Tastes

In 2005, an Islay local fisher saw something strange in the water, near Bruichladdich Distillery. When he approach the odd thing it was... A LOST YELLOW SUBMARINE. Along with the distillery manager, they made a phone call to the department of defense and told them that a submarine was found, that belonged to the DOD. The Defense department said that no submarine was missing, and if Bruichladdich have one, they must have stolen it. Nothing else happened for 3 months, till Bruichladdich released a first edition of the Yellow Submarine whisky, called WMD (WHISKY OF MASS DISTINCTION) with a picture of the submarine on the label. It was only then that the department of defense went to the Distillery to retrieve the sub-acuatic vehicle, recognizing it as their own. To this day, Bruichladdich keeps a replica of the Submarine in their premises and they have released two expressions. The original 14yo one; and this 25yo, vintage 1991, which was matured in Refill Sherry & Bourbon, and Spanish red wine casks. Bottled at 46%abv, only 1991 decanters were ever released. I am not going to lie. I have been trying to find this bottle for years and i have finally found it. It is only fair that it enters to my special reviews in order to reach the 1000 whisky critics. This is my review number 996. On the nose, it is outstanding. Coca Cola notes, Bbq, bacon; it is like a "Soapy bacon". Increible aroma. Sherry has appeared. Chocolate with red fruits. Brownies and an old orange peel. Tangerine and more chocolate. On the palate it is so fruity and spectacular. Orange juice, tangerine juice and a little sulphuric. Pepper. After a first sip, it released  brownies, cherry syrup. It has a orange acidity which is great. Milk chocolate.Very elegant and pleasant. Aftertaste is incredibly wonderful. Brownies and the orange acidity that i told you before. It is quite elegant and full. The second time i felt a nice bite, earthy and salty, lovely really. Lots of ginger. Overall, this is a super complex, wonderfully crafted whisky. It is not a cheap dram, but it is completely worth it. I got to say i have checked one single malt from my bucket list. My score for this whisky of mass distinction, is 100 over 100. Sláinte Mhath!!!

There is nothing more satisfying than visiting an epic distillery, draw a special dram from a cask, use the valinch (whisky thief) as a sword to make people laugh, and take a good picture. I did that in Laphroaig. The valinch was actually shaped as a sword, and i used it to draw a 15yo ex bourbon and manzanilla cask matured single malt, at 53.3%abv. I call this, my own filled bottle,  "Laphroaig Excalibur". On the nose, it quite beautiful. Christmas cake, candied fruits. Chocolate dry cake, almonds and lemongrass. Complexity is the name of the game here. Bbq sauce, fruitcake, coffee beans. On the palate, very influenced by the manzanilla sherry. Christmas cake, vanilla cake, candied fruits, candied beans and sherry. Aftertaste is where the medicinal Laphroaig peat appeared. It smells like a pair of cotton socks; medicinal, cotton and ginger. It has this note of a fresh can of tennis balls that makes it "very Laphroaigish" Overall, if you ever visit Laphroaig, you have to bottle your own whisky. It is quite an unique experience, from one of Scotland's craziest single malts. This is a fantastic whisky that made me realize how amazing this very peaty and medicinal malt can be when matured in sherry casks. Incredibly interesting dram, my score for it is a 93 over 100.

I know you have seen this beautiful bottle of Caol Ila, the 175th Anniversary, which is completely different from any other grapic lines from the core range expressions. The inspiration for this artistic bottle in their 175 years of existence, is the 6.400 sunrises that the distillery has seen since its foundation in 1846. This of course, is part of my special whisky reviews in my road to reach the 1000 critics. This is actually my review No. 994. Bottled at 52.1%, this is a 24yo expression, and only 3000 bottles were ever released. On the nose, it is quite elegant. Salty prunes. It feels like a tequila / mezcal note. Salty mango. Oranges and pepper spice. After a couple of sips aroma changed into chocolate brownies. Honey. Elegance continues on the palate. Gooseberries, lemon peel, salty. Maritime flavors like oysters. Chocolate notes can be found mixed with salt. Fresh and salty. Aftertaste was good, but it slightly inferior to the palate. Citric lime with a smokey, maritime finish. Sea salt, marvelous. Smokey overall. In conclusion, this is one of the best expressions i have found from this distillery. We have to speak with the truth here, and Caol Ila is famous for making way too much whisky and that is why they are source of at least 75% of all islay whisky independent bottlings. Very good, limited whisky, happy birthday smokey Caol Ila, my score for it is 91 over 100.

My friends, if you have been following my latest reviews, you will know by now that i am about to reach the 1000 whisky critics (this is number 993). This is a special one, a whisky that will never hit the shelves, and one that changed my perspective about this Bruichladdich variants forever. My friends, this is a Whisky Review for a Super Special edition of Octomore, single amarone cask, 14 years old, bottled at 60%abv. None of the above have i ever seen in Octomore before. Just for you to have an idea of what we are talking about here, the super rare and famous Octomore "Event Horizon" is 12 years old. I had the pleasure to taste this straight from the cask at Bruichladdich distillery. Full disclosure: i have never been a huge fan of Octomore, even if i describe myself as a peat head, for me it wasn't too enjoyable, and i have had a couple of expressions in the past. But this one... this is different. On the nose: Smokeeeee!!!!. Sherry, skin lotion and tar. Herbal aromatic peat. Incense. Herbal and minty. Lemon. After a first sip, the aroma changed into milk chocolate.  Peaches. On the palate, it was actually very gentle for an octomore. Peaches. Wow this is an amazing whisky! Peat has rested.sulphur. it still is a lip scorching dram. Aftertaste can only be described as a fire breathing dragon. Nice winey sweet finish. Smokey and sweet. Incredible. Overall, i can honestly say that maturation was the game changer here. Most Octomores i had in the past were 5-8 years old and the amount of powerful raw peatiness there was a little off-putting to be honest; but not here, this one was something much more enjoyable and fun. Great flavor and aftertaste notes, my score for this rarity is 90 over 100.

Continuing my series of reviews of truly amazing whiskies till i reach the number 1000, here is my whisky critic #992, about the almighty Laphroaig 28 years old. Laphroaig, that crazy single malt that if you taste it blindfolded you might think someone gave you a tennis ball to eat. This incredibly old expression, was bottled at 44.4%abv, and if i begin thinking where i was 28 years ago, i was on 6th grade in primary school, so this whisky has been waiting most of my life for this moment, where i have the pleasure of drinking it. This one has been triple matured, in quarter casks, bourbon barrels and sherry butts. On the nose, crazy stuff. It starts with old oranges, but then it gave me something called "YAPINGACHO" which is an ecuadorian potato-based plate, basically it is a fried mashed potato with cheese inside. It smells like mashed potatoes. So crazy. Butter, honey. I am completely in shock, how can a whisky have an aroma of mashed potatoes, i just can get over it. After a couple of sips it became way more sherried, Sweet orange caramel. Grassy and "potatoey". So bold. On the palate it is delivious and elegant. Sherry, oranges, pepper. Quite sulphuric and sweet. Orange candy. Aftertaste is not complex but amazing. Cigarrettes, ashtray. Very ashy and lovely. Overall, this is exactly what i am looking for after 992 whiskies: new experiences. I was absolutely overwhelmed of the mashed potatoes note on the nose. Then it faded to release the peatiness and sherriness that you expect. A lovely, rare and delicious whisky that i don't see where can i deduct points. It is definitively what you expect from a Laphroaig matured for 28 years, my score for it is 100 over 100.

So, this is my whisky review 991, and i have decided that this following 10 critics will be memorable drams, and then, i will release a book. Dreams can come true, and i have walked a long whisky way, to reach this magic number. I start this series with an amazing and unexpected single malt, a 13yo Lagavulin, Islay Jazz festival 2021, that has been matured in.... hold your seats... mezcal casks. If you don't know what mezcal is, it can be described as the father of tequila, since this last one is a type of mezcal drink. It is made from a plant called agave or "Maguey". Nowadays tequila and mezcal have some flavor profile differences, but in a raw sense of things, Tequila is one variant of Mezcal. Bottled at 54.8%abv, this is a limited released of 3000 bottles. I really don't know what to expect here. On the nose, it begins with a quite perfumed, aromatic peat. It smells like lotion for burnt skin. Floral. It feels like a Valentine's day. Margarine butter. Cough syrup. After a first sip, the aroma changed into a hawaiian Pizza, the one with the burnt pineapples. Chocolate hershey kisses. More sips revealed a swampy note. It is stingy on the nose. Incredible. On the palate, i can honestly say this is out of this world. Hershey's dark chocolate. Pepper bomb and the heart of the pineapple. A second sip felt like sea water, it has changed dramatically. Now it is all about cigarrettes, ashes and some sugary notes. So complex and interesting. Aftertaste is the perfect ending for this whisky rollercoaster. Smoke, agave, cotton and medicinal gauze and tape. More sips gave me ashtray, salty and tar. Red chilli. What an experience! Overall, this one is a must in every collection. Even the empty glass smells like a sawdust factory. Super complex, balanced and delicious. It takes you to your organoleptic limits. I really was skeptic about the mezcal cask finish, but now i need every distillery to try this experiment. Amazing whisky, perfect score: 100 over 100. Slàinte!!!

My last Lagavulin tasted at the distillery, was on a second tour to the premises. I returned because i love Lagavulin and you can never get enough of it. Well, i did another tour where i had the chance to taste another exclsuive; a single malt that might never hit the shelves of retail stores: a 7 year old, Cask Strength Lagavulin, poured at 59.6%abv straight from the cask. On the nose, this is a raw peaty Lagavulin, and i like it. Red fruits, a pair of cotton socks; acetone. Coconut and earthy peat. Vanilla fondant. After a few sips, the aroma turned into gooseberries and an nice vanilla cream. It is like almonds with vanilla. On the palate, i really like the punch of it. Vanilla. Creamy sweetness and cigarrette ashes. Black pepper. After the first sip, it gave me a spongy vanilla cake and a "Tres leches" dessert. Aftertaste has a nice bite to it. Tar. Oily and lovely. Maritime and smokey. Overall, this is a proof that Lagavulin spirit is incredible. It hasn't yet reach an old age, and you can feel how the peaty spirit has their unique DNA print. Obviously this has been matured in ex bourbon cask, you can tell by the type of vanilla notes to it, and i feel like the whole distillery is heading in that direction, leaving some of the sherriness behind, which i would not like i lot, since i am a sherryhead as well as a peathead. My score for this fantastic sample is 93 over 100.

Now that i am in a Lagavulin streak, let me tell you about one that i was looking for some time, and i found it on an specialized bar in Scotland, The Lagavulin Islay Jazz 2019, a 21yo expression. Bottled at 50.9%abv, this beauty was a limited release of 2004 bottles; matured in Refill & Recharred American Oak Hogsheads. It is important for you to know, that this Islay Jazz expressions are always outstanding, and if you can find one, you should buy them no matter what it takes. On the nose, it starts beautifully; Bacon, Bbq sauce and a great lemon note. Citric, peaty. Very complex dram; Blood oranges; Peaty orange peel. Lovely aroma, it might be the best orange aroma ever. On the palate, it is a full and complex dram. Orange acidity, lots of chocolate and cream; Oranges and chocolate. It has a sweet peatiness. Aftertaste is the epitome of a wonderful experience. Aromatic peat smoke from "Palo santo". Sweet peat. Bonfire. Overall, after 989 whisky reviews, i can identify some distillery as the gods of whisky. One of them is Lagavulin, who holds a special throne in the Uisgebeatha Olympus. Others like Glendronach, Talisker and Ardbeg govern the whisky heaven, but Lagavulin is definitively in the top spots. This is an incredible, flavorful dram that is just amazing. My score for it is 96 over 100.

Remember mi last review where i had the incredible pleasure to taste the Lagavulin 25yo, 200th Anniversary edition? Well, i must be a very lucky man, because this review is for another Lagavulin 25 years old, but this time, straight from the cask to my glass, poured by no other than the legend himself Ian McArthur. In the distillery warehouse tour, this was the final dram, and it came from a cask that in words of Ian, the whole barrel costs around 500k pounds. The experience couldn't be any greater... you might think... but we were served not one, BUT TWO DRAMS FROM THIS MAGNIFICENT WHISKY. Poured at 52%abv, from an unique sherry butt. On the nose, quite amazing. Cherry cold thick syrup, lovely red fruitiness and a salty breeze. Caramel. Maritime and sweet. Oranges. After a first sip, the aroma changed into berries and red fruits; chocolate milk. Smoke puffs have risen. Tangerine. On the palate this one is very elegant, a little watery though. Oranges, very easy drinkable; Sawdust. It is like and oaky water, very elegant and easy to drink. Not too powerful. Orange and orange chocolate. Coconut. Aftertaste feels like a once peat kiln has tamed over the years. It feels like it has an "echo" or a ghostly smokiness. Very smooth. Salt. Warm. Sawdust Overall, this was a fantastic whisky, which is not better as the 200th anniversary one. I feel like i have no right to rate something like this, but since i am an unashamed bastard, i will give it a score. For me, it had 23 over 25 points in all four of whisky criterias: nose, palate, aftertaste and overall balance. Having said that, i never score a whisky for how much does it cost. My rate for it is a well deserved 92 over 100. My inner organs are bathed in gold after drinking the two pours. Sláinte!!!

A whisky only seen in rich people's instagram, the incredibly rare, unique and unattainable, the Lagavulin 25 years old , 200th anniversary. In my visit to Lagavulin, i went to the distillery bar, i closed my eyes, and i said to the bartender: "here is my credit card, don't tell me how much cause i'll cry, but pour me a glass of the Lagavulin 25yo 200th anniversary". She did. I will never regret this. (My bank does). This epic single malt was bottled for such an incredible distillery birthday, at 51.7%abv amd was fully matured in Px sherry casks. On the nose, it is super sherried. Dark fruits, red fruits, blackberries. Some maritime feeling is rising. THE WORLD FAMOUS BLACKBERRY MARMALADE. After a first sip, the aroma became just out of this planet. Plums, berries, syrup. Coffee beans and toffee. Outstanding. Om the palate it is very winey in a lovely way. Red fruits, blackberries and coffee. Wonderful dehydrated fruits. Aftertaste had a proper finish for a perfect dram. Tamed smoke, super elegant sherriness. Warm toffee and coffee. Punch of salt and pepper. The peat has tamed into elegance and sherry beautifulness. Overall, i have to say that this is why i came to Scotland. You have to go as a whisky enthusiast to find the rarest, craziest, amazing single malts of the world. And the good part, you can have a glass without having to mortgage your house by buying a full bottle. This Lagavulin is the pure perfection. This should be rebranded as a "single heaven" and not a single malt. My humble score for one of the greatest whiskies i have ever had, is obviously 100 over 100. Slàinte!