Single Malt Report: Arran 14 year old (old label)

You'll have to pardon the official bottle shots over the next
couple of weeks. My parent brain (or my apparent brain?)
neglected to take bottle/sample photos for some of these.

Distillery: Isle of Arran Distillery
Type: Single Malt
Ownership: Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd.
Age: minimum 14 years
Maturation: 80% first-fill ex-bourbon casks, 20% ex-sherry casks
Region: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
Colored? No

After last week's extended schpiel about Arran, here's an actual review of my favorite whisky (official or indie) from their distillery.  This version of the 14 year old hit the shelves in 2010 and is currently being phased out for a new (and very good) version.  I received this sample of the old 14 via a swap with smokypeat (thanks!!!), see his review here.

The color is a light gold since the whisky is missing the boatload of e150a that floats in all its orange-brown glory in Oban 14.  The first volley in the nose comes in with charred orange peel, sea air, lemon blossoms, grass, and rye-like baking spice.  There's some nice moderate bourbon cask action going on, wherein the vanilla and caramel work more as a seasoning than as the entree.  After about a half hour of air, the whisky picks up some fresh thyme, ripe peaches, lots of flowers, Underberg, and just a whisper of something industrial.  The palate comes in as a united piece.  Toasty oak, Heath Bar, Werther's Originals, and fruit at the edges (maybe lime and apricot?).  A blend of salt and tart.  Maybe some marzipan.  My notes make it sound sweeter than it actually is because there's still something lean and mean about it.  The finish has long lasting aromatic bitters and tart citrus notes.  There are smaller notes of chocolate malt balls, toffee, and orange candies.

Yep, this stuff still hits the spot.  The expressive nose's quality is just as high as the well textured palate.  It's my favorite Arran.  Some of Arran's previous range of ten to twelve year old single bourbon and sherry casks are also very good, and the official ten year old is always a winner.  As I mentioned last week, the new version of the 14 is very close to the older version, perhaps a little more sherried and still of high quality.

Though winesearcher's price history shows that this hasn't gotten more expensive over time, Arran 14 could be found for $60ish in the LA area 2 or 3 years ago.  $70 isn't a terrible price in this market, but if your neighborhood retailers are selling this for $80-$90, you have my condolences.

For more opinions on the old 14, see the reviews by Smokypeat, Chemistry of the Cocktail, LAWS, My Annoying Opinions, Whiskyfun, and Whiskynotes.

Availability - Many specialty liquor retailers
Pricing - $65-$90 in the US, $40(!)-$70 in Europe (with VAT)
Rating - 89

An evening with Arran and Kilchoman single malts

(Note to the reader: I did not pay for this event nor these whiskies. I was not asked to write or review these products. But as this event was packed full of whisky, I have chosen to write about it. As I hope you will see below, I am providing honest reactions (and no grades) to this free stuff. Proceed how you prefer.)

Four weeks ago, I attended a casual evening with James Wills of Kilchoman Distillery and Louisa Young of Arran Distillery.  It was hosted by Los Angeles's own Whisky Redhead and attended by LA whisky folks (like Josh Peters and Linh Do) as well as a handful of people in the spirits and bartending scene.  Arran and Kilchoman are relatively new to the Scotch world, having opened in 1995 and 2005, respectively.  Though I usually write about how much better things used to be compared to how they are now, when it comes to quality these two baby distilleries are currently beating the snot out of distilleries 100-200 years their senior.

There was a lot of whisky available to be sampled on this occasion:

When one is confronted by a bevy of bottles, one MUST make a plan.  Otherwise no perspective is gained and everything becomes a blur.  Some pleasures are to have structure or we're rendered useless.  I've been doing my best not to be useless recently (unless I'm drinking Florin's whisky stash), so I created a strategy for this event and then stuck to it.

---

ARRAN

Because it's unpeated, Isle of Arran is where I elected to begin sampling.  Where better to start than with Arran's new make?  Yes, I began with 68.4%abv.  I done plan good.

Arran 2013 New Make, 68.4%abv
Color - Clear
Nose - Lots of coriander and grapefruit up front.  Then cardamom, lemon, and floral soap.  After ten minutes or so there are some apple skins, mint leaves, and orange peel.
Palate - All fruit.  See the nose's fruits, then add pineapple and (curiously) lots of raisins.  A whisper of mushrooms.  And NONE of the floral soap.
Finish - Mostly cinnamon and coriander
Thoughts and things: This was one of my favorite sips of the night.  Very pretty and drinkable at its full strength.  Arran does reduce their new make to 63.5%abv before pouring it into barrels.

Then it was time to compare Arran's 16 year old with their upcoming 18 year old.

Arran 16 year old, 46%abv
Color - Light gold
Nose - Vanilla, butterscotch, brown sugar, and cherry candies.
Palate - Starts off sweet and sugary.  Mint and cherry candies.  Lots of sherry at the beginning too.  Picks up some pepper and bitterness with time.
Finish - Sweet and sugary here too, with a mild nutty note.
Thoughts and things: An easy pleaser, this is a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry barrels.  It's all very clean and enjoyable.

Arran 18 year old, 46%abv
Color - Light gold
Nose - Much more citric than the 16.  A touch of sulphur.  A bunch of roses.  Picks up a nice herbal zip with time.
Palate - Mild sherry.  Lightly sweet and savoury.  A bit tannic.  Wee bite of sulphur again.
Finish - Tannic, mild.  Much less sweet than the 16.
Thoughts and things:  This one, 100% ex-sherry, hits the US market soon.  I was told it was to be around $150, though that seems weird because it's $100 in Europe.  Whisky-wise it's a little rougher than the 16, which is the reverse of what I'd expected.  While I prefer a challenge, I'd go with the 16 over this one.  I don't mind the sulphur but the tannins were more than my palate prefers.

Even after trying the 16 and 18, my favorite of Arran's line remains the 14 year old.  And......the 14 year old now has a new label.  When talking to Louisa, I brought up the fact that every time a whisky geek sees a new label on a whisky, he or she (rightly or wrongly) assumes there has been a change in the whisky itself.  *cough Talisker cough*  And in fact the 14 year old's makeup has changed.

As Arran's annual production has more than doubled since the distillery opened, there was a decision made to alter the cask management to manage the output.  The original 14 year old was from approximately 80% first fill bourbon casks, the rest from ex-sherries.  As per what I was told, James McTaggart (their master distiller) has elected to often use refill sherry casks for primary maturation and then later transfer that whisky into first-fill bourbon casks.  So that makes up a large part of the new 14 year old.  Also, I was told there are some older casks in the new 14 (and 10) to keep the whisky similar.  Again, that's hearsay, but official hearsay.  I lined up the the two 14s side by side to suss out the differences...

And, shoot, they're almost the same.  A little more sherry and spice in the new edition's palate.  The older 14's nose is slightly grassier, maybe more vanilla.  The new one's nose has more sherry and flowers.  Their finishes seem to be identical.  Though I had only a half ounce of each, it seems like a good transition.  I'll be posting a full report on the old 14 (via a sample swap with smokypeat) later this Spring.

---

Then it was time to go to Islay's young distillery...

KILCHOMAN

As you may already know, Kilchoman uses two different types of malted barley which results in two different branches of products.  They have their highly-peated malt that's purchased from the Port Ellen maltings, and has the Ardbeg specs (peated at 50ppm).  This malt is used in the majority of their whiskies.  They also utilize a 100% Islay malt which is grown on the nearby farm and malted on site.  This stuff is peated around 15-20ppm and is the malt used in the "100% Islay" products.

Fun fact:  Another difference between the two malted barleys is the peat itself.  The peat used by PE is bulk purchased and loses its tiny roots during transport.  The 100% Islay malt's peat still has its roots intact.  Thus it's possible that the two peats burn differently and provide different characteristics.

I gave James Wills brief grief about the ages of their whiskies.  The distillery has been open for nearly ten years and yet almost all of their whiskies are still 3-5 years old.  Where the heck is the eight year old whisky?  The world wants to drink it!  Here's the answer.  In 2005 they didn't start casking their whisky until December.  In 2006 they only produced 40K liters.  They did have a 2006 Vintage release (a 5yo) and also sold many many single barrels to European retailers and individuals to get some revenue going.  In 2007, their production was 75K liters.  Again, they had a 2007 Vintage release, plus they started using some of the 2007 stuff in the 2012 edition of Machir Bay.  By 2008, they were up to full capacity.  And, according to their website, there will be a 7 year old 2008 vintage released this year.  So we'll have to wait until at least late 2016 to try an eight year old Kilchoman.

Fun fact: While the 2012 and 2013 editions of Machir Bay were briefly finished in sherry casks, the distillery changed things up for the 2014 release by removing the finish altogether and instead including sherry casks in 10% of the mix.

To the whisky:

Kilchoman 50ppm New Make, 63.5%abv
Color - Clear
Nose - Sugary mescal, rotting veg (but in a good way), soil-covered roots, ham, and tar.
Palate - Richly smoky.  Very creamy in texture and content.  Almost tastes aged already.  Red Hots candy.
Finish - Ham and sugar.
Thoughts and things: Another good new make.  Lovely texture on the palate.  I'd buy a bottle of this if the price was right.

Kilchoman Cask Strength, Batch 1, 59.2%abv
Color - Amber
Nose - (Neat) Take the new make then add vanilla, tangerines, pears, and a hint of manure.  (With water) More vanilla, more farm.  Band-aids and Peychaud's bitters.  Anise.
Palate - (Neat) Anise, sugar, honey, salt, green peat, and pineapple.  (With water) Gets woodier, but also more herbal.
Finish - Sweet + peat, mescal
Thoughts and things: This ex-bourbon matured new addition to Kilchoman's range is certainly young, but it also works in that curious way that many Kilchomans do.  The nose is the best part by far, with or without water.  While its price is high considering the whisky's age, it could be a good alternative to the single casks which cost even more.


Kilchoman Single Cask 394/2009 5 year old PX Finish, 59.2%abv
Color - Gold
Nose - Sugary raisins and nuts.  Mothballs.  Not much peat.
Palate - Sweet from the start and gets sweeter as it goes.  Sugary frosting.
Finish - A bit cloying.  Grape jam.
Thoughts and things: Kilchoman's regular single sherry casks are consistently excellent.  But this PX finish (after an ex-bourbon barrel maturation) does not work for me.  It is aggressive sugary and the PX finish covers up every element of its Kilchoman-ness.  The cask strength release is better than this by a leap.

As you may have noticed, I didn't sample any of their "100% Islay" products.  While the 100% Islay range sounds like the hipper craftier whisky, I don't really care for it.  I've tried two single casks and two of the annual releases in that range and found them all to be half-baked, three year old whisky that tastes like three year old whisky.  Some people adore it, and that's great.  More for them.  I'll stick to the PE malt for now.

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Many thank yous to the Whisky Redhead, James Wills, and Louisa Young for their time and their whisky.

While Kilchoman is still, in my opinion, one of the top ten distilleries in Scotland, it is getting tough for me to recommend their single casks wholeheartedly since it is difficult to reconcile a $100-$120 price for 4-5 year old whisky.  Still, many of those casks show off some of the best whisky being made on Islay right now.  I do recommend their vintage releases (the 2007 is a cracker) and the very reliable Machir Bay.

While Arran continues to make very good whisky, I find myself always preferring their official 10 and 14 year olds over their older stuff and the (many) single casks coming from the indies.  Aw hell, I think I'm going to have to review some Arran whisky next week.

Single Malt Report: Yoichi NAS Japanese Whisky (180mL bottle)

Whew.  I did five consecutive posts last week, while traveling with child.  Ain't gonna do that again under those circumstances.  I’m scaling back to two this week and then work back up to three again soon.  Here's one last Japanese whisky post today, something a little different on Thursday, and then we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled reviews next week.

I started this string of one dozen Japan posts with some observations about the state of the Japanese whisky retail market.  One of the main points in that post was a complaint about the quality of the newer non-age-statement Japanese whiskies taking up most of the real estate on liquor store shelves.  Suntory’s Distillers Reserves were the focus of this gripe.  For a different look, here’s a review of an NAS single malt from Nikka's Yoichi distillery.

Ownership: Nikka

Distillery: Yoichi

Region: Hokkaido, Japan

Type: Single Malt

Age: Not stated

ABV: 43%

Bottle size: 180mL

NEAT

The color is medium gold.  The nose leads with tart apples, unripe pears, paint fumes, and banana candy.  There’s some Lagavulin-style peating, but at half power.  With time, it all gets a little darker.  Steel wool, coal, dirty socks, rocks, and lime zest.  As for the palate, take Johnnie Walker Black Label**, then add peat and subtract caramel and sherry.  It’s lightly sweet, lightly peppery.  Maybe some coal smoke in there.  It’s mild in a blendy sort of way.  It finishes with sugar, salt, pepper, and a hint of peat ash.  It holds for a decent length considering its age and strength.  After a while, there are hints of both cardboard and raspberry candy.

Since this was bottled at 43%abv, while the Suntories were bottled at 40%, I reduced it down to that level.

WITH WATER (~40%abv)

The nose picks up black licorice farts (a thing).  The peat gets dirtier, grungier.  The lime sticks around, and the apple note grows brighter.  A moment of chlorine shows up after a few minutes.  The palate gets pepperier and picks a little bit of herbal bitterness.  Some vanilla bean and granulated sugar.  It is noticeably thinner and the peat fades.  The finish is much briefer and seems to be mostly sugar.

My notes say, “Not terrible!”.  It is young whisky, likely coming from neither the best nor worst of Yoichi’s casks.  I can tolerate the paint fumes, but could do without the banana candy in the nose.  The cardboard note taints the otherwise acceptable finish.  Overall it could be interchangeable with a medium-range (and more expensive) blend, though it swims much better than many of those.  Meanwhile, the palate is more than okay and the whole package is two steps better than Suntory’s Distillers Reserves, even when the Yoichi is reduced to 40%abv.

Finally, the price and availability of this whisky in Japan is excellent.  This 180mL bottle could be found at every corner store in Kyoto and Tokyo while I was there and was priced at ¥665, or $6.  That would make it about $20-$25 per 700mL (though it tends to be sold by the 500mL bottle).  The Distillers Reserves are selling for more than twice that price.  Now, note the "in Japan" I put in italics in this paragraph's first sentence.  In Europe, the 500mL bottle of Yoichi NAS is selling for $35-$50, which puts it at a similar price per mL to the Distillers Reserves.  In any case, it carries much better quality for the price.

So while the age stated Yoichis are better, this NAS isn't a complete tragedy.  And if you're traveling in Japan and need a quick cheap casual drink for your backpack or computer bag, this is a reliable choice.  (Though, Nikka From The Barrel is the best for this purpose, often selling as low as $15.)

Availability - Every corner shop in urban Japan?

Pricing - ¥665 for the 180mL bottle (about $6 using current rates)

Rating - 79

**I would happily choose this over Johnnie Walker Black Label, despite the fact that this score is lower than the grades I've given JWBL.  That is because, over the past two years, the quality of the Black Label has plummeted.  Two years ago, I stated that my fourth Black Label review would be my last.  The whisky has changed so much that I may need to do another review before 2015 is over. 

Single Malt Report: Springbank 30 year old 1972 Chieftain's

This was the fourth of my four pours at Bar Cordon Noir.  The only way I can properly preface this whisky is via bottle photos.

Distillery: Springbank
Bottler: Ian MacLeod
Series: Chieftain's
Age: 30 years (October 1972 - October 2002)
Maturation: Sherry butt
Cask #: 410
Bottles: 576
Region: Campbelltown
Alcohol by Volume: 57.8%

Its color is a blood orange-tinted dark gold.

I'm just going to fire out a bunch of words for the nose.  Plum wine.  Prune hamantaschen.  Cointreau.  Dark chocolate.  So much cocoa.  Baklava.  Marzipan.  Ben & Jerry's Heath Bar Crunch.  Orange oil.  Fresh cherry pie and cinnamon rolls.  A certain butterscotch budino.  More?  Yes there's more.  The peat content is very subtle, not showing up at first.  But when it does, it's a distant puff of smoke.  After an hour, the tropical fruits sashay in.  Brown sugar and cookie dough at 75 minutes.

It has a palate too.  As per my notes, "Oh dear."  Big old fat gooey pax-y sherry.  Roasty chocolate malt.  A slab of chocolate fudge chased with blood orange juice.  Chocolate with almonds and sea salt.  Mango and peach compote, but never cloying.  Hints of very old cognac.  The mustiness remains bold even after 75 minutes.

The finish delivers a shot of sherry syrup.  Milk chocolate truffles with orange zest.  More chocolate than chocolate.  Salt.  Fresh cherries.  Just that whisper of smoke.  Plenty of power after thirty years in a big butt and twelve years in a bottle.

I dub thee King, oh Springbank 30 year old 1972 sherry butt #410 from Chieftain's.

The only whiskies I've had that can compete with this unbelievable gem are the late-'60s / early-'70s Longmorns.  But it has been two long cynical years since I've had one of those.  Consider that I'm a damned Luddite, thus everything I had before was better than what I'm having now, and you (and I) will realize that I'm pretty serious about the greatness of this Springbank.

After finishing this treat, I glided from the bar as if I were Gene Kelly, as if I were Mikhail Baryshnikov, as if I were their love child Gene Baryshnikov, dancing as if he had two broken legs and blind dyspeptic ferrets for feet.  I couldn't drink anything after this.  No additional whiskies at Bar Cordon Noir.  No visits to the second whisky bar on my list.  I was ending my trip with this whisky.  I was ready to go home.

Availability - ???

Pricing - ???

Rating - 96

Single Malt Report: Clynelish 1974 Modern Masters

This was the third of my four pours at Bar Cordon Noir.

This one is a bit more of a mystery than the other three.  Modern Masters is a series done by The Dalriada Whisky Company, an indie bottler for which there's little info online.  Researching the company's financial info, I see they may have gone out of business a year or two ago.  If anyone knows more about them, please let me know in the comment section.

I'm not sure what this whisky's age is, though the Dalriada Whisky Company seems to have done many of their bottlings in the mid-aughts.  So I'm thinking this is around 29-33 years old.  In any case, the back label spends half of its text discussing the moody, "masculine", "working class" illustration on the front label.

Distillery: Clynelish
Bottler: The Dalriada Whisky Company
Series: Modern Masters
Distilled: 1974
Bottled: ???
Maturation: Hogshead
Bottles: 199
Region: Northern Highlands
Alcohol by Volume: 55.6%

NEAT
The color, like this week's previous two whiskies, is a light gold. As with the Caperdonich, that shade has me thinking it wasn't a first fill cask.  Let's see...  The nose is slightly mossy, not a big splash of peat, rather a light brush stroke.  Then comes hazelnuts, rosewater, and limes.  It's mostly (aged) spirit so far.  It opens up with time as licorice, bergamot, and a farmy note arrive.  The palate is intensely sweet at first burst, with lots of orange and lime candies.  But then the sugar subsides, leaving the essence of tangerine and small limes on the tongue.  The farmy note arrives next, followed by hot oregano and rosemary-flavored hard candy (is that a thing?).  It finishes loudly with seawater, citrus, salt, and miso, leaving a cooling sensation in the mouth for a long time.

WITH WATER
The nose shifts, picking up tropical fruits and smoky residue.  The palate remains just as strong.  Nectarines coated in honey and cayenne pepper.  The finish loses no power, as well.  Loads of citrus and tropical fruit syrup.

The oak stayed on the sidelines for both yesterday's Caperdonich and today's Clynelish.  But where the Caperdonich was gentle and soft, the Clynelish was a hellion no matter how much water I added.  I'm sure that certain Malt Maniacs will say that it's hard to go wrong with 1970s Clynelish casks, but with my non-existent knowledge of said whiskies, I'll just say that this was a killer selection by the Dalriada company.  A hardy whisky, this Clynelish succeeds and powers through on every level.

Damn, the fourth and final whisky has its work cut out for it.

Availability - ???

Pricing - ???

Rating - 91

Single Malt Report: Caperdonich 36 year old 1968 Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur's Choice (46%abv edition)

This was the second of my four pours at Bar Cordon Noir.

Distillery: Caperdonich
Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail
Series: Connoisseur's Choice
Age: 36 years (March 1968 - August 2004)
Maturation: "Refill sherry casks"
Region: Speyside
Alcohol by Volume: 46%

The color is a very light gold.  The first note I get in the nose is used hay in a barn in the middle of summer.  A gentle waft of sweet basil and pineapple mint.  Mango skin (not the fruit) and grapefruity sauvignon blanc.  It gets more chocolatey with time, also picking up toffee notes.  The palate is so elegant and gentle that it's almost (*cough*) erotic.  Yeah, I said it.  Now let me move on with other descriptors like mango, lychee, milk chocolate, and toffee pudding.  But all of that is feather soft.  With time it becomes a lightly bitter tropical cocktail with just a hint of lemon.  But then the toffee gets a second wind and expands.  The aforementioned cocktail makes up much of the finish.  And the toffee.  And chocolate malt balls.

While this is an undoubtably delicate malt and, you know, sexy-ish, I was expecting a little more from it.  No, not more than sex.  Rather all of its nose and palate notes can easily be found in similar configurations in other less rare, more familiar single malts.  Meanwhile its delicate nature may have been influenced by a low bottle fill point.

What I'm doing here is whining about a very good whisky.  It was pretty and delightful and very drinkable.  But I was still left with this lingering "Is That All There Is?" feeling after the finish.  Most of G&M's old CC Caperdonichs are bottled at 40%abv, but they clearly couldn't do that with this one.

I have a feeling many of these 1968-1972 Caps have or will become outrageously expensive on the primary and secondary markets.  If this one brings asking prices of $500+, I'd say skip it.  But $200-$250 wouldn't be unreasonable considering its quality, age, and historical import.

Availability - Probably the occasional auction

Pricing - ???

Rating - 87

Single Malt Report: Glenlivet 12 year old (bottled in 1980s)

This was the first of my four pours at Bar Cordon Noir.

Distillery: Glenlivet
Age: minimum 12 years
Bottling date: 1980s
Maturation: Probably a mix of ex-bourbon casks and ex-sherry casks
Region: Speyside
Alcohol by Volume: 43%

NEAT
Its color is light gold.  The nose begins with loads of barley and fresh whole wheat bread.  Then come the fresh loquats, followed by Oloroso sherry in a Campari-coated glass.  With time there's some new carpet and burnt pie crust.  The palate is pleasant and soft, but with some sticky thickness.  It reads as loads of baked fruits one moment, then fruit punch and orange peels the next.  A bit of anise and black licorice too.  Then it's capped by a wave of Talisker-like pepper.  The finish is lengthy but uncomplicated.  Citrus, papaya, and malt.

WITH WATER
Orange, pear, mint, and soda bread now appear on the nose.  A lot of roses on the palate.  The pepper enters the finish, along with milk chocolate.

Something gruesome happened to Glenlivet's cask management over the past thirty years.  (Or maybe more recently because the early Nadurra batches were very good and occasionally the current 18 year old is too.)  On New Year's Eve 2007/8, I had my first negative run-in with Glenlivet 12.  I sipped and it was......not good.  The finish was short and awful and apparently memorable because the sense memory still exists.  And this was before my prima donna whisky snobbery.  I've tried the 12 annually ever since, and it's not getting better.  So when the rumors started coming in that Pernod's phasing it out for an NAS Founder's Reserve I shed not a tear.

Meanwhile, having twice tried the 1980s version of the Twelve, I find no similarity between it and the current version.  The Twelve as it existed thirty years ago was a lightly-sherried well-textured rich single malt that could stand proudly next to any (and above many) of today's twelve year old Speysiders.  I cannot say the same thing about the current version.  The three extra ABV points (43 versus 40) are nice but that wouldn't explain most of the change.  There was no extra peating going on at the time of this one's bottling.  Perhaps they have since changed barley varieties, sped up the fermentation time, and attempted to distill faster.  But I think the cask management is the main culprit.  The oak in the current 12 is bland, resinously bitter, and cardboardy.  None of those words can be used for either of the '80s bottlings that I've tried.  And just to add to the fun, the 1980s version swims very well, while the current addition is already very watery as is.

I'm not saying that this 1980s Glenlivet is A+ whisky, but it's damn good whisky.  And I wish Glenlivet still made stuff like this.

Availability - Probably the occasional auction

Pricing - ???

Rating - 86