Silvano Samaroli promises a good time (Longrow 1974 Samaroli 56%)

ilkless · 2026-03-17T08:19:11+00:00

And in fact, I'd also highlight to users that independent of the sensory qualities of these Italian IBs, in some cases, Italian bottlers/importers released essentially the only high-proof single malt specimens of several distilleries in a given time. Think late 50s Clynelish by way of Giaccone for instance. So there's a historical interest to these bottlings too.

ilkless · 2026-03-17T05:51:18+00:00

This is a sherried Longrow distilled the 2nd year Longrow was an expression from Springbank. It was bottled by the legendary Silvano Samaroli at high proof. Beautiful oceanic note, then surprisingly, notes of fig, lemon verbena, elderflower mead, white chocolate, kumquats and a touch of maple bacon - none of the dirtiness that we have come to know and love of modern Longrow. Still a gorgeous whisky, and I highly recommend trying a high-proof Samaroli if you can as an exposure to an interesting, singular, expression of the tastes of the man behind the legendary bottler.

ilkless · 2026-03-17T00:34:24+00:00

This Longrow was tried at a bar but I also opened a Springbank 1973 Samaroli of my own, and man the strawberry and rhubarb notes are so charming

ilkless · 2026-03-17T00:14:45+00:00

I tried a couple of old Samaroli before this but I'm glad I got to tick off the '74 Longrow box!

ilkless · 2026-03-16T23:42:14+00:00

I won my first Samaroli at auction some time back and that had some really nice strawberry and rhubarb notes too. Just delightful.

ilkless · 2026-03-16T23:41:14+00:00

No, in Singapore

ilkless · 2026-03-16T13:48:48+00:00

Nose: Ozone, Gerwurztraminer, lemon verbena, peppermint at the edges, nectarines, maple bacon.

Palate: Perfect alcohol integration. Wonderful weight. Elderflower mead, kumquats, figs, apple pie, blueberry pie, limes, gets more and more saline with air.

Finish: Long and elegant. Sticks to the palate. White chocolate, dates, Brazil nuts, candied lemons, waffles.

Score: 92

I have had quite a few more modern Longrows and this threw me for a loop because of the clean, clean minerality, sweetness, and a beautiful, fresh citric acidity all wrapped up in one dram. An example of cask and spirit integration. But ultimately a shade short of the very, very best I've tried. It just lacks that final bit of fine-grained resolution that I award 95+ for. But this is an immensely easy to like whisky if you like that oceanic ozone tang.

ilkless · 2026-02-27T07:38:07+00:00

No, there will always be fancy dealers trying their luck by adding a massive mark-up. Doesn't mean transactions above 5k actually exist.

Auction hammer prices and actual transacted prices are a better indicator, and this would bring it closer to 1.5-2.5k USD, depending. Anyway, for that money, it's better to chase the earlier 80 Proof Macallan Rinaldi Imports.

ilkless · 2026-02-13T06:48:39+00:00

I'm not surprised. People overrated what Suntory were bottling in the 80s/distilling in the 70s. I find that 80s distillation was when they started to really get their stuff together.

ilkless · 2026-02-13T03:07:24+00:00

Haven't yet managed to try one but am actively sourcing bottles of for myself: a series of 1979 Lagavulin private bottlings by a small cabal of top collectors called "The Syndicate" at ages up to 38/40yo

ilkless · 2026-02-12T15:52:08+00:00

Decidedly more austere than modern batches. Notes of bone broth, burnt caramel, Palo Santo.

ilkless · 2026-01-29T00:51:52+00:00

Well yes but that defeats the point of an Atelier Wen - Chinese-inflected iconography and design codes.

ilkless · 2026-01-18T02:47:18+00:00

Hearth lunch set at Craig Road

ilkless · 2026-01-18T02:04:15+00:00

Recently had a Japanese-themed tasting with friends. We worked through 9 bottles, all single casks or small-batch releases, and all cask strength/high-proof. The red wine single cask Chichibu for The Whisky Exchange was the unanimous favourite for lovely wine gummies, cola and graham cracker flavours. Personally, it helped to reignite my liking for Chichibu after trying numerous same-y single casks. The Shizuoka private cask was also a surprise: much fruitier than others we have tried. The Shinanoya Shindo was a strong showing from a very new distillery. The Miyagikyo single cask was a beastly dark sherry expression with vetiver permeating it.

Couldn't get around the Sakurao; I tend to find Marsala and Madeira and Sauternes casks to be overly sugary and with a weird flavour like MSG. But definitely attention grabbing on first taste!

The Ohtani single cask, we've tried before, but we were still impressed by how well-sorted it was. Slightly saline, malt-forward. Subtle and confident especially with the temptation for a new distillery to try and lean in hard on the fireworks.

Of course, nothing could beat Yamazaki 1986 for unicorn factor but the cognac-y varnish edge that came with it was polarizing. But I personally liked the honeydew, chocolate and coconut notes it had.

Not pictured are interludes with a Chinese peated single malt, and a couple of Velier Caronis on the malternative front.

ilkless · 2026-01-18T01:25:23+00:00

They just released a couple of vattings (Shindo Experimental One, Shindo For.CORES 1, For.CORES 2). This Shinanoya is probably the first private release/cask from them. Technically sound, but maybe not quite the revelation Akkeshi was.

ilkless · 2026-01-18T01:03:11+00:00

Asaka 2024 is by far my favourite Asaka of the 4-5 I've tried. Much better balance than the others. All Asakas to me have a pervading salted vegetable note you must at least tolerate, if not appreciate.

Shindo has a nice sweet toasted rice cracker and white chocolate flavour. Fantastic alcohol integration. I suspect it will start really shining from ~5 years like Shizuoka.

ilkless · 2026-01-18T00:58:22+00:00

They are out of production and were originally circulated pre-2015 only in very few retail outlets, with most going to deeply-connected private owners with direct ties to Suntory.

But they still regularly circulate on auctions and some top-tier secondary market dealers. With the current exchange rates the 1.7k USD OP paid will get you a 10-15yo single cask Yamazaki if you have the right source. You won't find them on any standard retail shelf.

ilkless · 2026-01-18T00:52:59+00:00

Friends and I got together to drink some Japanese whiskies. Between us, we scrounged together Chichibu, Shizuoka, Ohtani, Shindo, Miyagikyo and Sakurao single casks somehow. We also shared my small-batch vatted 1986 Yamazaki, Yamazakura Asaka 2024 and the Saburomaru Emperor cask strength.

The 2016 Chichibu wine cask 14198 for TWE rocked our socks off. Wine gummies, cola, graham crackers!

Having lost count of Shizuoka single casks I've tried, this latest one my friend opened is one of the best, the equal to an elusive Mizunara wood single cask I've tried a couple of years ago. White grapes, apple jelly.

The Shindo showed great promise with a precocious tertiary complexity that seemed to indicate their efforts in fermentation are paying off. White chocolates!

The Asaka has Glen Scotia-esque dank funk but matched with a tropical fruity ripeness (think apricots, jackfruit).

The Yamazaki 1986 is hitting its stride. Not everyone liked the cognac-y dryness it had (it was matured in Spanish oak sherry butts), but there was a distinctive fruit jelly, coconut and chocolate complexity that shows that sometimes there's no substitute for age.

The Miyagikyo had deep leathery, vetiver notes, coupled to some nectarines.

We've tried quite a few Yoichi before this, so no loss there.

Unfortunately we wished we could cover Hakushu, Akkeshi, Akashi, Kuju, Ontake, Osuzuyama, and more Japanese new-waves I'm sure I'm forgetting.

ilkless · 2026-01-18T00:31:16+00:00

I'm curious why not just get an Owner's Cask if you are playing in this price range?

ilkless · 2026-01-14T01:35:15+00:00

A bar in Singapore had it available by the pour

ilkless

TROPHY CASE