Quite fresh and appetizing for a 35 year old whisky, but not too surprising for a Springbank. Notes of creamy vanilla, burnt caramel, coconut custard, brine, and a hint of anise. Complex, vibrant, and well-balanced. Reminds me why I love those old Springers. Devotees will not be disappointed. A stunning whisky! (Exclusive to Astor Wines and Spirits.)

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

Aged in French oak chardonnay barrels for eight years after six years in new charred oak. Notes of vanilla, crème brûlée, butterscotch, toasted coconut, bright fruit, and polished oak. Clean, gently sweet finish. The chardonnay oak aging adds a new dimension without dominating. A distinctive, stylish whisky with excellent balance.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

An impressive single cask bottling of Glenfiddich. It really shows the natural potential of this distillery. Nothing fancy here, just the pure elegance of Glenfiddich. Notes of shortbread, demerara sugar, and white chocolate, spiced with toasted nuts, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Very clean and polished.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

Deep amber, mahogany color. Very mature and well-balanced. Notes of maple syrup on pancakes, roasted chestnuts, dates, pot still rum, burnished leather, maduro tobacco, and subtle Moroccan spice. Soft, stately finish. Older whiskies often show an exotic side to their personalities as they mellow out with age, especially if the wood influence doesn’t dominate. This is a very nice example of the genre.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

This is a five year old expression of the more highly peated Bruichladdich whisky being referred to as Port Charlotte (named after the now-silent distillery down the road from Bruichladdich). More highly peated indeed. If you like your smoky Islay whiskies young and masculine, this one is for you. It’s like sticking your head in a peat-fired kiln. But there’s more to this whisky than massive smoke. There are underlying notes of kippers, soot, and tar. With further investigation, there are spice notes of black pepper and black licorice stick. What really makes this whisky multi-dimensional and balanced is its sweet underbelly of thick toffee, jammy fruit, and almond butter. Youthful, but not immature.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

One of the leading bourbon-specialty bars in the U.S., located in Chicago, finally has its own single barrel bourbon. The flavors are nicely balanced, and there’s a soothing, creamy texture throughout the palate. Sweet notes of coconut cream, vanilla fudge, and honeycomb are enhanced by a complex array of more delicate notes of spearmint, green tea, golden raisin, dusty corn, cocoa, and oak resin. This time, “13” is a lucky number.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

Very fragrant on the nose, and thick on the palate. The flavors are chock full of thick chewy toffee, chocolate fudge, roasted nuts, burnt raisin, black currant, and spiced oak. There’s a hint of salt and Earl Grey tea on the finish. Very dynamic.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

Soothing vanilla cream, with additional notes of spice cake, coconut marshmallow, tiramisu, fresh cut grass, and a hint of evergreen. A true "comfort" whisky. Just don’t add any water, because it will fall flat. This whisky is great just the way it is.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

Very powerful and quite different from the 10 year old, 46% bottling reviewed below; this tastes as if it is taken entirely from bourbon oak-aged Springbank. There’s fresh brine, creamy vanilla, honey, and coconut throughout, and it lacks the waxed fruit nature of its sibling. Mouthcoating in texture, with a long appetizing briny finish. Very clean -- and quite polished too, for such a powerful whisky. My choice of the three.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

Honey, creamy vanilla, caramel, sultana, and toasted almond along with a hint of lemon gum drops and banana. Quite floral, too -- lavender, heather -- with a gentle, lingering finish. A very soothing, mouth-coating whisky with excellent balance, while still quite fresh. Indeed, a very more-ish whisky -- and sneaky in how it grows on you with each sip.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

Leafy bonfire smoke, damp kiln, tar, anise, dark chocolate, and a hint of clove. All this is balanced by an underlying malty foundation and a kiss of honey, vanilla, and tropical fruit. Nice to see single cask, cask strength bottlings of peated BenRiach. (Exclusive to The Party Source)

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

The only sherry cask-aged Rarest of the Rare whisky reviewed here. Rich thick cut marmalade, combined with chewy toffee, sultana, and nuts. The oak adds spice, balance, and complexity. This isn’t a one-trick (sherry) pony. There’s a lot going on here. Spicy, resinous finish. One of the best Glenugies I have tasted.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

Powerful, mature, and nicely rounded. Similar in some ways to the Springer 10 year old 46% reviewed below, with the addition of toasted coconut and caramel. It’s also more rounded and with greater depth.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

Thick barley and viscous, with ever-present brine and berried fruit throughout. Underlying notes of waxy fruit (no doubt from some sherry cask aging), clementine, pineapple, and black licorice emerge, followed by the brine kicking in again towards the finish. The most rambunctious of the three.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

A peated version of Benriach that was also finished in a port pipe. There is a really nice blend of flavors here; a sweet malty foundation layered with ripe red fruit notes (raspberry, strawberry preserve, currant) and a firm blanket of smoke that goes on and on. All the flavors are bold, but they’re equally balanced. Not a subtle whisky but quite entertaining. (Binny’s Beverage Depot exclusive)

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

Very thick in texture and mouthcoating -- almost chewy -- with ripe barley, shortbread cookies, and honey up front. Dried vanilla, violet, cinnamon, and bright fruit notes emerge mid-palate. The dried spices and moderate oak tannins linger on the finish, contrasting the whisky’s rich, sweet entry. If this whisky were a road, there would be a lot of hills.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

Thick and very tactile. Malty, with good heft. Notes of vanilla, honey, biscuit, and caramel custard. A soothing, comforting whisky. On the surface, not very complex, but very satisfying nonetheless.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)

One of a series of single cask, wine-finished Caol Ilas. This one is finished in a claret (Bordeaux) wine cask. The claret adds some bright red fruit notes (raspberry, red currant) and red licorice to accompany the smoke, brine, olive, and vanilla-laced malt. I have tasted some claret/Bordeaux wood-finished whiskies where the wine was too dominant, but this one achieves a nice balance.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Fall 2007)