 
ISLANDS:(From top star to downwards: Orkney, Skye, Mull, Jura and Arran) Island malts can be hard to define as each has its own character. Typical island malts, however, with the exception of Jura are noticeably peaty but less so than the Islay malts. (Scotch Malt Whisky Society) ARRAN (Isle of Arran) Aged 10 Years Legless Scotsman's rating: 9 (91 points) (Colour: amber / Nose 22 points: medium-bodied, sweet, fruity, raisins / Taste 23 points: medium-bodied, hot, sweet, caramel, fruity, raisins, butter / Finish 23 points: sweet, long finish / Balance 23 points.) The Arran Malt, 43% Legless Scotsman's rating: 8 (82 points) (Colour: white wine / Nose 21 points: sweet, fruity, pear / Taste 21 points: medium-bodied, sweet, fruity / Finish 20 points: sweet, medium long finish / Balance 20 points.) Arran 1996, Lochranza Distillery, d 14 Jan 1996, Oak cask #96040, b July 2001, 299 bottles made, 56.7% (Blackadder) Legless Scotsman's rating: 7 (72 points) (Colour: crystal clear / Nose 18 points: alcohol, perfume, honey, lemon, smoky / Taste 18 points: medium-bodied, malty, grassy / Finish 18 points: medium long finish / Balance 18 points. Definitely needs water.) Amarone Wine Cask, sourced directly from Italy, 55% Legless Scotsman's rating: 8.5 (87 points) (Colour: amber / Nose 22 points: very winey, spices, floral, hint of boiled sheep liver or something like that / Taste 22 points: long-bodied, woody, oaky / Finish 21 points: long, oaky and winey finish / Balance 22 points.) Fino Sherry Wine Cask, sourced directly from Valdespino, Jerez, 50% Legless Scotsman's rating: 8.5 (84 points) (Colour: gold / Nose 21 points: nutty, floral, honey, sherry, winey / Taste 21 points: full-bodied, winey / Finish 21 points: long and sherry finish / Balance 21 points.) Sassicaia Wine Cask, sourced directly from Tuscany, Italy, 55% Legless Scotsman's rating: 9- (89 points) (Colour: amber / Nose 22 points: winey, toffee / Taste 23 points: full-bodied, winey, nutty, oranges / Finish 22 points: long and fudgy finish / Balance 22 points.) HIGHLAND PARK (Isle of Orkney) Aged 12 Years Legless Scotsman's rating: 9- (89 points) (Colour: dark amber / Nose 24 points: toffee, sweet, hot, medium-bodied, warm, floral, sea, salty, fudge, grassy, praline, leather, old books, mint chocolate / Taste 21 points: full-bodied, sherry, sweet, toffee, fruity, nutty / Finish 22 points: medium sweet & smoky finish / Balance 22 points) Aged 15 Years, Edition One, Earl Magnus of Orkney bottling, 1 of 5976 bottles, 52.6% Legless Scotsman's rating: 9- (89 points) (Colour: copper / Nose 22 points: spicy, fruity, sweet, tobacco / Taste 23 points: full-bodied, sweet, fruity, peach / Finish 22 points: long and sweet finish / Balance 22 points.) Aged 18 Years Legless Scotsman's rating: 9+ (94 points) (Colour: amber / Nose 24 points: medium-bodied, coffee, sweet, fruity, vanilla, soft, smoky / Taste 23 points: full-bodied, soft, sweet, praline, fruity, oaky / Finish 23 points: long and fruity finish / Balance 24 points.) Aged 25 Years, 48.1% Legless Scotsman's rating: 9+ (94 points) (Colour: sunset / Nose 24 points: sweet, hint of smoke, sherry, floral / Taste 23 points: full-bodied, smoky, spicy, salty, malty, after water sweet and caramel / Finish 23 points: long, sweet and fruity finish / Balance 24 points.) Highland Park vintage 1991, Aged 16 Years, d 17.9.1991, b 1.2.2008, matured in sherry butt, cask #15096, bottle #689 of 810, 46% (Signatory Vintage) Legless Scotsman's rating: 9- (89 points) (Colour: light amber / Nose 22 points: pungent, hint of smoke, spicy, barley, sherry / Taste 22 points: peppery, spicy, after water very smooth, medicine, tobacco, perfumed / Finish 23 points: long and spicy finish / Balance 22 points.) Highlander Inn, 2008 Single Cask Bottling, d 30.6.1986, b 2.7.2008, cask #2255, bottle #11/252, 55.5% (Duncan Taylor) Legless Scotsman's rating: 9 (91 points) (Colour: pale gold / Nose 23 points: honey, floral, odorous, fruity, peach, oaky / Taste 23 points: full-bodied, floral, sweet, butter, woody, toffee / Finish 22 points: medium, sweet and woody finish / Balance 23 points.) Hjδrta, Aged 12 Years, 3924 bottles, 58.1 Legless Scotsman's rating: 8.5 (85 points) (Colour: golden bronze / Nose 21 points: wet dog, pungent, spraysnow, salty, sea / Taste 21 points: full-bodied, alcohol, fruity, trees, odorous, oaky / Finish 22 points: medium, sweet finish / Balance 21 points. A splash of water smooth this a bit and I recommend you to do the same.) ISLE OF JURA (Isle of Jura) 10 Years Old Legless Scotsman's rating: 8 (81 points) (Colour: dark amber / Nose 21 points: sea, salty, oily, malty, / Taste 20 points: medium-bodied, salty, smoky, cereal, grassy, hint of mint / Finish 19 points: medium finish / Balance 21 points.) 16 Years Old, 40% Legless Scotsman's rating: 8+ (83 points) (Colour: amber / Nose 21 points: perfume, grassy, chocolate / Taste 22 points: medium-bodied, cognac, sweet / Finish 20 points: medium and sweet finish / Balance 20 points.) Superstition Legless Scotsman's rating: 8 (80 points) (Colour: amber / Nose 20 points: perfume, floral, sea, salty / Taste 20 points: medium-bodied, fruity, floral / Finish 20 points: medium, floral, salty finish / Balance 20 points.) Isle of Jura 1966, d 24.5.1966, cask #1870, b 1/2000, b #164, 43.9% (Mackillop's Choice) Legless Scotsman's rating: 9 (90 points) (Colour: amber / Nose 23 points: zesty, oranges, garden cottage, honey, fruity, leather, vanilla / Taste 22 points: medium-bodied, fruity, sweet, caramel / Finish 23 points: very sweet and fruity finish / Balance 22 points.) LEDAIG (See Tobermory) SCAPA (Isle of Orkney) 14 Years Old Legless Scotsman's rating: 8+ (83 points) (Colour: amber / Nose 21 points: slightly smoky, praline, citrus, oranges, sweet, nutty, floral, seawater / Taste 21 points: medium-bodied, salty, hint of smoke, grapefruit, oaky / Finish 20 points: medium, sweet finish / Balance 21 points.) Scapa 1991, distilled 1991, 40% (Gordon & McPhail) Legless Scotsman's rating: 8.5 (87 points) (Colour: white wine / Nose 20 points: barley, sweet, winey, chardonney, citrus / Taste 23 points: medium-bodied, sweet, fruity, citrus / Finish 22 points: sweet and fruity and medium finish / Balance 22 points.) TALISKER (Carbost, Isle of Skye) Aged 10 Years (bottles: L?, bottled 2002? - the stone label) 45.80% Legless Scotsman's rating: 10 (100 points) (Colour: amber / Nose 25 points: peppery, full-bodied, smoky, sea, antiseptic / Taste 25 points: salty, full-bodied, strong, smoky, peppery, chili, hot, earthy, medicine, tar / Finish 25 points: long, peppery finish / Balance 25 points. My favourite whisky. It's THE Whisky...) Aged 10 Years (including bottles: L7 215, L7 289 (fender version), L8 288 - the new label), 45.80% Legless Scotsman's rating: 9.5 (96 points) (Colour: golden brown / Nose 24 points: full-bodied, smoky, sea, antiseptic, soapy / Taste 24 points: salty, full-bodied, strong, smoky, slightly peppery, hot, earthy, medicine / Finish 24 points: long, seaweed finish with a hint of pepper / Balance 24 points. Seems like these taste like familiar Talisker but still something different. Less peppery and more fruity, perhaps?) Aged 18 Years Legless Scotsman's rating: 9- (88 points) (Colour: dark cider / Nose 22 points: peppery, sweet, apricot, praline / Taste 22 points: full-bodied, hint of smoke, cellars, hint of peat / Finish 22 points: long, spicy finish / Balance 22 points.) Aged 20 Years, 62% Legless Scotsman's rating: 9 (91 points) (Colour: dark syrup / Nose 23 points: strong, smoky, phenolig, peaty, chocolate, heather / Taste 23 points: full-bodied, smoky, peppery / Finish 22 points: long, smoky finish / Balance 23 points.) Talisker 57° North, 57% Legless Scotsman's rating: 8.5 (86 points) (Colour: gold pale / Nose 22 points: peaty, smoky, floral, sea climate / Taste 22 points: full-bodied, spicy, smoky, salmiac / Finish 21 points: long, floral finish. Also hint of salmiac at aftertaste / Balance 21 points.) Distiller's Edition, d 1993, b 2007, TD-S: 5JV, 45.8% Legless Scotsman's rating: 9 (92 points) (Colour: dark amber / Nose 24 points: smoky, iodine, salty, peaty, band aid, burning log, seaweed / Taste 23 points: full-bodied, salty, medicine, smoky, saltwater, ginger / Finish 22 points: long, smoky and salty finish / Balance 23 points.) TOBERMORY (Isle of Mull) Aged 10 Years, 40% Legless Scotsman's rating: 7.5 (77 points) (Colour: amber / Nose 19 points: fruity, grassy, hint of mint, praline / Taste 20 points: salty, peppery, medium-bodied, oily / Finish 18 points: quite light finish / Balance 20 points.) Ledaig Aged 7 Years, 43% Legless Scotsman's rating: 6+ (64 points) (Nose 18 points: fruity, floral, mild, salty / Taste 18 points: honey, floral, fruity, medium-bodied / Finish 13 points: disappointing quite short finish / Balance 15 points) Ledaig Aged 10 Years Legless Scotsman's rating: 8.5 (86 points) (Colour: white wine / Nose 22 points: peaty, smoky, salty, sea climate, phenolig, tar / Taste 22 points: bonfire, smoky, moss, menthol / Finish 21 points: medium, salty & smoky / Balance 21 points) Ledaig (N.A.S.), 42% Legless Scotsman's rating: 8- (78 points) (Colour: white wine / Nose 19 points: floral, sharp, medium-bodied, seaweed, hint of leather / Taste 20 points: medium-bodied, salty, citrus, floral, sulphur / Finish 19 points: medium finish / Balance 20 points. Better than the 7 yo version.) Ledaig Sherry Finish Legless Scotsman's rating: 8+ (84 points) (Colour: cooking oil / Nose 20 points: medium-bodied, peppery, floral, finish / Taste 21 points: salty, medium-bodied, floral, peach, slightly smoky, slightly peaty, medium complexity / Finish 22 points: medium, hint of sherry / Balance 21 points.) |
The Legless Scotsman's Whisky Guide - since 2006