Tastes

Brace yourselves, this is one of those crazy whisky reviews. Where was i 27 years ago, when the youngest drop of this entered an oak barrel? What has happened in my life and in tge world in the last 27 years, for me to find this single malt today? Those are questions any whisky lover should ask themselves when drinking a dram that has been aged for at least two decades. Talisker 27 year old, called "elements", is a triple matured, cask strength expression that just can' be defeated. On the nose, it gave me this Amontillado sherry note; vanilla cream with oranges. Everything is so lovely on the nose here. Pavlova dessert; white chocolate and hazelnut. Rock salt and burnt grass. Orange peel. It is spectacular. After a few sips, the aroma changed into red fruits, cotton candy and hay. Aroma changes everytime you get near it. Cherries. A salty meringue. On the palate, you will be amazed. Orange caramel, followed by a salt bomb. Red fruits syrup. It is perfect. Orange marmalade. Aftertaste is just the epitome of magnificence. Smoke, rock salt, ginger and orange peel. Everything so well delivered and very powerful. Overall, and this is a proper conclusion to this review: this is the perfect whisky. It goes for a hefty price and i cannot pay it, but at least i had a glass at the distillery, just incredible enough to write this review. Only 2000 bottles were ever made, and if you can buy it, trust me, you should. My score is a million points. Slàinte!!!

I kinda like Talisker new look. The rugged label looks very maritime, which is of course, this distillery most recognizable profile. One of their new, good looking bottles is the traditional yearly "Distiller's Edition" which is known for its amoroso sherry maturation. I have loved this expressions as i have loved most Taliskers i have had. Let's see if their latest 2023 release is any good: On the nose i get tge expected Red fruitiness, salty notes and a very interesting note that i can only describe as a 1970s -80s red, home furry, dusty rug. After a few sips the aroma also gave me a pair of new cotton socks. On the palate, it feels a little watery. Acid prunes, red fruits, red chilli and maraschino cherries. Not too impressive. A little dim. Aftertaste is different, from the nose and palate. Smoke, red chilli and thick salt. Overall, this might be the Talisker i have least liked. It is dim, light, straightforward, not flavorful or fun. A softened version of a single malt that i usually praise. I guess not every year can be excelent. My score for this dram is 83 over 100.

I'm sure everyone that knows my whisky preferences, are fully aware by now that i can not be fully imparcial about any Talisker expressions since this distillery, along with Glendronach is my all time favorite. The maritime profile of the great Talisker is always on my whisky desires, and there was one bottle that i have been trying to taste for a long time, and that was the Distillery Exclusive, Batch 01, bottled at 48%abv. Only 7500 bottles were ever made. And finally, i entered a temple of whisky, the distillery itself, on the Island of Skye, (which is the most insanely beautiful place i have ever been in my life), where i took a tasting tour and of course, one dram of my whisky bucket list was crossed. On the nose, it is not the best expression from this distillery. Coconut, maize, saltiness, lemon and hints of smoke. Lemonspice and a rancid vanilla. After a first sip i got vanilla ice cream, fondant and marzipan. On the palate, it is better. Vanilla ice cream, lemon, salt; Pepper and ginger to complete the classic Talisker style.  Hay/sawdust very dim. After a second sip i also got some citric farm flavors. Aftertaste is pure peefection.  A Smokey Monster. Cigarrettes, ashes. Just wonderful. Overall, the aftertaste made this whisky a memorable one. Before the finish, i was a little skeptic because it was good, but not superb as most Talisker are. Having that incredible rewarding experience at the end, made this single malt to achieve a higher score. My rate for this legendary whisky is 90 over 100.

As i been telling you lately, Ardbeg's latest special releases are a hit or miss. They have produced some great, breathtaking whiskies, as well as other boring, underwhelming expressions. This have gained a strong critic against excessively marketed bottlings that did not reach their potential. This year, Ardbeg released two very different whiskies: one was the amazing "BizarreBQ" which almost everyone i know seemed to love; and also this, the more expensive one, the official committee of 2023, called "Heavy Vapours". The story behind it, is that Dr. Lumdsen took out one of the purifiers from one of stills, changing the whole density of the vapours that will condensate to turn into Ardbeg's iconic spirit. Of course, the label says that this will make this dram the most "full blown" Ardbeg ever.... Bottled at 50.2%abv. On the nose, it starts with Ardbeg's herbal peat. Moss and grapefruit juice. A fresh can of new tennis balls, dim ashes. It feels "hairy" on the nose. Mold in a wall. On the palate i get vainilla ice cream, herbal notes, ashes. It is very gentle and a little yeasty; nothing heavy or full blown here. Aftertaste is the best part. A pair of cotton socks, very herbal. Elegant, nice, friendly on the palate (i don't know if that is what i am looking for in an Ardbeg). Dry. It actually feels like licking the top of a cooking pot, the condensation feeling here is real. Cotton shirts, tennis balls. Overall, i don't think this is the worst Ardbeg ever, and i don't think this is the best one either. A very fair, unenthusiastic whisky that many will enjoy without too many problems. It is a nice whisky that doesn't live to a committee release expectation, and that is a problem here. My score for it is a super honest 88 over 100 which makes it an enjoyable dram that i will soon forget.

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!

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.

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 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.

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.