Tasting Notes for New Duncan Taylor Bottlings

MAY 2010

Caol Ila 1984 Cask. 6270
Colour: Bright Gold
Nose: Basil, Strawberries, Industrial Harbour, Oily, Eucalyptus and Ginger
Taste: Ash comes through initially and very oily, celery, touch of salt and wet grass
Finish: Lingering grassy notes, green bananas and dry smoke
Comment: A Caol Ila for Koalas....... Lucky Koalas!

ROR Port Ellen 1983 27yo Cask 672 49.4%
Colour: Bright Gold
Nose: Sweet, gooseberries, oily, shortbread, custard, grassy, soft smoke
Taste: Light wet ash, hints of chlorine, olive oil, smoked cheese, waxy, slightly farmyard like
Finish: Quite creamy, touch medicinal with burnt wood and orange sherbet
Comment: A fresh Port Ellen with a fruity ashiness - cracking!

Rare Auld Caol Ila 1981 Cask 3491
Colour: Pale Amber
Nose: Very fruity, stewed apples, French fancies, lemon and toffee chews
Taste: Soft smoke, chilli oils, quite spicy, aniseed and basil
Finish: Lots of creamy notes, wham bars and oranges

Peerless Caperdonich 1968 41 Year Old 52.6% Cask 2595
Colour: Amber
Nose: Rich toffee apples, cinnamon, spiced oak, cherries, blackberries, strawberry milkshake and orange flavoured jelly
Taste: Sweet, spice, brown sugar, treacle, red fruits, pomegranate and vanilla
Finish: Pickles and spices, cardamom and strawberries
Comment: A spicy Caperdonich!

Rare Auld Dallas Dhu 1981 29 Year Old 53% Cask 388
Colour: Straw
Nose: Lemon sherbet, milk chews, strawberry plants, lemon thyme
Taste: Syrupy, dry, vanilla, courgettes in butter, fennel and oranges
Finish: Soft, grassy and refreshing
Comment: A refreshing summer dram

Glen Moray 1971 Cask 7032
Colour: Bronze
Nose: Caramel, shortbread, raisins, quite rum like?
Taste: Touch of fresh oak, warm spices, lime caramel. fruit gums
Finish: Soft oakinesss and sweet rum.
Comment: Outstanding whisky!!
 
Tomatin 1976 Cask 6816
Colour: Warm Gold
Nose: Chocolate, Toffee, Pencil shavings, creamy
Taste: Rich, Cinnamon, red fruits, white pepper, taste of spices, black cherries
Finish: Lingering cherries, all spice and toffee
Comment: Cracking Dram!!

APRIL 2010

Rare Auld Glen Moray 1983 26yo 55.9% Cask 3203
Colour: Warm Gold    
Nose: Icing Sugar, lemon bon bons, pears, cooking apples and lily’s           
Taste: Vanilla custard, orange peel, reed grass, sherbet, milky bars and honey      
Finish: Soft delicate crème Brule with a hint of spice 
Comment: Beautifully creamy and fruity! – Stunning!

Rare Auld Glen Scotia 1991 18yo 57.6% Cask 71375
Colour: Straw
Nose: Sweet, lots of vanilla, a trace of smoke, creamy medicinal notes and quite herbal, warm grass and mint
Taste: Malty, touch oily, more grassiness develops, dry spice and lemon
Finish: Finish long, citrus notes, creaminess develops with distant medicinal notes
Comment: A clean cut Glen Scotia – refreshing and coastal.

Rare Auld Glen Moray 1973 36yo 53.1% Cask 7037
Colour:  Russet
Nose:  Lots of sweet toffee, raisins, rum like notes, milk chocolate, nougat and bourbon biscuits.
Taste:  Warming, rich toffee, cherries, quite creamy, melted chocolate, tangerines and a touch nutty.
Finish:  Thick and lingering, lots of treacle toffee and some spiced fruits.
Comment:  A big Glen Moray – An excellent example of how good this whisky can be!

Rare Auld Carsebridge 1979 30yo 48.8% Cask 33043
Colour:  Golden
Nose: Rich, warm toffee, vanilla builds up and also a touch of spice.
Taste:  Oily, very chewy.  Digestive biscuits with melted butter.  Marzipan and  green olives.
Finish:  Initial toffee notes fade, then grassier notes emerge.  Ends with lingering plums.
Comment:  The plums in the finish just hold everything together nicely.  A great grain whisky.

Rare Auld Glenlivet 1987 22yo 56.1% Cask 43134
Colour: Warm Gold
Nose: Fudge, cinnamon, pork chops, green tea and honey
Taste: Syrupy, lots of toffee, stewed apples, barley sugars and mixed peel
Finish: Trace of oak, nutmeg, fennel and madeira cake
Comment: A multi personality Glenlivet!

Rare Auld Glen Moray 1988 21yo 57.1% Cask 6978
Colour: Gold 
Nose: Sweet, custard, gooseberries, sour aplle sweets, white pepper, lime marmalade 
Taste: Custard creams, lemony, fresh mown grass, geraniums and mint
Finish: Soft, lemon sherbet, ferns and white chocolate
Comments: Lemon Fresh!  Bring on Spring!

MARCH 2010

Rare Auld Caperdonich 1972 37yo Cask 7416
Colour: Bronze
Nose: Dry oak, dried oranges, melon and a hint of cinnamon
Taste: Rich, brown bread, nutty, cherries
Finish: Soft distant sweet, smoke and lots of dried oranges
Comment: Exceedingly good!

Rare Auld Caperdonich 1972 37yo Cask 7414
Colour: Amber
Nose: Toffee, warm bananas, stewed apples and a hint of rhubarb
Taste: Sweet wood, cinnamon, touch of lemon bon bons and then red fruits
Finish: Soft, traces of smoke and waxy oranges
Comment: Waxy fruity Caperdonich

Laphroaig 1997 54.7% Cask 56363
Colour: Pale Straw
Nose: Unmistakably Laphroaig, creamy and medicinal.  Touch of creosote and some hay notes.  Some bananas emerge.
Taste: Really ashy!  Lots of dry smoke.  iodine medicinal, olive oil and grassy.
Finish: Lots of dry ash, white chocolate, burnt wood and figs
Comment: Wow - A big dram!

Glenlivet 1987 Cask 47134
Colour: Warm Gold
Nose: Very minty, runny toffee, celery, nettles and flint!
Taste: Heavier than nose suggests, dry maltiness, slightly creamy and some meatier notes - Parma ham and sour strawberries.
Finish: Fresh, green apples and a touch more mint.

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FEBRUARY

Port Dundas 1973 RA c128318 54.1%
Colour: Gold
Nose: Fresh oak, vanilla, cinnamon spice, butter fudge
Palate: Chewy with oak and spice
Finish: Creamy vanilla, lasting

Glenlivet 1970 RA c2017 50.9%
Colour: Antique Gold
Nose: Initial zest and brown sugar, then green apples, pears, underlying leather
Palate: Fresh cream, marshmallows, green fruits, slight spiciness
Finish: Creamy, digestive biscuits, medium/dry

Macallan 1991 RA c9714 55.3%
Colour: Warm Gold
Nose: Sherry, Mississippi mud pie, cereal notes – biscuit,
Palate: slight smoke, creamy sherry, chocolate orange
Finish: mouthcoating, malty, oat flapjack

Royal Lochnagar 1986 RA c949 54.5%
Colour: Pale Gold
Nose: slight smoke, aromatic spices, mild cappuccino, cedar wood
Palate: Citrus, slight smoke, touch of melon, pear, grassy
Finish: dry, citrus, lightly spiced oak, medium length,

Glenesk 1983 RA c1288 56.4%
Colour: Amber
Nose: Sherry spice, sandalwood, orange zest, caramelised brown sugar, burnt oak
Palate:  Predominantly sherry with dark chocolate, dark fruits, cherries, slightly leathery
Finish: Smokey, burnt wood

Ben Nevis 1995 NC2 Rum cask 46%
Colour: Pale Straw
Nose: Fruit salad – mangos, pineapple, melon, lemon. Crispy wafer, slightly salty
Palate: closed to begin with, heathery, buttered toast, pineapple
Finish: short to medium length, spicy

Port Ellen 1983 54.6% 26yo Cask 674                                                                                 
Colour: Polished Mahogany,
Nose: Sweet, dry smoke, smoked cheese, sandalwood.  Black cherries, a little creamy – antiseptic cream and pepper.
Taste:  Initial hit of ash, then big blood orange notes.  Marzipan, dry smokiness.  Cocoa, raisins, figs and a soft creaminess.
Finish: Long lingering dry smokiness, giving way to big rich red fruits, white pepper and wet ash.
Comment:  Like eating fruit in a Sauna!  An exceptional whisky!

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Rare Auld, Bowmore 1982, 26yo
Cask# 85031
Alc/vol 52.10
Colour: Bright Gold
Nose: Coastal flavours becoming more ashy. A touch medicinal and a hint
of orange zest.
Flavour: Dry, burnt driftwood! Lots of sweeter notes, gooseberries and kiwi fruits.
Finish: Long, really dries the front of the mouth but becomes a juicy fruit middle.
Comments: More please!

Rare Auld, Highland Park 1986, 22yo
Cask# 2254
Alc/vol 55.70
Colour: Straw
Nose: A hint of strawberries and balsamic vinegar, salt and some lighter grassy and coconut notes.
Flavour: Orange rind, dry ash and a touch of cinnamon and cloves.
Finish: Drying and a little grassy before an ashy note builds up.
Comments An excellent wee dram.

Rare Auld, Macallan 1990, 18yo
Cask# 18222
Alc/vol 54.10
Colour: Warm Gold
Nose: Syrupy, warming, caramel and a hint of mint.
Flavour: Some brown sugar and sweet creamy notes. More toffee notes emerge and a touch of marzipan.
Finish: Lingering creamy toffee.
Comments: A highland toffee dram.

NC2, Springbank 1996, 12yo
Cask# 541
Alc/vol 46.00
Colour: Gold
Nose: Coconut, citrusy with nice coastalness and nice seet toffee notes
Flavour: Nice soft smokey, beautifully rounded, lime cordial with hint of mint
Finish: chewy and long lasting with juicy fruits and touch of oak
Comments: The most stunning yet?!?!

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DECEMBER/JANUARY

Lonach, Caperdonich 1969, 39yo
Cask# Na
Alc/vol 42.20
Colour: Warm Gold
Nose: Lime juice, green apple skins, and coconut milk and lemon grass. And fresh cut lawns
Flavour: Touch of orange zest, mild spices, cinnamon and cloves and cream.
Finish: Lingering sherbet notes, with more lemon grass and hints of pears
Comments: Caperdonich at its very best.

Rare Auld, Bowmore 1982, 26yo
Cask# 85032
Alc/vol 53.70
Colour: Rich Gold
Nose: Germoline, vanilla and a trace of smoke. Pine and almonds
Flavour: Milky chews, floral notes and also slightly herbal - sage and violets.
Finish: Soft smokiness builds after a waxy orange note fades
Comments: A multifaceted Bowmore - an alternatively bloody good Bowmore

Rare Auld, Carsebridge 1979, 29yo
Cask# 33033
Alc/vol 54.90
Colour: Amber
Nose: Honey and lemongrass with lashings of toffee and melted marshmallows!
Flavour: Big spicy vanilla notes mingling with fresh citrus fruits (clementines?) with a dollop of fresh cream
Finish: Incredibly balanced. Long and sweet with creamy oak
Comments: Will give lots of pleasure guaranteed!

Rare Auld, Bunnahabhain 1970, 38yo
Cask# 4075
Alc/vol 40.20
Colour: Golden Syrup
Nose: Soft sweet peaches, cream, kiwi fruits and lychees. Also a touch of honeycomb
Flavour: Soft tropical fruits, a hint of pencil sharpenings and peach melba yoghurt
Finish: Soft hint of smoke breaks through delicate tropical fruits
Comments: Mellowed to perfection. Do not miss this dram

Rare Auld, Caperdonich 1972, 36yo
Cask# 7419
Alc/vol 54.40
Colour: Mid amber
Nose: Rich toffee notes, gingerbread and sherry tones perfectly balanced with sweet fruits and apple fritters!
Flavour: Fresh spearmint then a burst of sweet fruits and some spicy ginger notes
Finish: Lush, becoming slightly dry at the end with hint of oak
Comments: Another stunner from possibly Speyside's best kept secret!

Rare Auld, Macduff 1969, 39yo
Cask# 3669
Alc/vol 46.90
Colour: Golden
Nose: Mixed tinned fruits, predominantly peaches and pineapple
Flavour: Coffee gateaux with lashings of cream, drizzled with the tinned fruits
Finish: Mouth filling but the maturity means it is subtle and lingering
Comments: Better than dessert and half the calories.

Rarest of the Rare, Glen Mhor 1975, 32yo
Cask# 4041
Alc/vol 40.60
Colour: Full Gold
Nose: Soft, sweet and packed with juicy over-ripe pears and banana. Very mellow
Flavour: Light and gentle, more fruits, pear again, sultana notes and mild oak spice
Finish: Warming with gentle oak
Comments: Lovely without water

Rarest of the Rare, Mosstowie 1975, 33yo
Cask# 5817
Alc/vol 47.40
Colour: Pale Gold
Nose: Intensely fruity and estery. Bubblegum, nail polish remover, rosy red apples-macintosh reds. Very sweet
Flavour: Very sweet like a candy store. Toffee apples, bruised apples, turning peppery. Traces of toasted oak and smoke. Quite Oily
Finish: Lingering spice and charred oak
Comments: Excellent balance of flavours.

Rare Auld, Macallan 1990, 18yo
Cask# 18221
Alc/vol 55.40
Colour: Deep Copper
Nose: Fresh peaches and clotted cream, cantaloupe melon and stewed apples also creamy and biscuity
Flavour: Apple crumble, with melting vanilla ice cream, apple fritters drizzled with syrup and cream, delightful soft mouthfeel
Finish: Medium, smooth creamy, luscious dram
Comments: Absolutely delicious!

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NOVEMBER

Rarest of the Rare, North Port sherry 1981, 27yo
Cask# 779
Alc/vol 56.40
Colour: Warm Gold
Nose: Black cherries, a hint of chocolate becoming more cereal like (a barley loft) with a touch of mint
Flavour: Warming cinnamon, a touch of wood smoke and toffee. A slight medicinal note emerges along with antique furniture
Finish: Touch of bubblegum along with warming spices and a distant hint of creosote
Comments: A big chewy dram!

Rare Auld, Caol Ila 1982, 26yo
Cask# 2736
Alc/vol 55.40
Colour: Bright Gold
Nose: Sweet, creamy and citrusy. Also lots of medicinal notes (clean hospital corridors!) along with blueberry muffins
Flavour: The medicinal note hits you first! Medium smokiness with a little ashiness and then a creamy buttery note emerges
Finish: Big! Drying makes you want to drink more! Touch of pepper and antiseptic cream
Comments: Danger - highly drinkable! Medicine of the best kind!

Rare Auld, Glenesk sherry 1983, 24yo
Cask# 4930
Alc/vol 52.10
Colour: Tawny
Nose: Sherry and chocolate with rich red fruits
Flavour: Spicy and warm. The sherry is gentle and not overpowering. Nice slight smokiness and dried fruits
Finish: Drying and the fruitiness drifts away nicely - very pleasant
Comments: A good balanced dram!

Rare Auld, Highland Park 1987, 21yo
Cask# 1529
Alc/vol 50.40
Colour: Straw
Nose: Icing sugar, vanilla and pears with a hint of kiwi fruit
Flavour: Dry creaminess but also some fruits emerge - clementines and a touch of dry hay
Finish: A little bread like with a distant coastal note and hints of orange oil
Comments: A real grower an HP that gets better and better with time

Rare Auld, Imperial 1990, 18yo
Cask# 443
Alc/vol 54.70
Colour: Full gold
Nose: Full gold Intensely sweet & fruity. Barley sugar, bananas & pears. Earthy oak spice, sweet vanilla & creamy caramel. Some floral notes develop too.
Flavour: Sweet & fruity with bags of creamy vanilla & custard. Lots of tropical fruit notes, nutmeg & ginger
Finish: Sweet with a mild spicy white pepper kick
Comments: A fruity dram with a kick!

NC2, Bowmore 1998, 10yo
Cask# Na
Alc/vol 46.00
Colour: Yellow Gold
Nose: Sweet toffee initially, followed by floral, perfumed aromas. Some mild bonfire smoke lingers in the background
Flavour: Sweet and chewy, dried figs, dates and touch of treacle. Smoke takes over with floral edges
Finish: Long, Smoky & sweet
Comments: A beautiful young Bowmore

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OCTOBER

Rarest of the Rare, Inverleven 1979, 28yo
Cask# 5666
Alc/vol 56.20
Colour: Deep copper
Nose: Oily, peaches & cream. Red fruits also develop
Flavour: Baked/stewed fruit, dark chocolate and oily
Finish: Mouthcoating, oily and creamy
Comments: An oily, fruity dram!

Rarest of the Rare, Glencraig 1974, 34yo
Cask# 2929
Alc/vol 40.80
Colour: Amber
Nose: Smells of being in an orchard - fruity, creamy and slightly waxy
Flavour: Apples, creamy, slightly zesty and rich
Finish: Oily, delicate and fruity
Comments: A delicious dram

Rarest of the Rare, Pittyvaich 1979, 29yo
Cask# 5640
Alc/vol 50.20
Colour: Gold
Nose: Rich, toffee syrupy and marshmallows
Flavour: Toffee, warming, lots of red fruits and touch of sherbet
Finish: The sherbet note leave a tingling on the tongue
Comments: A zingy fruit pudding!

NC2, Tomatin 1994, 14yo
Cask# Na
Alc/vol 46.00
Colour: Pale straw
Nose: Malty and grassy with a touch of mint
Flavour: Creamy, pears and lime with growing vanilla notes
Finish: Apple skins and mint chews
Comments: A mid morning whisky!

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SEPTEMBER

Glorious 40s, Invergordon 1965, 42yo
Cask# 15519
Alc/vol 51.60
Colour: Burnished
Nose: Clementines dominate then come custard creams and rich vanilla
Flavour: Fruits galore, sweet oranges. A touch of nutmeg, light spices with creaminess coming through strongly
Finish: Long finish, with orange oil and creamy butterscotch
Comments: Very fresh with bags of character to discover. Quality!

Rare Auld, Bowmore 1982, 25yo
Cask# 85030
Alc/vol 50.10
Colour: Golden
Nose: Earthy, creamy with gentle smoke
Flavour: Creamy, touch of lemon zest and gentle peat with sweet bubble gum notes
Finish: Smoky ashy notes, creamy
Comments: A classy fruity, smoky dram!

Rare Auld, Dallas Dhu 1981, 27yo
Cask# 389
Alc/vol 55.10
Colour: Gold
Nose: Creamy vanilla mingling with lemon sherbet and sweet fruits
Flavour: Quite tropical fruits, zesty, light smoke with light spicy notes
Finish: Great fruity finish, touch of peat & light dry oak also
Comments: We have a new favourite!

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