Tastes

I’m 0-2 tonight in our SDT sampling tour. This one courtesy of @Generously_Paul . Another one that I struggled for a sip or two, and then gave up. Hot, astringent, more like a grain under 15 yrs old rather than a single malt. Needed more time in the barrel. Or just better barrels. One unholy mess.

Another stop in our SDT tour, a quest between 5 of us to,sample an offering from every active Scottish distillery. Now in round 6, and this one offered by @Generously_Paul . I couldn’t finish this one...sorry guys. Just too much of a plastic-y aroma...simply couldn’t get past it. Did manage to take a sip, and just as I thought...overly sweet with that manufactured corn syrup flavor. This needs more time in the barrel...much more time, Thanks for the pour @Generously_Paul —-acknowledge and move on

I felt like a senior citizen yelling at a millennial “damn it, young man, act your age!”. I expected more out of a 21 yr old. I’ve always felt that Jura lacks a focus and house style, which then makes its products all over the place. This was quite apparent in this 21 yr old. I went in expecting austere elegance, refinement, and classs...all enveloped around a powerful Islander style oceanic brine and sea salt. What I got was a smorgasbord of flavors, ranging from chocolate to fruits to oak. At the age of 21, resting in warehouses near craggy ocean beaten shorelines, I’d expect that influence to permeate into the whisky. Basic law of osmosis. So the let down, for me at least, wasn’t that it’s not good,..it’s a decent enough whisky. But I’m not getting the influence I’d expect in a 21 yr old Islander.

A bonus sample provided by my buddy @Scott_E as part of our little SDT trading team. I had high hopes for this one...my only other Tullamore was a 14 yr old, which I loved. It’s like that 2nd book of Lord of the Rings. You guys and gals have read that? There was a lot of nothing happening there in that 2nd book, despite tons of pages. Trees just walking around. Monologues just happening endlessly. This is just like that. It’s got a dense mouthfeel, but I’m not seeing the benefit of the rum cask. It’s not bad...just a bit of a let down, not much going on. So...the key question: would I buy a bottle? No. Would I buy a pour? No. Would I refuse if offered? No...would gladly try again to see if my opinion changes, Thanks for this @Scott_E

I was looking forward to this sample all week. A week or two ago, I tried the Circus, and thought it was amazing. After that, I was afraid this might be a let down.. After all...it’s just a well aged Clyneish, with 10% Talisker. The closest this reminds me of is this one dessert I had in Lyons ages ago. They had this utterly decadent tart, made with pears, almonds, and a flaking of sea salt. Was rich, fruity, and a perfect complement after a lovely dinner. Now...here’s the true question: considering it’s $300, would I buy a bottle? It’s lovely...it really is. Rich, fruity, sinfully delectable. A 2 star Michelin worthy Pear au Amande dessert. But $300 is a freakin’ lot of money! Price agnostic, this is a 5 star whisky. And honestly, in today’s market, a 24 yr old Clyneish is about $300 ( a 21 yr old on MoM is listed as $290), and a 20 yr old Talisker is probably just shy of $300 (a 24 yr Old is $310). So...with that data point, maybe $300 is fair. What I’d like to know is if the 21 Clyneish or 25 Talisker are better than this, if yes...than this is overpriced. If no, then seems fair pricing. Now if anyone has a 21 yr old Clyneish and a 25 yr old Talisker, I’d be happy to further my analysis and arrive at a definitive conclusion...

Yeah, this can pass for sippable after you’re already passed out drunk. Otherwise...no. Pathetic nose. Like Elmer’s glue. Back in 8th grade, I knew a bunch of miscreants that would’ve loved the nose in this...better than getting high on the glue at least. Taste: bitter fruits. Sorry...I can’t finish this...going for that Adelphi Winter Queen instead. Getting too old to put up with crap whisky.

This is one of my offerings for round 6 in our SDT tour. These closed distilleries are always interesting. One part of me wonders if they closed because their product wasn’t up to par in the market, or was it just bad strategy and product management which becomes accentuated when popular taste loses favor because of competition, too narrow a focus, or pricing ( think Blockbuster, Gogurt, Sears, Border’s). Nowadays, there’s a hyperinflated price tags on merely decent malts like this, or just plain silly laughable prices on really good malts like Broras. This one here is merely decent. Current price tag of $450 decent ? No. (Thankfully I bought this years ago for much less). It’s pretty singular and one dimensional in tatste...loads of waxy honey. Not bad, really an experience in having a closed distillery who’s bottles are getting harder and harder to find...but, not at $450. ( also,,,I spelled the title wrong when requesting this...should be Pittyvaich, not Piityvaich.)

This was my bonus offering for our little tour. What really intrigued me in this blend was the combination of Dutch and Scottish malts. Not something you see often. It’s not readily available either, just a few hundred bottles or so, in northern EU and UK markets. Immediately at pour, I loved the color :mahogany. The nose is more like rye...baking spices, cinnamon, bread. The taste has layers of complexity—-you get a rye like zing from a youthful Dutch, but it balances out against the more robust and elegant two Scottish players. If tasted blind, I’d have guessed this was a well aged rye that’s tempered with a finishing, or it’s a unique Compass Box blend. I think I got this barely over for $100...wish I bought two. @Generously_Paul @LeeEvolved @Telex @Scott_E hopefully you guys will like this one

So here I am in an Orlando hotel room, laptop open working on a presentation deck, spicy Thai food for dinner, and —sin of all sins—-this beauty in a plastic cup. It so deserved a proper glass...the plastic cup was just plain wrong. But..that’s all I had. Even though this has silly phenol levels (309ppm), I still contend that ppm doesn’t necessarily equate to an equally hard peaty punch. This has plenty...that’s not the point...but it doesn’t feel any more considering it’s maybe over double or triple of No Name and even 6x or 7x so more than a Lag16. It doesn’t taste 7x “peatier’ than the Lag16. That’s because chemically, the human nose starts to exponentially discern phenol levels less after 60ppm or so. Instead, the nose will start to take in other aromas after that point. It’s a simple evolutionary mechanism. There’s really no natural reason to have that high sense of smell beyond 60ppm. So, is taking anything above 60-100ppm a simple marketing gimmick, considering humans can’t sense anything above that range? Yeah. Probably. So...that brings us to this. It won’t smell or taste any peatier than a Lag16 or Ardbeg 10, but it’ll bring other flavors and aromas to table instead. While you get the bandaids in Laphroaig or brine and salt in Lagavulin or smoky embers in Ardbeg, this brings a bit of fruitier flavors. You get some tropical fruit combimed with that initial peaty taste. This is good. Actually, damn good. But...don’t go in expecting you’ll get a big peaty punch. Your nose and palette simply isn’t evolved enough to notice.

An interesting dram from Arran. Nose starts off a bit weak, but the palette is where it comes alive with flavors of salted caramel, brine, and chocolate—-all in layers. Would’ve been almost like a Talisker if it had that peppery kick as well. Would I buy a full bottle? Yes...if it was under $100.