Tastes
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Bimber Re-Charred Oak Casks
Single Malt — England
Reviewed February 9, 2023 (edited February 13, 2023)About a week ago I sampled my first of London based, Polish distiller Dariusz Plazewski’s Bimber whisky in the form of the ex-bourbon cask. An undeniably young whisky with lots of promise. It was to me, a middling introduction to another English distillery that wants to throw hands with the Scots. Tonight is Bimbers second release, matured entirely in re-charred American oak casks and released as 5000 bottles with 51.9% ABV. Apparently these casks were originally purchased as virgin oak by some other distillery and filled without charing. Liquid removed Bimber did the charing and filling. So recharred is a bit of a misnomer. Recharged though, certainly. N: I am bowled over by an immediate torrent of fresh grilled peaches; absolutely uncanny. Vanilla and caramelised brown sugar, spritzes of orange, lightly floral like a spring meadow with a hint of fresh grass. Woody herbs like thyme sneak in. With enough time the wood becomes slightly peppery. I may be imagining things but there is a sponge cake or warm corn bread like aspect to this also. P: A good viscosity, thick, and with a presence of heat that will wake you up. Brown sugar caramel, nutmeg and cinnamon spiciness verging on harsh black pepper. Nuttiness, malt, a little generic stone fruit sweetness. The spiciness builds and detracts over time, which is a shame as I am getting to the soft chocolate and fresh citrus underneath. F: Medium-long. Lasting pepper and cinnamon heat turning ever so slightly towards a chilli heat. Vanilla and creme brulee are subtle undertones. Nose is like the ex bourbon but cranked up past 11 into the territory of 12. The spritz of orange, dialled up florals and dialled down sickliness of the grass I find blend beautifully with the thick presence of charred peaches. The peppery spice has been added to since the ex-bourbon in quite a disagreeable fashion. I struggle to get behind this palate and find it difficult to really talk about. There are a couple of reveiws out there that I have found that describe this as texture driven and with well defined flavours that are too easily drinkable. Perhaps, as I always suspect, my perception is incorrect? Or, perhaps this really doesn’t agree with me? Yet, I think the nose is wonderful, really excellent stuff and a big step up from the ex-Bourbon. The fresh char, in my mind, is struggling to battle with an aggressive spicy profile of a young spirit. The promise continues… [Pictured here with a spotty blue lump of ‘K2 Granite’. K2 Granite, as the name suggests hails from K2, the worlds second highest mountain in the Skardu area of northern Pakistan. This granite is spotted with blue azurite, a copper carbonate mineral, that has infilled along grain boundaries in the granite, within tiny fractures, and as a dye penetrating feldspar crystals. The azurite is a secondary mineralisation feature formed after the original granite crystallised from magma] Distiller whisky taste #152 -
Bimber ex-bourbon oak casks Batch 2 Cask Strength
Single Malt — England
Reviewed February 4, 2023 (edited February 5, 2023)From the classic whisky expressions of Johnny Walker I now go in a completely different and novel direction: Bimber. The Bimber Distillery is located in London, England. Bimber was founded in 2016 with the very first Bimber liquids going down on the 26th May 2016. Three years later 1000 bottles were released and sold out in under three hours. Bimber sources barley from a single farm. Malts and mashes by hand, ferments the wart in their own hand crafted wash backs for seven days, and focuses mainly on re-charred oak and bourbon barrels with a few sherry and port casks thrown in for good measure. The word Bimber is Polish for Moonshine, reflecting the roots of the Polish founder and distiller Dariusz Plazewski. Starting off my little series on Bimber is this second batch of ex Bourbon cask (I believe they are now up to batch number 3). Batch 2 was released in October 2020 and is a natural colour, non chill filtered expression limited to 2950 bottles. I do not know the age statement for this juice. I’ve left this sitting for about 20 minutes and am ready to dive in. N: Creamy and vanilla laden thickness rushes out of the glass and is backed by soft peaches and cream, an almost cream soda like mixture of stone fruit and confectioners custard. SO. MUCH. BUTTER! The oak is soft with gentle pepperiness. There is a slightly sickly background note of fresh grass mixed with a little grist that I guess reveals the young age of this whisky. Simple, very simple. But what is there it delivers with weight and purpose. P: Dry and tingly approach. A building peppery heat that is full of sawn wood and slightly oats-mealy grain. A little banana and coconut, milk and honey. Its difficult to wrangle as the peppery and woody spices take hold with increasing presence. F: Both short and long. The finish is initially dried banana chips, honey and sawdust, gone quickly. What then remains is progressively more peppery heat and dryness. A good hit of water allows the banana and coconut to become more prominent and very much tempers the dryness and the peppery heat. But the peaches and cream nose, the milk and honey palate and flavourful elements of finish are lost. This is an undeniably young whisky, and there are some quite surprising elements in the early profile that remind me of cream sodas and boiled fruit & cream sweets that, with time, if not lost to a clearly strong oak character will be really quite delicious. At this point though, the balance isn’t there. Moonshine indeed. For a 52.2% whisky this is far too young and likely needs at least eight years to come together. There is promise of things to come though… [Pictured here with a Western Australian icon: 670 million year old Zebra Rock. This stuff is found in one remote little area in the far north of Western Australia near the famous Lake Argyle. A fine grained claystone Zebra Rock takes it striking patterns from concentrations of iron oxide whose distribution is controlled by some truly wonderful crystal physics: liquid crystal phases, the iron oxide flows like a liquid but has crystallographically (solid) controlled orientations further controlled by magnetic fields and the platy orientations of the clay minerals surrounding them.] Distiller whisky taste #151170.0 AUD per Bottle -
Still angry about JW18 pulling the wool over everyones eyes in what I shall now refer to as a Loch Lomond age statement manoeuvre, I decided a redemption dram was needed. Last night was a wasted dram. I hope the supposed pinnacle of JW standard offerings, blue; delivers the goods. Other than maybe all of Macallan, is there a more enigmatic bottle of whisky than Blue Label? Does anything else reek quite so much of opulence, over expense, and prestige quite like the Blue? Heck, even Archer likely parodies it with ‘Glengoolie Blue - for the best of times”. Does it deserve such a high degree of reverence? Or, is it simply an expensive gift for the non-whisky savvy? A clever ploy in marketing to sell mediocre for a premium? I don’t know… yet. I have had blue label before. A 350 ml bottle bought in my early days of whisky amateur power hour, not too different from today I guess. I remember nothing of the experience. Today, we rectify this. Turns out that little Tommy in marketing has been putting his creative writing and tourism degree to good use with this blurb: “Johnnie Walker Blue Label is an unrivalled masterpiece – an exquisite combination of Scotland’s rarest and most exceptional whiskies. Only one in every ten thousand casks has the elusive quality, character and flavour to deliver the remarkable signature taste. An extraordinary whisky for extraordinary occasions.” Damn it Tommy! I call BS! Unrivalled, are you kidding? 1/10,000 casks has the elusive quality, yet they claim consistency of product and churn this stuff out without restriction? Being a claimed rare blend of old grain and malts it surprises me that they don’t add an age statement. I guess they need to keep their options open to mix in plenty of that grain they love so much over at JW HQ. Apparently though the age of the liquids that are going in are 28-60 years old. Gosh! Right, enough chit chat. This has had 15 minutes to open up next to me… N: Slightly thin to oily approach with a surprisingly aggressive little kick of ethanol. First distinct aromas are good quality deep wood notes then comes (strap in): a mixed woody spice (like a bakery version of potpourris), fresh grass, slight sherry influence with some generic berry(?) fruits, malt, and gentle vanilla. There is some smoke here too, but nothing about it is distinct or captivating. The smoke may actually be closer to a barrel char? Lightly perfumed, cedar/sandalwood. P: Lightly oily with a good presence of body. First sip and smoke is wrapping around the edges enveloping everything. The smoke is a happy interplay of ashy, maritime, and vegetal to lightly herbal/heathery. This smoke doesn’t really seem to land on any one thing. Unwrapping the smoke envelope: honeyed cereals, milk chocolate, mocha, old english toffee, juicy-fruitiness (apples and pears), cinnamon and wood spice. F: Medium. The palate clears to a surprising amount of ethanol heat (remember, this is only 40% ABV) and a slightly unclean grainy residual texture that I think was intended to be hidden under the oaky, slightly smoky, and honeyed exit. First up. This is impressive liquid, but not necessarily with connotations of excellence. I think this is ambitious. DIageo clearly have a huge portfolio of barrels and styles to chose from, and they have ambitiously set out to create something that is monetarily rich, impressive, and enigmatic. They have achieved that. The complexity of flavours and layers are borderline stupefying to me. But, that comes at a cost. For me, there is a lack of cohesion and clear intention. So much is vying for my attention that my palate scrambles to know where to go. Is that a reflection of my rank amateurishness? Possibly. I suspect the grain component, which I am concluding has a muting effect in the core range of JW, is actually necessary here. Something is needed to try and soften and homogenise the profile. The disappointing aspect though, is that maybe the grain, or perhaps something over aged (why else put 60 year old juice in?) has been hidden in here that I now find as an almost dirty thread in the finish. I loathe the use of the word smooth to describe whisky. Smooth is the absence of something. The lack of texture, character, nuance. But, it’s the word so commonly associated with JW Blue. JW blue is the gift you give to show off that you’ve given an expensive gift. If that is indeed the case, then you want the uninitiated that believe it to be the pinnacle of whisky to find no harsh or rough edges (even though I’m pretty sure I caught one). How do you do that though? I think you can go for super simple, or throw everything and the kitchen sink in. Thats what I surmise here. Overwhelm with dizzying complexity and hide some less than ideal aged stock in the mix to validate the cost. This is the end of of my JW exploration. And I can’t say I’m surprised. Its largely generic whisky intended for an undiscerning crowd on a scale of mass production that is impressive for what actually gets turned out. My top rated, Green label. The biggest disappointment is a tie between Blue and 18. My personal favourite, if not objectively that great; double black. Wow, this was a long one, I’ll be happy to hear thoughts from anyone who has stuck with me through this exploration and made it to the end! [Pictured here with a blue mineral for a blue label. This rock will kill you. Legitimately; thats why its under a closh. A single air borne exposure of this stuff and you are all but guaranteed to develop malignant mesothelioma; I’m told that comes with the worst pain a human can experience. This is crocidolite, a type of asbestos known as ‘blue death’. There are few things in life that genuinely terrify me. This rock is one of them. At 2.4-2.6 billion years old this fibrous blue mass is mineralised between iron ore and was responsible for some truly horrendous repercussions for a generation of people… look up Wittenoom, Western Australia. Absolute horror story where this lump calls home.] Distiller whisky taste #150 - Do I qualify for an upgrade to level 3 whisky buffoon now? Johnnie Walker running scores Red: 2.0 Black 12: 2.5 Black Islay Origins: 3.5 Double Black: 3.25 Gold: 3.5 Green 15: 4.25 18: 2.5 Blue: 4.0257.95 AUD per Bottle
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Ah, JW15, suprisingly good. So, the natural progression in age statement to 18, well I might be forgiven for thinking I’m in for another treat. But, theres a catch. The bottle says “in pursuit of the ultimate 18 year old blend”, I don’t really know what that means, but it does foretell of the reintroduction of generic grain spirit. Whilst the addition of grain by JW hasn’t been an immediate turn off, I am beginning to understand just how much of a diluting and detractor to some excellent malts it is. So, not holding my breath on this 18. Let’s check in with Scotty from Marketing: “An intensely rich Scotch that perfectly balances a trilogy of flavours and textures. It’s made with hand-picked casks aged for 18 years, with each passing season building layers of complex flavour. A whisky worth the wait. Drink it neat or on the rocks”. Excellent hand picked, I’m so glad they weren’t feet picked. This reads so vaguely and generic that I’m already disappointed with what I’m now expecting. Oh well, here we go… N: Strongly cereal driven with a slightly oily to viscous presence. Also present, a fairly noticeable raw ethanol burn, nose feels woody and a little warmth from an associated spicyness. I think it’s trying to be slightly smoky, but its coming across as smouldering wet mulchy leaves, my nose is turning me away from whatever this is. P: A little on the thin side and with a borderline gritty texture, or am I imagining that. Malty and with a little floral or herbal lift, really really subdued (subtle?) fruity flavours of sultana, mulled red fruit (think sherry cask), maybe some nutty oils. Smoke is probably there as a mixer to everything and i think responsible for my initial gritty texture that feels earthy by the mid palate. The ABV whilst low at 40% is fairly present but stays the right side of warming. F: Long. Savour-sweet honey cereal, wood heavy sherry cask influence is the best I can describe it as. Odd. I had to go and read some other reviews before I finished the dram. I figured I must be missing something, this is a AUD$149.99 18 year old bottle and I am thinking it is barely average. But, I can’t find anything akin to the official Distiller review by Stephanie Moreno. Maybe I just don’t mesh well with this whisky. I am a rank amateur, but I don’t think I’m that crap at this game. I’m at the point where my initial feeling from Scotty in marketing, generic and vague is about the right summation for this hugely underwhelming pour. It just fails to get going, the nose for me is disagreeable, the palate is like a limp handshake, and the finish is verging on being too heavily woody. What a mess. Boo. 402 Distiller reviews average out at 3.96/5, my score 2.5/5. Am I an idiot? Perhaps not. I tend to discount those scores without notes. Only 113 reviews have notes. But, those still seem to be a 4-4.25 average at a glance. What is going on? Is it me, or is it the marketing teams genius… take a formatively travel retail exclusive, make that available at regular retail, change its name from platinum to 18, leverage peoples tendency to equate age with excellence. AUD$150 for an 18, sounds good. Must be good. Hold up… this is freaking Loch Lomond 18 all over again. Damn Loch Lomond blows, gah! Enraged. Rambling rant over. I’m probably crap at whisky. [Pictured here with a white coloured rock for a white coloured label. This rock is an anorthosite from the Proterozoic Rogaland Province in Norway. At ~930 million years old this white lump of rock is an igneous (magma) intrusive that is composed almost entirely of the calcium rich plagioclase feldspar mineral, anorthosite. What is particularly cool is that this is the same rock type that makes up a large part of our moons surface.] Distiller whisky taste #149 Johnnie Walker running scores Red: 2.0 Black 12: 2.5 Black Islay Origins: 3.5 Double Black: 3.25 Gold: 3.5 Green 15: 4.25 18: 2.5149.99 AUD per Bottle
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Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Year
Blended Malt — Scotland
Reviewed January 27, 2023 (edited February 6, 2023)JWG, this is my most anticipated JW liquid. I’ve been being told all manner of good things about this expression. Hopefully it stands up. I may not be correct here but I believe this is the only standard JW that is pure malt, with no grain component. Minimum of fifteen years in European or American oak with Talisker, Cragganmore, Linkwood, and Caol Ila as the backbone, the pedigree is good. Marketing is great here: “serving suggestion, enjoy 30 ml poured into a chilled glass” …OK then. N: Full, rich and viscous. Heaps of rich dark chocolate, coffee, really good oak woodiness, cigar box (I think?), oaky-biscuit and restrained wood smoke. There is also the deftest application of soft peat that laces through it all and that could be easily missed. P: Medium-full body with oily palate coating texture. Malt is crisp and carries notes of more coffee and chocolate but also toffee, nutty-creaminess, a salty maritime vibrancy and vaguely minty-herbal freshness. The flavours are punching hard but nothing is dominant, a wonderful balance. Now then, the peat. The peat is gentle and has a very slight medicinal underpinning with a slightly damp camp fire ashiness. F: Long. Lovely warmth with a lightly honey-cereal sweetness, soft oakiness and perhaps a gnats fart of florals. Crikey, I was not expecting that. So far my JW journey has been underwhelming at best and bewilderingly average at worst. This though just rocked the boat. I don’t think there is anything mind-blowing or breathtaking in the profiles it presents, but what it has done is to strike the most excellent balance between each of the notes. Nose to palate to finish is seamless in both texture and delivery of flavour. The absence of grain spirit filler is now apparent. In the other JWs so far the grain component hasn’t exactly been a negative experience. The JWG shows us though, that the grain spirit holds things back. This JWG has been allowed to really shine. JWG takes some well known individuals and creates something singularly good in its own right through excellent craftsmanship. [Pictured here with a green mineral for a green label. This mineral is a type of feldspar called amazonite, which is itself a type of perthite that contains lead and water impurities. Perthite though is a type of feldspar that is in fact an inter-growth of potassium rich microcline and sodium rich albite. So, single lump of mineral but four distinct mineral names going on in there. Excellent partner for the four malt character of JW Green label]. Distiller whisky taste #148 Johnnie Walker running scores Red: 2.0 Black 12: 2.5 Black Islay Origins: 3.5 Double Black: 3.25 Gold: 3.5 Green 15: 4.2596.0 AUD per Bottle -
Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve
Blended — Scotland
Reviewed January 25, 2023 (edited January 28, 2023)I never get tired of the marketing BS that gets put on whisky. Its the equivalent of selling perfume through adverts on the TV. There is an obvious sensory disconnect. Highland Park are the true masters of marketing BS of late I think. I knew nothing of Johnnie Walker Gold. I’m likely mistaken but I think there used to be a travel retail exclusive gold 18, maybe? This Gold Label Reserve is a replacement of that I think and comes with a fairly sensible spiel from the liberal arts grad in marketing: “Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve is a luxurious and smooth whisky, with notes of vanilla and dark fruit – a wonderful tribute to the harmonious partnership of Speyside and Highland whiskies, with just a hint of smouldering embers from the West Coast. Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve is made for those unforgettable nights out with amazing friends” Jokes on you JW Marketing team, I’m in a high back leather chair in blissful peace and quiet. Unforgettable night out indeed. N: I’ve let this sit for around 15 minutes and there is still some aggressive spirit lingering. Behind the burn though, sticky caramel texture with honey, wood spice, cinnamon, mushy banana and an ever so delicate floral/perfume note all get brought along by a malt heavy nose. A hint of oily smoke, that sadly stops short of where I’d like it to be. Initial burn aside, this is a lovely rich nose built on simplicity. P: Light, quite dry and just a touch waxy. Honeyed malt is obvious and the main player, some citrus freshness accompany juicy berries and quite prominent florals. Despite an initially drying open this becomes juicier and a touch sweeter with each sip along with a light vanilla. Whilst very well delivered there is a very obvious lack of depth here I’m largely forgetting what its about in-between sips. The best element is the juiciness, but towards the end of the dram I’m actually starting to think it’s a little plain. I hoped to find the smoke that was but a whisper on the nose, sadly not. F: Medium-long. Surprisingly long, vanilla, toffee and brown sugar linger in a waxy fight between astringent and juicy. Interesting. Interesting. The grain component here is obvious as the sweetness that builds throughout the delivery, but it doesn’t seem to detract from the malt forward and curiously juicy profile. Perhaps the grain masks some of the wood profile? I don’t know. What is here in the honey, malt, berry fruitiness, and banana are all just fine. The smoke and florals sadly fail to get going, they would have been wonderful elevators of this liquid, but what can you do? Well, my stock standard suggestion in these situations with these profiles: pay less, drink more Monkey Shoulder. [Pictured here with a (fools) gold mineral for a gold label. This mineral is a pyrite “sun” from Sparta, Illinois, USA. Growing in the ~300 million year old Herrin Coal Measures 50-75 m underground these discs of iron sulphide are formed by anaerobic bacteria decomposing organic matter in black shale layers. The bacterial processes produce chemical conditions that precipitate pyrite. Restricted by the sediments above and below the progressive growth of the pyrite is forced outwards growing elongate bundles that coalesce into a disc. Anyway, THIS. IS. SPARTA. And in Sparta we apparently drink Gold Label] Distiller whisky taste #147 Johnnie Walker running scores: Red: 2.0 Black 12: 2.5 Black Islay Origins: 3.5 Double Black: 3.25 Gold: 3.598.99 AUD per Bottle -
We arrive at something I know well, having polished off two bottles of DB to date. Originally entered into Distiller as my sixth taste in November 2021 (original taste deleted but copied in below), I now need to revisit and update my notes and reevaluate whether I do actually know this liquid. As I understand it Black 12 and Double Black are the same blends but in different proportions, I beleive DB has a higher, but younger, Islay (Caol Ila, Lagavullin) contnet than B12. The major difference though is the higher char barrel contnet of DB. What does that do to the liquid though? N: Quite rich and velvety with a seemingly high viscosity driven by a medicinal and almost petroleum smokiness. There is some sweetness coming via a BBQ glaze, a little salnity and spiciness, and rounding vanilla. There is also a little citrus note. P: A medium body with a little oily viscosity. Plenty of drying ashy smoke leads the charge and becomes softer and malty in the mid palate. Salt is well displayed and accompanies a slightly (wood)spiced and vaguely herbal characteristic. F: Medium-long. Ashy smoke, good weight of salt and pepper. A little syrupy grain sweetness in the back end. Not too much has changed for me from last go around, but new appreciation and insight is gained from now knowing what is happening in B12. The nose is as for B12 but amplified on the deeper darker notes of tar and smoke whilst restraining the sweeter side of things. The smoke profile is lovely and moves from what I think of as a Talisker influence in B12 to a richer Lagavullin influenced DB. Palate is very similar to the B12, but again, the sweet is dialled back and without as much apparent grain influence the rich, dark Islay notes really shine. The salinity too is amplified. Finish is much improved over the B12, which was largely nondescript. The last time I drank this, was by the bottle (oops) with family around a campfire out bush in winter. At the time it was perfect, no complications, no need for deep contemplation, enjoyable, quaffable; great stuff. However, around 140 whiskies ago, I didn’t know nearly as much about what was out there and what I should be asking for from my pours. Certainly, there are better quaffable whiskies around with similar profiles. But, the real magic of this to me is the price point. I’m not sure at a a hair under AUD $60, and $50 on special, that I can find a competitor at the same price point; and on that basis the consistency of this perfectly acceptable exploration of smoke and sweetness, is really quite remarkable. I gave this 3.25 last time around. I’m perfectly happy with it remaining there. [Pictured here with a double black mineral for a double black label. This rock is a Precambrian tourmaline schist from Marquette County in Michigan, USA. The tourmaline here is the variety schorl and exhibits two large crystals intergrown through one another; a double black.] 19th November 2021 N: Soft camp fire, sweet bbq sauce, honey (but difficult to find behind smoke) P: smoke, slight salt, honey, cereal, creamy thick body. F: long cool smoke, peppery and rounding candy sweetness 3.25/5 Distiller whisky taste #6 Johnnie Walker running scores Red: 2.0 Black 12: 2.5 Black Islay Origins: 3.5 Double Black: 3.2558.0 AUD per Bottle
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From red to black. Another long overdue tasting. To my surprise, I have never tried JW Black before. I am actually quite excited to see how this contrasts against the red, and then how the rest of the core JW line up builds from here. N: A little bit of body offering a little syrupy thickness. Remarkably pleasant and inviting with plenty of sweetness from apple/pear juice, softening tones of vanilla and brown sugar-malt. Some weight is added by a little bitter citrus and some surprisingly good wood. The smoke presence is very reminiscent of a restrained and subdued Talisker with slightly ashy bonfire traces. Pleased to say I am happily surprised. P: A little on the thin side but some dryness on the back end lets it hold some presence, none the less light and with a very malty and sweet-grain spirit entry. Some spice notes are ok here, I’m getting pepper maybe some fennel and clove? A little preserved lemon and ashy smoke and a generic bitterness. Successive sips take this from light and a little weak spirited to somewhat rough and abrasive. Meh, acceptable. Ah, I think I just found some Talisker chilli kick, fun. F: Medium. Hard candy sweetness (fructose; grain component?), maybe some dried fruit or weak red fruit? Pretty boring. Opening with a remarkably surprising nose JW Black seems to go down hill from there. I have to imagine that this is the mixed grain spirits doing. There are some really good things hiding in here, undoubtedly the component parts, notably recognisable to me are the citrus so common to Caol Ila and the peppery smoke from Talisker. The wood influence seems like it was great also. Sadly, everything is cut short and muted by an excessively sweet, almost fructose candy cane like sweetness and building roughness. I think, yeah, in a bind you wouldn’t go wrong sipping on this in a dive bar or when the only other things on offer are Fireball or Loch Lomond, but still, its likely best left to the hipsters and their mixology. [Pictured here with a black rock for a black label, or more accurately a black mineral. Here we have a splendid splay of black kyanite from Minas Gerais, Brazil that was formed in a high pressure phase of mountain building that occurred around 630-585 million years ago. This stage of the mountain building event smooshed deep oceanic sediments and converted them to graphite and kyanite rich schists at around 550 degrees Celsius and 5.5 Kbar of pressure, this splay of kyanite has been pulled out from its fine schist host.] Distiller whisky taste #146 Johnnie Walker running scores Red: 2.0 Black 12: 2.5 Black Islay Origins: 3.5 Double Black: 3.25 (due for re taste next)52.0 AUD per Bottle
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Long overdue. I don’t remember the last time I had a JW Red and I don’t think I’ve ever had a JW Red neat before. JW pull together 35 malt and grain whiskies and market this as a mixer. I guess then it would be inconsiderate of me to have high expectations drinking it neat. Still though, dishwater is dishwater even if intended to be mixed, so lets hope it’s not as bad as I suspect it will be. N: A very grain forward, syrupy sweet open with rough raw spirit burn. There are some lacklustre honey and cereal notes, and if you can get past the raw spirit the faintest touch of smoke. P: Thin and watery. Sweet and a little sickly with a cereal and grain dominant character. Raw spirit is again present, forceful, and rough. Maybe there is some generic fruity and toffee to woody flavour, but I think I’m reaching. Again, the slightest bit of smoke, perhaps a wood smoke but it doesn’t really do anything, it feels disjointed. F: About the shortest finish I think I’ve experienced. Ethanol, some unidentifiable sweetness and gristy cereal. Safe to say I am not surprised. It is clearly marketed as a budget bottom shelf mixer, and indeed that is where it should remain. But, this is rough and ready which I is in its favour; so widely available it will do if thats all you can find. At least it’s better than Loch Lomond 12, and just as good as Loch Lomond 18. Theres a damming indictment for LL if ever I gave one! [Pictured here with a red rock for a red label. This is a gossan (highly oxidised non distinct rock) with a red coating of cinnabar (mercury sulphide) and brassy pyrite (fools gold). This toxic lump is from Almàden, Spain with mineralisation dated to ~360 million years ago] Distiller whisky taste #14543.95 AUD per Bottle
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Arran rare batch Calvados cask
Single Malt — Isle of Arran, Scotland
Reviewed January 14, 2023 (edited May 20, 2023)I think Arran are fantastic, for a new distillery they have been absolute trailblazers with a fantastic entry level 10 year old, a range of three NAS cask finishes, and NAS cask strengths in two offerings that are just excellent. The older liquid, maybe not as good, but the liquid is obviously from their first distillates and I expect their 18-25 year olds to improve over time. Where Arran get really quite exciting (but perhaps miss the mark a bit) is their “Rare Batches”. This afternoon I try my third. Following in the footsteps of the 15 year old Bordeaux (over oaked) and the 15 year old Argonne (to me, wonderful) is this 17 year old Calvados. Eight years after starting production, Arran released its first limited-edition Calvados Cask Finish expression. The Arran 17 Year Old Rare Batch Calvados Cask ups the ante. Arran single malt has been aged fully in Christian Drouin Calvados casks this time around. These casks are sourced from a family who have been Calvados in the region of Pont-l’Eveque in Normandy for generations. Interestingly I am informed that Calvados casks used to be illegal despite Arran using them in the past. Fortunately, now Calvados casks can be used officially. Just 4200 bottles were released at the end of 2022. Fortunately, some stock has come down under, and being an Arran fan boy I managed to get a sample. If I like it, I’ll get a bottle. Exciting stuff. Oh, and for anyone wondering Calvados is an apple or pear brandy, and during WW1 was requisitioned for making explosives due to the high ABV. N: Thick and sticky the nose is initially pure apple turnover. You can linger on that apple pastry and not leave, quite happily. But there is more to find: buttery and creamy custard, soft slightly aromatic wood where the aromatics are somewhere between jasmine tea and cedar or sandalwood (the same notes I found in Argonne). Honeyed Arran malt is the backdrop and holds some of the gentlest and shyest wood spice. Sit long enough and there is a milk chocolate there somewhere also. No hint of a high ABV comes across. Dry glass had an interestingly unpleasant gristy and sweaty smell, odd. P: First sip was slightly sticky with a honey like mouth feel. Instant wood spice prickles and wakes the palate up. Initial wood spice becomes wonderfully perfumed and floral. Apples straight from the orchard, more honey, vanilla and creamy fudge. Subsequent sips build a sticky sweetness with a backing drying tannic wood. Some of the Arran staple malt and ginger comes out with time as does a slightly nutty bite. There is a refreshing berry thread as well, it reminds me of a very watered down Rekorderlig strawberry cider. F: Long and sticky with a growing ginger heat. Light malty honey, apple (unsurprisingly) and perfumed wood notes. Seventeen years in a specially sourced oak barrel. It seems brandy/cognac casking can be hit and miss. The last Arran rare batches, also hit and kind of miss. This, I think I was expecting to be really rich and decadent but it was relatively superficial. I don’t deny that its clean, crisp, and delivers smacks of rich apple brandy character. However, it seems to fail to get going. I enjoyed the Arran characters of honeyed malt and ginger getting a look in. The berry freshness was hard to keep track of, that would have been a master stroke to make it more prominent, but it just failed to get going. What is here is well done, the stand out were the perfumed florals and aromatic wood, lovely. Major downsides, lack of depth and perhaps, like the Rare Batch Bordeaux, too much tannic wood presence. A solid drop, but I don’t think I’ll be dropping AUD$299 for a bottle. Reading my notes on the Balvenie 16 Pineau Cask Finish I am a little surprised to realise there is a very high degree of cross over with this Arran. Balvenie at one year younger and only a gnats fart of time in pseudo-cognac casks manages to capture the essence of this Arran for AUD$50 a bottle more. Where the Arran succeeds is in the floral and aromatic flavours which are slightly better here, and the unobtrusive high proof. [Distiller whisky taste #144] As a comparison here are my Arran scores to date and some comparable scores for psudo-cognac caskings and finishes. Arran 10: 3.75 Arran 18 (15 ml bag sample): 4.5 Arran 21 (15 ml bag sample): 4.25 Arran 25 (15 ml bag sample): 4.5 Arran 15 Rare Batch Argonne: 4.5 Arran 15 Rare Batch Bordeaux: 3 Arran 17 Rare Batch Calvados: 3.75 Arran Sherry Cask The Bodega: 4.25 Arran Quarter Cask The Bothy: 4 Arran Port Cask Finish: 4.25 Arran Sauternes Cask Finish: 4.25 Arran Amarone Cask Finish: 4.25 Machrie Moor (15 ml bag sample): 3 Balvenie 16 French Oak Pineau Cask Finish: 3.5 Starward Cognac Cask: 3.5 Port Charlotte CC:01: 5299.99 AUD per Bottle
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