Tastes

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.

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.

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.

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.

For ages i have been trying to taste this very interesting bourbon, that has a "Rock" name, and that is something great in my books, since i consider myself a Rock Warrior. Rebel Yell 10yo Single Barrel Wheated Bourbon, is considered an overly aged american whiskey, since most bourbons never get to be 10 years old. Also, is important to define what a "Wheated Bourbon" is; which is actually a term for a Bourbon that has a mashbill that uses wheat instead of rye for a "non-classical" flavor. This type of whiskies are not super rare, but it is not the standard for most bourbons, where the mashbill is usually composed from 70% corn whiskey (legally they only need 51%, but 70% is often used), 20% rye and 10% Barley. This is a single cask release, the number of the cask was handwritten in a very poor way, that is why i can't decipher the exact number, but is a long 7 digit one. 50%abv. On the nose, starts with some sweet cherry jam, acid prunes and raw rice. Strong alcohol note on the nose. On the palate, incredibly nice cherry syrup; Hershey's strawberry syrup. So sweet and jammy. Cotton candy. Aftertaste is not overly complex; Raw rice, prunes and a pepper bomb. Overall, this was incredibly sweet, way too simple but fun enough to be enjoyed every now and then. Not very impressive; the wheated part of this gave me the rice notes, which i found interesting. My score for this one is 80/100.

If you ever visit a Scottish distillery, the first thing you have to do, is to ask if they have any distillery exclusive releases, and if they do, you have to take that opportunity to taste one of their rarest and not overly expensive whiskies. At Kilchoman, i was happy to taste this 10yo (for kilchoman that is quite rare, since they still are a young distillery, despite their great flavor) which was finished 2 years in a Calvados cask, a type of apple brandy. On the nose, Oranges; Orange peel and Barley and mostly cereal notes. Feels farmy. After a first sip, the aroma changed into gooseberries. Vanilla pop corncereal. On the palate, it is very easy drinkable. Vanilla, oranges, lemon peel. Sulphuric super pleasant. Homemade toffee. Aftertaste is where the peat is. Earthy, peaty  Sugary. peppery and Ashy. Overall, this was a very fruity and sweet dram, fairly peaty in the finish. I really liked it but it wasn't as impressive as some other releases from this distillery. My score for this one is 84 over 100.

Another of Kilchoman exclusive releases, was the UK Batch 3, which was matured in a very precise way to drive all the flavors and aromas. It was actually matured 70% in a bourbon barrel; 5% in sherry butts and finally it has a  25% matured in sauternes wine. Bottled at 49.1%abv. On the nose, a little grainy and a little stinky. Tequila, salty and acid prunes. It is like watering an ashtray. Very ashy. After a first sip, the aroma changed into a more peachy and tropical nose but also dimmer. On the palate, very kind and gentle. A watery vanilla, super smooth. Ghostly ashes and pineapple juice. Dim Ginger. A second sip gave me apricot and toffee. Aftertaste followed the same rythm. Ginger and vanilla notes, salty. It felt dim overall; and that is why this might be my least favorite Kilchoman ever. Some of the notes felt watered down and it could definitively be better for a 49.1%abv dram. My score for it was 20 points on every criteria, leaving me with a score of 80 over 100.

Back in the Kilchoman distillery i had the chance to try some very nice expressions, and one that really called my attention was the madeira matured Kilchoman, which have been finished in various different madeira casks. I often find this type of maturation to be full of flavor, that is why i can expect a lot from this dram. Bottled at 50%abv. On the nose, acid red berries, very fresh. Lemon zest with an ashy feeling. Gooseberries and toffee. On the palate; the madeira profile truly appears. Red fruits, cherries, raspberries. Creamy toffee with red fruits. Delicious. Aftertaste is ashy and "red fruity" not overly complex but delicious. Smoke and bonfire notes for a very pleasant finish. Overall, this was a fantastic whisky. I would not call it complex, it is rather simpler but the tasting and aroma notes it has, are incredibly well delivered. Super enjoyable dram, my score for it is 91 over 100.

Do you ever dream about a whisky you love but bottled at a higher strength?; well, Kilchoman made that dream a reality. This is the Machir Bay we all know and love, bit on steroids. Actually bottled at 59.2%abv for extra flavor, this was released for the 10 year anniversary of the distillery. Fun fact for all: at the distillery we were told that the famous brittish car, the Land Rover was invented by the grandfather of the distillery owner. I don't know if this is relevant, for you, but i accomplish my mision to pass this knowledge that i have obtained in Islay. On the nose, this is very good. Oranges and dim ashes. It is like a new can of tennis balls or fresh towels. I can describe it as a clean Ashtray that still retains a ghostly ashiness. Floral, barley and vanilla formula. It is like vanilla ice cream and lemon. On the palate, it is almost perfect. Toffee, Dulce de leche and salt. Grassy. Lime. After the first sip, it gave me lots of vanilla and coconut. Very creamy. Aftertaste is super sweet, i did not expect that. Chocolate and sulphuric notes; it feels like cloying on lots of toffee. Beautifully sulphuric gunpowder and lemon. Overall, this was great, and it definitively feels like a step up from the regular Machir Bay, which is an extraordinary dram as well. So sweet, fruity and peaty, everything well balanced. I just loved it, lets buy a Land Rover! My score for it is 93 over 100. Slàinte!

I have arrived to Islay's family owned farm distillery, the almighty Kilchoman. "Recently" founded in 2005, in my opinion this is the fastest growing distillery of the isle, in terms of flavor and quality. They have their own plantation of barley, and everything is done in the distillery premises, to make a 100% Islay whisky. This expression is the "UK Small Batch No. 2" which is special release,  bottled at 47.4%abv, matured 70 % in Bourbon Barrels, 10 % Oloroso Sherry Casks and 20 % PX Sherry Hogshead. On the nose, it is very farm like. Breakfast cereal; Very dim pleasant pepper, bacon. Cardamom and hints of orange syrup. On the palate, cheese cream with blackberry spicy marmalade super pleasant. Some orange syrup. Cereal and mild spice. After the first sip it gave me a very nice orange and cereal flavors; Vanilla waffer, amazingly sweet, orangy, tangy and mildly spicy. Spectacular. Aftertaste, is all about smoke and this cereal-like pop balls. Cardamom and ginger; Feels farmy. Overall, my first dram of this tasting was outstanding as most Kilchomans i have had in the past. Full of bold flavors and aromas, this is a very interesting, different single malt. My score for this beauty is 93 over 100.