Gather round dear friends of the whisky-world – for I bring delightful news… We’ve got nine brand new Master of Malt Single Cask Series bottlings!
Independent bottlings are such an essential and brilliant aspect of this beautiful industry of ours, so much so that sometimes we can’t help ourselves and we have to do a few of our own! We’ve taken time out of our busy Christmas* schedule (we’re past Halloween, we can talk about it – that’s the rule) to bring you a whopping nine new whiskies for our Single Cask Series.
These newest releases include an exquisite, 28 year old example from Miltonduff, a delightfully youthful pair of Rock Towns (as they are only 1 year matured, these technically aren’t whiskies) and a sumptuous offerings from Cragganmore!
All of these fine examples, and more, can be viewed below – complete with tasting notes and links to the appropriate beverages!
Miltonduff 28 Year Old 1988 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)
Tasting Note for Miltonduff 28 Year Old 1988 – Single Cask (Master of Malt):
Nose: Lots of fruit: apple strudel, Kelloggs Fruit & Nut cereal, pineapple and grapefruit. It’s also quite green, with aromas of freshly cut grass, moss and a handful of herbs. Chuck in some Bakewell Tarts for good measure, too.
Palate: Lots of orchard fruits on the palate and it’s really quite hoppy with a pleasingly soft mouthfeel lifted by a little fresh chilli prickle. There’s also cashew nuts and a mineral quality and the impression of menthol.
Finish: – Soft and gentle with more orchard fruits, pepped up with the chilli warmth
Overall: – A lovely autumnal dram
Glenlossie 17 Year Old 1997 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)
Tasting Note for Glenlossie 17 Year Old 1997 – Single Cask (Master of Malt):
Nose: A delicate nose with blackcurrants, cranberries, cinnamon, toffee, raisins, plum, bread and butter pudding and orange peel. It opens up more into the realm of baked goods with a splash of water.
Palate: Loads of oak influence – proper vanilla pods and woody spices. Then there’s dried orange, peppercorn, cranberries, apricot, dark chocolate, and some custard notes.
Finish: All about that vanilla custard
Overall: A masterclass in cask influence
Auchroisk 20 Year Old 1994 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)
Tasting Note for Auchroisk 20 Year Old 1994 – Single Cask (Master of Malt):
Nose: Loads of Christmas cake dark fruits, walnut, cinnamon custard, black peppercorn, almond, dark cherry and dried orange peel. Later on there’s more vanilla and tropical fruit notes coming through.
Palate: Almond and marzipan, red cherry, and icing sugar. Then darker fruit comes through: blackcurrant, fig and plum. There’s also a prickly sweet spice. With water it becomes really velvety
Finish: Long, warm and almondy
Overall: A Bakewell Tart in a glass
Allt-á-Bhainne 22 Year Old 1992 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)
Tasting Note for Allt-á-Bhainne 22 Year Old 1992 – Single Cask (Master of Malt):
Nose: A gentle, subtle dram – nutty, milk chocolate and with summer fruits: strawberries, raspberries, fresh orange and cake mix. With water there’s prominent soft caramel.
Palate: Cinnamon spice, more milk chocolate, strawberries and cream, apricots, raisins and sultanas with a creamy vanilla. With water the cinnamon jumps out of the glass.
Finish: A gentle spice, then a long strawberries and cream note with a vanilla trail
Overall: Sweetly spiced with all things nice. Delicious.
Cragganmore 26 Year Old 1989 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)
Tasting Note for Cragganmore 26 Year Old 1989 – Single Cask (Master of Malt):
Nose: Toffee, honeycomb, floral notes, dark chocolate-coated ginger biscuits. With time, fresh citrus notes emerge along with raspberry and sweet spices, Elegant and refined with that ‘old book’ quality
Palate: Full-on cinnamon spice and orange peel with a wash of herbal menthol. Then the honeycomb comes through. Once the zest of the citrus spice resides, there’s a creamy vanilla mouthfeel.
Finish: Long and vibrant, but with considerable style
Overall: An elegant older whisky with a devilishly lively side
Langatun 5 Year Old 2011 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)
Tasting Note for Langatun 5 Year Old 2011 – Single Cask (Master of Malt):
Nose: Loads of peach, apricot and strawberry – a fruit salad with cream. Then nutmeg and a touch of ginger comes through. Also lots of biscuit notes – perhaps chocolate-coated Hobnobs? With a splash of water it’s all about rich, oaky spices.
Palate: The fruit theme continues with some blackberry/slightly darker fruit notes too. Really quite creamy for the ABV, with a marmalade-on-toast quality too. Water brings out a whole host of sweet spices and a wisp of smoke, too.
Finish: Peach-led with a warming cinnamon spice prickle.
Overall: A warming Swiss treat!
Rock Town 1 Year Old 2015 (cask 352) – Single Cask (Master of Malt)
Tasting Note for Rock Town 1 Year Old 2015 (cask 352) – Single Cask (Master of Malt) :
Nose: Nutty and spicy with a whole orchard of apple notes coming through. The corn plays out as a powerfully peppery vanilla, and the barrel char brings an earthiness.
Palate: Straight away this is more vegetal – far less apple and a whole lot more herbal. The oak is pretty aromatic, and the wood spices give it decent depth. With water the apples reappear, but this time they’re baked in a pastry pie rather than freshly fallen from the tree.
Finish: Loose leaf tobacco and vanilla pods.
Overall: Impressively complex for something so youthful.
Rock Town 1 Year Old 2015 (cask 353) – Single Cask (Master of Malt)
Tasting Note for Rock Town 1 Year Old 2015 (cask 353) – Single Cask (Master of Malt):
Nose: Milk chocolate with red fruit inclusions, buttery corn on the cob, and hints of fresh orange peel. Freshly-ground coffee further back.
Palate: A herbal, almost menthol spice, again with that chocolate, but this time it’s set with chilli. Honey too. With water it’s like Mr Whippy ice cream in a traditional wafer cone.
Finish: Warming, spicy and chocolatey. Tasty stuff.
Overall: A slightly more savoury young bourbon, and it delivers on flavour.
Caol Ila 6 Year Old 2010 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)
Tasting Note for Caol Ila 6 Year Old 2010 – Single Cask (Master of Malt):
Nose: Frazzles crisps, toasted seaweed, elastoplast, BBQ embers and apple sauce. Divine.
Palate: Peat smoke, peppercorns and a real meatiness. After sitting in the glass a little bit the apple sauce comes back, along with some lemon peel. More sweetness comes out with a splash of water, but really it’s all about those smoky bacon crisps.
Finish: Substantial and smoky.
Overall: Like a bacon toastie burnt round the edges.
*As it is that time of year, with all of these indie bottlings you have the chance to tell the omniscient, festive, delight that is #WhiskySanta how good you’ve been this year, and if he agrees he could gift you (yes, for free!) one of these delightful Master of Malt Single Cask Series bottlings! (For all the necessary details, check out: #WhiskySanta Blog)
