Tastes

Everyone always has that one teacher or mentor that makes such a striking influence on the individual that it makes him / her make their career choice. A choice that we end up living with the rest of our lives. Think about that. How strong must that influence be so it guides a person to a choice of living for decades? Whether explicitly or not, we all have had one in our lives. For me, it was Mr D in 5th grade. I used to skip school and go to the parks where I gambled with senior citizens over chess. This could’ve gone wrong in so many ways. He could’ve called my parents ( who probably wouldn’t have cared, at least I wasn’t doing drugs). He could’ve simply expelled me. He could’ve forced me to sit through class. But instead he figured “ if this kid is cutting class to gamble with 60 year olds over chess in the park, we need a more creative solution”. So—-he introduced me to writings by Shelly, Poe, Hardy, London, and Hemingway. He introduced me early on to chemistry and physics. Finance and economics. Looking back, because of him, I went for my Chemical Engineering degrees and MBA. We all have one such individual. So...there comes this bottle. While I was scouring the vault looking for a few bottles to share with @Richard-ModernDrinking, I came across two 3cl vials of this old Talisker. I remember buying the bottle way back in 2008, and I loved it so much that I saved two samples to enjoy at a future date. This may not have been my first whiskey ( that was a Glenfiddich), but it was the one that charted the way for me to get a passion for whiskey. It was the one that changed a casual drink at a bar into a passion. It’s my Mr D of whiskey. I used one of my two samples to try it again and see if it really was as good as I recall. Wow. This is hands down the best Talisker I’ve had, and maybe top 3 Whiskey. Aromas of old school library next to a craggy Maine seashore. Worn leather books, salty sea air. Taste is more of the same, plus seaweed, burnt leather, cigar vault. Simply amazing. I’ve no idea if this is still available, but if it is, it’s a worthwhile purchase. Twenty one years of a Talisker in a Sherry cask will do wonders.

After 2 weeks in Iceland without any whisky (or any alcohol for that matter—-it’s so freakin’ expensive there!!), I finally got back home and opened up this sample sent by my buddy @LeeEvolved . So, after letting it sit out a bit, while catching up on some Hassan Minhaj and John Oliver, I took a sip. My first reaction was “ damn it...I CAN’T believe I got one at $50, and then sold it (was trying to reduce some bottles in my collection, and foolishly thought a young Talisker can’t be all that good) for $60!!” What the hell was I thinking? Dumbass. At $50 when it first came out, I should’ve bought a few. This is now unfortunately hard to get except at sky high prices in auction. It’s 2 years younger than the 10, but acts a few years older. Closer to 18, but CS. You get meaty, salty notes, like a butcher shop next to an ocean. Then comes the classic Talisker pepper, but more brutish. Talisker at cask strength is as rough as it gets, but wow, this walks an amazing tightrope between rough and elegant. It’s what the 10 aspires to be. This is simply an amazing must buy at the original $50 price. I don’t know what secondary pricing is now, but I’m guessing well over $150. I’d not be a buyer of it over $90, because I can get the Corry or Uigi and be just almost as satisfied. But at $50...pull up a truck ( damn it, can’t believe I sold mine!!), it’s a steal. Solid 4.5 stars with a bump up considering original $50 pricing. Did I mention how upset I am selling mine?

Bought a bottle of their distillery version 3 yr old smoked version. Smoke is really different than anything from Islay or even anywhere else. Earthy, grassy. Extra 0.5 for the Iceland experience

Nine out of ten times, can’t really go wrong with a Compass Box blend. They are masters of blending, and unfortunately, people have noticed which makes their prices skyrocket. This one here, the pour courtesy from my buddy @LeeEvolved, is no exception. It’s pricey (now over $120), but it’s so damn good. Light, lemon-y, a touch of brine and a kick of smoke. So damn good. I’m glad I bought a bottle. If you like peated, but not a smack in your face, then this is right up your alley. Thanks Lee!

Thanks to @Telex for sending over a generous pour of this beauty. This is an Ardbeg from 5 yrs ago, marketed during the FIFA Men’s World Cup in Brazil. Hence the name “Aurivedes”, which means gold and blue. Now what Whisky and the World Cup have in common, who knows? Just a well timed marketing opportunity. With that said, now that I think of it, really pisses me off that not a single distillery bothered marketing anything for the Women’s World Cup...at least would’ve been a good opportunity to have an American craft distillery use Alex Morgan, Rose Lavelle or Meghan Rapinoe. Where was the Swedish distillery Smogen showcasing their pride? And the Dutch distillery Millstone leveraging Danielle van de Donk, the amazing midfielder? Anyway...I’m off my soap box and now to the business at hand: This is an Ardbeg. It’s good. Enough said. It’s young, overly expensive, and damn freakin’ good with sweet tar, smoked herring, and lemon zest. But with that said, would I buy this over their 10, Uigi, or Corey? Nope. I firmly believe that with Ardbeg, their core lineup is so damn good that there’s really no reason to fall for their one off marketing gimmicks ( which result in good Whisky, just not better than the core). Leave the annual Ardbeg Day releases to the lunatics that scour the Internet looking for it. Leave the Feis Ile bottlings to the ultra-faithful. The real pot of gold is in their very much affordable, easily available, and amazing core lineup. Thanks @Telex...another good Ardbeg.

Thanks to @Generously_Paul for providing a pour, I got to taste this single grain from a closed distillery. It’s really not often that one gets to sample whisky from closed and ghosted distilleries, so I’m that much more thankful. In my opinion, single grain whiskies are usually rough and brazen under 25-30yrs, unless they’re blended ( like Compass Box) or finished. This one here plays to that general hypothesis. Nose is definitely sherried. Some dried fruits and hazelnuts. Taste is thinner than a single malt, naturally. Lighter mouthfeel, but that’s actually a positive in this summer scorching 100 degree heat outside. Typical sherry dark fruits, marzipan. A bit of a light heat in the finish. One of the better sub-30yr old grains I’ve had. And from a ghosted distillery makes it that much more unique. Thanks Paul for the pour !

After having to spectacular Auchentoshans ( the 21 yr single Sherry cask, and the 26 yr wine finished), I was really looking forward to this one, a really generous pour sent by @LeeEvolved. I think if I didn’t have those two in mind, I would’ve like this one more. Either way—-it’s a damn good Auchentoshan, just not at the level of the other two. This has notes of tart berries, some shortbread, and plenty of cereal notes. Way better than their standard offering, but if you can find their 26 yr wine matured or the relatively affordable 21 yr Sherry cask, go for those . Thanks @LeeEvolved for the pour!!

I know it’s all personal tastes and opinions, but for me, Auchentoshans never really have personality. , I feel it needs to be older and exposed to a lot of stronger well made casks to truly shine. Like us, right? We’re a byproduct of all the women/men we’ve dated and the people we’ve interacted with deeply for an extended period of time. We sort of changed in our personality every time we were with someone with a strong personality, and took bits of that to our next stage in life. Hopefully the culmination of that is what make us today in our personality. Similarly, I feel as if Auchentoshan really shines when it’s fimished or matured in casks that are much stronger than its base personality. This one for example, was fully matured 21 yrs in a sherry cask. Then bottled NCF and CS. You take something like an Ardbeg and fully mature it for 21 yrs in sherry cask, you’ll either end up with a masterpiece or a disaster, from two strong vying personalities. But you take a light timid personality like Auchentoshan and expose it to something that make it stronger, I think you have a better outcome than the original. Out of the few Auchentoshans I’ve had, the only one I’ve liked was a wine finished 26 yr old courtesy of @LeeEvolved . This one, I liked just as much—probably comes down to preference for sherry vs wine maturation / finish. Aroma is enticing...oranges and nuts. A bit floral. The palette is where it shines—-marzipan, orange zest, Christmas cake. Really well made. And for $100..a steal.

Oh my god this is good. Cheers to @dubz480 for sending over a pour. I had to add a bit of water, and let it sit out while watching “Stranger Things “ tonight, but wow...after a while, the aromas really blossom. What’s surprising is that despite it being MGP sourced, I’m not getting that dill aroma or taste. Instead, on the nose, cool mint, eucalyptus, and ...vetiver? Taste is an extension of the aromas. More of that same mint and vetiver, but with a tinge of heat. At $60, this punches above its class. You can do much worse for more money, but not much better for the same price. Thanks @dubz480 for the generous sample!