WHISKY: Littlemill 23 Year (1992), Kierzek-Berlin Cask 302

NOTES: The aroma was laden with dried tropical fruits, kiwi, papaya, macadamia nuts, pineapple chunks, and honey— a bit like a tropical granola served with the fragrance of teak, eucalyptus, and lacquered wood in the background. Medium-bodied on the palate, tropical fruits and candies arrived first with more pineapple chunks, dried kiwi, and nutty-fatty macadamia. Beyond the fruits were peppery notions of spirit and tannic oak. More astringent toward the end with stronger wood notes: old modeling kits and wood shavings. The finish was medium to long with some overripe fruit that faded so that bitter oak and pepper were the final impressions.

SCORE: 6 (78)

IMAGE: Granola on the Veranda

THOUGHTS: Fruity and lovely on the nose, this was woody and pepper on the palate, inescapably it seemed, churning towards the impression of over oaked. Certainly a smelling scotch, with plenty of the fruity and tropical vibes I expect from Littlemill. However, the palate was a let down. There was no missing the peppery and slightly bitter qualities, so that each sip started on a high and ended on a low.  Overall, surely disappointing for the price, but still very quaffable. I would easily finish this bottle in short order as a kind of mindless relaxing end-of-day dram

WHISKY: Glenburgie 13 Year (2008), Hart Brothers

NOTES: Loaded with stewed fruits and plums, the aroma was sticky with caramel, pepper, cinnamon sticks, and a panoply of wine-cask notes. More sticky milk chocolate and toffee appeared as if I had stepped into a See’s Candy Store. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, the flavor profile was dominated by sticky fruits, upside down cake with plum and caramel, and big cask flavors. Peppery and spirited a times, plums and black cherry Kool Aide lingered late on. The finish was medium-length with fruity syrups and a hint of pepper.

SCORE: 5-6 (76)

IMAGE: Barreling into the Candy Shop

THOUGHTS: This was just about all cask— which is fine if you love a massive cask-driven whisky. I do not, and found this a bit simple and rough around the edges. Your mileage may vary.

WHISKY: Yamazaki Smoky Batch The Third

NOTES: Surprisingly smoky from the first whiff, with plenty of charcoal drafting supplies, dried grass, and hints of barn and burnt grass.  Hay bales and fine cologne— perhaps oak moss, charcoal, and oak, came to mind as wispy smoke dominated. Light-bodied on the palate, the flavors were classy and mellow with more oak moss, oak, charred wood, and woody resins. Hay bales and dried grass gestured toward the hints of barn-like aromas, but otherwise evolved in a sweeter direction toward white chocolate and matcha confectionaries. The finish was medium to long with white chocolate, grass, oak moss, and wispy smoke.

SCORE: 7 (81)

IMAGE: Complementary Dessert at the Cologne Shop

THOUGHTS: This certainly was smoky and the name was apt! The aroma and flavor profile were not drowned in smoke, but there was a refined, wispy element that was always present and impossible to ignore. The dominant elements reminded me of buying cologne, especially the “man” scented colognes that contain more earth and oak. I wished this was a bit stronger, it was always a touch too mellow, but I appreciate the high drinkability factor. Overall, not your typical Yamazaki!

WHISKY: Fifty Stone Single Malt “Highland Style” Whiskey

NOTES: Woody and herbal, the aroma took me through the lumber store, past house paint, dill pickles, and newly constructed cat trees. At the end of the journey was the pet store— guinea pig bedding, wood shavings, kitty litter, and small animals. Unsweetened peanut butter, chocolate, and fennel bulbs appeared at times for a slightly confusing combination, but one that often struck me as no-bake cookies. Medium-bodied on the palate, the flavors reprised many of the same themes, with plenty of lumber and guinea pig bedding, roasted barley tea, subtle kelp and brine, but mostly big wood. Fennel and dill lingered in the background with some underlying sweetness. The finish was medium to long and drying with plenty of woody tannins.

SCORE: 4 (73)

IMAGE: Guinea Pig Timber Metropolis

THOUGHTS: If I were rating this for “uniqueness” rather than something more akin to my general enjoyment and excitement to have it again, then surely this would be a 10/10. The label notes that this was distilled using Maine-grown floor malted barley and that it was smoked with Maine peat and locally harvested seaweed— wow! Rather than convey a great deal of terroir, or a sense of place, this felt more woody than anything and I wondered where the influence of the cask stopped and the malt or peat… or seaweed… began. Perhaps I need to visit Maine to properly evaluate that though.

The flavors and aroma were unusual, though I have had a few whiskies with strong lumber store vibes, and even a handful with the characteristic of a pet store. This had a massive dose of both, and after a few of us poured it during the tasting session, it quickly made its way around the table so everyone else could see why we were talking about kitty litter and guinea pigs.