[With respect]:

http://www.whiskyfun.com/archivejanuary18-1-Linkwood-Ardmore-Clynelish.html#050118

Glenesk 1980/2014 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail, Rare Old, batch #R0/14/04) Three stars Colour: light gold. Nose: very grassy indeed, quite austere indeed, with only a bit of honey on buttered toast and some kind of flints and white flowers. Cut grass. A little barley water… In short a quite simple and straightforward nose. But it’s quite rare… Mouth: some good malty sweetness, a little plain perhaps, with touches of citrons and lemons, also fresh brown bread, hints of lemon curd… Still austere, and slightly tough. Sometimes you have to rack your brain and even that doesn’t work… Perhaps leaves? Branches? Bark? Moss? A bit difficult in all honesty… Finish: medium, grassy, with a little olive oil, candy sugar, more assorted citrus notes, and… cornflakes, perhaps? Some grass for sure. Barley sugar, banana skins… Comments: nice whisky but rather a challenge. Not the most characterful Highlander ever… But yeah, it’s good. And rare, by the way, did we tell you it was rare? SGP:341 – 82 points (Angus 82).

On the nose there is some honeyed and buttered toast, white flowers, a bit dull overall. The taste brings white flowers, a bit ashy, ashy like those cheeses made with ash. This could be much nicer with a strong, fruity mid-palate. The finish is on ashed cheese, white flowers.

Glenesk Gordon Macphail 1980 46% bottled 2014.

Intense aroma from a distance. Huge intense oak - lovely vanilla - intense American oak. Super honeyish.

Taste is spiced, huge oak and huge taste density, really punchy for the abv ... quite awesome really. Super concentrated and dense oak flavours with a touch of smoke. It's very much a Scotch (obviously) but with a dense concentrated rich intensity more commonly found in bourbon or Irish whiskkey (I have to misspell this to get around whiskybase's autocorrect), but always retaining the soul of Scotch whisky. Great 3.85/92