Tastes

Amber Lane tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 8 June 2022. Whisky #1 Nose: Soft, slightly dusty cereal. Very fragrant with honeycomb and vanilla blossom notes. With the addition of water, caramel and a heavier vanilla extract aroma are noticeable. Palate: The arrival is sweet, brightly fruity and grain focused (apple turnover, lemon cheesecake) with some hot spicy ginger in support. The development is short with not a great deal more appearing although with repeated tastes you notice toffee and caramel eclairs. The texture is good but not outstanding. Finish: Medium. Spicy sweet, a tinge of hot ginger. Amber Lane is a young distillery located in the Yarramalong Valley of New South Wales, mid way between Sydney and Newcastle. The distillery was founded by Rod Berry and Phil Townsend in 2017 and has had its first festival and event tastings this year (2022). Amberosia (that’s not a spelling error, the name is a play on words) was their first expression and is fully matured in ex-Heaven Hill bourbon casks. The distillery is not set up for mashing at the moment so the wash is made to their specifications by a local brewery using a mixture of toasted and un-toasted malts. This is a good first product and the only criticisms I would make are that it has an overall simplicity of profile and lacks both body and progression. The nose and palate start very well but then don’t really go anywhere. It was matured for 4 years, which is twice as long as most Australian whisky, and while it definitely shows the benefit of longer casking it also presents as a very young whisky. Still, it’s a great start for the distillery and was a wisely chosen first whisky for the evening’s tasting. The following three whiskies were better but the distillery character that is most clearly shown here was still detectable in their more sherried whiskies. “Above Average” : 80/100 (3 stars)

“Diageo Special Releases 2021” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 22 June 2022. Whisky #7 Nose: Maritime peat reek on a gathering breeze, asphalt, tar, carnauba wax, creosote, iodine, vanilla, lapsang souchong tea (hooray!), grilled lobster with a squeeze of lemon. The addition of water increases the citrus aromas and makes the nose larger. Palate: Exceptional arrival. Sweet smoky lemons drizzled with creosote and honey-pepper pork ribs on the barbecue. Briney malt, shellfish, oysters, asphalt, saltwater toffee and a faint medicinal note in the development. Leathery and with oak hints in the later palate. Water expands the palate into a vanilla sweetness and brings out a fruity presence. The texture is uniquely Lagavulin - creamy, oily yet dry. Finish: Medium/long. Medicinal smoke, pepper, citrus and salt. The finish is initially dry but the long aftertaste turns delightfully sweet. This is the best expression of Lagavulin I have tasted for at least a decade. In more than one respect it reminds me of Lagavulin 16 from 20 years ago. If it was given another 4 years (but in sherry casks) and proofed down I have no doubt it would be very similar indeed. Now please, Diageo, go and do exactly that. The integration is astonishingly harmonious and it repays careful and extended attention. This is a big, elegant whisky that hides its complexity and while the immediately obvious aromas and flavours will wow you, its hidden depths will captivate you and earn your respect. There is no alcohol heat whatsoever and for all its immense presence it is light of touch and meticulously balanced. This whisky is a perfect katana. It was voted the best whisky of the night by roughly half the participants at the tasting. Bottles were not available on the night but could be pre-ordered. I have 1 coming. Highest Recommendation. “Outstanding” : 90/100 (5 stars)

“Diageo Special Releases 2021” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 22 June 2022. Whisky #6 Nose: Bracing, uplifting smoke – large in quantity but light of touch. Flints, seashore pebbles, drying seaweed, the petrichor of sweet rain washing away seaspray, green apple skins, freshly shucked oysters, smoked white fish with fennel. The addition of a little water brings out kalamata olives in white vinegar, and a good dash of water unveils sauvignon blanc aromas. Palate: Initially sweet but austere and highlighting smoky salted lemon, the palate quickly develops with great finesse. The omnipresent smoke is soft but assured and has an unmistakable maritime quality. Lemon rounds sprinkled with sea salt grilling beside sea bass drizzled with unripe pineapple juice. Soft fresh cereal flavours peep through. There is a stony, mineral aspect that balances a blend of hazelnut milk chocolate, water chestnuts, pepper and a very restrained pinch of chili. The texture is crisp but also full and satisfying. Finish: Medium/long. Sweet grains and mild smoke with a return of light citrus in the aftertaste. This whisky is like a precise surgical tool, a master-crafted rapier, a shimmering flawless-cut topaz or a Rothko painting. In comparison, the vast bulk of whiskies are mere blunt instruments. It has an achingly beautiful light maritime nose and taste that is solidly smoky but sufficiently restrained to allow other aromas and flavours to shine through. Like a delicate chiaroscuro modulating the brightness of an antique portrait, it achieves incomparable integration and yet is only 8 years old. This is formidable whisky making. It can also swim like a dolphin and whilst enticing in neat form, with water it becomes almost too easy to quaff and there is at no time any sign of rubber or plastic regardless of the degree of dilution. It just gets easier to take and a fraction sweeter. Interestingly there is virtually no sign of the expected Talisker “chili catch" – in fact none at all really. There is a light hot spice note, but in comparison to any other Talisker under the age of 25 it is exceptionally mild. You might expect a clean, crisp whisky such as this to be highly distillate driven but I don’t think that’s the case here. It was matured in heavily peated refill casks which I believe acted as neutral containers with a filter, extracting all the harsh elements and heavier congeners and rendering the whisky sparkling clean and fresh after 8 years. Consequently it could be thought of as highly cask driven, but not in the usual additive manner. As you can tell, I thoroughly enjoyed this whisky and nearly bought a bottle, however I had already decided on different purchases. It was one of my equal three favourite whiskies of the night and at the price it is remarkably good value. A lot of the participants at the tasting voted for this as their favourite whisky of the night. Highly recommended. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars)

“Diageo Special Releases 2021” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 22 June 2022. Whisky #5 Nose: Chalk (seashells), salt-encrusted beach rocks, kelp, turmeric, mustard, green apple skins, black olives, sweet orange extract and a strong ale-like maltiness. Softer, more floral and with greater integration after the addition of a dash of water and a rest in the glass for a few minutes. Palate: Sweet, full arrival with citrus fruits, salted caramel and a little vanilla. In the development the palate expands into new territory with balsamic vinegar, more brine, mustard, ginger powder and other curry spices all appearing. However, this is a measured progression and the palate never seems too busy. The texture is rich, full and provides a pleasant oily mouthfeel, but it’s not creamy - more like olive oil. Be cautious of adding too much water, however, as this makes the spicy characteristics retreat and the palate turn to a more simplistic sweet profile. Finish: Medium/long. Complex and mildly spicy/sweet. An interesting expression of Oban that has a lot going on but is not especially difficult or challenging, just a little unusual. There were a lot of intriguing aromas presented that blindsided me to start with and required time to identify. I love that! It also improved over the course of the evening. On first nosing it I thought it was messy and lacked integration, like an experimental savory/sweet curry that is not quite properly adjusted yet. However over time (and I’m sure it was partly me adjusting to its profile) I came to appreciate it more. A good whisky, on the whole. I thought it did not have the polish that some of the other expressions displayed, but then it was also way more interesting than the first two whiskies on the card. I don't think anyone voted for this as the best whisky of the night, but it did receive a lot of favourable comments. “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)

“Diageo Special Releases 2021” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 22 June 2022. Whisky #4 Nose: Peaches and cream, beeswax, almond meal, malted milk and red berry compote with vanilla yoghurt. With water the nose becomes less fruit oriented and focuses on grains with honey muffins and Anzac biscuits showing up. The nose is delightfully fragrant throughout and gains weight with water. Palate: An excellent entry with soft, rich toffee, butterscotch, vanilla, candied citrus fruit and crystallized ginger. In the development I found milk chocolate, honey, a faint hint of toasted coconut and some subtle, supple oak tannin. The texture is excellently oily and mouth-coating when neat and it gains an exquisite creaminess with water. Like the nose, the palate develops more weight with dilution and changes slightly with sweet citrus notes appearing, but the profile always remains intact and never drowns. Finish: Medium/long. Toffee, walnuts, dark chocolate. It turned just a fraction dry and earthy in the aftertaste, which was perfect. Mortlach is generally encountered in sherried form and it is a big distillate that can take sherry casking in its stride. It’s often described as having a meaty quality and is affectionately referred to as “The Beast of Dufftown “ by critics and enthusiasts alike. There is, however, another side to Mortlach that we do not often get to see. This is almost exclusively experienced through independent bottlings and is floral, sweet, malty and rich but without the earthy spice and brute force it normally extracts from sherry casks. This is such an expression and Diageo deserve praise for giving us this presentation. The alcohol is very well contained. At 55.9% you would expect an ethanol nip but there was none and I did not taste alcohol at any time. The cask selection and presentation was perfect to showcase this distillate in its most elegant form, featuring sweet fruity aromas and flavours supported by mild malt and subtle spice. It also takes water graciously and is eminently enjoyable at cask strength or diluted to a considerable degree. It appears to be almost incapable of drowning as spicy sweetness keeps emerging to fill the void as the proof is dropped. For me this was one of the highpoints of the tasting, and one of the most enjoyable whiskies I've tasted so far this year. It's a generous, bold and delicious dram that is highly enjoyable right off the bat but shows considerably more complexity as you explore its depths. I noted 4.25 stars on the tasting card, voted for it as my favourite dram of the night (as did several other people) and hastened to purchase a bottle at the end of the event. At $225 on the night it was an unmissable bargain. Highly recommended. “Very Good" : 87/100 (4.25 stars)

“Diageo Special Releases 2021” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 22 June 2022. Whisky #3 Nose: Stewed fruit, walnut bread, warm ginger biscuits, apple strudel, some sort of seed oil (rapeseed?, sunflower?), lemon and orange peel, marzipan, cognac (but see the comments below). With the addition of water there are maple syrup and sultana notes but the nose loses complexity fast. Palate: Beautifully sweet, measured and rich arrival with peach and apricot segments in syrup. In the development sweet hay, caramel, toffee, and vanilla. With water there is some sugar coated ginger, sweet stout or porter and curry spices, but like the nose water makes the palate “simple” very quickly. The texture is oily and chewy when neat but has a neutral mouthfeel with water. Finish: Medium. Nutty, sweet vanilla. There is a noticeable cognac presence in this whisky but it is difficult to pin down. You notice it on one nosing or taste but then it’s gone on the next. It’s also not exactly like the aroma or taste of cognac, but is strongly reminiscent. Initially, before I found out about the casking, I thought it was a white port or maybe moscatel finish. Heavy and winey, but not light and floral. When I found out it was cognac everything sort of slipped into place and made sense. A very good whisky when neat – approaching exquisite on the arrival – but absolutely not one for dilution. The alcohol is well contained and it all just “works” at cask strength. A few drops of water is all that is needed to start the collapse and a teaspoon to a dram makes it fragment with the entire profile turning dull and ordinary. This is a good whisky, but it can’t even dogpaddle, let alone swim. It was however the first whisky of the lineup I considered buying, and if nothing better had emerged later I probably would have picked up a bottle. However that did not happen 😉. A couple of people voted for this as their favourite whisky of the night, and I noticed today that the store is out of stock, so it is clearly popular. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

“Diageo Special Releases 2021” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 22 June 2022. Whisky #2 Nose: Stewed stone fruits (apricot, nectarine), vanilla, butterscotch, roasted nuts. It's distinctly a fruity/floral nose but a heavier, darker type than you usually encounter on whisky, and features jonquil, freesias and frangipani against a grassy background. Adding water unleashes a huge honeysuckle note that, with a short rest in the glass, first turns to caramel and then later to molasses. Palate: Sweet, full arrival. Very nutty and buttery with macadamias, hazelnuts and chestnuts all at full volume. The texture is creamy and there is a dry woody presence, but it is not astringent, and a pleasantly sour/salt note like vanilla and salted caramel yoghurt. Very approachable whisky when neat. There is a hint of peppery spice and adding water turns this up to full volume. Finish: Medium. Fruity, but with a savoury character like fruit chutney. The aftertaste is a lighter fruity sweetness and a little pepper. The nose and palate are quite distinct on this whisky, the nose being all about floral fruits while the palate concentrates on buttery, nutty flavours and there is very little crossover between aroma and taste, even once you have had several sips. The alcohol is excellently contained, and this whisky is very approachable when neat. In fact, it is surprisingly mild and you would never suspect it is 57.5% abv. I thought it was at its best this way as water diminishes the interesting profile and pulls out a much hotter, drier aspect of the palate, so I’d strongly recommend taking this neat. This is one of the most expensive whiskies in the 2021 special release lineup and although it’s a good whisky I didn’t think it was worth the money. I would maybe pay half that much, but no more. Like the 1st whisky on the card this received 0 votes for best whisky of the night. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

“Diageo Special Releases 2021” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 22 June 2022. Whisky #1 Nose (neat): Light honey, grains, peach, pear, gooseberry, elderflower, marshmallow. There is that floral note which is typical of whiskies that receive red wine cask maturation. Adding water causes the wine cask influence to amplify and over time, and as this sits and rests a dusky floral aroma as of musk-flavoured sweets arises. This musky note eventually becomes the dominant aroma on the nose. Palate: A spiky arrival with orchard fruits and some berries as the main flavour. Marshmallow again in the development together with thinned honey, barley sugar, caramel, vanilla and hot spice. The texture is good but not particularly special. With the addition of water, it becomes more syrupy but also develops bright acidic heat. Finish: Medium. Grainy, citrus. Water turns the finish a touch sour and grassy with black pepper in the aftertaste. An above average whisky but not a great one, at least for my taste. It has a pretty nose combined with a somewhat harsh palate and I much preferred it neat than with water, which tends to amplify all the spiky and hot characteristics. I didn't get around to trying last year's Cardhu Special Release, but I did review the 2019 version here and gave it 80/100. Oh well, the score is slowly improving, I guess. Core range Cardhu expressions at low strength have always seemed rather middle-of-the-road to me with their tame honey and grain profile that works well for a filler malt in blends, but lacks the character required for a really good single malt. This cask-strength expression follows a different path entirely, but I didn't think the journey is rewarding or that the entry price is justified. Apart from completionist set collectors I can’t imagine anyone buying this. A straw poll at the end of the tasting revealed it to be the favourite malt of the night for exactly 0 people. “Above Average” : 81/100 (3 stars)

“Bunnahabhain & Friends” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 15 June 2022. Whisky #7 Nose: Soft coal smoke, evocative oak, oloroso sherry, dark cherries, dusky orchard fruits, a dab of creosote and leathery notes in the background. Exquisite integration. Palate: Earthy malt arrival, ginger, cinnamon and white pepper with coal and wood smoke. There is a sweet, dark malty core to the palate together with mild sweet/spice chutney flavours and these are balanced by the soft but enveloping smoke. It has a sublime oily texture. Finish: Medium/long and very slow. Sweet lemon, hot spices, oak tannin and licorice. A wonderful whisky that captures my senses with its "clean-but-grimy" personality every time I taste it. I’m not sure what it is about this particular expression, but it has everything I enjoy about mildly peated west-coast highland malts, and it has a more than passing similarity to Longrow. I first tasted this not long ago (March 3rd 2022) from a sample. At the time I rated it at 4.25 and immediately ordered a bottle. Since then I’ve had two more tastings, one at a friend’s house and the third last night at the “Bunnahabhain & Friends” event. There is not much to add to my original review, so I’ve just put some summary tasting notes here. What tells you much more is that after the tasting I sprinted to the sales counter and bought 2 further bottles of this very good whisky for the stash. Given the reasonable asking price I may buy some more, if I can find the same batch. I love this stuff. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars) --------------------------------------------------- [Reviewed from March 3, 2022] Nose: Soft coal smoke and cask aromas – like the smell of an oak dresser that has been in a room with an open fireplace for many years. Sweet winey aromas from the sherry cask, dark cherries, dusky orchard fruits, a dab of creosote and some leathery notes in the background. The nose is beautifully integrated with a succulent and enticing quality. Palate: An earthy, grimy arrival that is quite delightful. Ginger, cinnamon and white pepper with whorls of the same oaken smoke from the nose curling around the tongue. There is a sweet, almost confectionery hint but the development mainly constitutes a continuation of the arrival as the pervading smoky character gradually takes over the palate. Lovely texture, a touch of oily asphalt but only trace rubbery notes. Finish: Medium/long and very gradual. That development on the palate progresses slowly into a celtic twilight with citrus, hot spices, oak tannin and liquorice as the last hurrah. A very nice whisky indeed. It has elements in common with Bunnahabhain 18 and there is more than a passing similarity to Longrow. It's certainly a lot more like a west coast/Campbeltown malt than an Islay. This is a big meaty dram that can be mulled over (hah, see what I did there 😋) for a good long time and will repay relaxed contemplation. It responds well to water which softens the profile and develops sweetness, but I thought it was pretty much perfect neat. Tasted from a 20 ml sample, and I just ordered a full-size bottle for the stash. “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars)

“Bunnahabhain & Friends” tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 15 June 2022. Whisky #6 Nose: Blackcurrant juice, raisin, sultana, sweet grape juice, cashew, caramel, honey, orange, peach, pecan pie, rose-hip syrup and guava. A densely floral and fruity nose. Palate: Huge entry – sweet, soft, enveloping fruits and fortified wine. Things calm down as it moves into the development with spicy honeyed notes and an oily mocha character showing through. The palate remains mellow and blanketing throughout. The texture is rich, creamy and voluptuous and has a hint of wax. Finish: Medium/long. Grape jelly, sweet fruit tart and spice with a little dusty oak. This was an unexpected extra dram slipped into the lineup as the second last tasting of the night. We were given this blind and told only that it was a finished Deanston and they challenged us to guess the age and casking. The consensus was that it was of good age, probably around 20 years, bourbon cask matured with a fortified wine finish. Some folks correctly identified muscat (I said sauternes) and a couple guessed muscat and 28 years old (which seemed unusually accurate … hmm). This is the softest, most full-bodied and easily approachable Deanston I’ve tasted. I’m not overly fond of their whiskies but this is a good one. However, I was surprised to learn it was 28 years old (my guess was 18) and I occasionally had the feeling while tasting that it was almost a caricature of a whisky, the finish being laid on so heavily. I’ve seen this available for $450-550 from various retailers but the average price is around $480. That’s pretty steep, and I would not pay that much, but these days it’s not outrageous for a 28 year old whisky (unfortunately). “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)