Tastes

The last few years, I don’t really think there’s been an Ardbeg Day release that’s impressed me. The only reason I’ve ever bought those, and generally the Committee Releases only , is more so just because it’s Ardbeg. I’ve always thought Ardbeg had a very enviable problem that it’s regular releases are so good ( 10, Uigi, Corey, and even now the 5), that it’s special ones always had a hard time matching up. Unless you spend high dollars and get the 17 and 19, the core range are always the best. Until this year. This one was probably the best Ardbeg Day release I’ve had. Far beating the last few: Perpetuum, Drum, Kelpie, etc. I wouldn’t say it’s better than the core...it’s just different. It has the sooty Ardbeg peat, but this time mixed with a fruity backbone. Think raspberry and sooty smoke. If you can find it reasonably priced, it’s a must try, especially if you’re an Islay fan. Thanks to @LeeEvolved for the pour!

This is the brand new Irish Waterford distillery’s Ratheadon ( yes...sounds like a dinosaur, right up there with pteranodon). A few key facts about these guys: it’s single farm focus, with a concentration in terroir. And how cool is this——there’s a tracking code by bottle which you enter into their website, and a series of deep details are made available. So, my bottle came from Ratheadon farm, Irina barley sown Aug 11, 2015, fermented May 10, 2016, 2 day distillation, matured till February 6, 2020 and bottled June 2, 2020. Only 2000 bottles, with only 1400 made for sale...and ONLY in Ireland. Even provides a Google map of the terroir, soil type ( surface water clay), cask composition, and how many liters were in each cask!! My god, 700 tastings in over 10 years and I’ve never seen such level of detail! Needless to say...with such small micro-production, these first releases (farms from Bannow Island, Ballyclavin, and Ratheadon ) sold out in minutes...and we’re not talking silly money. I paid only $60 for mine. You’ll see them now in secondary for 3-5x the original price. I don’t comment usually on art and bottling—-but was really impressed by the bottle. Elegant dark blue, heavy, with a solid glass stopper. Okay—-so, they have clearly the transparency, technology, price affordability, and focus on quality ...but how’s the liquid? For $60...I wasn’t expecting much. At first...Until obviously I saw the details. But wow...for $60, I don’t think I’ve had anything better. This is not like any Irish I’ve ever had. As with most 42%+ ABV, I had to add a few drops of water to mine. The nose was at first underwhelming—-typical malty, bread-y. But the palette shines—-fruit is there, but it’s combined with a maritime salty taste. Almost like a Talisker 18. In fact, tasted blind, I would’ve mistaken this for Talisker 18. At such a young age, it’s mature...a product of obsessive focus on quality. Of the new distilleries, I think it was Bimber that had impressed me most with new offerings. Before that, probably Kilchoman...and that was 10 years ago. This is better. Hey...newbie distilleries in US and Scotland...ya’ll should be taking notes from these guys...

This is a NYC Drammers Club bottle, which seemed really unique—-Balcones True Blue matured fully in tequila cask and bottled cask strength. At first whiff, you get the classic tequila grassy aroma. The palette is where this really comes alive . It’s deeply complex with a sweetness upfront, followed by a grassy herbal flavor. I feel as if a really robust whiskey was needed to stand up to the tequila without losing its DNA. And this Texan delivers. Unfortunately, I don’t think this is available anywhere ( but maybe the distillery ), but if you do see it—it’s a worthwhile experience.

This was a pour provided graciously by @Soba45 ...sent all the way across 4000 miles of the Pacific, and then 3000 miles over US. Having something from a bygone era is a luxurious treat. And having something this old, is even more of a treat. I’ve had maybe 3-4 single malts in the 40+ yr category, and one thing is fairly consistent across those: the quality is far beyond what we’re seeing today, especially in the casks. I just got it this week, and I was looking forward to trying it the minute it showed up. I’m generally not in the habit of having this caliber of drams without something to celebrate. But...my daughter just passed an exam to make it into entering middle school’s advanced math—-a damn difficult exam ( needed straight A’s in class, 95% in a statewide core test, and then a 75%+ in an advanced math test). So—-to me—-that’s ;reason enough. First thing you notice in this is the color. Deep, deep mahogany. Like the best polished wood you’ll ever see. The nose is then pure elegance. Think sitting in an old library. It’s aromas of wood without being overpowering. Those 40+ yrs in sherry did it’s job slowly and steadily. The taste...thick and viscous. Chewy, oily. Now comes the Christmas cake, spices like nutmeg and cloves. Absolutely amazing. I’ve had a few other 40+ yr olds, but never matured solely in sherry. Then again, not many distillates can hold sherry cask this long besides the likes of Macallan, Mortlach, Balvenie, and maybe a few more. This is another once-in-a-lifetime pour. I don’t know what to say—-thanks immensely to @Soba45 for sharing. I know you had a tough year, and this was a “cheers” to see you come out stronger.

My one pour of the week...had this last night while watching The Hunt. Sometimes things aren’t what they seem. Like back in grad school, I casually dated this one woman, we’ll call her B. B was a free spirit. Did what she wanted, said what was on her mind, and loved the casual part in the relationship rather than taking things a step more ( which, for a young grad student, was perfect). But, she kept saying how she’s in a Triad, with “D” and “ S”, and if I minded it at all. I never understood how someone so peace loving and borderline tree hugging can possibly belong in a vicious Chinese Triad mafia. Besides, she wasn’t Asian. I don’t know, maybe the Chinese mafia loosened their recruiting parameters. But I never asked details...she was gorgeous, and I just thanked my lucky situation. But after a few weeks, she kept insisting I should meet D” and “S”. I kept saying no...I really had no intentions of meeting mafia. One day, she surprised me. We were out at a restaurant. She said “ I invited the Triad over...I know you don’t want to meet them, but they’re a part of me, and I need you to accept them”. I was terrified. I figured I’d be sliced up with swords and nunchucks. “D” and “S” walk into the restaurant. Wait...they’re not Asian either. In fact, “D” seems as if he’s really over-weight...they must’ve REALLY loosened up Triad recruiting practices. Half way through dinner, not a single conversation on mafia things...I figured out Triad can also mean 3 people in a polyamory relationship....and I was being asked to be the fourth. And that my friends, leads me to this pour...it’s not really your typical Kilchoman. I expect Kilchoman to be more complex, pettier, layered with fruits and smoke. This...this was flat. Got the peat on the nose, but the palette was tepid. My 2nd Kilchoman ever I didn’t like ( only other being the Port one). Moral of the story: don’t go in assuming—--might not turn out what you originally think.

One of my favorite non-Scottish distilleries is from Sweden ( Smogen), so I figured why not give a try to another Swede. This one is a blend of casks from 8 to 13yr of age, finished first in oloroso and PX sherry cask, and then cask that previously held cloudberry wine. Cloudberries look like orange blackberries, but grow in boreal forest and arctic tundra. I’ve had some in Norway ages ago, and thought it was delicious—a cross between raspberry and currents, almost sweet-tart. The nose on this is amazing. Like smelling strawberry cream. Nose alone is a 5 out of 5 stars. The palette...a bit strange. Bitter, salty, a hint of smoke. Interesting to try, but glad I had only a 3cl pour, and not a full bottle.

I’ve been meaning to try Wilderness Trail for a while now. It’s a relatively new distillery, in KY, and unlike other upstarts, they actually waited 4 years to place their first bottle as a BiB. You have to hand it to them waiting 4 years, especially considering the immense startup costs in building a new distillery. And thanks to my buddy @dubz480 for sending over a generous pour to try. This is a 114 proof..I couldn’t even find that listing here, so I’m guessing @dubz480 got his hands on a special store pick. I had this sample on my desk since Monday. Been periodically nosing it all week. The aroma is amazing...marshmallows and vanilla, with a side of oak. I can just smell the aromas without drinking it, and be fully content. The palette for me was a step down though...not for anything else, but it was simply too hot at 114. I had to add ice, but then that muted the amazing aroma. So, net/net...I screwed up by adding too large an ice. With proof that high, I have a hard time balancing to get it just right. Either way, I need to try the BiB 100proof version of this, which I’m guessing will be less hot. Thanks @dubz480 for the pour!

Barrell has come out with a mind boggling, and probably genius, strategy: have a micro-production of about 2 dozen highly customized blends finished in various casks. These are limited to about 120 bottles. There’s such varieties like 18 yr whiskey finished in Italian amaro, 18 yr whiskey finished in German ice wine, etc. Each variant has no more than 120 bottles, all reasonable priced at $100 or so. This one caught my attention because it was the only non-American in the lineup. So...every Friday I have a bit of a ritual. Since I only drink about 1 ounce (3-4cl) once a week, I really look forward to it. On a Monday, I select the whiskey I want to have for Friday. I pour it into a sample vial. Throughout the week, every so often, I’ll open up the vial and smell the aroma. It really makes the Friday pour that much more appreciated. All week long I was looking forward to this one. It was like smelling a fruit basket of lychees and pineapples. Finally, Friday night...relaxing with a Netflix...poured into a glencairn. That pineapple aroma floated through the air. The palette starts with the fruit basket, but takes an abrupt turn to a slight bitter tinge, a bit grape-y, from the brandy I guess. I wasn’t a fan of that slight deviation..would’ve loved instead to have the fruit forward...but I guess that defeats the point of the brandy finish. I’d give this a solid 4 on the nose and a 3 on the palette...