Tastes

Stop number 60 on the SDT is Tullibardine. This is one of the lesser known Highland distilleries. They struggled through ownership changes several decades ago and was mothballed for a while, but they are making a comeback as of late. This is a NAS expression. The 228 designation is in reference to the burgundy casks used for the finishing. They are 228 liters in size. Bottled at 43% ABV, it is most likely chill filtered. The color is a beautiful dark copper or ruby as they describe it. I want to believe this is natural color derived from the roughly 12 months spent in those burgundy wine casks, but I have no info either way. The nose is full of big fruity red wine notes. A strong oaky presence with vanilla and buttercream. Lots of different fruits. Red grapes, cherries, plums, apples, pears, apricots, strawberries and raisins. Trust me, they are all there, like a huge fruit salad. As my wife said when I had her smell it, “It’s like someone took grapes and cherries and shoved them up my nose”. She has a way with words. A sherry like sweetness. More oak with ginger, caramel, licorice and a light minty/menthol note. Milk chocolate, cocoa powder, some honey and malted barley. After some time grapefruit and oranges appear with a generic nuttiness. The vanilla and chocolate come back around. I love these heavily wine influenced scotches. The palate starts oak heavy with some pepper up front. The burgundy casks really take over and shine through with strong fruity notes. Oranges, grapefruit, pears and plums. More wood spice and oak. It dries the mouth like a good red wine. Some bitter tannins but nothing too unpleasant. Walnuts, cinnamon, toffee and brown sugar. Finally, milk chocolate and some caramel. Quite tasty. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is dry and mouth coating. The finish is medium long, dry, oaky, fruity, chocolatey with a pinch of spice and slightly bitter. I absolutely loved the nose on this one. It’s very sweet, but the spice helps to balance it a little. It’s more of a dessert dram than not, but I could grab this one any time and get lost in it. The burgundy casks work wonders here and I suspect they are first fill. I haven’t had anything else from Tullibardine, so I have no reference when it comes to distillery character vs cask influence, but I suspect most of what I am getting here is the wine finishing. I bought this bottle for $64 and I feel that’s a pretty good value for money. It might be too sweet for others, but it’s just right for me. 4.25 Cheers

Another one of the awesome bonus samples from the SDT group, this one provided by @PBMichiganWolverine. To echo the specifics already laid out by @LeeEvolved this is a malt blend composed of 75.5% Ardbeg, 10.6% Caol Ila, 13.4% Clynelish and .5% of the Compass Box secret ingredient, Dailuaine, Clynelish and Teaninich blended together and aged in French oak. Marketed as the peatiest CBW yet, this is presented in a beautiful and bad ass black accented bottle. Bottled at 48.9% ABV and as all CBW whiskies it is non chill filtered and natural color. This is a pale straw color not unlike its core range cousin, Peat Monster. The nose is a little flat at first, but give it more time and it really shows it’s true colors. Of course it’s smoky, but it’s also very floral, much like Peat Monster. It’s also quite fruity with raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and a bit of ripe red apples. A hit of candied bacon, sticky sweet smelling, like coating your fingers in bacon grease and plunging them into a bag of sugar. The Clynelish comes in with a waxy note. Vanilla and cream. The smoke comes back around, but it’s overshadowed by the fruitiness. Polished oak, more floral notes and a little honey with a light lemony citrus. Dark chocolate and sea salt, apricots and a far off rubbery note. The palate arrives sweet but quickly turns peppery. Layers of smoke rather than the blast you get from sticking your face over a dying fire like you might expect from the high proportion of Ardbeg. Smoked brisket and over cooked BBQ chicken. Grilled stone fruits than were then chilled in the fridge. Not super complex, but very enjoyable. Medium-full bodied mouthfeel. Oily and dry at the same time and a little waxy. The finish is medium long, smoky, meaty and dry. While I am certain that this is a cut above the Peat Monster, I’m not quite so certain that it’s twice the price better. The overall peat/smoke feel makes it seem like there is a higher percentage of Caol Ila than what’s actually in there. While this may be the peatiest CBW ever, I guess I was expecting something more along the Ardbegian levels of intense peat. Still, it’s very enjoyable and another testament to the blending genius that is John Glaser and the team and Compass Box. A solid 4.5 that I am rounding up to 5 because simply giving it 4 is a disservice. We are all going to have to update our many many ratings once we finally get our half star increments, hint hint @mikael Cheers 🥃

This review of the 2017 Cairdeas comes via a sample from @LeeEvolved and is my first review of 2018. For this years release Laphroaig chose a cask strength version of their ever popular Quarter Cask. Bottled at 57.2% ABV, and without a doubt it is non chill filtered and natural color. This is a brilliant golden straw. The nose has all of the typical Laphroaig goodness. Medicinal notes of iodine, and bandaids, just more in your face. Tar, asphalt, cold ashes, soot and smoke from a bonfire that was doused with seawater. Brine, seaweed and salty sea air. It’s sweet and fruity as well. Vanilla, dried apricots, almonds and marzipan. Oak sanded smooth and sawdust. Vanilla buttercream and custard. Caramel apples with a little menthol. After some extended time some light sherry notes appear. Some water reveals a citrusy note and brings out more oak and some ginger. A hot arrival on the palate. Oaky at first, but the peat quickly takes over in the form of smoke and ashes. There is a general fruity sweetness but at cask strength I’m having a hard time discerning what those fruits are. The oak comes back in a big way, like chewing on a bourbon and scotch soaked wood chip. Vanilla and some toffee. Pepper and lots of spice. Water brings out more vanilla and custard, but does little else unless you add so much water that it dulls the palate into submission. A full bodied mouthfeel, very oily and mouthwatering. The finish is long, spicy, oaky, medicinal and dry. I’m sort of torn on this one. It’s Laphroaig, my first love affair with scotch, and the QC popped my Islay cherry, but this is just too powerful for me to enjoy straight out of the bottle. 48% seems to be the right strength for this whisky and adding 9+% didn’t really do much for it. Water helped, but I really hate the NEED for water when enjoying a dram. Still, it’s Laphroaig, and I can’t hate on them. A strong 4. Thanks again for the generous sample lee. Cheers

Another travel retail exclusive I picked up at the Windsor-Detroit tunnel duty free shop. I supplied this as a bonus for our tour group and I’ve been working my way through the remainder of the bottle. Named after St. Duthac who was supposedly born around 1000 A.D. and the Patron Saint of Tain, Ross-shire where the Glenmorangie distillery is located. This NAS expression (which I believe to be 8-12 years old), is finished in a combination of PX sherry and charred virgin oak casks. Bottled at 43% ABV, chill filtered with colorant added. A very nice dark copper color. The nose starts with sweet fruity sherry. Apricots, figs and pears. Sweet brown sugar and toffee. Lots of roasted nuts, a mix of walnuts, Brazil nuts and perhaps pecans. Vanilla and fresh oak. More fruits come back around with plums and raisins. A combination of dark and milk chocolate, light cinnamon and buttercream. A touch earthy/vegetal, maybe showing a little peat influence. Marzipan with a faint mint and a hint of cola. The bottom of the glass reveals a light syrupy goodness. The palate is sweet initially but carries some spice with it. Apricots, peaches, vanilla and milk chocolate. Brazil nuts and almonds. Strong fresh cut oak. Raisins, sherry and sweet cherries and cherry candies. A dessert dram for sure, but with enough spice to keep it from being cloyingly sweet. Medium bodied mouthfeel, a bit thin but slightly waxy. Mouthwatering then dry. A medium long finish that is sweet, slightly spicy with oak and apricots. Glenmorangie is such a clean spirit that it takes to finishing very well. The cask influence is strong and both the PX and virgin oak are clear and easily detectable. Not quite as good as the Quinta Ruban but as good as the Lasanta in my opinion. I’m glad I bought this one because it’s worth trying, but I doubt I would buy it again, mostly because I’m only allowed a couple bottles at a time when crossing the border and there are more I need to try. Not a bad value at $80 for a full liter. A solid 4. Cheers 🥃

After I reviewed the 12 year old I figured it was the perfect time to review my second ever Dalmore. The Cigar Malt Reserve... a name that just screams upper echelon and class. @LeeEvolved was kind enough to offer this as a bonus sample for this round of the SDT. This is a NAS expression that is matured in 70% Oloroso sherry casks, 20% ex bourbon and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon casks. Bottled at a peculiar 44% ABV, and like many other Dalmores, it is chill filtered and has colorant added. This is a dark amber or mahogany color. Deep dark sherry on the nose. Dark cherries and berries. A wonderful robust vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, toffee and caramel. Christmas cake, raisins and figs. More dark notes like maple syrup, more sherry, mocha, coffee. Fruity notes of tangerines and nectarines with a hint of licorice and menthol. Hazelnut, walnuts and dark chocolate. Some tobacco and a little new leather. A beautiful nose, but a little less complex than the 12 year old. The palate is not as strong as the nose would lead you to believe (which I hear as a complaint from many Dalmore reviews). Really nice sherry, even if it is a little on the weak side. Sherry oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, a little vanilla and some pepper. Raisins, Christmas cake and walnuts. Tasty, but again lacking in the necessary power to really drive all these flavors home. A medium-light bodied mouthfeel, oily and creamy and a joy to hold on the tongue. The finish is medium long with spices, oak and sherry. While I’m not really sure about pairing this with a cigar, a will say without a doubt that this is a very good scotch. Not as complex or elegant and the 12 year old, but the sherry flavors are stronger and fuller. Like the 12, I feel this should have been bottled at a higher strength. 48% seems fitting, but 46% should have been the minimum. I was in my favorite duty free shop a few weeks after reading Lee’s review and saw a 1L bottle sitting on the shelf gathering a fine layer of dust. I grabbed it along with their travel retail exclusive bottle Valour. The CMR cost me $153, but again that’s for a full liter. While I feel that’s about $53 too high, I still bought it. Thanks again to Lee for the sample. Maybe I will experiment with a cigar and a dram of this in the future. 4.25. Cheers

Stop number 59 on the SDT is Dalmore. It also marks the half way point of our journey to try all of the Scottish distilleries. This Highland distillery is quite famous and their master distiller Richard Paterson is nearly as well known with his eccentricities and showmanship. If you haven’t seen his videos on how to drink a whisky you should check one out. This 12 year old single malt is matured half in ex bourbon casks and half in sherry casks. Bottled at 40% ABV, chill filtered and has colorant added but it is a lovely dark copper color. The nose starts with strong oaky notes. It’s also heavy on the raisins and dates. Christmas cake, cinnamon and oddly enough I got a warm rye bread note. Some cardboard and maybe a hint of toasted coconut. More dark notes permeate the nose. Plums, dark berries, dark toffee/caramel, semisweet chocolate and vanilla all mingle together with sherry and hazelnut. A little pipe tobacco and some grape skins. Walnuts, tangerine and brown sugar. Possibly some almonds/marzipan, but if it’s really there it’s far in the background. Very elegant and it shows maturity beyond its age statement, but I feel it lacks in power. Most likely this is by design to appeal to more people as easy drinking. The palate is loaded with dark chocolate and sherried oak. Fruitcake, baking spices and a drop of orange oil. A very slight bitterness of oak tannins. Raisins and dates that were dropped into tangerine marmalade. More sherry, some walnuts and sweet tobacco. While being complex, again I feel that this suffers from a lack of overall strength. Light bodied mouthfeel, soft, dry and mouth coating. A medium long finish that is dry, full of sherry, baking spices and fruit cake. This was my first experience with Dalmore and I had heard differing opinions about them. My personal opinion here is that it really needs to be at a higher ABV. Even boosting to 43% could have made this great instead of simply very good. I love everything about the nose and palate except I just need more of everything. I do see it’s appeal as is though. A nice quiet evening in mid autumn with a dram of Dalmore in the glencairn sounds like a good time to me. Thanks to @Scott_E for the sample. A solid 3.75 that I am rounding up to 4 stars because it’s really closer to a 4 than a 3. Cheers 🥃

After assaulting my tongue with overly salted pork roast, ham, spaghetti, assorted cheeses and crackers, several different types of pies, my fair share of whisky, endless cookies and various other holiday treats over the three day holiday weekend, I decided to make my next review with something simple. An inexpensive Johnnie Walker blend provided by @LeeEvolved is what I landed on. This is one of the newest NAS blends in the JW catalogue. I’m not exactly sure how the wine casks were used here, if it was for finishing off the blend, or full maturation of one or more of the individual components. Either way, it’s bottled at 40% ABV, is chill filtered and has colorant added making it an amber gold with just a hint of a pinkish hue. The nose starts off quite floral. Heather honey and soft oak. Vanilla quickly takes over and dominates for a while. Fine by me, I love whiskies that are vanilla heavy. Orange rind, dried pineapple, red berries, rep plums and figs all hang out somewhere between the background and foreground. Honeysuckle, toffee and light tobacco. Candle wax and a slight smoky/peaty presence. Buttercream frosting, quite sweet really. More of the vanilla and tobacco come back around. Quite a pleasant nose, although fairly light overall. The palate is vanilla forward. Plenty of red fruits, berries and grape skins. Oaky, honey and quite malty. A little toffee, butterscotch and tobacco with a hint of raisins and figs. Just enough peat to let you know it’s there without ever really jumping out in front. More butterscotch notes come through after a while. A light bodied mouthfeel that is very creamy. Medium length finish that is very dry and full of vanilla, butterscotch and oak. I have to say I was expecting a Red Label with a wine finish, but this is head and shoulders above the Red Label. Not quite Black Label quality, but somewhere in between. The nose is very pleasant, again I am a sucker for vanilla. The palate and finish are a bit lacking, but this is a cheap JW blend after all, so it can’t be all good. A very good value for a JW at $30 locally. I would take this over the Red Label any day for any purpose. Just what I needed to get the gears of the review machine turning again. 3.5. Thanks for the sample lee. Cheers

Another of the bonus samples from our SDT group. This one provided by @LeeEvolved The Double Single is so named because it is a blend of one single malt (Glen Elgin - 72%) and one single grain (Girvan - 28%). Bottled at 46% ABV and as all CBW releases are, this is non chill filtered and natural color. This one is a yellow gold. The nose starts off with lemon zest and baked lemon bars. Lots of vanilla and toffee. Some faint butterscotch. Candle wax becomes more and more prominent, like a candle dripping hot wax onto an unfinished oak table. Heather honey, floral and herbal. A little more fruity notes like apricots and peaches in cream slide in. Subtle white grape juice. Cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Finally some oranges dusted in cocoa powder. The palate arrives a little thin with some lemon, but quickly transitions into a full on waxy experience. It’s like chewing on wax bottle candies. You know the kind, with the different flavored syrups in them. Like that, only with scotch inside. It turns fruity with pears, apricots and peaches. Soft vanilla, toffee and caramel. A little toasted oak and coconut milk. There’s a hit of menthol here and there with a pine needle note. A slight grain alcohol feel but nothing too unpleasant. All of everything covered in wax though. A medium light bodied mouthfeel that is lightly oily, dry and mouth coating. A medium long finish that is very dry with waxy lemons, grain and floral notes. John Glaser and the folks at CBW have done it again. They’ve taken two ingredients and created something greater than the sum of the parts. This is not an in your face expression like Peat Monster or Flaming Heart, but it is quite elegant in its relative simplicity. The waxiest whisky I’ve ever had, quite unique in that regard. This would make for a great early summertime sipper, relaxing and listening to the ball game on the radio. At $155 I cant say it’s worth the money, but limited releases like these (only 5838 bottles) often command higher prices. It’s not going to blow your mind, but it will take you to your happy place if you let it. Thanks again Lee. A solid 4. Cheers

Stop number 58 on the SDT is Longmorn. This is my first from this lesser known Speyside distillery. Bottled at 48% ABV, non chill filtered and natural color of amber gold. So far so good. First impression on the nose is that this is going to be thick and heavy. Dark sherry notes. Earthy mineral notes like wet stones on an ocean beach, this could be some light peat speaking. Caramel apples and maple syrup. Sure does feel like a sherry bomb to me. Pears, plums and raisins. It goes a bit sideways here with burnt oak, charcoal and faded smoke, but these notes don’t hang around too long. A little mint and licorice and fennel. Wood resin, cherry pie filling and saltine crackers. Honey, tea, orange peel, a little banana and a touch of new leather. This thing is all over the place and doesn’t really seem very cohesive. A little water smooths it out while bringing out a little more sweetness. A somewhat hot arrival on the palate from the higher ABV. Cinnamon apples and grape/cherry cough syrup. Slightly astringent. Dry oak, green oak, tannins and clove. Burnt toffee and caramel, bitter dark chocolate and dark sherry. Not as much of a sherry bomb on the palate as I was expecting. Honey, plums, leather and earthy minerals and peat. No smoke to speak of. Water doesn’t really change anything but tones the intensity down. Medium-full bodied mouthfeel, oily but dry. A long finish. Dry oak, sherry, cherry cough syrup and a little bitter. This is a very odd Speysider. Feels more like it would have come out of Campbeltown or an Island distillery. A strange combination of flavors and very different than most of the scotch coming out of Speyside. All over the place and very jumbled. Seems to be confused about what style it wants to be. Some good and some bad, but mostly good I guess. It’s complex, just not cohesive, the flavors don’t all work well together. Some may love this one, some may hate it. As for me, 3.25. Thanks to @Telex for the sample. Cheers

One of the added perks to being a part of our distillery trading team is the addition of top shelf bonus samples. Decades from Tomatin is one of those top shelfers. A blend of stocks from 5 different decades worth of whisky maturing in the Tomatin warehouse. So there could be anything from 3 years old up to 59 years old at play here. Bottled at 46% ABV, non chill filtered and most likely natural color of amber gold. The nose starts off fairly mild with a light sherry sweetness, lemon and light oak. Orchard fruits make their way in. Apricots, tangerines and oranges. Vegetal with an earthy peat. Waxy and oily. The fruitiness transitions into the tropical realm, mangos mostly with a little papaya and pineapple. Lots of vanilla and a general nuttiness. This thing just keeps evolving in the glass. Cocoa powder, mocha and maple syrup. Buttery toffee, buttery cookies, a touch of ginger, licorice and nutmeg. The fruity profile come back around to apples and pears, cinnamon and a light cherry note. Some floral honey in there as well. Quite a bit of complexity, even though it takes a bit of patience to get the ball rolling. The palate starts a bit hot, but it’s worth it as a huge blast of intense tropical fruits wash over the tongue. Mango, papaya, pineapple and coconut. It’s like chewing on a mouthful of tropical fruit Starburst candy. Lemons, oranges and apricots with a little banana as well. Cocoa and vanilla and a very light oak. Light peat, but more of a vegetal/ earthy feel than smoke. A dessert dram at no mistake, but a very good one. Medium-full bodied mouthfeel, oily and mouth coating. A medium long finish with lots of tropical fruits. A little on the dry side. While this started off a bit lackluster, it more than made up for it with a strength of complexity and a huge bust of flavors on the palate. Feels like the bulk of this is under 15 years old, but there is plenty of mature whisky at play here. Not very well balanced as it leans heavily to the sweeter side, but sometimes that what you’re after. I will say that at $110 I think it’s worth the price, with the caveat that it should be reserved for when your sweet tooth is tingling. A big thanks to @Telex for the sample. 4.25, but could easily be a 4.5 if in the right mood. Cheers