Tastes
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Original review from March 2016: A drop or two of water really opens this up like a BBQ pit. I don't get the sea salt notes like most Islay single malts, but damn it finishes very smoky and smooth. It's like a long, fireside chat that you wish wouldn't end. I could sip on this with a big ole grin until I pass out. Update April 2018: I didn’t transfer the original review above from a couple of years ago because I didn’t do as thorough of a job as I like to do now. But, as luck would have it, my buddy @Generously_Paul recently sent me a fresh pour of this one so I could do a proper review. The problem was that he was using a preservation gas on this bottle before sending me another sample and we both agree that it had a negative effect on his bottle. What I do remember most is the deep, smokiness that permeates the entire sip from nose to finish. Paul’s sample felt like it has gone somewhat flat and it really suppressed all the barrel and sea notes I’ve grown to expect from every Talisker. I remember my original bottle really being a quality whisky, so I still feel comfortable giving this 4.5 stars, but I guess I’m going to have to find another pour somewhere if I really want to sit down and update my notes completely. One day I’ll seek out another bottle. I still highly recommend this one. Cheers and thanks for reading through what is essentially a Seinfeld review- I basically didn’t write anything about the whisky, lol. Now, where’s my residual check @Distiller?
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Distiller Summer Camp Opulence 41 Year Old Single Malt
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed April 1, 2018 (edited May 19, 2018)Let me gather myself for a moment (and clean off the blood streaming down my face)... So, I was startled awake on this beautiful, Easter Sunday by my usual FedEx delivery guy. He kicked in my front door, made a beeline to my bedroom and viciously stapled a VIP ticket to my damn forehead. I screamed again that I didn’t have any deliveries coming this week and he gave me that look. “Bitch, I stop here twice a week. No exceptions, and you know that.” He pointed to a large envelope with the words DISTILLER SUMMER CAMP embossed in raised, gold leaf letters on it. I plucked the ticket from my face and wiped away the blood, while peeling the envelope slowly open. I don’t think I was supposed to get this envelope. Inside was all the details for the Summer Camp program: whisky pours, music artist lineups, spa treatment schedules, etc. Well, what originally excited me the most was the musical lineup: UNTIL I READ THE FINE PRINT. The Black Eyed Peas? More like the two crappy ones: Taboo and apple.de.app (no Fergie, no Will.I.Am). It says Fergie’s parts will be sung by the first girl eliminated from Season 4 of The Voice. Who? The other male singer goes by the name Will.I.Aint. Then, for you alternative rock fans- Blink 60.667. If you do the math you’ll get it- only 1 original member of the band. The hip-hop/R&B artist: Froggy Fresh & Money Maker Mike singing their hit song “Dunked On”. Man, what the... Anyway, let’s look at the luxurious spa package. It says Whisky-based massage. Apparently there are 2 options: 1) David Beckham will perform full body massages on the men using his personal stash of Haig Club; or 2) Drake will do the same with his Virginia Black whisky, while humming his song “Best I Ever Had” in your ear (It’s rumored he even hums with a Canadian accent). For you lucky females, Ke$ha is offering a dental treatment using “a bottle of Jack” and Courtney Love will perform her famous slap ‘n tickle for a small fee. If you’re lucky, she’ll tell the story about how she convinced her ex-husband to kill himself. Hey-oh! As for the VIP pours, Macallan will be offering an ultra rare pour from the fifth bottle in the 1824 series (the ones named after the whisky colors): Crystal Macallan. It’s clear- just like what Pepsi did to their soda back in the early 90’s. Dalmore’s own Richard Paterson will be dumping full bottles of the Constellation Series on the ground and allowing you to drop on all fours and slurp it from the dirt. You ungrateful bastards. Bunnahabhain will be doling out tastes of its latest, unpronounceable NAS- Grevblumnich Thu Princh’shlockthurn-ow-ow-ow. Which is Gaelic for “the sound a drunkard makes when he slips off the curb and falls down in the gutter after leaving a pub”. There’s a few more VIP pours but I don’t want to ruin all the excitement for you guys. That said, I think I’m gonna pass on Distiller Summer Camp, but somebody smuggle me out a sample or two of the Opulence 41. It sounds interesting. Cheers. -
Glen Keith 1995 21 Year (Alexander Murray & Co.)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed March 31, 2018 (edited February 7, 2021)It’s time for another sample from @Telex, on our Scottish Distillery Tour. This is from the obscure, Speyside distillery of Glen Keith. They originally opened in 1958, directly beside the Strathisla distillery and it was intended to be used by Chivas as an experimental distillery to develop new products and yeast strains. At one point, Glen Keith had the first gas-fired stills in Scotland. They were mothballed in 1999, redesigned with steam-fired stills and reopened by Chivas again in 2013. This sample being 21 years old means it was distilled before the redesign in 1995. This sample was from independent bottler Alexander Murray and comes in at 43%. It spent its entire life in refilled sherry casks. It’s a beautiful, yellow gold and it’s pretty oily with nice, skinny legs. The nose is very fruity: juicy fruit gum, apples and honey sweetness lead the way with some burnt sugar and oak notes creeping in over time. The palate follows the nose with plenty of tropical notes, some ripe bananas before a heavy dose of oak tannins and bitterness wreck things a bit. Odd, for a 21 year old to fall apart like that. The finish is incredibly short (again, odd) with a heavy dryness and bitter bite from the oak. What a disappointment from the way things began. Overall, I wanted to give this one 4 stars because it started so juicy and tropical, but the oak barrel really grabbed this one and wrestled away what could have been a great whisky. At $125, I would expect a much more refined product, but it looks like Murray wanted to just cash in on the age statement. That’s a shame, but already watered down to 43% didn’t give them much wiggle room to try and calm the bitterness. Thanks again to Jason for the pour. I’d like to try another bottling, though, just to see if there’s a better product in the wings. This is just too bitter to rate it very highly. 3.25 stars. Cheers. -
Ron Burgundy "Great Odin's Raven" Special Reserve
Blended — Scotland
Reviewed March 28, 2018 (edited April 25, 2019)When the FedEx guy knocked on my door a couple of weeks ago and told me I had a delivery I had to sign for I gave him that look a dog makes when he hears a strange noise he’s never heard before: the side-glance, tilted head questioning stare. “I didn’t order any scotch this week”, I said. Just sign, a-hole. Imagine my surprise that my good buddy Paulie from Detroit Rock City secretly bought me a birthday present and had it shipped directly from some secret, Scottish blending lab. Then I saw what it was, Great Odin’s Raven. The Ron Burgundy blended scotch that’s all the rave on Distiller now. Oh boy. This was blended by Old St Andrews Ltd. The same people that make the blended scotch for the historical golf course. It’s a blend of Highland, Speyside and Islay whiskies and was bottled at 40%. It doesn’t sting the nostrils, instead it’s mostly apples with a slight twinge of artificial smelling liquid smoke. There no barrel notes to be found. On the tongue, it’s very watery with more apples and a little bit of vanilla and smoke. The finish is short, weak with a decent amount of smokiness underlying everything. The more I drank, the more I enjoyed it. I watched the Anchorman movie and ended up drinking about 1/3 of the bottle, so it is serviceable. I think Paul meant this bottle as a joke, but the jokes on him- I will drink the hell out of this bottle. No regrets. It’s a middle of the road dram and for $20-25 it’ll get you where you need to be. Thanks @Generously_Paul. Cheers to me. 3 stars. -
So, it happens that this bottle was chosen to be opened in celebration of my birthday two weeks ago. My buddy Paul suggested I let fate decide after we both assembled a short list of 8 fantastic bottles to choose from for my celebration. In the spirit of March Madness, I did a bracket style competition using coin flips to arrive at the Dalmore 18. This highland malt was bottled at 43% and in the traditional style of Dalmore- is chill filtered and has added color to make it a shimmering, ruby and copper concoction. I paid just under $185 when I bought this bottle a couple of years ago. The nose is an incredible balance of dark chocolate, toffee, sweet sherry and a hint of oak. The nose is very inviting and luscious. The palate is chocolate and toffee rich, while staying somewhat oily. The bitterest sherry notes invade around mid sip and give this dram its only strikes. The wood bites you on the back end, as well. The finish is long, woody and bitter. The heat builds slowly and overtakes the bitterness and pushes it away, which is a welcome thing IMO. I added a little water in the hopes it would eliminate the bitterness. It allowed more chocolate to come through on the nose, calmed some of the bitter oak on that palate but it killed all the heat on the finish- which I didn’t really like. Overall, this suffers from the same issue I’ve had with almost every Dalmore I’ve tried to this point- the palate feels more harsh than it should. This being 18 years old should not suffer from the same shortcomings as a young or NAS whisky. This has to be something directly tied to the actual spirit itself, and not the barrels, finishes, etc. It makes me very leery to try the older bottles I have in my collection: the King Alexander and the 25yo. I feel like they’re going to suffer the same fate. This is a solid 4 star dram, but at some point Dalmore should be inching higher, they just aren’t. That’s what makes this a disappointment. I want a 5 star Dalmore, dammit.
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Allt a Bhainne 1993 22 Year (The Exclusive Malts)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed March 26, 2018 (edited May 20, 2018)I’m finally able to get back into these last few samples from our group’s last round of trades. I’ve been sidelined by bronchitis and a touch of the flu for the last 8-10 days. This particular sample is my third supplied to the group as a part of our 5th of 7 rounds and is from the Allt-a-Bhainne distillery (pronounced ault ah van ya). It is a Speyside distillery whose malt is primarily used in Chivas blends. Having had a few Chivas in my day- I can definitely pick up of the bread and roasted nuts that provide the backbone for their blends here in this 22yo single cask that was bottled by The Creative Whisky Company. It’s from their Exclusive Malts line, is cask strength at 50.7% ABV, and is natural in color and isn’t chill filtered. It’s a beautiful, champagne gold in the taster and although being pretty oily- it doesn’t produce many legs- while leaving behind plenty of watery droplets after a spin. The nose is all nuts and cereals with a nice layer of toffee and vanilla. There’s hints of sherry cask, even though I don’t think they were used here. It’s a deep and rich sweetness that’s very inviting. The palate is spot on with the nose: honey, nuts and fresh baked breads dominate the profile and even though it’s pretty hot- it’s well rounded and smooth. The long slumber in oak has really worked its magic here. I think this is the whisky’s saving grace, too. This has been a very easy drinking bottle ever since I’ve opened it. The finish is long and warming. More bread notes linger and it even finishes more oily than dry. A heavier than expected nutty aftertaste actually left me craving some Honey Nut Cheerios cereal and a glass of cold milk. Overall, I gotta give this one a full 4 stars. It’s delicious and smooth and a heck of a deal ($109) for a well-aged, cask strength IB. If I wasn’t so obsessed with trying new things I believe I’d seek out another bottle. As is, I wouldn’t mind trying more from Allt-a-Bhainne- specifically a distillery bottling (if one exists). Cheers. -
Talisker Dark Storm
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed March 17, 2018 (edited October 26, 2018)Original review from Sept 2016 (transferred from Barreled): I just completed a very enjoyable side by side comparison between this Dark Storm and it's squall of a cousin, Storm. Check out my full review and comparo over there if you are so inclined. I'm doing a quick update here on the Dark Storm because I added a couple of drops to this one just to see if I could find something else here. The regular Storm had a bigger flavor profile and I want to see if I could dig a little deeper for something hidden in this Dark Storm. It seems like there's maybe a strange hint of dark berries on the nose that really surprised me that I didn't notice before. The smoke snatches it away so quick that I fear I may be imagining it. The remaining sip still coats the tongue being rich and oily and it finishes very smooth. Good stuff. I recommend you try them both. Thanks for the sample, @Generously_Paul. Cheers. -
Original review from Sept 2016 (transferred from Barreled): Once again, I have the pleasure of doing an interesting side by side comparison. Tonight it's Talisker's Storm and Dark Storm. I'd like to thank @Generously_Paul for helping make this possible. Sitting both side by side the Storm is clearly the lighter of the two. It's still a rich golden color that reminds me of apple juice. The Dark Storm earns its namesake as it's a deeper copper like that of a slightly worn penny. (Obviously the effect of the heavily charred casks used). Both leave nice, silky long legs down the glass after a bit of a hearty swirl. If I'm reading it correctly both come in at exactly the same 91.6 proof. On the nose the Storm gets a bit of a nod because you can clearly smell fresh apples and pears mingling with the peat smoke and light sea salt. The Dark Storm kind of leaves the fruit in the basket and comes across as more of an Islay-style smoky scotch with some caramel or toffee sweetness. They both smell fantastic I must say. Different, but nice. On the tongue is where I guess I hoped they would show some sort of lineage connection. I knew the peat smoke was there but I want to see these guys show me they are kindred spirits (ha, a pun). The Storm lets loose all the oak barrel characteristics claimed on the label: lively pepper spice, some vanilla and that subtle fruitiness I noticed from the nosing. The smoke blankets your tongue after the finish and hangs out to keep you warm. What a nice dram. The Dark Storm is totally predictable, but not in a bad way whatsoever. Silky smooth peat smoke filling your entire mouth and washing away with a thicker, oily essence that identifies with an ominous storm rolling in from off the ocean. An excellent dram on its own. In closing, I think the name Storm doesn't necessarily apply. I don't imagine fruit and lively oak spice when I think of a storm, but Dark Storm is definitely aptly named. For the first time, I can't say I prefer one over the other. They both offer a distinctly different experience and I could be perfectly happy settling into a hammock by the beach, sipping either one waiting for said storm to roll in. Four stars for each, both based on different experiences. In this side by side battle the clear winner was me. I believe they both run somewhere north of $70 a piece and if you have to choose one then you're still missing out. Save up and snag them both when you can. Cheers, my friends.
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Benrinnes 1997 17 Year Cask #9631 (Berry Bros & Rudd)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed March 13, 2018 (edited March 14, 2018)I finally got back around to reviewing one of my own bottles that I supplied to friends on this crazy distillery tour: Benrinnes 17yo. This is a highland distillery that once resided along the River Spey. It was washed away by floodwaters in 1829, only to be rebuilt in 1835. In fact, this place has been destroyed and rebuilt 3-4 times over the years. They even employed the triple distillation process up until 2007- which I believe constantly raises the ABV while making the spirit smoother. This bottle is an individual cask (#9631) acquired by Berry Bros & Rudd, out of the U.K. mainland. It’s 17 years old (distilled in 1997, bottled in 2015), comes in at 46% and has no added color while being non-chill filtered. The nose is heavy with orchard fruits: apples and pears that transitions towards tropical fruit after a little time. Bananas and papaya fruit shine through. There’s an ever present, but restrained oak forming a solid backbone here, as well. Very nice. The palate echoes the nose: stronger oak, tropical fruits cover the tongue and hang around until the peppery finish. The mouthfeel is thick and oily. It’s quite luscious, actually. The finish is medium length and really smooth. More tropical notes linger on while releasing the pepper and heat as you exhale. Even after a few moments there was still an oily residue/feeling left behind. Overall, this may be the best bottle I’ve experienced from Berry Bros & Rudd. I’d also like to find a distillery bottling from Benrinnes. I believe they offer a 15 and 21 year old bottle that they blend in house, but I think price may be an inhibitor: over $300 for the 21yo. Yowza, that’s Macallan-esque. I think I’d give this one 3.75 stars and I’ll round up to a 4 because the price wasn’t too bad here. A really solid independent offering. Cheers. -
This smoky, NAS Bunnahabhain was sent to me as an extra pour from Jason, the newest member of our distillery tasting team. It’s part of the Bunnahabhain Unable For Americans To Pronounce series. Toiteach (pronounced toch-tach) translates to “smoky” in Gaelic. It’s a robust 46% ABV. It’s light gold, oily and produces very few legs in the tasting glass. Heavy droplets form slowly around the lip as it settles back after a spin. The nose is heavy smoke, earthy peat and salty sea air all the way. I don’t get any sweetness or barrel notes. They definitely nailed down the namesake. Flavor wise, the palate follows the nose: BBQ’d, fatty meats covered in cracked salt and black pepper. The mouthfeel is somewhat thick and thankfully that allows some bitter chocolate sweetness to settle in and add another layer of flavor to come through. It’s this drams saving grace IMO- because the finish returns to salty and smoked meats. The finish is long so this chocolate mid sip note is very welcome. It saves this from being a one dimensional smoke bomb. As it is, it’s very satisfying for any Islay loving, peated whisky drinker. I think Bunnahabhain could have the NAS haters on the run. I’ve had several from them now and they are all quite well done. I’ve got a few more NAS bottles from them and I’m inclined to open them all and see if I can back that statement up with an even stronger argument. This one is a solid 4 star. Thanks again to @Telex for supplying this one to the group. Good stuff. Cheers.
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