Tastes

Nose: Smoke and peat, pine resin. Light floral and fruity notes way down deep. It’s a somehow distant, very dry and ethereal nose. Palate: Taken neat the arrival is dry and spicy, then there is an intense alcohol heat. Suddenly the development springs from nowhere with an explosion of fruity flavours – grapefruit, lemon, pineapple, cranberries, goji berries – but then it fades just as quickly as it appeared. One of the most fleeting developments I’ve ever tasted. There is a subtle background smokiness throughout. Finish: Medium, a lingering astringent and hot sweetness with some oak tannin. The aromas and flavours of this whisky are reserved, distant and locked up tight as a drum by the high alcohol level. It has a fruity and lightly smoky character overall, but the fruitiness is dry rather than sweet. When taken neat it’s most enjoyable 5 minutes after finishing the dram, when the palate has relaxed and overcome the alcohol shock and the after-echoes of the whisky reveal its full character. When diluted down to under 50% it is much more approachable, but there is a fine line between taming the high abv and washing out the delicate character. If adding water do so very slowly, drop by drop, and allow it to sit and recover for 10 minutes. A curious malt that is almost but not quite immensely satisfying. I can’t help but feel that it was bottled at far too high a strength for such a delicate and subtle whisky and I prefer the non-cask strength Machrie Moor expressions. They seem more balanced and complete. It's also one of the most natural presentations of a whisky I've ever encountered. Add a couple of drops of water and within moments a thick mist arises in the spirit - it must be seething with heavy oils and has only had the most cursory of filtrations. Yay! “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

* Review transferred from the general listing for Bowmore Tempest. This is a batch release series. The batches have been very different, and each should have its own listing. Nose (neat): Fresh cereal and sweet / bittersweet citrus fruits - tangello, sherbet lemon, mandarin. A very strong scent of grapefruit. Oily floral notes and a lot of brine. A glimpse of smoke. Nose (with water): As above but tempered by a sweet cloud that increases over time. It even develops a hint of Laphroaig hospital bandages. Palate (neat): Gripping, very salty and astringent - so intensely dry it puckers the mouth. A hot spicy of black pepper in the development. Very sharp and tangy - it quivers with energy like a rattlesnake. This palate is very powerful - honestly, it makes Corryvrecken taste gentle and laid-back. The texture is oily but very dry. Palate (with water): A strong and assertive peatiness emerges, with the salt and pepper now happening at the back of the tongue and some ginger and hard salt licorice emerging. Chewing tobacco, pine resin. Over a very long time some sweetness emerges. Finish: Long. Spicy, smoky and briny. Adding water calms the finish slightly but does not shorten it or change the profile. I loved this whisky but it is not one I’d pour for a beginner. Give this to a neophyte, particularly neat, and I guarantee they will spit it out and be alienated from scotch whisky forever. However, if you are used to salty-citrus cask-strength whisky with a dry profile you will find this to be a most characterful, uncompromising and satisfying dram. It is one of those very forward whiskies that must be diluted in order to appreciate. Don't try to tough it out on principle because water is absolutely necessary to unleash the aromas and flavours that are otherwise locked up tight by the alcohol. Taste this only neat and you are missing half the experience. This is the spiciest and most powerful Tempest ever, and it's the first Bowmore I've tasted for a long time that has really engaged me, but I wouldn't drink it as a relaxing nightcap! This batch really deserves the name "Tempest" - it's a roaring, devastating typhoon with a smoky, marine and woody character. "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)

Japanese whisky tasting evening, Sydney 28 March 18, Whisky #6. Nose: Berry scented bubblegum or gummy sweets (or jelly babies). A soft licorice aroma that morphs into a charred smoky note. Palate: Soft and richly elegant arrival, red fruits, orchard fruits, sweet mulled red wine, berries, hazelnuts and almonds, a slight coconut note. Milk chocolate and some well-handled and subtle oak tannins. Finish: Medium/long. Sweet grains and berries. A touch of mild anise, nutmeg and allspice. The nose on this is instantly attention grabbing – but in a good way? I’m not sure. It is intensely berry-driven to the point of almost being a parody of a wine-finish nose. It’s so overwhelming I nearly laughed out loud at the first sniff. The palate was, for me, better than the nose. It’s more subtle and the sweet fruity flavours are balanced by nutty cocoa. It’s so confectionery it almost veers towards tasting like a bar of fruit and nut milk chocolate, but the slight oaky presence saves it from going too far and introduces a touch of spice just in time. Water just softens it but brings out nothing new. An interesting vatted whisky rather than a really good one. In comparison to the grain and blended whiskies we had tasted previously in the evening it was clearly a superior dram, but then they brought out the Yamazaki 12 and it was immediately eclipsed. I’d still recommend this as an experiment – it’s certainly worth a taste - but I wouldn’t buy a bottle as it is quite expensive. It costs the same as Yamazaki 12, but it is nowhere near as good. A hard one to rate. It’s right on the border between “good” and “very good”. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Japanese whisky tasting evening, Sydney 28 March 18, Whisky #3. Nose: Lightly fragrant with a floral character just covering a base of good quality ethanol. Reasonably full and rounded for a blended whisky. A light touch of peat smoke. Palate: Sweet arrival, followed very quickly by a smoky development. Cereal flavours and a touch of salt. Not a particularly complex palate. Finish: Short. The lightly salted cereal continues together with a hint of smoke. The nose has a gentle smoky touch (less than 10ppm probably). A drop of water enhances this and brings out more body and texture overall. In some ways this was oddly reminiscent of Bruichladdich Classic Laddie. That same gristy character with a floral overtone, but this is not as “dusky” as the Laddie. It’s un-chillfiltered and natural colour, which is all good. This was the first time I’d heard of this distillery. Apparently they are also sake brewers but have been making whisky since 1953, mainly under the “Sunshine” brand. As I understand it they are looking to expand further into whisky production. This expression incorporates a Scottish component, but exactly how is a bit confusing. The local distributor says they use imported Scottish lightly peated barley for the production (or part of it), however an online source says that this is a blend of Wakatsuru malt and Scottish grain whisky. Enjoyable whisky, but it doesn't really stand out from the crowd. "Above Average" : 80/100 (3 stars)

Nose: Strong peppery wood smoke, like the aftermath of a bushfire rather than mellow peat smoke. A softer peat gradually emerges through the haze together with a powerful winey note. These dominant aromas tend to swamp the nose. Palate: Dense smoke, blazing hot white pepper and ginger, dusty dark chocolate, peat, fortified wine, raisins, prunes. A little harsh and hard. Finish: Medium. Lingering smoke, wine and dry dark chocolate. It’s not likely that you’ll still find this anywhere, so this review is more for historical interest. In 2011 Kilchoman filled 17 first-fill ex-madeira casks as an experiment. I bought my bottle in 2016, which is the year after I believe it was bottled, so it had spent 4 years in very active and strongly-seasoned oak. That’s a lot of time for the residual fortified wine and some cask elements to be absorbed, but hardly any time for serious maturation of the spirit. I can’t help but feel that it would have worked better to give the whisky 4 years in good bourbon casks and then half a year of finishing in the madeira wood. Not surprisingly it gave me the impression of being undeveloped and awkward – a fresh young whisky covered with a dense blanketing layer of wood smoke and thick wine, but everything being disjointed, argumentative and restless. The heavy smoke seemed to improve with oxidization but it never achieved a really cohesive state with the wine element. In the end this whisky came across as a failed experiment and it’s not surprising that they have not repeated it since. At $180 it was also quite expensive. Kilchoman (who produce some whiskies that I particularly like) have since gone on to perfect their strategy with both Loch Gorm and Sanaig which are far more subtle and evolved products – buy one of those and don’t bother searching out this old Madeira expression. You’ll occasionally see a positive review but even for collectors I wouldn’t recommend it. "Adequate” : 73/100 (2.25 stars)

Nose: Malted grain and stone fruits (peaches, apricots). A faint hint of banana and some white grape juice. There’s a crisp maritime air about it but it’s not a briny malt. A bright and enveloping nose that is on the light side, slightly sweet and full, and very elegant. Palate: Cereal and fruity arrival, but like the nose it is crisp and dry rather than sweet. Some bright barley sugar notes. Spirit driven and lean – a dry bourbon cask maturation. Some bright, hot spices and an increasingly malty character as it develops. Finish: Medium, with lingering barley notes and just a touch of oak. Signatory must have invested in quite a few casks of Clynelish back in the mid 1990s because it’s not difficult to pick up bottlings from them of 16-23 year old Clynelish in both the Unchillfiltered and Cask Strength ranges. This particular one is a very nice presentation of the distillery’s profile and I enjoyed the all-bourbon cask maturation very much. Clynelish is a crisp waxy whisky with lots of subtle sweet and herby characteristics and bourbon maturation really plays to its strengths. This one is a sophisticated and slightly dry whisky that develops nicely in the glass and rewards patient tasting. A drop of water enhances its background sweetness to good effect. In comparison to the standard 14 year old distillery bottling (which is very good) this is drier and more elegant, and makes the younger expression seem a touch sweet and heavy. It also has a much lighter and more lifted finish. Recommended, if you can find it. “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars)