In May 2023 I pre-ordered the whisky calendar from Brühler Whiskyhaus for a whopping €224.90. That works out to €9.37 per 2cl sample, on average. So one can expect some quite exclusive drams in there!
With the Single Malts of Scotland whisky calendar that I bought last year, I just added the samples to my ‘pool’, to be included in a variety of tastings (I still have a third of them left). With this year’s calendar, I’ll take advantage of the fact that the samples are anonymously labelled. Their identities are revealed in youtube videos at a rate of one daily. I’ll not keep up drinking at that rate, but will simply try a few at a time in an ongoing series of blind tastings!
Blended Scotch | 45yo (1977) | 44.6% | Meadowside Blending
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blended Scotch
blend of Clynelish, Teaninich, Macduff, Dailuaine, Invergordon
unchillfiltered & natural color
available via the Netherlands from €350 (Dec 2023); my sample from BWH whisky calendar (1/24 of €225)
Blind sample review
⚡Experience
Very juicy and rich nose of yellow fruits (canned nectarines, apricots) and prunes. Oak wood and leather (more prominent with water) and spices, vanilla toffee, and a slightly savoury quality, like a hint of vegetable broth and cheddar cheese. Sweet n’ juicy palate, very dense, nothing very particular in terms of flavours besides classic juicy bourbon cask stuff, that also linger in the finish. The alcohol is well-integrated, feels sub 50%.
💡Thoughts
Before reveal. Definitely very tasty, and nothing rubs me the wrong way. It tastes like it’s been in a cask for a rather long time, and is very evidently a premium whisky. I bet it’s (mostly) bourbon cask, but I can’t rule out refill sherry. There is not so much distillate shining through, which is my main criticism of the experience. This together with the sweetness, slight vegetal broth note leads me to suspect grain whisky, at least in part (so could be a blend).
After reveal. Wow, that’s a honkin’ old whisky. I guess in hindsight some of the cheesy notes could be Clynelish or Macduff. But trusting my nose (and economic sense) there’s probably a lot of Invergordon in the blend.
Worthwhile and Enjoyable
Benrinnes | 22yo (2000) | 48.5% | Càrn Mòr
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Scotch single malt; single cask for Germany
sherry hogshead
unchillfiltered & natural color
available from €280 (Germany, Dec 2023); my sample from BWH whisky calendar (1/24 of €225)
Blind sample review
⚡Experience
Sherry bomb nose. Cherries, rum-raisin, cacao, lots of wood (oak, and pine resin), some toasted nuts. Quite light in texture, but very rich in flavour. Tobacco, leather, sweet soy sauce, and a pleasant smokiness somewhere in between smoked reindeer and herbal peat. The sample is over too quickly! Nuts and dried fruits/berries in the finish.
💡Thoughts
Before reveal. The nose is quite generically heavily sherried, and was it not for the woody notes which grew with time and water, I could’ve thought the nose be consistent even with a not so old 10-20yo. But the palate gives the impression we’re dealing with something closer to at least 30yo. Nothing suggest to me that there’s a significant amount of grain here, so single malt most likely, or possibly blended malt. The fine peat note limits the possibilities somewhat. Actually, the profile is quite consistent with an old Jura, which would be my best best. I’d otherwise guess for a non-Islay peated expression, like Glenglassaugh or Benromach; maybe it’s a Bowmore or Caol Ila with so much age that the peat calmed down, but it’s less likely in my estimation. At the end of the day, the cask is doing most of the work here, so guessing is not too easy. Do I like this one? Yes, quite a lot. I think it just about won me over for a personal favourite award, because I’d pay for another dram right now!
After reveal. Benrinnes! It sort of makes sense in hindsight, because it had to be a robust spirit to carry the heavy sherry cask so well. What confounds me a bit is that to my knowledge Benrinnes is never peated. I did experience the palate more as smoky than outright peaty, and definitely not as an Islay-style peat, so it’s not that my senses must be completely off. Who knows, the cask might previously have held some peated whisky?
Worthwhile and Enjoyable
Personal Favourite
Very fun doing these blind, and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the calendar!
DuckDrams 
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