Single Malt Report: Classic of Islay 2015 Jack Wiebers Whisky World, cask 1704

As mentioned yesterday, the online whisky anorak community has declared that Jack Wieber's Classic of Islays are in fact Lagavulin single malts.  I reviewed Classic of Islay cask 530 yesterday.  Today I'm reviewing cask 1704.  My sample comes from the bottle purchased for the OC Scotch Club event I hosted back in November.  I tasted these two whiskies side by side in order to compare and contrast and, hopefully, get more deeply detailed notes.  The results were mixed.

Distillery: Lagavulin
Ownership: Diageo

Independent Bottler: Jack Wiebers Whisky World
Range: Classic of Islay
Region: Islay, perhaps
Age: ???

Maturation: "oak"
Cask #: 1704

Alcohol by Volume: 56.4%

NEAT
The nose is brighter and fruitier than cask 530's, lots of rosy esters.  There are also ocean notes like seaweed and oysters.  Then there's ham, caramel, and hay.  After 20+ minutes, a subtle butyric note floats up.

The palate is mild.  Simple.  Bland.  There's peat, heat, salt, and a light sugariness.  After 20+ minutes, it does pick up a tangy lemon note, but also a woody bitterness.

Heat, soil, and smoke in the finish.  It picks up some sweetness and lemons with time in the glass.

WITH WATER (~43%abv)
The nose gets oaky, as in American oak pulp and butter.  Flower blossoms, anise, mint leaves, and light peat.

The palate is peppery with a simple sweetness and some caramel.  The tangy note expands.

The finish is tangy, sweet, and bitter, with a big caramel note.

COMMENTARY:
Like cask 530, this one doesn't swim well.  And like that cask, the nose is the bright highlight.  But this cask's palate is DOA.  I really dug into this one trying to unearth some palate character without much in the way of results.  My palate wasn't shot because I found plenty of stuff going on with cask 530 during the same tasting.  Plus my sample was not oxidized because I poured it the day after the bottle was opened.  Cask 1704 tasted sort of like a mellow peated blend, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but this is cask strength Lagavulin.  Also, I could really do without the aggressive oak notes which, at times, feel like American "craft" whiskey.  The folks at whiskybase like this cask more than I, so take a look at their reviews for very different opinions.

Availability - Continental Europe
Pricing - €40 to €55
Rating - 78

Single Malt Report: Classic of Islay 2014 Jack Wiebers Whisky World, cask 530

For the past fifteen years, the German bottler, Jack Wiebers Whisky World, has been releasing multiple cask strength single casks of their "Classic of Islay" brand.  Since the Internet has decided that Classic of Islay = Lagavulin, and the Internet is always right and reasonable, that means Jack Wiebers has had in his/its possession more than 100 casks of Lagavulin and decided it was best to release all of them young, NAS, and cheap.  This baffles me from both a geek and business perspective.  I would figure that at this point in time spare Lagavulin casks are pure gold.  Why keep chucking these things out so quickly?  On the bright side, Jack Wiebers Whisky World has been keeping the price at €50 or lower.

I'll be reviewing two of these single casks.  One today, one tomorrow.

Distillery: Lagavulin
Ownership: Diageo

Independent Bottler: Jack Wiebers Whisky World
Range: Classic of Islay
Region: um......Islay?
Age: ???

Maturation: "oak"
Cask #: 530

Alcohol by Volume: 56%

(sample acquired via sample swap with Jordan of Chemistry of the Cocktail)

NEAT
The nose is very meaty and salty, then vegetables burnt over mesquite chips.  Moderate notes of smoked salmon, anise, and dark chocolate show up here and there.  With time it picks up some manure and menthol.

Plenty of heat on the palate, but not too much.  It's mossy, minty, with crushed red pepper.  There a good bitterness to it, a light cherry-ish sweetness, and a slight lime note.

The finish starts mossy then goes ashy.  Less hot than the palate.  Soft bitterness, lime juice, and a sharp peppery tingle.

WITH WATER (~43%abv)
The nose quiets down.  There's hay, white wine vinegar, grapefruit, peanut dust, and a hint of manure.

On the palate there's mildly floral peat, a little bitterness, a light sweetness, a little spicy zing, and not much else.

The finish mirrors the palate.

COMMENTARY:
Forget the water, go neat with this one.  The nose is rough but fun; either one is a fan of the style or not (check out the notes above).  The palate and finish are decent, though in need of some more angles or dimensions, something possibly gained by longer maturation.  I see some connections to other young Lagavulins I've had, but it really could be a young rumbling Caol Ila or a number of other peated whiskies bottled early.  Though I don't know how old this one is, I'm going to guess it's in the single digits, probably younger than 8 years.  It would have been nice to see what it would have been like after 12+ years in "oak".  In any case, the price of these "Classics" aren't bad considering they're single cask Islays.

Availability - Continental Europe
Pricing - €40 to €55
Rating - 83

Single Malt Report: Lagavulin 8 year old 200th Anniversary Limited Edition

2016 marks Lagavulin distillery's 200th birthday.  In honor of that nice big round number they released......an eight year old whisky.  My first reaction was, hee hee wut?

Last year, Laphroaig dropped a whole slew of celebratory releases of different ages for their 200th birthday.  For Ardbeg's 200th birthday, the distillery released an odd mish mosh NAS whisky which was their worst Ardbeg Day release yet.  So Lagavulin (read: Diageo) took this third approach.  They put out an 8 year old (age statement!) whisky at a respectable ABV (48%) and keep the fake colorant out of it.  I appreciated those three factors, but it still seemed like a "oh crap we need to release something" approach.  The good news is that it doesn't cost $100.  The less than good news is that it seems to go for relatively the same $$$ as the regular 16 year old.  The best news is that it's good whisky.

Distillery: Lagavulin

Owner: Diageo
Maturation: refill American oak and European oak casks

Age: minimum 8 years
Release date: 2016
Limited edition: 20,000 bottles

Chill-filtration? No Possibly
Caramel coloring? No Yep, mit farbstoff, as per German retailers

Alcohol by Volume: 48%
(sample provided by Brett from his own purchased bottle. Thanks, Brett!)

NEAT
The color is a very light amber.  No e150a here.

The nose leads with peat smoke (duh), anise, hay, boat fuel exhaust, and cocoa powder.  Then toasted bread crusts and dried seaweed with hints of dried lavender and raisins.

There's a good rich tobacco note in the palate which is joined by mint and basil leaves.  A light herbal bitter nip is met well with a mellow sweetness.  With time, a smoked almond note develops.  The peat rings in loudly but it never overwhelms the rest of these characteristics.

Peat and salt arrive and stay the longest in the long finish.  Some black pepper, good bitterness, and dried cherries appear as well.  That peat gradually shifts from smoke to ash.

WITH WATER (~43%abv)
The nose is similar to its neat state.  Maybe a little more floral, with hints of dried stone fruits and dried berries, along with a whisper of vanilla.

Not much change in the palate either.  More smoked nuts, more smoke, and some lemon tartness.  It does seem to pick up a thicker mouthfeel.

The finish is similar too.  Slightly bitterer and tarter with a new smoked nuts note.

COMMENTARY:
Like last year's Laphroaig releases, this Lagavulin seems scheduled to hit the California shelves last.  First it shows up in the UK, then Europe, then East Coast USA, then The Midwest USA.  There must be some distribution issues going on, again.

Anyway, I like this whisky.  It's a brisk raw alternative for those who love the 16yo.  It's also sort of a lighter version of their annual 12yo Cask Strength edition, though due to its age and lack of oak influence it's anything but soft.  Having now tried it, I do appreciate that Lagavulin elected to release this whisky and I wish they'd make it a regular member of the range.  Which, of course, they won't.

If you can find it for under $60, and you're a fan of the 12yo, then I recommend this one.  But if you're seeing it selling for $70+ -- 20,000 bottles is not that limited and this stuff is all of 8 years old -- then you might want to split a bottle with some friends.  Or just not buy it.  That'll be my own approach.

Availability - East Coast USA and Europe
Pricing - $55 (yay) - $80 (boo)
Rating - 87

Single Malt Report: Mannochmore 11 year old 2003 SMWS 64.60

While I do not begrudge anyone who belongs to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (especially those who have shared samples!), membership to SMWS makes no sense for my budget.  $229 membership fee and then an annual $70 renewal fee just to get the right to buy single cask whiskies?  While SMWS does bottle some sensational casks, so does Signatory and AD Rattray and Gordon & Macphail and Whisky Doris and Archives and......you get my point.  That $229 could go towards a number of excellent single malts (though it won't go as far as it used to).  Five years of membership without buying a single bottle would cost $509.  Dang.  That's a one-way flight to Scotland itself.  So clearly SMWS is for ballers only.  If you haven't already gathered from this site, I'm not a baller; I'm a bawler.

How about a review?

Distillery: Mannochmore (SMWS 64)
Ownership: Diageo
Independent Bottler: Single Malt Whisky Society
Funny name: Hemingway daiquiri
Age: 11 years (June 11, 2003 - 2015)
Maturation: first-fill ex-bourbon
Cask#: 64.60
Alcohol by Volume: 62.3%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(sample provided by Brett from his own purchased bottle. Thanks, Brett!)

NEAT
The nose starts off with marshmallows and coconut creme, then graham crackers and brown sugar.  It exists somewhere between whoopie pies and Twix bars.  With 30 mins of air, some new notes of charcoal and hay linger around a vanilla bean.

The palate has an intense sharpness, though that's likely due to the big ABV.  Lime juice, peach juice, vanilla bean, cantaloupe, and a hint of marshmallows make up the rest.

It finishes with peaches, sugar cookies, graham cracker crust, and gummi bears.  Pretty long and hot.

WITH WATER (~46%abv)
Caramel sauce, toasted nuts, and vanilla bean start off the nose, followed by hints of peach and malt.

The palate gets thicker, clearer, darker.  New notes of berry syrup, toffee, watermelon jolly ranchers, molasses, and soft smoke appear.  It still holds its sweetness, especially with some peach candy.

It finishes with a complex rich sweetness.  Whisky toffee pudding, plums, and a whiff of smoke.

COMMENTS:
Wow, this is really good.  I dare say water opens it up too.  I don't have a sweet tooth, but this still makes for a great dessert malt that would pair with a lot of good side sweets.  SMWS's cask pickers plucked this one at the right time because that rich cask would have totally swallowed up the malt within another year or two.  For Society members, sorry, this one has already sold out.  :(

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $110-ish
Rating - 88

Single Malt Report: Mannochmore 12 year old Flora & Fauna

As Diageo drearily oozes out NAS malt after NAS malt -- Storm, Dark Storm, Skye, Neist Point, Port Ruighe, Little Bay, Selected Reserve, Gold Reserve, Amber Rock, Rare Old, Classic, Double Matured, Master's Art, Spey Cascade, Tailfire, Sunray, Winter's Gold -- like an infected wound leaking pus, one wonders why they elected not to take the road Bacardi is traveling.  The makers of Dewar's recently released new official ranges of single malts from a number of their distilleries (Aultmore, Royal Brackla, Craigellachie, and Macduff), with age statements too, mind you.  Both companies want a piece of the growing single malt market, but they're approaching from very different directions.  I'm not sure how Diageo hopes to secure single malt fans with silly names tied to young whiskies, but I do see how Bacardi can catch some of us with official ranges we've never seen in this century.

What I'm trying to say is, I wish Diageo would refresh the Flora & Fauna series and make it available worldwide.  Even if it's just one 10 or 12 year old from distilleries like Blair Athol, Dailuaine, Glen Spey, Inchgower, and Linkwood.  Hell, they don't even need to change the labels.  I would happily spend the $40 that I would never spill for any of the new NASes on this whisky instead.  This paragraph of course doesn't apply to the good folks in the UK who can actually obtain an F&F without much trouble.

I wrote a brief review of the Mannochmore F&F in my Malt Nuts post on Monday.  Josh from The Whiskey Jug gave poured me a sample from his bottle, the same one from the event.  Thanks, Josh!

Distillery: Mannochmore
Range: Flora & Fauna
Ownership: Diageo
Region: Speyside (Lossie)
Age: at least 12 years
Maturation: probably re-fill American oak casks
Alcohol by Volume: 43%

NEAT
Its color is a very light amber.  Nice, Diageo!

The nose is full of lemons and blossoms.  Watermelon rind (or it smells like rind tastes).  Peaches, dried apricots, and lime popsicles.  With time it develops small notes of vinegar, vanilla, and sambuca.

The palate is lightly malty with pepper and lime.  It's moderately sweet with flower kiss candy and almonds.  It develops a lovely sweet + spicy note after 20 minutes, and the flower blossoms float in.

It finishes sweetly with limes and malt. Vanilla and cream soda. Then that sweet + spicy note takes over.

WITH WATER (~35%abv)
The nose gets super malty, almost chocolatey.  Subtler florals.  Vanilla, limes, caramel, and sugar.

The palate is very malty too, with a hint of good bitterness.  Some tart lemons and limes, as well.

The finish matches the palate.

COMMENTS:
This would be a very solid starter malt, maybe a tiny notch up on Tomatin 12, fruity and pretty, but with a spicy zing to the palate to give it more depth.  The 43% abv works in its favor, so I'm glad it wasn't bottled at 40.  And it takes to water very well, turning deeply malty at 35%abv.  Also, no e150a, perhaps?  It looks like whisky, not orange-brown Diageo™.  So that's another plus.  If this sold for $40 in The States I'd recommend it.  But it's £45+shipping from the UK, so I can't.

Availability - Europe only
Pricing - £45 + shipping (for us USers)
Rating - 83

Single Malt Report: Mannochmore 16 year old 1990-2007 Connoisseurs Choice

Mannochmore has a short unromantic history compared to other Speyside distilleries.  Built in 1971 on the same property as the Glenlossie distillery, Mannochmore's original purpose was to supply malt whisky for the Haig blends.  For more than three decades the two distilleries even shared employees.  Shut down in the second half of the '80s when rough times hit the Scotch industry, Mannochmore's distillery was shut down again in 1995, then reopened the following year.  Diageo currently uses 100% of the distillery's output in blends.

Connoisseurs Choice is one of Gordon & Macphail's longest running brands.  What has made Connoisseurs (no apostrophe) Choice great is that it has allowed whisky fans to try single malts from nearly every single distillery, especially those distilleries that do not have their own official releases.  On the other hand, all of the CCs are bottled at reduced ABVs.  It seems as if they were mostly (or entirely) bottled at 40%abv for a couple decades.  Then some were bottled at 43% and others at 46%.  Those 46ers are the ones I look to snap up, especially if they're priced reasonably.  And that's just what I did with this 16 year old Mannochmore from 1990.

Distillery: Mannochmore
Ownership: Diageo

Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail (Connoisseurs Choice)
Region: Speyside (Lossie)
Age: 16 years old (1990-2007)

Maturation: "oak casks"

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
(review sample taken from the bottom half of my bottle)

NEAT
The nose has an entertaining mix of fruit and industrial stuff.  Pears, peaches, canned fruit cocktail, and lychee candy meet plaster, paint VOC, and a hint of moldy basement.  There are also some small notes of caramel and balsamic vinegar.

The palate has a bit of heat to it, but it's also big on fruits and fruit candy.  Lime, pineapple, pears, and fresh ginger.  Steady sweetness throughout and also that cayenne-like burn.

There's a hint of coffee in the otherwise sweet finish.  Gummy bears, lemons, limes, in-season apples, and ginger read loudest.

WITH WATER (~40%abv)
The nose gets maltier and picks up more caramel and vanilla bean action.  New notes of bubblegum and lavender flowers.  Still a lot of pears in there.

The palate cools off a bit.  There's vanilla, cream soda, limes, ginger, and black pepper.

The finish is similar to the palate with its lime and cream soda character.  But it also has the nose's caramel sauce and malt.

COMMENTS:
I enjoyed this whisky more at home (with a much larger pour) than I did at the Malt Nuts event.  The quirkiness of the nose became clearer, and actually worked despite what sound like clashing characteristics.  The fruits appear consistently throughout the experience and I liked them despite the occasionally aggressive sweetness.  It swims pretty well too, to the point where I might experiment with adding water whenever I drink what's left of the whisky.

There's a 15 year old 1990-2006 CC Mannochmore floating around out there too.  That one was from refill sherry casks.  Whatever "oak casks" this one came from, I'm going to guess they were refill (2nd or 3rd) too because aside from the little bit of caramel and vanilla, this was mostly spirit forward.  While this one won't win an excess of superlatives, it is a decent whisky and goes to show there's no need to fear the Mannochmore.

Availability - Scarce
Pricing - $75-$80
Rating - 85

Mannochmore Multitudes with The Malt Nuts

A few weeks ago I attended my first Malt Nuts monthly event.  Though it was their 55th get together and everyone already knew each other, they were very welcoming and I felt like I instantly fit right in.  And AND(!) these events are blind tastings.  So, though we may know the distillery or theme, we don't know the age or strength or anything about what's sitting in our glasses.

This month's event was all about Mannochmore (with one surprise) and a pair of Alexander Murray single casks.  For more details and photos, please see The Whisky Jug's post about this same event.  Because my notes are nearly illegible and because there's a lot of whisky to write about here, I'll keep my reviews as Sku-sized as possible.

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ALEXANDER MURRAY CASK STRENGTH WHISKIES

These were poured for us by an Alexander Murray rep who claimed there will be more cask strength stuff coming from his company soon.  That would appreciated since the rest of their range is 40%abv, colored, and filtered.  Note: these two were not poured blindly.

Highland Park 13yo 2000 Alexander Murray, ex-bourbon cask, 56.1%abv

Review: The nose has something strange and stinky like moldy fruit. That's followed by floral gum, anise, and burnt hay. The palate has that odd funk from the nose, followed by some vague floral notes and moderate malt levels. It's quite drying, especially in the finish.

Comments: It is by far the least pleasant Highland Park I've ever tried. After sipping it, Josh (The Whiskey Jug) and I were like "WTF?" Man, I'm glad I didn't buy this blindly.

Grade Range: C-  (and that's probably generous)

Dalmore 15yo 1999 Alexander Murray, ex-sherry secondary maturation, 55.6%abv

Review: The nose is very floral with a little bit of mango and larger notes of dried cherries. The palate is herbal, buttery, and sweet.  Peppery alcohol heat, occasional hints of malt, and drying in the finish.

Comments: Though the palate was forgettable, the nose was pretty good. I'm not a Dalmore fan, but this one was better than the Highland Park.  Still, it's tough to recommend.

Grade Range: C+/B-

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THE MANNOCHMORE BLIND TASTING

1A - Mannochmore Flora & Fauna 12yo, 43%abv

Review: The nose is very clean, herbal, and full of crisp grain notes.  The palate is a little bitter, a little fruity, a little malty. Texturally, it's thin and watery.

Comments: A happy lack of oak makes this a reliable naked malt.  I really wish it had more oomph and depth to it, but it's a Diageo product so they likely abused this stuff within an inch of its life.

Grade Range: C+/B-
(A full review to follow later this week!)

1B - Mannochmore 16 year old 1990-2007 G&M Connoisseurs Choice, 46%abv
This is the bottle I brought to the event.  Because it was unopened until that night, I had no idea what this whisky would taste like.

Review: A musty basement note starts the nose, followed by spicy, salty, and savory things. Also, nutty sherry? The palate is bright and mildly peppery with lots of malt.  White fruit notes start small then expand with time. A hint of salty toffee.

Comments: I'm so thankful it wasn't crappy.  It's not amazing either, but it's a solid drinker.  I'm looking forward to drinking some more of it.

Grade Range: B-/B
(A full review to follow later this week!)

1C - Mannochmore 11 year old 1996-2007 Duncan Taylor NC2 for D&M Wines, 46%abv

Review: The nose is all spirit.  A little bit of white fruit, lime, cucumber, sugar.  There's also a fishy/seaweed note in the background. The palate is perfumy and cloying with a slight leathery note.  I've had glasses of water with longer finishes than this.

Comments: Totally out of whack, this is the second D&M exclusive whisky I've found unpleasant.  I love spirit-forward whiskies, but......bleh.

Grade Range: D+/C-

2A - Mannochmore 13 year old 1998 G&M for Binny's, 57.8%abv

Review: The nose is fruity with a slight barbecue note.  Toasty, herbal, medicinal with pencil shavings and sherry? The palate is sweet and tangy with lovely bright fruity esters.

Comments: Surprising levels of depth and complexity.  The best of the bunch.

Grade Range: B+

2B - Glenlossie 17 year old Hepburn's Choice for K&L Wine Merchants, 55.4%abv
Surprise! A Glenlossie, Mannochmore's older sibling and next door neighbor.

Review: Baked bananas, vanilla bean, and lemon lollipops on the nose.  The palate is sweet, herbal, toasty, and malty.  Lemon candy and vanilla notes run right through into the finish.

Comments: Whisky candy! K&L recently dropped the price on this one to $69.99.

Grade Range: B/B+

3A - Mannochmore 12 year old 1999 Blackadder Raw Cask, 60.6%abv

Review: Sulphur, leather, and rocks on the nose. Sulphur, pepper, sulphur, heat, sulphur, and a slight sweetness in the palate.

Comments: Sulphur. It gets points for brutality, but I can't say I have any desire to drink this again.  A number of Nuts liked this whisky more than I.

Grade Range: C+

3B - Mannochmore 16 year old 1991-2008 Signatory, South African sherry butt, 55.8%abv

Review: Bananas, caramel, apples, and toffee pudding on the nose.  The palate is mild, grainy, grassy, and a little floral.

Comments: The Whisky Jug found the nose inert, but the palate vivid.  I had the exact opposite experience.  I wish the palate matched the great nose, though.  Meanwhile, I would have never guessed this was anything but a regular refill cask.

Grade Range: B-

3C - Mannochmore 11 year old 2003-2014 SWMS, first fill ex-bourbon cask, 62.3%abv

Review: Marshmallows, marzipan, confectioner's sugar, potpourri, and cherries in the nose.  On the sweet palate light perfume and white fruit notes meet spicy oak.

Comments: A good spicy dessert whisky.  Drinkable at full strength.

Grade Range: B/B+
(A full review to follow later this week!)

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This great experience has me looking forward to June's Malt Nuts event (which will be my final LA whisky event).  Many thanks to Mr. Kaye for the invitation!

My favorites from this session were:
1. Mannochmore 13 year old 1998 G&M for Binny's, 57.8%abv
2. Glenlossie 17 year old Hepburn's Choice for K&L Wine Merchants, 55.4%abv
3. Mannochmore 11 year old 2003-2014 SWMS, first fill ex-bourbon cask, 62.3%abv

My own Connoisseurs Choice bottle probably finished fourth.  As I noted above, I will be providing full reviews of the Connoisseurs, Flora & Fauna, and SMWS bottlings later this week.  Stay tuned...