...where distraction is the main attraction.

Friday, September 28, 2018

Birthday Bottles and an Ardmore Autumn

Exclusivity doesn't draw me in like it used to. I can't hear SMWS's siren call. When I heard the tale that Springbank Society just had 3000 requests — thrice the outturn — for their annual release, I felt less FOMA than I'd expected. Seeing that I was removed from a barrel-share group not only didn't bother me, instead it lent a bit of freedom. The current crop of single casks aren't calling out to me either, and really what's more exclusive than a single cask?

I bring this up now because this is the time of the year when the whisky birthday present (or two) I've purchased for myself arrives in a delightful brown rectangular parcel. Considering the "Sold Out" or "Secondary market" notation on nearly everything I review, it's silly for me to critique the exclusivity of single cask purchases. But not one single cask looked appealing this summer. Looking at each sharp photo of a current single cask release, I felt emptiness. And not in a clean Śūnyatā sense. Nor was I imagining the glory of a completed bottle. It was just a feeling of, "why?"

There's a lot going on behind that feeling. Part of it is linked to the tailing off of my whisky purchases, as I detailed last month. Part of it comes from a palate that's getting less excited about high ABVs. Part of it is general dread. And part of it has to do with my desire for casual drinking, which I also referenced in August's birthday post.

Committing to how I want to experience whisky, thus aiming for sub-$70 drinkers, I bought three ten year old single malts that still dazzle my inner curmudgeon at the very thought. Avert your eyes, people, here's the whisky dick pic:


Yes, 3 x 10 = 30. No, I did not turn 30 this year. But I don't/can't drink in large quantities, as tempting as it may be throughout fatherhood. Three bottles were more than enough. I have a soft spot in my heart for those three brands, probably literally. While I wish 10 year old single malt still sold for $30-$40, I am willing to pony up for this quality.

Speaking of brands I adore. Ardmore!


I've been threatening to finally break into my Ardmore stash for years. Beatrice's 1st birthday will be the perfect excuse to do so. The 1991 rum cask from Malts of Scotland is for the event. The current(!) 12 year old Portwood will be my casual drinker for autumn. Opening two Ardmores means I won't have to open another for twenty years. That's how it works, right?

Thanks for tuning in for this latest edition of First World Drama. The reviews return on Monday.

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Croftengea 10 year old 2006 Exclusive Malts, cask 485

Yesterday it was Loch Lomond Cleans Up. Today it is Loch Lomond Gets Dirty. But I'm not talking about garbage-smelling rot. I'm talking about The Place With The Funny Stills taking on Islay headfirst. Croftengea is the distillery's heavily peated malt. I'm going to guess it's in the 50ppm range, because this stuff is intense. But it's not a mess, and it thumped my expectations.


Distillery: Loch Lomond
Brand: Croftengea
Owner: Loch Lomond Distillery Company
Region: Highlands (Western)
Independent bottler: Creative Whisky Company
Range: Exclusive Malts
Age: 10 years (22 March 2006 to April 2016)
Maturation: Hogshead?
Cask number485
Outturn: 302
Alcohol by Volume: 56.7%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
The nose has the weird delights of good Fettercairn and the never-beloved-by-experts-but-totally-beloved-by-me late '80s & early '90s Ledaig, except bigger. Old greasy machines and engines. Bowling shoes in a moldy basement. A slab of plasticky peat. Also some flowers and pineapple, just because. Marshmallows in the palate, then sweet peat and moderate heat. Nothing horrifying; in fact it is very drinkable. Moss and tangy fruits. A hint of bitter greens. It finishes sweet and smoky with white fruits and cinnamon. Loooooong.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1⅓tsp water per 30mL whisky
Having shed some of the fun fug, the nose edges into Ardbeg and Kilchoman territory. Moss, soot and burnt hay lead the way, with tiny bit of white fruit underneath. Cocoa and cinnamon in the palate, along with plumes of smoke. Also lemons and arugula. It finishes with smoke, sugar and lemons. Peated limoncello?

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Is this a perfect whisky? Nope. It is it awesome? Yep. Great pick, Mr. Stirk. This might be the most entertaining whisky I've had all year. It's zanier than anything coming from Islay while still delivering Capital P Peat.

Unlike certain distillers who age batches of kerosene and napalm in burnt grape juice barrels for a couple years and crown themselves mad scientists, Loch Lomond hasn't made something big and strange and ugly just for the sake of doing so. There's a way into this whisky. Reach out and you'll find tiny familiar handles to grab onto just before the ride starts. You'll make it through without getting hurt, I promise. Plus there is actual complexity in the thing and about as much mouthfeel as the distillery can muster. Is it going to knock Lagavulin 12yo Cask Strength off my shelf? Probably not. But I'd like to see what else Loch Lomond can do with this style.

Availability - Some European retailers
Pricing - €60-€70
Rating - 88

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Inchmurrin 22 year old 1993 Signatory, cask 2846

The second pair of Loch Lomond malts I tried this week were such diametric opposites that I was (and am) left astounded by the range of possibilities that can come from one distillery. Even better, both whiskies were good.

Today, I'm reviewing (yes) another Inchmurrin, but one quite unlike the two that preceded it this week. Don't worry, tomorrow's whisky will NOT be Inchmurrin.

As per the online Whiskypedia, Inchmurrin is supposed to be the light and fruity member of the Loch Lomond range. I guess that's a matter of perspective. Compared to most of the distillery's other malts, anything is light and fruity.


Distillery: Loch Lomond
Brand: Inchmurrin
Owner: Loch Lomond Distillery Company
Region: Highlands (Western)
Independent bottler: Signatory
Age: 22 years (24 May 1993 to 7 Oct 2015)
Maturation: Hogshead
Cask number2846
Outturn: 224
Alcohol by Volume: 59.2%
(thank you, Sjoerd!)

NEAT
A pretty nose! Peaches, melon and roses up front. Earth and cocoa powder in back. A delicate salty peating with gentle white oak notes. Apple cider and sugary barley. A less delicate, but still graceful palate. Pears, flowers, salt and pepper. Tart limes and brown sugar. Tiny bits of vanilla and horseradish. It's plenty warm, but not as hot as 59%abv can be. It finishes warm, sweet and floral with a hint of milk chocolate. Moderate length.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1¾tsp per 30mL whisky
Pears, peaches, barley, salt and roses in the noses. The palate is warm, tingly, simple, sweet and barley forward. Lightly bitter with a hint of peat. Barley, sugar, salt and pepper in the finish.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This is almost cognac. Yes, there's barley and a whiff of peat going on, but if you can imagine a moderately aged (in US oak) cognac at nearly 60%abv, that wouldn't be too far from this Inchmurrin. The one thing that keeps this whisky from soaring is the thinness of the palate's texture, an issue I always find with this distillery's products. But the nose was so good that went I online to price check this thing after the first sniff. I can't remember the last time I did that. Had the palate met the expectations the nose set then this might have been a 90-point Loch Lomond.

Availability - Some European retailers
Pricing - €110-€130
Rating - 86 (that nose, though)

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Loch Lomond Weak? Inchmurrin 13 year old 2000 SMWS 112.7

After yesterday's mostly successful whisky, perhaps I should stop poking fun at Loch Lomond. SMWS on the other hand...

Eh, I'll give them a pass if this whisky works. They give this whisky one of their soberer names: "Youthful vigour in a barrel prison". Should that vigour give one a moment's pause knowing the distillery, or should one go back and read the first sentence of this post?

Okay, I'll be honest. I already did this tasting, lining this 13yo up with yesterday's 14yo. They are indeed different whiskies.


Distillery: Loch Lomond
Brand: Inchmurrin
Owner: Loch Lomond Distillery Company
Region: Highlands (Western)
Independent bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 13 years (27 Sept 2000 to 2014)
Maturation: Jail?
Cask number112.7
Outturn: 209
Alcohol by Volume: 58.5%
(thanks to Brett P for the sample!)

NEAT
The nose is all vanilla, oak spice and cardboard at first. With some airing out, notes of fresh cherries, apples, black licorice and bubblegum come out. Then it all vanishes after 20 minutes, leaving behind nothing but heat. The palate is sweet, tart, slightly bitter and very new make-y. Cinnamon sticks and burning face. Its sourness starts small, then gradually takes over everything. So much heat in the finish. Very tart raw spirit. A tiny bit of vanilla, sugar and bitterness.

A bucket of water, please.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1⅔tsp of water to 30mL whisky
Nosehair singeing heat. Vanilla simple syrup. Wood smoke. Cardboard. Stop. The palate is hotter, rawer, pepperier, saltier, sweeter, cardboardier. The finish is very hot and very sweet.

Swim, ye evil spirit!

DILUTED TO ~40%abv, or about 1tbsp of water to 30mL whisky
Hmm, not bad. The nose shows barley, anise and mint leaves. The palate is much more pleasant. It's minty and spicy, with plenty of fresh ginger. Less sweet, less heat. It finishes with mint and ginger, and a mild sweetness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
The problem wasn't the incarceration. It's the prison itself. More time in this jail would not have helped. The prisoner probably would have burned the place down, anyway.

The official tasting notes for this thing are Ridic (as the kids say). The international whisky world is full of palate wreckers with actual positive qualities at full strength. So there's nothing to recommend when this whisky is neat. But! At 40%abv it starts to hit its stride. I suppose a masochist could spend some time chopping this whisky's ABV down further and further to find its money spot. Anyway, Loch Lomond is not at fault here.

Availability - Secondary market, I guess
Pricing - ???
Rating - 71 (with lots of water only; at least 10 points lower when neat)

Monday, September 24, 2018

Loch Lomond Week!?! Inchmurrin 14 year old 2003 Sauternes Finish, single cask 16/303-5

Loch Lomond National Park is one of the most beautiful places in Scotland. I highly recommend you visit at least a corner of it.

Loch Lomond Distillery does not make the most beautiful single malts in Scotland. I highly recommend you do not try most of them. That the distillery has, until recently, never shown an interest in conforming to what's popular or normal has made it seem like the last refuge of the whisky hipster.

I inserted the words "until recently" in the previous short paragraph because Loch Lomond has started rolling single casks of its multiple brands into the retail game. So far there haven't been any reported casualties, and the reviews haven't been bad.

Since Loch Lomond is now a thing (I guess?), I'm going to review four of their whiskies, all of which were released over the past few years. I could review five, but, you know, safety first.



Hey look, here's a release that's still in stores. In The Netherlands.

image from whiskybase
Inchmurrin is one of Loch Lomond's theoretically unpeated brands, though I have occasionally found something peat-ish in it. This Inchmurrin spent most of its life in regular American oak barrels, then had an unspecified finish time in a Sauternes cask (probably hogshead-sized). I'm a fan of neither unspecified finish times nor aggressive Sauternes casks, so this could be disastrous.


Distillery: Loch Lomond
Brand: Inchmurrin
Owner: Loch Lomond Distillery Company
Region: Highlands (Western)
Age: 14 years (Jan 2003 to May 2017)
Maturation: American oak (probably), then an unknown amount of time in a Sauternes cask
Cask number16/303-5
Outturn: 282
Exclusive to: The Netherlands
Alcohol by Volume: 52.9%
(thanks to Matt W for the sample!)

NEAT
The nose is......not disastrous. Pears, caramel, apple cider vinegar and McIntosh apples start things off. There's some heat to it, and brine and butterscotch. Pine sap and a slight oakiness. The palate is also inoffensive, even cheerful! Tart citrus, vanilla pudding, flowers and salt are in the foreground. It has some pine, mint gum and drying tannins. It's VERY sweet, as is the finish, which has mint, citrus, vanilla and pine.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or <1tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose reads more solidified, or at least it's tougher for me to separate the notes. White fruits and pine sap. Calvados and maple syrup. The palate is sweet and tart. More peppery, like green peppercorns. Caramel, mint and lemon-lime soda. It finishes warm and sweet. White fruits, flowers, sugar, lime candy and a little bit of oak.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
My stars, Loch Lomond has made a modern whisky. This thing is sweet and oaky with nothing that would frighten away the casual drinker. Normally I'd say such a whisky was well engineered, but here it was all about cask selection.

While it's not my style of whisky — it's much much too sweet for my delicate temperament — I'll focus on the positives. The Sauternes influence is very mild (yay!), the whisky swims well, it'll never put up a fight and it's absent even the slightest hot dumpster note. What a curious start to the week.

Availability - The Netherlands
Pricing - ~€80
Rating - 82 (those with sweet teeth would rate it higher)

Friday, September 21, 2018

Craigellachie 21 year old 1995 Clan Denny (and some history)

Craigellachie was co-founded in 1890 by Peter Mackie, the creator of the White Horse brand. Twenty-five years later Mackie's company took over the distillery entirely. In a series of terribly exciting name changes and mergers, Craigellachie's owners went from Mackie & Company to White Horse Distillers to Distillers Company Limited (DCL) to Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD) over a period of six years. In 1998 its owners (then United Distillers) sold the whole Dewar's suite of malt distilleries (Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Royal Brackla and Craigellachie) to Bacardi.

Though Craigellachie was originally created to bolster the production of White Horse and Old Smuggler blended whiskies, it now swims mostly in Dewar's and William Lawson's. Its malted barley is peated at 1-2ppm. Technically that level matches Glenmorangie's and shouldn't be noticeable, but its sulphuric spirit seems to lend many Craigellachies a perceptible phenolic edge.

I'm rounding out the week with the third straight single sherry cask from 1995, and the fourth consecutive Craig from a Laing company. Here's the list:

Tuesday - 14 year old 2000 from Old Malt Cask
Wednesday - 18 year old 1995 Old Malt Cask, cask 10589
Thursday - 20 year old 1995 Old Particular, cask 10962

Here's the whisky:


Distillery: Craigellachie
Ownership: Bacardi
Region: Central Speyside
Independent Bottler: Douglas Laing
Label: Clan Denny
Age: 21 years (Oct 1995 - May 2017)
Maturation: Sherry Butt
Cask #: DMG11769
Bottles: 197 (cask split?)
Alcohol by Volume: 48%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
Its color is very light, without a trace of gold hue, which is curious after two decades in a sherry butt; or maybe not so curious. The nose starts off with Kilkerran-esque soil and crispy leaves. Then chives and plaster. Lots of lemons and pears, with a hint of mango. There's a little bit of gunpowder green tea in the background as well. This all fades out quickly. The palate reads like an unsweetened green juice. Cucumbers, kale, grass, peppercorns and vegetable stock. There are also smaller notes of metal, grains and paper. After about 20 minutes a little bit of simple syrup shows up, as does vanilla. That green note continues into the finish, as does the metal. With time it gets more tannic and a few raisins appear.

DILUTED TO ~43%abv, or 3/4tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose brightens up with notes of lemons, limes and apples. There's also vanilla and cinnamon that doesn't mesh with the earthy notes. The palate is sweeter, friendlier. Tart berries and mild bitterness keep the sweets from going overboard. The salty broth remains, while the pepper reads slightly sulphuric. Grows more tannic with time. It finishes tannic, metallic, citric, sweet and earthy.

WORDS WORDS WORDSo
Fifth-fill sherry butt, perhaps? When neat, the whisky is all over the place, not fully formed. It does improve with water, mostly due to the appearance of the fruits. Meanwhile, when the oak does show up, it's all tannins and vanilla. Overall, it's not ugly, weird or unique enough to be fascinating. It's just unbalanced like a premature whisky, and too tannic like an overmatured whisky.

Though this series didn't end on the most positive note, I enjoyed Craigellachie Week a lot more than Glenlossie Week. I'm going to continue window shopping this distillery's stuff in the future.

Though Craigellachie's malt can be quirky, it can't compare to the oddities that lurch forth from next week's distillery...

Availability - Probably sold out
Pricing - ~€90
Rating - 78 (with water)

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Craigellachie 20 year old 1995 Old Particular, cask 10962

Craigellachie Week Continues!
Tuesday - 14 year old 2000 from Old Malt Cask
Wednesday - 18 year old 1995 Old Malt Cask, cask 10589

Another 1995 sherry butt from the Laing family. This time it's a 20 year old from Douglas Laing's Old Particular series. This was the matchup I was really looking forward to.


An enjoyable contrast in styles, these two whiskies did not disappoint. Yesterday's Craigellachie was clean and fruity. Today is...well......

Distillery: Craigellachie
Ownership: Bacardi
Region: Central Speyside
Independent Bottler: Douglas Laing
Label: Old Particular
Age: 20 years (Sept 1995 - Dec 2015)
Maturation: Sherry Butt
Cask #: DL10962
Bottles: 314 (cask split?)
Alcohol by Volume: 51.5%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No

NEAT
The nose floats up in flurry of contradictions that somehow work. Soil, honey, caramel sauce, oranges, sand and a hint of sulphur. Then witbier, black raisins, fruit leather, dark chocolate, salt and wood smoke. The palate is full of baking spices and cracked pepper. Then salty toffee. Orange peels and orange blossoms. Mildly sweet, it grows tarter with time. Less hot than the 18, despite a higher ABV. It gets sweeter in the finish, where there's dried currants, tart lemons and orange blossoms.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 3/4tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose picks up a savory, salty meatiness. Hints of the orange blossoms and dark chocolate. A little more sulphur. Sweeter than before, the palate is full of raisins and white fruits. Smoke residue and a little bit of herbal bitterness. Its tartness expands with time. The finish matches the palate, but with more citrus and pepper.

WORDS WODRS WORSD
I'd read about the meatiness of Craigellachie's spirit before, but this is the first time I found that sort of note. The sulphur level never gets too high, and actually fits right into the crowded, yet organized sniffer. It's not really a dirty whisky, but it shows no interest in the prettiness of its cousin cask. And this one swims much better.

This 20yo does remind me a little bit of that fun K&L Hepburn's Choice single cask from three years ago. I had a lot more of that one to drink, so things really aren't even, but I'd bet this Craigellachie would win out overall. It's a style that doesn't appeal to some, or many. But it works for me. And its another great bottling I'm sorry to have missed.

Availability - Probably sold out
Pricing - ~€100
Rating - 89

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Craigellachie 18 year old 1995 Old Malt Cask, cask 10589

Craigellachie Week Continues!

And today, it's another Old Malt Cask Craigellachie, and it's another sherry butt. AND I tried it along with Thursday's Craigellachie:


The tasting notes are going to be long enough so let's just skip to those.

Distillery: Craigellachie
Ownership: Bacardi
Region: Central Speyside
Independent Bottler: Hunter Laing
Label: Old Malt Cask
Age: 18 years (Nov 1995 - June 2014)
Maturation: Sherry Butt
Cask #: HL10589
Bottles: 730
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No

NEAT
The nose says, "This is the sort of clean sherry cask that would give Jim Murray a hard hat." Lots of stone fruit skins, cloves, flowers and baked apples. Cherry candy and orange peel. Toasted grains, salty air and cut grass. Other than its heat, the palate is very gentle. It has a bubblegum sweetness to it. Lemons, sweet grapefruits and ginger. Pleasant oak spice. Ginger and sweet citrus in the finish as well. Some salt and smoke. A good length.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1/2tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose feels hotter? Flowers and apple skins. A little bit of malt. Not much else. Tart citrus and sticky sugar in the palate. Uh oh, here comes some woody bitterness. The finish is sweet and tart, with a hint of smoke. Thankfully the bitterness fades.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
No water for this one please. It's a real pleasure when neat, and probably as sparkly-clean a Craigellachie as one can find.

Oh, and let's look at the official tasting notes for this one:
COME ON, Y'ALL! And by "Y'ALL" I mean Hunter Laing. "Sweetly Mellow With Vanilla", "Smooth", "Full Bodied with Vanilla", "Sweet Hint of Sherry"?????? You couldn't make a pencil stiff with descriptions like that.

Anyway, this was a very good whisky. I'm sorry I missed out on it.

Availability - Probably sold out
Pricing - ~€100
Rating - 88 (neat only)

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Craigellachie 14 year old 2000 Old Malt Cask, cask 10892

Craigellachie Week began, yesterday, with the vibrant, zesty 13 year old official bottling. That one was from refill ex-bourbon casks. Today's Craig is from a single sherry butt bottled by Hunter Laing in the Old Malt Cask range. I bought this sample (amongst many others) from Master of Malt a month before InBev took them over and further damned Americans' access to scotch whisky.

Distillery: Craigellachie
Ownership: Bacardi
Region: Central Speyside
Independent Bottler: Hunter Laing
Label: Old Malt Cask
Age: 14 years (Feb 2000 - Oct 2014)
Maturation: Sherry Butt
Cask #: HL10892
Bottles: 680
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No

The nose is intensely earthy and herbal at the start. Roots, leaves and grass. Lemons and teeny bit of vanilla. Hints of wet cardboard and menthol. On the palate, it's tobacco, bitter herbs, limes and silky toffee pudding. More limes and herbs with time. Lingering smoke and some chili oil heat. One can really feel the citrus in the big finish, along with the nose's dusty earthy note. The toffee has its moment, but that earthy thing expands with time.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Let us gaze upon the bottler's tasting notes:
Not only do those notes sound oaky and unappealing to me, they also read like generic American oak sherry cask stuff. One can get those flavors and smells from many whiskies. There's no need to go to Craigellachie for them. Also, see "smooth".

The good news is, my notes are nearly the opposite of Laing's. It's not a perfect whisky. I could have done without the cardboard note, and the palate was much tamer than the entertaining nose. But this is the kind of dirty sherry cask Craigellachie I'm in the market for, as opposed to the sherry cask something from the official notes.

Availability - Maybe a few continental Europe retailers
Pricing - ~€80
Rating - 86

Monday, September 17, 2018

Craigellachie Week begins with Craigellachie 13 year old

I could say I've always liked Craigellachie, but I've really only tried four Craigellachie single malts. Only one of those four were disappointing, but I think that was more of a Dimensions problem than a Craigellachie problem. The other three Craigs didn't behave like clean crowd-pleasing Speysiders. Yes there was fruit, and they were all well textured, but they each had something dingy underneath while herbs and wax and cereal notes floated above.

It's time for me to further explore this distillery. This week I'm going to review five Craigellachies. You'll notice there are no NASes or single-digit whiskies here. Each have some age on them. And most are from sherry casks.



First up is the official 13 year old, rolled out to the market by Bacardi in 2014. Like its mates in the Craig range, it has a proper 46%abv + no chill-filtration + no colorant(?) presentation. And they all come from American oak casks, exclusively. The 13 is just refill casks, so someone's got some pride over there at Bacardi.


Distillery: Craigellachie
Ownership: Bacardi
Region: Central Speyside
Age: minimum 13 years
Maturation: refill American oak
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No (or maybe?)
(Sample gifted by St. Brett of Riverside. Thanks, Brett!)

The nose starts off with peaches, apricots, saltwater and chocolate malt. There's an exotic citrus note — can't put my finger on the fruit — but it's a stinger. A whiff of hot tar. It gets maltier with time, picking up a slight raspberry candy note. The palate is warm, malty and grassy. There's a great trio of mellow herbal bitterness + light sweetness + lemons that lasts throughout. Another hint of something tarry and phenolic. The long finish ditches the sweetness altogether. It's malty, salty, herbal, peppery with gentle bitterness and citrus.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This whisky has triggered some curious reactions. Serge tried it twice, had issues with it twice, finding it too raw. Ruben of Whiskynotes was similarly unimpressed. Meanwhile, Josh of The Whisky Jug thought it was great. After reading Josh's take on it, Andy (of LAWS and LASC fame) had me taste Craigellachie 13 blindly. We both were less enthusiastic about it than Josh. Now I try it four years later, and I like it. And per Andy's LAWS notes, it's grown on him as well.

I'll agree with Serge, this whisky is nearly oakless, which means the spirit runs free. But I dig it. It's much less raw than all the recent 5-8 year old single cask indies I've tried. And it's certainly more mature and complex than the Wolfburn bottlings that have received better reviews (but not from me).

Ignoring everyone's opinions, for a moment, I think we may all confirm that this is not an easygoing whisky. And if you're looking for oak, you'd be better off going with bourbon. Or one of many NAS single malts.

Availability - Many specialty liquor retailers worldwide
Pricing - $40-$70 (USA)
Rating - 86

Friday, September 14, 2018

Springbank 12 year old 2003 Single Cask, port pipe

Single cask Springbank releases are more frequent in Europe than they are in the US, and often considerably cheaper. The retailers than ship internationally aren't much help because their supply vaporizes amongst their expanded customer base. An American is left with two choices, either one can stare wistfully at each release announcement, or one can start a blog just so one can mooch off of one's better connected friends.

My friend Matt, who seems to have every single release, shared a sample of this single port pipe, a release I'd never heard of.


Judging by the bottle count, this was a proper port pipe. And though Springbank may practice similar "single cask" hijinks as GlenDronach, they have less motivation to do so. Glendronach finds itself under pressure to keep putting out rich sherry cask whisky every several months, while Springbank can announce the release a three year-old Hazelburn matured in a used colostomy bag and it would still sell out in a minute.

Okay, maybe not Hazelburn.

Now I will rinse my brain with cask strength single malt. Won't you join me?

^^^ Whisky Data!
NEAT
The whisky has an apricot gold color to it. A tawny port pipe, maybe? It's that fortified wine that's parked in the nose's foreground. Mixed berry compote, grape drink, agave nectar and candied citrus peels. Not much peat or smoke, if there's any at all. A metallic note appears after a bit. The port retreats in the palate, replaced by sooty smoke, chili oil and a wee farmy edge. There a subtle berry note to it, but the whisky's sweetness feels more honeyed than fruity. The 58.3%abv feels manageable. With time in the glass, the whisky gets farmier, and suddenly there are notes of black licorice and unaged rye. The finish has that chili oil and soot, and a little of the rye. The sweetness stays mild and there are small notes of blueberry jam and tart lemons.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1.5tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The metallic note gets much louder in the nose, and is joined by little bit of charcoal barbecue smoke. There's still plenty of pretty stuff, like maraschino cherries, strawberry bubble gum, flowers and orange oil. The palate is farmy and grassy. Sweeter than before. Agave nectar, leather and cinnamon-y unaged rage. The finish is sweet and sooty and long. A little bit of cinnamon and seaweed-y peat.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
With its strength, cask, and (what used to be considered) youth, the whisky was expected to be expressive, and in that it does not disappoint. The ABV isn't too intrusive. Water doesn't open the whisky, so much as it calms it down. If you're wine cask-phobic, then the nose will put you off, but be brave and give it a sip because the spirit gets top billing in the palate. So, yes, this Springbank goes off in different directions, but all are decent and none are too extreme.

One thing I did notice this week, was that all three of these Springbanks read young. Which means they were neither overbaked nor entirely done baking. The sparring partners — Springbank Green 13 year old and this 10yo indie port cask — felt more mature and well-rounded. Yes, those two were not bottled at cask strength, but heat and tightness weren't the issues with the CSes. There's no conspiracy at hand, though. Each of this week's whiskies were distilled in different years and bottled at different times utilizing different casks. And with that, let's move on to a different distillery next week.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 85

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Springbank 1997 Vintage, batch 1


This relaxing tasting included Monday's 19yo 1991, the organic Green 13yo and today's whisky, the 1997 Vintage. Springbank released two batches of this "vintage", the first in 2007, the second in 2008. Batch 2 was from regular sherry casks, while the first batch was from re-charred sherry butts.

Back in 2014, whisky man Florin picked up a bottle of this stuff in Germany at a price of $84, and split it up. In the four years since, it's one of the very few Springbanks that haven't become outrageously expensive on the secondary market. Though one can find it at European shops for $200+, it's gone for ~$100 at auctions this year.

I bought 1/3rd of the bottle four years ago, and saved the last two ounces for a Taste Off such as this.


Distillery: Springbank
Brand: Springbank
Owner: Springbank Distillers Ltd.
Region: Campbeltown, on Well Close, just off of Longrow
Age: 9-10 years (1997 to June 2007)
Maturation: Recharred Sherry Butts
Outturn: ???
Alcohol by Volume: 55.2%abv
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant Added? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT
The nose has some decent complexity for a whisky of its age. White peaches, roses, cocoa, plastic toys and moss up front. It gets both smokier and more floral with time, while developing a sugary citrus note. The palate feels bigger and more complex than the 1991. Orange sorbet, mild smoke and lots of oak spice. It has a savory and salty angle, tangy limes, cinnamon and burlap. Its finish is long and spicy with tangy limes and peppercorns.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1¼tsp per 30mL whisky
The nose shifts and expands, releasing notes of cherries, plum wine, dark chocolate and sugary peat. There are also smaller notes of roses and ocean air. The palate balances a grassy herbal side with a dried fruit and carob side. It gets sweeter with time. The finish is sweeter than the neat version, and warmer. Notes of anise, peat and roses.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
The opposite of Monday's Springbank, this one is mostly cask, especially when neat. Still, the casks are good, reading more re-toasted than re-charred. There's more complexity when it's neat, but I enjoyed it more at 46%abv. Overall, it makes the Monday's '91 seem kinda crappy in comparison.

BUT, the Green 13yo won fair and square. And the current official 10 year old is both more complex and a better drink than this one. So I'd recommend both of those whiskies over batch one of the 1997 Vintage.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - $100-$225
Rating - 86

Monday, September 10, 2018

Springbank 19 year old 1991-2011 Murray McDavid

I started some Springbank tastings last week, and I now I can't stop. So, how about three more this week? Yes? Good!

One bottle of Springbank Green 13yo was opened for the Kill Bottle event two weeks ago. Opening a bottle when trying to empty existing bottles makes a whole lot of sense. But from the first sip, I was reminded why I like Green 13yo so much. A week later, I set up a tasting of today's whisky, Wednesday's whisky and the Green 13yo. And it was good.

The oldest of the three was this 19 year old from Murray McDavid. Murray McDavid is probably best known for their "ACEing" (a branding(?) word for cask finishing), a practice of theirs that has produced some of the vilest whisky I've ever tried. This is one of their whiskies they — for whatever reason — chose to keep in one cask for its entire life.

Distillery: Springbank
Brand: Springbank
Owner: Springbank Distillers Ltd.
Region: Campbeltown, on Well Close, just off of Longrow
Independent Bottler: Murray McDavid
Age: 19 years (1991 - 2011)
Maturation: refill sherry cask
Outturn: 559 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 56.1%
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
Its color is very pale. How many refills did this cask weather? The nose shows anise, lime zest and LOTS of butter. In fact the butter note overwhelms all else. There's the occasional dried fruit note and some flowers. After 30 minutes, there are oranges, pears, rye new make and wet cardboard. The palate is sweet, peppery and more pleasant than the nose. Vanilla, cinnamon and mild heat. It picks up some industrial notes and arugula later on. It finishes tart, peppery, grassy and less sweet than the palate.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1⅓tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose is farmier, more focused and without wet cardboard. Cinnamon hot candies and cinnamon coffee cake. Lemons and limes. The palate is puckeringly tart and peppery. Less sweet than before, with cinnamon, butter and acidic citrus. Butter in the finish as well. Lots of pepper and a generic tartness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Well, that was a nearly dead cask. The whisky read less than half its age, except not as fun. Dilution improves the nose and seems to wake up the palate. The finish neither soars nor sucks.

This whisky seems like it would have been the perfect candidate for a MMcD cask finish. I don't know why this one escaped their ACEing claws (or clause?). Perhaps they were out of first fill garbage barrels that day.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 79 (dilution preferred)

Friday, September 7, 2018

Killing Whisky History, Episode 16 - 14 year old Ben Nevis and Blair Athol from 1978

Haven't had enough Birthday Booze posts? Great! Here's one more.

Step into my office...


In this episode, number 16, I compare a pair of Highland single malts that have the same age, distillation year and bottler; and I am very happy about it.

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Springbank 15 year old 2000 Jamaican Rum Barrel for Springbank Society

On Monday I reviewed a single cask of 15 year old Springbank that was distilled in 2000. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the unspecified rum utilized to season that cask was not Jamaican. I come by this uneducated guess because I tried that whisky head-to-head with today's whisky, a Springbank aged in a Jamaican rum barrel.

For the readers out there who think every rum is tooth-rottingly sweet syrup, may I encourage you to try a Jamaican rum or two or three. Jamaican rum, especially Hampden, has more spunk, funk and wallop than nearly any whisky in production. Of course, it's getting tougher to find Hampden now that Whiskyfun lavishes every Hampden release with wild praise. Accordingly one should also anticipate rising prices.

But it's true what you hear. Hampden Estate, it's Esterrific!

There are at least a half dozen Jamaican distilleries other than the big H. So who knows what sat in this barrel first...
Distillery: Springbank
Brand: Springbank
Owner: Springbank Distillers Ltd.
Region: Campbeltown, on Well Close, just off of Longrow
Age: 15 years (November 2000 to October 2016, almost 16!)
Maturation: Jamaican Rum Barrel
Exclusive to: Springbank Society
Limited release: 228 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 51.2%abv
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant Added? No
(from a sample purchased via Sjoerd)

NEAT
The nose is grungier than Monday's whisky, though still sugary. There's a balance to it: limes, oranges, beef, hot dirty hay, subtle peat. It gets brinier and fruitier with time, picking up a brief whiff of sulphur. Woooo, the palate. Think young bourbon barrel Springbank + Smith & Cross + Thai chilies. Rich creamery butter. Cinnamon hot candies and sea salt. A smoke/fuel note. It gets grassier with time. More chilies in the finish, then salt, sugar, ethyl and tannins.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 2/3tsp of water to 30mL whisky
The nose is cleaner, fruitier. A little bit of peat and sugar. Dried herbs and that flinty note. The palate is a lighter, sweeter take on the neat version. Some curry-ish spice rises up to make things more fun. The finish actually improves, with soil and tangy citrus join the heat-and-sweet party.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
While the gnarliest of Jamaican rums was not in play, there be hogo here. And that's fine, because when an aggressive cask is used the rum wins out, like in this Amrut thingy. Instead, this Springbank shows off some balance. The (whisky) spirit comes across more rugged than the usual 15yo Springbank, but that's what was needed, resulting in fruit and fuel and salt and spice. It's far from being an artful Springbank, but I don't say that as an insult. It's a vigorous creation, especially once the chile note kicks in. If you're vigor triggered, then dilution is key. I'd take this over Monday's whisky any day.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 85

Monday, September 3, 2018

Springbank 15 year old 2000 Fresh Rum Cask for The Nectar

This past weekend I had the pleasure of trying two single cask Springbanks — both 15 years old, distilled in 2000 and matured in rum casks — side by side.

Today's Springbank was bottled exclusively for The Nectar in Belgium. It was aged in a "Fresh Rum Cask" (there are lot of types of rum out there) and had an oddly low cask strength of 46.5%abv. So I wasn't sure what to expect.
Distillery: Springbank
Brand: Springbank
Owner: Springbank Distillers Ltd.
Region: Campbeltown, on Well Close, just off of Longrow
Age: 15 years (April 2000 to Sept 2015)
Maturation: "Fresh Rum Cask"
Exclusive to: The Nectar
Limited release: 198 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 46.5%abv
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant Added? No
(sample from My Annoying Opinions. Thanks, MAO!)

NEAT
Definitely a sugary rum (as opposed to a diesel-y rum) on the nose. Coconut cream, toasted coconut, wood smoke and a grassy note. Smaller notes of cinnamon candy and orange candy. Feels like 75% rum & oak, 25% Springbank. After 30 minutes notes of citrus, fabric and raspberry yogurt sneak out. The rum is subtler in the palate. Decent mouthfeel. Plenty sweet, like coconut ice cream. Chile oil heat. It's the oak that's parks itself in the fore, flaunting sugar and caramel sauce. Later on there's cinnamon, clove cigarettes and black peppercorns. The warm finish summarizes everything that came before: vanilla, caramel, coconut, peppercorns, sugar and clove cigarettes.

Just a little bit of water, since the abv's already low.

DILUTED TO ~43%abv, or 1/2tsp water per 30mL whisky
All the late notes (citrus, fabric, raspberry yogurt) remain in the nose, but nothing else other than coconut cream and mesquite chips. The palate goes syrupy sweet, but also very peppery. Vanilla and coconut. It finishes with sugar and peppercorns. Vanilla and a whiff of smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
When I scheduled this tasting, I'd forgotten that I've had a mixed experience with rum cask Springbanks (see here, here and here). Never had one I loved. This is the third one that was underwhelming.

MAO and I have somewhat different takes on this whisky. I found it the sugary rum to be too forward on the nose, and the oak has the same issue on the palate. He found more Springbank in this Springbank than I did. But we do agree that the rum is louder on the nose, and that water weakens the whole thing.

It's not a bad whisky, it's an easy drinking dessert whisky, though I highly encourage you to forgo dilution. It certainly comes for a different cask than Wednesday's whisky.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 81 (neat only, at least 5 points lower when diluted)