DuckDrams

Scotch Single Malt • unavailable • WB🔗

Tasting notes from a 2cl sample bottle

Nosing

It’s an incredibly well-integrated nose of fruits, pastries, and that hard-to-describe (perhaps rancio’d) subtle leatheriness of an old-school whisky or cognac. Chocolate praline, marzipan, pistaccio, wiener bread, sultanas, orange zest, poached pear, leather, oak. It remains quite fresh an lively while also having this depth.

Sipping

The alcohol is surprisingly aggressive for where it sits. Passion fruit curd, and puff pastry, along with a savouriness (prosciutto?), and smoke. Mentholic finish. Sadly, a bit of mini-sample cardboard taste, but I can look past it.

Comments

To think this went on auction in 2019 for €150. I feel one rarely find this that are remotely affordable these days. Still, it’s far from a perfect dram. I find the palate to have a roughness or spirity quality that doesn’t live up to the gorgeous nose.

Scotch Single Malt • unavailable • WB🔗

Tasting notes from a 2cl sample bottle

Nosing

At first rather closed. Juicy fruits and somewhat pungent flowers, buttery pastry, like shortbread, vanilla and cream, cinnamon.

Sipping

Dense, savoury-sweet, robust and malty — very Benrinnes. It’s in the immediate finish the the “bigness” of the dram rolls out, juicy oak and mild tobacco and leather. More of the nuts and dried fruits in the aftertaste.

Comments

A tasty dram, fo sho, but not at all better than similar-aged, less vintaged Benrinnes I’ve had. In the auction archives, I’ve found only one instance of a very similar bottle, likely a sister cask (CA, 1971/1991, 55.3%) and it went for €526 in 2020… Ridiculous waste of money.

Scotch Single Malt • Sherry cask • unavailable • WB🔗

Tasting notes from a 2cl sample bottle

Nosing

A very dense and sherried nose, bringing to mind treacle, black liquorice, sulphur and broiled meats, shoe polish, damp wood and leather, green pepper sauce, almonds. And yet, there’s something bright and lively here too.

Sipping

Throws a punch on the palate, but takes water well. Sweet, savoury, salty, with smoky undertones and liquorice, fruit leather, brown sugar, plum juice, raisins providing a non-too subtle but oh-so delicious show. Distillery character? None.

Comments

Reminds me a lot of a 5yo-ish Adelphi Ben Nevis I had a bottle of an absolutely adored. Borderline ❤️ here, but we’re not quite there. €365 at auction back in 2020, not seen since.