Tastes

Bunnahabhain, that one Islay distillery with the hardest name, the unpronunceable expressions, and the most different tasting notes of them all. Having said that, i mostly like their whiskies, they give me interesting experiences, and it even have one expression (Moine) that made into my top 10 affordable whiskies of 2020. But this Cruach Mhòna, is not one of those great whiskies. "Cruach Mhóna" is not a martial art if you were wondering it, it is the gaelic term for a "drying pile of peat bricks", which of course mean this one is a peated expression of "Bunna" which is mostly famous for their unpeated range. Bottled at 50%abv, tawny color. On the nose, it is acceptable. Starts pretty grapy, to then develop a earthy peatiness, with hints of vanilla/chocolate. Nice perfumed peat, lavender; there is some citric aroma growing here. Hay, heather. After a first sip, it revealed more vanilla and sand. Palate is very unbalanced. Starts peaty right away, which i believe was nice, but then a salt bomb appeared. A little meaty, SUPER SALTY. A couple more sips revealed a dim vanilla note, but mostly a overload of salt. Aftertaste was a little better, but still very dissapointing and a little off-putting. Peat, hay, slight vanilla. A sparkling peppery note that felt like crazy dips popping. Then... SALT. It is like eating a spoon full of salt, like you are having an overly salted piece of meat. Not good. Overall, i wish i could have avoided this, and the nose saves it a little. I even wanted to stop drinking it before i finished the glass. Felt extremely salty, i don't know if someone likes this, but maybe there is. Im not a fan, my score for it is a very generous 63 over 100. Thumbs down.

Happy New Year 2021 to everyone! I was keeping this bottle for a special date and i chose new year's eve for it, to end a difficult 2020 with a nice dram. Dalmore Gran Reserva was born when the original and acclaimed Dalmore Cigar Malt was discontinued due to the whole "smoking is bad" campaing back in 2009, and was replaced by this expression which was available only for 2 years, till it was again replaced by the Cigar Malt Reserve. A beautiful looking bottle, with all Dalmore symbols including the stag, but in brownish colors. Matured in bourbon barrels and sherry casks. Bottled at 40%abv, deep copper color. On the nose it is really wonderful. The most beautiful caramelized oranges, a fancy vanilla - tobacco mixture, dates and figs rising. Amazing butterscotch hard chewable candy, very buttery. There is chocolate fudge. Truly beautiful. After the first sip is becomes more fruity but exotic, acid prunes, fudge; Brownies. Super fancy. Even the empty glass is a work of art. Perfect score. Palate is lovely, but it doesn't quite fill the promise of the nose. Tobacco biterness and oranges, a little rough on the edges. A second sip revealed vanilla and a bittersweet combination of oranges and tobacco. Very pleasant. Chocolate. Aftertaste is very rewarding. It really surprised me on how acid and bitter it is. Prunes, acid palate, old humid wood, dry. Lovely feeling although straightforward. A cinnamon dry feeling. Overall i believe this is one great whisky, and i understand all the acid and bitter flavors since this one is designed to be enjoyed with a cigar. I don't smoke, but i understand this profile perfectly. My score for it is a solid 93 over 100, it is one nice whisky.

I have finally tasted the three Age Of Discovery whiskies from Glenfiddich and i can now tell you, in my humble subjective opinion, the Madeira Cask one is the best, this Red Wine Cask is the worst of the 3, without being bad at all, it is actually very enjoyable. Age Of Discovery is a series of 19yo whiskies, released sometime ago by Glenfiddich, each one with a lovely story about past centuries and discoveries that changed the world. The Red Wine Cask one, its made to honour the HMS Beagle, the ship that took Charles Darwin to South America (actually to Ecuador's Galapagos Islands!) where he developed his theory of the evolution of the species. Bottled at 40%abv, this whisky has a copper color, finished in south american red wine casks. On the nose, it has all the notes from a winey profile. Grapes, prefumed Tobacco and Chocolate. Very spicy, like some grassy clove spice. Chocolate cake. After a first sip, it revealed lemon, some citrus note that resembles a cheap taxi air freshener; and again this vanilla / chocolate cake note. Very appealing. Red apples. Very winey. On the palate, it is very light and very easy drinkable. Red fruits: red apples and strawberries. Very safe, but nice. Aftertaste is all about wine, tobacco and red fruits. It feels like having a chilean red wine. Overall this is a tasty, very light whisky, which will be highly praised amongst wine lovers, but surely feels dim for hardcore whisky enthusiasts. It is like having a fun red fruits juice. My score for it is a fair 87/100, which reflects the lightness of Glenfiddich spirits.

The newest Glenmorangie is quite the experiment, is this "A Tale of Cake", which was made by Dr. Bill Lumsden after getting the idea from his daughter when having a pineapple cake. Pretty interesting story, but, is it good? Bottled at 46%abv, golden color. Matured in bourbon barrels and finished in Tokaji wine casks from Hungary, which is a very sweet wine. Ok, let's talk about this dram: it is a Pineapple. Thank you very much, that is my review on it. Lol. On the nose IT IS AN ACTUAL CAKE. Starts with pineapple pulp, Oily amd lots of Vanilla. Cherry syrup. It actually smells like cake; A dry vanilla cake. After a couple minutes, there you have the inner part made of dulce de leche of any vanilla cake. Everything is delivered perfectly om the nose, No alcohol note. If you were smelling it blindfolded, you would believe it is a cake you are nosing. It has become exactly a three milk cake. The pineapple you nose, is that typical Glenmorangie pineapple. Really something amazing. On the palate it is pretty much the original 10yo with a prolongued peppery spiciness and a hint of vanilla, maybe due to the higher abv. Lots of pineapple juice. I am writing this while holding the first sip in my mouth; you can have it forever, it is harmless. Second sip is more about toffee and dulce de leche with the pepper rising after 4 seconds. Still some pineapple present. Very white winey. Finish has a grassy tobacco dry note, but leaves you some cloying effect that resembles eating something rather sweet. A little citric and dusty. Maybe sider or some apple liquor. Feels a little young on the finish. Overall, this whisky has an amazing aroma, that actually delivers the promise of a Cake. The palate is very easy drinkable but way too similar to the Glenmorangie original. Finish feels different when comparing it to the nose and palate. It is like having an enhanced 10yo Glenmorangie (this can also be said about almost every other expression from this distillery). My score for it is a good 88 over 100. You must definitively try it, but i doubt you will buy more than one bottle of it, since there is a lot to see in the whisky world and this one is interesting but not memorable.

Any whisky enthusiast that has an Instagram account has at least seen this bottle a couple hundred times. And i got to say that every special edition from Ardbeg tends to go quickly off the shelves and starts to be available for an absurd price on secondary markets. Having said that, i was eager to try "Kelpie" for a long time. As always, some lovely story behind it all. A Kelpie is a mythological scottish water spirit, that resides in lochs, that can take any form, usually a Horse, but can even have a human shape. If the Kelpie gets a human form, some say the horshoe is still on its feet. The most famous Kelpie is the Loch Ness monster; so, everything about this tale is amazing. Lets talk about the whisky. Bottled at standard Ardbeg strength, 46%abv, non-chill filthered, matured in "Black Sea" oak casks from Russia, and bourbon casks. Black sea oak is made from a tree called Quercus Hartwissiana, that grows near the Black sea. Pretty interesting stuff. On the nose, it is a little strange. Starts very poorly, but grows into a nice aroma. Right from the start, you typical Ardbeg peat, but more citric and mossy. There is some dark chocolate fudge under the very medicinal peat. Oily on the nose, not something i usually find. Its like nosing a powerful mint hard candy. After 3 minutes, it released some pork and BBQ. It gets better, since this mint / citric aroma was not very appealing, but after 5 minutes, it is all about chocolate brownies and creamy vanilla. After a first sip, the nose became a dessert. Lots of chocolate, pears, creamy vanilla. Having more sips, just made it sweeter: a vanilla outburst, brownies, butter, a bakery. I have no idea where all this came from, specially when it was so different the first minutes. On the palate it is very easy drinkable, but it just follows one direction. It feels like a soft wine with an Ardbeg profile. First sip is peaty, but then it changes to a vanilla ice cream, with a hint of pepper. Vanilla gets stronger as you take more sips, maybe some prunes are present. Aftertaste is not from Ardbeg. A beautiful chocolate cake. Peat is tamed in a good way. You are not really overwhelmed by the peat, but somehow your lips are scorched after 30 seconds by a salt and ginger combo. It is all about creamy vanilla, moss and dim smokiness. I really have no idea why my mouth is peated after a while, since you don't really feel it when it should be felt... maybe is a peaty spirit that appeared out of nowhere, a proper kelpie. Overall, this is not your normal Ardbeg, and definitively not a normal dram. What i have described here is a crazy unfolding of aromas and flavors in a weird but not off-putting way. My score is a fair 85 over 100, and i encourage you to try it, to experience the strange things this whisky has for you. Sláinte!

The 2015 World Whiskies Award best single malt winner, Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique, was matured in red and white wine casks, which were retoasted before filling them with this strong and powerful spirit. That year, it also won Los Angeles Wine & Spirits competition, obtaining 91 points in that spirits challenge. Bottled at 57.8%abv, at Cask Strength, with the most beautiful dark red color ever, almost black. On the nose it is close to perfection. The first aroma is the most accurate, thick Blackberry jam note that ever existed in a whisky. I felt like taking a spoon to grab a "bite" of it. Red fruits, Chocolate, Strong oakiness; Lots of strawberries and red fruits. The blackberry jam is wonderful; Plums and prunes. Sawdust And Maraschino cherries. A second sip revealed Chocolate and hazelnut, and exact "Hanuta" waffer hazelnut. On the palate, strong spiciness, Blackberry juice. Ginger note is very powerful, more red fruits with strong alcohol bite. It is very grapey and winey. Increibly fruity and strong. Aftertaste is way too dry: Oaky, sawdust, very woody, with a slight chocolate. I don't usually do this, but i added a couple drops of water to see if anything new appeared. Lemon on the nose was the main change, still very powerful with plums and prunes everywhere with hints of chocolate. Overall, i truly believe this is a great whisky, but the aftertaste was too oaky, which is a little dissonant with all the dehydrated and red fruits. It is powerful enough to develop some complex aromas and flavors, but unlike some cask strength scotches, it is rougher and feels younger. My score for it is an 87 over 100, and i understand why it won prizes, but for my subjective opinion, aftertaste could be better.

Today i got the news that i have won the Distiller's app award for Rookie of the Year, a new category, for people who recently joined Distiller and have the most amount of reviews in one year. It is something worthy of a celebration, so i decided to open a sample of a Glendronach 28yo, single Barrel, Px Puncheon from 1990, Cask #7905, Bottle 6 of 660. I believe not only that Glendronach is arguably the best distillery of Scotland, but also that their single cask series are amazing. I have never had an older Glendronach, i have bottled a 26yo one myself when visiting the distillery, but 28yo is the oldest i have ever had from them. Bottled at 51.7%abv, chesnut color. On the nose, it is more similar to the Parliament 21yo than it is to Allardice 18yo. Starts very winey, with dried and dehydrated fruits, like raisins. Then one of the most amazing red fruits aroma notes i have ever had in a whisky appeared, just wonderful. Chocolate and hazelnut. It feels... dusty. It is like sawdust is surrounding every aroma note. Chocolate butter, almonds and sweet plums. After a first sip, the dried fruitiness is overwhelming, but it is strong on the nose, this is no sweet, tender dram. Some lemon citrusness emerges out of nothing, that was very nice. It feels mostly nutty and woody. The first sip is perfection. What an incredible red fruit flavor, like strawberries, but it quickly turns into an atomic chilli bomb. The spiciness is there right from the start, a strong, pleasant one. Berries, tannins. Very astringent. Very spicy. Oak spicy, pepper and chilli. Aftertaste felt overly oaked. Very, very dry, woody, sawdust. There is a slight ginger note, it is super dry, like licking a paper. Second sip, gave me a chocolate and hazelnut finish, but still very spicy and oaky. Powerful. Overall, i got to say i am definitively a hardcore fan of Glendronach, and even if i recognize this one as a great whisky, it is far from the best "Glendro" i have ever had. It felt overly oaked. Too wood. If you have read my reviews before, you'll know i don't usually use notes as "oaky" or "woody" unless there is a really overload of that. Having said that, my score for it is a fair 89 over 100.

I have yet to try a bad Glenrothes. And this one is even a greater statement for me, since i am not a speyside fan. This expression, is part of the Soleo collection, which is one that is known for the dehydrated fruits flavors and profile, due to the "soleo" technique to dry raisins to make sherry. Having said that, this "Maker's cut" is matured only in first fill sherry seasoned oak casks. Bottled at 48.8%abv with a beautiful copper color. On the nose: the aroma is wonderful, breathtaking. Lemon, cinnamon, blackberry jam, hazelnut, blueberries, tobacco, chocolate, vinegar, BUBBLETAP GUM. Very nice stuff. After taking a first sip, it also revealed coffee and toffee. On the palate, it is a nice dram. Waffer with chocolate, toffe and pepper. Second sip was bold, Red fruits, cinnamon and chilli. It also feels like a bourbon barrel that has been varnished in sherry. Amaretto and oak spice. Aftertaste is almost perfect. Grapes, very winey. An oak burn, but pleasant, dark chocolate, prunes, tobacco with a late bitterness. Oranges, macadamia nuts and cough syrup. Overall, this is a very well crafted whisky. I loved it. It feels fancy, but unlike other really elegant drams, this one is very complex and interesting. The palate is good but not as good as the nose and aftertaste. My score for it is a deserved 93 over 100, i would definitively buy it again.

It is very easy to get trapped by Highland Park's marketing. One of my favorite distilleries, with great looking bottles. This time a beautiful black decanter with a red snake (dragon-like creature), which represents Jormundgander, a mythological Snake, created by Loki the norse god of deception. It was said that the Snake was so big, it could cover the whole "Midgard" (our earth) with its tail, and even bite it. Finally, the snake was exiled by Thor, to a sea that surrounds the earth, till Ragnarok, the final battle, occurs. This amazing story just made me more demanding of a nice score for the actual whisky. Highland Park The Twisted Tattoo is a 16yo whisky matured in spanish Rioja Wine Casks. Pretty fancy stuff. Bottled at 46.7%abv, with a nice deep copper color. On the nose it is excelent. Starts with some red fruitiness, like strawberries, marmalade and aromatic peat. Salt, chocolate and a lot of Mint. It feels cold, like the whisky was kept on the fridge. Medicinal, ashy and naphtalene. After a first sip, it revealed a more maritime profile, like seaweed, pepper and vanilla. White chocolate. After a second sip it has become very salty on the nose. On the palate, starts again with red fruits, to turn into white chocolate for a few seconds and then a pepper bomb. It is very peppery, but it has a lot of wine influence, hence the red fruitiness. Mint, this note is the one that marks the rythm of this dram. Aftertaste is lovely, it is the best part of this whisky. It has a lot of tannins, but also salty and peppery. Ashes, cigarrettes, ginger and spanish ham. After a couple of sips, it went full medicinal, like keeping a tylenol on your palate for a few seconds. Lots of mint here again. Overall, this is a nice, a little bipolar dram. Good amount of flavors and fairly complex, bu somehow it feels the palate is just a transition from nose to aftertaste. I think it is good, and interesting, but not my favorite Highland Park. Still, it manages to get a 90 over 100 in my scorecard, so, i believe you should at least try it once in your lifetime. Sláinte!

Sometimes whiskies make me a better person. And i say this because i have heard 1 million times the song "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by different artists, including Bob Dylan, and my favorite one is from Guns N' Roses; but i really never had Bob Dylan in my radar. He is one prolific artist, having won even a literature nobel prize. He is a painter, sculptor, blacksmith and of course a music legend. His whiskey, Heaven's Door Double Barrel, has a nice bottle that resembles one of his sculptures, of a metal door, which i believe is supposed to be the one from his famous song. (Not his most famous one though!) (Fact: it actually is "Like a Rolling Stone"). Bottled at 50%abv (100% proof), this is a nice offering. On the nose it is pretty fancy, starting with sour prunes, chocolate, berries, vanilla, toasted wheat, chocolate milk powder (formula). After a first sip, the nose turned sweeter, with cherries, cocoa, hazelnut. Very powdery. On the palate, it is good and rewarding. Oranges, pepper and salt. Then it gave me a metallic note, the one you find in a Pappy Van Winkle, like copper. Nice. Grainy, prunes and brown sugar. Some coffee too. Aftertaste is very balanced and follows the rythm of the whole dram. Very dry, with prunes, grain, brown sugar, burnt caramel and maple. Then a finish thatbis sour, very fancy. Overall, this is actually a very nice whiskey. Everyone in my tasting night loved it, and it has actually won some prizes, which in this case are well deserved. Very balanced, my score for it is 92 over 100, 23 points in every criteria. Cheers!