Port Dundas 13 Year Old 2004 Old Particular

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: Angel food cake with vanilla whipped cream and apricots. Strawberry and blueberry. Bananas. Just a tinge of oak, but not much. Booze-soaked fruitcake with metallic vanilla frosting. Not getting much toasted malt grain character - is this grain whisky? Or just heavy-handed application of it? If we're low oak, this bite is ethanol. 50% abv or so. It's got some Lowland characteristics maybe? Likely ex-bourbon since I'm not picking up on anything unusual that you'd get from a cask. Palate: Bananas, white pepper. Creamy. Vanilla, white sugar. Not a ton of oak still. Maybe 10-12 years old? Sweet orange. Pine. Coconut, mint. Maybe a touch of cocoa. Hits the back of the throat hard, with a ton of character. Very prickly, with a lot of top end. Medium-light mouthfeel. Finish: Start off big, follows with floral character, more vanilla, and bananas. Thread of berries and creme. Slowly fades on the vanilla, berries, and... there's the oak. Not heavy hitting, but definitely present. Medium length. Other notes: My palate is pretty shot today - I wouldn't normally do a review but, well, the advent goes on! That being said, this is 13 years old (close), 48.4% abv (close-ish), Lowland (boom) and single grain (boom). Surprised I got nearly as close as I did. This is definitely something different and a nice detour from what we've seen from this advent so far. Single grains are unique and interesting experiences, and I'm glad I got to have some during this process. Might not be something I'd actively seek out for myself, but I can easily recommend it if you want something a little unique. Cheers!

Not my favorite. I’m getting nail polish on the nose. A pretty thin mouthfeel for the age, doesn’t linger very long on the palate. Fairly underwhelming although more sweetness does come through after a couple of sips.