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: dark Amber (Amber 2). Semi oily as the streaks on the glass flow down semi slow. The Whisky is also very clear.

Nose: 87/100 points
The first thing I get is the alcohol sting, but that I expected due to the high ABV. Let’s blow into the glass to remove this sting a bit.
Ahh that helped a bit.
Now I get a lot of dried fruits, raisins, slightly orange peels and fermented fruits. A bit later the herbs and some mint come through as well as some oak and a bit leather.
It definitely needs time to open up. Far in the background I get some Vanilla and nuts.

Later on, for the 3rd sip I added a bit water to it.
Here in the nose the water doesn’t do that much to the flavors. The sting of the alcohol is getting less, and the flavors are slightly sweeter. But other flavors in the nose are not impacted by adding the water.

Taste: 88/100 points
On the palate it starts, oh wonder, very strong. But strong sweet with plenty of dried fruits, raisins, oranges, mint and herbs. This time much more intense than in the nose. A bit later the oak shows up and the leather as well. The vanilla flavors also come again and are now stronger as well. Same accounts for the fermented fruits which are quite intense and let it appear a bit bitter to the end.

As mentions in before I added later on a bit water.
This and a bit more time open up this whisky a lot on the palate.
Not the sweet notes getting even more strong, the fermented fruits are only left in the background, and a lot of chocolate shows itself. Also, the alcohol is, of course, lesser than before and therefore not this burning on the togue. Now it is really pleasant to drink.

Finish: 86/100 points
Strong in the finish as well as bitter in the first moment. I assume it comes from the flavors of the fermented fruits. But it is not that unpleasant and bearable. It lasts very long. Besides the fermented fruit there are also the dried fruits again. From the other flavors there are not many to be found.

With the added water however, the bitterness in the finish is gone and also here the sweet chocolate flavor dominates the picture. Even the length is a bit reduces by adding the water. But it is much more complex now and was worth the water playing.

Conclusion:
Usually, I drink my Whisky neat, but this is one of those Whisky where I recommend adding water to it if you don’t like the bitterness it brings with it neat.
With water and plenty of time (at least 30 minutes) it will release a lot of flavors and becomes quite complex for that young age.

Without water however it is more bitter and very strong. specially in the nose. So, you will find less flavors in the nose since the alcohol is not that well integrated.
Thats why I recommend playing a bit with water. Potential is there enough for sure.

Overall, a nice Whisky. I like it.

Overall I give this Whisky: 87/100 WhiskyYoda points

here are some more detailed bottle information:

Brand	Ben Nevis	Cask/Batch#	257
Series	Vintage Collection	Vintage	08DEC2014
Region	Scotland / Speyside	Bottled	09MAY2024
Bottler	Signatory Vintage (SV)	Age	9yo
Type	Single Malt	Non-Cillfiltered	yes
Casks	2nd Fill Sherry Butt	Natural color	yes
ABV	59.1%	Whiskybase ID:	261047

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

Appearance:
Color: dark Mahogany. Very oily as you can see the streaks flow down slow on the glass.

Nose: 90/100 points
intense dark and dry fruits, many oak, herbal notes, cherries, leather, spices, plums, a bit sulfur, dark chocolate. Very rich and intense.

Taste: 90/100 points
strong start, intense dark and dried fruits. very rich and full-bodied, plums, herbal notes, leather, old oak, spices, a bit sulfur again, some nuts and dark chocolate. becomes oily and creamy.

Finish: 89/100 points
intense red fruits, dried fruits, leather, getting dry, oak, also the herbal notes are here again. Lasts very long.

Conclusion:
the force is strong with this one. But needs a lot of time in the glass to open up.
the red fruits and herbal notes are quite intense in this malt.
Very rich and full-bodied.

Overall I give this Whisky: 90/100 WhiskyYoda points

here are some more detailed bottle information:

Brand	Aberfeldy	Cask/Batch#	4054
Series	Connoisseurs Choice – Cask Strength	Vintage	1993
Region	Scotland / Highlands	Bottled	2018
Bottler	Gordon & MacPhail (GM)	Age	25yo
Type	Single Malt	Non-Cillfiltered	yes
Casks	1st Fill Sherry Puncheon	Natural color	yes
ABV	58.8%	Whiskybase ID:	116924

What are my expectations? Well, considering the color, casks, age and ABV I expect this Whisky to be enormous complex. I expect the oak to be quite intense but hopefully not too tart and bitter. I really looking forward to try this one. But first give it some time in the glass to breath. In this case considering the age I will let it breath for at least one hour.
During that time I will have it covered.

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

Appearance:
Color: dark Mahogany. Very oily as one can see by the streaks on the glass which flow very slow down the glass wall.

Nose: 91/100 points
Grain, the alcohol is quite present which I expected with this high ABV. Many red fruits, old oak, plums, spices, honey, cereals, Floral notes.

With a few drops of water the fruity flavors become more intense and there is a little campfire in the background. Some flowers and sweet notes are now more present as well. Vanilla and caramel shows up.

Taste: 91/100 points
Intense dark dried fruits and grain mixed with sweet honey. Later it adds a spiciness to it. It really explodes in flavors on the palate. Very complex, deep and full bodied

With a few drops of water the spiciness is less and the sweet and fruity flavors come out more. Still it is very deep and complex. Creamy oily, leather and very old oak furniture shows up now.

Finish: 88/100 points
Long intense finish with a lot of fruits and oak. Grain and a bit fruit sourness at the end. Stays for a very long time.

With water the fruits and the sweet flavors from vanilla and caramel are stronger now. But the tart and a bit sour notes at the end stays the same.

Conclusion:
the force is strong with this one. Many of the aspects and flavors of this Whisky fulfilled my expectations to 100%.
Very complex and deep Whisky in the nose and on the palate. One can easy play with water at this high ABV. Then the fruity notes are more intense. Only the tart and sour notes at the end of the finish ruins a little bit the overall impression and lag a bit the complexity it has on the nose and the palate. But still a great Whisky.

Overall I give this Whisky: 90/100 WhiskyYoda points

here are some more detailed bottle information:

Brand	Invergordon	Cask/Batch#	HL 19907
Series	The Sovereign	Vintage	10/1984
Region	Scotland / Highlands	Bottled	10/2022
Bottler	Hunter Laing (HL)	Age	38yo
Type	Single Grain	Non-Cillfiltered	yes
Casks	Refill Butt	Natural color	yes
ABV	60.6%	Whiskybase ID:	232437

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

Appearance:
Color: dark gold. Very oily as you can see by the streaks on the glass which flow slow down the glass wall.

Nose: 88/100 points
Malt, fruits, nuts, citrus fruits and spices. With hand warmth there comes more. Now also I have vanilla, old oak, some plums, some honey and light sweet floral notes. As more warm it gets, as more complex it gets.

Taste: 88/100 points
Slightly sweet, fruity with apples, malt, cereals, floral notes, some vanilla and caramel, oak, some spices, nuts. Getting a bit tart and peppery towards the end.

Finish: 87/100 points
Nice aromatic finish. Bright fruits dominate here. Some fruit sourness shows up as well as the oak, leather and some spices.

Conclusion:
Many of the aspects and flavors of this Whisky fulfilled my expectations.
Nice Fettercairn. Quite complex. However it needed warmth to release the flavors. As colder it was as less flavors it released. So my advice is to use hand warmth to warm it up. In that way it releases much more flavors and becomes quite complex. Avoid adding ice or cooling stones here because that will result in less flavors and the remaining flavors will become more tart and sour.

Overall I give this Whisky: 88/100 WhiskyYoda points

here are some more detailed bottle information:

Brand	Fettercairn	Cask/Batch#	n/a
Series	Standard Bottling	Vintage	n/a
Region	Scotland / Highlands	Bottled	2020
Bottler	Distillery Bottling	Age	23yo
Type	Single Malt	Non-Cillfiltered	yes
Casks	Bourbon & Cognac	Natural color	yes
ABV	48.5%	Whiskybase ID:	170715

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

Appearance:
Color: Dark copper. Quite oily as the streaks on the glass flow down at medium to slow speed.

Nose: 88/100 points
Lots of dark fruits, chocolate, oak, raisins, some plums, some orange peels, some citrus fruits, the alcohol is excellently integrated. Quite complex for it’s age.

Taste: 88/100 points
very intense fruity sherry aromas, raisins, orange peel, spicy oak, dried fruits, somewhat creamy. Here too, the alcohol is perfectly integrated. Later it becomes a little oily and a very slight bitter note emerges.

Finish: 88/100 points
wonderful finish.
Here it is a little bitterer than on the palate but not unpleasant.

Conclusion:
Very nice Whisky. But it need plenty of time to release its flavors. You really need to give it that time and you won’t be disappointed. I suggest now to let it rest even for one hour. Also a few drops of water will help to open it up a bit more.

Overall I give this Whisky: 88/100 WhiskyYoda points

here are some more detailed bottle information:

Brand	Glenturret	Cask/Batch#	542
Series	Connoisseurs Choice – Cask Strength	Vintage	2006
Region	Scotland / Highlands	Bottled	2021
Bottler	Gordon & MacPhail (GM)	Age	14yo
Type	Single Malt	Non-Cillfiltered	yes
Casks	Refill Sherry Butt	Natural color	yes
ABV	56.3%	Whiskybase ID:	191751