Reviews

If you know a distillery’s character (Sherry Oak Collection), you can look at a bottle’s age and natural color, compare it against its proof, and predict almost precisely what to experience. When I pulled this well-aged beauty from its box and held it to the light, knowing it was close to barrel proof (55%), I said “SOLD!” It was like discovering a rare new species out in the wild. The price seemed out of kilter with its promise, in a good way, and it did not disappoint… superb! There’s a reason why Macallan rises above the rest. There are no shortcuts to quality. Know your whisky, know its heritage, then fall in love!

The drop in quality of this Distillers Edition Lagavulin has been precipitous. As such, I’m lowering my previous review of 10/26/23 to 3 stars from 4. Very disappointing for a whisky once my favorite. I’ve tried to reserve judgment through multiple bottles, but the verdict is now in, and it’s not a good one. Previously aged for 16 years, it now comes with “no age statement.” Drink neat, and it gives hints to its predecessor. Add a few cubes, and the palate turns slightly metallic and a watery mess. Limited inventory may have precipitated this change, but the distillery needs to rethink this core offering moving forward.

Hakushu 12, 43% ABV. Gold Metal, International Spirits Competition, 2024. This single malt features bourbon and sherry aged woods and peated and non-peated malts. Suntory opened the Hakushu Distillery in 1973 within the foothills of Mt. Kaikoma, part of the Akaishi mountain range in central Japan. First introduced in 1994, this 12yo was discontinued in some markets in 2019 due to high demand for aged Japanese whisky, then brought back in 2021. I like it a tad better than its brethren, Yamazaki 12. Fruity early on, a little wisp of peat and spiciness in the finish works well with me. Both are excellent.

Compass Box Artist’s Blend, 49% ABV. This whisky drinks more like a single malt speyside rather than its pedigree. Without a doubt, Compass Box creates the best blended scotch & malts on the planet! John Glaser, a gifted whiskymaker (a term he invented), created this product with his company, Compass Box Delicious Whisky LTD, founded in the year 2000. As the name suggests, John’s intention was to produce great whisky, and that he did with his tasty blends. He sourced grain and malt whiskies from various distilleries in the UK and never stopped experimenting with the endless combination of woods and spirits. Early on, John also displayed brilliance in marketing. His well-aged whiskies featured expensive label designs and clear acrylic packaging, which made it a favorite amongst collectors and the well-to-do. As time went on; however, an excess of low-end offerings by the company seemed to detract from their once vaunted image. Difficulty prior and during the COVID-19 era, prompted the company to take on new funding from Bacardi and private equity that ultimately led to John’s voluntary/involuntary departure in 2024. Bottle signed by John Glaser in 2nd photo.

Black Maple Hill is the brainchild of CVI Brands out of San Carlos, CA. They were established in 1988 as a U.S. importer, distributor, and private label reseller of various spirits within the liquor trade. This current label features bourbon and rye offerings sourced from the Stein Distillery of Joseph, Oregon, a micro-distillery formed in 2009. First introduced in 2000, Black Maple Hill was hugely successful when CVI Brands sourced their bourbon and rye whiskies from the legendary Van Winkle and Willet families of Bourbon County, Kentucky. This was a period when these entities were sitting on stockpiles of well-aged whiskies, accumulated during the industry downturn of the previous two decades. Fortunately or unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and as whiskey demand skyrocketed, access to these treasures dried up as their sources moved in different directions. After a few sittings with this current release, I would give it a rating of 3 stars, and most definitely inferior to their earlier age-statement vintages that have become highly collectible.

I found this diamond in the rough recently at an estate sale and only paid $20 dollars. I had never seen the brand before, but “Islay Blended Malt” caught my eye, so I knew it would be good. Later, after reading the fine print, I got another surprise. It read “Produced & Bottled in Scotland by Macdonald & Muir.” Wow, this malt was primarily “Ardbeg.” For those that don’t know the history: Macdonald & Muir was founded in 1893 by whisky entrepreneurs Roderick Macdonald and Alexander Muir. The company has had a rich history. The Glenmorangie distillery, established in 1843, played a significant role in their journey. In 1918, Macdonald & Muir acquired a 40% stake in the company, gradually gaining full control in the 1930s. In 1997, under the umbrella of MacDonald and Muir, Glenmorangie acquired the dilapidated Ardbeg distillery on Islay from Allied Distillers for £7 million. Then in 2004, the French conglomerate LVMH acquired Macdonald & Muir for £300 million, leaving their UK structure intact still to this day. Recently, Macdonald & Muir has embarked on a new chapter by purchasing The Islay Hotel in Port Ellen. With plans to transform it into a premier whisky and hospitality destination, the company aims to enhance the Islay whisky experience for visitors. This 10yo blended malt was bottled around 2011. Open recently, its cork came out in pieces. Wonderfully smoky, its Ardbeg roots are unmistakable. The other piece of this is likely Caol Ila, which Diageo makes available for outsourcing and blending. If you know your Islay whiskies, then you can already imagine what this is like. Superb!

- Athru (pronounced ah-roo) Knocknarea is an exceptional single malt Irish whiskey. Aged 14 years; 11 years in ex-bourbon and finished 3 years in the finest ex-oloroso sherry casks. The spirit rolls in at a healthy 48% ABV. The sherry influence is a very prominent and likable attribute in this whiskey. Athru’s Lough Gill distillery was commisioned in 2019 in northwest Ireland (Sligo Co.) with stills acquired in Italy. Given these facts, this release must have different roots and probably finished onsite. The company merged with Sazerac of Ireland in 2021. I highly recommend this whiskey, if you can find it. 🥃

- Laphroaig 18 was introduced into their core range in 2009 then discontinued a short time later in 2016. The bottle pictured features a pre-2013 label and was only opened recently after being in storage for over a decade. Distilleries readily admit that phenols in whisky, or smokiness, diminish with time spent in the barrel. This is also true of time spent in an unopened bottle, although never talked about. For example, new-make spirit with a phenol count of 25 ppm may decrease to 7-8 ppm after 15 years or to 4-6 ppm after 30 years of aging. This is why you will rarely see an Islay whisky with an age statement of more than 40 years. By this time it has usually lost all of its characteristic smokiness. Distilleries measure and advertise the phenol count in the mash after the barley has been smoked by the dried peat logs. In the case of Laphroaig, that number starts at 50 ppm and drops down to about 25 ppm from the distillation process. Also, Islay peat moss is primarily sphagnum which is rich in the polyphenols: phenol, creosol, guaiacol and a few others to a lesser extent. Phenol gives Islay whisky its smokiness, creosol lends a tar or asphalt characteristic, and guaiacol a medicinal iodine-like quality. Over time, it is my impression phenol and guaiacol will dissipate and creosol becomes more prominent along with other qualities previously masked. As a result, the whisky can take on a whole new dimension some might find more desirable. I found this to be true with the 18yo pictured. Minimal smoke and lots of everything else typical of Laphroaig. Simply brilliant!

- The Redbreast line of whiskies first appeared circa 1912. They were the brainchild of W.A. Gilbey, a wine importer and whisky bonding agent founded in London in 1857 and expanding into Scotland and Ireland shortly thereafter. Gilbey’s abundant supply of ex-sherry transport casks were utilized to age distillate provided by Jamison‘s historic Bow Street Distillery in Dublin. Gilbey’s sold the Redbreast brand to Irish Distillers in 1986. Irish Distillers was formed in 1966 by a merger of Cork Distilleries Company, John Jameson and Son, and John Power and Son, and was then acquired in 1988 by wine and spirits giant, Pernod Ricard. Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is currently the world’s best selling in this category. “Single pot still” whiskey is unique to Ireland and must be produced with a minimum of 30% unmalted barley giving it its distinctive profile. This is unlike Scotland’s “single malt” whiskies which contains 100% malted barley. The “single” designation in both countries requires production at a single distillery. The Redbreast 27yo pictured debuted in 2019 and is now part of their core range. It has been triple distilled and matured in ex-bourbon, sherry, and ruby port casks. It rolls in, cask strength at 107.2 proof, and the packaging for this product is a cabinetmaker’s delight. Distributors have recently rumored the retail price to be doubling next year. Unfortunately, unless the distillery sends along a sample, this is the best I can do with this review, since I only plan to stare at mine for a few years. 🙂

Lagavulin’s Distillers Edition was first introduced in 1997 with spirit laid down in 1979. Back then, it is reported they took their 16 year-old core release and double matured it in ex-Pedro Jimenez (PX) wood casks for up to an additional 2 years. Traditionally, however, aging held steady at a total 16 years until it dropped to 15 with the 2021 Edition. Then in 2022 the Distillers Edition removed its age statement altogether to become a NAS (no-age-statement) expression (pictured). Lagavulin’s nonuse of the word “sherry” for all of their Distillers Edition releases since 1997, simply means they have probably been using ex-Pedro Jimenez wine casks from outside the Sherry Triangle and unable to use the “sherry” designation. Usage would require adherence to Spanish regulations and the same applies to the term “sherry cask” since 2015. In brief, the PX grapes used to make sherry must be aged and processed in this geographical triangle in southwestern Spain. PX grapes grown outside this area can still be used if shipped in. Also, the wine must be aged for a minimum average of 2 years for solera style or a full 2 years for single-barrel vintage aging. Additionally, to be a certified “sherry cask,” it must be seasoned with “actual” sherry for a minimum of 1 year. The region most notable for growing Spain’s PX grapes is Montilla-Moriles, which has its own “denomination of origin,” or legally protected designation. Their wines are every bit as good as those produced in the Sherry Triangle, so, for Lagavulin, it’s just a matter of semantics and an opportunity to save on costs. Indulge in this latest offering neat and it gives hints to its heritage. Add a few cubes and the palate turns slightly metallic leaving one to question the product’s integrity relative to its predecessor. Still a good whisky, just no longer “great,” in my opinion.