Tastes

It is always fun to try a japanese whisky single malt, specially if someone else is inviting. I have had some Kurayoshis before, but this one, from the Matsui range, is different... it is peated. The label is absolutely gorgeous, it shows a japanese warrior, that after a deep google search i could only find that it is somehow related to the Tottori city or its ancient history.  Bottled at 48%abv, this one is a japanese only exclusive release and it seems to have been aged in barrels of undistilled raw sake. On the nose, it starts with this raw rice aroma note. Grapefruit, gooseberries and forest fruits. After a couple of sips, it became an apple cake. On the palate it is like a peachy water. A nice spiciness of ginger has appeared. Cotton candy and mostly peaches. Aftertaste has this thing that i can only describe as a cotton candy peatiness.  Apple pie. Very gentle dram. Lemongrass and lemon spice. Overall, this was a very enjoyable and easy drinkable single malt. Nothing overly fancy or complex, just a fruity, gentle dram. My score for this "rarity" is 84 over 100.

One of Campbeltown's distilleries that i haven't had too many expressions to form an overall opinion of their whiskies, is this Glengyle Distillery, home of the Kilkerran Single Malt. The name Kilkerran, comes from the gaelic "Cean loch cillie kiaran" which kind of translates to "Home of Saint Kieran", who is one of the Irish Apostles, who is widely accepted to have been a prior top saint to Saint Patrick. This is a 12yo expression, bottled at 46%abv. On the nose, very tropical. Pineapple, vainilla, peach halves and dates. Definitively notes of figs, pastry cream and a mild peat, that shows itself as a pond / swamp. On tne palate, it starts with a lovely Capn' Crunch cereal, maize. Raw rice and the glue you lick to close paper envelopes. Aftertaste has a nice punch to it. A ghostly cereal note, honey and ginger. Overall, my second Kilkerran ever has not dissapointed me. This is a solid good dram for a 12yo core expression. Maybe not too complex, but the notes it has, are very well delivered. My score for it is 88 over 100.

Everyday you get to find and taste a Ballechin, it is a good day. The reason for that statement is that Ballechin is actually a heavily peated Edradour, which in my books it is the best thing it can ever happen to someone. Well, imagine a Cask Strength limited one. This is the case. A 14yo expression, bottled at Cask Strength, 58.8%abv, with a lovely chesnut reddish color, this one was a exclusive for the popular online whisky retailers, The Whisky Exchange. On the nose, it starts with rubber, actually it took me to my childhood, where i had this "He-Man" action figures, with the rubber heads; this is exactly the aroma i get first. Wood polisher, camphor, a leather wallet. Povidyn and Iodine. Muscular liniment and burnt rubber. Red chilli and creolin. Amazing, crazy aroma. On the palate, it is incredibly sweet, that was so unexpected!. Pure chocolate, hazelnut, almonds and a pair of cotton socks. Again the povidyn note. Aftertaste starts with a pepper bomb. Chilli, wasabi and Tabasco sauce. Then, completely out of nowhere, the most amazing blackberry note ever. Overall, this is a super pleasant rollercoaster. It is amazing how a 58.8%abv dram can be so easy drinkable when it is so well delivered. The sweetness and the peatiness are exactly what you expect when you say "This is a Heavily Peated Edradour". Very nice whisky, it could be a little more complex though. My score for it is 89 over 100.

A 20 year old Dalmore, what more can i say. I often hear and read that Dalmore is all about hype and that it dissapoints some people. That is almost never my case with this distillery. I am a fond fan of the expressions i have tasted, which are a lot, and i really think there is less than a handful exceptions to that rule, maybe "valour" or "The Trio" werent that good, but in my books they still manage to achieve more than 80 points. Well, this "Dun Bheagan" 20yo Dalmore, was released by Ian Macleod as an independent bottling. Almost all they made is fantastic, so i am really happy to try this one. Bottled at 46%abv, with an oloroso cask finish. Only 669 bottles were ever made. On the nose, it is a cocoa and coffee explosion. Impalpable sugar, Tiramisu dessert and the classic orange. Tangerine peel. Glazed ham, kiwi and cherry "brigadeiros". Bbq sauce and meringue. Out of this world!; "Tres leches" dessert. So sweet! On the palate itbis more straightforward but also fantastic. Cocoa butter, hazelnut and dark chocolate. Glazed white donut and milk chocolate. Aftertaste is just sublime. Chocolate powder formula; Salt and cherries. A little acid, acid prunes actually. A lovely metallic note. It is eternal, long finish of milk chocolate. Overall, another superb offering from Ian Macleod who seems to do a great job in every whisky they bottle. I would be ashamed of myself if i deduct any points from this amazing 20yo single malt that gave me such a happy moment when i was tasting it. Great whisky, perfect score. 100/100.

It is always great to taste a very hard to find whisky, specially if it comes from Islay, and has an age statement of 27 years old. This is exactly the bottle i opened in a private tasting, a 27yo Bunnahabhain, from "The Good Spirits Company", a not very known independent bottler. I always think that old whiskies are a type of time machine, that can make me go to the past, by just asking myself this question: where was i 27 years ago when the youngest drop of this single malt entered an oak barrel?; what has happened in my life and in the world during that time, just to meet this bottle today? Romaticism aside, this one has a pale straw color, and has been bottled at 40.8%abv. On the nose, it is very tropical and sweet. Pineapple, white chocolate; candied fruits, white wine and coconut. There is definitively some salty notes. After a first sip, it gave me the fruits you use when making a wine sangria. Macerated fruits, green grapes and pomegranate. On the palate, it is fabulous. Super hazelnuts with Ferrero Rocher chocolate and hay. The second sip was a little watery, vainilla, pineapple and a slight salt. Very "beachy". Aftertaste is all about pineapple, arazá fruit; it is exactly as a "Piña Colada" Cocktail. Eternal saltiness. It resembles a fancy white rum. And then, all of a sudden, tabacco notes appeared. Overall, this one was absolutely amazing. The most tropical whisky i might have ever had. The typical Bunnahabhain brown chocolate note has changed into a white milk chocolate here to make a perfect mixture with the tropical profiles of this dram. Incredible experience, i am so sad only 179 bottles were ever made, my score for it is 97 over 100.

In 2013, Glenlivet asked their "Guardians" (which are a group of people worldwide who have suscribed to Glenlivet promotions) to choose a new, cask strength and non-chill filthered expression, out of three possible single malts, originally called "Classic", "Revival" and "Exotic". People spoke, and "Exotic", a whisky mostly matured in spanish red wine casks, was the winner with 39% of the votes, making this one the first crowd sourced Glenlivet ever. 24.000 decanters where ever released, and they where bottled at 48.7%abv. On the nose, it starts with some nice fruitiness. Cherries, peaches, tobacco and sawdust. Mint. The first bose felt like this is not a young dram. After havinga sip, the aroma gave me orange spongy cake, buiscuits. On the palate, it is very pleasant. Orange peel, super citric,  Raw rice and chocolate. Oranges, a metallic note that is really delicious. Red apples. Super complex. Aftertaste offers a good ending to a wonderful whisky. Tobacco, hay, grass, earthiness and salt. It really feels mildly peaty. Dry. Overall, this was a very solid, pleasant, elegant dram. Complex, delicious and full of flavor, this is a winner in my books. I don't think this is super expensive, but it can be considered "rare"; nevertheless i strongly recommend anyone to try this one if you have the chance. My score for it is 92 over 100.

One of the most difficult Glendronachs to find nowadays is this 8yo "Octarine", a discontinued expression from one of the world's greatest distilleries. This almost rare expression, was exclusively released for the french supermarket chain, "Carrefour". It originally was 50-60 dollars, but now it goes for about USD.180. Bottled at 46%abv, tawny color. On the nose, its starts a little alcoholy, but also with a fruitcake note very appealing. It is like a plum dipped in wine. Lots of plum liquor notes. Peach halves and dehydrated fruits, raisins and cake. It is lovely on the nose. It is exactly a christmas cake. Panettone. After some minutes in the glass, it gave me the most amazing grated coconut note ever. On the palate; it is very enjoyable for a 8yo, but a little simple on the first sip. Peaches, hints of sawdust and hay. The second sip was much more oaky with less flavor and a little more roughness, but not in a bad way. Aftertaste is a little dry and woody. Dim salt, long finish, sawdust and new polished wood. Definitively this is the least likeable part of this nice single malt. Oakspice. The third sip gave me some of the missing fruitiness from the first two sips. Overall, for the original price and availability it had when it was released, this was a complete bargain and a great offering. Nowadays it feels more like a collector's item, and not the best deal if you drink it at today's cost. I believe that the aroma is by far the best part, it is really enjoyable. The palate and finish could be better, but then again, this is an 8yo, which is a little too young to extract all the flavors and aromas from a cask. My score for this nice whisky is 85 over 100.

When Feis Ile arrives, some serious whiskies arrive as well. Laphroaig has a wonderful collection, called "Cairdeas" that comes every year when Islay is having their famous party. The 2021 expression was out of this world, that is why i was eager to taste this 2022 "Warehouse 1" Cairdeas. Bottled at 52.1%abv, this is Laphroaig's most "Laphroaigish" whisky ever. Pale straw color. On the nose, it starts with something that can be described as a earthy brownie. Floral, earthy, rubber boots, sown land and a horse saddle. Pine tree, sharpie marker and povidyn. It smells like Mr. Clean products; iodine and pepper. Wet grass, seaweed and welding. On the palate, it is a vanilla water. Vanilla ice cream, plastic. Artificial notes; it is very tasty. Simple, but well delivered. Aftertaste was my favorite part. Rubber, grass, a pleasant spiciness and salt. Eternal salty finish. Blood and metallic flavors. Overall, this passed the test. It wasn't as incredible as the 2021 expression, but this screams "Laphroaig" all over the place. A very well delivered and round expression, this one won't dissapoint anyone. My score for it is 91 over 100.

Dalmore is a whisky that i cherish. I always look for their new expressions, and to be honest, i have never understood the excessive criticism it usually gets, but people tend to give it a hard time because they often bottle their whiskies at 40%abv. Well, an independent bottler, Ian MacLeod, bought a single cask of 2009 Dalmore (something quite hard to do) and they bottled it to please some fans, at an astonishing 59.3%abv. Only 299 bottles where ever released, for the Taiwanese Market, with a beautiful brown eagle label and a metallic can that shows the picture of the same majestic bird in a very appealing way. In the glass, it has a reddish copper color. On the nose, absolutemy impressive. It starts with the typical Dalmore orange note; then it releases coffee, Brandy and Chocolate. Caramelized apples, dehydrated fruits and cherry "brigadeiros". After a first sip, the aroma became a fruit salad, very tropical. Kiwi, hazelnut and cocoa. Letting it breath for a longer time gave me a powdery, milk white cocoa note. A very sugary orange and apple strudel. On the palate it had this INCREDIBLE CHOCOLATE AND RED FRUITINESS; yes, in caps lock. Hints of salt and chocolate. It just feels spectacular, super sweet like a white chocolate with maraschino cherries. Ritter's white chocolate and coconut flan. Aftertaste is all about ginger, sawdust, chocolate, a very spicy but pleasant Wasabi and cherries. Great note of orange peel as well. Overall, this will compete for my top ten ranking of the year. This might be the best Dalmore i have ever had, and trust me, that is quite the statement from a man that loves this distillery. Ironically, this is actually not a distillery bottling, but it has showed me that when you are trying to please a crowd of cask strength freaks like me, Dalmore has a spirit that can be bottled at powerful force and it will deliver an amazing result. My score for this one is 100 over 100, just because i can't give it one thousand points. Slàinte!

Everybody knows by now that i just love Talisker. I have always said that if i ever have to live in a lonely island due to a shipwreck, if i had to choose which whisky i would take, there are only two options for me, Glendronach and Talisker. Having said that, a rather new, not very promoted expression of this amazing distillery has been recently released, and of course i had to taste it right away. "SURGE" is the name of this new Talisker, and i believe it belongs to the duty free expressions, to the same "collection" where previous releases are Skye, Storm and Dark Storm. Of course, it is bottled at the classic 45.8%abv. On the nose, super salty, incredibly maritime. Cocoa and dark chocolate. Raisins. It is like a salted chocolate. Pretty thing. On the palate the Dark chocolate became very "refined". Salt and ery maritime. Oysters and scallops. Aftertaste followed the same rythm, because lets tell the truth here, this is a very good profile for a whisky: Chocolate, smoke, sea salt. It has a wonderful smokiness and a sulphuric beauty. Overall, i might be biased because i really love this type of maritime single malts. I have loved almost every Talisker there is, and believe me, i have tasted A LOT of their expressions (i even had a 50yo once) (independent bottler though). Talisker surely played it safe here, but the thing is, that they can effortlessly create a whisky and chances are that it will be amazing no matter what. Great stuff, for a lovely price, my score for it is 96 over 100; scoring 24 points in each criteria. Sláinte!