Category Archives: Whisky Reviews & Tasting Notes

Auchroisk 20 y.o. Review

1 Reply

Auchroisk 20 y.o.022 (2)

58.1% abv

Score:  90.5/100

 

I quite like this one.  Auchroisk is a neat little malt from a ‘seldom seen’ distillery.  A relatively young distillery at that.  Auchroisk was founded in 1974, and has served primarily as blend fodder ever since, with the J&B Blended Scotch brand receiving the lion’s share, if what I’ve read is correct.

Here’s a malt that at first glance would appear to have a relatively easily pronouncable name.  The reality is, however, that sometimes ‘hooked on phonics’ just ain’t the way to go.  Though I’ve seen various conflicting ways to pronounce ‘Auchroisk’, it would seem ‘ah-thrusk’ or ‘arth-rusk’ would be closest.  Ummm…ok.  Damn Gaelic.  My favorite tongue (mind) twister of a language.

Call it what ye like though.  Either way…delicious.

Nose:  Malty.  Caramel cookies and butterscotch puddin’.  Biscuity.  Nutty notes.  Muted orange and tangerine.  Maybe peach.  Toasted marshmallow.  Vicks Vapo-rub.  Freshly painted walls.  Oh, man…the depth of balanced spice.  Thick, creamy and syrupy.  A pleasure to nose.

Palate:  Concentrated orange notes and cinnamon.  Like chewing on raw bread dough.  Baked pastry and maybe some raisin scones.  Mint.  Finish is long.  Keeps on keepin’ on.

This is a whisky of depth and complexity.  A hell of a dram that should have been packaged for the masses and have made its way into general release ages ago.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Octomore 2.2 Orpheus Review

2 Replies

Octomore 2.2 Orpheus099

61% abv

Score:  89.5/100

 

What happens when you put the world’s peatiest whisky into casks formerly used to mature one of the world’s most lauded wines from the Bourdeaux region of France?  Well…the best of both worlds really.  Betty and Veronica.

Think I still prefer my Octomore less adulterated (i.e. not wine-finished), but that is nothing more than the rambling confessions from the diary of a peathead.  Fact of the matter is…the wine influence works phenomenally well here.

You can expect all the feist and scrappiness of a five year old cask strength peat monster (140ppm!), but with a sheer subtle cloak of elegance draped over the lot.  Don’t epect the sharper edges to be dulled by the sweetening influence however.  This one still has all the beautiful clefts and peaks of its brethren.  Enormous…deep…and srprisingly sophisticated.

Nose:  Sweet, heat, peat.  Smoke.  Wine gums and grape-like wine notes.  Popcorn (kettle corn).  Caramel and creamy butterscotch.  Farmy notes.  Brine, tar and iodine.  Grows enormously with a little bit of diffusion time in the glass.

Palate:  Sharp and lean.  Fire and clouds of smoke.  Nearly a hickory note.  Licorice.  A scent somewhat akin to a hair salon in there somewhere.  The zing of lemon.  Plum and apple on the finish.

88.5 right out of the bottle.  89.5 after it opens for a while.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Lagavulin Distiller’s Edition Review

8 Replies

Lagavulin Distiller’s Edition (2011) 006

43% abv

Score:  89.5/100

 

It’s hard not to walk into a Lagavulin tasting without having preconceptions and high expectations.  The spirit itself is just that good and that well-defined.

So, what happens when you take that lovely base spirit and flash-fry finish it in some sort of wine cask?  Well…you end up with a damn good dram that struts and swaggers with a curious sort of crossdresser confidence.  They call this ‘Double Matured’.  A fancy term for ‘finishing’.  Whatever.  Call it what you like, in this case it works just fine.

This Lag is part of Diageo’s Distiller’s Edition range of their Classic Malts.  Having said all that I just said…I admit to still preferring the standard Lagavulin 16 (or older!!) to this charming eccentricity.

Nose:  Rubber.  Barn-ish (iodine-rich urine and cowshit).  Ash and asphalt.  Sea spray and wet rock.  Faint banana.  Quite sweet on the nose.  Peat and smoke?  Yes, of course.

Palate:  Smoke meets peat meets winegums.  A little grape-y.  Bandaid dryness.  Camphor/menthol rub.

Thoughts:  Neat and definitely Lag-ish, but ultimately a little too sweetened by the wine finish for my liking.  Still enjoyable.  (And yes…I realize your first question will be ‘how can it smell like urine and cowshit and be a good dram?’  You’re right to ask, o ye of little faith, but trust in me and I shall lead ye straight.)

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

HIGHLAND PARK (THE OTHER ORKNEY DISTILLERY)

11 Replies

OLD & ROUND vs. YOUNG & FLAT 18, 21, 25 and 30

If you change the looks of the packaging does the product in the packaging change?  Being on the wrong side of midlife, I firmly believe that all things older are better, but hey, that’s just me and I can’t remember the last time I was wrong…except for the time I thought Jim Murray was qualified to pick the whisky of the year.  We, the gang of four, all have our opinions on this smoldering whisky question of which version of the Highland Park is better.  So rather than debate this uncertainty we decided that we should just have a tasting to define the answer.

For the benefit of the Great Unwashed, the Highland Park distillery and its brother from a different mother, the Scapa distillery, are located on Mainland, the largest Island in the remote northern Islands of Orkney.  Highland Park is considered by regional experts to be a Highland Malt, which would make it a Highland-Mainland-Island-Highland whisky but not on the Mainland, not a Park and not part of Highlands.  Highland Park first started producing single malt with a license in 1826 but it is said that the smarter locals were cooking whisky there long before that date.  The distillery is currently owned by the upscale Edrington group which also owns the Macallan and the Glenturret distilleries.

On August 18, 2012, we, the gang of four, gathered to celebrate Denis Leary’s (Sarcastic Irish genius) Birthday and to bring to light the truth behind the bottle change.  We collectively pulled from our vast storehouse of liquid salvation to come up with a selection to accomplish this momentous task.  After much discussion we ended up going with two 18, two 25 and two 30 year old, round & newer flat standard bottle range expressions, the original 21 year old from duty free in a flat bottle and the new standard release 21 year old again in a flat bottle.  We didn’t include the 21 year old at 40 % ABV which was released between these two. We voted for best malt between the same aged contenders and also for our two favorite overall malts of the night.

 

Barry HP RVF18

18 Year Old, Round Bottle 43% abv   (AGE WINNER 18 YEAR OLD)   (#2 FAVORITE DRAM OF THE NIGHT)

NOSE:  Uber fruit, oranges, pineapple, banana.  Floral and honey sweet.

TASTE:  Creamy caramel, milk chocolate, touch of peat and little tart at the end.

FINISH:  Long, very warm throughout and drying.

ASSESSMENT:  Wow what a great start, does drinking whisky get any more enjoyable, I think not?  The character of this whisky is very, very complex as well as being very well rounded (This whisky is so old that when it was made Captain Crunch was still a private).

 

18 Year Old, Flat Bottle 43% abv

NOSE:  Cotton candy, mint.  Dark ripe cherries and melon and apricots.

TASTE:  Liquorice, oily, some peat smoke.  Pears and tart green apples.

FINISH:  Short to medium.  Disappears so quickly.

ASSESSMENT:  The character of this whisky is not of the same makeup of the older 18 (This whisky is so young that it needs to be drunk from a sippy cup).

 

SCORING THE 18 YEAR OLD:  The old 18 round bottle was the clear winner between the two contenders.  It was also the clear winner of “2nd FAVORITE DRAM OF THE NIGHT” with the most number one votes of the evening.

 

Barry HP RVF21

21 Year Old, Flat Bottle First Release Duty Free 2008 47.5% abv

NOSE:  Big floral notes and vanilla.  Earthy, honey and citrus fruit.

TASTE:  Spicy with cloves, floral with a bit of lemon.  Oaky and lite peat notes

FINISH:  Medium to long.

ASSESSMENT:  Always find this version of the 21 the most floral HP I’ve ever tried (This whisky is so old the candles on its birthday cake raised earth’s temperature by 3 degrees).

 

21 Year Old, Flat Bottle Standard Release 2012 47.5% abv   (AGE WINNER 21 YEAR OLD)

NOSE:  Oranges, grassy and waxy.  Some floral notes

TASTE:  Rich spices including pepper and cinnamon.  Fruity, oranges, nutty and a hint of peat

FINISH:  Medium to long.

ASSESSMENT:  The fruit reappears nicely on this newer version of the 21.  (This whisky is so young that the casks in the warehouse sleep with a night light).

 

SCORING THE 21 YEAR OLD:  The winner between the 21 year olds was the newer standard release edging out the first release.  Also the new 21 got one 2nd place vote for the overall favorite dram of the night.

 

Barry HP RVF25

25 Year Old, Round Bottle 50.7% abv   (AGE WINNER 25 YEAR OLD)

NOSE:  Lots-o fruit.  Old sherry with oranges.

TASTE:  Dark roast coffee, rich jammy fruitiness.  Dry tannins, liquorice, and some peat.

FINISH:  Long and keeps going.

ASSESSMENT:  Interesting in a nice way, very balanced (This whisky is so old its birth certificate has expired).

 

25 Year Old, Flat Bottle 48.1% abv

NOSE:  Honey, bananas, melons and dates.

TASTE:  Mocha cappuccino, bananas both on the nose and taste, rich tannins and some lite smoke.

FINISH:  Long and dry.

ASSESSMENT:  Really, really different, falls outside most HP I’ve tried. (This whisky is so young that the bartender serves it with a coloring book and crayons).

 

SCORING THE 25 YEAR OLD:  The old 25 routed its challenger but failed to be the 1st or 2nd overall choice of the night with honorable mention of a single number one vote for the overall favorite dram of the night.

 

Barry HP RVF30

30 Year Old, Round Bottle 48.1% abv

NOSE:  Floral and honey.  Mint, caramel and oranges.

TASTE:  Creamy milk chocolate, spices like nutmeg and pepper.

FINISH:  Medium and little drying at the end.

ASSESSMENT:  Not overly complex (This whisky is so old the distiller that made this babysat for Jesus).

 

30 Year Old, Flat Bottle 48.1% abv   (AGE WINNER 30 YEAR OLD)   (#1 FAVORITE DRAM OF THE NIGHT)

NOSE:  Beautiful nose, tropical fruits, pineapple and coconut.

TASTE:  Very fruity lots of oranges, spices with pepper and some liquorice & mint.  Blueberry tea.  Chocolate.

FINISH:  Long, rich and complex.

ASSESSMENT:  Tastes like 40%, it’s so easy to drink.  Dark sherry colour with lovely fruity sherry notes (This whisky is so young that the distiller that made this still had a bell, basket and training wheels on his bicycle).

 

SCORING THE 30 YEAR OLD:  Well…the newer 30 kicked ass in both dispatching its older competitor but also winning the number one position of the “FAVORITE DRAM OF THE NIGHT” with one number one vote and three number two votes.

 

Personally, I’ve always considered Highland Park 18 as one of top single malts in the world but also found it guilty of some big batch variation regardless of round or flat bottles design.  I also consider the standard release 18 as one of the best buys in the range and should be a must try/buy for all serious malt fans. But………………..should you happen upon an older round bottle 18 sitting on the shelve of your favorite retailer, make like a hockey player and get the puck out of there with it.

 

– Your humble Drudge, Maltmonster

 

PS – It’s ok to swirl your glass and not chew your whisky if you choose so, in fact after (well during) a GIT* tasting a few years back, I now make it a habit to swirl my glass just a little.

PPS – Dear HP please don’t kick me out of the Inner Circle for the GIT comment, after all I never mentioned anything about the overpriced Magnus series and the surprise that purchasers got as they ** reduced the amount of bottles for the final release making it almost impossible to find and purchase this last overpriced bottle of a very rare 18 year old.

 

* Gerry Intense Tosh

** ‘They’ refers to the marketing assholes at HP

Glenglassaugh Revival Review

1 Reply

Glenglassaugh Revivalbottles 016

46% abv

Score:  73/100

 

I really want to love this whisky.  The fact that Glenglassaugh is making a run at the comeback is brilliant and inspiring.  The revenue obstacles they face in closing a 21 year gap in production are enough to make most concede defeat, but this distillery is working the angles, and pumping out a few nice older releases from their depleting stores of older stock.  The good news? They generate revenue to keep the distillate flowing, and we, the consumer, get some fine old drams to tide us over.  The bad news?  Those old stocks are finite.  As they run lower, there will be less and less in the warehouse to constitute special releases further down the line.

For sheer balls and bravado, I am 110% in the corner of this contender.

Revival is the first release of spirit produced under the new ownership team at Glenglassaugh.  The whisky is now a solid three years on and, much like the afore-mentioned methods of driving revenue, this is another attempt at getting the cash flow rolling.  A three year old whisky is not generally going to be a truly memorable dram (not in a good way anyway), however in this age of single malt excitement, we whisky nerds want to snap up early releases from the distilleries and try the product at various stages along the road to maturity.

Nose:  Feinty and a little sharp.  Definitely notes of new make.  Quite sweet (both synthetic, from the feisty young spirity notes…and more natural, from the sherry).  Plum and raisin.  Liquor-soaked black cherry.  Lemon.  Chocolate and mint.  Oak.  A sort of ‘smoked’ note about it.

Palate:  New make-ish.  Nutmeg.  Kinda weedy.  Wax.  Briny.  Mouth-puckering orange rind.  Not altogether awesome, and certainly a drop-off from the nose.  I kinda think the sherry acts like a corset when it comes to the nose, holding all the undesirables in check.  Then, when the corset comes off…well..there’s no hiding the less than perfect form as you actually taste it.

Thoughts:  Feinty, but not tooooo far off.  Though I do have to wonder how much this is being propped up by the sweetening influence of the Oloroso.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Glen Elgin 16 y.o. Natural Cask Strength Review

Leave a reply

Glen Elgin 16 y.o. Natural Cask Strength

58.5% abv

92/100

 

Less than 10, 000 bottles of this nectar released.  Damn it.  This is bloody good stuff.

For all the hating on Diageo that goes on ‘everyday, everywhere’, they certainly can’t be accused of pumping out nothing but mass-produced shite (just some mass-produced shite).  There are some unbelievably good whiskies in their portfolio.

Glen Elgin is another of their 30+ brands that ends up primarily buried in blends.  Sad really, when one considers the quality in this bottle.  A Speysider, but one I would argue that is rather atypical of what I usually think of as the Speyside profile.  A good thing.  Having expectations shattered is what keeps us humble.

Nose:  Oh, man…gorgeous sweet nose.  HAS to be Oloroso casks in here somewhere.  Syrupy (flavour and consistency).  Smoky.  Orange liqueur.  Vanilla and a slight floral note.  Beautiful natural caramel.  Wet leather.  Deep and intriguing.  I’ll bet there’s something older than 16 in here somewhere.  The florals hide a more old school style malt underneath.

Palate:  Cherry and oak.  Malt and a bit of smoke.  Back to the oranges.  Jam.  A touch of cough syrup.  …And nearly the same consistency.  Oh wow.

Limited, and largely sold out by now, but hopefully there is another batch to follow.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Lagavulin 30 y.o. Review

2 Replies

Lagavulin 30 y.o.barry's place pics 060

52.6% abv

Score:  93.5/100

 

From Islay’s most esteemed distillery comes one of the best older whiskies I’ve ever tried from this peat mecca of an island:  Lagvulin 30 year old.

A whisky nearly as old as I, but infinitely more charming and certainly better looking, this is a dram to dream about.

The thing is…there are no real surprises here.  The magic is in the incredible composition of this malt.  Each nuance works to compliment the whole, and the whole is simply unbelievable.  This is no subtle shading of degrees (how can it be, deriving as it does from Islay)…it is more like bold slashings of colour a la Jackson Pollack.  Irrespective…this is art.

Nose:  Creamy.  Peach and fire-toasted marshmallow.  Herbal dried leafy notes.  White chocolate.  Some more borderline-tropical fruit notes.  Hint o’ mint.  Paint.  Distant ebbings of peat and subtle clean smoke.

Palate:  Smoky.  Ashy and kinda drying.  Peach again.  Oak is singing here.  Spiced bread dough-ish.  Beautifully mellowed creamy fruits.

Thoughts:  Truly a stunner of a dram.  Possibly…probably…once in a lifetime.  Still so Lag…but sooooo refined.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Bushmills 16 y.o. Review

4 Replies

Bushmills 16 y.o.099

40% abv

Score:  88.5/100

 

Ahhh…young love.  Sixteen year old bourbon-casked whisky meets sixteen year old sherry-casked whisky.  The two go for a quick roll in a port-infused cask and what we end up with is a sweet, sweet thing.

Surprisingly, something in this one rings incredibly close to exotic depths of fruit.  Not something I’d expect in a dram this young, but I am certainly not complaining.

Nose:  Playdough.  Chewy sugar cookies.  Deep grape notes.  Orange peelings.  Cinnamon and nutmeg.  Dust.  Like a glass of fruit juice.  Mulled cider and maybe a little Amaretto.  At once clean and…not.  In a good way.

Palate:  Black current.  A hint of smoke.  Big purple grape.  Five Alive (for the spectacularly rich fruit mix).  Some mouth-puckering tannins.

Smooth…until the slightly bitter finsh.  Slightly contrived, but exceptionally enticing and enjoyable.  Love this one.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Whyte And Mackay Special Review

Leave a reply

Whyte And Mackay Special021

40% abv

Score:  76/100

 

As far as blended whiskies go, this truly ain’t half bad.  Kinda sounds like ‘damning with faint praise’, right?  That’s not the intent.  This really is a decent blend.

The way I look at these things is if I want a drink with personality, I’ll likely reach for a malt.  If I want a quick down-the-hatch’er…this’ll do.  A few parts grain…a few parts malt…voila!  Instant drinkability.

If you do try this dram, and don’t find it delivering quite what you’d hoped for, keep cruising the W&M portfolio.  There are a couple nice older variants in the range.

Nose:  Malty with a hint of cinnamon.  Something of a peaty backbone.  Fruit mélange…dried and tart fruit…perhaps baked into something.  Very blend-typical.  Heavy in grain yet surprisingly malty.  Touch of smoke and somewhat doughy.  Vaguely floral (old potpourri).

Palate:  A malty, down-home old school style of blend.  Cigar and rumballs.  A little figgy and dry.  Mouth-stickin’ caramel and honey nougat.

Don’t be fooled by a relatively low score.  While this is nothing spectacular, it is absolutely quaffable.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

SWMS ‘Taste of Islay’ with Georgie Bell

Leave a reply

SMWS ‘Taste of Islay’ with Georgie Bell

The Brasserie in Kensington

January 23, 2013

 

I gotta get better at checking my home email account.  When you spend all day in the office responding to email, arguably the last the thing you wanna do in the evenings is log in and tether yourself to the real world.  The downside to this indulgent little bit of escapism is that I nearly missed out on this tasty little SMWS event down at The Brasserie Kensington.  Fortunately, that is where Kelly stepped in with a follow-up note on this opportunity to spend the evening with Georgie Bell, UK Ambassador for the SMWS, and a few of the usual suspects.

028

This evening’s event was called ‘Taste of Islay’, and you can bet your ass the peatheads came out in droves.  I arrived at the restaurant right around ‘showtime’ to find a room that was nearly full.  This sort of scenario makes for a fun night in spite of the presence of some less than savory characters.  For example…sitting within punching distance of the distinguished Maltmonster is never a good idea.  In fact, I don’t believe we’d even nosed the first whisky before hijinks ensued and I took a jab to the shoulder.  You have to forgive him though.  He’s Irish.  And from Edmonton.

All kidding aside, the crowd was warm, in great spirits (pun intended) and there to welcome Georgie with open arms and raised glasses.

026

So…let’s talk about Georgie for a moment.

No matter the situation, it’s always a pleasure to watch someone at work who not only is good at it, but also genuinely enjoys it.  Georgie is a rather tiny thing with a big personality and a relaxed, quick, clever sense of humor.  She’s knowledgable, very animated and is quite possibly the only person I’ve yet met who could give me run for my money in hand-talking.

Her charm is only enhanced by her absolutely genuine enthusiasm for what she does.

Georgie is also exemplary of the new school of whisky drinker, and I love it.  No longer reserved for the ‘old boys club’ (though the ol’ vanguard is still healthy and happy too), Scotch whisky has found new life in the younger generations, world markets and fairer sex.  This added dimension has helped make whisky what it is today, which, excepting pricing concerns, is a great thing.

044

But this evening wasn’t just about the drinks.  It was a full sensory dunking.

Just a block or two East of the Kensington Wine Market (where you’re bound to find our fearless leader, Andrew Ferguson) sits this brilliant little restaurant, owned and operated by chef extraordinaire, Cam Dobranski.  With an experience like this, my first time there certainly won’t be my last.

The evening’s edibles were artistic little amuse-bouches twinned with quirky SMWS releases from some of Islay’s greatest distilleries.  Chef Cam’s extra-curricular studying (he put these together simply by reading tasting notes?!) was obviously time well spent, as the pairings were not simply logical flavor matches, but instead were original and challenging treats.  Unassuming yet confident, and perfectly executed.  The gravlax and scallop, in particular, resonated, especially with their respective pairings.

048

And finally…we Canadians who’ve sold our souls to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada are fortunate enough to have a couple of incredibly excited and enthusiastic ambassadors in founders Rob and Kelly Carpenter.  Whisky is a phenomenon that practically encourages adoration and monogamous devotion, and the Carpenters have shown they whole-heartedly embrace this ethos.

Kelly made a poignant little speech at the end of the night when she spoke to the evening’s whisky selections.  Some, she informed us, were long sold out…others still available…others were sneak peeks of yet-to-come.  It drove home the underlying urgency of single cask bottlings.  We were able to see both the heartbreak of great old whiskies that we had missed out on, as well as having the bait dangled as to what was just over the horizon.

The bad news…you have to be a member to buy these whiskies.  The good news…anyone can be a member.

If you enjoy the exclusivity and opportunites to try off-the-beaten-path variants from the world’s great distilleries…there’s no better way to see behind the curtain.  And never…never…forget…with releases like these, demand nearly always outstrips supply.

On to the food and drink…

 

10.72 “A hawker market in Singapore”

Nose:  Ginger ale.  Sponge cake with heavy cream.  Burnt caramel and raisin notes.  Grain.  Candy corn.  Meaty with some hints of heavy cloying (in a good way) dark sauce.  Slightly sulphury.

Palate:  Slightly walnut-y.  Licorice and orange.  Salty and sweet.

Thoughts:  A whole wack of pleasant notes gang up on a rogue sulphur note and do their best to beat it into submission.

Food:  A lightly seared breast of Quebec duck that has fed on a diet of corn during a short but tasty life, with notes of fermented soy, freash winter cabbage and sprigs of carrots & pea tendrils.  Aroma of Turkish olives, grass, and a saltiness from Essex, Britain.

(Soy glazed roasted Brome Lake duck breast, red cabbage, marinated carrots & pea tendrils)

 

3.193 “A baby-faced arsonist”

Nose:  Hay.  Smoky kiln smells.  Red juicy fruit notes.  Sweet sherry collides with hefty peat.  Nori…salt…fish…tar…asphalt (in essence…Islay).  Creamy vanilla too.

Palate:  Espresso.  Big billowy coal smoke (you can smell this same smell rising from chimneys all over the island).  Anise.  Eucalyptus.

Thoughts:  Madonna and the whore in one.  Sweet and lovely…sexy and dirty.

Food:  Fish from cold waters of the west coast, with a zing of yellow sour citrus fruit, mingling with French fields a al Herb De Provence, toasted charcoal from bread and a shaved pungent rooted goodness which rhymes course.

(B.C Steelhead gravlax, lemon zest, lavender dust, olive oil, horseradish on a grilled crostini)

 

29.115 “Candy floss in a fairground”

Nose:  Wet smoking wood.  Juicy (from the sherry?), and closer to the profile of recent Ardbeg.  Slightly peppery.  Sharp field greens (typical of cask strength examples from this distillery).  Vanilla.  Seawash and saltwater.  Slight sulphur note. Fruity with pink gum notes.  Quite sweet.

Palate:  Smoke and licorice.  Sweet and fruity.  Charred meat and apple skin.

Thoughts:  Yes!  This is Islay!!  It’s nice to know that even when I’m not going there…it’s coming to me.

Food:  Scallopy sweet Fruit de Mer with a touch of sticky sweetness, iron & candy, crispy celery, segmented orange, sweet-smoky pepper that will get stuck in your teeth, hint of carbon, mouth coating and delicious.

(Atlantic scallop crudo, brunoise celery, clementine segments, marash pepper, olive oil)

053

53.146 “A saline gargle, with peanuts”

Nose:  Peanut sauce.  Dusty old books and wood.  Creamy and custard-y.  Salt…brine…smoke.  Oil and lemon.  Tarry.  Cinnamon stick and licorice root.  Sweet frutcake notes meet Asian peanut/sesame sauce.  Ever drink the smoky ‘wash’ at the distilleries on Islay?  Yeah…hints of that.  A very dry smoky nose.

Palate:  Wow…licorice.  Tar again.  Sharp citric tang and salt.  Thorny and green and more aggressive than 17 years would bely.  Salt at the back end again.

Thoughts:  There are likely more indie variants from this distillery than any other.  This is a fine example of one of the better single casks.

Food:  Silky rich tree nut pureed to smooth, grape jello, aged port, clumps of stinky veined blue cheese, salt & black peppercorn like a fancy high tea cheese sandwich.

(Pinenut butter, port wine jelly, St. Agur blue cheese, crostini)

 

33.113 “Sweet, peaceful dreams”

Nose:  Very much consistant with recent releases from this distillery.  Anise.  Seaside briny-ness.  Fruity candy.  Black Ju-jube.  Grains.  Lemon pepper.  Bread dough, spices and maraschino.  Smoke and asphalt.  Quite creamy.

Palate:  Grains and fishy notes.  Nice delivery.  Apple and plum.  Chewy fruit candy.  Braised meat.  Sssssssssmoke and peat.

Thoughts:  Young and aggressive.  Exactly as this distillery should be served up.  Unless you can find older examples.  Then THAT is how it should be served up.  What I’m saying is…drink this distillery’s drams.

Food:  Pineapple crossed with apple that looks like a pear, duck that was fattened & plucked, hints of cinnamon, almond, vanilla crisp, coffee, caramel & butter, memories of eating Werther’s Originals.

(Quince compote, foie gras parfait, almond-hazelnut-pistachio biscotti, Maldon sea salt)

 

Sincere thanks to all involved.  Cam, Georgie, Rob and Kelly…glasses high.  Here’s to ya!

 

** Interested in becoming a member?  Visit Andrew down at Kensington Wine Market for details.

 

– Words:  Curt

– Photos:  Curt