Tastes

Nose: Sherry-infused oak, coal tar, phenolic ash, red grapes, fruit and nut chocolate, beef bouillon, a trace of camphor wood and wintergreen. Reduction diminishes the wood presence but brings forward winey notes without changing the phenol profile. Palate: The arrival is sweet with plenty of charred-oak presence and some tangy tannic spice. Wood smoke emerges almost immediately from the oak together with honey-glazed ham, Toscana cigars, charred steak, plums, red berries, black cherries, a little brine and espresso. The texture is pleasantly oily. Reduction does not make a great change apart from amplifying the spicy notes and introducing a bitter edge to the black coffee note. Finish: Medium/Long. The sweet oiliness of the initial palate turns satisfyingly dry in the finish with the tobacco and smoke gaining earthy dimensions. There’s a little pepper but the lingering taste is sweet and smoky. Adding water does not change the length very much, and does not change the phenolic presence. The nose is notably light with regard to the medicinal/iodine note that is a signature of Laphroaig. It is there but the sherry casks hide it to a large degree. Not that this is a fault, as you could just as reasonably say the casks are balancing out a part of the profile that is usually over-emphasised. The profile is definitely sweeter than the standard 10 year old but it also has more depth and roundness. The sherry casks are apparent right from the first nosing. The strength is one of the outstanding aspects of this whisky as it is perfectly suited to the combination of Laphroaig's medicinal smoke and sweet sherry oak, this triad of key qualities existing in precise balance. The blenders got this one absolutely correct and it does make me wish (as always) that the core-range 10 year old was bottled at 46%. This is an excellent alternative take on Laphroaig and it reminds me a lot of Laphroaig PX from a few years back when it was only available as a TRE purchase. The price is also very fair and I’m pleased that this appears to be part of the new core range. When it was originally released this was called “Sherry Oak Finish” and was packaged in a cardboard cylinder with metal base and cap. Now it is now shipped in a cardboard box and the name has changed to “Sherry Oak Cask Finish”. I do not know whether the change in name has any significance but I’m going to assume that it is the same product as before with just a change in livery and labeling. This is a punchy modern style of scotch whisky but it is very well composed and balanced. It also does not change much over time. The bottle that I’m tasting now has been open for 10 weeks and is about half full but there has been little change. Some of the initial bright berry notes have faded a little, I think, but it has also softened and relaxed. The pleasantly pungent presence of very good sherry oak is absolutely still there and it is one of the best qualities of this dram. Recommended, I’ve already bought a second bottle. “Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars)

Nose: Sweet mescal-like smokiness, honey-cured ham, brine, lemon, white grape juice, toffee, vanilla (just a dash) and barley sugar. Reduction changes the nose by dialing down the intensity (of course) but it also melds everything into a single warm, comforting presence. It does simplify the story, but in a delightful way. Palate: The arrival is sweet and smoky with plush stone fruits (apricot, white peach), citrus (lemon, red grapefruit, citrine) and dried grapes (sultanas, raisins). The smoke note persists throughout the palate but gains complexity as it progresses with coal smoke, wood smoke, ashes and tarry triple-salt licorice all making an entrance. Honey and melon flavours appear towards the finish. There is a thread of vanilla sewing this palate together and providing moderating balance between the smoke and citrus components, but it is so well done you can miss it at first. The texture is velvety and plush. Like the nose, reduction reduces the intensity but evolves a delicious combination of flavours from all the ingredients. Finish: Medium/Long. Sweet, fruity smoke with grapefruit and honeyed-herbal notes in the aftertaste. An excellent whisky that is a masterclass in how to effectively use sauternes casks for whisky maturation. Allowing a full 13 years for half of this whisky to interact with fine sauternes wood (I bet they were ex-Château d'Yquem casks) has imbued it with singular depth and richness. This could easily have been a disastrous overload of wine-influence but blending this spirit with an equal quantity of bourbon-cask matured spirit (refill casks I betcha) has made the perfect marriage. Excellent balance and integration is the key to this whisky with no one aspect of its multi-faceted profile being allowed to dominate. It is delicious neat but it also responds very well to reduction. It is no longer available in my market except through auctions and considering the price (which I thought was very fair) I wish I had bought two bottles in the first place. No, come to think of it I wish I had bought a case. A great contemporary Ardbeg (are “great” and “Ardbeg” synonyms?). “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

Nose: Fresh barley grist, brandy, apple eau-de-vie, cider vinegar. The nose is more maritime than smoky and has a sweet, winey edge. There is an herbal, grassy note as well which becomes more obvious over time and with reduction. Palate: It has a good deal of pleasant, soft smoke right from the start and this builds in intensity as it moves into development and on to the finish. It's sweet and a little spicy with emerging stone fruits, marmalade and citrus peel (grapefruit, orange). There is a salty maritime quality to the palate just like the nose. The texture is full but not oily. Finish: Medium/Long. Brine, marmalade and lingering smoke. This is an interesting whisky that I initially hated but which I have come to appreciate over time. On first opening it seemed very brash, sour and bitter. In fact I opened it to pour for a tasting event but decided not to use it after taking a test sip. I’ve been slowly working my way through the bottle over the last two months and now it is down to about half full it has lost the sharp edges and gained poise. Both nose and palate are straightforward. I would not call this a particularly complex whisky but it presents a pleasant, balanced profile that has retained a fresh, crisp quality while gaining depth over time. As you get used to it you do sense that it is all about a simple marriage of barley and good cognac cask, and it's refreshing in that simplicity. It is also best without reduction as adding water makes this whisky drift in a homogenous, generic direction. It’s not horrible when watered, and it does gain some sweetness to balance the briny qualities, but it’s better neat. It’s a good whisky that is worth trying if you find it for a reasonable price, and particularly if you are a Kilchoman fan. However I would not urge anyone to actively seek it out and if you have a bottle in your stash it’s one to open soon rather than saving it for a special occasion. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Nose: Preserved and dried fruits (figs, dates, cherries, dried apple, raisin, prune, apricot, peach). Coffee, chocolate, roasted nuts and marzipan all soaked in gallons of sweet sherry. It’s like a trifle made with plum pudding or Christmas cake instead of sponge cake. Deep syrupy honeyed aromas, golden syrup, treacle and a little sulphur. The cask is hugely apparent but it’s such a rich and luxurious whisky you just have to surrender and love it. With a little water there are aromas of mint and menthol. Palate: An eruption of sweet fruit! Tropical fruit juice concentrate, fruit salad, honey. Again there is a little sulphur but it’s trivial and just adds depth and complexity. In the development there are plums and peaches, almonds and walnuts and a lot of sweet sherry. This really does develop into a mouthful of boozy Christmas pudding. The texture is good with a pleasant weight that matches the intense flavours. Finish: Medium/Long. Sweet, lingering dark fruit and sherry. This could be criticized as being a two-dimensional whisky, what with its intense cask-dominated presence, but I think there is more going on than first meets the eye. Initially you are broadsided by a fusillade of aroma and flavor, all seemingly derived from the cask, but although the cask is unquestionably the obvious personality it is the Glenlivet spirit that is providing structure and all the excellent fruit profile. You could think of this as a very fine spirit whose characteristics are being magnified many times over by the cask while the cask adds it’s own colour in equal amount. I recently presented this at a tasting event where I placed it as the third pour on the sheet following Glenlivet Illicit Still 12, which in turn followed core-range Glenlivet 12. In this context there was a clear progression from the consumer-market whisky (coloured, chill-filtered, 40% and refill-cask matured) through to this cask-strength specimen presented in all its raw beauty, but most importantly the distinctive aroma and flavor of Glenlivet was detectable in all three drams. This is very enjoyable at its cask-strength of 56.4% but a small dash of water opens the dram very nicely, and with a little rest to recover after reduction the profile becomes easier and more enveloping, if losing a fraction in intensity. This is a wonderfully cosy night-time dram. Some people have identified a sulphur presence in this whisky but I did not find it to be objectionable, and it disappears almost completely with reduction. Sulphur is normally present in all whisky and sherry anyway and in my experience a really unpleasant sulphur taint from a bad cask is rarely encountered, and certainly not what I got here. This was a limited release (as is everything from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society) comprising 598 bottles, and it would be almost impossible to find now except through auction sites. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

Nose: Soft, rounded cereal aromas with a whiff of sea-breeze and subtle smoke. Floral grapes, red berries, farmyard, horse stall and diesel fuel but the nose does not really come alive until water is added. When neat there is an alcohol “nip” that is irritatingly distracting because it obscures the obvious wealth of rich aromas that are present. It’s like trying to listen to a great singer over a raucous bar-room crowd. Add water slowly until the alcohol intrusion disappears then give the whisky a few minutes to rest and recover. You’ll be rewarded with toffee, milk chocolate, cherries, leather, malt syrup and tobacco, all melded into a rich whole. Palate: Spicy and sweet with tangy dark citrus in the arrival. Molasses, dark cherry in the development, but just like the nose it is only after reduction that this whisky impresses. When neat it is a little raw and harsh but dilution removes that and the texture is much improved, gaining density and a velvety silkiness. The typical Longrow ashy peat is present on the palate as well, together with an umami quality that reminds me of a sauce I make for pan-fried pork that combines ginger, allspice, tamarind paste and coconut syrup. Finish: Medium. Ashen malt and sweet tobacco, burnt sugar and a little brine. If there is a failing in this whisky it is on the finish which is OK but not great. A very good Longrow Red, and even if not the very best expression of Red it’s still so far ahead of many other whiskies it’s not funny. Like other “old school” profiles (e.g. Ben Nevis and Mortlach) there is an unmistakable aroma and taste to Longrow that somehow conveys age and tradition, however vague and unlikely that may seem. This is a divisive dram with some high profile critics disliking it intensely, but for me the marriage of Longrow’s earthy, gentle peat and good red wine casks is always magic, and always worth a try. “Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars)

Nose: Apple, pear, vanilla, barley sugar, cherries, a waft of honeysuckle. Palate: Sweet and salty in the arrival like a combination of salted caramel and diluted honey. As it develops, the basket of orchard fruits that was the standout feature of the nose also shows up on the palate together with berries and rosewater. In the later palate I get a faintly bitter, grassy note but it’s not unpleasant. The texture is OK, nothing special, but it is creamier than the core-range 12 year old. Finish: Medium/Long. Orchard fruits trailing into black tea tannin, but the lingering aftertaste is mildly salty and sweet. This is immediately identifiable as Glenlivet whisky and very specifically as the standard 12 year old core-range expression turned up a notch in volume. It was 100% refill bourbon cask matured and was not chill-filtered but for some reason it was artificially coloured. My immediate question when tasting this for the first time (apart from what moron thought a special anniversary release that was otherwise purist in concept should be coloured with e150a) was "why is this not part of the core-range?". Doing so would not undermine sales of the standard 12 year old as this would definitely be more expensive, but it would earn back some street-credibility for the distillery that was lost after the release of their recent NAS horrors. Illicit Still was produced as a limited edition for the distillery's 200th anniversary and it was followed by another whisky called the "Licensed Dram” but neither expression is still available. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Octomore Series 15 Tasting, The Oak Barrel, Sydney. November 13, 2024. Whisky #5 Nose: The immediate impression is of a hot, spirity nose with an irrepressible character. This persists for a while but once the initial alcohol vapours dissipate and you can get into the nose the full beauty of the aromas is revealed. The peat is like old leather upholstery, a distant asphalt country road and the faint aroma of fragrant Turkish tobacco. Behind this are dark fruits, raspberry jam, hessian rope, marmalade, roasted nuts, malt extract and vanilla. The nose also loves water (see below). Palate: The arrival is gradual with a modest, sweet entry that is very cereal and nut focused. This sweetness transitions to a drying character with the same cereal and nut flavours gaining greater texture and definition. Over time the palate becomes almost gritty, like nutty cookie dough. Cashew butter, licorice, raspberry jubes and manuka honey appear as it develops. At the same time there is the development of considerable peat smoke. It starts off mild and demure but gradually spreads throughout the mouth gaining presence and yet remaining surprisingly delicate. The chewy cereal flavours have excellent weight and the mouth-feel is richly oily and full-bodied. Finish: Medium/Long. Dry and smoky with cereal notes fading to bittersweet coffee. 307.2ppm sounds like a monstrous amount but in reality it barely registers, particularly when the whisky is neat. Reduction does increase the smoke presence dramatically but that’s true for any high-alcohol peated whisky, and this whisky can certainly take a lot of water without any loss of balance or presence. Like the peat smoke, the interesting cereal flavours on the palate also increase as the whisky is reduced. The nose is a slow-burn experience as the alcohol has to burn off and it also needs time in the glass to unfurl. I was nosing this all through the tasting and after 90 minutes it was still developing. Adding water did absolutely no harm – in fact this whisky adores a dash of water with no plastic or rubbery notes emerging at all. The whisky I had tasted immediately before this one was the 15.2 expression. I was still so seduced by its beautiful wine-cask influenced profile and its uncanny ability to contain its alcohol presence that initially I decided this 15.3 expression was my second favourite whisky of the evening. This whisky seemed hot and difficult to penetrate at first, but then with time to explore both I realised just how elegant this expression really is and decided that it was my favourite. Even at the relatively high price I would highly recommend this whisky. It’s in the same league as the old 5.1 expression and almost equal to the 10 year old 2nd Edition. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars)