Tastes

Ardbeg's 2022 committee release was an exciting one, their "smokiest" expression to this date (allegedly) with 170 ppm of peat, of course we are talking about Hypernova. If you have ever tasted the "Supernova" expressions, you probably know those ones are arguably the best from this Islay Distillery. That is why Hypernova, promised so much. As you might already know, a Supernova is the explosion of a star; while a Hypernova is a greater explosion where the core of a star that became a supernova, crashes into a black hole. Bottled at 51%abv, this has a pale straw color. On the nose, it has a classic Ardbeg note. Mint, taxi air freshener, lime, spicy and some tequila notes. It resembles a lot to an Octomore. Povidone, vaseline, Vick's Vaporub, shoe polish, and an old toy from He-Man and the Masters of the universe.  After a first sip it gave me wet paint. On the palate, it starts with a white chocolate note and then a full herbal note; tea and moss. Red chilli. There is not much on the finish. Moss, chilli, herbal tea. Very short aftertaste. Overall, this was very dissapointing. Marketed as "the smokiest Ardbeg ever" and it did not gave me one bit of smoke. Peat sometimes is not equal to smoke. It is not overly powerful to feel like a Hypernova and it is certainly weaker that every one of the Supernova expressions. Linear, simple and boring. It felt like a junior version of an Octomore (which i am not the fondest fan). My score for this very normal whisky is 84 over 100, and for the price it goes, this should be avoided.

Nick Offerman, a US actor has truly achieved the highest dream possible: to be the face of Lagavulin. He obtained that because he drank "the king of Islay" bottles in a famous tv show called Parks and Recreation. Lagavulin has already released 3 "Offerman" Editions, and this last one has been matured in heavily charred oak casks. Not an overly expensive dram, with an 11 year old age statement as the previous ones. Golden color, 46%abv. On the nose, it is your lovely Lagavulin peat. Rainforest, leather, hay, recently cut grass and very yeasty. Swamp aroma mixed with liquid paper and a quite spicy orange. Thick pepper and orange zest. Moss. The palate is pure perfection, it tastes exactly as it smells. This is a cowboy dram. I get some mezcal notes and salty water. If you chew it you'll get a beautiful rounded smoke. Aftertaste completes the offering; this is a flame. Actual pleasant fire, charred wood and salt. Oregano. Peat smoke. Mazing Overall, this might be the best of the three editions for me. It was outstanding, peaty, herbal, smokey and full of flavor. I shared with some people in a tasting event and everyone's mind was blown because of this dram. You must grab one, it is not expensive at all and you will get more than what you paid for. My acore for this incredible single malt is 96 over 100.

Awarded as 2020's best Blended Malt, Lum Reek is an offering from the Hall of Fame Master Distiller and Blender, Billy Walker. Yes, the same genius behind Glendronach and GlenAllachie nowadays. Lum Reek tells the story of MacNair, who was making a fine whisky but the lum (chimney) of his house went out of control and started smoking the whole place. Eventually that smoke entered the glass of his own whisky and when he tasted it, he said that it was now perfect. It is bottled at 48%abv, and it is a Peated Speyside Blended malt with a lovely golden color. On the nose, it is quite lovely. Cotton candy, chocolate, almonds and a pecan pie. Cotton socks, fondant. After a first sip, the aroma changed into red apples, suspiros (hard meringue) and dulce de leche. Apricots. On the palate, rich flavors of caramelized apples. Beautiful spiciness, pepper and salt. After a few sips it becomes very salty, hay and grassy. Aftertaste gave me a minuscule puff of aromatic smoke, but only on the first sip.  Hay, salt and cinnamon. It is actually very grassy and super salty. Overall, i can tell that this is the type of whisky that wins awards easily. It is super enjoyable, rich, rounded and clean. The problem with it, is that it is called "Lum Reek" which translates to a stinky chimney, but it has almost no smoke at all!. Having said that, this is actually delicious. My score for it is 89/100.

This is going to be amazing. Ladies and Gentlemen, i have tasted an incredible single malt, from one of my favorite two distilleries in the world, Talisker. You know their slogan, "Made by the Sea", well, in this particular case,  that statement has never been more truthful. Let me tell you about the impressive and super rare Talisker 44 year old "Forest of the Deep". This is no ordinary single malt my friends. And i am saying this not only for its 4 decades of maturation, but also because the way that it has been finished. In order to make a true statement about protecting the seas, this dram was partially matured in a custom cask made from oak staves that were brought in the boat that sailed through the Cape of Hope in South Africa. There, the staves were soaked by the splash of the sea water from the movement of the ship; and then, the barrel was charred using this sea soaked wood and also lots of natural Kelp from the underwater bed of plants of the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. The whole packaging states that the Kelp is actually Earth's biggest lung, with an incredible capability to absorb carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen. Pretty great stuff here. Well this single malt was bottled at 49.1%abv and has a lovely reddish color. Only 1997 bottles were ever made. On the nose, it is the best Talisker ever. Starts with a Dark spongy cake, raisins and peanuts. Actual Kelp can be nosed here (plankton or something maritime - herbal). Smells like the beach shore; bacon. Super elegant. Fancy gooseberries, ashes but also impalpable sugar. Plums, povidone, rainsforest. It is that crazy and complex. After a first sip, it gave me an aroma of figs, dates and dark chocolate. More sips and letting it breath released a mixture of ashes with chocolate and raisins. Spectacular. On the palate, the first sip took me straight to whisky heaven. Maritime but sweet; this definitively has been matured in a very old sherry cask. Salty and peppery like a well done steak in a Barbecue. The second sip was a little more straight forward, with a nice vanilla note mixed with salt. Herbal, maritime, oysters and rainforest. Absolutely gorgeous. Aftertaste is eternal. The longest salty finish i have ever experienced. Pepper, a very salty  coal cooked steak. Unforgettable; herbal, it feels like you ate a piece of wood from an old dock. In conclusion, this is plain and simple to explain, this is one of my top 3 favorite whiskies ever. It might be the No. 2 overall. Of course that means that this one has a perfect score, but this time is much more than a simple score. It is a truly memorable experience that cannot be erased from my life anymore. 100000 over 100, Slàinte Mhath my friends!

Lately my relationship with Compass Box has evolved into a more stable situation. I used to love their marketing but i often found some bottles to be underperforming in comparison of what they promised. But i have had some really nice drams from them in the past months, and that is why this brand of blended whiskies have gained my heart again. Well, i managed to grab a very hard to find bottle, called "Duokle Angelams", a Lithuania exclusive, for the bar that holds the same name. Actually, "Doukle Angelams" means "A tribute to the angels". The actual blend is not disclosed easily as you could find in any other Compass Box expression. Mostly of it is Linkwood. Bottled at 49%abv. On the nose, wow this is great! Peaches, milk powder, "Suspiros" (a solid meringue cookie), floral and sugar syrup notes. After some sips, stewed apples and fruits. A popular south american dessert called "Pavlova". On the palate is marvelous; suspiros, peaches, impalpable sugar. Super sweet stuff. Aftertaste delivers a wonderful contrast: spicy lemongrass, tobacco, hay, cigar. So beautiful. Overall, this was fantastic. And trust me, i have become a little more hard to convince for a higher score in a whisky, specially a blend. This is truly good; so good, that i shared it on a tasting event with some heavy names in whisky and this was consensually ranked No. 2 of the night behind the almighty Ardbeg Alligator. My score for this incredible limited edition whisky of only 1494 bottles is a proper 96 over 100. Sláinte!

Some whiskies are just a Myth. Long lost legends that pass through generations, where people who have tasted them tell the younger enthusiasts that there was a whisky once that blew their minds. In Ardbeg's case, such whisky is called "Alligator". A not-so-old special limited edition, Ardbeg Alligator was released back in 2011; it seems like yesterday, but 12 long years have passed. It was named that way becaused Dr. Bill Lumdsen matured it in heavily charred oak casks, so heavily charred that the internal wood broke a little forming ducts or grooves where the whisky moved, talking to the oak, interacting with the molecules of the staves. Bottled at 51.2%abv. On the nose, it is simply spectacular. Starts with a note of a new pair of cotton socks; cotton candy, povydine, really wonderful, interesting aroma. Coffee, dulce de leche, like a cup of expresso. IT SMELLS EXACTLY LIKE TARGET, THE RETAIL STORES. Scotch tape, caramelized bacon and meat. After a first sip, it gave me gunpowder on the nose, swamp, wet plants. The palate is incredible, very sweet. Unexpected. Dulce de leche, vanilla, toffee, marshmallows, everything wrapped up in pepper. The second sip gave me smoke and pepper. Aftertaste was a perfect closure for this dram. I actually wrote in my notes "this **** is great!". It is brown sugar with smoke. A salt bomb, rubber, moss. It is a lovely punch to your face. Overall, let me tell you this, and i am serious: this might be the best Ardbeg i have ever had. And i have had a lot. Maybe some Supernova expressions might debate that statement, but a true fact here is that this legendary dram is exactly what "the folk" said about it. Such an incredible whisky deserves a perfect score. This is a 100 in my books. Sláinte!!!

Freya, the goddess of love, lust and fertility, is also portrayed as a deity of war, since she has her own version of Valhalla, where half of the fallen viking warriors go when they die in battle. Freya is also the third expression of Highland Park's "Valhalla Collection", a 15yo whisky that promises the lust, love and war in a glass. Bottled at 51.2%abv, it comes with the now classic viking ship. On the nose, it is very good, although a little dim. Starts with green apple juice and pears, you almost feel that you have poured a Glenfiddich 12yo at the first aroma. Heather, stewed apples, white wine and a nice maritime note. After some sips, it changed into a wet vanilla cake, pineapple and fruity gas water. On the palate it is sheer perfection. Fruit punch, fruit salad and then a powerful spice flavor of ginger and clove. It is delicious. Macerated fruits. It has a cold feeling. Wine sangria fruits. Amazing. Aftertaste was the peaty part. Herbal, a warrior peat, a lip and tongue scorching feeling in a good way. Maritime with ginger notes, sider. Overall, this one accomplishes the mision. It offered a lusty, lovely dram, which traduces into the great, clean fruitiness to it; and it also offered me some war notes, that are heavily found on the finish: pleasantly spicy, peaty and scorching. The nose is where it lost some points, but this is a memorable single malt. My score for it is 96 over 100.

I did it backwards. I finally completed the tasting of the whole Arran Smuggler's series collection, and i can truly say that they are not only one of the finest looking bottles (with the whole book box) ever, but also they are impressive whiskies. The first one i tried, was their third release, the "Exciseman", which was a fantastic single malt. The second one, was of course "The High Seas", which was even better, something truly hard to achieve. I had big hopes for their first release, "The Illicit Stills", since Arran has never made something wrong, and this collection has proven in the past to be outstanding. Bottled at 56.2%abv, Golden color. On the nose, i got chocolate, the Arran typical pineapple note, caramel flan and a tropical punch. It also gave me white chocolate and some "suspiros" which i have no idea who to translate it to the english language. On the palate, it was beautiful. Delicious. White glazed donut, pineapple, super tropical notes. White chocolate, hazelnuts, almonds. Sweet magic. Aftertaste was pleasantly spicy. A hint of smoke is also present. Hay, salty, tongue scorching in a lovely way. Overall, this is a wonderful whisky but... the other two were a lot better. Actually, it feels less complex although it mantains its excelent flavors. The nose was a little simple and not too powerful. Having said that, this is a great single malt, that i would have any day, and i would definitively buy again (if it wasn't so expensive). My score for this dram is a solid 91 over 100.

Macallan has released yet another limited collection of whiskies, exclusively for the travel retail market and guess what, they are already being sold in the secondary market for 4 times the price. Having said that, the Macallan Harmony collection are 4 single malts, called Smooth Arabica, Intense Arabica (the coffee expressions), and, Rich Cacao & Fine Cacao (the cocoa/chocolate expressions). All of them are 40%abv, and they are enviromentally friendly, even the box is made out of coffee and cocoa discarded husks. Well, i opened one of the Smooth Arabica ones, hoping for a coffee type dram, let's see how it went: On the nose, the typical Macallan classic, unmistakeable aroma: Snicker chocolate, Milky way, Tobblerone; old apples, sawdust, toffee and hazelnut. Very nutty as expected in any Macallan. Plums and dates.  Fresh aroma that dropped in power after a first sip. On the nose, a very refined, fancy vanilla. Rum and raisins ice cream; Sawdust. Very oily with smooth vanilla notes. Cappuccino, lots of coffee beans notes here. Nice. Aftertaste was a perfect bitter coffee, an expresso. Hay. It feels exactly as a cup of an everyday normal coffee. Overall, i believe that Macallan fails to deliver a top whisky again (as per usual these days) but at least this time they did manage to give you something that actually smells and tastes like coffee, which is the name of the expression. What they intended to do, they accomplished, but it is not going to impress anyone. Not a bad whisky, maybe a mediocre nose is the part that drops the ball. Buy it if you find it on a duty free for the original price which is below 200, and then keep it stored for years. It will certainly be worth a lot more, then, buy a Glendronach with that money, lol. My score for it is a 86 over 100.

Listen to this marvelous story. I once was staying at Linn's house, Chivas Regal Castle in Scotland. The host let me drink any whisky i wanted from the first 3 shelves of a 7 shelved wall full of incredible bottles. I picked a strange looking Glenlivet 13yo which liquid was almost black due to the sherriness. It changed my life. This was a 13yo Taiwan exclusive sherry cask matured Glenlivet. Since that moment, i have managed to score more than 10 bottles in the past few years, i got only one left. Then, i found out about a 15yo bottling, of the same sherry cask matured series for Taiwan. I also scored a few bottles. Both expressions were a perfect 100 score drams for me. Well, guess what i have found now? THE 14YO GLENLIVET SHERRY CASK MATURED FOR TAIWAN. Bottled at 40%abv, the most reddish color ever, dracula would have drank this thinking it was blood. On the nose, the most incredible aroma ever of red fruits, red berries and milk powder formula. Dark chocolate, cotton candy and floral profiles. After the first sip, the aroma changed into this out-of-this-world maple syrup note. Coffee and cocoa. On the palate, cherries bathed in chocolate. Wonderfully creamy and very winey. Sweet Prunes. Argentinian dulce de leche; Super fruity and sweet. Aftertaste is all about red fruits, maraschino cherries. Ginger and a sherry bomb. Marvelous stuff. Overall, this might be, the greatest Glenlivet known to man. Also, the 13yo and the 15yo Taiwan Exclusives are the best Glenlivets known to man, lol. This is the most impressive sherry bomb ever crafted, it should be considered the standard objective of all other sherried single malts. I believe you can guess that i rated this spectacular whisky a perfect 100 score. Sláinte!!