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Aberlour 10 years old Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Aberlour
87
Aberlour 10 year
This is a definitive example of a Speyside Single Malt. It is matured in a combination of sherry and bourbon oak casks for a minimum of 10 years.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (88): inexistent. sweet, fruit, sherry wine, peaches, cherry, honey. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (88): . sweet, sherry, vanilla, tobacco, oak, honey, fruits. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (84): no finish. sweet, oak, spices, tobacco. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Aberlour 10 year with 87 points over 100.

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Aberlour: Who's afraid of the big sherry monster?

By Miguel in Featured , Aberlour

Living on the shadows of Macallan, Aberlour is one of the best sherry whiskies that are still affordable for you and me

Aberlour Distillery
Aberlour is located on Aberlour Town, Speyside, Scotland at the crossing of rivers Lour and Spey near Ben Rinnes.
Aberlour is gaelic for ‘the mouth of the babbling brook’ which probably refers to Saint Drostan’s well, the local spring depicted on the label of all Aberlour whisky.

History

The distillery was founded in 1826 by James Gordon and Peter Weir. The original distillery was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt in 1879 by James Fleming.
In 1892 the distillery was bought by Robert Thorne and sons who rebuilt the distillery and expanded it in 1898 after a second fire.
In 1921 Aberlour was sold to WW Holt and Sons Ltd and purchased from them by S. Campbell in 1945, who expanded the distillery.

In 1962 the floor maltings at the distillery were closed. And eleven years later the distillery was renovated again to add two more stills making 4 in total.
In 1975 Campbell distillers was taken over by Pernod Ricard.

Style

Aberlour whiskies usually have a very high proportion of sherry cask whisky on its vattings, around 25-50%, making it a serious competitor for Macallan.

Some bottles of Aberlour from my collection



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Highland Park 13 years old Single Cask from Master of Malt Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Master of Malt , Highland Park
88
Highland Park 13 year Master of Malt
A delicious 13 year old Highland Park we bottled in 2010, this was distilled in 1997, and aged in a single refill bourbon hogshead. An run of just 281 incredible bottles, at natural cask strength with nothing added and nothing taken away!

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (88): inexistent. sweet, peat, heather, floral, wood, meat stock. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (92): . hot, sweet, wood, spices, heather, tobacco, vanilla, complex, a torrent of flavor on your mouth. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (84): no finish. wood, spices,heather, fruity, pears and notes of orange. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Highland Park 13 year Master of Malt with 88 points over 100.

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Nikka Whisky From the Barrel Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Nikka
88
Nikka from the barrel
Nikka from the Barrel is big-boned and bursting with character. Not averse to a drop of water, either. A real star, winning top prize in its category at the World Whisky Awards in 2007 and 2010.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (84): inexistent. sweet, floral, wood, closed. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (92): . sweet, floral, wood, honey, vanilla, spices, a little peat. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (88): no finish. honey, floral, wood. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Nikka from the barrel with 88 points over 100.

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Nikka All Malt Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Recommended , Nikka

“ A whirlpool of honey, toffee, spices, wood and fruits in your mouth. You can’t believe this is bottled just at 40% ABV. And look that price!”

89
Nikka All Malt Pure and Rich
In general, Nikka blended whisky is created from malt whisky made from barley malt in pot stills, and grain whisky made by distilling corn and other grains in a patent (Coffey) still. The main feature of the all-malt process is that top-quality barley malt is used instead of corn in the Coffey still, resulting in a whisky made entirely from malt. All-malt whisky, made from barley alone and blended from malts matured over long periods of time, is blessed with a deep scent and mellow taste.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (84): inexistent. sweet, fruity, honey, wood, spices, peach, salt. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (96): . sweet, honey, toffee, vanilla, fruity, great, wood, sherry, smoke. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (88): no finish. honey, wood, a little smoky. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Nikka All Malt Pure and Rich with 89 points over 100.

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Nikka Pure Malt Red Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Nikka
88
Nikka Pure Malt Red
Blended with Japanese malt from Nikka's Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries, this is clean, fruity and very easy to drink.

This whisky is part of a serie of three bottles: White, Black and Red

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (88): inexistent. sweet, mature fruits, peat, raisins. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (88): . sweet, fruits, mature, wood, smoke, mature fruit. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (88): no finish. sweet, wood, spices, vanilla. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Nikka Pure Malt Red with 88 points over 100.

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Nikka Pure Malt Black Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Nikka
89
Nikka Pure Malt Black
A storming example of what Japanese whisky is truly capable of. A previous batch was awarded a massive 95 points by Jim Murray in his Whisky Bible.

This whisky is part of a serie of three bottles: White, Black and Red

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (88): inexistent. sweet, fruity, spices, vanilla, cocoa, sherry, peaches, peat. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (92): . sweet, vanilla, honey, peaches, spices. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (88): no finish. vanilla, tobacco, spices. with wood, vanilla, toffee. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Nikka Pure Malt Black with 89 points over 100.

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Nikka Pure Malt White Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Recommended , Nikka

“ At first I didn’t notice the peat, but on a second tasting I keep wondering how I wasn’t able to nose it. Peaty, floral, grainy, powerful. Very good whisky.”

91
Nikka Pure Malt White
A very interesting blended malt whisky from Nikka created from a marriage of different Japanese single malts.

The tradition in Japanese whisky is about each brand using only their portfolio whiskies, so very probably this nice pure malt whisky is done with Yoichi and Miyagikyo whiskies.

Brilliant with a nice amount of peat, this whisky is part of a serie of three bottles: White, Black and Red

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (88): inexistent. sweet, peat, floral, liquorice, vanilla, spices, grains, peat. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (92): . sweet, peat, floral, wood, spices, barley. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (92): no finish. floral, grain, honey, vanilla. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Nikka Pure Malt White with 91 points over 100.

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Chichibu Double Matured Newborn Cask 446 Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Recommended , Chichibu

“ Really good. Explosive taste. Almost as good as Aberlour Abunadh”

92
Chichibu Newborn Cask 127
Distilled in one of the newest distilleries of Japan, Chichibu. This spirit, as it has just one year and so it can't be called whisky yet, has been matured in a bourbon cask.

This bottle is part of a 262 bottles batch. And you really will have to pinch yourself, because just at one year old it is a hell better than many scotches that I have tried.

Simply awesome single malt whisky from a distillery that has recently released their first "proper" single malt: Chichibu The first

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (88): inexistent. sweet, floral, heather, wood, vanilla, spices, complex. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (96): . hot, sweet, really hot, vanilla, spices, wood, tobacco, honey, great!, floral, towards fruity. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (92): no finish. wood, vanilla, honey, long, mature apples. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Chichibu Newborn Cask 127 with 92 points over 100.

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Nikka Miyagikyo 1990 Single Cask Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Miyagikyo
89
Nikka Miyagikyo 1990 Single Cask
A single cask of Nikka Miyagikyo, this is from the 1990 vintage and has been bottled at its impressive full strength of 61% after 19 years of ageing in oak casks.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (88): inexistent. sweet, floral, marine, wood, sea salt, heather. First nosing data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Palate (92): . sweet, peat, salt, wood, floral, vanilla. Bouquet data is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

Finish (88): no finish. floral, wood, salt. Finish length is innacurate as the previous tasting sheet lacked of this field.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Nikka Miyagikyo 1990 Single Cask with 89 points over 100.

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