27/06/2019 July outturn at Cadenhead's

It is that time of the month.

All blind and randomly selected (samples are labelled with a character only), with the names revealed after each flight of three. It is an overcrowded house, tonight, with around twenty people in a room that can fit fourteen at a push. Some brought their families and dogs, you see. I suspect entry will be more tightly restricted in the future, out of necessity.

Dram K
Nose: toffee at first, then green hazel and macadamia purée.
Mouth: acidic, but soft too; grapes and barely-ripe peach, as well as green banana.
Finish: chou dough, pastry and baking goodness.
I suspect a grain. A young Girvan. Well, partly right.
Cameronbridge 29yo 1989/2019 (57.8%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 432b) 7/10

Dram H
Nose: watercolour, putty and plasticine.
Mouth: mellow, it has more plasticine, a drop of olive oil and horsepower. Not too much going on, here.
Finish: yeah, olive oil, strong nut liqueur and juicy watermelon.
Glenrothes-Glenlivet 22yo 1996/2019 (49.7%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 3 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 966b) 6/10

Dram M
Nose: gorgeously fruity, it has tropical fruits all round, alongside varnished, precious wood.
Mouth: soft and fruity again, with mango peel and papaya, and just a whisper of pepper.
Finish: quite short, with similar fruity notes and a pinch of mud.
Once revealed, I note I like it much more than in Campbeltown. The actual picture is not available, as the bottle has not yet arrived to London.
William Cadenhead 45yo (43.1%, Cadenhead) 8/10

Break for the draw: six bottles of the Creations are allocated.

Dram A
Nose: leather, then a huge kick of alcohol in the nostrils. Others like it, but I do not. It opens up to reveal unripe grapes.
Mouth: better behaved, the mouth still suffers from what I find a shaky alcohol integration. It is grape-y, with a spoonful of custard.
Finish: unripe, fiery mustard, and fruit, not quite ripe.
This is not my thing.
Fettercairn 10yo 2009/2019 (57.3%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Barrel, 516b) 5/10

Dram J
Nose: old rags, a mechanic's workshop, clean engine oil, a toolbox, sandpaper. Everyone else says plastic. Bonkers!
Mouth: soft and a bit bland. I detect touches of custard.
Finish: yes, custard indeed, toasted coconut and a drop of grapefruit juice. It seems to become sweeter and sweeter with time.
This started well, but ended less convincingly for me.
Cambus 30yo 1988/2019 (46.1%, Cadenhead Single Cask, Bourbon Hogshead, 300b) 6/10

Dram L
Nose: sweat and hard cheese. "Farm-y notes," says cavalier66, which sort of coincides with sweat and cheese, if it is a dairy farm. The milking alley at the Isle of Mull Creamery (it did not take long to use that one, eh?) Further, it has dark berries, currants, lingonberries. Nice!
Mouth: it is more traditional on the palate, berry-driven.
Finish: green hazel wood, hazelnut shells and a few berries (raspberry, now).
Interesting! The label tells us it is a blend of Ben Nevis, Blair Athol and Tomintoul-Glenlivet, bottled from a single cask in which they were vatted together in 2007.
Light Fruity Syrupy 22yo b.2019 (45%, Cadenhead Creations, B#1) 7/10

Break for the draw: six bottles of the second Creations are allocated.

Dram E
Nose: prunes and plums, scented plasticine and unidentified herbs.
Mouth: soft, plummy with a pinch of ginger.
Finish: more spicy plums, with also walnut stain and crayons.
Nice, if not blinding.
Benrinnes 18yo 2000/2019 (55.7%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 4 x Bourbon Barrels, 618b) 6/10

Dram C
Nose: leather, cactus, mud, then watercolour. It is a watercolour-y type of evening, you will see.
Mouth: soft, round and waxy.
Finish: bitter, now, it has rubber and very unripe, waxy plums.
Not my thing.
Glenburgie-Glenlivet 15yo (54%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 570b) 5/10

Dram G
Nose: ink, ink, ink and ink. Freshly-printed newspapers, warm, recycled paper, inkjet printer cartridges.
Mouth: watercolour (I told you!), a paint palette, old paint brushes. This is quite powerful and also slightly earthy.
Finish: violet boiled sweets, crystallised lavender, fresh laundry and only a pinch of earth.
This one is a nice surprise. Not a usual profile.
Glen Spey-Glenlivet 23yo 1995/2019 (57.3%, Cadenhead Single Cask, Bourbon Hogshead, 222b) 7/10

Dram D
Nose: mildly acidic, the nose morphs into putty, moves towards watercolour, before settling on macadamia nuts.
Mouth: mild and fruity, it soon sees a growing acidity. Guava and mango gone off and turning very acidic.
Finish: overripe fruit and milk chocolate, then a touch of mango.
Very nice, this. Dram of the night, for me, though I am perhaps a little(mill) generous with my rating, here.
Littlemill 28yo 1990/2019 (50.7%, Cadenhead Single Cask, Bourbon Hogshead, 282b) 9/10

Break for the draw: two bottles of the Littlemill are allocated.

Dram B
Nose: sunflower seeds and lime peels. How original!
Mouth: porridge-y, now, with almond milk and soft cereal, alongside squashed banana.
Finish: I was expecting bananas here too, but it is citrus that shows up -- grapefruit and lemon.
A good every-day drinker, this, with a few unusual notes.
Dailuaine-Glenlivet 14yo 2004/2019 (46%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 2 x Bourbon Hogsheads, 696b) 7/10

Dram F
Nose: green fruit, particularly green satsumas, then pencil shavings.
Mouth: mild, with almond milk taking centre stage here too.
Finish: burnt wood and citrus-y custard, lemon curd, even.
An interesting combination of flavours, this one.
Strathmill 27yo 1991/2019 (46.1%, Cadenhead Single Cask, Bourbon Hogshead, 204b) 7/10

Dram I
Nose: overly-baked marzipan, scorched earth, then watercolour and waxy plum.
Mouth: peach liqueur, caramelised apricot compote.
Finish: long, it has unripe walnuts and, unfortunately, a nuance of dishwater.
It has its good bits. Others are more enthused than I am.
Miltonduff-Glenlivet 11yo 2008/2019 (56%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 4 x Bourbon Hogshead, 1116b) 7/10

Dram N
Nose: peat and mud, earth after the rain, ink.
Mouth: similar, with soft peat, mud, watery earth and a drop of ink.
Finish: heavy peat, here.
This last one is one-dimensional as fook, yet it is very good at the one thing it does (same impression as in C'town, where we also had it). It is simply not my profile, tonight.
Bunnahabhain 5yo 2013/2019 (58.9%, Cadenhead Small Batch, 3 x Bourbon Barrels, 720b) 6/10

The gang disbands, as a couple of bottles are produced -- Ardbeg Drums, which I confuse for Ardbeg Grooves and, therefore, do not try, and the following.

Clynelish 10yo 2008/2019 57.4%, Signatory Vintage The Un-Chillfiltered Collection for The Whisky Exchange's 20th Anniversary, 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel, C#800139, 237b): nose: watercolour and wax. I kid not. That is the most recurrent note, today! Stagnant water is also at play. It is a bit late for notes, but this does the trick. Mouth: crayons, dry wax, seal wax that has been on parchment for decades, putty. Finish: it has quite a kick. Ashes on wax, crayon shavings, drying paintbrushes (for modelling), preserved apricot. This is very, very good! 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, SM)

(Thanks for the missing pictures, SW and the Campbeltown crew)