Port Ellen 23yo (40%,75cl, Distilled in 1982, Connoisseurs Choice)

Appearance:

Very pale gold

Nose:

Peat and smoke.

Palate:

Exceptionally smooth peat slowly merges with an unintrusive smokey flavor.

Finish:
Lingering peat and smoke with hints of biscuit.

Grade: A+
Comment: I'd been on the prowl for a bottle of Port Ellen for some time (relatively speaking). This distillery closed its doors when I was but three years old and stumbling upon a bottle was unexpected to say the least. While this Connoisseurs choice bottling was spectacular, but I'm longing for Diageo to release the next vintage directly from the sealed Port Ellen storehouse on Islay.

Glenrothes 15yo (43%, 75cl, 1991)

Appearance:

Pale gold

Nose:

Earthy, like an un-aged eau-de-vie. Buttery undertones.

Palate:

Biscuit when drunk straight, lots of butterscotch with water added; honey undertones and and just hints of the earthiness from the nose.

Finish:
The earthy fruit linger beyond the other flavors.

Grade: B+

Laphroaig 30yo (43%)

Appearance:

Rich gold

Nose:

Peat, peat, and a little more peat. Faint hints of honey

Palate:

The peat dominates, with a sweet, almost biscuit like flavor and some smoke.

Finish:
The finish lasts for minutes, slowly winding its way through.

Grade: A

Balvenie DoubleWood 12 yo (43%)

Appearance:

Mead yellow

Nose:

Vanilla, honey, & port.

Palate:

Nutty with buttery over tones. Some sherry as well.

Finish:
A long and buttery finish.

Grade: A-

Bowmore 12yo (43%)

Appearance:

Honey yellow

Nose:

Peat with a little butter & toffee.

Palate:

The islay peat does not disappoint in Bowmore's 12yo, but the smokiness is a little subdued.

Finish:
The tail has the faintest hints of citrus mixed in with the peat.

Grade: B+

Lagavulin 16yo (43%)

Appearance:

A rich gold.

Nose:

Smoke and peat with a hint of butter.

Palate:

The smoke and peat from the nose intensifies greatly here with almost none of the buttery hints remaining.

Finish:
The peat lingers on for minutes.

Grade: A

Michel Couvreur 12yo (43%, bottle #52293)

Appearance:
Light honey

Nose:
Strong butter with hints of toffee and honey.

Palate:
The same as the nose.

Finish:
The finish lingers a bit, with the honey intensifying greatly before the taste fades.

Comment:
This one has an interesting story. The single malt scotch is purchased by a Frenchman and then placed in burgundy casks and aged in the same caves as the wines.

Grade: A-

Caol Ila 18yo (43%)

Appearance:

Pale gold.

Nose:

Smoke and peat. Adding a few drops of water dramatically reduces the quality of the nose.

Palate:

The peat and smoke come through clearly in this very smooth scotch with buttery undertones. A few drops of water made this scotch markedly sweater and reduced the smokiness. The buttery undertones also intensified.

Finish:
The peat lingers for several minutes. With water, the buttery taste lingers as well.

Comment:

I've learned one lesson tonight - do not sully this spectacular scotch with even the smallest amount of water.

Grade: A

Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey (Batch #6, 47%, Distilled 10-6-04)

Appearance:

Rich gold.

Nose:

Buttery, almost caramel.

Palate:

The same rich, buttery flavor comes through, in the initial palate, but adding a few drops of water unleashes a burst of sweetness and adds a creamy dimension to the whiskey.

Finish:
The finish lingers pleasantly with hints of vanilla coming through.

Comment:

I wasn't overly enthusiastic with any American whiskey when compared to European counterparts, but Stranahan's has changed my mind. I'm really looking forward to the 2005 bottling and hopefully a visit to the distillery during my next trip to Denver.

Grade: A

The Glenlivet Nadurra 16yr (2006,Batch 0606A,57.2%)

Appearance:

Light gold.

Nose:

Honey & fruits (possibly pear). With water, distinctly more biscuity.

Palate:

Fiercely alcoholic with hints of smoke. With water a more floral flavor with the smoke almost completely dissipated.

Finish:
Only the alcohol induced warmth last initially but with the addition of some water, the mild biscuit flavors linger for almost a minute.

Comment:

While this is only the second cask strength scotch I've tried, I found it more approachable then the Macallen cask strength. Overall a very enjoyable drink on a frigid Minnesota night.

Grade: B+