December's Top Five: Highly Rated Whiskies on WhiskyFun.com
To celebrate 2020 drawing to a close, we are selecting our Top 20 whiskies for 2020, that you can find in our current auction over the festive season. To kick-start things, we have selected five whiskies in our Extended December Auction with impressively high scores on WhiskyFun.com, the most authoritative online source for tasting reviews.
Port Ellen 12 Year Old Queen's Visit 1980
This very rare 12 year old was bottled for attendees of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1980, and is believed to have been the only distillery bottling produced in its years of operation.
The exact number of bottles is unknown, however, estimates are that around 40 were made. In terms of taste, it has the reputation of being a truly outstanding dram. Indeed, this is the only whisky to score a near-perfect 99/100 on WhiskyFun.com, the highest rating Serge Valentin has ever awarded.
"After having tried quite a few whiskies, I think – well, I know – that I will never find a dram that’s even better."
Springbank 12 Year Old Sherry Cask 1980s / Samaroli Import
This is a ludicrously rare and highly sought after Springbank, officially bottled for Samaroli Imports. This dates from the early 1980s when Silvano Samaroli's independent bottling business was still in its infancy, and he was still operating as an official importer. This legendary whisky was awarded 98 points on WhiskyFun.com.
"S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G. A complete catalogue of aromas and flavours. Yes, this one is well a ‘Grand Cru’, or a malt king."
Glenfarclas 21 Year Old Cask Strength 1970s / Edward and Edward
This rare Glenfarclas was specially selected for legendary Italian bar owner, Edoardo Giaccone. It was distilled in the 1950s before bottling in the 1970s for import by Co. Import, Pinerolo. This spectacular whisky is listed as one of Serge Valentin's favourite Glenfarclas expressions after achieving a prodigious 96 point score.
"A stunner, punto e basta - Mr. Giaccone was really somebody."
A 1956 vintage sherry cask matured Bowmore, bottled some time in the late 1980s. This series of sherry cask Bowmore vintages come highly recommended by those lucky enough to try them. None more so than Serge Valentin who gave this an impressive 96 points on WhiskyFun.
"Let’s keep this short and sweet: It's a class of it's own"
Highland Park 1955 Intertrade 30 Year Old Cask Strength
This is a spectacular 1955 vintage Highland Park, bottled for the company at cask strength. One of only 216 bottles, this is also the highest-scoring Highland Park on WhiskyFun with a spectacular 96 points.
"This old Highland Park has everything"
