Port Charlotte 11 Year BC:02 2007 (Distillery Valinch)

Port Charlotte 11 Year BC:02 2007 (Distillery Valinch)

Whiskery Turnip
Scotch

It is a bit like a restaurant that is a bit too hip and too expensive for its own good, but you give in to the hype to check it out, the food is not bad, but not really worth the price, and you are left at the end of the night not really feeling as though you wasted money, but absolutely sure you are not going back. Or maybe skydiving— or any activity you do once, you are happy you did it, but you would rather not jump out of a perfectly good airplane ever again.  Or maybe a fun date with a nice person, but not someone you want to go out with again.

Carsebridge 44 Year; Hunter Laing’s The Sovereign

Carsebridge 44 Year; Hunter Laing’s The Sovereign

Whiskery Turnip
Scotch

There is something intensely fun about drinking a whisky that predates oneself— it is almost like time traveling to a simpler time.  No smart phones?  No internet?  No Starwars?  No Starbucks?  Well I suppose that last one is not entirely true, the first one opened in 1971, but it was hardly the coffee behemoth it is today.

Longmorn 12 Year SMWS 7.121 “Salt water taffy”

Longmorn 12 Year SMWS 7.121 “Salt water taffy”

Whiskery Turnip
Scotch

I am not quite sure what to make of this.  The salty notes gave a sharpness to the fruit notes that kept it from becoming a lovely syrupy tropical fruit, while the fruit notes remained dominant enough to keep this from becoming a truly maritime dram.  This might be what Sponge-bob’s house tastes like— a rotted undersea pineapple.

Westland 2019 Summer Barley Series #3: Golden Promise

Westland 2019 Summer Barley Series #3: Golden Promise

Whiskery Turnip
American Single Malt

To say this exceeded expectations feels like an understatement.  This was quite good— the bready/yeasty/pastry quality on it was as unexpected as it was interesting.  Overall, the dram does sit on the lighter end of the spectrum, none of the flavors will punch you in the mouth.  Yet, it has a good body and the quality of the flavor notes are just interesting enough to keep your attention.  The dram is light enough to be quite refreshing and relaxing, especially with the citrus notes on the nose, without being so light that it totally disappears.

Linkwood 29 Year SMWS 39.180 “Smokers on a new carpet”

Linkwood 29 Year SMWS 39.180 “Smokers on a new carpet”

Whiskery Turnip
Scotch

This was too much tea, too mellow, too bitter— it just did not come together.  It was an interesting dram, but not worth the price of admission.  This is just one of those casks that I hope someone loves, but I am left with the impression that it probably belonged in a blend.  It needed something else to balance against.  I enjoyed the antique notes that came through, so perhaps some old peat could have helped accentuate the curio cabinet or the antique shop nature of the dram.

Allt-A-Bhainne 7 Year SMWS 108.14 “An enjoyable curiosity”

Allt-A-Bhainne 7 Year SMWS 108.14 “An enjoyable curiosity”

Whiskery Turnip
Scotch

This Allt-a-Bhainne showed remarkable complexity for just 7 years.  Its flavors were distinct and well rounded, it drank incredibly smoothly without a drop of water— to the point that I almost forget each time I tasted it to add a few drops and see what happened.  It has lovely layers of rotting vegetation, herbs, algae, and maybe a bit of mold.  It is not quite the funk level that Bruichladdich achieves with some Port Charlottes, but it is in the same ballpark and therefore right up my alley. 

Caol Ila 5 Year; The Maltman

Caol Ila 5 Year; The Maltman

Whiskery Turnip
Scotch

This does not drink like it is just five years old, aside from a bit of heat on the palate that comes at the beginning with the spices, the finish is the only place where the dram gives the impression of spirited youth.  This is a lovely complex Caol Ila, probably a second or refill sherry cask, the flavors of peat, malt, and cask balance against one another so well.  

Craigellachie 15 Year SMWS 44.110 “Treasure Trove”

Craigellachie 15 Year SMWS 44.110 “Treasure Trove”

Whiskery Turnip
Scotch

There have been a number of drams who have had the effect of transporting me back to the Autumns of my youth.  None has quite taken me back to the week of Halloween so specifically. There are all sorts of lovely nostalgic Fall notes that come through, from the chopped vegetables to the baking spices to the wispy smoke.  I found the palate on this one to be absolutely enchanting and while the palate did not quite have the same defined flavor notes or distinctiveness, it was still harmonious. 

Glenallachie 7 Year SMWS 107.16 “Truly a fairytale”

Glenallachie 7 Year SMWS 107.16 “Truly a fairytale”

Whiskery Turnip
Scotch

If you have scented markers still, go smell that brown one, and you will have a good idea what this dram is all about.  It is a bit sweet, a bit cinnamon, a bit spice— it is brown.  Brown like a tree, brown like coffee, brown like chocolate, and brown like soil.  If you did not have the fortune to be sniffing scented markers as a child, I feel for you.  I truly do.  Accidentally marking your nose because you got a bit too close to the marker is an important childhood event.


Kilchoman 5 Year 100% Islay; Binny’s Beverage Depot

Kilchoman 5 Year 100% Islay; Binny’s Beverage Depot

Whiskery Turnip
Scotch

The beautiful layers of malty sweetness and savory peat combine absolutely brilliantly with just a bit of wood spice and sweetness from the Ex-Bourbon cask.  I think some drinkers get absolutely carried away with searching out interesting cask maturations or finishes— and why not, it is fun— but there is a lot to love in a great ex-bourbon cask.  I would hate to think anyone skipped over this bottle thinking the ex-bourbon maturation was a bit plain-jane.  I would hate to think I might do that as well, because I would have missed out on quite the treat.

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