Whisky Fun, a seasoned blogger with an impressive repertoire of over 20,000 whisky tasting notes on his website. Self-described as a "Malt Maniac," Whisky Fun possesses an unparalleled expertise and passion for whisky that has captured the hearts of connoisseurs worldwide.
Simply put he knows whisky, and here is what he thinks about ours.
DEANSTON 1996 - SGP:452 - 89 points
"This is a new line, filled in rather lovely art-déco bottles. It should be Deanston totally al natural, a style that doesn't quite seem to be in favour at the owners these days, inless I'm wrong once more. Colour: white wine. Nose: it seems that we're rather nosing riesling, at least for a while. Fresh white grapes, chalk and limestone, honeysuckle, grapefruit, tiny touch of petrol, even tinier hints of fennel and dill… I find this extremely intriguing and, well, appealing. In a way, you may get closer to great wine when not using wine casks. Whisky making can be very counterintuitive. Mouth: instant love for this peppery, then fattish and buttery (in a good way), then very fino-y malt whisky. Excellent zing, with lemons, chalk and seawater plus a touch of mustard. I know I'm often quoting manzanilla somewhat blindly, but this superb high-precision old Deanston is close. Say manzanilla and riesling, 50/50. Finish: perfect tight signature, with some mustard indeed, lemon, some saltiness, and then liquorice root, aniseed and fennel in the aftertaste. Comments: faultless pure and clean and yet characterful Deanston, right up my alley. Perfect age, this baby's clearly toying with the 90-limit."
SPEYSIDE 1994 - SGP:651 - 87 points
"A brand new one this time, for some smooth landing, let's hope so anyway. Colour: full gold. Nose: we're back to civilisation, to undulating barley fields, to gentle orchards in Kent, to the markets of Provence and to an old hotel bar with vintage leather armchairs and plenty of mahogany and brass. And our dear old bartender friends! Praline brittle, custard pudding, halva, croissants, ripe apples, ripe mirabelles, nougat. With water: more or less the same. Classic, easy, certainly not asymptomatic; this is well well-aged malt whisky from some good wood. Mouth (neat): very good, very malty, with custard and triple sec, candyfloss, biscuits, cinnamon rolls and ginger cookies… It sure could be many distilleries (not the characterful ones) but the result is perfect so far. With water: very good wood management, good balance, some sweet/sour wine (I know it's no wine cask), all pleasure. Touches of mango and papaya jam, which sometimes come with rejuvenated American oak, but no ideas if that's the case here. Finish: classic length and profile. Vanilla, ripe apples, plums, honey softer spices… And a spicier aftertaste. Comments: honestly, it's very, very good."
BEN NEVIS 1996 - SGP:551 - 90 points
"Bourbon this time. A time of writing we've already tried an excellent Deanston by the same new 'Limited' company. Having said that, coming up with a Ben Nevis 1996 might be a much safer bet (as long as your aim is not to convince the whole whisky world). Colour: light gold. Nose: it is pretty different from the 'sherry', that is to say rather more metallic, with notes of soot and concrete, musty old cellar, grapefruits, green melons, then wild herbs, woodruff for example, chalk, porridge, muesli… I have to say this doughier style is just as much to my liking. As long as they are faultless, these Ben Nevis are all splendid in my book. Mouth: indeed, this one's more on putty and paraffin, but just as salty. It is very chalky and lemony too, you would almost believe this is some limoncello aged for a few years in amphoras. Ideas ideas. A brilliant Ben Nevis anyway. Finish: long, citrusy, not overly spicy, clean, almost refreshing in fact, despite the fatness. More paraffin in the aftertaste, even a touch of new plastic. Comments: you could believe these kinds of sessions are great to do since the whiskies are all fantastic, but in fact they are not because they put you into 'drinking mode'."