75 sherried Scotch Old & Rare 1936 onwards H2H

[lincoln imp]

Please remember tasting notes & scores are subjective, my scores and what I like could be very different to other people.

There is a very serious side to this tasting which is to debunk some of the whiskies that get massive scores and to show that unheralded whisky from out of favour distilleries in some instances is much better than the famous ones like Macallan, Glendronach & Glenfarclas etc.

This originally was going to be a sherry monster head to head with only 1st fill sherry on the list but then I had a think about it and included 2nd fill because some 2nd fill still have massive sherry as the first fill was not in the cask very long. I then just thought basically just any good sherried whisky what the hell?

I then had the problem of narrowing this down because there is a cast of thousands of great sherried whisky out there. I decided not to include heavy peaters so heavily sherried peaty Islay whisky was out but I did include a few good Bowmore like the 1956 and of course some Bunnahabhain, then relented to include a high scoring Laphroaig but no Port Ellen, and no great peaty highlanders like Brora or Glen Garioch, both of which I love.

I recently had completed a Springbank H2H so only included a few on this list (from a cast of many).

I have already tasted around 50% of the ones in this 75, maybe a few more, but trying against others is worth a re-taste.

Many on here would expect some I have tasted to have higher marks but that is the beauty of H2H they put things in perspective.
Finally , I knew there will be some marks for out of favour distilleries that may puzzle some people but I have known for a long time that the likes of sherried Inchgower can be great and the two I picked proved that.

Of course this H2H of 75 whiskies was tasted over a few weeks and I kept going back to some to make sure my scoring was correct.
% abv is 40%- 60% so some comparisons may seem unfair and I have to be honest the lower strength ones that are genuinely good may get the nod over cask strength whisky.

The scores on many are very close, there were only a few I found mediocre and if scores were the same, then the taste mark was weighted accordingly, then the finish and the nose deemed the least important, I can forgive a mediocre nose for a good palate etc.


To date the best pure sherry whisky i have tasted is the 1964 43% glen cawdor samaroli, will it come out on top here, who knows it is up against some great inchgowers, caperdonich and glengoyne, not to mention a strathisla samaroli.


if anyone wants a tasting note , I am more than happy to supply them.

Scores are for Nose/Taste/Finish & Average

I am happy to put the top 10 or 15 tasting notes down if people want to see them, I am just conscious that this is a long thread already.


RESULT

Whisky Heaven 96 points average.

1) Glen Cawdor 1964/1983 43%Duthies for Samaroli 95/96/96 - 96

Gold Medal Drams 95 Points average

2) Caperdonich 1966 32 year cask 134 53.1% Signatory 95/95/95 - 95
3) Glen Avon 1974 sherry cask 59.9% G&M 94/95/95 - 95
4) Inchgower 1975 25 year 49.7% cask 9176 Kingsbury 94/95/95 - 95
5) Strathisla 1967/1986 57% Duthies for Samaroli 94/95/95- 95
6) Glengoyne 1972 40 year 55.5% Mos 1244 Diamonds 96/95/94 - 95
7) Inchgower 1965 39 year cask 5423 48.1% Jack Wiebers 95/94/95 – 95
*8) Macallan 1952 15 year 80 proof Rinaldi Import* 85/96/94 – 92
But 95 for palate & finish average.
Note
The Macallan 1952 probably would have come 2nd if the nose had scored similar to the palate and finish, it would be unfair to push it any further down the pecking order and it was, along with the Glen Cawdor 1964 the only whisky I gave a 96p for the palate. It is where it is because the nose let it down and had a burnt off note I did not like but the taste was lovely.



Silver Medal Drams 94 Points average


9) Tobermory 1972 23 year 50% MI De Viris Illlustribus 94/95/94 - 94
10) Glenfarclas 105 40 year 60%OB 94/95/94 – 94
11) Glen Mhor 30 year Bar Metro 60.1% 94/95/94 – 94
12) Dallas Dhu 1982 24 year cask 3739 OB 93/95/94 - 94
13) Springbank 35 year 46% Millenium OB 93/95/94 - 94
14) Macallan 1939 70 proof GM OB 93/95/94 - 94
15) Glenglassaugh 1972 38 year cask 2891 59.1% ob 94/94/95 - 94 19247
16) Tobermory 1972 OB purple label 32 year 49.5% 94/95/93 – 94
17) Longmorn 1968 SMWS 7.27 53.8% 93/94/95 - 94
18) Aberfeldy 19yr manager’s dram 1991 61.3% 94/94/94 - 94
19) Balblair 1966 38 year 44% ob 94/94/94 - 94
20) Speyburn 1975 cask 3413 55.4%OB 94/94/94 - 94 41085
21) Glen Avon 15 year 57% Avonside whisky 93/94/94 – 94
22) Glen Grant 1964 50 year cask 4462 gm 93/94/94 - 94
23) Glenlossie 1972 17 year 57.7% Sestante 93/94/94 – 94
24) Tamnavulin 35 year Forrester cask 3087 52.6% OB 93/94/94 - 94
25) Blair Athol 21 year moon import the cars 93/94/94 - 94
26) Talisker 1981 20 year 62% 93/94/94 - 94
27 )Longmorn 1972 33 year laird bottling 43.7% 93/94/94 -94
28) Mortlach 14 year 57% sestante 95/93/94 - 94


Bronze Medal Drams 93 Points average

29) Balmenach 14 year 1971 57.5% ob sestante 93/94/93 - 93
30) Glenugie 1967 59.5% sherry wood Sestante 92/94/93 - 93
31) Talisker 1957 57% GM black label 92/93/94 - 93
32) Glenfarclas 21 year unblended 51.5% Edward Giaccone 93/94/92 – 93
33) Jura 1966 30 year 51.6% cask 1868 Signatory 92/93/94 - 93
34) springbank 1966 58.1% cask 443 LB 95/93/92 - 93
35) Highland Park 1973 34 year OB cask 6384 46.5% 92/93/93 - 93
36) Tamdhu 1962 44 year 43% GM 92/93/93 - 93
37) Millburn 1967 34 year omc 50% 93/92/94 - 93
38) Laphroaig 1998 20 year cask 700296 54.6 WM 94/92/93 93
39) Glenrothes 1947 28 year 43% ferrarato OB 94/93/91- 93
40) Strathisla 1963 48 year 51.8% cask 576 GM 94/92/92 – 93


92 points average

41) Talisker 1955 50 year Secret Stills GM 91/93/92 - 92
42) Bunna 1968 34 year 43.5% OB 93/93/91 – 92
43) Glengoyne 1969/98 cask 3525 51.6% OB 93/93/91 - 92
44) Glenlochy 1965 32 year cask 1528 47.9% 92/92/93 - 92
45) Tomintoul 1966 44 year cask 5261 49.1% JW 93/92/92 - 92
46) Caperdonich 1972 39 year cask 52.8% TWA 91/92/93 - 92
47) Pride of Strathspey 1939 43 year gm (Macallan) 95/92/90 - 92
48) Macallan 1958/59 25 year Anniversary OB 94/92/91 - 92
49) Glenlossie 1938 43 years 40% GM 93/92/91 - 92
50) Glenrothes 1966 36 year 51.8% cask 1438 OB 94/91/91 – 92
51) Avonside 1938 39 year 43% (Glenlivet) GM 94/92/90 - 92


91 points average

52) Miltonduff 1966 22 year Pluscarden Valley 58.4% 88/93/93 - 91
53) Avonside 1938 33 year 43% (Glenlivet) GM 89/93/92 - 91
54) Glendronach 1972 cask 706 43 year 51.1% 90/92/92 – 91
55) Glenfarclas 1964 40 year NC 1578 Recheirich 91/92/91 - 91
56) Strathisla Decanter, Milton Distillery, William Longmire 90/92/91 - 91
(Very rare whisky, early 1950`s peated Strathisla)
57) Longmorn 1972 37 year 51.3% TWA 92/91/91 -91
58) Highland Park 1960 dumpy 17 year 43% OB Ferraretto 92/91/90 - 91
59) Glenrothes 1972 29 year Restricted Release 43% OB 90/91/91 - 91
60) Aberlour 1964 25 year 43% OB 93/90/91 – 91
61) Bowmore 1956 43% OB, pure islay malt seagull label 94/90/88 – 91
62) Macphail’s 1938 Dram Taker’s 40% GM 92/92/89 – 91
63) Bowmore 1970 34 year cask 4689 56.6% 92/91/89 – 91



90 points average

64) Old Speyside 1966 40 year 45.6% Taste Still 87/92/91 - 90
65) Strathisla 1937 37 year 40% 70 proof GM 90/91/89 – 90
66) Highland Park dumpy 19 year 43% OB Ferraretto Imp 91/90/89 – 90
67) Benriach 1984 28 year 50.2% cask 1050 OB 89/89/91 - 90

89 points average & under

68) Auchentoshan 1970 21 year 43% ob, sherry 93/87/88 - 89
69) Longmorn 1972 39 year 45% LMDW 93/88/87 - 89
70) Macallan 1962 25 year anniversary OB 43% 89/88/88 - 88
71) Glen Grant 1936 decanter 50 year gm 85/89/88 - 87
72) Ben Nevis 1967 41 year, cask 1281 49.4% 87/85/91 – 87
73) Glen Grant 1953 58 year 47.9% GM 85/83/82 – 83
74) Glenlossie 1975 44 year cask 2907 GM 86/65/70 – 73
_________________
Pour me a glass please.

[Quaich1]

All I can say is that this is a very impressive liquid kaleidoscope of some very fine whiskies. Thanks for sharing your observations and ratings. A most enjoyable vicarious experience I might add. Cheers.
_________________
"Always carry a large flagon of whisky in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake."
W.C. Fields (1880-1946)

[lincoln imp]