WHISKY: Laphroaig 11 Years (2013), SMWS 29.299 “Spirit of Halloweʻen”

NOTES: The aroma was strikingly sweet with a wave of sticky butterscotch, candy corn, salted caramel, praline, and peanut butter. The cooked sugars only reluctantly revealed wispy smoke, cocoa powder, and chocolate oranges. Medium-bodied on the palate, the whisky was peppery and sweet with charcoal soot, salted caramel, brine, peppery, and coastal roadwork.  The finish was medium to short with brine, dark chocolate, and medicinal herbs.

SCORE: 5-6 (75)

IMAGE: Roadwork Costume Contest

THOUGHTS: From the first whiff the SMWS name felt appropriate, though this did not feel much like a Laphroaig until I took a sip. The whisky featured a wonderful transition between aroma, palate, and finish with each bringing something different to the experience. That did leave it feeling slightly incoherent at times as each element felt very distinct. Ultimately, I found this a bit rough around the edges, combining most of my least favorite elements of Laphroaig in a tidy package. 

WHISKY: Macallan 15 Year (2008), SMWS 24.177 “A moongazing dram”

NOTES: Rich and intense with chocolate fudge and dark chocolate covered fruits: strawberries, cherries, raspberry cream, and dark caramel— everything wrapped in chocolate. Full-bodied on the palate, the flavors were jammy and intense with waves of chocolate and fruit. Tannic, like a strong tea, with hints of something floral, the spotlight fell on chocolate fudge and ganache, with a pinch of salt. The finish was long and chocolatey with fudge and lacquered wood.

SCORE: 7-8 (86)

IMAGE: See’s Chocolate Bon Bons

THOUGHTS: I was in a candy store from the second I smelled this— it was like stepping into a See’s Candy location and being assaulted with all of the chocolate covered delights. The wood was intense, perhaps, a few levels higher than I prefer, and without any savory elements to provide contrast. Yet, for a straightforward sherry bomb, this had wonderful depth and was easily well-above average for what I expect from the style. Overall, I would not mind more of this.

Apparently I never took a photo of this bottle…

WHISKY: Ballantine’s 30 Year (c. 2018)

NOTES: The aroma was gentle with straw, grass, leather, and orange marmalade. Old papers and archival boxes sat further in with a touch of ginger and some metallic pewter— antiques and heirlooms in a stately library. Light-bodied on the palate, the flavor profile was mellow and mild with a slight savory quality to graham crackers and digestif biscuits. A kiss of salt, honey, and an empty jar of marmalade made for an inoffensive and elusive experience. The finish was medium to long with digestif biscuits and straw.

SCORE: 5 (75)

IMAGE: Estate House Tours

THOUGHTS: Mellow and mild, the flavors were nice but everything about this whisky was fleeting and hard to grasp. It was Lo-Fi whisky from the intensity of the aroma to the weight on the palate— less charitably one could describe it as watery and limp. It was certainly a far cry from a slightly older 30 year that I reviewed previously; while the two 30 Year Ballantines were distilled in different eras, the biggest change felt like the drop from 43% to 40% abv. As a result, the whisky felt less luxurious and elegant, though even with the extra abv and my love for some of the component distilleries, these old blends are a tough sell.

WHISKY: Glenury Royal 23 Year (1966), Cadenhead’s

NOTES: The aroma was grungy and dusty with plenty of old parchment, library books, and motor oil mixed with stone and coal soot. Grassy and resinous, pu’re tea with aromatic wood and tea resin— a bit of incense in the garage. Medium-bodied on the palate with malted chocolate, herbal liquor, motor oil stained concrete garage floors, shop rags, and coal dust. Dirty and musty, the impression of a garage grew with grass and grease reminding me of dirty lawn mowers. Time to rest brought fruitier notions— a bit of tea, tangerine peel, dried plums, and li hing mui. The finish was long and lingered with orange rind, engine oil, and musty garage.

SCORE: 8-9 (89)

IMAGE: Tea House Lawnmower Valet

THOUGHTS: A sublime whisky for those who enjoy the taste, or memory, of musty cabinets and garage wood wondering stations— right where we kept the lawn mower during the fall and winter. The older I get, the more I crave those kind of musty and dusty profiles and the little window they open into forgotten days and adventures. Despite the whisky spending more time in this miniature bottle than it did in the cask, the flavors held up remarkably well. There was a bit of “old bottle effect” and muting of some of the fruitier aspects, but the profile was otherwise very similar to the other Glenury Royal I have tried.