Single Malt Scotch Tasters of

Tasting Notes - 2003 Home

Highland Park 25, (53.5 %ABV)

Color: Dark rich mahogany doorway.

Nose: Sweet, complex, sea salt with clean notes of sweet cream, heather, and citrus.

Flavor: Quite complex, smokey and sweet with touches of licorice, chocolate, vanilla and spice.

Finish: A magnificent long complex embrace that lasts and lingers on. Hints of anise, spice, and oak.

Brief Comment: An ode to the seductive mysteries of it's tradition. One of the greats.

Score: 93

Highland Park Bicentenary, (40 %ABV)

Color: Light mahogany with highlights of gold, honey, and amber.

Nose: Distinct light vanilla with clean citrus, oak, smoke, and caramel notes.

Flavor: Mild vanilla sweetness with smooth spicy hints of peat smoke.

Finish: Non aggressive, quite long, and smooth . Vaporous sweet lime and spice.

Brief Comment: A hearty substantial taste of Orkney. Wonderfully smooth.

Score: 88

Glenkinchie 10

Color: Light honey, pale golden straw

Nose: Hints of sweet vanilla and remote elusive peat

Flavor: Smooth with touches of sweet honey and vanilla

Finish: Short and fruity with aspects of spice and vanilla

Brief Comment: Very drinkable lowland, but the least of the Classic Malts

Score: 76

Banff 23 (Silent Stills) 54.5%ABV

Color: Pale straw with aspects of hay, tea, and Chardonnay

Nose: Sweet citrus, fruity, floral and clean with hints of nuts, baked cookies, and buttery caramel

Flavor: Quite sweet, creamy, and herbal. Hints of citrus

Finish: Sweet and of medium length

Brief Comment: Very good----------sweetest scotch ever

Score: 81

Ledaig 20

Color: Pale golden straw with hints of honey

Nose: Peat, smoke, and salt with strong aspects of citrus fruit

Flavor: Smokey, smooth, and oaky ---- a taste with a narrow character

Finish: Smooth and lingering but not much character comes through

Brief Comment: They range from "a great one" to "disappointing"

Score: 77

Dalwhinnie 15

Color: Sunlight influenced golden amber and straw

Nose: A clean floral lightly smoked lemon with traces of creamy spicy fruit.

Flavor: Feathery on the tongue smoke, peat, spice. Complex but not well defined.

Finish: Medium length with traces of sweet spicy heather contrasted with a bit of oily bitterness

Brief Comment: An enjoyable smooth complex malt, but does not compare with the great Island malts.

Score: 85 (June, 04, 03)

Cragganmore 12

Color: Amber with highlights of gold and honey

Nose: Sweet, oaky, and fruity caramel having aspects of eucaliptian peat and faint elusive smoke.

Flavor: Exceptionally sweet and creamy with a distinct light smokey and salty touch. Hint of vanilla.

Finish: Of medium length, with smooth, mellow, and spicy overtones. Focused but not ennobling.

Brief Comment: An classy quite palatable malt, but light on inspiration or striking elements.

Score: 83

Springbank 10 (46% ABV)

Color: Light golden honey and straw with aspects of dusky pale amber.

Nose: Markedly sweet creamy citrus and vanilla with faint evasive touches of honey, taffy, and sea breezes.

Flavor: A very clean sweet vanilla with aspects of creamy light salt. Incisive but round.

Finish: Quite long and lingering with soft characteristics of smooth cream, citrus, and fruit..

Score: 84

Balvenie 17 - Isla Cask

Color: Warm radiant golden amber with honey highlights.

Nose: Sweet buttery smoke with hints of clean smooth fruit .

Flavor: Complex full rich round oak with creamy hints of peat, smoke, and aspects of salt and sweet.

Finish: Keeps original tang exceptionally long and then gently recedes, creamy sweet. Smooth, smooth, and smooth.

Brief Comment: Unique --- striking --- confirmation of the greatness of the Balvenie distillery.

Score: 90

Glenfarclas 105

Color: Very dark mahogany with tones of maple syrup and coffee

Nose: Pungent sweet caramel, with aspects of butter, raisins, alcohol, and burnt cork

Flavor: Sweet complex chocolate, aggressive, striking but eventually smooth, touch of toffee and molasses.

Finish: Forever, long, burning, spicy, sweet. powerful, abruptly diminishing pain.

Brief Comment: They range from "One of my favorites" to "The most unbalanced Scotch we've tasted".

Score: 81

Note: Of all the whiskies the SMSToR has tasted to date, the club was most divided on this whisky, as evidenced by the range of scores and comments.

Johnnie Walker Blue

Color: Left out because this is a vatted whisky.

Nose: as above

Flavor: as above

Finish: as above

Brief Comment: Manos: Light and sweet like a desert scotch. Not much nose and not much value for the money. Enjoyable, but not distinctive.
Phillip: Sharp bite - not rich or complex - but has a focused , very "alcoholic " punch.
Scott: A fine drink with some smoke and character - the greatest blend of all time, but I will stick to single malts. $100 overpriced.
Raj: Man, what a sweet smell. It also has a sweeter taste ---- smooth. Try drinking water just after and it is sweet. Great one.
Tony: Very smooth and drinkable, but not worth the price.
Gunne: A smooth dram but not distinctive. Overpriced.
Leonard: I probably would not order it, but I would not turn it down.
Bruce: A grand whisky, but it isn't the same as a great malt. Overpriced.
Bob: Not much personality. I'd drink it but would not buy it.
Paul: I wasn't knocked out. Very good, but not a good bang for the buck.

Score: 79

Home

Color:	Dark rich mahogany doorway.
Nose:	Sweet, complex, sea salt with clean notes of sweet cream, heather, and citrus.
Flavor:	Quite complex, smokey and sweet with touches of licorice, chocolate, vanilla and spice.
Finish:	A magnificent long complex embrace that lasts and lingers on. Hints of anise, spice, and oak.
Brief Comment:	An ode to the seductive mysteries of it's tradition. One of the greats.
Score:	93

Color:	Light mahogany with highlights of gold, honey, and amber.
Nose:	Distinct light vanilla with clean citrus, oak, smoke, and caramel notes.
Flavor:	Mild vanilla sweetness with smooth spicy hints of peat smoke.
Finish:	Non aggressive, quite long, and smooth . Vaporous sweet lime and spice.
Brief Comment:	A hearty substantial taste of Orkney. Wonderfully smooth.
Score:	88

Color:	Light honey, pale golden straw
Nose:	Hints of sweet vanilla and remote elusive peat
Flavor:	Smooth with touches of sweet honey and vanilla
Finish:	Short and fruity with aspects of spice and vanilla
Brief Comment:	Very drinkable lowland, but the least of the Classic Malts
Score:	76

Color:	Pale straw with aspects of hay, tea, and Chardonnay
Nose:	Sweet citrus, fruity, floral and clean with hints of nuts, baked cookies, and buttery caramel
Flavor:	Quite sweet, creamy, and herbal. Hints of citrus
Finish:	Sweet and of medium length
Brief Comment:	Very good----------sweetest scotch ever
Score:	81

Color:	Pale golden straw with hints of honey
Nose:	Peat, smoke, and salt with strong aspects of citrus fruit
Flavor:	Smokey, smooth, and oaky ---- a taste with a narrow character
Finish:	Smooth and lingering but not much character comes through
Brief Comment:	They range from "a great one" to "disappointing"
Score:	77

Color:	Sunlight influenced golden amber and straw
Nose:	A clean floral lightly smoked lemon with traces of creamy spicy fruit.
Flavor:	Feathery on the tongue smoke, peat, spice. Complex but not well defined.
Finish:	Medium length with traces of sweet spicy heather contrasted with a bit of oily bitterness
Brief Comment:	An enjoyable smooth complex malt, but does not compare with the great Island malts.
Score:	85 (June, 04, 03)

Color:	Amber with highlights of gold and honey
Nose:	Sweet, oaky, and fruity caramel having aspects of eucaliptian peat and faint elusive smoke.
Flavor:	Exceptionally sweet and creamy with a distinct light smokey and salty touch. Hint of vanilla.
Finish:	Of medium length, with smooth, mellow, and spicy overtones. Focused but not ennobling.
Brief Comment:	An classy quite palatable malt, but light on inspiration or striking elements.
Score:	83

Color:	Light golden honey and straw with aspects of dusky pale amber.
Nose:	Markedly sweet creamy citrus and vanilla with faint evasive touches of honey, taffy, and sea breezes.
Flavor:	A very clean sweet vanilla with aspects of creamy light salt. Incisive but round.
Finish:	Quite long and lingering with soft characteristics of smooth cream, citrus, and fruit..
Score:	84

Color:	Warm radiant golden amber with honey highlights.
Nose:	Sweet buttery smoke with hints of clean smooth fruit .
Flavor:	Complex full rich round oak with creamy hints of peat, smoke, and aspects of salt and sweet.
Finish:	Keeps original tang exceptionally long and then gently recedes, creamy sweet. Smooth, smooth, and smooth.
Brief Comment:	Unique --- striking --- confirmation of the greatness of the Balvenie distillery.
Score:	90

Color:	Very dark mahogany with tones of maple syrup and coffee
Nose:	Pungent sweet caramel, with aspects of butter, raisins, alcohol, and burnt cork
Flavor:	Sweet complex chocolate, aggressive, striking but eventually smooth, touch of toffee and molasses.
Finish:	Forever, long, burning, spicy, sweet. powerful, abruptly diminishing pain.
Brief Comment:	They range from "One of my favorites" to "The most unbalanced Scotch we've tasted".
Score:	81
Note:	Of all the whiskies the SMSToR has tasted to date, the club was most divided on this whisky, as evidenced by the range of scores and comments.

Color:	Left out because this is a vatted whisky.
Nose:	as above
Flavor:	as above
Finish:	as above
Brief Comment:	Manos: Light and sweet like a desert scotch. Not much nose and not much value for the money. Enjoyable, but not distinctive. Phillip: Sharp bite - not rich or complex - but has a focused , very "alcoholic " punch. Scott: A fine drink with some smoke and character - the greatest blend of all time, but I will stick to single malts. $100 overpriced. Raj: Man, what a sweet smell. It also has a sweeter taste ---- smooth. Try drinking water just after and it is sweet. Great one. Tony: Very smooth and drinkable, but not worth the price. Gunne: A smooth dram but not distinctive. Overpriced. Leonard: I probably would not order it, but I would not turn it down. Bruce: A grand whisky, but it isn't the same as a great malt. Overpriced. Bob: Not much personality. I'd drink it but would not buy it. Paul: I wasn't knocked out. Very good, but not a good bang for the buck.
Score:	79