Scotland

Whisky #447: Highland Park 15 Year Old Single Malt

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Highland Park 15 Year Old Single Malt. Orkney Islands, Scotland. ABV: 40%. Tasted in Margaret River.

Colour: Dull toffee.

Nose: Dried apple, soft honey and hay notes. It’s very soft, a bit tame.

Palate: It’s all front palate here, quite a thin mouthfeel too. Tangy orange sweetness – think orange sherbet lollies and flat orange mineral water.

Finish: A very faint salty, lemony tang in the fade. Short to medium length.

Comments: A little uninspiring to be honest. I’ve had some fantastic Highland Parks before, such as the Gordon & MacPhail Reserve Highland Park 15 Year Old Single Malt, but think they’re much better served at a higher ABV – 40% just tasted a bit too tame for me with this dram.

Whisky #446: Kilchoman Sanaig Single Malt

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Kilchoman Sanaig Single Malt. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 46%. Tasted at Cobbler (West End, Brisbane).

Colour: Golden toffee. Though by candlelight and after just having 6 other whiskies, everything looks some kind of shade of amber.

Nose: Sweet, meaty and salty. Maple syrup on pancakes with bacon. My good mate Pete picked up some cured pork and bacon. My Dad described it as like when you first open a medicine cabinet.

Palate: Smoothish entry, then the flavours quickly build along with a gentle warmth. This is starting to sound like I’m writing a Mills & Boon novel! Gentle smoke that builds, a hint of sweetness but some tangy and salty flavours dominate. Think jamon and dried orange.

Finish: Dried raspberries and salted caramel. The front of the tongue tingles as it fades.

Comments: This dram would go amazingly well with some dark chocolate. Matured in a mix of bourbon and sherry casks, this is a Kilchoman I’ve wanted to try for a while.

It’s very drinkable and quite enjoyable towards the end of the night, but lacks a little bit of depth and punch for a true end of the night kind of whisky. It feels like it’s torn between a couple of styles without really mastering either. Think I’ll stick to their expressions either matured completely in ex bourbon casks or completely in sherry casks.

Whisky #444: The Arran Malt 14 Year Old Single Malt

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The Arran Malt 14 Year Old Single Malt. Isle of Arran, Scotland. ABV: 46%. Tasted at home, $110 (bottle).

Colour: Bright straw.

Nose: Lemon cheesecake, fresh sawdust on a workshop floor.

Palate: Tangy savoury notes; think lemon crossed with salt & vinegar chips (or crisps for you Brits). Quite a dry mouthfeel.

Finish: A salty finish, woody notes, a slight bitterness in the fade.

Comments: It’s quite a decent dram, but not up there with Arran’s usually high standards. I’m a big Arran fan as many long time readers may know, but this didn’t really excite me. 

Despite an extra two years’ maturation, I didn’t find this one as enjoyable as the The Arran Malt 12 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt (Batch 5). Yes it’s a lower ABV (46% versus 52.9% for the 12 Year Old Cask Strength), but it’s just not as fruit driven or smooth, or just quite as “Arrany”. Still eminently enjoyable, but my preference is definitely the 12 year old expression.

Whisky #443: Cadenhead Small Batch Bunnahabhain 1976 39 Year Old Sherry Cask Single Malt

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img_8282.jpgCadenhead Small Batch Bunnahabhain 1976 39 Year Old Sherry Cask Single Malt. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 49.4%. Tasted at my good mate Brett’s place for his 40th birthday.

Colour: Deep, dark toffee.

Nose: Fresh vanilla sponge cake. Some dusty bookshelf aromas. Sounds weird, but it’s an aroma that I really enjoy about many quite old Scotch whiskies.

Palate: Smooth and creepy. No, that’s Brett…I mean smooth and creamy. Toffee apples, both ones with fresh green apples and also the toffee apple chewy sweets you used to get as a kid. Later flavours of honey and butter on freshly baked white toast emerge.

Finish: It’s a long and gentle fade. A dry tartness; oranges and raspberries with a delicate sweetness. Almost a slightly salty lemon sherbet tang as it tapers off.

Comments: To celebrate Brett officially beginning the downward slide into middle age as he turns 40, a few of us banded together to get him this fantastic whisky that was distilled in his birth year of 1976 and bottled after 39 years in 2016. One of only 648 bottles, it was matured in 3 sherry butts and bottled at its natural cask strength of 49.4%ABV.

Bunnahabhain may come from Islay yet their spirit is largely unpeated, certainly in comparison to its Islay neighbours such as Bruichladdich, Laphroig, Ardbeg etc.

Rich and delicate, this was one super smooth drop; not peaty at all. Complex and multifaceted according to Brett. It’s outstanding, the kind of whisky you want to sit back and slowly sip with a good mate, you don’t want to rush this one. The only rushing should be back to grab the bottle to pour yourself another dram…which I hope Brett remembers next time I come to visit!

Whiskies #439 & #440: The Glenlivet Showdown – Guardians’ Chapter Single Malt & Nàdurra First Fill Cask Strength Single Malt

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img_8235.jpgIt’s time for a Glenlivet showdown! In the blue corner…The Glenlivet Guardians’ Chapter Single Malt, while in the red corner we have The Glenlivet Nàdurra First Fill Cask Strength Single Malt (Batch No. FF0115). Let’s get ready to rummmmmmble!

Whisky #439: The Glenlivet Guardians’ Chapter Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 48.7%. Tasted at home, $100 (bottle).

Colour: Deep caramel.

Nose: Almost a bit tannic – like nosing a gutsy, yet dry red wine. Fresh and grassy with some mildly astringent alcohol vapours that give the nose a bit of a prickle.

Palate: Very direct – a burst of concentrated dried apricots down the centre of the tongue along with some peppery spice. Not the oily, creamy mouthfeel typically associated with many sherry influenced whiskies.

Finish: A drying, sherried finish. Some slightly bitter citrus flavours (think blood oranges) along with dry woody notes. A medium to long finish.

 

Whisky #440: The Glenlivet Nàdurra First Fill Cask Strength Single Malt (Batch No. FF0115). Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 59.8%. Tasted at home, $130 (bottle).

Colour: Pale gold.

Nose: Honey and sweet biscuity notes. Fresh pinecones.

Palate: Tangy and zesty; salty yet a sweetness too. Like sucking on a lemon sherbet sweet. Rich and warming, this is a whisky you can really sip and savour.

Finish: Long – this one hangs around for a while. A warm citrus buzz on the front half of the tongue.

Overall comments: The Guardians’ Chapter was a limited release of only around 2,000 cases. It was selected by The Glenlivet Guardians…basically their registered fan base. Aged in American oak and former Oloroso sherry casks, Glenlivet sent the Guardians three sample whiskies to choose their preferred one for bottling. This is their choice.

The Glenlivet have always made some fantastic whiskies, and the Nàdurra First Fill Cask Strength Single Malt is certainly up there as one of the better ones I’ve tried. However, the Guardians’ Chapter Single Malt was a little disappointing – it’s not that it’s a poor whisky, far from it – it’s just that next to the Nàdurra First Fill Cask Strength it gets left in the shade. I’m always partial to a cask strength dram and the Nàdurra First Fill ticks all the boxes – bucketloads of flavour, full mouthfeel, great balance and complexity, not to mention the satisfying warmth and buzz that come from a high ABV whisky. It just feels like a much “cleaner” dram than the Guardians’ Chapter which was a little thin and tannic for my tastes.

I know which one I’ll be grabbing next time…though given the rate at which the Nàdurra First Fill seems to be emptying itself, that may be sooner rather than later!

Whisky #438: The Singleton of Dufftown Spey Cascade Single Malt

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img_8212.jpgThe Singleton of Dufftown Spey Cascade Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40%. Tasted at my aunt & uncle’s place, $52 (bottle).

It’s a stinking hot day in Brisbane, I’m visiting family for the weekend. Given the hot weather, another quite light dram is on the cards today – light both in flavour profile and ABV. It’s a summery whisky.

Colour: Syrupy gold. “Amber – like the insects stuck in amber from Jurassic Park”…says my sister with both her movie and fashion taste stuck in the 90s.

Nose: Dried apricots, quite light. Dad got fresh bandaids – the old fella may be onto something here.

Palate: Thin on the palate, cooked mash and cereal flavours abound. Quite a dry mouthfeel.

Finish: Spicy; think white pepper. Dad described the sensation as being like having a spearmint breath mint followed by having a few mouthfuls of cool water. With some liquorice thrown in.

Comments: It’s light, it’s simple. It’s the kind of whisky that doesn’t command too much attention, which is a good thing when the day is so hot and humid you have to consciously think about preventing the sweat from dripping off your brow into your glass. It’s pretty affordable too – a half decent quaffer, but it’s not going to win any awards or keep your interest for too long.

Whisky #437: Auchentoshan American Oak Single Malt

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img_8180.jpgAuchentoshan American Oak Single Malt. Lowlands, Scotland. ABV: 40%. Tasted with my mate Ryan at his place, $60 (bottle).

Colour: Golden sands.

Nose: Very light; oaky, honey on fresh white toast. A typical bourbon cask nose.

Palate: Thin yet creamy mouthfeel. Honey and soft hay-like notes.

Finish: Soft tangy pineapple and citrus notes. Short to medium finish, hints of oak.

Comments: It’s a light, summery dram – a real daytime, beachside sipper that drinks easily at a low 40% ABV. It’s not overly complex; pleasant without being spectacular.  But when you’re on holidays sometimes you just want to relax and not think too deeply about anything, much less overanalyse the whisky in your glass. Just sit back, relax, take a sip and enjoy the view.

Whisky #436: The Arran Malt Single Cask No.547 Single Malt 2013 Autumn Release

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img_8098.jpgThe Arran Malt Single Cask No.547 Single Malt 2013 Autumn Release (Vintage 1996). Isle of Arran, Scotland. ABV: 52.4%. Tasted at The Stables Bar, Randwick Racecourse, $30.

Colour: A deep, murky, lustrous amber.

Nose: Like sticking your nose nose into a fresh bunch of flowers. Light, floral and fruity. Typical Arran.

Palate: Smooth; the mouthfeel is like having an ice cube or a cool marble on your tongue. Sweet lemon biscuit & fresh ginger notes. It definitely seems lower and smoother than the 52.4% ABV suggests.

Finish: Fresh oaky fade with some sweet creaminess – think sucking on a Paddle Pop stick after you’ve polished off the ice cream.

Comments: I’d been at the races with friends and after polishing off a heap of champagne, beer, shiraz and an espresso for good measure, I decided it was time for a whisky as clearly by that point I’d not had enough booze. They’ve got quite a decent range at The Stables, so as one of my favourite distilleries I chose this single cask Arran.

This was a week ago; I’d forgotten about the tasting and I happened to stumble across my tasting notes and thought I’d better get around to posting. Given all this, I was mildly surprised at the state of my notes given the state of the day’s consumption!

I think I might have to try it again given the review above!

Whisky #434: Signatory Vintage Glen Elgin 1995 19 Year Old Single Malt

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img_8033.jpgSignatory Vintage Glen Elgin 1995 19 Year Old Single Malt (The Un-Chillfiltered Collection). Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 46%. Tasted at home, $116 (bottle).

Colour: A glimmer of the weekend, a bright beacon of light shining through the glass. Geez it’s been a long week.

Nose: Fresh nougat, freshly sawn timber. A slight nose prickle.

Palate: Crisp mouthfeel as you take the first sip; slightly peppery yet with some oaky vanilla notes. Drier rather than creamy, but smooth to start.

Finish: Strawberry jam on fresh white toast. The mouthfeel is quite dry to finish, yet has some lingering sweetness. Medium length.

Comments: A great balance – loads of flavour if you fancy unpicking the layers, yet smooth and easy drinking with enough of a flavour and ABV punch if you just want to kick the feet up after a brutal day/week at work and relax with some music in the background. Leave me alone world, I’ve got to unwind. Delightful.

Whisky #433: Port Ellen 30 Year Old 1982 Single Malt – Old and Rare Platinum (Douglas Laing)

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img_7993.jpgPort Ellen 30 Year Old 1982 Single Malt – Old and Rare Platinum (Douglas Laing). ABV: 53.1%. Tasted at home, $145 (100mL bottle split).

We have come to the end of Peat Week here at Whisky a Day, so it’s only fitting we pull out the big guns. A 30 year old Port Ellen single malt should do the trick!

Colour: Rich gold.

Nose: A satisfying nose prickle; rich honey and smoke, quite earthy…think dusty bookshelves.

Palate: Smokey, yet a juicy fruitiness. Blueberries and prosciutto – salty meaty notes with a hint of sweetness.

Finish: Finish goes on for days…smokey, salty, tangy citrus, plenty of heat, and some spicy tomato soup flavours in the fade.

Comments: Some readers may be unfamiliar with Port Ellen, that’s likely to be due to the fact it is a defunct distillery from Islay which was shut down in 1983. They still do malting on site to supply other Islay distilleries, however the stills have long since ceased production. This Douglas Laing bottling of Port Ellen was from an outturn of only 139 bottles and was distilled in 1982 (only a year before the distillery was shut down).

With the existing Port Ellen stocks owned by Diageo, there are very limited releases, making Port Ellen both highly sought after and also pricey. This was a $1000 bottle of booze, so with some of my fellow whisky nutters from Dram Full Perth, we decided to splurge and grab a bottle of this and split it 7 ways. I’ve held on to this one for quite a while but decided to crack it open tonight.  A fitting climax to Peat Week, and a highly enjoyable dram.

And yes, I drank it all in one sitting…

Whisky #432: Bowmore 18 Year Old Single Malt

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img_7987.jpgBowmore 18 Year Old Single Malt. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 43%. Tasted at home, $185 (bottle).

As we near the end of Peat Week at Whisky a Day, we return to the centre of the peated universe – Islay – to savour the Bowmore 18.

Colour: Deep, sexy copper.

Nose: A delicate nose, yet lots of aromas. It has a rich, sweet smokiness – caramel, burnt toffee, and some faint smokey remnants of the campfire that was burning the night before.

Palate: Again a light smoke compared to many other Islay whiskies, which allows the other flavours to really dance on the tongue. Dried sultanas and raisins, freshly buttered fruit toast, rich treacle, dark chocolate with a high cocoa content (the ones so high the chocolate is quite earthy).

Finish: A long finish, with caramel fudge and some oaky tannins in the fade. The salty tang in the fade is subtle yet bookends some of the soft sweeter flavours tasted earlier.

Comments: The peat is more apparent in the finish on this whisky, enabling the enjoyment of so many other delicious flavours. It really is a layered, nuanced dram – one you can easily sit back and contemplate on. So easy to drink, even on a sunny spring afternoon like I’m doing right now. Recommended.

Whisky #431: Talisker Storm Single Malt

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img_7978.jpgTalisker Storm Single Malt. Isle of Skye, Scotland. ABV: 45.8%. Tasted at home, $85.

Day 5 of Peat Week at Whisky a Day sees us return to more familiar climes, this time docking our tastebuds on the shores of the Isle of Skye on the Scottish west coast to check out the Talisker Storm.

Colour: Luscious Amber.

Nose: Sea salt and hessian sacks. Some soft woody notes and a touch of caramel fudge.

Palate: Butterscotch and smokey creaminess in flavour, but it’s not a creamy or oily mouthfeel. It’s a smooth entry, but quite thin on the palate.

Finish: Quite a drying finish, some lovely creamed honey flavours and a soft smokey fade.

Comments: A No Age Statement (NAS) release, this is really quite enjoyable. At 45.8% ABV it’s nicely balanced, the flavour intensity is there and yet it’s quite easy to drink. Not my favourite Talisker expression, but eminently drinkable and a great stepping stone into more heavily peated whiskies – be that in the one sitting, or if you’re just starting to explore the peated genre.

Talisker distillery on the stunning Isle of Skye. Very fortunate to have visited there on such an amazing day.

Whisky #430: The Glenrothes Peated Cask Reserve Single Malt

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img_7974.jpgThe Glenrothes Peated Cask Reserve Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40%. Tasted at home, $130 (bottle).

Continuing the theme of peated whisky, for Day 4 of Peat Week I’ve again chosen a slightly different style of peated whisky…a Speyside peated expression from Glenrothes. It’s not actually peated spirit, but rather the whisky was finished by maturing for a short time in ex Islay casks. 

Colour: Dull gold, unpolished.

Nose: A very light nose; oaky lemon notes, but it’s extremely subtle. Also quite fresh – a bit like when you tear off some fresh leaves from a plant.

Palate: Juicy mouthfeel with a biscuity sweetness. Like taking a bite of an Arnott’s Nice biscuit, the ones with the sugar on top. Some citrus flavours too, like a ripe juicy mandarine.

Finish: Some gentle smoke finally appears, but again it’s very light. A drying, woody finish.

Comments: It’s quite lightly peated, in fact I found myself almost searching for some peat at times just because I know it’s a peated whisky. If you’re looking for a big, peaty, smokey whisky – these are not the drams you’re looking for. But as a slightly different twist on your typical Speyside style, it fits the bill. I’m not convinced that at $130 it presents great value, but it is certainly a very easy drinking whisky. Though I’d be much more inclined to grab a bottle of Monkey Shoulder at $55 a bottle for a somewhat similar flavour profile (but without the peat). It’s ok, but unfortunately doesn’t reach any great heights.

Whisky #429: Johnnie Walker Double Black Blended Scotch Whisky

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img_7968.jpgJohnnie Walker Double Black Blended Scotch Whisky. Edinburgh, Scotland. ABV: 40%. Tasted at home, $55 (bottle).

Peat Week, Day 3. Why should the single malts get all the peat? The Johnnie Walker Double Black is a blend with plenty of peat.

Colour: Light copper.

Nose: A little uninspiring; it’s a very light nose.  A hint of smoke and some sweet oaky notes, but you’ve really got to work hard to get many aromas.

Palate: Exceedingly smooth entry, an oily mouthfeel yet quite thin on the palate. Soft smoke and creamy woody notes – a bit like sucking on a ice cream stick after you’ve finished the ice cream.

Finish: Butter menthols and a gentle smokey fade, medium length.

Comments: Contrary to popular misconception, the Double Black is not merely the next step up in class from the Black Label in the Johnnie Walker range. While it is built upon a similar base to the Johnnie Walker Black Label, the Double Black adds peated Scottish west coast and island whiskies, some aged in casks that were deeply charred.

I found it to be a very lightly peated and somewhat lightly flavoured dram, yet very easy to drink. The kind of whisky you could drink and enjoy on auto-pilot when you get home from work. Perhaps not unsurprising for a blended whisky at 40% ABV and priced so keenly at $55 /bottle.

But in that respect it does have a place in your whisky collection. If you’re on a tight budget or are taking your first few tentative steps in exploring peated whisky, this is a good way to dip your toe in the water. Ditto if you want a cheap quaffing whisky for midweek drams, or for those friends who come around and you don’t want to pour a dram of your $300/bottle Bruichladdich Octomore Edition 6.3 Cask Strength Single Malt. Overall, a respectable whisky to have on hand, but certainly not one to race out and have at all costs.

Whisky #428: Lagavulin 200th Anniversary Limited Edition 8 Year Old Single Malt

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img_7955.jpgLagavulin 200th Anniversary Limited Edition 8 Year Old Single Malt. Islay, Scotland. ABV: 48%. Tasted at home, $100 (bottle).

Colour: A very pale straw.

Nose: Sweet lemon sherbet, some faint floral notes – think rose petals. A few subtle bread and biscuit aromas…like opening a packet of buttery shortbread.

Palate: Such a smooth, oily mouthfeel as you take the first sip. The warmth and flavours quickly quickly build – a smokey, savoury, food-like saltiness. It reminds me of a crispy skin smoked salmon fillet; sea salt flakes sprinkled atop and the crispy caramelisation of the skin giving a few sweeter notes. Some bok choy with hoisin sauce on the side to provide that rich salty tang.

Finish: A few aniseed notes in the fade, black jelly beans or those Allen’s black cat lollies. A long drying finish, plenty of .

Comments: Light on for peatiness in the nose, but it saves its punch for the palate and the long, glorious finish. For me, it’s not an overly smokey whisky – but it packs loads of punch in terms of peaty, organic notes.

I actually found this one a bit challenging to review – it took a few drams to really unpick all the layers. Looking back on my tasting notes, maybe I was just over-analysing it…this is a reasonably simple whisky with some great flavours vying for your attention. It’s not as smooth or as smokey as the Lagavulin 16, nor as flavoursome as the Lagavulin 12 Year Old Cask Strength, but it definitely complements the lineup and doesn’t tread on the toes of its elder siblings. The Lagavulin 12 Year Old Cask Strength is still by far my favourite expression though.

Peat Week! 7 Days of Peated Whisky

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img_7936.jpgIt’s Peat Week here at Whisky a Day! 7 days of peated whisky.

It’s been a rainy Sunday here in Sydney, one of those long lazy afternoons that you just don’t want to finish. Not because it’s been a particularly spectacular day, but mainly because it’s been a relaxing day that is soon to be cut short by the notion of heading back to work again tomorrow morning!

So with the last vestiges of cool weather lingering, I thought it the perfect excuse to have a peated dram. Which led me to think – bugger it, why not have a whole week of peated whisky? Exploring a few different styles of peated whisky?

To a lot of people, peated whisky equates to whisky from the island of Islay in Scotland. While there are many fine examples of peated whisky from Islay, I thought it would be interesting to also explore a few peated whiskies produced in other regions around Scotland as well as a little further afield.

So here’s this week’s lineup…

Some Australian whisky to start as we explore the peated range from Limeburners. Closely followed by the recently released (and much anticipated) Lagavulin 8 Year Old to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Lagavulin distillery. The Johnnie Walker Double Black then gets a call-up, highlighting that it’s not just single malts that get all the peat. Moving across to Speyside where we’ll dabble in some Glenrothes, followed by zipping back west to the Isle of Skye to sample the Talisker Storm. Then it’s back to the home of peaty whisky – Islay – for the Bowmore 18 Year Old, before finishing off the week in style with a very rare Port Ellen 30 Year Old bottled by Douglas Laing.

So strap in your tastebuds, slip into those comfy slippers and turn off the fire alarms…it could get a little smokey in here this week.