Tastes

I am a sucker for a Tawny/Port cask whisky. Invariably they speak to me, I. The same way that rum cask finishes don’t. Just as was the case for the bourbon cask, the tawny standard offering is the little brother to the cask strength version that I have had previously. N: Sweet depths of dark chocolate, toffee, and raisins. Tempered well by a hint of dark wood, furniture wax, and leather. Some of the notes I have for the cask strength of caramel, tobacco, and mustiness are absent here. P: Rich and sticky. Christmas cake in a glass: dried fruits, cinnamon, cloves. A little oak tannin, some caramel, and a leathery late texture. The textures are much less developed and depth of flavours from the wood are not nearly as apparent as they were in the cask strength. The buttery mouth feel, wood spices, and crunchy brown sugars are just not apparent. F: medium-long. Bitter sweet chocolate and a little Christmas spice. This has perhaps sounded negative, not at all. This is lovely juice, it’s just not what I want. I want the full experience of the cask strength single cask. Funnily enough, there is the fourth version of the “Angus Cask” available in the distillery now. Angus is the 16 year old Scotty dog that belongs to the owners. Four times now a special limited run has been made in honour of Angus. Currently, cask four is a 50l Tawny bottled at 50.4% and samples are only given to a rarified few. I was fortunate enough to try one. I’m not putting a review here for it, it didn’t seem right to me to do so. What I will say though, it’s great, really lovely; it’s this tawny turned up a notch. I would have bought one, but; it’s still not the cask strength… and another release (between you and I) is on the horizon… Cost is for 500 ml. Distiller whisky taste #254 [Pictured here, not with a rock, but just some of the distillery] Launceston running scores Bourbon cask: 3.5/5 Bourbon cask, cask strength single cask: 4/5 Apera cask: 3.75/5 Tawny cask: 3.75/5 Tawny cask, cask strength single cask: 4.25/5 Rum cask finish: 3.25/5 American & French oak reserve: 4.25/5

I am not typically a fan of rum casks, I find them a little jarring. My expectations then going into this special release of a bourbon cask matured and Caribbean rum finished offering were low at best. N: light, delicate, and with some tannic to ginger spice. Malibu rum or coconut suntan lotion were just apparent. P: The forward texture was voluptuous, full, soft, and pillowy. A remarkably enjoyable experience. The palate was a little lack lustre. Sticky rum flavours of coconut, banana, charred pineapple are there, but all understated and a little meh to me. F: Short, kind of. Initially a simple chewy to crunchy brown sugar presence that fades quickly. But, a late ghostly presence of coconuts and banana that creeps back in is summery and beckons you to sip again. I maintain my default position towards rum casks of “meh”, but this one has some novelty to the finish that held my interest. Far from my favourite, but this is clearly well made and will speak to people who prefer this kind of profile. Cost is for 500 ml bottle. Distiller whisky taste #253 [Pictured here, not with a rock, but just some of the distillery] Launceston running scores Bourbon cask: 3.5/5 Bourbon cask, cask strength single cask: 4/5 Apera cask: 3.75/5 Tawny cask, cask strength single cask: 4.25/5 Rum cask finish: 3.25/5 American & French oak reserve: 4.25/5

In Tassie and finally made it to a distillery. Beautiful Aircraft hangar (hangar 17) and the origin of Tasmanian Aviation. I have previously had a few Launceston juices finding them good to very good. But, I have never bought a bottle, put off by a high price tag. Having now seen their process, their wonderful people, and dedication to craft over quick releases (cough Starward cough) I am more inclined to buy a bottle down the track. Sadly, I wasn’t allowed to try the new make in the absence of the head distiller to sign off on it (Australian taxation rules can go straight to hell). Anyway, opening with their entry level malt, the Bourbon cask. Barrels are sourced from a range of US distilleries but the consistency of batches is good. The cask strength of this I tried on 16th Nov 2022 (distiller taste #108), rating it 4/5. Skipping to the end of this review, unsurprisingly this 46% standard bottling is the toned down little brother you’d expect. N: light and crisp, with a surprising foretelling of oaky astringency. Dominantly though, creamy lemon curd and vanilla custard. A little gristy malt. P: almost like for like with the nose. This is soft but with some oaky spice to keep you on your toes, tropical suggestions of coconut and some brown sugar and vanilla let you know you are definitely in bourbon cask territory. F: Surprisingly long with warm tannic spice and vanilla notes. There’s not to much to write home about here, this is a bourbon cask whisky as you’d expect but the addition of some extra slightly untamed oak adds a spicy complexity that stops it being boring. Lemony presence on the nose is quite distinctive and enjoyable. This is simple whisky, well made. Cost is for 500 ml bottle Distiller whisky taste #252 [Pictured here, not with a rock, but just some of the distillery] Launceston running scores Bourbon cask: 3.5/5 Bourbon cask, cask strength single cask: 4/5 Apera cask: 3.75/5 Tawny cask, cask strength single cask: 4.25/5 American & French oak reserve: 4.25/5

N: thick and syrupy the nose exudes richness. Heavy with figs, stewed plums and tannic toffee. Lightly herbal with an aniseed-peppermint presence. Toffee turns more vanilla with time. P: thinner than the nose would suggest but still good weight. Stewed fruit continues is presence adds an oily ness to the tannins and a little oak spice. Malt is present as an almost Irish whisky biscuitiness. The tannic astringency builds over time. F: medium. Tannic spice entering and plays out against a fig jam backdrop and just a slightly toasty malt. A perfectly adequate whisky, that has the slightly deeper port cask notes just about balanced against brighter sherry. But, there is little of the underlying spirit in my mind and an example of being over reliant on aggressive wood profiles. I’d actually suggest the Dark Lark is a better expression of heavy port casting and out performs this classic cask. Neither though, I feel are worth the price. Still, a Tasmanian whisky set against a backdrop of the Tasmanian wilds with platypus going about their evening, hard to complain to much. Distiller whisky taste #251

A good way to end the year, marking 116 Distiller entries for 2023. I am extremely grateful to the mighty @cascode who has sent me many of my tastings this year. With one more left from him after this one I felt I would make 2023 end on a high note with this 18 year old Ledaig and distiller whisky review #250. I loved Tobermory 12 and likely need a bottle back on my shelf. Ledaig 10 I described as: “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.” I can’t imagine this pour from the Isle of Mull will be anything less than excellent… N: A richly earthy coolness envelopes everything. The earthiness is best described as a mildly mineral and oaky tar smoke. Blended seamlessly through the wafts of cool smoke are dark chocolate, cherry, leather, citrus zest, and a delicate honey sweetness. I am almost hesitant to drink this now, what if the follow through doesn’t live up to this exceptional nose? P: Oily and full bodied with a wonderful juiciness that has me salivating. The earthy nose translates directly to the palate but reveals a slightly brown sugar-malt crunch, perhaps like cookie dough? There is refreshing sweetness from something akin to melon juice, preserved lemon rinds. Roundness and fullness get delivered by nut butter. Interest and zing from spices of pepper, ginger and the slightest chilli. Tannins are restrained and pair well with the smoke which is almost like a smouldering hay-bale. F: Long. Part oily, part dry. Wonderfully crisp, firm but gentle oak spice, creosote and the suggestion of sea-spray (lick a beach pebble; thats the suggestion). This is not a whisky that will bowl you over with complexity and nuance, it wont take you to new flavours or sensations found no where else. But, I’ll be damned if it isn’t near perfect in spite of that. This is expertly made whisky. Every component part has clearly been understood and respected; good whisky well made as it should be. Simplicity and precision need to be bought back into the limelight (I’m looking at you new world whisky; Israel, Australia, Taiwan, England). Despite being relatively straightforward there is still depth and gravitas to the profile and it will still pull you into the glass to savour every drop. Taking a leaf out of @ContemplativeFox book I know i’m not giving this a five. The four drams I have given 5/5 to are outrageous spectacles in my mind. But, I’m left wondering if this is 4.5 or 4.75. 4.75 is the territory of Talisker 18, Highland Park 18 and 25. 4.5 is busier with notable liquids of Ardbeg Uigeadail and Corryvreckan, Highland Park Mjolner, Arran Argonne, The LakesReserve, Laphroig Lore, and Talisker 8 y/o 2021. 4.75 is a pretty hallowed ground in my book and looking back at my reviews the key element through my three 4.75s is an excitement that is slightly lacking in the next bracket down. 4.5 is where this Ledaig 18 sits and it finds itself in excellent company. A very big thank you again to @cascode, and a happy new year to anyone who reads my excessively lengthy reviews here. Slainte! Distiller whisky taste #250 [Pictured here with a replica of “Mrs. Ples”. Mrs Ples is a 2.5 million year old fossil of Australopithecus africanus discovered in 1947 in Sterkfontein, South Africa. The discovery of this near complete specimen helped lend credence to the notion that South African Australopithecines were indeed hominids. Originally thought to be a female, it is no known that Mrs Ples is in fact; Mr Ples] Tobermory running scores Tobermory 12: 4/5 Ledaig 10: 3.75/5 Ledaig 18: 4.5/5

The second of @cascodes selected Dewars ‘smooth’ offerings. An acceptable but unimpressive open from the ‘Illegal Smooth’ now the follow up from ‘Japanese Smooth’. Mizunara casks are pretty special, rare, expensive, and with great heritage. But they can be very easily used poorly. I am hoping that the sandalwood aromatics, and coconut-honey sweetness and lightness of body that Mizunara can bring are well integrated into this pour… N: A vaguely tannic and earthy-sweetness are first and foremost, along with a little alcohol prickle. I get the bare minimum suggestion of orange oil through a light biscuit malt and gentle honey. This is surprisingly light and ‘aromatic’ but I wouldn’t go as far to say anything specific about what the aromats are past malt-honey and slightest orange. Certainly none of the Mizunara excellence I had hoped for. P: A little thin but heading towards creamy. The most obvious thing early on is an almost potpourri like perfume. Sandalwood, sweet plum, herbal aniseed and cinnamon. The texture and flavour becomes toasty over time and spice builds to a raw ginger warmth. So much floral-aromatic oomph going on makes this quite unique to me. F: Short. Sweet malt, watery honey, feint peppery spice and a grainy exit texture. Wow, I think thats the most extreme case of aromatic-florals on the palate I have experienced in a whisky. Honestly, like getting perfume sprayed onto your tongue. @cascode are you sure you put the right stuff in the bottle?! There is obvious carry over in this dram to the ‘Illegal Smooth’. The mass produced elements of a weak nose with a little burn, thinness to the palate texture, and short finish with a grainy exit texture are all directly comparable. Where the Illegal Smooth had a subtle Mezcal influence the Mizunara seems to be more strongly applied here. The aromatics are present but not in the way I had expected and not with the refinement I would expect for such sanctified wood. Still, I quite enjoyed this and would happily have a bottle on the shelf to pour freely as a curiosity with no worries over price-tags or savouring. Thanks, yet again, Overlord @cascode Distiller whisky taste #249 [Pictured here with a replica of H0mo habilis (KNM-ER1813). This replica is of a 1.9 million year old specimen discovered in 1973 at Koobi Fora, Kenya. Despite there being arguments over whether this small 1.3 m tall primate belongs to H0mo or Austalopithecines they are remarkable for likely use of stone tools. Despite their ‘ape-like’ morphologies multiple remains of the species have been found alongside primitive stone tools. These tools are often stone flakes used for butchering and skinning animals. Coincident with a major climate shift that saw forests and water-ways replaced with arid savannahs, these tools gave H. habilis a fitness where other primates could not survive. Despite the controversy over correct genus attributions it is commonly thought that H. habilis is the ancestor to the H. ergaster which in turn led to the human-appearing H0mo erectus.]

Thanks @cascode for curating the best two offerings from the Dewars ‘Smooth’ range. Aside from loathing the use of the word smooth for anything but sleight of hand or topography; I am grateful to get to try my first Dewars liquids, allbeit a smooth one. Fitting that I should move onto these having just finished a bottle of Aberfeldy (12) which I understand is the back bone of a Dewars blend. N: Malt heavy with a sweet fruity tingle/burn. I am not that well acquainted with tequila or mezcal so I don’t know if I am noting anything from the cask. There is something vaguely vegetal and crisp in here (like a green bell pepper) with an undertone of herbal smoke or ash. P: A little thin but heading towards creamy. Immediately hit by a smoky honey with dark caramel. This is followed up by some more of the bell pepper but also cracked black pepper. I think I find the tequila as the interplay of vegetal peppery spice and sticky honey-caramel. I get very little out of this. F: Short. Surprisingly creamy, like oaked chardonnay, a got dose of more vegetal pepper spice and some grainy ash. Erm. I honestly don’t know what to say about this. It feels like generic blended malt but with a vaguely interesting vegetal and peppery character to set it apart from bottom shelf generic drams. I’m not fully convinced I know enough about mezcal or Dewars to pass any kind of judgement but for me, its a forgettable but perfectly acceptable, ‘meh’. Thanks again Overlord @cascode Distiller whisky taste #248 [Pictured here with a replica (orange) reconstruction (brown) of the original Austalopithecus afarensis skull, better known as; Lucy. At 3.2 million years old Lucy (or A.L. 288-1) was discovered in Hadar, Ethiopia in 1974. Her jaw shares features with both apes and other early hominids. Although the brain size was relatively small, the rest of the skeleton indicated she walked upright, supporting the idea that bipedalism preceded the development of large brains. And why ‘Lucy’? The night she was found the paleontological team celebrated in camp with a cassette of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds playing on repeat.]

Could this be the actual Apex of M&H, the promised land of milk and honey? This is about as niche a maturation as a whisky could possibly receive. Dead Sea is the eighth Apex release. It combines 60 casks, 20 each of ex-Bourbon, ex-STR, and ex-Red Wine; all aged for a year next to the Dead Sea. The lowest place on Earth at ~427 m below sea level and with temperatures of up to 50 degrees C the Dead Sea also boasts salinities of 8-10x that of normal sea water. These barrels had an angels share of 25 freaking percent! The wood contact and exchange here is ridiculous. After the year by the Dead Sea the barrels spent another Final two years in Tel Aviv. Let’s dive (or float, its the Dead Sea) in… N: Sweet and a little thin with a little harshness from 56.2% ABV. Vanilla, bitter chocolate, coffee. Mint/menthol, tobacco, and cinnamon. P: This is odd (I feel like I have used that word a lot for these M&H notes). Thin yet powerful. There is a heavy, heavy handed application of spice that is over quickly: cinnamon, clove, black pepper, the fruitiness of red chilli, and cardamon. Bitterness from cocoa powder and then a dry musty presence; not too dissimilar from old tea bags. If you can get through that overzealous and rushed wooding, then there is some brown sugar, toffee and aniseed to greet you. Sadly the best bit of the M&H, the orange and floral lightness is absolutely gone from this. F: Medium-short. Chilli and pepper heat overprint some sweet orchard fruit freshness, a bit of milk chocolate creaminess. And I think thats salinity, but honestly it’s hard to tell; the wood spice is so dominant. Wood is good. Rather, wood is good when it’s used respectfully and correctly. Whilst attempting to make a uniquely Israeli whisky was well intentioned there are just somethings that shouldn’t be done. One of those things is to put a whisky in some of the most extreme temperature conditions on the planet. Sadly, what is a genuinely interesting and promising spirit is decimated by aggressive wood-liquid exchange. You don’t put frozen fish sticks in the hottest oven and expect an even cook. You probably shouldn’t do the equivalent of this with whisky. As always, I am a rank amateur and my opinion is probably wrong. I suspect I miss something as I have read some dizzyingly positive reviews. Or perhaps like the WWA winning Sherry Cask, people are easily bribed one way or another, be it money, headlines, or a general buzz around an exciting new whisky destination. Sadly I must actually refer to a marketing slogan to sign off on these average malts: “good things come to those who wait” Distiller whisky taste #247 [Pictured here with a lump of Halite hopper crystals. The salty Dead Sea} M&H Running scores Classic: 3.5/5 Sherry: 3/5 Red Wine: 3.25/5 Peated: 3.25/5 Apex Pomegranate: 3.75/5 Apex Dead Sea: 2.75/5

Ok. Core expression and ‘elements’ series out of the way. I now have what I was most excited about, the Apex series. I have two of them in front of me. I am excited as I feel these are the two (whether good or bad) with the best shot of being reflective of an Israeli character. The Apex series are supposedly, according to Ari in marketing, “an exclusive opportunity to taste limited editions driven by our boldness and aspiration to reach new heights”. That is, these whiskies are the Apex of M&H. Thats not at all setting themselves up to fail… The pomegranate cask is M&H Single malt whisky aged in ex-Bourbon casks and finished in fortified style pomegranate wine casks for six months. Ooooo 59.5% ABV, this should have some oomph. N: And a little oomph it has. The almost 60% ABV is apparent right away. Rich and with depth, but not overwhelming. This has an oozy kind of thickness laden with earthy malt, burnt coffee and dark caramel, toffee apple, mint, and a little vanilla with a vague spritz of orange. The longer I sit with this the stickier and ‘redder’ it has become; still, I am not convinced it smells of pomegranates. P: Heavy and forceful. Thick with honey and raisin a pomegranate syrup presence permeates. Oaky spice is warming, and leans towards cinnamon chilli, with the wood somewhat restrained and toasty. Vanilla toffee, and fading notes of mocha. F: Long. Drying oak, sticky sweet and spicy chilli heat with a fruity presence that is the pomegranate at work. The faintest notion of salt. A few drops of water and a few minutes to calm later… the nose becomes a little brighter, a little fruiter, and with more nose prickle. Amongst that though there is a musty red grape and woody herbal presence like thyme and lavender. Really quite lovely. The palate enters savoury territory, again backed by a herbal bouquet that lends well to an earthy presence. Pomegranate is on the ride side of sweet. The palate does dry a little further and becomes slightly astringent but only shortens the finish without developing anything new. This is well made. The higher proof offers length and depths to work with and what I though would be sticky and cloying has actually been pretty well managed. Some of the musty, honey, and orange-blossom is here and represents the core spirit well. The cask is additive and pretty well executed. It may be a little too tannic and that, I fear will always be an issue in the Israeli climate. I am torn though, is this better than the classic? It’s more adventurous, it would have been more challenging to do correctly. I don’t think I enjoyed it more, but I think it does offer a little more to discover, so it just about edges the top spot with one contender left to go… Distiller whisky taste #246 [Desert only theme has fallen away it seems. So, pictured here with a rock for the pomegranate cask. The mineral name garnet is derived from the 14th‑century Middle English word gernet, meaning 'dark red' and is further derived from the Latin granatus, from granum ('grain, seed'). Granatus is likely a reference to mela granatum or even pomum granatum (pomegranate).⠀This garnet schist/gneiss is from Southern Norway. I used it for taste #140; HP16 Eagle, but it is the most pomegranate-like rock I have, so its coming out again] M&H Running scores Classic: 3.5/5 Sherry: 3/5 Red Wine: 3.25/5 Peated: 3.25/5 Apex Pomegranate: 3.75/5

Still circling an average score of ‘good’ with an undertone of underwhelming we are half way through and entering the back stretch. This is the third of the M&H elements series that explores the influence of different barrels. Here, M&H fill ex-Islay barrels with their spirit and mature them in the hot climate before combing them with ex-bourbon aged spirit. N: Light and bright. Vanilla scented honey, a freshly cut hay meadow and a lightly lemony smoke that definitely brings Islay into the minds eye. A light tarry-brine comes through and I am wondering if this the touch of a Lagavulin cask? A light juicy melon comes in along the way as well. Not bad at all. P: Odd, there is a powerful hit of smoke but this is delivered by a somewhat thinly juicy palate. Sweet honey and fresh cut lush grass are quite jarring against a stand alone creosote and preserved lemon smoke. There is some fruitiness by way of pear and apple, but they don’t do a lot. The oak is peppery, but again, I don’t find this well integrated. F: Medium. Peppery to chilli tannins and a slightly creamy texture unfolds. Vanilla panacota and a touch of honey sweetness (there it is: milk and honey). The smoke hangs around longest and brings the same tarry-lemon as on the nose and palate but adds a little salinity. This one was a curious drop. Every flavour, scent, and sensation was pretty much great. But, only as individual elements. Altogether, this is like a divorce settlement fighting over who gets to keep the holiday house. M&H seem to have a very admirable spirit profile which lends its self well to clean casking and a simple directionality. Sadly, the delicacy and nuance of this sweet floral malt is tossed into a lions den with the heavyweight Islay cask here and it just cannot find its feet. Points for ‘elements’ here but big negatives on execution and integrated balance. Two more to go, and these seem to ring truer on paper to an Israeli whisky than what has been imbibed so far… Distiller whisky taste #245 [Pictured here with Azurite suns on a white kaolinite matrix from Mablunka, 220 km north of Alice Springs in the Australian Northern Territories. Leaving the desert theme behind momentarily to bring you the Israeli flag in rock form. Each blue sun is a radial cluster of copper carbonate minerals (azurite). These formed when during the Alice Springs Orogeny hot circulating basin fluids penetrated 300-400 million year old clay sediments} M&H Running scores Classic: 3.5/5 Sherry: 3/5 Red Wine: 3.25/5 Peated: 3.25/5