Tastes
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SMWS Kelp is on the Way, 10yo in Celebration of 28 Queen Street
Single Malt — islay, Scotland
Reviewed July 24, 2023 (edited July 27, 2023)Have you ever seen those green, fancy looking bottles from the always limited expressions of the "Scottish Malt Whisky Society"? Well, i have seen thousands of them without ever trying one. But my time has come, i had finally the chance of taste a very rare Caol Ila called "kelp is on the way" (such a lovely name), one of only 287 bottles ever produced, drawn from the cask 53.429, bottled at 58.9%abv, made in celebration of the 28 Queen Street, exclusive cask 2023. It was given to me by a new friend called Ross Barr, the top whisky ambassador of Balmoral Hotel in my opinion. On the nose it starts with an aroma of a new pair of socks, pineapple, grapefruit and ashes. After a first sip it released a rainforest on my pituitary gland. Aromatic peat, white chocolate. On the palate, sweet fudge notes; toffee, pineapple and then an explosion of gunpowder, fireworks and plastic. Wonderful vainilla on the second sip, a "Galak" white chocolate. Aftertaste provided the best ending possible for such an incredibly potent whisky. Ashes, cigarrettes, bonfire. Long, delicious, peaty powerful finish. It feels like a new cotton shirt, if that is actually a tasting note. Overall, what can i say, after this experience i just bought three different expressions from the SMWS on auctions. I don't even know why would people sell this bottles, i will now seek them and grab as many as i can. Amazing single malt, gorgeous experience, my score for this baby is 96 over 100. And since it was free, it was even better!! Sláinte! -
Glenmorangie Lighthouse
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed July 24, 2023 (edited July 25, 2023)If you have been at Glenmorangie distillery in the past two years, you will notice that just beside the old warehouses there is this ultra modern, state-of-the-art, shining, solar powered building that looks like it came from the year 2080. The outter facade is 100% made of a "see trhu" glass where you can spot a working still. This magnificent contraption is called "The Lighthouse". Yes my friends, Glenmorangie is all about sustainability these days, and they have developed a new way to power their stills, with solar energy. Of course, this occasion was celebrated with a whisky expression called "the Lighthouse" as well. I had zero expectactions about it, and i wss pleasantly surprised. Let's talk about this single malt at 48%abv, only 4782 bottles where ever made. On the nose, this is the heart of a tangerine. Crushed almonds and pineapple. Fruit salad and lemon meringue. Lovely. On the palate it was very good! Vanilla crust, fondant. Very fruity and not spicy at all. Passionfruit and pineapple. Aftertaste is dry with an "almondy" finish. A little grassy. Pineapple. Overall, i never even care about this whisky when i saw it when i was scrolling through auction websites, but i am super glad i had the chance to try it at the distillery premises. A very fruity, well crafted dram that i think anyone can enjoy. I have to admit i was surprised here. My score for it is a honest 88 over 100. -
Glenmorangie A Tale of the Forest
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed July 23, 2023 (edited November 21, 2023)Lately the whisky industry giants, Glenmorangie, have released a series of expressions, that tell a tale. The first one was "A tale of Cake" and the second one was "A tale of Winter"; both great single malts that achieved their goal to taste as marketed. Well, the turn has arrived for "A tale of Forest", a slightly peated dram that should resemble a forest experience. This one has been done by kilning the barley with some peat and also some herbs and woodland botanicals to develop the profile that Dr. Bill Lumdsen was looking for. Bottled at 46%abv, golden color. On the nose, it started with nice aroma notes of wet moss, earthy peat. It is quite aromatic. Heather; moor, plastic and foam. It smells like a rainforest. On the palate it is a little dim, with a vanilla watery note, mud and orange peel. It manages to barely pass the test. Aftertaste is grassy. Burnt hay, Aromatic incense. It feels like you can bite the the herbal sensation here. Ginger. Overall, even if this is not the best whisky in the world, not even close; i have to give my respects to Glenmorangie. It tastes exactly as marketed, like a forest. That means that the three expressions that have been released from this collection have achieved what they offered, to tell you a tale of cake, winter and forest. I truly believe that my score system is not been too fair here since it tells me this is an 85 over 100, but it surely feels like an 87-88. Well, my score system has been generous before, now it is a little unfair. It is what it is. Sláinte! -
Glenmorangie The Cadboll Estate 15 Year (Batch #1)
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed July 21, 2023 (edited July 30, 2023)Glenmorangie is known for their wood finishes, and they always tend to release a lot of special bottlings for the travel retail market, which of course are not the best the distillery can offer. Recently i have tasted the Cadboll, which wss a fairly good dram, nothing to die for; and when i got to visit the distillery on may of this year i was offered a new Cadboll expression, now with a 15yo statement. A 1 litre decanter, at 43%abv. On the nose, it starts with a vanilla spongy cake, lemon pie. Citric lemon notes, almonds and barley. On the palate, a dim orange flavored water, hints of vanilla, very delicate. Ginger. It is very gentle really; lots of orange notes, orange peel. Aftertaste is sweet. Vainilla cookies, ginger and a dim hazelnut. Overall, i believe this has improved in elegance. It is a very gentle dram, but way too "nice" for my palate. I am more inclined in other type of whiskies, and i love other expressions from this distillery, which i find a lot more tasting and aroma notes. My score for this one is 81 over 100. Not the best "Glenmo" out there, not a bad one either. -
I have some years navigating my whisky adventure and i have tasted a lot of expressions from different distilleries, and the fact that i never tasted a Glenfarclas 15yo before is embarrasing for me. A true speyside classic, Glenfarclas sits in the same table of some other famous single malts from the same scottish region. Of course i expected some of the traditional tasting and aroma notes from this distillery. Bottled at 46%abv, This is a sherried matured whisky. On the nose, i got prunes, the typical glenfarclas apple note and cooked pineapple. Pretty nice. On the palate, the first note that appeared was sugar, sider and that apple profile that makes Glenfarclas unmistakeable. Aftertaste is all about milk and sugar notes with delicious red apples. Overall, this is exactly what you expect from a core range Glenfarclas. Nothing to die for, a properly done, average speyside dram. It will be enjoyable a 100% of the time, and you can use this one as an everyday single malt. My score system says 80 over 100, and i think that it is a precise score for a classic.
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Glenfarclas vintage 2002, Distillery Exclusive 2023 for Spirit of Speyside Festival
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed July 17, 2023 (edited July 19, 2023)I really love when time passes and you get to try whiskies from distilleries you have disregard out of pure prejudice, specially when everybody says that a second chance can change your whole concept of it. For me, this is the case of Glenfarclas. A distillery which their core expressions gave me a red apple juice profile that i honestly seemed to find a little boring. Well, my opinion has turned 180 degrees, since now i got to try some of their non-mainstream stuff, and i now recognize i have been missing some serious single malts here. When i visited the distillery, which is overwhelmingly beautiful, i got to try this 2002 vintage distillery exclusive, bottled on 2023 for the Spirit of Speyside festival, at 54.3%abv. On the nose a super nice aroma, that started with a 70-80% pure dark chocolate, red fruits and then out of nowhere you get this cardamom spice. Creamy vanilla, creamy ice cream and impalpable sugar. On the palate it was marvelous: apple pie, fruit spice, cinnamon and sweet pepper. Red apples and impalpable sugar. Aftertaste was delicious and very long lasting. Hay and very sugary. It is like milk with sugar. Overall, this might be the best speysider i have had in a long time. It was so good i bought a bottle in the shop, and that is particularly a compliment, since i can only bring back 4 bottles of whisky to Ecuador due to custom laws; that being said, in a trip to Scotland you have to be very picky when selecting the only 4 bottles you are bringing back home. My score for this outstanding dram was 94 over 100. -
GlenAllachie 8 Year Old
Single Malt — Speyside , Scotland
Reviewed July 16, 2023 (edited July 17, 2023)In my third ttip to Scotland i finally arrived to one of the best distilleries in Speyside, the one controled and owned by the legend itself: Billy Walker. The GlenAllachie, which is the gaelic word for "Valley of The Rocks", Is a very good looking place, where some heavily sherried speyside whiskies are made. I believe most people just loved their 10yo Cask Strength and the 12yo which is almost purple in color. Now it is the time to try one of their youngest expressions: The 8 year old. Bottled at 46%abv. On the nose, this is a breakfast: Honey, granola, macadamia nuts, hay, pecans. Grassy. After a first sip it released a note of and old orange peel. On the palate, three notes, but everything well delivered and tasty. Old raisins, fruitspice and honeycomb. Aftertaste is where some youngness is felt, but this is so well crafted that it hids behind a nice hay and tobacco leaf note. Dry. Overall, for an 8yo, this is very good. The 46%abv is important to give the whisky drinker a nice experience, but that was also risky since this is a young dram. Luckily for GlenAllachie, the casks used seem to be absolutley amazing, which is Billy Walker's speciality. Totally recommended, my score for it is 88 over 100. -
Don't you just love the times when you enter a new restaurant or bar and you spot a whisky bottle that you have never even seen before, and then you realize that it is open and they sell glasses of it?; I honestly believe that is one of the greatest pleasures in life. Well this was the case of a truly lovely bottle of Glenfarclas "100 proof", a 15yo Cask Strength at 57.1%, with a beautiful looking label. On the nose, it starts with Bbq sauce, sweet prunes, meat spices. It is a sunday Barbecue with Welsh grape juice. On the palate, i immidiately got the samd Welsh grape juice note. Red fruits, then it became a salty bomb which was tongue scorching. Grapes. Aftertaste is very cowboy-ish. Hay, tobacco and a long spicy finish. Chocolate cream. Overall, this was and incredible finding, you can tell by just looking at the label that this one is quite a rarity, and i love when this type of limited whiskies deliver a good experience. My score for it is 92 over 100.
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Christmas Cake & Dark Chocolate & Medjool Dates & Cinnamon 8 Year Old
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed July 13, 2023 (edited July 14, 2023)One day when i was doing my hobbie, which is scrolling through thousands of bottles in auctions, i started seeing this crazy looking but apparently honest label that said "Seaweed & Aeons & Digging & Fire" with no clear distiller or anything. Of course they caught my attention, but i let it slide, till the day i entered a restaurant in the middle of nowhere in Speyside where a crazy but super fun guy called Craig received me and my group for lunch (the place is called The Craig Bar). Well, Craig started dropping some major jokes on everyone, nobody was left without a nickname, and then he offered us a whisky. It was called "CHRISTMAS CAKE & DARK CHOCOLATE & MEDJOOL DATES & CINNAMON". Clearly this was the sherried version of that other whisky i was telling you about. And guess what? It was great. On the nose, it is what it says it is. Dates, cinnamon, glazed ham, marzipan and Christmas cake. After a first sip it became a chocolate cake with raisins. A muffin and hints of bbq sauce. Lovely. On the palate it is delicious. Dates, raisins. Very winey, blueberries and red berries. Every single dehydrated fruit you can inmagine. Aftertaste is where the promised cinnamon lives. Christmas cake with wine; it is literally a loaf of bread with a blackberry marmalade. Overall, this is a stupendous dram, with a marketing strategy done right: it offers exactly what it says on the label. I still don't know who makes this, and i frankly don't care, because this mystery adds a layer to the whole experience. Wonderful whisky, my score for it is 92 over 100. -
Cardhu Hand Filled 002/2023, 11 year old.
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed July 11, 2023 (edited July 12, 2023)Cardhu, the house of Johnnie Walker, is a very famous single malt, that i often place it in a third line of single malt distilleries, since i have never tasted a whisky from them that blew my mind. Having said that, this year i went to their premises once again as a part of my scottish tour, and i tasted this year's (2023) hand filled expression, drawn from the cask 002/2023, a 11 year old dram. On the nose, green apples, cream and hazelnuts mixed with chocolate. Lots of green apples. On the palate, a nice milk chocolate, spicy red chilli. Lemon and a citric profile. Aftetaste is all about Sawdust. Very simple and a little dull. Overall, there is not much more to say here. A very simple speysider, with some fruity notes and a dissapointing finish. It could be better, specially for a 120 pound bottle, which is supposed to be a special edition. My score for it 78 over 100.
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