Category Archives: Whisky Reviews & Tasting Notes

Glen Spey 21 y.o. Review

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Glen Spey 21 y.o.024

50.4% abv

Score:  89.5/100

 

Here’s another one of Diageo’s special releases.  While most of the company’s output is rather color-by-numbers, these occasional treats restore your faith in the multi-bajillion dollar enterprise’s ability to play by the game’s new rules: cask strength and unadulterated whisky for the purists.  Of course…the price tag can often be as big and bold as the alcohol in the bottle, but hey…I’d rather pay for quality than end up with a less expensive, but shittier dram.  You?

Either way…your odds of tracking down any other Glen Spey Distillery Bottlings (or even this one) are slim to none.  Case in point: this 2010 expression was from a limited run of only 5,844 bottles.  Nearly the entire output of this Rothes, Speyside distillery goes into blends; J&B in particular.  Shame, really, as I’ve noted before.  Why we don’t get more opportunities at these drams simply confounds me.  By all means, keep burying most of the output in blends if you like, but there is huge potential to make good money in the higher end markets by releasing these more obscure distilleries as single malts.  Anyway…not sure yet how well the younger distillate would hold up to scrutiny, but this 21 year old is impressive and frighteningly drinkable.

This Glen Spey was first sampled at a mate’s house one eve over a wonderful dinner party.  It was warmly received by the three gents sipping, and absolutely warranted a closer look.  I initially chalked up an 89/100, but upon a second visit, and a bit of ribbing and persuasion by my afore-mentioned friend, I was talked into an extra half point here.  Yes, it’s warranted, but I can’t go higher.  Very nice whisky with very broad appeal.  Well done, Diageo.  <restrained golf clap>

One last thought…this is apparently from American Oak casks that once held sherry.  Hmmm…not much sherry influence that I’m noting here.  Dead wood or second/third fill?  Dunno.  Works a treat though.

Nose:  Peach cobbler.  A light dusting of old cinnamon and cocoa powder.  Vanilla sponge cake.  Marmalade on white bread.  Bird’s custard.  Mild notes of butter tart.  Marzipan.  A touch of clean pleasant latex paint.  Very soft and gentle.

Palate:  Faint peachy notes with apple and vanilla.  This is very fruity, but the fruits are nearly unidentifiable as individual nuances.  Soft baking notes and smooth as hell.  A summer dram, if ever there was one.

Thanks, Vikash.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Wild Turkey Rare Breed (Batch WT-03RB) Review

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Wild Turkey Rare Breed (Batch WT-03RB)009

54.1% abv

Score:  90/100

 

I was 17 years old.  Underage in my favorite bar in BC (ahem…yes, mum…sorry).  The end of the night, when already shitsplat drunk, was always the time a few mates and I would sidle up to the wood and toss back shots of Wild Turkey.  Never a good idea to end the party by slamming shots, but in hindsight…that would likely be the explanation for many a crippling hangover.

Anyway…the mind does funny things.  To this day, just the name ‘Wild Turkey’ sends a shiver down my spine.  Well, that’s not entirely true.  This was the case up until about three weeks back when I, and a few of The Collective, snugged up with a bottle of Wild Turkey Rare Breed.  Any personal apprehension was smashed to bits upon first nosing.  Bloody hell.  A roomful of people sat back in stunned not-so-silence.  What the hell was this?!  The near unanimity in favorable reception was marred only by one lone dissenter who simply can’t wrap his senses around the sweetness of bourbon.

Apparently the Rare Breed is built from 6-, 8- and 12 year old bourbons.  With Kentucky’s clime contributing to a very fast maturation, this rather aged juice is old beyond its years.  As you’d expect at this stage, the flavour integration is incredible and tighter than the Southern Belles in the first few rows of a Georgia Baptist Revival church.  Possibly almost as sweet too.

As mentioned before, Bourbon is not my drink.  Every now and again a craving, but otherwise I usually go for something created far from the Americas.  In this case though, after tasting, I had to go out and buy a bottle.  This is a helluva whiskey.  Can’t stress this enough…this is beyond most bourbons you’re likely to try.  And at a local sticker of a mere ~$45?  How can you go wrong?

Nose:  Vanilla and wax.  Dill pickle.  Very strong and bold spice profile.  Sandalwood (cinnamon, in particular) and Lush soaps.  Both dusty sweet corn and dry popcorn.  Creamy cocoa.  Huge mint and eucalyptus notes from the virgin oak influence.  Some almost sherry notes.  Fiery pepper and chilis.  This is actually a one-in-a-million nose, and definitely one of the best bourbons I’ve sniffed at.

Palate:  Pepper and chilis again.  Dill and enormous spices.  Boiled greens.  Again…dusty corn notes.  Kinda like corn meets dunnage.  Crisp and tight.  Mint notes carry to palate as well.  The nose and the palate are nicely connected here.  These tastebuds are well pleased.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Benriach/BenRiach: The Little ‘r’ Big ‘R’ Tasting

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Benriach/BenRiach: The Little ‘r’ Big ‘R’ Tasting

On May 28, 2013, the Dram Initiative sat down to a range tasting featuring BenRiach whiskies.  The tasting was hosted by the ever engaging and knowledgeable, J Wheelock, of Authentic Wine & Spirit Merchants.  This was the second range tasting of the Dram Initiative, Calgary’s newest and most progressive avant-garde whisky club for whiskey swingers that are willing to experiment with all things whisky.

BenRiach, for the benefit of the great unwashed, means “The Hill of the Red Deer”.  The distillery is located near Elgin in the beautiful Spey Valley and was built in 1898 by John Duff.  Unfortunately, the distillery only produced whisky for two years before succumbing to the Patterson whisky crash of 1900, and was mothballed. However, the malting floors continued in operation and supplied the neighboring distillery, Longmorn, with malted barley.  In 1965, after the sale of the distillery to The Glenlivet Distilleries Ltd, the distillery was almost completely rebuilt and whisky production started up again.  The distillery was sold again in 1977 to Seagram and then again to Chivas in 2001, who almost immediately closed it in 2002.  In 2004, the distillery was sold to Billy Walker along with two other partners, Geoff Bell and Wayne Kieswetter, who started up production again.

This tasting was designed to pick the top single cask from 1983 – 1986 Bourbon barrel/hogsheads, from the four currently available in the city of Calgary.  The second goal was to highlight the influences on the whisky from Sherry, Port and Madeira and lightly peated and heavily peated malted barley.  The third goal was to speculate on the need to capitalize the ‘R’ after one hundred and six years.  So, whilst we were drinking, enjoying and voting on our whisky, we came up with a top ten reasons why:

Top Ten Reasons For The Capital ‘R’ In BenRiach:

10)  ‘BR’ stands for two chess pieces, the Bishop and the Rook, in honor of Joseph Henry Blackburne, a brilliant British chess player who dominated the game during the latter part of the 19th century. He was nicknamed “The Black Death”, and occasionally became violent when he drank whisky (rumored to be Benriach) during his chess games.

9)  Inspired by Bruichladdich and their complete disregard for convention, BenRiach has capitalized the ‘R’ for Rad or Radical, to point out all the radical types of whiskies being served up by the Rad new owners for public enjoyment.

8)  ‘BR’ means …………. Best Regards. In trying to become a polite company, it was thought that this change could make BenRiach come across more cultured.

7)  Capital ‘R’ in front of a word makes it special, therefore if the distillery is special, it goes without saying that the people who make the whisky must be special too.

6)  Anything associated with the British Royalty helps sell (you can also charge more for it) ………….. So the thinking was to capitalize the ‘B’ & ‘R’ to stand for British Royal, thereby giving the name a sense of entitlement.

5)  ‘B’ and ‘R’ are the initials of the legendary baseball player Babe Ruth, a star home run hitter before the age of steroids for both the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.  He was also the only player in history to credit his athletic prowess to a steady regimen of cigars, women and of course ……… whisky (rumored to be Benriach).

4)  The name was changed in honor of Billy Walker and his secret love for country music and in particular, a band called B&R, which are short for Big Kenny and John Rich.  In 2004, the same year in which Benriach was acquired, the band put out his all-time favorite song, “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy”.

3)  The capital ‘R’ was for Alistair Walker and his favorite book growing up which was ABC by Dr. Seuss.  His favorite part of the book was “BIG R little r” in which “a one Rosy Robin Ross was going riding on her red rhinoceros”.

2)  Major confusion between the Marketing and Finance departments with the mixed up thought, that by capitalizing the ‘R’ it would solve any potential problem for under-capitalization.

1)  The capital ‘R’ stands for “Resolution” which was made in 2004 by the owners, to stay out of the pub and not to buy another distillery. This resolution was broken in 2008 with the purchase Glendronach now the GlenDronach distillery, and Capital ‘D’ was for “Don’t do it again”.  This “Don’t do it again” was promptly broken, yet again, in 2013 with the acquisition of the Glenglassaugh distillery, soon to be the GlenGlassaugh distillery, with the Capital ‘G’ most likely standing for “God” as in “Oh God, I can’t believe they lent us the money to do it again”.

 

164

 

#1 AWS 1986 – August 2012 Cask # 5458 Bourbon Barrel 50.5 % ABV 217 Bottles

Single Cask Release Bottled by Authentic Wine & Spirit Merchants Alberta by J Wheelock.

Locally known as “Wheelock’s Wicked Whisky”.

NOSE:  Sweet ripe oranges & cherries, cinnamon, banana & apples. Raisins and some yeasty notes.

TASTE:  Creamy caramel sauce, green apples, liquorice.

FINISH:  Long and little tart at the end.

ASSESSMENT:  Nice all around dram, my second favorite of the tasting.

 

#2 CWS 1985 – September 2012 Cask # 531 Bourbon Barrel 49.9 % ABV 189 Bottles

Single Cask Release Bottled for Co-op Wines Spirits, Alberta.

NOSE:  Smoke and leather. Some floral notes and apricots jam. Like an old Armagnac.

TASTE:  Light smoke and tobacco. Nutty, sour oranges and lots of black liquorice.

FINISH:  Long and warm.

ASSESSMENT:  Odd to get that much smoke from a non-peated whisky, must come from the floor malting somehow.

 

#3 CSN 1984 – August 2012 Cask # 1114 Hogshead 56.1 % ABV 198 Bottles

Single Cask Release Bottled for CSN Wine & Spirits, Calgary, Alberta.

NOSE:  Ripe sweet honeydew melon, creamy vanilla, flora and waxy.

TASTE:  Butterscotch overload, spices, pears, raisins and almonds.

FINISH:  Long with some nutty liquorice right at the end.

ASSESSMENT:  Interesting, lovely balanced dram.

 

#4 KWM 1983 – September 2012 Cask # 298 Hogshead 44.2 % ABV 233 Bottles

Single Cask Release Bottled For Kensington Wine Market, Calgary, Alberta.

NOSE:  Pineapple expresses, ripe melons, maple syrup. Five alive fruit salad.

TASTE:  Creamy caramel, coconut milk, sweet ripe fruits.

FINISH:  Medium to long, caramel finish.

ASSESSMENT:  This is a tropical shit storm of fruit. If you like a fruity dram, this is the one for you.

 

BATTLE OF THE STORE CASKS

After tasting the first four drams blind, the Dram Initiative club members voted by a show of unwashed hands, which showed their inclination in the following order:

Win           Kensington Wine Market 1983 cask # 298

Place         Centre Street North 1984 cask # 1114

Show        Authentic Wine & Spirits 1986 cask # 5458

4th             Co-op Wines Spirits 1985 cask # 531

 

#5 KWM 1994 – September 2009 Cask #4810 Madeira Finish Hogshead 57.1 % ABV 250 Bottles

Single Cask Release Bottled For Kensington Wine Market, Calgary, Alberta.

NOSE:  Sweet fruit syrupy, almost like a liqueur. Burnt sugar with vanilla bean.

TASTE:  Sugar & spice and all things nice. Black licorice that coats the tongue and stewed fruits.

FINISH:  Long and spicy.

ASSESSMENT:  Many layers and much depth to this one.

 

#6 1977 – July 2010 Cask #1033 Pedro Ximinez Sherry Finish Hogshead 52.2 % ABV 331 Bottles

2010 Annual Limited Release Batch 7.

NOSE:  Oranges and cherries. Caramel, rich coffee and cigar notes.

TASTE:  Major dill. Toffee, raisins, dark fruits and nutty.

FINISH:  Medium. Lingering and sweet.

ASSESSMENT:  Excellent sherry cask. Wow, this one really shows just how good a sherry finish BenRiach can be.

 

#7 1975 – August 2007 Cask #4451 Lightly Peated Port Pipe 53.7 % ABV 707 Bottles

2007 Annual Limited Release Batch 4.

NOSE:  Smokey coke & rum. Citrus and sweet cherries with a little pineapple.

TASTE:  Thick overpowering clove sweet, spices and oily liquorice.

FINISH:  Medium and fades fast.

ASSESSMENT:  You really need to love rum to like this one.

 

#8 1984 – July 2010 Cask #4052 Tawny Port Finish Peated Hogshead 51.7 % ABV 265 Bottles

2010 Annual Limited Release Batch 7.

NOSE:  Assertive smoke, but pleasant. Stewed fruits and cream.

TASTE:  Minty smoke & pepper. Oranges, a little floral and some coffee notes.

FINISH:  Long and a bit drying.

ASSESSMENT:  I like this one the more I drink it.

 

Thanks to J Wheelock for hosting the Dramned.  You complete us.

Congratulations to BenRiach for starting up the malting floors again, (sorry to the next generations of hunchbacks) we know it’s expensive, but whisky drinkers do take notice and appreciate the effort.

What’s next for the owners of Benriach?  Well, according to the rules of distillery monopoly, if they buy one more distillery, they can start building a new larger mega distillery!

 

– Your humble Drudge, Maltmonster

Glen Keith 1968 (Connoisseur’s Choice) Review

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Glen Keith 1968 (Connoisseur’s Choice)030

46% abv

Score:  92.5/100

 

Quite a charming old gaffer here. 

Glen Keith is not a distillery we see much of on the shelves, due to its 1999 mothballing, but I’ve tried a couple of nifty little gems from this Speyside secret.  Unfortunately, most of the distillery’s output was destined for the blending halls before the doors were locked and the distillery was quietly put on ice.

From what I’ve read, as of late 2012, extensive renovations are under way at Glen Keith, leading to some excitement (on my part, anyway) over another Lazarus distillery.  Tales of this sort warm the cockles and put a big sh*t-eating grin on my face.  It’s cool to be around while a bit of whisky history is unfolding.  Now here’s hoping that there is long-term sustainability in the cards and that, while i know its primary purpose is to be a blend conponent again, we get to see some more of the whisky hit the market as single malt.

This 1968 Connoisseurs Choice independent bottling is from a remade hogshead.  Seeing as it was bottled in 2010, we’re looking at about a 42 year old whisky…give or take a few months.  In human years…that’s young and spry.  In malt years…that’s older than sands of the Sahara.  When you start counting a whisky’s age in decades, you have to begin to fear the worst: overoaking.  In this case, all doubts are quickly assuaged.  Originating from a remade hoggy, I can only assume there was nothing too active about the wood itself.  Nice smooth and even, in terms of profile.  This is really a lovely whisky.

…And sadly, I believe, long gone. 

Nose:  Paint on wood.  Dunnage warehouse.  Mint.  Hot cross buns and almond chips.  Vanilla.  Orange zest.  Very mellow notes of fruit cocktail in syrupy.  A little bit waxy.  All sorts of neat little nuances to investigate with this one.  The faintest hint of struck match after 30 or so minutes in the glass (but not in that overwhelming suphuric brimstone nastiness kinda way).

Palate:  Juicy…fruity delivery.  Mild and very pleasing.  Fresh home-made mixed fruit pie.  Vanilla cream.  Marzipan and something a little more in the way of a mildly spiced, leathery note.  Soft biscuit.  Beautiful palate. and a very clean dram.

* Thanks to Andrew Ferguson at Kensington Wine Market for this wee taster of Gen Keith.  Andrew gets most of the best whiskies in the city.  Go see him.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Bruichladdich Organic Review

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Bruichladdich Organic110

46% abv

Score:  83/100

 

Even back in my more granola-oriented hippie heyday out on the west coast of Canada, I never truly bought into the whole organic pitch.  What it tended to boil down to was simple:  overpriced, aesthetically-challenged and in terms of quality…negligibly different from the arguably franken-engineered product that otherwise overflowed the shelves at our local grocery.

Let’s be clear…the argument here isn’t against organic, it’s simply questioning the merits, aside from marketability and socio-political motivations.  Everything else is purely speculative.  I assume the powers that be (Reynier, at the time, I’d guess) were embracing this is primarily as 1) a way to show a loyalty to the home turf and 2) because it’s easy as apple pie to sell organic these days.  Yes.  I’m a cynic.

In short…my thoughts are:  organic ≠ better taste.

Hey…no sleight intended.  Remember…this is coming from a relatively liberal thinker and former hippie (granted I’m now much more of a cold-blooded capitalist, but…)

Moving on to the whisky now.  This is actually decent stuff.  No better than most other ‘Laddie releases.  Certainly inferior to others.  But that’s no different than any other distillery’s output.  And if we’re stacking them up that way Bruichladdich gets extra points for creativity, execution and pure balls.

Nose:  Young and grainy.  Maybe even processed cereal would be closer to what I’m trying to get at here.  Lemon.  Oak.  Vanilla.  Cream.  Custard.  Some pepper.  Orange…and a bit more fruit.  Chocolate.  Slightly scone dough-ish.  Entirely pleasant, if unremarkable.

Palate:  Bitey and a touch spirity.  Here are some oaky notes.  Chili heat and more of that pepper.  Licorice.  Barley as it develops.  Gets a little grassy at the back end and more on the woods again.

Not awesome, but it’s alright, I s’pose.  Not my favorite malt profile, but commendable nevertheless.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Glenmorangie Ealanta Review

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Glenmorangie Ealanta016

46% abv

Score:  80.5/100

 

Straight off…this is one of the most contrived of malts I’ve ever tasted.  And while that in and of itself is absolutely forgiveable, I’m not finding myself in a very charitable spirit with this one (no pun intended). 

Let’s face it…there are a lot of rather ‘manufactured’ whiskies out there (cask finished, re-racked, aesthically enhanced, added to, etc).  No issues.  Really, these are nothing more than variations on a theme that play within the rules of their jurisdictions.  It all hinges on how well the integration of these factors works and how natural the finished product ends up to be.  I can’t stress how important that is. 

Now here’s the rub…while it irritates the f*ck outta me how plastic and synthetic the Ealanta is…at the same time I can’t really say it’s a bad whisky.  Damning with faint praise, I know, but it happens to be the reality of the situation.  It’s fresh…certainly vibrant…absolutely unique…and not really poorly crafted, I’d say.  Maybe it’s a case of too much of a good thing.  Like a malt that is over-cooked from a very active sherry cask, here we have far too much of the American virgin oak influence.  We’re now blurring lines between something we’d expect out of Kentucky and something we see labeled as from Scotland.

For the record, this is a 19 year old single malt from Glenmorangie, the fourth release in their ‘Private Edition’ range, and was matured in…as mentioned…American virgin oak casks.  Man…19 years is a looooooong time for that sort of massive active oak influence.

The reality is that this malt is not principally far off from GlenDronach’s 14 year old Virgin Oak.  But to be fair to the ‘Dronach, which I rather liked, this one is way more perfumed and olfactorily cloying.  That simply reinforces the idiom that concept is not all, and the proof is in the execution.

Apparently ‘Ealanta’ is Gaelic for ‘skilled and ingenious’.  Hmmmm.  Ok.  If you say so.  Very modest, I might add.

One last note:  We – my mates and I – for the most part really like Glenmorangie.  I’m not sure if that is an ‘in spite of’ or ‘because of’ all of their tomfoolery type of situation.   The Ealanta, however, is a ‘miss’ in my books.  Not quite on par with the ‘Pride’ debacle, but still a miscalculation (in my ‘umble opinion, anyway).

Nose:  Very redolent of perfume and floral-y alcohol.  Massive notes of bourbon.  In fact…if tasted blindly…I might actually think this was a bourbon.  Spice.  Lots of spice.  Wine-y fruit notes.  Cinnamon hearts candies.  Cherry.  Citrus pith.  Pumpkin scones.  Pastry.  Sugary white chocolate.  Not sure how I can better put it than to say it is a very synthetic nose.

Palate:  Again…this is almost bourbon territory.  Cinnamon and cherry.  Like chewing on wood shavings.  More on the white chocolate.  Some slightly tangy notes as it develops.  Some more fruity ones as it fades.

Incredibly smooth, but too much so.  Like Bambi on ice.  The smoothness is causing the fall.  In short…perfume meets bourbon.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

 

Bowmore Maltmen’s Selection Review

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Bowmore Maltmen’s Selection023

54.6% abv

Score:  91.5/100

 

I love personality in my whisky.  I’ll even forgive a wee flaw or two in a dram, so long as the whisky has enough ‘quirk’ to it to make me sit back in relection and contemplate its uniqueness.  Not that I’m suggesting this Bowmore Maltmen’s Selection is a flawed malt in any way.  Quite the contrary actually.  It is, however, completely unrecognizable as a Bowmore.  Or any Bowmore I’ve ever tried anyway.

I find that consistency of profile in Bowmore through the years is as elusive as a full set of teeth in a hillbilly hoedown.  Not saying this is a bad thing; just noting that I personally would be hard-pressed to tell you what the distillery’s main profile really is.  We’ve seen deep tropical notes, heavy florals, smoky bacon n’ chocolate chips, briny meaty ones and much more.  All interesting in their own right, and all from different eras.  Fun stuff, but what really is Bowmore then?

Well…we certainly won’t answer that question here.  Bowmore Maltmen’s Selection is a humdinger and a headscratcher of a dram.

I first tried this one in late 2012 at the Bowmore distillery on Islay.  I recall not being overly wowed by it.  It was tasted alongside the Springtide, 25 year old and one or two others though.  And, to be fair, this little tasting session followed hard on the heels of a great tour which had culminated in sipping drams pulled straight from the casks in Bowmore’s Number 1 vaults with a few mates and Heather, a wonderful lady who works at the distillery and was our guide for the Craftsman’s Tour.  Perhaps I was an unfairly harsh critic that day.

Anyway…revisiting this one a few months on, and I like it just fine.  It’s a little closer to the heavy industrial oils and tarry notes I’ve met in some of the monstrous output from the folks at Bruichladdich (in particular, an odd Octomore cask sample I tried), but brought down a notch or two in terms of overall might.  Kinda like ‘Hulk Lite’.

The title, if you’re wondering, derives from the fact that the Bowmore maltmen did indeed select five sherry butts which were originally filled on July 13th of 1995.  These butts, numbered 1551, 1552, 1553, 1559 & 1560, are what you’re drinking in this 13 year old Bowmore.  This release was limited to 3000 bottles, and I believe is now, sadly, one of the dearly departed.

Nose:  Rubber.  Smoke and tar.  New bicycle tires.  Figs and mincemeat.  Salty smoked meatiness.  Heavy BBQ sauce (but not more on the salt…less on the sweet).  Char and burning woods.  Old coffee.  Would not peg this as a Bowmore.

Palate:  Wow.  Meaty again.  Cough drops.  Fisherman’s Friend.  Chocolate, deep and dark.  Orange and grapefruit pith.  Smoky and peaty, but also juicy and saucy.  Greasy and oily.  Sharp and biting…but in a good way.  A never-ending finish.  What an odd Bowmore.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Glenmorangie 18 y.o. Extremely Rare Review

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Glenmorangie 18 y.o. Extremely Rare246

43% abv

Score:  86/100

 

Gotta hand it to LVMH.  Their bottles are sexy.  Nice contours…nice labelling…nice colors in the glass.  But, hey…this is malt whisky, not handbags, luggage or jewellery.  Since I’m not one of those folk who think presentation amounts to extra points when assessing or scoring whisky, let’s get on to the stuff that actually matters.

Just an introduction:  Glenmorangie is a Highland distillery from the Northern reaches of Scotland that boasts some of the tallest stills in the industry.  Possibly the very tallest.  This, by nature, lends the spirit a lighter, more estery profile (think fragrant and sweeter on the fruity notes).  The distillery is also famous (or infamous, perhaps, would be a better word?) for their bold pioneering of whisky ‘finishing’.  They have taken the concept to an extreme art form.  Rather successfully too, I might add.

Speaking to this, the 18 year old, in particular…

It’s a rather sad fact that there is not a lot of aged Glenmorangie out there, ergo the ‘Extremely Rare’ on the label.  Hmmm…not sure if that quite aligns with my idea of extremely rare, but…for the sake of getting along…we’ll give ’em a pass, I guess.

This malt whisky spent the first 15 years of its life in bourbon casks, before being re-racked into ex-Oloroso butts, rounding out the light floral nature of the spirit itself with a bit more depth from the sherry influence.

I hate to say it, ’cause it feels kinda like a cop out, but there’s really not a lot more to talk about with this one.  A rather nice whisky with not a lot of fanfare, backstory or personality.

Nose:  Florals up front.  White chocolate sauce.  Kinda perfume-y.  A touch of dust.  A rather blunt dough note.  Ginger.  A touch of peach and mandarin orange.  Vanilla cake with cream icing.  Almost Lowland-ish.

Palate:  Some weedy notes, and rather sharp for an 18 year old.  It’s kinda fruity on the palate, but I’ll be f*cked if I can pick ’em out.  Not as smooth the nose hints at.  Unsweetened grapefruit.  Barleys at the end.  Fades into a slightly bitter grassy note with some over-steeped tea.  Somewhat surprised there is Oloroso at play here.

Not bad, but rather boring.  Would never peg this as an 18 year old either.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Macallan 1824 Series

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The Macallan 1824 Series

 

themacallanlogo

A couple months back I received an invite to an Edrington event for the Macallan.  Unfortunately, however, scheduling conflicts kept me from attending this gala.  By this point, rumour had been rampant for some time that Macallan was about to strip away the numbers from the bottles of their core range and introduce a new series free of the shackles of age statements.  An industry mate and I shared some interesting discussion on this revamp, and when I asked if he’d be attending, his response was something along the lines of ‘yes…I can’t miss the chance to see Macallan put a gun to their head and pull the trigger’.  My paraphrasing, not his exact words.

This malt whisky equivalent of the Budd Dwyer effect was inexplicable as far as both he and I were concerned.  We both understood the effect those numbers (or lack thereof) could have on an entity such as Macallan.

Several months later I can finally brush aside speculation in favor of honest observation.  Forget the bias.  Let’s use our senses to weigh in.

A few thoughts first, though…

Apparently the new 1824 series is built from malts matured in both Spanish and American oak.  This would mean that Macallan have effectively combined the Fine Oak and Sherry Oak ranges, I think.  This last statement is purely subjecture however, as I’ve also heard there is no influence from ex-bourbon casks.  Either way…they now not only have more flexibility in terms of which casks they can bury in their whisky vattings, but also in terms of cask quality management and/or costs.  All, of course, without bowing to the inflexibility of an age statement.  Call it what you like, but ultimately…it’s a form of blank cheque for the Edrington Group to bottle whatever they like, so long as the color stays consistent.

Color.  Yep.  The new range is built primarily on aesthetics.  Hue.  Tint.  Shade.  Call it what you like.  Macallan is building malts to adhere to the colors they label the bottle as (Gold, Amber, Sienna and Ruby).  Of course the inherent age of the whisky in the casks does, to a degree, help determine the final color (ergo equation, right or wrong, is darker = older = better), but really?  Really?  This is utterly absurd.  And for that reason…we’re gonna dig in and suss out some truth.

Honestly.  I am 100% behind this enterprise as it stands.  Conditionally.  As long as the whisky in the jar stays uniform in terms of quality…give ‘er hell, Macallan.  I’ll climb on board.  In fact, I’m already singing the praises of a couple of these new endeavours.

A bit of editorializing though:  I’ll go on record here as saying I do expect quality slippage.  It’s just the nature of a the beast.  Huge demand in a booming whisky market…no regulation in terms of age requirements or cask quality…and, let’s be honest, desire for profit margin.  All of these are factors that could lead to an eventual decline in what is, out of the gates, a great dram.  I hope I’m wrong.  Please, Macallan…prove me wrong.

As a final note…apparently the blending team sampled an absolutely mindboggling 30,000 casks to ultimately reach the final components that would comprise this new quartet of whiskies.  Wow.  Think I need a career change.

Alright.  Is it just me, or is it getting awful thirsty in here?  Let’s have a drink.

 

Macallan Gold

40% abv

Score:  82.5/100

Nose:  Malty, creamy and just slightly feinty (smells familiar to anyone who has stood close to a spirit safe in a distillery).  Not a lot of sherry influence showing yet, but it is there in a distant dry fruitcake manner.  Citrus and vanilla. A little bit of mint.  Salty uncooked pastry dough.  A touch of over-toasted oak and pepper.

Palate:  Almost immediately drying.  Apple skins.  Grains and toothpicks.  Deep threads of thick pure honey.  Orange.

Thoughts:  Pleasantly sippable.  Though something of a lightweight.  Not bad for the entry-level consumer.  Should note…no off notes, just youth holding this one back.

094

 

Macallan Amber

40% abv

Score:  84.5/100

Nose:  Creamy.  Still slightly malty.  Much more sherry to speak of now, as we’d expect from Macallan.  Some orange rind, or good marmalade.  Coffee and chocolate…maybe a creamy mocha.  Cinnamon.  A little caramel, pepper and ginger…each in dribs and drabs.  Malteasers.

Palate:  Matches (just a far off touch though).  Sweetness develops nicely over the first few seconds.  Raisins.  Citrus furniture polish.  Pleasant, but mild, spiciness.

Thoughts:  Not too far removed from the Gold, but a little sweeter and more ’rounded’.  All in all…quite good.  Not to sound like that one sulphur-obsessed whisky writer we all know, but there is an off butt or two in here.  It’s effect is minimal, and unless you’re sensitive, you likely won’t even notice.

090

 

Macallan Sienna

43% abv

Score:  90.5/100

Nose:  Now we’re getting sweeter and some of those more sassy mature sherry tones.  Nice jammy Oloroso high notes here.  Chocolate and a slight smokiness.  Raspberry and orange (yum!).  Marzipan.  Some mint or eucalyptus now too.

Palate:  Here is that jam-like sweetness again.  Love it.  Spicy.  Eucalyptus here too.  Very nice full arrival with a smooth development from scotch/sherry immediacy into a refined chocolate ganache and red fruit crescendo.  Very drinkable.  Ahem…very.

Thoughts:  With the Sienna, we’ve now moved into the high end.  This is classic and exceptional Macallan.  Hopefully they can maintain this level of quality.

089

 

Macallan Ruby

43% abv

Score:  92/100

Nose:  Awwww…hell, yes!  Cinnamon, orange and dark cherry (my favorite fruit!).  Great jam/jelly sweetness.  Candle wax notes, showing some maturity and nice old casks buried in here.  Nice smells of home baking and spiced stewed fruit.  Chocolate again, but much more ‘high end’ and expensive chocolate.  Heavy toffee, which is gorgeous.

Palate:  Sweet and fruity.  Orange lifesavers.  Cinnamon and slightly over-baked pie crust.  More of those deep, dark dried fruit notes.  Mouthwatering, before slowly drying on the tannins.  An absolutely great oral experience (shhh…keep you comments to yourself).

Thoughts:  Mature and awesome.  Not quite a 93, this is definitely a 92+

087

 

I’ll take a little salt, please.  Something to help me swallow my words.  The new Macallan line-up is good.  Better than good, actually.  Particularly the latter two.

 

– Words, Tasting Notes, Thoughts:  Curt

– Photos:  Curt

 

 

Laphroaig Triple Wood Review

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Laphroaig Triple Wood016

48% abv

Score:  88/100

 

It’s a different whisky world nowadays.  In the early days of illicit whisky production, it’s highly likely the only reason the spirit would have ever seen the inside of a cask was for storage immediately after being made or for ease of transport.  The fiery juice was consumed hot and angry, mellowing be damned.  Over time it was discovered that the effect the wood was having on the alcohol when it was retained for any length of time was favorable.

Many years later (early 1900s), in an age of whisky overproduction, allegations were made that nearly any barrel available was used for whisky maturation.  I’ve even heard nasty, and generally debunked, chatter about Campbeltown distilleries in particular, maturing in old pickle barrels.  Ugh.  Either way…I think at this point the whisky was likely left alone to mellow, barely ever sloshing about (don’t forget…long, long back there was no such thing as a forklift to make ease of cask movement a reality) and when eventually removed from wood, it was quickly bottled.

Creeping a little further down the timeline (present day), we find ourselves in an age where whisky moves from cask to cask with the mobility of a cheerleader through a football team.  Not necessarily a bad thing.  Allows for some really funky permutations of the spirit, by short bursts of influence from other spirits, whereas a prolonged maturation in said cask may be too heavy-handed.

Laphroaig Triple Wood is essentially another young Laphroaig, much in the vein of our beloved Quarter Cask, but further mellowed in Oloroso sherry casks.  Sweet meets peat.  Yum.  Surprisingly it is a tad subdued, but still bloody enormous.  If that makes any sense.  To a Laphroaig drinker, it probably does.

Nose:  Vanilla cream.  Pears.  Creamy sweetness.  Prickly and young, but still seems ‘old enough’ somehow.  Seabreezes.  Lemon.  Nice integration of the whisky and sherry (successful…much like Ardbeg, in that way).  Medicinal and iodine-heavy (of course).  Smoke and peat (again…of course).  Fish and salt.  All told though…still seems balanced and mellowed.

Palate:  A very pleasant sweetness.  Tarry and brilliantly sharp.  Brine and anise.  Eucalyptus and big medicinal notes.  Citric and oily.  Earthy peat.  Smoky, to be sure.  Tangy and saucy.  Burnt woods.  Long, long linger.  Green apple skins on the fade.

I had heard some rather unflattering reviews of this whisky upon release.  Not sure what those folks were drinking.  This is a really enjoyable drink.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt