Tastes

Distiller whisky taste #100. The first time I drank whisky was also the first time I brought a bottle of whisky. That was sometime in late 2015. The bottle, Glenfiddich 12. Now, some seven years later I find myself writing down my thoughts about these magical liquids for the 100th time. I tried to run down a list of all the whiskies I have tried that didn’t make it onto here and I come up with around 70. Including a single cask french oak Sullivans Cove. The thing is though, I had decided I was going to delve into whisky, like every amateur idiot, and didn’t really know what I was doing. I certainly didn’t have the palate or patience to be sampling or buying some of the things I did. I’d argue thats still the case. That’s 70 whiskies though, 70 whiskies that I didn’t think about or really appreciate. The last year I’ve worked on doing better and making whisky, like my geology, more of a meditative experience. In late 2016 travelling through duty free on the way back to Perth I purchased a bottle of this travel retail exclusive, Port Charlotte CC:01. It was drunk. It was enjoyed. I don’t think it was appreciated as it should have been nor understood though. Over the last year or more something in my taste memory has been telling me this was wonderful and needed to be tried again. It has taken me over a year, but I got one. Currency conversion and import duty hammered me, but I got one. Tonight, I redeem my level 1 amateur self, hit 100 considered tastes, and cash in my EXP and self-promote to level 2 whisky simpleton. N: I’ve let this first neck pour stand for around half an hour next to me. Beautiful aromas have reached me. It’s very bright and crisp. Theres gentle earthiness delivered with the soft herbaceous peat just wafting over. A more determined sniff and I find fruity sweetness, a little mustiness and some peppery tannic notes. It’s taken me a while to figure out, but yeah, theres a sack of white potatoes here too. I think this qualifies as complex. P: An initial hit of high proof warmth but with a pleasant uplifting prickle that warms all the way down. Beautifully restrained herbal peat. Enticingly thick brine that lasts through the whole profile. Sweetness comes from candied ginger and citrus peel, measured with more peat and iodine. The casks fruit and brine battle for my attention. There is a creamy mouthfeel here at times as well as slightly more aggressive woody feel. Both of these textures are delivered by a malty-funk. Everything here just works for me. I think this is great. F: So long. Salty, stone fruit, slightly woody smoke and some earthiness. A few drops of water and another 10 minutes to sit opens up the nose to bring the peat forwards and more representative of the depth of palate that follows. The palate thickens slightly, becomes darker and more like a muddy field in winter. Think about freshly ploughed fields and you might get in the frame of mind that the palate takes me to. But there is also a undertone of creamy custard that feels like a really comfortable jumper. I think this is a rare, if not singular, example of a fully cognac cask matured whisky. Eight years in that barrel. Port Charlotte 2007 CC:01 was bottled at a cask strength with 57.8% ABV, is non-chill filtered and naturally coloured. Vintage, age statement, full cask details, natural presentation, cask strength; that outstanding transparency by any measure I think. All the good stuff that Bruichladdich puts in their bottles is here. Masterful peat and excellent honesty. There is complexity here for days, and I’m sure I don’t find lots of what is to offer. This is though, not the whisky I remember from six years ago. This is better. I expected more fruit from the cognac, it’s there but I have to work to find it. I like that. A powerful whisky that demands time and attention. Criticism though, is it too complex? There is so much happening. I think I’m OK with that. Is it a little to aggressive on the heat by the end of the pour. Maybe. Importantly, was this worth the extensive hunting and overpayment? Yeah. I think this is awesome stuff. [I don’t have any rocks from Islay, I do have a few from France though. And clocking in at around 220 km from Cognac is this Retrograde Eclogite from Correze. Lovely red garnets in green omphacite with dark reaction rims to the garnets. Original high pressure metamorphism that formed this rock occurred some 420 million years ago and was uplifted (and retrogressed) to the surface around 380 million years ago. Lovely stuff]

N: a little harsh but lovely cardamom spice, vegetal woody notes (like new wood furniture), bitter orange marmalade and sweet caramel sticky ness. Every now and again there’s a little peppermint. P: toffee apple, cinnamon and cloves, cherry and a little chocolate. Thick, sticky sweetness with some (really only just some) balance brought from oak tannin and barrel char. F: Medium. Caramel stickyness, cinnamon and vanilla. A very full bodied bourbon that is full of simple, but bold and well delivered flavours. The effect of the barrel has reigned in the sweetness from being sickly and the spicy notes add a good bit of interest. Really solid stuff. Whisky taste #99

I have been enjoying Island offerings lately. Arran, Highland Park, Talisker. So the opportunity to have a T18 wasn’t something I wanted to miss. Arrived today in the post, and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in… N: instantly recognisable as a crisp, clean, and expertly crafted liquid. There is a sherry fruitiness mixing with beautifully acidic pear-apple juicyness. The smoke is restrained, delicate, and floral. This smoke is less punchy than on the T10, it’s more like aromas of wood smoked meat but so subtle as to not initially become apparent as smoke to me. There is a very slight ocean spray that ties everything together with a beautiful spice on the end. P: a wonderfully thick and heavy arrival. Pepper is there with warm enveloping woody smoke. A hint of coffee with deliciously salty bacon and toffee creaminess. Pepper and gentle chilli build along with light touches of orange peel(?) and chocolate. Complexity unravels through layers of mouth watering excellence. F: Long. Peppery turns to chilli, it’s aggressive but in a great way. It takes command without being obtuse or overpowering. The ocean spray of salt and smoke linger in the back quietly. When I wrote about the T10 I described it as everything warming and wholesome that you would look for having been battered by the rugged coastline that is Skye. Talisker for me, is the embodiment of the lighthouse keeper sitting out the storm watching the waves crash down around. When I picture that lighthouse keeper he is my age, mid thirties. Still youthful and energised, willing to tackle the Sea Fury brewing under the crashing waves (see T8 special edition review). Well, the light house keeper is older now. He is grizzled by the lifetime of a violent ocean, but with an understanding of how to be at one with it. This is the 18. It has all the power of the 10. It is bold, assertive, and rich in depth. But, it is calmer without being subdued. It is the sum total of the tempests violence and the contemplative calmness that follows. This is excellent. [Tasted from a Horny Pony 30 ml sample. Pictured here with a piece of Amygdaloidal Basalt from the Isle of Skye igneous centre, part of the British Tertiary Magmatic Province that developed over a seven million year period (61-54 million years ago) in mainland western Scotland and the offshore Hebridean islands associated with the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean.] Distiller whisky taste #98

N: Really lovely and refreshing. Crisply minty to eucalypt type vegetal notes with a rich caramel and vanilla laden thickness. A slightest hint of chocolate biscuits. P: A big and slightly fiery delivery of corn heavy bourbon. Caramel, vanilla and some generic bakery spice. Particularly unexpected peppery background too. To be honest though, this is over quickly, lacks depth and is a little boring. It’s generic bourbon. Meh. F: Medium. Wafts of savoury spice and soft vanilla. The spice is maybe somewhere between earthy cumin and more vegetal coriander, maybe? Interesting stuff and I’m a fan of the exit. A chance tasting, and overall quite enjoyable. The nose and the finish were lovely and held my interest. Disappointingly I just found the palate to underwhelming and plain. At AUD$149.99 this is ludicrously expensive and definitely not worth buying a bottle. Distiller whisky taste #97

I had a sample of this in a liquor store some months ago now, but remember nothing of it. I picked up a bottle for a low $90 a few weeks back which is a little lower than the usual RRP. Having seen it made it to Ralfys Whisky of the Year for 22 i figured its unlikely to be bad and worth a shot. N: I find the nose to be light and delicate. A gentle peaty-iodine is soft and ever so slightly sweet. A background of malty barley, a little nutty oil (like the bottom of a walnut jar) and something a little dried fruit like, perhaps sultana. I think there is some toffee and spice in here as well that comes out after a first sip. With a splash of water the fruit is more pronounced and it is brilliant. P: Big, bold, and full upfront. Dry smoke and peppery spice are immediate, and delicious. There is a refreshing and borderline mouthwatering mulch-earthiness that comes though on the back end of the smoke hit. Charred oak and some savoury BBQ are further added to what I feel is becoming a juicy palate. Somehow there is a balanced sweetness, maybe a crunchy apple I’m not sure. From the touch of water there is more of a burnt sugar or BBQ pineapple. This sweetness actually reminds me of Smokehead Rum Rebel. My only criticism I suppose is that there is a lack of things to find. Undeniably this delivers excellence, but there are very few things that I have found. I don’t know if thats just me. In any case, a few more flavours would be perfect. F: Long. As the smoke clears there is a plump raisin and tannic deliciousness. This is not the liquid I remember from last time. This is gold. Like a surgeons scalpel this is precise and delicate, but effective. The peat is beautifully restrained and just melts into the palate. Clean, crisp, and well made. well worth the buy. (Whilst not from the Isle of Mull directly, the Tiree Marble Pictured here with green diopside and pink dolomite is from the Isle of Tiree right next door and has its origins dating back some 2.5 billion years ago) Distiller whisky taste #96

N: Initial hit of orange with a background of soft oaky malt that bleeds wonderfully to a jammy sherried fruitiness. There is a gentle touch of old leather and some oiliness. Maybe bitter cocoa and vanilla too. This is busy stuff for me, but its not confused, everything works together. P: A wave of oak drives brown sugar, dark fruits and dark chocolate across the palate. The second approach reveals vanilla, toffee, milk chocolate, and a hint of vanilla. Third time in and the peppery ginger prickle build a little. This feels luxuriant and velvety with a great mouth coating feel. F: Long. Ginger and pepper ultimately fade into more of a chilli burn for me which isn’t ideal. But before I get to the heat I find more chocolate, some drying oak and some mulled wine spiced orange peel. There is something of a juxtaposition here for me. The liquid seems simple and straight forward, but at the same time, lovely complexity and lots to discover. Almost like playing a first person shooter game with and invincibility cheat turned on. I found I could walk through this no problem and enjoy it fully with no effort needed. Is that the mark of a good whisky? I was very hesitant coming into this generous sample sent by the great @cascode My only experience with Glenrothes previously was the 12YO. In the 12YO I found an off-putting sulphurous nose that made me really struggle enjoy it. I didn’t find that here. This pour was crisp, clean, and refreshing. The extra kick of ABV points to a hair under 49 really help deliver some oomph and vibrancy. I’m reminded of the Aberlour A’bunadh which I recall (from my limited notes on here) as being a slightly more spiced (clove, cinnamon) peer of this Glenrothes. To be honest the Glenrothes is better and $30 cheaper to me. And even though the A’bunadh packs a walloping 62% the Glenrothes feels more accessible and easier to enjoy. (Pictured here with a piece of Serpentine (ex. forsterite) marble. This marble formed ~445–420 million years ago from the 510-470 Ma Durness Limestone after contact metamorphism from intrusive bodies of the Grampian or Scandian orogenies. This rock is from Ledmore Quarry in Lairg, Scotland. About 120 miles away from the Glenrothes distillery this is as close as I could get). Distiller whisky taste #95

Due to a combination of very fat thumbs, aggressive scrolling, and an apparent inability to differentiate between the words ‘yes’ and ‘no’, I deleted my original taste of this odd liquid from October the 11th. Distiller, it turns out, does not keep server copies of reviews. Once deleted, the notes are but a memory. This bugged me. I’m heading towards one hundred distiller tastes when I will be using my accumulated EXP points to level up to ‘Level 2 whisky amateur’. What I recall of this whisky is that it provided me with a flavour profile in the mid palate that I couldn’t wrap my head around, I think I left it as non-distinct meaty stew. I don’t think I sided on a like or dislike outcome either, just a ‘curious’ distinction. So, determined not to lose a review and get in the way of my special dram saved for number 100 I went out and bought another Loch Lomond 50 ml three pack. I’ll give the 12 and 18 to someone I intensely dislike, or maybe the neighbours rabbit or something, theres some grease on my garage floor that I guess I could clean with these too. But this original; well, I’m going back in for a second round. N: Upfront this feels oily and dusty. There is a very gentle caramel and some nuttiness. There is also some citrus spray. The more whiffs I get the stronger a sweet and generic fruit comes out that also becomes progressively more malty. Its just OK, nothing more, nothing less. P: Initially this fills the palate in a slightly thin but oily manner. This actually becomes fuller and slightly creamy with time held. Early on this leans towards sweetness with toffee and a touch of vanilla over malty biscuits. Some chilli prickle is here but its not aggressive. As sweet fades, savoury is more notable. This is where things get interesting. A deeply savoury and vegetal flavour is middling away. My wife is currently making vegetable stock in the kitchen, and there is a leafy-greens smell in the air. This is the flavour note. It’s dark green salad leaves and umami like meat stock that I am finding here. It’s interesting and layers pretty well with the sweeter elements. This is slightly better than I recall. I think the chilli was more prominent last time around, like in the 12. This is also far more mouth coating and full by the bottom of the pour, it really does seem to develop with constant sipping. F: Medium-long. Toasted malt, drying bitter-coffee and a slightly sour astringency. Possibly some marzipan. All ends on chilli though, high and far back on the palate. OK. This time around, I enjoyed this more than I remember. I wouldn’t buy a bottle even at only $56 though. I am still undecided if I actually like the savoury stew, and I think the nose is generic and the chilli exit is meh to off-putting. I am glad I got a second shot at this liquid, I feel I understand it better now. It’s not bad, for $56 I’d even say its good. But, it doesn’t speak to me and I’m not particularly excited by it. (Neanderthal in picture because thats just how I roll, well how I was rolling on The 11th of October when I first tasted and photographed this, this week I’m all about rocks that look like food stuff) Distiller whisky taste #88

N: Instant, but gentle, peat with just the slightest iodine. Sweetness from a light orange oil and some generic sherry influence. A vaguely toffee fullness to this nose is combined with a faintest tar. P: Ashy, really ashy, with peppery zing. This is both full but also slightly grainy (ashy again) in texture with some mild leather and perhaps something of a thin watery honey. Not as good as the nose promised but the simple profile here gets delivered well. F: Short-medium. Ash turns to a soft smoke and is delivered with some of the toffee from the nose. There is a slight, almost lemony sweetness as well. I’ve only had one Caol Ila before (and that was in 2016) but I seem to recall lemon there. Perhaps I’m imaging it, does Caol Ila deliver lemon? The final parting gift of this finish is some pleasant maltiness. This was an interesting blend. The nose and finish were delightful but the palate let the overall expression down. Not that the palate was bad, but it was a little boring. The flavours that were there were very much en point but I found my self wanting to stick with the nose and then rush to the finish. I don’t actually think I’ve ever had the regular JW Black but the Double Black is a good comparison point. I haven’t had JWDB in some time but from what I recall the honey and BBQ are better developed and hold interest on the palate a lot more than this Islay Origins Black Label. That said I am taken by the nose and finish here. Thats a 2:1 win for the Islay Origins. I am told by the great @cascode that generously shared this dram with me that this was available for AUD$70 with a crazy offer of AUD$58 at one point. I don’t even know where to find this in Australia, it seems the great one bought all of the Australian allocation. A great buy at AUD$70 and a freaking steal for less than $60 if you see it. (I have no rocks from Islay so instead this evenings pour is pictured here with a classic Scottish lithology; the 427 million year old Ballachullish Granite from Argyllshire in the Southwest Highlands. A fantastic piece of the Caledonian Orogeny) Distiller whisky taste #94

Another generously shared dram from @cascode N: Very fragrant floral almost perfume like nose. Theres some nice sweetness with good acidity that reminds me of elderflower cordial (perhaps) and almost crosses over into white wine territory. There are hints of maltiness and a little grain-ethanol if I really dig in. Overall a very interesting and crisp nose that feels refreshing. P: Sweet with a good wallop of prickly ginger. Sweetness comes from what emerges as crisp apple and citrus. Not much else for me really. Texture is good, its full with softness but also some oiliness that lingers nicely. Perhaps as the ginger subsides between sips there is something a little soft and creamy but the ginger prickle has kept building for me into a heat that mutes much of the under notes. Leaving longer between sips there is an oak presence which is drying and tannic but it’s nothing much. The heat isn’t bad, but this palate for me is one dimensional and a bit generic. Finish: Medium-long. The oiliness I find stretches this out for me. There are sharp apple and fresh herbal flavours that end up feeling juicy. Hmm, I like that. I wasn’t expecting much from this pour. I have avoided J&B rare like the plague since I first picked up a whisky back in 2016. Everything is perfectly approachable, doesn’t really take any work to appreciate and ultimately, despite being a little generic and unremarkable, is pretty tasty. For me the entry on the nose and finish out the other end are stand outs. As the end of the dram comes up I am wondering if some distant peat smoke comes through. Surprise for me I guess. I’m not going to go out and buy a bottle, but it’s nice to know that in a bind, I have another acceptable uncomplicated drink to reach for when out and about. (Pictured here with a chunk of Britains oldest and most studied rock; the Lewisian Gneiss. This rock is 3-2.7 billion years old and is found across much of northwest Scotland and the islands of the Inner and Outer Hebridies). Distiller whisky taste #93

A very generously shared 30 ml from the Oracle @cascode . I felt like a peaty treat this evening and this has been on the wish list to try for some time. The spirit used for this HP features a small portion of Orkney-grown Tartan barley, and was matured predominantly in American oak sherry seasoned casks. Allegedly coming in slightly smokier than standard HPs. Excited to dive in… N: Beautifully gentle vanilla and herbal (thyme? rosemary?) scented smoke are wafted along with raisins and perhaps some malty chocolate and a touch of honey. More gentle than I expected, but a beautifully savoury welcome to the dram. P: This is oily up front and the first thing that hits me is fennel-aniseed and barley. Helped along by a good dose of cinnamon there is some pepper as well to the spices. Dark fruits of raisins and fig and maybe some generic orchard fruit crispness are the sweet rescuers of the spice. I find toffee here similar in depth and lusciousness to the Highland Park 25 actually. When that toffee comes through the pallet softens and rounds out to a creamy fullness and reveals the soft delicate floral orkney peat.. F: Medium. Sweet and spicy smoke, some burnt bbq ends and some bakery spice with a hint of dryness are a wonderful close. Wow. The intensity of this takes things a touch above the standard age offerings of HP. Elements of the 12 and the 25 are there as well as some aspects of what i can remember of the 18 when i had that some time ago. Clearly this speaks to a highly varied choice of barrels. Everything though is turned up a notch and brings things closer to the peat levels of Talisker or even an Islay offering. This is a complex beast, and i do like it. I am a HP fan boy though. I would criticise it to say that in my mind some of the sherry influence is taken down a notch and I’d like it a little bit more balanced between the spice, soft elements of toffee and vanilla, and the sherry fruits. Water does level things out a little but I lose the toffee and the floral note. Personally, no water for me. Great stuff, well worth a try. (Pictured here with a Devonian Old Red Sandstone the same rock that dominates the Orkney Islands and forms the natural aquifers responsible for filtering the water used by the Highland Park distillery.) Distiller whisky taste #92