Tastes

Age: 5 years old Alcohol: 58.5% Maturation: Ex-Bourbon cask with finishing in ex-French Syrah casks from Rhone Valley Paid: $182 (Travel retail exclusive) This is the only x.2 Octomore I have tried and, as is the rule with travel retail exclusives, it is disappointing. The consolation prize is that it’s still an enjoyable whisky, but not for $182. Red wine and volcanic ash is a strange combination. The explorations of peat and red wine by Springbank, with their Longrow Red series are more to my liking because they show me that wine is missing more alcohol and some peat. Octomore 7.2 looks at things from the other way around: Is a peat monster missing some wine? No. This is not an improvement over the x.1s. The cheapest and easiest to find Octomore in my area is the 6.1, and it is much better without the wine influence. Some water is mandatory with this 7.2, otherwise you get this awkward ash polluted with Syrah. Even with water, it just brings out the buttery and savory goodness that the basic 6.1 and 7.1 already has in abundance. The arrival is surprisingly delicate for the high ABV, but this one also finishes bitterer compared to the x.1s. MARK: 88/100. Not recommended. If you want to spend money on an Octomore, try x.1 and x.3s.

Age: NAS Alcohol: 43% Paid: $65 Auchentoshan is a fresh and light spirit. Unfortunately by using extra “maturation” in really shit Oloroso and PX sherry casks, you get an unbalanced and, at times, unpleasant Three Wood. There are some good flavors in here. Some cherries, and dark chocolate sundae fudge with chestnuts and hazelnuts. But I can’t ignore the plastic and the Sulphur. It’s just bad sherry casks, bad cask storage, not enough maturation, or all three. It’s shameful to charge premium NAS prices for this. It’s not a terrible whisky; it’s worth maybe $30-40, but it’s priced at twice that, and I don’t see where the money went. The wood is garbage. It was shit that was going to be tossed anyways. It’s obvious. Reminds me somewhat of Laphroaig Three Wood, except that was salvaged by an intriguing play with the medicinal Laphroaig peat. This is a sad whisky by a sad distillery. MARK: 75/100. Not recommended.

Age: 6 years Distilled 2009. Bottled 2015. Alcohol: 50% Paid: $60 $60 for a 6 year old unpeated Scotch? It takes some kind of confidence to not go the NAS route. Its contents must be good. And it is. Imagine the greatest pizza you have ever tasted. It better have good dough. That dough is so good, maybe you wonder how the dough would taste on its own. Well, if that pizza is Octomore 6.3, then this is its dough, pure and unpeated. This whisky has a simple idea, and it delivers on that idea. The highlight here is the malt, proudly grown on Islay. They name the farmer and the farm, as a way to show that this product has been cared for by Bruichladdich from the soil to the bottle. What you get in the dram is maltiness at its best: creamy oatmeal, butter and cereal. This is the best of the Octomores, stripped of its armor of peat; revealing the delicate and decadent body behind the monster. If only it was cask strength! MARK: 89/100. Recommended purchase!

We’ve reached the end of the countdown… Surprise! It’s a bourbon. #1: Old Forester 1920. Kentucky Straight Bourbon. 57.5% ABV. NAS. Paid $62 This is also the best value for money bottle on this countdown. This countdown was really around 40 bottles, but Distiller did not have all of them listed. One honorable mention, before we start talking about this bourbon, is Lagavulin 12 year 2014 release, which would’ve finished 2nd. Yes, I would rather have this bourbon on most occasions than Lagavulin 12. I did not intentionally make this number 1 for shock value; this made it to the top after it was tried in ~3 blind tastings, and I initially thought this must’ve been Four Roses. I had never tried an Old Forester before, and did not have any expectations for it. Old Forester 1920 is everything I love about bourbon. Power, richness, cherries, cola, fresh oak on top, layers of leather and tobacco beneath. The age is hidden from us, but it’s just the perfect age on the palate. It’s old and young all at once, with dark chocolate, coffee, and leather hinting at some age; vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, and hot chilies hinting at youth. The mouthfeel is silky and luxurious. The finish continues to reward for a long time with dry oak balanced with vanilla and whipped cream on a latte. I have had better bourbons, but have never found and bought one just sitting on a shelf that was this good. I always assumed bourbon lovers are in a ridiculous hunting game, where you either have to expend time and energy participating in lotteries and fraternizing with store/bar owners; or shell out wads of cash in the secondary market. This was a revelation; right up there with the impossible to find WLWs, GTSs, Pappies, Kentucky Owls, etc., but you can still find this one on the shelves for around $60. MARK: 95/100

33 open bottles in my collection ranked through multiple blind tastings. Counting them down! #2: Redbreast Cask Strength. Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. 57.2% ABV. 12 years old. Batch No. B1/16 Paid $73 A little hard to find. It’s an automatic buy when you find it. This could’ve been $100, and still be a good purchase in today’s market, where Scottish distilleries are releasing NAS cask strength sherry matured whiskies for ~$100. Redbreast 12 CS is not a sherry bomb, but it is still an explosion of sweet flavors that are preferable to single-minded young sherry whiskies. This is Redbreast with spikes. Huge, dense nose. Lightly toasted wood, caramel, marshmellows. Salted vanilla butterscotch with secondary sherry notes. On the palate, this is hot, and almost too intense. Some water mellows this out, but I have Redbreast 15 and 21 if I wanted a mellow experience. You really want to slowly sip this thing of beauty, so your tastebuds can get accustomed to the volume. Initially, it’s just like flavors shouting; everything is strong, but nothing stands out. With time and acclimation, you get the richest, most viscous vanilla and caramel flavors, with a fruity acetone aftertaste that lingers. If price were not a consideration, I prefer the Redbreast 21 year, just slightly, but that bottle is 3-4x the price of this Redbreast 12 CS, which offers incredible bang for the buck, and is one of the best whiskies I’ve tasted this year. MARK: 94/100 PREVIOUSLY, ON BATMAN: #3: Glenkinchie. $190. 55.1% ABV. 20 years old. D1990/B2010. 93/100. #4: Caol Ila Unpeated Style. $173. 55.9% ABV. 17 years old. 93/100. #5: Paul John Peated Select Cask. $84. 55.5% ABV. NAS. 92/100. #6: Redbreast. $96. 43% ABV. 15 years old. 92/100. #7: Yamazaki. $74. 43% ABV. 12 years old. 92/100. #8: Lagavulin. $70. 43% ABV. 16 years old. 91/100. #9: Benromach. $65. 43%. 16 years. 91/100. #10: Talisker Distiller’s Edition. $72. 45.8%. D2000/B2011. 91/100.

33 open bottles in my collection ranked through multiple blind tastings. Counting them down! #3: Glenkinchie. Single Malt Scotch. 55.1% ABV. 20 years old. D1990/B2010 Paid $190 If I find another bottle at the same price, I am probably buying it. Glenkinchie ,well-aged and at cask strength, is beautiful. The 24 year old special release, at $400-500 a bottle, I’m not sure is worth it. But if you can find this 20 year old for under $200, this is a recommended purchase. The nose is quintessential ex-bourbon matured scotch with a grassy edge. The palate is amazingly spirit-forward. A green attack of mint, eucalyptus, herbs, and grass. The fruitiness comes from green apples and cucumber. The finish is oaky, dry, and slightly smoky. This is mind-blowingly good, and makes me sad about the Glenkinchie core range, which is pretty uninspiring. MARK: 93/100 PREVIOUSLY, ON BATMAN: #4: Caol Ila Unpeated Style. $173. 55.9% ABV. 17 years old. 93/100. #5: Paul John Peated Select Cask. $84. 55.5% ABV. NAS. 92/100. #6: Redbreast. $96. 43% ABV. 15 years old. 92/100. #7: Yamazaki. $74. 43% ABV. 12 years old. 92/100. #8: Lagavulin. $70. 43% ABV. 16 years old. 91/100. #9: Benromach. $65. 43%. 16 years. 91/100. #10: Talisker Distiller’s Edition. $72. 45.8%. D2000/B2011. 91/100.

33 open bottles in my collection ranked through multiple blind tastings. Counting them down! #4: Caol Ila Unpeated Style. Single Malt Scotch. 55.9% ABV. 17 years. B2015 Paid $173 If I buy this again, it will have to cheaper. This bottle can be found for $130-150. More likely, I will try another edition of the Caol Ila Unpeated Style (this is a yearly Diageo special release). 8 months ago, I opened this bottle and didn’t like it. It tasted like dust, limestone, and stingy tonic water. I think I described it as backbone without a soul. I used a fair amount in mixing experiments afterwards, before giving it another chance. It got better. A lot better. So much better that this is the first of four 5-star whiskies that highlight the end of this countdown. The buttery, lemon pie notes took a while to emerge, but they now punctuate an exquisite nose. When I had a freshly opened bottle, there was no fruitiness except for citrus to speak of. Now, as I kill off this bottle, there is a fruit basket! Apples, apricots, lemons, limes, plums. All is balanced very nicely with a rich vanilla, baking spices, and brine. The finish feels carbonated. I still get some tonic water. I also get hints of peat, despite this being “unpeated.” An apple flavor lingers, like hard cider. Add some water to make it less tonic-y and sweeter. I should’ve known better than to rush to judgement with Caol Ila Unpeated. This expression gets released every year by Diageo, and they wouldn’t do this year after year after year if it wasn’t a hit (just look at the $900 NAS Clynelish from a few years back for an example of a special release fail that they stopped making). Still, Lagavulin 12 is the special release that is slightly cheaper. 8 months ago, I would’ve told you the Laga is a million times better. Today, I tell you, it is only slightly better. MARK: 93/100 PREVIOUSLY, ON BATMAN: #5: Paul John Peated Select Cask. $84. 55.5% ABV. NAS. 92/100. #6: Redbreast. $96. 43% ABV. 15 years old. 92/100. #7: Yamazaki. $74. 43% ABV. 12 years old. 92/100. #8: Lagavulin. $70. 43% ABV. 16 years old. 91/100. #9: Benromach. $65. 43%. 16 years. 91/100. #10: Talisker Distiller’s Edition. $72. 45.8%. D2000/B2011. 91/100.

33 open bottles in my collection ranked through multiple blind tastings. Counting them down! #5: Paul John Peated Select Cask. Single Malt Whisky from India. 55.5% ABV. NAS. Paid $84 Yes, I will be restocking this. Wow! I love Indian whisky! It’s way more expressive and more reasonably priced than Japanese whisky. This is a concentrated beast at 55.5% ABV; it’s made from imported peated Scottish barley, which is then distilled in Gao, India. The nose makes false promises of being gentle. There’s subdued smoke, and rich bourbon-influenced aromas. Maybe it’s my imagination, but like the Amrut Fusion earlier in the countdown, I get a dank, humid whiff; like jungle perspiration and honey on linen. The palate is a punch of flavors dialed to 11. The peat is a lot stronger than the nose would lead you to believe. But this is balanced by super dense barbeque sauce sweetness and bold spiciness. It is so sweet, full-bodied, and bitey that I once mistook it for Octomore 7.2 in a blind tasting. This is less than half the price of the Octomore, and I ended up rating it higher in that tasting. The sweet, fruity boldness creates the illusion of wine cask influence, when there has been none. I recommend some water added with this one. It’s can sting otherwise. MARK: 92/100 PREVIOUSLY, ON BATMAN: #6: Redbreast. $96. 43% ABV. 15 years old. 92/100. #7: Yamazaki. $74. 43% ABV. 12 years old. 92/100. #8: Lagavulin. $70. 43% ABV. 16 years old. 91/100. #9: Benromach. $65. 43%. 16 years. 91/100. #10: Talisker Distiller’s Edition. $72. 45.8%. D2000/B2011. 91/100. #11: Amrut Fusion. $76. 50%. NAS. 91/100

33 open bottles in my collection ranked through multiple blind tastings. Counting them down! #6: Redbreast. Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. 46% ABV. 15 years old. Paid $96 Yes, I will be restocking this. Redbreast is awesome, and I want the entire lineup. I never liked Irish whiskey until Redbreast. The best purchases are the 12 year old cask strength and the 21 year old, but this 15 year old will not disappoint. On the nose, this is like smelling a freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookie with a perfectly balanced backdrop of bourbon and sherry influence. There’s a dank mustiness of 15 years of age that is just as pleasant. The palate is harmony. Nothing dominates. Sultanas, wood spices, a touch of vanilla and Sulphur funk (not enough to be a detractor). Peppery, silky smooth finish. This tastes luxurious, and I can’t see anyone who can drink spirits neat not liking this whiskey. MARK: 92/100 PREVIOUSLY, ON BATMAN: #7: Yamazaki. $74. 43% ABV. 12 years old. 92/100. #8: Lagavulin. $70. 43% ABV. 16 years old. 91/100. #9: Benromach. $65. 43%. 16 years. 91/100. #10: Talisker Distiller’s Edition. $72. 45.8%. D2000/B2011. 91/100. #11: Amrut Fusion. $76. 50%. NAS. 91/100

33 open bottles in my collection ranked through multiple blind tastings. Counting them down! #7: Yamazaki. Japanese Single Malt. 43% ABV. 12 years old. Paid $74 I bought 4 bottles at $74, and still have 2 unopened. Fucking Yamazaki. Fucking all of Japanese whisky. There were about 200 bottles released to Montgomery County, Maryland last year for a retail price of $74, and I ended up buying 4 bottles. There are better bottles for cheaper (wait for my #1) that I don’t grab 4 bottles of. It’s this feeling of scarcity that is currently plaguing the whisky industry, and jacking up this bottle all the way to $200 on the secondary market. The max value for this bottle is around $100, which is astounding for a 12 year old. The nose on Yamazaki 12 is so floral, so confident, so inviting. The palate does not quite live up to the nose, but is still well-balanced deliciousness. Plums, honey, and tea. Woody finish that worsens with oxidation. I would not let bottles less than half-full linger. My first bottle I only gave 83/100 because of the bitter tannic notes that took over after I tried to stretch an almost empty bottle. I’m on my second bottle, and I’m drinking this out a lot quicker, and it is so easy to. This is Japanese whisky that is still a good value if you can find it for less than $100. MARK: 92/100 PREVIOUSLY, ON BATMAN: #8: Lagavulin. $70. 43% ABV. 91/100. #9: Benromach. $65. 43%. 16 years. 91/100. #10: Talisker Distiller’s Edition. $72. 45.8%. D2000/B2011. 91/100. #11: Amrut Fusion. $76. 50%. NAS. 91/100