My wife and I recently gathered to celebrate the holidays with a group of good friends, almost all made through whisky tastings and events over the years. The food was so good I was sorely tempted to change gears, diverge from the whisky, and use this site to cover the evening’s menu. Once the chef and crew who catered the event decide on a name for their new venture, I might do just that!

While the food was absolute class, the evening started with the lot of us gathered around a line of bottles stretching across two long tables. The bottle list was eclectic, reflecting the varying tastes and travels of those gathered. I took the time to sample a handful mindfully and packed away samples of a few others to try in the quiet of my home.

Below are quick reviews of the five whiskies I sampled that evening and presented in the order that I tasted them. There is no rhyme or reason to the selection beyond these were the drams that caught my eye or were pointed out to me to try.

I would have never imagined that whisky would bring so many great people into my life. I will always be thankful for them, whether I only know them virtually or we have met and tasted together. As hobbies go, it has been a great one for making friends as an adult and branching out in new directions.

On to the whisky!

Whisky Details: Ichiro’s Malt & Grain “505” Blended World Whisky, 50.5%

Nose: Clean and refreshing, cotton, honey, mildly herbal and grassy, hints of earthy matcha powder and sawdust.

Palate: Medium-bodied, crisp and clean, orchard fruit, hints of sandalwood, cotton, mineral/limestone, a kiss of salt, preserved ginger, biscuits, slight herbal tea and jasmine at the end.

Finish: Medium-length with honey, slightly herbal, a hint of bitter oak.

Score: 6

Narrative & Notes: Very clean, this world blend from the mastermind behind Chichibu felt as though it was designed to match with food or disappear effortlessly into the ambiance of an evening. I was expecting something a bit richer and full-bodied, but the flavors were well-balanced, well-integrated, and absent any sharp off notes or spirited heat. This version of the Malt & Grain was released specially for bars and restaurants during the first year of the COVID-19 outbreak.

When the pandemic shuttered those bars and restaurants, the Japan National Tax Agency allowed those businesses to acquire temporary retail licenses, and establishments in desperate need of some income could sell these bottles. Much like the bottle reviewed by Whisky Richard at nomunication, who has more detail on the bottle and the temporary retail licensing, this bottle came via the Aloha Whisky Bar in Ikebukuro.

While I wish we had more details on the blend's components, the overall effect was lovely!

Whisky Details: Campbeltown 7 Year (2014) Banyuls Wine Cask Finish 54.5%, Cooper’s Choice Blended Malt

Nose: Musty and slightly funky, stewed dates, leathery, date syrup, burning incense, wispy smoke, hints of something metallic.

Palate: Medium bodied, mineral-metallic, a kiss of salt and wisps of smoke, date syrup, leather, more savory than sweet, steel syrup, drying, funky earth and old wood.

Finish: Lingering dried fruits in syrup, subtle chicory and clove spice.

Score: 6-7

Narrative & Notes: This mystery teaspooned Campbeltown malt screamed Springbank to my amateur taste buds. There are not a lot of Campbeltown distilleries to pick from, three at the moment, so there is a fair chance I am at least partially correct regarding the spooning. Who was the big spoon, and who was the little spoon? We shall likely never know.

While I would typically think that any Campbeltown malt is from Glen Scotia, they still sell casks to independent bottlers far more often than Springbank; the metallic-mineral notes reminded me strongly of Springbank. The bottle says the malt came from a “famous” Campbeltown distillery, and while I adore Glen Scotia as my Campbeltown bae, I doubt many would call it more famous than Springbank. With bottle hints on the one hand and the flavor notes as stronger evidence on the other, I have my suspicions. Either way, the malt was funky and delicious with a nice restrained sweetness and a syrupy-spicy finish.

For anyone curious about steel syrup, I have never had it, but I imagine that flavor note must be somewhere in the realm. Steel syrup was an old medicine created by steeping iron fillings in wine and one that Thomas Sydenham, sometimes known as the English Hippocrates for his emphasis on practical medicine, prescribed to deal with disorderly animal spirits and hysteria. He would also prescribe horseback riding for the same diagnosis, which sounds more fun.

Whisky Details: Smokehead “High Voltage” 58%, Ian Macleod

Nose: Sweet smoke, campfire, meaty, sweet char siu, slightly antiseptic, maritime, driftwood, coastal and oily with beach tar.

Palate: Medium-light mouthfeel, campfire, candied nuts and dried mango slices, coastal, driftwood, meaty marinade-smoked salmon, lingering charred oak.

Finish: Medium to short, sweet berries, a kiss of salt, and metallic smoke.

Score: 5-6

Narrative & Notes: Pleasantly loaded with all the smoke the label, title, and imagery might lead one to expect. The aroma and flavor profile hit the meaty-smokey high note well, with hints of fruits, nuts, and maritime salt interspersed throughout. The mouthfeel was a tad lighter than I wanted, and the finish was on the shorter side, if not a bit shy. The bottle was quite attractive for $50-60, and one can do much worse.

There were no clues as to the origin of the mystery malt at hand, but considering the distilleries on Islay, there is a good chance this was Caol Ila or heavily peated Bunnahabhain with slightly less chance, but not outside the realm of possibility, it was Ardbeg or Laphroaig. The other distilleries on Islay either do not quite fit this profile or rarely appear on Ian Macleod’s release list. Guessing the origin is fun but certainly should not play a role in deciding whether to pick up a bottle.

Whisky Details: Highland Park 17 Year (2004) 55%, Duncan Taylor “Dimensions”

Nose: Coastal and maritime, smokestacks on an Atlantic cruiser, hints of citrus, brine, almond pastry dough, herbal and slightly bitter with more time.

Palate: Medium-bodied, oily, coastal, acrid coal smoke, slight ash, preserved lemons, talc and slightly metallic, citrus bite, rosemary and slightly funky herbal oil or liqueur by the end.

Finish: Medium length, quiet, drying, slightly metallic and maritime.

Score: 6

Narrative & Notes: My buddy who brought this to the tasting declared himself not entirely pleased after he opened the bottle and tried a small pour. I think he will be surprised when he comes back to it. It was strangely herbal, especially on the back of the palate, but I thought the bottle was pretty good, even if a bit rough around the edges. I am often lukewarm on Highland Park, so I poured this knowing it might not suit my fancy at all; I suppose that made it easy for me to be pleasantly surprised. Low expectations can be a blessing sometimes.

Whisky Details: Mortlach 19 Year (1997) First Fill Château Talbot Wine Cask Finish 50.4%, Murray McDavid “Mission Gold”

Nose: A mildly floral introduction of carnations and violets led to berry preserves with blueberry, blackberry, herbal basil, thyme, honeysuckle, and rosemary.

Palate: Medium-bodied, herbal and slightly floral, violet, basil-thyme, rooibos tea, lemon ginger candies, hints of menthol and camphor, herbal and floral at the end with sage, thyme, and honeysuckle.

Finish: Medium-length herbal and floral, light but present.

Score: 6-7

Narrative & Notes: Well suited for an herbal mood, this Mortlach drifted quite far in the herbal-floral direction without any of the meatiness for which the distillery is well-known. In my experience, Mortlach tends to go in either of these directions, assuming a heavy cask does not obliterate it. A lighter cask maturation or finish can push the spirit more gently to one side or the other, and I thought this Murray McDavid wine finish was well done. The cask brought fruits to bear more obviously on the nose, whereas, on the palate, it seemed to heighten the underlying sweet floral notes, which I found vaguely violet. However, I am sure someone more experienced with flowers would find other, more specific notions. Of all the whiskies I tasted, this is the one I wish I could return to.