Tastes

As I venture into the 5-6th year of my scotch whisky drinking/collecting hobby, I find myself reaching for more examples of extreme scotch single malts and blends. It’s almost like I need everything dialed up to 11 before it really gets my blood flowing on most days: Cask strength Macallans, Ardbegs, Laphroiags, etc are the order of the day now. So, when I saw these NAS Natural Cask Strength Caol Ila bottles at auction, I quickly scanned my google spreadsheet to see if I’d had the peated version of the full strength Caol Ila’s. I know I’ve had several of the limited release, unpeated versions and they run the gamut from mediocre to very solid. But, Caol Ila is always about salty peat and citrus (much like a good Talisker). I needed to try these. So, I ended up spending $108/ea for a pair of Caol Ila Natural Cask Strength bottles from 2015. Yeah, I overpaid a bit, but I felt like I needed this in my arsenal. These particular batch releases came in at a robust, 59.3% and I won them in the spring over at Scotch Whisky Auctions (out of Glasgow). They are pale yellow in color (with no added color or chill filtration) and produce some translucent, fast-running, thick legs and leave behind lots of tiny drops behind on the rim of your cleanest Glencairn. The nose is a powerhouse blast of sea spray, pepper spice and alcohol ABV. At first I assumed they filled 2/3 of each bottle with whisky directly from the still and the rest with ocean water from right off the coast. This is the most maritime nose I think I’ve ever experienced in any dram. Mineral-infused peat floats around the bowl of the glass, disappearing and reappearing as if on a timer. Time doesn’t dilute it, either- it simply fills whatever venue you’re drinking at with notes of coastal Scotland. That added time, however, did make the palate more, uh..., palatable. I went in quickly after a pour only to feel like I swallowed straight seawater. It was like when you’re a kid at the beach and you ride your inflatable raft into a breaking wave and inadvertently take in a mouthful of sea foam and immediately begin to choke and dry heave. I literally had to catch my breath after that first sip. Overbearing salt and heat. Fast forward to 15-20 minutes of recovery...once the dram relaxes and “cools” a bit you are rewarded with a Clynelish-like waxiness and some light, citrus fruits and berries. It still felt insanely dry and hot, with salt and mineral, earthy peat lingering on the back of the tongue and recesses of your mouth. The finish remains hot, biting and dry. It’s more astringent than I hoped, but it did allow more of the peat to finally take center stage (it’s a late, third act in this dram- but it is here in all its glory). The only thing finally left behind is more salt. I actually felt parched after doing back to back, multiple pours from this bottle- it leaves you thirsty haha. I did need a healthy, Glendronach to finish off my session and the next morning I still had salty, Glendronach on my tongue. Overall, this isn’t my favorite Caol Ila, but damn it still put a smile on my face thinking back about it as I write this review. This would be my poster child for Scotch Whisky Turned Up To 11. I can see the fishermen on Islay drinking this straight from the bottle on their way back to port after a long day at sea. Something tells me this is their dram. 4 stars and a big, ole smile for this one. If you see this bottle collecting dust and think you’ve already had the saltiest, sea-worthy scotch you’ll ever try...well, prepare to be corrected. Cheers, my friends.

This Japanese blend from Nikka contains whisky from both the Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries. It’s all NAS juice, but it is comprised of all Japanese malt and grain whisky. It’s limited to the European Union countries and not available here in the states. I added a bottle of this to an international order back in the spring of 2019. It’s bottled at 40% and I got it for $34. So, it was an easy throw-in bottle to a medium-sized order. It’s shimmering gold in the tasting glass with watery, fat legs and very heavy, watery droplets. The nose is mostly floral with vanilla pound cake and some slightly astringent and distant citrus notes. There’s no need to let it linger prior to going in for a taste- it doesn’t open up to any surprises or complexities. The palate is all cereals and light malts, with more floral and bready components. There’s some orchard fruits like pears and red delicious apples forming a mid sip backbone. The finish is short and somewhat sweet, vanilla and toffee candies that lead to the ultimate final dry florals. It’s so easy drinking it’s scary. Ultimately, I’m not sure what this could be used for except adding alcohol to a weak, fruity cocktail or tossing in some ice cubes and drinking it while mingling with friends at some backyard cookout or party. You can brag about drinking the “new hotness: Japanese whisky” without spending serious money on the heavy hitter bottles. There is that, I suppose. Overall, it’s a 2.5 star dram with a slight bump for the low price, but sadly it’s not available in North America. So, the bump gets retracted because it’s limited release for Europeans. If you can grab a bottle or a pour for less than $3-4 I’d say give it a go, otherwise, it’s easily forgettable. Cheers.

It’s time for a rare, 2014 Feis Ile festival sample from Ardbeg: Auriverdes. This release was designed to honor the 2014 Men’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The colors of the Brazilian flag are green and gold and that’s how this whisky is named. Auri (gold) and verdes (green) also tie-in to the golden color of the whisky and the iconic, green bottle. The only thing done to the whisky itself is that the end caps of the casks were toasted to impart a more charred flavor into the NAS whisky. It’s bottled at 49.9% ABV and is NCF with no added colorant. It’s a deep, golden yellow in the glass with thin, undefined legs and tiny droplets. The nose is primarily smoked brisket, oak spirals and fire pit smoke. The secondary flavors are slightly minty, eucalyptus leaves and some lemon zest that’s traditionally associated with Ardbeg. They aren’t reinventing the wheel with this release at all. The palate is both campfire smoke and earthy peat and there’s a faint sherry sweetness and vanilla note arriving at mid sip. The youthful spirit powers the backend, while being oily and warming. The mouthfeel is on the lighter side and turns dry towards the finish. Speaking of finish, it’s medium length with a very light sweetness and smoke. Earthy minerals linger and turn the final bits a tad bitter and harsh. It doesn’t turn the experience bad, but it also doesn’t help matters either. As a festival release, I was slightly disappointed. There no real experimentation going on here. Bottles have all but disappeared from store shelves and you’ll have to head to an auction site to find one now. Prices have remained steady with this one- $80-100 a bottle should win you one, but I’m not sure it’s worth that price, honestly. Stick with the 10yo or the An Oa for $20-30 less. Thanks to my buddy @Telex, from Maryland, for this sample pour. I have a couple bottles of this, as I’ve put together a few Ardbeg Feis Ile sets, but I see no reason to open them. They are moderately collectible, so that’s how I’ll keep them. 3.5-3.75 stars. Cheers.

Why doesn’t Richard Paterson release whisky like this? I’m finally able to sample something from Dalmore distillery that isn’t chill filtered and doesn’t have any added color. Independent bottler Alexander Murray released this 15yo single malt at a seriously potent 55.6% ABV. I don’t believe much Dalmore gets out to a lot of IBs, so this sample from my buddy @dubz480, from Arizona, is a rare treat for me. I also believe he got this bottle for around $60, which is shocking. It’s primarily from refilled, ex-bourbon casks and refilled sherry butts. This is a new penny, copper in color and it’s very oily. Very thin legs and lots of tiny beads indicate the higher alcohol percentage. The nose begins with faint sherry cask notes,bubblegum and raspberry smoothie. There’s a nice backbone of brown sugar and apple pie crust- maybe graham crackers. The palate is fruity and spicy all at the same time. Orange marmalade, Sunkist raisins (yes, with that slightly processed flavor) and caramel. The heat and power of the ABV send pepper spice barrel wood rushing in if you let it settle across the tongue. By mid sip it’s blazing in every corner of your mouth. It needs water, but I’m too old and stubborn to give in. The finish is long and very drying. Once the burn subsides, or you flush it away with water, you’re still greeted with orange and toffee notes. This whisky left me pondering whether I think Dalmore should start beefing up their distillery releases like this, or should I just accept and dial down my expectations for the core stuff. I have a soft spot for Dalmore that I can’t always explain and this release really shows what’s coming out of the casks BEFORE Mr Paterson gets to tinkering with them. I like this presentation, albeit it’s definitely too hot at this potency, but I’d be thrilled to spend the day just introducing water to it slowly to find that perfect spot. IMO every Dalmore official release needs more power behind it, but there’s got to be a better spot than what most of the distillery releases offer at 40-44%. However, this one was a really treat for me. Thanks again, Wail. 4.25 stars as it comes in the bottle, but I think a little experimentation could see that score surely rise. Cheers.

Hello, Jura. The “other” distillery ran by Richard Paterson, that he doesn’t seem to advertise much about, I wonder why that is? I haven’t had many bottles from Jura- the last one I had was the revamped, 18 year and let’s just say that I wasn’t much of a fan. I’ve had the 10 and 12, also I think, and maybe a couple of NAS releases. The shocking part is that according to most of my notes- I’ve enjoyed the NAS ones the most. So, let’s see if that continues. This review is for the TRE release from 2015: Turas-Mara. It’s Gaelic for “long journey” and the story behind this bottle is that it was done to honor local, Scottish highlanders that were displaced to foreign lands long ago. This bottle is chill-filtered, has added color and is also bottled (like most Jura) at odd ABV’s. This one is 42%. It’s shiny copper in the glass and appears very oily. Lots of legs and tons of droplets ring the Glencairn after you swirl it a bit. The nose starts out minty and peppered and very Irish-like: creamy, smooth and vanilla sweet. There’s pound cake buttery notes and some dark, vine fruits in the background. The key here is that everything is on the lighter side. The palate comes out swinging with more dark fruit: plums, blackberries and black cherries. Richly sweet with a more candied sweetness by mid sip. Lightly salted, vanilla chews and caramels coat the tongue before a baking spice note starts tingling your tastebuds towards the finish. Of which, it’s a little on the longer side than most Jura I’ve had before. It’s initially spicy with fresh cut, oak spirals lingering because the sweetness fades really fast. There’s still little to no heat and the oily, heavy mouth feel clings on and on- it’s just mostly wood and pepper. It’s an odd way to finish, after all the dark fruit and vanilla, but it’s not bad. Overall, this is another NAS from Jura that I’d much rather drink than their current age statement stuff. That kind of tells me that they aren’t using premium casks for long term aging, which is worrisome and suspicious. I guess they’d rather ship most of this stuff off for blends and just release NAS stuff periodically to maintain shelf space? I don’t know. That would make some sense behind Richard Paterson not spending much time promoting them and focusing on Dalmore as the premium brand he represents. Oh well, this one is solid and worth seeking out, I’m not sure what a bottle costs, but I’d pay $40-50 for it. Thanks to my buddy, @Generously_Paul for the pour. 3.75 stars, my friends. Cheers.

It’s funny to me, that I’m over 500 whisky reviews deep and I’ve yet to officially review this Irish whiskey staple: Redbreast 12. I’ve even reviewed a few other offerings from Redbreast- just not the 12. I keep thinking that I’ve tried this before, but then again maybe I haven’t. Weird. Anyway, this sample was sent to me by my buddy @Generously_Paul, from Michigan. It’s bottled at 40% ABV, is triple distilled, chill filtered and probably has added color that makes it lightly coppered in the taster. It makes some fat, yet undefined legs after a spin and leaves behind medium sized droplets clinging to the lip. It also looks rather watery, in general. The nose starts out spicier than I anticipated. There’s a healthy dose of vanilla, nut bread and citrus peel. I don’t get much, if any, sweetness but then again I didn’t let this one sit very long. Some barrel cask presence sent a quick sting up my nose as I has going in for the first sip. Speaking of sips, the Christmas spices and something equivalent to rye spice launched onto my tongue very quickly- it also caught me off guard. After a bit of a roll, the spice note subsided and warm oak and vanilla settled in along with a nutty almond back end. It’s pleasant enough, albeit a tad harsh- even at 40%. The finish was short and still spicy, but left plenty of vanilla lingering for a bit. A sip of water a few moments later washed it all away. There’s zero staying power with this whiskey. Overall, I seem to be very unimpressed with most Irish whiskies: except for West Cork and Bushmills. Redbreast, Teeling and Jameson don’t inspire me into buying more of their offerings. None of these are bad whiskies, they all just seem a little too tame for me. This particular 12 year old is the ultimate middle of the road dram IMHO. 2.5 stars. Cheers.

Oh, Highland Park! I thought to myself when my buddy @Generously_Paul sent me a pour of this themed, 10yo release from 2017. Is this another subpar release where they use some crazy, Viking-esque type of label and packaging? Well, sort of, but I can give them a pass this time for the theming- and I actually thought the whisky was okay, as well. Rebus 30 is a 10 year old whisky (kind of confusing, ain’t it?) that was released to honor a fictional crime novel character who was celebrating his 30th year of existence. Highland Park joined with writer Ian Rankin for the 20th anniversary release back in 2007 with a release called Knots & Crosses- so, this line of bottles isn’t HP’s way of cashing in like the Viking lineage. There is an established history with this release- so, I’ll give them a pass on the theming. How is the actual whisky? That’s what we’re here to find out... First of all, it’s bottled at 40% ABV and it’s chill filtered and probably has added coloring. It’s new gold in color and very oily. Slow forming, skinny legs fall down the sides of your Glencairn followed by heavy, runny drops after a healthy spin. The nose has an odd, barnyard funk right off the bat, smoke is also mysteriously absent. Sherry cask flavors and honey-dipped berries and cereal malt form the crux of the whisky after a few minutes resting in the glass. Like a good mystery novel, this whisky is leading you down a strange path in its early chapters. The palate strikes right away with honeycomb, toasted almonds, dry roast peanuts and very light, sherry sweetness. Again, the smoke is still MIA on the front end. Some minerality and earthy peat creep in on the backside of the tongue. There’s no campfire smoke or briny characters in the mix. It’s oily and full on the tongue but lacking in barrel spice and heat because the ABV is too low. Drinkability is up, but it doesn’t feel as though there’s much whisky in my whisky, and that’s the ultimate reason this whisky gets lower marks. The finish should be where the novel (whisky) reveals its twist, but this isn’t M Night Shamalayan, it’s a British guy so...it’s still rather tame. There is a tiny bit of smoke, but it’s closer to barrel char than smoldering, campfire embers. It’s also short, weak and a little unfulfilling. Some lingering berry sweetness is detected but it fades quickly and rather harmlessly. So, how do I score this thing? Well, I don’t want to penalize it for it’s theming- I’m cool with paying homage to a British crime author. At least it’s a break from the unrelenting Viking stuff. The 10yo age statement doesn’t add or hurt the score either. The best part about this is that it’s funkier than most HP stuff. I can appreciate that, I guess. I can’t give it a boost for complexity because thats not in the cards, either. All these factors accounted for- I say this is a 3-3.25 star release. This whisky just isn’t mysterious enough to make you read more into it (puns galore). It’s a cool enough bottle for the HP fanboys, but everyone else can shrug this one off and look elsewhere. Thanks again Paul, for the sample. Cheers. • also, Paul has a humorous, video review for this very whisky over on his YouTube channel- Dapper Drams. Check it out if you’d like to see (better) tasting notes from him and watch his brother just struggle, in general, with being new to scotch whisky.

I’m going to go ahead and post this review under the standard Machrie Moor listing, even though my bottle was from the 8th batch (released in 2018). I don’t see the need in creating another listing here as I probably won’t buy another bottle of this- not because it’s bad, quite the opposite, it’s a solid dram. I just don’t see the need to revisit it. This review is for Batch 8, released in 2018. It’s a very cheap, NAS peated whisky from Arran distillery. It’s bottled at 46% and I believe I paid around $33 for a bottle from an online, UK whisky shoppe. The appearance is pale yellow and its oily in the Glencairn with lots of thick legs and big, heavy droplets. The nose and palate mimic each other quite well: it’s a cornucopia of orchard and tropical fruits, sweet smoke and young spirit. There’s some light menthol flavors battling with the pepper spice of the oak casks on the back end of both the nose and tongue. The bite from the youthful whisky doesn’t transfer to the finish, which is a wonderful trait that really makes the dram so palatable as a whole. It doesn’t have much of a lengthy finish, it’s short/briny/dry with a little lingering smoke if you just let it be. Overall, this is a wonderful, peated dram if you’re in the mood for a quick hit that definitely doesn’t hurt your wallet. The fruits and soft smoke also make for an excellent beginners peat whisky experience- I imagine it would be even easier for a novice if you cut it down with a little water, but I like it as it is. 3.75 stars for a great deal, easy accessibility and quality. It couldn’t hurt keeping a bottle of this at the bar all the time and if I wasn’t always looking for newer things I’d probably do just that. Try/buy with confidence. Cheers.

Ah, it’s time to revisit the Scottish Distillery Tour that was started several years ago by some friends of mine. The goal was to try a sample from every operational distillery at the time. We accomplished that goal in under 2 years, so my buddy Paul (from Michigan) decided to up the ante by grabbing some ghosted distillery samples to add to our “tasted” list. Hence, this Littlemill 12 year old. This was a Lowland distillery that closed and was subsequently destroyed by a fire. Bottles from this distillery can still be obtained at auction and at some higher end, boutique whisky shops around the world. Prices also tend to be on the higher side- like most ghosted bottles. This one is rich gold/faint amber in color and very watery with large drops and undefined legs in the tasting glass. It’s chill filtered and probably has added coloring while being bottled at 40% (most likely to stretch the dwindling stockpiles). The nose immediately struck me with a whiff of pine cones, but after some time that faded and left behind a nice, deep tropical note. Some milk chocolate, caramel and tea leaves mingled with the fruitiness, but there was a nice, oak barrel backbone holding everything together. The palate felt extremely light, probably due to the ABV more than anything else. Sherry cask notes, chocolate and caramel candies drove home the sweetness up front before allowing an unexpected harshness to crash the party. It didn’t wreck the overall flavor profile so much as it just made the dram seem hotter than 40%. It still felt a little oily and woody on the backend. The finish was medium length, still rather light and warm, though. Oily, sherry cask and tropical fruits lingered for a few moments before a final gasp of heat and peppered oak ended the session. Overall, this was a rather complex dram for a 12 year old that’s bottled at the bare minimum to be called a scotch. I’d be very interested to see if an older sample from Littlemill delivered a bigger experience. I’m scared to look and see what that would cost, as well. Paul paid close to $200 for this bottle so an 18-20 year old would possibly cost well over $500. Hmm, I’d have to pass I think. Thanks again, @Generously_Paul, this is easily a 3.75 star dram, with a little boost because it’s ghosted. Cheers.

Lowland distillery, Auchentoshan, produces some very quality offerings. Their floral and creamy characteristics also take on flavors from finishing casks easily and quite well. Blood Oak is a travel retail exclusive from back in 2015 and can still be found on numerous shelves and websites around the globe. It’s an NAS blend that was finished for around a year in Bordeaux red wine casks and ex-bourbon barrels. Rumor has it that the whisky is around 6-7 years old, in total. It’s non-chill filtered, has no added color, and like all Auchentoshan it’s triple distilled. Bottled at 46% and runs just shy of $70. It’s a beautiful, dark copper in the glass. Oily and fat legs run down the sides of the Glencairn after a healthy spin, leaving behind loads of tiny, beaded water near the rim. The nose is predominantly dry red wine and oak spirals. Cherries and juicy citrus mingle with Auchentoshan’s typical floral notes. A quick, hard sting of youthful spirit will get you if you go in too hard or too early. Let this one sit and breathe a bit. The palate is floral and enticing from the beginning: raspberries, honeysuckle and orange slices greet your tongue at first sip, with creamy vanilla and oak cask dominating the back end. The youthful spirit also comes charging in and combines with the red wine dryness to sort of shock the tastebuds. It’s not as subtle and smooth as the 25yo red wine offering from a few years ago, but it’s also 1/3 the price of that bottle. The finish is still long and fruity, kinda hot and peppery unless you cool it down with water. Lingering spice and a drying feel bring it to a close, but there’s a light berry flavor clinging on even after sipping some water to cleanse the palate. Like I said, it’s not the 1989 Red Wine Cask 25yo I had last year, but I still adore the wine barrel influence here and would gladly buy another bottle of this one for the price. You can get a much older Auchentoshan for $20-30 more, but this distillery shines with some sort of finishing cask. I’d trade those decades old bottles for more wine finishes. 4.25 stars. If you see a bottle of this or a cheap pour I recommend giving it a try- it’s complex and delicious. Cheers.