Let’s see if it can surprise me and that hopefully in a positive way

Appearance:
Color: Dark gold. Oily as the streaks on the glass flow down quite slowly.

Nose: 91/100 points
The first I get are oak flavors combined with some red fruits. I get berries, slightly raisins, and some dried fruits. There could be some smoky flavors inside. At least I think I get some slightly peaty notes on the background. Some vanilla and toffee I get as well. But the whole time the oak flavors are very dominant, also those are not tart at all. They are more of a sweet kind combined with many leather. Very nice and complex nose. As longer I smell as more flavors I can find. In the nose the alcohol is very well integrated. So I guess at the moment that the ABV is in the mid 40’s. Later some honey shows up as well. Very nice nose!

Taste: 94/100 points
on the palate the start is intense sweet fruity with a lot of dried and dark fruits. Many raisins, berries and figs. The oak shows up and appears to be quite old. Those oak flavors are combined with very nice leather flavors. Vanilla, toffee and vanilla shows up and it is getting very oily. Later honey comes forward and then it starts to get a bit tart. That means that I need to swallow it I guess. Right before I swallow it I again let it run around the mouth and it appeared incredibly oily and thick.
With the second and third sip I also get flavors of old oak furniture and furniture polish.

Finish: 92/100 points
Fruity start in the finish but less intense. The oak and leather flavors are similar to the once in the palate. Also the sweetness with the honey and vanilla flavors are nicely intense here.
At first it appears to be more of medium length, but the sweet and fruity flavors stay very long on the tongue and in the mouth. Very smooth and mild but still longer than expected at the beginning.
Also in the finish I get the old oak and furniture polish flavors in the second and third sip.

Conclusion:
the force is strong with this one. That is a really nice Whisky. Especially on the palate. Very complex and intense. This one is quite old I assume. To guess the distillery is very difficult.
At first I thought it is from a distillery from the Highlands. But after a while I think it also could be one from the Speyside.

So what could it be? Think it is time to guess and write down what I think it could be.
Very difficult as I mentioned before.

So here is my guess:

What it really is you can read in the title and how close I was with the rest of my guess you can see below.

Overall I give this Whisky: 92/100 WhiskyYoda points

here are some more detailed bottle information:

Brand	Glendronach	Cask/Batch#	n/a
Series	n/a	Vintage	1994
Region	Scotland / Speyside	Bottled	2020
Bottler	East Village Whisky Company (EVWC)	Age	26yo
Type	Single Malt	Non-Cillfiltered	yes
Casks	Sherry Hogshead	Natural color	yes
ABV	47.3%	Whiskybase ID:	171413

Wow that was a really good guess from me. My daughter can proof that I didn’t cheat and looked what it was before I wrote my notes and my guess!!!!

Let’s see if it can surprise me and that hopefully in a positive way

Appearance:
Color: Pale straw. Medium oily as the streaks on the glass flow down semi slow.

Nose: 86/100 points
sweet start in the nose. Many bright fruits, yellow apples, malt, barley. young dry oak. In the background I get some citrus fruits and dry leather. The sweet notes from the vanilla are the dominant flavor. After longer smelling longer on it I also get some different nuts and floral notes. Also it has a kind of white wine flavor in it. All in all I can find quite a few flavors, also those are not very intense.

Taste: 87/100 points
sweetish malty start. The bright fruits from the nose are also to be found here. Apples are here as well. This time a mix of yellow and green apples. Some vanilla, the nuts are back as well. The leather was at the beginning also present in its dry form but that one changes over the time to a more sweeter form. Same accounts for the oak. Also some honey shows up after a long time in the mouth. All in all the flavors here on the palate are very similar to the once in the nose. However here on the palate those flavors are much more intense. There is quite a lot to discover for that young age.

Finish: 87/100 points
in the finish it is less complex than on the palate but the remaining flavors re quite intense. Those flavors are mostly from the kind of sweet and fruity flavors. Also the malt and honey are quite strong here. In all it lasts quite long and delicious.

Conclusion:
the force is strong with this one. Many of the aspects and flavors of this Whisky fulfilled my expectations to 100%. For its young age it appears very complex on the palate and in the finish. Actually in the nose as well, but there not quite intense and more restrained. I would describe it as a very nice summer Whisky. This one was a very nice Ex-Bourbon cask. I definitely recommend trying it.

Overall I give this Whisky: 87/100 WhiskyYoda points

here are some more detailed bottle information:

Brand	Benrinnes	Cask/Batch#	Batch 10
Series	Small Batch Release	Vintage	2007
Region	Scotland / Speyside	Bottled	2018
Bottler	That Boutique-y Whisky Company (TBWC)	Age	11yo
Type	Single Malt	Non-Cillfiltered	yes
Casks	not disclosed	Natural color	yes
ABV	49%	Whiskybase ID:	161216

Let’s see if it can surprise me and that hopefully in a positive way

Appearance:
Color: golden. Quire oily as the streaks on the glass flow down slowly.

Nose: 89/100 points
Lots of citrus and lemon fruits combined with the typical dirt flavor from this distillery.
Very intense flavors. Also some fruit sourness as well as some sweet flavors show up.
the alcohol is very well integrated. Some oak I get as well. Appears a bit older than 13 years to me.

Taste: 89/100 points
On the palate as well I get those intense flavors from the nose. very salvia stimulating.
The citrus and lemon fruits are very strong here and build a perfect harmony with those dirty flavors.

Finish: 88/100 points
wonderful aromatic finish.
Same like on the palate the citrus fruits in combination with the dirty flavors are great.
the finish is very long lasting and warming.

Conclusion:
the force is strong with this one. Many of the aspects and flavors of this Whisky fulfilled my expectations to 100%. I really enjoyed this whisky and it showed me once again that this distillery is a must try. Specially the IB’s. Very delicious indeed.

Overall I give this Whisky: 89/100 WhiskyYoda points

here are some more detailed bottle information:

Brand	Clynelish	Cask/Batch#	800188
Series	The Single Malts of Scotland	Vintage	24.9.2010
Region	Scotland / Highlands	Bottled	2.7.2024
Bottler	Elixir Distillers (ElD)	Age	13yo
Type	Single Malt	Non-Cillfiltered	yes
Casks	Bourbon Barrel	Natural color	yes
ABV	56.6%	Whiskybase ID:	262165

Let’s see if it can surprise me and that hopefully in a positive way

Appearance:
Color: Mahogany. Very oily as the streaks on the glass flow down slowly.

Nose: 87/100 points
as expected I get many oak flavors. Not tart. Very delicate. What is also quite dominant in the nose are the malt and barley flavors as well as flavors of leather. Sweet notes of Vanilla and some caramel appear combined with mild honey.
In the background, but not too far back, I get some fruit notes like green apple. Overall the nose is complex and as more you smell as more flavor one can find.

Taste: 87/100 points
The flavors from the nose can be found here as well. The malt and sweet flavors are dominant and show up in form of the vanilla and honey flavors. The leather is here also a bit more present compared to the nose. The oak flavors of course are found here as well and are not bitter at all. Very tasty dram.

Finish: 86/100 points
As well as already on the palate, the flavors in the finish are very similar to it but lesser intense. But for that the fruity flavors are more dominant. More like a nice soft finish.

Conclusion:
the force is strong with this one. Many of the aspects and flavors of this Whisky fulfilled my expectations. It belong for me into the category “easy drinking” and is not overcomplex. In this way it is also very suitable for beginners who want to try an older Whisky without being overwhelmed by too many intense flavors. I liked and enjoyed it very much and would recommend to try it if you get the chance.

Overall I give this Whisky: 87/100 WhiskyYoda points

here are some more detailed bottle information:

Brand	SPEY	Cask/Batch#	n/a
Series	Standard Bottling	Vintage	n/a
Region	Scotland / Speyside	Bottled	n/a
Bottler	Distillery Bottling	Age	21yo
Type	Single Malt	Non-Cillfiltered	yes
Casks	Oak Casks	Natural color	n/a
ABV	46%	Whiskybase ID:	57288

Let’s see if it can surprise me and that hopefully in a positive way

Appearance:
Color: Gold brown. Very oily as the streaks on the glass flow down slowly.

Nose: 90/100 points
The nose is for this young age very flavorful.
Behind the peat I get a lot of dried dark fruits, vanilla, caramel and some chocolate, all sitting in a bowl of young oak. In the background I also get berries and some malt with honey. There is some bright fruity flavor as well but I can describe it in more detail. It opens up very nicely if you give it some time.

Taste: 90/100 points
On the palate the peat and high ABV kicks in directly with a lot of circus fruits and fruit sourness. A bit spicy and the red fruits are there as well. Some chocolate and caramel I get as well as the honey. Here is shows it strength but the harmony between the peat and the citrus fruits is exactly like it should be to make this whisky very interesting. If you think it is too strong, then you should add some water. But I think it not necessarily need it.

Finish: 92/100 points
The finish is very intense fruity and the peat lingers quite long on the tongue. I mean really long. A bit tart and young oak later. The flavors here are fantastic intense. Even half an hour later you still got them on your tongue. Amazing!

Conclusion:
the force is strong with this one. Many of the aspects and flavors of this Whisky fulfilled my expectations to 100%. The peat and the high ABV are very well integrated.

Overall I give this Whisky: 91/100 WhiskyYoda points

here are some more detailed bottle information:

Brand	Staoisha	Cask/Batch#	06069-3
Series	Raw Cask	Vintage	01.Oct.2014
Region	Scotland / Islay	Bottled	Oct..2023
Bottler	Blackadder (BA)	Age	9yo
Type	Single Malt	Non-Cillfiltered	yes
Casks	Hogshead	Natural color	yes
ABV	60.2%	Whiskybase ID:	271868

Let’s see if it can surprise me and that hopefully in a positive way

Appearance:
Color: Mahogany to brown chocolate. Very oily as the streaks on the glass flow down slowly.

Nose: 87/100 points
Lots of intense dark and dried fruits, red berries, honey, some tabaco. The alcohol is stinging a bit but that is not surprising considering the high ABV. Caramel and a hint of chocolate coming through. Later a dry dusty oak shows up.
With water the alcohol is less intense and the sweet flavors becoming stronger.

Taste: 88/100 points
Very intense dark fruits kicking in directly at the beginning which immediately stimulate the saliva flow. Plenty of dry fruits filling your mouth. Mainly raisins. Then bread dough of a mixed bread appears. Later caramel and the hint of chocolate again. Some fruit sourness is also there. Next I get is oak and some tabaco wrapped in leather but those are more in the background.
With water the flavors not really change. At least I can’t notice any significant change to it.

Finish: 90/100 points
wonderful aromatic finish.
Strong intense fruity finish. very long and warming. Lots of red berries, dried and dark fruits, chocolate, caramel and tabaco. The fruity flavors stay incredibly long on the tongue and inside the mouth. Super intense finish. Wow!
Also here the water doesn’t change the flavors. Those still stay strong and intense.

Conclusion:
the force is strong with this one. Many of the aspects and flavors of this Whisky fulfilled my expectations. This one points with the finish. It’s been a while since I had a good dram with such an intense and flavorful finish. Really nice. Even after 30 minutes you still have the berries on your tongue. It also appears a bit older than 12 years imho.

Overall I give this Whisky: 88/100 WhiskyYoda points

here are some more detailed bottle information:

Brand	Glendronach	Cask/Batch#	5039
Series	Hand-Filled	Vintage	12.2011
Region	Scotland / Speyside	Bottled	03.2024
Bottler	Distillery Bottling	Age	12yo
Type	Single Malt	Non-Cillfiltered	yes
Casks	Oloroso Puncheon	Natural color	yes
ABV	62.4%	Whiskybase ID:	250411