Tastes

This is another bottle I had thrown in with an international order several months back. My experience with Caol Ila is rather limited, especially with their traditional peated range. I’ve had the 12 year, but everything else I’ve sampled has been from their limited released, unpeated line: 15yo and 17yo. This Moch is a re-issue of their new, NAS line. It’s bottled at 43% and cost me $60, plus shipping. It’s yellow gold, oily and makes tons of legs and big, watery drops when you spin it in your favorite Glencairn. The nose was primarily butterscotch, light earthy peat smoke and very faint oak cask. No issues with the ABV whatsoever. The palate was slightly warming with a nice buttery, BBQ smoke. There was hints of oak and vanilla before it turned salty and dry after mid sip. The finish was medium in length, peaty yet ultimately salty and dry. I don’t have any issues with the NAS aspect here: it isn’t abrasive or overly hot. It does a nice job at being light and very approachable. Overall, it’s solid although the price point is a bit high for what you’re getting. I could see turning to this when you want a little something Islay-esque, without the crazy flavor complexity. It would also be a nice shift in the middle of a tasting event as you prepare your palate for something heavier or as you switch back to unpeated, sherried whisky. 3.5-3.75 stars, but I think I’d bum a pour or try it in a bar for under $7-8 instead of buying another bottle. Cheers.

Here it is- the last dram I have a review for from our little Scottish distillery sample exchange. The Tamdhu Dalbeallie Dram was an extra pour from @Generously_Paul and on his recommendation I saved it until the very end. He loves him some Tamdhu, and I admit I’ve enjoyed every one I’ve had to this point. But this dram, well this one is special. It’s a cask strength offering that Tamdhu released as part of the Speyside Malts Festival. It’s a NAS, but boy can you sure tell there’s some old whisky inside here- and probably lots of it. It’s bottled at 62.1% and is a beautiful copper/Amber in the taster. Very oily with heavy legs and large, slow-forming droplets. The sherry cask hits you hard as soon as you start pouring it. The nose was hot cinnamon at first, but a little time really opened this thing up like a well written novel. Big time Oloroso sherry notes, grapes, nutmeg and roasted almonds all stood out. There was a great, fresh cut oak flavor permeating the entire dram as well. The palate was a showcase of beautiful, deep & rich sherry. There was also some chocolate notes that cut the heat at just the right time. It was still hot, cinnamon and peppers hot, almost unrelenting. But it burned so good. I immediately recalled a pour of the old Macallan Cask Strength bottle I had earlier this summer. It was intensely sherried, but you could just tell there was a lot of 18 year old (or possible older) stock used. It added depth and serious complexity to a hot and spicy dram. It was wonderful. This offering from Tamdhu does the same thing. Amazing stuff. The finish was long and blazingly hot. The sweet chocolate and sherry notes lingered on and on and finished with a hearty almond note, albeit quite dry. Overall, this is a wonderful Tamdhu- easily the best I’ve tried. I should’ve bought myself a bottle when I found these for Paul. They are long gone now and you’ll have to resort to scanning European auctions in hopes of landing one. It was a good deal at $170, too. The Macallan Cask Strength bottled are fetching $500+ on the secondary market and at auction now, too. Save yourself $200-300 and seek out a bottle of this. Sadly, there were only 1000 bottles created- so you’ll have to look high and low. But, trust me, you’ll love every drop of this fantastic scotch. This is a 5 star beast- no doubt. Thanks again, Paul. It was a heckuva way to put the SDT to bed. By my count- 106 different distillery samples and 60 mostly glorious bonus extras. What a trip it was! Cheers, my friends.

My buddy @Generously_Paul ventured across the Canadian border and secured a bottle of this travel retail exclusive bottle of Johnnie Walker for me. This is a twist on the regular Green Label: the Island Green. What’s the difference you ask? It’s got more island influence. I expected more Caribbean-y flavors, not so much Islay. This runs about $55 for a 1L bottle. It’s a deep gold in the taster with lots of watery legs and no beads around the rim of the glass. The nose was a bit of tropical fruits, bananas and light smoke. There’s a birthday cake sweetness, but no cask profile to be found. The palate continues the light smoke, sweet peat, and candle wax. Apples and pears and a bit of vanilla round out the dram, mid sip but it does lead to a mouthwatering and oily finish. Just like any other typical JW- it doesn’t linger, but it also isn’t very deep. Overall, I can’t say it’s any better or worse than the regular Green Label. The price point is a plus since you get a liter for a similar price. It’s hard for me to recommend anything from JW, including this one. However, there’s isn’t anything to get offended over either. 2.75-3 stars based on VFM. Cheers.

This was a 2oz sample from the 1993 vintage. It was given to me by an online retailer after there was an error with an order I placed. This is pale yellow in color and is very watery in the Glencairn. The nose is weak vanilla and barley, with faint oak sustaining the backbone. The palate is smooth and slightly sweet. Candied corn, vanilla and a little warm. The finish is quick with no burn. Very smooth. Overall, there’s nothing exciting here. It’s smooth and a little sweet and would probably be well hidden in any cocktail you need some whiskey for. There’s no need to drink this neat. There’s also no need to buy a bottle. 2-2.5 stars. Cheers.

This whiskey is from Westland distillery out of Seattle, Washington. They are allowing visitors and tour participants to hand-fill their own bottle of constantly aging whiskey to take home with them. My friend, @PBMichiganWolverine from NJ, took a private tour and was able to secure a bottle of what is now a 5 year old that’s been hanging out in an ex-Moscatel wine cask. This was bottled at 53% ABV and is an amber/red, deep caramel colored whiskey that produces very oily droplets and slow forming legs around the Glencairn. I believe his bottle was complimentary, as well- so that makes VFM a wash. I would assume this bottle would cost the average Joe over $50-60. Let’s see if it’s worth that. The nose was very sweet. Raspberrries, grape must and sherry dominate the aromas. There’s no hint of alcohol and a very weak, cask note. Light vanilla and chocolate float around as well. All the sweetness is very integrated and deep. Dessert, anyone? The palate started out with sweet, milk chocolate notes, tons and tons of sherry and moscatel wine grapes. It’s relatively thick and heavily mouth coating. It’s borderline sickly sweet. There’s a little oak presence, but absolutely zero heat. The finish is chocolatey rich and oily, smooth and mouthwatering. It’s slightly warming and the sweetness lingers on for what I’d call a long finish. Overall, I had extremely high expectations and this one fell short because it really needs more wood influence and heat. This could be drizzled over cake and/or ice cream and work miracles. It’s just too sweet. There’s a big need for some zip or heat here. Thanks again, Mr B. If I had to buy a bottle I’d have to dock it, but for a free bottle it’s a 4 star dram. Honestly, I feel like 3.5 stars is more of an indication of how I feel about the overall tasting experience. Cheers.

I was very surprised that I hadn’t tried this bourbon at this point. I have a good friend that lives nearby that’s gotten tons of samples through trades and he’s bought lots of high end bourbons and shared them all with me. I somehow missed out on this one. Thanks to my buddy @Scott_E, from Long Island NY, I get a chance to put this one through its paces as an extra pour from our distillery trade group. This is bottled at 53.5% ABV, hence the 107 declaration in the name. It’s a gorgeous, new penny copper in color and makes lots of tiny drops and skinny legs in the tasting glass. I think this bottle is relatively cheap, you just can have a hard time locating one when the shipment drops. Lots of demand everywhere for this one. The nose had a wonderful cherry cola vibe going on from jump street and even more dark fruits showed up over time. I got a nice, fresh oak and cedar note along with some vanilla and black pepper undertones. The palate brought out caramel, vanilla and brown sugar in spades- with more cola flavors providing a nice sweet note at mid sip. It’s slightly hot and has an oily mouthfeel. The finish is long with a steadily building warmth that’s oily and very rich. The sweetness lingers. Overall, it’s a tasty wheater. I just wish there was a bit more oak profile on the palate, or even the finish, to bring this thing home as whiskey. It’s too soft and sweet throughout and could use a little bite at some point. Other than that little quip- it’s solid. Easily 4 stars. Thanks again, Scott. Cheers.

I ended up receiving a rather large pour of this from my NJ connection: @PBMichiganWolverine. I knew my friend @Generously_Paul would get a kick out of this one so I siphoned off a couple of ounces for him and proceeded to enjoy the last 4-5oz for myself. I hadn’t really searched for this one at all, so it came as a surprise when it was included in my last trade with Mr B. This is a TRE that’s a deep, rich gold that makes medium sized droplets and slow running legs in the Glencairn. It’s bottled at 43.1% and I believe it sells for less than $60 online (if you can still find it- it sold rather well). The nose was initially very sherry heavy. The peat and smoke made its way from the glass with a little coaxing after 10-15 minutes and brought some salt and pepper notes along with a decent hit of zesty oak and light citrus. Dark berries and caramel formed a bookend around the nose by showing up early and reasserting itself later on. A truly wonderful nose. The palate was predominantly smoky to me, slightly harsh and dry while allowing a bit of buttery vanilla and salt to round things out. The mouth feel was somewhat thick before turning drier than I’d prefer. The finish was short-to-medium with a nice lingering spice and warmth. Ultimately it ended up oaky and dry with wisps of smoke attaching to the tongue and roof of your mouth. It ends the way you expect an island, peaty whisky should. Overall, it makes the short list of quality NAS, TRE releases that have come out of the islands/Islay recently. There’s definitely good value for the money spent, as well. 4-4.25 stars, easily. Cheers.

This was an exciting bottle I added to a recent online order: Glen Scotia 2018 Ruby Port. It’s a 9 year old, peated whisky that was finished for 5-6 months in Ruby Port casks and bottled for the Campbeltown Malt Festival. It’s also cask strength at 57.8% and only cost me $55. I had high hopes it would be a sleeper hit, while not breaking the bank. It’s copper and amber gold in the taster and makes some fat legs and large droplets around the glass after you spin it. The nose has a subtle, nice smoke initially, but was really closed off upon pouring it. Harsh oak and heat from the ABV dominated it until after I added some water. The palate was slightly too hot and dry, but had some decent smokiness and port sweetness. It had a good mouthfeel, although it was a tad dry. The finish was medium to long and also hot and dry. No real sweetness to be had as it was blocked out by the heat. So, I knew I had to add water if I wanted to give this one a fair shake and to get it to relax. Water brought out vanilla and sweet grapes on the nose and finish. It didn’t change the palate very much but it did make the overall feel a bit more complex. It made the finish a lot smoother, but you can still tell the youthful spirit is keeping this one from mellowing out much at all. Overall, it’s still a solid dram and a reasonable deal at $55. I’m going to look into some more Glen Scotia for sure. 3.75 stars. Cheers.

This is a sample from independent bottler: Chieftan’s. It’s a 14 year old Laphroaig. It was sent to me as part of a trade from my new friend, @Richard-ModernDrinking. I believe it was pulled exclusively from ex-bourbon casks. It was bottled at 46% and is a beautiful, antique gold in the glass. It’s very oily with wide, undefined legs. The nose is typical Laphroaig smoke, band aids, briny and salty air with some very light oak barrel. The palate is smoky as hell with a nice, salty backbone. It’s oily with a thick mouth coat and just enough zip to keep you fully engaged. The finish is long, warm and crazy slick and oily. There’s a nice lingering effect that reminds me of some of the older, 10 year old distillery bottles. Overall, it’s classic Laphroaig. It’s like taking a trip to Islay before all the fancy finishing casks, NAS trickery or in-house blending. Just good, old fashioned smoke and medicinal whisky that only a true peat-head can appreciate. And appreciate it I do. Thanks again, Richard. 4 classic stars. Cheers.