| |
| |
October 22, 2024 |
|
  |
A little trio of Balvenie
Balvenie is also one of those brands increasingly using unusual casks for finishing, but firstly, we've always held the utmost respect for Balvenie, and secondly, they were among the pioneers with their renowned ‘Doublewood’, ‘Islay Cask’, and ‘Portwood’. So, we can hardly accuse them of just jumping on the bandwagon.
(Always been a fan of The Balvenie Guy - print ad, circa 2005) |
 |
|
Balvenie 14 yo (47.8%, OB, A Collection of Curious Casks, American bourbon barrel, 2024) 
Well, of course, an ex-bourbon barrel could hardly qualify as a ‘curious cask,’ and I do hope it never will, but it seems the good folk at Balvenie have detected some unusual smoky notes here. I suspect that might have come from the previous contents of the barrel. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s absolutely beautiful, reminiscent of a top-tier Chenin Blanc (Savennières, perhaps?) with a touch of gunflint. Honeysuckle, white currants, pink grapefruit, chalk, and a few hints of soot and saltpetre, followed by very restrained vanilla. The balance is superb. For now, the smoke is more of the ‘flinty’ variety. Mouth: wonderful lemony tension, with more flint and chalk, perhaps even a suggestion of cigarette ash (brings to mind the days when one might smoke outdoors in a strong wind), then green apple and indeed a whisper of lapsang souchong tea, though perhaps only half of a small cup, the kind they sometimes use in China. Finish: the classic Balvenie markers come through—quince and mirabelle plums—then a touch of acacia honey, but overall it stays delightfully taut, with a hint of salinity in the aftertaste. Comments: very good indeed. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
SGP:462 - 87 points. |
|
Balvenie 18 yo (47.9%, OB, A Collection of Curious Casks, French pineau cask finish, 2024)
I do wonder what’s going on with all these pineau casks popping up in Scotland these days. Just a reminder, pineau (not pinot) is grape must fortified with cognac (from the Charentes region), so it’s not exactly ‘wine’. If we let our friends north of Hadrian’s Wall carry on like this, we’ll soon have pineau in mizunara oak casks. That’ll be a laugh... Don’t get me wrong, there are some exceptional pineaux from the Charentes, but much like with sherry, I doubt the superstars are being used for these finishings. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s reminiscent of Sauternes or Monbazillac finishes—sweet, fruity, and syrupy, with honey, ripe peaches, and apricots leading the charge. There’s also some very ripe mirabelle plum (the kind that turns almost red), though whether that comes from the pineau or from Balvenie itself, I couldn’t say. A touch of ale reminds us it’s still whisky. Mouth: the same impression, though it’s a bit tighter than expected. Pink grapefruit, tangerines, honey, prickly pears, a dash of lychee in syrup, and a very, very slight hint of grape stem. That mirabelle, however, is nowhere to be found on the palate. Finish: medium length, with a nice fruity balance—Starkrimson apples, Belle de Boskoop, and a bit of grapefruit skin on the aftertaste. Comments: a lovely balancing act, though I still count myself among those who believe whisky should be ‘dry’. So, I do rather prefer the 14.
SGP:651 - 85 points. |
Hop, a little Burnside... |
|
Burnside 27 yo 1996/2024 (52.9%, Halcyon Spirits, blended malt, release #4, sherry finish) 
Burnside, one of those brands that has done so much to restore the reputation of teaspoons, both in Scotland and far beyond. They deserve a medal (perhaps in nickel silver or vermeil). Colour: deep gold. Nose: quite a different story, dominated by polish and varnish, almost like a young bourbon with a high rye content. Perhaps it’s from the cask used before the sherry finishing? People occasionally mention pumpernickel, but here there’s really quite a lot of it, along with a handful of small Cuban cigars—the kind JFK might have smoked after the American embargo, possibly Davidoff’s Haut-Brion. Do as I say, not as I do… With water: similar, but now with more plasticine and new car interior. A bit like fresh plastic from Temu or AliExpress, oddly enjoyable despite the chemical notes. Mouth (neat): superb, very much on the sherry side, with walnuts, mild mustard, and damp earth, very ‘amontillado’. With water: gone are the quirky e-commerce notes, replaced by mustard, green walnuts, tobacco, and small cider apples. Finish: long and zesty, with fruit peels and more amontillado in the aftertaste. Or perhaps vin jaune. Comments: quite a surprise. The idea seemed strange, but the result is simply perfect. What a sherry!
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
| |
October 21, 2024 |
|
|
A trio of Talisker
Now that it’s been announced that the distillery is going to be rebuilt, somewhat like Caol Ila was in the mid-1970s, perhaps we could do a very brief retrovertical tasting, what do you think? Let’s not forget that Talisker had already been rebuilt around 1960-1962 after a fire. |
Analcime crystals, a typical zeolite mineral
from Talisker Bay (Place des Minéraux) |
|
Tactical 27 yo 1973/2001 (46%, Douglas Laing, Old Malt Cask, 264 bottles)
The actual name, in fact, was ‘Directors Tactical Selection’, but Douglas Laing, and later its two branches following the brothers' split, were able to use the ‘Talisker’ brand name. This Talisker was distilled using barley from Glen Ord Maltings (just like Brora was), as its own maltings had closed, I believe the year prior. Colour: pale gold. Nose: absolutely beautiful, like stepping into an artist’s studio with oil paints, charcoal, fixative, turpentine, linseed oil, and old rags scattered about. Then, there’s a touch of citron, silver polish, and some very polite seaweed, perhaps even a few cooked whelks. Mouth: truly exceptional, reminiscent of the old official bottlings (particularly the 8-year-old), with an immediate hit of brine, followed by grapefruit and smoked oysters. It’s packed with iodine and ash, and again, those ‘old tubes of oil paint’ come to mind. Let’s call it Veronese green (why not?). Finish: long, salty, with a distinct Manzanilla note. Comments: there’s something wonderfully old-fashioned about this, with the peat so perfectly woven in—it’s a part of the whisky, not just laid on top, as can sometimes happen these days. One wonders if we paid enough attention to Talisker when bottles like this were available... I imagine we did.
SGP:465 – 93 points. |
|
Tactical 19 yo 1980/2000 (50%, Douglas Laing, Old Malt Cask, 348 bottles)
This one also slipped under our noses back in the day. To be fair, it was all about Ardbeg back then, wasn’t it? Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s amazing how much simpler and more straightforward this is, leaning more on smoked almonds and lapsang souchong. Yet it’s still a very lovely whisky, no doubt about it. Pencil shavings, soot, ashes, and sea water. With water: hints of mint leaves, toasted sesame oil, and a touch of Bakelite. Mouth (neat): iodine tincture, sea water, lemon juice, and ashes. Still very good, though much more straightforward than the 1973. With water: a decidedly modern Talisker. We’ll see more of that in just a few moments. Loads of ashes here. Finish: long. Lime, iodine, and ashes, with a bit of that signature pepper. Comments: excellent, but I think it sits in the shadow of the marvellous 1973.
SGP:366 – 87 points. |
|
Talisker 8 yo ‘Tidal Churn’ (58.7%, OB, Stone-spun and re-toasted finish, Special Releases 2024)
I see they're saying, ‘the barrels’ original char layers are polished away by rocks and water, then lightly re-toasted.’ Sounds quite techy (AI idea?), but it’s surely better than a tequila or shiraz finish. It reminds me of last year’s very old Talisker, where the finishing casks had been exposed to extreme cold and somehow ‘cracked’. Perhaps next year they’ll play Led Zeppelin to the casks—or better yet, the Oysterband with the delightful June Tabor. Colour: white wine. Nose: not sure if it’s the treatment that’s bringing out all this fruitiness—there’s pear liqueur and ripe apples—but it’s certainly quite fruity for a Talisker, and barely peaty. For now. With water: the maritime side surfaces, with sea water, seaweed, oysters, ashes, and a few drops of cider vinegar. Mouth (neat): more maritime now, salty, slightly sharp, with plenty of ashes and pepper. Very young. With water: there we go, we’ve arrived at a simple but good young Talisker. One to buy by the pallet and stash in a cellar for thirty years or more. Any volunteers among the younger malt fans? Finish: fairly long, fruitier again, with the pear returning, some ash, and still that touch of cider vinegar. Comments: it almost feels like a blended malt—50% Talisker, and let’s say 50% Glenkinchie. Really ‘very good’.
SGP:655 – 85 points. |
| |
October 20, 2024 |
|
|
|
|
A word of caution
Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are done from the point of view of a malt whisky enthusiast who, what's more, is aboslutely not an expert in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or any other spirits. Thank you – and peace! |
How about we have a few more rums? |
A bit of everything, as usual, but with a clear focus on blue chips, indies or official ones. To start, our traditional aperitif, which always helps us get back on track... |
|
English Harbour 5 yo (40%, OB, Antigua, +/-2023) 
We tasted this around ten years ago, and it was decent (WF 73), but a bit too soft for our liking. It seems they import molasses from Guyana and the Dominican Republic, maturing their rums in old bourbon barrels. Antigua, by the way, is just north of Guadeloupe, just past Montserrat. Colour: gold. Nose: it opens on cane honey and sugar syrup, followed by pineapple liqueur and triple sec, with just a hint of herbal tea. A touch of cinnamon as well. Mouth: really soft, sweet, with cane syrup and, once again, orange liqueur. There’s a bit of mellow vanilla, but it leans a little towards spiced or flavoured rum territory. Lacks depth, very light. Finish: very short, with a slight woodiness alongside the cane syrup. Comments: it’s a fairly good rum, but there’s really not much going on. I liked it better ten years ago.
SGP:730 - 65 points. |
|
Privateer 4.75 yo ‘Yankee’ (55.7%, OB for Kirsch Import, USA, Letter of Marque, 1st use American oak, 216 bottles, 2024) 
Made from Guatemalan molasses, distilled and aged in Massachusetts for 4 years and 9 months. Here’s hoping our friends in the US will one day be allowed to distill Cuban molasses – why not? Colour: gold. Nose: similarly light but leaning more towards oranges and sugar candy. There's a pleasantly earthy side too, along with that familiar coconut/vanilla combo typical of young bourbons. With water: muscovado sugar comes to the fore, with very light hints of petrol and coal tar. Mouth (neat): this is a good rum, somewhat reminiscent of the lighter styles from Belize or Barbados. Oranges, honey, vanilla, ripe bananas... It’s fairly woody but remains balanced (pepper). With water: again, those very light tarry notes reappear, but mostly it’s all about honey and cane sugar. Finish: medium length, becoming slightly more herbaceous (bagasse), though the aftertaste remains on the sweeter side. Comments: really good, fairly light – you could easily think this came from an island rather than Massachusetts.
SGP:641 - 82 points. |
|
Savanna 10 yo 2013/2024 ‘Unshared Cask’ (49.8%, OB for Germany, La Réunion, ex-cognac cask, cask #778, 640 bottles)
This is a ‘traditional’ rum, meaning it’s made from molasses and distilled in a column still, it is not agricole. Colour: gold. Nose: Savanna almost always delivers depth, and it’s no different here, with notes of camphor, ylang-ylang, very ripe oranges, fresh ink (like today’s magazines), and light acetone, in a ‘petit grand arôme’ style. Absolutely spot-on for me, at least on the nose. Mouth: superb, rather medicinal, with touches of varnish, resins, eucalyptus, super-ripe fruits, and the expected salted liquorice (moderately salted, mind you). Finish: long, with salted liquorice, ripe banana, and more of those faint varnish touches. Comments: we do make good rums in France, don’t we? Forgive my brief moment of pride, thank you. That said, I didn’t really pick up on the cognac, though I’m sure it was there, lurking behind the bananas.
SGP:552 - 87 points. |
|
Bielle 7 yo 2016/2023 ‘Brut de Fût’ (54.2%, OB, Marie-Galante, agricole) 
As you may know, Marie-Galante is part of Guadeloupe, and Bielle truly stands out as a shining star. Colour: gold. Nose: a marvel of peanut butter, cocoa, liquorice, cloves, cane juice, and shoe polish. Perfect precision. With water: not much change, except for a delightful note of rhubarb stewed in cane syrup. Mouth (neat): the agricole character is very pronounced, with a wonderful rusticity and even a wild ‘aguardiente’ edge. Despite being from a creole column still, it feels like pot still rum. With water: the cask seems to have been fairly active, but never overwhelms the distillate. Perhaps just a light butterscotch note… Aside from that, there’s chestnut honey and still plenty of liquorice. Finish: long, more on the earthy side, but also floral and resinous. Some discreetly spicy wood starts to emerge. Comments: a rustic style, yet with extraordinary elegance. In fact, it’s very ‘terroir’. I love it.
SGP:552 - 89 points. |
|
Vietnam 6 yo 2008/2024 (56.9%, LMDW Flag Series, 414 bottles)
Hey, this is our very first Vietnamese rum, so it calls for a toast! This version is ‘secret,’ but we’ve heard of a ‘Distillerie d’Indochine’ where the rum ‘Sampan’ is made, though sadly we’ve yet to try it. Colour: gold. Nose: those folks at La Maison du Whisky (LMDW) are real pioneers. There’s a faint shochu-like note here, along with friendly esters (gentle but noticeable), and a fermenty, saline character with hints of new tyres. Over it all floats a note of ripe white peach. With water: the tyre and tar come to the fore, joined by burnt walnuts and a few black olives preserved in… acetone. In short, we love it. Mouth (neat): very good, with a surprisingly ‘malt whisky’ feel, but of course also peppery, salty cane sugar. And a fair amount of ethanol, so… With water: excellent. Lemon, rubber, liquorice… Finish: same profile lingering for quite some time, with some menthol at the end. Comments: it’s no surprise that the quality is high—if it weren’t, it wouldn’t be in this range (free publicity is no publicity, is it). At least, I think that’s the case, though everyone can be wrong. In any case, bravo Vietnam, a new player in the world of top-notch rum!
SGP:563 - 88 points. |
|
Jamaican Rum 23 yo (57%, Wu Dram Clan, Jamaican blend, 2024)
What a lovely label. Colour: full gold. Nose: very Jamaican, very ‘high-esters,’ but with a delightful fruity roundness (apricot, banana) wrapping around the rubber, tar, salmiak, olives, brine, tiny ammonia notes, seaweed, petrol, and new plastic (think new iPhone). With water: same, no change at all, except perhaps some added rust-proof paint and linoleum. Mouth (neat): forget it, this is just excellent, with more tropical fruits than usual this time, especially ultra-ripe mangoes. The rest sticks to the usual Jamaican hallmarks: motor oil, tar, salted liquorice, and so on. With water: exceptional, salty, tarry, drier again, but less ‘chemical’ (if you know what I mean). Finish: very strong black tea, salt, tar, liquorice, and all of it staying with you until at least tomorrow morning. Comments: we loved that brief, if fleeting, appearance of mango. Perhaps the best rum blend of the year... even if it’s not particularly balanced – but I suppose that wasn’t the goal. Perfect.
SGP:463 - 91 points. |
Just to check something... |
|
Hampden 13 yo 2010/2024 ‘LROK’ (60%, OB, Jamaica, Magnum Series #2, Alex Webb Edition, 1,080 bottles)
LROK, as you may know, denotes a medium ester count, typically around 200-400 grams of esters per HLPA. Colour: dark gold. Nose: razor-sharp precision here, with varnish, a touch of rubber, and fruit that’s so ripe it’s practically teetering over the edge into fermentation, especially plums. Glorious, naturally. With water: it softens, becomes more civilised, but still those fermented plums are front and centre. Frankly, there aren’t many aromas on this planet as heavenly as that, I assure you. Perhaps a faint hint of Moutai too? Mouth (neat): a kind-hearted monster, both ultra-powerful and balanced, between varnish and mandarins. Water is absolutely essential. With water: the plum wine comes back with great fanfare. Then there’s seawater, olives, tar, very dry liquorice, smoke (lapsang souchong), brine, pickles... Well, we knew it would be gorgeous, and they’ve even done magnums. A stroke of genius, if you ask me. Finish: long, of course. Softer, less aggressive, almost agreeable. Almost. Comments: what’s happening with Hampden these days reminds me of the early 2000s with Ardbeg—there were just so many exceptional ones!
SGP:562 - 91 points. |
We could maybe just have another little Caroni 1998… |
|
Caroni 1998/2019-2024 (70.2%, Velier, Paradise #10, Trinidad, cask #3927, dame-jeanne #1, ‘Emerald and Sun Dancers’, 115 bottles)
This 1998 Caroni ‘heavy’ rum, bottled at a jaw-dropping 70.2% by Velier as part of their Paradise series, spent its early years ageing in Trinidad before being moved to glass dame-jeannes in France for that special ‘paradise’ treatment, a technique borrowed from Cognac. Colour: gold. Nose: absolutely wild, with that eyebrow-raising ABV making quite an impression—did you notice? Buckets of oil paint, fresh putty, turpentine, burnt pinewood, and paraffin... Honestly, it’s completely mad. With water: here comes a tidal wave of soy sauce, glutamate, walnut stain, and enough Barbour grease to outfit an entire Glasgow department store. It’s futile to resist. Mouth (neat): a proper explosion—handle with care, or it might just catapult you into the great beyond. Think liquorice diluted in petrol, if you dare. With water: surprisingly civilized now, offering ripe bananas with a varnish glaze, fresh paint, plasticine, and pine bud liqueur. Although, before you know it, you’re chewing on something reminiscent of a pencil eraser. Finish: very long, taking a turn towards resinous wood and even a touch of ash. You might feel like you’re gnawing on a pair of rubber wellies, but bizarrely, it works perfectly here. The aftertaste? Even more petrolic. Comments: what more can one say?
SGP:373 - 91 points. |
 Check the index of all rum we've tasted so far
|
| |
October 19, 2024 |
|
|
|
Angus's Corner
From our correspondent and
skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland
Two Kilchoman
Islay's farm distillery is going to be twenty years old next year, it'll also co-incidentally be twenty years since I started working at Ardbeg as a tour guide. Time continues its relentless onward march! But it's also the reason that there are more and more Kilchomans above ten years old on the market these days, which is great news as almost all that I could try so far have been excellent. We'll check in with two more of them today... |
 |
|
|
 |
Kilchoman 10 yo 2013/2023 '100% Islay' (55.5%, OB for Kensington Wine Market, cask #27, bourbon barrel, 243 bottles) 
Colour: straw. Nose: very maritime at first, with strong impressions of rock pools, beach sand, wet kelp and shellfish broth. But there's also a bone-dry ashy note, along with oily sheep wool, wet plaster, puffer smoke and mineral salts. Extremely precise and sharp! With water: an almost acrid, brittle smokiness, wood ashes and freshly starched linens. More impressions of seawater, wet plaster, limestone and a tiny peeling of grapefruit skin. Mouth: rather herbal and oily up front, lots of ashy and lemon peat smoke, tar, whelks, cornichons in brine and mercurochrome. Pristine and very chiselled once again. With water: smoked olive oil, lemon barley water, sardines in oil, camphor, pure peat smoke and some TCP. Finish: long, salty, tarry, rather a lot of bacon rind and pork scratching and some preserved lemons in brine. Comments: amazing precision and purity, and another one that seems to tread a very fine line between seashore and farmyard, no doubt a whisky that would have Serge reaching for his beloved 'millimetric' descriptor...
SGP: 367 - 88 points. |
|
|
 |
Kilchoman 11 yo 2011/2023 (54.5%, OB for The Whisky Show, cask #771, bourbon barrel)
Colour: bright straw. Nose: similarly focussed on maritime qualities, wet pebbles, rock pool, mineral salts, coastal flowers and drying seaweed. Also some charmingly bright lemony notes, I'm overall getting the same feeling of precision, purity and focus that the 2013 had. With water: funnily enough, I find curry leaf now, but also more seashore notes, briny and citric impression and this familiar farmyard note that goes really towards sheep wool and Barbour grease. Mouth: extremely ashy, nervous, lemony, full of pure, sharp peat smoke, bonfire embers, pure tar extracts, hessian and cod liver oil. A few glimmers of softer, citrus fruit notes behind all that. With water: pure, bone dry, highly mineral, chiselled and full of raw cereals, smoked oats, ales and camphor. Finish: long, salty, drying, tarry and smoky. Comments: we're so very close to the excellent 2013, is this kind of dry, highly chiselled, pure profile a Kilchoman distillery character that's here to stay now?
SGP: 467 - 88 points. |
|
|
| |
October 18, 2024 |
|
|
WF's Little Duos, today at the summit of the closed Lowlands |
That is to say, Rosebank and Littlemill. Rosebank has certainly restarted, but for Littlemill, it’s impossible, as the distillery has been destroyed. Although, I suppose not much could withstand a good few million pounds, but perhaps now isn’t, or no longer is, the ideal time. By the way, no St. Magdalene in the line-up for now, sorry. |
|
Littlemill 28 yo 1991/2019 (49.3%, Cadenhead, Single Cask, for 3rd Anniversary of Whisky & More Hong Kong, barrel)
A Littlemill from its final period, as the distillery was only reopened between 1989 and 1994. There were later plans to revive it, but everything was destroyed by a fire in 2004. It’s worth noting that we’ve often found these late-period Littlemills to be far superior to earlier ones, perhaps due to improvements in the process. What a shame about that fire... Colour: pale straw. Nose: this feels like a slightly more restrained and less exuberantly fruity Littlemill compared to others, leaning instead towards lime peel, cider apple, agave, grape stalks, limestone, and even a touch of polish. There’s a hint of lavender and some very faint soapy notes too. An intriguing nose, though not unheard of in Littlemill. Mouth: the palate confirms that rather austere character, almost reminiscent of some northern coastal distilleries. Chalk, green pepper, soot, paraffin, grape pips, lemon peel, sage, sorrel, and even a slight saline note in the background. Finish: long, pleasantly dry, becoming even more peppery and salty. A touch of tomato leaf in the aftertaste, alongside some exotic fruits that weren’t there earlier—mango and papaya. Comments: a more ‘challenging’ style but one that we really enjoy. Likely a bit divisive, but that’s no problem—there weren’t many bottles to go around anyway.
SGP: 371 - 88 points. |
|
Rosebank 32 yo ‘Release 3’ (47.6%, OB, 2023)
It’s said this whisky was composed from the final three years of production before the distillery’s closure in 1993. This is the last bottling of what we could call a ‘transitional’ series. Colour: straw. Nose: there’s a clear sense of its lineage—it’s triple-distilled, yet with no hint of excessive lightness. This time, there’s a subtle note of aniseed and menthol, almost reminiscent of absinthe, adding to some slightly underripe bananas and faint touches of fresh paint (you can pick the colour). Almond milk as well. Mouth: superb herbal tension, with grape stalks and pips again, a dash of Sriracha sauce, pepper, green apples, equally green pears, and a hint of sour cherries. It unfolds much like the Littlemill—it’s amusing, really—but with just a touch more suppleness, although it still retains that razor-sharp edge. Finish: very long, very lemony, and herbaceous. It brings to mind those legendary Rare Malts. Comments: yes, the Rare Malts indeed. I rather like the somewhat Calvinist austerity of these malts, if I may say so.
SGP: 571 - 90 points. |
| |
October 17, 2024 |
|
|
We continue our Japanese expedition |
Chichibus, Mars, Shizuokas... In short, some good things, in theory, unless we come across some embarrassingly 'creative' casks. In a few years' time, I believe this period will likely be remembered as the one where distillers and bottlers placed their whiskies in the most improbable casks possible, in a bid to attract pretty jaded customers. |
|
Ichiro’s Malt & Grain ‘Vol.1’ (58%, OB, for The Ultimate Spirits by Rudder, refill bourbon barrel, cask #10772, 230 bottles, 2022)
Not entirely sure what’s in this no-age-statement blend, but we trust the names on the label. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s very medicinal, with hints of Laphroaig, though it could just as easily be peated Chichibu. We’re getting bandages, wet plaster, tar, seaweed, Mercurochrome, and fresh concrete… Hardly any grain comes through. Then some ripe apples, cider, and a lovely dollop of fresh butterscotch sauce. With water: raw wool, Islay’s brown waters, a low-tide beach, clams, and cockles… Mouth (neat): big peat and candied lemon. And plenty of power—it’s got some fight in it! With water: the style holds. Seaweed, samphire, ashes, camphor, iodine, wool, and clay… Finish: long, with similar notes and a touch of limoncello. Comments: it could well be dominated by peated Chichibu, but who’s to say for certain?
SGP: 467 - 88 points. |
|
Chichibu 7 yo 2016/2024 ‘Heavily Peated’ (63.7%, LMDW Foundations, first fill bourbon barrel, cask #6179, 161 bottles)
Distilled from ‘Concerto’ barley. Its sibling, cask #7076 from an ex-peaty barrel, was just marvellous (WF 91). Colour: pale gold. Nose: they must have invented the words ‘smoky’ and ‘crystalline’ for this single cask. Essentially, it feels like an extract of the previous Ichiro’s #10772. Ultra-precise notes of green apple, seaweed, peat, lemon, and wet chalk, evolving into soot, melted candle wax, yellow curry, and satay sauce. Quite mad, really. With water: absolutely stunning! Rubber tree, new tyres, fir ash, tobacco ashes, spearmint… It’s like a 50/50 blend of Laphroaig and Ardbeg. Mouth (neat): monumental power. Seawater, lemon, and three tonnes of ash. Let’s make that five. With water: a few olives and candied lemon join the fray, while the ash becomes even more massive. Finish: very long, sharp, ultra-peaty, with a lingering aftertaste of roasted green tea, gentian liqueur, and verbena. Comments: a whisky of massive impact. Of course, if you don’t like peat, I humbly suggest you move along.
SGP:468 - 92 points. |
We’ve also got two Chichibu ex-red Bordeaux. We’ll save those for another time, yeah? Maybe we’ll do a ‘Japanese whiskies in unusual casks’ session. |
|
Chichibu 2015/2024 ‘Angel’s Favourite’ (63.5%, OB, Spirits of Salud, second fill bourbon barrel, cask #4659, 2024)
Colour: gold. Nose: It’s peated, but softer and rounder, I might even say angelic. Tropical fruits and some yellow flowers bring it closer to an older Laphroaig, if you catch my drift. Mandarins, blood oranges... A few notes of violet and cranberry, but far from the 1980s Bowmore style. There’s also a touch of mint tea. With water: the pure peat returns, alongside plaster, raw wool, and ashes, with a distinct ‘working kiln’ vibe. Mouth (neat): powerful, sharp, green. Mint, lime, a bit of fir wood, and a saline edge (potash)... it really plays with your lips. With water: superb, medicinal, heavy on peppermint with lots of lemon and grapefruit zest. Water suits it perfectly. Oh, and plenty of freshly caught oysters. Finish: long, pure, with the emergence of putty and glue. A bit of Timut pepper and more citrus in the aftertaste. Comments: a top-tier Chichibu that thrives with water, offering a rather remarkable retro-olfaction.
SGP:566 - 90 points. |
|
Shizuoka ‘United S - Winter Edition 2023’ (50.5%, OB, Japan, first-fill bourbon)
From what I gather, this is a blend of K and W, with the second pass done in the Scottish ‘S’ still. We tried the United S Summer 2023 edition back in August and absolutely adored it (WF 91). Colour: pale gold. Nose: I’m sorry, but we’ll have to use the word ‘pure’ again, even though this is quite rich, even opulent. Lots of chalk, sunflower oil, plum and lemon liqueur, then mashed banana and fresh bread. A little touch of fougasse. With water: magical. Orange blossom cake dough, risen but not yet baked. Mouth (neat): goodness me, this is delightful. Italian lemon biscuits, beeswax, blood oranges. With water: perfect. A hint of pepper and nutmeg. Be careful though, not too much water or it might break down a bit. Finish: medium length. Lemon cake, and that’s it. We love it. Wait, and a bit of peach in the aftertaste. Comments: I’ve no idea if Shizuoka is aiming for very different batches or if they’re striving for consistency within this ‘United’ line. This one feels quite consistent.
SGP:561 – 91 points. |
We're staying in the world of bourbon wood... |
|
Mars Komagatake 5 yo 2019/2024 ‘Yakushima aging’ (59.8%, OB, LMDW Foundations, white oak, sherry hogshead, cask #2281, 244 bottles)
La Maison has been offering quite a few rather new-age Japanese whiskies this year in their new range, launched at Whisky Live Paris under the name ‘Foundations’. But why on earth would we complain!? Colour: gold. Nose: an abundance of fruit, both very ripe and remarkably fresh at the same time, if you see what I mean. Sultanas, some strikingly red gooseberries, a hint of woodruff, and glorious old-fashioned apples, perfectly ripe as well. There’s also a lovely touch of earthy and rooty spices, quite splendid indeed. With water: the sherry influence is delightfully subtle, though you do get fresh walnuts and hazelnuts, alongside hints of tobacco, chocolate, and a touch of leather. These Japanese chaps really know how to create marvellous things in just five years, without resorting to strange cask types. Though, of course, Yakushima's climate speeds things along. Mouth (neat): heaps of apple, demerara sugar, a smidge of salted caramel, and then some aged pu-ehr tea. Quite a lot of salt tingling on the lips—one wonders where that’s coming from (no, I’m not dreaming). Could it be from ageing on a southern island? With water: ripe apples again and a touch of brown sugar. Finish: long, slightly greener, more robust, and with the faintest touch of roughness. Comments: absolutely excellent. That salt is really rather fun.
SGP:561 - 89 points. |
A small peaty one to finish off… |
|
Mars Tsunuki 5 yo 2018/2024 ‘Tsunuki Aging’ (58.5%, OB, LMDW Foundations, refill American white oak, cask #T803, 275 bottles)
The barley for this young whisky was peated to 20ppm (on par with Talisker, just as a reminder). Colour: amber. Nose: a rather dark hue for a refill cask, and there's a distinct rubbery note—new wetsuit, fresh rubber boots, that sort of thing. Then come tobacco, leather, bay leaves, dried meat, and rye bread… It’s an unusual profile and, I must say, quite intriguing. With water: it becomes more floral, leaning towards peonies and pansies, with a basaltic touch, before more woodiness steps in. Very black tea. Mouth (neat): I love it, though it’s quite fierce. It almost feels like one of those newer American single malts. Allspice, pumpernickel, bitter oranges, peppered and salted dark chocolate, rancio, peppery old PX, capsicum… With water: triple sec with ginger, propolis, bitter chocolate, and green tea. Be careful, though—don’t add too much water here either. Finish: long but dry, with more black tea, bitter chocolate, juniper, cloves, and a touch of mint essence. A few prunes linger in the aftertaste. Comments: a lovely little beast. All that chocolate is quite marvellous.
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
| |
October 16, 2024 |
|
|
Grand New Macallans
You don't see them much at festivals anymore, but independent bottlers are keeping the flame alive for whisky enthusiasts. In the meantime, we’ll just have a little aperitif that we still had on hand, a small NAS with a relatively moderate alcohol content... Oh, and happy anniversary, Macallan! |
|
Macallan ‘Edition No.5’ (48.5%, OB, 260,000 bottles, 2019) 
A series that passed somewhat under the radar over at WF, despite the staggering number of bottles. It’s true that I found No.4 rather lacklustre (WF 79), while Angus seemed to enjoy No.6 rather a bit more (WF 85). But nothing to write home about, really—just part of the story with many NAS whiskies of the time, and NAS tends to mean "odd story." Here, it’s all about a new Pantone colour, which strikes me as quite, well, ecclesiastical (the colour, not the story). Now, let’s see if the spirit itself is divine... Colour: gold. Nose: caramel and slightly burnt nuts and almonds, with a touch of char and rubber coming through, followed by new leather and hardwood shavings (walnut, cherry, that sort of thing). Also, some green walnuts, shoe polish, allspice, and a bit of orange peel. Not bad at all. Mouth: very much in line with the nose, with a rather bitter and peppery sherried side, plus some acidic, bitter coffee (which we like), then mixed spices and raw cinnamon. The green walnuts remain upfront, and we do quite like that bitterness. Finish: long, becoming nuttier but still spicy. Ginger and turmeric, with bitter oranges and a touch of Cynar in the aftertaste. Comments: really not bad at all, and it loves a splash of water, even though that bitterness would persist. Very modern, with that spicy edge.
SGP: 361 – 84 points. |
|
Macallan 19 yo 2005/2024 ‘Speymalt’ (56.5%, Gordon & MacPhail for LMDW Foundations, 1st fill sherry hogshead, cask #22606305, 343 bottles)
We’ve had some truly lovely Speymalts before! Colour: gold. Nose: unsurprisingly more powerful, with an earthier profile. There's plenty of tobacco, soot, paraffin, wax, and a touch of liquorice and camphor, plus a hint of coconut. But otherwise, not too dissimilar just yet. With water: now it’s very different, with green tea, menthol cigarettes, and thuja wood creeping in. Mouth (neat): rather rich, yet still quite fresh, likely due to those notes of pine sap, lime, alfalfa, fern, and eucalyptus lozenges… Certainly an unusual Macallan. With water: there we go, we’ve cracked it. Lemon, mint, eucalyptus, fir honey, and tobacco… It’s lovely, just very unusual. Finish: long, with a return of liquorice wood and fir wood. There’s an Amontillado and minty quality lingering in the aftertaste. Comments: Amontillado and mint, that’s it. This must be spectacular in a highball, though it might be a bit of a sacrilege, wouldn’t it?
SGP: 461 – 89 points. |
|
Macallan 27 yo 1997/2024 ‘Speymalt’ (59.7%, Gordon & MacPhail for LMDW Foundations, refill sherry hogshead, cask #4356, 140 bottles)
G&M have always had the knack for maintaining these impressively high ABVs, and I doubt it's due to cling film, central heating in the warehouses, or some strict humidity control (in Scotland, no less!). Must be something else... Any ideas? Colour: full gold. Nose: forget it, this is perfect—simple and precise, with walnuts, mint, and radishes. No room for flowery descriptions today (flowery descriptions, S.?). With water: oh, now we’ve got rhubarb tarte and even more radishes. Mouth (neat): a beast that takes control of your palate, tongue, lips, gums, and probably other things too (no, not that). Big pepper, walnuts, turmeric, Seville oranges… Water feels ab-so-lute-ly essential. With water: it spreads across your palate with about twenty times more flavour—fruits, peels, tars, peppers, zesty honeys, walnuts, citrus... Truly, it’s a tribute to the joys of adding water during a tasting. You’re right, especially at nearly 60% ABV. Finish: very long, peppery, and honeyed. Comments: very decent without water, magical with it.
SGP: 561 – 91 points (with water, that is). |
UPDATE Regarding very high ABV levels after many years of maturation, and despite the possibility of a very hot and dry location in a warehouse (even in Scotland!), our friend Wouter suggests that large independent bottlers who order new fillings directly from distilleries can, in some cases, obtain new-make spirit that is either undiluted or reduced to much higher strengths than the traditional 63.5% ABV. For example, 70% ABV. In this case, even if alcohol loss is significant over the years, the bottling strength can remain notably high if no or very mild dilution is applied before bottling. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Thanks, Wouter! |
|
Marketing Malt 15 yo 2008/2024 (57.1%, Whisky-Sponge, Decadent Drinks, #88)
We’re not entirely sure this Marketing Malt is Macallan, despite the clear visual nods to those old G&M bottlings. Honestly, we’re torn between Macallan, Ardbeg, and Dalmore… But of course, ‘marketing’ couldn’t possibly be a dirty word, could it? It is Macallan. Colour: deep gold. Nose: chocolate, tobacco, bitter orange, walnut liqueur, then morels and moss. Even a hint of black truffle, perhaps, but without any sulphury edge. With water: the chocolate and coffee really take centre stage, both in full-on roast mode. Mouth (neat): quite a bit of varnish, old walnuts, pine needles, and Jaeger*****r… It’s got a lot to say, as they say. With water: leather, tobacco, and old ham emerge. Lovely ham fat, with that subtle nutty quality. Maybe not the best dram for vegans, to be fair. Finish: long, more earthy, but also a touch lighter at the same time. Comments: an old-school malt that reminds us of the old 10 yo 100 proof from around 1990/1995. Some dram, that one—probably not exactly ‘sharp’ 10 years old though.
SGP: 561 – 90 points. |
|
Macallan ‘Over 30 yo’ 1991/2024 (55.2%, LMDW, Artist #14, 2nd fill bourbon barrel, cask #14622, 89 bottles)
Back in the day, people would pounce on ex-bourbon Macallans like fleas on an old tomcat, as they were rare, with the distillery mostly focused on sherry casks—which, of course, built its reputation. So, this one’s a bit different... Colour: gold. Nose: oh yes, peanuts, sunflower seeds, bark, fresh mastic, linseed oil, and quince paste... love that! With water: a walk through the woods—moss, mushrooms, sap, old stumps, ancient lichen, then ink and damp, old paper. Mouth (neat): much cleaner, very herbal and lemony, quite spectacular, and very unusual. Dill, grapefruit, sage, basil... With water: superb, bringing back mint, chervil, verbena, anise, absinthe, and chalk... It almost feels like absinthe from the 1880s. Finish: long, elegant, poetic, intellectual. Comments: this is a true adventure; Netflix could make 10 seasons based on this exceptional little whisky alone. Exceptional in several senses of the word.
SGP: 562 – 92 points. |
|
Blended Malt Whisky 27 yo 1993/2021 (53.2%, C. Dully Selection, sherry hogshead, cask #13, 317 bottles)
This one hails from ex-Edrington stock. We’ve never really followed these releases, which could contain anything from Macallan and Highland Park to Tamdhu and Glenrothes. It would be fantastic news if this turns out to be… HP. Colour: amber gold. Nose: massive doses of butterscotch, praline, cornflakes, Golden Grahams, maple syrup, cigarettes, crème caramel, followed by a bouquet of yellow flowers and loads of honey... With water: a touch of ink and tar, along with a faint metallic note, like an old dumpy black bottle. You know what I mean. Mouth (neat): my, this is good! A true classic, a bit spicier here, a touch rustic, but you can feel the potential ready to explode once you add water. With water: boom! Milk chocolate, dried figs, roasted hazelnuts, Nutella, and some old sherry in the ‘cream’ style. Finish: long, more austere, dry, with tobacco and old walnuts. Extra-dark chocolate (80% or more) lingers in the aftertaste. Comments: I don’t think this is a single malt, but the marriage is so perfect that it’s clearly not a simple blended malt thrown together right before bottling either. I also suspect there’s quite some Macallan in here. More importantly, I think it’s absolutely wonderful and multi-dimensional.
SGP: 562 – 91 points. |
Well, honestly, if a session like this doesn't demonstrate the near-superiority of the independents (and of the brokers who feed some of them), I don’t know what its purpose is. I also think the new paradigm of single malt whisky (brands down, prices down, real quality up) only strengthens the phenomenon. The only thing we don’t need are independents bottling any old rubbish, but it's been a very, very long time since I’ve come across any like that. Brand arrogance – or unjustified premiumization - being down, independents must be part of the future. |
| |
October 15, 2024 |
|
|
The Top Japanese, continued
Let's carry on tasting a few more of the finest newer Japanese whiskies... |
|
Kanosuke ‘Hioki Pot Still’ (51%, OB, Japan, 2024)
Here we have a Japanese whisky with a bit of an Irish flair. Now, that doesn’t mean they’ve gone and imported bulk whisky from Ireland to blend with their local malt, but rather that they’ve embraced the ‘pure’ or ‘single’ pot still method. This involves using both malted and unmalted barley in the distillation – in this case, under vacuum (copper or stainless steel?) – and that would make it a grain whisky according to the good old Scottish gospel. Colour: gold. Nose: there really is a touch of Ireland here – very ripe apples, hints of rose petals, lychee, and a suggestion of fresh copper (think of a brand-new chef’s pan), followed by strawberry and cherry tart. There’s even a slight whiff of a good Provençal rosé. With a few drops of water: cakes galore – fraisier, financier, champagne-soaked ladyfingers… Mouth (neat): the wood is more prominent on the palate, bringing cinnamon, apple peel, ginger, and hints of cedar wood, with a subtle touch of incense. There’s still plenty of fresh, unpasteurised apple juice as well. With water: we remain on similar notes. A few leafy touches – pear and cherry leaves, perhaps? Finish: fairly long, becoming more herbaceous with even a slight touch of rubber. The aftertaste lingers with a bit of rosé champagne. Comments: I was perhaps a bit more charmed by the Kanosuke I tried the other day (the Single Malt at 48%, WF 88), but this one is still very, very good.
SGP: 651 - 84 points. |
|
Kanosuke ‘Double Distillery’ (53%, OB, Japan, 2024)
Well, here we have a blend of their Single Malt and the Hioki, essentially a self-blend made entirely from barley. Colour: pale gold. Nose: indeed, we’re back to the malted barley notes, with fresh bread, oranges, peanut butter, yeast, and malt extract… With water: no major changes, though now we’re getting a freshly baked baguette straight from the bakery. Mouth (neat): very good, with top-tier pepper, a touch of Riesling reminiscent of what we found in the malt, some smoke, tart green apples, and pumpkin seeds… With water: the ‘Irish’ spirit returns slightly, with cherries, white peaches, and even that lovely rosé champagne again. Shochu. And let’s be clear, we’re talking about a rosé de saignée here (skin-contact maceration), not the kind made by mixing white wine with a dash of red. Finish: medium in length, very well balanced, fruity but not overly so. Cherries, a hint of kirsch, almonds... Comments: this works extremely well, in my humble opinion. All that’s missing now is an age statement, whatever that might be.
SGP: 562 - 88 points. |
|
Ichiro’s Malt & Grain World Blend ‘7 to 47 years Double Fantasy’ (56%, OB, Japan, 300 bottles, 2024)
Adorned with a famous photo of John and Yoko by Kishin Shinoyama, this blend comes with quite the story. According to a very reliable source who’s always sporting suspenders, it contains 48.5% 7-year-old Chichibu, 48.5% Scottish malts aged between 21 and 25 years, 1.5% 1976 Kawasaki grain, and 1.5% 1976 Benriach, with both of those last ones clocking in at 47 years old. Colour: gold. Nose: if I’ve understood correctly, there’s only 1.5% grain in here, and you can tell. It’s a bit like a Danish pastry, with apricot and buttercream, a touch of cassata, very ripe apple, quince, and mirabelle plums, then plenty of yeast and sour cream. There’s even a fun IPA + Chardonnay vibe going on… With water: oh, fresh and dried white mulberries make an appearance. Mouth (neat): excellent, almost all-malt, with a Chichibu that certainly doesn’t shy away, setting the pace for the older whiskies. Citrusy tension, chalk, flour, fresh bread, gooseberries… With water: quince and green apple come roaring back. Finish: long, taut, precise. Chalk, apple, lemon. Comments: I get the feeling the goal here was to show that even when blended with half of something else, a well-raised Chichibu still rules the roost.
SGP: 561 - 90 points. |
|
Ichiro’s Malt World Blended Malt ‘5 to 21 years Double Fantasy’ (48%, OB, Japan, 1,200 bottles, 2024)
Half Chichibu, aged between 5 and 11 years, and half Scottish malts ranging from 5 to 21 years old. The fact that Ichiro can pull off such feats with apparent great success speaks volumes about his reputation. Imagine doing something like this in Scotland—you’d be scattered to the four winds, well past Hadrian’s Wall. Colour: straw. Nose: I can’t detect any dominant ‘Scottish malt’ pushing its way through the Chichibu, but they likely didn’t pick malts with too strong a character. Well played. So, we get apple, peanut oil, lemon, fresh bread, not-too-ripe banana, some elusive Japanese Chardonnay (good luck finding that, but it’s wonderful), white currants, sorrel, and rhubarb… I really love this nose, to be honest. With water: pure barley, apple, chalk, bread. A touch of drawing gum, a hint of orgeat and putty. Mouth (neat): it’s a bit more uncertain on the palate, with a touch of candy sugar and roasted barley on top of apple compote drizzled with lemon. Something along those lines. With water: no, it becomes superb with a splash of Vittel (Nestlé, but where’s the cheque?). Finish: long, lemony, with apple, white wine, and rhubarb. Comments: in whisky, sometimes less is more (S., not your finest moment there). Oh, and Double Fantasy was also the name of a John & Yoko album, their last before the former Beatle’s tragic assassination.
SGP: 561 - 90 points. |
These two Lennon-esque blends are truly exceptional and, in fact, are essentially Chichibu, both philosophically and in terms of taste. Let's continue... |
|
Chichibu 7 yo 2016/2024 (64.5%, OB, LMDW Foundations, refill peaty barrels, cask #7076, 200 bottles)
Well, they’ve refilled a barrel that previously held peated Chichibu, and you can tell straight away. Colour: pale gold. Nose: goodness me, peat really does cling to any distillate like misfortune to the lower clergy of Brittany. But here, it remains wonderfully assertive, adding to the usual trio of chalk, apple, and barley with a proper dose of smoke and even a few maritime notes. With water: astonishing stuff. How much peated Chichibu was left in that cask? Fifty litres? The waves of beechwood-smoked salmon are utterly remarkable. Mouth (neat): zzzzeooom! That’s the sound of a blade cleaving the humble taster clean in half, to the precise millimetre. Lemon peel, ashes, chalk, lemon again, and cardamom. With water: well, the peat isn’t going anywhere, but that’s hardly a complaint. Think lemon in the fireplace. Finish: long, pure, slightly oily (pistachio oil) and then very lemony. The ash lingers on. Comments: this is unmistakably a peated whisky. Those blasted smoky molecules cling like limpets to a rock, but the result is nothing short of superb.
SGP:464 - 91 points. |
That's enough of the Chichibu for today – but there'll be plenty more soon – it's time to move on to something else. |
|
Ontake 2021/2024 (57.7%, OB, for The Ultimate Spirits by Rudder, Japan, Owner’s Cask, oloroso sherry butt, cask #174)
We’re back in familiar territory near Kanosuke, in Hioki. The first edition of Ontake was rather good, but alas, a bit too soft at 43% ABV (WF80). This one promises to be quite different... Colour: full gold, though not overly dark. Nose: I absolutely adore this chocolate, those raisins, the old rancio, tar, aged walnuts, and that wonderfully mature oloroso. A stunning sherry influence, with the malt naturally taking a back seat in this explosive setting. Hard not to think of a few Yamazaki ‘Owner’s Cask’ ex-sherry bottlings. With water: brilliant raisins, both luscious and earthy, an absolute delight. Mouth (neat): good heavens, this is bursting with oloroso, walnut liqueur, and raisins, as if every pore is oozing with these flavours. What a beast! With water: chocolate steps up boldly, joined by black tea and pipe tobacco, but those raisins still steer the ship and call the shots. Finish: very long, chocolaty, with a subtle sulphurous note that works wonderfully here. Think millionaire shortbread and yet more raisins—the biggest, blackest ones. Comments: a sherry monster, and we do love a proper sherry monster, provided it’s truly monstrous, like this one. It’s also somewhat reminiscent of those early Glendronach full-sherry releases just after the first relaunching.
SGP:561 - 90 points. |
Since we're on the subject of sherry... |
|
Mars Tsunuki 4 yo 2020/2024 ‘Yakushima Aging’ (58.2%, OB, Japan, LMDW Foundations, sherry hogshead, cask #2334, 241 bottles)
A release aged in the far south of Japan, and you might say it’s a bit like the French heading south too to age themselves. Right. Mars/Shinshu may not make as much noise as some other Japanese houses, but make no mistake, they’re top-tier, boasting two distilleries, including Tsunuki, and three ageing sites, including Yakushima. Colour: amber. Nose: we’re loving the glue, acetone, and overripe fruits, and isn’t that just perfect. Chocolate too, which is equally welcome. A superb earthy side, old tobacco pouch, browned bananas, old leather… With water: carries on in the same vein but with less of that varnish/glue note. Mouth (neat): cocoa, honeydew, caramelised onion, prunes, a touch of sour old wine, then a resinous edge that’s a bit sharp. Black propolis. It’s wobbling a bit. With water: backflips and regains its balance! The raisins are hard at work now. Finish: long, more herbal, with a hint of rubber and a touch of plum jam. Comments: very, very good, I love it, but perhaps is it a tad young, a bit wild, and could use a touch more polish. It’s said to age very quickly on Yakushima, but maybe not quite that fast.
SGP:651 - 85 points. |
| |
October 14, 2024 |
|
|
WF’s Little Duos, today two indie Dalmore |
I think it’s been quite a while since we last tasted a Dalmore. Why not try two lovely independent bottlings before diving into the new official ones in a few weeks? Hello, how are you, quite well, thank you very much, and yourself? … |
|
Dalmore 16 yo 2006/2023 (47.6%, The Auld Alliance & Lucky Choice, oloroso sherry hogshead, cask #7, 146 bottles)
There are quite a few independent Dalmores out there from refill wood, which tend to be far less influenced by sherry than the official bottlings, but this one seems to lean much more towards the latter – at least, that’s what the colour would suggest. Colour: amber. Nose: indeed, it’s very ‘OB’ on the nose, almost a tad vinous, with full-on sherry notes, walnut wine, raisins, and polished antique furniture, with a slight hint of old red wine – somewhere between a Pomerol and a Pommard, as they say. Merlot meets mature Pinot Noir. A touch of gunpowder and plenty of chocolate and grey pepper in the background. A certain someone wouldn’t deny its charms. Hello, how are you… Mouth: it feels bolder than just 47%, with plenty of chocolate, pepper, bitter orange, and chestnut honey, then black nougat and marmalade. There’s a thick, yet very elegant mouthfeel. It continues with stuffed dates, marzipan, and just the tiniest hint of sangria, along with a drop of Grand Marnier (the centennial edition, no less!) Finish: very long, creamy, rich, and honeyed, with that signature Dalmore orange lingering. Still a bit of pepper and clove, with a slight medicinal edge. Comments: one wonders if this cask came directly from the distillery. Truly excellent.
SGP: 651 - 89 points. |
Let's jump back ten years (and a sherry cask) ago... |
|
Dalmore 1996/2023 (46.3%, Malts of Scotland, Rare Casks, bourbon hogshead, cask #MoS 23007, 227 bottles)
Yet another superb entry in this splendid series from our friends in Paderborn, Germany. All of these whiskies seem to follow that famed ‘DFW’ method (distill, fill, wait). Colour: white wine. Nose: starts with porridge, chalk, fresh cement, and sourdough, but it’s the freshly squeezed oranges that steal the show. Then come delicate flowers, berries, and aromatic plants, with honeysuckle standing out, along with the usual orange blossoms. A magnificent nose—very fresh and supremely elegant. Mouth: almost like freshly squeezed orange juice blended with natural vanilla, and a hint of aniseed and caraway. Then we move towards panettone and kougelhopf, both wonderfully fresh, as a turmeric and nutmeg duo subtly emerges, gaining presence without ever unbalancing the whole. Finish: medium in length, beautifully balanced, with a delightful mix of pastry notes and Christmas spices. Perhaps we’re getting ahead of ourselves for the season? Aniseed cakes and Jaffa cakes make an appearance. Comments: these two remarkable Dalmore whiskies are so different, how to choose between them?
SGP:551 - 89 points. |
Last minute bonus : two new OBs |
|
Dalmore 2006/2024 (47.2%, OB, Select Edition, bourbon + Matusalem and amoroso sherry casks)
Colour: straw. The sherry influence is perhaps not as pronounced as one might expect. Nose: indeed, it’s rather taut, with notes of orange peel and rhubarb, some pine needles, and a touch of honeydew, along with fresh walnuts and bitter almonds, with a light whiff of kirsch. This is not one of those Dalmores that’s been excessively meddled with in the finishing, not at all. Mouth: very good, a bit more herbaceous and peppery, with a hint of tobacco (those strands that used to escape from an untipped cigarette – remember those?) followed by marzipan and speculoos. The herbal side grows stronger, leading to green pepper. Finish: of good length, with the return of orange zest, a touch of chocolate, more walnuts, and quite a dry sherry (not the amoroso, mind). Some sultanas on the aftertaste – finally. Comments: by the way, ‘amoroso’ is just a fancier name for traditional cream sherry. A very good Dalmore all around, but priced a bit on the high side, as they say.
SGP:561 - 87 points. |
|
Dalmore 2009/2024 (48.9%, OB, Select Edition, bourbon + Matusalem and Port casks)
Here, Port replaces the cream sherry in the finishing. Colour: gold. Nose: I’m tasting this 2009 after the 2006 because, having quickly sampled both, I believe I preferred the 2009, mainly due to those marvellous oranges so typical of the distillate. For this somewhat rustic taster, the more oranges in a Dalmore, the better. There’s also a faint metallic note (like an old samovar) and a little touch of bay leaf, as well as some sloe. Such a shame proper sloe spirits have become so rare around here in Alsace. Mouth: yes, very good, slightly rough around the edges and almost as rustic as this amateur taster, with freshly ground black pepper and hints of sour cherry, along with orange zest and very dark chocolate. Finish: long and peppery, with bitter chocolate and black tea. There’s a bit of bay leaf again, along with other spices on the aftertaste, particularly cinnamon, and of course, the proverbial orange marmalade. Comments: long live rusticity!
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
| |
October 13, 2024 |
|
|
More rums de la muerte and Nick Lowe |
|
| (Bacardi) |
The big festivals of the season, like the Whisky Show in London or Whisky Live Paris, are always a great opportunity to catch up with many friends and receive feedback on WF (not just about the yellow background, which seems to be more and more popular because, as they say, 'colours are life', ha). There's a lot of talk about 'score inflation', a topic that always concerns me because I try to maintain a consistent scoring approach over time. It's true that there are more scores of 90+, but this is entirely due to the ever-increasing proportion of excellent "malternatives" that cross the threshold of Château WF, and not the whiskies themselves. You see, even though we only taste these malternatives one day a week, I noticed that in August alone, 55% of the spirits that reached that score were whiskies, while 45% were malternatives. You might say that we also steer clear of the rubbish in this latter category, and God knows there's plenty of that. Here, let me give you a little example to illustrate my point... |
|
Bacardi 'Carta Blanca' (37.5%, OB, white rum, Puerto Rico, +/-2024) 
Well, would you believe it, this is the first time we're tasting this little number on purpose. I imagine it's mostly destined for cocktails. Colour: white. Nose: sugar syrup, a hint of cologne, and a touch of hay. It’s as light as a chick's feather. Mouth: utterly inoffensive, with a taste that's mostly neutral alcohol and the faintest hint of lemon. A smidgen of brown sugar, if you really look for it. Finish: virtually non-existent. Comments: the best thing about it is that since there’s almost nothing there, there can’t really be any flaws either. Let’s not forget that this tipple and its cousins helped its owners build a spirits empire that now includes gems like Aberfeldy, Craigellachie, Aultmore, Macduff, Brackla, Teeling, and of course Dewar’s. Oh, and the marvellous Worthy Park. Couldn’t they sneak 10% of Worthy Park into Bacardi? Or perhaps do a Bacardi 'Jamaican Tribute'? I’d add that these humble spirits also help us keep our scoring scale nicely tuned, wandering down its lower reaches from time to time. We 'might' have more Bacardi today... Or not.
SGP:210 - 30 points. |
|
Sodade ‘Canne Rouge’ (42.7%, OB, Cabo Verde, white grogue, +/-2023)
Crafted from pure organic ‘red cane’ juice and distilled in pot stills following an extended 12-day fermentation using indigenous yeasts. In other words, it’s a proper box-ticker. We've thoroughly enjoyed previous Sodades, and this one carries on the tradition. Colour: white. Nose: beautifully honeyed, almost like mead, with a fermentary edge. There are notes of leaven, Parma ham, a touch of oranges, and potting soil, rounded off with a hint of small olives. Mouth: slightly sweet but with a delightful ‘dirty’ character, quite wild and yeasty, staying true to the cane itself. Think croissant dough mixed with old figs, followed by a touch of tapenade and a hint of wet plaster. Finish: medium in length, leaning towards the earthy side. There’s a whisper of rotting oranges and a touch of salt in the aftertaste, balanced by some lingering sweetness. Comments: I must admit, I preferred their 'Cana Rocca Ouro Blanco' and 'Botanic Joao' (both scoring WF 88), but this is still a very good drop, albeit more of a curiosity that strays a bit from traditional rum. A tad on the sweet side.
SGP:541 - 81 points. |
|
Nine Leaves 2023/2024 ‘Last Drops’ (62%, OB, Japan, LMDW, black sugar, 950 bottles, 2024) 
The story of Nine Leaves began in 2013 and, sadly, came to a close in 2023. It appears that La Maison has managed to get their hands on a significant portion of the remaining stocks, including these rather evocative ‘last drops’. I’ve often found Nine Leaves to be a bit peculiar, but then again, I’m far from being a rum expert. Very attractive label, by the way. Colour: white. Nose: like a glass of Riesling spiked with a bit of coffee and holly eau-de-vie. Really. With water: an added layer of cherry and raspberry juice, gentle honey, and dried flowers. Mouth (neat): it does rather slice you in two at this strength. ‘Properly brutal,’ with a taste profile that leans towards coffee-schnapps, or perhaps more accurately, schnapps-coffee. With water: much more civilised, revealing soft lemon with honey and a hint of mild horseradish, while the background remains pleasantly fermentary. Finish: rather long, with notes of sugarcane, a sort of grapefruit and flower liqueur, and a hint of sweet bread in the aftertaste. Comments: quite a cerebral profile, lacking the explosive immediacy of the best rums, yet far better than I remembered. I know some friends will adore it.
SGP:451 - 78 points. |
Come on, three whites, that's enough. |
|
TDL/FS 2006/2024 (58.8%, Zero Nine Spirits, Cyberpunk Rh12, blend Trinidad+Barbados, 200 bottles)
It's rather bold to blend TDL and Foursquare 50/50, isn’t it? I mean, how could one expect to outshine the individual components in a case like this? Or perhaps it's all just for a bit of fun? If that's so, then we applaud the initiative. Colour: gold. Nose: this feels like a marriage of reason, yet we didn't expect any discord here. Mango and honey, peony and pink pepper, with ripe pineapple and strawberry, all seamlessly bound together by beeswax. With water: a touch of slightly salted brioche, kougelhopf, and sugarcane emerges. Mouth (neat): wonderfully lively, with both rums distinctly recognizable, yet taking turns to lift each other up. A seaside citrus note but watch out for the strength! With water: it does seem as though the Foursquare has taken the lead, with TDL graciously stepping aside. We're now closer to spices, sugarcane, and molasses rather than the typical baskets of tropical fruits often found in TDL. Finish: long, quite vibrant, citrusy, and honeyed. A hint of basil and fresh coriander, with a touch of liquorice wood lingering in the aftertaste. Comments: well, they’ve certainly landed on their feet with this one.
SGP:651 - 88 points. |
|
Cuban Rum 45 yo 1978/2024 (49.7%, Chapter 7, Spirit Library, Volume 1, Cuba, 339 bottles)
We’re not entirely sure what this is, but past experiences with these old secret Cubans have always been quite successful in my book. Colour: amber. Nose: utterly charming roasted hazelnuts, pecan pie, candied sugar, caramel, coffee toffee, and maple syrup of the 'special' grade. A tiny hint of miso sneaks in, and naturally, a touch of Cuban tobacco. I absolutely love this nose, even if it's not overwhelmingly complex (and does that really matter, S.?). Mouth: this is the epitome of the style, with a saline edge, even slightly medicinal, featuring bitter orange, various honeys (including some local melipona honey!), and those roasted pecans and maple syrup once again. I find it improbably delicious, especially with that subtle salinity that plays with your lips so unexpectedly. Finish: medium in length but magnificent, with a touch of cedarwood and white pepper, followed by that irresistible combo of maple syrup and caramel. A more peppery aftertaste returns at the end. Comments: what's remarkable here is that you never quite sense the relative lack of texture that can be found in Cuban rums. I can't help but think of Santiago de Cuba. Santiago, te quiero mucho. BTW Santiago was where the original Bacardi was located, but the brand had already built other distilleries in Puerto Rico and Mexico as early as the 1930s.
SGP:641 – 92 points. |
|
Hoy Como Ayer 1956/2024 (53.7%, La Maison & Velier, Cuba, cask #2315302, 285 bottles)
Back in 1956, Cuba was still under Batista’s rule, who wouldn’t be overthrown until 1959. This could mean, for instance, that it’s genuine Cuban Bacardi since the distilleries weren’t nationalized until october of 1960, though that’s pure speculation. Interestingly, December 1956 was also when Fidel and Che Guevara landed on the island. It's astonishing to come across a rum like this—where has it been hiding all these years? Colour: glowing coffee. Nose: there’s a strong stylistic resemblance to the 1978, especially with all those roasted nutty notes, but here we also find fine woods and, quite frankly, impeccably preserved old Cuban cigars, along with dark chocolate, juniper, hints of turpentine, and a curious touch of wild strawberry and raspberry liqueurs (just a drop or two). Finally, a hint of top-quality soy sauce kind of rounds things off. Very impressive, this is far from just a dusty old rum kept ‘for show’. With water: it tightens up slightly, showing notes of old furniture, burnt wood, and very dark tea, yet it remains splendid. Mouth (neat): I was worried, but I was wrong. The woods do take centre stage (spruce, thuja, oak, cherry), but prunes, blackberries, and crème de menthe balance things out rather masterfully. A touch of chocolate with a hint of mint (and maybe tobacco?) completes the picture. With water: a tiny hint of gunpowder (naturally) and black pepper, followed by roasted cacao beans and an amusingly aged oloroso-like note. Finish: medium in length, dry, with menthol, coffee, dark chocolate, and tea. A touch of bitter orange and thin mints lingers. Comments: más especial!
SGP:562 - 91 points
(genuine points, organoleptically speaking!). |
We'll recover from this Cuban whirlwind with what is likely a little gem from Guyana from three or four years ago, and then we'll call it a day. |
|
Enmore 26 yo 1994/2020 ‘RSV’ (52.5%, Valinch & Mallet, Guyana, cask #71, 215 bottles)
This one’s already gathered a bit of a reputation, hasn’t it? REV refers to the Versailles still, a venerable single wooden pot still that was relocated to Enmore in 1977. I was under the impression it had ended up at Uitvlugt in 1994, but let’s not get bogged down in historical nit-picking. Colour: reddish amber. Nose: remarkable notes of violet-flavoured liquorice, fresh mastic, and caramel. There’s a hint of fine Armagnac alongside roasted salsify. Simply magical. With water: now we’ve got prunes steeped in Armagnac, a touch of tar, engine oil, and the scent of brand-new leatherette. Mouth (neat): a sublime vinosity, almost reminiscent of a fine white Burgundy. Then it’s an explosion of liquorice in all its forms, with dark chocolate filled with blackberry and damson plum jam. Flawless. With water: it was already perfect, but somehow even better now. Think of a tisane-cocktail brewed from black tea, Iberian ham, liquorice, cinnamon, prunes, and tobacco (but don’t try that with real tobacco—it’s toxic!). Finish: very long, with chocolate, liquorice, prunes, mint, and now a hint of olive and some fresh, ultra-ripe mango. Comments: a concentrated burst of aromas at an exceptional level. Liquorice lovers, like me, will be in heaven (though I suspect this one’s already scarce).
SGP:562 - 92 points. |
Passing from 30 to 92, does that work for you as a proper use of the 100-scale? Hasta luego. |
Hey, wait! I just remembered that we have some really old Bacardi from the Cuban era in stock, seemingly bottled for the US even before Prohibition (17 January 1920 – 5 December 1933). Now's the perfect time to taste it, without trying to compare it to the rather modest contemporary Carta Blanca. |
|
Bacardi ‘Superior Carta Blanca’ (46%, OB, Cuba, +/-1915)
Fascinating to see the mention ‘Santiago de Cuba - Havana – New York,’ with New York serving as the location for a Bacardi bottling unit established in 1915 but shut down due to Prohibition in 1920. Also intriguing is the mention of the alcohol content in % ABV and the high strength of 46% (92° US proof). Well, aside from that, one really doesn't know quite what to expect here, to be honest... Colour: white wine. I reckon there was some brief ageing in wood, perhaps something akin to ‘reposado.’ Nose: interesting similarities to the modern Carta Blanca, especially in the notes of cane syrup and the lightness overall, but there’s also an oiliness to this one (peanut), along with hints of lemon and a touch of mint, some shredded coconut, white nougat, and then little apples, jujubes, and serviceberries... It’s hard to determine whether this added complexity comes from the original distillate or from more than a century spent in the bottle, given that the liquid remains as bright as a new penny. After about ten minutes, more citrus notes start to come through (clementines, oranges…). Mouth: there's a touch of OBE (slight soapiness, a hint of dust, glass/light taste), but the rest is robust, lemony, slightly rough-edged, and even a bit full-bodied, almost showing a character reminiscent of Lowland Scotch, bringing Bladnoch to mind. It all goes down like a charm, despite the light OBE. Finish: rather long, still lemony, but with that ever-so-slight soapy touch. Comments: this must have made superb mojitos and daiquiris back in 1915. One can even imagine Hemingway tasting these bottles during his first visit to Cuba in 1928. Ah, Hemingway again, between Paris and Cuba, it’s hard to escape him.
SGP:551 - 82 points. |
(Thank you Christian and Whisky.Auction!) |
PS: There is a major risk when you’re tasting a lot of very fine spirits like these: the temptation to finish your glass rather than being content with just a couple of drops to appreciate the finish. And honestly, who’s going to throw away Cuban rum from 1956, right? It's crucial, therefore, to have strategies in place, like creating 'living bottles' for your summer cocktails (and to share with the neighbours), or occasionally re-distilling your already-tasted stocks to remove all undesirable elements like fruit flies, wasps, dust, pollens, and especially any water you might have added. Of course, what you do with everything you’ve re-distilled over the years remains a... serious problem as not many people will be interested in your house gin or vodka. Above all, you need to be careful to avoid setting the house on fire; if that were to happen at Château WF, as I often say, all that would be left is a 50-metre crater with a lot of shattered glass at its centre. Well, actually, we’re lucky to have a kind of ‘bunker’ for that. Anyway, let’s move on... |
Check the index of all rum we've tasted so far |
Some of you might remember that from 2004 to 2011, this humble little website was talking almost as much about music as it did about whisky, largely thanks to the wonderful concert reviews sent to us by the good Dr. Nick Morgan. Well, great news, a new review has landed in our inbox, and we’re delighted to publish it in full. Enjoy the read, and enjoy the music! - Serge |
Concert Review by Nick Morgan |
Nick Lowe and Los Straightjackets |
The London Palladium, Tuesday 24th September 2024 |
I’m in the urinals, staring deep into the eyes of Lena Horne, unsettling for me, but I suppose it’s the same for her, night after night, show after show. She’s hanging on the wall, neatly framed, along with a fraid of ghosts, the great and good of popular entertainment from mostly last century, all of whom have graced the stage of the London Palladium. Tommy Trinder, Danny Kaye, Duke Ellington, Norman Vaughan, Judy Garland, Johnny Ray, Tommy Cooper, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Tarbuck. You name them, they’ve played here. Sunday Night at the London Palladium, Royal Command Performances, all black and white memories of the 60s and 70s. The Royal Box, always the focus of those Command Performances, is empty of Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses. The only royalty here tonight is on the stage: Nick Lowe, still the king of cool, with his backing band Los Straightjackets. |
|
Outside the theatre Autumn is lurking around the corner of Argyll Street. Happy punters, mostly of a certain age, are taking selfies in front of the imposing entrance to Frank Matcham’s Edwardian masterpiece. Theatre architect Matcham also gave the Hackney Empire and the Shepherds Bush Empire to London’s rock and roll history, along with theatres and shopping arcades the length and breadth of the country. Unlike the two Empires the Palladium is in almost pristine condition, it seats around 2,200 people, and they seem to be mostly here tonight. The auditorium is red and plush, the stage enormous, the sound perfect. You can make one for yourself. |
 |
| You may not know but the UK is facing a productivity crisis, and when the new Prime Minister and Chancellor talk about it, I’m sure they must have Nick Lowe in their sights. |
Although relatively busy touring since the Pandemic he’s not released an album since his Christmas 2013 offering, Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection for All the Family. And I’m sure I recall him joking at a gig at the Barbican back in 2005 (were you there Serge?) about his manager’s complaints that it took him years to produce a new album. He suggested then, I think, that he’d made so much money from ‘What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love, and Understanding’ being used in the soundtrack for The Bodyguard that he didn’t need to. But, to save the UK economy, he has just released Indoor Safari, with a cover that seems to echo early Roxy Music albums. |
It takes him until over halfway through the set to tell us about the album, although he concedes that ‘you might not have noticed because all the songs sound the same’. Not entirely true, although there are only two genuinely new songs, two covers, and the remainder tunes that have been performed live and recorded live over the past few years. But don’t be put off, the record is almost as much fun as the gig. With all the material Lowe has at his command it would be hard for it not to be, and he weaves together a well curated selection of the old, new, and not-so-new. He starts with the classic, ‘So it goes’, which is followed by one of the latest tunes, ‘I went to a Party’. Quite how Lowe’s voice has remained so good over the years (has it been, I wonder, “carefully matured by a Malt Master over more than half a century”) I don’t know. It just seems to get better, and he has the advantage of a wonderful microphone technique. |
 |
He’s playing acoustic rhythm guitar (is it a Guild?) with a lazy right alrm, all fingers and thumbs, no plectrum. He’s as relaxed as a bug in a rug, his metronomic right knee keeping time on the higher tempo numbers. He’s clearly having fun. |
And who wouldn’t be with a backing band like Los Straightjackets? I first saw them play together at the Bush before the Pandemic and could barely believe the freshness and energy they brought to Lowe’s songs, along with some beautifully melodic solos (Greg Townson’s solo on ‘You Inspire me’ was, well, inspirational). They are also, for the record, very funny, and simply a joy to watch. With Mexican wrestler’s face-masks – I’m not really sure why, and don’t quite care for them to be honest – they are a supremely accomplished four piece old-style rock and roll band, and can turn themselves to anything that Lowe’s songs demand. If you walked into bar and they were playing in the back room, you might think you had died and gone to heaven. |
|
Their sound is clean. The two guitarists, Townson and founder Eddie Angel play DiPinto guitars much loved by surf bands; there’s a specific Los Straightjackets Galaxie model, somewhere between a Jazzmaster and a Stratocaster that Townson is playing. Angel is all mostly all plectrum, Townson using both plectrum and his hand, in intriguing ways to get a variety of sounds from a guitar which (like Angels) is plugged straight into a Fender deluxe Reverb. No pedals. No pedalboard. Just a reverb and tremolo foot switch to the amplifier, and a lot of whammy-bar. This is guitar playing as it should be done, as they demonstrate when they play a bunch of instrumentals in the middle of the set, and it is joyous to watch. If I may say so, it’s like enjoying a delicious old fashioned (think 1990) whisky that speaks truly for itself, rather than being bastardised in some ridiculous novelty cask finish. Get the point? You can watch Eddie and Greg talking about their rig and technique here. |
Either side of the Straightjackets solo slot Lowe gives us old tunes like ‘Lately I’ve let things slide’, ‘I live on a battlefield’, and ‘Cruel to be kind’, and from Indoor Safari ‘Love starvation’, ‘Tokyo Bay’, ‘Lay it on me baby’ and ‘Blue on blue’, ending with ‘I knew the bride’. A raucous ovation, which seemed to genuinely surprise the band (“We haven’t played together for three months”, said Lowe “and weren’t sure we could remember the tunes”), was followed by ‘Venus’ (in case you don’t remember a worldwide hit for the Dutch band Shocking Blue in 1969) from the Straightjackets with Lowe returning to the stage for Rockpile’s ‘When I write the book’. |
 |
Brought back to the stage again Lowe, as he so often does, performed a solo version of Elvis Costello’s ‘Alison’. Voice perfect. And that was that. “You lucky people” as Tommy Trinder used to say. - Nick Morgan |
| |
October 12, 2024 |
|
|
|
Angus's Corner
From our correspondent and skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland |
|
|
More closed distilleries
After last week’s Glen Mhor session, I felt suitably motivated to continue to revisit some of these lost names. I had planned to include a Port Ellen and some Brora, but then realised they no longer qualify as ‘closed’ - technically speaking. Although, as I've argued on occasion, most distilleries are 'closed' if you go back far enough due to accumulated changes to equipment and process. For example, see the upcoming plans that Diageo have for Talisker... |
|
|
|
Are we going to be discussing Talisker in the future in the same way we reference Caol Ila pre and post 1974? Or will the change be so dramatic that Talisker as we know it is essentially going to become a 'lost' distillery. I feel as though we might be entering the realm of the philosophical. |
|
|
 |
Convalmore 1975/2015 (46%, Gordon & MacPhail ‘Rare Old’, cask #R0/15/06, refill sherry hogshead, 299 bottles) 
Colour: gold. Nose: wooft! Pure heather honey, resinous fir wood, a coconut-drenched pina colada, mineral oils, wormwood, immense waxes and camphor vibes, verbena and wonderful notes of fennel, tarragon and honeycomb. Stunning nose! Mouth: this quality that I always adore that makes me think of very old mead, or some kind of crystallised or salted honey. It has this in spades, along with more deeply herbal and medicinal combinations that go towards very old yellow Chartreuse and cough syrups. Then waxiness and superbly fat textural elements that carry all these flavours brilliantly. Finish: good length, back on resins, fir wood, pinecones, tarragon, camphor and beeswax. Comments: one of these older highland styles that shows sublimely at this kind of age when just left to its own devices in simple, lighter touch wood.
SGP: 552 - 90 points. |
|
|
 |
Lochside 20 yo 1981/2001 (61.0%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 92.10 ‘Cod-liver oil and blackcurrants’)
Colour: bright straw. Nose: very citrus and grass driven, with vivid notes of crushed nettles, finger limes, Viognier, putty, lemon barley water, grapefruit and also some clean cereal and mineral oil notes. Very pure and fresh, I love it. With water: wonderfully on green herbs, citrus fruits and mineral qualities. Aged Riesling and Chenin Blanc, clay, putty, petrol and buttered white toast. Extremely precise and beautifully tense. Mouth: rather tight, punchy and petrolic, with lots of clay, aniseed, fresh muddled herbs, lime peel, wormwood and a drying waxiness. Tough but brilliant distillate. With water: really explodes with water! Geraniums, vase water, lime curd, jasmine flower, exotic fruit teas, limestone, waxed canvass, bergamot oil and a few drops of very old Benedictine. A truly specific and unusual profile that’s all to do with power, precision and this very wonderful green / fresh / citric / mineral quartet. I’m sure Serge would call this a ‘wine drinkers malt’. Finish: long, tense, nervous, quivering green acidity, white flowers, underripe gooseberry, petrol and tarragon. Comments: sitting somewhere between St Magdalene and… Lochside, of course. Amazing and unique distillate that could keep you, a pipette and a bottle of water, entertained for hours.
SGP: 661 - 91 points. |
|
|
 |
Glenugie 33 yo 1966/2000 (48.1%, Signatory Vintage ‘Silent Stills’, cask #5081, 148 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: shoe polish and mashed exotic fruits. Then pink grapefruit more specifically, a tiny hint of seawater and huge notes of lime and waxed citrus rinds. Extremely zesty, fresh and with these sharp and grassy notes of rapeseed oil and parsley. Typically exuberant and bewilderingly fruity old Glenugie. Mouth: a little closed up front on arrival, some funny notes of mocha coffee, cocoa, ales and breads. Then more exotic hoppy IPA vibes, and then a huge burst of tropical fruits of all type and style. Total and utterly deadly fruit juice at this strength. Rather simple in some ways, but I find that rather an asset here. Finish: medium in length but gloriously fruity, more shoe polish fatness, leathery notes, seawater and grapefruit again and these nicely waxy and gentle peppery notes. Comments: I would say that this would probably have been totally sublime if bottled a few years younger, feels like it was caught just as it was coming over the hill. That said, the sheer fruitiness of it and especially that tropical flashbomb on the swallow were giddiness-inducing and hugely fun. Another totally wonderful old Glenugie.
SGP: 751 - 91 points. |
|
|
 |
Glenugie 1966/1986 (55%, Samaroli, 480 bottles)
I’ve tried this one a few times before and always been impressed. However, Serge recorded notes for this way back in 2006 and it only clocked in at WF88 at that time, while plenty other folk have scored it much higher over the years. Let’s revisit again, with an open mind… Colour: gold. Nose: clear shared DNA with the Signatory bottling, but this one also immediately reminds me of Lochside with this very particular grassy and exotic combination. Exotic fruit pulp, passionfruit, herbal and fruit teas and subtle impressions of verbena and a mix of mechanical and cooking oils. I still feel that this is an excellent whisky with a highly distinctive profile. With water: becomes greener, leaner and grassier. Some green pepper, snapped twigs, moss, nettle, lime zest and very sharp, almost trebly exotic notes. Mouth: cooking oils, waxes, marmalade, metal polish, suet, flower honey and mead. That’s just to begin, it has impressive complexity, but it seems to develop away from the exotic fruitiness on the nose, more towards these cooking oil qualities, preserved citrus fruits, beers, waxes, clay, mineral oil, some tiger balm - very big whisky, but maybe the issue is it can be a little all over the place, lacking coherence perhaps? With water: some of the same grassy, green, sharpness of the nose comes through - gooseberry, lime, nettle etc - but it’s still a rather punchy, peppery, waxy and slightly austere profile. Finish: long, drying, well-chiselled brittle waxy notes, along with further impressions of old-style ales, breads, camphor and slightly medicinal herbal qualities. Comments: I suspect this is one of those whiskies which will always divide opinion. Tasted in certain lights I can easily see how it might dazzle, but tasted in at my desk on a quiet Fife afternoon, I find myself more in alignment with Serge back in 2006. It’s very impressive and captivating whisky, but I feel it perhaps lacks a bit of direction, and in that sense isn’t technically brilliant. There are certainly many other Samaroli bottlings of similar pedigree which show much more immediate and unequivocal beauty. Now, it’s entirely possible I would have tried it in the past and given a different verdict depending on the conditions… so, as always, please take my silly score with a pinch of salt.
SGP: 662 - 89 points. |
|
|
 |
Glenlochy 29 yo 1970/2000 (57.2%, Signatory Vintage ‘Silent Stills’, cask #3359, 248 bottles)
A rare bottling for the USA. Colour: pale gold. Nose: the more Glenlochys I try, the more I feel it is something like the Clynelish of the West. This wonderful waxiness and distillate-derived fatness that feels also mechanical, slightly animalistic and highly mineral is like Clynelish speaking with a west highland accent to my palate. There’s also lovely fresh hints of grass and crushed green herbs along with a little punchy olive oil. With water: more clay, sheep wool oils and an impression of porridge laced with sea salt and honey. What I love most is the potency of the distillate which is still almost entirely what this whisky is about even at 29 years old. Mouth: big, chewy, superbly waxy, mineral and oily with a lot of yellow flowers, salted honey, crushed flower stems, vase water, clay, ointments, putty and tea tree oil. Treads that lovely line between mechanical and rustic with this mineral and waxy profile that brings in medical stuff, garages and toolbox vibes along with it. With water: retains this wonderful fatness and richness in the mouth. Honey mixed with olive oil with a tang of seawater and filtered through sheep wool. I’d also add more clay, ink and shoe polish into the mix. Finish: good length, with a little white stone and exotic fruit hints in the aftertaste, more medicine and cooking oils too. Comments: it’s also a whisky that makes me think of older Oban bottlings too, in the sense that this is powerful, hugely characterful but rather challenging west highland style malt whisky - a profile that’s extremely scarce these days. But we shouldn’t get too hung up on comparing this to other distilleries. Glenlochy is, or sadly rather was, Glenlochy, and it remains one of the distilleries whose loss was a greater shame than most in my view. Another wonderful example.
SGP: 472 - 92 points. |
|
|
 |
Dallas Dhu 43 yo 1979/2023 (54.1%, Gordon & MacPhail ‘Private Collection’, cask #1404, refill hogshead, 155 bottles)
I think we can still count Dallas Dhu as ‘closed’ for the time being, despite chatter about its imminent return. Colour: deep gold. Nose: we’re in familiar ‘honeyed’ territory of these old, older style, malts. Only here it is even more narrowly focused and precisely on beeswax, pine wood, linseed furniture oil, burlap sack, cough syrup and tiny inflections of desiccated coconut, gorse flower and mead. It’s beautiful, but gives the impression of being ever so slightly closed. With water: gets nicely sappy, mentholated and displays some lovely, softer notes of sandalwood, beeswax, camphor and even touches of very old Demerara rum. Mouth: one of those whiskies where you feel it has been captured on something of a knife edge, the wood is very present, but it’s full of superb resinous and spice qualities that add to the depth of flavour and don’t just come through as dryness and tannin. Lots of exotic and various herbal teas and infusions, dried mint, eucalyptus, more cough medicine vibes, specifically darjeeling tea now, and then some nice floral touches with pressed wildflowers and dusty pollens. With water: becomes a little too astringent and woody now I would say. The flavours remain pretty marvellous, but it develops towards a very peppery and slightly tannic profile with more teaish vibes and a touch of bitterness. Finish: long, back on honeys, camphor, strong herbal teas, waxes and warming peppery notes. Comments: wonderful old whisky in many senses, and very entertaining development from nose to palate if you have a little water to hand. However, it’s hard not to feel it would have been even more luminous if bottled a few years earlier.
SGP: 561 - 89 points. |
|
|
Let’s wrap up with a sort of ‘additional sequel’ to last week’s Glen Mhor post and try two Glen Albyn. It’s a malt about which I have similar feelings to Glen Mhor, in that it could be great, but rather monolithic, austere and tough - especially from the 1970s up until closure. With that in mind, we’ll go forwards in time… |
|
|
 |
Glen Albyn 20 yo 1962/1983 (92 US proof, Cadenhead Dumpy)
Colour: pale amber. Nose: Ha! It’s what I can only describe as a 50/50 combination of ‘old Cadenhead Dumpy’ profile + pre-war malt whisky profile. Which means, lots of metal polish, huge waxes, soot, camphor and oiliness from the former, plus an almost herbal liqueurish, medicinal, earthy and dry, soft peaty quality from the latter. Add into the mix some very old-style sherry influence with this pure, perfectly drying, earthy and ruggedly salty aroma that recalls excellent VORS Oloroso. So far, I really like it. Mouth: it seems to alight exactly where it should be: late 50s/early 60s, old style highland malt from a sherry cask! Big, fat, oily-textured malt whisky full of waxes, animalistic edges, mineral oils, bone marrow, huge umami and savoury notes of mushroom powder, bouillon, Maggi and soy sauce, then more metal polish, dried herbs, aniseed, curious old ointments and deeply earthy and mulchy notes that incorporate some very fine tobaccos and humidor vibes. This restless saltiness remains very present. Finish: long, warming, peppery, with these deeper earthy notes brining dryness, more herbal liqueur qualities, more stock, marrow, camphor and wax. Comments: totally old school! A whisky to demonstrate to anyone still in doubt, that the broad characters of Scottish malt whisky have changed rather a lot over the past fifty or so years. Plenty of these old Cadenhead Dumpies are of variable quality these days, and certainly there are some old Cadenhead Glen Albyns of similar pedigree which are a bit all over the place, but this one is fits very well into that category of rugged, powerful, deeply characterful old style highland malt whisky that I unashamedly adore.
SGP: 473 - 91 points. |
|
|
 |
Glen Albyn 1975 (59.1%, Cadenhead for Oddbins, cask #3344, bottled early 1990s)
A famous series that was done for Oddbins (where I worked around 2007) and which contained some out of this work selections, but also a few rather less likely picks as well. Colour: pale gold. Nose: ruggedly salty and fat distillate-driven old school whisky. Loads of tertiary waxy and mineral notes, hugely petrolic, with notes of peppery watercress, fennel seed, honey roast parsnips, crushed aspirin and metal polish. It has this monolithic and austere side, but it also has something ‘extra’ that just elevates everything in terms of depth and power. Very impressive so far! With water: superbly peppery and oily, more camphor, sunflower oil, further notes of watercress, suet, bouillon and mineral qualities like coal and beach pebbles. Mouth: oh wow, farmyard, coal dust, lightly peated Brora (can that be a tasting note?), wood ashes, sheep wool, bike chain oil, hessian toolbox rags - one of those whiskies that seems to only make you think of flavours and things you shouldn’t really put in your mouth. Very sooty, very oily, very fatty, very peppery and very waxy. There’s also a persistent salinity about it which brings freshness and power. With water: bone dry, stunningly peppery, oily and fat, with a brittle, sharp waxiness running throughout. Another one of these old school malts that recalls top class, aged, dry white wines. Finish: very long, still on peppery and dry waxy qualities, but adding in some traces of dried out, crystallised old honey, ink, shoe polish, more sooty vibes and more sheep wool. Comments: a total beast! Really in keeping with the theme of this old white label series, which seems to have been ‘massive fucking whiskies’. Anyway, this clearly demonstrates that old Invernesian ‘toughness’ while also being a terrific old school highlander at the same time. Now, you probably need to set aside about two hours to properly grapple with one dram of this…
SGP: 372 - 91 points. |
|
|
Big thanks to Phil T and to KC! |
|
|
| |
October 11, 2024 |
|
|
WF’s Little Duos, today Braeval ex-sherry |
Pernod-Ricard's Braeval, formerly Braes of Glenlivet, built in 1973 by Seagram, is not the prettiest distillery ever, but all those built in the 1970s were architecturally quite poor. The Boney Ms of distilleries. That said, the whiskies can be excellent – as you’ll tell me, all malts can be – especially those matured in good sherry casks. |
|
Braeval 13 yo 2009/2022 (55%, North Star Spirits, sherry butts, 341 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: right off the bat, there’s a whiff of metal polish and copper (pennies), along with Fanta, geranium and tomato leaves, then walnut skins and a hint of rosehip tea. Cranberries as well. Not the easiest Speysider so far, but some intriguing facets. With water: much improved, showing a lovely earthy side, dunnage, and an old PX cask vibe... Mouth (neat): rather intense, peppery and metallic, with those Fanta notes again, then bay leaves and capers. With water: again, it gets earthier. Oranges and mushrooms, honeyed pecans, but still that metallic, peppery character which gives it a bit of a rustic feel. Finish: fairly long, now leaning more towards liquorice, mint, and caramel. That’s quite nice. A bitter aftertaste lingers. Comments: a feisty little creature in your glass.
SGP:361 - 80 points. |
|
Braeval 23 yo 2000/2023 (57.9%, Whisky Age, sherry puncheon, cask #15631, 438 bottles)
These new Whisky Age labels from Taiwan are quite fun, with cats designed by artist Zhi Zhi making an appearance. Colour: gold. Nose: reminiscent of the North Star, slightly metallic and earthy, but with real oranges rather than Fanta, and a touch of pink pepper. There's also a whiff of walnut liqueur. As charming as Zhi Zhi's cats, at least for now. With water: milk chocolate infused with orange zest emerges beautifully. Mouth (neat): a lively sherry, quite peppery and almost sharp, with surprising notes of leek fondue and marrow dumplings. Some black nougat in the background too. With water: the nougat takes centre stage while the spices recede, turning the whole experience into something rather excellent. Roasted hazelnuts, chestnut honey, gianduja, toasted sesame, triple sec – all very, very good. Finish: long, mostly on chocolate and orange zest, with a hint of cinchona and walnut lingering in the aftertaste. Comments: best to keep some water handy for whiskies like this, as they can be a bit particular. Excellent stuff, but H2O is essential.
SGP: 551 – 87 points. |
| |
October 10, 2024 |
|
|
A new little 'Japan Special' session
(Or more of the best of the best of Japanese whisky) |
We had a great time with the new Yamazakis last time; for us, it was almost like a resurrection after a period dominated by soulless yet pricey NAS whiskies. In any case, today we're moving on to other distilleries, making sure to taste only 100% Japanese whisky, of course. Yeah, right... |
|
The Nikka ‘Nine Decades’ (48%, OB, 90th Anniversary Limited, premium blended whisky, 2024)
Well, this prestigious blend does set things off on the right foot, though it isn't entirely Japanese, as it contains Ben Nevis in addition to Yoichi, Miyagikyo, and a few other lesser-known distilleries. But, given that Ben Nevis is owned by Nikka and we're rather fond of Ben Nevis, there's no disappointment here. Rumour has it that the oldest component dates back to the 1940s (Yoichi 1945), meaning that the youngest would be from the 2020s (nine decades, see?). So, technically, it’s a very young whisky. But as always, it’s all about proportion and balance, isn't it? Colour: deep gold. Nose: well, they’ve inadvertently bottled a concoction of grand dark honeys—chestnut, heather, manuka, fir—enhanced with just a dash of maple syrup, fine molasses, and pine bud liqueur. Add to that beeswax, furniture polish, chestnut cream, and toffee. It's flawless in every way (and yes, do save the bees!). Mouth: a masterstroke. Rarely has a decidedly woody whisky been so delicious without relying heavily on a sherry kick. A marvellous blend of nuts, pistachios, almonds, pecans, with notes of black tea and cigar tobacco. It stays firmly within the realm of an old English club, without veering into the meaty or gamey territory found elsewhere (which we quite like too, by the way). Finish: rather long, balanced, almost fresh, with a focus on tobacco. Hints of mint and fir resin appear towards the end, followed by a note of orangettes as a final flourish. Comments: this doesn’t seem to be one of those NAS blends that merely flaunt an old component (like a cheeky 1928) but are actually quite young on average. There really is a significant amount of very old whisky in here. Oh, and save the bees!
SGP:562 - 92 points. |
That’s a strong start… Well, while we're at it… |
|
Ichiro’s ‘World Blended Malt Whisky vol.4’ (57%, OB, for The Ultimate Spirits by Rudder, 3rd fill bourbon barrel, cask #15090, 260 bottles, 2023)
Indeed, this is a true 'world' blend, not a pure Chichibu. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it's very natural and fresh, with lovely notes of morning bread, brioche, and fougasse, accompanied by just a hint of white nougat and a drop of lemon liqueur. There’s also a whisper of star anise and candied fruits, including a touch of coconut that hints at the grain. With water: becomes even more in tune with Nature, the kind that would have pleased both Rousseau and Hume. Well, quite. Some metal polish notes emerge after about 10 minutes. Mouth (neat): it's the young malt that's calling the shots here. There are touches of very malty beer, seeded bread (poppy, sesame), spelt, barley syrup, a bit of lemon, and a hint of grass. With water: delightful herbal teas, hay, barley, grist, and bread notes. Finish: though it's a 3rd fill, I do find a trace of fresh wood (snapped branch), along with a touch of smoke. Comments: an excellent blend, perhaps just a tad reserved.
SGP:351 - 85 points. |
|
Ichiro’s Malt & Grain World Blended Whisky (60%, OB, for Chichibu Matsuri 2024, refill peated barrel, cask #14841, 254 bottles, 2024)
Now, this gets a bit tricky and almost circuitous, not to mention tautological—a blend bottled, it seems, for one’s own festival (but the Scots do that all the time). Colour: white wine. Nose: not vastly different from others, a touch rounder, leaning more towards the grain, with coconut and even a hint of pineapple. Chamomile and said fougasse make an appearance. With water: flour, rainwater, sourdough, cake, and fresh herbs. The grain elements become more subdued. Mouth (neat): livelier on the palate, with lemon, fresh herbs, lime zest, and a nod to Jamaican white rum. Rather to my liking, that. With water: the lemony aspect shines beautifully, with a touch of fine green tea, the kind you savour from tiny teapots. We're not talking about pu-ehr here. Finish: of medium length, more on the side of those delicate lemon biscuits they make south of the Alps (and in Corsica too!). Comments: to be honest, I didn't detect much peat, though I must admit I wasn’t particularly hunting for it. For a young blend, it’s quite fantastic.
SGP:452 - 86 points. |
|
Chichibu 9 yo 2015/2024 ‘7even Gods of Fortune Edition 5 Fukurokuju’ (61%, OB, 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #4577, 188 bottles)
Sunglasses might be needed to fully appreciate the label (just joking, folks!). Colour: straw. Nose: the immaculate purity of a great Chichibu. Honestly, one could stop right there. Lemon, apple, clay, barley, fresh bread, and roots—all in perfect proportions. Basta cosi. With water: it becomes more herbal, more austere, chalkier, almost closing up like an oyster. Mouth (neat): I simply adore this. Fat yet zesty, soft yet spicy, with superlative citrus notes. And then there's the barley, holding it all together. With water: sublime, with a touch of honey emerging, adding kindness and softness. We could all use a bit of that, couldn’t we? Finish: long, balanced on the thread that runs from barley to honey, passing through citrus along the way. Comments: you can’t do better at 9 years old. A Chichibu that’s positively Mozartian. I know, one shouldn’t rate a whisky of this age above 90, but here we are.
SGP:561 - 91 points. |
|
Chichibu ‘On The Way 2024’ (54.5%, OB, Floor Malted, 1,200 bottles)
They’ve put together a self-blend of ex-bourbon, ex-wine, and ex-Chibidaru (probably refill Chichibu, I’d wager). I find it a bit odd to go to the trouble of using floor-malted barley only to rest some of it in wine casks, but let’s move on—they surely know what they’re doing. Colour: pale gold. Nose: much rounder than the last one, fruitier, more pastry-like, easier overall, yet still excellent. There’s a lovely, slightly earthy touch and a hint of Chardonnay—though I doubt they’ve actually used Chardonnay casks. With water: notes of bread and oatcakes, snapped branches, and fresh bark. Mouth (neat): of course, it’s very good. Fresh oak makes itself quite known, then comes apple, lemon, grey and green peppers, and twigs. With water: deliciously lively, lemony, with green apple and that familiar honeyed touch emerging. A hint of rather sweet carrot as well. Finish: long, even softer despite the presence of lemon and spices. Comments: you’re quite right, really, we should save the single casks for last.
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
|
Chichibu ‘Paris Edition 2024’ (50.5%, OB, for La Maison du Whisky, 2,484 bottles)
As always, the labels are superb, with several variations featuring iconic Parisian landmarks. In this case, it's Notre-Dame, which is nearly fully restored now. That said, this edition includes wine casks, specifically red wine. While it’s true that Paris and red wine are a classic pairing, one might still question the use of these casks for a distillery of ‘Grand Cru’ calibre. It makes sense for a distillery in the third tier of Speyside, but for one of the top 20 in the world? Colour: pale gold. Nose: thankfully, there are no overpowering notes of raspberry, crushed strawberries, or blackcurrant jelly. Instead, it’s fresh barley, pralines, brioche, raisin rolls, mild ale, pink grapefruit, celery, beetroot, and a very light smoke. With water: we enter a realm of damp earth, fallen leaves, potting soil, fresh croissants, and blueberry muffins. Mouth (neat): but of course it’s very good. Lovely bitterness, hints of bell pepper, roots, sweet breads, raisins, honey cookies… It’s even quite charming. With water: now it’s perfect. A nice vegetal smoke—almost like a garden bonfire—and a few currants. Finish: medium length, round, and ultimately quite approachable. Comments: I thought a few times that it might go off track, but it recovered with the agility of a well-driven vintage 911. You know what I mean.
SGP:651 - 89 points. |
|
Chichibu 10 yo 2013/2024 (64.4%, OB, LMDW Foundations, 2nd fill bourbon barrel, cask #3079, 140 bottles)
With this one, anything is possible. Colour: straw. Nose: illegal, streng verboten. It’s not just the high ABV, it’s also the extreme abstraction of the aroma profile, purely on fresh bread and green apple. Any simpler, and it would just be a grain of barley, but of course, we love it. With water: crushed slate, green pepper, green apple, then sublime yeasts, extraordinary fresh breads, and dazzling beers… I adore it when the raw ingredients shine through like this. Mouth (neat): (a bit apprehensive) … Absolute perfection, so simple, so obvious. Cereals, apple, earth, lemon, amen. With water: give up, it’s perfection itself, almost to the point of being boring - of course we're joking. The most perfect lemon you could imagine. Finish: long, sharp as a sword, yet as enveloping as a velvet cape (what?). Young wood, leek, green pear, asparagus, and a drop of olive oil right at the end. Comments: everything in here is beautiful, it’s like a late Matisse.
SGP:551 - 92 points. |
We still have quite a bit of Chichibu left, but I'm not sure it would hold up at this stage. We'll probably finish with a different distillery instead... |
|
Shizuoka 'Pot Still W imported barley 2024 Edition' (55.5%, OB)
From the wood-fired still, no less. We were quite enamoured with the 2022 edition, which had a certain abstract simplicity about it (WF 89). The mash bill here piques the curiosity, comprising 70% peated malt from Scotland, 20% unpeated Scottish malt, and 10% German brewing malt. And there it is, listed on Amazon Japan… must resist! Colour: pale gold. Nose: right, let’s set dramazon aside and focus. We’ve got apricots bathed in lightly salted honey, with a delicate, vegetal smokiness—garden bonfire, if you will—then fresh panettone, followed by hints of grenadine and orgeat syrup, which make it all the more approachable. With water: ashy notes appear, along with a touch of fruity glue (think of the kind from school days). Mouth (neat): significantly peatier on the palate, with a more massive presence; there’s a green, oily smoke reminiscent of capsicum, bell pepper, and very salty seaweed. It really shifts gears here. With water: it all comes together, the apricots and peaches return without the smoke diminishing one bit. Finish: long and very saline. Comments: quite the journey, this one! We’re loving Shizuoka, which seems completely unfazed by the waning novelty effect that’s caught up with so many other newer distilleries in recent years. Not all newcomers manage that, unfortunately!
SGP:655 - 89 points. |
Very soon, many more Chichibus, Shizuoka, Kanosuke, Mars, Ontake... Stay tuned! |
| |
October 9, 2024 |
|
|
Some High-Quality Scottish Blends
(Possibly a Half-Botched Tasting)
We'll try to focus on blended malts or super-blends (blended Scotch with a high malt content), as there are all sorts of them, and they're becoming more and more popular. However, we will try to try to avoid the blended malts that aren't truly blended, such as ‘teaspooned malts’. But we may well fail. Let’s see what we find... |
 |
|
Johnnie Walker 15 yo ‘Green Label’ (43%, OB, blended malt, +/-2024)
It’s been eight years since we last tasted the Green Label, but it’s always been a favourite. Long considered the Johnnie Walker of choice for malt lovers, and quite right too. Colour: pale gold. Nose: rather fresh, starting with notes of hay, malt, and honey, followed by oranges and a touch of lightly earthy, smoky tobacco. Then come ripe apples, undergrowth, mushrooms, and a gentle smoke. It’s a really lovely nose. Mouth: the 43% suits it perfectly, with the peat much more pronounced on the palate than on the nose. There’s a slightly drying touch (pepper, ashes), and a bit of earthiness. Hints of menthol, eucalyptus, even camphor, followed by more honey and chestnut purée. Very well composed by Diageo’s Mozarts, though it does fade a bit after about fifteen seconds. Finish: shorter than expected but pleasant, fresh, and rather cheerful. Honey and mint. Comments: a really good malt, and at 40-50 Euros, a strong contender for BFYB of the month. This one seems a touch peatier than older batches.
SGP:453 - 85 points. |
|
Architectonics (49%, Compass Box, Blended Malt, for LMDW, 1,200 bottles, 2024)
A blend paying homage to the Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris, where Whisky Live has been held for a few years now. It features some of Compass Box’s favourite malts, like Laphroaig and Clynelish. Colour: deep gold. Nose: complex, oily, with toasted hazelnuts to start. Then come smoked sesame, lapsang souchong, beeswax, orange peel, dandelion flower, and Ovaltine. Just a hint of juniper. Mouth: a real balancing act, with many different influences (coastal, charcoal, wax, orchard fruits), yet none overpowering the others, though it’s clearly a ‘peated’ whisky at its core. A touch of lemony liquorice too. Finish: long, with lemon, ashes, apples, and a bit of cedarwood. Hints of gentian and verbena in the aftertaste. Comments: a lovely marriage and almost a full panorama of Scotland. It does borrow some traits from Johnnie Green in my book.
SGP:554 - 87 points. |
|
The Cairn 25 yo ‘CRN57°’ (43%, OB, blended malt, LMDW, 2024)
This blended malt is offered by G&M to tide us over until the first whiskies from their new distillery, Cairn, inaugurated in 2022, are available in 2030. As they say, ‘taste tomorrow today’, which I find rather amusing. We might imagine there’s some Benromach in the mix, but that’s purely speculation. Angus absolutely loved the 30-year-old (WF 91). Colour: gold. Nose: beautiful, very Highlands, with notes of gorse, heather, roasted chestnuts, nougat, toasted almonds, and a hint of garam masala and dried figs. There’s also a breath of the forest—moss, ferns, old stumps... Ma-gni-fi-cent. Mouth: they’ve really gone all out to offer a pre-Cairn of top quality. Wonderful old Cointreau, salty touches, thyme honey, amaretti, and walnuts… It almost feels like a blend of just two highly complementary single malts, and you’d swear there’s some Benromach in there. But that’s just my guess… Finish: a gorgeous, honeyed yet firm finish. Nuts, tobacco, chestnuts, and honey. Comments: what’s even more striking is that these 43% ABV seem to be the perfect strength here. I’m not convinced 46 or 50 would have been better.
SGP:552 - 90 points. |
|
Enigma 27 yo 1997/2024 (51.8%, Cadenhead, blended malt, bourbon hogsheads, 1,140 bottles)
This series offers a bit of everything—blends, blended malts like this one, and even single malts. Colour: white wine. Nose: starts off lively, lemony, fresh, then softens a bit with macarons and a lovely cassata, alongside pipe tobacco, pinecones, and a few drops of miso. Another very charming nose. With water: the barley and malt return, along with a hint of plasticine and putty. Church candles. Mouth (neat): oh, this is very good! Pink grapefruit, tobacco, soy sauce, horseradish, salty touches… It has a curious Japanese side to it, truly. With water: oh yes! Salt, lemon, polish, grapefruit, slightly green gooseberries, wormwood… Just perfect. Finish: the same, and it lasts for a good while, then appear ripe but not too ripe quinces and mirabelles. Comments: incredibly coherent, you’d think it was a single malt, and not one of the lesser ones at that.
SGP:551 - 89 points. |
|
Big Peat’s Finest 8 yo 2016/2024 (46%, Douglas Laing, Provenance, LMDW Foundations, Jamaican Rum Finish)
All right, oops, this is a Big Peat that’s actually an Islay single malt, not a blended malt, finished for two years in Jamaican rum casks. Who hasn't dreamt of pairing Islay with Jamaica like this? And there’s no Captain Haddock on the label either. Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: of course it works. It smells a little like an East Coast malt, but with the Jamaican rum influence, it feels more like something from the South Coast. You know what I mean? Tarmac, olives, oysters, ashes, beach bonfire, lemon, Tiger Balm, and so on. Mouth: simply excellent. Lemon, metal, seawater, olives, oysters, seaweed, grey pepper, saltiness... Finish: long, very fresh, invigorating, heavily peaty, lemony, and with those olives lingering in the aftertaste. Comments: in short, the Jamaican touch seems to have added olives to the Ileach. How amusing, and excellent, but now we’re waiting for a proper trans-blend, like Islay + Jamaica + Mezcal. They could call it ‘Big Heat’.
SGP:567 - 87 points. |
|
Red Snake ‘Redneck 127’ (59.6%, Blackadder Raw Cask, bourbon, 261 bottles, 2022)
Oops, this one’s a single malt as well, peated to 20ppm. Everything about it seems improbable, but that’s exactly why we love it. Back to the roots... Oh, and 20ppm—that’s Talisker territory, isn’t it? Colour: white wine. Nose: apples, pears, violets, seaweed, and peat—plus quite a bit of ethanol. So… With water: engine oil, seawater, old boat ropes, brine, crabs, and polish… Mouth (neat): pink grapefruit, grenadine, pears, Szechuan pepper, peat, and indeed, a fair bit of ethanol. With water: strawberries and pepper? Where did that come from? And flambéed bananas… Finish: long, shifting towards citrus but with a medicinal edge as well. Bell pepper and pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: the cask seems to have been very active. What a beast this snake is.
SGP:566 - 86 points. |
One last one for the road. Let's make sure it's a blended malt... |
|
Peated Blended Malt 6 yo 2017/2023 (59.7%, Fadandel, 2nd fill oloroso sherry octave finish, cask #200000061, 69 bottles)
You’ve seen the cask number, haven’t you? Now that’s what I’d call ambition, wouldn’t you? Colour: pale gold. Nose: missed the mark again, I’m afraid. If this is a blended malt, I’m a prima ballerina at the Opera de Paris. This is pure peat, diesel fumes, tarry ropes, green apples and lemons, with a touch of ancient granite (think the nearby Kildalton Cross), fireplace ashes, and a splash of Mercurochrome. Perhaps a hint of chocolate, likely from the octave. With water: green apples, varnish, iodine tincture, and a whiff of hairspray. Mouth (neat): here comes that smoked pear and apple combo, with a bit of fir wood, followed by lemon and more iodine tincture. Grey pepper and the feeling of biting into graphite, with a sharp, pleasing bitterness. With water: this is where it shines. Old, very salty fino sherry, lemons, green walnuts, seawater, and sea urchins – the saltiest and most concentrated of all seafood. Finish: very long, very salty. Comments: top stuff, more mature than its age suggests. I’m not usually a fan of octaves, but in a 2nd fill, it can work wonders. Case in point...
SGP:567 - 88 points. |
Well, since we’re delving into the depths of young malts... |
|
Seventeen Smoky Stills 6 yo 2017/2024 (50%, Claxton’s Exploration Series, blended malt, oloroso hogshead)
The label offers up some coordinates, let’s have a peek on Google Maps… Ah, but no, those cheeky devils at Claxton’s have put their own HQ there instead! Clever lot. Well, I shan’t bother trying to work out which distilleries have cobbled together 17 stills—let’s move on, shall we? Colour: gold. Nose: cedarwood, ashes, seawater, pickle brine, tar, and brand-new tyres… With water: much the same, though the tyres really take over. Feels like you’ve wandered into a car showroom. Mouth (neat): lovely smoky lemons and brine. Nicely sharp, though quite aperitif-like—it’s one of those that stir up your appetite! With water: excellent, with a fresh burst of citrus, more ash, liquorice, tar, and a touch of seawater. Finish: very long, with a little more pepper. Those new tyres and ashy notes linger right on the finish. Comments: simply very, very good and packed with peat.
SGP:568 – 86 points. |
Alright, that's enough. This whole ‘real-fake blended malts’ business is creating a right mess. Hasta luego. |
| |
October 8, 2024 |
|
|
A wee selection of Jura whiskies of the highest quality |
|
| (VisitScotland / John Duncan) |
Remember Isle of Jura is #1 in the UK. |
|
Jura 16 yo ‘Perspective No.01’ (46.5%, OB, bourbon + oloroso, 2024)
A rather conceptual new release, with ‘labels that are never exactly the same’. Well, at least that’s what I believe I’ve understood. The finishing in oloroso casks lasted four years, so it’s more of a secondary maturation, really. Colour: light gold. Nose: very fruity, easy-going, and rather seductive, with a light muscat-like note, acacia honey, mirabelles, and apricots, followed by a touch of camphor, chlorophyll, and cane sugar. You won’t find any of that slightly ‘dirty’ Jura DNA here, but that’s not a complaint. Mouth: really very good, soft but lively, still easy-going, malty, honeyed, and full of very ripe yellow fruits, then comes the expected walnut, as you’d imagine after four years in an oloroso cask. Finish: medium length, sweet, jammy (plums), with a touch of walnut cake in the aftertaste, and a faint mustardy and smoky edge. That would be the distillate reminding us of where it comes from. Comments: a richer, sweeter Jura than many others. No denying it’s very, very well made.
SGP:641 - 86 points. |
|
Jura 1989/2023 (47%, S Spirits Shop Selection, hogshead, cask #1113, 259 bottles)
With a stunning dragon-turtle gracing the label, one wonders if it’s as representative of the liquid inside, which has had nearly 35 years to develop? Worth noting, Jura also made peated whisky in 1989… In fact, the official ‘Rare Vintage’ 1989/2019 was absolutely outstanding (WF 91). Colour: white wine. Nose: classic Jura. Flint, mustard, white flowers, leather, bark, green walnuts, crushed slate, a hint of rubber, fresh vinyl records, bitter oranges… Magnificent! Mouth: oh yes, quintessential Jura. Much drier compared to the new 16-year-old. Devil’s sauce, salt, tobacco, mustard and walnuts, soot, paraffin, wrinkled old apples, bitter oranges, even a slightly fatty oyster... Finish: medium length, with notes of tobacco, leather, walnuts, orange zest, and bitter chocolate. One can only bow in respect. Comments: a magnificent Jura. Wait, 1989 was really thirty-five years ago?
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
|
Isle of Jura 30 yo 1994/2024 (46%, Whisky Sponge, Decadent Drinks, refill hogshead, 203 bottles)
The Sponge already had a superb 1991+1994 back in 2021 (WF 91), so expectations are rather high for this one. Colour: white wine. Nose: a greasier take, more in line with a fine white wine, with notes of rhubarb, white flowers, metal polish, basalt, paraffin, and grapefruit. In short, it’s an awesomely classic Jura nose, leaning slightly towards the old-school style. Mouth: peppery, earthy, with coal dust, paraffin, that childhood memory of eating modelling clay, a touch of plaster, honeycomb, grapefruit, and a hint of banana. Everything’s just spot on. Finish: very long, with a fantastic bitterness, orange peel, green pepper, tobacco, and aged mead… Comments: I feel like these incredible old Juras fly a bit under the radar, yet they’re absolutely magnificent, offering a deep and complex aromatic experience. I see from some old notes that I’ve compared them to St. Magdalene before. Yes, that’s exactly it (self-congratulation, there’s nothing worse, S.)
SGP:462 - 91 points. |
Alright, let's finish with some younger ones… |
|
Jura 16 yo 2006/2023 (54.2%, Whisky Age, cask #8001643, barrel, 214 bottles)
This one should be rather good too. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s a bit like the Sponge, but younger and a tad less complex, yet with these lovely notes of aubergine and artichoke, banana skin, porridge, soot, a touch of mustard again, grapefruit, and a few drops of bière de garde. Absolutely nothing to do with the new official 16-year-old, opposite style. With water: a lovely abundance of wet chalk and porridge, with a bit of eucalyptus thrown in. It almost feels like a Trappist whisky – if such a thing were to exist. Mouth (neat): oily, with wax, green pepper, zesty notes, rubber, citrus, soot, and that slightly ‘dirty’ side of a ‘real’ Jura. With water: excellent, with some menthol emerging. Touches of old walnuts that have been left down in the cellar, right between the coal pile and the oil tank. Finish: long, on green apple, paraffin, green pepper, and fruit peelings. A hint of heather honey and a grain of salt in the aftertaste. Comments: a marvellous Jura, very ‘Jura’ indeed (no kidding, S.?).
SGP:562 - 89 points. |
|
Isle of Jura 10 yo 2014/2024 (55.6%, Maltbarn, bourbon cask, 263 bottles)
From Maltbarn's latest series, with their always delightful contemporary neo-retro-futurist labels (what?). Colour: straw. Nose: the distillate shines through, with its fermentary character, alongside chalk, mustard, green apple, soot, paraffin, and leather… nothing to complain about! With water: similar, but now with more basalt and a distinct limestone quality, like wet limestone after a rain shower. Mouth (neat): very lively, bursting with lemon, almost like concentrated lemon juice mixed with a splash of seawater and clay. With water: pretty much the same, excellent, with that marvellous saline quality that once again reminds us of a cracking manzanilla. All we need now is a mountain of langostinos con ajo. Finish: long and seriously salty, with just a hint of garlic in the aftertaste. Comments: how lovely is this at only ten years!
SGP:462 - 88 points. |
Like its cousin Fettercairn, Jura is consistently gaining points on WF at the moment… This also demonstrates, in both cases and once more, how independent bottlers can contribute to strengthening the image of a distillery, provided they are allowed to attribute their whiskies to said distillery. |
Check the index of all Jura we've tasted so far |
| |
October 7, 2024 |
|
|
A small trio of Glenmorangie
Today, we have two relatively new releases from the giraffe park in Tain, Ross-shire, and a small independent bottling that isn't all that secret. A quick question, by the way: if the giraffe is the emblem of Glenmorangie, thanks to its famous long-necked stills, what would be the mascot of Ardbeg? The hippopotamus?
(Glenmorangie) |
 |
|
Glenmorangie ‘A Tale of Ice Cream’ (46%, OB, 2024)
I rather enjoyed the ‘Tale of Cake’ (WF 85) and found the ‘Tale of Tokyo’ (WF 88) even more to my taste, but this one comes with the note that it was ‘aged in high vanillin and bourbon casks.’ High-vanillin casks, you say? Well, more seriously, it seems that it’s a specific toasting method that enhances the vanillin content produced by American oak. So, after chocolate malt, here’s vanilla casks. Colour: gold. Nose: I’m mainly getting green tea and coconut, layered over hazelnut cake and some Streusel. You could argue that Streusel could also come filled with vanilla cream. There’s a youthful edge, but the oak knows its place. Mouth: it’s got a bit more bite to it, with a slightly green tannic quality that brings the green tea to the forefront again, followed by spices—cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg—and a touch of slightly rough peach skin. Finally, some freshly pressed oranges with a hint of saffron. Finish: medium length, with a bit of green oak. Bitter oranges linger on the aftertaste. Comments: I think I might have missed that famous high-vanillin, and the ice cream even more so. Still, I find it quite enjoyable, though I believe I preferred the earlier ‘Tale’ releases.
SGP:551 - 82 points. |
|
Glenmorangie 16 yo ‘The Nectar’ (46%, OB, bourbon and sweet white wine casks, +/-2024)
We’ve had the pleasure of trying the ‘Nectar d’Or’ in both its NAS and 12-year-old versions, both of which were finished in Sauternes casks. This new 16-year-old has been finished for two years in a medley of sweet wines, including Sauternes, Monbazillac, Moscatel, and Tokaji. It’s interesting to note the recent trend of age statements being pushed upwards, as we’ve seen with the 10-year-old becoming a 12. Colour: light gold. Nose: I find it quite similar to ‘A Tale of the Forest’, just a tad rounder, with more focus on apricots and maple syrup. You’ll notice this difference only grows as the seconds and minutes tick by. Mouth: really sweet, but with some green spices in the background. Up front, we’ve got candied citron, bergamot, and a rather sugary apple juice. So, we’re not straying too deeply into the winey side of things. Finish: medium in length, leaning towards spiced honey with cloves, star anise, ginger, and turmeric. The muscat-like notes amusingly make a late appearance, mingling with a bit of fudge. Comments: this is genuinely lovely. I forgot to mention the rose jelly and soft liquorice in the finish.
SGP: 651 - 85 points. |
|
Westport 26 yo 1997/2023 (47.1%, Oxhead Whisky Company for Shelter, hogshead, cask #3301, 183 bottles)
We remember that Westport is the trade name for Glenmorangie that's been ‘teaspooned’, supposedly with a drop of Glen Moray, though Glen Moray was sold to La Martiniquaise back in 2008. One could wonder if they might teaspoon with Ardbeg instead, but surely we’d notice that, wouldn’t we? Colour: straw. Nose: a stunning nose, reminiscent of some official single cask ‘private’ bottlings, with top-notch citrus at the forefront—think pink grapefruit and even blood oranges. There are also hints of blond tobacco, some sweet Loire wine, Chenin Blanc, linden honey, freshly baked blueberry muffins, and artisanal crème de cassis. Absolutely splendid—fresh, lively, and almost refreshing. Mouth: remarkable tension for its age, with fresh mint, green wood, lemon, grapefruit, and once again a touch of cassis. You might even detect a subtle saline note. Finish: medium in length, evoking iced peach tea and still loaded with citrus. The aftertaste turns more herbal, like well-brewed green tea. Comments: the nose is magnificent, though the palate is slightly more restrained, but isn’t that often the way?
SGP: 561 - 87 points. |
Previous entries
(archived)
|
|
| |
|
|
