updated 02/14/02
The table below outlines the ratings of the single malts we tasted.
The scale is from 1 (being the absolute worst of all time) to 100 (the best of all time).
We also included a comments section that expresses views and opinions of the attributes of these malt whiskies. These comments are from a limited number of enthusiasts (the Society members of which there are 4), so they are in no way to be 'etched in stone' so-to-speak. They are merely our reflections of them and each individual will undoubtedly have their differing opinion of each and every malt. Beware, some may not be suitable for younger, more sensitive readers.
We reserve the right to score over 100
| Single Malt | Pet name (if any) | Score | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberlour-10 | The Puffy Scotch | 93 | Nice nose, delicate and airy, dry finish, it's like 'scotch lite'. |
| Aberlour-15 | no pet name | 90 | Tastes frighteningly similar to the 10-yr concoction, with a little more flavor development toward the end. and a tad bit more robust |
| Aberlour-18 | no pet name | 94 | Dark color, rich,sappy nose,.creamy smooth palate. some oak and a bit o honey. Extremely pleasant. |
| Auchentoshan-10 | The Invisible Scotch | 89 | Lemon-zest
nose, Wow! Smooth, not sweet, VERY DRY. Close to a ghost finish. Julie says: "It's mystical" Matt says: "Once you drink it, it's gone!" (profound revelation) |
| Balvenie-10 | no pet name | 88 | Toffee nose, dark amber color, oily, ghost beginning, long, slow, strong finish...original ! |
| Balvenie-15 Single Barrel |
The Bad Order Scotch | 84 | Pale
color (like champagne w/o the bubbles), woodsy nose, water-back helps this one out a
little, peppery finish, wouldn't spend to buy a whole bottle. "I didn't keep it in my mouth so long so it didn't explode so bad"Matt-Peon/Dues Payer |
| Balvenie-21, Port Wood | no pet name | 93 | Amber w/slight rose tinge, nice, mellow nose, sweet-smellin'..water makes it toffeeish smellin'. Tastes like toffee, sweet, candy-like finish. Has a small initial bite to it though..watch it! This one's complex. |
| Benriach-10 | The Clear Scotch | 79 | Very light, indistinguishable nose,strong at first,then sweet long finish |
| Bladnoch-1980, Signatory | no pet name | 81 | Yellow,dirty nose, turpentine, mineral spirits.no sweetness, very peaty, heavy and thick,no distinctive flavor comes out at you. maybe lemon? |
| Bowmore-17 | The Fireside Scotch | 84 | Fire amber in coloer (NOT golden!), oioly. Smeels of the sea big-time. Potent, long, slow burn, Recommend a waterback on this one. The 2nd taste is MUCH more mellow. |
| Bowmore-21 |
93 | Deep,
rich amber color, almost brown, medium to heavy oiliness, almost slick. Smells mellow and
good. Li'l or no salt to speak of, very well-rounded. Hints of toffee in the finish.
Overall excellent! "What a difference 4 years makes" -Matt (Peon / Dues Payer) |
|
| Cardhu | no pet name | 81 | WARNING:DO NOT SNIFF !! Weak, harmless, no finish, hollow. |
| Clynelish-1984, Signatory | the "Ding Dong Scotch" | 88 | White wine coloring,citrusy nose, tangy palate, tastes purple, lavender, sweet candy, PEZ-like aftertaste. |
| Cragganmore-12 | no pet name | 88 | Reeked of Scotland in a good way, not offensive, didn't suck, mellow and unobtrusive. |
| Dalmore-12 | The Movie Scotch, it was featured in 'Malice' | 65 | Whiskey
nose, very 'Jack Daniels-ish', hint of orange but not much, absolutely no complexity at
all. 'This stuff is NASTY'--Melissa, President |
| Dalwhinnie-15 | no pet name | 91 | Peaty,
peaty, peaty !! *Score was lowered from an original 94. |
| Edradour-10 | no pet name | 90 | Spicy, good smellin', powerful with long, sweet finish. |
| Glendronach-12 | no pet name | 82 | *REQUIRES
WATER-BACK ! Maple aroma, it was OK. |
Glenfarclas -12 |
no pet name | 81 | Very
skanky nose. Pungent as all get-up. Starts a wee harsh, peaty and woodsy after a hit of
salt. Finished long and slow, melting into oblivion. Smoother than it smells |
| Glenfiddich | The 'Bud' of Scotches | 79/80 | Simple and harmless with alcohol nose and long finish. |
| Glen Keith-10 | The Should I Excuse Myself Scotch | 78 | Looks
like urine but a little more oily. Simple malt, super-long finish "Automatic waterback built-in this one" - Doug, V-President |
| Glengoyne-12 | no pet name | 89 | Delicate aroma, mildly oily, burnin-on-da-lips, long, slow-burnin, almost perfumey ! |
| Glenkinchie | no pet name | 86 | Mellow, peaty nose, good, clean taste. delightful |
| Glenlivet -12 | no pet name | 67 | vanilla-like,long
finish, general, very tame, almost feminine. 'I am very disappointed and disillusioned'--Melissa, President *Score was lowered from an original 87 |
| Glenlivet-18 | no pet name | 86 | Rich color, ghost finish, wild, slow burn, explodes into nothingness. |
| Glenmorangie-10 | no pet name | 86 | Aroma is top notch, TOP NOTCH , buttery even, smooth but lacks
complexity. |
| Glenmorangie-18 | no pet name | 92 | A coy little scotch, woodsy sweetness, reminiscent of molasses-covered
walnuts. |
| Glenmorangie-12 Port Wood Finish |
The Pretty Scotch | 99 | Most unique color, EVER!, Very complex nose, even more-so with a drop of water added (butterscotch?). Velvety smooth in the mouth, long, warm and biting finish. Excellent! |
| Glenmorangie-12 Madeira Wood Finish |
no pet name | 85 | Smells
good, orangey in hue, medium body, big burn at end. Water increases nose dramatically, but
adds minimally to pallate. Our Prez vetoed this original score and wanted it to be 90. "It made my tongue happy" -Merissa, Prez. |
| Glen Ord-10, Cadenheads | The Ghost Scotch | 80 | Light yellow color, nose is flowery, sweetens a little with water, marzipan, nutty. Tastes sweet at first, nutty with a short finish not as nutty |
Glen Scotia-1966, Signatory |
no pet name | 83 | Golden yellow, flowery bouquet, delicate, whew! This scotch has a 'flavor bump' toward the beginning, long dry finish. |
| Highland Park-12 | The Vacation Scotch | 97 | The favorite of P.L.O.W.E.D. ! For the price you can't beat it ! Full, exceptional, great finish--orgasmic !! |
| Isle of Jura | no pet name | 74 | Pungent
and salty. "Where's the Morton Salt Girl !" Dana scored this slightly higher with a 79 |
| Knockando-14 | no pet name | 86 | favorite of Julie's (who scored it a 95). This malt is slightly dry, fruity. slightly minty with a long finish. |
| Knockando -21 | no pet name | 97 | Smooth,
woodsy, spicy... "Lip smackin' good !"--Matt-Peon/Dues Payer |
| Lagavulin-16 | The Chloraseptic Scotch | 79 | This malt leaves a distinctive chloraseptic-like aftertaste in your mouth. But otherwise...it's good. |
| Laphroaig-10 | no pet name | 60 | Highland-Park-ish
nose, salty, harsh, pungent, ocean aroma. Good for contact lenses and water retention. |
| Loch Dhu |
The Bottom-of-the-Bowl Scotch or the Bongwater Scotch | 59 | Very harsh nose, alcoholly. Fairly oily body (5w30?), definitely black in color. Extrememlt harsh tasting at first, like "Nyquil mixed with maple syrup". Just not very good. No complexity |
| Longrow-1987, Signatory | the "Ann Margaret Scotch" | 80 | White in color, iodine nose, industrial, bactene,antiseptic smell. Tastes a little like bactene w/ a cup of sugar added, slighty salty a little bite, like a sweet and sour scotch. Good finish but rather short. |
| Macallan -12 | "The Pubescent Malt" | 89 | Sensuous
smelling, similar to other macallan's but younger. A horny kind of malt, sexy and spicy. Water back is recommended! |
| Macallan -18 | "The Wet Dream of Malts" and/or "the Special Occasion Malt" | 100 | Exceptional ! Well deserving of two pet names. |
Macallan - 20, Signatory |
"The Civilized Scotch" | 94 | Very sweet, very nice nose, "thunder thighs" (nice big legs), velvety smooth, very good, Man, is that dark! |
| Macallan-1980, Signatory Vintage | The "Melt in Your Mouth" Scotch | 96 | Deep amber color, very, very nice looking.Maple syrupy and sherry nose. This is a unique tasting SMS in that it actually feels like it melts in your mouth! Finishes long and just slightly burning. HOWEVER, Matt recommends NO WATER on this one, even though it is a 55% ABV! Water takes away the melting sensation that makes this one so wonderfully different. |
| Macallan -25 | "The Sucker or Trickster Malt" | 97 | The
naming of this malt has nothing to do with it's fine quality Cherry, nutty, caramel nose..WOW. A good desert malt. The girls scored this a perfect 100 |
 Macallan Gran Reserva |
"The Sensuous SMS" | 92 | Again, this was a split between the girls and the boys. Very sherried as expected, but Matt felt it was a little hollow tasting and not full-bodied enough to deserve a higher score than 89. The girls (and Doug) thought differently. They had a definite "O" after sipping and scored it a low to mid-90. |
| Oban-14 | no pet name | 90/91 | This malt from the "Ferry Town of Oban" has a kick start and a voluptuous body. Also known as "Ode de Sea" for it's salty aroma. |
| Old Fettercairn | 'Old Fetterfartin' | 82 | Shitty start. nice finish. not a very good nose, thus the pet name "fetterfartin". |
| Old
Fettercairn 1970 (Signatory Vintage) |
no pet name | 70 | Yellow color, thick and
oily body, smoky nose, hint of mint. Water does nothing to the nose. Palate is
complex, a little salt, more plastic, tastes bad. water makes it worse! |
| Port Ellen, 1983 Signatory |
The "Moist Scotch" | 87 | Clear, mellow yellow color. Smells robust and industrial, "Smells like Whiting" -Merissa. Pallate is plastic and sweet, again, hints of industry here. Matt is enamoured with this one (high 90's). Merissa again wanted to veto this down to an 80 score. Finishes just like it smells. Mosity taste. |
| Rosebank, 1989 Signatory |
No Pet Name | 82 | Pale in color, Islay-ish nose, pleasant smellin'. Surprisingly smooth, sweet, and peaty tastin' for a Lowland. A little salty, woodsey, waterback sweetens it up even more. Not too bad, but not the best. |
| Royal Lochnager-10 | "The Cruel Malt" | 64 | Whew
!! Nasty nose, Yikes !! Eye-watering. salty. A water-back does NOT help this one. "And I though Russian Vodka was harsh...."---Julie- Secretary |
Scapa-12 |
no pet name | 78 | The key word her is "sweet" The nose, taste and finish were all pretty damn sweet. The taste did have a hint of salt in the middle, but overall, it was...well...sweet. |
| Singleton-10 | no pet name | 86 | Bold beginning, smooth and candy-like finish. |
| Springbank-21 | no pet name | 85 | Salty nose, big body, strong, sea taste. Nice dark golden color. LONG finish, add water to this one please. |
| Springbank - 12 Yr, 100 Proof | no pet name | 91 | Nice label, extremely dark color, caramely nose, "Love the smell". It's a "hit and run" nose. Tastes a little salt, more molases and caramel than anything. Doesn't even taste Scotch-like. More like nectar. Water adds to the taste more than the nose on this one. Add some water and you can afford a bigger hit. Very good. |
| Talisker-10 | The Giggly Scotch | 89 | Peaty
nose,very light body and color,very fruity with sweet overtones "It's hard to get a whiff, I got cigs in one nostril and the other one's plugged up" - Doug, V-President "Shoulda strained it thru the peat a few more times" - Julie- Secretary |
| Tamdhu-10 | No pet name | 90 | Tasty, peaty, not too strong, not a ghost burn but more of a "match-in-the-gut" burn. More thickness at the end. Very good |
| Tomatin-10 | No pet name | 94 | Mellow-gold
color, smells carmally-molassasy. Not harsh at all, very good before-dinner dram. "ginger-on-da-lips" |
| Tormore-10 | No pet name | 89.5 | Can
hardly smell it, smoky, salty, light-smellin'. Full body, exploding with flavor, sweet
tasting after the salt. Sweet, long finish....long, long, long finish....still
finishing.... "Very unique, all my tastebuds are opened" - Doug-V-P This one tastes better on the second hit |