Category Archives: Whisky Reviews & Tasting Notes

Writer’s Tears Review

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Writer’s Tears

40% abv

Score:  80/100

 

An interesting Irish from a familiar distillery.  For the sake of maintaining its desired anonymity let’s call it Schmidleton.  Capiche?

The Writer’s Tears website (which also sports a very rudimentary lesson on Irish whisky) maintains that their ratio of pure pot still whisky to single malt whisky is a closely guarded secret.  Ummm…ok.  Not really certain why that needs to be kept under lock and key.  Two distilleries using the exact same still design…exact same water source…exact same spirit cuts…etc…will still produce VERY different whisky.  Truth.  But…if marketing some sort of hush-hush recipe helps…so be it.

Anyway…said to be a favorite style of Irish writers through the 19th and 20th century, let’s see how it holds up in this humble hack of a writer’s opinion…

Nose:  Lemon and orange zest.  I recall a big banana note on the cask strength version.  Still here in this standard release to be sure, but milder.  Vanilla and lemon yellow cake.  Light whiffs of allspice.  Slight lilac-iness.  Custard and sweet cookie dough.  Light and Auchentoshan-ish.  (No…this is not simply because ‘Toshan is also triple distilled like many Irish…they really are quite similar!)

Aperitif-like and very easy to put back.  Orange, vanilla, oak and nutmeg-dusted creme brulee.   If not an aperitif, then certainly a light dessert malt; perfect for following white fish or a mild creamy chicken dish.  Very grassy/grainy finish (Sauvignon Blanc-like…reminds of young anCnoc) with an orange and banana cream linger.

Light…pleasant…unoffensive…and entirely Irish.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Octomore 1.1 Review

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Octomore 1.1

63.5% abv

Score:  89.5/100

 

“Because it’s there.”  Mallory’s famous reply to being asked why he wanted to climb Everest.  I can’t help but think that it was something not too far removed from that simple logic that led to the ‘Laddie folk creating the world’s most heavily peated dram.  More of a ‘why not?’ than a ‘why?’, if you get my drift.  It seems to be just in keeping with that free and easy fun spirit that has defined Bruichladdich from day one.

Now…just as it is debatable whether or not Mallory and Irvine ever reached the summit of Everest, it is also debatable whether or not McEwan and Reynier managed to ‘top out’ on this peat expedition.  There are of course, various camps on this one.  One says that this is a novelty and was a shameless grab for headlines.  The other, and correct ( 😉 ), opinion says ‘Hell no!  This really is a well-made dram!’

Obviously you know where I stand on this one.

This first edition was peated to 131 ppm.  Subsequent releases have continued to up the ante to the point where Octomore 5_169 boasts a whopping 169 ppm phenol payload.  The debates rage on regarding whether or not there ceases to be a noticeable difference after a certain level of nose/tongue peat-blasting.  Not really certain myself, but I can confidently assert that these Octomore releases are a true revelation in terms of peat and smoke adoration.

Nose:  Farmy and oily as f*ck.  Lemon and salt.  Licorice.  Butter.  Hot roads and sour kiwi.  Anchovy.  A very typical Bruichladdich butterscotch.  Sort of one-dimensional without being simple or boring.  Like many shades of the same color.

Palate:  Fire-roasted fish.  Licorice and lemon.  Cola bibs.  Salty.  Very sharp.  Very tight.  Like scouring your tongue with hot coals and dousing the burns in seawater.  Really.  Invincible tastebuds and an iron throat mandatory.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Bunnahabhain 12 y.o.

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Bunnahabhain 12 y.o.060

46.3% abv

Overall:  88/100

 

Can it really be so?  Is someone at the top finally starting to take notice of what the little people have to say?

It seems the entire whisky world has been clamoring for the industry to drop the artificial coloring and chill-filtration, and most importantly…to bottle the stuff at a higher abv, and it seems as though that din is starting to be acknowledged.  Burn Stewart have helped lead the charge in the revamping of their line-up, which includes Deanston, Ledaig, Tobermory and Bunnahabhain.

This now standard beefed-up Bunnahabhain 12 is one to hunt for.  Bunna is Islay’s sleeper.  It boasts the lowest peating level (2ppm) of all the Islay malts and has long held a reputation as the mildest of the island’s drams.  This sort of puts it in a different league, since comparing it to an Ardbeg would be ridiculous and akin to comparing apples and oranges.

Having said that…this is now a hefty dram.  It is bold in terms of nose and palate, and the viscosity is unchecked as the oils are allowed free reign without chill-filtration.  What you can expect as a result is a substantial and mouth-coating whisky.  Of course this is admirable and a desirable quality, but really means nothing without a bouquet and flavor to back it up.  Thankfully…this new 12 year old absolutely delivers on both counts.

The nose is fruity and sweet.  Hints of banana are tempered with rich Speyside fruit notes, a gentle maltiness and creamy caramel.  There is a tickle of peat teasing here and there and a drizzle of sherry over all of it.  Something about this leads me to impressions of mellow rye as well.  The palate delivers just a touch too much sherry, but I can live with that.  The finish carries on long and pleasant with lingering dried fruit notes.

For different reasons, this will absolutely hold its own against the other Islay malts now.  Vastly different, though bold and unique in its own right.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Bruichladdich Laddie Ten Review

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Bruichladdich Laddie Ten

46% abv

Score:  86.5/100

 

The culmination of ten years of blood, sweat and tears.  Errr…hopefully none of which is fully realized inside the bottle itself.

While most fledgling distilleries would be holding their breath in anticipation as to whether or not their finally mature new spirit would live up to hope and hype, I imagine the folks at Bruichladdich were simply sitting back waiting for the party.  They knew they had a good product…they’d already had accolades and awards heaped on them…and they’d also been releasing young editions of their distillate under various names and incarnations for a few years by this point.

Even so, I guess, there would have likely been a ‘we’ve arrived!’ type celebration (much like Ardbeg experienced a few years back after their own resurrection).

What we have in hand now is Bruichladdich’s first new 10 year old malt consisting entirely of whisky produced under the new reign.  Remember…the distillery only reopened just over a decade ago.  And…as the vast majority of critical voices are affirming…it’s a damn decent dram.

The nose here speaks volumes as to the inherent quality of the pure spirit itself that Bruichladdich is producing.  Clean, salty and infinitely quaffable.  Caramel and crème brulee with toasted marshmallow.  The wee tiniest bit of peat and dry smoke…and I mean tiny.  Some iodine and straw.  Malty and figgy sweetness.  Splash of lemon.  Seems like a bit of youthful maturation in there with maybe…maybe(?) a whiff of sulphur.  Still vaguely young and spirity.

A young, rather clean drink.  Good solid heft, but rather hard to describe as there isn’t really a defining characteristic.  This is not a bad thing.  I only mention because we are so used to a very defined profile in our drams (peaty, sweet and sherried, old and woody, tropical and rich, vanilla’d and spicy, etc).  Here we have the ghost of peat and smoke met with invigorating seaspray and tingly citric notes.  Somewhat of a fruity backbone, really.  And yes…the sweet barley sugar notes and oak are notable.

I won’t call this a ‘great’ dram, but I will say it is great for ten years.  And to give proper due…it’s a very, very good drink.  Bruichladdich has crafted something they should be proud of.  Not quite there yet, but this is a whisky that will be a beauty at 17 or 18 years.  Can’t wait to follow this journey through the years.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Whyte And Mackay 21 y.o. Review

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Whyte And Mackay 21 y.o.

43% abv

Score:  91.5/100

 

Well, well, well…what have we here?  A little unexpected, a lot awesome.

Can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a blend this much.  Really.  There is a delightful spryness here that I wouldn’t normally associate with the blend industry, but which helps restores my faith in the institution.  (Sadly, I must confess that a recent run of less than impressive blends have somewhat soured me of late.  And no…I am not a malt snob.  Ok…maybe a little.)

I should also admit that, for the most part, I’m not really a fan of Richard Paterson’s whiskies.  I am however, a fan of Paterson himself.  The man truly knows how to put on a show, and through personality alone draws attention to his brands.  No two ways about it…the guy is entertaining as hell!  For those not necessarily in the know as to just who Paterson is, check this little two part video of W&M’s master blender doing what he does best:  Pt 1 and Pt 2.

So…while admittedly not sold on some his other masterworks, I must admit he’s got me on the hook with this one.  This is bottle number two I’m working my way through now and I have a third put aside for rainy days to come.  No lie, I’m hard-pressed to think of a blended Scotch whisky I like more than this.  It’s actually quite a stunner.

Biggest surprise here is in the integration.  If you told me this was an older malt I’d believe you.  First up…the grains are clean and pretty.  Sugar cookies and soft vanilla follow.  Some floral notes and a bit of cherry meets peach punch meets syrupy orange.  Slight nuances of latex or old well-worn furniture polish (something very lovely and only found with age).  Toasted oak, caramel/butterscotch and other surprisingly fresh orchard fruits as well.

The palate is mature, oaky and redolent of sassy fruit (peach again!).  Not too far off an old ‘Rothes or something.  Maybe just slightly easier on the sherry.  A little raisin.  Next…an aged waxy note and a slow drying sensation.  Barley sings a little louder on the fade to finish.

Wow.  This was not expected.  Lovely and immediately endearing.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Ardbeg Day Review

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Ardbeg Day045

56.7% abv

Score:  91/100

 

A limited run of 12,000 bottles meant to commemorate the launch of International Ardbeg Day on June 2nd.  You can only imagine how quickly this flew off the shelves.  …Or in our case (Canada) never even made it to the shelves.  I had to cross the sea to nab bottles of this!  Yes…life is rough, I know.

I’ve read reference to this release as very much another ‘Uigeadail’.  I can sorta see the rationale for comparison, but here again, as with each Ardbeg release, there is something to differentiate.  Sometimes innovation is entirely unnecessary, and it simply makes more sense to find a winning formula and stick with it.  Such is precisely the case here.  Ardbeg decided to take a damn good spirit (comprised of nothing more than a mix of eight, nine and twelve year old bourbon casks married in sherry butts) bottle it strong and clean and sit back and collect the accolades.  If it ain’t broke…or so they say.

The nose is led off on notes of pungent peat smoke, iodine and braised barbecued meat.  There is a dry quality to this one.  Closest I can come to nailing it down is the smell of wet rock (ever suck on a pebble?), ashes & tar and oysters on the shell.  Lemon Pledge and lively eucalyptus.  Fishiness meets farminess.  A medicinal Band-aid note I’d more closely associate with Lagavulin.  A damn good expression of Ardbeg, to be honest, with a slightly odd ashy profile.

Flavour wise…BBQ chips (crisps, for my mates on the other side), weighty in salt, smoke and sweet meatiness.  That ashiness follows through here as well.  Licorice.  A lingering fishy peat and brine.

Recently referred to by a friend as a natural ‘progression of the range’.  Absolutely dead on.

Shame this was a limited release.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo: Curt

Ardbeg Galileo Review

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Ardbeg Galileo

49% abv

Score:  88/100

 

Methinks Ardbeg is having almost as much fun in their marketing department as Bruichladdich is.  Galileo?  Really?  Based on an ‘experiment’ in which a bit of Ardbeg was sent up in space to see what effect zero gravity might have on the maturation process.  Hmmmm.  Throw in a wicked retro label and packaging and…voila!  Collectibility…sky-high (pun intended) pricing…and word of mouth like a wildfire.  Ok, so maybe the pricing isn’t that bad here.  This is, after all, the first new Ardbeg in a few years to actually carry either an age statement or a distillation year on it.  1999, to be precise, which would in effect make this a 13 year old?  Ish?

Anyway…marketing aside, the innovation doesn’t end there for the Galileo.  This is apparently a mix of first and second fill ex-bourbon casks smushed together with some Ardbeg spirit aged in ex-Marsala casks (Marsala being a fortified Sicilian wine).  Ardbeg in wine, huh?  Odd.

Nose:  Sweet and creamy and more dessert-like than recent Ardbeg releases.  Notes of chocolate and burnt marshmallow.  Tart fruit; like maybe pomegranate seeds and crab apple.  Chilis and iodine.  Hot chocolate with marshmallow.  Grapes that are initially none too aggressive, grow bigger and bigger as this one opens up a bit.  Almost faint at first, but developing like something in the rear view mirror moving ever closer.  Some peat and smoke o’ course.

The palate…not even close to the suggestions of the nose.  Much sharper, really.  Wet, sloppy, juicy delivery that quickly contracts and puckers into sour grape skins and slightly bitters.  Licorice.  A touch too heavy on the wine influence, I think.

After a few sips, my mate referred to this one as both ‘a dirty drink’ and ‘an oddball…one off’.  Yes and no.  Dirty?  Sure.  I get that.  An oddball?  Get that too.  The reason I say ‘nae’ here as well is because this one really isn’t that much of a stretch for Ardbeg.  Just a few quirky steps off the beaten path.  You WILL find familiarity here.

Final concession:  Recognition for odd innovation on the part of the distillers, and acknowledgement of being a tad underwhelmed with this one due to my own possibly inflated expectations, mean perhaps this should really score an extra point, but ultimately I’ll refrain.

BTW…Notice a lot of question marks in this review?  Exactly.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Bowmore Surf Review

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Bowmore Surf

40% abv

Score:  76.5/100

 

Bowmore and I are not the easiest of bedfellows.  At one point it was kind of a love/hate deal.  Some of my favorite drams (and further…my all time favorite whisky) are Bowmore.  At the same time some of the most unbelievably mediocre malts I’ve ever tried originated from the same distillery.  What gives?

Bowmore Surf is a Travel Retail exclusive, and not available here on our distant shores.  Normally if you tell me that I can’t have something I only want it more (market it a limited edition and I am f*cked…seriously.  Gotta have it).  Fortunately for my pocketbook, and consequently the longevity of my marriage…I don’t need to have this, no matter whether it is limited/exclusive/rare/whatever.

This is a malty young Bowmore.  And not a great one.  It is one from the lower end of the Bowmore spectrum, in terms of both price point and quality.  Age?  Not sure.  I’ve heard possibly a 12 year old.

Nose:  Notes of smoked meat, a bit of tangy citrus and earthy peat up front.  There are notes of chocolate, though none too bold, and salt.  Kinda more ‘sweat’ salt as opposed to ‘briny’ salt.  Yeah…exactly.  Not quite as bad as you’d think though.  Hints of dry and bitter dark berries (on both the nose and palate), and quite bitter greens (again…they show up across the tongue and on the nose).  Smoke on the palate, some gritty, briny grainy-ness.

The finish has some staying power and fortunately those more pungent and bitter notes mellow into something a little softer and caramel smooth after a few moments.  Pleasant and natural oak-leeched caramel, that is.

Not bad.  Not great.  You won’t find it around here, but I guess worth trying if opportunity presents.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  www.singlemaltwhiskyshop.com

Caol Ila 10 y.o. Unpeated Review

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Caol Ila 10 y.o. Unpeated

65.8% abv

Score:  87.5/100

 

Check the label.  What the hell am I drinking?  Caol Ila?  Malt whisky?  Nah…I don’t buy it.

This is simply a mindf*ck.  I dare anyone to stick their nose in this glass and not believe they were dealing with an aged grain whisky.

For curiousity, if no other reason, I’d suggest snapping one of these up if opportunity presents.  Last word from the distillery is that there are no plans to produce anything else unpeated in the future.  Demand for the standard peated Caol Ila (5% of production being for single malt…95% for blending fodder) is simply too great right now.  Shame really…this was a fun little experiment.

Nose:  Big and rich in sweet barley notes, this has much more in common with an old grain whisky or mature rye than with a whisky from one of the most polarizing Scotch producing regions in the world.  The malt notes you’d expect from a single MALT are sparse and almost seem to be lacking.  In good conscience I have to say…bloody hell, is this sharp!  Clean toasted sugar notes and a lovely coconut aroma up front (hmmm…ever had a Malibu and pineapple juice?).  Smooth chocolate.  A bit of lemon, very typical of Caol Ila.  Lightly floral and a fair infusion of menthol/eucalyptus.

Hot and biting on delivery.  Lemon sharp and anesthetizing (nearly lobotomizing, to be honest!).  Shimmering grains and sweet vanilla pulled young and lively from the oak.  Finishes surpringly rich in balance, and absolutely altogether pleasant.

Did I love it?  Nah.  Did I appreciate it?  Hell yes.  Surprising and enamoring.  And I gotta ask…have you ever bought an abv this high?!  Gawdamn, but this is ENORMOUS!

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Pat

Laphroaig 18 y.o. Review

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Laphroaig 18 y.o.

48% abv

Score:  91.5/100

 

Maybe I’m wrong here, but I’d guess there just may be something a little older than 18 in this Laphroaig.  I don’t think that happens much nowadays, but in ages past (errr…a few years back even) it wasn’t necessarily a rare thing to find some brilliant old whiskies being married with younger casks to strike a harmonic whole.

With single malt whisky experiencing the boom it currently is, every drop counts.  Especially the now virtually priceless drops of older stocks.  I’d venture that in current days your 18 year old whisky is usually no more than 18 years and 6 minutes before it is ripped from the cask and bottled for retail.  Yes, yes…I’m a cynic, I know.

Anyway…here we have an 18 year old Islay malt from the legendary Laphroaig that boasts a profile far surpassing the number on the bottle.  Pleasant surprises like these don’t come often.  (Hmmm…maybe that’s why there are a couple extra bottles of this on my shelf).

The nose is where evidence for my aforementioned theory on this malt is most prevalent.  Big vanilla and sweet tangerine.  Orange and chocolate.  Pear drops and bubblegum.  Black licorice jujubes…right outta the bag and sorta carrying the scent of the others as well.  Some sweet smoke and faded dirty peat notes.

Man…what a beautiful orange tang on arrival.  Back to pear and syrupy fruit cocktail.  Peat and smoke (but none too heavy for a Laphroaig).  Chocolate and Werther’s Originals.  A bit of tobacco pungency.  Finish is slightly drying, kinda lengthy, completely pleasant.

Laphroaig young enough and old enough to be in its prime.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt