Category Archives: Whisky Reviews & Tasting Notes

Black Grouse Review

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Black Grouse

40% abv

Score:  71.5/100

Unapologetically I have to be the dissenting voice here on the Black Grouse.Having read more than one review suggesting that this was a top notch peated blend, I truly found myself in a whirlpool of doubt. I even held off reviewing this for several months, trying this at various times, and with various company, concerned that my palate was perhaps just not up to snuff each time. I’ve knocked the hell out of half a bottle now…shared with many others…and finally, others’ opinions notwithstanding, I have to commit and say…This is not good.I know some of the malts used to weave this blend. More than one I truly adore. Others I at least respect. This motley collection, when presented as a unified front, is just not firing on all cylinders. As a result, certain characteristics of some of those malts, stick out at odd angles and make for a really uncomfortable ride.

Now. Please forgive my cynicism. There is a certain someone out there who holds a lot of sway in the wider whisky circles. I truly wonder if some of the published opinion of said individual hasn’t helped lead others to their own weigh-in on this one. I honestly have so much trouble with this Grouse that perhaps I’m grasping at straws to cover my own stunted palate. Who knows.

On to the juice…

The nose delivers an attack of cloyingly offensive peat. Overpowering directly out of the bottle. Kinda like a mulekick right to the beak. It’s hard for me to admit that, as I know what is supposedly contributing this peat reek. Here, for whatever reason, it is terribly sharp and dirty. It is smoky and cigar rich, qualities I normally admire, though here they just don’t quite work. it is bitterly prunish, almost like raisin fruit tarts, but…not. Pungently malty like a young Highland Park (hint hint), almost to the point of sticking your head in a mash tun.

The delivery brings that tangy maltiness and bitter peat right up front. Then those sharp almost-mincemeat fruitcake flavors hit the palate, but sour and marbled with what seem like off-notes. The fade is slow into tobacco and peat. Normally a long finish is a necessity in my whiskies. Here…shaving a few minutes off would not necessarily be a bad thing.

Hey…call me out on it if you think I’m wrong. Perhaps I have a faulty batch. The door is always open. I have a half bottle here only a few months old and any brave souls are welcome to have a go, and tell me I’m wrong.

Now…I gotta say something here to ease my conscience. There ARE some pleasant notes in here. It’s sort of like a faded old tapestry with the odd brilliantly colored thread woven throughout. In the end however…it still looks like an old rag.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Isle Of Jura 18 y.o. Review

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Isle Of Jura 18 y.o.

40% abv

Score:  82/100

 

So…this kid and Jura?  We’re not the best of friends.  Don’t mind it.  Don’t love it.  Until the Prophecy came along I was a little indifferent to be honest.  Indifferent or underwhelmed.  The entire lure of Jura for me is the mystique associated with the island’s history and geography.  The true heartbreak in my relationship with Jura is that last year’s pond-hopping took me to Islay, but didn’t give me quite enough time to get across to Jura.  Next time, suppose.

Jura 18.  Hm.  18 years is just hitting a sweet spot in terms of maturation.  From here till about…oh…30 or so has a nifty little flavor profile that you can tack on to almost any malt and see certain characteristics revealed (a waxy, rubbery, dusty, oaky influence from the cask that is bloody sexy).  Indeed we do see a little of that in the Jura 18, but not quite enough to mask the youthful dry nuttiness I just can’t seem to evade with Jura malts.

Having said that…there is ample charm here to make this a rewarding dram.  And one well worth the ridiculously low price point.  Problem being…I believe this one is no longer in production.

Onwards…

Bourbon rides hard on the nose.  There is a mild perfumed waxiness (almost like a snuffed scented candle) and warm broken leather up front.  Dry nut and a little too much oak, then into an oddly forced spiciness (hard to describe, but doesn’t seem to flow naturally).  Toffee….some candied nuts…and finally the fruits arrive with a late fanfare.

The delivery is oaky.  Very oaky.  Almond (that dry nuttiness) and a hint of white pepper appear.  This one is slightly tannic, likely a result of the Oloroso influence.  All followed by a nice pleasant fade of ebbing oak and spiced apple pie.

Less fruity than I imagined it would be, but hey…that’s my preconception failing me.

All in…not a bad drink at all.  Hm…could I slowly be coming ’round to Jura?

Next up…Isle Of Jura Superstition.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Sheep Dip Old Hebridean 1990 Review

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Sheep Dip Old Hebridean 1990

40% abv

Score:  92/100

 

Wow.  Mature peat meets mature sherry.  These two flirty ol’ folks can stay liplocked all night as far as I’m concerned.  This is like a fine old flick from decades back where the romance sweeps you up in its arms almost as if it were you on screen staring into the eyes of Audrey Hepburn or whichever faded old starlet lit your lamp.

If rumors hold any truth, this blended malt is comprised of 19 year old Dalmore, 21 year old Fettercairn and…yes!…25 year old Ardbeg.  An odd marriage, but a stunner.  What a truly remarkable vatting to pull off a profile this large and a balance this absolute.

The nose…

Smoke and cracked black pepper.  Briny, but with a fruity underbelly.  There is a neat little undercurrent of jam or jelly or something.  Kinda inexplicable.  Sort of like Amaretto…or Cherry Coke…or Dr. Pepper.  Big bursting purple grapes, and a lovely fresh biscuit-y quality.  Mince and mint.  Oodles more, so much that I could pick out nuances for paragraph after paragraph, but alas…you’d be bored and I’d be ‘scent-logged’ to cop a phrase from a favorite German author.

Again…phenomenal balance between peat and sweet, even on the palate.  Slightly tannic ashiness here bobs and weaves on a salty wash and hits that grape wine-iness early on.  The smoke coalesces and looms larger and larger the longer you hold it.  For such a woefully underpowered dram (40%?  For whiskies of this age?  C’mon!) the finish has a surprising staying power.

Quite simply one of the best vatted malts I have ever tasted.  Brilliant stuff.  A little thin at 40%, but still…close enough for this guy.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Bunnahabhain Darach Ur Review

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Bunnahabhain Darach Ur

46.3% abv

Score:  79.5/100

 

Darach Ur.  Gaelic for ‘New Oak’.  Yep…it sure is.  Holy hell.  You want tasting notes?  Ok.  Oak…oak…oak…vanilla…oak.

Seriously though…oak and vanilla.  Poached pear and rose petals.  Ginger and grapefruit.  Bourbon and pepper.  And oak.  This is not exciting.  With the brilliant strides Bunnahabhain have taken with the recent re-releases of the 12, 18 and 25, I came in to this one with higher expectations than were perhaps fair.  Either way…

Much more happening on the palate than the nose.  But wham! what an arrival.  Like being hit in the mouth with a whisky-soaked 2×4.  Malt-soaked white fruits and ginger candy.  Toothpicks and barley.  Perhaps the faintest echo (perhaps) of smoke.

Ok…Bunna’s folks have claimed malts aged up to 20 years in here.  Really?  These must have been measured in thimblefuls.  This certainly doesn’t present like a whisky with much age to its credit, but…hey…I’ve been fooled before.

I believe you can only find this in Duty Free or at the distillery.  Don’t sweat it.  Do rush out and give Bunna your money…just make sure you’re getting something like the standard 18 y.o. in return.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Piers

Would You Rather Spend The Night With A Bunch Of 18 Year Olds Or One 32 Year old?

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Awkward is having your wife catch you with a sassy 18 year old.  Domestic nuclear winter is having her come home and find you messing around with nine 18 year olds at the same time.  Not that anyone would want to be in that situation.  Errr…ummm…

Ok, ok…listen up, boys.  They may be pretty…they may smell good…they may taste good…and they may not even be ‘out of your league’…but no 18 year old will ever give you what a stunning 32 year old can.  I promise.

Though usually I’d give you a few paragraphs of preamble before jumping in to the nitty gritty, this time let’s leave it up to the imagination…

Let me tell you a little about how this one goes.  First there was a fair-haired lass from Speyside…

 

Glenfiddich 18

43% abv

Nose:  Heather and gooey honey.  Big ol’ baskets of fruit and armfuls of flowers.  Creamy vanilla ice cream, drizzled in creme caramel.  Red apple.  Berries in cream.  Pancakes and syrup.  Oaky, but young and vibrant for 18 years.

Palate:  Smooth and unchallengingly sweet.  Creamy vanillins dance with dried fruit and crunchy apple.  Lovely really.  Almost refreshing.

Thoughts & Impressions:  She’s familiar and you can’t help but sneak a second peek.  Cute and red-apple-rosy-cheeked.  Probably dated the quarterback.  Do you have a chance?  Maybe.  Is she worth it?  Hmmmm…time will tell.

 

GlenDronach 18

46% abv 

Nose:  Heavy sherry, rich and sweet…could only be Oloroso.  Cherry and cocoa.  Cinnamon and gingerbread.  Vanilla.  Slight yeastiness.  Fruitcake, mild cigar leaf and deep plumminess.

Palate:  Slight bitterness, almost tannic.  Heavy raisin bread and rummy fruitcake.  Drying.

Thoughts & Impressions:  Bubbly and fresh, but…there’s a little more of a dark side here.  This is not vanilla sex.  This is jeans and cardigans by day…handcuffs by night.  There’s a sensibility and maturity here that tells you no one will ever know about this dark side but you.

 

 

Macallan 18

43% abv

Nose:  Rich and chewy sherry…but very soft.  Nutmeg and cream.  Muted cherry.  Toffee.  Heather.  Nearly faultless nose.

Palate:  Mildest of dried fruit.  Caramel.  Warm melted chocolate.  Oak.  Lasts none too long, but a beautiful top note and denouement.  Man…what exceptional balance.

Thoughts & Impressions:  This one is a princess.  She’s not in your bed ‘cause she wants to be.  She’s there ‘cause she’s slumming and looking for an experience.  Don’t get too settled…don’t fall in love.  You can’t afford the upkeep on this one.

 

Highland Park 18

43% abv

Nose:  Creamy honey and rich peat smoke.  Dusty, spicy vanilla.  Mild cigar.  Rich sweet butter.  A bouquet of soft fruit and barely seen floral notes.  Hint of dill.

Palate:  The delivery is unbelievably smooth and calculated. Rich wood smoke teases, then mellows out with sweet caramel notes

Thoughts & Impressions:  Messy-haired and ready for a pillow fight.  She’s not leaving till sun-up.  And that’s not ‘cause she wants to sleep.

 

 

Bunnahabhain 18

46.3% abv 

Nose:  Smoke and sherry.  Ashy peat.  Pear and sweet banana cream.  Some sort of orchard fruit.  Honey and vanilla.  Stunning interplay at work here.

Palate:  Gooey, chewy malt full of smoke.  Sherried honey oak and a complex tapestry of spritely fruits.   This is maturity and youthful zest in perfect harmony.

Thoughts & Impressions:  Just a down-home small town girl that everyone underestimates.  The thing is…she’s bloody brilliant at everything she does and no one who meets her can resist her.  This is a keeper, if only you were looking to settle down.

 

Talisker 18

45.8% abv 

Nose:  Yeah, baby…there’s the Talisker pepper!  Salt.  A peaty backbone.  Cinnamon and ginger.  Some kinda soft orange fruit.  Toblerone.  Warm leather.  An absolute classic on the nose alone.

Palate:  Pepper.  Surprisingly sweet and fruity.  Swirling ribbons of smoke.  Peat.  Faint notes of old sherry.  Such a phenomenal linger smoked green apple.

Thoughts & Impressions:  Yow!  She’s a spicy one.  Blonde and bold.  Fiery-tempered.  Full of personality.  Highly possible she’s also the love of your life.

 

 

Longrow 18

46% abv

Nose:  Prickly and peppery.  Hint o’ mint maybe.  Smoke and caramel.  Licorice.  Some salt and thick cream over blueberries.  Wee bit o’ peat, but not near what I’d generally expect from a Longrow.

Palate:  There’s the peat I expected on the nose.  Comes through with some spiced apples and smoke.  Lindt chocolate with chili.  Long, long finish.

Thoughts & Impressions:  The dark-haired younger sister of your girlfriend.  Sassier and miles more charming.  No, you’re not wrong…she is trying to seduce you.

 

Caol Ila 18

43% abv 

Nose:  Slightly ‘green’.  Honeydew melon.  Aloe.  Mild citrus.  Fruits are starting to come forward.  Salt.  Very light smoke.

Palate:  A little more smoke than on the nose.  Great green fruit delivery.  Lovely and uplifting.

Thoughts & Impressions:  She comes from the biggest house on the street.  Her parents have lots of money and drive brilliant cars. She’s the one everyone wants but are afraid to approach.  Shame, really.  She’s also a sweetheart, and easy to love.

 

 

Laphroaig 18

48% abv 

Nose:  Orange and chocolate.  Cedar.  Fruity.  Heavy vanilla and black licorice flavored jujubes.  Pear drops.  Sambuca and fruit bowl with dominant bananas.

Palate:  Poached and caramelized white fruits.  Floral smoke.  Some dark chocolate and Werther’s Originals.  Drying with tobacco and clean smoke.

Thoughts & Impressions:  This is a mysterious one.  Redolent of exotic and foreign perfumes.  Dark and alluring.  This is the Dashiel Hammett heroine seen through a haze in a dark and smoky bar.  You love her.  But can you handle her?

 

 

But…

After a romp like that I promise you you’ll still be left wondering ‘what if?’  And further, that empty feeling won’t be sated until you finally spend a little time with the one that should have had your attention all along…

 

Springbank 32

46% abv

Nose:  Smoke and wax.  Coconut milk and soft pineapple juice.  Marmalade.  Vanilla and oak.  Some tame spices.  Becomes fruitier and fruitier over time.

Palate:  There’s the maturity.  Waxy…smoky and oaky.  Dried fruit…apricot maybe.  Creosote.  Gorgeous, gorgeous oak.

Thoughts & Impressions:  She’s what you’ve waited for.  Vibrant and sweet.  The older she gets, the more you love her.  Age has taken all of her best and given it just a little more brilliance by imparting a mature knowing.

 

barry's place pics 014

How can you possibly top her?  Simple…you can’t.  I’ll take my beautiful 32 year old over any 18 year old…any day.

Happy birthday, babe.  Love you.  Always have.

 

– Tasting notes and write-up:  Curt

– Photos:  Curt (except Caol Ila, courtesy of Pat)

SMWS Canada Pt 3 – Tasting The Drams

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So…we’ve had a bit of a chinwag about the SMWS.  You know their dirty secrets and you’re aware of their dirty people.

Now let’s talk a little about how it all works.  First things first.  You want to buy the malts…you gotta be a member.  No exceptions.  If you want to taste the whiskies before committing, well…that’s another story.  Check out the schedule for the First Friday tastings through Kensington Wine Market.  Once a month members can taste all of the whiskies in the new Outturn for $35.  Non-members can attend for $45.  Decent dramming (all at cask strength, remember!) for a fair price.

Now you’re probably wondering what ‘Outturn’ means.  This refers to both the release of a small handful of new whiskies and the number of bottles of each expression released.  Example…”this months ‘Outturn’ features seven new malts” or “the ‘Outturn’ on this new 123.07 is 779 bottles”.  Clear as mud?  Good.

And the ‘123.07’…easy.  The ‘123’ refers to a certain distillery, while the ’07’ refers to the number of casks the SMWS has bought from said distillery.  In this case, this would be the 7th cask that the Society has purchased from Glensomethingorother.

As mentioned earlier on, I can’t tell you what these bottlings are.  Instead…have some fun with it.  Go to the SWMS site and read the notes for each expression.  Follow the clues provided therein.  Let there be a little mystery.

 

Alright already.  Enough chit chat, right?  You wanna know what the whiskies are like, right?  Let’s dive in.  I’m thirsty!

 

     A4 – “Soft, Spicy, Rich and Intense”

     Outturn:  434 Bottles    

     22 y.o.    

     47% abv

Nose:  Rum-like.  Old and mature.  Latex.  Orange Rind.  Prune.  Fennel.  Hints of bourbon.  Green apple.  Little bit of anise.  Steak rub or BBQ sauce.

Palate:  Spicy and hot.  Licorice and cherry eucalyptus.  Apple finish…though somewhat medicinal.

Thoughts & Impressions:  An Armagnac.  Something a little different.  Not quite my thing, but Deah Lawd, is this unique!

 

     17.32 – “Boiled Sweets and Grapefruit Peel”

     Outturn:  214 Bottles    

     9 y.o.    

     56.2% abv

 

Nose:  Honey.  Heather.  Vanilla.  Malts and a touch of feints.  Dusty cask.  Lemon.  Very light really.

Palate:  Barley.  Some tartness.  Lemon.  White wine notes…Sauvignon Blanc, perhaps.

Thoughts & Impressions:  Young and just waiting to come into its own.  Don’t get me wrong…not bad now, but in a few years…would be great.

 

     123.07 – “Unusual and Highly Enjoyable”

     Outturn:  779 Bottles    

     10 y.o.    

     59.6% abv

 

Nose:  Malty.  Beef bouillion…OXO.  Thick veins of caramel.  Deep dark wine.  Brine.  Brown sugar.  Rye bread.

Palate:  Tannic wine notes and malt beef.  Fades to barleys.

Thoughts & Impressions:  First thoughts were this could only be one of two distilleries, but…nope…I was dead wrong.  Figured for sure a Mortlach or Springbank.

 

     37.50 – “Pizza in a Sweetie Shop”

     Outturn:  263 Bottles    

     12 y.o.    

     54.5% abv

 

Nose:  Sweet and floral.  Like a soapery (Ivory?).  Creamy and sugary.  Zesty.  Basil…oregano…Italian seasoning?  Very clean.

Palate:  Young, sharp and clean.  Zesty spices.

Thoughts & Impressions:  Now here we gots us sumpin’ alive and just…  Thought the name was a little quirky until getting nose deep.  It is pizza-ish!

 

     76.83 – “Cocktails After Rugby”

     Outturn:  605 Bottles    

     15 y.o.    

     57.1% abv 

 

Nose:  Feints and malt.  Mint.  Vanilla, cream and caramel.  Peanuts.  Ginger.

Palate:  Creamy.  Vanilla.  Caramel corn.  Kinda spicy.  Maybe a little orange.  Good balance for a flavor profile.

Thoughts & Impressions:  The nose…s’ok.  The palate…s’almost awesome.

 

     36.49 – “A Country Kitchen Garden”

     Outturn:  278 Bottles    

     21 y.o.    

     52.4% abv

 

Nose:  Fairly up-front and dusty grains.  Floral.  Mild spices.  Perhaps a hint of butter tart.  Lemon.  Light…very light.  Lowland-ish.

Palate:  Barleys and mild spiced bread.  Faint apple cinnamon.  Age is deceptive here.

Thoughts & Impressions:  Light and lovely aperitif dram.  But having said that…pretty sure this would be more than alright at pretty much any time o’ day.

 

     35.61 – “Just So-ooh Nice”

     Outturn:  213 Bottles    

     21 y.o.    

     60.4% abv

 

Nose:  Sugar cookies.  Rich, thick and creamy.  Spiced baking and treacle.  Cherry jujube.  Syrupy.  Pepper bite.  Waxy cherry note (Did this come from an ex-Maker’s Mark cask?)

Palate:  Bourbon.  Dolce de Lecce.  Syrupy, candy, waxy notes carry through to palate.

Thoughts & Impressions:  Best o’ the bunch.  Highly possible I have a little bit of a crush on this l’il sweetie.  Seconds?  Yes, please.

 

     127.20 – “Invigorating, Eye-Watering, Breath-Catching”

     Outturn:  202 Bottles    

     8 y.o.    

     64.2% abv 

 

Nose:  Farmy.  Peat and iodine.  Burnt out fires.  Creamy and buttery.  Smells like a wine influence.  Young and aggressive.  Fruits?  Bahahaha, don’t be ridiculous.  Well…maybe citrus.  Any other  notes?  Who knows.

Palate:  Unmistakable.  Deep peat and iodine.  Dry ashy smoke.  Banana?  Maybe.  Odd…peated banana.

Thoughts & Impressions:  Holy mule kick!  Ya likes ‘em young?  Ya likes ‘em peaty?  Ya likes this one!  Hard to imagine any other distillery producing a malt like this.

 

-Tasting notes and write-up:  Curt

– Images:  SMWS Canada

anCnoc 12 y.o. Review

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anCnoc 12 y.o.

40% abv

Score:  84/100

 

This entry level malt in the anCnoc range is a feisty l’il fella indeed.  Surprising in its depth, and unbelievably unique for a malt whose flavor profile is really not more than a step or two off the beaten path, there’s something more here than initially meets the eye.  Further impressive is the fact that this whisky is chock full of personality at a mere 12 years of age.  I’ve read others refer to it as ‘complex’, and while I don’t necessarily agree with the term ‘complex’ as it applies here, I do see an incredible depth.  This is a malt that soars in all aspects, and only falls right at the end.

Before we get to the Icarus act right at the back end, let’s sing the virtues of this Highlander…

This is a malt all about the olfacory experience.  Surprisingly peppery on the nose.  Fruity and kinda floral.  Notes of citrus and blueberry are zingy and vibrant.  Tobacco and milk chocolate bring a darker, earthier edge.  I gotta confess…I adore the nose on this whisky.  Truly love it.

The cereals on the palate are immense.  Oak and lemon play a part.  All flavors are initially pleasant and integrated…right up until the fade, that is.  Here we get a denouement of oddest overt graininess, grassiness and notes of an almost fishy character.  Not maritime/coastal fishy notes, but rather a surprising, and not particularly pleasant, fishiness.

I was really digging the Talisker meets Glenmorangie (sans the heavy orange notes) profile until it all kinda barley-ed out into fishmarket-ness.  Good malt up to the finish.

Still possibly preferable to the anCnoc 16.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Talisker 10 y.o. Review

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Talisker 10 y.o.

45.8% abv

Score:  88.5/100

 

“The king o’ drinks, as I conceive it, Talisker, Isla, or Glenlivet.”

     …so sayeth Robert Louis Stevenson.  King?  Perhaps not, but a princely dram to be sure.

I’m sure it is becoming abundantly clear, I like peat.  It is highly possible that someone could run over my dog, date my sister and flirt with my wife…as long as their apology included a bottle of something smoky.  (Don’t get any ideas, boys).  Just as with my coffee (strong and black), my wine (fat and oaky) and my beer (skunky and Euro, please), I like my whisky to have distinction and character.  That is what my extra dollars go towards.

In order to truly appreciate those big smoky, phenolic bastards though, one must have certain benchmarks against which to measure.  I can appreciate most any well-made whisky, but I have a few favorites against which I measure others.  Talisker 10 is just such a one.  It is complex enough to please a discerning palate, yet not intimidating enough to bruise the sensitivities of a whisky noob.  Smoke?  A little, yeah.

Talisker 10 is a mildly/moderately peated whisky from the Isle of Skye.  Heavier PPM (parts per million) than the average malt, but not in league with the bullies from Islay.  The true beauty?  It’s not so phenolic that one couldn’t be enticed to a daily dram.  Often the big boys (Lagavulin, Laphroaig and Ardbeg) are occasional sippers and a little too beefy to be an everyday bottle (not to mention the beating they give your wallet).  Talisker has crafted a beautiful profile that has that peaty goodness I crave, but also a tastefully tamed balance against the lighter notes.

This is no obscene beast of a peated whisky.   Trust me when I say that it is much milder and approachable than the following notes would suggest.

Nose:  Peat and pepper.  Light sandalwood notes, and maybe a l’il vanilla.  Faint bit of plum.  Sharp lemon.  Briny and expectedly coastal.  Hay.  Still rather sweet, though less so than previous vintages (and this one is a couple years old too!).

Palate:  Gale force arrival.  Like shutter doors slamming in an oceanic storm.  Peat and a big peppery bite.  Cereals.  A mouthful of seawater and rocks.  Keylime pie.  Ginger.  More citric bite.  Second wave of pepper and spice at the back before it ebbs into cereal notes.  Fairly drying.

Thoughts:  A lesser malt than earlier incarnations, it’s true, but still a standby ’round here.  Has taken a media-drubbing in recent years, and it has dropped off in terms of quality, but it’s still one of the best 10s on the market.

*Updated 3 August 2014

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Ardbeg Ten Review

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Ardbeg Ten

46% abv

Score: 88.5/100

 

It doesn’t get more ‘Islay’ than this. Ardbeg Ten is one of the truest expressions of an Islay single malt I have ever encountered. It epitomizes the region and style. Quite possibly the greatest ten year old whisky I’ve tried and most likely the best entry level expression to come from any of the ‘big eight’ on Islay.

It is the fountainhead of Ardbeg’s resurrection, and as such, it stands as a monument to the rebirth of the distillery. Its clean lines, sharp angles, austere clarity and defined character have shown that the distillery has not only pulled off the Lazarus act, but done so with style.

Interesting to note…old stocks saw the light of day when the distillery reopened in 1997 under Glenmorangie, but quickly disappeared in expressions such as the brilliant ‘17’ and ‘Airigh Nam Beist’. At this time the oldest expression in the Ardbeg core range is this, the Ten. And even still…demand outstrips supply. No wonder there is little old stock hitting the market outside of the indies.

Straight outta that sexy emerald bottle, this is a light straw-like color, quite similar to pale diffuse sunshine, and it prickles at the nostrils a little, ‘cause hey…let’s face it…this is a young whisky.

The nose is all about campfires and smoldering peat. Salty coastal notes and briny iodine are everywhere. Next…buckets of freshly squeezed citrus fruit and a mild nutty vanilla leeched from the bourbon oak. The charred wood notes are to die for and marry well with wispy stirrings of anise (which appear a little more boldly on the palate).

Heat, peat and smoke on delivery and arrival. These come right up front, ride along through the development and stay until the party is over. Surprisingly the Ten is somewhat creamy and vanilla-noted. There is fruit there as well…mostly young ripe green fruit and lemon rind. The finish has just a touch of melon behind the oaky vanillins, smoke and drying green apple skin tartness.

This is coat-your-mouth, room-scenting, firewater. Well worth taking the time to savor.

Ardbeg firing on all cylinders is a nearly unstoppable machine, and it speaks volumes about the quality of the pure spirit when the distillery’s entry level expression, at a mere ten years of age, is this bloody good.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Port Ellen 8th Release Review

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Port Ellen 8th Release083

55.3% abv

Score:  90.5/100

 

So.  One question.  Why the f*ck did this distillery close?

I concede that all of the Port Ellen expressions that I have tasted to date have been in their mid 20s to early 30s, so age is certainly a factor.  We all know (or should all know) that aged peat is sexy.  There is simply no getting around it.  When the smoke, brine and tar begin to resound with lessoning echoes, the fruits that previously were hidden behind the peat curtain begin to sashay towards center stage for their moment in the spotlight.  This moment, between the ebb of the peat and the crescendo of the oak, is a small window of time.  At this point the malt needs to retire to the comforts of glass to arrest the maturation process.

And here, at this point of maturity, is where we now find the diminishing stores of Port Ellen.  Every sip is one less that exists in the world.  When Port Ellen closed its doors in ’83, we were left with a cache of casks that one day certainly must run dry.  Speculation runs rampant on how much PE is left in the world (nowhere moreso than here on ATW), but to put it simply…this whisky is going the way of the dodo.

Mr. PE (aka Maltmonster) has said that this 8th release, while still exceptional, is not necessarily the personification of the distillery’s profile.  I’ve tasted a dozen or so Port Ellen’s now, of varying casks, ages and finishes, and while I cannot speak with the assurance he does, I can say that no one would know better.

Having said that…

Let’s go full circle to my first question.  Why would Port Ellen be closed?  This whisky is brilliant stuff.  I have heard that even in its younger incarnations it deserved more than the relegation to blending fodder it was known to be.  This was another Islay distillery that produced a high quality whisky and certainly had the financial backing it needed to get through the whisky slump of the 80s.  Its closure will forever haunt us.

Port Ellen 8.  The nose is subtle and sophisticated.  Fading smoke and peat…mild lemon…light honeydew melon and freshly cut potato.  Hints of wax and latex and tar.  Licorice and mint.  A dusting of cocoa powder.  All of this seems slightly restrained, even at cask strength.

The palate is woody and smoky.  Age is everywhere here, but not of something past its prime.  More akin to starting the descent after summiting.  It is oily and lingering (beautifully so), and bitters out slightly in oaky shards.

Typical of the distillery style?  Maybe not quite, but brilliant, brilliant Islay whisky nevertheless.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt