Tastes
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Tamdhu 28 Year (That Boutique-y Whisky Company)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed April 12, 2023 (edited April 24, 2023)That Boutique-y Whisky Company is often releasing old, very rare independent expressions of single malts from various fancy distilleries. This is the case of a crazy old 28 year old Tamdhu, bottled at 46.8%abv, with a lovely label of king Saladin wearing Boxing gloves. This is of course a reference to the Tamdhu way of making whisky, since it is the last distillery to use a Saladin Box to malt the barley. On the nose, there is an apple note thatbis truly a beauty. This is the "applest" apple note ever. This is a super fresh, delicate, very appealing aroma. Dulce de leche, thick honey. Black pepper. It has an aroma like you have overwashed your hands and they are super fragant. Stewed fruits. After some minutes there is a citric fruit peel note rising. Grapefruit. After the first sip, aroma changed into a more artificial profile, like liquid paper. Envelope glue. A spicy note is now very present. It is truly fragant. Smores. On the palate, it is very citric and acid. Unexpectedly citric. Lemon and lime. The second sip was sweeter for 3 seconds, then a citric explosion happens; like those citric lollipops from my highschool years. Some sawdust and dim old apples. It is really an apple juice on the third sip, but the acidity is just too powerful, and this is only 46.8%abv. Aftertaste is all about tobacco and a fruity finish that is lovely. It is like passionfruit, wow! truly surprising. A second sip prove this to be truly "cowboy-ish". Hay, tobacco, bitter and dry. Pretty nice. Definitively some dry fruits. Seeds. Very rewarding. There is a sugary poke that feels great. Overall, this is incredible on the nose and aftertaste, and pretty normal on the palate. It still manages to be quite a memorable dram. It will always be interesting to drink a 28 yo single malt, specially if it has a very rewarding finish. My score for it is 90 over 100. -
Bowmore 21yo Chateau Lagrange
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed April 9, 2023 (edited April 13, 2023)Well, i have a fully formed opinion of Bowmore. I have declared myself a Bowmore soldier since i visited the distillery, but i often find their core expressions to lack some things here and there, that made believe that this wasn't the best Islay Whisky when i first tasted it. After having some of their rare expressions, i can honestly say that a hard to find Bowmore, or a special release will be always worth buying, since those releases are great. And this is the case of this single malt matured in 1st Fill Ex-Château Lagrange Grand Cru Classé, and bottled 48.4%abv. Chateau Lagrange is one of the few wineries that have obtained the "Grand Cru Classé" denomination, which is reserved for special high end bordeaux wines. This is a 21 year old Whisky. On the nose, it is perfect, crazy complex. It starts with an intense old orange note very appealing. A thick layer of brown sugar mixed with cocoa milk formula, oranges and lemon peel. Incredible. Povidone cream. Recently cut grass. Out of nowhere a red fruit note appeared, like it was lurking behind the povidone note. Super fancy caramel and salt; burnt caramel, Créme bruleé. This is super complex and amazingly interesting. Definitively brown sugar notes. Rum and raisins ice cream have appeared after letting it breath. Apples and lemons. 10 minutes have passed, now it is impalpable sugar. Spectacular. On the palate, it starts with red apples and a sulphuric, metallic note. Salty and "caramelish" feeling. A second sip gave me Marshmallows, toffee and caramel in such a fancy and delicious way. The a pepper note kicks your soul. Everything well delivered. Lips scorching salt. Gooseberries. Aftertaste has this lovely smoke with hints of hay. Caramel. A little bit salty and short on the first sip. The finish is just an uncanny puff of smoke. Incredible ending, super rewarding. Overall, i dont even know why i am not giving it a perfect score. (Actually it lost 2 points on the palate) because this is one of the most enjoyable drams i have had lately. There are layers of notes that are delivered to you in a wonderful way. Truly a masterpiece, i would drink this forever. My score for it is 98 over 100. -
Suntory's Hibiki is simply amazing. It doesn't matter if it is the mythical 21 year old or any of their NAS releases. If you ever have a Hibiki, you will most definitively enjoy it. Having said that, i got my hands on a Hobiki Blossom 2021 expression, a 43%abv blended whisky, that was only intended for the japanese market, and obviously the price of it just EXPLODED. It has been finished in Sakura Barrels, a type of cherry blossom tree. On the nose it is outstanding. Pineapple; a Hibiki typical sawdust mixed with hay/metallic note. Pavlova dessert, peach and tropical fruits over vanilla cream. Peach halves in syrup. After a first sip, the aroma changed into this incredible fruit punch and cranberries. A floral field. It is an incredible aroma although a little dim. Grapefruit. On the palate it is so enjoyable that it can be described as almost perfect. Tangerine and pineapple. Some woody character. Salt. Crazy good. The second sip was all about impalpable sugar over a pineapple. White wine. A sugary water note also present. Aftertaste is salty, with a "crazy dips" feeling. Acidity. Impalpable sugar, gooseberries, acid fruits. Lovely, ghostly long. Overall, this is magnificent. It is almost unbelievable that blended whiskies can be THIS good. Full of flavor, lovely notes, everything perfectly crafted, long finish; just wonderful. My score for it is 95 over 100, and i might have been a little harsh on the score here.
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Glenfiddich Perpetual Collection VAT 01
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed April 5, 2023 (edited April 7, 2023)The single malt giants, Glenfiddich, have release a new collection that i am almost sure is only for travel retail. The four bottles are just amazingly good looking, and the boxes are even better. Very fancy presentation, lets talk about the whisky. Bottled at 40%abv, the Perpetual Collection Vat 01, called "elegant & Smooth", is the first release, and it has been matured in Glenfiddich's very known Solera Vats. On the nose, it is fairly woody. New polished wood, sawdust. Strong fresh fruitiness. Stewed pears and apples. Mashed apples. Honey, cinnamon. After a first sip it became a rum & raisin ice cream. Ginger. On the palate, dulce de leche, very light. Some hay/tobacco note. the second sip was a marshmallow water; vanilla, honey; That is the profile. A sugary, fruity, light water. Milk with sugar. Aftertaste is spicy. Pepper and sulphur. Metalic. The second sip became a horse stable: Hay, tobacco, burnt old grass. I havent have this sulphuric note for a while, it is nice actually. Overall, this is the safest single malt you can ever buy. The tasting and aroma notes are the most typical you will ever find on a whisky. Having said that, this is enjoyable, easy drinkable and fairly nice for a 1 litre bottle. Nothing overly exciting, this is some entry level dram, you can use it to convince people to start trying single malts. My score for it is 80 over 100. -
Big whisky companies are trying to appeal to younger consumers. Whisky has historically been considered a drink for people who are a little older, who have more money to spend, since whisky tends to be expensive. We have already seen Glenmorangie X, for mixing and now we have this Johnnie Walker Blonde; specially made for cocktails. I believe it is more expensive than a JW red label, so that makes no sense at all, but here it is, a lovely looking bottle. Bottled at 40%abv, golden color. On the nose, it is very gentle. Apples, sider and honey. Sawdust; it is actually very dusty. Tobacco leaf, stewed apples. Almonds and amaretto liquor. On the palate, Lots of honey. Bitter hay and salt. Very light and grassy. Aftertaste is the best part. An amazing hazelnut taste. Saltiness. Short but tasty finish. Crazy good chocolate and hazelnut. Overall, this is actually pretty good, and it is a hundred times better than a Johnnie Walker Red label. I believe it is also more expensive, which is a complete conundrum for me, since this is marketed and sold as a drink to be mixed in cocktails. Fairly nice, with a price that is not good, my score for this one is 80 over 100.
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GlenAllachie 4 Year Peated Single Malt (Billy Walker 50th Anniversary Future Edition)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed March 20, 2023 (edited August 16, 2023)Billy Walker is like the king of whisky making. He has been doing incredible "uisgebeathas" for a long time. To be precise, he has been making whisky for 50 long years. Nowadays he owns one of the arguably best distilleries in the world, The GlenAllachie, which has earned that reputation because of this member of the whisky Hall of Fame. That is the proper explanation for my next review, the 4 year old, "Future" expression of GlenAllachie. A Peated single malt for the first time in this distillery's history; it honours the 50th anniversary of Billy Walker making the finest single malts in the world. Bottled at cask strength, 60.2%abv, this very young whisky is quite intriguing. On the nose, almost perfect. Smoked oranges, bacon, honey, BBQ sauce. Sausage, ribs and a nice spiciness. It maintains the fruity profile of GlenAllachie but it also has an aromatic peat feeling. After a sip, the aroma changed into lotion for burnt skin, kerosene and meat. Incredibly stuff. The empty glass gave me some milky reminiscense. On the palate, pure perfection. orange marmalade, chocolate. When you "chew" this dram a powerful red hot chilli will be released into your soul. Vanilla, toffee and oranges. Aftertaste is quite smokey! Tobacco, cuban cigars, orange peels. Very acid in a wonderful way. Hints of salt. Overall, this was incredible, specially when we stop ourselves for a second to think that this single malt is only 4 years old. It is called "Future" as a part of the 50th Anniversary collection, that has other two 16yo expressions: Past and Present. This is a "wink" or a hint where this distillery is going from now on. An amazing single malt, suitable to celebrate 5 decades of wonderful whisky making. My score for it is 98 over 100, Sláinte Mhath! -
Bruichladdich 1993, Recioto Cask, Oddbins Exclusive
Single Malt — islay, Scotland
Reviewed March 20, 2023Back in the 1990s, Bruichladdich used to matured some of their finest spirit in some italian and other special red wine casks, for 13 to 16 years, and as a result they released in the early 2000s some delicious expressions. One of those rarities is this Bruichladdich Recioto della Valpolicella, vintage 1993, exclusively released for Oddbins, the spirits retail store in UK. Bottled at 46%abv, with a lovely red color. Recioto is actually a sweet raisin wine, made out of a blend of some grapes: Corvina, Corvinone, Negrara, Orseleta and Forselina. It is pretty similar to Amarone, but amarone completes a longer fermentation. On the nose, it starts as expected, with sweet red fruits. Cherries and sunmaid raisins. Dr. Pepper and strawberry marmalade. Port wine, dates and bacon. Red apples, grapes. After a first sip the aroma changed into a typical soapy note i always get from Bruichladdich, school glue and red berries. On the palate it is good. Red fruits, some orange peel notes; very floral. Rose chocolate. You would never guess this is a Bruichladdich at a blind tasting event. Aftertaste is amazing. Tobacco, oranges, tangerine, and citric grapefruits. Super long, rewarding finish. Cocoa bitterness. Superb. Overall, this is one incredible offering from "laddie"; the Recioto cask has imparted most of the flavor and aroma notes and has turned this single malt into a wine in steroids. Great job here, my score for this rare beauty is 95 over 100. -
There is a great whisky retail store in Belgium called "The Nectar". You can find incredible bottlings and some really bespoke special ones, released just for that place. One of their suppliers is the famous Compass Box. As a matter of fact, Compass Box have released two special expressions for them, one on their 10th anniversary; and this one, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of their time together selling top whiskies. Compass Box The Nectar, is mostly made of Laphroaig, for a peaty character. Bottled at 49%abv, this one promises to be very good. On the nose, it starts with a buttery popcorn, fresh can of tennis balls, seaweed and Cookies & Cream. Butterscotch; it smells spicy, banana cake, caramel and the classic creaminess from Compass Box. After a first sip, it changed into iodine, swamp and rainforest. Spectacular. On the palate, it is a great whisky. Creamy marshmallows; the typical Laphroaig peat, hay. After a couple of sips it gave me a fruity profile: grapefruit and some saltiness. Oily body. Aftertaste is the best part of this masterpiece. Smoke, tennis balls, medicinal peat, salt. Absolutely amazing. Overall, this is one is truly one of the greatest blends this company has ever made. The sweetness and the peatiness have been married to perfection. A full bodied, well crafted, powerful dram. My score for it is an honest 94 over 100. If you can find it, don't even doubt to buy it. Slàinte!
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Ardbeg Ard Bog from the Great Whisky Swindle of 1990s
Single Malt — islay, Scotland
Reviewed March 18, 2023 (edited March 20, 2023)Ok, brace yourselves for an incredible story. Back in the 1990s (it sounds like a long time ago nowadays), the whisky investments were starting to rise. Of course, scammers were on the rise as well. This is the story of a Gibraltar based company called Pearldene and Hamilton Spirit Management, who offered customers casks of a new distillery called "Grandtully" and also "Gleneagles". Both distilleries never existed and the company received at least 1.7 million pounds for those whisky casks that were a nothing more than a scam. When the authorities found out, they started chasing the criminals, and they attempted to send bottles from other existing distilleries to the scammed investors in order to hide what they have done. The Scottish Whisky Association managed to retrieve this fake bottles (actually the liquid was real but not from Grandtully nor Gleneagles) and they re-labeled them with the proper distillery names, so the scammed investors at least could recover some whisky for their troubles. Well, one of those bottles came into my hands, an ARDBEG, called Ard Bog, bottle No. 28 of 377, part of the "GREAT WHISKY SWINDLE" of the 90s. A true piece of history. Bottled at 46%abv, this is a 10yo expression of Ardbeg, but from the 1990s, when Louis Vuitton was not yet the owner of the destillery. Pale straw color. On the nose, this is a very interesting whisky. It starts with a crazy note of a pair of cotton socks, plants / moss; dust. It smells like a hospital, creolin, medicinal notes. A pair of Converse shoes, black thick pepper and lemoncello. After a sip, the aroma changed into oysters, oregano, vanilla ice cream and brie cheese. Air freshener. Amazing and crazy stuff here. On the palate, it is delicious. It is a perfect mixture between a vanilla ice cream and black pepper. Cotton. On the second sip i got white chocolate, apricot and some maritime notes. Sweet and salty. Aftertaste is wonderful as well. Sawdust, black pepper, mint and salt. Super long finish. Overall, this was a fantastic Ardbeg, that we can consider it to be the 10yo expression from 33 years ago. A super rounded, heavily peated whisky with crazy tasting and aroma notes. I honestly believe that Ardbeg was better than today, specially with all the new releases that lack some depth lately. My score for this beauty is 92 over 100, and the story behind it is really fascinating. -
Cardhu 14 Year (2021 Special Release)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed March 17, 2023 (edited March 18, 2023)Today i managed to get my hands on a 2021 Diageo Special release from the distillery that is the heart lf Johnnie Walker, Cardhu. I am not a fond fan of Cardhu, i find it mostly boring and too straightforward. I have had quite a few expressions and i am still waiting to be impressed. This natural cask strength release, was bottled at 55.5%abv and has been finished in red wine casks. On the nose, it is quite aromatic. Grapefruit, impalpable sugar, acetone and a super floral note that is overwhelming. Roses, goosebeeries. Farm fruits, very clean notes here. This is the best aroma i have ever found in a Cardhu so far. There is definitively some spiciness here. Burnt hay. After a second sip? I got chocolate and toffee; hints of lemon. On the palate, this is different from most Cardhus. Red fruits, pineapple; toffee madness. Dulce de leche. Salted caramel. Very enjoyable. Aftertaste follows the same rythm with a twist. It is like small toffee pieces, crazy dips lollipop. Salted caramel and acid fruits, very appealing. Overall, this is by far the best Cardhu i have ever had. It is not a life changing experience, but this is definitively better that any other expression i have tasted before. The cask strength and red wine finish has imparted really nice floral and farm fruit notes that are very appealing. My score for it is 92 over 100, scoring 23 points in every criteria.
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