.bunnahabhain - east neuk dunes - 1990-2016 - wemyss

Another Kingsbarns Distillery exclusive, now that several of the previous exclusives have sold out. They have chosen a 26 year old Bunnahabhain this time, always a good choice...

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

Nose: sweet, vanilla, sour berries, gooseberries, grapes, citrus, grapefruit, cooking rice, fresh cut grass, fresh leafy vegetables

Palate: sweet, vanilla, honey, fruit, grapes, gooseberries, citrus, grapefruit, creamy mouth feel, green vegetables

Finish: medium long, slight dry, grapes,berries, citrus, grapefruit, what's that - hoppy?
Mark: +++++ 

Conclusion: It is, to me, not very Bunnahabhain like. That said, although I am a Bunnahabhain lover, I think she is very good. The cask must have been used for quite a while before it got filled with the Bunnahabhain spirit, there are no rough edges, no excessive woody notes, there is 'just' a fine, slightly creamy, very enjoyable liquid. Not on the cheap side, very much on the drinkable side.

More info: distilled in 1990, matured in a Hogshead untill it was bottled in 2016 into 267 bottles

.many thanks to the fine people of Kingsbarns and Wemyss for sending us this sample to review

.mortlach - 1998-2014 - wemyss malts - gorse heath

A 16yo Mortlach, chosen by the good people of Wemyss Malts, exclusively bottled for the Kingsbarns distillery shop. Mortlachs in general are very pleasing to my nose and palate, and the smell from a distance is already very promising. Let's dig in...

46% abv, €80
single malt

Nose: sweet, thin honey, treacle, fruity, green apples, ripe sweet pears, floral, hints of honeysuckle, buttercups, salted butter, herbs, thyme, a touch of sage, citrus, limes, 

Palate: sweet, creamy, fruity, ripe mango, citrus, blood oranges, limes, spicy, hints of cinnamon, herbs, sage, thyme

Finish: long, spicy, cinnamon, fruity, apples, herbs, lemon-thyme, sage
Mark: +++++ 

Conclusion: I am cooking here, in summertime, outside, on a grill, using fresh herbs and sweet side-dishes, having the thyme of my life. Only thing I miss, is the 'dirt' most Mortlachs have. This is a clean Mortlach, making it, to me, different from most Mortlachs I know.

More info: Distilled in 1998, bottled in 2014 into 290 bottles.

.many thanks to Kingsbarns distillery for supplying us with this sample

.bunnhabhain - 1997-2014 - wemyss malts - smouldering hickory

When we were visiting the Kingsbarns distillery not even this long ago, we had a chance to sample some of their distillery exclusives, that were bottled when the distillery first opened. One of these bottlings was a peated Bunnahabhain, as we encounter more and more on our journeys in the world of whisky,

46% abv, €85
single malt

Nose: sweet, a hint of smoke, bacon, dark honey, floral, heather,nuts, hazelnuts, dark leafy herbs, sage, laurel, a hint of eucalyptus

Palate: sweet, creamy, dark clover honey, honeycomb, floral, a hint of eucalyptus, roasted nuts, chestnuts, spicy, a hint of nutmeg, something that could be chive, smoked bacon

Finish: smoked bacon, spicy, definitely chive, maybe even garlic, sweet, smoked honeycomb, spicy, a hint of nutmeg
Mark: ++++/+

Conclusion: Oh my. This is a very tasty Bunnahabhain. At first, I would not have guessed this was a Bunnahabhain, but then, it isn't every day we encounter a peated version of this Islay dram.

.clynelish - 1997 - waves of pepper - wemyss malts

It may be known that I am a big fan of Clynelish in general. The 1997 vintages of this distillery seems to be having a special place for me, as it the distillery have been doing things differently in that year, used different barley varieties or maybe experimented with yeast... We probably will never know, but one thing I am sure about; I like it.

46% abv, €85
single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: fresh, fruity, apples, sweet, honey, floral honeysuckle, a breeze of the sea, spicy, a hint of cinnamon, allspice

Palate: sweet, fruity, apples, warm apple sauce, creamy honey, floral, honeysuckle, spicy, white pepper, a hint of cinnamon

Finish: medium long, sweet, treacle, honeycomb
Mark: ++++/+

Conclusion: I should have brought a bottle when we were at the Kingsbarns distillery. This release has been bottled for the opening of the distillery in 2014, and only a handful of bottles are left.

More info: Distilled in 1997, matured in a hogshead and filled into 251 bottles in 2014, to commemorate the opening of the Kingsbarns distillery in Fife.

.glen scotia - 23yo - 1991-2014 - wemyss - flotsam and jetsam

To celebrate the opening of the Kingsbarns distillery, owner Wemyss malts has released a number of very interesting single cask bottlings. A 23yo Glen Scotia was one of these releases, bottles into 294 bottles, drawn from a single barrel, implying an ex-Bourbon cask.

46% abv, €123
single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: fruity, fresh apples, gooseberries, sweet, vanilla, marshmallows, fresh herbs, thyme, oregano, clams (?), a hint of seawater, floral, blossom, milk chocolate, nuts, hazelnuts. I am getting a lot of Nutella-notes lately...

Palate: sweet, honey, vanilla, floral, honeysuckle, fruit, overripe apples, ripe bananas, ripe pears, herbs, dried thyme, creamy, a touch of salt

Finish: medium to long, fruity, ripe apples and bananas, a hint of brine
Mark: +++++ 

Conclusion: "Flotsam and Jetsam" roughly explained as "Useless and Discarded, refuse found in the ocean". I am not sure what they would imply with a name like this. Sure, there are some briny notes to be found, but this is one hell of a dram. Maybe they targeted the seemingly randomness of flavours to be found in the dram, but all together she seems quite balanced and what's more, for a 23yo, this is good value for money in my booklet.

.many thanks to Kingsbarns Distillery and Wemyss for sharing this dram with us

.wemyss malts - the hyve

Wemyss has released several editions of the Hyve previously, but, with today's prevailing trends, they have released a non-age-statement version of this Speyside signature blended malt.

.clynelish - 1997-2014 - cayenne cocoa bean - wemyss

The year 1997 seems to be a magical year for Clynelish. Wemyss has shared a beautiful sweet and spicy version of this year, that turns out to be a true headturner.

.glen grant - 1995 - wemyss malts - in a bluebell wood

From Wemyss Malts, a release of a 1995 Glen Grant. I don't know about bluebell forests, but I can imagine the scent would be wonderful.

.linkwood - 1995 - wemyss malts - honeysuckle bower

Another Wemyss special release, the Honeysuckle Bower, although for my palate it might as well have been called Camomile Pot-pourri. Nevertheless, I can find the naming to be correct once again for this "rescued" Linkwood of which most disappears in the Diageo blended whiskies...

.bunnahabhain - 1988-2014 - wemyss malts - kirsch gâteau

Kirsch Gâteau; Black Forest Gâteau, Black Forest cake, Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, all names for the same cake. Wemyss Malts is known for putting a fitting name on their bottles, and this bottling is no exception to their rule.

.bowmore - wemyss malts - aniseed pastille - 1996-2014

Wemyss malts was very kind to send us some samples to review. Among these samples there was this 1996 Bowmore, bottled in 2014. An 18yo single cask whisky from possibly my least favourite Islay distillery.

.wemyss - velvet fig

With only 6,000 bottles to spare worldwide, Wemyss malts have composed a blended malt (of unknown composition), that has fully matured in ex-Oloroso Sherry casks. As a golden Wemyss rule, the name of the whisky perfectly reflects the content of the bottle.

.glen scotia - 1991-2013 - wemyss - merchant's mahogany chest

From Wemyss Malts, we received a set of malts for the #WemyssTT3 twitter tasting. The well named 1991 "Merchant's Mahogany Chest" Glen Scotia was one of the heart warming samples in the package.

.wemyss malts - the hyve - 12yo

40% abv, €40, single malt, non-chill filtered

Nose: sweet (sickly), eating cotton candy at the cotton candy stand, banana foam candies, pear drops, a freshly filled candy store, honey, clover honey, honeycomb, bees-wax, citrus, tangerine-peel
Palate: citrus, orange-peel, marmalade, tangerines, sweet, honey, honey-comb, candle-wax, cotton-candy
Finish: bitter as marmalade, semi-dry, medium long
Mark: +/++++

.wemyss malts - smooth gentleman - 5yo

40% abv, €65, blended malt, non-chill filtered

Nose: citrus peel, sweet, cotton candy, nougat, mint
Palate: citrus, sweet, caramel, spicy, white pepper
Finish: orange peel, zest, medium dry, medium long, slight iron
Mark: +++++

.wemyss malts - lord elcho

40% abv, €25, blend

Nose: vanilla, liquorice, sweet, fruit-salad, juniper berries, lemon meringue, unripe melons, grassy
Palate: spicy, citrus, grapefruit, fruit, melon, slightly dry, liquorice
Finish: liquorice root, semi dry, aniseed, slight bitter, mint, more liquorice, after eight
Mark: ++/+++

.wemyss malts - pastille bouquet - mortlach 1998

46% abv, €80, single malt

Nose: lemon, grass, lemongrass, fresh, floral, tangerines
Palate: sweet, fresh cut grass, citrus, limes, oranges, orange-zest, apples, chocolate coated oranges, hot, floral, milk chocolate, a hint of liquorice root
Finish: hot, spicy, peppers, jalapeños, citrus, lime-peel, long, liquorice
Mark: +++++