Tastes
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Arran Machrie Moor 5th Edition (2014 Release)
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed September 27, 2022 (edited September 28, 2022)I already talked about the great Arran Machrie Moor, Fingal's Cut, heavily peated single sherry cask; and now it is time to rate their younger brother; called only "Machrie Moor", with a strength of 46%abv, which is the main difference between the two expressions. Machrie Moor is the black "milk-looking" bottle, with the wolf on the label. On the nose, it starts with plastic, like a school plastic folder. Minty, pineapple, agave, ashtray. It is like a cactus. Pineapple juice; pineapple pie. Lotion for burnt skin. After a couple of minutes it smells exactly like a frosting of donuts. It actually smells cold. After a couple of sips, it gave me pond water. Milk chocolate. On the palare, starts with vanilla juice; pineapple. A pepper bomb and again this cactus note. Rose wlth spines? It tastes like that. Milk chocolate. Aftertaste is where the peaty notes appear. Sawdust, mild smoke. Scorched earth. Copper, salty, it fell a little in power after a couple of sips. On the third sip it gave me a full ashy note; amazing! It has been reborn. Overall, you just can't go wrong with Arran. It gives you lots of complexity and tropical flavors in every expression, and this "Machrie Moors" are also peaty which is always good in my books. A very solid single malt, my score is 88 over 100. -
I feel like one of the most exciting releases of this last year is this Laphroaig 16yo. I truly believe that this incredibly polarizing distillery wants to challenge the almighty Lagavulin 16 with this expression, the question that now rises is: Will Laphroaig achieve this goal? Lets review the whisky! Bottled at 48%abv, golden color. On the nose, your medicinal typical Laphroaig note right away. Tangerine, Povidyn tonic, and a wet/rainy feeling that transported me to 1998 when a climate phenomenon hit Ecuador, it is called "El niño". After a first sip, it gave me tea and scottish fudge. It smells like a lotion for burnt skin, and rainforest. On the palate, it is quite good. Toffee and plastic. I can only describe the aroma as the furry cows in Scotland, if you ever get to experience that, you'll know i am speaking the truth here. Nerf toys. A second sip gave me this overall sensation of been at a pharmacy. Aftertaste is so artificial, like something made up in a factory. I really have a struggle to define things, because i am pretty sure this is like a synthetic chocolate. It is like a plastic bonfire. Feels very artificial and mineral. Overall, i am truly amazed on how strange my review of this whisky might sound. But it is, what it is, and this one is a rollercoaster of some very interesting, well delivered flavors and aromas that happen to be a little crazy. It is no match for Laga's 16yo, it is like a completely different monster. My score for it is 90 over 100.
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Kilchoman PX Sherry Cask Matured (2021 Edition)
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed September 24, 2022 (edited September 9, 2023)Is there anything better than a sherried Kilchoman? Yes, a Px Sherried Kilchoman. The Kilchoman PX Sherry Cask Matured is a wonderful, relatively new expression from 2021. If you have tasted Sanaig, matured in Oloroso Sherry, you know that the spirit from this "farm distillery" is perfect for sherry maturation. Bottled at a nice 47.3%abv, it has the most incredible reddish color ever. On the nose, lots of Chocolate. Hints of school glue, Silicon, hay and peat. Sown land, Iodine. After a first sip, the aroma changed into a sunny beach; Coconut, smells like a beach party. Bronzer, coffee and maraschino cherry syrup. Letting it breath released a stinky peat, fishy. Super complex. On the palate, it is all about red fruits. Sherry, red wine. Milk chocolate madness, this is SO CREAMY it resembles a marshmallow. Aftertaste is amazing. Sand and Salt. Sulphuric and metallic, but also sweet. Overall, this is a must in my books. You cant just let this one pass. The Px Sherry has transformed the Kilchoman Peatiness into crazy aroma and tasting notes, super complex and enjoyable. Full of flavor, my score for this one is 95 over 100. -
Arran Machrie Moor Fingal's Cut Sherry Cask Finish
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed September 23, 2022 (edited September 24, 2022)There is an old Scottish poem, that tells the story of Fingal, a Giant warrior, who lived in "Fingal's Cave", an actual place in Ireland if i am not wrong (marvelous looking thing by the way), who had a wolf as a pet, and who created the "Machrie Moor" a circle of rocks, similar to Stonehenge but less good looking. For Arran distillery, "Machrie Moor" is the name of their peated expression, and "Fingal's cut" is a special type of Machrie Moor, often bottled at Cask Strength. Actually, this one has all the right words to it: heavily peated, Sherried, single cask strength. Bottled at 54.4%abv, this has a chesnut color to it. On the nose itbis crazy good. Oregano spice, bacon, cherries, lemon peel and chocolate. It has this aroma of detergent and Filet mignon. Also green prunes and chocolate. Wow, this is a Rollercoaster. On the palate it is a cherry madness. Maple syrup, plums and lemon. Sweet and sour, this is out of this world. Aftertaste is tongue scorching in a good way. Smokey, very smokey. Spicy and herbal; this is a bonfire. Burning hay, peaty, marvelous. Overall, Arran is nowadays ranked as one of my favorite distilleries, it just never dissappoints. This is absolutely gorgeous as a single malt, super complex, full of character and flavor and it goes for less than 50 pounds in Arran's website. Of course i have paid 3 times that because i live in Ecuador and getting it here is difficult, but if you have to make an effort to get a whisky, this is the one. My score is 100 over 100. Slàinte! -
Arran Royal Island 30 Year Old
Blended — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed September 21, 2022 (edited September 27, 2022)Well, this one is a true rarity. Arran Royal Island is a 30yo expression bottled by Arran Distillers, which was founded in 1995, so the math does not add up. The true thing here, is that new distilleries tend to buy stock from other whisky makers, to bottle special editions to fund the investment of their new premises. This is the case of this Blended whisky, aged for 30 years in what i believe are sherry casks, since most of the labeling is unreadable to me, since this was released exclusively for Taiwan Markets. Bottled at 40%abv, Tawny color. On the nose, Super dried oranges, coffee; cherries and maple syrup. Caramelized apple and cinnamon. Incredible aroma, almost perfect score. On the palate, it was very fruity. Oranges, milk, red fruits: strawberries. More sips gave me red apples, caramel and a slight saltiness. Aftertaste is so sweet it can be cloying. Milk and sugar; Moka. Very elegant, and long. Tiramisu dessert and a hint of salt. Overall, this was a very nice, elegant, fancy whisky. For a blend, you never ever feel the grain part of it, and the fruitiness and sweetness of it is really great. A wonderful, yet very rare expression, my score for it is 90 over 100. -
GlenDronach "Darth Vader" Officially Bottled for Professional Danish Whisky Retailers
Single Malt — Scotland
Reviewed September 20, 2022 (edited September 21, 2022)The young kid Anakin Skywalker was too old to be trained to be a Jedi. There was too much fear in him. He had no father, he was conceived by Midichlorians (believed to be done using the dark side of the force by Darth Sidious and Darth Plagueis), he was trained as a Jedi but never got ranked as a Master. After losing his mother to Tusken Raiders, he sweared that he will learn how to prevent the death of his loved ones... something you cannot learn from a Jedi. Darth Vader is by far, the most important villain of Movie history, he is also the main character of the whole Star Wars Saga, and has become a cultural phenomenon. If you don't believe me, "i find your lack of faith... disturbing". This time, i review the 9yo Glendronach "Darth Vader" a hiper collectible item, a wonderful whisky matured in PX casks, an bottled at 48%abv. This bottle gets its "unofficial" name from the color of the label and box and it was the third (and most expensive) release from the "unofficial Star Wars Glendronach Collection". Only 3000 were ever released, made exclusively for the Danish Whisky retailers. On the nose, the Dark side of the force seduces you. Chocolate; cocoa, hazelnut, and very "powdery". It is like a Crunch chocolate bar. Burnt hay and ginger. After a first sip, the aroma went even more chocolaty, with dates and sawdust. Perfect score here. On the palate it is very sweet. Crunch Chocolate dipped in toffee. Dulce de leche, figs and wet chocolate cake. Pistachios. Aftertaste waa incredibly fruity. Red berries, blackberries and some saltiness. Dates, figs and raisins, it can only be described as dark purple aftertaste. Overall, this was fantastic. I truly believe that you can rule the Galaxy with this dram, and that is specially good if you consider this is only a 9 year old single malt. Super sherried, this one can be considered a Masterpiece. Luckily, i managed to obtain 2 bottles... because there are always two siths, one Master and one Apprentice. My score for the Jedi who will eventually return to the light with an Ewok song, is a 96 over 100. May the Force be with you. -
Glendronach "Luke Skywalker" Officially Bottled for Professional Danish Whisky Retailers
Single Malt — Scotland
Reviewed September 20, 2022 (edited September 21, 2022)His father was a powerful Jedi, called Anakin Skywalker, until one day a Dark Lord of the Sith, called Darth Vader, betrayed and murdered him. Hi friends, this is my second review of a whisky from the famous non-official Glendronach Star Wars collection, this time, The "Luke Skywalker". Of course, this is one of the only 3000 bottles that exist, that were released only for the Danish Whisky Retailers store. Unofficially named "Luke Skywalker" because of the color of the label and box, this one has been matured for 10yo in Pedro Ximenez casks and bottled at 48%. On the nose, amazing. Hazelnut, chocolate bar, sawdust, grass and coffee beans. After a couple of minutes breathing, it gave me dates and raisins. Red fruits and cocoa butter. Almondy like a Snickers bar. On the palate it is actually super dry. Chocolate, it is so woody that feels like licking a ping pong table. Hazelnut; really mouth drying. Chocolate crunch bar. Aftertaste is all about Oloso sherry, prunes and red fruits. Still very dry and winey. Overall, i have only written 2 of the 3 reviews of the Glendronach Starwars i have tasted, and so far my favorite is the one that i will be reviewing next, the Darth Vader. A good dram, incredibly collective, my score for this very winey and dry whisky is 85 over 100. -
Bunnahabhain 2009, 11yo Signatory Vintage, Cask 900083
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed September 18, 2022 (edited September 19, 2022)Every now and then you can find a whisky that can defy your overall stamina, sense of flavor and aromas. I truly believe this expression is capable of that. Signatory Vintage, a fabulous independent bottler has gathered some rare casks in the past, and they have bottle this nuclear Bunnahabhain, at 67.7%abv. This is by far, the strongest whisky i have ever tasted. Not the strongest alcohol dram i have ever had, that would be a 90% absinthe (spoiler alert: the absinthe felt easier to drink). This is a 2009 Bunnahabhain, 11yo, distilled on march 17 of 2009 and bottled on november 25 of 2020. Matured from a 1st filled sherry butt. On the nose, it is outstanding; Strong chocolate and red fruits, hazelnut and a crunch chocolate bar. Lemon peel; Chocolate and mint. Wonderful. On the palate, Chocolate bomb, salt, Sulphur. Strong and sweet. Aftertaste has burn my soul. Way too powerful. Chocolate and super atomic wasabi notes. It cleansed my sins. Overall, this was for the most part a very good dram; but when i seek a higher strength whisky i usually want some super complexity and neverending layers of flavors and aromas. Here the notes are truly nice but it is way too simple, and it is so strong that i don't think that the experiment was really worth bottling it at 67.7%abv, because it felt you could deliver the same and maybe a more enjoyable experience for a little less abv. Having said all that, it is not a bad whisky at all, that is why i rate it 88 over 100. -
Highland Park Odin
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed September 18, 2022 (edited December 5, 2023)Odin is the king of the nordic gods, and he always wanted to gain wisdom no matter what, and that is why he went to Yggdrasil, the tree of life, to obtain great wisdom. In order to achieve that goal, he had to drank almost daily from a well of wisdom that was guarded by Mimir, a great being. Mimir would only allow Odin to drink from the well, if Odin made an incredible sacrifice. Odin of course decided that great wisdom was something that he needed to have, so he ripped off one of his own eyes, to exchange it for the permission to access the wisdom well. The moral of the story is that you should seek knowledge over any other thing in the world. Highland Park released this "Odin" expression, from their Valhalla collection, and it comes in a dark bottle that shows the Nordic god without and eye, and the decanter comes in the viking ship, Skíðblaðnir. Bottled at 55.8%abv, this one has been matured in Spanish sherry casks & refill hogsheads. On the nose, marvelous. Prunes, rum and raisins ice cream. Cherries. There is this wall of sulphur and caramelized apple. Mint liquor. Strong mint candy. After the first sip, aroma gave me burnt hay, cigarrette. Then the aroma changed into glazed pork, red apples and brownies. SO COMPLEX. Incredible. On the palate, it starts metallic, like licking a coin. Mineral, rocky. Pepper and salt. A second sip gave me red fruits and chilli. It is actually SUPER SALTY and Maritime, like a viking battle ship on the sea. Aftertaste can onñy be described as "a thousand viking battles. Fireworks, a spear with fire and scorched earth are actual aftertaste notes here. So salty, it has this Indian food feeling. It is like a ball of salt! Amazing. Overall, this is perfection. Everyone in my tasting event loved it. I can honestly say that as Loki, from the same Valhalla collection, this are very good whiskies. Lovely, poweful, full of complexity and flavor, this is a whisky you should definitively try at least once in your life. Amazing stuff, my score is 100 over 100. -
Balcones Peated Texas Single Malt Whisky
American Single Malt — Texas, USA
Reviewed September 18, 2022 (edited August 20, 2023)Have you heard the story when i entered a total wine in Houston, Texas where i was on vacations, and suddenly i bought some Balcones whiskey? Well that story has a protagonist. A Balcones Peated Cask Strength which was bottled at a frightening 62.9%abv. Well i waited months to open it and i shared it on one of my tasting events. On the nose, sweet peat. Wall paint, red fruits, liquid paper and the typical Caramel/vanilla from the american white oak. It actually has the aroma of anti-lice shampoo. On the palate, again this paint flavor, red apples and coffee, it is very good but so strong that even me, a guy who has had higher abv whiskies, had to do Hulk Hogan's trademark move when he was almost defeated and he started shaking to absorb pain, lol. Aftertaste is some serious thing. Ashes, tobacco, cigarrettes. This is atomic. Way too powerful. Not super enjoyable, bit still a good dram. Overall, i really liked this one, but i did not find it complex enough to justify the higher abv. Usually if i want a cask strength, i pick it up because of the different flavor and aroma layers it will give me due to the strong alcohol combination of phenols, cresols, high alcohols and aldehydes, but this was not the case. Too straightforward, my score is 84 over 100.
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