Recent Activity in the Whisky Monitor Database

New Bottlingsview more >

Lochside 1967/2011 (41.1%, Cooper's Choice, butt, C#802, 320 Bts.)

Spey River 12yo 'Spey River Collection' (40%, Various Independent Bottlers, Bourbon Oak Matured, 2011*)

Glentauchers 18yo 1989/2008 (53.8%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #63.22, Refill barrel, 'Tantalising opulence')

Glen Scotia 19yo 1992/2011 (59.5%, The Whisky Cask, sherry cask)

Glen Scotia 38yo 1972/2010 (40.1%, The Whisky Agency Private Stock, bourbon hogshead, 92 Bts.)

Glen Scotia 19yo 1992/2011 (59.2%, Silver Seal, Sestante Collection)

Glen Scotia 11yo 1999/2011 (58%, Cadenhead's, red wine cask, 276 Bts.)

Glen Scotia 5yo (40%, OB, Gillies & Co, tall bottle, cork stopper, short neck, 1970*)

Glenrothes 41yo 1970/2011 (47.7%, The Whisky Agency, bourbon hogshead, 197 Bts.)

Glenrothes 1968/2011 (45.2%, Malts of Scotland, bourbon hogshead, C#13509, 108 Bts.)

Glenrothes 40yo 1970/2011 (40.6%, Duncan Taylor The Octave, C#495777)

Glenrothes 41yo 1969/2011 (44.2%, Duncan Taylor Peerless, C#12881, 120 Bts.)

New Notesview more >

Penderyn 'Portwood' (41%, OB, NAS, Wales, 2011*)

Keith Wood, Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Coppery gold - Nose: Oooh quite unusual, this needs a little more time to develop fully .... How about Alpine cheese covered or even marinated in something quite red? This is almost winey, but not quite. Now I'm detecting a nuttiness, then beef stroganoff and even something quite perfumed. Very interesting! - Palate: Lots of juniper with a big red wine influence here. Then a sweet fruitiness reminscent of bramble jelly or even sweet redcurrant. - Finish Long and very red. - Overall Impression: I love that nose, it's one of the most interesting I've experienced for some time, although the palate isn't quite as complex or unusual, but this is certainly a most enjoyable whisky.

Penderyn 'Peated Single Cask' (61.2%, OB, NAS, Wales, C#128/2006, 176 Bts., 2011*)

Keith Wood, *** Bottle No.16 of 176 *** Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Extremely pale, almost water-like - Nose: Slightly herbal and lightly smoked juniper. Herbal smoky gin? Can I term the phrase Ginsky? After some minutes a fruitiness develops which reminds me of red & white currants. - Palate: The smokiness is more pronounced on the palate, nice! There's still plenty of juniper but also a slightly peppery summer-fruitiness. - Finish Long and lightly perfumed smokiness. - Overall Impression: Excellent. I love this whisky as the light peatiness really impresses. *** Bottle No.176 of 176 *** - Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: They don't come any paler. - Nose: Very herbal with juniper too. This has a really herbal bouquet which is light, fresh and almost perfumed. - Palate: Wow, very herbal but accompanied by a delightfully light smokiness. It's very smooth and slightly fruity with blackberry too. - Finish Long herbal and lightly smoky. - Overall Impression: I detected some subtle differences between this bottle and bottle No.16 from the same cask (above review), but again it is an excellent whisky with a delightfully herbal mix of fruitiness and smokiness.

Penderyn 'Madeira' (46%, OB, NAS, Wales, 2011*)

Keith Wood, Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Bright (9ct) yellow gold - Nose: Initially juniper with hints of red grape, then after some minutes I detect what I can only describe as faintly malty plasticine, but it doesn't stay long as the juniper returns accompanied by a suggestion of baked apple. - Palate: Lots of juniper and red fruit, maybe along the lines of gin with cranberry juice. - Finish Long with plenty of juniper - Overall Impression: A decent whisky, but maybe just a little too much juniper for my taste.

Penderyn 'Madeira Finished' (46%, OB, Single Malt Welsh Whisky)

Keith Wood, Nose: Gin, Juniper - Palate: Dry, juniper and cinnamon. Quite a distinct tingle on the front of the tongue. - With water: Juniper and much more spicy.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label 'King George V Edition' (40%, OB)

Keith Wood, Glass: Spiegelau - Colour: Gold - Nose: A tinge of rubber, hints of smoke and eventually some slightly sweet pear - Palate: Delightfully smooth but slow to develop. This really does build slowly, with some initial pear gradually opening to include walnut, maybe a little chestnut and eventually a light mango ice cream. - Finish: Once this gets going it is indeed very long and ends with a tingling spiciness. - Overall impression: How much!

Johnnie Walker Blue Label (40%, OB)

Keith Wood, Glass: Spiegelau - Colour: Dark honey - Nose: Nuts and slight phenol. - Palate: Fantastically smooth with lots of nuts and almond paste. - Overall impression: This really is good. But the typical price here is around €120 and I'm sorry, but it's not THAT good. For the same €120 I can get some great single malts which are much better in my opinion.

Johnnie Walker Premier (43%, OB, +/-2008)

Keith Wood, Glass: Bugatti Kelch - Colour: Rich dark oak - Nose: Freshly polished oak, wood, marzipan, gentle nut assortment, hints of cognac - Palate: Immediately intense, rich aromatic honey, red wine, oak, toffee - Finish: Very long, intense and sweet - Overall Impression: An excellent whisky, I love it and it's now my favourite JW, but still a little too expensive at around €100

Johnny Walker 15yo 'Green Label' (43%, OB, 2009*)

Keith Wood, Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Rich gold - Nose: Hints of smoke, peat and a Scottish jetty on a stormy day in the Atlantic. - Palate: Initially delightfully smooth and expanding into a smoky, peaty crescendo right on the front of the tongue. - Finish: Long, but always right on the front middle of the tongue. - Overall Impression: A wonderful JW and also the best value of them all!

Johnnie Walker Double Black (43%, OB, NAS, 1000ml, 2010)

Keith Wood, Glass: Bugatti Kelch - Colour: Oak, light amber - Nose: Initially a little chemical, light oak, vanilla and slightly maritime. After 3-4 minutes some fruit (peach) appearing, then after a further 3-4 minutes this is replaced by an aroma of freshly dug potatoes. - Palate: There is a very slight hint of peat, but the emphasis is on very slight as the main influence here is a mixture of pear and peach. - Finish: Quite long and dry. - Overall Impression: When I heard that JW were introducing this Double Black into certain markets as another peated or smoky offering I wondered why they should be competing with their own Green Label, but not to worry, this is hardly peated and far more chemical. In fact it's a rather strange whisky overall and not a patch on the wonderrful Green Label. I even prefer the 'normal' black label!

Johnnie Walker Black Label 12yo (40%, OB, +/-2007)

Keith Wood, Glass: Spiegelau - Colour: Amber - Nose: A weak nose takes some time to develop and when it does, it offers the slightest hint of smoke, overlaid with soft wood, faint herbs and a mixture of apple and pear. - Palate: I detect a smoky presence along one side of the tongue, whilst the other half seems engulfed in fruit. This is also quite gentle and not at all a harsh whisky. - Finish: Medium to long and gently repetitive. - Overall Impression: With all components of this blend a minimum of 12 years it is definitely a little more mature than the Red Label, but still great value and a jolly good everyday blend.

Johnnie Walker Red Label (40%, OB, +/-2007)

Keith Wood, Glass: Spiegelau - Colour: Amber - Nose: A touch of malt, a slight hint of rubber, damp walnut shells and a wet, leafy jetty. - Palate: Initially soft and creamy with not very much burn following as the flavour of nuts, straw, malt and hints of honey spread across the palate. - Finish: Long. - Overall Impression: A good value, everyday blend, especially this litre I found for €16

Islay Blended 'Big Peat' (57.8%, Douglas Laing, NAS, 2011)

Keith Wood, Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Extremely pale, almost water-like. - Nose: Atlantic fishing harbour with smoke and faint peat. The peat expands with time and eventually includes a slightly smoky raspberry-like fruitiness served with custard. After more time this is all taken over by smoky rainy peat bog. - Palate: Good fruity peat punch, but high abv shows here. It seems to need water but still offers excellent levels of peat with faint suggestions of light flora. - Finish: Very long and peaty. - Overall Impression: Extremely good whisky!

Islay Blended 'Big Peat' (46%, Douglas Laing, NAS, vatting of Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore, Port Ellen, 2009*)

Keith Wood, Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Extremely pale, almost water-like. - Nose: Very pleasant with gentle soft peat alongside subtle hints of wood and fruit. The fruit is a cross between something tropical and citrus, perhaps like mango and lime zest. In the background I also find a suggestion of rubber dinghy and the aromas surrounding the dentist's surgery. - Palate: A slightly watery mouth-feel gives way to green apple, star fruit, pears and an open peat bonfire on an Atlantic beach. - Finish: Quite long and fruity in the character of a German 'obstler' schnapps, but with added peat. - Overall Impression: This is a pretty decent whisky, better than I had initially imagined as it offers a good combination of peat and fruit and yes, it is quite 'big'!

Mackinlay 'Shackleton Replica' (47.3%, OB, NAS, blended malt, 2011)

Keith Wood, Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Pale yellow gold - Nose: Light and fresh with a citrus character reminding me of faint lime and pineapple. It's also slightly farmy with hay and aromatic grasses before more fruit develops after some minutes. It is also very warming at this point with pear, melon and apple alongside the grass and hay. - Palate: Creamy smooth with a delayed bite of fruity pepper. This is followed by slightly bitter star fruit, hay, apricot and crème Brulée with an exceptionally creamy mouth-feel. - Finish: Very long with fruit and pepper. - Overall Impression: A totally unique whisky, unlike any other I have tried. Delightful too.

The Tweeddale Blend 10yo (46%, OB, blended, 2010*)

Keith Wood, Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Glowing golden yellow - Nose: Initially slightly leafy, a little like an English country lane on a cool and damp Autumnal early morning. After a minute or so this extends to include honey, nuts and a hint of vanilla. - Palate: Delightfully smooth with a surprisingly 'big' flavour after that nose. It is still leafy, but also has nuts, ripe red apples, honey and a good share of malt. Is that some dark fruit in there too? Maybe raisins or even plums? - Finish: Long and slightly dry right at the end. - Overall Impression: This really is an excellent blend with a big flavour-punch which I thoroughly enjoyed and I'm already looking forward to future batches.

Johnnie Walker Gold Label 18yo (40%, OB, +/-2007)

Keith Wood, Nose: I found this a quite difficult one, but it did offer lots of malt and almost phenolic bilge pumps. - Palate: Smooth and gentle with a distinct wateriness. Slight hints of marzipan and initially quite short, but on the second drink it returns to the palate and stays a little longer. - Overall Impression: Pleasant, but hardly memorable.

Glenglassaugh 1967/2010 'The Manager's Legacy' (40.4%, OB, 200 Bts.)

Keith Wood, Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Rich sunny amber - Nose: Initially dusty candy floss being spun, then light cherries with a hint of maracuja. The cherries expand with time in the glass, but always remain quite light. Finally, there's a suggestion of something which takes me a while to place, but eventually I realise this is an old childhood delight from local fairgrounds called brandy snap! Oh goodness, yes, with that candy floss and now brandy snap I'm returned to childhood afternoon visits to a local fairground with my parents. Happy times! Can I have a ride on the waltzing horses please? - Palate: Wonderfully creamy mouth-feel with that brandy snap, cherries, polished oak, then lots of fruit and sherry. This is very well balanced too. - Finish: Very long, light floral oak and yes, that brandy snap. - Overall Impression: Stunningly good, an absolute gem, nay, a "Great"!

Tobermory 15yo 1995/2011 (46%, Aberdeen Distillers, C#ABD1001, 164 Bts.)

Keith Wood, Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Vanilla ice cream - Nose: Initially musty, dusty and leafy then after 4-5 minutes definite hints of blige pump and milky baby vomit. This is really quite stale. - Palate: Leafy and really quite dry, although thankfully the baby vomit is restricted to the nose, just lots of leafy hay and really quite penetrating too. - Finish: Medium to long, leafy and dry. - Overall Impression: Stale milky baby vomit? That nose really lets it down.

Ledaig 1998/2010 (61.8%, Malts of Scotland, sherry butt, C#800025, 256 Bts.)

Keith Wood, Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Slightly watery rich amber - Nose: Very aromatic Alpine cheese, almost "seaty-sock" parmesan style. Then lightly rubbery with hints of drying paint. - Palate: Everything the nose promised, with a little extra creaminess for mouth-feel. - Finish: Very long, rich and quite intrusive. - Overall impression: A little hint of Alpine cheese is good, but this much?

Ledaig 9yo 2001/2011 (50.5%, Whisky Doris The Dram, 212 Bts.)

Keith Wood, Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Light yellow gold - Nose: Starts grassy and leafy whilst slowly developing light fruit and hints of peat smokiness. Then come hints of cloves wrapped in a faint rubberiness which expands further with time in glass. - Palate: Initially peppery light peat with a light rubberiness, but red berries soon appear and then faint coconut leads into the finish. - Finish: Long and lightly peaty. - Overall impression: Another good offering from Whisky Doris.

Tobermory 15yo (46.3%, OB, Gonzales Byass Oloroso Sherry Finish, 2011*)

Keith Wood, Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Rich dark oak - amber - Nose: Ahhh rubber wellies left in an aired hallway. Hints of dark chocolate begin to appear after 3-4 minutes, the cardamom seeds join the rubberiness. - Palate: Very much as per the nose with a light rubberiness, chocolate, almost coffee hints, cardamom seeds, cloves and toasted oak. - Finish: Long with spiced wood. - Overall Impression: Wellies left in a hallway? Don't be put off, this is a good whisky, I really like it.

Tobermory 10yo (46.3%, OB, 2011*)

Keith Wood, Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Bright (9ct) yellow gold - Nose: Initially musty & malty, then expanding to include light leafiness and damp dust with a hint of maracuja. - Palate: Fruity and leafy with hints of toffee and black peppercorn. Some malt comes through too, always with a smooth and creamy mouth-feel. - Finish: Long and tingling right on the front of the palate. - Overall Impression: A definite improvement on the older 40% version. Nice.

Ledaig 10yo (46.3%, OB, 2011*)

Keith Wood, Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Pale bronze - Nose: Very Atlantic or coastal with salt, sea-air and a light peatiness. This is joined by a faint rubberiness after 2-3 minutes and then the salt and rubberiness expand further with more time. - Palate: The rubberiness is lightly evident, but much more so the sea-air and peatiness. There#s also a suggestion of cloves and roast beef in the background. - Finish: Long and peaty with raost beef. - Overall impression: Really quite amazing, I like this one.

Auchroisk 20yo (58.1%, OB, 5856 Bts., 2010)

Keith Wood, Glass: Classic Malt - Colour: Shiny bronze / rich gold - Nose: Initially lightly smoked malt, then polished wood with hints of banana stem. Lots of quality soft leather and also a suggestion of fruit & nut mix. - Palate: A cocktail of fruit, wood, fresh ginger and white pepper. Then faint orange and dark chocolate lead into the finish. - Finish: Very long with a hint of orange zest. - Overall Impression: Marvellous, a stunningly good whisky.

Glencadam 1975/2007 (46%, Montgomerie's Single Cask, C#1)

Keith Wood, Nose: Sturdy leather hiking boots meandering across a Spring-time Alpine meadow in full blossom - Palate: Very creamy, almost peaches and cream with a very faint hint of expensive leather. But the finish is very short - With 4 drops of water: The Alpine meadow flora recedes slightly, but the finish expands - With 4 more drops of water: Much longer finish, but also a spicier character develops - Yet another 4 drops of water: I am now venturing well beyong my normal addition of water, but surprisingly this dram suddenly blossoms into a great one with a long and creamy finish. - Overall Impression: I sampled this dram at the Munich whisky fair directly from the McKillop's / Montgomeries stand and the knowledgeable staff did warn that this Montgomeries range, even at 46% ABV required water. I wholeheartedly agree as the water turned this dram from a good to extremely good one!