Balmenach 11 year old Old Particular, cask DL12563 for K&L

After offering up some fairly organized distillery groupings, this blog's throwing you a trio of Oh Yeah That Distillery Exists reviews this week. It's all Speyside(-adjacent) stuff, and I really don't know what to expect. But the samples were getting lonely, and I'm hoping to find something fun hidden within the bottles.

First up, Balmenach!

Distillery: Balmenach
Ownership: Thai Beverages plc (via Inver House Distillers)
Independent Bottler: Douglas Laing

Range: Old Particular
Age: 11 years old (Sept 2006 - Aug 2018)
Maturation: Refill Hogshead
Cask#: DL 12563
Outturn: 284
Alcohol by Volume: 59.3%
Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants

Chillfiltered? No
Colorant Added? No

(from a bottle split)

Color: 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🚾, my fave!

NEAT

We're close to (very good) new make on the nose, farmy and almost smoky. Cherry lollies, raspberry jam, golden raisins, and a hint of shortbread. The palate is neither too hot nor too sweet. Yeah it has honey, cinnamon red hots, and red Twizzlers, but imagine those essences without so much sugar involved. It has a slight maltiness in the background, along with anise and salt. It finishes with a curious almost-dragonfruit note, along with tart limes and cinnamon red hots. A good length to it too.

DILUTED to 46%abv, or 1¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Oh, the nose goes very fruity, like a juice made of mango, papaya, peach, and ginger. The palate gets more floral, while leaning more towards fruit than candy. No weird oak stuff! It finishes with a proper balance sweet and tart.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Is this what happens when you don't mess with Balmenach's spirit? Because this is my kind of baby whisky! I'd drink this neatly any time, but it can take a lot of water too. K&L slung this malt for the right price, four years ago. I missed out!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $44.99
Rating - 87

Daftmill 2009 Summer Release (2020, USA)

The inclusion of a first-fill sherry cask in the mix makes this 2009 Summer Release different the other four Daftmills I've tried. The distillery's all-bourbon-barrel approach has been solid and reliable so far, but the 2007 Winter Release called out for some sort of twist. To try to gain perspective, I tried that batch side-by-side with this one. 

Distillery: Daftmill

Owner: Francis Cuthbert
Region: Bow of Fife, Lowlands

Age: 11 years (2009 - 2020)

Barley: Optic

Maturation: four(?) bourbon barrels + one first-fill sherry butt
Outturn: 1680 bottles

Exclusive to: USA

Alcohol by Volume: 46%abv
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant Added? No

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

Though the sherry cask brings a nuttier side to the 2009's nose, along with some dried cherries, a malty note stands its ground right up front. Cinnamon moves through the midground, while lychee and flowers linger in the back. If I tried this whisky blindly, I'd think its palate was that of an officially-bottled Aberlour, with the dried fruits leading the way at first. But a prettier element — full of hazelnut cream, roses, and plums — slowly takes over. The usual peppercorn note is replaced by a hint of pencil shavings. It finishes sweet and creamy, with quieter nut and flower notes in the background.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Yes, the sherry butt wasn't shy, but it did not tip this batch into winesky territory. Instead this Daftmill read fuller and thicker than the '07 Winter Release, and felt better blended than many bourbon+sherry cask single malts from much bigger batches and distilleries. I'd keep a lookout for future Daftmill batches with this cask combination were the bottle prices not so dear.

Availability - Possibly still available in the US
Pricing - $225-$300
Rating - 85

Daftmill 2007 Winter Release (2019, UK)

After trying the recent 15yo CS approach to Daftmill, I decided to have a go at two others from the young Lowland distillery. The 2006 Summer Release has been my favorite Daftmill so far, while the 2006 Winter has been my least favorite, though all of three points separate the two. The 2007 Winter Release (UK edition) was constructed entirely from first-fill bourbon barrels, and that's all I knew about it before this tasting.

Distillery: Daftmill

Owner: Francis Cuthbert
Region: Bow of Fife, Lowlands

Age: 11-12 years (November 2007 - 2019)

Barley: Optic

Maturation: Seven first-fill bourbon barrels (23-25, 27, 32, 35, and 38)
Outturn: 1785 bottles

Exclusive to: United Kingdom

Alcohol by Volume: 46%abv
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant Added? No
(thank you to Dr. Springbank for the sample!)

NOTES

The nose starts off like a white burgundy (which is good!) with its grapes, lemons, and peaches. Sugar cookies, cherry juice, and honey arrive next, with hints of white bread and brine in the background. Lemons, salt, and sugar cookies fill the palate's foreground, with a few peppercorns and some new make in the back. Plenty sweet throughout. It finishes briefly with lemon candy, lychee, black pepper, and salt.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

It's an inoffensive everyday drinker, but it doesn't turn into anything more than that. My short notes aren't due to a dead nose, as tomorrow's whisky (tried alongside this one) offered much more. It's just mellow stuff, perhaps a bit rawer than the other four Daftmills I've sampled, something to pour, sip, and forget. No harm in that, but nothing to sing about either. Perhaps it needed a little something else. More on that, tomorrow.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - ???
Rating - 82

Daftmill 15 year old 2006 Cask Strength

I'm not going to top the intro I wrote for my previous Daftmill review (in 2020), so I encourage you to read that post first if you're curious about my feelings about the Cuthbert family and their wee Lowland distillery, Daftmill. Here's a hint: the feelings are positive. The fact that a new distillery was daft enough to actually allow their product to mature for more than a decade before bringing it to the market still makes me smile.

In addition to the 2006-2019 Summer Release referenced above, I've also reviewed the 2006-2018 Winter Release. Both whiskies were "modest and peaceful" and spirit-forward, about 12 years of age and diluted to 46%abv. Today, I'm trying my first cask strength Daftmill, and perhaps their oldest release so far: a 15 year old.

Distillery: Daftmill

Owner: Francis Cuthbert
Region: Bow of Fife, Lowlands

Age: minimum 15 years old (2006-2022)

Barley: Chariot

Maturation: 28 first-fill bourbon casks

Outturn: 5338 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 55.7%abv
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant Added? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Mmmmm. Shortbread biscuits, honey, and yuzus in the nose, with brown sugar, herbes de Provence, and cardamom pods in the background. The palate starts with an fruity/floral eau de vie mixed with lime juice and a hint of grapefruit. It's quite tart and mildly sweet, with plenty of peppercorns in the background. It finishes with shortbread, limes, peppercorns.

DILUTED to 46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Orange peel and vanilla bean take the fore in the nose now, something woodsy (not woody) in the middle, and a hint of miso in the back. Tart oranges and black peppercorns fill the palate, with a floral hint around the edges. It finishes with a mix of fresh ginger, oranges, and vanilla.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

The pretty nose reads like something between (what we all used to generalize as) Speyside and Lowland, with some decent complexity when served neatly. Youth has not left the palate, giving it just enough bite and fight to keep it from getting too soft.

Though one must continue to pay a premium for this tiny distillery's output, this 15 year old cask strength version is the same price as the 12 year old diluted batches we received here in The States.

As far as overall quality, while I've yet to have a real stunner from Daftmill, each of their single malts has been very good, making them the most reliable Lowland malt distillery at the moment. How about two more Daftmills this week?

Availability - European Union
Pricing - $250-$300 (w/VAT, exchange rate as of 6 Feb)
Rating - 86

Things I Really Drink: Kilkerran 8 year old Cask Strength, Port Casks

Kilkerran's 8yo Cask Strength series has defied expectations for me, but in the wrong direction. Having adored the Work In Progress series, I was thrilled when the CS series was announced in 2017. I bought a bottle of the first batch in 2017, opened it immediately, but finished it five years later, after considerable effort. It wasn't bad whisky, but it was very disappointing compared to all of the WIPs. Then I got into three bottle splits of the lauded batch #4 (re-charred oloroso casks), but found them all to be extremely oaky. A bit soured on this series, I thought I'd ignore future batches. But then I split a bottle of the port cask-driven batch #7: port casks because I'm a fool.

Distillery: Glengyle

Owner: Mitchell's Glengyle Limited

Brand: Kilkerran
Region: Campbeltown

Age: minimum 8 years

Maturation: port casks

Alcohol by Volume: 57.9%

(from a 50/50 bottle split with Dr. Springbank)

NEAT

The nose is surprisingly sulfurous at the start. And there's a mix of cheddar and Velveeta happening as well. Wet sand, roses, pomegranate arils, and red gummy bears arrive later. What kind of port was this?! Less scary than the nose, the palate offers up raisins and dried blueberries, flowers and yeast. Lots of sugar, lots of heat, and even more black pepper. It finishes with black pepper, grape jam and a hint of chocolate.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

No more sulfur! Quite a bit of American oak, though, on the nose. Vanilla, dried currants and potpourri up front, with something briny in the back. The palate starts off acidic and peppery, then picks up sweet dried berries and a few almonds. It finishes nutty, floral, and peppery.

DILUTED to ~40%abv, or 2¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Unsurprisingly, the nose is much calmer at this strength, just flowers, figs and currants. The palate is floral, tart, and peppery, and finishes similarly.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

That's three for three for me. Batches 1, 4, and 7 just don't work for my nose and palate when the whisky is at full strength. They all need water, with this one requiring the most dilution. Its nose is unlike any other port cask whisky I've had, especially as the neat version arrives like a dirty PX cask. The palate works better, but there's too much pepper, and not enough of anything else.

Plenty of whisky remains in this bottle, which means I have many chances to tinker with dilution. But I refuse to let it hang around for five years. Fool me three times...

Availability - Mostly sold out?
Pricing - all over the place
Rating - 80 (diluted only)

Kilkerran 15 year old 2004 Fino Wood single cask

Like the 15yo Oloroso cask I reviewed more than two years ago, Glengyle distillery management made a grownup decision to move this whisky from its first cask into a more neutral vessel after 10 years. In this case, they poured the Kilkerran single malt out of a first-fill Fino puncheon into a refill hoggie. Many (or most) of today's bottlers would likely have kept the whisky in the first-fill for the full 15 years, then bottled coffee-dark oak juice because that's what brings the boys to the yard.

My question is, where's the rest of that puncheon's outturn?

Also to note, the aforementioned Oloroso cask was bottled for the entire American market. Today's cask was bottled for one European retailer. So it goes.

Distillery: Glengyle

Owner: Mitchell's Glengyle Limited

Brand: Kilkerran

Region: Campbeltown

Age: 15 years (May 2004 - September 2019)

Maturation: 10 years in a first-fill Fino puncheon, then 5 years in a refill bourbon hogshead

Outturn: 222 bottles

Bottled for: The Nectar's 15th Anniversary

Alcohol by Volume: 52.1%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose starts off with the same mix of clay, smoked fish, and orange candy as Monday's 16 year old, which is both odd and nice. After 20+ minutes it takes on its own characteristics. New tennis ball, baked apple, and orange blossoms up front; saline and coffee in the back. Hints of hazelnuts and brazil nuts appear later. WOW, the fino steers the palate, all nuts and salt. Tangy limes and serrano chiles fill the midground, dusty smoke and dried cherries the background. Limes, hazelnuts, almonds and chile oil merge in the finish.

DILUTED to 46%abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose feels more focused here, with toasted walnuts and pecans bathed in molasses, and a hint of lemon in the backgound. The palate's a bit woodier, but not brutal. Bitterness doesn't conquer all. Walnuts, molasses and salt sit atop mild industrial smoke. The finish matches the palate, without too much tannic interruption.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

As with its Oloroso Wood sibling, this whisky's cask has fully taken over. There's very little Kilkerran left in this Kilkerran. Yet I still like the result. There are actual Fino notes here. One can pick out individual nut species in the nose and mouth, with the salt giving them all a boost. Though sherry cask whiskies get a pass from Winesky Haters, I have no trouble telling you that this is indeed a winesky, but one I like, one that is still very "whisky" in its structure, but driven by its fortified wine cask. Thank goodness it didn't spend any more time in that puncheon.

Availability - Secondary market?
Pricing - ???
Rating - 87

Kilkerran 16 year old, 2020 US Edition

Going from good stuff (Ardmore) to good stuff (Kilkerran), but I won't make you sit through 12 reviews of Glengyle's single malt. Just three.

First up, the 2020 American release of the Kilkerran 16yo(!). My how that baby has grown! Also, good on the Mitchell folks for holding on to so many 2004 casks.

Each batch of the 16yo has its own cask mix. For instance the 2021 US edition was 75/25 bourbon/sherry and the 2022 European version is 70/30 bourbon/sherry. Today's batch was 98/2 bourbon/Madeira, a combo I kinda like, a light seasoning of alternative casks.

The 2016 round of the standard 12 year old (also distilled in 2004), was very good without being a knockout, to my palate. I'll pick up a newer batch of that before the price gets any worse. In the meantime, here's a 16...

Distillery: Glengyle

Owner: Mitchell's Glengyle Limited

Brand: Kilkerran

Region: Campbeltown

Age: 16 years (2004-2020)

Maturation: 98% bourbon casks / 2% madeira casks

Bottled for: U.S. of A.

Alcohol by Volume: 46%

(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose begins with clay and smoked fish, with orange candy highlights. And it works. It seems to get younger as it sits, with pineapple, pear, yeast, and a sencha-like brothy note arriving next. After 45 minutes, the nose shifts to ocean water with a hint of mango.

A mix of sweet citrus fruits leads the palate, with medicinal hints in the corners. It picks up notes of ginger beer, toasted grains, manure, and salt after some time. It never gets too sweet.

It finishes with a menthol and ginger glow. Oranges, cereals, and salt float through the background, along with perhaps a whiff of manure.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

A good move by Glengyle, starting the 16 year olds with this sturdy batch. I ♥ the nose on this one, as it shifts phases (or faces?). The palate reads like a good everyday drinker, never really ascending from there, but I'll take that over all those cask-heavy Kilkerran limited editions. The 16 is likely a half step ahead of the 12yo, but keep in mind the Springbank/Glengyle tendency towards batch variation. Better and worse versions of each are out there.

Availability - This batch is probably sold out
Pricing - other batches are $150-$200
Rating - 87