Facts

Glen Elgin 1997 (Gordon & MacPhail ‘Connoisseurs Choice’)

Nose

Light and fresh with a complex fruitiness. Lots of tropical fruits like pineapples, mangoes, coconuts and figs, balanced by a rich, sweet maltiness. Vanilla parfait. Hints of oranges, dates with honey, heather and sandalwood.

Taste

Sweet, soft and full-bodied with a zesty freshness. Sweet citrus fruits, tropical fruits and wine gums accompanied by sweet spices. Followed by marshmallows, dark chocolate and herbal tea.

Finish

Long with a slight dryness. Fruits, cinnamon, fennel tea and a bit of heather.

Overall

A very fruity and elegant summer-like dram. Highly recommended – especially if you have a sweet tooth!

Score: 88 / 100

As the name already suggests, this is a range of high strength expressions, all bottled at natural cask strength and without chill filtering.

Facts

Bruichladdich 1991 (Gordon & MacPhail ‘Cask Strength’)

Nose

Fine, fresh and fruity – unexpected but I will take it. A nice combination between vanilla beans dipped in white honey, pineapple candies and all sorts of citrus aromas like lemon zest and freshly pressed lemon juice. Menthol and some floral hints in the background.

Taste

Sweet and relatively smooth. Tropical fruits, peppercorns and a good amount of oak, followed by mint chocolate and bitter nougat.

Finish

Medium and warming. Dry oak, pineapple covered in dark chocolate and a hint of anise.

Overall

Fruity, fresh and pretty straightforward – a rather nice everyday dram.

Score: 82 / 100

This Caol Ila 2001 is part of Gordon & MacPhail’s ‘Private Collection’,

a range of single malt whiskies personally selected by the Directors of Gordon & MacPhail. Each is of exceptional age and rarity, and of outstanding character and quality.

Now, I don’t think that 13 years are “exceptional” old for any single malt, but I don’t want to spill the beans. What makes this single malt so special is its 18 month long finish in casks Hermitage wine casks. Hermitage is a wine appellation in the northern Rhone valley in France and is famous for its red wine made from the Syrah grape.

Facts

Caol Ila 2001 Hermitage Wood Finish (Gordon & MacPhail ‘Private Collection’)

Nose

Pleasant and quite strong aroma of smoked ham, accompanied by delicate peat smoke and a fine summer-like sweetness. Followed by dark cherries, strawberries and red berries. Overall not as winery as expected which is not a bad thing in my books. Hints of iodine in the back.

Taste

Unexpectedly strong given the 45%. A very delightful, sweet peat smoke balanced by toffee, strawberries and raspberries. Hints of oak and rose pepper.

Finish

Long. Again sweet smoke. Red berries covered in dark chocolate.

Overall

A pretty superb dram! The wine finish plays more of a support role which I really like. A wonderful combination between smoke and a summer-like sweetness of red fruits.

Score: 90 / 100

The Scapa 2001 was distilled at a time when the distillery was run by the staff from Highland Park, albeit only a few weeks per year. Funny enough, there has been available an official 14 year old between 2004 and 2008, which was then replaced by a 16 year old, which is in turn now replaced by a new 14 year old.

Gordon & MacPhail’s bottling series Distillery Labels stems from the time when they released more or less official bottlings for several distilleries.

Facts

Scapa 2001 (Gordon & MacPhail ‘Distillery Labels’)

Nose

Rather light and fruity. Green apples and green pears. Honeydew. Vanilla toffee. Developing hints of cold coal smoke in the back.

Taste

Creamy and sweet. Tropical fruits followed by pink grapefruits. Then some chili pepper kicks in. A trace of ash.

Finish

Long and creamy. Again pretty spicy. Mangoes and papayas. Cigar ash.

Overall

Pleasant and easy to sip. A nice mix of sweetness, fruitiness and chili spiciness on the palate.

Score: 86 / 100

Sample provided by whic.de