Tastes

@Richard-ModernDrinking and I had a tasting last night where we shared a few drams with each other. This was one of mine that I bought for the tasting. If the Macallan 10 from the 80s was the belle of the ball, this was the unexpected beautiful princess that showed up. I ranked this 4 out of the 12 for the night, only superseded by the 80s Macallan, Ardbeg Drum CE, and Stranger & Stranger. It’s a triple distilled Swedish, highly peated, matured fully in French Sauternes cask. Peaty, with a meaty backbone. Heather and sweetness. Really well balanced with smoke and sweetness. Totally unexpected.

@Richard-ModernDrinking and I had a tasting last night where we shared a few drams with each other. Light, sherried, dried figs and raisins. I had this after Stranger & Stranger, so it had the misfortune of bad placement. It didnt make it to my top 5 for the night. Thanks Richard for sharing this!

@Richard-ModernDrinking and I had a tasting last night where we shared a few drams with each other. This was one of my offerings. Unfortunately this was tasted right after an amazing Ardbeg Drum CE, so it already had a poor start. This didn’t make it to my top 5 or 6 out of the 12. Honey, light...almost like gin lightness. High grain content, and young. This was highly allocated and hard to find, sold out in minutes. Not sure it was worth the quick sell out. Or maybe it just was badly positioned after the Ardbeg

@Richard-ModernDrinking and I had a tasting last night where we shared a few drams with each other. This was my 2nd best of the night, out of 12. The only one in the tasting that was better was a 10 yr old Macallan from the 80s. This was amazing—-smoky, resinous, pine and sweetness. Just absolutely memorable. If it’s still available and reasonably priced, you wont go wrong getting it. Thanks Richard for sharing this!

@Richard-ModernDrinking and I had a tasting last night where we shared a few drams with each other. I bought over the unusual hard to find non-Scottish whiskies. This was one of mine I shared. Taste really young. Almost like craft American whiskey. Dates and fig. Light and clean, but just too youthful . The climate in Finland warrants a bit more in the cask. This didn’t make it to my top 5 or 6 out of the 12 I had

@Richard-ModernDrinking and I had a tasting last night where we shared a few drams with each other. I had this ranked at #3 out of 12. Really well made, taste of peaches, orchard fruits. Another excellent bottling by Glaser and team. It’s still available, I’d highly recommend this one. Thanks Richard for sharing this !

@Richard-ModernDrinking and I had a tasting last night where we shared a few drams with each other. This was the belle of the ball: a 1980s Macallan 10. Amazing aroma of dried fruits and nuts. Taste was deeply complex, orange rinds and nuts. Thick and oily, coating the mouth. Out of the 12 I had last night, this ranked #1. Thanks Richard for opening this !

Interesting pour. Aromas of chamomile tea, with a bit of roasted nuts. Light in color and sherry flavor...can’t really tell it’s sherry finished aside from the bit of roasted nuts on the aroma.

Why is it that a TRE version is generally a poor version of the regular retail version? I had the a sample of the retail Turf Mor years back and liked it enough to go look for that bottle. Unfortunately it was sold out. Batch 2 then came out as a TRE one. Of course, naively I picked it up, thinking it must be just as good. It’s not. Far from it. I recall the original having an almost wood burning aroma to it. This one has a phenolic aroma, supplemented by a wet rope taste on the palette. Not the romanticized version of wet rope that we normally associate with the likes of Islay, but the actual wet rope taste as if you really took wet rope and licked it. Imagine walking up to a docked boat, holding the wet rope, and going at it with your mouth. That’s what this is like. Not quite a 1 star, since this is palatable, but not something I’d ever order or buy again, even it’s close to free. Addendum: I so stand corrected. Last night, the initial sip out of the bottle was horrid. Heat and burnt plastic. But, after letting it sit out for a good 1/2 hour and adding a spoon of water, the flavors really came together. Now I got the burning wood aromas, the sea salt spray, all around a much lighter body than the Islay brethrens. It’s still no Lag, Ardbeg, or Laphroaig...but I paid $40USD for this...at that price, it’s a no brainer. Amazing about face once you let it sit and add some water. Solid 3.5 stars, bumped up a bit for that $40 price tag

I wasn’t a fan of the Blue at all. In fact, I loved the JW Green, which is a fraction of the Blue’s cost, so much more. But this one is a different beast. It’s not a full onslaught of smoke like a Lagavulin, or a delicate balance of floral like a Hibiki. Instead, it takes a wisp of smoke and harmonizes it really well with an elegant backbone of honey, floral elements, and some salt. I’m not sure how much Port Ellen is really in this, but it’s enouh to add that smoky wisp. More importantly, even though Port Ellen is the highlight name, I have a feeling it’s the other two ghosted grain distilleries (Cameronbrodge and Cally) that are the ones driving the elegance. If you’re contemplating buying the Blue...don’t. This is a bit more, but a whole better experience.