MrWizard's Ramblings

Making these puns is probably only slightly less painful than reading them. Anyways. More Hart Brothers bottlings.

Glenallachie 12, Hart Brothers, K&L SP, 58.6%
A Hart Brothers bottling as is the theme here. This is from a 2009 Hogshead and looking at a color that’s very much a refill hoggie. It’s a very very pale straw, nearly white. This is punchy pour alright. It also definitely benefits from sitting in the glass. Fresh pour was all funk and weirdness, after few mins it’s much more approachable. Baking spices, vanilla/malt, over-ripe bananas, lots of lemon or yuzu citrus rind on the nose. Very sweet and vanilla forward on the palate, almost like sugar crystals lingering on the tongue. Nearly none of the funkyness from the nose is present and what remains of those notes are in good balance with the rest. Not at all buttery as some malts can get the texture is reasonably ‘thin’ here. While the analogy is poor, imagine creme soda and not sugar syrup. Sweet and peppery aftertaste follows for about medium length, warming up as it goes down. Overall: This is quite enjoyable to be honest. Definitely a near-rarity to see zero sherry in a bottle from Speyside and that lack of sherry doesn’t hurt here. I can drink more of this gladly. Value: This is listed at 89 for 700ml bottle. Eeeeeh… Slightly above average here, if compared it to Aberlour Alba which at about same price and is similarly ex-bourbon cask strength Speysider.
https://www.klwines.com/p/i?i=1610418
Score: B+

Old Pulteney 10, Hart Brothers, K&L SP, 57.6%
A 2011 Hogshead is the game here. Yet again, very pale color in the glass. The nose is overwhelmed by pine needles. It’s basically pine needles, pine resin, more pine, arguably it could be red/pink peppercorns instead! Piney, slightly astringent but primarily sweet palate. Some malt does show up in vanilla and butter notes of course, but those are mostly muted. Almost entirely lacking aftertaste on the tongue, there’s a lot of pepper in the back of my throat that fade with time. Overall: This is very ‘meh’. Definitely off-profile palate and nose and weird flavor emptiness where aftertaste should be doesn’t give it any favors. Is it bad? Absolutely not… Is it great? Also no. It’s… just okay. Unless you’re a fan of the distillery, skip this bottle. Value: This is listing at $70. I’d say it’s slightly over the average for a 10 year old-old refill.
https://www.klwines.com/p/i?i=1610402
Score: B-

Strathisla 10, Hart Brothers, K&L SP, 61.9%
A 2010 Hart bottling, exclusively for K&L… This time from Strathisla distillery from Highlands. Majority of Strathisla ends up in Chivas blends so most of their bottlings are IBs. I also fairly sure I’ve had a bottle from the distillery long time ago, but am unable to locate my review, so it must have been a while. Floral fruitiness and tropical notes on the nose with some intensity, very fitting for ex-bourbon. That proof is no joke but the complexity and the intensity of more tropical fruits are still there. Tropically sweet rather long-lasting aftertaste with a little bit of spice in the very end. With water this becomes very approachable, with slightly more wood and sichuan spices in the aftertaste and even more honeyed palate. Overall: This is… rather good. Straight up pour is toe-curling on the proof; but add a bit of water and this is highly complex, honey-sweet, spicy and enjoyable. Value: K&L has this at $70… about average on the pricing.
https://www.klwines.com/p/i?i=1610424
Score: B+

Miltonduff 16, Hart Brothers, K&L SP, 59.5%
A 2005 Hart bottling, exclusively for K&L… Another Chivas Regal-owned distillery, another one that’s hard to find as an original bottling. Salty, lightly smoked, wax on the nose. Once past the salty notes, there is a layer of buttery honeycomb hiding in there. Sort of a savoury honey on the palate. Salted honey caramel layers on the palate. Rather intensely peppery aftertaste that lasts a while follows. Overall: This would have been amazing in sherry refill cask. We get a refill refill ex-bourbon here with very pale color which leaves it… wanting something extra. Excellent and flavorful everyday drinker… but somehow underwhelming on its own… Like an empty canvas. Value: Listed at 119 this is… kinda overpriced for a 16 year old IB in refill bourbon.
https://www.klwines.com/p/i?i=1610381
Score: B

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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown