8 Manager's Dram OB bottled 1989-1995 15-19 yr 60-66% H2H

[lincoln imp]

The clear winner here was the Aberfeldy 1991 which was in a class of its own, sorting out 2nd place was very difficult but on the second tasting I gave the nod to the Glendullan with the Glen Elgin a close 3rd.
What is clear here is that there is an emphasis on peat & pepper in most of these bottlings.
My palate is smashed , the high abv made for an interesting H2H,

Tasting Order
1 – Aberfeldy
2 – Cardhu
3 – Craganmore
4 – Glendullan
5 – Glen Elgin
6 – Glen Ord (Ord)
7- Oban 16 year 200th Anniversary
8 – Oban 19 year

Result
1 – Aberfeldy bottled 1991 19 year 61.3% - 93p
2 – Glendullan bottled 1989 18 year 64% -91p
3 – Glen Elgin bottled 1993 16 year 60% -90p
4 – Oban bottled 1994 16 year 64%, 200th Anniversary -90p
5 – Glen Ord bottled 1991 16 year 66.2% -89p
6 – Oban bottled 1995 19 year 59.8% -88p
7 – Cardhu bottled 1989 15 year 63% -85p
8 – Cragganmore bottled 1992 17 year 62% -84p


All whisky was tasted with 3-4 small drops of water form a pipette

Tasting notes

Aberfeldy
Superb balance and taste, a massive whisky and the best Aberfeldy I have tasted.
• Nose
94 94
Sweet syrup and sweet sugary coffee notes, stewed prunes, apples & dark plumbs mixed with date slices. plus dark chocolate and the faintest hints of orange liqueur.
A refined and elegant nose, just what I like in a whisky
• Taste
94 94
Mouth coating, thick with loads of spices and pepper with honey, milk chocolate and chocolate/caramel waffles.
This is almost like a fine old brandy but has much more punch, the sherry really does compliment the peat/pepper and the sweetness of the stewed fruit that the nose hinted at,
Great balance on show here
• Finish
93 93
The spice & peat just keep growing, the sweetness is in the background.
Long and lip smacking, excellent

Cardhu
This is a decent whisky but it is a little too sweet and a little too spirit driven.
This reminds me of some St Magdalene I have tried, more like a lowlander on steroids than an out & out Speysider.
• Nose
84 84
It actually smells like a high ABV whisky and there is white wine, vanilla and a definite malty smell on first nosing.
There is a smell of wood polish mixed with varnished wood.
White fruits of apple & pear but for me it lacks depth.
• Taste
85 85
Sweet, very sweet on apple and vanilla ice cream with some buttercream and wafer notes. There is some white pepper spice and the taste you get sometimes with soda water.
I think there is a little lemon in the mix but this is too spirit driven for me , I am not sure that the cask has had too much integration?
• Finish
87 87
The spices (mainly pepper increase but the sweetness doe too and the finish is long and the best part for me.


Cragganmore
The alcohol strength has killed the flavours on show here.
An average score of almost 92 points is fanciful for this one, it is pretty average in my view.
• Nose
87 87
Smells like green apple skins mixed in with a little lime at first.
Biscuit, mixed with gooseberry , yes this smells like a gooseberry crunch , if you have never had it, try it because its lovely.
Some cream notes emerge and faint breakfast marmalade notes.
• Taste
83 83
No, is my first though and by that I mean not as good as the nose hinted at.
This is quite drying in the mouth at first, it does improve but the alcohol is so strong it is stripping the surface of my tongue off.
Plenty of white fruits emerge like apple & pear but the alcohol strength overcomes the flavour and that basically is what you notice so it lacks any sort of balance or cohesion.
• Finish
83 83
The finish gets a little creamy but I had lost interest by now
Glendullan

This is much better than I was expecting, the power is awesome, the only other whisky with this sort of power I have tried are 1972 Brora's, believe me that is a compliment.
The more older Glendullans I have the more I like the distillery which is really underrated in my view.
• Nose
90 90
Apple strudel mixed with brandy springs to mind here, I like it.
Rum & raisin ice cream, double cream, caramel slices, spices of various descriptions.
The sherry is coming through so is sticky toffee pudding.
Nice nose.
• Taste
91 91
Creamy mouthfeel and the power is telling, my tongue has gone numb.
Nice sweetness, some peat and an atomic bomb size pepper bomb but the overall effect is really good.
There is a little fudge, dark moist sponge cake, the sherry is equally weighted with the peat.
If it was a little sweeter it would get over 90
• Finish
91 91
Calms down a little , or so I thought but then another ground assault of pepper lashed over your tongue
Great stuff

Glen Elgin
This is a whisky for big boys and girls, it tales no prisoners but the sum of the parts add up to a really entertaining experience.
• Nose
91 91
Rich sherry, rich fruit cake, the very best toffee & fudge and then stewed plum, date and blueberry.
Very good with a little black currant coming through and more fudge of the rum & raisin variety, finally some coffee notes are coming through.
• Taste
90 90
Silky smooth at first but then bang, the peat & pepper smash into your tongue like an anaesthetic numbing it, now a little bitterness creeps in and it is also a little drying with spoil things a little, just a little mind.
With a little time in the glass you get to taste some of the nice fruit flavours, hints of orange, mango and red pears but the pepper is always lurking acting as a counterbalance.
I really like the mouthfeel but there is just a little too much pepper for me but the overall experience is really good.
• Finish
90 90
The finish is long & peppery with some peat keeping the fruit at bay
Glen Ord
If you try this H2H like I am with anything else, for Gods sake taste this one last, it has monster power in it, make no mistake.
• Nose
88 88
This is quite tame compared to some of the other MD bottles I have just tasted.
What you immediately notice is big cereal note, almost like an aged grain whisky.
Pear & apple are the dominant fruits but then some green plumb emerges, the overall effect is a light whisky but this is 66.2% maybe my nose is numb?
With time in the glass more apple emerges.
• Taste
89 89
Full on peat and pepper and my tongue is almost hanging off, that is some power and the nose never even gave the merest hint of it.
Peat , white pepper, cream, cake and biscuit probably sums this one up.
The fruit is held back by the brutal peat, which puts it all out of balance.
Not sure if its the high abv or the amount of peat but it swamps everything else and there really is little balance on show here.
This is brutal Stuff, but its an experience that is worth trying, and I liked it
• Finish
89 89
The finish is shorter than I was expecting, a little more apple manages to break through the spice and peat
Oban 16 200th Anniversry

Tasted with a few drops of water.
Good balance on show here, just needed another ingredient for lift off over 90 points
• Nose
91 91
Rich sherry, rich fruit cake, spices, faint hint of cinnamon, very faint hint of turpentine (not in a bad way).
More sherry emerges, faint ginger, ice cream wafers, orange, dark honey.
Very nice.
• Taste
90 90
Vey spicy, very peaty, very peppery with a little fudge and a little dark treacle tart.
Gets very creamy and the sherry mixes with the peat & pepper combo really well, quite equal, good balance on show here.
A mix of orange, fudge and dark honey mixed with spices.
• Finish
90 90
Good length, with a little more sweetness coming through at the end.

Oban 19 year

This is quite refreshing and wakes your palate up, good whisky
• Nose
88 88
Hints of lime, dry hay, cereal, salted butter and green apples.
Some cream note emerge mixing with the apple
• Taste
88 88
This has plenty of apple, lime and green grape on the palate with a healthy dose of peat mixed with a little white wine and faint white pepper
Quite refreshing on the palate this one, livens your taste buds so to speak but there is a dry angle which knocks it a few points unfortunately
• Finish
89 89
The length is good and the cereal and lime notes persist with green apple skins

[Grant M]

Quite a line up to have in the one sitting, I am sure your palate was shot in the end at these strengths, the Glen Elgin sounds good to me.

[lincoln imp]