Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach 15 Year Old

This is an independent bottling by well-known merchant Gordon & MacPhail of 15 year old Mortlach. Mortlach is currently only available as a single malt in Diageo's Flora and Fauna collection, or through independent merchants like Gordon & MacPhail. Its rarity is due to its status as perhaps the heaviest and densest single malt on the market today. Not only can it can be something of an acquired taste, but Mortlach is also valued by blenders for its weight and flavor. Mortlach is one of the primary components of Johnnie Walker Black. Mortlach's weight and body allow it to age extremely well, the oldest bottled single malt Scotch in the world is a 70 year old Mortlach, also from Gordon & MacPhail.
This bottling was primarily aged in sherry casks, and it reflects that in every aspect. The nose is full of dried fruit, built on Mortlach's signature savory, meaty foundation. Air and time allow the nose to expand. There's wood smoked meat, with dried cherries and elderberries. These themes are continued through on the palate. The taste is dominated by beefy notes. This is accompanied by more dried fruit, sherry, spices, charred oak, smoked ham, and some honey. The finish is extremely long. It starts with fruit preserves and molasses, but gradually moves to more savory territory. This is the biggest, brawniest Scotch I've ever had. Not a whisky that will please everyone, but it's definitely demonstrated why it's such a cult classic.
18-18.5

Glenmorange Nectar D'Or

The Nectar D'Or from Glenmorangie is part of their line of "finished" scotches. Glenmorangie takes barrels of scotch that's been aging in industry-standard bourbon barrels, and then puts the whisky into barrels that had previously held different wines. The whisky picks up some of the flavors and aromas from the barrels' previous contents. The Nectar D'Or is finished in barrels that previously held Sauternes, a white dessert wine from Bordeaux in France. The nose is surprisingly assertive, given the generally light and floral nature of Glenmorangie. It's full of oak spice, with some vanilla. The Sauternes cask makes itself felt, thanks to aromas of white wine, ripe citrus fruit, and honey. These flavors complement the whisky's normal smells extremely well. Upon drinking, the oak spice and the lemon and orange notes become more distinct, pushing the honey and vanilla flavors into the background. With a bit of water and some air, the flavors return to the outstanding balance they had on the nose, but with even more complexity. This whisky keeps developing in the glass, as the water accentuates the honey and vanilla while developing the oak spice into ginger and nutmeg. The finish is quite light, but is slightly marred by a hint of bitterness. The bitterness fades relatively quickly, but it does make swallowing slightly less of a pleasure than it should be. Overall, an outstanding single malt that shows how finishing can accentuate and improve on a whisky's natural flavors. This malt's great strengths are its balance and complexity. The only "issues" I have with it are the slight bitterness on the finish, and the fact that the whisky itself is on the light end of the spectrum, which limits its versatility. This is a malt that demands a drinkers' focus to be savored at its best. I'd like to see Glenmorangie give it even more time in the Sauternes casks, which would hopefully bring out more of the honeyed fruit that characterizes great Sauternes. As it is, this is excellent stuff.
18-18.5

Dalmore 12 Year Old

Dalmore is a Highland distillery that in recent years has made headlines thanks to limited releases of extremely old (all over 50 years) single malts. These releases have received universal acclaim, and highlight Dalmore's rare ability to age for decades without losing its freshness or being overwhelmed by the wood. I haven't personally tasted any of these releases (although if someone out there is feeling generous I'll be happy to share their bottle). Dalmore's standard 12 year old starts out a little shy in the glass. For a malt with a reputation for a strong sherry influence, the nose is extremely restrained. It's also far more malty and cereal-driven than it is fruity. Air and a bit of water allow a mild raisiny note to join the aromas, but that's about it. Moving to the actual tasting, the fruit comes through really forcefully. There's a lot of fruitcake and plum pudding underlying the other flavors. That's overlaid with orange peel and marmalade. There's a ton of orange flavors in this. The finish concludes long, semi-sweet, and very fruity. It's very nice, but I think it probably needs a few more years to really blossom, and balance all the different fruit flavors.
17.5-18

The Macallan 12 Year Old

The gold standard as far as I’m concerned, for 12 year old single malts. The nose is a classic sherried Speyside malt. The nose starts with dried fruit and nuts. With time and air it develops fruitcake and oak notes as well. Moving on to tasting, the flavors that come through on the nose continue to develop and are joined by figs and stuffed dates. It's all rich, spiced, dried and baked fruit. That's backed up by vanilla, honey, gingerbread, and molasses. The mouthfeel is thick and oily. Everything is here in balance. It's sweet but not sugary, oily but not cloying. It's all I could ask for in a single malt.
18.5-19

Tuthilltown Baby Bourbon

Tuthilltown is a small distillery in Gardiner, New York. They recently sold their whiskey brand to William Grant & Sons, an independent spirits corporation that started in and is still centered around the Scotch industry. Tuthilltown will still be making all of the whiskey though. This review is of a bottle that's several years old, and since Tuthilltown isn't distributed in Washington State I haven't gotten any more recent bottlings, so this will have to do. It smells like fire-roasted corn-on-the-cob that's been rubbed with honey and vanilla and baked. Air and water doesn't do a whole lot to expand on it. Tasting it brings out the oak, along with cinnamon and ginger. However, the spice is really just a backdrop for the sweet, thick, corn and vanilla flavors. This whiskey is really quite thick and oily. I can feel it in my mouth even after I've swallowed, which isn't really a problem, just unusual and perhaps a bit distracting. It's relatively sweet, but that's mostly on the front of the palate, and not at all sickly. It's not very complex, but it's so assertive I'd be wary of mixing with anything other than a bit of water or ice. It does, however, pair really well with red meat or roasted poultry. Definitely not for everyone, but definitely for me.
17.5-18

We're back .... finally

After far too long an absence, David and I are back, and will be posting more reviews forthwith. Here's one to start off with.

Eagle Rare 10 Year Old

Eagle Rare 10 year Old Single Barrel
I’ve now tried two different bottles of Eagle Rare, and both have been very good, although very different. The first bottle I tried was a very rich, sweet bourbon. Lots of caramel and honey on the nose and in tasting. There was also a good deal of smoke, wood, and vanilla. Much sweeter and richer in flavor and texture than a lot of bourbons, which suits my tastes perfectly. The second bottle was much more dry and herbal. There were a lot more tobacco and dry wood notes in this bottle. The tobacco was there in the first bottle as well, but nowhere near this dominant. I preferred the first bottle, with its sweet richness, but those who prefer drier and more herbal whiskies would have definitely liked the second bottle more. The varied score is based on the fact that these are two different barrels.
17-18