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