Scotland

Whisky #506: SMWS 39.114 So Many Colours in the Rainbow

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

SMWS 39.114 So Many Colours in the Rainbow. 11 year old single cask single malt from Linkwood Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 60.0%. Tasted at home, $184 (bottle).

What a week…this is the 7th and final Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) whisky of the week. What a way to celebrate reaching the milestone of 500 whiskies here on Whisky a Day…7 days, 7 SMWS whiskies!

Colour: Pinkish gold.

Nose: Freshly peeled mandarine skins and blueberry muffins so fresh out of the oven they’re still warm.

Palate: Tangy raspberries, a fizzy sherbet sensation as the whisky dances around your mouth. Salty and slightly sour blueberry notes. An intriguing balance of sweet, salty and sour.

Finish: A rich, warm honey and lemon tea tingle all around the mouth. An exceptionally long and satisfying finish; some saltiness with oak and soft fruit jubes in the fade.

Comments: A whisky of contrasts. An intriguing nose. Flavours and aromas that make your mind explode with food analogies. A finish that goes on for days. All the things that epitomise a typical SMWS whisky and make them so unique.

I’ve been a very happy member of the SMWS for a few years now – I’m not a brand ambassador for them or get paid to spruik their wares. I’m simply a huge fan of their whiskies and ethos that I am happy to tell the world about it. Stunning whisky that is unique and always surprising.

If you like the sound of this one, be sure to check out the other SMWS single cask single malt from Linkwood Distillery we looked at earlier in the week – SMWS 39.118 Sweet Memories.

Whisky #505: SMWS 73.83 Anzac Biscuits & Cricket Bats

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

SMWS 73.83 Anzac Biscuits & Cricket Bats. 15 year old single cask single malt from Aultmore Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 56.9%.

Chosen by the Australian Cellarmaster of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), Andrew Derbidge, this 15 year old single cask single malt was selected to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the SMWS Australian branch.

Colour: A glorious molten toffee.

Nose: Chocolate mouse, raspberry coulis, hardwood…imagine walking into a furniture store with lots of lacquered timber furniture.

Palate: Spicy; both in terms of a peppery heat and almost fragrant garam masala type flavours. Balanced out nicely with some rich, creamy caramel-like flavours. It’s almost like someone has cracked some black pepper over your creme brûlée, but to your surprise it actually works!

Finish: Long…with a drying, powdery mouthfeel. Tobacco, black pepper, red wine and tart berries.

Comments: Matured in a sherry cask, this is certainly a unique whisky, like all the SMWS whiskies to be fair. Much like that old saying…it’s unique, just like all the others. A whisky of contrasts, it see-saws across your tastebuds but seems to always come to rest and find balance.

Whisky #504: SMWS 66.86 Dancing Round the Campfire

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

SMWS 66.86 Dancing Round the Campfire. Speyside, Scotland. 10 year old single cask single malt from Ardmore Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 60.7%. Tasted at home, $159 (bottle).

Let’s continue the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) week to celebrate Whisky a Day reaching whisky #500 by exploring another cask strength single cask whisky from Ardmore Distillery. We had a look at another SMWS Ardmore yesterday – the SMWS 66.75 David Faces Up to Goliath – so let’s see how this one compares.

Colour: Pale rose gold.

Nose: A real nose prickle. Like someone has given your nose hairs a decent tug. Pine needles, nori sheets and heavy smoke, a freshly opened packet of liquorice. But dominated by peat.

Palate: Explosive. Leather and woody notes melded together. Mouth coating smokiness, a slight buttery hint…which is only overpowered by the love in the room as I share this whisky with my two very good mates who I’ve just moved into a new apartment with & whom enjoy a good whisky.

Finish: Extremely long, salty sea and some faint salted caramel notes as the sweet smokiness subsides.

Comments: Not a whisky for the faint hearted, this is definitely more up-front and in your face than the SMWS 66.75 David Faces Up to Goliath Ardmore reviewed yesterday. If you’re introducing friends to the SMWS or to peaty whiskies, this is probably not the one, it could be a bit full on. But if you’re confident they can handle a full-throttle peat monster with a difference…let them loose on this beauty.

Whisky #503: SMWS 66.75 David Faces Up to Goliath

1 Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

SMWS 66.75 David Faces Up to Goliath. 11 year old single cask single malt from Ardmore Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 59.3%. Tasted at home, $185 (bottle).

Colour: Faded gold.

Nose: Hessian sacks, fresh hay. Like walking into a horse stable. Sticks of liquorice too.

Palate: Like gnawing on BBQ lamb cutlets…meaty, smokey and with a hint of charcoal.

Finish: Smoked paprika and salty beef jerky, with a long fade.

Comments: One of the things I love about Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) whiskies is their quirky names and tasting notes on the bottle. The SMWS tasting committee absolutely nail it sometimes, and other times you’re left wondering if this might have been the tenth whisky they’d tasted that night as the descriptions get a little wilder.

Regardless of whether you pick up some, all or none of the official descriptors that appear on the label, it’s always an intriguing prelude to the inevitably amazing (and undoubtedly unique) whisky you’re about to taste.

I’ve yet to have a SMWS whisky I didn’t enjoy – some have been incredible, others have been merely fantastic. This one is no exception.

Whisky #502: SMWS 35.165 Variety, the Spice of Life

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

SMWS 35.165 Variety, the Spice of Life. 13 year old single cask single malt from Glen Moray Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 52.9%.

Colour: Deep toffee.

Nose: Almost a bourbonish hint. Some sticky BBQ sauce, floral rose water, freshly hewn hardwood timber sawdust.

Palate: Such a soft, elegant mouthfeel. Oily, mouth-coating and full flavoured. Toffee apples, burnt butter, brown sugar, golden syrup, hot buttered toast…

Finish: Almost a touch of spiced rum in the finish, light peppery fade as the caramel flavours subside. A long, satisfying finish.

Comments: This drop has a bit of everything, it really is the spice of life. I’ve not previously had anything outstanding from Glen Moray, the drams I’ve had have always been a little too light. This drop however…I could sip this one all night. Amazing stuff.

Whisky #501: SMWS 39.118 Sweet Memories

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

SMWS 39.118 Sweet Memories. 8 year old single cask single malt from Linkwood Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 59.5%. Tasted at home, $140 (bottle).

Let’s continue the celebrations for reaching 500 whiskies and delve into our second Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) bottling of the week…7 days, 7 SMWS whiskies!

Colour: Pale straw.

Nose: Tart lemon curd and freshly baked biscuits…so it’s basically a lemon tart. Pine cones and snapped lantana branches. A slight nose prickle right at the end as you really take it all in.

Palate: A richness that tingles on the front of the palate. Lemon Fruit Tingle lollies that you’ve left just fizzing on the tip of your tongue. Some creamy lemon meringue, spicy white pepper and a hint of vanilla.

Finish: A drying sensation, the whisky seems to evaporate off the front of your tongue. Fizzy creaming soda, lemon sherbet and a touch of liquorice, yet quite salty in the fade.

Comments: Fresh and zesty, this one really dances on the tongue and has a party all on its own. Bugger anything you’ve had to eat or drink before, for me the name Sweet Memories is a bit misleading – it’s not a dessert whisky, it’s the kind of whisky that interrupts the whole damn dinner party and starts dancing on the table to grab your attention.

Whisky #500: SMWS 76.126 Racy Lady Wearing Leather

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

SMWS 76.126 Racy Lady Wearing Leather. 28 year old single cask single malt from Mortlach Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 57%.

A special whisky for a special milestone. 500 whiskies, damn! This dram was kindly provided courtesy of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s (SMWS) Australian Brand Ambassador, Matt Bailey, to celebrate reaching Whisky #500. Long time readers will know that I’ve been an active member and great fan of SMWS bottlings for a number of years now, so I thought why not stretch this Whisky #500 party out and have a whole week of SMWS whiskies!

So strap yourself in for the Racy Lady Wearing Leather, because she’s the first of 7 SMWS whiskies in 7 days…

Colour: Lustrous gold.

Nose: Earthy notes, dusty bookshelves and freshly baked chocolate brownies.

Palate: Imagine you’re eating a creme brûlée with a wooden spoon…sweet, creamy, a touch of burnt caramel, and some soft oaky notes. Savoury notes too when you have a few more sips; quince paste, caramelised balsamic onions cooked on the BBQ. Definitely a lot more subtle than you might expect from a 57% ABV whisky, both in terms of flavour and mouthfeel.

Finish: It’s quite a delicate and textual finish…the whisky almost caresses your tongue as it escapes down the back of your mouth. Almost like the racy lady is teasing you with a silk scarf that she draws gently across your face as she slinks off to a dark room, enticing you for more.

Comments: There’s a certain delicious irony in a seductive title like “Racy Lady Wearing Leather” coming from the Society’s “Old and Dignified” flavour profile! Though old and dignified she is. I enjoyed this one with Miles Davis’ classic “Kind of Blue” in the background, a fitting soundtrack for such a glorious whisky.

An outstanding whisky and certainly one worthy of the #500 milestone. Here’s to the next 500 whiskies, cheers!

Whisky #499: Tullibardine The Murray 2004 Cask Strength Single Malt

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Tullibardine The Murray 2004 Cask Strength Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 56.1%. Tasted at home, $130 (bottle).

Colour: A dull yellow gold.

Nose: Fresh hay, malty cereal notes and lemon zest.

Palate: The flavours envelope your palate, they consume your thoughts for a moment as the whisky drowns out the empty space in your mouth. Toasted malt, honey and woody notes (like when the doctor puts the wooden stick on your tongue and asks you to say “ahhhh”).

Finish: Fresh oak, washed rind cheese, wafer biscuits and raw honey…the kind that still has lumps of honeycomb. Quite dry, medium length.

Comments: A dram of reflection; at times direct and quite simple, yet it has this come hither aspect to it. Like flames of a fire licking warmth towards you, drawing you closer.

Whisky #498: Kilkerran 12 Year Old Single Malt

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Kilkerran 12 Year Old Single Malt. Campbeltown, Scotland. ABV: 46%. Tasted at home, $99 (bottle).

Colour: A golden glow.

Nose: Like sticking your nose into a glass of creaming soda, some bubbles tickle your nostrils as you inhale some creamy, sweet aromas. A few soft, faint smokey notes too.

Palate: Sucking on a hard, buttery toffee. Freshly baked biscuits, the kind that are all buttery, still warm, soft and chewy as you take a bite, yet with the odd biscuit that has a touch of smokiness where the edge has been slightly overcooked. Ridiculously easy to sip.

Finish: The toffee cracks – creme brûlée, salted caramel, and an oaky smokiness on the tongue as the flavours slip away.

Comments: I’ve always said that it’s hard to be cheeky smart arse about a whisky you’re really enjoying. My somewhat serious tasting notes tell a story then.

When I first tried this Kilkerran 12, I wasn’t overly sold on it – there had been a lot of hype and expectation surrounding its release and I just couldn’t quite see what all the fuss was about. Fast forward a few months, and I’d almost finished the bottle – so I’d better review the damn thing! The surprising thing was how it really approaches you rather than the other way around – you’re reaching for a top-up because, a) with each sip you’re effortlessly sliding back like you’re reclining into a hammock, and b) it’s really damn tasty. Sweet, buttery and flavoursome, it really is almost food-like. Lots to enjoy here.

Whisky #497: North Star Ardmore 8 Year Old 2008 Single Cask

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

North Star Ardmore 8 Year Old 2008 Single Cask. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 57.1%. Tasted at home, $215 (bottle).

What type of whisky soothes a broken heart? We’ve all been there – the breakups that leave you with an all-consuming sea of emotions. Emptiness, confusion, and a sadness that physically hurts and makes you feel ill.

But when your lover and best friend breaks up with you, what whisky do you turn to to numb the pain? To make you feel something, to distract you from the thousand questions and “what ifs” racing through your mind?

For me it has to be something robust – both in depth of flavour and with a high ABV. Something cask strength. Preferably a “single” cask (terrible pun; my sense of humour has really dried up).

A whisky that has plenty of character and isn’t too delicate – as the mind races in a thousand different directions thinking about the breakup, you want to enjoy the whisky without thinking about it too much. A whisky that doesn’t demand too much attention, yet with enough complexity so that you can take your mind off everything and just focus on the dram in front of you, if you so choose.

So I settled on the North Star Ardmore 8 Year Old 2008 Single Cask, which ticks all of those boxes perfectly.

Colour: Rich toffee.

Nose: Black jelly beans; a sniff of camp fire charcoal when you wake up the next morning and stick your head out of the tent.

Palate: Salty seaweed, char-grilled maple bacon, tart blueberries and sweet smoke.

Finish: Savoury and salty, soft smokey notes too. Like some caramelised onions cooked on a BBQ.

Comments: There’s no such thing as the perfect relationship, just as there’s no such thing as the perfect whisky. We shouldn’t be blinded by an endless search for perfection when there may be something amazing sitting right in front of you.

The North Star Ardmore 8 Year Old 2008 Single Cask isn’t the perfect whisky, but it’s pretty bloody amazing.

Whisky #490: Loch Lomond 12 Year Old Single Malt

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Loch Lomond 12 Year Old Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 46%. Tasted on a glorious winter’s afternoon on Sydney Harbour, $115 (bottle).

Colour: Glistening gold.

Nose: Dried pineapple chunks; a spoonful of honey stirred into some English Breakfast tea.

Palate: Honeycomb and creamy caramel oakiness – like sucking on the stick from a caramel Paddle Pop ice cream.

Finish: Short to medium length, but don’t let that put you off – there’s plenty to enjoy here. Soft oak, a hint of sweet gentle smoke and some buttery ginger nut biscuit flavours in the fade.

Comments: This Loch Lomond 12 Year Old was matured in three types of American oak casks – bourbon casks, refill casks and recharred casks. It’s fantastically subtle yet has boatloads of flavour too…it really is a whisky you can drink all afternoon in the sunshine.

Whisky #489: North Star Arran 20 Year Old Single Malt

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

North Star Arran 20 Year Old Single Malt. Isle of Arran, Scotland. ABV: 51.9%. Tasted at home, $251 (bottle).

Colour: Brilliant topaz.

Nose: Freshly sawn timber, pine needles and freshly baked lemon tarts dusted with icing sugar. All very light and delicate though, there’s nothing too overpowering…just a subtle invitation to take a sip.

Palate: Burnt orange marmalade on a fresh croissant…all tart, citrusy, buttery and very moreish. Quite malty too, much more so than most Arran expressions I’ve had before.

Finish: Like biting into some orange and lemon fruit pastilles – juicy, chewy and lots of sweet citrus flavours. A light peppery finish too.

Comments: North Star are a relatively new player in the independent bottler game. Bottled at cask strength and drawn from a single cask, this 20 year old Arran was distilled in August 1996. Given the Arran Distillery only opened in 1995 this is one of the oldest expressions of Arran malt that you’re likely to find.

It’s much maltier and a different kind of fruitiness to most other Arran malts…more citrus than tropical fruits. Recommended, though for the price it’s not exactly a daily drinker.

Whisky #488: Talisker Dark Storm Single Malt

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Talisker Dark Storm Single Malt. Isle of Skye, Scotland. ABV: 45.8%. Tasted on the dock at the Southport Yacht Club.

Having just completed the Sydney to Gold Coast Yacht Race, one of my crew mates Ola brought a bottle of smuggled contraband up on deck as we crossed the finish line at dawn. A perfect time for a celebratory whisky!

Colour: Like a morning sunrise. Fuck it, I don’t care if that sounds like a cliche – it’s dawn, we’ve just finished a 3 day yacht race, and the whisky we’ve just cracked as we arrive at the dock is as welcome a sight as the morning light!

Nose: Charcoal and blueberries. My skipper Lindsay got slight buttery notes and freshly cut lawn. Not the first time he’s cut another man’s grass…

Palate: Smokey brown sugar flavours. Quite a bit of heat as it slides around your mouth and down your chest. Almost a medicinal, menthol tingle on the front of the tongue. Lindsay got sunflower seeds.

Finish: Salt and pepper heat, medium length. Some warm honey notes to fade.

Comments: Lots of spice and rich dark sugary flavours, a fair bit of heat too. A real warming whisky when you’ve been chilled to the bone sailing offshore for the past 3 days. Sailors typically drink a lot of rum, but I’m gradually  to convincing my crew to embrace a Whisky a Day!

Whisky #487: Glenmorangie Bacalta Private Edition Single Malt

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Glenmorangie Bacalta Private Edition Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 46%. Tasted at Button Bar, $24.

When you’re walking home on a cold and windy winter night and you pass a bar you’ve been meaning to check out for a while…better drop in a for a cheeky whisky to warm up! Button Bar are more known for their rum and gin, but I was pleased to see the Glenmorangie Bacalta behind the bar, a drop which I’d also been wanting to try for quite some time.

Colour: Candlelit gold.

Nose: Quite light. Wood chips with some caramelised savoury notes, think cured meats charred with a blow torch. All very light though.

Palate: Oakier than most Glenmorangies. Front palate, corn chips, caramelised onions on a BBQ, some faint raw sugar notes. Maybe I’m just hungry?!

Finish: Malty, dry yet soft. Salty warm tingle on the front of the tongue. Woody notes to finish. Medium length.

Comments: It’s a little different to your typical house style Glenmorangie; the lighter and slightly sweeter fruit driven style we’ve come to associate with many of their malts. This one has sweetness, but with balanced with more savoury tones. Definitely a drier mouthfeel and the malt flavours are more pronounced.

Overall, this was quite a hyped whisky amongst whisky fans around the world (as are many of the Glenmorangie Private Edition releases, and with good reason). Long time readers will know that Glenmorangie was my first favourite distillery, but for me this one didn’t quite hit the mark or scale the heights of some of their other recent Private Edition releases like the Glenmorangie Milsean.

Whisky #486: Bruichladdich Octomore OBA Concept OBA/C_0.1

2 Comments
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Bruichladdich Octomore OBA Concept OBA/C_0.1. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 59.7%. Tasted on Sydney Harbour, $161 (500mL bottle).

I’m extremely fortunate to be able to go sailing with some of my best friends on one of the most beautiful harbours in the world most weeks. Sydney is a stunning place. But when you’re up early on a Sunday morning and dustier than the Nullabor after the night before, sometimes you need more than a little sea breeze to blow away the cobwebs.

I explained to my crew that I’d brought this amazing whisky to try after the race. “Show us!” they said. “Let us smell!” they said. “Have a cheeky pre-race whisky!” they said. Actually they said none of these things, so I poured one anyway for medicinal purposes.

Colour: Burnt orange glaze.

Nose: Sweet smoke, fresh liquorice and raspberry tarts. Pine needles and freshly sawn timber. Goes well with the saltiness of the gentle morning sea breeze. A slight warming sensation too as you breath in the smokiness – like putting your nose close to the hot coals of a campfire as it’s dying down.

Palate: Fresh oak on the front of the palate; liquorice sorbet and a lemon citrus tang. Lot of salty, sweet smokiness – like taking a bite of a freshly cooked fillet of crispy skinned smoked salmon.

Finish: The warmth creeps up and slowly builds, like warm honey slowly dripping down the back of your tongue. A long, lingering salty finish with cigar notes, nori and tea leaves.

Comments: If you’re going to have a 10am whisky when you’re out on the water, this is the one. Fresh, tangy and boatloads of flavour, it’s a fantastic balance of salty, peaty goodness. More peat than out and out smoke, by the sea really is the perfect place to enjoy this one. Highly recommended.

Whisky #479: GlenDronach 1990 Single Cask 24 Year Old Single Malt

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

GlenDronach 1990 Single Cask 24 Year Old Single Malt (Cask No.1020). Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 53.8%.

What kind of whisky do you have when you’re trying to have a self-imposed booze ban for the week? This kind of whisky.

Colour: Dark, rich treacle.

Nose: Caramelised pork hock. Buttery burnt sugar, musty bookshelves. I love that smell.

Palate: Oh it’s smooth…caramel sauce over vanilla ice cream. Warm pudding. It’s basically a dessert…sticky date pudding in a glass.

Finish: Blackberry jellies. More caramel oozing over the tastebuds as you sit back and let the sweet sugary notes fade as some soft woody notes emerge. Like sucking on the ice cream stick after you’ve devoured the ice-cream, you’re craving more and can’t believe it’s finished so quickly.

Comments: Matured in a Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheon, cask strength…this is phenomenal. I am trying to not have too much to drink this week as I’m competing in a powerlifting competition this Saturday for which I’ve been training the last 10 months. So if I was going to break the self-imposed pre-competition booze ban it had better be for a damn good whisky. This one fits the bill perfectly! Stunning.