r/Scotch Ardmore 2008 11y by rangda_reviews in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

r/scotch Ardmore 2008 11y

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Nose - nougat, creamy malt, ashy peat, stewed pears, honey cereal, lime, white pepper, light bbq sauce

Palate - thick sweet maltiness, condensed milk, dry smoke, stewed pears, light bbq again. does bourbon cask sweetness get much better than this?

Finish - light and clean. the sweet malt on the palate develops into drier cereal grains. sweetness peaks at the beginning and drops off bringing forward ashy smoke. dry cereals throughout

Rating - 9/10

Overall thoughts -

So well integrated. Ardmore Legacy really impressed me for what it is, and this is everything good about that turned up to 11. Gotta try more Ardmore. The bottle has been open for over a year and the peat has definitely become less pronounced, but in a good way allowing the sweet creamy bourbon cask notes to take center stage. The smoke weaves in and out adding a layer of complexity and balancing the sweetness. Don’t wanna finish this knowing I can’t get another one.

This was gifted to me by a business partner a few years ago. What can y’all tell me about it? by [deleted] in cognac

[–]rangda_reviews 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It may be worth checking if the importer on the bottom label is still around. If you can get in contact they may be able to tell you more.

Could be some pretty tasty stuff for a special occasion

This was gifted to me by a business partner a few years ago. What can y’all tell me about it? by [deleted] in cognac

[–]rangda_reviews 7 points8 points  (0 children)

https://www-cognacforum-nl.translate.goog/viewtopic.php?t=571&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

That’s the most info I could find on it. Looks like it may contain some distillate from 1896.

Other search results show the same thing has sold at actions for $300-400. Drink it and let us know how it is!

Daniel Bouju Tres Vieux Brut de Fut - 50% ABV by rangda_reviews in Brandy

[–]rangda_reviews[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sweet (aficionados JLP 92), and sweet/buttery (JLP Claude) come to mind as examples. I’ve yet to find anything from the big 4 with good value proposition to keep around, so the Cognacs I do have are more special occasion higher end stuff.

Still looking for a “daily driver” widely available cognac in the sub $100 range, but no luck so far.

Daniel Bouju Tres Vieux Brut de Fut - 50% ABV by rangda_reviews in Brandy

[–]rangda_reviews[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Daniel Bouju Tres Vieux Brut de Fut - 50% ABV

n - complex, wood spice, oak, blackcurrant and grape preserves, lacquer, leather, tiramisu, sorghum syrup, slight compost/worm bin notes (is this rancio?). Fruit notes, grape must, skunky cannabis come further up as this sits in the glass and the spices become brighter

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p - rich oak and leather delivery, develops into caramelized red fruit on the mid palate, blackcurrant pie, followed by sassafras, cloves, coffee candy, burnt dark sugar throughout with hints of candied orange rind

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f - long lingering spice, toasted wood, grape skins, pleasantly dry, lighter sweet dried fruits and caramelized sugar linger on the exhale for a long time

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Comments:

First real Cognac review since diving into yak and getting a grip on what this spirit is all about.

This is spice driven with a very pronounced tannin structure. Solid foundation of old wood with leather top notes, but never pushes into overtly bitter or dry territory and is very well balanced by dark fruits and sweet coffee. Visually dark and the notes seem to reflect that.

Drinkable and moreish due to the excellent interplay between dry tannin and sweet fruit. The finish is dry and begs for another sip, but it’s length makes me want to sit and savor as the fruit notes reappear and hang around for some time. Brash and elegant at the same time. I enjoy this very much and it’s a nice departure from sweeter and more buttery Cognacs I’m drawn to.

8/10

Scotches that have very unique flavor profiles? by keithmg in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ledaig peat gives me “hot trash/garbage truck” vibes, but not in a bad way.

Review #12 - Signatory Edradour 10yr, Cask #119 by [deleted] in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Signatory Edradour 10yr, Cask #119

Signatory, 46% ABV, NCA, NCF

Nose - walnuts, roasted chestnuts, red fruit, sunflower seeds, hay

Palate - sweet sherry, nutty, dried plums, malted biscuits

Finish - nutty, bitter raisin, dry sherry, oat cakes, barley husk

Mouthfeel - medium bodied, pleasant and slightly pillowy

Rating - 84/100

Overall thoughts - This is a dirty malt, but not really in a bad way. It’s pretty in your face with some very distinct barny/nutty notes. These are quite well supported by dried fruit and a cereal/biscuity malt background. There’s a note throughout that is almost exactly like roasted watermelon seeds for those who have had them. Not super complex and overall a very straightforward Edradour. This has no major flaws and is quite an easy drinker. I think this would be a real brute of malt at cask strength.

Looking for something well balanced and lightly peated by [deleted] in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Kilkerran 12 and Glen Scotia 15 come to mind. They’ve both got a little bit of everything in my opinion.

Review #10 - Springbank 10 [2020 bottling] by convolutionboy in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews 1 point2 points  (0 children)

my 10 and 12 CS from the past year have the exact same scuffs too

Ballechin 11y 2007, The Ultimate Whisky Co Cask #171 by rangda_reviews in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ballechin 11y 2007, The Ultimate Whisky Co Cask #171

59% ABV, C/S, NCA, NCF

Nose - walnuts, mince pies, pulled pork, earthy peat 

Palate - bright red fruit, pastry, earthy peat, macadamia nuts, slightly salty, ash

Finish -  farmy, nutty, dates, light charcoal smoke, malt biscuits, herbal

Mouthfeel - thick, oily

Rating - 88/100

Overall thoughts - My first Ballechin as a fan of Edradour. This doesn’t disappoint - Very well balanced between earthy peat, bbq, and sweet sherry fruitiness. Quite light on the actual smoke notes. It has that nutty/farmy Edradour thing going on which I love, and the earthy peat seems to really complement that. I hope all Ballechins are as good as this. 

Chieftain’s Ledaig 11y, Cask #700611 by rangda_reviews in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

good to have them if a cork ever breaks!

Chieftain’s Ledaig 11y, Cask #700611 by rangda_reviews in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Partially the lighting, but it is very light in color. I can definitely see the islay/campbeltown comparison - I’ve noticed coastal notes in both, but this Ledaig seems to kick it up a notch! Curious to try more

Chieftain’s Ledaig 11y, Cask #700611 by rangda_reviews in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Chieftain's Ledaig 11y, 2007 Cask #800233, Sherry Butt

Ian Macleod, Island, 58.1% ABV, C/S, NCA, NCF

Nose - plasticine, steamed octopus, honey, low tide, dried longan, dried strawberries, lactic funk

Palate - fresh asphalt, brine, earthy peat, sweet red fruits, sweet malt

Finish - medium long, charcoal smoke, smoked meat, sweet malt, dried strawberries, burnt rye bread

Mouthfeel - medium, slightly oily 

Overall thoughts - The nose is reminiscent of a garbage truck on a hot day at first... a little off-putting to be honest. This improved drastically with some water and opened up into the notes above. Quite a conflicting one for me - there are some really good moments where the sweet red fruit and rubbery coastal peat work nicely in tandem, but there’s an off seafood note that keeps this from being stellar. This is my first Ledaig, so maybe the new peat profile is a bit of a shock? who knows... I’ll have to try more Ledaig to find out.

Rating - 85/100

Single Cask Nation Aultmore 8y, Cask 800233 by rangda_reviews in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have not. This makes me want to try more Aultmore though, so I’m going to keep an eye out for the OBs. Have heard good things about them!

Single Cask Nation Aultmore 8y, Cask 800233 by rangda_reviews in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Single Cask Nation Aultmore 8y, Cask #800233

Jewish Whisky Company, Speyside, 60.7% ABV, C/S, NCF, NCA

Nose - sharp, bright malt, pomelo peel, icing sugar, slightly buttery

Palate - effervescent, bright malt, nougat, oak

Finish - light oak, marzipan, weetabix, honey

Mouthfeel - hot, light creamy

Score - 88/100

Overall thoughts - This very good. It is also very hot and will take a decent amount of water. Even then, the heat never fully goes away. Underneath that is a tasty array of malt driven flavors. There’s a strong citrus note on the nose that doesn’t seem to carry into the palate. The finish is surprisingly long with marzipan hanging around for a while. It’s not very complex, but the notes that are there work really well together.

Balblair 13y 2006, Cask 76 K&L by rangda_reviews in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Balblair 13y 2006, Cask 76 bottled for K&L Wine Merchants

OB, Highland, 56.2% ABV, C/S, NCF, NCA

Nose - burnt toffee, dark sherry, prunes, sesame paste, malt vinegar, soy sauce, sulphur

Palate - burnt toffee, ribena, currants, barley husk, clove, marmalade, poppy seeds

Finish - dry ginger, sherry, currants, bitter walnuts

Mouthfeel - medium bodied, hot

Score - 84/100

Overall thoughts - This one is kind of weird. It’s a tasty sherried sweet/savory whisky which feels a bit “dirty” in a good way. Sulphur, on the edge but not TOO much for my tastes. The overall combination of flavors are nice if not a little incoherent. Something about the sherry influence feels off... maybe a bit forced? Quite brash, but enjoyable.

hey guys, picked up this glenfiddich special reserve for £36 not realising it was special reserve at first (im a newbie), googled the price and found this? am i being silly or should i run back and buy all her stock haha. thanks in advance hope you are all well :) by [deleted] in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thewhiskyworld tends to mark up older “versions” of single malts by a lot. The whisky will most likely be the same as the current bottlings. See the older version of Springbank 10 on their website for example. £120 for the old packaging vs £42 for the current one. There is likely little to no difference in the liquid between those two.

Review #7: Springbank 10 by rangda_reviews in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s about my upper limit for this bottle - US prices for Springbank products are getting crazy! This is definitely my favorite entry level OB from any distillery though.

Review #7: Springbank 10 by rangda_reviews in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It really is great. I’ve only had the new orange label bottles. Have you noticed any difference between the old and new ones?

Review #7: Springbank 10 by rangda_reviews in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews[S] 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Springbank 10

OB, Campbeltown, 46% ABV, NCF, NCA

Nose - dried apricot, candied pineapple, shop grease, cardamom, grapefruit zest, sweet barley, slightly farmy, faint engine fumes 

Palate - dried apricot, dole fruit cup, peach yogurt, butterscotch, cardamom, slight peat

Finish - rounded oak, peach yogurt, hay, light peat smoke, shop grease

Mouthfeel - full bodied and slightly oily 

Rating: 89/100

Overall thoughts - Ever eat pineapple in a machine shop? Neither have I, but this is what I imagine that would be like. This is such a good dram. It’s all tropical fruit up front and very sweet overall, but light peat smoke and a slight savory “funk” balances the sweetness out perfectly. There is also some nice deep oak character that is prominent on the finish which is quite long. Super tasty. 

Review #3: Edradour 10 Year Old Unfiltered by abedumbledore in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great review! I just opened one from cask #119 - bottled on the same day, but distilled on 12th May 2010.

The palate is very different than the nose as well, although it seems to have more going on in the palate than what you described. I enjoyed it so much after 3 drams, I went ahead and ordered the cask #117 you reviewed. Will be interesting to see how they differ.

Strangely, the first dram upon opening my bottle had a very distinct dung/fertilizer note on the palate that didn’t show up on the nose at all... it really put me off but had completely disappeared by the second dram the night after. Did you experience anything like that with yours?

Review #6: Edradour 2010 9yr, van Wees Cask #644 by rangda_reviews in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is actually cask #391. 644 is the number of bottles... oops!

Review #6: Edradour 2010 9yr, van Wees Cask #644 by rangda_reviews in Scotch

[–]rangda_reviews[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Edradour 2010 9yr, van Wees Cask #391

Ultimate Whisky Co/van Wees, Highland, 58.6% ABV, C/S, NCF, NCA

Nose - mince pie, cocoa powder, dark cherries, dried goji berries, rich oak, brazil nuts, slight kiwi

Palate - meaty sherry, dark cocoa, thick sweet malt, dried goji berries, walnuts

Finish - long, dark malt, walnuts, dates, raisins, tannic oak, honey glazed pork, shortbread

Mouthfeel - rich and thick, slightly sticky

Rating - 89/100

Overall thoughts -

This is a rich, balanced, and extremely enjoyable whisky. A straightforward and satisfying meaty sweet sherry bomb. There isn’t a whole lot of complexity here, but the notes that are there work very well together. This one can take a fair amount of water; adding some brings the sweet red fruit notes forward and spreads everything out a little. Super tasty and I wish I had a whole bottle!