Tastes
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Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed August 17, 2017 (edited January 18, 2020)I'm taking the time to re-review Laphroaig Quarter Cask from my initial, short-worded/short-sighted review back in April of 2016. I was relatively new to scotch whisky back then and it seemed like I was quickly blown away each time I tried something new from that little wind-swept isle off of the west coast of Scotland. I'm redoing this review primarily because I wanted to revisit this whisky along side it's newest sibling- the 2017 Cairdeas release. That is the cask strength version of Quarter Cask. First, a little bit of info about the regular Quarter Cask: it's blended DOWN to 48%, it's non-chill filtered with no added color and consists of whisky that is 5-7 years old that is finished in smaller oak casks for an additional 7 months before bottling. On the nose, there's wonderful notes of fresh cut barley, smoldering embers coated with dried BBQ sauce, hickory smoke and an incredible buttery sweetness that cuts right through all that smoke. It's luscious. The initial sip overloads your mouth with sweet and smoky fish. The oily skin crackling in the heat bites down on your tongue with that signature Laphroaig saltiness before relenting and washing away with a creamy, biscuity smoothness that will ultimately leave you wanting more. The finish is smooth, velvety smooth in fact. It's medium in length and the fading heat and smoke brings to mind being downwind of your neighbors chimney on a cool, early winter evening. A long, deep exhale really pushes everything from your chest and lungs and gives you one final, warm hug. I can only imagine John Campbell whispering in my ear "Thanks for coming, go home and tell your friends what you've experienced here, laddie." Yes, it's that good. 4.5, maybe 4.75 stars. Cheers, my friends. -
Glenlivet Nàdurra Peated Whisky Cask Finish
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed August 16, 2017 (edited September 10, 2020)I saved this exciting distillery tour sample from Paul as one of my last ones for the second round. I've tried a couple of the Nadurra offerings and I found them to be the best of the entire Glenlivet line. I had really high hopes for the peated cask version. This malt is extremely light in color- it's as pale as an ice cold Coors Light. Due to the high ABV (61.5%) there are a ton of slick, long legs in the glass when you spin it. Even from a distance you pick up on the oak barrel and sweet citrus notes. One of the highlights of this sample, though, came when I was finally (after 25min) able to pick up on what I assume was agave nectar- very tequila-like. It was very strong and inviting. Sadly, no agave on the palate. Just an initial blast of serious heat and an incredible burn. This beast is very hot. If you can expel the heat from your mouth and not through the nose a nice, crispy bit of citrus fruit like oranges and lemons appears and finishes sizzling your taste buds. Hot, but refreshing. It dies pretty quickly and leaves a dry, oak spice residue in the recesses of your mouth. The finish is again short, but really hot. It felt like I completely burned the nerve endings in my mouth, but that faded and the dry, earthiness (peat?) completed the experience. If you've had any of the Nadurra whiskies you know what to expect and this one is no different. Good stuff. While I don't feel like there's enough peat flavor here to warrant experimenting with those ex-peated casks again, the overall quality of the Nadurra line is still present here and makes for a very fine whisky. Thanks again to Paul for finding this one in a duty free shop near him. I wouldn't have been able to try this one otherwise. 4.25-4.5 stars. Cheers. -
Aberfeldy 12 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed August 14, 2017 (edited January 18, 2020)If you've ever had anything from Dewars then you've had plenty of this malt. This is the key whisky used in all of their blends. They recently decided to start offering their stuff up as an age statement, single malt. This 12 year old vintage was supplied by Ryan as another tick off of our Scottish distillery tour. This particular malt comes in at the standard 40% ABV and was probably chill filtered and has colorant added to make it a pale, straw yellow in the glencairn. It's somewhat bland on the nose: faint orchard fruits and cereal notes really hide any oak spice. I kind of get a slight, off-putting and semi-fake sweetness that doesn't really excite me as I move in for the initial sip. There's an abundance of honey and toffee that coats the tongue but the mouthfeel is relatively thin. A bit of bitter and surprisingly harsh oak spice overtakes the sweetness and leads to a rough, yet short finish. The low ABV makes the entire experience over pretty quickly, too. I'm pretty sure this stuff is rather cheap but I can't see myself buying a full bottle or even pursuing a longer aged bottle. This stuff was made for and belongs exclusively in blends like Dewars. Thanks to Ryan for supplying the sample, but I think I'd keep looking elsewhere if I were in the market for a $35-40 single malt. 2.75-3 stars, max. Cheers, guys. -
Arran Cask Strength 12 Year Batch 3
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed August 13, 2017 (edited August 14, 2017)It's been awhile since I reviewed an island region single malt. Thanks to our distillery tour group I was offered up this cask strength from the Isle of Arran. It's the 12 year old version and was generously supplied by my friend Scott. This is the 4th batch of this particular vintage and was released in 2014 and comes in at a whopping 54.1% ABV. I've let this one sit and given it the occasional swirl for over 30 minutes. I'm trying to let the overwhelming power of the alcohol drift away so I can see if there's something deeper I can detect on the nose. I pick up hints of citrus fruits and a nice, heavy scent of vanilla. Breathing in deeply only results in the agonizing burn of this cask beast. The palate is refreshing and tangy up front before stepping aside and letting the vanilla and sherry sweetness take over mid sip. Those same flavors hang around through the lengthy and warming finish. There's no peat, no smoke and I don't really pick up anything "islandy". It's a tad oily and there's a very woodsy feel left lingering once the burn finally fades. It's a thoroughly enjoyable malt. I believe this runs around $60 a bottle and that's a solid deal for what you're getting here. Plenty of flavor, plenty of pop and you'll probably need plenty of aspirin the next morning if you get into a standoff with the bottle. Thanks to Scott for offering this one up as I've never seen it here in Virginia. This would be a wonderful after dinner sipper on a cool, fall evening. It'll warm you quite nicely while easily taking the edge off. 4.25 stars. Cheers. -
Deanston Virgin Oak
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed August 13, 2017 (edited August 9, 2018)I'm finally getting around to getting my review posted on this interesting NAS single malt from Deanston. I've had the 12 year old version before and found it thoroughly enjoyable. This sample was supplied by my friend Ryan as part of our distillery tour. It's non-chill filtered, has no color added and comes in at a robust 46.3% ABV. It's a hipsters wet dream as well- claiming to be certified organic, produced at a clean energy facility and packaged in recycled/recyclable materials. Talk about saving the planet one dram at a time, bro. The nose starts out interestingly enough with nice blasts of citrus and honey. You really get a lively, youthful hit of oak and pine as well. Zippy! The palate also contains an initial bite of peppery/ginger notes from the oak that really grabs your attention before melting into a creamy, toffee-like finish. It's very bourbon-esque and would easily work well in your favorite American cocktail. The finish is oaky and hot but doesn't linger to the point it would seem one dimensional nor irritating. The warmth also follows the spirit down into your belly. The only criticisms I find are that it imitates American bourbon so well that it doesn't make me feel like I'm drinking a single malt scotch. If I had a full bottle I'd probably use more of it mixed with Coca Cola. It's a relative bargain here in the states with full size bottles running just shy of $40. That also puts in on par or slightly more expensive than most run of the mill bourbons and that would ultimately cause me to pass on buying my own bottle. Still, thanks again to Ryan for supplying this one so we can tick it off the distillery list. 3.75 stars. Cheers, my friends -
As I slowly begin to ease my way back into scotch after a bit of a break, I was sent a travel retail exclusive sample by my friend, Paul M from Detroit. This is a new NAS single malt from Bowmore. It's 43% and has some coloring added, all while being chill filtered. I have always been a bit of a Bowmore fanboy. I cut my teeth on their core level, smoky Islay malts. As I've become more experienced I've left them behind when it comes to peated whisky. The Ardbeg's, Laphroaig's and Lagavulin's offered on the island have captured my heart and I haven't really looked back. That's why I was so happy to land a sample I would never be able to acquire on my own and get properly reacquainted with Bowmore. On the nose, this one opens with a nice blast of Caribbean fruit- sweet and really pungent. The smoke is pretty integrated and really softens the edges, but at the same time I think it also robs it of what should be a lively and zesty initial impression. The palate compliments the nose- almost to a T. The oily tropical fruit rolls across the tongue and there's a great hit of salt to remind you this is a blend of malts aged lovingly at or below sea level. There's just enough smoke to completely hide the bitterness that should be present with juice that's definitely under 10 years of age. A little bit of heat builds slowly and follows into the medium length finish. This is where the youth finally shows up as it grows to a nice burn and leaves you ready for another sip. Overall, a very solid Bowmore malt. Age or no age statement this one was clearly well blended and sourced from some good stock. If the ABV was higher and it left you gasping a bit I think it would rank up there with some of the best stuff I've had from Bowmore. As it is, it's a strong 4.25-4.5. I'd love to have a full bottle lying around for every time I wanna stroll down memory lane and reconnect to my youthful days as a scotch fanatic. Thanks again, Paul. This is a winner IMO. Cheers.
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I just realized that I have never had this core offering from Laphroiag. My notes indicate I had the 10 year cask strength version and not the blended/diluted 43% batch. How on earth did I skip this wonderful baseline juice? I'm glad I remedied it. This should be a staple on every whisky bar in existence. It's a beautiful, golden yellow and fills the immediate area with campfire smoke and peat. You can tell it's heritage as soon as you pop the cork. The mouthfeel is thinner than a few of their luxury releases, but it's still velvety smooth and really coats every corner of your mouth. There's a medium long finish that warms more than it burns and you'll be tasting that BBQ'd meat until you take in another glorious sip. I'm gonna deduct a point simply because it feels a tad thin up front and, well, because the low ABV robs it of the much anticipated burn I love (and expect) on the finish. It's still a great dram and if I didn't have so many other bottles clogging up my bar (first world problems, I know) I'd gladly keep this one stocked at all time. I believe it runs just shy of $50 on shelves here in Virginia and can probably be found for closer to $40 online, and that makes it a no brainer. Buy with confidence and enjoy this excellent malt. 4.25 stars. I ended up drinking a third dram of this last night and I'm definitely still wiping away the cobwebs this morning. It's gonna be a long day outside at work today, lol. Cheers, guys.
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Chivas Regal Strathisla 12 Year Distillery Collection
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed August 2, 2017 (edited December 1, 2022)I'm happily back from my doctor ordered sabbatical tonight. I'm finally starting to feel somewhat normal again after a bit of a lengthy health scare. I'm going to try to resume this awesome Scottish Distillery Tour by knocking down a couple of samples on this fine, cool Virginia evening. My welcome back dram of choice is a Speyside single malt from Strathisla. This is their 12-year old bottling. This sample was graciously supplied by my friend Pranay. Thanks, sir. This malt is primarily used as a component of several Chivas Bros blended whisky offerings. This somewhat rare single malt version is a standard 40% ABV and clearly has coloring added. On the nose, there's your typical candied fruit and sweet sherry and after I let it sit in the glencairn for about 10 minutes I picked up a nice hit of green apple and cinnamon spice. Like warm, apple pie. The palate is almost identical: sherry, orchard fruits and a hint of grandma's apple pie. Sadly, it's thin all the way from beginning to end with a finish that is short and uninspired, to say the least. There's no burn whatsoever and the flavors hang around and feel artificial. If this is how this malt tastes from the cask (after blending it down to the low ABV), then this should really only be used in blends. There isn't much redeeming here. Even the $35-40 you'd have to spend on a bottle could probably be better spent elsewhere on a higher quality single malt. Thanks again to Pranay for the sample and the ability to tick off another distillery on our ambitious tour. Mark it down and move along. Cheers. Oh yeah, I'm thrilled to be back. Hopefully for the long haul this time. -
Balvenie Single Barrel 15 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed July 7, 2017 (edited March 31, 2019)Well, after a scathing group email I received this morning, guilt has finally prompted me to get my head back in the game- so to speak. For those that may have noticed- I haven't written a whisky review in well over a month. I started a scotch trading group with my friend Paul and about 6-7 weeks into it I hit the proverbial "wall" and dropped out of sight. Last week I finally willed myself to open a few samples to try to reignite the spark. One of the samples is this 15YO single barrel from Balvenie. I didn't really take many notes so I'm writing this review mostly from memory. This single barrel comes in around 48% ABV and was aged exclusively in traditional oak casks. The nose was heavy with honey and vanilla sweetness with a bit of bitter orange peel striking through if you really got down into it. On the tongue, it was very cloyingly sweet with a bit of cocoa coming through about mid-palate. It, like most Balvenie I've had, was incredibly smooth and very easy to drink. The finish was very bourbon-like and felt somewhat long given I haven't drank any whisky in well over a month. But, it did burn so good. I'm glad I chose a sample I figured would be solid, yet easy to drink in an effort to get back into things. I know the asking price on this one is somewhere slightly north of $100, and normally that would be out of the question from my previous experiences with this brand, but damn if it didn't really hit the spot at the time. Thanks to my friend Pranay for the sample and my mentor Paul for getting on my ass about getting back in the game (Lol, j/k Paul). A very solid 3.75 stars. Cheers, everybody. -
Linkwood 21 Year Distillery Labels (Gordon & MacPhail)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed May 28, 2017 (edited December 21, 2019)* Disclaimer- This review is specifically written for the Signatory bottling of this Linkwood single malt. I petitioned Distiller about 2 weeks ago to add this bottling because our distillery tour group is sampling this one in round 2. If Distiller eventually adds it I will gladly move this review. I just want to keep track of everything our group is trying, as well as add a review for anyone that may be interested in purchasing a Linkwood malt. On with the review... I took to a morning of sipping scotch after a long night of drinking craft beer with old friends. This morning's whisky sample comes from my friend Pranay and our Scottish Distillery group. We have just kicked off the second round so I started with what will be the oldest whisky for this round: Linkwood 20 year old. This is an independent bottling from Signatory that was put to rest by the distillery in May 1995 and bottled in March 2016. There was only 2 hogsheads casks used for this vintage (#5927 & #5934). That makes this entire run no more than 132 USgal- minus the Angels share, of course. So it's pretty rare stuff. It was bottled at 43% ABV and was non-chill filtered, I believe. On the nose there's faint oak and sweet malt. After 10-15min I think I pick up some light, floral notes but that could all be in my head due to this early morning drinking session, lol. The palate is also really one dimensional- bread and sweet apples/corn. It's not the candied variety, mind you just some subtle sweetness. It's remarkably smooth, but what 20 year old shouldn't be. There isn't much burn from the ABV because this had to be blended (watered) down to the stated 43%. I can only wonder what the flavor profile would've been had they bottled this at cask strength. The finish is medium length and somewhat peppery. Nothing much else to report on that front. Overall, it's a relatively bland single malt that really needed to be offered at cask strength IMO. As it is, it's one dimensional for sure. It's another tick off of our distillery list, though, and I'd like to thank my friend Pranay again for offering this one up. 3.25 stars. Cheers.
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