Tastes

The last dram i had in the Scottish mainland was actually a whisky from Islay, which was my next destination, an exciting one. Kilchoman does everything right. Since the day it was born back in 2005, it has lived to the best Islay standards of greatness. I have managed to try this 11th edition, called "100% Islay", a 50%abv whisky, which has grown, matured and bottled in the famous archipelago. On the nose, a stinky, beautiful peat. It has a pond aroma, malted barley and a chocolate that has fallen behind some cotton socks, lol. Gauze and medicinal tape, Bbq sauce; a recently cut sawdust, and gooseberries. On the palate, very fruity for a peated single malt. Prunes, salt. Farm fruits: Grapefruit. Hay, almonds and chocolate. Some toffeenas well. Delicious. Aftertaste was sublime. Charcoal, salt. Its like opening the mouth when a sea wave comes. Pepper spice; very maritime. Gorgeous feeling of Nerf toys and a fresh can of Tennis balls. Overall, this is a very complex dram, with and incredible balance an truly remarkable flavors. Actually the nose is not as spectacular as the palate and aftertaste, but it still is very good. If you can find it, grab it. My score for this one is 95 over 100.

I have to speak the truth here. I have completely forgotten Balblair from my whisky adventures. I don't often give it the attention it might deserve, and i have had this idea that this distillery was on a second or a third level, behind the blockbuster ones. Boy, was i mistaken. Well, i was in a restaurant in Tain, Scotland and i found this wild 18yo bottle sitting in the shelf. I asked for a glass and my mind was blown. Bottled at 46%abv. On the nose, greasy and good. Oranges, Bbq sauce, greasy honey and a Pork chop. After a first sip it released an aroma of stewed apples. It smells a little like a fish market. Crazy, interesting. On the palate, it was fantastic. Smoke, hay, very "cowboy" like. Tobacco. After a first sip, it gave me stewed apples, honey; But there is this hay smoke amazingly aromatic. Aftertaste is very nice. Ginger, smokey aromatic. Honey, bonfire and Bbq sauce. Super neat stuff. Overall, this was a pleasant surprise. It has crazy flavors and aromas that are not mainstream; it offers something new, enjoyable and interesting. This is what i look for in a new whisky: new emotions. Very well delivered, my score for it is 94 over 100.

One of the most renowned Glenmorangie expressions that i have never had before, was the famous "Ealanta". Part of "The Private Collection", this one always goes for a lot of money in auctions (around 200-300) and it is the flagship dram that Glenmorangie shares with the visitors of the distillery. I have always wonder if this one is worth the price. Well, i visited Glenmorangie and i finally had it, now let me tell you about it. Ealanta means "skillfull" or "genius" and it is a 1993 vintage dram, an has been matured in misouri american white oak, where Glenmorangie happens to own a forest where this trees exist. Bottled at 46%abv. On the nose, this is very special. Ripe bananas. A citric complexity is the only way to describe it. Bananas have intensified after a first sip. Vanilla and Coconut Raffaelo bombons (from Ferrero). Fancy. On the palate, it is delicious. Vanilla ice cream, grated coconut. It is the most refined glenmorangie ever. The Signet is chocolate/coffee but it is not as fancy as this (and that is quite the statement). Aftertaste continues the elegance. Salty, super fancy. Ginger, clove, hay; verything very well delivered. There is this very, very dim salty and earthy flavor which is fantastic. Overall, this is a breathtaking dram. When i hear "american white oak maturation" i immidiately expect something classic and maybe boring. This wasn't the case. Ealanta is the best that this type of maturation can offer. Absolutely surprising, my score for it is 96 over 100.

I always lurk in the depths of whisky auctions. I scroll through thousands of bottles almost daily. It is my hobby. An i have seen this bottle going for a good amount of money regulary. I always wonder why, since Glenmorangie Lasanta is in my books the worst "Glenmo", and it is matured in PX sherry, which is actually my favorite sherry maturation. I just think Lasanta is very underwhelming. And after making a small research i got out of my ignorance: Companta is not matured in PX sherry, but really in Grand Cru de Clos de Tart casks (whatever that means) and in Côtes du Rhône barrels (?) (Actually this one is a fortified wine). Bottled at 46%abv, lovely red color. On the nose, it is FANTASTIC. Cherry syrup, milk chocolate; Super sherried (i know it is not sherry but feels like it). Lemon peel has appeared after 5 seconds. It is like the "bubbalo gum" liquid center. After a first sip, it released a more floral profile. Maraschino Cherries, vanilla cream and vanilla wet cake. Outstanding. On the palate, Cherries, Incredibly sweet. It is so sweet that actually reminds me of PX sherry. A second sip was a little winey with slightl mineral notes. Aftertaste is the perfect ending for a wonderful dram. Fortified wine notes, glazed pork and a ginger bomb that is incredibly pleasant. It is very winey. Overall, i was very surprised by how good this is. I believe an average price for this one is around 400 dollars, but in my books, it is totally worth it. If you like a sweet whisky, this is the one you have been looking for. Marvelous single malt, my score for it is 96 over 100.

I see Benriach as a Glendronach smaller brother. It doesn't have the level of "'dronach" but definitively is better than the youngest brother, Glenglassaugh. If you don't know what i am talking about, this three distilleries belong to the same owner. Having said that, in my scottish trip i found a great offering: a 2009 Benriach, a peated single malt, matured in a port pipe, drawn from a single cask #4835, and bottled at 59.7%abv. Pretty interesting stuff. Aged for 12 years old. On the nose, it is incredibly complex. Coffee and cigarrettes. Peaches and red fruits. A honey note so fine that it feels like it has crystalized. Ashtray, Peach halves. There are maritime hints somewhere. On the palate, it is so powerfully sweet that can be cloying. Peaches, thick honey, and cough syrup. A little sulphuric, Peach syrup and a sugar overload. Aftertaste is out of this planet. Starts with cigarrettes, then it turns into an ashtray. Bonfire, it is like a log on fire that smokes your whole palate in a very beautiful way. Perfection. Overall, this is such an amazing whisky, that is limited to 753 bottles, but is definitively a worthy search, because if you are able to find one of this "juices", you are going to have a great time. My score for this beauty is 92 over 100.

My final review of the distillery tasting tour i did in Cardhu, is the second bottling you can actually only buy at the distillery premises. I am talking about the Cardhu Hand Filled: a 11yo, 56.3%abv dram, drawn from the batch 2021-001. By now, you should know that Cardhu is not my cup of tea, but not because i have something against it; the thing is, that they haven't made anything that has blown my mind yet... an i have tried a lot of expressions from them. Om the nose, it manages to pass the test. Almonds, candied almonds; Chocolate. Brownies with a slight touch of impalpable sugar. Honey. On the palate, very simple, but nice. Honey, toffee and chocolate. Aftertaste is still very simple, but good. Chocolate, brownies and almonds. Not too complex, well delivered.. Overall, this is the best Cardhu can offer me. I have grown to believe that by now. Having said that, this is a mediocre dram at best. Sweet, easy to drink and not complex at all, it can be used as an everyday whisky, which i don't believe any "hand filled distillery exclusive" is intended to be when it was made. My score for it is 86 over 100.

After 4 drams of Cardhu, in the tasting tour in the distillery,  we finally arrived to the ones they want you to buy in the shop afterwards, that means, this one might be better than the other core range expressions that didn't do much for me. This review is for the Cardhu Distillery Exclusive, a 48%abv dram, that claims to have been matured in 3 different casks including a red wine cask from California. Very interesting statement that we are about to rate properly. On the nose, it is good. It starts like a wet cake that is about to go rancid in 24 hours. Bee honey, prunes, the vanilla cream is super sympathic. Candied almonds and green apples. Lemon peel. On the palate, it is firey and rough!: Almonds and very oaky. The second sip fell miserably, it became plain water. Aftertaste is not very enjoyable. New wood, like licking a Ping Pong table. Mostly oaky, with a slight charred wood feeling. Overall, this was an unbalanced, unappealing dram, that managed to score some points here and there to achieve a score that is low but not overly shaming. A nice nose, was followed by a forgettable palate and the finish was just boring. Move along, nothing to see here, my score for it is 77 over 100

Cardhu, the home of the king of blends, Johnnie Walker, is not one of the single malts i would have in top of my mind. The reason for that is low abv bottlings, with no complexity, that often lacks of interesting flavors and aromas. Having said that, i truly believe that cask strength whiskies are the best of any distillery. Their higher abv can display the complete palette of flavors and aromas that a distillery can achieve. That is why i was a little excited about having a Cask Strength Cardhu, which is also a 16yo, so it is not a young expression. Bottled at 58.2%abv, this seems like finally i will have the best Cardhu ever. On the nose, beautiful sweetness. Candied almonds; Thick honey, recently baked brownies.  Malted barley and a spongy cake. Rice. The brownie note is amazing. Great aroma. The palate was enjoyable, but way too simple. It has this honey note mixed with hay and salt. That is it. Well delivered but too simple. Aftertaste is ok, i guess... ; Chocolate brownies, Salt. Very mineral; actually rocky. Overall, another dissapointing expression from Cardhu. I really had high hopes for this one, but even if this and the 18yo one have a very good nose, the palate and aftertaste fail to at least be near as good as the aroma. My score for this "ok" whisky is 88 over 100.

The second expression we had at Cardhu Distillery, was the18yo. A fancier whisky than the amber rock and the 12yo, this one still feels like something is missing out to be a great single malt. It feels like the whole core range is not mind blowing, and we can talk only about "good" or "very good" whiskies. Bottled at 40%abv. On the nose; it is near perfection. Plums, new wood, blackberries and raisins. Scottish toffee. Very appealing. On the palate, it is weak. Raisins; alittle watery. Vanilla. Plums, actually very watery but nice. Slight pepper and honey. Light. Dim. Aftertaste barely passes the test. A ghostly raisin and blackberry note. New wood, Pepper and sawdust Overall, this is an 85 dollar 18yo whisky, and tells a lot about it. I am not saying that you should expend big money to have wonderful whiskies; that will actually be a lie. What i am saying is that for a product that has been resting 18 years for you to buy it, it is suspiciously cheap. The reason: it is not that good. It is not bad, nor hideous. It is just "normal". You can have a lot better, younger, whiskies for that price. My score for it is 85 over 100.

After The Glenlivet, in our Scotland tour, we went to Cardhu, famous distillery of Helen Cummings, a true whisky legend. It is also the spiritual home of Johnnie Walker, and it has been refurbished completely after the pandemic. After a very pompous distillery tour, we ended at the tasting table to grab 6 expressions, but we were left alone by the distillery tour guide, who wasn't too eager to teach us about the whiskies that they were offering us. Well, leaving that aside, the first whisky we had was the Cardhu "Amber Rock", bottled at 40%abv and finished in ex bourbon casks. On the nose, pretty fruity. Pears, honey, vanilla. Sider. Apple juice, pear juice. Honey aroma has intensified after a couple of sips On the palate, it starts with a pear peel. Pepper, salt and honey. It is like a pear bathed in vanilla syrup. Aftertaste is very, very simple but truly enjoyable. It has two notes, but they are delivered wonderfully. Hay and tobaccco. Simple but good. Overall, for a 50 dollar whisky, this one is fairly good. I am not a super fond fan of Cardhu, but this one passes the test. Not overly complex and really fruity. My score for it is 86 over 100.