Glenturret 28, Old Particular, K&L SP, 49.7%
Distilled in 1987, casked by Old Particular in refill hogshead #DL11511, and bottled for K&L in 2016, this old school stuff. The nose is clean and fresh, honey and apple skins. Lightly spiced and peppered, orange peel and more - this time dried - sweet apples on the palate, covered in white chocolate. Spices and light pepperiness lingers from the palate into lingering aftertaste with vanilla, milk chocolate and toffee notes. Overall: This is a great example of they don’t make them like they used. Just… superbly fantastic for what this is. Value: Bought circa 2017, these don’t exist anymore… I think I paid $99 at the time. It will be no less than $300 now… Hindsight 20/20 on pricing here.
Score: A
Orkney’s Finest 14, Old Particular, K&L SP, 51.7%
Distilled in 2008, casked by Old Particular in refill hogshead #DL16590, and bottled for K&L in 2022. Thanks friend Mark for generously giving me half a bottle. This is mostly likely Highland Park. The nose is remarkably clean with sweet barley, lemon/citrus peel, and light baker’s spices. The palate is surprisingly heavy, oily, and thick. It moves into vanilla custard, bright coastal brine, and a distinctively sweet and savory notes. The peat finally comes out towards the end in the aftertaste but it’s super muted and near non-existent as the aftertaste lingers with the same notes from the palate. Overall: This is remarcably near-unpeated Highland Park, which is a true rarity. This allows a rare peek at the naked distillate and what a glorious peek it is. Value: Listed in K&L at $80, I’m kicking myself for not picking up a bunch of these. Wow.
Score: A
Bruichladdich 16, Feis Ile 2023, Rock’ndaal 02.1, 50%
The Bruichladdich 16 Year Old Rock’ndaal 02.1 is a single malt Scotch whisky bottled for the celebration of the Fèis Ìle 2023 festival and the distillery’s Rock’ndaal (Rock’n'Roll) music event. This is a limited edition that’s been matured in bourbon and sauternes casks. The nose is bright, fruity and somewhat floral, with honey, vanilla, ripe peaches, apricots and good amount of citrus zest. Some underlying Bruichladdich salinity and minerality keeps Sauternes sweetness from taking over. The palate is rich and oily, with honeyed peaches, melon, apricots and sweet citrus up front, followed by vanilla, pepper and increasingly dry oak. Really nice sweet and salty interplay here, with wine casks bringing plenty of fruit without burying the malt. Medium-long aftertaste, initially sweet and fruity with lingering citrus and honey, gradually becoming drier and nuttier with oak, pepper and light baking spices. Overall: Darn this is incredibly enjoyable festival bottling. It starts sweet and descends into oak and spices. Its only real downside is how straightforward it is from tag to what’s in the glass. What you see is what you get. Value: N/A; A gift from friend Mark - thank you! Originally priced at about EU-125ish… it’s a pretty solid middle of the road value here, well worth it for distillery fans.
Score: A-
Linkwood 15, Club Qing 53.4%
This is a Linkwood 15, bottled by Club Qing as part of their Bottled Realities #4 series in 2025 from a virgin oak hogshead #302986. Bright fresh virgin oak spices on the nose, baked red apples, perhaps a melon fruit. Spicy palate with nutmeg, chilis and cloves, it gives an impression of somewhat carbonated tingling. This is followed by a distinct vanilla creaminess, and some toasted honey, pink grapefruit. In the aftertaste, the tingling spices with a touch of cigar smoke somehow return and linger for quite a while. Overall: A bit too wild and touch too untamed, yet it’s an unusual and interesting bottling at the same time. One of the spiciest malts - for the proof - that i’ve ever encountered, the virgin oak is most likely to be the MVP to call out here for its flavor contribution. Thankfully, Linkwood malt is heavy enough to take this challenge on. Value: Got it for $150… arguably worth it, for the uniqueness with a warning as virgin oak here is dominant and would likely be polarizing.
Score: B
Linkwood 8, The Single Cask, 57.7%
An eight year old Linkwood, bottled in 2020 from a - almost certainly - ex-bourbon hogstead #304196 by The Single Cask Company. Nose has got that classical Linkwood note, apples, sweet vanilla and brown sugar. Somewhat bitter and drying refill cask oak on the palate, balanced by inherent malt sweetness, light citrus zest and white pears, a kick of ginger. The palate brings in more candied ginger, light vanilla and mouth-coating barley maltiness. Overall: A classic Linkwood through and through, unbelievably vibrant and flavorful at 8 years old. Actually, blindly I’d call it easily a 12 year old. Very, very good one. Value: I saw one MSRPed at 119… that seems.. . pricey. This was a gift, yet again, thanks Friend Mark!
Score: B+
Caol Ila 14, Dramfool’s Middle Cut, 59.4%
A fourteen year old aged Caol Ila from 2008, bottled in 2023, aged in ex-bourbon and finished in Bordeaux red wine barrique #313321. The nose is quite smoky though notes of berries and some vanilla sweetness are also present. Very strong, very smoky, very rich on flavor, more of the same from the nose, some berry sweetness, touch of salt, vanilla, creme soda. Lingering sticky smoke alongside some wine tannins that sticks around forever. Overall: Very smoky cask, way more than a typical Caol Ila. The wine cask here is a pleasant addition that’s nearly non-existent. I wonder if that was used to try and soften up the original cask as it’s a full on flavor bomb. I don’t mind this but it’s beyond my comfort zone on smoke amounts for more than an occasional small sip. Value: Listed originally for $139 it was cleared out eventually at ~$100 which is very fair price for the specs.
Score: C+
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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown