Glenlossie Week: 17 year old 1997 Hepburn's Choice for K&L Wine Merchants

Hooray, it's GLENLOSSIE WEEK! If I lost you with that statement, then, well, you wouldn't have clicked to read this post anyway. So. Welcome, friends!

You may (not) be asking, "Michael, it's your birthday month. Do you really want to review four Glenlossies in a row?" The answer is, "yes". I've planned a Glenlossie week five times in the past two years and it keeps getting pushed off for something flashier. Like Auchroisk.

I've referenced today's whisky once before. At a Malt Nuts event two years ago, I tried eight Mannochmores. And, as it turned out, the second best Mannochmore was a Glenlossie.

To wit: Glenlossie and Mannochmore exist on the same plot of land. They're owned by the same folks (Haig, then UDV, then Diageo). Glenlossie is 95 years older but has a much smaller capacity than its conjoined sibling. Neither were deemed worthy of the Classic Malts series, so Diageo's only official releases of these Lossie distilleries was the Flora & Fauna collection. We have to go the indie bottlers to explore Glenlossie, and that's what I'm doing this week.

Today's Glenlossie was from a single hoggie bottled under Hunter Laing's Hepburn Choice label for K&L Wine and Spirits back in 2015. It sat on the shelf for so long that they dropped the price to $69.99. At that point I scooped up a bottle for a private whisky event.

Distillery: Glenlossie
Ownership: Diageo
Region: Speyside (Lossie)
Independent Bottler: Hunter Laing
Label: Hepburn's Choice
Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants
Age: 17 years (1997 - 2015)
Maturation: refill hogshead
Bottles: 281
Alcohol by Volume: 55.4%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No

NEAT
Its color is light gold. The nose starts with honey, lemons, cinnamon, yeast and creamy ale. After 20+ mins in the glass, the whisky releases candy corn and circus peanut notes that nearly take over the whole thing. The palate has some heat, but it's more chili oil than ethanol. It's sweet and creamy. There are dates and lemon juice. Hints of vanilla and sandalwood. A soft malty undercurrent runs throughout. Chili oil heat spices up the long finish. Ah there's the nose's lemon and honey; the palate's sandalwood. A whipped cream and vanilla trifle.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1.25tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose's candy notes expand. Vanilla marshmallows and green apples jump in. The palate is quite similar to the nose now, with all that candy. A bit of a tart bite keeps things somewhat in control. With time, vanilla and bitter oak slip in. It finishes sweet and tart. The vanilla and bitter oak arrive late.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This is a sweetie through and through. It's not the full on winner I thought it was two years ago, mostly because the oak gets more overactive than one would expect from a refill cask. Jordan of Chemistry of the Cocktail (whom I actually split part of the bottle with, totally forgot about that), found the oak pretty aggressive.

But maybe because I tried it next to a far inferior whisky (to be reviewed next), there was still some thrill to this Glenlossie; mostly in the nose. It worked best for me without dilution, as water brought out the oak. If you missed out on this bottling when its price dropped, I wouldn't worry too much. Yes, one can't find single cask 17yo whisky for $70 anymore, but a great deal doesn't equal great whisky.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - had its price dropped to $69.99
Rating - 84 (neat only)

Killing Whisky History, Episode 15 - Seagram's V.O. 6yo 1962, for Grandpa Milton

My father's father passed away before I was born. A blue-collar worker for more than 40 years, Milton preferred opera on the radio over going to the movies. He only turned on the TV to watch baseball. And he drank one thing, Seagram's V.O.

Oban Cask Strength, Distillery Only (2010 bottling)

Diageo's single malt-only approach with the distillery is nice touch, but at the same time it's very frustrating because every version of Oban that hits the market sits at 43%abv. And there are no indie bottlings. So Oban's potential remains unexplored.

A rare exception to this situation was the 2013 official release of a cask strength 21 year old. That the whisky was very good was unsurprising. That the whisky cost more than twice what'd I be willing to pay for it was also unsurprising. As I mentioned in the comments of my review, the 21yo made me wish that Diageo had released something bolder than Little Bay when it came time for an NAS.

The only other way to get full strength official Oban is through a Distillery Only bottling, though they appear to produce these infrequently. Here's one that was bottled back in 2010.

Distillery: Oban
Ownership: Diageo
Region: Western Highlands
Age: ???
Maturation: probably American oak
Release year: 2010
Outturn: 8999 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 55.2%
Chillfiltered? Probably not
Caramel Colorant? Yes
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
To keep with the distillery character, the whisky's color is DiageoGold™. The nose has duos of lemons + brine and nectarines + mint. Smaller notes of flowers and incense float about. The palate is hotter than the nose and needs a lot of air before distinct notes appear. It's big on minerals, milder on bitterness and sweets. Tart lemons and grapefruits. A bit grassy. Minerals and heat continue into the finish, joining hints of fruit and flowers.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1.25tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose now has a savory side; think mushrooms and dried cheese. Fresh whole wheat bread, roasted nuts, honey and shisha. Moments of lemon zest and vanilla bean as well. The palate becomes sweeter, creamier and more approachable as well. Notes of honey and whipped cream don't pull it too far in one direction because the minerals and grass are still there, as well as a better bitterness. Sweetness, as is its habit, fades before long, and is nearly absent in the finish. A subtle smoky note also carries a peppery zing. Some herbal bitterness lingers.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
The nose is a complete joy, a good riff on a rich style of Highland malt. Meanwhile the palate dishes out a more austere(!) version of Highlands whisky, lean and rocky. The nose wins with or without water, but the palate requires dilution to unearth an additional dimension. It's fun to try Oban in a different form and I wish there were more options. Currently there's a 2018 Oban Distillery Exclusive bottling that comes from "rejuvenated" casks. Someday perhaps Diageo will take this distillery more seriously.

Availability - Secondary market?
Pricing - ???
Rating - 86

Oban Little Bay

What Oban Little Bay is, other than an NAS release that costs nearly the same as the 14 year old release, is a little vague. Here are descriptions from industry sites:

1. the whisky "rests" in "small oak casks for some time"
2. finished in "small oak casks"
3. "aged in part in smaller casks"
4. married in "200-litre ex-bourbon barrels"
5. refill American oak hogsheads, European oak Sherry casks and refill casks with new ends
6. official site: nothing

The first three items say basically the same thing, while the next two say something potentially much different. And then good ol' Diageo doesn't help at all. There seems to be a whole lotta talk about Oban taking a mix of #5 and then giving it a #2 (er, item number two, above). There's no mention of what "small cask" means, but if it's just ex-bourbon barrels (per #4) then it's not a big deal, nor unusual, nor should the end result be as aggressively oaky as a quarter cask or octave finish. It still seems as if plenty of carpentry (or cooperage) was involved.

I guess plaudits should go out to Diageo for not spinning some malarkey about the story behind the whisky, which is an almost revolutionary act at this point in time. And there's no Gaelic surname. Since Oban means "Little Bay", it's just Oban Squared.

sample generously provided by St. Brett P.

Distillery: Oban
Ownership: Diageo
Region: Western Highlands
Age: ???
Maturation: see the introductory paragraphs
Alcohol by Volume: 43%
Chillfiltered? Uh huh
Caramel Colorant? Yarp

Why does Diageo color the Obans so aggressively? This one is orange. The nose doesn't start off promising. Mostly vanilla and cardboard. Slowly, notes of hay and dried apricots ease in. Then honey, orange candy, simple syrup and gummi bears. And paper. And flowers. Acidic citrus dominates the otherwise very sweet palate. A little bit of milk chocolate and cayenne pepper. Vanilla, ginger, toasted oak spices, caramel and vanilla. And there's the hint of cardboard. The finish has the same acidity, as well as the sugar and caramel. Toasted coconut and black pepper. Vanilla.

Oban Little Bay reads like a blend, albeit a blend at 1/3rd Little Bay's price range. It probably works best as a dessert whisky. American oak casks flavor the whole thing, but never go bitter. Still the paper and cardboard notes are unfortunate. I'd say more, but it looks like MAO covered this same ground three months ago. While this whisky was probably aimed at blend fans, it comes across like another NAS that's so oaky it barely resembles its distillery mates.

Availability - most specialty whisky retailers
Pricing - $50-$80, though some US retailers are offering it for $40 or less, a fate similar to Talisker Storm
Rating - 78

Blackadder Peat Reek Raw Cask, batch PR2017-5

I'd always thought Blackadder's Peat Reeks were from Islay. And I was wrong. Batch PR 2017-5 was sourced from The Highlands. While my sample of Wednesday's Peat's Beast came from the LA Scotch Club, today's sample of Peat Reek Raw Dog is from the Columbus Scotch Club. My guess was that Peat's Beast was sourced from Benriach, this Reek could be from a number of distilleries due its violent youth.

Partaking in both peated whiskies while watching the All Star game, I was surprised by which of the whiskies I enjoyed more.

Company: Blackadder
Brand: Peat Reek

Type: Single Malt

Distillery: somewhere in The Highlands

Age: NAS
Maturation: refill American oak, probably
Batch: PR2017-5
Alcohol by Volume: 59.9%
Chillfiltered? No
Color added? No
Barrel schmutz in the bottle? Yes

NEAT
Caramel, butter and salt in the nose. More floral and ocean-y than medicinal. Sugary peat. Peach-scented hand lotion. The palate is hot, chalky, green and tart. Ginger, charred meat and eucalyptus. Grows sweeter and bitterer with time. The hotter, smokier finish is lightly tart and very drying. The sweetness gets aggressive after a while.

DILUTED TO 46%abv, or <2tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose now has some plums, but also soap. Ash and mild peat. Vanilla, eucalyptus and berry candy. Meanwhile, the palate works better at this strength. Less sweetness. A fruitier tartness (if that makes sense). Chocolate. Lime marshmallows. The finish seems longer. It has the lime marshmallow sweetness and a little bit of smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Not enjoyable when neat, this batch of Peat Reek is a better drinker once diluted. But I wasn't crazy about the nose with or without dilution.  There's not much more to write about, other than this was my first Peat Reek and I'm not inspired to try another batch. It's not really peaty and it's par-baked. Was there such demand for this series that another batch needed to be rushed?

Availability - Europe and Asia
Pricing - from $70 to $100 WHY WOULD ANYONE PAY $100 FOR THIS?
Rating - 74

Peat's Beast Single Malt

I think the only reason this sample got into my stash is that Peat's Beast kept showing up at LA and OC Scotch Club events in 2015 and 2016. Because I never actually drank it at this those events — not because I'm a snob, but a man needs to make choices before he drives home from a spirits event — I've been curious about what the whisky actually tastes like.

Before today, the only thing I knew about its bottler was that Fox Fitzgerald is an awesome cocktail name. "Yeah, I'll have a Fox Fitzgerald up, please. Easy on the Clynelish, I have two onboarding meetings this morning."

They have a "cigar malt" called Corriemhor, they run the oft-expensive Rest & Be Thankful single cask line and then there's Peat's Beast. Though the official site says The Beast is peated at 35ppm, it never says the whisky is from Islay, so I'm betting it's not. Benriach, maybe?

I tried this along with Friday's whisky while watching the MLB All Star game.

Company: Fox Fitzgerald
Brand: Peat's Beast

Type: Single Malt

Distillery: ???, my guess is Benriach

Age: ???
Maturation: refill American oak?
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
Color added? not much, if any

NEAT
There's menthol, pine, limes and pink Caladryl in the nose. Armpit peat. And more armpit peat. Talcum powder and oatmeal. Buffalo wings sauce. Salty, roasty peat in the palate. Charred meat and graphite. A little creamy, a little bitter. Hints of chocolate-covered cherries. The finish is a little roasty and bitter too, but the cherry note balances it out. Simple grassiness, a whiff of florals.

DILUTED TO 40%abv, or <1 tsp water per 30mL whiskey
The nose is essentially the same. Less stinky, more candy. More limes? The palate is simpler, but picks up a brown sugar sweetness. Roses and cologne. No so much peat, but rather smoke residue. Mild sweets and smoke in the finish. Hint of mint. Kinda flat.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Friday's whisky has more indie cred and is cask strength, but I liked Peat's Beast better. Beastie's nose was more adventurous than I'd expected. It tastes fine, though it does leave one pining for southern Islay's best. It delivers a bigger peat punch than Compass Box's Peat Monster, but lacks that one's complexity. I prefer Beastie without water; the nose holds up but the palate doesn't once water is added. It's less than $40 (ex-VAT) around Europe, which is about as cheap as craft-presentation peated single malt gets unless you're feeling filthy for Finlaggan.

Availability - Europe and Asia
Pricing - $30-$40 (ex-VAT) Continental Europe & Japan; $45-$55 (ex-VAT) UK; 
Rating - 82

Lagavulin 12 year old Cask Strength (2017 edition)

The cask strength 12yo Lagavulin is the only part of the annual Diageo Shitshow Special Releases that ever draws my attention. I've reviewed previous editions from 2011 and 2014. I'm reviewing the 2017 release today. At this rate, the next one I'll try is the 2020.

$125 for a 12 year old cask strength whisky was a crazy price when I reviewed the 2011 edition, four years ago. But since then, everything has gone crazy. Browse European (as well as the occasional US) retailer sites and you'll find almost every indie bottler pricing their 8+ year old cask strength Lags at $100+. So the market has caught up. Which must be why some American retailers are slinging this 2017 edition for $150. Can't blame the Trump tariffs for that.

Distillery: Lagavulin

Owner: Diageo
Region: Islay
Maturation: refill American oak casks

Age: minimum 12 years
Release date: 2017
Outturn: ??,???
Alcohol by Volume: 56.5%

Chill-filtration? Probably not
Caramel coloring? Probably not
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
The nose is brighter and fruitier than most other batches. Apples, pears, lilac (one of the official notes!), Ceylon cinnamon and cherry candy. Meanwhile, there are piles of smoked fish, coffee grounds and mocha ice cream. It gets beach-ier with time and also unveils an anise note. The palate is massively medicinal, followed by earth, coffee grounds and hot pepper sauce-topped steak. Just a peep of sweetness mixed with Ceylon cinnamon. The BIG finish is all ocean water, peat embers, lemon and smoked meat.

DILUTED TO 48%abv, or 1tsp water per 30mL whisky
The nose leads with coconut cream, sharp citrus, soil, stones and brine. Then some simple syrup. coffee grounds and mild peat. More muscular peat meets flower blossoms in the palate. Then creamy coffee, cayenne pepper, seaweed and charred fish. Smaller notes of Robotussin, spicy mint leaf and roasted nuts follow. It finishes lightly bitter and light sweet. Roasty/Toasty and peppery. Charred peat and tart lemon.

DILUTED TO 43%abv, or <2tsp water per 30mL whisky
The nose has a simple but lovely ocean note throughout. Brown sugar, vanilla bean, lemon and citronella. It gets smokier with time, while also picking up a cocoa powder note. Feels bigger than 43%abv. The palate has mint, black coffee and cayenne pepper. Brown sugar + peat. Lemon and almonds. Mildly salty, mildly bitter. It finishes with sugary peat, almonds, tonic and squirt of lemon juice. Salty/briny. Good length.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
You know, every time I want to talk shit about Lagavulin 12yo I drink the whisky and remember why that's futile. It's terrific whisky. And I gotta say, it might be Diageo's best regular (or semi-regular) single malt.

As mentioned in the notes, this a bright, fruity batch on the nose. It's also remarkably flexible when it comes to dilution. The 2014 batch collapsed at 43%abv, while this one transforms into its own very solid drink at that strength.

Ultimately, you're not paying for age or scarcity with this one. You're paying for quality, which is as subjective as a thing can be. What $125 means to you might not mean the same thing to another reader, or me. But if you're in the habit of drinking a bottle of this expression every year, then the 2017 batch won't let you down. (If you don't believe me, then believe MAO.)

Availability - Most specialty spirits retailers worldwide
Pricing - $110-$160 (US) 
Rating - 91