.bowmore - 2002-2014 - the ultimate

46% abv, €45, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: briny, a whiff of smoke, leather, liquorice, floral, heather
Palate: sweet, strong, spicy, red (hot!) chilli peppers, toffee, liquorice root, honey, honey-comb, wax, floral, heater
Finish: smoke, long, dry, firm, sweet, caramel, waxy, ash
Mark: +++++

.laphroaig - 1998 - ultimate

46% abv, €73, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: warm sport socks (you know: sweat), warm seawater, smoke, candle wax, warm - worn leather, rubber
Palate: citrus, oranges, grapefruit, a hint of smoke, dried fruit, apricots, raisins, sweet, wax, shoe-polish, spicy, white pepper, liquorice-root
Finish: smoke, long, ash, briny, seawater, citrus, pink grapefruit, leather, rubber
Mark: +++/++

.tamdhu - 2004-2013 - the ultimate

60,6% abv, €45, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: sweet, toffee, nougat, citrus, orange peel, grapefruit, nuts, hazelnuts, almonds
Palate: strong of alcohol, sweet, toffee, honey, fruit, apples, pears, citrus, oranges
Finish: medium long, dry, large amount of wood and tannins
Mark: +++/++

.the glenlivet - 1997-2013 - the ultimate

46% abv, €50, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: sweet, honey, rosewater, floral, roses, fruit, apples, pears, dried fruit, raisins, sultanas, prunes, apricots: the works, citrus, lemon-peel, oranges, fresh cut grass, tobacco, cigars
Palate: sweet, honey, medium dry, dried fruit, raisins, floral, heather, citrus, marmalade, strong, spicy, white pepper
Finish: long, quite dry mouthfeel, sweet, honey, rosewater, dark chocolate, floral, roses, tobacco, cigars
Mark: ++++/+

.caperdonich - 1994 - the ultimate

46% abv, €51, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: sweet vanilla at first, later there are a lot of herbal notes, especially ginger and mint/ eucalyptus, but the Italian cuisine is represented with rosemary, oregano and thyme.
Palate: a sweet, strong palate, with similar herbal tones as the nose, but also bay leaves, sage, hint of coriander are present. A hint of bitter and the mouthfeel of too much margarine.
Finish: medium long and warming with a hint of sweet vanilla accompanied by liquorice root. Not too bad at first, but after some minutes, there is a slight bitter afterthought.
Mark: +++++

Conclusion: Not too shabby, but not the best I have ever had either. It is a bit... strange might be the right word - not what I am looking for in a whisky. She is not a big fan of water, a few tiny drops closed her, instead of helping to open.

More info: The Caperdonich distillery has been closed and dismantled in 2002. In 2012 the Belgian distiller the Belgian Owl bought one pair of the old Caperdonich stills, had them refurbished and installed on their - especially for these stills rebuilt - location, to have them operational in the end of 2013. I am looking forward to taste both the old and the new Owl, preferably with the new-make spirits next to each other.
If only I could get my hands on some Caperdonich new make, for this experiment...

Distilled on 09/07/1994, matured in hogshead #96525, bottled on 04/06/2013 in bottle #228 of 243.

.imperial - 1995 - the ultimate

46% abv, €45, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: fruit, fresh ripe apples and pears, with the sweetness of vanilla and caramel toffee, green bananas and a lot of Turkish delight.
Palate: at first she is a bit spirity, feint and rough, with some citrus fruit like pineapple and yellow grapefruit. After a little time in the glass, she gets stronger and sweeter with a hint of Turkish delight. A little bit of the feints remains, even after adding a little water.
Finish: long, gentle and smooth, with a little bite, sweet, vanilla, white and milk chocolate, floral, violets.
Mark: +++++

Conclusion: Conclusion: Taste is a bit off at first, but the nose and finish are nice. She needs a little time in the glass, but then she will open and release some nice fresh and sweet scents and flavours. She cannot handle too much water, but a little drop will help her let go.

More info: The distillery stopped producing in 1998, and was demolished in 2013 to make room for a brand new "green" distillery on the same location. Most likely it will not have the Imperial name and is planned to operate as a "high quality filler malt for the Pernod Ricard blends".

Distilled on 21/08/1995, matured in hogshead #50134, bottled on 04/06/2013 in bottle #303 of 351.

.glen scotia - 1977-2011 - the ultimate

46% abv, €150, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural color, single cask

No Tasting Notes
Tasted during a Masterclass with Jan Beek 27th August 2013
Mark: +++++

Conclusion: This is like liquid candy. Wonderful stuff, although the price is a bit steep for my wallet.

More info: Distilled on 05/09/1977, matured in hogshead #2748, bottled on 29/11/2011, with only 229 bottles, of which this was number 38.

.imperial - 1995-2012 - the ultimate

46% abv, €55, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural color, single cask

No Tasting Notes
Tasted during a Masterclass with Jan Beek 27th August 2013
Mark: +++/++

Conclusion: Nice.
Although they are building a new distillery on the location of the original, the plans on the future whisky are already very different from the demolished one, making this whisky more and more rare and hard to find.

More info: Distilled on 21/08/1995, matured in hogshead #90134, bottled on 04/06/2013, bottle #207 of 351.

.allt-a-bhainne - 1995-2013 - the ultimate

46% abv, €45, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural color, single cask

No Tasting Notes
Tasted during a Masterclass with Jan Beek 27th August 2013
Mark: ++/+++

Conclusion: Not bad, but not good either. It is intended as a filler single malt, and that is quite noticeable.

More info: Distilled on 22/09/1995, matured in hogshead 147083 and bottled on 10/01/13, bottle #128 of 349.

.craigellachie - 2002-2012 - the ultimate

46% abv, €45, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural color, single cask

No Tasting Notes
Tasted during a Masterclass with Jan Beek 27th August 2013
Mark: +++/++

Conclusion: Really nice candy like, but not completely my cup of tea.

More info: Distilled on 20/08/2002 put to rest in a 1st fill ex-Sherry butt #900069, bottled on 14/05/2012, bottle #498 of 853.

.bunnahabhain - 1997-2012 - the ultimate

54,2% abv, €60, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural color, single cask, cask strength

No Tasting Notes
Tasted during a Masterclass with Jan Beek 27th August 2013
Mark: +++/++

Conclusion: I am sorry to say this was not my cup of tea, although I had high hopes. The fresh, fruity and gentle scents and tastes of Bunnahabhain's beautiful spirit is clearly available, but it is a bit done away with by the Laphroaig-like peat smoke.

More info: Normally, Bunnahabhain spirit is unpeated when it goes into a cask to mature. In 1997 they have decided to experiment with a peated spirit and age it, some of which Van Wees got hold of and bottled in their series of the Ultimate series.

This particular bottle was distilled on 11/12/97, put to rest in hogshead 5660, bottled on 07/12/12 andwas bottle #194 of 291