| |
| |
March 7, 2014 |
|
  |
A bag of strange blended malts |
It’s all about building brands without having to rely on a particular distillery or distiller on the middle or long run, that’s why we’re seeing more and more ‘designed’ malt whiskies today. They usually don’t appeal much to the malt enthusiasts, unless the story and the marketing/packaging are ‘funny enough’ to catch attention. Lets have a few examples. |
|
Muckle Flugga Blended Malt (40%, OB, blended malt, +/-2013)  Let me simply copy-and-paste what the excellent Master of Malt had to say about this baby: ‘Muckle Flugga is made by blending together six single malts which are then shipped to Unst, near the Muckle Flugga lighthouse in the Shetlands. The whisky spends a year on the island, surviving the harsh seasons before being returned to the mainland for bottling.’ I told you, you need a story… Colour: straw. Nose: a nice, delicately sooty and smoky nose at first sniffs, then apples, gooseberries and fresh almonds. A little barley water. It’s all pretty light but I enjoy this smoke. Mouth: a funny composition with something agave-y, some apple juice, that peat smoke again, rocks, more apple juice, touches of tar and liquorice… The arrival is fine but the middle is a little weak, probably because of the 40% vol. Finish: relatively short but pleasant? Smoked apple peelings? Touches of salt and some pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: I find this well composed, it’s got something of Poit Dhubh. Do you remember Poit Dhubh? A little weak, though… SGP: 443 - 79 points. |
|
Old Perth ‘Number 2’ (43%, OB, blended malt, +/-2013)  It’s the retro wave that’s striking again this time. Oldness sells. Colour: gold. Nose: less peat, more malt and overripe fruits this time. In a way, it’s quite Chivas-y, with some honey, biscuits, butterscotch, Ovaltine, roasted nuts, apple compote, ripe pears, peaches… In short, we’re almost totally in Speyside (if not in Perth). Mouth: nice! It seems that they’ve used some pretty old malts. So praline, caramel, soft spices (cinnamon’s very obvious) and honey, all that on apple crumble and maybe tarte tatin. Candy sugar. An ultra-classic style, well mastered. Very ‘middle-of-the-road’, in a good way. Finish: not very long, but malty and honeyed. More apple crumble. Comments: could have been Glenlivet if you ask me. Loyal and honest stuff. SGP:441 - 80 points. |
|
Scallywag (46%, Douglas Laing, blended malt, 2013) A funny dog, why not. Welcome back, Tintin. There’s only Speyside malts inside. Colour: amber. Nose: the Old Perth at a higher strength. Same feeling of malt, roasted nuts, apple pie, raisins, honeydew and candy sugar. It’s bigger but that’s normal. Goes on with more cider apples and green pears, which actually balances it. Wee touches of rubber, possibly from some sherry casks. Mouth: creamy, fruity, malty. Very close to the Old Perth, the styles are almost identical. So very Speysidy, with a little sherry, overripe apples and pears, honey, cane sugar, caramel, praline, fudge… Finish: quite long, candied and yet relatively light. Marmalade. Comments: good oomph, but there’s some youth that comes out. Very decent, I’d say, which is what I was expecting anyway. ‘Above-blends’ category. SGP:441 - 81 points (we’re making good progress, aren’t we). |
|
High Spirits' 100% Islay Selection 19 yo (46%, High Spirits, blended malt, +/-2011)  A very curious vatting of 90% Bowmore 1989 (watch out!) and 10% Laphroaig 1989. They called that 'Islay Heavy', let's see... Colour: straw. Nose: s.t.r.a.n.g.e. Some warm butter, fermenting coconut, asparagus, then cranberries, floor cloth, seawater, pineapples, apple juice… This baby really loses you. Mouth: grenadine, Parma violets, lavender sweets, brine, smoked osiers, vanilla fudge… A style that we all know well, don’t we? But it’s funny to see the drops of Laphroaig that manage to kind of hide those lavendery notes. Strawberries and salmiak, what would you think of such a combo? Finish: medium long. Smoked fruits, especially blood oranges. Comments: odd, funny, challenging. Obvious FWP. Maybe a little more Laphroaig would have made it better? SGP:534 - 70 points. |
| |
March 6, 2014 |
|
|
A pair of Glenfarclas 17 yo and siblings |
The regular Glenfarclas 17 yo is one of these well-known whiskies I’ve never written proper tasting notes for, and that’s a crying shame, agreed. The arrival in WF’s library of a very old 17yo from the 1940s is a good excuse for doing a wee comparative tasting, and maybe we’ll have other Glenfarclasses after those two, we’ll see… |
|
Glenfarclas 17 yo (43%, OB, +/-2013) Colour: dark gold. Nose: what strikes me first is a combination of cherry liqueur (guignolet) with drops of pastis, juicy golden raisins (not the dry black ones!) and many herbal teas such as chamomile and rosemary. Then it’s rather caramelised oranges, drops of Pimm’s No. 1, leather and more and more roasted malt and chocolate. It’s pretty complex and aromatic. Mouth: starts very malty, with good body and even a certain roughness. A grassy side, orange zests, quite some oak, more malt, some roasted nuts, some chocolate, chestnuts, apple tart… It’s very robust malt whisky despite a relatively low strength, I find it rather rawer than its siblings in the range. Finish: long, very malt and chocolaty. Slightly bitter aftertaste. Comments: a very fine Glenfarclas, I think, but of course the distillery have many more complex expressions. SGP:451 - 81 points. |
|
Glenfarclas-Glenlivet 17 yo (91 US proof, US import, +/-1940)  Most probably Glenfarclas distilled in the 1920s. It was imported by James Sword & Son in New York. If I’m not mistaken 91 proof mean 45.5% vol. Colour: deep gold. Nose: this is probably not very fair to the current 17, this baby’s spent more than 70 years in a lovely bottle and has gained an immense complexity, and yet it’s very ‘obvious’ whisky, with a high fruity and phenolic impact. So it’s certainly much more phenolic than the current production, I guess peat was much more in use. At random, I find kumquats, orange blossom honey, charcoal smoke, peat smoke, tiger balm, old crème de menthe, mirabelles, praline straight from the oven and, yes, hashish. It’s becoming more and more resinous! Mouth: absolutely stunning. Absolutely no signs of tiredness and just a massive, immense resinous profile that’s anything but bitter or acrid. Again that specialty from Morocco or Afghanistan ;-), a lot of cough syrup (a cough? Anytime!), chlorophyll, pinesap, then marmalade, dark chocolate, some earth, some roots (gentian, yup), some tobacco, various peppers… All that is very impressive, you just have to enjoy resinous or sappy things as much as I do. Finish: very long, almost interminable. And always very resinous… Comments: right, this highly resinous profile will not be to everyone’s tastes and that’s why I’ll try to come up with a reasonable score. But who cares after all, these bottles are so rare… SGP:483 - 92 points. |
All right, let’s make a short break and then have a few brothers and sisters… |
|
Glenfarclas 1990/2013 (46%, OB, Limited Rare Bottling, Edition No.17, Alexander Selkirk, 1200 bottles)  A label for Germany that I’ve known for years. Many excellent sherried Glenfarclasses in this series! Colour: red amber. Nose: indeed, deep Glenfarclassy sherry, with wheelbarrows of raisins, prunes and figs plus a light smoke that punctuates it. Plus this feeling of ganache, raspberries… Very nice sherried and rounded richness. Mouth: drier now, with more coffee, spices and herbs. Cloves, cinnamon… There’s a lot of chocolate as well, especially dark ones, then the usual fruitcake and a few mint drops. Aniseed. Blood oranges. Finish: classic rather old-style Glenfarclas, with good sherry mingled with a rather potent distillate. Calls for chocolate! Comments: I find this extremely good, perfect old style sherry, not too complicated. I mean, not very complex, but excellent. SGP:552 - 87 points. |
Let’s try to find another interesting one at relatively low strength… Such as this one: |
|
Findlater’s Mar Lodge 12 yo (43%, Findlater, single malt, France, +/-1985)  This was ‘a Sportsman’s Malt’ in the good old style, and said to have been Glenfarclas. Hunters like Glenfarclas, don’t they. Colour: deep gold. Nose: very Glenfarclassy, although the sherriness is very subdued. The mirabelles are back, together with these herbal teas that we already found in the modern 17. Also a lot of hay (in the midst of a hot summer) and touches of Virginia tobacco and leather. Wee metallic touches, also. Mouth: quite some smoke, a little pinesap, wormwood, all these herbal teas again, these mirabelles, touches of quinces and just a little liquorice wood. Also a growing marzipan (which could be scary, ha). Finish: relatively long, very clean, with more honey this time and only a mild spiciness. Tiny-wee touches of rubber and cherries in the aftertaste, but that’s nothing. Comments: these bottles are always quite cheap at auctions. Some great surprises can be unearthed. SGP:451 - 84 points. |
|
Glenfarclas 1989/2012 (56.6%, OB, Family Casks, TSMC Taiwan, cask #11046, 591 bottles) With a lovely dragon on the label. Colour: red mahogany. Nose: this nose is both big and delicate, with whiffs of oak (shavings) and rose petals at first nosing, then the expected fruitcake with some raspberry and cherry jams. Cherry and cassis liqueurs, Dijon-style. The active oak makes me even think of some high-end bourbons, imagine. More and more chocolate after a few seconds, it’s almost pure chocolate. With water: more of all that, with more smoothness. A sin! Mouth (neat): extremely aromatic, almost extravagant, concentrated, jammy to the extreme (cassis, raspberry, cherry) and yet pretty elegant. A strong feeling of ripe pomegranates, with a lot of pepper and chilli in the background. With water: various spices come out, ginger, cardamom… Finish: long, more typically oloroso, with Seville oranges, raisins, prunes… A lot of bitter chocolate and mint in the aftertaste. Comments: a very unusual and pretty extreme one, as if it was kind of experimental, in a way. An experiment that worked beautifully – if that ever was an experiment. SGP:571 - 90 points. |
|
A 1836 founded distillery 1970/2011 (53.5%, Malts of Scotland, Angel’s Choice, sherry hogshead, cask #MoS11025, 55 half-bottles) Of course the mention of 1836 was no obvious proof of the origin of this baby! The equivalent of 55 half-bottles is, I believe, all what was remaining in the cask. Colour: coffee. Nose: perfect rich sherry, and it even remained kind of light and elegant. I mean, some citrus remained to lift it, so to speak. So oranges, figs, raisins, prunes, cappuccino, then more and more chocolate. A lot of chocolate, did Lindt own a distillery? A little mint as well, so that would rather be After Eights. Great nose. With water: a few more grassy and floral notes. Peonies are obvious. Mouth (neat): chocolate liqueur blended with crème de menthe and Cointreau. Also big black cherries. Very impressive, it’s one these rare whiskies that can be both thick/heavy and refined/elegant. Must be the crème de menthe… With water: more wood spices, a feeling of cedar wood, cinnamon, speculoos, bitter oranges… This is absolutely flawless. Finish: long, now very chocolaty again. And minty. I told you, After Eights. Comments: a simply implacable old sherry monster with all the expected attributes, including balance! (yes, despite the heaviness.) SGP:661 - 91 points. |
(with thanks to Patrick and the PWWT) |
| |
March 5, 2014 |
|
|
The Good Guys are always on the White Horse |
 |
| As far as old Scotch blends are concerned, White Horse is probably the most cult of all large brands and only smaller ones may compete or be even more sought after, all that because White Horse used to be full of Lagavulin, which was the brand’s home distillery. White Horse is still being made today but it seems that it’s lost a part of its former prestige. |
|
White Horse (70° proof, OB, for N.A.A.F.I. stores, H.M. Forces, 1960s) N.A.A.F.I. stands for Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes, so shops for British military staff, both in the UK and overseas. This is a UK bottling. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s very peaty and ashy and instantly reminds me of the current Lagavulin 16yo, with these notes of new rubber boots and tar. There’s a lot of brine as well, some ink, old books in an old attic in an old house, some seaweed, leather, a bit of sweet mustard and quite some pepper. It’s a very dry nose, the malt content is probably very high. Touches of manure coming through after a few minutes. Mouth: very big peat! It’s to be wondered why, while peaty malts are so fashionable these days, to my knowledge no big brands make some heavily peated blend anymore. Not talking about boutique ventures. So peat, then bitter oranges and a lot of brine/salt, green olives, sour apples, a little marzipan, some pepper… Now it also tends to become a little cardboardy, but that never gets embarrassing. The body’s impressive at just 40% vol. – probably only 37 or 38 after all these years in glass. Finish: long and massively salty. Almost pure smoked brine. More mint and liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: a beast. I don’t know how much Lagavulin was added to this mix but that wouldn’t surprise me if someone said 40 or 50%. SGP:264 - 90 points. |
|
White Horse (70° proof, OB, bottled 1960) The year of bottling is mentioned on the label (upper left), which comes handy. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s a rounder version, less globally peaty, with many more dried fruits, probably thanks to a higher proportion of sherry casks. But the sooty/rubbery side remains, as well as all the seaweed. I also seem to find more herbs, around fern and moss, as well as touches of menthol. Less musty than the NAAFI, there’s also more raisins starting to come through after a good five minutes. In a way, it’s a little more ‘commercial’, whatever that means. Mouth: no no no, drop that, it’s very dry, smoky, salty and leathery on your palate. A very sooty/ashy side as well, which makes it even a little acrid and rough. Some ink, pepper, black tea… A rather big tannicity’s starting to invade your palate, together with a few cough lozenges and always a lot of salt. This one’s not very easy. Well, less easy than the military version! Finish: long, peppery, ultra-dry. Mint-flavoured green tea, salty salmiak… Very peppery aftertaste. Comments: finally less compact and ‘immediate’ than the NAAFI, and maybe simply less good. The palate was incredibly dry. SGP:365 - 86 points. |
|
White Horse (No ABV, OB, bottled 1942) Again, the year of bottling is written on the label. It also states ‘Lagavulin Distillery’ and ‘Glenlivet District’, which is what was also written on the ‘1960’, while the ‘military’ White Horse already had ‘Glasgow and London’ instead. Obviously pre-war distillation this time. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s always difficult to tell whether a different and especially more complex nose was already there when the whisky was bottled, or if it’s more the effect of ageing in glass. It’s true that this baby spent more than 70 years in its bottle, and boy it’s magnificent. What strikes first this time is a huge mentholated side, that comes with its compadres eucalyptus and camphor, while it would then unfold on many other herbs and oils, such as wormwood, fennel or verbena, and then on some kind of light fruitcake with only touches of coastality. Erm, I mean, there’s less brine as well as less tar and rubber. After ten minutes, whiffs of fresh passion fruits, which is something that often happens with very old peaters. Also a little earth. Simply brilliant. Mouth: splendid attack, fatter than the others, oilier, maybe better balanced, but it tends to lose steam after a few seconds, which is kind of normal after all those years. The middle got a little weak, but on the other hand, some lovely tropical fruits are playing in the backyard. I find bananas, for example. Finish: rather short, but the aftertaste is full of smoky fruits. Comments: akin to some great old wine that would have become a little fragile without losing its main attractions. Hard to score. The nose was superb. SGP:343 - around 83 points. |
(with thanks to the Glug Glug Club) |
|
Last minute bonus, we could put our hands on some contemporary White Horse. Sadly, that happened long after the above lines were written, so I couldn’t do a proper comparison, but there, here’s the new one…
White Horse (40%, OB, blend, +/-2013) Colour: gold. Nose: I may be dreaming but I do seem to detect a kind of tarry and rubbery side that hints at Lagavulin 16 (brand new wellies), but Lagavulin being on pretty severe allocation, that seems unlikely. And yet, I swear I could detect Lagavulin (not just Coal Ila or Talisker). Other than that, some caramel, hay, vanilla, raisins and a rather big maltiness. Not dull at all, it seems that the blenders have kept an eye on the original recipe. Mouth: same feeling! It’s even quite salty, tarry, smoky, leathery, with a little brioche and then a pleasant bitterness, reminding me of artichoke liqueur. Or Fernet-Branca. It’s a little thin on the palate but certainly not flat. Cool character. Finish: short and dry, as expected, but the tarry smokiness lingers on in solo, so to speak. Comments: a pretty good surprise. If you like your blend quite peaty and fairly priced, you may try to ride the current White Horse. SGP:353 - 80 points. |
| |
March 4, 2014 |
|
|
Ah, Ben Nevis, Don’t we all know we may expect the unexpectable, as our concierge would say? Today we’ll have quite a few, more or less at random… |
|
Ben Nevis 16 yo 1996/2012 (54.8%, Riverstown, cask #2012-122, 392 bottles) Colour: straw. Nose: one of these rare very sugary noses. A lot of candy sugar, barley sugar, caramel and, wait, wouldn’t that be warm Coca-Cola? What’s funny is that all this is quite pleasant, just rather unusual. Behind all this sugar, notes of hay and malt, Guinness, and whiffs of rose petals and tinned litchis. Fun! With water: a little grassier, as often. Mouth (neat): almost a syrup but I have to say this works. Rose flavoured Turkish delights, pineapples, sweet barley, very sweet oranges, even curaçao, caramba! (pff…)… With water: becomes more citrusy. Excellent. Finish: long, mainly on blood oranges. Comments: it’s a pretty clean one, actually. Very engaging fruitiness. SGP:641 - 86 points. |
|
Ben Nevis 18 yo 1995/2013 (51,8%, The Whisky Agency, hogshead, 242 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: this one has a little more varnish and glue at first nosing, it seems that it’s been very extractive. Also this feeling of green bananas rather than plain and pure fruits, green greengages (no kiddin’), broken branches, something both mineral and rooty… Then a new pack of marshmallows. A huge pack! With water: more citrus and touches of marzipan. Mouth (neat): we’re much closer to the 1996, with many oranges and grapefruits, pineapples, triple-sec… But it remains globally grassier. Forgot to mention guava juice. With water: a fruity explosion, with a sourness. Lemons and passion fruits, I’d say. Finish: long and zesty. I seem to remember some Inverlevens, quite bizarrely, and maybe some Lochsides. Comments: this baby’s got many stories to tell, and a citrusy ending. All is well that ends (very) well. SGP:651 - 87 points. |
|
Ben Nevis 16 yo 1997 (55%, Abbey Whisky, The Rare Casks, sherry hogshead, 96 bottles, +/-2014) I had first thought we’d have this new one first, but since it’s quite dark, I’ve changed my mind. Mad sherry? Colour: very dark amber. Nose: it’s clean! I mean, quite clean! Well, kind of… Starts with old copper coins and a lot of chocolate, with peonies and bitter oranges, with tonic water and cured ham, with soot and metal polish. And then, there’s a lot of balsamic vinegar and a little vase water. And a little menthol. There’s a lot of weird fun in this. With water: more old coins and metal polish! Mouth (neat): the word unusual’s been invented for this. Some kind of blend of thick orange cordial, liquorice, extreme herbal teas, chocolate liqueur and once again something metallic. Not unpleasant at all and, I have to say, very entertaining. Not a boring malt! With water: plasticine and pinesap everywhere, then cassis jelly. Finish: long, rather fruitier and cleaner. More cassis, I’d say, it’s even a little clarety. Comments: okay, probably not my preferred style, but what a ride! Unboring. SGP:462 - 82 points. |
Only another dark one could follow… |
|
Ben Nevis 13 yo 1984/1998 (61.5%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #78.18, 229 bottles) Dark kerosene?... Colour: very dark amber. Nose: it’s kind of clean this time, and we’re rather on Demerara and candy sugar. Having said that, it’s very powerful. So, with water: extraordinary! Very different from anything I could nose until now, this smells like crushed high-end sardines mixed with a kind of tea liqueur and old Chinese plum sauce. Sounds weird, is weird and is quite stunning. Serious! Mouth (neat): big and thick, with oranges and bitter herbs. Very powerful! Water is really needed… With water: oh, too bad, things didn’t work out like they did with the nose. It’s rather something chemical that comes out (UHU glue?) Pass… Finish: long, a bit cleaner but it is pretty dirty whisky. Comments: typical adventurous sherried Ben Nevis. Did the Monty Python own the distillery in 1984? I’m totally unable to tell you whether I like this one or not. Deeply perplexed. SGP:572 - 75 points (scored almost at random, to be honest). |
So, did the Monty Python use to own Ben Nevis in 1984? Only one way to find out, have another one. For the cause! |
|
Ben Nevis 1984/2002 (61.2%, Blackadder, Raw Cask, sherry, cask #258) Colour: dark amber. Nose: candy sugar, chocolate and silverware. The jury’s still out – to say the least. With water: odd. Rotting herbs, green cigars, cherry stems, game, cheesecake straight from the oven. And bags of dried porcinis, that’s the nicest side. Or even morels? Mouth (neat): this time it’s some kind of bitter oak infusion with a lot of mustard, pepper and then cassis liqueur and raisins. Very strong potion. With water: hold on, this is quite nice. Wheelbarrows of dark raisins and not many dirtyish notes. Granted, the chlorophyll and menthol in the background are a little too… say thundering, but other than that, all fine. Finish: long, thick, jammy and even kind of clean. Miraculous? Comments: another rollercoaster, but it’s rather more orthodox than the crazy SMWS. SGP:551 - 80 points. |
| |
March 3, 2014 |
|
|
Bunnahabhain, grouped fire – almost |
I believe Bunnahabhain has become #1 as far as the number of new independent expressions is concerned. There’s pleanty, both young and old and both unpeated and peated. And many are very good… Let’s have a few today – again. |
|
Bunnahabhain 6 yo 2006/2013 (60.7%, Berry Bros & Rudd, cask #800097) So young? I suspect it’s a peater, let’s see… Colour: pale white wine. Nose: it’s rather blocked, I suppose the high ABV does that. Whiffs of coal smoke and cut green apples, but not much else at this stage. It’s a peater for sure. With water: a very narrow and sharp profile, certainly not unpleasant but it’s so simple that it’s more like smoked vodka. Coal, ashes and apples, wet wool. Mouth (neat): very punchy and fiery sweet peat, very aggressive, this thing burns your throat. Help! With water: smoked apple juice and bitter almonds plus a little salt. Becomes drier and drier. Finish: not very long but very narrow. Smoked brine, some tar, apple juice. Comments: I think this very simple young peater ought to be drunk with many ice cubes. Highball? SGP:337 - 76 points. |
Let’s call to some older ones for help… |
|
Bunnahabhain 1990/2013 (50.9%, Whisky-Doris, sherry butt, 228 bottles) Colour: amber. Nose: some evanescent gunpowder at first nosing, then a pretty beautiful earthy sherriness, with some tobacco, many dried fruits such as figs and raisins, touches of balsamico and soy sauce, then a little camphor. An elegant sherry, not a thick monster at all. A lot happening in this one so far… With water: a little smoke and a farminess. A little manure? Also limestone, gravel… Mouth (neat): very good arrival, chocolaty and raisiny, with some marmalade and a few greener elements such as apple peeling and grass. That keeps it lively and even kind of light. Tobacco. With water: pretty perfect, fresh, orangey, with also a little more toffee and coffee. Finish: quite long and relatively dry. More tobacco and more coffee. Comments: that was an excellent sherry cask. Great balance. SGP:452 - 87 points. |
|
Bunnahabhain 24 yo 1988/2013 (49.8%, Berry Bros & Rudd, sherry, cask #4111) Colour: dark amber. Nose: this time it’s a rather grassy kind of sherry that we’re having at first nosing, with some eucalyptus, liquorice and mint, and then it would rather unfold on the usual fruitcake and pipe tobacco, all that in a beautiful manner. Quite some strong chestnut honey as well as, maybe, tamarind jam… Beautiful nose! Mouth: very classy sherry indeed, with always a lot of fruitcake, orange liqueur, raisins aplenty, milk chocolate, cappuccino and, once again, chestnut honey. It’s big but it’s not thick. Finish: long, with a few bitterer notes that keep it tensed. Propolis, maybe, as well as marzipan. An a very chocolaty aftertaste. Comments: state of the art clean yet big sherry. No tiny flaws whatsoever, that’s a 90. SGP:541 - 90 points. |
|
Bunnahabhain 26 yo 1987/2013 (62.5%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams, joint bottling with LMDW, pale version) We already had its excellent sister cask that was much darker a few months ago. I know I should have had both head to head, mea culpa… Colour: gold. Nose: this is different, there might be some sherry but it’s a very light one, while more fresh fruits and possibly a little coastal smoke are playing first fiddles. Distant beach bonfire plus grapefruits and a little verbena. Quite easy and even very elegant at 62.5% vol.! With water: lovely fruits, both sweet and sour. Pineapples, mangos, apples, gooseberries… Mouth (neat): a big boy but most amazingly, it’s kind of swallowable. Er… I seem to find a little banana liqueur as well as notes of strawberries. Marshmallows and jellybeans for sure, but not quite the same kinds as what one can find in very young whiskies. With water: perfect fruitiness and an earthy touch. Finish: quite long, fresh, fruity… A little acacia honey and tinned peaches. Grape jelly. Comments: fresh, fruity and complex. I like a lot. Perfect maturation. Same high quality as the dark version. SGP:641 - 90 points. |
|
Bunnahabhain 33 yo 1980/2013 (45.6%, Whisky-Doris, sherry butt, cask #92)  Colour: full gold. Nose: the oak’s more apparent in this one, but that’s normal. Polished wood, chocolate, praline, walnut cake, honey cake… It’s rather ‘beehivy’ in fact, which is most pleasant. You’ve got the wood, the wax, the honey and the pollen. No, no royal jelly. Also a wee smoke, charcoal, then hints of menthol and milk chocolate. Maybe dried seaweed? So far, so good. Mouth: the oak is more obvious this time, and probably a little drying (strong green tea), but the honey and the nice notes of tarte tatin keep the whole balanced and lively. Mulled wine, orange cake, cinnamon flavoured chewing-gum (do they still make that?) and gingerbread. Finish: long, rather more on praline and gingerbread/speculoos. The honey’s still there in the aftertaste. Comments: the oak starts to show a bit but it does act more like some spice and just underlines the very lovely honey notes. Excellent, I think. SGP:651 - 88 points. |
|
Bunnahabhain 1973/2013 'The Birthday Dram' (48.5%, The Whiskyman, 155 bottles) This bottling was done to celebrate the 40th birthday of four Beligian friends, namely Dirk, Geert, Dominiek and Billy. Colour: light gold. Nose: ha! They chose a waxy one! It’s actually one of these whiskies that do hint at Cynelish 1972-1974, with this kind of sappy fruitiness, citrons, beeswax, orange zests, barley water, putty, plasticine, apricots, plums, papayas… Also yellow flowers, dandelions, buttercups… And earth and roots. What’s not to like? Nothing, unless this baby got flattish on the palate, let’s see… Mouth: perfection. Plenty of fruits, some wax, a little salt, some honey… Oh too hell with tasting notes, let’s simply enjoy this lovely baby… Finish: orange salad with honey and olive oil. Pear cider. The oak’s under control, it only really shows up in the aftertaste. Comments: a magnificent fruity 40yo Bunnahabhain, but it’s a little too drinkable. Of course not! SGP:651 - 91 points. |
| |
March 2, 2014 |
|
|
Sunday malternatives, another bag of rum |
Time to resume our rum sessions, looking for malternatives. What I’ve learnt until now is that beside Demerara, Jamaica can make some brilliant ones. And let’s not forget other parts of the world, such as Trinidad (Caroni) and Guadeloupe/Marie-Galante… The trick is to try to avoid the dreadful uebersweet ones that I just hate. Pigswill! Anyway, we’ll have a few rums at total random today… |
|
Rhum Vieux de Marie-Galante 6 ans (40%, Aldi, +/-2014) That’s right, I found this baby at Aldi’s for around 10€ a bottle. As you may know, Marie-Galante is a tiny island near Guadeloupe, but there are three distilleries there, namely Bielle, Bellevue and Poisson (Père Labat). As for what’s inside today’s bottle, there’re no clues on the label, sadly, but it’s an AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée). Colour: gold. Nose: pleasant! Slightly molassy, with obvious notes of sugar cane, touches of aniseed and fennel, quite some juniper (it’s got something of gin) and then a slight coastal touch. Iodine? Not too sure this is genuine agricole, but it feels like it a bit. Pleasant nose. Mouth: really, it’s pleasant. Sugar cane, brine, olive oil, a little tar, some liquorice, very discreet notes of ripe bananas, more liquorice, a little salt… This is really good, just a little thin because of the low strength. Finish: good length, very liquoricy. Even more liquorice in the aftertaste as well as a smokiness. Comments: omg, Aldi! I had though this would be putrid swill, it’s not. At all. SGP:462 - 83 points. |
I think we’ve got another 6 years old from the French Caribbean… |
|
Clément 6 ans (44%, OB, Martinique, rhum agricole, +/-2013) Clément is a well-known house. This 6yo is classified as a “très vieux”. We’ve tried a younger “vieux” a while back and I didn’t quite like it (WF 70), it was too liqueury for my taste. Colour: Nose: huge sweet oak! Reeks of cinnamon cake and pencil shavings at first nosing, but things do improve after a few minutes, with nice touches of sugar cane, roasted cashews and pineapple juice. Quite some candy sugar too, milk chocolate... Mouth: good, fruity, not too oaky this time. Pineapples and tangerines with soft spices and notes of liquorice allsorts. Certainly sweeter than the Marie-Galante, and maybe a little too aromatic. Plenty of sultanas too. The oak comes out after thirty seconds and the whole gets slightly planky. Finish: medium length. Sweet and oaky, sweet ginger. Comments: very fine rhum but I think it’s a little too sweet and oaky. SGP:641 - 75 points. |
While we’re at it, we could as well try the 10 yo… |
|
Clément 10 ans (44%, OB, Martinique, rhum agricole, +/-2013) Another ‘très vieux’ by Clément. Colour: deep gold. Nose: similar, but deeper and rounder, with more honey, jams and chutneys. Mango? The oak’s actually less loud, although there is some cinnamon and traces of pencil shavings again. Lots of raisins and dates as well as something floral. Roses? A little cedar wood too. Mouth: closer to the 6yo, maybe just a notch saltier. Very, very similar… Maybe more strawberry jam? Finish: good length, with some sweet oak that hints at some bourbons. Comments: these Cléments are good rhums, no doubt, but they’re a little flabby for my taste. I think I like my rums tighter and more tensed, so to speak. SGP:641 - 77 points. |
Back to Guadeloupe and thereabouts… |
|
Guadeloupe 12 yo 1998 (46%, Berry Bros. & Rudd, +/-2011) It doesn’t say so but this could well be Bellevue. Colour: amber. Nose: ah yes, now we’re talking! Oily, grassy, tarry, petroly and very sugarcane-y (!), this is true rhum. Not much to add, this is perfect. Look for Bellevue at the indies, they’re always worth your money (assuming this is well Bellevue). Mouth: indeed, almost perfect arrival, well balanced between a grassy/petroly side and the ripe fruits that abound, such as passion fruits, bananas, pineapples and then a camphory, almost medicinal side. Also coffee and toffee, liquorice as almost always… Excellent! Finish: long and bold but kind of fresh, without the slightest molassy notes. Great distillate. A little smoke and more liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: I think I already wrote that I think that Bellevue’s on the same level as Caroni, the best Jamaicans or the best Demeraras. This was another proof, well done BB&R! Assuming it was Bellevue indeed, eh!... SGP:652 - 88 points. |
All right, since we were talking about Caroni… |
|
Caroni 16 yo 1997/2013 (51.6%, The Whisky Agency, Trinidad, 223 bottles) Let’s not forget that Caroni used to produce both some heavy style rum (which I love) and some light one (which… I don’t know much about). Colour: gold. Nose: very nice, but the Bellevue overshadows it. In a way, the Guadalupean is more ‘Caroni’ than this Caroni. Praline, caramel, milk chocolate, candy sugar, just hints of linoleum and bakelite, dried bananas, a little sandalwood, incense… So yeah, very, very nice but it’s not one of the big tarry ones. Mouth: wait, no, what wasn’t in the nose is all over the palate. Metal polish, grapefruit skin, new plastic, liquorice, litres of lapsang souchong tea (it’s certainly smoky) and a feeling of diesel oil, then capers and gherkins. Brine. Really captivating. Finish: long, salty, briny, minty and tarry. Caroni. Comments: forget about noses, what a wonderful palate! Now, I did like the Bellevue a tiny-wee bit better… SGP:653 - 87 points. |
These rums are really heavy, so one last one if you don’t mind… |
|
Uitvlugt 15 yo 1998/2013 (51.7%, The Whisky Agency, 269 bottles) Remember that Uitvlugt was the very last functioning distillery along the Demerara river. It got closed in the year 2000. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s a much, much lighter rum than the Bellevue and Caroni, maybe I shouldn’t have put it behind them. Having said, that it’s got some beautiful notes of linseed oil, ink, waxed paper and freshly mown lawn. Also roasted peanuts and cashews. It’s a discreet one… Mouth: a blend of orange liqueur and barley water (yup). A surprising light style that rather hints at Cuba in my feeble experience, we’re far from the amazingly heavy Demeraras. But yeah, not all Demeraras are/were heavy… Finish: relatively long but a little sugary. Sugar cane syrup. Comments: the sugary side of Guyana. Certainly very, very good, but not my favourite style (and conversely). SGP:730 - 81 points. |
 Check the index of all rums I've tasted so far
|
 |
February 2014 |
Favourite recent bottling:
Brora 40 yo 1972 (59.1%, OB, decanter, single cask, 2014) - WF 98
Favourite older bottling:
Tamdhu 26 yo 1970/1996 (51.5%, Signatory, butt, cask #378, 390 bottles) - WF 96
Favourite bang for your buck bottling:
Clynelish 16 yo 1997/2013 (50.4%, The Whisky Agency, Liquid Library, sherry hogshead, 235 bottles) - WF 90 |
| |
February 28, 2014 |
|
|
Tasting Brora 40 years old and friend |
In an ideal world, the owners of the remaining casks of Brora 1972 would organise a large competition, inviting all genuine whisky enthusiasts to answer a good 500 questions such as ‘when was old Clynelish distillery converted to steam heating?’ or ‘when was the very first official bottle of Brora issued?’, or better yet, ‘where was the first distillery manager buried?’ Then the best scores would simply win a bottle. Just a regular liquor bottle bearing a simple one-colour label (granted, with the drawing of a wild cat). And all bottles and their new owners would be numbered and recorded, of course, to make sure that no discourteous punter would put his/her bottle up for auction. Or am I a complete innocent indeed? Right, right… And I won’t deny there is some kind of panache as well in selling a luxury Decanter of 40yo Brora carrying a £7,000 price tag, but it’s just not the same kind of panache. I also think it’s the first time a Brora – or Old Clynelish for that matter – comes in a container that’s as catchy as its content, but it’s also true that we’ve already seen much, much sillier decanters elsewhere. But enough babbling and stupid ideas, let’s simply try this new Brora, along a 1981 of similar strength that should make for a perfect stepping stone, or maybe even a worthy sparring partner. Let’s see… |
|
Brora 26 yo 1981/2007 (57.1%, Signatory, sherry butt, cask #1520, 391 bottles) Signatory had quite a few 1981s and some close sister casks such as #1519 have been much to my liking, although they haven’t all been totally stellar in my opinion. Colour: amber. Nose: a very earthy sherry, how does that sound? Brora’s earthy smoke really does give a very ‘old amontillado’ character, with also a lot of cigar smoke, touches of mustard, some kind of smoked prunes and the obligatory walnuts. It was a pretty active cask, most sister casks have been shier, it seems. I also find hints of heavy rum. With water: yes! Flowers come out (roses, lilies of the valley), a little musk, Seville oranges, pack of Camels, leather polish… |
Mouth (neat): first, it’s peatier than expected, and second, that peatiness manages to stand up to the heavy-ish fino-like sherry. Both mingle very well in fact, which makes for a big, big dram. I rather tend to like Brora au naturel but I have to say this one works perfectly. Tobacco, leather, cinnamon, walnuts, sweet mustard, bitter chocolate, a little curry, a saltiness… It’s all dry, beautifully dry. With water: hurray, the citrus comes out more. Tangerines, citrons, also lemon balm, drops of chartreuse… Finish: long, ample, wonderfully balanced, smokier than other 1981s, elegant, with some pepper in the aftertaste as often. Comments: it’s one the best 1981s in my opinion, whether sherried or not. Much more than just a stepping stone for the new official 40 years old! SGP:565 - 92 points. |
|
Brora 40 yo 1972 (59.1%, OB, decanter, single cask, 2014) This very lovely decanter is available for pre-order at World of Whiskies, but you'll have to collect it from one of the travel retails shops in the UK from April 21, 2014. So you may have to spend £6,995.00 on the whisky plus around £29.99 on an air ticket (Easyjet or Ryanair, your call). Or you rent a jet if you’d like the whole experience to be more prestigious. Something that I really like, also, is what’s written on the bottle, “Proud survivor of a legendary distillery”. If it’s proud, it’s got a soul, and I always thought great old whiskies were having a soul… There, new evidence! Colour: gold. Nose: oh, no! I remember when we were downing the various 22yo Rare Malts like if there were no tomorrow (I may well be exaggerating a bit here, I’m a bit like Stirling Moss and his famous line ‘the older I get, the faster I was.’ The older I get, the more Brora 1972 I drank, haha), so yeah, when we were having Brora 22 72, they were all utterly brilliant, but always a little rough around the edges… Well, the nose of this 40 is utterly brilliant and its edges have been wonderfully polished with all sorts of precious waxes and oils. What strikes me as well is that we’re getting very close to the best old Ardbegs from the same era. Maybe even above them if, like me, you enjoy a kind of tenseness in your whisky. I don’t know why, it’s just a feeling… Maybe that’s these stunning resinous/sappy notes, or this medicinal side that was less obvious in the younger 1972 Broras. |
Other than that and because we haven’t gotten all day, let me just mention olive oil, cigars, menthol, teak oil, smoked oysters, drops of diesel, Spanish ham, special brine, vetiver, verbena, sugar cane… So a truly fabulous nose, a real movie. With water (because you see, we must): astounding clarity and freshness, that’s all I’ll say. Mouth (neat): amazing. A tidal wave, the arrival’s incredibly smooth for Brora, and then it never stops growing, getting bigger, hitting harder, invading your palate and leaving you totally breathless (which could even be a little dangerous, seriously). It’s a symphony, or a long suite by the Duke Ellington Orchestra. You don’t control anything, the whisky controls you, which is a weird feeling I have to say. A wonderful, but weird feeling. Excuse me? Flavours? I’d say grapefruits, oysters, peat smoke, beech smoke (smoked salmon), touches of ink, wasabi, earth, samphire, lemon curd… And bags and bags of other flavours, the list is just too long, someone could build a whole website just for this baby. Full maturity but absolutely no signs of tiredness, quite the opposite. I don’t know why, Tilda Swinton’s name pops in my mind, probably because she’s Scottish. With water (which might be useless but we do follow procedures at WF Towers, mind you): a.m.a.z.i.n.g. Waxy and smoky citrus. Utter perfection. Finish: it’s the freshness that’s impressive here. An endless list of flavours, all coated with the most refined smoke in Scotland. Comments: I don’t think I’ve mentioned oak, have I? That’s whisky, when you don’t feel any oak. I’d add that I actually started Whiskyfun.com because of Brora, and this expression is the kind of whisky that keeps me going. I think this has been too long, apologies. SGP:567 - 98 points. |
PS: Un-PC alert! Please don’t let only wealthy people snaffle all the bottles! Of course £7,000 is way too expensive, but if seventy friends buy a bottle and share 1cl each, I can guarantee that the whisky’s so big and so memorable that those £100 will be better spent than if you buy one full bottle of worthless new-oak-doped-no-age-statement Glenwhatever. Because you’ll remember that little centilitre forever… |
Check the index of all Brora I've tasted so far |
| Pete McPeat and Jack Washback |
| |
February 27, 2014 |
|
|
A very rare Ardmore and other ones |
Ardmore’s always been peated, but they do sometimes make an unpeated version only for blending, called Ardlair (and sometimes Ardless, it seems, but that’s for fun). The lovely distillery has bottled a few sample bottles but those remain off-commerce. Luckily, I visited the distillery with some good friends a few days ago, so, here we go… |
|
Ardlair (46%, OB, unpeated Ardmore, official miniature, off-commerce, +/-2013) No age or vintage stated. Colour: gold. Nose: starts with plenty of overripe apples as well as a very peculiar kind of rubber. Old washers? I also find some stones from various fruits, but that’s not exactly almonds this time. Also touches of overripe melons, warm butter, apple compote, a little porridge… I don’t think this baby’s very old, but what’s sure is that it’s quite unusual. It does not remind me of any other distillery. Mouth: excellent! Wow! It’s young but it’s vibrant, with some high-quality gueuze beer, some butter cream, melons and peaches again, apple pie and tart, and then bags and bags of plums. Really, I like this a lot. Finish: quite long, slightly resinous (retsina wine?) and very fruity again. Melon! Comments: I’m sure the rubber in the nose came from a lack of ageing. This is a cracker, I hope they’ll issue some well-aged Ardlair one day. SGP:551 - 85 points. |
While we’re at it, let’s also have… |
|
Ardmore 'Traditional Cask' (46%, OB, peated, finished in quarter casks, +/-2013) Last time I tried this expression that was in 2008. I had rather enjoyed it (WF 81). Colour: gold. Nose: this is a very particular peat that comes out loud and clear. We’re far from coastal peat, seaweed, hospitals or fishermen’s boats, we’re rather sitting around a campfire where someone is burning both grass and fruit tree wood. On top of that, the same kinds of melons and peaches that we had found in Ardlair, some vanilla and, maybe, a wee touch of antiseptic that I hadn’t found in the arrival. Nice freshness. Mouth: I think they improved the recipe. It’s no big whisky, the mouth feel is even a little light and thin, but it’s all beautifully clean. Lovely herbal peat, peaches, a touch of chardonnay, a little ginger, some vanilla but not too much… So all fine. Finish: not extremely long but still clean and fruity. Smoked peaches? Comments: it’s a very different peated malt, far from Islay and even quite far from other peated mainlanders from Speyside or elsewhere. I think they improved the recipe. Oh, and if you like peaches… SGP:534 - 83 points. |
|
Ardmore 13 yo (57%, Jack Wiebers, World of Orchids, 2013) Unearthing series of old images that are free of rights is really becoming the favourite game at many independent bottlers’, after Moon Import who really were the pioneers. Shall we soon see series of Outer-Mongolian catapults or old Guatemalan saucepans on our favourite whiskies? Now, orchids are lovely… Colour: straw. Nose: very little peat this time, rather a lot of pineapple cooked in butter and honey. It’s got a sour side, but that isn’t unpleasant. With water: a little peat now but other than that, not many changes. Maybe more sour fruits. Mouth (neat): more peat this time, as well as a combination of pepper and ginger that should come from some rather active wood. Behind that, the expected peaches and melons. Lemon balm, ginger tonic and cooking butter… With water: the oak comes out. Ginger and Schweppes. Finish: quite long and, er, Schweppessy. Schweppes-orange. Comments: not quite my cup of malt but it’s fun whisky. Very lightly peated for Ardmore (usually 15ppm if I’m not mistaken, this feels like 5. Oh please forget about that…) SGP:552 - 79 points. |
(With thanks to Alistair) |
Previous entries
(archived)
|
|
 |
|
|
....
