Richly textured -- almost chewy -- with toffee, molasses, nougat, date, candy corn, ripe clementine, and raisin, peppered with dusty grain, cocoa powder, moss, Play-Doh, subtle mint, and herbs. Not as crisp or clean on the palate as the Wild Turkey American Spirit 15 year old, released a couple years ago (which I rated a 94), but it is still very good and rather therapeutic in nature. It makes for a nice digestif. This is a different style of Wild Turkey. There’s a good deal of wood influence. I suspect that some will like this a lot, while others might not warm up to it as much. It took a few encounters for me to embrace it.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

The fourth in the series of limited-edition bottlings, and one of the better ones. The impact on the whiskey of finishing in barrels made with staves that have been seasoned three to five years really is evident here. There’s plenty of wood spice, and I think it goes well with the sweet pot still characteristics. On the nose, the flavors are nicely intertwined. But on the palate, the sweeter notes (caramel, nutty toffee, fig, ripe berries, black cherry) appear first, with the dry, spicy notes (cinnamon, clove, cocoa powder, vanilla, polished leather, maduro tobacco) building to a firmly dry finish. Perhaps the dryness on the finish overstays its welcome more than I would like. But still, this is a solid effort -- and quite distinctive!

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

Caol Ila makes unpeated whisky for blenders, but it rarely gets bottled as a single malt. Here’s a very revealing opportunity to find out what Caol Ila tastes like without the smoke. Good viscosity and rather sweet, showing thick, honeyed vanilla, gobs of fruit (lemon drops, lime tart, ripe Bartlett pear, kiwi), mint jelly, and cut grass. Its sea influence finally emerges towards the finish with brine and just a hint of seaweed. Bruichladdich and Bunnahabhain are now bottling peated whiskies, and Caol Ila does just the opposite. This is an interesting diversion, but I am missing the added dimension of peat smoke in this Caol Ila.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

The first 10 year old release containing whisky produced entirely by the new owners. I love the interplay here between the malt, sherry, and smoke, with all getting a chance to shine. A rich vanilla-tinged malty foundation, deep caramel, rhum agricole, an array of lush fruit and dark chocolate, along with grassy/hay notes, honeysuckle, subtle spice (cinnamon, anise), and lingering earthy smoke. A vast improvement from the “Origins” release last year. I would only make three changes to make this whisky even better (and elevate it to 90+ status): a couple more years on oak, bottling at 46%, and not chill-filtering it. Still, this is one of the best efforts from this distillery. Well done!

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

Nice effort overall. My gut feeling is that this whiskey might have been better a couple years ago, but I wouldn’t call the second barrel impact excessive. It’s rich and smooth, with sweeter notes of caramel, rich vanilla, and subtle candied fruit, underpinned by firm spice (especially cinnamon) which kicks in on the finish. It comes across as very traditional bourbon, with perhaps a little extra oak impact on the back end. Price is per 375 ml.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

Matured in a bourbon cask. Cardhu has always been a pleasant, but uninspiring, whisky to me. This is one of the best Cardhu whiskies I’ve tasted -- richer and more distinctive. (At this price, it had better be!) It’s clean and tight, with orange, tangerine, lemon gumdrops, ginger, delicate honey, butterscotch, and vanilla, with a dusting of powdered sugar. Straightforward, pleasing finish. (252 bottles)  £250

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

Matured in a “rejuvenated European oak” cask. Balance: that’s what I like best about this whisky. It’s not as individualistic or distinctive as the others, but that’s how I always think of Glen Elgin, so no surprise here. This is a solid effort: fruity and flowery, with notes of tangerine, marmalade, caramel apple, ginger, cut grass, cinnamon, almond paste, and underlying vanilla, lingering in a satisfying finish. (534 bottles) £250

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

Matured in a sherry cask. Chock full of ripe fruit, but still quite feminine in personality. Firm malt foundation, almost buttery in texture, with juicy oak, maple syrup, raspberry (red and black), strawberry, and dates, peppered with gentle spice (cinnamon, ginger). While this is a very enjoyable whisky, I have tasted some excellent Linkwood bottlings, including the standard 12 year old from back in the early 1990s, that brandished less sherry, allowing more of Linkwood’s gentle nature to blossom. Still, the sherry influence here is pristine, and it gives as much as it masks. (430 bottles)£200

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

So nice to see this whisky available here in the U.S. again. A more mature, more sherried expression of the standard Royal Lochnagar. Rich, silky, and sweet, with molasses, nutty toffee, old demerara pot still rum, caramelized fig, marmalade, and juicy oak. More subtle notes of honeyed ginger, coffee grounds, and tobacco leaf add complexity. A soothing post-prandial dram.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

Thicker and fruitier than the entry level 10 year old, with greater mouthfeel and a drier finish. Orchard fruit (especially pear), kiwi, lime, and creamy vanilla, with suggestions of toasted coconut, hay, and marshmallow. Dry, gently spicy finish. A bit more involved than the 10 year old, but still with the same DNA. Very pleasant.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

Matured in a bourbon cask. Thick and creamy, with mouth-coating vanilla, ripe barley, toasted marshmallow, vanilla wafer, key lime pie, golden delicious apple, lemongrass, and hay. The vanilla sweetness lingers to the finish, mixing with dried herbs and hay. I was expecting more from a carefully chosen Mortlach, given its pedigree, but this is still nice. (240 bottles) £250

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

The second generation of The Spice Tree. (This new expression sports a much larger tree image on the front label.) While the first bottling used inner French oak staves to impart additional oak influence, this one uses French oak barrel heads. This new bottling is also bolder, displaying more oak -- there are more dried spice notes and it’s more viscous and clinging on the palate. (It’s also less elegant than the original bottling.) Notes of sticky toffee, vanilla fudge, bramble, and red currant give way to oak resin, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and subtle lemongrass. A tactile, somewhat resinous, polished leather finish wraps it up. A nice whisky, but I really enjoy the subtler, more elegant nature of the original bottling better.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

Dry, spicy, and leathery on the nose, with candied fruit and toffee. Similar on the palate, but the dryness takes a more demonstrable role, especially toward the finish -- leather, dried vanilla, warming cinnamon, and brittle mint, with some candied fruit, toffee, and molasses struggling to prop it all up. Bottom line here: this year’s offering has less of the richness, fullness, lush fruitiness, and sweetness that balanced all the dried spice and leather notes the past two years (I rated both a 94). Still a nice bourbon, but a slight setback for Eagle Rare 17 year old.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

The fourth release of peated Edradour whisky. This time it’s aged in oloroso sherry casks. There’s a lot going on in this whisky. Yeah, it’s still a little on the young side, but what it lacks in maturity is compensated by a dynamic youthful complexity. A distinctive whisky, with coal tar, damp kiln smoke, caramelized fruit, smoked almond, walnut, licorice stick, and maple-cured bacon. Youthful, sweet, smoky, lingering finish. I’m looking forward to future releases. (6,000 bottles released, but only 900 to the U.S.).

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

Big and smoky, but with a rich, balancing, malty underbelly. Tarry rope, leafy bonfire, rooty peat, burnt licorice, smoked seaweed, coal ash, and vanilla-tinged malt, all with emerging brine, subtle Spanish olive, and a hint of ginger. A robust, yet well-rounded, Islay-style whisky with a pleasing oily texture, though I do wish it had a higher strength for a little more attitude.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

Matured in a “rejuvenated American oak” cask. “ Tropical fruit” is the operative descriptor here. Bananas in cream, honey-kissed citrus (lime, clementine), papaya, mango, a hint of coconut, green tea, and gentle vanilla. Soft finish. Rather exotic. Almost tries too hard to be cool. Distinctive, but I could tire of it sooner than the others here. (246 bottles) £200

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

Youthful and fiery, oozing with testosterone. Toffee apple intoxicated with kiln-trapped peat smoke, charcoal ash, anise, honeyed malt, brine, peppered seaweed, kippers, and damp earth. Brisk and warming. Okay, this is a young, “in your face” Islay single malt. Young Islay whiskies show the true character of Islay (which I like), and this is a young one. Ideally, I’d like to see another five years, not chill-filtered, and bottled at 46% ABV, but there’s still a sort of “raw edge” attraction here.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)

Light (for a Speysider), floral, fresh, and elegant, showing honeyed vanilla and lively fruit, along with a hint of marshmallow and hay. Soft, dry finish. Pleasant, straightforward, and uncomplicated. A good clean introductory malt that’s easy to embrace.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2010)