Category Archives: Whisky Reviews & Tasting Notes

Alberta Premium 25 y.o. Review

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Alberta Premium 25 y.o.

40% abv

Score:  92.5

 

There’s a hometown pride goin’ on here right now. I’ve been won over and have fallen in love again. Sort of a backdoor romance, you could say. The good news though…is that my wife knows about it.

Alberta Premium is produced right here in Calgary, and is doubtless the finest Canadian Whisky I have ever tried. Their no age statement flagship expression is a mindblowingly sexy dram, showing maturity well beyond its years (the number of which, of course, a gentlemen would never mention). So the question that logically follows is ‘how does this stack up after a few more years in wood’?

Well…through a newly-forged (though hopefully long-enduring) friendship, I was gifted a bottle of this sadly long-gone whisky. I can, without any hesitation, state on record that 25 years in oak takes this from a sterling rye whisky to something utterly beyond compare.

The nose here has all of the same notes that makes the standard bottling exceptional, but…try this…imagine a lone violin playing in a moonlit amphitheater. Now imagine that lone violin is joined by multitudes more playing the same note in ascending octaves of the most heavenly harmony until your eardrums burst in pure ecstasy. That good? Absolutely. Gorgeous sweet rye…creamy vanilla and hazy light fruits…silky smooth chocolate. At 25 years I should be worried about oak influence. Alas…nada. The woods here are absolutely distant and tastefully restrained.

The palate is alive and vibrant with all the afore-mentioned depth and creamy toffee notes to boot. The arrival is delicate and unpretentious, but develops smoothly into an unbelievably elegant and sensual mouthful. There are distant (very distant) echoes of bourbon in there somewhere as well…though they sort of dance around the tongue a little. The finish is much lengthier than the staple expression, and man…are those lingering flavors lovely. I concur with the opinion that leaving the oils in (ie. no chill-filtration) would have allowed these beautiful flavors to soar even higher. As it is though…dear gawd…my wife should be jealous.

Hard to find flaws here.  A well-deserved mark.

One final note…I mentioned in my review of the standard bottle that I was hoping to try this 25 year old. Well…you fine folk made it happen, So I will tempt fate once more by begging that anyone who finds this in the shops either nabs me a bottle (at my expense of course) or tells me where to find it. I’ll be sure to share a dram.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Highland Park 30 y.o. Review

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Highland Park 30 y.o.Bottle Shots 2 012

48.1% abv

Score:  93/100

 

Here it is.  The apex of the Highland Park line.  In my eyes, anyway.  The years have been infinitely kind here, as this maturity wears well.  Heads and tails better than the 25 year old and also a few notches higher than the 40 year old.  Sadly…to date…the 50 year old has yet to make its way to my glass.  I cling to hope though.  What else is there?

All that Highland Park promises in its younger bottlings is brought to full glorious realization here.  The defining notes of smoke and heather and honey are in perfect harmony now (though some insist this is the case in the 18 year old variant as well).  There is the vaguest notion of peat, subtle fruit cake nuances, mild eucalyptus and dried spiced apple.  Said spices being perhaps nutmeg and cardamom.

The delivery is rich in eddies of smoke and infused dried fruit.  It blooms on the tongue in layers of spice.  Warming … coating … and slightly anesthetizing.  The finish remains fruity and vibrant.

A few years down the line the 40 year old expression sits beneath an old elm tree waiting for you to make your way down the path.  Though the journey is well worth the while, for some the destination may not be.  Though a great malt in its own right, the 40 year old simply cannot top this one.

This, however…this is a damn fine spirit.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

GlenDronach 1972 (KWM Exclusive) Review

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GlenDronach 1972 (KWM Exclusive)

Cask 711  Kensington Wine Market Exclusive

Oloroso Sherry Butt

49.8% abv

 Score:  94/100

 

In 1972 Canada was fighting for their lives against the Russians…in hockey.  Scotland was…well…not kicking at each other in skates, but busily producing some of the finest spirit the world has ever seen.  As a Canadian AND a Scotch lover I’m not sure who comes out ahead here.  Let’s call it a draw.

Many moons and thirty-nine years after the ’72 Summit Series (and the filling of a certain cask at the GlenDronach distillery in Speyside) a ragged crew of Canadians hopped the pond for Scotchland, touring distilleries and swilling spirit.  In their wake they left nothing but stumbling footprints, empty bottles and a bunch of poor shell-shocked Scots shaking their heads and sweeping up the mess.

Though the leader of this motley collection, Andrew Ferguson, was a relatively fine upstanding young man, there was also a devil in their midst.  It should come as no surprise that the devil would have an agenda, and let’s face it…against the devil, only the purest stand a chance.  Having tipped more than one glass with Mr. Ferguson, I can attest to him being upstanding, but let me also add…I think his halo may be a little tarnished.  Against this monster…he hadn’t a hope in hell.

This devil has been known by many names.  Here on ATW he is called Maltmonster.

Fortunately for us, while the Maltmonster is a master of subtlety when it comes to writing and sarcasm (indeed his pieces for ATW are so woven through with hidden references and no-name name-dropping that a lifetime of lifetimes couldn’t untangle ‘em all), his subtle touch goes by the wayside when he finds a whisky worth seeing the light of day.  This leads us back to the tale at hand…

Upon first tasting cask 711 in the warehouses at GlenDronach, the Monster realized that his heart would now forevermore be divided.  His dear, sweet wife holding one half…and a stunning 39 year old with a full body and great strength of character with the other.  In order to have both of his true loves, he began to work his dark magic on Mr. Ferguson.

Fear not.  This tale has a happy ending.

Much to the benefit of whisky lovers all over the Canadian West coast, the Maltmonster and his cohorts managed to convince Andrew (or maybe Andrew convinced himself?) that a cask of 39 year old single malt could be a viable financial investment for the Kensington Wine Market.  Hence…KWM’s latest single cask exclusive bottling.

Though I don’t adore this one with the fierce dedication that MM and AF do, I admit that I do love it.  It was mentioned that perhaps it was a little long in the tooth (my words, not theirs) and I tend to agree, but it is by no means too far over.  A few years younger would have allowed the fruits to shine a little more brightly still.

The change from first pour to first sip is incredible.  Allow it plenty of time to open and unfold.  It really is quite brilliant.  The nose is rich in spice and exotic fruit.  Orange and purple grape.  Chocolate and dark roast coffee beans.  There is a mature oaky note that carries a whiff of latex paint (not unpleasant).  Over all of it there is a lingering scent of freshly baked cinnamon twists.

Huge tropical fruit delivery on first sips.  Big, bold and mouthcoating.  Chocolate, candlewax and oak all over this one.  Big oak.

Great cask selection, guys.  I must get my own bottle before this disappears.  A deal with the devil perhaps?

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Pat

Kilchoman 100% Islay Inaugural Review

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Kilchoman 100% Islay Inaugural

50% abv

Score:  74/100

 

Ok, what the hell happened here?  I understand the necessity of a unique marketing spin, and I also understand the importance of flying the flag of 100% Islay (if for nothing other than fiercely independent pride and a well-deserved triumphant ‘We are Ileach…and this is ours!’), but honestly…this expression should not have seen a bottle yet.

Perhaps another half dozen or so years would have kicked that snotty new-make swagger to the curb, and allowed a more sensible maturity to take the reins.  Put simply…this young Kilchoman actually tastes YOUNGER than it should.  If tasted blind I would not at all have been surprised to hear this was only a year or so old.

The nose is spirity and grainy, and absolutely redolent of new-make (or ‘white dog’, for those more used to the North American nomenclature).  It is waxy, somewhat plastic and carries the typical artificial cherry stamp of whisky just off the stills.  It is smoky…but not overpoweringly so, especially if one considers that at last reckoning Kilchoman was peating to Ardbeg specs.

The palate is hot and untamed. The barley is sharp enough to cut and the peat is aggressive.  Sweet notes are nowhere to found, and the whisky actually seems salted.

Sadly, though I love this distillery, I don’t even remotely like this whisky.  Without question, the least enjoyable Kilchoman I’ve experienced to date.  (Sigh…it hurts me to say this).

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Pat

Kilchoman Cask #322 (KWM Exclusive) Review

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Kilchoman Cask #322 (KWM Exclusive)

60% abv

Score:  88.5/100

 

Calgary’s Kensington Wine Market is on their second exclusive cask of Kilchoman now.  With absolutely no problems selling out their first release, purchasing a second, especially a sherried version, was a no-brainer for KWM’s whisky guru, Andrew Ferguson.

Sherry and peat.  Sometimes magic.  Other times an abomination the likes of which only a Dr. Moreau could love.  Here, fortunately, we have the former, where the sweet sherry notes bring a balance to the smoke and ash to create a beautiful beast.  I call it a beast only because there is simply no debating the aggressive snarl this one packs.  Perfectly acceptable youthful exuberance.

The nose is great.  Dried fruit, burnt caramel, butter tarts and BBQ sauce.  Mildest hints of new carpet as well.  May seem like an odd mishmash, but it truly is enjoyable…and not a little sassy.  The strength of the nose alone was enough to make me like this one.

The palate is buttery and sweet, but smoky as hell.  Mouthcoating and lingering.  There is a lovely sweet and smoky toasted oak note that hangs about as it fades.  Though not so much on the nose, the palate here reminds me of an uber-young Uigeadail.

Nice cask selection here.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Pat

Kilchoman Autumn 2009 Review

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Kilchoman Autumn 2009

46% abv

 Score:  86.5/100

 

A much fruitier and creamier offering from Kilchoman in this, their second release.  Here we have most of what made the Inaugural release such a success (and started the collectors a-scramblin’), but slightly held in check with a greater emphasis on pillowy crème caramel, vanilla and soft pear.  Smoke is big and billowy, as to be expected, but there is a refreshing note of spearmint threaded throughout.

The palate is surprising in its perceived maturity.  I know this is bottled at a mere three years, but I’d give credit for a couple more if I didn’t know better.  Again…in slight contrast (doubt it has to do with any more maturation, as this is only a few months down the road from the previous iteration…more likely simple cask variance) to the Inaugural we find a less rambunctious offering here.  A little heavier in soft white fruits and oaky vanilla.  Hints of fish oil as well.  The finish carries heat (c’mon…we talk about maturity here, but let’s face it…this is only 3) and smoke and tart fruit skin through its inevitable finale.  Vaguest hints of green apple jolly ranchers as it fades.

This second outing pales just slightly when held against their showstopper of a debut, but nevertheless is a truly winning whisky.  I’ve said it many times…when this gets a bit older…look out.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Pat

Mackinlay’s Shackleton Rare Old Highland Malt Review

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Mackinlay’s Shackleton Rare Old Highland MaltBottle Shots 019

47.3% abv

Score:  86/100

 

Trying to give this whisky its fair shake is no mean feat.  Doing so without weaving in the mystique behind its discovery and subsequent re-engineering makes for an unbalanced review.  On the other hand, the historicity itself becomes a major note in this whisky’s profile, again unbalancing the perspective.  So, I must caution…we only do the best we can.  The Shackleton tale begs to be told, and is one to engage even the least ‘whisky-minded’ among us.  Indeed, my wife found the story interesting, and she is as engrossed by whisky as I in learning to scrapbook (ahem…that means ‘not at all’, smartasses).

Having said that, before you settle in expecting yours truly to wax poetic about this whole sweeping affair…think again.  It’s been done.  And by writers far better than I.  I’ll leave you to your homework.

As for the whisky itself?  In simplest terms, this was an attempt to replicate a scotch whisky from the turn of the 20th century, by reverse-engineering and through the skills of Master Blender Richard Patterson’s nose.  How did he fair?  Well…he created a decent blend.  Is it faithful to the original?  Unlikely I will ever know, though many professionals out there argue it’s quite true to the spirit (pun intended).

Having not sampled directly from these precious old bottles, here’s what I came away with…

The nose makes no secret of what is in the glass:  some young malts propped up by at least one older example.  In short…nothing new for a blend.  Where we start to veer from the formula is in the profile itself.  Compared to most of today’s creamy, caramel-rich blends, here we have a raw peaty undercarriage, and billowy smoke; almost like something wet thrown over an open fire.  It is meaty and malty, heavy in full-grain bread notes and raw pecan or walnut.  Once past the less colorful contributors, notes of marmalade and deep fruit start to pipe up a bit.

The delivery is smooth and full, smoky and musky.  The fruits take a while to work their way across the tongue, but in the end do put in a rather restrained outing.  Firm under-ripe pear leading the pack, I think.  Buttery baking with maraschino cherry rounds out the rest of the development in terms of flavor.

Having drunk many older whiskies now (and several replica/recreations), this seems absolutely in line with what I imagine the whiskies of ages ago to have been like.  There is a smoke and farminess that gives these whiskies a more rough and tumble profile than many of us would expect.

Not a bad whisky.  Not a great one either, on its own merit.  However…knowing the story, and understanding the blender’s art (all respect to Mr. Richard Patterson), I can’t help but prop up the points a little in the ‘balance’ category.

The story really does define this one.

(Thanks to Andrew Ferguson at The Kensington Wine Market for providing a sample)

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Isle Of Jura Prophecy Review

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Isle Of Jura Prophecy

46% abv

Score:  88.5/100

 

Here it is.  Finally.  A Jura I can really sink my teeth into.  Prophecy is a small batch release (10,000 bottles, I am led to believe) of ‘profoundly peated’ no-age-statement Jura single malt.  Why do I like this?  Is it because I am a peatophile and this is like chewing a brick of the stuff?  No.  (Well…maybe a little).  Actually…it is simply because it is bloody good stuff.

This is a surprisingly Islay-ish non-Islay malt.  Yass…yass…I know.  Jura is just a wee swim across the sound from Islay.  Hardly world’s away in terms of terroir.  Or is it?  You’d be surprised.  Homework, boys and girls.  Go now.  I’ll wait.

To be completely honest this is really only a note or two off from being something Jim McEwan is rolling off the stills at Bruichladdich.  The Prophecy is the closest you’ll come to Port Charlotte without buying Port Charlotte.

The nose is a bold assortment of aggressive scents.  Creamy peat reek…dirty logs…heavy smoke and tar…hard spice and licorice…a touch of chili chocolate…very dry fruit…salt and citrus…malt and butter.  A wee bit of caramel to buffer the harder edges.  Caramel the flavor, not caramel the color, y’anti-E150a crusaders (another time…another place).

First sips provide the enormous delivery you’d expect from a whisky with an olfactory profile such as I just spoke of.  Heavy smoke and peat on arrival.  The smoke is decidedly meaty and carries a dried fruit compote as counterpart.  Smoked caramel next and on into salt and ash.  This is sassy…young and dirty.  The finish is all smoke and licorice.  Well…perhaps a little sherry-logged oak lingering.

Helluva drink.  Hats off to Mr. Paterson and the lads and lasses at Jura.  Thank you.

 

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Highland Park 18 y.o. Review

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Highland Park 18 y.o.

43% abv

Score:  91.5/100

 

There is a reason this one sits in so many ‘Top 5′ or ‘Top 10′ lists. This is unmistakably Highland Park and uncontestably smooth and sophisticated. If you weren’t a believer based on Highland Park’s younger vintages, I dare you to not be moved by this one. If ever there were a gateway malt, this would be it.

Age in whisky in a contentious subject. And well it should be. Too many years in a ‘live’ cask can easily lead to the oak dominating the whisky. Conversely, the natural mellowing that occurs can round out jagged edges as if the cask were a rock tumbler working a precious stone. There is a fine line here, and this line is the one we expect the distiller to walk.

Though 18 years is much like the bare threshold of maturity in Western thought, it is already approaching old age when it comes to whisky. The finished product becomes much more delicate at this point. Highland Park has time and again flaunted its rich and beautifully aged whiskies in the face of this idiom. The 25 year old is gorgeous. The 30 year old is awe-inspiring.

And the 18? Quite simply one of the best standard expressions on the market. It is unconventional in how its stark simplicity is actually a deep complexity. Spend some time wrapping your head around that one, but do so with a glass of this in hand.

The senses, both nose and taste, are seduced with creamy honey and rich peat smoke, before being led into the depths of this whisky. Dusty, spicy vanilla…mild cigar…rich sweet butter…a bouquet of soft fruit and barely seen floral notes. I even get a tiny hint of dill somewhere. Quirky and unique. The delivery is unbelievably smooth and calculated. Rich wood smoke teases, then mellows out with sweet caramel notes (and yes…this is a good thing).

What I wouldn’t give to have this at cask strength. Stunning and majestic.

         

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Writer’s Tears Cask Strength Review

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Writer’s Tears Cask Strength

53% abv          1200 bottles

Score:  82.5/100

 

This was kind of a fun one to approach.  Sitting down to dinner one eve, a face suddenly appeared at the back window.  I went to the door to find a mate of mine standing in the snow (hey…welcome to Canada, friends) with three glasses in hand.  Not just any glasses, mind, but Glencairns filled with healthy drams.  The first two were a couple he had mentioned passing over.  The third?  Well…his only words were ‘a surprise for you’.  With that, he dashed back across the yard and was gone.  Ahhh…the beauty of having members of the Collective living so close.

I don’t often get to blindly nose/taste a dram with no preconceptions, so this was a treat.  Immediately recognizable as Irish and cask strength (clean and fruity…enormous nose), the rest was actually surprisingly easy to dig into and parse as well.  One of the defining characteristics of triple distillation, which is employed by a majority of Irish distillers, is that the resultant drink is quite pure and crystalline.  It becomes fairly easy to dissect a whisky and suss out its primary flavors.

So, not knowing at the time that I was tackling the cask strength Writer’s Tears, here’s what I came away with…

A nose rich in peach and tangerine.  Very clean and crispy.  Sweet barley sugars, creamy vanilla and white chocolate are prevalent, as is a light dusting of nutmeg or cinnamon.  Sounds like an extremely appealing dram, no?  Sadly, this is all absolutely lambasted by an enormous wallop of banana candy.  So hefty, in fact, I walked away for a bit hoping it would fade a little.  No such luck.

First sips reveal a perfumed and almost artificial profile.  Very concocted.  Not sure how better to express myself here.  I always look for a natural integration of spirit and oak.  It should seem completely harmonious.  As if the two had been waiting for each other.  In this case it almost feels like something disingenuous has taken place.  Like I’m being duped.  It seems a bit like one of those sets where the buildings aren’t real, but merely elaborate facades propped up on stakes.

Over-analytical?  Over-critical?  Perhaps.

The rest of the palate is simply chewy and fruity Irish whisky.  The banana is ever-present, but the oak holds it a little more in check here than on the nose.  The fade carries…yeah…banana.

So…is this banana thing a deal breaker?  For me, absolutely.  But let’s be clear here.  A note that I don’t particularly care for does not mean this is a bad dram.  It certainly does not mean it is flawed either.  It is simply not a profile that sits comfortably with my tastes.  If banana is your thing…this may be right up your alley.

But honestly?  Save your money…there are better Irish whiskies out there.

 

Reviewed by:  Curt

Photo:  Curt