Interview: Neil Fallon

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From bastardized binary to howling at the moon…from storming the Canadian border to life inside the biosphere, I can hardly think of a musician, aside from Clutch’s Neil Fallon, who can suck me in with just a few words and have me hanging on every syllable.

For those maybe not so ‘in-the-know’ Neil is something of a furious tentshow revivalist preacher meets blues-shouting prophet and wordslinger. Much like Tom Waits, the only vaguely comparable performer I can think of, Neil casts a rather lengthy shadow across the face of modern music. His is a voice to last the ages.

As I write this, I’ve been a Clutch fan for going on two decades (yeah, friends…we’re getting up there, aren’t we?), and thankfully the music just keeps getting better and better. Each new album release date is a day I mark on the calendar and await with glee.

And how could I not love a man who has mentioned the names of one of my daughters and my wife in the lyrics of his songs (Weezy and Isabella)?

This interview came about by chance. A wee while back I saw a link Neil posted on Twitter to a short clip with Scottish actor, Brian Cox, pronouncing Lagavulin. I replied asking Neil if he was a Scotch drinker, and a fan of Lagavulin in particular. “To a fault, sir,” was his reply. We shared a few messages afterwards in which he graciously agreed to share a little time discussing whisky, music and…well…wherever else the conversation leads.

So…let’s see where it goes then…

Photo by David Rippeto, http://www.davidrippeto.com

All Things Whisky: First things first. Exceptional taste aside, why Lagavulin?

Neil Fallon: I have a hazy recollection of first being introduced to Islay malt at a bar in Scotland some years ago. When I got back to the U.S., Lagavulin was the most readily available and I’ve been a fan ever since.

ATW: For a lot of people a drink as bold as Lagavulin is something of an acquired taste. Is this what you cut your teeth on or was there a bit of a ‘ramping up’ to get to where you were appreciating the hefty smoke and earthy notes of Islay whisky?

NF: Prior to going to Scotland with the band, my knowledge of Scotch was little more than Dewar’s straight up, Dewar’s on the rocks, or Dewar’s and soda. That’s what my grandpa drank and I think I associate it with some fond memories. I wish I could remember the name of the bar that opened up the single malt rabbit hole. There was a maelstrom of single malts flying around for the better part of an evening. I hope you’ll understand my inability to recall the details of that particular night. I do remember that it was an epiphany, though. The range of tastes were remarkable and of all of those, it was the Islay that really got me. It was a cold night and it tasted like a seaside bonfire.

ATW: Can you share a couple other favorite distilleries or particular whiskies (Scotch, bourbon, rye, what-have-you)?

NF: A friend of mine Chis Hadnagy (author of “Social Engineering – That Art of Human Hacking” and someone you should interview) introduced me to an amazing 25 y.o. Speyside, Glen Deveron. I’m not a big fan of bourbon or rye.

ATW: Can you recall what got you into whisky, or which dram was your first? Was it a positive experience at the time?

NF: It was probably at a Christmas party in the 1970’s when I accidentally helped myself to some of my grandfather’s Dewar’s. Heavily diluted, of course.

ATW: Does a good whisky ever really fit into life on the road, or is it more of a downtime sort of drink when at home and in between road jaunts?

NF: I suppose it’s for the best that most single malts are expensive. The cost prohibitiveness discourages it from becoming a regular on the band’s rider. For the better part of the 90’s I drank myself silly with Jack Daniels. I can’t stand the stuff now. Gives me hives. No joke. A single proper malt demands to be sipped and not lipped in some absurd back stage circus. I can’t do that anymore. The body doesn’t process overindulgence like it used to.

ATW: Speaking of home… you’re a family man now, I believe. How does this affect your writing cycles? I have two daughters at home, and know firsthand how hard it is sometimes to pick up a guitar. Do you have to block off time for writing and playing or does your creativity still have a sort of natural flow to it?

NF: Prior to parenthood, I thought that having a kid would be the death knell of the creative life. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The process of raising a child and having to answer countless questions about the world we live in has been a real boon. Yes, it is harder to find time to dedicate to writing. I have to do that between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. when my son is at school. But the structure is for the best. An open ended deadline is a lazy man’s best friend. I used to write into the wee hours of the night, but that just doesn’t work any more. There’s no negotiating with a 5 year old.

ATW: I saw an interview on youtube not long ago, posted by kidsinterviewbands.com. In true Southern gentleman style, you volleyed questions and answers with the young lady interviewer with class and tact. As a fan, it was a pleasure to see such a refreshingly down-to-earth approach and lack of pretention. Is something like this a bit of a welcome respite from what I imagine is the tedium of a rather formulaic interview process?

NF: I’ve done countless interviews with black clad metal journalists that pride themselves on being “extreme.” But I’ll tell ya, that interview had me squirming. I think I said “Ummmmmm…” more times in that interview than all others combined.
Kids aren’t impressed or trying to be anything that they’re not and I think that was what was so refreshing about that particular interview.

ATW: From the first Clutch concert I attended in 1995 (opening for Marilyn Manson at the New York Theater in Vancouver) to the most recent (headlining here in Calgary at Flames Central) for Earth Rocker, it is interesting to note that the energy has remained consistently high throughout the years, but that the vibe has shifted from one of a more intense and brooding nature to one of a more crowd-bouncing shout-along. Is this simply natural progression or conscious evolution?

NF: It’s a natural progression. We’ve never premeditated our music. It’s a simple process of trying to write music that we enjoy playing. Having said that, a good deal of our early stuff isn’t exactly us anymore. There’s a lot of anger in the early work and frankly, I’m not an angry person. I’d rather risk disillusioning some folks while being honest than keep them satisfied by jumping through the same hoops. There’s some bands out there that have been “angry” for 25 plus years. That just has to be a drag.

ATW: It’s arguable that no one in contemporary music is writing lyrics with as much wordplay, far-reaching and pertinent references and relevant cultural observation (albeit often quite cryptically) than yourself. I won’t ask the ‘inspiration’ question, but I will ask if there are a couple of songs you can reflect back on now (in all modesty) and say ‘fuck, that was brilliant bit of writing’?

NF: Ha.. that’s hard for me to answer without sounding like a jerk. There’s always something I wish I had done better or had not done at all. But I can think of two songs that are dear to me in that I think they represent important shifts in the band’s sound. “Big News” was a bit of a watershed moment. After that song, I felt it was much easier to write songs that had a lot more fun and humor in them. The other song would be “The Regulator.” That song opened up the door to a lot of more blues elements for us. It was also one of those fortunate moments where the lyrics seemed to match the mood of the music quite well.

ATW: Over the last couple of years (at least in the circles I travel) Clutch has become much more of a household name, with many immediately referencing a pivotal scene from the AMC’s The Walking Dead. This particular scene could not have been more perfectly set, with possibly the band’s most atmospheric tune thus far, The Regulator, perfectly capturing the emotion. How did your involvement with The Walking Dead come about? Did you, as a band have direct say in green-lighting the use of the song? Are you a fan of the series? The genre?

NF: I was a fan of the show before I got the call that they wanted to use “The Regulator.” I was stoked, to say the least. It came about by our publicist shopping the song around. These days TV shows and video games are just as important as terrestrial radio, if not more so.

ATW: Alright. Time for some cold, hard honesty. I gotta ask a question (mostly because a bunch of my mates begged me to) even though I’m sure it’s been beaten to death already. All the guys wanna know…how does the beard go down with the ladies? Or at the very least…with the one lady that matters most to you?

NF: Heh. I’ve never asked. But I will say this… I’d love to lop the damn thing off, but I’m afraid of what I might find underneath.

ATW: Let’s go back to one or two about the malts to close out, if you don’t mind…Imagine, if you will, you’re sitting down one eve to relax over a good book and an even better whisky. What are they?

NF: I like Glenkinchie 12. I think poetry is easier to handle if booze is involved. With that in mind, I would go for Dylan Thomas or W.H. Auden.

ATW: Finally…how about a good whisky and album pairing?

NF: I’ve never been too much of a Bruce Springsteen fan, but I’ve recently discovered the melancholy brilliance of “Nebraska.” So if we’re in the mood to brood… let’s go Islay. I tried Bowmore’s White Sands recently. That would go well with an album as dark as “Nebraska.”

ATW: Sincere thanks, Neil, for taking the time. Perhaps next time through town you’ll have a chance to come out for a few drams of something brilliant, old and rare. I’m sure we can find a couple on the shelves that will suit a Southern gent. Slainte.

NF: Again, apologies for taking so long to get this to you. Slainte.

Image by Dirk Behlau, http://www.thepixeleye.com

Clutch releases ‘Psychic Warfare’ this September. Mark the calendar. And if you don’t already own it…buy ‘Blast Tyrant’ while you’re there. You’ll thank me.

– Words: Curt and Neil

– Photos: Curt (except as noted)

Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt 6 y.o. Prototype Review

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Two Brewers Yukon Single Malt 6 y.o. Prototype

43% abv

Score: 72.5/100

Check these cats out. What the hell? Two Brewers is the brainchild of a couple of pals, Bob and Alan, up in Whitehorse who have been batching up craft suds for close to two decades now and decided to take a bit of a swing at the distilling side of things at some point in the late 2000s.

As you can see by the photo this was a prototype release (i.e. nothing official and not available retail). The gents had bottled and labelled up this young buck specifically for the MS Whisky Fest here in Calgary. Towards the back half of that festival night I took a flyer on this one and decided to give it a go instead of reaching for one of the old standbys. Glad I did. They’re onto something up in the great white north.

Here’s the deal: This is a young malt. It’s not quite there yet. But…it’s a fair bit further along than it should be at six years and it’s a surprisingly great cut of spirit. The nose here is wonderfully redolent of spicy bourbon notes and hints at more age than the bottle declares (always a good thing). The palate isn’t quite on par, but again…give ’em time. A few more years and this will be a solid option for denting your whisky budget.

Thanks to Bob for passing on the wee heel of this one so we could share the word. Can’t wait to see where these gents go from here. Keep those stills flowing, fellas!

Nose: Single malt, maybe, but noses like a big ol’ bourbon. That’s some active wood. Big spicy bourbon notes. Tons of fruit (almost Speyside-like). Cinnamon. Eucalyptus. Cedar and pine. A surprising amount of soft chocolate. Rising bread dough. So much immensity of spice it almost burns the nose. Cool as hell.

Palate: Spicy and meaty delivery. Tastes a lot younger than it noses. Slightly waxy and new make-ish. I don’t think this has anything to do with anything but youth. In other words: decent spirit cut, but needs time. A few years down the line and this will be a hell of an interesting whisky. Reminds a tick of Montana Roughstock single malt. Big wood notes smash headlong into eucalyptus. Again…very bourbon-ish.

Thoughts: It’s young, yeah, and not quite there, but man, what an exciting nose. Worlds of potential for these chaps if they stick to this plan. Neat stuff.

– Reviewed by: Curt

– Photo: Curt

Craigellachie 13 y.o. Review

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Craigellachie 13 y.o.

46% abv

Score: 79.5/100

Craigellachie absolutely killed it with this branding. Man, look at that bottle! Gorgeous, old school packaging that instantly creates a preconception of the magical old school malts that folks like Serge at Whiskyfun gets to try seemingly at will. Unfortunately, while the wrapper is definitely of the old guard, the malt is unquestionably of the new. The former helped lure me into the purchase. The latter led to this review.

I think you can see where I’m going with this. Put simply, this is a minor league malt that isn’t quite being given the coaching it needs in order to play in the big leagues. Most of the distillery’s output ends up in Dewar’s blends. They put out about four million litres of spirit each year, but it’s only recently we’ve seen a real presence of the Craigellachie distillery releases. I’d argue there might be a reason for that, if this malt is any indication, but I’ll remain somewhat on the fence until I get an opportunity to sample the 17 and 23 year variants. Hopefully those have a little more balance and finesse.

I do appreciate the 46% abv though, and will keep an eye on this one in coming years to see if there’s any tweaks to the recipe.

Oh, and by the way…what the hell sort of testimonial is it when the brand itself offers up this little nugget on its website: “Full, belligerent, and sulphurous as a struck match.” WTF?!

Nose: Slight grape note. Nice barley notes. Milk chocolate covered raisins. Honey and lemon. Banana, ginger and pepper. Poached apple and cinnamon. Some dried fruit, leather and spice (maybe some sherry influence here?). A touch of tobacco too. Black currant scones.

Palate: A little more zippy here, with some tangy fruit notes and bigger oak than the nose belies. Apple skins and lemon juice. Burnt chilis or something, almost immediately after sipping. Juicy at first, then dries along the sides of the tongue as it develops. Sharp (almost bitter) vanilla notes. Pineapples in pudding…with pepper.

Thoughts: A punchy little malt that falls under the ‘fairly generic’ heading. Aside from being slightly…errr…off-kilter in balance, it’s not a bad beginner malt. Not one I’d reach for often, but that’s personal bias. I find most Speysiders in this age bracket to be fairly interchangeable and rarely to my taste. There’s something a little darker and more biting here than most though.

– Reviewed by: Curt

– Photo: Curt

“Islay Malt” (Bunnahabhain 10 y.o.) Review *

Tobermory 10 y.o. Review

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Tobermory 10 y.o.

46.3% abv

Score: 79/100

First off: Not that we score with this in mind, understand, but I do love the simple and aesthetically pleasing packaging. No need for frills and all that jazz when it comes to young, readily available malts. Old school, clean and classy. But what strikes my eye as pleasing is incidental to what’s in the bottle, right? So let’s move on.

Tobermory is a distillery on the Isle of Mull. You may recall we tried one of their peated expressions (Ledaig 10) just a few days back, so I won’t rehash any of the details here that we already covered there. The distillery produces a rather limited range of products and independent versions are few and far between (at least where I live), so, to date, I have managed to wrap my hands around only four different bottles of Tobermory: two indies and two distillery bottlings. All quite different from one another, I might add, but none especially vibrant in its own right. And yes, this release is one of those that I have tried a few times before. Suffice it to say that sitting down to jot up some notes on the standard 10 year old is a slightly less than thrilling endeavour.

I won’t throw a lot of words at a whisky that I’m really sort of ambivalent towards, so let’s just let the malt speak for itself.

Nose: A youngish ten. Somewhat aggressive. Vaguely peaty. Even a little feinty. Lemon. Pepper. There’s hints of Jura here and even a banana-like note that reminds a little of young Bunnahabhain. Some very under ripe cranberry and crunchy apple with a dusting of cinnamon. Wood shavings, a barley mill and just a hint of ash and dirt. This is supposed to be the unpeated malt from this distillery? Hmmm, sorry…not quite.

Palate: Wow. Like a mouthful of white flour and raw grains. Pastry dough. More apples and a hint of ginger. Honey. Almost tastes like a young virgin oak malt. Not a lot in the way of fruit. More woods and cereals. Even some grassy notes. Or maybe damp green tea leaves. A rather fun palate in some ways, and a little bit of a departure from the nose. Interesting, if a little unbalanced.

Thoughts: Not bad, but not a very subtle malt either. Could stand to benefit from either longer maturation or better wood choice, I think.

– Reviewed by: Curt

– Photo: Curt

Octomore 4.2 Comus Review

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Octomore 4.2 Comus

61.0% abv

Score: 88.5/100

Let’s do a five year old Bruichladdich today. In honour of the ongoing Feis Ile (Islay Festival) and all.

By now I’m sure most whisky cognoscenti are familiar with Octomore, Bruichladdich’s heavily peated variant. The term ‘heavily peated’ is actually selling Octomore short, believe it or not. This brand is unquestionably the most heavily peated single malt in the world. The 6.3 edition from last year came in at a whopping 258 parts per million of phenols. When you stop to consider that Ardbeg’s typical peating level is somewhere around 50-55 ppm, that is a staggering number indeed.

I think we’ve touched on this before, but let me briefly do so again for anyone who may just be tuning in: It would be a mistake to assume that this phenol count is directly proportionate to the smokiness of the dram. It’s not. I can guarantee you that there are Laphroaig and Ardbeg releases out there that will seem to pack more of a peaty punch than some of the Octomore expressions. In fact, even Bruichladdich’s moderately peated range under the Port Charlotte moniker often seem bigger than Octomore, despite their peating levels only weighing in at about 40 ppm.

Alright…elementary ‘soft science’ aside, make no mistake about it, this is not a whisky for the faint of heart. Comus weighs in at 167 ppm and has been bottled at 61% abv. It is bigger than big.

Team Laddie is still obviously having fun with their cask exploration, as what we have here in the 4.2 edition is the razor sharp Octomore distillate matured in bourbon barrels, before being ACE’d (read: finished) in Sauternes casks. The result is a sweeter and more elegant presentation than the straight bourbon-matured releases (those that end in “.1”). In short, it’s a balance of soft and sharp. Like getting hit in the face with a pillow…filled with peat bricks and swung by Barry Bonds.

Nose: Sweet smoke and chocolate. Tar, licorice, lime and cola. Earthy and farmy peat behind an elegant creamy haze. Some soft overripe pear, berry and vanilla ice cream. A touch of rubber. A splash of salt water. Sauternes is obviously a wonderful softening influence, as I’m getting similar notes here as on the Glenmorangie Nectar D’or. Obviously very different drams otherwise.

Palate: A moment of sublime sweet smokiness, then…WHAM! Monstrous. More smoke now. Some hot rubber too. Tart and tangy-er than the nose would belie. That would be the wine at work, I’d venture. Bittersweet chocolate, tannic fruit skins, espresso. Anise. Burnt pineapple. And somehow…still rather gentle. Strange and oxymoronic.

Thoughts: Another example of how malleable this Octomore stuff is. Great whisky that you’ll be tasting for hours after the glass is empty. No bad thing, that.

– Reviewed by: Curt

– Photo: Curt

Dram Initiative #19 – GlenDronach with J Wheelock

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Dram Initiative #19 – GlenDronach with J Wheelock

February 19th, 2015

GlenDronach Single Cask Experience, Tasting & Music Pairing

This was truly a night of nights, nine cask strength distillery editions; five of which were bottled for stores here in Alberta. This is how we, at the Dram Initiative, roll. Sure, we just celebrated Valentine’s Day but what better way to celebrate VD than to fill your heart with a deep, warming red sherry afterglow that will cuddle you, without judgments, for hours. To heighten the night’s drinking pleasure, the Glendronach whisky was expertly paired with sherried music. We believe this to be a world’s first or, at the very least, a world’s best.

With the high cask strength of the spirit, all members at the door signed liability waivers before gaining entry. Anybody with a heart condition, fan of ‘I Love NAS Whiskies’, or a dislike for the Irish, was denied admittance.

Sherry is to GlenDronach, as happiness is to life and therefore, GlenDronach is essential to the life of the Irish. This neglected sherry superstar distillery, which rivaled Macallan & Glenfarclas, is now thriving again under the new ownership of Mr. Billy Walker and Company. In my not so humble opinion, GlenDronach has taken its place, yet again, as one of the premiere sherried whiskies in the world.

To better understand the distillery and its people, we called upon the always entertaining and fabulous, “JJ” Jamming J Wheelock to be our spirit guide for this sherry shindig. Whisky enthusiasts consider Mr. Wheelock to be one of the great whisky ambassadors in the industry today; a gifted speaker who possesses a James Bond swagger, an angelic monk aura and has industry knowledge second to none.

After talking about the distillery, its people and its rich history, Mr. Wheelock took us by the dram and led us down a path of sherry cask illumination.

The first flight of two whiskies was skillfully paired with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – “Sherry Baby”………………….“Sherry, Sherry baby, Sherry, Sherry baby, Sherry can you come out tonight, Come, come, come out tonight, Sherry baby, Sherry baby”

1) Glendronach 2003 KWM Cask #1820 / 11 Years Old Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon 55.4%

2) Glendronach 2003 Liquor Depot Cask #4007 / 11 Years Old Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon 54.8%

After both whiskies were tasted blind, a vote was taken to decide the better of the two 2003 store casks currently available. The winner was cask #4007 Liquor Depot/Wine and Beyond, with 62% of the popular vote and Kensington Wine Market cask #1820 not far behind with 38%.

The second encounter, which involved three whiskies that were adeptly paired with Journey & Steve Perry – “Oh Sherry” ……………..“Oh, Sherry, But I should’ve been gone, Long ago, far away, And you should’ve been gone, Now I know just why you stay, Oh, Sherry, our love, Holds on, holds on, Oh, Sherry”

3) Glendronach 1993 KWM Cask #1625 / 20 Years Old Oloroso Sherry Butt 57.5%

4) Glendronach 1994 Liquor Depot Cask #1503 / 17 Years Old Oloroso Sherry Puncheon 54.9%

5) Glendronach 1995 Liquor Depot Cask #5959 / 18 Years Old Tawny Port Pipe 53.6%

After these three whiskies, ranging from 1993-1995 were sampled, another vote was taken. Surprisingly and shocking (well, not too shocking) the vote was almost a three way split. Each cask was well received by the unwashed masses, which evoked a great amount of discussion. Given how vastly different these whiskies tasted, the point could be made that the taste of sherried whisky is a very personal thing.

The third arrangement of four whiskies was shrewdly paired with Neil Diamond –

“Sherry, Sherry”*** ………………………….“Won’t need bright lights, no, no we won’t, Gonna make our own lightning, Hey, she got the way to move me, Sherry, She got the way to groove me, Sherry, baby”

***When the tasting test subjects were given GlenDronach cask strength whisky, nobody noticed or cared about the minor oversight of Cherry vs. Sherry, also since Mr. Diamond wrote the song “red, red wine”, we thought he’d be cool with this.

6) Glendronach 2002 Batch 10 Release Cask #1500 / 12 Years Old Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon 56.7%

7) Glendronach 1991 Batch 10 Release Cask #1346 / 22 Years Old Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon 52.1%

8) Glendronach 1994 Batch 10 Release Cask #326 / 19 Years Old Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon 53.5%

9) Glendronach 1994 Batch 10 Release Cask #3397 / 19 Years Old Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon 53.8%

These last four of nine whiskies were tasted and enjoyed in the sequence listed without a vote.

When it comes to Sherry matured or finished whisky, can anybody surpass GlenDronach right now? Wow, where others have out-priced and over-marketed, GlenDronach has exceeded most whisky geeks’ expectations.

Shout out to … Authentic Wine & Spirits Merchants & Kieu-Trinh Phan, thank you for your exceedingly lavish donation, along with releasing the Wheelock for the evening … Liquor Depot & Ryan Engen for your very generous donation … and Kensington Wine and Spirits & Andrew Ferguson for your kind contribution. Thank you all for your support in the ongoing struggle to get free whisky.

To Mr. Wheelock, what can I say, other than, you complete us and enable us, or simply, you just completely enable us! Total respect, and thank you from the bottom of our sherried filled bellies.

At last it is time to raise the friendly castle’s drawbridge, put the furniture away and thank all the members for coming out in force, after all, nobody should drink alone!

Your Humble Drudge,

– Maltmonster

Ledaig 10 y.o. Review

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Ledaig 10 y.o.

46.3% abv

Score: 86/100

Peated malts are unquestionably the hallmark of Islay’s whisky trade. They are what make the island famous and Scotch itself infamous. But, of course, not all peated malts are from Islay. A lot of Scotland’s distilleries have been investing substantial efforts for years now into investigating the effects of peat on their respective spirits. The sad fact of the matter is that ultimately many of the mainland’s peated malts are less than stellar examples of the style.

Ledaig, however, is nae from the mainland. It’s a single malt from the Tobermory distillery on the Hebridean Isle of Mull, just a short Northerly hop from Islay. A fairly sound leap of logic might suggest the peat make-up between the two islands would be quite similar. But would that give the whiskies a common ground (pun intended)? We’ll get there in a minute.

Tobermory the distillery was founded in Tobermory the village in 1798. At the time it was producing under the name of Ledaig, and only adopted the village name for its own appellation circa 1978 with another change of ownership and after some seriously long and silent years. Today the distillery is healthy and flowing, steadily producing its namesake malt (Tobermory, that is) for a good portion of the year and a moderately peated version called Ledaig (“Le-cheg”, for those more phonetically inclined) for the remainder. The Malt Madness website refers back to the Malt Whisky Yearbook putting this split at about 50-50 in terms of production time. A hefty portion of each distillate, however, is relegated to the murk of blending waters.

Ledaig 10 is a bit of an oddball. In many ways it is close to an Islay malt, but maybe like one that has been maturing away in oil drums in a shopyard or something. Its personal appeal is probably rooted in a mix of affinity for a familiar style of peat and an appreciation for an utterly unique profile. Those looking for a more ‘smooth’ style of single malt may want to look elsewhere. This is, however, a hell of a variant on peated whisky and certainly one that belongs in the canon.

And just for shits and giggles, can I point out that there’s a wee hamlet on the Isle Of Mull – maybe 7 or 8 miles from the village of Tobermory – by the name of Calgary? That pastoral setting was actually the root source for the name of this bustling Canadian metropolis I now call home. Cool stuff.

Oh yeah…Ledaig, if you’re curious, is Gaelic for ‘safe haven’, and in this guy’s humble opinion a much better name than Tobermory (itself a reference to ‘Mary’s well’).

Nose: Smells young-ish. A fairly up front hit of diesel and hot rubber. Peat and smoke. Seashore saltiness and fresh pepper. Quite dry and ashy. A very charred meat backbone. Some grainy notes. A hint of wine and burnt lemon peel. Linseed oil and smoked tea. A farmy aroma that reminds of the coastal farmlands on Islay. This is an almost industrial smelling dram, and it actually rather appeals to me for that.

Palate: Arrives rather feistily (is that a word?). Billowy smoke. Fennel. Oily and salty. Rather sweeter than expected, with some apple notes. Like cut apple with a squeeze of lemon juice (as we’re wont to do to keep it from browning). Grassy and grainy too. Or maybe that’s more like a tea note. Assertive and unique.

Thoughts: Probably not for everyone (not even all the peat lovers), but it works for me. And it may just be the power of suggestion (both being Burn Stewart malts and all), but this does remind a bit of young peated Bunnahabhain.

– Reviewed by: Curt

– Photo: Curt

Arran 10 y.o. Review

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Arran 10 y.o.

46% abv

Score: 86.5/100

I took a flier on this one. It’s not very often I buy whiskies this young anymore, but from time to time I need to inject a little perspective into the site beyond the often high end whiskies I am fortunate enough to try. I tend to practically leap at any opportunity to taste and write-up some of the more ‘entry level’ offerings. And $50 for an age-stated, unfiltered 46% malt is not a bad deal anyway. This bargain was sweetened up a little more with the addition of a couple of bespoke tasting glasses snugged into the grossly oversized box that this bottle came in. Neat little glasses too, but that’s incidental to what we’re here for.

Arran has really come into its own in the past couple of years. The distillery now has a house style, a mature range of malts and a reputation that gets better by the day. For a while I was nervous that they seemed to be more interested in novelty releases and odd finishes than in just turning out true ‘stand-the-test-of-time’ Scotch whisky, but they’ve managed to put my mind at ease and turn out a few back to basics releases that are truly of world class calibre. I think I’ve said it here before: I can’t wait to try Arran at 25 or 30 years on.

But let’s forget the old and expensive for now and raise a glass (well…another one anyway) to finding a real gem in the lower rungs of the pricing ladder. I can’t even pretend to not be excited about this one. It’s a rare treat to find such an appealing young unpeated dram. It’s a great showing for Arran and bodes extremely well for the future of this still fledgling distillery. I think this may well be one of my favorite young whiskies now. Easy and appealing.

Seems a good time to grab a few before the price goes up or the quality drops.

Nose: Lovely nose. Light and fruity. Soft and creamy…like a banana cream pie. Sweet and incredibly appealing. Some black currents, ginger and a dusting of old pepper (none too fragrant). Orange and apple. A little bit of white chocolate. Chewy fruit candies. Apple and plum skins. Can’t over how soft and custardy the nose is.

Palate: Not as spectacular as the nose, but solid…very solid. Some softly herbal Sauvignon Blanc notes. Orange again. Creamy with some nice spice notes. A squeeze of lemon. Some sort of pudding. Bread pudding, maybe. Quite some zip and zing here…really gets the tastebuds singing. Could be an almost light fudgy note too. And a little oak.

Thoughts: If only the palate could stop stepping on the toes of the nose…this would be a real showstopper. As it stands, still a brilliant example of entry level whisky.

– Reviewed by: Curt

– Photo: Curt

Hazelburn Rundlets & Kilderkins 10 y.o. Review

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Hazelburn Rundlets & Kilderkins 10 y.o.

50.1% abv

Score: 86/100

This is one of the beefiest Hazelburns you’re likely to encounter. Not just because of the cask strength presentation (actually only about 4% higher than most other standard Hazelburn editions), but because there is something raw and back-to-the-earth about it. This is tradition, harnessed and yoked and being willfully pulled along in the new age (against the protestations of the groaning old Victorian machinery that provides the heartbeat of this brilliant distillery). Such is the lifeblood of the Springbank distillery where Hazelburn is produced, and such is the true allure for the whisky aficionado.

To be honest, as a brand Hazelburn is far less exciting to me than the other lines running off the stills at Springbank, but that’s not to say the quality is in any way subpar. The distillery simply produces a style of malt that is very amenable to the influence of peat, and when that element is no longer a part of the equation it somehow seems to sum up to less than a whole. This is, I concede, a personal bias based on relative experience.

The ‘rundlets’ and ‘kilderkins’ from which this age-stated malt takes its name are small, lesser known barrel sizes historically used in the maturation of ales, wines and whiskies. To put it in a contemporary context, this is a similar enterprise to what Laphroaig does with their Quarter Casking. The use of smaller barrels equates to greater wood spirit/wood interplay, which results in accelerated maturation. Makes sense. And to give credit where credit is due…with a novel marketing angle such as this at their disposal it’s a credit to Springbank that they maintained an age statement when I think many of their contemporaries would have launched this as an NAS expression.

Nose: Very naked. Dusty grains. Vanilla. Earthy notes and rye bread. Some very farmy notes that remind of being near a grain mill. Still a faint touch of peat, irrespective of the ‘non-peated’ angle. Probably simply cask leeching from barrels previously used for Springbank or Longrow distillate. Dark chocolate. Some nice gentle spices.

Palate: Spicy, peppery arrival. Bolder than expected, to be honest (in a good way!). The grains and wood are very much at the fore here. And very clean, I should add. Some leather. Again…slightly earthy. Maybe a touch of anise. Grape skins.

Thoughts: Clean, nice and flawless, but sort of…well…tough to get excited about this one. My mind immediately hearkens to what this could have been as a Springbank or Longrow. Unfair of me, I know, but true. A nice variation on a theme, even though I think I still prefer the 12 year old.

– Reviewed by: Curt

– Photo: Curt

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