Tastes
-
There is a new collection from Compass Box, and if you thought that their artistic labels where incredible, you have no idea of this new expressions. The Extinct Blends Quartet collection, is a group of bottles that honours lost and discontinued famous blends. Their first release was called Ultramarine. A previous looking bottle, with a great strength of 51%abv to deliver more flavor. This one really commemorates the extinct Johnnie Walker Oldest, which itself is the predecessor of nowaday's Johnnie Blue Label. On the nose, it is very good. Smokey with some coconut notes at first. Piña colada cocktail; Sambuca liquor. Cream, fondant and ashes. A cheap lemon note, that makes this a very tropical dram. Cremè Bruleè and Hawaiian Tropic sunblock lotion. On the palate, this is absolutely out of this world. Thick, creamy and rich body. Cake, coconut, super salty. It feels like a salty vanilla cookie. Danish cookies, very buttery. Delicious. Aftertaste, is a great ending for an outstanding dram. Wasabi, gunpowder, bonfire. A full but fancy coconut note. Super rewarding. Overall, this might be overly expensive, but it has delivered so many flavors and aromas that surely feels like it is worth every penny. This first expression might be one of the greatest Compass Box ever released, and i would definitively buy another one before its price goes to outer space. A truly great whisky, my score for it is 94 over 100.
-
Arran has become a synonym of perfection in whisky making. I often say i have never tried anything from them that haven't scored more than 88 points in my books. Recently, they revamped they whole image, with new decanters that look like a milk bottle, and simpler labels. This is the review for the 21yo Arran, from their new bottlings. Hope this is as good as their previous 21yo, with the purple/black label. On the nose it is very perfumed, with citric notes of a recently cut orange. Orange juice, melon. Herbal, school glue and hazelnut. Amazing. On the palate it is out of this world. Caramel, orange peel and red chilli. Red fruits, gooseberries. On the second sip, it gave me dehydrated fruits, turkish delight. It feels super fancy but complex. Great stuff. Aftertaste is perfect.Tobacco, burnt hay, cigarrettes and crushed almonds. Impressive. Overall, this was a fantastic dram, with such complexity that it gave me layers of different flavors and aromas. I believe that for the price point of this one, it is simply unbeatable. I am starting to believe that it is safe to say that Arran might be on the top 5 scottish distilleries nowadays. My score for this monster is 97 over 100. Absolutely spectacular.
-
Dalmore Tweed Dram Scotch
Single Malt — Scotland
Reviewed October 23, 2023 (edited October 26, 2023)Once upon a time, The Dalmore released a collection of 4 whiskies for an evironmental cause: mantain the most important Scottish rivers. The four rivers are Spey of Course, Tweed, Tay and Dee. They have clean water and lots of tasty salmon fish. That is why this prestigious distillery used fishes for their metallic-looking labels. This first review is for the "Tweed Dram". Bottled at 40%abv; this was bottled on 2011. Tawny color. On the nose, it starts with the typical caramelized orange you used to find in Dalmore. Spices and peaches. After the first sip, the aroma changed into apples, pears and cinnamon. I get some cotton sugar notes and milk formula. On the palate it is very velvety and delicious. Oranges, vanilla and cotton sugar. So sweet. Aftertaste was surprisingly salty. Oranges and tons of citric profiles. It has become a spicy monster; it feels a lot stronger than 40%abv. Ginger. Note: i tend to nose the empty glasses and this one really blew my mind: it was dark chocolate with hazelnuts. Overall, this was a very enjoyable thick and oily dram, that had a super citric and spicy profile. It felt like a refined version of the standard (and very good) 12yo. I know Dalmore has a lot of resistance for their low abv bottlings, but i almost always find my way out of that prejudice and manage to score it properly. In this case, a very good whisky, that i can honestly say it deserves an 89 over a 100. -
Benrinnes 11yo Masters of Magic "Self Decapitation"
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed October 17, 2023 (edited October 21, 2023)You have to know something about me: i love crazy looking labels in my whisky bottles. When i saw this "Masters of Magic" collection, i needed to buy as many as i could. I actually scored 4 bottles, and they all have printed label of the greatest era of magic: The Vintage Magic Posters. Back in the late 1800s, Magicians where the most important entertainers. Many believe that black magic did exist, and a legion of great performers where able to capture this feeling to make great shows. Every show had a unique poster, like the one shown in this Benrinnes bottling. This is a 11yo, 46%abv Benrinnes, called "SELF DECAPITATION" which was one impressive magic show from the King of Magic, Harry Kellar. On the nose, such a fruity/aromatic aroma. Gooseberries and grapefruit. Tangerine and green apples. Air freshener. It is truly a floral floor detergent. The second sip, started with red apples with toffee. Citric notes. It smells exactly like "Skittles". Starburst sweets. On the palate, it starts with creamy vanilla like an italian Gelato. Green apples, grapefruits. Some sulphuric notes. The second sip is very creamy!; Goosebeeeries. Really good. Aftertaste started with some peatiness. Cigarrettes, italian gelato. Some metallic notes and cinnamon. Red chilli. After a couple of sips, it gave me some sugar with milk. Overall, you will never guess that this was peaty when nosing it. A truly complex, super fruity dram. I would not normally rate a single malt with this profile so high, but this one truly deserves it. A great release from the prestigious "High Spirits" store, my score for it is a solid 91 over 100. -
Edradour 10yo Moscatel Cask Matured
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed October 15, 2023 (edited October 17, 2023)Everyone that loves a good sherried whisky have tried an expression of the almighty Edradour. Arguably the smallest distillery in Scotland (there seems to be two smaller ones), they mostly release limited expressions and lately they have been experimenting in some wine cask maturations, that are simply amazing. This one is a Moscatel cask matured, with an age statement of 10yo, bottled at 57.8%abv. On the nose this is incredible. White chocolate, buttery, almonds, lemon zest. Citric notes have risen; very floral as expected due to the moscatel maturation. A vanilla, almond butter. Wild berries. Outstanding aroma. On the palate, it is almost perfect. White chocolate, red berries and powerful spices. After a second sip, thick caramel, sulphuric power. Aftertaste is very good as well. Pepper and red fruits. Delicious. Overall, this whisky can be described as the one with the most white chocolate and wild berry profile ever. For a 10yo dram, that costs less than one hundred pounds/dollars, this is pretty much unbeatable. Lots of flavor and power. The aroma is out of this world. I should call it my recommendation of the year. My score for it is 94 over 100. -
The Taiwanese Masters of Whisky, Kavalan, have released a new very interesting expression, although a little low on Abv. This one is called "Triple Sherry" and as the name suggests, it has been matured in Oloroso, Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel casks. Bottled at 40%abv, it has a lovely red color. On the nose, this is exactly what you expect, a sherry madness. Lots of dehydrated oranges, red apples, lemongrass, watermelon and hazelnuts. Very fruity. On the palate this is very rich. Very winey; px sherry and blackberries. Aftertaste is all about lemoncello and tangerine notes. Very acid and a nice sour profile. Overall, this is a lovely everyday dram. Not expensive at all, it is hard to think a proper rival to this one for the price it goes. Incredibly enjoyable, i truly recommend this single malt. My score for it is 84 over 100.
-
Bunnahabhain Staoisha 2013, 8yo, Cask 900280
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed October 8, 2023 (edited October 9, 2023)I have been pushed all over online whisky groups to try th famous Bunnahabhain Staoisha releases from Signatory Vintage. For what i can understand, this "Staoisha" releases are peated Bunnahabhains, since the word comes from Lake Staoisha near the distillery. This one is an 8 year old, distilled on september 27, 2013. It was bottled on june 2022. The strength of this whisky is 46%abv. On the palate, it starts with a burnt pineapple, like the ones used in some non-traditional pizzas. White chocolate and a pair of new shoes. Humidity notes. On the palate, i found it to be a lot sweeter than i thought. Vanilla, Ritter white chocolate. On the second sip i got the peated notes of rubber and a pair of cotton socks. Aftertaste is all about peaty crazy notes. Leather, rubber, and a peppery spiciness. Overall, this was not as good as i expected, specially when a lot of people told me to try it, but it just didn't blew my mind. It doesn't feel THAT peaty. A proper score for it would be 21 points in each criteria, making it a soñid 84 over 100. -
Glendronach 20yo "Austin Healey" by Whiskey&Lifestyle
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed October 7, 2023 (edited October 9, 2023)Austin Healey 3000 was a british sports car, very James Bond-ish, that was sold between 1959 and 1967. It is consider nowadays as a true classic, an a collector's dream. Well, a German whisky retail store called "Whiskey&Lifestyle", made something truly great. They bottled a 20yo Glendronach at cask strength. What can be better? Well, they put an Austin Healey 3000 picture in the label and released it as a limited edition. Let me repeat this, it is a 20yo Glendronach at cask strength, what else do you need? Bottled at 55%abv, it has a lovely chesnut color. On the nose, it is just incredible. Caramelized orange, coffee beans, molasses and fruitcake. Dark chocolate. An outstanding rum & raisins note has appeared. Plums, hazelnut and lemon. It even has the aroma of a "Frangelico" liquor. Spectacular stuff. The palate is as good as you thought it would be. Blackberry marmalade and cinnamon. On a second sip i got dried fruits like almonds and sweet pecans. It is like a cognac on steroids. Aftertaste is the epitome of greatness. A rather dry feeling of cinnamon, blackberries and molasses. Superb. Overall this is perfect. I think i should repeat here that this is a "20yo cask strength limited Glendronach", which is a group of words that have a strong possibility to achieve a perfect score in my books; and as you might have already guessed it, it did. My score for this perfect, flawless dram is 100 over 100. It is now fighting for the top spot on my yearly ranking. Slàinte! -
Ardbeg Rollercoaster Committee Release
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed October 2, 2023 (edited October 4, 2023)Ardbeg Rollercoaster is one of those legendary committee releases, a bottle that is known for being rare and full of a background story. Actually Rollercoaster has different whiskies from the first ten years that Ardbeg re-opened under their new administration. I am also pretty sure that this single malt has whiskies from the previous committee releases, making it a "Rollercoaster" of different Ardbeg expressions. Bottled at 57.3%abv. On the nose, it has the crazy notes you expect, but it feels like it could be better. A pair of new socks is the first note i get. Then red chilli. Wasabi and bacon. It has the typical Ardbeg herbal notes. It resembles a flu medicine called "Lemonflu" that exists in my country (it is like a lemon night quill remedy). Red berries appeared from somewhere. On the palate i have the same critic, something is missing to make this great. Sweet and spicy. Starts with impalpable sugar and then red chilli. It is exactly like a sweet treat called "Alfajor" which has no proper translation to english. Please google it and you will know what i am talking about here. Not very complex. Aftertaste gave me a nuclear wasabi explosion; herbal notes and ashes. Nothing else. Not bad, but nothing too exciting. Overall, this is far from the thing i expected it to be. The sweetness here feels disonant to the spiciness. It is not super peaty nor smokey. Herbal stuff, spicy stuff, sweet stuff, but not in a balanced and interesting way. It is not complex at all. Really underwhelming. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad whisky by any means, it is just not superb as i expected, due to the rarity and price of it. My score for this very normal dram, is 88 over 100. It should have been better. -
Compass Box This Is Not a Luxury Whisky
Blended — Scotland
Reviewed October 1, 2023 (edited October 4, 2023)One of the first high end bottles i bought for my home bar, was this limited edition from Compass Box, a very good looking bottle called "This is Not a Luxury Whisky". Of course, the name and the whole concept of the bottle comes from an artistic background, as most Compass Box do. In the late 1920s, a famous belgian painter called René Magritte painted a pipe, and underneath the pipe he wrote: "this is not a pipe". The surrealistic meaning of the artwork was clear, to say it was not a pipe, when it clearly was a painting of a pipe. The same concept is applied here, stating that this is not a Luxury whisky, will make it most definitively a luxurious one. Bottled at 53.1%abv, it has a beautiful golden color that can't be appreciated while in the bottle, because the decanter is black. On the nose, it is near perfect. Orange peels, tangerine and tobacco leaf. Burnt gray grass, white chocolate and coconut Cream. After a while breathing, it released lemon peel, meringue. There is a very unmistakable note of white Ritter chocolate with almonds. Cigarrettes. The palate is very peaty. Super unexpected. Tobacco and ashes. Salt and maritime notes. A second sip gave me a fancy, thick bodied vanilla. Oily. Orange acidity on the second sip. Sulphur; metallic. Creamy and acid. Aftertaste is wonderfully peaty as well. Salt; maritime kelp, ashes. It is actually super salty. A wet ashtray and cigarrettes. Overall this was a complete surprised. I have drank a lot of expressions from Compass Box and i expect some peatiness out of them, but this is really three steps above any other release. In a blind tasting, i would never have guessed this one as a CB for two reasons, you can't find that typical "Glen Elgin - Clynelish" profile they often use; and, it resembles more to a single malt than to a blended scotch. I actually would have made a wild guess and said that this is the rare Mackinlay Shackleton old highland malt, (the Whyte & Mackay replica made by Richard Patterson), because it has this old, grassy tobacco peat note. Outstanding whisky really, my score for it is a very well deserved 95 out of a 100.
Results 131-140 of 1366 Reviews