Ben Nevis 19 year old 1997 Montgomerie's, cask 186

Another 1997 Ben Nevis today. This time it's from Angus Dundee's Montgomerie's range. I was saving this sample for another month-long Ben Nevis run, but I gave in to peer pressure. Or rather, I will never again have enough Ben Nevis samples for a full month's worth of reviews.

This sample was part of a bottle split I did with Mr. MAO, who reviewed his portion promptly. To get some additional perspective on this whisky, I did a side-by-side tasting with Monday's 1997 Ben Nevis.

Distillery: Ben Nevis
Region: Highlands (Western)

Independent Bottler: Montgomerie's (via Angus Dundee)

Age: 19 years old (1997-2016)

Maturation: probably an ex-bourbon cask
Cask: 186

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chill-filtered? No
Caramel colored? No
(from a bottle split)

NEAT
The simple nose starts with lemon zest, barley and a hint of roses. With time, notes of salty ocean air and underripe peaches arise. The palate starts with peppercorns, minerals and oregano. Some fruity sweetness meets a tart buzz. It's a little grassy. Minimalist, again. More stone fruit than citrus in the finish. A dry mineral white wine. More grass.

DILUTED to ~40%abv, or <1tsp of water to 30mL whisky
The nose brightens up. Some good apples, musky melon and honey. Toasted grains. Something dusty. More herbs and zippier pepper in the palate. A tiny bit of tropical fruit sweetness, maybe coconuts and papaya? Hints of flowers and vanilla. It has the same fruit in the finish with a mild bitter pulse. Moderately sweet. Is it subtle or just vacant?

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Another lean Ben Nevis. The oak shows a tiny bit more than Maltbarn's '97, but it's also three years older. There's nothing wrong with it, quality-wise, but it's tough to really cheer it on. It does perk up with water, as the fruits seem to awaken. But then the finish nearly vanishes, which may have to do with the reduced strength. Though I think I like it slightly better than the Maltbarn, it's not enough to give them different ratings. They're both moderate (and lean) Ben Nevii that really could be from a number of other Highland/Speyside distilleries.

Availability - Total Wine y Mas
Pricing - $99.99
Rating - 84 (preferable with water)

Ben Nevis 16 year old 1997 Maltbarn, cask 22

20% of 2018's whisky reviews have been Ben Nevis. AND THAT'S NOT ENOUGH.

So there shall be two Ben Nevis reviews this week.

First off, is a 1997 Nevis sent to me by Sir Florin-A-Lot. I'm pretty sure I still have more unopened spirits samples from Florin than our POTUS has orange hairs on his orange scalp. (I'm allowed to make fun of Trump's hair because my hair is just as sad.) In any case, today's Ben Nevis is a from an ex-bourbon barrel 👍. And it was bottled by Maltbarn, so if it's not farmy I will be very disappointed.

Distillery: Ben Nevis
Region: Highlands (Western)
Independent Bottler: Maltbarn
Age: 16 years old (1997-2013)
Maturation: ex-bourbon barrel
Cask #: 22
Outturn: 91  ← a shared barrel perhaps?
Alcohol by Volume: 53.2%

NEAT
The nose needs a few moments before it reveals itself. At first it's mineral and slightly floral. Then come fresh apricots and urine (also fresh). Then chalk, barley, raw cocoa and confectioner's sugar. As far as barn goes, maybe there's some clean hay. The palate is more expressive than the nose. It's sweet and malty, with lots of pepper and lemony citrus. Not much heat. It get sugarier with time, while holding onto the pepperiness. Peach candy and flower kiss candy in the background. Darker rumblings beneath, like something metallic. Lemons and rock candy in the finish. Minerals and pepper.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or <1tsp water per 30mL whisky
Soft, ripe stone fruits in the nose. Then orange peel and roses. Hints of the hay and chalk. The palate is peachy and sugary with the industrial/metallic thing still in play. Milder pepper. Orange candy. It finishes with peaches, orange candy and a peppery zip.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Serge was rough on this one, going as far as referencing Cornelius Jansen for chrissakes. I have a difficult time believing he doesn't sip a more severe & uncompromising whisky than this one, every other day. Sure, it's not the most cuddly thing, but it's not brutal or raw or even austere (crap, I used that word and it's only Monday).

The barrel was certainly taking a nap during those 16 years, but the bursts of fruit show off some decent slow maturation. There's neither peat, nor Nevis funk, which would have lent it some complexity. It takes water pretty well, in fact I might like it better at 46%abv. There are better bourbon cask Ben Nevises out there, but this ain't no slouch. Anyway, with an outturn of 91 bottles this is loooooong gone.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - was €95ish
Rating - 84

Highland Park 15 year old 1999 Signatory, cask 800198 (Chicago Cask)

We always have a good evening at our monthly Columbus Scotch Club gatherings. It's very casual, folks bring in fun bottles and only one person acts like snobby asshole about whisky (and he looks something like me).

At the end of May's event, Andrew S. told me he'd found a Signatory Highland Park while recently visiting Chicago. Though I no longer follow the vast majority of current releases, I do keep an ear out for non-"Viking" Highland Parks and Signatory things. But I'd never heard of this one. Apparently it's been sitting on Binny's's's's shelves for two and a half years. It was chosen by "Vintage Wines" and B's's site calls it a "Chicago Cask" (while listing the wrong age). What that means exactly, I don't know. But it's a full strength HP ex-bourbon barrel, so count me in for a taste. Thanks, Andrew, for the pour!

Distillery: Highland Park
Ownership: The Edrington Group
Region: Isle of Orkney
Independent Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Age: 15 years (October 15, 1999 - September 1, 2015)
Maturation: ex-bourbon barrel
Cask #: 800198
Bottle: 13 of 201
Alcohol by Volume: 57.6%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No

NEAT
The nose needs a moment before it opens up. Then it's apricots, yellow peaches and orange peel. It's lightly floral and sugary. Hints of grass, citronella candles and chalk. A little bit of corn syrup and vanilla from the barrel sneak out after 30 minutes. Peach candy and lychee candy on the palate. Lemon, honey and roses. Toasty oak, sweet tobacco and malt. The tingly finish has lemons, honey and cayenne pepper.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1.5tsp of water to 30mL whisky
The nose becomes slightly nuttier. The flowers and fruit are quieter. Some more oak slips in. Grassier and sharper. Smarties candies. The palate gets bitterer. More pepper. Granulated sugar rather than honey. Pine and grain. It finishes bitterer, as well. Tangy. Vanilla and malt.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
A very pretty HP. Easy to sip. No peat, no smoke. Just fruit, flowers and fun. Keep it neat, you won't regret it. Adding water simultaneously silences and clutters this one up. I don't have much else to say other than, here's another great bourbon-cask Highland Park. Now how do we get a "Columbus Cask"?

Availability - Several left amongst the Binnies
Pricing - $129.99, such much?
Rating - 88

Laphroaig Càirdeas 2017 Quarter Casks

My opinion of Laphroaig's Quarter Cask whisky has shifted over the years, and not in a positive direction. I was happy to champion the NAS Laphroaig Quarter Cask bottlings 6-7 years ago. The whisky was 8-12 years old and the oak was less intrusive than expected, and the whole thing was very good. The current version is......different. I wouldn't doubt the whisky is half the aforementioned age, and the oak is now in fact intrusive. It has become Laphroaig's "craft" whisky, with all the bad connotations that come with the C word. If I were to review the current version it would be only in comparison to an older edition. But I'd have to source both.

In the meantime...

Laphroaig's 2017 edition of their annual Càirdeas release turned out to be a cask strength version of Quarter Cask. Pretty cool, right? Cask strength 'phroaig is a plus. The chance to experience one of their regular range undiluted is also a positive thing. And, to their credit, Laphroaig was open to revealing the actual age of the whisky...

...which is 5.5 years. Which only went to bolster my assumption about the current age of the regular Quarter Cask and its shift in quality. But, I'm always willing to give it a go since the Càirdeases (Càirdi?) tend to be well made.

Distillery: Laphroaig
Owner: Beam Suntory
Product: Càirdeas
Release Year: 2014

Region: Islay

Age / Maturation: 5 years in first-fill Maker's Mark casks, then 6 months in American oak quarter (125-liter) casks
Limited Release: yes?
Alcohol by Volume: 57.2%

Chill-filtration? No
Caramel colored? Maybe

NEAT
Good news everyone, the color is very pale. No extra glow from loaded oak or e150a. The nose is nutty and sugary (like white frosting). The peat reads more toasty than medicinal. Hints of lemon peel, rubber and dried herbs. A vanilla bean note appears, then grows with time. It's young, peppery and herbal stuff on the palate, though the mouthfeel is thicker than Monday's Ardbeg. A brisk herbal bitter bite. Not much heat. Limes, almond butter and charred meat. Gets saltier and sweeter with time. Pepper, sugar, lemon juice and beachy peat in the finish.

DILUTED TO ~48%abv, or >1 tsp water per 30mL whisky
Salted caramels, wood smoke, metallic dust and mint gum on the nose. A wee puff of farminess. On the palate it's vanilla, sugar and dried herbs. Luckily the herbs are the loudest. Also lots of mint and chili powder.....which then becomes smoked paprika in the finish. Then tart citrus and peppery smoke. Slightly less sweet than the palate.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
The whisky is fine. I prefer it neat, slightly. It's rare for me to enjoy a whisky's palate much more than its nose, as with this one, though I felt the same about Laphroaig Lore. The vanilla-ness was to be expected, but I wish there were less of it. The finish kinda whimpers out. But, thankfully, it's slightly less sweet than Ardbeg Hooves.

It never feels like 57.2%abv, which is good. But it never really feels like Laphroaig either. Perhaps I've been spoiled by the 2015 Càirdeas, and impressed by the rebound of recent 10yo Cask Strength batches.

Normally I praise Laphroaig for the accessible pricing of the Càirdeas releases, but I'm in no rush to spend $80 on a five year old whisky. I no longer do that for Kilchoman, a small family-run distillery, so I'm less inspired to do so for a large corporate distillery.

My Annoying Opinions, who generously provided this sample (thank you generous MAO!), holds this whisky in slightly higher esteem than I, while the Whiskybase community, as usual, regards it with greater enthusiasm than either of us do.

Availability - Available-ish in the US
Pricing - $80+
Rating - 82

Ardbeg Grooves Committee Release

I've received suggestions to stop reviewing LVMH's special releases because even the most negative review only keeps Lummy's latest bauble bouncing around the atmosphere. And yes, you've read the same line from me every time: Ardbeg ______ Special Release is not as good as any of the core releases. But some people are very nice to me and share pours from their bottles. And, like it or not, these unimaginative annual releases really are something that a good portion of the monied English-speaking single malt world knows of, and may like to read an independent review about before buying a bottle. If I push off this responsibility to someone else, I could be fairly accused of a feckless punt.

how do i know when the Ardblotter kicks in?

Let's dust off and update the old list:

Ardbeg Alligator - Rowrr!
Ardbeg Day - Almost as good as Oogy!
Ardbeg Galileo - Someone screwed up, right?
Ardbeg Ardbog - Not bad, but $110?
Ardbeg Auriverdes - Unmemorable
Ardbeg Perpetuum - No.
Ardbeg Dark Cove - Smells good, but it still loses to Oogy
Ardbeg Kelpie - Sour, bitter and hot. Oppressively poor.
Ardbeg Artein Alligator Grooves - ...

Distillery: Ardbeg
Ownership: Glenmorangie Plc (owned by LVMH)
Region: Islay
Product: Grooves
Age: NAS
Maturation: a mix of heavily-charred ex-wine casks and ex-bourbon casks
Limited bottling: yes?
Bottling year: 2018
Alcohol by Volume: 51.6%
Chillfiltered? No
Color added? No
(thank you to Jonathan M for the sample!)

NEAT
Its groovy color is dark gold. The nose starts off with rubber, chlorine, fresh basil, orange oil and grape candy. Lots of rubber. Tennis ball can. Minor notes of smoked meats. With time, there's some cranberry juice and berry compote. The palate is much sootier and smokier. Small red berry notes scattered about. Dark chocolate, almond cookies, black peppercorns and a hint of tangy citrus candy. It gets sweeter and sweeter with time in the glass. Smoke, lime and sugar in the finish, sort of a smoky mojito? Slight cayenne pepper zip. Moderate length.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 3/4 tsp water per 30mL whisky
A peach, apricot and pear juice cocktail on the nose. Also cinnamon and cardamom. Less rubber and smoke. Salty air, dirty hay. Cat piss (for you oenophiles out there). Aside from some tart berry notes, the palate is reminiscent of the current Ardbeg Ten. A little bitter and oaky, with lots of soot. Grassy and sweet. Much different than the nose. It finishes with the grass and sugar. Bitter smoke and tart fruit. Much shorter.

WORDS GROOVY WORDS
One thing I noticed in the official descriptions of the product is that only some of whisky is from heavily charred red wine casks. The rest is from ex-bourbon casks. Tempering the big oak+wine with standard Ardbeg was a very good idea. This leads it away from getting too fugly, like the Galileo, and brings it closer to the regular Ardbeg style. Still, one can just get multiple bottles of the (better) Ten for the price of Grooves. And thus the annual release problem continues.

But, it isn't a bad product. The nose and palate seem to be from two different whiskies and they're both decent, though it's a bit too sugary for my palate. I prefer it diluted because water pushes the rubbery stuff away and awakens some better fruit notes. BUT I have no idea if the regular 46%abv Grooves will have the same characteristics.

On Wednesday, I'll review Grooves's sparring partner, a thing that's almost current...

Availability - Still around on the primary market? I don't know. Plenty to be found on the secondary market already.
Pricing - $120-$320 (I'm not kidding)
Rating - 84

Arran 8 year old 1998 G&M Connoisseur's Choice

I bought this bottle three years ago. And I'm at a loss to find any more to that story.

Even though I split this bottle's contents with some whisky friends, it's still taking me FOREVER to finish the stuff. I don't remember why. How about let's find out?

Oh, one more thing...  For those who think G&M didn't start bottling some of the Connoisseur's Choice series at 46%abv until a few years ago, may I point to this Arran 8yo and this 36yo Caperdonich from 1968 (yes, the two are easily confused) as examples of G&M going bonkers and leaving an extra three points of alcohol in the whisky.

Distillery: Isle of Arran Distillery
Ownership: Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd.
Region: Isle of Arran, Scotland

Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail
Range: Connoisseurs Choice
Age: 8 years old (1998-2007)

Maturation: ???

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

NEAT
The nose is very spirity with a funky edge. Like moldy cardboard box. Wort, yeast. Sugary bits. Fresh lemons and green apples. Pecans. Slightly farmy. The palate is very malty with a light hum of oak underneath. An odd bitterness down there too. Lemony soap. Peppery, but also very sweet. It finishes bitter, warm, peppery and sweet. Decent length to it.

DILUTED TO ~40%abv, or < 1tsp water per 30mL whisky
Quite a shift in the nose. Apples, flowers, orange candy and eucalyptus. It's become a better drinker too. The palate ditches the bitterness, and mellows the sweetness. Grain-forward. Pilsner? Hints of coffee and aromatic fruits. The finish is pleasant but plain. Shorter, lightly tart.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
I've gone through three separate tastings of this whisky for this review, and the notes have been pretty consistent. The first tasting was done without dilution, and I was left wondering why G&M bottled it. Then I remembered the limp Ledaig I reviewed two weeks ago, and wondered why they bottled that one too. Then I wondered, what does G&M do with their lesser casks? Do they swap them with blenders? Or is the Connoisseur's Choice label their final destination?

But then I tinkered with dilution in the next two tastings. Water really made a difference. It's a better drink at 40%abv. It's not awesome, it still feels very young, and it's not on the same planet as the official 10 year old, but it's a decent casual sipper. In fact I'm finishing the bottle's final pour right now, sub-40abv, and it works.

Availability - ???
Pricing - I bought it for $39.99, which is probably why I bought it
Rating - 80 (diluted only)

Arran 10 year old 2004 Orkney Bere Barley

When it first started up, The Isle of Arran distillery experimented with wine cask whisky releases. As the spirit (and the distillery) matured, the people in charge mostly discontinued the quirky cask approach. In 2004, Arran experimented with running an unknown number of batches of malted Bere barley spirit through their stills. That run has produced two releases so far, a 46%abv 8 year old and today's cask strength 10 year old.

Yes, Bruichladdich and Springbank have both put out Bere barley releases recently, but don't start thinking Arran's a copycat. 'Laddie's first Bere release was distilled in 2006, as was Springbank's Local Barley 11yo, both two years after Arran's run. While Arran may not exactly be a pioneer with this stuff, kudos to them for giving Bere a go. It is difficult to grow and delivers a low alcohol yield. So one might say, that when compared to the mass-produced strains used by contemporary distillers, this old Viking barley can be a bit of a Bere.

Hey, where are you going?

Distillery: Isle of Arran Distillery
Type: Single Malt
Ownership: Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd.
Region: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Age: minimum 10 years (2004-2014)
Barley Strain: Bere
Maturation: ex-bourbon barrels
Outturn: 4,800
Alcohol by Volume: 56.2%
Chillfiltered? No
Colored? No

NEAT
The nose leads with almond butter, soda bread and cracked peppercorns. It has both a gentle floral side and a wasabi edge. Hints of Italian sausage(!) and peach. The nutty note expands with time. Less alcohol heat than expected. But that flips in the hot palate. It's very grassy and earthy. Rocky. Peppercorns and a rugged bitterness. Some generic sweetness. Earth and herbs in the finish. The bitterness gets difficult, as if it's a long over-steeped cheap green tea.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 4tsp water per 30mL whisky
The nose is less edgy. But also just less. Nuts, grains and fruits are quieter. Some dried apricots in there. Very little change in the tough palate. It remains hot, herbal and earthy. Pencil graphite and peppercorns. Tangy and tart, like out of season berries. In the finish, there's earth, peppercorns, graphite and tingles.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
On the plus side, this is not an easy whisky, which offers a change of pace from Arran's often drinker-friendly products. Was that a plus? I don't know. It's very earthy and rocky and herbal. Those are plusses. When neat, the nose is very entertaining, zigging and zagging and burping up all sorts of quirky things.

But there's is no complexity in the palate. And the finish is borderline unpleasant at times. Note, this is coming from a guy who likes austere (oh that word) whisky. I liked Bruchladdich's and Springbank's gambles with Bere better than this. And the 8yo Arran Bere Barley sounds MUCH better than this thingy too. So I'd be happy to try that one, but I don't need to drink this one again.

Availability - Europe here and there
Pricing - $80-$100 ex-VAT
Rating - 76