Author Archives: antihero7

The Unfortunate State Of Things: Or The Worldhood Of The World As I Know It

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Bet you expected another rant on rising prices, NAS follies and shady practices, yeah?  Not this time.  I tackled much of this recently for a rather bigger audience.  An article Ian Buxton published in the Malt Whisky Yearbook 2017 is liberally peppered with my thoughts and quotes (thanks, Ian!).  That’s good for me for now.  I can’t lie…I’ve been enjoying the smooth sailing of late.  Nice not to always be the one rocking the boat.  The waves made may only be wee ripples by the time they spread to the wider world, but locally they can be quite choppy.

Anyway…I’m jotting away here for a reason.  Thought I would provide a bit of context and a ‘heads up’.  2016 has been a very rough year.  I won’t get into all of the personal stuff we’ve dealt with, but the one thing that most affects this site is likely the monolithic shadow of unemployment under which we’ve been living since April.  Obviously whisky buying (and cigars, and…) had to be one of the first casualties.  It sucks, but that is life.  I still have things to say, and whiskies to share the word on, but we may not be able to be too contemporary or relevant.  Not that I’ve ever minded being the guy late to the party.

I think what will suffer the most is reviews of lower quality malts and more budget brands.  I simply have trouble getting my hands on mediocre whisky.  I don’t buy it often (occasionally for reviewing), and now certainly won’t be buying it.  I actually have fun writing about some of those lesser quality drams (it gives me an entirely new vocabulary to work with), but this has always been a shortcoming of the site in my opinion.

Things will pick up again, but do be aware that we may try a few new things in the coming year.  I’ll see what I can do about sourcing whisky samples to keep things topical, and we’ll tackle some new ideas, I think.  Perhaps even a guest writer or two to bring a freshness to the scene.  Oh, yeah…and I’ll try to be a little more regular with posts.

Finally…in the interest in full disclosure I want to share the truth.  I have little interest in returning to the industry I was previously employed in.  And even if I did want it, it will be a loooooooong time recovering.  Chances are slim.  I have been actively investigating work in an industry I know a fair bit about.  Yes…the whisky world.  Not sure what that could ultimately mean here, but we’re all adults, right?  It should be understood that feeding my kids and keeping the bills paid supercedes all other thoughts and priorities.  Hope we don’t find too many conflicts, but only time will tell.

As always, appreciate your engagement.  Onwards to 2017.

 

– C

Amrut Spectrum Review

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Amrut Spectrum20161111_205014

50% abv

Score:  92/100

 

I know more than a few out there have been waiting for me to get around to sharing some thoughts on Amrut Spectrum.  I think, in fact, even one or two of the good folks behind the brand have been waiting.  If you expected a bit of a hook or a slice on this one (i.e. veering away from known territory) you may as well move on.  I’ll lay it on the line early here and you can read on or move on as you see fit.  The simple fact of the matter is that this is another ruddy brilliant dram from our mates in India.

The story on this one has already made the rounds.  Spectrum is a malt matured for three years in ex-bourbon barrels before being shunted for a further three and a half years into casks specially commissioned from alternating staves of five different barrel types: American, French and Spanish oak, as well as ex-PX and ex-Oloroso.  Neat, and beyond innovative, really, in an industry heavily governed by tradition and a lack of forward thinking.  The resulting profile is one rich in jammy fruit, almost molasses-thick sherried notes and rich, rich, rich helpings of dried fruits and coffee.  A couple mates of mine thought sulphur, but I beg to differ.  This is just heavily cooked whisky.  It’s beyond big and borders on over-cooked.  I like that though.  I’m a sucker for big sherry, and this fits the bill.

I can’t prepare you for this one.  Big, sub-tropical notes, dark fruits, cold coffee, bittersweet chocolate.  All in harmony.  Lovely and rich.  This is a small sipper though.  Meant to be enjoyed in wee sips over long hours of contemplation.  Not a malt for overindulgence, as the malt itself is an indulgence.

Nose:  Dark chocolate and jammy dark fruit.  Orange zest.  Slight smokiness.  Gooey toffee.  Furniture polish.  Almost a cola note.  Coffee.  Nougat.  Cherry, raspberry and even a hint of reduced blueberry.  Or more simply… a mixed berry jam.  Cinnamon, cardamom and burnt sugar.  Coffee liquor. Candied orange peel.  Can’t get over the depth of chewy chocolates, toffees and fruits.  Great melange.

Palate:  Whoa.  Big, dark and bordering on bitter.  In all the right ways, that is, being a beautiful balanced tannicity.  Smalls savouring sips are the way to go with a malt this deep and immersive.  Like an infused Kahlua of some sort.  Oily dried fruits and gooey jams.  More candied orange, but wrapped in chocolate (anyone tried the Bernard Callebaut chocolates like this?).  Cough syrup.  Nutty notes and hints of strong, rich rum.  Gooey, sticky dessert.

Thoughts:  Reminds a tick of some heavily sherries Kavalan, but has definite Amrut DNA.  50% abv is generous, but I want this even bigger…at least high 50s.  What Amrut can do in a few short years is simply incredible.

 

 – Images & Words:  Curt

Laphroaig 2004 Cask #45 Bottle Your Own Review

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Laphroaig 2004 Cask #45 Bottle Your Own20160925_110724

51% abv

Score:  91.5/100

 

Laphroaig runs some pretty damn cool visitor experiences for those that make the pilgrimage across the water to Islay.  As if you needed more motivation.  Even without upgrading to said tour experiences, the good people at the distillery will treat you like family.

In fact, I’ll go step further.  It’s arguable that one Islay distillery produces malts I like more, while another does things in a manner I respect more than any other distillery in the world.  Having said that…Laphroaig combines those two aspects into one big, beautiful, peaty coherent whole.  It’s hard not to love the green and white.

Two of the higher end experiences the distillery offers include the opportunity to sample from three pre-selected casks and bottle your own 250 ml bottle directly from the barrel, replete with cask char residue and all.  Now…if you’re a whisky geek and purist as I am (and many of us are), this is the ultimate in both dramming experiences and souvenir hoarding.  Couple that with a healthy dosing of peat juice along the three hour journey and man…I don’t know how else to sell it to you.

This malt was one of the three I tried at the distillery.  It was a 12 year old malt from a bourbon barrel.

I don’t review whiskies like this in order to aid in buying decisions (obviously), but in order to tell a story.  In this case, to tell you that a few of us went to peaty Neverland and had an incomparable experience.  You can do the same.  And if you do…it will be absolutely unforgettable.

Obviously I drank this on site, but sincere thanks to ‘the bearded one’, aka Danny, for the chance to enjoy this in more meditative environs.  Was nice to revisit and take some notes.

Nose:  Earthy dram, this.  Notes of tea.  Sweet but strong vanilla.  Mint Leaf candies.  Smoked seafood on the shell.  Very fresh eucalyptus.  A truly organic whisky.  Lime…and more lime.  Freshly baked scones.

Palate:  More lime here.  Smoke and peat, as we’d expect.  Medicinal (agin…as we’d expect).  Minty.  Very vibrant.  Ashy.  Smoky.  Salt licorice.  Rubber.

Thoughts:  A beautiful old school style Laphroaig.  We tried three, and all were interesting, but this one had the most harmonious nature about it.  Lovely stuff.

 

 – Images & Words:  Curt

Redbreast 12 y.o. Cask Strength Batch No. B1/15 Review

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Redbreast 12 y.o. Cask Strength Batch No. B1/15img_1058

57.4% abv

Score:  92/100

 

I literally could not think of a critical word to throw at this dram if I tried.  It’s whiskies like this that make me question what the hell most of the rest of Ireland has been doing for years.  And further…makes me very, very excited for what is to come from Waterford in future years.

Let’s face it, Irish whiskey has needed a kick in the ass for years.  It has lagged behind Scotch in all senses.  But now, having run headlong into a bottle like this, it’s heartening to see just how pristine the drink can be when treated with the care it deserves.  This is more than just cask strength Irish whiskey.  It’s an absolute fruitbomb marriage of spectacular barrels bottled at the perfect age.  I could go on, but it’s really unnecessary.  Just buy this whiskey.

Nose:  Fruity and floral and doused in rich milk chocolate.  Creamy orange and tangerine.  Custard and ginger.
A sprinkle of white pepper.  Grilled pineapple.  Oily jujubes.  Soft, clean wood notes.  White cake and very mild but balanced spices.

Palate:  Huge bourbon-like arrival.  Orange fruits.  Grilled, caramelized pineapple.  Pepper, cinnamon and ginger.
Toasted oak.  Threads of vanilla.  Still quite creamy.  Warm pastry.  Very rich, very deep and beautifully mouthcoating.  Nice direct tie between nose and palate here.

Thoughts:  This is a truly beautiful whisky.  Incredible composition and brilliantly vibrant.  The fruits are
exceptional.  Probably the second best Irish dram I’ve ever tried.

 

 – Images & Words:  Curt

Amrut Single Cask #2701 “Bengal Tiger” Review

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Amrut Single Cask #2701 “Bengal Tiger”138

56.5% abv

Score:  87.5/100

 

Alright.  Let’s get back to Amrut.  It’s been a while, I think.  This time a single cask release nicknamed ‘Bengal Tiger’ and bottled exclusively for the Canadian market.

As you all know by now, Amrut has long held a coveted spot in my top-tiered whiskies.  Their penchant for unbelievable consistency of quality and unprecedented innovation are second to none.  To further illustrate this latter point I’ll be tackling a couple other special releases from the distillery in the next few days.  But for now, let’s dig into a malt from Bangalore that sits just shy of six years old this time.

Full disclosure on the part of our Indian friends here: this one is a 2009 vintage bottled in 2015.  Unpeated Indian barley strong and bold at 56.5% abv.  The cask type says PX-sherry on the label, but I’m pretty certain this was at least partially bourbon-matured.  Could be the PX cask was the last bed it slept in.

And like most Amrut releases, this is another very special dram.  Rich in fruits, exotic spices uncharacteristic of Scottish single malt and bearing the DNA of Amrut all the way through, this is absolutely prototypical of the distillery.  Errr…sort of.

Here’s the rub.  And also the thing, I think, that speaks to the value of experience in writing about whisky.  This is not meant to be derisive, so bear with me.  If this whisky was tasted within the first hundred or couple hundred whiskies I’d tried – or was one of only a couple of Amrut expressions I had tasted – it would likely have scored higher.  It’s only exposure to the general category – and Amrut, in particular – plus an awful lot of time (and brain cells) spent building the experience that leads to the revelation that Amrut is usually even better than this.

Pretty gentle criticism, I know.

Nose:  Chilis.  Leather.  Marmalade.  Unbelievable amounts of savoury spice.  Sugar cookies.  Orange macaroons.  Candied ginger.  A lot cinnamon and heavy bourbon cask notes behind a curtain of dried fruits and mince.  Some milk chocolate.  Hot cross buns.
Salty dough.  Slightly peppery.

Palate:  Yep.  Amrut.  Tannic, surprisingly.  Immediately a big spicy arrival.  Orange oil.  Some raisin, orange and liqueur-soaked fruitcake.  Herbal notes.  Cinnamon buns.  A mix of wines and teas.  Chocolate and nut.

Thoughts:  Not my favorite Amrut, but man…I have weak criticisms to level at this one.  Even the distillery’s weakest are still head and shoulders above most of the industry.

 

– Images & Words:  Curt

Port Charlotte Valinch 12 y.o. Cask #R15/358-001 Review

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Port Charlotte Valinch 12 y.o. Cask #R15/358-00102-bru-00-img_3784

58.4% abv

Score:  88/100

 

Those of you who’ve made the pilgrimage to Bruichladdich distillery are likely well aware that the gift shop/visitor center is home to an ever-changing cask of Laddie single malt, spigoted and ready for pouring.  The idea being that the ultimate souvenir of your distillery visit has to be a hand-filled bottle of Bruichladdich, straight from the barrel.  And in actual fact there are now two barrels on offer to those so inclined.

When we visited in late September of this year the choices were 12 year old Bruichladdich – unpeated Laddie, that is – matured in a first fill sherry cask and 12 year old Port Charlotte matured entirely in ex-bourbon wood.  The former was not to my tastes, being slightly over-wined in my opinion.  The latter, however, was a rather special malt.  And I had to have one.  Or three.  Well…one for me and two for the club.

The Bruichladdich team have given these casks the appellation ‘Valinch’, named for the tool typically used in pulling samples from the barrel.  Not 100% sure of the rationale behind the choice of name, as there is no valinch involved in the process, but…such is.

Novelty aside though, I think what most appealed here for me was affirmation that the Port Charlotte line is one that ages gracefully.  Peated heavyweights are often at their best in youth, but we’ve seen Port Charlotte to be a bit of a hydra, showing multi-facets.  This particular barrel was further validation of my affections.

I think we all know the deal with Port Charlotte by now, aye?  Bruichladdich call this their ‘moderately peated’ line, but c’mon…40 ppm is hardly moderate, is it?  Not only that, but if you’ve tasted the PC series you’ll know just how big and rich these drams are in terms of smoke and peat reek.

This particular spirit went into wood in 2003 and only met glass circa late 2016.  Twelve years in a good naked bourbon barrel shows me just what I’d hoped to see: Port Charlotte softening and calling forth flavours from the wood to harmonize with the phenols.  At a dozen seasons we’re seeing a pretty damn decent balance.  Love it.

Bottling your own can be either a nifty souvenir or pretty gnarly way to get your hands on an extremely singular malt, but caution for those heading over to Islay…this little experience will set you back quite a few of your hard-earned ATM-dispensed food stamps.  I think these Valinch bottles, at 500 ml, used to run about £50, but are now £75.  A bit pricey for a 12 year old malt (and again…only 500 ml!), but man…how do you say no when faced with the prospect of corking up your own hand-filled?

Nose:  Rubber and smoke.  A hint of cherry.  A lot of spice and a lot of fruit.  Seems somewhat devoid of that butyric (read: buttery) note I associate with Port Charlotte.  12 years is obviously a good age for this one.  Chocolate and peat.  Obviously quite some smoke.

Palate:  Ok…a little more buttery here.  The smoke is more restrained than expected.  …at first.  Fennel.  More smoke now, with rubber, smoked oyster, salt water and burnt lemon.  The fruit suggested by the nose is absolutely crushed by the enormity of peat and earthy tones.  Tastes like a heavily charred bourbon barrel.

Thoughts:  More Port Charlotte on the nose than the palate (if that makes sense).  Neat as hell single cask outing.  Sadly, available only at the distillery.

 

 – Images & Words:  Curt

Laphroaig 10 y.o. Cask Strength Batch 008 Review

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Laphroaig 10 y.o. Cask Strength Batch 00806-lap-00-img_3798

59.2% abv

Score:  91/100

 

Finally.  A long awaited return to a range I fell in love with years ago.  I wrote up Batch 001 and 002 here on the site in early days – and have a bottle of Batch 003 in the archive – but sadly I’ve not been near another one these releases since.  Wait…notes say I tried Batch 004 at some point too.  Unfortunately they are, for inexplicable reasons, not available in Canada no matter how much we plead.  And trust me…I have taken this to Beam Suntory on more than one occasion.

A recent trip to Islay was the perfect opportunity to finally scoop another bottle of this young bog beastie.  Actually, between the four of us that went over, we picked up four bottles of it.  Only one now remains intact (now secure in the archive a chez moi).  After sipping it in one of the island’s pubs, we immediately bought a bottle for evening dramming in Bowmore.  The other two bottles have been generously shared amongst 50 or so good people.  Just the way malts were meant to be treated.

I remember loving these releases, but I don’t recall such harmonious sweet and smoky balance.  Still retains the feist of young Laphroaig, redolent of smoke, peat, earth and medicine, while bringing syrupy sweet candy fruitiness.  Absolutely spot on whisky making.  Every peathead deserves the opportunity to try this one.  Find it…buy it…share it.

Nose:  Wow.  Medicinal AND fruity.  Much deeper threads of jammy fruit than I’d ever expect in a young Laphroaig.  Lemon and lime.  Mint Leaves candy or eucalyptus.  Dry smoke and earthy undertones.  Cocoa powder (dry and drier).  Maybe even chocolate.  This even SMELLS like a thick drink.  Ashy.  Iodine.

Palate:  Unreal delivery.  Sweet, syrupy, rich and fruity.  And a peated hammer to the teeth.  Lots of smoke.  And sooty, char notes.  Lovely.  Almost burnt fruit skins.  Jammy.  Like licking the ashtray at the end of a kitchen party.  Flinty and redolent of lapsang souchong tea.  A finish that seems endless.

Thoughts:  Love this dram.  Not for everyone, but those who love it will truly cherish it.

 

 – Images & Words:  Curt

Octomore 2005 10 y.o. Cask Sample Review

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Octomore 2005 10 y.o. Cask Sampleimg_2883

?% abv

Score:  88.5/100

 

Another review that means nothing to anyone, but maybe 5 or 6 people.  But, hey…it’s my online journal of notes, so it’s ok to be self-indulgent from time to time, right?

This wee jotting is kind of like the third part of a trilogy.  On my past three trips over to lslay I’ve been fortunate enough to drink some scorchingly enormous Octomore straight from the barrel in the warehouse.  Each time I’ve written about it.  Much like last time, a mate of mine, and Bruichladdich distillery manager, Allan Logan was kind enough to send me away with a wee take-away sample of this 2005 barrel from the Port Charlotte warehouses.  Serves as a neat looking glass into what the rawest of raw Octomore looks like.  And being a fan of the bottled expressions, I can unequivocally state that the sipping experience is nothing compared to the unfiltered bombast of the oily spirit straight from the cask.  Each barrel differs, of course, but the uncompromising oiliness and strength make it singular.  And drinking it in an old dunnage warehouse doesn’t hurt at all either.

And this one?  Well…it’s Octomore through and through.  I loved it, as you can imagine.  It’s a softer dram than most are used to, but that’s much to do with the additional five years of mellowing.  Octomore is typically a five year old dram.  If I’m being honest, I think I prefer the youthful nature of the standard releases, but not one of the bottled expressions will ever beat these warehouse drams in terms of pure experiential enjoyment.

Thanks again, Allan.

Nose:  Sharp citric bite immediately announces Octomore.  Yet somehow it’s also creamy.  Dark smoke.  White fudge.  Chewy candy (think jujubes, not gummies).  Lemon cake.  Rubber.  Phenols are huge here.  A touch of vanilla.  Key lime.  Rich, dark cigar leaf.

Palate:  Wow.  This is a big drink.  Bigger than big.  The nose is somehow subtle, but the palate…not so much.  Rubbery.  Big acrid phenolic notes (beautiful!).  As cheesy as this sounds…it tastes like fire-cooked seafood by the ocean.  A brief bit of bitter coffee and oversteeped tea.  Sweetness at the back end.  Almost fruity.

Thoughts:  Octomore doesn’t come in any size but XXL, and this is certainly that, even with a decade of mellowing.  Exactly as we’d expect.  And want.

 

 – Images & Words:  Curt

Ardbeg Twenty One Review

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Ardbeg Twenty Oneimg_3773

46% abv

Score:  92/100

 

We weren’t in the distillery doors 5 minutes before Ardbeg’s most amazing asset (yes, even moreso than the whiskies), the one and only Jackie Thomson, had poured our little crew of gents a round of the new Ardbeg Twenty One.  Generosity, of course, but also a telling amount of pride, I think.  It simply has to be a genuine pleasure coming in to work each day with the ability to share so much magic with so many.

I have more to say about Jackie, but that will be for another post.  I also have more to say about this particular distillery day, but again…let’s save it.  For now…the Twenty One.

For those that know their Ardbeg, I’m sure just the age declaration is enough to get the saliva flowing.  Not only is it the most mature standard(ish) release since Airigh Nam Beist, but being 21 years old would mean this was pre-Glenmorangie distillate.  Mid-1990s, if you do the math.  Just prior to Allied shutting ‘er down, selling the farm and the new owners pouring buckets of paint, capital and love into getting it all back up and running.  In simplest terms, this is malt of another age.  A time before the boom.  I have my own theories about why whisky from this age (and earlier) was better, but that is discussion for another day, ere this post ends up in essay territory.  Suffice to say, whisky today is different from those bygone barrels.

Now…2016 and finally a new age-stated Ardbeg.  I wish I could say that the sky high price tag was unwarranted or that the hype and hyperbole surrounding this one were unjustified, but the simple fact of the matter is I’d be lying.  This is Ardbeg at the top of its game.  The peat knuckles under in favour of softer, fruitier notes.  The smoke is omnipresent, but never overwhelming.  The subtleties and nuances will have your nose dipping to the glass time and again.  And the unbelievable sweetness will likely make any Ardbeg aficionado mourn a lost age.  To be honest, I adore this dram.  I’ve drunk it on three occasions now and liked it more each time.

Allocation is small and price is high, but don’t miss your chance to try if opportunity arises.  Liquid history.

Nose:  Very Ardbeg, right off.  Orange and melon.  Maybe even a touch of tangerine.  The fruitiest Ardbeg in a loooooong time.  Almost tropical.  A faint touch of leather.  Soft vanillins.  A few minutes in the glass allows a plethora of estery notes to rise; huge sweet fruits and candies.  A slight doughiness (or glue-iness?).  Smells of soft oils and a beautiful balance of freshness and old mature malt.  Love it.

Palate:  Some smoke leads, but it tangs up with some great orange-y fruit notes almost immediately.  Citrus pith.  Lemon and lime.  Green apple.  Rubber and ash and all that Ardbeggian stuff.  Tastes of char.  And some of that pastry/dough-ness about it.  Some licorice and dry tea at the back end.

Thoughts:  Gorgeous nose.  The palate is not quite as spectacular, but still a magic dram.

 

 – Images & Words:  Curt

…And back!

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Alright, you patient and faithful motherfuckers.  I’m back.  Apologies for the long absence and the sporadic postings up ’til then.  I landed back home a week ago today.  It’s been an awful lot of recovering and quality time with the family ever since.  The recovering was not of the post-hangover sort, but of the…errrr…’immediate repairs required’ kind.  While away I caught a hell of a cold, sprained a wrist, broke my phone, lost some luggage, broke up a heavyweight dual and solved world hunger.  Well…all but the last one, anyway.

I’ll be diving in headlong in the coming days.  Starting almost immediately after I hit ‘publish’ on this post.

And, yeah…I think it was Skeptic who called it correctly.  My hopes were not for nil.  That little surprise I was hoping for did indeed come to fruition.  A mate of mine from around the globe managed to extricate himself from all pressures domestic and work-related in order to join us for the middle leg of our journey.  Tabarek, who many of you may know as the Malt Activist, met us on Islay and ran headlong into some unforgettable experiences with us.  We’ll be doing some shared blogging and such in the very near future.  Including notes on one surreal dramming experience.  This guy truly is the yin to my yang.

More to come, friends.  Thanks for sticking ’round.

dsc00613

 – Curt