Colour: Mahogany.
Nose: The nose starts off with old sherry, raisins, brown sugar and juicy blood oranges, before caramelised ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg arrive. Notes of dark chocolate nicely linger with leather and spiced oak in the back. Rich and very appealing!
Palate: Full-bodied, rich and intense on the palate with sherry, sweet ripe plums, raisins, luscious oranges and Demerara sugar. Then warming spicy flavours of nutmeg, ginger, oak and white pepper arrive, followed by slightly dry notes of dark chocolate and cocoa. Nicely mouth-coating!
Finish: The finish is long and pleasantly warm, becoming drier on the tail with espresso notes, bitter orange peel, walnuts and oak spice.
With water: A few drops of water bring more leathery notes to the fore, mixed with tobacco leaves and espresso notes while the sherry sweetness and fruity flavours remain stable. Still bold and rich on the palate, again with more leather, prickling oak spice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Less fruity with a tamed sherry sweetness. The finish is still long and warming. Becomes significantly drier with cocoa,  espresso notes, tobacco leaves, nutmeg and walnuts.
Comments: A rich, intense and full-bodied single malt with all the sherry-derived flavours the dark colour already promises. Aromas of ripe dark dried fruits, together with winter spices and notes of tobacco and leather, create a harmonious and full-bodied taste experience. An excellent single cask bottling on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Douglas Laing. As the high alcohol content is perfectly integrated, this 25-year-old Glen Garioch can be enjoyed without any water - ideally sitting in a leather armchair in front of a crackling open fire.

I thank Douglas Laing for the photograph!

Colour: Gold.
Nose: Some malted barley and soft hints of apricots on the nose. Then toffee arrrives, along with butter cookies, custard and caramel. Lingering lemon sorbet mixed with ripe banana and a touch of floral notes as well as tender tobacco leaves in the back.
Palate: Rich, intense and sweet on the palate with ripe fruit - banana and apricots in particular - and creamy vanilla. This is followed by some lemon notes before a warming spicy mix of pepper, cinnamon and tender oak takes over. Subtle dry notes of tobacco leaves towards the finish.
Finish: A long, warm and creamy, lemony finish with lingering caramel. Becomes slightly dry on the tail with oak, espresso and a whiff of floral notes.
With water: Vibrant, quite lively on the nose with a few drops of water. Fruity, malty, with vanilla, caramel and fairly more floral notes, mainly geranium in the back. Sweet, soft and pleasantly creamy vanilla on the palate along with sticky apricots jam. Warm and very spicy with oak, black pepper, cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg. The finish is shorter and less creamy, but becomes fairly dry on the tail with oak, espresso and a hint of tobacco.
Comments: A nicely balanced, complex and pleasantly mouth-coating Highlander. Beautiful interplay of vanilla sweetness, ripe fruit aromas, fresh lemon sorbet and strong, warming spices. Very harmonious to me. One can actually taste the excellent craftsmanship. A multi-faceted whisky, showing some lovely aged character. Please allow this beauty to breathe for some time so that it can develop its full aroma.

I thank Douglas Laing for the sample and the photograph!

Colour: Amber.
Nose: Rich and bold with a big sherry nose. Dark cherries, dates, figs and raisins followed by seville oranges and a delicate nuttiness. Baked red apples, cinnamon and a touch of dark chocolate arrive, nicely lingering with leather, spiced oak, subtle nutmeg and a whiff of smoke/gunpowder in the back. Very appealing!
Palate: Sweet, creamy and spicy at the same time. The whole sherry-derived potpourri pleasantly spreads out with luscious oranges, plums, dark cherries, raisins and demerara sugar. Warming spiciness of prickling oak, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon, followed by slightly dry notes of dark bitter chocolate and cocoa. Nicely mouth-coating!
Finish: The finish is long, pleasantly warm and creamy with plums and raisins, accompanied by spiced oak, pepper, walnuts and dry notes of cocoa on the tail.
With water: Water significantly tames the big sherry nose bringing more leather, spiced oak and gunpowder-derived flavours to the fore. Still bold and intense on the palate with more oak spice, pepper and nutmeg. Cinnamon, cloves and very dry dark chocolate heavily push the lovely sweet sherry-derived flavours in the back. The finish is a bit shorter, still warming and spicy with dry oak, leather and cocoa.
Comments: A rich, big and full-bodied dram with an exceptional sherry-derived flavour profile. Rich, sweet and a little bit "dirty". Well-balanced with the alcohol being almost perfectly integrated. A confident, diversified and well-rounded cask strength bottling from this often disregarded Highland distillery. To me, best to enjoy neat as a few drops of water significantly mask the lovely sweet an fruity flavours. Definitely one for the sherry aficionados.

Colour: Deep gold.
Nose: Delicate fruitiness on the nose with orange, subtle pineapple and stewed red plums, complemented by lingering vanilla and blossom honey. Gentle herbal notes emerge with marzipan and a whiff of tobacco leaves in the back. Pleasantly flavourful.
Palate: Delicious fruits on the palate with apples, pears and red plums, along with lingering vanilla flavours. This is immediately followed by a huge amount of hot spice - oak, nutmeg, and pepper. Very warm and mouth-coating. Lateron, there's sticky plums and honey on the tongue with bitter orange peel and subtle spicy ginger towards the finish. Very nice!
Finish: A medium long finish with oak spice, dark honey and a touch of bittersweet notes on the tail.
With water: The fruitiness significantly increases on the nose with more plums, banana, pineapple and delicate vanilla. Water tames the hot spiciness on the tongue bringing a creamy sweetness of delicate fruit to the fore. The finish is medium long and warm with creamy sweet and delicate sticky dark honey on the tongue.
Comments: An accomplished whisky! Well integrated, rich with a pleasant liveliness and good balance of fruit and spice. A very nice and lingering fruity dram especially with a dash of water. This Glen Garioch needs some time to develop its full aroma!

I thank Whisky-Doris (Versandhandel Doris Debbeler) for sample and photograph!

Colour: Gold.
Nose: There's gentle fruitiness on the nose which becomes more and more dominant with air. Yellow ripe fruit, melon, banana with a slightly green and grassy tone in the background. I also identify lingering vanilla, caramel mixed with a whiff of hazelnut and a hint of earthy notes and damped wood underneath. Well-structured with a great balance.
Palate: A very sweet and intense start on the palate with ripe fruit, yellow apples complemented by subtle toffee, and lingering vanilla. Midpalate there's a significant amount of pleasant oak spice and pepper coming through, before the fruitiness returns with delicate citrus and fresh red gooseberry notes.
Finish: A medium to long, warm and sweet finish with sticky dark blossom honey. Gets drier in the end with vibrant oak spice and lingering nutty flavours.
With water: There's significant more fruit and freshness on the nose with increased citrus notes. Creamy, even silky on the palate with less fruit but significantly more oak spice which is lovely, crisp and vibrant. The finish is warm and medium long with a pleasant spiciness/nuttiness. Exceedingly delicate.
Comments: This is a complex and nicely mouth-coating dram. Very well-balanced, with a lot going on to make this an excellent choice for anyone to savour this on a wet and cold autumn night in front of a fire. Once you give the whisky enough time to breathe you will be rewarded with a delicate experience!

I thank Dailydram.de for sample and photo!

Colour: Amber
Nose: First a hint of sulphur which quickly disappears. Then it opens up with a potpourri of dark fruits, sweet and heavy flavours embedded by sweet sherry. Lateron there appears toffee and fine dark chocolate. Needs a while to reveal all its flavours.
Palate: Full with sweetness of dark dried fruits, especially brambles. Oily with a mouth-coating texture. The cask strength becomes noticeable but fits excellent and mediates a warm and quite relaxing feeling. Spicy notes of oak and nutmeg complete this full-bodied malt.
Finish: Stays oily with more herbs and ginger, nuttily with dry sherry notes.
With water: Stays sweet and fruity, yet vibrant, with an old and dry finish.
Comments: This is a full-bodied and intensely sherried malt whisky. Exceptional and quite diversified. Perfect for a cold day while sitting in front of an open fire.