Tastes

I won this bottle at auction a few months back and decided it was time to open it. The Cardhu 18 is a UK exclusive that goes for around $75-80. My winning bid was about $60 after the exchange rate. Add on 10% fees plus shipping and I’d say that I paid close to UK retail. Let’s see what’s under the hood of this Speyside single malt. Bottled at 40% ABV, is chill filtered and has colorant added making it an amber honey color. The nose has lots of honey, some citrus and is malty. Tangerine marmalade, peaches, grapes and some light apples. Predominantly sherry notes, but there also seems to be some bourbon maturation as well. Brown sugar, caramel, buttered toast. Coffee or mocha, toffee, maple. Nutty - Brazil nuts, hazelnut, nutmeg, ginger and anise. Floral, grassy and perfumed, green oak at times. For a moment there was a super sweet/fruity note like Skittles or Fruity Pebbles. The palate starts with oranges and tangerines and honey. Very malty, but more of a dark roasted malt akin to that used in a stout beer. Vanilla cream, anise, butterscotch. Oak tannins, dark chocolate, salted caramels. Faint mint, sherry, but more of a dark and juicy sherry rather than a sweet and fruity sherry. Green grapes and a gentle touch of wood smoke. Some wood spice, but it’s overall a mild and very drinkable whisky. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is creamy and lightly oily, dry. The finish is medium length with dark chocolate malt, honey and is dry. Looking back at my notes on the 12 year old, which is about $35 less in the UK market (I paid $60 here in Michigan), they seem to stack up fairly evenly. Honey, citrus and chocolate malt seem to be the Cardhu house profile. This 18 isn’t bad, but why pay more for what equates to a slightly darker and deeper version of the 12? Not a great scotch, but it’s got the complexity where it counts and is not overly expensive. For that I give it a 3.75. Cheers

I found this bourbon on the shelves of my local Kroger and thought I’d give it a shot. Amador Double Barrel is a sourced Kentucky bourbon consisting of barrels aged between 3 and 10 years old that are then finished for 6 months in Napa Valley wine barrels of an undisclosed variety. Bottled at 43.4% ABV, what I assume is a natural color of orange amber and is probably chill filtered. The nose has strong corn notes and some alcohol up front. Heavily charred oak and red wine notes that seem to fade in and out. Vanilla, blackberries, red grapes, cinnamon apples. Some typical toffee/caramel notes, stale marshmallows and brown sugar. A slight bubblegum note and some very light florals, lavender maybe. After a while a strong peanut aroma takes over. A fairly weak nose other than the oak and peanuts. The palate mimics the nose almost completely. Corn, charred oak and alcohol. Grapes, apple skins, vanilla and red wine. A bit of spice, nothing over the top but just enough to be enjoyable. Cinnamon, clove, a touch harsh though. Peanuts and peanut brittle. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is a bit watery, mouth coating and dry. The finish is medium length with corn, oak, peanuts, grapes and is dry. I have to say that for a $45 bourbon I was expecting much more. The wine influence is minimal and the bourbon is mediocre. It’s easy drinking but for that kind of money I want more complexity in my bourbons. The peanut note took me a while to figure out, but once I did that was all I could focus on and it became distracting. I’d pass on this one again. 3.25 Cheers

Checking my notes and it’s been 3 weeks since my last review. A combination of weddings, family events, a cold and trying to work through some of my open bottles sidelined me. Plus ever since the SDT ended I just don’t feel the pressure to pound out samples 4-5 nights a week. Anyways, on to the whisky du jour. GlenDronach Parliament 21 year old. Why it’s called Parliament I have no idea, and honestly I don’t care, because it’s wonderful. Matured in a combination of PX and Oloroso sherry casks, bottled at the 48% ABV sweet spot, non chill filtered and natural color of a nice mahogany. The nose is all sweet savory sherry with soft sherried fruits. Berries, plums, dates, apricots and raisins. Oranges dusted with cocoa powder, pecans, Brazil nuts and cola. Warm pecan pie, nutmeg, ginger and allspice. There was a note of something like citronella or furniture polish, but it was brief and not really a bad thing when it was there. Some light oak, pancake syrup, chocolate pudding, chocolate licorice (yes those are two distinct chocolate smells), and vanilla. As an experiment I added a bit of water even though I don’t think any was needed. Everything was softened and nothing additional was brought out except a little more oak, hazelnuts and a bit of a soapy note. The palate starts with gentle baking spices at first, then they build in intensity and the signature GlenDronach spice profile is revealed. A bit earthy with mild ginger root, nutmeg and allspice. Nutty sherry - walnuts, pecans and hazelnut. Polished oak with some slightly bitter tannins. Raisins, dates and some bitter dark chocolate. Water does very little except bring down some of the bitterness (even though there wasn’t much there to begin with). A medium bodied mouthfeel that is creamy and silky smooth. The finish is medium length with sherry, chocolate, nutty with some tannins. This is a wonderfully matured highland single malt. A very elegant yet easily approachable profile. Both the PX and Oloroso casks show their influence here. This is every bit as good as the 18 year old, but not so good that it justifies the much higher price tag. Speaking of price, here in Michigan this bottle goes for a whopping $250. At that price there is no way I would have bought a bottle. Instead I got this from Master of Malt for $117, plus shipping. True it was only a 700mL bottle vs the 750 I would have gotten here in the States, but those 50 extra mL’s are not worth the extra $100 or so. I won’t be restocking this bottle as I have so many more to get to, but I recommend it to sherry lovers out there. 4.5 Cheers

A few months ago I was searching for a bottle of scotch to buy for my friend @LeeEvolved for his birthday. We are both huge fans of the movie Anchorman so when I happened across this bottle of Ron Burgundy’s Great Odin’s Raven (released to coincide with the release of Anchorman 2) I just had to buy it. He graciously sent me a sample and after having it sit for a while amongst my myriad of backlogged samples I decided tonight was the night to put it to the test. This is a blended scotch that is 60/40 malt/grain. The malts are from the Highlands, Speyside and Islay. Bottled at 40% ABV and is chill filtered with colorant added making it a honey gold. The nose is very grain forward, despite it being the lower percentage spirit in the mix. Cereal grains, vanilla, honey and hay. Slightly astringent like acetone. Worn oak, but not quality oak. Underripe peaches and overripe bananas, but light on both accounts. After a little time there emerges a coffee/mocha/cocoa powder note that was most unexpected, but faded quickly and never returned. There is an earthy/vegetal/peaty note that is slightly smoky, very slightly. Damp and musty with some coconut scented dish soap. I added a couple drops of water just to see what happened. It toned down the harshness but did little to improve the nose other than that. The palate is also very grainy with honey and cereal malt. A strange sour note, like citric acid got mixed in with the yeast in a batch of sourdough bread. The grain is harsh at times. Vanilla, sharp oak and bitter white grape juice. Water has the same effect on the palate as it did on the nose, a reduction in harshness but nothing additional. Light to medium bodied mouthfeel that is creamy and mouth coating. The finish is medium long with harsh grains, vanilla and underripe pears. Fairly dry. This is a great example of marketing in action. You have a sequel to a great movie and you want to get people really excited about it. So why not release a whisky with the main characters name on it? Who cares what’s in the bottle so long as it brings attention to the movie. Well I bought into it. Am I regretting that decision? Not at all! It’s a great conversation piece for a fair price (I believe I paid $23 for it). I’ll give it the edge when going up against JW Red Label simply because it’s cheaper and has a slightly more complex nose, but this is a mixer and not meant to be drank neat. 2.75 Cheers

This marks the final bonus sample from the Scottish Distillery Tour. A bittersweet feeling for me. The end of a long and fulfilling journey, but also the beginning of the next chapter in my own personal whisky story. I had a small sample of this Taiwanese single malt at Whiskyfest in April and I absolutely loved it. Let’s see how this sample compares. These are single barrel offerings, so it’s very possible that there will be differences from what I had before. This one was bottled at 59.2% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of red mahogany. The nose opens with baking and wood spices, but quickly turns sweet. Lots of concord grapes and raisins. Possibly the most raisiny of all raisins ever raisined...two scoops even! Grape juice mixed with motor oil, but in a good way. Sweet wine, blackberry jam, grape jelly. Allspice or ginger, vanilla, brown sugar, caramel, toffee, butterscotch and maple syrup. Plums, prunes, faint dried apricots. Old oak polished with orange oil. Much sweeter than I recall from the first time I tried it. Water reveals buttery biscuits, cranberry and cereal malt. A little bit of a vegetal note and maybe some old leather. The palate is super sweet and a bit spicy. Baking spices as opposed to a peppery spice. Grape jelly, grape and cherry cough syrup, cherry lozenges. Sugary raisins bring it to a close. Not at all the rich and savory dram from back in April. This is sugary and medicinal. Water brings out more medicinal notes, mostly cough syrup. A full bodied mouthfeel that is thick, oily and mouthwatering. The finish is long, sweet and bitter at the same time. Thick, cough syrup and grape juice. This is such a departure from the Whiskyfest sample I had months ago. That one was hands down 5 stars, rich and luxurious. This one is bittersweet and very medicinal. It would appear that either there are big variations between casks or the Whiskyfest environment was conducive to more favorable tasting notes. I’m inclined to think the former as other drams that night didn’t hold up to expectations. This cask can only warrant a 4.25, and that’s perhaps a bit generous. A big thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for sharing this $200 bottle, but I don’t think I’ll be seeking out a bottle any time soon. Cheers

Full disclosure, I am a Tamdhu fanboy. I will buy everything they release following their rebranding after being sold to Ian Macleod from Edrington Group if it’s within my power (obviously the 50 year old for $20,000 is out of my price range). The Dalbeallie Dram is special bottle commemorating the Dalbeallie railway station that was built in Speyside that allowed for the movement of barley, people, coal and casks from Spain. Only 1000 bottles were released and I was lucky enough to land bottles 368 and 369. Bottled at 62.1% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of red mahogany rubbed with iron oxide. The nose is intense with rich Oloroso sherry, but does not lean too sweet. A very deep, dark profile. Red berries, raisins, brown sugar/molasses. Dark caramel and toffee, vanilla, oak, musty red grapes. Hardly any alcohol burn. Fairly floral and herbal with mint, slightly earthy and a Big Red gum punch in the nose. After a long time left to settle down, there are plums, allspice, dark chocolate and even some pineapple. Orange peels, almonds, tangerines and warm bread. Slightly bitter black tea, walnuts, nutmeg and blackberry jam. Water makes it more savory with richer caramel and more nutty. Cherries and licorice, both black and red. Apple pie, strawberries, banana peels, cinnamon and vanilla. The palate is an intense rush of sherry, both spicy and sweet. I was immediately reminded of Macallan Classic Cut. Walnuts, almonds, coffee, dark chocolate. Oranges, black Earl Grey tea, mint and cinnamon. Water brought out cherries, sherry saturated oak, a dark sweetness. Nutty like peanut brittle and very juicy. I decided to experiment and added enough water to bring on some scotch mist (which was more water than I expected) and it turns out that this dram does not hold up to that much water. It became more bitter than anything with mostly black tea notes, so a word to the wise, less is more here. A full bodied mouthfeel that is oily, hot at times and mouthwatering. The finish is very long with sherry, tea, walnut skins, slightly bitter/tannic with light cinnamon. This was a Herculean dram indeed. Not for the faint hearted. The sherry is so intense that I dare say it was almost too much...almost. It begs for water, but doesn’t always need it. The price point is high at $160 but I think that’s more indicative of is limited run and high collectibility status. This is not one that you can sit and sip all night, you will melt your face off. This is best taken 1oz at a time and only once or twice a week at most. Otherwise you won’t have any tastebuds left. Tons of flavor and lots of complexity. 4.75 and I’m glad I got to share it with my SDT cohorts @Scott_E, @LeeEvolved, @Telex and @PBMichiganWolverine Cheers

Outside of Octomore, I’ve never had a Bruichladdich. Strange that after almost 300 whiskies not one has been part of the standard lineup of this Islay distillery. Well tonight I remedied that thanks to @LeeEvolved and his generosity. Bere Barley is all about locally grown Islay barley. Bottled at 50% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of pale straw. The nose is very malty and cereal forward. Lemon citrus, which I had noticed in so many single malts a few months ago and then suddenly it was gone, and now back again. Vanilla cream, ginger and nutmeg. Light oak, a distant coffee note and light toffee. Not much complexity to be found here. After adding a generous amount of water...nothing. Not much change at all except maybe a little creamier and perhaps some lime leaves. The palate is rather harsh with lots of heat that builds quickly. Malty, oak, lemon and a light apple note. Harsh overall. With water much of the heat still remains and nothing new comes forth. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is lightly oily and mouth coating with heat. The finish is medium length with heat, cereal malt and light oak. Well this was quite the boring dram. Nothing really going on, but that may have been done intentionally. I suspect that refill and third fill casks were used in an attempt to impart as little influence over the new make spirit as possible in order to showcase the special barley varietal. Unfortunately that resulted in a rather forgettable dram. At close to $90 it’s also quite pricy for what you get. So I’d recommend not bothering with this one if tempted to try something new. 2.75 Cheers

So yesterday I received a 2oz sample of this newest NAS Highland Park from my good friend @LeeEvolved he himself having received a 6oz sample from our mutual friend @PBMichiganWolverine. So thanks to the both of you for the chance to try this guy out. I have many, MANY other samples to choose from at the moment, but this one caught my interest and I had to try it ASAP. Dragon Legend is made with a higher percentage of peated malt than its standard core range. Bottled at 43.1% ABV and is natural color of honey gold and is most likely chill filtered. Big juicy sherry notes jump out on the nose. Raisins, figs, sherry, maple, caramel, molasses. Slightly smoky, but not too noticeable compared to the sherry notes. Floral, heather honey, candy apples, light oak and Juicy Fruit gum. A light earthy/mineral note. The peat is here, but very much the floral Orkney peat vs the intensely earthy and vegetal peat of Islay. Plums, grilled apricots, pickled ginger, pecans and almonds. I love this style nose, big rich sherry full of flavor. This is not one of the more intense examples of this style, but it is a good one. The palate has soft but flavorful peat, lovely sherry, but not too intense on either front. Walnuts, pecans, sherried fruits - apples, plums, blackberries, strawberries, grapes. Sweet vermouth, cantaloupe, cloves, ginger. Threads of smoke weave in and out, but never dominate. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is creamy and mouth coating. A medium long finish with sherry, nuts, light peat, cloves and is dry. I really wasn’t expecting this much sherry from an expression that is hanging its hat on having higher than normal amounts of peated malt. The peat is there, and is perceptively higher than the 12 year old, but the sherry is the star here. It seems like a 65/35 blend of HP 12 and Macallan 12. Fairly complex at times but also elegant in its simplicity at other times. Master of Malt lists this at $43 and at that price this is totally worth it. 4.25. Cheers

Yet another bonus sample from the SDT. Today we move a few miles down the road from Laphroaig to the equally famous, if not more so, Lagavulin distillery on the magical island of Islay. This is the 2018 release for the annual Feis Ile festival. An 18 year old bottled at 53.9% ABV and is most likely natural color of yellow gold and most likely non chill filtered. Initially the nose is very closed off with only light smoke and vanilla showing. After a little time there are apricots, yellow apples and after dinner mints. The smoke level increases, bringing with it a warm campfire, very light sherry notes, flat cola, oak, earthy peat and burnt raisins. Letting it sit a good long while brings out powdered ginger and more vanilla. Nosing off of a fresh pour gives off dates, model airplane glue, pine resin and butter cream. Water is able to coax out lemon bars with a graham cracker crust, olive brine, soap and tangerines. The palate is super hot and peppery. Less smoke than anticipated. Cola, licorice, tannins, vanilla and ashy oak. Any fruit or sherry is completely covered by the intense heat. A generous amount of water and it tames this beast. Gentler and more refined. Smoky, light oak, but much of the depth is lost. Medium to full bodied mouthfeel that is hot, mouthwatering and then dry. The finish is long, smoky but not overtly so, a slight hint of bitterness and dry with a shaving of oak staves. It would seem as though cask strength Lagavulin is not really for me. I’m not too happy about that as I have a bottle of the 2015 12 year old waiting for me. Hope that one is more forgiving. Here I was hoping for more of a smoked meat/sweet BBQ profile, but it was mostly just hot and burnt. Less elegant that the 16 year old by a wide margin. 4.25 and thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample. Cheers

Continuing on with the Cairdeas reviews, here we have the 2014 version that was finished in Amontillado sherry casks. This was actually part of our hotel room tasting session in DC for Whiskyfest back in April, sample provided by @Telex. Bottled at 51.4% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of orange amber. John Campbell walked with the whisky rep from Persia, listening intently as he rambled on about superior malting processes, the purest water in the land and golden barley the color of the sun at noon. He walked with him as the Persian made claims of international awards and accolades spanning from San Francisco to Bangalore. But when they made their way to the pit of death and the feeble man from the foreign distillery claimed they were the richest, peatiest whisky in the world, John Campbell smirked, looked around at his workers and yelled defiantly in his thick Islay accent...”THIS IS LAPHROAIG!!”, before kicking the man and his weakly flavored whisky to their doom. Yes this is a fantastic Laphroaig. The nose is brand new shoes that stepped into a bowl of orange sherbet liqueur and then set ablaze by the flaming arrow of Antonio Rebollo after he loosed it from his bow to light the Olympic flame during the opening ceremonies of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Strong rubber and bandaid notes. Dark, rich and sweet sherry, but different than other sherried whiskies out there. Honeyed dates, figs and tennis balls. Varnish soaked oak and iodine. Raspberry chocolate, salted caramels, vanilla, toffee. Very earthy peat with a touch of mint. Fruity Pebbles cereal and Juicy Fruit gum. The palate is big billowing smoke with sweet BBQ meats, grilled plums and nectarines. Vanilla, brown sugar and burnt oranges. Burnt oak, ashes and soot. Bandaids, iodine and rubber. Some peppery spice, a little anise and some tannins. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is creamy and mouthwatering. The finish is medium long to long, fruity, smoky, rubbery with a trace of mint riding into the distance on a horse made of peat. Very much the best of the last 5 years of the Cairdeas releases. And probably my second favorite Laphroaig behind Lore. Such strong flavors and the sherry worked as a supporting orchestra behind the soloist that is the Laphroaig distillery profile, rather than taking it upon itself to shred a 5 minute guitar solo. I didn’t think this highly of this dram while in DC, but sitting at home and being able to try it in a controlled environment I can now see how well it shines. Glad I bought a bottle before they disappeared. 4.5-4.75 Cheers