tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post5484086267067558374..comments2024-03-16T11:28:41.525-04:00Comments on Diving for Pearls: Highlander Inn Tokyo: Part 2, More Pours? More Pours.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288790197865570681noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-49737569785751385242017-07-16T15:12:21.832-04:002017-07-16T15:12:21.832-04:00@MAO - If that somebody is who I think it is, then...@MAO - If that somebody is who I think it is, then I should probably take everyone's word for it and renounce my certainty of the Caol Ila spirit in this whisky.<br /><br />@Eric - I recommend going with The Whisky Vedas. The White Hatted One ain't got s*** on them.Diving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-17570548626392226502017-07-15T11:08:37.807-04:002017-07-15T11:08:37.807-04:00Here I was about to admit that Michael's keen ...Here I was about to admit that Michael's keen eyes spotted my probably faulty underlying assumption that "fruitier style" = not peated and agree that this could actually be Caol Ila, and along comes MAO to demonstrate my complete and total infallibility. Fear not, I shan't forget to thank you and all the other little guys out there once I become the next Jim Murray. <br /><br />Down to brass tacks: Since Bible is already being used in conjunction with whisky, what other religious text should I appropriate to highlight the divinity of my whisky palate? Unfortunately I do not follow any sort of spiritual path myself, and my ethnicity could best be described as WASP meets polar bear. First one to name my upcoming work gets a discount on a signed copy!<br /><br />Or: thanks for the information, MAO.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12930242411804635662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-70834836504376572552017-07-15T10:13:41.897-04:002017-07-15T10:13:41.897-04:00I checked with somebody who should know and while ...I checked with somebody who should know and while they cannot publicly confirm they did note that Eric is right about Caol Ila not allowing any of their unpeated malt out of their inventory. So, this is almost certainly a Bunnahabhain.<br /><br />And it wouldn't be the first time a Port Askaig <45 yo has been a Bunnahabhain either, I don't think. If I recall correctly there's been at least one younger one as well.My Annoying Opinionshttps://myannoyingopinions.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-14911698914095391262017-07-14T10:10:25.884-04:002017-07-14T10:10:25.884-04:00Hey Eric,
Gotta say this is really interesting. A...Hey Eric,<br /><br />Gotta say this is really interesting. Are you certain the bottling notes said 80% unpeated? (I didn't think to take a pic of the back label.) From what I've read elsewhere "80% fruitier whisky" is all anyone seems to reveal. Here's my clumsy logic why that may matter:<br /><br />Because Specialty Drinks specifically label this whisky as a "Islay Single Malt" we know that both sets of whisky have to come from the same Islay distillery. I adore Bunnahabain's 1997 peated stuff because it's big and dirty, bigger and dirtier than anything else being made on the island at that date. 20% of that in any mix would peat the hell of the result. Heck, <10% of current Laphraoig in a blend will do it. I haven't had any past the age of 16yrs, so maybe 20yrs in oloroso casks calms it down. But as soon as I see a 1997 vintage for an unnamed Islay peater, I assume it's a Bunny since the distillery seemed to have swapped out zillions of those casks.<br /><br />It would be even more fascinating if this combination results in characteristics similar to teenage Caol Ila. Whisky dudes with much more experience than I (who appear to get their review samples directly from Specialty Drinks), have always assumed Port Askaig was Caol Ila due to its style and because the distillery sits right next to the port itself. I did see the Bunnahabhain theory about the 45yo on Serge's site. And Bunnahabhain sits about 5 miles north of the port. Anyway, if the rest of the <45yo Port Aksaigs were Caol Ila, I'm guessing the producers wouldn't want to drift too far from their brand style. So either they use Caol Ila or they recreate a Caol Ila style.<br /><br />The other possibility is that this is Caol Ila stuff. 20% being their regular peating level, and 80% being their unpeated-but-actually-lightly-peated "Highlands" style. The CI factory makes more of that "unpeated" style than just for the annual release. It's a major ingredient in a number of blends. For instance, a number of years ago I was told by an industry person that the "unpeated" CI is or was the leading malt in JW Red Label.<br /><br />The Caol Ila possibility feels a little slim unless the bottling notes were just "fruitier". But I like the Bunny possibility better, especially if they were able to recreate a style with a different distillery's product.<br /><br />Sorry for my long response.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />MichaelDiving for Pearlshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-4843834632960232272017-07-14T08:29:47.607-04:002017-07-14T08:29:47.607-04:00Hi Michael,
Looks like you had a great time in Ja...Hi Michael,<br /><br />Looks like you had a great time in Japan. My only visit was in 2004, which unfortunately was when I had no interest in Japanese whisky. Ah well, regrets are for later in life.<br /><br />Now onto the Port Askaig 15 Sherry Cask: My local whisky club got into a spirited debate regarding this one. Okay not really, but we couldn't come to consensus on origin. Some default to Caol Ila, but some of us think this particular release, along with the 45 year old, is Bunnahabhain. The bottler has admitted that they have more than one distillery they are pulling from nowadays, and Bunnahabhain is still at Port Askaig geographically speaking. The 45 y/o is almost definitely not Caol Ila given the age of the current CI distillery. As to this one, assuming it is the most current release and not the older 15 y/o (I don't think that one was marked "Sherry Cask", the bottling notes specify that it is a blend of 20% 1997 peated whisky and 80% 2001 unpeated whisky, all aged in first fill oloroso. 97 is a known year for Bunnahabhain doing peated runs, and as for the unpeated part, I was unaware of Caol Ila releasing any of their unpeated spirit to IBs. Then there is the claim of maturation in first fill oloroso casks. Now I get that we can't really trust the bottler not to have recasked into that for a finishing period, but overall that origin description sounds more like Bunnahabhain than Caol Ila.<br /><br />Now as to taste . . . Like you, I only tasted this after . . . ahem . . . A few drams, so I'm going to have to wait until I open my own bottle to decide. This did taste more like Bunnahabhain than Caol Ila to me, but I came into tasting it thinking that, so that isn't any real proof. Not to mention the fact that distilleries are perfectly happy to sell off-profile barrels to IBs anyway, making any discussion of distillery character questionable in the first place (though PA 19 sang CAOL ILA to me).<br /><br />At any rate, I actually would be thrilled for this bottle to be either distillery given that they are my two favorite Islay distilleries (and it's not exactly as though I dislike any of the other ones, either), but the nerd in me just has to debate the topic. <br /><br />What are your thoughts on my meaningless origin conspiracy theory?<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />EricErichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12930242411804635662noreply@blogger.com