...where distraction is the main attraction.

Monday, December 31, 2018

Caol Ila 32 year old 1980 Sovereign for K&L

I'm feeling a little worn out with both Caol Ila and Clynelish after this Caol Ila-Clynelish month. There have been no terribly profound discoveries during this run, except that SMWS bottles a good whisky once in a while. And unless today's 32 year old whisky soils the bed — and I doubt it will — Caol Ila was the clear winner between the two Diageo distilleries this month.

Regarding Clynelish, the official 14 year old is preferable to all but the last two Clynelish bottlings I reviewed. And though the official Caol Ila 12 and 18 are very good, they were matched or beaten by most of the CIs I tried this month.

That leads to this, the 32 year old, the oldest Caol Ila I've ever tried. I just typed "tired" instead of "tried". Between overtime workdays, family parties, travel and two children, I am indeed ever tired. Whisky!

Distillery: Caol Ila
Region: Islay
Independent Bottler: Hunter Hamilton
Range: The Sovereign
Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants
Age: 32 years old (1980 - 2013)
Maturation: probably a bourbon barrel
Cask numberHH10083
Bottles: ~150
Alcohol by Volume: 57.1%
(thanks to Brett P for the sample!)

NEAT
The nose is very fruity: lychee, guava and white nectarines. What starts out as a roasted peat note morphs into an ocean peat note (think seaweed and brine) after 20 minutes. The smoke's intensity builds with time as well. A sort of smoked chocolate note appears after a while. I've never experienced a palate like this. Grape candy and ganja. Like, that's it, man, for the first 15 minutes. Then it gets tarry and salty. Grape bubblegum, band aids, mint and cherries. A lot of spiciness from the oak, but it's not tannic. Oh wait, yeah here come the tannins. It finishes smokier and bitterer than the palate. Tart berries, dry tannic red wine. Hints of the grape candy. Peat and heat last the longest.

DILUTED TO ~50%abv, or > ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose turns into something like a classic teenage Caol Ila. Candied peat, cured meat, tar and dried oregano. The palate becomes much sweeter. Tart citrus, tart berries. Small salty and savory notes. It gets peppery with time. The finish is noticeably shorter. It's tangy and sweet, but also has moments of smoke and peppercorns.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
If only the nose's great combination of fruit and peat had carried over to the palate, this would have been a killer. But the weight of the oak presses down late in the palate, then right through the finish. Still, the palate is kooky and unique enough to provide lots of entertainment. I don't think dilution did it any favors.

While I heartily encourage people to ditch The Port Ellen Chase in favor of well-matured Caol Ila, this one probably won't convince too many folks. Though it's a good whisky, it's not the best Caol Ila I had this month.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $269.99
Rating - 87 (neat only)

Friday, December 28, 2018

Clynelish 29 year old 1984 SMWS 29.105 (and Easy Rider)


(...continued from yesterday's post)

Despite all the editing flourishes in Easy Ryder, Peter Fonda's performance makes the most lasting mark in my memory of the film. He imbues Captain America with a yellow sheen of melancholy that can be felt from the instant he stuffs his cash stash into the red, white and blue gas tank. And though it isn't until the end of the film that he has a visual premonition of their fate, there's always a weight to his face and body that seems like he always knew what was going to happen. It's not just a distant stoned gaze into the abyss, it's resigned despair. He doesn't even have to speak the works "We blew it", it's in his flesh long before his bike burns.

The Clynelish tasting ended right before Billy and the Captain's Mardi Gras acid trip. Sadly, I can't pin the names "Billy" and "Captain America" on the two Clynelish because there would need to be considerable leaps to find parallels between the nonfiction whiskies and fictional bikers. But despite being of the same age, distillation year, bottler and cask type the two single malts were significantly different.

Distillery: Clynelish
Owner: Diageo
Region: Northern Highlands
Independent bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 29 years (28 November 1984 to 2014)
Maturation: Refill sherry butt
"Poetic" name: Bumblebees by the sea
Cask number26.105
Outturn: 548
Alcohol by Volume: 57.6%
(thanks to Brett P for the sample!)

NEAT
Wildflowers, chewed grass, honey, honeydew and lemon on the nose. After 20-30 mins, notes of raspberry jam, herbal smoke and caramel sauce join in. The thick, oily mouthfeel reveals notes of ginger beer, lemon custard and lime juice in the palate. Meeting up with the fruity sweetness is a solid mineral nip. Soft oak-like notes of caramel sauce combine well with chili flakes and ground mustard seed. Its finish does have lemony notes similar to yesterday's Clynelish, but here it's more of a custard and marmalade than a juice. Mineral notes and chili flakes sparkle along the extensive length.

DILUTED TO ~50%abv, or < 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Now the nose has mustard, marzipan, parsley and peat moss. Guava and lemons. Toasted cinnamon bread. The palate becomes sweeter and more herbal with a touch of bitterness. Fresh ginger, lemon juice and honey. A mix of fresh green herbs. The finish keeps its great length. It's sweet and tart, focusing on limes, while also sneaking in parsley and brine.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Finally, an SMWS bottling that reflects its "creative" name. And alas, there's one Clynelish this month that shines with the distillery's great reputation. Similar to yesterday's whisky, the oak rarely appears and the sherry is absent. There's just big graceful age. While the nose etches out more detail, the palate shows great depth and balance. Despite the two whiskies' technical similarities, this one came with a $25 higher price tag. In my opinion, the high quality is worth some sort of premium. Yes, I just wrote that.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $175ish
Rating - 90

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Clynelish 29 year old 1984 SMWS 29.102 (and Easy Rider)


As a parent of two children, I have discovered that the only way to get anything done is to do many things at once. Multitasking at work, multitasking at play. (For instance, I'm typing this post while eating breakfast.) It's not my preferred method of existence, but it's the only way I can get around to viewing a film once or twice a year.

This past weekend I consumed two samples of Clynelish with the same age, bottler, cask type and "vintage" (I prefer "birthday") while watching Easy Rider, a flick I hadn't seen in 20+ years. Easy Rider holds together better than I'd expected from a Dennis Hopper joint, almost solely due to heavy lifting on the editing flatbed. The story actually starts at the beginning, jumping right in without titles and — likely to the shock of many viewers 50 years ago — with Peter Fonda speaking titles-free Spanish. The structure is episodic, but there's little time wasted in the kinetic interstitial riding sequences. When it finishes at the 95-minute mark, Easy Rider feels both full and incomplete, like the lives of its antiheroes. Adventures were had, but a larger exploration was left unfinished.

This is where the Clynelish pair fits in. Whiskies of advanced age require an hour long tasting, in my opinion. They need time and space, rarely revealing their secrets up front. Also, despite what you may think of this glamorous blog, I don't drink 25+ year old whiskies on the reg, so I like to make them last as long as possible. And by "them" I mean whiskies like the two 29 year old Clynelish I'm reviewing today and tomorrow.

Distillery: Clynelish
Owner: Diageo
Region: Northern Highlands
Independent bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Age: 29 years (13 December 1984 to 2014)
Maturation: Refill sherry butt
"Funny" name: Pomanders in a lady's parlour
Cask number26.102
Outturn: 416
Alcohol by Volume: 56.0%
(thanks to Brett P for the sample!)

NEAT
The nose is loaded with zests (orange and lime), roses and melted candle wax at the start. That's followed by butterscotch, vanilla and sour apple candies. It gains more of that candied note with time but also holds onto a soft grassiness underneath. Meanwhile, the palate begins with lots of lemons and dulce de leche. Small notes of fresh ginger and bitter horseradish appear here and there. Some smoked nuts. It's very drinkable and never too sweet. The looooong finish is full of citrus, salt and peppery smoke. Hints of sugar and toasted grains.

DILUTED TO ~50%abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose reads a little hotter, curiously. But there's oranges, roses, vanilla, hay and ground mustard seed. The palate feels hotter, sweeter, bitterer. Louder, I guess. Lemons, vanilla, spicy mint. It's a little grassy and has the bite of an herbal liqueur. It finishes with citrus, peppery smoke, roses and mint.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Pretty darn good whisky this Clynelish, especially when neat. It balances sweetness, tartness and herbal bitterness. Smoke, or the illusion thereof, drifts up unexpectedly. It has some stamina to it, never fading out, getting only more raucous when diluted. This must have been a third- or fourth-fill sherry butt because the cask did only what it needed to do, hold the whisky and let it grow old.

I think this was $150 when it came out, which makes it a better deal than yesterday's Caol Ila. Yes, I just said something nice about SMWS. Again. What is the world coming to??? Find out tomorrow.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $150?
Rating - 88

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Caol Ila 20 year old 1995 Signatory, cask 445 for K&L

The 18yo Caol Ila I reviewed on Monday was plum lovely. Today's Caol Ila spent two more years in a refill hoggie, in a different warehouse, for a different company. Thus it's likely that this whisky will be at least somewhat different in style than the 18yo. I've found Signatory's single casks much more reliable than SMWS's, so expectations are high-ish.
photo from K&L's site
I have no idea where my sample pic is
Distillery: Caol Ila
Owner: Diageo
Region: Islay
Independent Bottler: Signatory
Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants
Age: 20 years (24 January 1995 - 30 September 2015)
Maturation: refill hogshead
Cask#: 445
Alcohol by Volume: 54.4%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(via a sample swap with Florin. Thanks, Florin!)

NEAT
Quite a style on the nose. Pineapple and lime juice meets cucumber skins, fennel and dried leafy peat. Smaller notes of Band Aids, wet sheep, dried cherries and vanilla in the background. The palate is very herbal: dried thyme, oregano and rosemary. Black pepper, burlap and bitter melon rind. Plenty of raw heat. Herbs, bitter cocoa, bitter smoke and heat in the finish.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Cucumber skins, bitter greens, lemon zest and peppercorns on the nose. The palate remains similar to the neat version. More limes and lemons. Sootier smoke. Slightly sweeter. The finish is bitter, sweet and salty, with a little more peat in the smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
While it often tilts toward Herbal Bomb territory, this Caol Ila's fruit and smoke lend it some complexity. Of all the elements, the nose delivers the most entertainment. There's a roughness to the palate that may be due to an iffy cask. Water helps that part out a little bit, but it lessens the nose's impact. I do seem to like it more than Jordan, Florin and MAO, who all found more oak in it than I. Still, I agree with them that the whisky falls far short of its swollen price tag. Also, mark the calendar: SMWS beats Signatory in this match!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $149.99
Rating - 85

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Clynelish 18 year old 1997 Hepburn's Choice for K&L

I'm rolling out the 1997 Clynelish for Xmas. I don't think I've reviewed this undeservedly(?) famous(?) vintage(?) since July 2013.

For those of you who are wondering what I'm talking about, a subset of whisky enthusiasts believe that 1997 Clynelishes are consistently fabulous. Another subset think that's a bunch of rubbish. If one is going by facts (and why would one want to do that?), there's an unusually large quantity of single cask Clynelish that had been distilled in 1997 (300+ 1997 releases versus 70+ 1998 releases and 30+ 1999 releases, for instance). In fact, there are more 1997 Clynelish on the market than any other "vintage" from that distillery. So there's a lot of it, whether or not it's always great.

I've found some 1997 Clynelish to be very good and others that aren't. Profound, innit?

Distillery: Clynelish
Ownership: Diageo
Region: Northern Highlands
Independent Bottler: Hunter Laing
Label: Hepburn's Choice
Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants
Age: 18 years (1997-2015)
Maturation: refill hogshead
Bottles: 254
Alcohol by Volume: 55.4%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(Thanks to Brett for the sample!)

NEAT
The nose has a nice array of characteristics. Citronella, orange peel, melted candles, honeydew, whole wheat bread and honey. It has a darker side with chalk dust and industrial grease. The palate is hot and very very tangy. Stones and peppercorns. Pears and honey. A slight vanilla creaminess. It finishes salty, tangy and sweet.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose is cleaner and fruitier. Lemons, orange and maybe something tropical. The palate remains almost palate-strippingly tangy. Salt, pepper, flowers and simple sweet barley note. The finish has been clipped short. Tangy and peppery.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
I sampled this whisky along with yesterday's 18yo SMWS Caol Ila, and this Clynelish got trounced. It's a noser, not a drinker. The nose is great, with or without dilution, being both friendly and complex. I wouldn't say the palate is DOA, it's just flat and bland aside from the violent tangy note. It doesn't require more dilution because there was almost no finish left at 46%abv.

Another instance of a B range nose and a C range palate. I'm unimpressed with the Clynelish this month. Gonna have to haul out the big guns on Thursday and Friday, but tomorrow will bring a 20yo Caol Ila.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $99.99
Rating - 81

Monday, December 24, 2018

Caol Ila 18 year old 1995 SMWS 53.197


And it's off to the races to get to Whisky 2000! There will be five whisky reviews this week. And I'm back on the Clynelish - Caol Ila Train. As mentioned earlier this month, the reviews are going from youngest to oldest. Now we're up to the 18 year olds. One Caol Ila today, one Clynelish tomorrow. Both from refill hoggies.

Historically, I've found more misses than hits among the SMWS releases I've tried. That club's membership and prices remain remain a quandary to me, but they appear to be doing just fine without me and my money. In any case, it's difficult to screw up a well-aged Caol Ila, so lemme see...

A unicorn?
Distillery: Caol Ila
Owner: Diageo
Region: Islay
Independent bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
"Funny" name: A stoker in drag
Age: 18 years (24 August 1995 to 2014). That's a good birthday.
Maturation: Refill hogshead
Cask number: 53.197
Outturn: 253
Alcohol by Volume: 57.4%
(thanks to Brett P for the sample!)

NEAT
Oh man, scrumptious peat on the nose, like peated pecan pie. Then pineapple juice and milk chocolate. Hints of iodine, lemon and smoked salmon. Mango, limes and BBQ-ish peat start off the palate. Then honey, baklava and almond cookies. The smoke gradually intensifies with time. The ABV reads like it's 10 points lower than it actually is. It finishes with salty smoked meats, a dry wood smoke, moss and limes.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Charred meat, smoked fish, soil, cloves and lemon candy on the nose. Wood smoke, Thai chiles and brown sugar on the palate, followed by smoked fish and a creamy mango pudding. The finish is a little sweeter than the palate and has a gentler smoke note. A little bit of the mango too.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
An excellent whisky that reminds one not to weep for the loss of Port Ellen, this Caol Ila may be the best Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottling I've had. They bottled it at just the right time; excellent maturation without any oak interruption. The fruit, salt, smoke and savory elements are dynamite together. Yum. If you've got this, open this, drink this, especially in winter. Whisky 1001 is a success!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 91

Friday, December 21, 2018

Whisky 1000: Old Hermitage Reserve Rye, bottled early 1910s

Five years ago, I was introduced to someone as "the guy who's tried more than 200 whiskies." The gentleman with whom I was being acquainted responded with a skeptical, "How'd you do that?" With the moment catching me by surprise, my answer was, "I don't really know."

But I do know. I could have only done this because of you. Thank you. Thank you for checking in on my last latest rants, complaints, brilliant ideas, loves and general narcissism. A story doesn't exist without an audience. Something brought you here and keeps you here, and I'll do everything I can to inspire you to stick around for more. Thanks again for stopping by.

I'd also like to thank the following people for supplying the drugs: Aaron, Amy, Andrew S, Andy S, Brett, Chris, Cobo, Eric S, Florin, Jennifer, Joe, John, Jordan, Josh F, Josh H, Josh P, Josh S, Lee, Linda, Linh, M.A.O., Matt W, Michael R, Ryan O, Ryan S, Ryan S, Sjoerd, Sku, Teemu, Tetris, Tim and Vik. (There are others, I know, and I'm so sorry for missing your name here. Thank you too!) I'd also like to thank LASC, OCSC, SCWC and CSN for deepening the exploration and also making humans hang out with each other.



And then there was 1000.

Four Decembers back, I spent a whisky evening with one Joshua Feldman, known to many as The Coopered Tot. Josh had always been very generous with his collection and knowledge, but on this night...holy moley...he announced we would be opening this:


Bottled by W. Bixby & Company in the early 1910s, this rye was distilled by W.A. Gaines & Co (one of the largest whiskey producers at the time) at The Hermitage Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. E.H. Taylor Jr was one of the company's early financiers, but he left in the 1870s. The distillery itself was built in 1868 and ran until it was turned into a chair factory during Prohibition.

W. Bixby started bottling Old Hermitage in 1909. Old Hermitage bottles had capsules on the top starting around 1915. This bottle did not have a capsule. That's how Josh got the 1909 to 1914 date range.

For more info on all of this stuff see Sjoerd's review and this great discussion between Cowdery and Veach, two bourbon history giants. Josh also referenced the bottle in this interview with Angus (who is himself a giant sponge of whisky insight).

Also, there's this:

In order to pry the cork cleanly from the bottle, The Coop utilized a rare form of Scottish acupuncture:


And it worked perfectly.

It looks like a cross between a shuttlecock and Sputnik.
Does that make it a Sputcock?
Discuss amongst yourselves.
For some zany reason we lined it up against full-powered Thomas H. Handy's 2012 release. And, by gum. It held its own. In fact, it was remarkable.

It all seems like a hazy crazy dream now, four years later. But to make sure this remained in the realm of reality, Josh sent me home with an excellent sample. What a mensch, jeezus.



To make this the official 1000th whisky on The Big Whisk(e)y List I have to give it a score. And I'll do that now, because I feel the weight of the absurd on this number: 93

Okay, you can forget that number now. I'll continue.



So how exactly does one review a rye whiskey that was bottled 100 years ago? I don't know, but I thought I'd try it alongside three enjoyable contemporary ryes. It wasn't just that I wanted to compare the quality, but I also wanted to glean if there was any matching (metaphorical) DNA in their styles.
I'll cut right to it. These younglings got schooled. When compared to Old Hermitage...

(time to shift verb tenses)

...Wild Turkey 101's nose is nutty, loaded with caramel and wood shavings, while the palate is bitter and green.

...Pikesville 6yo has a lot of candy and vanilla in the nose, with grain and smoked nuts in the palate.

...Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7yo's nose is rife with pickles, pine and soil, and its palate is medicinal and briney.

I sincerely like all three of these ryes on their own, but there's a flatness and greenness to them when compared to Old Hermitage. The Pikesville is vaguely the closest in style on the nose, but none has a similar palate. The MGP Smooth Amber has the most distinct style of the three.



And the Old Hermitage Reserve?


The nose is loaded with fruits: clementines, lemons and baked peaches. Then there's shoe leather and anise. Toasted rye bread and almond brittle. It grows dessertier with time, loaded with custards and sugars. Not even a whiff of old bottle funk.

It may be the most drinkable rye I've ever had. The palate has a moderate warmth, close to the 99-101 proof babies, but it doesn't scorch the senses. Add in an excellent balance of characteristics and a silky texture and...oh does it drink. About that balance; think sea salt, brown sugar, citrus juices, mint, toasted barley and earth. No blatant oak, no obvious vanilla. There's something almost alien about that after drinking so many modern whiskies.

The citrus comes on strong in the finish, almost like a single malt. Hints of salt, soil and coal smoke. Something floral joins the gentle sweetness.

Though I'm filled with elation and wonder, a quiet sadness lies beneath, like I've lost something that was okay to lose. It's not the alcohol talking, nor the customary chemical imbalances. Time has passed. Memories gone, distilled down into obstacles and momentum. Maybe that's why this blog is here. A thousand photographs of things mistakenly thought to be distractions. It's just whisky, but that doesn't mean it can't be beautiful. This was a good rye.

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Clynelish 16 year old 1996 AD Rattray for K&L Wine Merchants

I've had this sample for five years. Luckily the sample bottle was still full after all these years. Probably have the polycone seal to thank for that.

This sample was given to me by Tetris, a fellow who indulged in K&L's exclusive bottlings before I did. And, frankly, I don't even remember Driscoll pimping this one. But it exists/existed, as you'll see from the bottle pic near the bottom of the post.

Like Monday's Clynelish, this one was aged in a sherry butt, though I believe it was a refill, as per my sample label. I tasted the two Clynelish side-by-side for their reviews.


Distillery: Clynelish
Ownership: Diageo
Independent Bottler: A. Dewar Rattray
Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants
Age: 16 years (8 October 1996 - 17 December 2012)
Maturation: refill sherry butt
Cask#: 8781
Outturn: 555 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 58.2%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(thank you, Tetris!)

NEAT
The nose is very buttery, and that's all I can smell at first. But after it airs out, notes of brown sugar, brine, peppery sulphur, concrete, apples and grain float up. The palate is better than the nose leads on. It has a balance of brown sugar, citrus and savory. There are also black raisins, cayenne pepper and moldy oak. It gets limier with time. Limes, salt and cayenne in the finish. Very little sweetness to it, sort of like a super dry white wine. But hotter.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or > 1½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Almost no change to the nose. Maybe some maple, lime and raisins show up. But the palate becomes much easier. Oloroso and earth. Raisins and tart citrus. Chili oil, butter and moldy oak. The finish nearly matches the palate, with a good length and maybe some more sweetness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Though I'm not a fan of the strange buttery note, I do like what lies beneath it. The palate is less problematic than the nose, working decently with or without water. Its ABV is almost identical to that of Monday's Clynelish, but it reads less hot. It also comes across slightly more generic compared to the 13yo. I will say this, I'm three Clynelish in, so far, and I'd still pick the 14yo OB over them all.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $99.99
Rating - 83

Monday, December 17, 2018

Clynelish 13 year old 1995 Signatory, cask 12792

The Caol Ila-dominant period of this Caol Ila-Clynelish month is over. It's time for two Clynelish in a row. (Note: Clynelish is plural for Clynelish. Is this a thing? Can I make it a thing?)

Both of these Clynelish are from sherry casks. Though, Clynelish #1 Fan often takes issue with sherry cask Clynelish, I don't feel the same. Then again Serge has tried about 20x as many Clynelish as I. So who are you going to side with? Me? Great!

First up, a 13yo single sherry butt from Signatory that was bottled before I started blogging about whisky, which was a looooooooooooong time ago.


Distillery: Clynelish
Ownership: Diageo
Independent Bottler: Signatory
Age: 13 years (21 December 1995 - 15 September 2009)
Maturation: sherry butt
Cask#: 12792
Alcohol by Volume: 58.2%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(from a sample swap with My Annoying Opinions)

NEAT
The nose's top layer consists of dried cherries, soil, rock and kale juice. But its center is all dunnage and burlap. After 20+ minutes small notes of roses and mango appear. Beneath the palate's significant heat are notes of salt and dunnage. There's some sweetness (orange marmalade, maybe?) in the background, and an herbal bite in the middle. With time in glass, a creamy sweetness arises though the heat never subsides. The hot finish is a mix of salt, dunnage, herbal bitterness and citric sweetness.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or > 1½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose gets farmier and fruitier, like overripe cantaloupe rind and flesh. The dunnage and rose notes are subtler. Some wheatgrass in there, and lots of brine. The palate has the burlap and funky dunnage mustiness of the neat nose. Limes follow as does a mild sweetness, stones and a hint of extinguished matches. It MUCH less hot now. The sweetest moment arrives in the finish, reminiscent of citrus hard candies. Some salt and heat follow.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Though my notes might not say as much, I liked this whisky. The key is getting through the heat. As usual, the nose is the strong point, working with or without dilution. Water cools off the palate and finish improving them. It's lean and mean, feeling old school and spirit-forward. It's certainly not a crowd pleaser. Be sure to see MAO's review (from nearly 6 years ago!) and his comments section for alternate takes.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 86 (with water)

Friday, December 14, 2018

Caol Ila 10 year old Connoisseurs Choice, Gordon & MacPhail

Yes, one of my own bottles! No mooching today!


The above photo was taken a couple weeks before we left California, and that's about the time I salvaged a 2-ounce review sample for the future. And now I'm in the future.

I took no notes while drinking directly from this bottle, but the liquid did vanish quickly. Jordan of Chemistry of the Cocktail reviewed a sample from this bottle back in 2016. I have no idea if other samples are out there somewhere.

Aside from the time I had the privilege of drinking a Caperdonich 1968, I've found the Connoisseurs Choice series to be underwhelming. At least this time there's sherry and peat (probably) involved...


Distillery: Caol Ila
Ownership: Diageo
Region: Islay
Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail
Range: Connoisseurs Choice
Age: 10 years old (???? - ????)
Maturation: refill sherry hogsheads
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
(review sample taken from the bottom third of my bottle)

NEAT
It's the color of straw, so perhaps not that much sherry? Lemons and brown sugar up front in the nose, peat and pepper in the background. Dried stone fruits and mint candy in the midground. After 20 minutes, it's just mint candy and dried fruits, with almost no peat. Bigger peat on the palate, though. Overall, it's sweet and simple, a little floral. More ashy than smoky. It gets ashier, saltier and bitterer with time, then hints of dried berries and vanilla show up. The moderate-length finish has peat, sugar and salt. It gets tangier and bitterer with time.

DILUTED TO ~40%abv, or < 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky
A straightforward delivery of ash, sugar syrup, mint, brown sugar and lemon zest in the nose. The palate has gotten sweeter and more acidic. The bitterness remains, though the peat is barely there. A note of moldy oak rolls in. The finish is sweet, acidic and mildly peaty.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
On the Whelmed Scale of 1 through 10, this sits at 5, which is better than average (in my experience) for Connoisseurs Choice. It's a perfectly acceptable sipper, one that can be consumed casually and mostly forgotten. The peat is often shy, though not as hidden as the sherry. Though I didn't try the two side by side, I'd say the official Caol Ila 12yo has a full step up on this whisky. So the Caol Ila 10 year old Connoisseurs Choice wasn't worth its $75 price tag. And thus goes my final CC bottle.

One final word, or paragraph, about Connoisseurs Choice. If you peruse the European retail market, you may have noticed Gordon & MacPhail have done a complete packaging and branding overhaul. No more Cask Strength Series. Most G&Ms appear to be Connoisseurs Choice, whether 46%abv or 66%abv, small batch or single barrel. The bottles look sturdier, the labels curvier. As mentioned, the old Connoisseurs Choice always sounded and seemed better than it was. The fact that it had been around for a few decades also brought it some cachet. Goodbye ugly but comfy map labels; hello front-and-center tasting notes. Perhaps the product will be better. Or maybe it's just new visuals for the same whisky.

Availability - American market, a few bottles may still be around
Pricing - $65-$75
Rating - 84

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Undisclosed Distillery (Caol Ila) 7 year old 2008 Single Cask Nation

While low scores help bring my average ratings back down to Earth, and the usage of online snark can be tasty, panning a whisky gives me little pleasure. (Also, I'm investing liver cells here.) But Monday's Clynelish was crap when neat. The next Clynelish (next week) will be 13 years old, from a different sort of cask and at a lower ABV. So I'm cautiously optimistic.

But enough about Clynelish, because we're back to Caol Ila! Probably.

Today's whisky was labelled "Undisclosed Distillery" by J&J of Single Cask Nation, and is listed as of the "Islay Region". This situation often = Lagavulin. But I was told by someone in the know that this is in fact Caol Ila. And the site says, "We believe this whisky was produced at Islay's powerhouse distillery located near Port Askaig." So there.

Last week's 5 year old CI perfectly illustrated my qualms about all the market's immature single casks, while the 6 year old CI proved the opposite. I'm hoping this will trend towards the 6yo.

Distillery: Undisclosed (Caol Ila)
Ownership: Who knows? (Diageo)
Independent Bottler: Single Cask Nation
Age: 7 years (August 2008 - August 2015)
Maturation: refill bourbon hogshead
Cask: 613-2
Outturn: 235
Alcohol by Volume: 57.8%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(Thanks to Brett for the sample! Again!)

NEAT
Pine sap, confectioner's sugar, wheatgrass, cocoa and kirsch on the nose. The peat smoke starts off delicate, but builds with time, hoisting up a marzipan note along the way. The palate is less hot than I'd expected. There's plenty of sea salt, smoked peanuts and woody peat smoke. Also tart limes and marzipan. A little bit of ganja. A little bit more honeyed sweetness. It finishes warm and peaty. Lots of limes and nuts. It gets sweeter with time.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose becomes farmy barny. Also plenty of orange zest, simple syrup, ocean air and cream of wheat. The palate balances citrus, sugar, vanilla and peat. It also has some smaller floral, peppery and savory notes. It finishes sweet and floral with a puff of wood smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
I'm going to guess this was a second-fill hoggie because there's some actual maturation here and a touch of good American oak (when diluted). It's still a youngster, but it's not palate-stripping. The salt, citrus and nuts worked well, though the sweetness got a bit aggressive. But no huge plusses, no huge minuses. Sturdy at seven years. Though at that price...

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $125
Rating - 83

Monday, December 10, 2018

Clynelish 7 year old 2008 Signatory for Binny's, cask 800001

I might as well tell you now, Caol Ila-Clynelish Month will start mostly with the Islay distillery. Four out of the first five reviews, in fact. More Clynelish will follow as the whiskies get older. Today's post is the single Clynelish review out of the first five. It's a very young single cask that was selected by Binny's from the Signatory warehouses. We bought a bottle for an OC Scotch Club event three years ago. I remember it being raw, which is unsurprising considering its low age and high ABV. But I don't remember anything else about it.
Distillery: Clynelish
Ownership: Diageo
Independent Bottler: Signatory
Exclusive to: Binny's
Age: 7 years (1 March 2008 - 17 March 2015)
Maturation: bourbon barrel
Cask#: 800001
Alcohol by Volume: 63.8%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(from a OCSC whisky event)

NEAT
It's like a melon-scented eau de vie on the nose, at first. Then lemon-scented Windex, sour apple Jolly Ranchers, flower kiss candy and orange oil. The palate is......ugh. Vodka, vanilla, sugar and bitterness. Like a cask strength Canadian Club, with bitter lemon soda. Lemon pepper, bitterness and citronella in the finish.

That was unpleasant. How about some water?

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 2⅓ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Midori, citronella, pears and a hint of OFF roll-on bug repellant on the nose. The palate is "less awful" (my actual notes). It's sweeter, with more citrus. Hint of horseradish. Bitter lemon soda. Good mouthfeel. More bitter lemon in the finish, along with pink peppercorns and Smirnoff.

Then...

DILUTED TO ~40%abv, or 3½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose is a slushie of Sprite, lime popsicles and Midori. Citrus, sugar, vanilla and bitterness in the palate. Bitter lemon soda and vanilla in the finish.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Binny's picks are usually reliable. This is a rare raring misfire. In fact I was ready to dump this whisky after sipping it neatly. The nose is kooky and quirky, but the palate was shockingly bottom-shelf-cheapie poor. Luckily dilution improved things, though not enough to recommend this to anyone. I'm sorta sorry we unleashed this whisky on the OCSC group.

For a different perspective, see the review by My Annoying Opinions. MAO didn't like this Clynelish either, but there are some positive comments about the whisky in his comment section.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 71 (with water, 10+ points lower when neat)

Friday, December 7, 2018

Killing Whisky History, Episode 19: J&B Jet 12 year old from the 1990s

I like this whisky. In fact, while you're reading this, I am drinking this:


Come along and meet J&B Rare's short-lived tall dark and handsome sibling whose contents might be a little older than the bottle says.

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Caol Ila 6 year old 2009 Hepburn's Choice for K&L

Yes, I'm following up a 5 year old hogshead-aged Hepburn's Choice Caol Ila bottled for K&L Wine Merchants with a 6 year old hogshead-aged Hepburn's Choice Caol Ila bottled for K&L Wine Merchants. How much trouble am I asking for here? Who needs taste buds anyway?

A couple of differences between Monday's whisky and this one, other than one whole additional year of maturation. This Caol Ila is somewhat more recent, released in 2016, rather than 2014. Wow! And, oh yeah, today's CI lived in a sherry hogshead for its 6+ years.

And with that, I'm going to start drinking.


Distillery: Caol Ila
Ownership: Diageo
Region: Islay
Independent Bottler: Hunter Laing
Label: Hepburn's Choice
Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants
Age: 6 years (2009-2016)
Maturation: sherry hogshead
Bottles: 291
Alcohol by Volume: 58.9%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(Thanks to Monsieur Florin for the sample!)

NEAT
Its color is nearly identical to the straw hue of the 5 year old. Those nose isn't the veggie patch that 5yo presented, but something a little more complex. There are the familiar youthful notes of green peat, pear and a whiff of mezcal, but there's also salted butter, lemon zest, fresh bread, charcoal ash and some fresh apricot. The palate is......good. Less pepper and heat than expected. Milder peat than in the nose. Solid combos of limes + apricots, and toffee + brown sugar are ever-present. More sherry and sweetness with time. Brown sugar, peat, pinches of pepper and salt in the finish. Just a sparkle of heat.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
A straightforward nose. Peat, sand, smoked salmon and orange zest. Very rich peat in the palate. Roasted almonds and fresh apples. A little bit of sherry and brown sugar. It finishes with peat, salt, apples and lemons.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
I'm going to take Monday's rant and tuck it away today. This is a comfy whisky, providing a quality close to what Kilchoman can do at this age. The sherry is present, and may help to cover up a problem or two, but it never bullies the rest of the whisky away. In fact, the more I drink this, the more I like it. It even swims well. While this whisky would likely be better at twice its age, it would also risk too much cask action. So I have no problem with it right here. Hopefully I won't have to whip out that rant again next week.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $49.99
Rating - 85

Monday, December 3, 2018

Caol Ila 5 year old 2008 Hepburn's Choice for K&L

I'm starting off this Caol Ila-and-Clynelish Month with the youngest of the bunch, a 5 year old from the distillery on Port Askaig. It was bottled by the Laing family via their Hepburn's Choice label, and sold exclusively in the USA by K&L Wine Merchants.

My luck with ≤8 year old indie bottlings has been poor. Why indie companies choose to bottle such young single malt (and why retailers elect to sell it) is a little fuzzy to me. I mean, people are buying these babies......though not with tremendous speed, as can be seen by the growing number of options on European retailers' websites. I mean how many concurrent bottlings of 8 year old Glentauchers is enough? Anyway, Caol Ila.


Distillery: Caol Ila
Ownership: Diageo
Region: Islay
Independent Bottler: Hunter Laing
Label: Hepburn's Choice
Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants
Age: 5 years (2008-2014)
Maturation: refill hogshead
Bottles: 314
Alcohol by Volume: 61.1%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(Thanks to St. Brett of Riverside for the sample!)

NEAT
It's the color of straw. The nose is very vegetal. Cruciferous specifically, without being farty. There's also cocoa power, cumin, celery juice and a little bit of tar. The peat is similar to that of current Ardbeg 10. The palate is warm. Very warm. It's also aggressively sweet, with cinnamon, lemon candy and Blue Moon beer. Then comes a massive chili oil strike, followed by clay. It finishes hot and sweet and peaty and tangy.

It's time to apply a quantity of water Ralfy would be proud of.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 2 tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose gets brighter. More sugar and a squirt of lemon juice. Grassy and ashy. Unfortunately, the palate goes the other direction. It's just hot and peppery. Not very palatable. Some late cloying aspartame and a strange bitterness. It finishes cloying, grassy and bitter.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
*sigh*

Why this gotta be?

I traded a blown out palate for confirmation of my intro's complaint. This whisky isn't even half baked. Caol Ila can grow up to be such great whisky (which is one of the motivations behind this month's reviews), why dispose of all the potential? When neat, this whisky is brash and violent, but not unique or weird enough to be its own monster. And it is, frankly, awful when diluted. What the hell awaits me on Wednesday?

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $49.99
Rating - 75 (when neat only; 15-20 points lower when diluted)

Sunday, December 2, 2018

A December of Clynelish and Caol Ila

The Clynelish and Caol Ila distilleries are two of Diageo's most prized assets, producing some of the most important ingredients for the behemoth's blended scotch empire. I'm going spend the month exploring a flock of each, as released by independent bottlers. They'll be posted youngest to oldest, from the late aughts back to the early eighties.

There'll be a Killing Whisky History episode this coming Friday (hopefully), but it won't be from the aforementioned distilleries. And there will be one additional whisky review that will be far different from anything else I've reviewed.

But the girls are asleep now, so it's time to play with their toys while I tumble through a drink.