sticky new oak notes appear, with hints of baking spice and winey tannins in the back.

It finishes bitter and very sweet with dried currants, an oaky custard, coffee and eucalyptus. It picks up more wine and tannins at 46%abv.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

When trying to chase down bottles of a four-wood whisky, one is probably not terribly interested in the actual malt part of the equation. Instead the buyer is likely interested in cask jockeying. I can attempt to address the cask situation since this whisky could have come from any of several dozen distilleries inside or outside Scotland.

I don't mind the wine casks that much. They were incorporated better than most of McEwan's inventions (which ain't saying much), and the nose was a lot of fun with or without water. In fact, I think the Rioja gave batch #5 the edge over #1.

What kept this from ascending to classic sherry bomb status was all that damned new oak again. The virgin oak distracted from the rest of the scene, like every time Alfred Hitchcock showed up in one of his films, but only if Hitch had been a 250-pound puss-leaking infected sore.

Yeah, I dislike new oak that much. If you don't, then drink up that oaky custard!

Availability - Europe and the secondary market
Pricing - €100 and up

Rating - 79 (could have been 5-10 points high without the new oak casks)

Killing Whisky History, Episode 38: Single malt minis with low fill levels

Extended air exposure can degrade a whisky’s quality; and the lower a bottle’s fill level sits, the more its liquid contents are exposed to air. I’m going to open up three single malt minis with less-than-stellar fill levels to see what's happened to the whiskies after three decades in the little bottles...

Two more North British single grains! Yay!

After Monday's glory, I decided that the second and third North Britishes didn't require separate posts. So a Taste Off was arranged. Nikka From the Barrel was used to test my nose and palate beforehand, which isn't fair, but I'm in charge here.

Today's two brawlers are:

North British 16 year old 1997 Signatory, cask 246280 for Binny's, weighing in at 57.2%abv. Let us all thank one Florin (a prince) for this sample! Thank you, Florin.

--and--

North British 25 year old 1989 Sovereign, cask HL11602 for K&L, weighing in at 57.5%abv. This may have come into my possession via an LA Scotch Club event led by one David OG. Thank you, David OG.

North British 16 year old 1997 Signatory, cask 246280 for Binny's, 57.2%abv

The nose is kinda wild. It starts off with flowers, metal, apple juice and plaster, then it shifts to flower kiss candy and pear-scented candles. It gets synthetic once diluted to 46%abv, off-gassing circus peanuts and burnt carpet.

The palate is......palatable, though very sweet. There are dried apricots and flower blossoms up front, hints of dates, clove and tart citrus in the back. It's much less palatable at 46%abv as it turns very bitter and tannic.

It finishes with brown sugar and hints of lemon. Some tannic rum in the background. But it's wincingly tannic at 46%abv.

Not bad at full strength, this North British surprised me. I'd take it over Monday's 50yo any day. It still feels closer to rum than "scotch", but nobody's perfect. I wonder what it would be like in cocktails, were it not a horror show when diluted. Perhaps it would be fun to blend?

Rating - 81 (when neat)

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North British 25 year old 1989 Sovereign, cask HL11602 for K&L, 57.5%abv

The nose begins with lots of sugar, something savory and something industrial. Then it gradually focuses on mandarin oranges, lemon candy and a hint of cassis. Diluting it to 46%abv simplifies and redirects the nose towards roses and limes.

It's another sweetie, with a combo of wheated bourbon, lemons and a hint of molasses in the palate's foreground. The background reads a bit perfumy, or is it a combo of talcum powder and potpourri? It's still pretty floral and sweet at 46%abv, with hints of oranges around the edges.

It finishes with sweet pears and honey, some lemony tartness and tannins in the back. But it's really really really sweet and floral when reduced to 46%abv.

This one, full of flowers, is prettier than the other. It shows its corn roots (if that's possible with 94.5%abv spirit), leaning towards Weller at times. It also doesn't crumble with dilution, which was much appreciated. Can't say I'd run out to buy something like this, nor offer up raves about its complexity, but I would drink it again, which is something I rarely say about a single grain.

Rating - 83

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These two were close to peak grain, so I'm happy to depart from this genre with this post. Toodle-oo, Single Grains! May you find homes on other blogs.

North British 50 year old 1962 Alambic Classique, cask 12042

Though calling Single Grain Whisky nothing but barrel-aged vodka is a bit further than I'm willing to go, I will say that convincing people to pay Single Malt prices for Single Grain whisky is the scotch industry's most successful con job. The very nature and production process of grain whisky renders a cheap, thin, nearly featureless spirit. Putting it in active casks results in bland extraction that doesn't even have the texture of American corn whiskey. Though three or more decades of maturation does produce a grain whisky with real characteristics, that's just the cask talking. I had hoped that whisky geekdom's introduction to French brandies and Jamaican rums would spell the death of three- and four-figure single grain prices, but buyers still can't resist those big age statements.

What I'm saying is, I don't like single grain scotch whisky. And this will be the last week of single grain scotch you'll ever see here. I'm going to take a look at three bottlings from North British, a distillery that uses a corn-heavy mashbill that occasionally results in a better grain whisky than its competitors. Today, it's a 50 year old. No, that's not a typo.

Distillery: North British
Owner: 50% Diageo, 50% The Edrington Group

Independent Bottler: Alambic Classique

Age: 50 years (1962-2012)

Maturation: bourbon cask

Cask #: 12042
Limited Release: 159 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 44.9%

(sample from a bottle split)

NOTES

It has a pretty nose, with floral notes, saline and shortbread up front, and bits of mango and grapefruit in the background. Hints of honeydew and cream soda appear after 45 minutes.

The palate starts dusty and papery. The tannins begin subtly, but do tilt towards bitterness. Mild notes of clove, eucalyptus, vanilla, caramel and black pepper slowly take shape. Around the 45 minute mark, Mount Gay Eclipse rum and cheap Canadian blends (Black Velvet, if you please) start to take over, and are only halted by a wall of paper pulp.

It finishes bitter and metallic, with notes of paper, caramel and young sugar-doped rum.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

*strains heroically to avoid using a GIF*

In defense of......whatever, I will say that this sample has not been sitting in my stash for nine years. Less than nine months, in fact. And the bottle was split by a very reputable member of the whisky community. He is likely thankful to be freed from a full bottle of this liquid.

I really enjoyed the nose as it suggested a graceful five decades of maturation. The palate is where it all falls apart, as is usually the case for single grains. Its similarity to $10-$20 spirits is disheartening, and the overwhelming paper notes are nearly tragic. That poor cask could have been used for so many other things, or maybe that tree could have been left alone to turn carbon dioxide into oxygen.

Most importantly, I did get a sweet 2oz French Square bottle out of the deal.

Availability - ???
Pricing - ???

Rating - 76 (the nose keeps the score aloft)

Mannochmore 22 year old 1997 Gordon & MacPhail, cask 12098

Yeah, I agree, there aren't enough Mannochmore reviews on this site. But I'm fresh outta The Mann after today. There are probably another dozen unsung distilleries that I'm short on. But let us embrace what we've got, or at least what I've got, and that is a sherry cask Mannochmore with age on it. I don't know when this circumstance will come around again, so cheers!

Distillery: Mannochmore    

Ownership: Diageo

Region: Speyside (Lossie)

Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

Range: Connoisseurs Choice - Cask Strength

Age: 22 years (1997 - Feb 2020)

Maturation: first fill sherry butt

Cask #: 12098

Outturn: 490 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 55.8%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

It's not a sherry bomb despite two decades in a first-fill cask. Dried cherries and a hint of gunpowder are present at the nose's start, but there are also pears, cloves and hint of ocean air just underneath. By the 30-minute mark, cherry pie and figs have taken over with a whiff of smoke supplanting the gunpowder. The nose shifts nicely once the whisky is reduced to 50%abv, showing black walnuts, clay, barley and apricots.

What a start to the palate: dry nutty sherry, pan fried herbs, concrete and apple skins. Oranges, honey and mint float through the midground, while an earthy smoky note hides in the back. At 50%abv, it's all dried herbs, oranges, limes and a slight industrial note.

It finishes with mint, honey, limes, some earthy funk and a subtle bitter herbal bite. Simpler at 50%abv, the finish holds limes and a touch of dusty smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This is a great whisky for a rainy autumn night. Or, you know, any night really. But Autumn is my favorite whisky season, and it has arrived. The leaves are dying beautifully, the rain lulls at night, and my ratty old sweatshirts get more comfortable every year.

Back to the whisky. Apparently there are two labels for this cask. One says "First Refill" the other says "First Fill". It reads like the former, like a second fill. The cask is still present, but gently so. I also appreciate that it works well with or without water. The bottles are still relatively available (as of today) throughout Western Europe because the whisky isn't heavily sherried nor is its hue particularly dark. And it's Mannochmore.

Availability - At a few dozen European retailers
Pricing - €140-€175

Rating - 89