Amber Room Review
Connemara Cask Strength 60,7%
Whisky facts
- Bottling type
- Official Bottling
- ABV
- 60.7%
A floral & sweet peatiness, very enjoyable dram
88
Whisky facts
- Region
- Highland
- Bottling type
- Official Bottling
- Age
- 12 years
- ABV
- 63.3%
- Vintage
- 2006
- Bottled
- 2018
- Cask type
- 1st Fill European Oak Sherry Butt
- Cask number
- 3030
- Bottles in release
- 623
A decent single cask 200x Highland Park that perhaps need some water or time
Nose
Definitely over-sherried & sweet but the nose does not feel like a 12yo 63,3% whisky at all
Body
Dried fruits & raisins but again the palate is very sweet, definitely a very cask-driven spirit
Finish
Bitter finish, definitely gets spicy & hot towards the end but as expected due to the young age & high ABV
Whisky facts
- Region
- Islay
- Bottling type
- Official Bottling
- ABV
- 57.3%
Nose
Initially a very meaty smoke, reminds me of Caol Ilas, but becomes more salty & iodine and even a bit spicy/menthol towards the end
Body
The palate is definitely very BBQ smoky, meaty, slightly sweet, and reminds me more of Caol Ila than Laphroaig; it does get a bit medicinal & salty towards the end
Finish
Very hot & spicy finish but the profile gets increasingly more Laphroaig-y towards the finish
Amber Room Review
Ian Macleod Chieftain Speyside 1973 2015 57,4% Cask 7992
Whisky facts
- Region
- Speyside
- Independent Bottler
- Ian Macleod
- ABV
- 57.4%
- Vintage
- 1973
- Bottled
- 2015
- Cask type
- First Fill Sherry Butt
- Cask number
- 7992
- Bottles in release
- 369
Haven’t had a 1973 Secret Speyside for a while but they have never disappoint & are very consistent in terms of quality, but this is definitely one of the most sherried bottle I’ve seen
Nose
Floral, nutty, dried fruits, slightly creamy, apricots
Body
Typical old sherry palate, raisins, sweet, definitely a fruit-sherry bomb, slightly herbal & salty, a very full-filling body
Finish
Slightly bitter & hot finish
Whisky facts
- Region
- Campbeltown
- Independent Bottler
- Glenscoma
- Age
- 30 years
- ABV
- 47.2%
- Vintage
- 1991
- Bottled
- 2021
- Cask type
- Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish
- Cask number
- 222
A disappointing 30yo Springbank, especially considering the price of 400+ EUR. This is a dram that definitely needs some breathing room, as it becomes less sulphuric after time but definitely still very sweet
Nose
A very sulphuric & over-sherried sweet nose, burnt sugars
Body
Very overly sweet, gunpowder, sulphur
Finish
Slightly bitter & hot finish
Amber Room Review
SMWS 37.104 'Admiring art from an old leather armchair' Cragganmore 1987 30 Years Old 55,9%
Cragganmore
Whisky facts
- Region
- Speyside
- Independent Bottler
- SMWS
- Age
- 30 years
- ABV
- 55.9%
A 30yo Cragganmore from the 1980s bottled by SMWS that’s actually priced decently at around £300! In overall, I am kinda disappointed that I didn’t see why SMWS chose to describe this with leather armchair and oil painting
Nose
Nutty, cane sugar, reminds me of Rum, fruity
Body
Definitely sweet, orchard fruits, milk chocolate, coconut, creamy, hazelnuts, the sweetness makes me forget that this is a 55,9% dram
Finish
Slightly bitter & dry finish, the finish is definitely the weakest part of this dram, gets a bit hot as well
Whisky facts
- Region
- Speyside
- Independent Bottler
- Cadenhead
- Age
- 23 years
- ABV
- 56.8%
- Vintage
- 1993
- Bottled
- 2017
A surprisingly balanced dram, not too sweet and not spicy or hot at all despite the high ABV
Nose
Oily, bananas, honey, vanilla, creamy
Body
Woody, orchard fruits, sweet, slightly sour
Finish
Floral, creamy finish, slightly dry
Whisky facts
- Independent Bottler
- Three Rivers Tokyo
- Age
- 21 years
- ABV
- 51.7%
- Vintage
- 1998
- Bottled
- 2019
Nose
A vanilla & fruity but very spicy & hot nose
Body
Sweet, creamy, orchard fruits, apples, slightly nutty, but gets increasingly spicy & hot towards the finish
Amber Room Review
The Ultimate Spirits Art Session Classic Highland Park 1999 2018 19 Years Old 51,2% Cask 800180
Highland Park
Whisky facts
- Region
- Highland
- Independent Bottler
- The Ultimate Spirits
- Age
- 19 years
- ABV
- 51.2%
- Vintage
- 1999
- Bottled
- 2018
- Cask number
- 800180
- Bottles in release
- 165
Nose
A very typical bourbon nose, vanilla, fruity, slightly creamy, sweet
Body
The palate is similar to the nose but, tropical fruits, sweet, vanilla, creamy
Finish
The youthfulness of the whisky definitely pops up as it gets spicier & hotter towards the finish
Whisky facts
- Region
- Highland
- Independent Bottler
- Thompson Bros
- Age
- 22 years
- ABV
- 55.9%
- Vintage
- 2003
- Bottled
- 2026
- Bottles in release
- 336
A Highland Park from one of my favorite newer IB with their affordable pricing & very respectable cask choice & ABVs. A decent dram but considering the price point of ~£150, definitely way better than the modern OB Highland Park 21 or 25!
Nose
Creamy, coffee, honey, orchard fruits, zesty, menthol; quite a beautiful & complex nose for a 200x 23yo whisky
Body
Definitely a sweet & nutty dram, creamy, milk chocolate, coffee, might be a bit sulphuric for some people (especially at the beginning)
Finish
Slighty spicy & hot finish, but as expected from a 200x dram, the finish is a bit short despite the high ABV.
Whisky facts
- Independent Bottler
- Signatory Vintage
- Age
- 22 years
- ABV
- 43%
- Vintage
- 1966
- Bottled
- 1989
- Cask number
- 7253-55
1966 is a very good vintage for Lochside so I had high expectations for this bottle but the palate is just completely disappointing
Nose
A pleasant & floral nose, creamy
Body
The palate is a bit thin & grapy, definitely sweet & becomes slightly bitter & woody towards the end
Finish
Short finish
Amber Room Review
White Horse
Illustrative image
Nose
Very grapy & tart like, kinda cognac or brandy nose
Body
The palate is similar to the nose, definitely very sweet
Finish
A very weird whisky, does not smell or taste like whisky at all, a disappointing dram from White Horse
Whisky facts
- Region
- Highland
- Independent Bottler
- Gordon & Macphail
- Age
- 25 years
- Bottled
- 1977
The palate & finish becomes a bit better & fuller with a bigger gulp but it is still a disappointing 25 years old Talisker, especially from such an old line (bottled in 1977 for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee). Maybe this is a dram more suited for sherry-style lovers but definitely not what I wanted nor expected from a Talisker
Nose
The first Talisker I’ve drank where the nose is overwhelmingly old sherry & the island sea saltiness / smokiness is nowhere to be seen
Body
The palate gets a bit salty & peppery to reminds you that it is still a Talisker but it is still predominantly old sherry style, dried fruits, and raisins, slightly herbal & sweet. The palate is too thin imo, basically falls of the tongue
Finish
Very short finish
Whisky facts
- Region
- Lowland
- Independent Bottler
- SMWS
- Age
- 15 years
- ABV
- 59.5%
- Vintage
- 1990
- Bottled
- 2006
The much higher ABV makes this a more difficult dram to drink, although there’s definitely more complexity & a thicker, more enjoyable body
Nose
Oily, woody, nutty, sweet, malty, slightly perfumy
Body
A very malty & oily body, started off very sweet but slowly becomes more spicy With water it somehow becomes more hot & spicy
Finish
Slightly hot & spicy finish, nutty; prob need some time to mellow down
Whisky facts
- Region
- Lowland
- Independent Bottler
- Gordon & Macphail
- ABV
- 46%
- Vintage
- 1990
- Bottled
- 2014
- Cask number
- RO/14/02
Surprisingly easy to drink dram (apart from the finish)
Nose
Fresh fruits, sweet, grassy, slightly spicy, floral
Body
Slightly spicy palate, definitely a young whisky, very floral & honeyed sweetness, easy to drink, definitely very fresh, fruity & sweet! Perhaps a bit too sweet (which is surprising considering the bourbon cask)
Finish
Medium, dry & slightly spicy and hot finish
Whisky facts
- Region
- Speyside
- Age
- 8 years
- ABV
- 43%
A really good, balanced dram from the 70s that does not feel young at all, palate is much more full than the ABV suggests, definitely feels more like a 2x years old dram, delightful honeyed sweetness with some nuttyness