The Catch-Up session


June 7, 2021

The vicarious Feis Ile sessions
The Catch-Up session

Celebrating Islay and Feis Ile from Whisky Fun Towers, with carefully selected whiskies from most distilleries, while we're all dreaming of 2022...

Just a wee bunch of Islay whiskies that came in after their respective Open Days. It's been a good week, even if we may have exaggerated here and there, but that's also how we used to do it when going to Feis with friends. We were always bringing hundreds of whiskies with us because, remember, any drinks taste better when you're on location, and even better when you share them with friends. But we'll be back in flesh, I just hope it won't become too troublesome to bring back Scotch whisky to the UK after Brexit…

Bruichladdich 14 yo 2007/2021 (50.4%, Fisherman's Retreat, Rivesaltes Wine Cask and Yalumba finish, 50cl)

Ex-wine cask Laddie finished in a wine cask? How very Bruichladdichian! Now remember Rivesaltes is fortified, let's say it's akin to some lighter PX sherry of some sorts… As for Yalumba, it is in the Barossa valley, South Australia. Colour: dark gold. Nose: I'm immediately reminded of some warehouse tastings during Feis, with Jim McEwan and the lovely songs of Robin Laing. You do feel the wine a lot, but integration's been well mastered while you wouldn't quite get any sour grapiness, lees, or any dirty-ish wines. I'm finding raisins, banana cake, dried apricots, orange cake, these sorts of things. Oh and before you ask, no sulphur this far. With water: same. Nice roundness, apricots, mirabelle liqueur, sweet pinot gris, tangerine liqueur, sultanas… This is really very nice, even if the Laddie's 'Atlantic freshness' may have been lost a wee bit. Mouth (neat): a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy. Jaffa cakes with some pepper, chlorophyl, cherry stem tea, cinnamon, cake… Something a little gritty. With water: much nicer with water, rather on fruitcake, pear eau-de-vie, chamomile… And the oak behaved. Finish: rather long, grassier and leafier, as almost always. Cakes again in the aftertaste, plus a little bitter liquorice. Comments: I like it much, much better than I would have thought. I mean, double wine, imagine!
SGP:651 - 85 points.

Caol Ila 13 yo 2007/2021 (51%, Les Grands Alambics, Birds Series, hogshead)

What would the most honourable bottlers of whisky or rum do without birds? I think Moon Import really started something, back in the days… Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: typical lemon juice, oyster juice, antiseptic and disinfectant, with wee bit of vanilla fudge and drops of menthol essence. Pristine. With water: as usual, gears rather toward wool and chalk. The menthol seems to be a tad louder than in other CIs but there, I love menthol. Mouth (neat): excellent, fresh, playful, smoky, lemony, salty… Perhaps a tad sweeter than others? Jellybeans? Jell-O? Someone should make some Caol Ila Jell-O one day, that would be a hit. Some powder, some water, et voilà. With water: oh, a little eucalyptus, toothpaste, some green olives… Finish: rather, rather lovely. Part of those young Caol Ilas that are rather more medicinal, and smokier as well, or am I dreaming? Comments: perfect whisky. Sure Caol Ila could get more complex, but for that to really happen it needs to reach, say the age of 30. Or 40. Or benefit from some very long bottle-aging. No, excellent.
SGP:457 - 88 points.

Caol Ila 12 yo (56.6%, OB, Feis Ile 2021, high-char Moscatel finish, 3000 bottles, 2021)

Some high-char Moscatel finish, excuse me but isn't that a little 'LOL'? Well maybe not, if they've charred them after they had been Moscatelised (!), Dr-Jim-Swan style. I suppose that's what they've been doing, Moscatel-STR. Colour: light gold. Nose: it's that Caol Ila's such a pristine distillate that it could take just anything and walk out proud. What I'm trying to say is that this is Caol Ila, not Moscatel – which was not always the case, say 15 years ago. We've got a plateful of olives and oysters in front of us. Buon appetito (S., that's Italian, not Spanish). With water: lemons, crushed oyster shells (some people use that as a fertiliser), a touch of camphor… Mouth (neat): good fun, with a Moscatel that's very obvious this time, without being too cloying. Remember, Moscatel is for old ladies. So, well, we've got smoked muscat here, with some lime, pineapples and rose jelly... With water: some kind of balance has been kept but it would tend to get a tad sweetish, to be honest. Plantation Caol Ila. Finish: medium, sweet. Pineapples, brine, smoked salmon. Comments: an extremely interesting, and good proposition, very well made, but I'm really fond of Caol Ila al natural, so this feels to me like if someone had decided to repaint a Botticelli. Quite.
SGP:646 - 82 points.

This is becoming winefun, no?

Caol Ila 2011/2021 (61.9%, The Single Malts of Scotland for USA, cask #300162)

I've seen this one nowhere yet but I just couldn't wait, given that Elixir are masters of Caol Ila (and Clynelish, Ardmore, Linkwood, Imperial, Buckfast, Pol Roger…) Colour: white wine. Nose: burnt tyres, anyone? London, murder attempt on poor whisky blogger, that'll cost you! I'm just hesitating between a Pirelli and a Michelin. With water: oh, interesting, white asparagus, retsina, eggplants, coal tar, oysters… Mouth (neat): totally huge. More tyres, salt, eating candles, lemons with salt… Well, let this dry out, you'll find 5 grams of salt in your copita the next morning. With water: it keeps kicking you in your teeth. Hard to tame but that's part of its charms. Finish: very long, ueber-salty. Comments: remember those old stories about workers rolling barrels of Bowmore in the loch, from the pier to the puffers? Wondering if they don't do the same at CI while no one's watching. In theory, there's no salt in whisky, In practice, this is extremely salty (and tarry!) Love it.
SGP:367 - 88 points.

Lagavulin 13 yo (54.4%, OB, Feis Ile 2021, Port seasoned finish, 6000 bottles, 2021)

It is interesting that they would issue some flavoured Lagavulin for Feis. Port seasoned? At least they tell you so and would not pretend to some proper Port pipes, but it is well a flavouring process. Season wood, which in turn will season the whisky. And presto. Colour: pale gold. That's good news, it's not pink. Nose: it's a softer, rounder Lagavulin, with indeed these whiffs of latex that are also to be found in the 16, some embrocations, tea, then rather blood oranges in the background, perhaps a little cassis but I may be dreaming… With water: I have to agree there's no Portness here. Where did the Port go? Mouth (neat): of course they do it right. What's troubling is that this would be a very citrusy Lagavulin, which is rather unseen in my book. I'm afraid I like this a lot, even if it's unnatural Lagavulin. Sometimes, there's nothing you can do, you have to keep pace with 'progress'. With water: I'm afraid this is very good. Good salt and a feeling of circa 2010 Lagavulin 16. Finish: it's like mortadella, I'm wondering if they should really tell us how they make them. Comments: as they say, if they've changed the sacred cow, it was not a sacred cow. But I've tried my best to fight this odd bottling and I just fell for it. Bravo to the new(ish) French manager! Even if we keep missing Georgie who's flown to Port Ellen. Well, walked…
SGP:467 - 89 points.

Laphroaig 12 yo 2006/2018 (50%, Hunter Laing, Old Malt Cask for Ardnahoe Distillery Shop, refill sherry butt, cask #HL 14745)

I agree this is not new, but it just came in. Sometimes the ways of UPS are just mysterious… Colour: gold. Nose: it's a rather narrow, focused, compact Laphroaig, with some lemon marmalade, plasticine and gauze. Some metal polish too. Love this, I suppose it'll just explode with water… With water: oh awesome, new leather in a new car, new engine oil, more plasticine and polishes, perhaps a drop of roasted sesame oil… Mouth (neat): brilliant. Very fat Laphroaig, with once again a lot of plasticine, fish oil, grapefruit juice, also some roots and earth, pretty much mezcal-style. Right up my alley. With water: there, sardines, anchovies, brine, what we call anchoïade, or even aioli… … Finish: long, on kippers and any other fat, smoky and salty fish. Comments: don't ask for fruits, there weren't many but this was pretty glorious. Epic, epic and glorious. But did they throw herrings into the wash stills?
SGP:257 - 90 points.

A last one, perhaps…

Lp12 2014/2021 (54.7%, Elixir Distillers 'Elements Of Islay', sherry hogsheads, 1672 bottles)

Angus had tried this one the other day and came up with a moderate score (WF 84), which piqued my curiosity… Colour: straw. Nose: burnt butter and toasted bread, sour wines, burnt papers, ashtray… I agree this is a little bizarre, and at least a little jumbled. Burnt raisins… In Laphroaig? With water: teas, silverware, clams. I agree. Mouth (neat): not bad at all but a little eau-de-vie-ish and clearly too young. Kirschwasser blended with seawater, perhaps not the best idea ever. With water: better for sure but when you're a whisky and when you're young, better be high-definition, which is not quite the case here. Sour and burnt here and there. Finish: medium, herbal and rather sour and metallic. Comments: let's not exaggerate, this is still solid Laphroaig, but it was probably too young. I agree with Angus. And not sure those sherry hogsheads could do much.
SGP:457 - 83 points.

Oh hell, as we won't do any Islays before… at least June 20…

Kilchoman 13 yo 2007/2021 (53.9%, OB for The Whisky Exchange, cask #197, bourbon, 204 bottles) All Kilchomans we've tried the other day have been either very good, or just perfect. Even the PXs, mind you. I know we get a little catty sometimes, but let's be honest, what Kilchoman have achieved within just 15 years (roughly) is impressive. Colour: light gold. Nose: eh, touches of plastic and new iPhone, that was not planned. Well well well… With water: metal polishes and new shoes, new sneakers, fake Hi-Fi devices, any forged items bought from Wish or Vova (those junk operations that will make anyone serious puke for hours till definitive death). Oh and bisphenol. Mouth (neat): bizarre. Banana wine, plasticine, marzipan… With water: metallic fruits and sour fruit juices. Linseed oil, carbon dust, gherkins from Aldi's… Hello? Finish: medium, a tad stale, cardboardy and questionable. Comments: most certainly a wrecked sample. A good tip when you do samples as a taster, anything bizarrely and unexpectedly metallic and /or plastic-like? Just drop it, you might just be tasting the cap. I wouldn't have published this but I'm keeping this note as a warning, for the cause. SGP: no/no/no – (no score) points. (please refer to Angus's note for this otherwise wonderful Kilchoman!)

Sometimes more is less. Pace e salute!