Tastes

With this, I will officially have covered Ardbeg’s entire core range. Thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample. This has truly been one of the best core ranges in all of whisky. Let’s see if Wee Beastie can round it out the right way. Nose: Big-time vanilla custard. Cinnamon red hots. Sea salt, brine, and seaweed. Campfire smoke and peat. Band-aid and iodine. Chestnut, toasted almond, and cashew. Lemon citrus and black pepper. Oak. Palate: Grapefruit and lemon citrus. Ash, campfire smoke, and peat. Brine, sea salt, and seaweed. Bandaid, iodine, and tennis ball. Dark chocolate. Vanilla custard. Honey and toffee. Black bean, red pepper chili. Mint. Apple cider. Not-quite-ripe banana. Black pepper and oak. Finish: Ash, campfire smoke, peat. Sea salt, seaweed, brine. Black bean, red pepper chili. Dark chocolate. Custard. Black pepper, cinnamon, and oak. Moderate-long finish. Wee Beastie is a fitting name for this one. It’s young, yet it is undeniably a power puncher. And it’s a quality malt. A bit brash at times, but offers plenty of depth and character. The VFM is another major plus with this one. $45 is a small price to pay for a bottle of this caliber. So much so that I’ve boosted this from a 3.75 to a 4.25 with VFM as a final consideration. Thank you again to @PBMichiganWolverine — this completes the set you sent me. Some damn good whiskies in there. Unlike the other samples, this is an easily accessible whisky. And a solid one at that, so I’ll be buying a bottle to bolster this review.

This is my second run-through with this particular batch. It blew me away the first time, and made me an instant fan of the RB12 CS. Let’s see if this batch holds up to my memory. Nose: Big-time shortbread cookie. Gala and green apple. Golden raisin and cranberry. Plum and apricot. Floral notes. Walnut, almond, macadamia, and cashew. Orange citrus. Cocoa. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: Caramel, vanilla, and toffee. Apple, plum, and cola. Cranberry, red grape, golden raisin. Orange and apricot. Vanilla frosting. Cashew, walnut, and almond. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Caramel, toffee, vanilla. Cashew, almond, walnut. Apple, grape, golden raisin, plum, orange citrus, cranberry. Cinnamon red hots, clove, nutmeg, and oak. It’s a long finish—an absolute beast at 57.4%. It’s as good as I recall. Maybe better considering I can handle the heat better than I could when I cracked my first bottle of this. Nose, palate, and finish see barely any variation between them. Yet, the flavor profile embodies the quintessential Redbreast spirit, and that puts this in fantastic company. At $90, this is a bargain. It’s as good as any whiskey in that price range—and as good as many above it for that matter. I’m glad I got two bottles of this batch. If I’m ever lucky enough to stumble across another, I’ll be buying on sight. 5/5.

Jura is an interesting one. Their old NAS stuff was solid. But the 18-year was marginal. That doesn’t give me the highest expectations for this one here, but I’ll give it a fair shot. Nose: Macadamia, cashew, and toasted almond. Vanilla, sugar cookie, and toffee. Big orange citrus note. Butterscotch. Caramel. Apricot. A bit of apple and pear. Green grape. A touch of smoke and sea salt. Big oak. Palate: Caramel, vanilla, toffee, honey, and butterscotch. Vanilla frosting to boot. Apple, pear, apricot, orange citrus. Golden raisins. Honeydew and lime. Apple juice. Cashew and toasted almond. More of the macadamia, cashew, and toasted almond. Sea salt, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and oak. Finish: Caramel, vanilla, butterscotch, sugar cookie, and toffee. Menthol. Apple, pear, apricot, orange, and golden raisin. Sea salt. Oak. Short-to-moderate in length. This is a pretty good whisky. And a pleasant surprise. The finish is a bit lacking at 40% ABV, but the nose and palate have some pop to them. The 18 may have a slight edge in quality. Yet, I’m scoring this a quarter star higher because of VFM. The fact that I can buy 3 of these for the cost of one 18-year and still have a few bucks left over means something. 3.75/5. As I’ve said, this offers fantastic VFM at $40. It’s a solid flagship offering, and though I’m disappointed that Jura abandoned the rest of their old core range, I’m glad they at least kept this. Good stuff here.

I’ve had the 2016-2018 and 2020, and I can confidently say that this is one of the best annual releases in all of whisky. I expect nothing less of the 2021—I must say I’m impressed with the artwork this time around. But it’s the whisky that we’re here for, so let’s hop right into it. Nose: Heavy peat, brine, sea salt, seaweed, with some background bonfire smoke and ash. As I’ve said before, it offers the lingering smell of a campfire on the beach the morning after. Bandaid. Lemon and grapefruit. Custard. Apple, raisin, cranberry, and blueberry. Chestnut. Black bean, red pepper chili. Cinnamon, black pepper, and oak. Palate: Seaweed, sea salt, brine. Iodine, campfire smoke, Lemon, lime, grapefruit, and orange. Spearmint. Custard, vanilla, caramel, and milk chocolate. Chestnut and toasted almond. Raisin, gala apple, and molasses. Black bean, red pepper chili. Cinnamon, black pepper, and oak. Finish: Seaweed, salt, and brine. Bandaid, iodine, and campfire smoke. Toasted almond. Black bean, red pepper chili. Sun-dried tomato. Cinnamon, black pepper, and oak. Long—as you’d expect of a 56.5% ABV beast. 5/5. Quite predictable if you’ve read any of my Lag 12 reviews—or the first paragraph of this one. It’s expensive, but it offers high ABV and even higher quality. $140 is a price to pay, but well worth it if you ask me. That’s actually a few bucks less than what I paid for the 2020, and about average for this line of whisky. Well done, as always.

I’ve done all the NAS whiskies in Ardbeg’s core range, and somehow have not gotten around to the cornerstone—the 10 year. With Laphroaig 10 and Lagavulin 16, this expression completes the holy trinity of Islay malts. Let’s see if this one can hold up to those two stalwarts (Spoiler: I’ve had this many times, and it will.) Nose: Heavy campfire smoke, peat, sea salt, seaweed, brine, iodine, and bandaid. A dousing of lemon citrus. Agave. Chestnut and almond. Menthol. Smoked meat. Black pepper and cinnamon. Palate: More of the campfire smoke, pear, sea salt, seaweed, brine, iodine, and bandaid. Milk chocolate, saltwater taffy, and peanut butter. Sugar cookie. Heavy grapefruit with a compliments of lemon and orange citrus. Agave. Black bean, red pepper chili. Cinnamon, black pepper, and oak. Fiery. Finish: Campfire smoke, peat, sea salt, seaweed, and brine. Dark chocolate, vanilla, and sugar cookie. Chestnut and almond. Smoked meats. Black bean, red pepper chili. Black pepper, cinnamon, and oak. Moderate-long finish. The Corry and Oogie are high bars for any whisky to clear. But this fits in neatly behind those behemoths as a standout in the core range. It’s better than the An Oa, and perhaps the best value of the lot. It easily stands up to the Lap 10 and Lag 16. At $55, this is an amazing value. One of the best flagship whiskies one can buy and an amazing representation of the power of Islay. Not for the faint of heart, but a must have for any peat-head. 4.5/5.

This is a bit of a deviation for Dalmore. There are known primarily for their sherry-aged whiskies. This one trades that for port—obviously. It’s my first NAS Dalmore, yet is the only I’ve had to be above 40% ABV—which is greatly appreciated. Let’s see how this all plays out. Nose: Blackberry, black currant, raspberry, raisin, date, fig, and plum. Orange citrus and apple. Heavy molasses/sugar cane. Milk chocolate, caramel, fudge, cocoa, vanilla, toffee, custard, butterscotch, and cola. Chocolate syrup. Cranberry sauce. Macadamia nut. A minty/peppermint note. No Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: Apple, apricot, raisin, date, fig, red grape, blackberry, black currant, and raspberry. Some cantaloupe, honeydew, orange, and pineapple. Toffee, honey, caramel, milk chocolate, vanilla, and butterscotch. Almond, peanut, and macadamia. Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Apple, raspberry, blackberry. Vanilla, caramel, milk chocolate, and toffee. Orange citrus. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Moderate length finish—above average in fact. Between this, the 12, and the 15, this earns my highest rating. Should Dalmore stick to Port? I don’t know if I’d go that far. But what’s evident is that they should ditch the 40% ABV bottlings in favor of some higher-proofed stuff. Because this works, and you can cite sherry oak or age statements, but at the end of the day, a purer rendition of a distillery’s spirit will always stand out above the mass-produced, watered-down juice. 4.25/5. $100 is steep for an NAS, but I’d say this a better value than the 15 when consider that it’s cheaper and offers a higher ABV. My favorite Dalmore to date. Well done.

I’ve had my share of Glenmorangie over the years, but can’t say the same about Marsala wine cask-finished Scotches. In fact, the only whiskey I’ve ever had with that attribute is the Knappogue Castle 12 Marsala finish—which was first amazing. I’m hoping that my first limited edition Glenmorangie matches that quality. Nose: Gala apple/apple cider, raisin, date, fig, cranberry, pear, apricot, and lime and orange citrus. Honeydew. Blackberry and raspberry. Floral notes. Vanilla, caramel, toffee, honey, butterscotch, and custard. Toasted almond, cashew, and macadamia nut. Black licorice. Rye spice, black pepper, and oak. Palate: Apple, pear, apricot, golden raisin, date, fig, cranberry, raspberry, orange citrus. Caramel, vanilla, toffee, and butterscotch. Milk chocolate, cocoa, and fudge. Valentine’s Day raspberry chocolate sums it up quite well. Almond and cashew. Grain and malt. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Raspberry, blackberry, black currant, cranberry, plum, raisin, date, and fig. Apple, pear, apricot. Vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, toffee. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, black pepper, and oak. Moderate length. This makes for a great representative for Marsala-aged whisky. Profile-wise, this embodies the best attributes of the old-style 12-year Quinta Ruban and Lasanta expressions. It was quite tasty, and the nose was actually the highlight. At $100, the cost was a bit steep for an NAS malt. The VFM could be better, but it still stands that this is a damn fine whisky. I’ve got this at 4/5 even. Looking forward to trying more of Marsala cask-aged malts as well as more of the GlenMo limited release bottlings.

I recently worked through bottles of the GG 10 and 16. They were okay, nothing particularly notable. This is my first experience with their current line, so I’m hoping this is an improvement. Nose: Apple, pear, and apricot. Golden raisin. Lemon, lime, and orange citrus. Vanilla, caramel, and toffee. Heavy malt and vanilla frosting. Clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: Apple, pear, and apricot. Cinnamon red hots. Toffee, vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar. Salt water taffy. Sugar cookie. Cashew and almond. Clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Apple, pear, apricot, raisin, and plum. Sugar cookie. Caramel, toffee, and vanilla. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Moderate-length finish. This is a very good. whisky. Solid, somewhat unique profile with a nice mouthfeel. After trying the 10 and the 16 and comparing them to this, I think it’s safe to say that this profile thrives at a higher proof. At $100, this is good VFM for a 15-year old bottled at 50%. My first venture into Glen Grant’s revamped portfolio is a success and is certainly an upgrade over the older j expressions I tried. Well done, Glen Grant. 4/5.