tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31011623247159837222024-03-16T11:28:42.894-04:00Diving for Pearlswith thekravMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02288790197865570681noreply@blogger.comBlogger2277125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-56016103225401204092024-03-15T06:00:00.001-04:002024-03-15T06:00:00.130-04:00Glengoyne 14 year old 1999 Malts of Scotland, cask MoS 13044Malts of Scotland had a significant presence in the indie bottling world 10 years ago, but I no longer see their single casks at European online retailers. <a href="https://www.whiskybase.com/search-v1?q=Malts%20of%20Scotland%202023&bottler=Malts%20of%20Scotland&brandname=&vintage_year=&bottle_date_year=2023&itemsforsale=&rating=" target="_blank">Whiskybase shows MoS released 41 whiskies in 2023</a>, so maybe their bottles don't leave Germany anymore. They've bottled some very good stuff and tend to have some bold sherry casks. Meanwhile, Glengoyne's spirit takes well to sherry casks...<div><br /></div><div>Sadly I don't have any samples of the dreamy Glengoyne '72s, rather just a modest 1999 sherried hoggie that produced some dark stuff after only 14 years.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyTEBuz7X6XbTddG_gUP7RL5pFjUnDvQ7F1YfcqfWekHa9y8gGntqzdfMZgQCcS72Guthd2L-61UEqrkhS06C_FW0B3yPriDpcGiOP2IbrdGHLFCWyeUtHlVtgkX1PfXqd17tfq7gFfyHbKB_gl3ks8Xw7XlS-gZKUUkKAEihN5EXkgLQYNqhIfuYuo8/s1280/IMG_3130.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDyTEBuz7X6XbTddG_gUP7RL5pFjUnDvQ7F1YfcqfWekHa9y8gGntqzdfMZgQCcS72Guthd2L-61UEqrkhS06C_FW0B3yPriDpcGiOP2IbrdGHLFCWyeUtHlVtgkX1PfXqd17tfq7gFfyHbKB_gl3ks8Xw7XlS-gZKUUkKAEihN5EXkgLQYNqhIfuYuo8/w400-h300/IMG_3130.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><b>Distillery: </b><span>Glengoyne</span></div><div><b>Distilled by</b>: The Edrington Group<br /><span><b>Current Owner: </b>Ian MacLeod Distillers</span></div><div><span><b>Region:</b> Highlands, but almost Lowlands!</span><br /><b>Independent bottler: </b>Malts of Scotland<br /><div><b>Age:</b> 14 years (July 1999 - October 2013)</div><div><b>Maturation:</b> sherry hogshead<br /><b>Cask number</b><b>: </b>MoS 13044<br /><b>Outturn: </b>247 bottles<br /><div><b>Alcohol by Volume: </b>54.3%<br />(<i>from a bottle split</i>)</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Not just a generic sherry beast! Ocean water, raw walnuts, and citronella are the first <b>nose</b> notes to show. Then there's molasses and dunnage, orange oil and black plums. The moderately sweet <b>palate</b> delivers a mix of grape jam, orange marmalade, and cinnamon Red Hots. Hints of iron and musty old wood drift through the background. It <b>conclude</b>s with sweet citrus, dates, and a whiff of iron.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Its <b>nose</b> holds on the walnuts and orange oil, while picking up creme de cassis. But it also gets meatier and finds a Hampden-esque funky note. The <b>palate</b> gets sweeter and oakier. Honey and marmalade up front, peppery mint leaf in the back. The <b>finish</b> nearly matches the palate, adding in ground white pepper.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS<br /><br /></u></b></div><div>My read on a whisky's color does not work well with the current market. Dark whiskies that spent less than two decades in oak turn me off, because I see nothing in them but extraction. So this single cask's color didn't inspire me. But I should not have judged a whisky by its color, and I'm happy to say that this Glengoyne is neither oak juice nor a generic sherried thing. It has an excellent nose and a very good palate that wobbles a bit when diluted. So keep it neat!</div><div><br /></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Availability - </b>Sold out</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pricing - </b>less than €80 ten years ago</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 86</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(neat)</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-64831485514129757832024-03-12T06:00:00.001-04:002024-03-12T06:00:00.136-04:00Glengoyne 2008 sibling casks DL13643 and DL13468It feels like only yesterday when I thought, "Wow, I'm not comfortable with all these baby whiskies distilled in the 2000s". Actually, that probably <i>was</i> yesterday. Today, most of the affordable single malts are from the 2010s, which makes me feel both mortal and <b>not</b> the intended scotch demographic. I don't mean the target demo is immortal, but clearly FOMO is.<div><br /></div><div>And though Glengoyne's 25 year old official sherried beasts fuel FOMO plenty, independently bottled young single casks of the Dumgoyne distillery's spirit rarely sell out quickly. (How about that for a smooth segue!?) Because I enjoy the almost-Lowlander's whisky, I've been tempted aplenty to purchase a bottle, but have not yet gone for it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily, my whisky buddy, T.D., sent me samples of a pair of 'Goyne sibling casks both distilled in 2008 and released under Douglas Laing's Old Particular label. Both started life in refill bourbon hogsheads, then had separate final acts. Cask DL13643 was kept in that hoggie until it was diluted to 48.4%abv and bottled. Cask DL13468 was transferred to a refill Pedro Ximenez hogshead until it was bottled at full strength for K&L Wines.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am now going to try them, side-by-side. Thank you, T.D., for this opportunity!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRrfd7hm0yzGufWbUtmOEYaHjUR9DeYBjOfd6M7iY8BDMtEpH24Qai2gCeKU9oh8YqeVWZp4fwPj9GkYy9D19IbDN3KugNxJon5vh6NjlA4FqZKdU2BhRcJ-kmqhYEkE0nBFpzcg4HkeqxRhGb1hngj_YCe6VBCUYBMNMgVEs8VXSfRAzQyQZDAiMzoM/s1068/Goynez.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1068" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRrfd7hm0yzGufWbUtmOEYaHjUR9DeYBjOfd6M7iY8BDMtEpH24Qai2gCeKU9oh8YqeVWZp4fwPj9GkYy9D19IbDN3KugNxJon5vh6NjlA4FqZKdU2BhRcJ-kmqhYEkE0nBFpzcg4HkeqxRhGb1hngj_YCe6VBCUYBMNMgVEs8VXSfRAzQyQZDAiMzoM/s320/Goynez.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><table border="4" cellpadding="5" style="width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><th style="width: 215.117px;">Glengoyne 11 year old 2008 Old Particular, cask DL13643<br />48.4%abv</th><th style="width: 208.438px;">Glengoyne 11 year old 2008 Old Particular, cask DL13468<br />56.3%abv</th><th style="width: 208.445px;">Glengoyne 11 year old 2008 Old Particular, cask DL13468<br /> DILUTED to 46%abv</th></tr></tbody><caption></caption><tbody><tr><td><b>Nose:</b> Apple eau de vie with a bit of yeast. Lemon oil mixed with brown sugar. Orange candy appears after 30 minutes.</td><td><b>Nose:</b> That orange candy note leads raw nuts, black raisins, and currants. Flowers and maple stay in the background.</td><td><b>Nose:</b> Very pretty. Flowers, honey, dried apricot, and vanilla.</td></tr><tr><td><b>Palate:</b> Starts with a mix of blossoms, fresh ginger, clementines, and a hint of almond extract. It gains more barley and an eau de vie edge with time. Very very sweet.</td><td><b>Palate:</b> The PX cask makes its intentions known here, bringing in almonds, fudge, and a dash of salt. But it can't smother the sweet citrus note. Drinks like a much lower ABV.</td><td><b>Palate:</b> Dilution slightly tames the sweetness, yet turns up the intensity of the flavor, where golden raisins, salt, and cayenne pepper reign.</td></tr><tr><td><b>Finish:</b> Sugary mix of barley and lemon.</td><td><b>Finish:</b> Sweet and tangy with orange candy and fudge.</td><td><b>Finish:</b> Sweet and bitter with a dose of vanilla.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9cC8lnToJiir6WX8VDlWt1PAJEo_n339TO5WcKAsGHdJ8ahRxusOU35fzQstcgvml0J_vZwP6pu-O5tjL7bf6ZH7eArYccAKqeuicRCs3w-PzJK0s-eDErZRWShApP53IhUv1zr8Z3NLQT-Fat3myk8r-br5qddE5tLIwc1w7cmIrnX3hfDHg_1-740/s640/IMG_3118.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9cC8lnToJiir6WX8VDlWt1PAJEo_n339TO5WcKAsGHdJ8ahRxusOU35fzQstcgvml0J_vZwP6pu-O5tjL7bf6ZH7eArYccAKqeuicRCs3w-PzJK0s-eDErZRWShApP53IhUv1zr8Z3NLQT-Fat3myk8r-br5qddE5tLIwc1w7cmIrnX3hfDHg_1-740/w320-h150/IMG_3118.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Cask DL13643 is oh-so-close to new make, which is great! One could use it as the control element in a bigger Glengoyne taste off. Were this barley eau de vie not so tooth-rottingly sweet, I'd push it higher up the B-grade scale.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8H8JqLOGEEjTwRaJ6SCmBuYeBHMAI_AbZjNjj12SR2jtPyE8NV3CbzJyujUa7PMr31xZdj9EX4jU_6HfsoKN-vuE5UaOPQTpAvgT0kdYIhwfRwBxnJTWC_PZaWcuZDf6xVcTaP3RXJufgjQ1PSv5F6_4uZT4kSVuknbM_MXPamP30JqqUmD3kYwDVQXo/s640/IMG_3121.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="640" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8H8JqLOGEEjTwRaJ6SCmBuYeBHMAI_AbZjNjj12SR2jtPyE8NV3CbzJyujUa7PMr31xZdj9EX4jU_6HfsoKN-vuE5UaOPQTpAvgT0kdYIhwfRwBxnJTWC_PZaWcuZDf6xVcTaP3RXJufgjQ1PSv5F6_4uZT4kSVuknbM_MXPamP30JqqUmD3kYwDVQXo/s320/IMG_3121.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As expected, cask DL13468 offers a different adventure, but it holds onto the spirit's citrus note as it tries to fight free from the PX. It becomes a different creature once diluted, shedding most of the sherry influence and much of the sweetness, which are wins in my book. Whether neat or diluted DL13468 does read more mature than DL13643, offering a slightly more complex experience.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ratings:</b></div><div><span style="font-weight: 700; text-align: center;">Glengoyne 11 year old 2008 Old Particular, cask DL13643 - 83</span></div><div><span style="font-weight: 700; text-align: center;">Glengoyne 11 year old 2008 Old Particular, cask DL13468 - 84</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-32109607763017707362024-03-08T06:00:00.010-05:002024-03-08T06:00:00.128-05:00Glenburgie 24 year old 1993 Cadenhead, refill Claret cask<p>Yep, you read that correctly, a Claret cask. A Claret hogshead, in fact. This Glenburgie spent its first 15 years in an ex-bourbon hoggie, but then a nine-year second maturation in the wine cask. Because the Claret vessel was a refill, and because the whisky isn't pink, I decided to give it a try. Who knows what fruits lie within...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqr0pENDUu6qjoBvZ6IJmx5ufm_KKWIMurvGBI1-zCnCYDietDrII25AuVvpenNKGqXUM3Hy0sQ0z8gPbmJLO2OvQbrZR2I8dknjIqiCY_rzyqBKVgN7-ExnjfHi5aRyYt0uM3z7tITE6IEVJLxiKXbLTBaBF1pXYBu6XZ6cVGIp2je3HR1_HhbTeSj2Y/s1280/IMG_3106.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqr0pENDUu6qjoBvZ6IJmx5ufm_KKWIMurvGBI1-zCnCYDietDrII25AuVvpenNKGqXUM3Hy0sQ0z8gPbmJLO2OvQbrZR2I8dknjIqiCY_rzyqBKVgN7-ExnjfHi5aRyYt0uM3z7tITE6IEVJLxiKXbLTBaBF1pXYBu6XZ6cVGIp2je3HR1_HhbTeSj2Y/w225-h400/IMG_3106.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><b>Distillery</b>: Glenburgie<br /><b><b>Region:</b> </b>Speyside (Moray)<br /><b>Owners</b>: Pernod Ricard<br /><b>Independent Bottler:</b> Cadenhead<br /><b>Range: </b>Authentic Collection<br /><b>Age</b>: 24 years (Sept 1993 - Autumn 2017)<br /><b>Maturation</b>: in a bourbon hogshead until 2008, then a refill Claret hogshead until 2017<br /><b>Outturn</b>: 216 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by Volume</b>: 53.0%<br />(<i>from a bottle split</i>)<br /><p><b><u>NEAT</u></b></p><p>Indeed, the fruits thrive in this <b>nose</b>. Guavas, limes, Rainier cherries, and kiwis, with a hint of sawdust mixed in. There's a whiff of chalky Chablis somewhere in there as well. Mmmmmmango, honey, and guavas arrive first in the <b>palate</b>. It gets tarter and more acidic with time, taking on limes and grapefruits. The <b>finish</b> follows a similar path, but happily holds onto the sweet mango.</p><div><b><u>DILUTED to ~46%abv, or </u></b><b><u>~1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The <b>nose</b> shifts to floral honey, limoncello, and white chocolate up front; malt and brine in the back. The <b>palate</b> remains ultra tart, while gaining sea salt and flowers. Oranges join the limes. It <b>finish</b>es with oranges, limes, and salt.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div><i>Of course</i>, the Claret cask offers the most straightforward Glenburgie this week. It was a true refill, and probably a wise move by Cadenhead's cask management. The result reminds me of a super-citric <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2020/05/mathilda-malt-littlemill-22-year-old.html" target="_blank">Littlemill</a>. Though it's not the deepest of single malts, this Glenburgie would be a bright, crisp, springtime pour for those of you bottle owners who drink your whiskies seasonally like I do.</div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Availability - </b>Sold out</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pricing - </b>I think it was a mere €125 back in 2017</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 87</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(neat)</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-63348435053174995702024-03-07T06:00:00.001-05:002024-03-07T06:00:00.132-05:00Glenburgie 26 year old 1995 Gordon & MacPhail, cask 6349Whether or not <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2024/03/black-friday-22-year-old-whisky.html" target="_blank">yesterday's whisky</a> was a Glenburgie, I can tell you that today's is. Glenburgie, yes. Bourbon cask, no. I've never had a sherry puncheon from this distillery before, but as this series' single casks have been very reliable, I'm optimistic about the whisky.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2Frjm0GAoN5K3bsMPGbmaqcQTAld3BiJap0AA_BsJ5Z4KLylHCleehcEL0yPYQqm5BrMrSGS7SSDAN0dppTdfaUG4aQY9xgj8xdI1EhvHzobBL-onXd9tdzqmUVt16RHv7lqya32MfhFa2pd-pBHxIf_nng75HAYXxVg3WKDc5v3LirLxy_DHlTrRf4/s1280/IMG_3107.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="721" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2Frjm0GAoN5K3bsMPGbmaqcQTAld3BiJap0AA_BsJ5Z4KLylHCleehcEL0yPYQqm5BrMrSGS7SSDAN0dppTdfaUG4aQY9xgj8xdI1EhvHzobBL-onXd9tdzqmUVt16RHv7lqya32MfhFa2pd-pBHxIf_nng75HAYXxVg3WKDc5v3LirLxy_DHlTrRf4/w225-h400/IMG_3107.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><b>Distillery</b>: Glenburgie<br /><b><b>Region:</b> </b>Speyside (Moray)<br /><b>Owners</b>: Pernod Ricard<br /><b>Independent Bottler:</b> Gordon & MacPhail<br /><b>Range: </b>Connoisseurs Choice<br /><b>Age</b>: 26 years (1995 - 27 April 2022)<br /><b>Maturation</b>: 1st fill sherry puncheon<br /><b>Cask #</b>: 6349<br /><b>Bottles</b>: 564<br /><b>Alcohol by Volume</b>: 56.8%<br />(<i>from a bottle split</i>)<br /><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The <b>nose</b> delivers the sharp scent of actual Oloroso, which has become rather novel in sherry casks of late. Beyond that there's some raspberry jam, toasted almonds, toffee, and cherry gelatin. It picks up floral and saline notes after 30 minutes. The <b>palate</b> is slightly sweeter than Oloroso, with notes of blackberry and boysenberry jams up front, and salt + pepper + lime in the back. It <b>finish</b>es with the salt and pepper, while also adding notes of umeboshi and dark chocolate.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>DILUTED to ~46%abv, or </u></b><b><u>< 1½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Things get more candied, but also earthier on the <b>nose</b>. The <b>palate</b> leans woodier, bitterer. Though some silky raspberry jam-filled dark chocolate waits behind. Its <b>finish</b> matches the palate.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Yesterday's whisky did not have Glenburgie's name, but it certainly smelled and tasted of that distillery. Today's whisky carried the Glenburgie's name, but I would never have guessed 'Burgie if blindfolded. This because the brown liquor was all cask, which is something that frustrates me three-quarters of the time. But I liked this one. Diluting it takes it too far over the edge, so I preferred it at full strength. This is a whisky for sherry drinkers, a tiny subset of boozers. If you are among that ilk, enjoy!</div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Availability - </b>Still available in the EU, mostly Germany</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pricing - </b>$250-$300</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 87</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(neat)</span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-56587091835099786742024-03-06T06:00:00.001-05:002024-03-06T06:00:00.138-05:00Black Friday 22 year old The Whisky Exchange, 2021 Edition<div>Glenburgie in its pre-2004 + bourbon cask form can be one of the prettiest, fruitiest single malts. In 2004-2005, Allied Lyons leveled and rebuilt the distillery in a larger form, and then expanded it further the next year to support the Ballantine's blends' needs. I'm not shading the new era's distillate because enough time hasn't yet passed to see how it'll turn out.</div><div><br /></div><div>This week presents a trio of 1990s Glenburgie spirit, though I can't guarantee that any of these were bourbon-cask-only productions. Today's 'Burgie, The Whisky Exchange's Black Friday 2021 single malt, is <i>probably</i> falls in that catgeory, but Billy Abbott and crew were very hush-hush about the ingredients, even leaving the distillery's name off the label. In fact, I'm not 100% certain this is actually Glenburgie, but a pair of little birdies told me it was. Should I listen to the birds, those tricksy spies?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigXAwQzOKLWaUnd_-imJZtWjY9LWmxJBf93IkiRDbuN2MHdQTbcmUzxSG96_xQF_h7kxz4lvPuPKq4Ld6WEA_FsTuWCuTrNCzqqo-lJhidzbtBBexwC54dvTnrA31Exy32KFWFe0qsA-LK5eGZG3U1NoPx1UKIUMZ8AOd9e7UDnPIhVCNG_14yQMQ1Lk/s1280/IMG_3105.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="721" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigXAwQzOKLWaUnd_-imJZtWjY9LWmxJBf93IkiRDbuN2MHdQTbcmUzxSG96_xQF_h7kxz4lvPuPKq4Ld6WEA_FsTuWCuTrNCzqqo-lJhidzbtBBexwC54dvTnrA31Exy32KFWFe0qsA-LK5eGZG3U1NoPx1UKIUMZ8AOd9e7UDnPIhVCNG_14yQMQ1Lk/w225-h400/IMG_3105.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><b>Distillery</b>: Glenburgie?<br /><b><b>Region:</b> </b>Speyside (Moray)<br /><b>Owners</b>: Pernod Ricard<br /><b>Independent Bottler:</b> Elixir Distillers<br /><b>Range: </b>Black Friday<br /><b>Age</b>: 22 years (???? - October 2021)<br /><b>Maturation</b>: ???<br /><b>Outturn</b>: 1800 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by Volume</b>: 49.2%<br />(<i>from a bottle split</i>)<br /><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Plenty of happy youth left in this 22yo's <b>nose</b>. Apricots and limes join up with hazelnuts, rye seeds, and touch of malt. Notes of cardamom and baked peaches arrive after about 30 minutes. Similar apricot-lime-malt start to the <b>palate</b>, then turns towards kiwi candy, peach schnapps, and a dash of salt. It <b>finish</b>es with a mix of stone fruit liqueurs, yet never gets too sweet, perhaps because there's a nice salty foundation beneath.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>DILUTED to ~46%abv, or <½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Orange blossoms and cream puffs take over the <b>nose</b> now, with mellower notes of rye seeds and pine in the background. The <b>palate</b> gets extra fruity, with peaches, tangerines, and a mango moment or two. A slightly bitter bite gives it an extra angle. The <b>finish</b> matches the palate.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>It's <i>probably</i> Glenburgie, or at least one of its fruity Speyside cousins. Though the whisky is more complex when neat, I prefer how the diluted palate focuses directly on the fruit essences while easing up on the sweetness. As often happens, the small batch approach brings consistency and moderation to the whisky. So complexity isn't its strong suit, instead it's a comfy drinker without too much oak. There are evenings when such an elixir becomes necessary.</div><div><br /></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Availability - </b>Sold out</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pricing - </b>???</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 85</b></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-48180789605781107092024-03-01T06:00:00.065-05:002024-03-01T06:00:00.132-05:00Benriach 10 year old 2010 SMWS 12.49Yes, Benriach week concludes with a young 60%abv whisky with a brief second maturation. It also isn't particularly lauded by the <a href="https://www.whiskybase.com/search-v1/?q=Benriach+2010+SMWS+12.49" target="_blank">Whiskybase crowd</a>. But today is Friday, so I shall embrace questionable choices. Meanwhile, the whisky's finish was in an IPA cask, which <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2018/07/glenfiddich-ipa-experiment.html" target="_blank">can</a> work...<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVpWLVg4CUpjoQ3grDg5n5q2yt0hKZntrl4oPibEkp40VWvwYKyI5WEzLMLtNvlLkKgScLOqgQPEOdk__xBG73Vq5_yqaR8fadqrmNBhhrAC3F4WH7hwMCJN3-9ZRq8pJnA19hCesxUshXsKU8yWz_1xTsdshuWA6JYVMdUxXDISTthqHmwyYYk29stM/s1600/Benriach%20IPA%20cask.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="422" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVpWLVg4CUpjoQ3grDg5n5q2yt0hKZntrl4oPibEkp40VWvwYKyI5WEzLMLtNvlLkKgScLOqgQPEOdk__xBG73Vq5_yqaR8fadqrmNBhhrAC3F4WH7hwMCJN3-9ZRq8pJnA19hCesxUshXsKU8yWz_1xTsdshuWA6JYVMdUxXDISTthqHmwyYYk29stM/w105-h400/Benriach%20IPA%20cask.jpeg" width="105" /></a></div><b>Distillery: </b>Benriach<br /><b>Current Ownership:</b> Brown-Forman<div><b>Owner at time of distillation:</b> Seagram Distillers<br /><b>Region:</b> Speyside (Lossie)</div><div><b>Bottler</b>: Scotch Malt Whisky Society<br /><b>Age</b>: 10 years (18 March 2010 - 2021?)<br /><b>Maturation</b>: refill hogshead for nine years, then one year in a 2nd fill Tempest Old Fashioned IPA barrel<br /><b>Cask#</b>: 12.49, "Is this the way to Amarillo?"<br /><b>Outturn</b>: 235 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by Volume</b>: 60%<br />(<i>from a bottle split</i>)<br /><div><br /><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div></div></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Vanilla and caramel form the top layer of the <b>nose</b>, with mint and eucalyptus in the middle, and weedy hops in the distance. The <b>palate</b> reads like cask strength Canadian Club, mostly ethyl and vanilla. Hints of ginger, lemon, and bitterness decorate the edges. It <b>finish</b>es hot and very sweet, with lots of caramel.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>DILUTED to ~50%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Not much change in the <b>nose</b>, just a little more ginger, confectioner's sugar, and caramel. The <b>palate </b>is sweet and very woody, with tannins coating and drying the tongue. It <b>finish</b>es like a caramel-flavored whisky, with the occasional whiff of mint and tannin in the background.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>As referenced above, the whisky is like a high-strength Canadian blend aged in an aggressive first-fill barrel. It's missing the fun oddities of IPAs, instead its just gooey sweet. It's better when neat because it sort of works as a dessert pour, but it's pretty bad once diluted. I guess something had to balance out all those recent 90-point malts.</div><div><br /></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Availability - </b>Sold out, my condolences</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pricing - </b>$100ish?</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 73</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(neat only, low 60s once diluted)</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-75633650913879119242024-02-28T06:00:00.003-05:002024-02-28T06:00:00.134-05:00Benriach 32 year old 1987 Gordon & MacPhail, cask 19/005What is going on here? <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2024/02/ardbeg-12-year-old-2007-smws-33139.html" target="_blank">Three</a> <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2024/02/red-bag-1-ardbeg-16-year-old-2006.html" target="_blank">90-point</a> <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2024/02/benriach-42-year-old-1971-whiskybroker.html" target="_blank">whiskies</a> in a row?! That's just weird, and totally irresponsible of me. Let's see if I can find the repressed curmudgeon in me.<div><br /></div><div>Distilled during Benriach's Seagram era, today's whisky spent some or all of its 32 years in a refill sherry hoggie before it was conveyed into 213 of G&M's fancier thicker Connoisseurs Choice bottles, each secured within its own wooden casket. I don't have much more to add, and most of this information can be found below. Time to drink.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtY6cttwkAXLsvtS5ArM3_t5zH8Dxre839bpY5QYSQIW7iMUNahEOBB7QIdG8YdDTp2LHhB_JqKNChkJgrJQhmtt80Vw_Fz8fY-R6Ytkele4z5WKiXvs97E7SkOYIsW5gfYQ_xYmr6MBc75IgpLuRzpcWSA2jYdDdoYJ13clgIQ_N4gDxCZI1UgeAFa0/s640/IMG_3102.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="384" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtY6cttwkAXLsvtS5ArM3_t5zH8Dxre839bpY5QYSQIW7iMUNahEOBB7QIdG8YdDTp2LHhB_JqKNChkJgrJQhmtt80Vw_Fz8fY-R6Ytkele4z5WKiXvs97E7SkOYIsW5gfYQ_xYmr6MBc75IgpLuRzpcWSA2jYdDdoYJ13clgIQ_N4gDxCZI1UgeAFa0/w240-h400/IMG_3102.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><b>Distillery: </b>Benriach<br /><b>Current Ownership:</b> Brown-Forman<div><b>Owner at time of distillation:</b> Seagram Distillers<br /><b>Region:</b> Speyside (Lossie)</div><div><b>Bottler: </b>Gordon & MacPhail</div><div><b>Range: </b>Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength</div><div><b>Age:</b> 32 years (15 June 1987 - 26 July 2020)</div><div><b>Cask #:</b> 19/005<br /><b>Maturation</b>: refill sherry hogshead<br /><b>Outturn: </b>213 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by Volume: </b>51.1%<br />(<i>from a bottle split</i>)</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In the <b>nose</b>, notes of orange oil, eucalyptus, and marzipan are framed by musty old oak and newspapers. The <b>palate</b> is neither too tannic nor bitter. Instead, sweet oranges and white cherries lead the way, followed by hints of walnuts, ginger powder, and vanilla. It <b>finish</b>es with tart plums, walnuts, nutmeg, caramel sauce, and slightly more obvious oak.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>DILUTED to ~46%abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>More caramel and marzipan appear in the <b>nose</b>, it also becomes more floral, while taking on hints of lychee, and limes. The <b>palate</b> is mostly toasty oak spices, with sweet citrus and honey in the background. The <b>finish</b> mostly mirrors the palate, but picks up a touch of woody bitterness.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>This is a very good whisky, a bit adventurous on the nose, but a model mellow modern Speyside in the palate, something to drink casually. Now, if that's what you want in a $600 whisky, then have at it. Perhaps if it wasn't paired with Monday's '71 Benriach, then this '87 may have shown brighter. But I can only write what I experienced in the tasting, and that is a Benriach Anytimer with a problematic QPR. The curmudgeon returns!</div><div><br /></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Availability - </b>Still available in Europe more than 3 years later</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pricing - </b>$575 to $625</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 85</b></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-49279941276276551302024-02-26T06:00:00.002-05:002024-02-26T12:43:42.988-05:00Benriach 42 year old 1971 Whiskybroker<a href="http://Whiskybroker.co.uk">Whiskybroker.co.uk</a> has a throwback vibe (I think I know what those words mean). Their prices are fair, their packaging is minimal, and their labels rarely have more than three colors. Owner Martin Armstrong — yes of <a href="https://scotchwhisky.com/whiskypedia/1823/bladnoch/" target="_blank">those</a> Armstrongs — stays very transparent about his struggles and successes via that Bookface website, which allows many a whisky nerd to fantasize about what it'd be like to run their own indie scheme.<div><br /></div><div>It's because of Whiskybroker's restrained pricing that I was able to participate in a bottle split of a FORTY TWO year old Benriach single cask. The spirit produced by this distillery during the Glenlivet Distillers years (1965-1978) has quite the fruity reputation. This is my sixth (probably last) opportunity to try Benriach from this era, so I'm looking forward to this!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-t9v7oBeT11uFzmhMLpSkHQKbiRGo7jUm7XepOhiAqz118IRujKSC6gP4Vp1AmsTz8D2IYSU6L56nGZ8km9wGuyNNPHpSmgcfT0mz6FnLfZ-Z69PLETvW4NUS8huZCfZ1OpnPB91cJ8FYDDWklvCauAsqwkYO8EC7uIHKT9_O3edUn6GDTHj41qpXLso/s640/IMG_3103.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="385" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-t9v7oBeT11uFzmhMLpSkHQKbiRGo7jUm7XepOhiAqz118IRujKSC6gP4Vp1AmsTz8D2IYSU6L56nGZ8km9wGuyNNPHpSmgcfT0mz6FnLfZ-Z69PLETvW4NUS8huZCfZ1OpnPB91cJ8FYDDWklvCauAsqwkYO8EC7uIHKT9_O3edUn6GDTHj41qpXLso/w241-h400/IMG_3103.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><b>Distillery: </b>Benriach<br /><b>Current Ownership:</b> Brown-Forman<div><b>Owner at time of distillation:</b> Glenlivet Distilleries<br /><b>Region:</b> Speyside (Lossie)</div><div><b>Bottler: </b>Whiskybroker<br /><b>Age:</b> 42 years (1 September 1971 - 29 November 2013)<br /><b>Maturation</b>: ???<br /><b>Outturn: </b>189 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by Volume: </b>40.8% (<i>close call!</i>)<br />(<i>from a bottle split</i>)<br /><div><br /></div></div><div><b><u>NOTES</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The <b>nose</b> delights with apricot preserves, mango juice, orange peel, and fig jam. Some dunnage here, something brothy there, and a pumpernickel note in the background.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <b>palate</b>'s apricot preserve note is remarkable. This <i>is</i> whisky, right? Bits of mango and lime float underneath; a hint of lychee, too. It gets tarter with time, also picking up some bitter citrus. Ah, and the mango expands too.</div><div><br /></div><div>It <b>finish</b>es with a cocktail of mango, blood orange, cherry juice, and mint leaf.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Oh my. Yummy. The only thing preventing this whisky from being an all-timer is the ABV, which results in a conspicuous fragility and brief finish; though those factors only further contribute to my desire for seconds, thirds, and fourths on the whisky. Had the angels not picked away at this cask like vultures, I'm not sure how high this Benriach's ceiling would be. Maybe 1960s Longmorn? But I shall not ponder what could have been. This excellent pour results in the 3rd 90-pointer in a row, which I'm pretty sure has never happened here before.</div><div><br /></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Availability - </b>Sold out</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pricing - </b>???</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 90</b></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-6081361361414904862024-02-23T06:00:00.001-05:002024-02-23T06:00:00.259-05:00Red Bag #1 (Ardbeg) 16 year old 2006 Dramfool<a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2024/02/ardbeg-12-year-old-2007-smws-33139.html" target="_blank">Yesterday's indie Ardbeg</a> was a hardy, tarry creature from a sherry butt. Today's older Ardbeg, er, Red Bag comes from an ex-bourbon hogshead and has a much lighter color. Not only do I know little else about it, but I can't remember when or why I went in on this bottle split. Anyhoo, I tried it alongside yesterday's excellent 12yo SMWS.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUVs2vsizJki1LFD5fM-2ElFNy8mU2jEHLO5cCpVq7iT-Re38I_G84FwZ2Ow5QRotQnHAvVL2oXX3vj8PdjkvluT8hHaqP_FWRmo4cJufHIS4tMRx1JKP0wN8VA2MEgcUftMymi_h8Rh9ZY5i3LKkbyfcGmC7QcDH9ee1DkxLLjz3xcAh0fc-rQ6IsmM/s640/IMG_3086.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUVs2vsizJki1LFD5fM-2ElFNy8mU2jEHLO5cCpVq7iT-Re38I_G84FwZ2Ow5QRotQnHAvVL2oXX3vj8PdjkvluT8hHaqP_FWRmo4cJufHIS4tMRx1JKP0wN8VA2MEgcUftMymi_h8Rh9ZY5i3LKkbyfcGmC7QcDH9ee1DkxLLjz3xcAh0fc-rQ6IsmM/w400-h240/IMG_3086.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><b>Distillery: </b>Ardbeg<div><b>Owner: </b>LVMH<br /><b><b>Region:</b> </b>Southern Islay</div><div><b>Independent Bottler</b>: Dramfool<br /><b>Age</b>: 16 years (9 Mar 2006 - 18 Mar 2022)<br /><b>Maturation</b>: bourbon hogshead<br /><b>Cask#</b>: 53rd release<br /><b>Outturn</b>: 260 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by Volume</b>: 57.7%<br />(<i>from a bottle split</i>)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>A quirky industrial, paralleling older Loch Lomond and Ledaig, arrives first in the <b>nose</b>. It lifts to reveal apricots, peaches, overripe cantaloupe, wet sand, chocolate, and soot-free peat. Oh the <b>palate</b>, though. Guavas, limes, tart nectarines, sweet plums, and kiwis! Of course there's also moderate peat smoke, a dash of salt, and a whiff of manure. The tart and sweet stone fruits, as well as the kiwis, live on into the <b>finish</b>, where they're met by salty peat and a slight herbal bitter bite.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>DILUTED to 46%abv, or 1½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The <b>nose</b> is a beachside car repair garage filled with ripening guavas. Extra tart limes lead the <b>palate</b>, with salty toffee, milder smoke, and a soft sweetness beneath. It <b>finish</b>es with a stellar balance of tart, salt, sweet, and smoke.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Another fab single Ardbeg cask, showing a character opposite to yesterday's cask. In fact it's reminiscent of an older pre-LVMH Ardbeg style, where the peat supports all the other elements, rather than lording over them. The fruits were a very welcome surprise that won me over instantly. I would have never imagined fruity Ardbeg appearing in the 21st century. This would have been a stellar bottle to possess were it half (or a third) of its price.</div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Availability - </b>Sold out</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pricing - </b>over $350</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 90</b></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-67980881182521544982024-02-22T06:00:00.002-05:002024-02-22T06:00:00.141-05:00Ardbeg 12 year old 2007 SMWS 33.139That <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/search/label/Westland" target="_blank">two-week Westland run</a> was the least read cluster so far, and had the lowest weekly turnout since the last time I reviewed Japanese whisky. Sure enough, this week's <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2024/02/ardbeg-13-year-old-2005-chieftains-cask.html" target="_blank">first Ardbeg post</a>'s clicky count has already passed those Westlands. Scotch brings readers to the blog. Other countries' single malts appear to be of very little interest, while some bourbon fans aren't particularly happy with how I rate the oak juice. That's okay, single malt scotch is always served in my happy place, so I shall continue with the indie Ardbegs.<div><br /></div><div>Today, it's a refill 'Beg butt bottled for the 2020 Feis Ile that never happened.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QVirn09yMyHwMlcN7eAeAAsIIX1KrUlZ6jSggoN4A6AIqajvT_ErXClrTitPRNQd5-KQhUYcZQb5E_73o6L1p5diqS6oCrRvIdwwdKk11Y83vERZ08YWzxDZvkRTHZ7dWk7UvBhIWk8CQYe7luYm8egjyEa8B3TwNqIYHuziYOOeXp9tQn9wICrCuWw/s640/IMG_3087.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QVirn09yMyHwMlcN7eAeAAsIIX1KrUlZ6jSggoN4A6AIqajvT_ErXClrTitPRNQd5-KQhUYcZQb5E_73o6L1p5diqS6oCrRvIdwwdKk11Y83vERZ08YWzxDZvkRTHZ7dWk7UvBhIWk8CQYe7luYm8egjyEa8B3TwNqIYHuziYOOeXp9tQn9wICrCuWw/s320/IMG_3087.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Distillery: </b>Ardbeg<div><b>Owner: </b>LVMH<br /><b><b>Region:</b> </b>Southern Islay</div><div><b>Independent Bottler</b>: Scotch Malt Whisky Society<br /><b>Age</b>: 12 years (24 May 2007 - 2020)<br /><b>Maturation</b>: 2nd fill Oloroso butt<br /><b>Cask#</b>: 33.139, "You would not believe!"<br /><b>Outturn</b>: 603 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by Volume</b>: 61.3%<br />(<i>from a bottle split</i>)</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT<br /><br /></u></b></div><div>Mmmmm good <b>nose</b>. Oysters, herbal-tinged peat smoke, almond butter, and dried cherries live on top, with hints of charred and smoked meats linger below. The <b>palate</b> starts out with tar, umami, kiln, lime, and salt. It's gorgeously bitter. Charred green bell pepper and iodine arrive later on. It <b>finish</b>es tart, salty, and savory, with that herbal bitterness looming largest.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>DILUTED to ~50%abv, or > 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The <b>nose </b>keeps the oyster/beach note, but now there's a dirty boat dock too. Cinnamonny peat and pine needles stay in the midground. Dried cherries have joined the <b>palate</b>'s excellent bitterness, while dark chocolate and kiln notes hug the edges. It <b>finish</b>es with kiln, dried savory and bitter herbs, as well as a little bit of basil syrup.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>"You would not believe!"? Ardbeg, I cannot believe you let this gem of a cask out of your sight! It knocks the current Oogie batches on their arses. Aren't you charging like $400-$800/bottle for these official single butts now? So I guess this a "thank you". Thank you for letting this cask slip out so that SMWS could charge a mere $285/bottle for it.</div><div><br /></div><div>This whisky market sucks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, 33.139 is how I like my peat monsters, full of savoriness and ocean and bitterness and a hint of fruit. Adding water to it felt almost tragic, but luckily it held together. To those of you who haven't flipped this bottle, just know that at least you received high quality in return for all those $$$€€€£££.</div><div><br /></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Availability - </b>Sold out</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pricing - </b>$285 (<i>I think</i>) in 2020</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 90</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(neat)</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-50253852990424137712024-02-20T06:00:00.003-05:002024-02-20T06:00:00.139-05:00Ardbeg 13 year old 2005 Chieftain's, cask 700163One way to get back into single malt scotch reviews is to dive nose-first into three Ardbegs. Indie Ardbegs, in fact.<div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2020/12/saying-goodbye-to-chieftains.html" target="_blank">I said goodbye to Chieftain's</a> more than three years ago and, oh look, here's my <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2022/11/ledaig-11-year-old-2007-chieftains-cask.html" target="_blank">second</a> post-Chieftain's Chieftain's review (with at least two more to try in the future). That means, of course, that this review isn't even remotely timely. Diving for Pearls is nothing if not consistent.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cue the Ardbeg!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDnTH6k_0qe9_g1__vsFkcBYuIW5NqdxGiyC0XjlxznDdmQHbqZHb6r8TeT1sQse9GIVXxsTZA-nJ-lru36N40gv0P-phQvcTMR1GATU5ORPYj7DZaLbdo9uawusGqfFLzE2EYkrTmBKXj0VIQZxfPL2A9fPrckfw6c9pmAPuUn6WSiV_ePLLBDmFib0/s640/IMG_3085.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="458" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDnTH6k_0qe9_g1__vsFkcBYuIW5NqdxGiyC0XjlxznDdmQHbqZHb6r8TeT1sQse9GIVXxsTZA-nJ-lru36N40gv0P-phQvcTMR1GATU5ORPYj7DZaLbdo9uawusGqfFLzE2EYkrTmBKXj0VIQZxfPL2A9fPrckfw6c9pmAPuUn6WSiV_ePLLBDmFib0/s320/IMG_3085.jpeg" width="229" /></a></div><b>Distillery: </b>Ardbeg<div><b>Owner: </b>LVMH<br /><b><b>Region:</b> </b>Southern Islay</div><b>Independent Bottler:</b> Ian McLeod<br /><b>Range: </b>Chieftain's<br /><b>Age:</b> 13 years old (April 2005 - September 2018)<br /><b>Maturation:</b> Hogshead<br /><b>Cask number: </b>700163<br /><b>Outturn:</b> 328 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by Volume:</b> 46%<br />(<i>from a bottle split</i>)<div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b><br /><div><br /></div></div><div>It reads almost like Caol Ila on the <b>nose</b>. No soot, but lots of ocean, seaweed, and oysters. Grapefruit and brown sugar. Lemon bars and cinnamon-loaded applesauce. But oh is it modern Ardbeg on the <b>palate</b>, so heavy on the bitter soot. There are some hints of dark chocolate, earth, and sweetness, but it's mostly soot. It <b>finish</b>es savory and peppery, sooty and salty.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>DILUTED to ~42%abv, or ½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The fruit moves forward and the beach retreats in the gentle <b>nose</b>. Not much change in the <b>palate</b>, though. In fact it's even more monolithic, one dark big pile of soot. Just a little bit of mint in the background, maybe. The <b>finish</b> gets pepperier, bitterer, and mintier.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Great nose! Not great palate. It smelled closer to Caol Ila, Bowmore, and Allied-era Ardbeg, which was a thrill thwarted by the nearly one dimensional flavor. Perhaps this would have appealed to me more, like, twelve years ago, when gigantic peat was still exciting to me. Now, I'd be happy just to nose this while outdoors in autumn. Your own peat mileage may vary.</div><div><br /></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Availability - </b>Sold out</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pricing - </b>around $200, even in 2018</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 82</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(palate is in the 70s)</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-83612668329691186602024-02-16T06:00:00.002-05:002024-02-21T00:32:18.617-05:00Way Too Many Westlands + a Movie, Part 6<p>I'm ending this series with a horrible film.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>New York Ripper (1982, Italy)</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVbb2CnYsgUNuF9owr2hm0387RQXidhiuWdt3WxIDVpZWCmEJhxMTnWEwrcfGPuVPjgnqHU123ALQmPUGQHJetloq5bOMZVq4LvYgtOeBW_LWlOSq83CfMTAAzKNiRvvRFUpHaP43eLgMHxR0LzuEvF-DqvMZ-YeEdWudOvHjocF9283AyROG_yPMEQg/s373/Newyorkripper.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVbb2CnYsgUNuF9owr2hm0387RQXidhiuWdt3WxIDVpZWCmEJhxMTnWEwrcfGPuVPjgnqHU123ALQmPUGQHJetloq5bOMZVq4LvYgtOeBW_LWlOSq83CfMTAAzKNiRvvRFUpHaP43eLgMHxR0LzuEvF-DqvMZ-YeEdWudOvHjocF9283AyROG_yPMEQg/s320/Newyorkripper.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Ripper" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">source</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Eleven years after <i><a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2024/02/way-too-many-westlands-movie-part-5.html" target="_blank">A Lizard in a Woman's Skin</a></i>, Lucio Fulci vomited out the putrescent <i>New York Ripper</i>. Indeed <i>Ripper</i> doesn't even seem to have been directed or produced, rather it was mindlessly ejected — no, not ejaculated, as that verb has some positive connotations — from bored, hateful bodies. The cinematography is flat, the writing wretched, and the editing clumsy. Barely a thought seems to have gone into the "mystery", or how anything actually works within New York City, psychopaths, or humans in general. The film slumps around between extended scenes of the humiliation, torture, and graphic slaughter of women. To top it all off, <i>Ripper</i> commits the greatest sin of any exploitation film: It's boring. At least Fulci's <i>The Beyond</i>,<i> Don't Torture a Duckling</i>, and especially <i>Zombi</i> offer creativity, imagination, and craptacular entertainment. Even with its killer that tries to talk like a duck, <i>New York Ripper</i> has not a moment of good WTF-isms, rather it's "Why TF am I wasting my life with this" from beginning to end.</div><p></p><div><b>Verdict - quack quack quack flush this</b></div><div><div><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><hr /></div><div><br /></div></div><div>Now, the whiskies.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Both of these are older than yesterday's immature 2 year olds, and one of them has special barley!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieT14Hzy-Sk-m3xGlsDsCBf3dGy-8kyDMgmtI3ac0T7FWGWMpRpk2hIBaZw4L9BAq9RpXxra9J_plMnv4rikkIHa1hjmHMch5p_Wv4ICtA5aE1EznGxcvX4LmzgzyiSKpFRFB7AKGsS4wK3QWt4HKIofVOgdGXBhwUvBMaCitk-fjbzmsMVqideQVGUkA/s640/IMG_3082.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="458" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieT14Hzy-Sk-m3xGlsDsCBf3dGy-8kyDMgmtI3ac0T7FWGWMpRpk2hIBaZw4L9BAq9RpXxra9J_plMnv4rikkIHa1hjmHMch5p_Wv4ICtA5aE1EznGxcvX4LmzgzyiSKpFRFB7AKGsS4wK3QWt4HKIofVOgdGXBhwUvBMaCitk-fjbzmsMVqideQVGUkA/s320/IMG_3082.jpeg" width="229" /></a></div><div><b><u>Westland 3 year old 2012, cask 34 for Whole Foods</u></b></div><div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div><b>Distillery: </b>Westland<br /><b>Region:</b> Seattle, Washington<br /><b>Age: </b>39 Months<br /><b>Mashbill</b>: The five-malt mix<br /><b>Yeast</b>: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast<br /><b>Fermentation</b>: 144 hours<br /><b>Maturation: </b>New American Oak<br /><b>Release</b>: November 2015<br /><b>Outturn</b>: 174 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by volume:</b> 55.5%</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>A bit dessert-like on the <b>nose</b>. There's a mix of apple, cinnamon, clove, and yeast up front, with bourbony cherry syrup in the back. This might have more oak-driven baking spices in the <b>palate</b> than any other members of this cluster. Toffee and white chocolate sit just underneath the spice, and coffee awaits in the distance. It <b>finish</b>es with citrus, white chocolate, nutmeg, and coffee.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>DILUTED to 46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The <b>nose</b> is an apple-cinnamon pastry stuffed with golden raisins. The <b>palate</b> and <b>finish</b> are sweeter now, with a cloud of cloves, cassia, and nutmeg.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>At first, cask 34 reads like a cross between Westland's standard American Oak expression and a Buffalo Trace Distillery bourbon, but then it goes its own way, which is mostly the cask's way. I like all the baking spices and it's never too tannic, but it doesn't do much else to separate itself from the pack of B-minus-grade Westland casks.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Rating - 82</b></div><div><div><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><hr /></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><b><u>Westland 4 year old 2015, Pilsen cask 2508</u></b></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div><b>Distillery: </b>Westland<br /><b>Region:</b> Seattle, Washington<br /><b>Age: </b>50 Months<br /><b>Mashbill</b>: Pilsen barley, sourced from Germany<br /><b>Yeast</b>: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast<br /><b>Fermentation</b>: 144 hours<br /><b>Maturation: </b>ex-Heaven Hill bourbon cask<br /><b>Release</b>: July 2019<br /><b>Outturn</b>: 225 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by volume:</b> 59.8%</div><div><div><b><u><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />NEAT</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Lots of barley in the <b>nose</b>, with raw pecans in the middle, and florals and orange peel in the background. The crisp <b>palate</b> is also barley-driven, with baker's yeast, lime, and a cinnamon hint filling out the rest. It <b>finish</b>es bready and lightly sweet, with a hint of tart lime.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>DILUTED</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Somehow the <b>nose</b> gets even nuder, presenting as a clean mix of barley and Oleo Saccharum (no that's not a Satanic prayer, look it up). The <b>palate</b> has, in order, barley, lime, yeast, and toasted whole wheat bread. It <b>finish</b>es with lime and bread.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>I like this Westland variation, and wish I knew it had existed earlier! Between the German beer barley varieties and the refill cask, the distillery succeeds in <a href="https://www.westlanddistillery.com/release-archives-summary/pilsen-cask-2508" target="_blank">their mission</a> to allow "the grain notes space to express themselves alongside the gentle influence of a used cask". It's my second favorite whiskey of the Westland Dozen, and a nice way to end this series. If I'm ever in the market for an actual bottle of Westland, I'll keep my eyes open for a Pilsen release, or a Washington Pale Malt with a pale color. Otherwise, I'm Westlanded out.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rating - 87</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Okay everyone. Back to single malt Scotchitude next week. Have a good weekend and don't watch <i>New York Ripper</i>!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-16206765590671851272024-02-14T06:00:00.013-05:002024-02-21T00:30:34.839-05:00Way Too Many Westlands + a Movie, Part 5<div style="text-align: center;"><b>A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971, Italy/France/Spain)</b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhJ3fOkDBsvtevQi0B6IPYhYyqHpucy39zr30yGBtTrQPZDSF9Cwi6Q3L28bnZjS48RuEcCqDmi07yc-thS4Gq7KA5-Clkrhf2KfE9icN3rwho3fkXikI60tgNP1KVdUfLkTaDF3TX5g8Ms3-4JwAQY125V7NOPnNirBWTWineM8NP8WskdcO5k592WM/s846/ALIAWS.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="846" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhJ3fOkDBsvtevQi0B6IPYhYyqHpucy39zr30yGBtTrQPZDSF9Cwi6Q3L28bnZjS48RuEcCqDmi07yc-thS4Gq7KA5-Clkrhf2KfE9icN3rwho3fkXikI60tgNP1KVdUfLkTaDF3TX5g8Ms3-4JwAQY125V7NOPnNirBWTWineM8NP8WskdcO5k592WM/w400-h214/ALIAWS.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>I adore Lucio Fulci's <i>A Lizard in a Woman's Skin</i>. Does its story logic fail to hold up in multiple viewings? Possibly. Are its killer hippies unintentionally funny? Sure. Is Anita Strindberg's nudity a bit over-utilized? Probably. Does any of that hamper my love of the film? Nope!</div><div><br /></div><div>Every other Fulci movie I'd recommend (or not recommend) is blandly filmed, half-leaden, half-gross, one-quarter-WTF, glorious crap, which is why I find <i>Lizard</i> so thrilling. Lucio really assembles a grown-up film. He seizes the giallo genre by the <i>testicoli</i>, stuffing it with eroticism, psychedelia, fake psychoanalysis, gory dogs, and one giant goose. And the police procedural isn't half bad.</div><div><br /></div><div>Carol (Florinda Bolkan), has been having sexy dreams about her drugs-and-sex party-throwing neighbor Julia (Ms. Strindberg), which is all very well and good until Carol dreams of murdering Julia......and the sultry neighbor is found dead in exactly the same fashion the next morning. The police make a genuine effort to sort this out and Carol comes apart at the seams. Throats are cut, heads are shot, and the murderer is caught in the final scene.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Lizard</i> gained international notoriety when the filmmakers were taken to the Italian courts because a show-stopping scene of disemboweled dogs looked much too real. Carlo Rambaldi — yes, the man who created E.T. — had to prove in court that those poor pups were just props. The scene is unnecessary to the plot, but the effects really are remarkable for their time. And perhaps they were a hint of Fulci films to come.</div><div><br /></div><div>Aside from Stanley Baker's solid turn as Inspector Corvin, the women steal the show. Their characters and performances are much more complex than that of their male counterparts, rendering much of the film's underlying misogyny weak in their wake.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wonder what happened to this version of Fulci. Using the entire frame and wide-angle lenses, he builds real cinematic imagery in <i>Lizard</i>, without stealing too much from Bava and Argento. He even offers one split-screen moment that would make DePalma proud. After this, things got bleak in his films, and not the fun kind of bleak.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Verdict - One of my top 5 <i>gialli</i>!</b></div><div><div><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><hr /></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div>The whiskies on the other hand......</div><div><br /></div><div>I've hit the point of Westland exhaustion, and look forward to returning to Scotch Land soon. Here's a pair of very young Seattle single malts:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IvNFRsiJEHn18EqvKfN7T68ghpVQnBZLrRibYT15rRu8s8SwhBa68JdswENe7daB10KFpBvQglpZifB2Ch8RgpP_mBvLp9TwyhGUM6ZbHWUhNS1_SX3QA3iobt56rt8_z1j4h-rAFqvem9DblCANlrg5lu6Yv8qEGYd85Tfnvz6u4JoePM38O4Cz_9s/s640/IMG_3071.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="640" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2IvNFRsiJEHn18EqvKfN7T68ghpVQnBZLrRibYT15rRu8s8SwhBa68JdswENe7daB10KFpBvQglpZifB2Ch8RgpP_mBvLp9TwyhGUM6ZbHWUhNS1_SX3QA3iobt56rt8_z1j4h-rAFqvem9DblCANlrg5lu6Yv8qEGYd85Tfnvz6u4JoePM38O4Cz_9s/w400-h190/IMG_3071.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><div><b><u>Westland 2 </u></b><b><u>year old 2012, cask 242</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div><b>Distillery: </b>Westland<br /><b>Region:</b> Seattle, Washington<br /><b>Age: </b>28 Months<br /><b>Mashbill</b>: The five-malt mix<br /><b>Yeast</b>: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast<br /><b>Fermentation</b>: 144 hours<br /><b>Maturation: </b>New American Oak, 18-month air-dried staves, #3 char<br /><b>Release</b>: October 2014<br /><b>Outturn</b>: 223 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by volume:</b> 54.25%</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Nutty and bready notes arrive first in the <b>nose</b>, followed by apple skins, vanilla, and brine. Almond extract and walnuts stick around the longest. The <b>palate</b> mixes apples and pears with white chocolate and butterscotch chips. Pears, butterscotch, and a hint of malt <b>finish</b> things off.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><u>DILUTED to 46%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whiskey</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b>nose</b> shows pears, caramel, barley, and watermelon rind. Malt, caramel, and a vague tartness form the <b>palate</b>. It <b>finish</b>es tart, sweet, and sort of malty.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>This whiskey doesn't go too far down the Craft road with overwhelming oak covering immature spirit, thankfully. It's essentially the standard American Oak release at a bolder strength, without any of the flair or quirks that a single cask can bring.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><b>Rating - 79</b></div><div><div><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><hr /></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><u>Westland 2 year old 2012, cask 266</u></b></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Distillery: </b>Westland<br /><b>Region:</b> Seattle, Washington<br /><b>Age: </b>27 Months<br /><b>Mashbill</b>: The five-malt mix<br /><b>Yeast</b>: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast<br /><b>Fermentation</b>: 144 hours<br /><b>Maturation:</b> New American Oak, 24-month air-dried staves, heavy toast/light char<br /><b>Release</b>: October 2014</div><div><b>Outturn</b>: 220 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by volume:</b> 54.5%</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The <b>nose</b> is similar to 242's, but with more vanilla powder and a slightly skunky note, as well as hints of confectioner's sugar and cardamom in the background. The <b>palate</b> is a mix of vanilla, champagne vinegar, and ethyl. Bits of malt and bitterness peek out here and there. It <b>finish</b>es with pear and ethyl.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><u>DILUTED to 46%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whiskey</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b>nose</b> is just vanilla, malt, and cardamom. More sweetness and tangy vinegar, with ethyl and malt staying back in the <b>palate</b>. It's all sweet caramel in the <b>finish</b>.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>This one wasn't done cooking, yet there's a lot of vanilla. It's raw, but not as good as the distillery's new make. Unsure why they picked this cask to release, I would happily choose the <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2019/10/westland-american-oak-single-malt.html" target="_blank">standard American Oak expression</a> over this whiskey regardless of the price.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rating - 75</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Fulci wins, and I am grateful that only one more Part remains in this series.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-12434790394957462442024-02-12T06:00:00.001-05:002024-02-12T06:00:00.138-05:00Way Too Many Westlands + a Movie, Part 4<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPj7xIvjleM6wWp8rui7ubg-NDN56nE11LrdvBoWWHXt69MlQ8_DL9U3JNlsZq90VCee0MoMbttdHTzoKgXb48iZ3g9d3-9twJr_9yqccObkdCxfXw2X5OG0n9c9KFkAZQmSCcQgKNWk2Wjj1weTudXTA7-pjftR8_ULblgWv7KpTbBg3w6-157pBeK8/s2560/Happy%20Chicken.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1696" data-original-width="2560" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPj7xIvjleM6wWp8rui7ubg-NDN56nE11LrdvBoWWHXt69MlQ8_DL9U3JNlsZq90VCee0MoMbttdHTzoKgXb48iZ3g9d3-9twJr_9yqccObkdCxfXw2X5OG0n9c9KFkAZQmSCcQgKNWk2Wjj1weTudXTA7-pjftR8_ULblgWv7KpTbBg3w6-157pBeK8/w320-h212/Happy%20Chicken.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.popsci.com/chicken-emotion-happiness-animal-welfare/" target="_blank">source</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: medium;">Death Laid An Egg (1968, Italy/France)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenuqpv2wtL1fUY4jpUb7NjO2NW_6atyWOQFK8gHOSn9oX8vteWd_kUYZvVHmhCXCFtbelNgNaX0D5CI6m7onf9VDvOsw7gWWqBt4cAFoT-2NrXEttXmCqvS5ff1gjFUys4AgOBZGYkON5PzrZ1M4_iSwluPZMIfh6PEE-rxUYs3VZ6fHKea-dRqdINAk/s1095/DLAE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1095" data-original-width="730" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjenuqpv2wtL1fUY4jpUb7NjO2NW_6atyWOQFK8gHOSn9oX8vteWd_kUYZvVHmhCXCFtbelNgNaX0D5CI6m7onf9VDvOsw7gWWqBt4cAFoT-2NrXEttXmCqvS5ff1gjFUys4AgOBZGYkON5PzrZ1M4_iSwluPZMIfh6PEE-rxUYs3VZ6fHKea-dRqdINAk/w266-h400/DLAE.jpeg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">And Ewa Aulin sat on the potty?</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">With a sexy international cast to give the film some heft, and a title that answers why the chicken crossed the road, <i>Death Laid an Egg </i>offers up some promising themes and ideas that are trampled by its own filmmaking. Oh, but the chickens. There are so many chickens.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Egg</i> begins with a dizzying, half-intriguing, half-nauseating burst of cinema and sounds that suggest we're in for an experimental film. While that visual style never again resurfaces, the soundtrack remains filled with dissonant avant-barf irritations throughout. Ultimately, the direction is more of a mystery than the story itself.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jean-Louis Trintignant's poker face in <i>The Conformist</i> worked wonders as it masked the character's struggle with fascism and sexuality, but in <i>Egg</i> it's a heavy-handed choice that leaves one wondering whether the actor is suspicious of the director, or the character is a sociopath. The latter can't be guaranteed, but with the layered auditory cacophony, and purposely misleading editing, the film screams, "This guy is nuttier than a Panettone."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">You see, dear reader, Marco (JLT) and his wife, Anna (Gina Lollobrigida), are automating their chicken business, but there may be something screwy afoot, and maybe Marco has a habit of murdering sex workers, but not murdering the company's secretary, a Swedish teenager (Ewa Aulin) who really just serves as a sidepiece (for both spouses?). Then some corporate intrigue unwinds, chickens eat a lot of feed, women's bellybuttons see a lot of sunshine, and the police get involved. There's death and an ending.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">While proud in its shaming of unchecked greed, <i>Egg</i> only briefly tosses a bone to the plight of the worker, so it never goes full commie, just Marx-ish. Its pseudo-intellectual dialogue gets unintentionally funny, but its chickens, oh its chickens, thousands of chickens, are a delight. The anxious wiggling, strutting, and clucking birds underscore horrifying capitalism better than the characters (and filmmakers) do. They are also deeply funny, until they're not.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When the film concludes, the viewer may be most fascinated by the magical feed machine that somehow grinds up bodies (both human and canine) without anyone noticing. Perhaps that machine is a symbol of the true inhumanity of consumerism. Or it's just another plot hole, in a story so packed with gaps that it nearly gets swallowed up in its own vacuum.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'd watch it again on mute.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><div><b>Verdict - Watch it for the chickens, not the people</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><hr /></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">Oh yeah, there were a pair of whiskies too:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8YmvI2TISEfrw1BnFbz4SS-8uh3Mc1fydh1w4ICx1p0l5OVO7q2YED176tWVbPQr9MzOH8NaDF9_-UglzV1GgWiVeSmfeHl6W4LknwNFkpvNzgJvwTlcdDYv3foODDWeV0ljCrVra1IqWSqKm0n2bzrcxcC5aw2D3GALLypg1KUIscUwMQUM5ntlivI/s640/IMG_3065.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8YmvI2TISEfrw1BnFbz4SS-8uh3Mc1fydh1w4ICx1p0l5OVO7q2YED176tWVbPQr9MzOH8NaDF9_-UglzV1GgWiVeSmfeHl6W4LknwNFkpvNzgJvwTlcdDYv3foODDWeV0ljCrVra1IqWSqKm0n2bzrcxcC5aw2D3GALLypg1KUIscUwMQUM5ntlivI/s320/IMG_3065.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>These two Westlands were paired together because they were most likely the sugariest of my dozen samples. But were they really sweeties???<div><br /></div><div><div><b><u>Westland 5 year old 2012, cask 4274</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Distillery: </b>Westland<br /><b>Region:</b> Seattle, Washington<br /><b>Age: </b>70 Months<br /><b>Mashbill</b>: The five-malt mix<br /><b>Yeast</b>: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast<br /><b>Fermentation</b>: 144 hours<br /><b>Maturation: </b>New American Oak for 60 months, then an <b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Amaretto</span></b> cask for 10 months<br /><b>Release</b>: March 2018</div><div><b>Outturn</b>: 155 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by volume:</b> 49.5%</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>It's like single malt candy on the <b>nose</b>. Honeyed malt, white chocolate, and baked apples arrive first, followed by french vanilla ice cream, cinnamon, cloves, and a dash of rum. The <b>palate</b> is sweet, simple, and hotter than expected. It's just sugary apples, lemon candy, vanilla, and caramel. It <b>finish</b>es with soooooo much caramel, with a little bit of sour apple candy somewhere in there.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><u>DILUTED to 46%abv, or ½ tsp of water per 30mL whiskey</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The <b>nose</b> retracts to just three notes: honey, brown sugar, and 100% rye (think Alberta distillery). Wash down white chocolate macadamia nut cookies with some apple cider vinegar, and you have both the <b>palate</b> and <b>finish</b>.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS<br /><br /></u></b></div><div>Had I known about the amaretto cask, I wouldn't have gone in on the but bottle split, but this was not as cloying as expected, and if not for the caramel flood, the whiskey would kinda work when neat. Not a bad experiment and (SPOILER ALERT) I liked it better than its sparring partner.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Rating - 80</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(neat only)</span></div><div><div><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><hr /></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><b><u>Westland 3 year old 2015, cask 2479 for K&L</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Distillery: </b>Westland<br /><b>Region:</b> Seattle, Washington<br /><b>Age: </b>38 Months<br /><b>Mashbill</b>: Washington Select Pale Malt<br /><b>Yeast</b>: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast<br /><b>Fermentation</b>: 144 hours<br /><b>Maturation: </b>Pedro Ximénez Hogshead<br /><b>Release</b>: November 2018</div><div><b>Outturn</b>: 292 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by volume:</b> 59.0%</div></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>Wow, this was a dirty hoggie. The sulfuric <b>nose</b> is packed with earth, pepper, and stinky feet. It's very close to the line between gunpowder and rotten eggs. With more than 30 minutes of air, the nose becomes very raisiny, with brown sugar in the background. Sulfuric, savory, and ureic, the <b>palate</b> takes a long time to find its prunes. It <b>finish</b>es with umami, pepper, and prunes.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><b><u>DILUTED to 46%abv, or 1¾ tsp of water per 30mL whiskey</u></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The raisins move forward in the <b>nose</b>, with walnuts and honey peeking out. But still, the gunpowder and stinky feet won't leave. The <b>palate</b> also opens up a little with more sugar and citrus. It <b>finish</b>es tangy and jammy and umami.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>I don't mind a dusting of sulfur in my drink, and I often adore imperfect sherry casks, but this particular whiskey proves difficult, leaving me with a furry-feeling tongue and a gunpowder aftertaste. Dilution saves it a bit, though it's still a palate-wrecker.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rating - 72</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(diluted only)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">I guess the chickens win today. At least there are no more sherry casks among the final four Westlands.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
<br />
<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-72409634339339323362024-02-09T06:00:00.008-05:002024-03-12T21:51:22.983-04:00Way Too Many Westlands + a Movie, Part 3Part 3 has more twists and turns than the previous two posts. Originally my intent was to pair up a fiery film with two 60+%abv Westlands that I'd previously called "a pair of flamethrowers". I started to queue up <i>Don't Go in the House</i> only to realize I didn't really want to watch a man burn naked women to death. So instead I looked for a snowy film and went with...<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The Werewolf and the Yeti (1975, Spain)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjQfDs9TXBRcoeQTpC6oyE4rNTnqSfAQJ1vxT-IXIq0cc7wyp4A17tep04A0Cg8TFBtzGaxi7z6jyk62V_NiHJfTgRaMOuE1a6p9rv7qt1wBpFjN1QukbhwMuzE2julKUGDEdGGUR61hicOxTnOuZBjI373NojigHy3qpGdqL47XDf0HNTSbwWei7tpo/s351/Yeti_and_werewolf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="249" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjQfDs9TXBRcoeQTpC6oyE4rNTnqSfAQJ1vxT-IXIq0cc7wyp4A17tep04A0Cg8TFBtzGaxi7z6jyk62V_NiHJfTgRaMOuE1a6p9rv7qt1wBpFjN1QukbhwMuzE2julKUGDEdGGUR61hicOxTnOuZBjI373NojigHy3qpGdqL47XDf0HNTSbwWei7tpo/s320/Yeti_and_werewolf.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I love lycanthropes (they're my people), and I had the pleasure of briefly being the production accountant on <i>Finding Bigfoot</i>. So how bad could this be?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bad.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The eighth in a <b><i><span style="color: #800180;">12</span></i></b>-film series, <i>The Werewolf and the Yeti</i> quarter-heartedly tries to refresh a wolf man origin story by having Count <span style="text-align: center;">Waldemar get bitten by saucy wolf ladies in a random </span><span style="text-align: center;">Kathmandu </span><span style="text-align: center;">cave. (We know he's in </span><span style="text-align: center;">Kathmandu because the film offers close-ups of off-center magazine photos of stupas.) Before he gets nibbled on, Waldemar and friends(?) are in Nepal searching for The Yeti, an important subject matter for the first 10 minutes of the film, then a MacGuffin for the next 10 minutes, then completely forgotten about for most of the rest of the running time.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">The first half of TWATY depicts various people standing around talking about more exciting things, then lurches episodically in the second half.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">All but one of Waldemar's crew are murdered thanks to a series of stupid choices. (I almost said out-of-character choices, but there are no characteristics to speak of.) Yellowface baddies and a sadistic nurse(?) dispatch these cardboard cutouts before being chewed up by Waldemar Wolf. There's a full moon every night, and sometimes Waldie stays Wolfie in the daylight, and sometimes not. </span><span style="text-align: center;">''''¯\_(ツ)_/¯'''' </span><span style="text-align: center;">He seems to get the girl at the end until OH NO HE GETS ATTACKED BY A YETI. Falling asleep, I fast-forwarded through that climactic struggle.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">The violence isn't violent. The sexiness isn't sexy. The horror isn't horrifying. The yeti isn't a yeti. And more thought went into this paragraph than into TWATY's script.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><div><b>Verdict - Bad.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><hr /></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">At least Westland casks 274 and 187 improved the experience! But there's a catch. I originally matched them up because Westland's archives said they were both over 60%abv. Except the archive <a href="https://www.westlanddistillery.com/release-archives-summary/cask274" target="_blank">was wrong</a>. Cask 274 is actually <a href="https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/70516/westland-cask-no-274" target="_blank">54.95%abv</a>. So I'm <i>really</i> comparing these casks because they're both Binny's picks.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVdSSQrGTXUl3hzy77nhAVhPJNnixdM3ULfOhGIYsPdF0sPcgWE6g-ILqkQKzyKRldlvKa4-SuMlMPjYDx8F042cD3ZMty7AUA9fZFAPFnb51oy5IOfwWj9CdfL7moKfKL_Pr6RJTYCu2Gpey200efADw7s_eKn_Do6JR-8eFfdGBKzKAYGTdTw-pQnE/s640/IMG_3061.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="640" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVdSSQrGTXUl3hzy77nhAVhPJNnixdM3ULfOhGIYsPdF0sPcgWE6g-ILqkQKzyKRldlvKa4-SuMlMPjYDx8F042cD3ZMty7AUA9fZFAPFnb51oy5IOfwWj9CdfL7moKfKL_Pr6RJTYCu2Gpey200efADw7s_eKn_Do6JR-8eFfdGBKzKAYGTdTw-pQnE/w400-h301/IMG_3061.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b><u>Westland 2 year old 2012, cask 274 for Binny's</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Distillery: </b>Westland<br /><b>Region:</b> Seattle, Washington<br /><b>Age: </b>33 Months<br /><b>Mashbill</b>: The five-malt mix<br /><b>Yeast</b>: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast<br /><b>Fermentation</b>: 144 hours<br /><b>Maturation: </b>New American Oak<br /><b>Release</b>: Spring 2015</div><div><b>Outturn</b>: 206 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by volume:</b> 54.95%</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Nose</b> = bourbon. Lots of vanilla and barrel char. Then lots of barrel char and vanilla. Then applesauce on a new carpet, and maybe some dunder? Caramel chews and hard toffee lead the <b>palate</b>. Some plastic bottle brandy notes heat up the middle. Malt, herbal bitterness, and dunder stay in the background. It <b>finish</b>es with vanilla, malt, and Mt. Gay rum.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><u>DILUTED to 46%abv, or < 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whiskey</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Oak spice takes over the <b>nose</b> as the vanilla and barrel char move to the background. The <b>palate</b> reads more complex than the nose, with vanilla, malt, chocolate, mint, and citrus. It <b>finish</b>es with vanilla and mint.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Westland's gone bourbon here, sort of. It was an odd experience until I stopped insisting the brown liquid was a single malt and just considered it on its own terms. Perhaps cask 274 would do wonders in bourbon-based or rum-based cocktails. Or just on the rocks. At least it was better than the movie.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Rating - 78</b></div><div><div><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><hr /></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><b><u>Westland 3 year old 2012, cask 187 for Binny's</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Distillery: </b>Westland<br /><b>Region:</b> Seattle, Washington<br /><b>Age: </b>36 Months<br /><b>Mashbill</b>: Washington Select Pale Malt<br /><b>Yeast</b>: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast<br /><b>Fermentation</b>: 144 hours<br /><b>Maturation: </b>1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel<br /><b>Release</b>: April 2015</div><div><b>Outturn</b>: 179 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by volume:</b> 63.05%</div></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>Oh, this is a whiskey of a different color. Floral esters, plantain, papaya, and cardamom swirl around the <b>nose</b>, with barley and brine in the back. The <b>palate</b> has a bright floral fruitiness, with apples, apricots, and citrons on top of cinnamon and cardamom. It <b>finish</b>es with citrons, tart apples, and a dollop of molasses.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><u>DILUTED to 46%abv, or < 2¼ tsp of water per 30mL whiskey</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>The crisp, clean <b>nose</b> is all barley, honey, lime, and those floral esters. Barley, witbier, tart citrus, and a sprinkle of brown sugar fill the <b>palate</b>. Its <b>finish</b> nearly mirrors the palate with just a little more tartness.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>A lovely raw whiskey. When Westland gets it right, they <i>really</i> get it right. With this barely-legal fruity-fruit style, they're like Chichibu's Western mate. In cask 187, the Washington malt, gentle barrel, and careful cask management have to be the main factors, because the same yeast and fermentation times have been used on all the casks in this series so far, but this one's style is its own. If you possess a bottle from this cask, beware how easily it drinks at this mammoth strength. You're bound to fall in love and down the stairs in no time.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rating - 89</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>No contest here. Cask 187 won the night, and the week.</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
<br />
<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-64926221943132678562024-02-07T06:00:00.006-05:002024-03-12T21:53:47.033-04:00Way Too Many Westlands + a Movie, Part 2<p>While pondering the lack of dreamlike atmosphere in <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2024/02/way-too-many-westlands-movie-part-1.html" target="_blank">one of Jean Rollin's weakest softcore films</a> the other day, I kept thinking about Mario Bava, one of the creators and masters of the <a href="https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/giallo-films-definition/" target="_blank">Giallo genre</a>. Bava uses the feature film medium as a canvas for visual moods and muscular depictions of violence. Colors, lights, angles, and pacing are primary concerns, with story being secondary at best.</p><p>So with my second pair of Westlands poured, I queued up <i><b>Blood and Black Lace (1964, Italy / West Germany)</b></i>, an early Bava exercise in suspense and death awash in a Technicolor bath (quite literally in one scene).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9vk9g6tTegLugHLS5F65FmEJsLH0cWPTgAIjpJ43Y2KWlWd15fOc9YG1L2l9176cMvJCNdCMJc9rY-rsvKpoiVwsmKMKhCX7s8S1yoahNp0lfOye4yJnAPTSiqCC1AtLpS3AxZEFMQzPy7kG1_ASDvXN8yE_oExZkv5ROULcfY0bomWakOUZn0PzEtM/s555/bloodandblacklace3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="555" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9vk9g6tTegLugHLS5F65FmEJsLH0cWPTgAIjpJ43Y2KWlWd15fOc9YG1L2l9176cMvJCNdCMJc9rY-rsvKpoiVwsmKMKhCX7s8S1yoahNp0lfOye4yJnAPTSiqCC1AtLpS3AxZEFMQzPy7kG1_ASDvXN8yE_oExZkv5ROULcfY0bomWakOUZn0PzEtM/w400-h240/bloodandblacklace3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.cia.edu/cinematheque/film-schedule/2023/08/blood-and-black-lace" target="_blank">pic source</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>I've seen <i>Blood and Black Lace</i> at least four times, and never fail to be seduced by the film's unreal color right from the start, at the opening credits. The lusty reds, the warm pinks, scattered emeralds, and ghostly purple gels. Massive sets dwarf posed bodies, especially the men, who rarely stand taller than the women's shoulders.</p><p>Ostensibly, it's a tale of model murders in the 1960s fashion industry, but the plot is just a mannequin upon which Bava hangs oversized imagery. Almost all of the aforementioned towering women are quite independent for the era, and usually wiser than the males, until they go wandering into the dark after their friends have been slaughtered. The over-the-top murders are troubling to watch as the female actors (not stunt doubles) are forcibly manhandled in front of the camera. One wonders if Bava is playing out his own small male demons until the ending arrives and it all seems pretty ridiculous. I already want to see it again.</p><div><div><b>Verdict - Recommended, but beware the misogyny!</b></div><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><hr /></div><div><br /></div></div><div>This was not the best film to watch because I couldn't focus on the whiskey, but I worked it out. The struggle is real.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgycNi_BaJen1FE2TbcRdUER0JtEF0nBZ9jByffxr9p76lGV5JXgg3mGCIX8xmaqs9BnUR4OMqQ0PM7cGIQCLtD1W-hkNLHvXPTSjqzuE8kUW0vk-3jsjnGTBJg8lRzdvI2uUXc8oFQvbWubik3L2d3bBSJhGojfger37qNTDmp-xh6SH7guPy4Et09PU/s2478/IMG_3058.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1487" data-original-width="2478" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgycNi_BaJen1FE2TbcRdUER0JtEF0nBZ9jByffxr9p76lGV5JXgg3mGCIX8xmaqs9BnUR4OMqQ0PM7cGIQCLtD1W-hkNLHvXPTSjqzuE8kUW0vk-3jsjnGTBJg8lRzdvI2uUXc8oFQvbWubik3L2d3bBSJhGojfger37qNTDmp-xh6SH7guPy4Et09PU/w400-h240/IMG_3058.heic" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Casks 801 and 685 are both Five Malt babies aged in new American Oak. Time to Taste Off!</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Westland 4.year old 2014, cask 801, Distillery exclusive</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div><b>Distillery: </b>Westland<br /><b>Region:</b> Seattle, Washington<br /><b>Age: </b>54 Months<br /><b>Mashbill</b>: The five-malt mix<br /><b>Yeast</b>: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast<br /><b>Fermentation</b>: 144 hours<br /><b>Maturation: </b>Cooper’s Reserve New American Oak<br /><b>Release</b>: June 2018<br /><b>Outturn</b>: 192 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by volume:</b> 56.5%</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The <b>nose</b> is full of new make, pine sap, and snickerdoodles, with occasional bubblegum and saline notes. It shifts with time as chocolate, apricot, and talcum powder appear. Chocolate malt and mocha arrive first in the <b>palate</b>, with pencil shavings in the background, and the tang and bite of Thai chiles. It <b>finish</b>es with the chocolate malt and pencil shavings notes.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>DILUTED to 46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whiskey</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>There's plenty of chocolate in the <b>nose</b>, but also meaty and mushroomy notes. Now the <b>palate</b> is packed with malt and vanilla. It's sweeter, but also has a salty and tangy side. After about 20 minutes, it's all vanilla. It <b>finish</b>es with salt, pepper, and malt.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>This cask reads like a louder, though simpler, take on the distillery's <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2019/10/westland-american-oak-single-malt.html" target="_blank">standard American Oak expression</a>. Its fewer angles may be due to few casks types, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing here. Something is missing, and not necessarily more oak. More maturation time? Less maturation time? Different spot in the warehouse? It's a solid drink overall, a bit hot, though better when neat, yet I can't see one desiring more than a couple of pours.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Rating - 80</b></div><div><div><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><hr /></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><u>Westland 2 year old 2013, cask 685 for Wingtip San Francisco</u></b></div></div></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Thank you to Team Westland for sending me the specs on this cask so quickly!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Distillery: </b>Westland<br /><b>Region:</b> Seattle, Washington<br /><b>Age: </b>30 Months<br /><b>Mashbill</b>: The five-malt mix<br /><b>Yeast</b>: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast<br /><b>Fermentation</b>: 144 hours<br /><b>Maturation: </b>Cooper’s Reserve New American Oak<br /><b>Release</b>: 2016<br /><b>Alcohol by volume:</b> 56.3%</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The <b>nose</b> is very shy at first, requiring time and a warmer glass. First there's saline and oranges. Then blue cheese and crayons. Hints of metal, lemon, and chocolate stay in the background. A straightforward <b>palate</b>: vanilla, lemon candy, malt, and pencil shavings. It <b>finish</b>es similarly, but without the lemon candy.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><u>DILUTED to 46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whiskey</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Vanilla and clove on the <b>nose</b>. New make with a tart/bitter edge hits the <b>palate</b> first, followed by curious notes of balsamic vinegar and vanilla fudge. Again, it <b>finish</b>es like the palate.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>This is another simple cask that shares plenty of notes with #801. I liked the quiet complexity in the neat nose, but the quirky diluted palate better. It wears its youth nicely, reminding me of the new make's quality. The whiskey won't amaze, but you'll drink it, trust me.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Rating - 81</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Mario Bava won the night. Next up, a pair of flamethrowers. Gotta find a movie to match...</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-67260599574041619532024-02-06T06:00:00.002-05:002024-02-06T06:00:00.134-05:00Way Too Many Westlands + a Movie, Part 1Though Westland Distillery's standard range's quality has been wobbly of late, the Seattle producer's single casks are frequently very good to excellent. Yet there comes a point when a distillery fan has too many single cask samples. That moment occurred during the peak Covid era when for some reason I lost my marbles and rounded up 12 samples in two week:<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpYanhidgIs3XZp7ZlRwy4SuKmE6r3m1bOSyNeePVG-rU73WrCPZZ8Qc7avLz6rr2t2mpdMbxWCumEaEODZ-rJUTrfxTLey18hK-L_zrBEmhJ_lBqm_Mnm9EXh_u_tqKna9hiNR_zOkSI_MptWqM3yiMTrqEtose65bbDYkYqVZtsURv2Igye2nFlIFs/s640/IMG_3046.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFpYanhidgIs3XZp7ZlRwy4SuKmE6r3m1bOSyNeePVG-rU73WrCPZZ8Qc7avLz6rr2t2mpdMbxWCumEaEODZ-rJUTrfxTLey18hK-L_zrBEmhJ_lBqm_Mnm9EXh_u_tqKna9hiNR_zOkSI_MptWqM3yiMTrqEtose65bbDYkYqVZtsURv2Igye2nFlIFs/w400-h320/IMG_3046.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div>Three years later, I stared at this dainty dozen wondering how and when they were going to be consumed. How about an Ultra Cluster, knocking 12 out in two weeks? Yes, but......that still didn't thrill. I scheduled the reviews anyway, awaiting inspiration.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then, this weekend it clicked! I was going to watch some '70s Euro-horror flicks anyway. Why not enjoy some whiskies and a movie? Why not, indeed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Over the next two weeks you<i> should </i>see six posts, each one offering two Westlands and one random movie. Just know that I have higher hopes for the Westlands than for my viewing choices.</div><div><br /></div><div><hr /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The Shiver of the Vampires (1971, France)</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YxSDV4XguFnHQiGtLLRWBRGFEHCmvoAiaYzTNWZufI_uETZSa1-ap5wKQalGtOGKT7YLKgyvz8iU6GOtcjLiwgX56xhqy4jipK3iS1GAzzzef07_2CwT2DWu0SzXqBuuSzrO345Xx34zqYm7Ugc5NMfJCvt7dPsRJmgfLXpXvDRfs6JCZFJe6z7rWok/s903/MV5BOWNiOTFlMzYtYmVlNi00NWFkLWI1MDQtMjMxMzdlYzdhMWY5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ2MjQyNDc@._V1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YxSDV4XguFnHQiGtLLRWBRGFEHCmvoAiaYzTNWZufI_uETZSa1-ap5wKQalGtOGKT7YLKgyvz8iU6GOtcjLiwgX56xhqy4jipK3iS1GAzzzef07_2CwT2DWu0SzXqBuuSzrO345Xx34zqYm7Ugc5NMfJCvt7dPsRJmgfLXpXvDRfs6JCZFJe6z7rWok/s320/MV5BOWNiOTFlMzYtYmVlNi00NWFkLWI1MDQtMjMxMzdlYzdhMWY5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ2MjQyNDc@._V1_.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The poster > the film</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I am always game for Jean Rollin films, which often offer a vague supernatural story as an excuse to display beautiful women draped in dreamy atmosphere and little else. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Rollin possessed the ability to compose striking visual imagery, so if the flesh doesn't do it for you, then maybe the director's style will.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately,<i> The Shiver of the Vampires</i>, early unformed Rollin, offers little of the latter. Inconsistent and problematic acting, actor direction, framing, story logic, story structure, music, and editing plague the film making it look like Jess Franco and Joe D'Amato co-directed. The camera does like leading lady, Sandra Julien (who puts actual effort in), and there's more nudity (female, of course) than one can shake a stick at. Jean-Marie Durand, the leading man, wanders in and out of scenes asking WTF is going on, much like this viewer, but with much better hair.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Verdict - Many better Rollin films out there!</b></div><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><hr /></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ANXxjH5MBXzLT380jk975mRtNx25Fknhw5luh_ijTDsXAZ9L4SW5rJo0WDhGdozcM-G_OMediH9m6-UVDfdYBToBm776NaoNW4brA42CY6r8L3JicC5_rGHpzJuyu6ecqz2_P4deyAqpr6hE17DVV6tp5hBidMtB9SZAqLOItGiX5zGs7tOoW5fcFHw/s640/IMG_3047.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ANXxjH5MBXzLT380jk975mRtNx25Fknhw5luh_ijTDsXAZ9L4SW5rJo0WDhGdozcM-G_OMediH9m6-UVDfdYBToBm776NaoNW4brA42CY6r8L3JicC5_rGHpzJuyu6ecqz2_P4deyAqpr6hE17DVV6tp5hBidMtB9SZAqLOItGiX5zGs7tOoW5fcFHw/s320/IMG_3047.jpeg" width="256" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I really enjoyed <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2019/12/westland-garryana-31.html" target="_blank">the third edition of Westland's Garryana series</a>, so here's #4 versus #5:</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Westland Garryana Single Malt, 4th Edition </u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div><b>Distillery: </b>Westland<br /><b>Region:</b> Seattle, Washington<br /><b>Age: </b>44-75 Months<br /><b>Mashbill</b>: The five-malt mix + Washington Select Pale Malt<br /><b>Yeast</b>: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast<br /><b>Fermentation</b>: 144 hours<br /><b>Maturation: </b>Ex-Rye (29%), Ex-Bourbon (29%), Garryana (19%), PX Hogshead (16%), and Refill Garryana (7%)<br /><b>Release</b>: September 2019<br /><b>Outturn</b>: 3750 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by volume:</b> 50%<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>A direct blast of cookie butter, digestive biscuits, graham crackers, and nutmeg fill the <b>nose</b> and never back off. Hints of Granny Smith apple skins and milk chocolate appear later on. Chocolate-covered cherries, cinnamon, and malt lead the <b>palate</b>, with dried cranberries and heat in the background. It <b>finish</b>es with cayenne, cocoa, dried cherries, and cinnamon.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>DILUTED to 46%abv, or ½ tsp of water per 30mL whiskey</u></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The <b>nose</b> gets maltier while adding vanilla and dried blueberries. The cookie butter and nutmeg move to the background. Almonds take over the <b>palate</b>, with cookie butter and black coffee in the back. Its <b>finish</b> matches the palate.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The mix of casks looks like it's going to be a hot mess, but it mostly works, probably because the PX cask element was kept low. It's still VERY Westland with all its maltiness, spices, and cookies. It may work best when neat, because the nose glows best in that form. The finish loses some steam, and is a bit brief, but things never get too sweet, which is a pleasant thing to experience in an American whiskey.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rating - 84</b></div><div><div><div><div><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><hr /></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><b><u>Westland Garryana Single Malt, 5th Edition</u></b></div></div></div><div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div><b>Distillery: </b>Westland<br /><b>Region:</b> Seattle, Washington<br /><b>Age: </b>45-73 Months<br /><b>Mashbill</b>: Washington Select Pale Malt + Baird's Heavily Peated Malt<br /><b>Yeast</b>: Belgian Saison Brewer’s Yeast<br /><b>Fermentation</b>: 144 hours<br /><b>Maturation: </b>1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Quercus alba (64%) and Virgin Quercus garryana (36%)</div><div><b>Release</b>: November 2020<br /><b>Outturn</b>: 5625 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by volume:</b> 50%<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><br /></div></div><div>PEAT in the <b>nose</b>. It reminds me of PNW's McCarthy's single malt, with its heavy charry smoke, though this adds in burnt pine. Soil, cocoa powder, and charred meat join the pyre, with almond butter and vanilla staying outside. The <b>palate </b>starts and ends with wood smoke and soil. Jasmine tea and vanilla sit in the middle, malt and black pepper in the background. It <b>finish</b>es with salt, wood smoke, and soot.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><u>DILUTED to 46%abv, or ½ tsp of water per 30mL whiskey</u></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The <b>nose</b> becomes simpler: sooty peat, chocolate, and vanilla. The <b>palate</b> holds soot, sugar, chile oil, and a hint of apricot. That soot consumes the <b>finish</b>.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The blenders had a heavy peat hand this time, and the Baird's malt takes over everything, choking out the Westland maltiness and whatever the Garryana had to offer. It's not a bad whiskey, but it's nearly one sooty note. It could have used some more fruit or spice or salt or something. If you're looking for a young soot-filled peater with more depth and style, Ardbeg Wee Beastie will do the trick. (Yes, I just recommended an Ardbeg in a Westland review.)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rating - 80</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Garryana #4 wins this match! And Jean Rollin loses. Onto the next matchup...</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-47120414747850867482024-02-02T06:00:00.003-05:002024-02-02T06:00:00.137-05:00Isle of Skye Blended Whisky from the 1970s to 2010sThe Isle of Skye brand may have been created by Ian Macleod himself in the 1930s. He was a skilled blender, was born on Skye, and the island was home to his clan many centuries earlier. His whisky company (and thus this brand) was purchased by Peter Russell & Co. in 1963, and has remained under that ownership ever since.<div><br /></div><div>Supposedly the Isle of Skye blends' malt elements are a mix of Speyside (think Glens Farclas and Rothes) and Island singles, with Talisker at the core. I qualified that previous sentence because I've never found any actual Talisker in the stuff.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today's tasting is not going to be particularly helpful to those looking for a view into the brand's contemporary state. I mean, this is still Diving for Pearls. So here's my trio of Skyes:</div><div><br /></div><div>1. <b>Isle of Skye 8 year old, bottled in the early 2010s.</b> <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2012/12/taste-off-isle-of-skye-8yr-vs-johnnie.html" target="_blank">I reviewed this very bottle</a> <i>11 years ago</i>, and the whisky has sat in the sample bottle for just as long. It's probably in great shape! (43%abv)</div><div>2. <b>Isle of Skye 8 year old 5cL, bottled late '80s to early '90s.</b> I found this mini bottle in a Campbeltown shop back in 2016. (40%abv)</div><div>3. <b>Isle of Skye 18 year old, Private stock #45, bottled 1970s.</b> Part of a split from a bottle that was opened just last year. Yes, this has 1950s distillate within. (43%abv)</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1rCpTmvtQxMytN4WBRZGJ0gqffRLcA-xhxE7fHPcMleJtDUJTsG4ueKSW_b3gY-Zn2aA3hU4oyifTgIeKoFeAYPMy9U22-om4pSxg2sMVCGJeylomN87TTfv1weLCII5ARdzViEi02nmlWDG2ZLe9ZjiZTN4kevPJTR0hRftOB-xtOP26Vg1WXby6OY/s1280/IMG_3041.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1rCpTmvtQxMytN4WBRZGJ0gqffRLcA-xhxE7fHPcMleJtDUJTsG4ueKSW_b3gY-Zn2aA3hU4oyifTgIeKoFeAYPMy9U22-om4pSxg2sMVCGJeylomN87TTfv1weLCII5ARdzViEi02nmlWDG2ZLe9ZjiZTN4kevPJTR0hRftOB-xtOP26Vg1WXby6OY/w400-h300/IMG_3041.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><table border="4" cellpadding="5" style="width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><th style="width: 215.117px;">Isle of Skye 8 year old<br />bottled early 2010s<br />43%abv</th><th style="width: 208.438px;">Isle of Skye 8 year old<br />bottled late '80s to early '90s<br />40%abv</th><th style="width: 208.445px;">Isle of Skye 18 year old<br />bottled 1970s<br />43%abv</th></tr></tbody><caption></caption><tbody><tr><td><b>Nose:</b> Pleasant layers of nuts, first almonds, then acorns(!), then hazelnuts. Everything else is pretty quiet, with bits of soil, vanilla-ed grain, and cinnamon rolls here and there.</td><td><b>Nose:</b> Same nutty notes?! More earth, though, and some toasted coconut in the middle. Smaller notes of dead leaves and shoe polish appear later on.</td><td><b>Nose:</b> Heavier and brinier than the other two, though the nutty base remains. Limes and milk chocolate line the sides. Hints of seaweed and oloroso arise after 45 minutes.</td></tr><tr><td><b>Palate:</b> I think I'm getting OBE from my own sample bottle. Who knew? But it is gently sweet, with honey and brown sugar, with moderate notes of oranges and oak spice.</td><td><b>Palate:</b> Oh wow, LOTS of Old Bottle Effect. It's like drinking metal, glass, and dust. And cardboard. Vanilla syrup-coated coal? It gets bitterer with time.</td><td><b>Palate:</b> This one has the thickest mouthfeel of the three. The least OBE, too. Sweet oranges and tart lemons balance out the vanilla and brown sugar, with a sharp peppery bite in the background.</td></tr><tr><td><b>Finish:</b> The sweetness vanishes, leaving behind citrus and oak spice.</td><td><b>Finish:</b> Bitter cardboard and simple syrup.</td><td><b>Finish:</b> Oranges and lemons remain, though the sweetness retreats. A pinch of cayenne in there too.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div><b>Isle of Skye 8 year old, bottled in the early 2010s</b></div><div><i>Odds of Talisker actually being in the blend: 10%</i></div><div>Eleven years ago it lost in a Taste Off with Johnnie Walker Black Label. Today, this version would beat the current Johnnie Walker Black blend. This Isle of Speyside, er, Skye isn't spectacular, but it's quite drinkable on its own. Might even be better on the rocks or in a highball. I don't see any reason to change the original grade.</div><div><b>Rating: 81</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Isle of Skye 8 year old 5cL, bottled late '80s to early '90s</b></div><div><i>Odds of Talisker actually being in the blend: 25%</i></div><div>While I'm not sure if Old Bottle Effect was what ruins the palate, I do like the nose better than the more recent bottling's sniffer. Many minis with this generous of a fill level survive the years, but this one's a bummer.</div><div><b>Rating: 73</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(generous)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Isle of Skye 18 year old, Private stock #45, bottled 1970s</b></div><div><i>Odds of Talisker actually being in the blend: 75%</i></div><div>Considering the whisky's ingredients, as well as JW Black's quality during this era, a drinker could be disappointed. And it's not of an "old school" style. But this is a blend I'd be happy to sip, in fact I'm enjoying the second half of my sample right now. It's balanced but also quirky, and requires no tinkering. It's the clear winner here. I'm sure you're all shocked.</div><div><b>Rating: 85</b></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-36552900638209427442024-01-29T06:00:00.002-05:002024-02-18T10:48:16.260-05:00The Rum Dummy drinks Clarendon 37 year old 1984 Thompson BrothersAfter being <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2019/04/the-rum-dummy-drinks-2-foursquare-rums.html" target="_blank">kicked off this site for trying to be funny and not being funny</a>, I'm back!!!<div><br /></div><div>And there's a good reason too. Kravitz found out that he wasn't very funny either. Last month, a woman left him because he thought he was sooooooo hilarious. Yes, she ditched him for it. He thought he got jokes, but instead he got dumped. It's true! [<i>Ed. note: </i>Dude<i>.</i>]</div><div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Also he has a lot of rum samples and, as you can tell, the guy can barely deliver his scotch reviews on time. So I figured I'd grab a 37 year old rum before I get kicked off this site again.</div><div><br /></div><div>What is the difference between a Clarendon, a Clairin, and a Claritin? I don't know, I am the wrong person to ask. And if I came up with an actual punchline, I'd be sacked again.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfm-0EtaR13_LS_NGjDKQS3-lEUQR99VWJEkJMh59Q6Z9Sn09XX_M87NkNJ66JJloW4ErfRNkcGd2IBoDI1A8V4-LgMmSs1oFEG3jNm_KQF4jo9XLcmdKaRApB8XdD12Acm9WSTPAyWuhr4bAjbq4DGzvAsbHwUKMrRXRSI_Ocg3-usvQ6nC6Go0xEzU/s1280/IMG_3036.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfm-0EtaR13_LS_NGjDKQS3-lEUQR99VWJEkJMh59Q6Z9Sn09XX_M87NkNJ66JJloW4ErfRNkcGd2IBoDI1A8V4-LgMmSs1oFEG3jNm_KQF4jo9XLcmdKaRApB8XdD12Acm9WSTPAyWuhr4bAjbq4DGzvAsbHwUKMrRXRSI_Ocg3-usvQ6nC6Go0xEzU/s320/IMG_3036.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><b>Clarendon 37 year old 1984 Thompson Brothers for Auld Alliance, <span style="color: red;">62%abv</span></b></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Hot stuff. I think it was aged for 34 years in Jamaica and three years in Scott Land. The Thompsons usually do whisky things, so I don't know where they got a rum cask from. Probably Jamaica.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Nose - </b>Yummy. Milk chocolate, warm toffee, lots of vanilla extract. But there's also something good weird going on behind the pretty stuff. There are rotting black walnuts, olives, root beer, and chicory. And no, I did not add water. Because.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Palate - </b>Mint leaves and black licorice rubbed in the dirt. Lemons. Something milky. It's not what I thought it was going to taste like. It also has a Clement (yes, the Rum Dummy drinks other rums and doesn't understand them either) herbal thing going on. It's very salty and has a kind of bitterness that I've never tasted before. I'd like to add that it doesn't burn like 62%abv. If everything this strong drank this easily I'd already be dead and Kravitz would be calling me The Dumb Rummy.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Finish - </b>It's like licking stones. And there's that weird bitterness, which I kinda like. Burnt coffee and burnt grapefruit?</div><div><br /></div><div>Yay old rum! But I'm very confused by the process that takes booze from one former brutalized British property, ages it some more in a current brutalized British property, only to sell it in another former brutalized British property. No wonder this liquor is so bitter.</div><div><br /></div><div>Uh oh. I think that was a joke. Will Diving for Pearls allow me back? Gosh I hope so, because he has Uitvlugt. Uitvlugt! Funny, right? How about Uitvlugt bottled by Murray McDavid?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>NOT WHISKY RATING: B</b></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-12981520521889848092024-01-26T06:00:00.001-05:002024-01-26T06:00:00.133-05:00Old Perth 21 year old 1996 Blended Malt (54.9%abv)One more sherried blended malt and then we can call it a week. Almost six years ago, I bought a bottle of Old Perth 21yo 1996 blindly. I'm not sure why I did that, but luckily <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2018/07/old-perth-21-year-old-1996-blended-malt.html" target="_blank">the whisky was really good</a>! A few years later, my friends, the Doctors Springbank, bought a 22yo 1996 Old Perth. Like the 21yo, it was a deeply hued sherry cask thing. The sample they provided has been sitting in my sample stash for nearly three years. Sorry, Doctors, for the delay!<div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLQig4mClw1lU_lq3ZhS3Po0nNwHUNBrMv8Qw1sexy9xwWf36HkyceXmher6un208jJKTUgjgk3AdSChklTwqdOqk8XpNMap2MZFslToHzuB7az-l-uWqSM3B4mBrY318rOUxCfXafeG5SJlUdspGYYc5Vk5oXpS23VPaAjyj0uln60usVUCZDIzC3Fg/s1200/Perth22.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLQig4mClw1lU_lq3ZhS3Po0nNwHUNBrMv8Qw1sexy9xwWf36HkyceXmher6un208jJKTUgjgk3AdSChklTwqdOqk8XpNMap2MZFslToHzuB7az-l-uWqSM3B4mBrY318rOUxCfXafeG5SJlUdspGYYc5Vk5oXpS23VPaAjyj0uln60usVUCZDIzC3Fg/s320/Perth22.jpeg" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/119161/old-perth-1996-mmck" target="_blank">pic source</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><b>Company: </b>Morrison and Mackay<br /><b>Brand: </b>Old Perth<br /><div><b>Type:</b> Blended (or Vatted) Malt</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b>Distilleries</b>: ???</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b>Age</b>: 22 years (1996-2018)<br /><b>Maturation:</b> single sherry cask, maybe a hogshead?<br /><b>Outturn: </b>283 bottles<br /><b>Alcohol by Volume</b>: 54.9%</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>A big <b>nose</b> on this one, with orange marmalade, honey, oregano, leather, and something metallic right up front. Walnuts and dried currants in the back. There's an industrial side to the <b>palate</b>, with coal smoke and that metallic note. Black walnuts and tart citrus fill the middle, heat and a subtle woodiness stay in the background. It <b>finish</b>es with sweeter citrus, dried cherries, a little bit of smoke, and a lot of heat.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>DILUTED to ~46%abv, or >1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The <b>nose</b> calms down and focuses on oranges, walnuts, applesauce, and canned peaches. Meanwhile the <b>palate</b> intensifies, now much oakier, pepperier, and sourer. And, curiously, hotter. It <b>finish</b>es with oranges, lemons, and tannins.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>My palate <i>really</i> prefers this one neat, thought it smells great either way. The whisky's lack of generic sherry cask notes, and the emphasis on citrus and walnuts, makes me think the vatting's ingredients were from bourbon casks, and the finishing vessel was seasoned with a particularly dry Oloroso. It's good, hearty stuff without water added, then gets consumed by the cask(s) once it's diluted. Keep it neat, and enjoy it during mild winter evenings!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Availability - </b>Sold out<br /><b>Pricing - </b>was probably below £100 five years ago<br /><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 85</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(neat only)</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-86504564436733182312024-01-24T06:00:00.001-05:002024-01-24T06:00:00.405-05:00"Rich Fruity Sherry" 36 year old 1980 Cadenhead CreationsI had thought I'd scheduled three vatted (or blended) malts this week, but but lo and behold today's 36yo Cadenhead Creation is a blended whisky, which means the grain stuff is present. Though I don't know the ratio of malt to grain, the ingredients are known and I've listed them in the data below. (Hint: It's a Highland Distillers special!)<div><br /></div><div>Ye olde Campbeltown bottler first produced a "Rich Fruity Sherry" blended whisky back in 2013, though that one was all of 20 years old. In 2016, this sequel materialized, darker, older, and more expensive. I matched it up against <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2024/01/the-exclusive-blended-malt-40-year-old.html" target="_blank">Monday's 40yo blended malt</a>. Which one came out on top???</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjReokvfgd4_6qMoO7F2XLwqrIhkJLYSx-Eu-6IrQGgsrXlYQ8aZppTG6AuRD-r3NXxnpwBE_syGOsp1jEhZjXwcHkLNMN61tC6i-OigGWnNp8OAnmYIIyM0p8GYvn7D7bIAjozwuLhhRqdA-EcQf0fIWuwp_52Lx_D_2hVG2-GQsx1pCQG1SzTYHvG7Us/s640/IMG_3027.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="385" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjReokvfgd4_6qMoO7F2XLwqrIhkJLYSx-Eu-6IrQGgsrXlYQ8aZppTG6AuRD-r3NXxnpwBE_syGOsp1jEhZjXwcHkLNMN61tC6i-OigGWnNp8OAnmYIIyM0p8GYvn7D7bIAjozwuLhhRqdA-EcQf0fIWuwp_52Lx_D_2hVG2-GQsx1pCQG1SzTYHvG7Us/s320/IMG_3027.jpeg" width="193" /></a></div><b>Bottler: </b>Cadenhead<div><b>Range:</b> Cadenhead Creations<br /><div><div><b>Type:</b> Blended Whisky</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b>Distilleries</b>: Highland Park, Macallan, Tamdhu, and Invergordon</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Age</b><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">: minimum 36 years (1980 - 2016)</span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b>Maturation:</b> 2 sherry butts<br /><b>Outturn: </b>???</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b>Alcohol by Volume</b>: 44.5%<br />(<i>from a bottle split</i>)</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NOTES</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The fresh, perky <b>nose</b> starts off with loads of bright citrus peels, mint leaf, and basil leaf. Some dates here, a hint of peach skin there. The cask influence expands slowly with coffee, maple syrup, and baking spices. It gets heavier and stickier with time until it's a mix of nocino and port.</div><div><br /></div><div>Up front, the <b>palate</b> reads woodier and dustier than the nose. Combinations of stone fruits and honeys try to battle back the oak with mixed success as caramel and tingly oak spice rise from beneath. A few lemons appear in the final sip.</div><div><br /></div><div>The same oak spice, and a puff of wood smoke, lead the <b>finish</b>. It doesn't get too bitter, and some tart citrus liven it up. Sweetness appears at the very end.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Unlike the exhausted casks of <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2023/08/birthday-booze-william-cadenhead-43.html" target="_blank">Cadenhead's 43yo blend</a>, this whisky's oak stays plenty strong......to the point it makes me wonder how late into the game the two sherry butts were utilized for the four ingredients. Any lovely signs of those old Highland Distillers goodies evaded me. Invergordon may have been the loudest ingredient (aside from the oak), possibly because the malts were underproof. I didn't use any question marks in this paragraph, but this Cadenhead Creation left me with only questions. Stirk's 40yo vatted malt was the clear winner between the two oldies.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Availability - </b>Sold out<br /><b>Pricing - </b>also in the $300 range?<br /><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 84</b></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
<br />
<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-1990076094222745792024-01-22T06:00:00.002-05:002024-01-22T06:00:00.138-05:00The Exclusive Blended Malt 40 year old 1977 Creative Whisky CompanySome of David Stirk's best Creative Whisky Company releases were his blends — I'd still love to track down a bottle of the <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2017/09/good-blend-exclusive-blended-malt-20.html" target="_blank">20yo 1994 blended malt</a> someday somehow — so I recently leapt at the opportunity to be part of a bottle split of CWC's 40 year old 1977 vatting. This oldie came from sherry butt<u>s</u> and I'm not sure of its ingredients nor its outturn. At 42.9%abv, some elements needed bottling/blending before they were no longer "whisky", but that doesn't mean it those parts were bad, they just needed some TLC ASAP, and CWC was able to provide that service. And now it's time to run that whisky through my liver.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-vh6PRNad1g2-PRoUh1h0fflB7Z1O7EO6MVCavPNKS8u1weRQ4hl68HQgRl26PswptSCxjWw7lEQvplox5Esqq_2Pvb4mbYw_Y-uq_zWpHhCk4Dk0k8EGOOczugixw2mTmThRoxdly1gR3TyY7VbQYwj0vaKXk3r2OdKZ1qSFoEVvwy7dDShwp9HY4M/s640/IMG_3026.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="384" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-vh6PRNad1g2-PRoUh1h0fflB7Z1O7EO6MVCavPNKS8u1weRQ4hl68HQgRl26PswptSCxjWw7lEQvplox5Esqq_2Pvb4mbYw_Y-uq_zWpHhCk4Dk0k8EGOOczugixw2mTmThRoxdly1gR3TyY7VbQYwj0vaKXk3r2OdKZ1qSFoEVvwy7dDShwp9HY4M/s320/IMG_3026.jpeg" width="192" /></a></div><b>Bottler: </b>The Creative Whisky Company<div><b>Range:</b> Exclusive Blends<br /><div><div><b>Type:</b> Blended (or Vatted) Malt</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b>Distilleries</b>: ???</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b>Age</b>: minimum 40 years (1977 - 201?)</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b>Maturation:</b> sherry butts<br /><b>Outturn: </b>???</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b>Alcohol by Volume</b>: 42.9%<br />(<i>from a bottle split</i>)</div></div><div><br /></div></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>It's like <b>nosing</b> the inside of a gorgeous old cask in a dunnage, an earthy, musty smell that cannot be rushed. The sherry leans towards Palo Cortado or drier Olorosos, so more nuts (walnuts, pecans, Brazils) are present than dried fruits. Candied orange peels sneak in around the edges.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dunnage and mushroom-ish umami notes lead the <b>palate</b>, with yuzus and limes in the midground. Hints of dates, tobacco, and wormwood float through the background. Oak does edge in slowly over time, but it brings much more spice than generic bitterness.</div><div><br /></div><div>The long <b>finish</b> offers cloves, dried mint, and yuzu juice, as well as hints of menthol and anise.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>This would have been another great bottle to own, and that's not just because the whisky was old. A blend can indeed go wrong when its ingredients have three or four decades on them. The structure may become frail and/or woody bitterness can take over. This vatting was bottled just in time, before those problems set in. So it's extremely drinkable, never too sweet, never too bitter, and a delight to nose.</div><div><br /></div><div>Up next, a 36 year old blend from another indie bottler...</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Availability - </b>Sold out<br /><b>Pricing - </b>I don't think it was much more than $300<br /><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 88</b></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-50827288771170474372024-01-19T06:00:00.001-05:002024-01-19T06:00:00.128-05:00Mannochmore 18 year old 1990, Special Release 2009Enjoying a pair of <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2024/01/mannochmore-11-year-old-2008-signatory.html" target="_blank">great</a>, <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2024/01/mannochmore-12-year-old-2008-lady-of.html" target="_blank">young</a>, spirity Mannochmores was one of this week's highlights. Drinking <i>shouldn't</i> be the highlight of a healthy person's week, but who said I was a healthy person?<div><br /></div><div>Time to wrap up the fun with one of Diageo's Special Releases from back in the day when the releases were special. Though an 18-year-old Mannochmore was never going to leap off the shelves, it was nice for the braintrust behind Loch Dhu to offer a proper Mann to the masses.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6tBle2ZjKpbcpBYdOHPXMhXfRunfdWnP46_USRcQkCV7Y4RPqgSXFf_BfEUZ5Mn5FW_LSO-2IDdVBR2eoI6LBH7u0IKXcPdCEMRHM5gwM4c721BU0RImw603y-Mf2wL-xjvyPntljJnzpT0S2_4uk0aDly-7Xx093TBXsetpUmRf54H7gqv2fAv0G0s/s640/IMG_3021.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="427" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6tBle2ZjKpbcpBYdOHPXMhXfRunfdWnP46_USRcQkCV7Y4RPqgSXFf_BfEUZ5Mn5FW_LSO-2IDdVBR2eoI6LBH7u0IKXcPdCEMRHM5gwM4c721BU0RImw603y-Mf2wL-xjvyPntljJnzpT0S2_4uk0aDly-7Xx093TBXsetpUmRf54H7gqv2fAv0G0s/s320/IMG_3021.jpeg" width="214" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Distillery</b>: Mannochmore</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-weight: bold;">Ownership</b><b>: </b>Diageo</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Region:</b> Speyside (Elgin)</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-weight: bold;">Range:</b><b> </b>Special Relases</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Age:</b> 18 years (1990 - 23 April 2009)</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Maturation:</b> American oak and European oak casks</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-weight: bold;">Outturn: </b>3210 bottles</div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Alcohol by Volume: </b>54.9%</div><div style="text-align: center;">(<i>from a bottle split</i>)</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div>In the <b>nose</b>, the fruits (peaches, apricots, honeydew) mix with florals and honey upfront. Dry sherry nuttiness stays just behind, with hazelnuts, walnuts, and almonds as highlights. The first <b>sip</b> offers a curious burst of Petite Sirah that never returns in subsequent sips. Then tart blueberries, citrus peels, almonds, ginger, and mint take over. French oak-style baking spices arrive later, slowly consuming all else, while also contributing a silky texture. It <b>finish</b>es with blood oranges, mint, lemons, those French oak spices, and a subtle creaminess.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>DILUTED to ~46%, or >1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Baking spices and apricots start the <b>nose</b>, followed by orange creamsicles, golden raisins, and a hint of sugary pastry. The <b>palate</b> matches the nose here. Oranges and oak spices (cloves and ginger powder) meet mild florals, with the whole thing turning into oranges+ginger after a while. It <b>finish</b>es with cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and lemon peels.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Ah, here are some double standards. You'll note references to oak oak oak oak oak. But I like French oak notes, within reason, so this whisky fits my palate better than all the contemporary US oak monsters. Yet, this isn't as thrilling this week's previous two Mannochmores. It's a very good easy drinker that I wouldn't mind owning at whatever its 2009 price was, but........yeah, it's ultimately all about the casks here, not the Mannochmore.</div><div><br /></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Availability - </b>Secondary market</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pricing - </b>???</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 86</b></span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-49285708790149535922024-01-17T06:00:00.001-05:002024-01-17T06:00:00.130-05:00Mannochmore 12 year old 2008 Lady of the Glen, cask 13959<div>I first tried today's Mannochmore at an event 2+ years ago, when Columbus Scotch Night started carefully phasing in in-person events post-Covid. This whisky was great, its price was not. But I did wind up taking home a generous sample. Two years later (last weekend), I enjoyed a Taste Off between two 2008 Mannochmores: this Lady of the Glen, and <a href="https://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/2024/01/mannochmore-11-year-old-2008-signatory.html" target="_blank">yesterday's Signatory</a>.</div><div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgai9P6XwQ79tEZlznHGBu7Q6iQXjfk0ddLYaUYLOAvwFCArKVquRmUtrLgfexbeyHSP2f3t0eRvmUxDe6Jij8qDzQzgH5eg148hJqINN2QjbZrlPvlxFm70ZcPnGTLZSxDCYZtq_Y4TpxFFaeQrRN85p0SzZD2yYqvdcASkDJnKLgjjBSaMczNWRindIM/s1092/Screenshot%202024-01-16%20at%2010.31.13%E2%80%AFPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1092" data-original-width="362" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgai9P6XwQ79tEZlznHGBu7Q6iQXjfk0ddLYaUYLOAvwFCArKVquRmUtrLgfexbeyHSP2f3t0eRvmUxDe6Jij8qDzQzgH5eg148hJqINN2QjbZrlPvlxFm70ZcPnGTLZSxDCYZtq_Y4TpxFFaeQrRN85p0SzZD2yYqvdcASkDJnKLgjjBSaMczNWRindIM/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-16%20at%2010.31.13%E2%80%AFPM.png" width="106" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.firstfillspirits.com/product/lady-of-the-glen-mannochmore-12-year-single-malt-scotch-rare-cask/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">pic source</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><b>Distillery</b>: Mannochmore<br /><b>Ownership</b>: Diageo</div><div><b>Region:</b> Speyside (Elgin)</div><div><b>Independent Bottler</b>: Lady of the Glen<br /></div><div><b>Age:</b> 11 years (17 Oct 2008 - 12 Jul 2021)</div><div><b>Maturation:</b> Hogshead<br /><b>Cask number: </b>13959<br /><b>Outturn: </b>328 bottles</div><div><b>Exclusive to:</b> Dram Hunter</div><div><b>Alcohol by Volume: </b>55.3%<br />(<i>from a paid event</i>)</div><div><br /><b><u>NEAT</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Huzzah! Another fruity <b>nose</b>, with dried apricots, orange pixi stix, yuzu peel, and kiwi candy catching most of the attention. Subtler notes of lemongrass and roses linger behind. The brightly tart <b>palate</b>, leads with yuzus, grapefruits, and tart berries. The citrus turns a little bitterer with time as it tilts more towards the peels than the fruit. A little bit of toasted barley highlights the background. It <b>finish</b>es with tart and bitter citrus, with hints of cayenne pepper and salt.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Same fruits in the <b>nose</b>, though they seem more intense. The floral notes are gone. A hint of guava sneaks in later on. The <b>palate</b> comes in tarter, sharper, bitterer, more peppery. Less nuance, more violence. But still loaded with citrus. It <b>finish</b>es with peppercorns and citrus peels.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>A close relative to the Signatory UCF cask, this LotG hoggie reads a bit more forceful and less graceful, but it's still a great fruity single malt. In fact, this is a rare example of a fruity whisky that may drink better in winter than spring. Alas, I did not buy a bottle of this stuff because I didn't understand the price tag, which was twice what I, an actual Mannochmore fan, would pay. But if you want to drop two bills on something like this, I won't stop you.</div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Availability - </b>Still available in the US</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pricing - </b>$180-$200</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 87 </b><span style="font-size: x-small;">(neat only)</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101162324715983722.post-8187932949188160132024-01-16T06:00:00.001-05:002024-01-16T06:00:00.238-05:00Mannochmore 11 year old 2008 Signatory UCF, cask 12243For some of us who got into whisky 10-15 years ago, the Signatory Un-chillfiltered series may be the most influential whisky range. From the low-tech label to the "What is chillfiltered?" and "What do they mean, <i>natural colour</i>?" questions it encouraged, to the opportunity to try distilleries we couldn't otherwise find on the shelves, to the solid quality in every bottle, the UCFs propelled many whisky geeks forward. Sadly this range isn't as available in the US as it used to be, more cask-driven expressions have been introduced, and the metal tubes have been swapped out for more environmentally savvy cardboard replacements. Actually the last part is pretty sharp on Signatory's part, the other two factors less so.<div><br /></div><div>I still snoop around the very few European retailers that offer the UCFs for something interesting, but rarely find anything that piques my whisky curiosity. But somehow, in the Covid-era, a Mannochmore UCF found its way to the United States, and it's very good.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEf3RIHPyASN_gU71QQyUUZAbjs9NTmbgx_TrLan7bok5HCbLZqqj8bKt2zINt472tcGXonI8mJgEVc4_XyojrTGPr2UPb2a5x4thRqmGwac6hvx8F-JrNOIPQJqg069kBixUCnH5WrGFhHRuhU156XCaZfDb_0ViMFTwUKzQPAKVvELqnNrMpGYJs140/s1600/Mannochmore%202008.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="421" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEf3RIHPyASN_gU71QQyUUZAbjs9NTmbgx_TrLan7bok5HCbLZqqj8bKt2zINt472tcGXonI8mJgEVc4_XyojrTGPr2UPb2a5x4thRqmGwac6hvx8F-JrNOIPQJqg069kBixUCnH5WrGFhHRuhU156XCaZfDb_0ViMFTwUKzQPAKVvELqnNrMpGYJs140/s320/Mannochmore%202008.jpeg" width="84" /></a></div><div><b>Distillery</b>: Mannochmore<br /><b>Ownership</b>: Diageo</div><div><b>Region:</b> Speyside (Elgin)</div><div><b>Independent Bottler</b>: Signatory<br /><b>Range:</b> Un-Chillfiltered Collection</div><div><b>Age:</b> 11 years (17 Sept 2008 - 24 Jul 2020)</div><div><b>Maturation:</b> Hogshead<br /><b>Cask number: </b>12243<br /><b>Outturn: </b>??? bottles</div><div><b>Alcohol by Volume: </b>46%<br />(<i>from a bottle split</i>)</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>NOTES</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>The <b>nose</b> starts off all fruits and barley: grapefruit, apricot, peach, and orange pixi stix. The barley element elevates with time, and minor notes of metal and anise drift in the background. It reminds me of late spring.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lean and lemony, the <b>palate</b> possesses a nice balance of tart and sweet. No vanilla. Hints of horseradish, peppercorns, and barley stay in the back. A bright grapefruit note appears after 30+ minutes.</div><div><br /></div><div>It <b>finish</b>es lemony, peppery, and warm, with just a hint of vanilla. Like on the palate, the grapefruit arrives later.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>WORDS WORDS WORDS</u></b></div><div><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div>Had I lived in a more scotch-friendly state, I would have picked up a bottle or two of this Mannochmore when it arrived on our shores. It's a spirit-forward whisky, loaded with citrus and stone fruits, plenty of malted barley, and comfortable moreish charm. It's a quaint, though very welcome, style that feels almost mysterious and romantic at this point, and something that the scotch arena could use more of. I hope the Symington warehouses have plenty more of it.</div><div><br /></div><div><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Availability - </b>Might still be around</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Pricing - </b>$70?</span><br /><span face=""helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/p/whisky-notes.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Rating</a><b> - 88</b></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><center>
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<i>This lovingly handcrafted artisan local non-GMO organic unfiltered small batch limited special edition content originally posted on <a href="http://www.divingforpearlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Diving for Pearls</a>.</i></center></div>Diving for Pearlshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02373371259792882112noreply@blogger.com0