It’s been many weeks of hard work, and no whisky tasting. Now I finally have a day off, and what a grand tasting I shall have as a reward for my toil! A 14yo Lowland, 13yo Highland, 31yo Speyside, and 28yo Islay, all single casks with 51-54% ABV. These are the samples from undisclosed distilleries in the Elixir Distillers Christmas calendar from 2022 (oh, how time evaporates from the cask of life). These casks we all used exclusively for the calendar so no presence on whiskybase.
Despite the age advantage of the Speysider and Islay, let’s make it a battle of the regions! And let’s have a crack at guessing the distilleries, although there is no way to check what the right answer is.
“A Lowland Distillery” | 14yo (2007) | 52% | Elixir Distillers
🌐
Scotch single malt
🪵
single cask, ref #77
🔆
unchillfiltered & natural color
💲
~€70 for comparable batch
Sample review
⚡Experience
Vibrant citrus and fresh fruits, and
Nose: Loads of fresh fruits, grapefruit being particularly prominent, but also banana, gooseberries, and lemon curd. Delicate flowers mingle with the fruits; roses, violets. There is also a white wine quality, with minerality, and a little cheese (parmeggiano), and a touch of vanilla.
Palate: Sweet, sour, and a little bitter on the palate; creamy, mouthcoating, and flavoursome, with limoncello, candi sugar, macadamia, malt. A little lemon rind in the finish.
💡Thoughts
Such a wonderful summer dram, with elegance and power. The sweet-sour-bitter balance is exquisite.
Given the age, it can only really be Bladnoch, Glenkinchie, or Auchentoshan. I’d have guessed Bladnoch, but with some sleuthing I discovered it has to be Glenkinchie. There is a sister cask, evidently produced on the same date, and bottled for Kirsch, and it has a picture of Glenkinchie on it. If it was still available I’d have bought a bottle.
Personal Favourite
❤️
“A Highland Distillery” | 13yo (2021) | 54% | Elixir Distillers
🌐
Scotch single malt
🪵
cask ref #66
🔆
unchillfiltered & natural color
💲
not known
Sample review
⚡Experience
Nose: Yellow stone fruits, esters/banana, slightly overripe, citrus, green raisins, grape seeds, black currant, and powder sugar.
Palate: Medium-sweet and clean, with robust maltiness, some strawberry jam on toasted bread, and lightly cured ham.
💡Thoughts
A competent dram, with no flaws, that one would be happy to sip any time. A little short on character perhaps, but certainly not anaemic. Couldn’t even guess at the distillery.
Here’s a sister cask with the same distil date.
Rewarding
✔️
“A Speyside Distillery” | 31yo (1990) | 51.9% | Elixir Distillers
🌐
Scotch single malt
🪵
cask ref #210000002
🔆
unchillfiltered & natural color
💲
not known
Sample review
⚡Experience
Nose: Complex, fruity-fresh. Ripe tropical fruits, fragrant lemon grass, wood oils, and tiger balm, and with some richer buttery and honied notes in the background.
Palate: Oily mouthfeel, orange and other fruits, liquorice, mint, a little chalk, vanilla, and oak.
💡Thoughts
It is a very fine oak juice, indeed. Would need more time and prolonged experience with a bottle to come to its full right, I believe.
Here’s a sister cask.
Rewarding
✔️
“An Islay Distillery” | 28yo (1993) | 50% | Elixir Distillers
🌐
Scotch single malt
🪵
cask ref #406859
🔆
unchillfiltered & natural color
💲
not known
Sample review
⚡Experience
Smoke on a breeze. Salami, stone fruits, mineral, cream, lemon, green apples, a little hessian.
Meaty, savoury, sweet, salty, briny, iodine, complex flavour with mellow peat, yellow stone fruits.
💡Thoughts
Surprisingly vibrant for such an old dram, and Islay to boot. The yellow fruits, and iodine make me fairly sure it’s a Laphroaig.
Sister cask here.
Rewarding
✔️
And there we have it! Wouldn’t have thought the 14yo Lowland would come out such a clear winner in this comparison. But I tried the samples, and I tried them again a couple of days later, and the judgment holds. A shame the sister cask is not for sale anymore. Will have to look out for it at the auctions…
DuckDrams 
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