Almost a year after the previous batch, there is now Parcel 12 of the Reserve Casks in the Single Malts of Scotland series. These releases are always a composition of several casks of the same type (in this case between 4 and 7 casks). This time there is Aultmore, Royal Brackla and Ben Nevis.
Aultmore 12 yo 2011 (48%, Single Malts of Scotland ‘Reserve Casks’ 2023, Parcel 12, barrels)
Nose: the floral side of Aultmore comes out (dandelions), mingling with grassy notes and rounder vanilla. Then gentle ginger, lemon skins and hints of cider apple. After a while more sweetness appears, with herbal honey and lingonberry.
Mouth: fairly creamy, with a nice texture, some vanilla and butter biscuit. Peach and light toffee comes out. This is countered by lemon zest, grapefruits and rhubarb. Also white pepper, sweet oak and herbal notes towards the end.
Finish: medium, with more citrus and liquorice, hints of coconut flakes and sweet sawdust.
We had a similar offering of Aultmore 2011 in Parcel 4. The extra two years balanced it out and added complexity, but I still find it lacks that little something to make it stand out. In stock at Tyndrum Whisky and Master of Malt for instance.
Royal Brackla 9 yo 2014 (48%, Single Malts of Scotland ‘Reserve Casks’ 2023, Parcel 12, barrels)
Nose: a little lactic at first, with hints of sweet buttermilk and bread dough. Then fudge, some honey and browing pears. Yellow apple, shortbread and lemonade. Very young still.
Mouth: robust spirit, with a thick texture but also a youngish profile (malty notes, Pilsner beer). Barley sugars, buttery notes and lemon gums. Mid-palate a nice wave of coffee notes and chocolate comes out, as well as warming hints of peppercorns.
Finish: medium, with more warming wood spice and cereals.
An uncommon profile, starting youngish and not entirely balanced. The evolution on the palate is quite nice though. Perhaps bottled a little too soon, right now it feels like a blender’s whisky. Available from The Whisky Exchange and Tyndrum Whisky for instance. Score: 82/100
Ben Nevis 9 yo 2013 (48%, Single Malts of Scotland ‘Reserve Casks’ 2023, Parcel 12, refill butts)
Nose: the sulphurous style, with cooked cabbage and spent matchstick heads. Wet hay, porridge, hazelnuts and malt. Hints of praline and cocoa in the background. Hints of toast and candied peels. Needs time to open up and never clears up entirely.
Mouth: rich, with red apples, cocoa and light hints of wood smoke. That sulphurous touch is omnipresent though. A subtle meaty touch, along with clove and pepper. Then drops of coffee and leafy notes. A vague sweetness underneath, but hardly any fruits as such.
Finish: quite long, on chocolate mousse, bittersweet spice, orange peel and a roasted nuts.
So yeah, no highflyers in this session – a matter of personal preference of course. This bulky and dirty Ben Nevis character can’t win me over. In that sense it reminds me of that other 2013 I had from SMOS, probably from the same batch of casks. Found it at The Whisky Exchange and Royal Mile Whiskies, among others. Score: 79/100