March 18, 2015

Blended Malts

We used to call them bastard malts in the old maniacal days. The parents are unknown, but the kids may still have potential. Especially branding potential…

Rock Oyster (46.8%, Douglas Laing, blended malt, 2015)

Nice retro design for whisky hipsters, but psst, I’ve heard minimal Japanese design was making a fairy-tale comeback. Colour: white wine. Nose: a bready/smoky profile. Eating fresh baguette on the shores of some remote island early in the morning, while seaweed and floated wood are burning one hundred metres away. It’s no big peater, but I have to say these very natural smells are rather entrancing. Also love these whiffs of fresh mint and cut apples. Very well composed, the youth is an asset in this context. Do hipsters have good taste, after all??? Mouth: excellent. Fresh, salty, peaty, young, vibrant (love that meaningless word), bready… There is no apparent oak and the raw materials remain in the front, but this baby’s anything but immature. Finish: long, salty, kippery, barleyish… Ashy/tarry aftertaste. Comments: this should go well with langoustines. Forgot to mention oysters. Very, very well done, very smart. NAS may be much more acceptable when it’s blended malt… SGP:356 - 87 points.

The Silver Grouse 12 yo (45%, OB, blended malt, +/-2014?)

How unlikely! Sure there is an age statement (thanks a bunch), but this celebratory baby was heavily chill-filtered at -8°C, which may have removed many flavours if you believe whisky forums. It’s been around for years – it was launched in 2005 – but it’s the first time I come across this odd whisky. Colour: gold. Nose: well this isn’t un-nice. Caramel, fudge, vanilla, barley syrup, Ovaltine, chocolate, café latte, those sorts of things. We’re closer to a blend than to a blended malt, but these corny (ahem) notes aren’t unpleasant. Very smooth and rounded. Mouth: malt liqueur. Caramel, fudge, chocolate, maple syrup, heavy vanilla, peanut butter… Tends to become a little cloying, though, as much as when you’ve already had four Snickers bars. And no water (or Meursault). Finish: short, sweet, very caramelly. Comments: I think this is frankly ‘too much’. I like the normal Grouse, but this is so thick that it’s hard to swallow without water. SGP:730 - 68 points.

Spice King 12 yo (40%, Wemyss Malts, blended malt, +/-2013)

Apparently, I’ve liked this one, since it got a World Whisky Award while I was a (blind) judge. Time to publish some notes. Oh and I had also liked a 8yo Spice King back in 2011 (WF 82). Colour: gold. Nose: indeed, we’re not that far from DL’s Rock Oyster, but this one’s milder and a little more fragile, probably because of the low strength. Hessian and all things from a fisherman’s boat plus a distinct Laphroaigness, including these touches of bandages and antisepctic. In the background, sour apples and, ah, oysters. Mouth: just very good. We’re more geared towards Caol Ila now, with more sweetness and a more delicate peatiness. Some almonds, ripe apples, a touch of salt… And some vanilla. There’s always vanilla. Finish: quite short, but that’s the strength. Leaves an oily feeling on your tongue. Comments: indisputably very good, just a little light for my taste. SGP:455 - 82 points.

Hebridean Distilleries 16 yo (57.5%, Whisky Tales, 180 bottles, 2012)

Hebridean Distilleries 16 yo (57.5%, Whisky Tales, 180 bottles, 2012) This baby contains Ardbeg, Bowmore and Laphroaig. Colour: straw. Nose: huge and as peaty as burning peat, this one doesn’t do things by half. A touch of butter, porridge, sour apples, lemons and seawater, and then an avalanche of peat. Did I mention peat? With water: nosing a fistful of just-kilned barley, before it starts to lose some of its smokiness. Mouth (neat): quite perfect, in all simplicity. One might try to find distinct Ardbeggy, or Laphroaiggy, or Bowmory notes, but that would be a waste of time. Massive smoke, massive kippers (GMO, ha). With water: more lemon and more ashes. Finish: long and very smoky. Comments: what’s really funny here, is that this combo noses and tastes (even) smokier than any of its components. What’s the trick? Not very complex, but truly spectacular. SGP:358 - 87 points.

I had thought I would have gone on, but that spectacular smoke bomb just killed the session. Boo!