Single Malt Report: Talisker 1998 Distillers Edition (2009 bottling)

I'm starting off Taliskravaganza 2017 with a pair of Talisker DEs. Happily I was able to try the 2009 bottling alongside the current 2016 version and I'll be sharing my thoughts on them today and tomorrow.

Here's a quick recap for those unfamiliar with these whiskies: Diageo releases annual Distillers Editions for many of its Classic Malts, including Oban, Lagavulin, Talisker, Glenkinchie, Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie, Caol Ila and Royal Lochnagar. Each single malt has been finished in a specific type of fortified wine cask for an unspecified period of time. For instance, Lagavulin is finished in Pedro Ximenez casks, Caol Ila in Moscatel, Oban in Montilla Fino Sherry, and Talisker in Amoroso. Oh, and there's no apostrophe in "Distillers" for some reason.

To quote a post from Taliskravaganza 2014:

...the age of the Talisker Distillers Editions has lessened over the years.  From 2000 - 2007 (vintages 1987-1993), they were 13 years or older.  In 2008 (the 1996 vintage), it was 12 years old.  Then from 2009 until the current version, it's 11 years or younger.  I'm going to guess that age reduction is due to demand.  Or it's possibly due to a level of production efficiency; over the last four years they may just take the regular 10 year old casks and give them the sherry finish....

Indeed today's 2009 bottling is around 11 years old, while the 2016 edition (like the 2015) is at most 10 years old.

Distillery: Talisker

Ownership: Diageo

Type: Single Malt
Region: Isle of Skye

Age: between 10 and 11 years (1998-2009)
Maturation: refill ex-bourbon casks for 10-ish years, then a brief finish in ex-Amoroso casks
Alcohol by Volume: 45.8%

Chill-filtration? Yessiree
Caramel colored? Yes'm
(Review from purchased sample)

Its color is DiageoGold™. The nose starts out a little quirky, mixing tar, Dove soap and orange candy. After a few minutes it straightens out a bit, bringing smoke and butterscotch to the fore as the soap and tar fade back. It takes 20-30 minutes for it to really shine, at which point black raisins, dried cherries, plums and toffee take over. The palate is more savory than sweet, though it does start off with ginger ale, limes and toasted oak spice. Then almonds, salt and fresh ginger leap forward. It's a simple thing, though it does have a good mouthfeel, making one wonder how much better it would have been without chill filtration. The finish is quiet for the first few sips, gradually taking on the palate's almonds, salt and fresh ginger, along with a nice inky bitterness.

This one takes a long time to wake up. Once it airs out, the nose is the best part, showcasing the some of the better characteristics from the spirit and wine cask. The palate and finish are both fine. Nothing offends (except perhaps that early soap note), but there's little in the way of highlights. This is certainly a full step down in quality compared to the Talisker 10 that was being produced at the time.

Availability - (this edition) Happy Hunting!
Pricing - (current edition) $65-$95 in the US, $45-$80 in Europe
Rating - (this edition) 82

Single Malt Report: anCnoc 18 year old (2016)

There are a pair of Scottish distilleries called Knockando and Knockdhu. Both were built in the 1890s. Both have been owned by the companies that later became Diageo. Both have Gaelic names that refer to 'the dark hillock'. Though I've reviewed a number of Knockandos, today's review marks my first for a single malt from Knockdhu.

Knockdhu was built by DCL in 1893, a century before the company became part of Diageo. After 89 years of production, the distillery was amongst those closed in 1983. In 1988 the distillery became one of the very few to be sold off, rather than destroyed, by DCL. The new owners, Inver House Distillers restarted production in 1989. In 1990 they released a Knockdhu single malt that had been distilled by DCL. In 1993, they changed the name of their single malt brand to anCnoc "following a gentleman's agreement ... in order to avoid any possible confusion with Knockando," as per Charlie MacLean's Whiskypedia.

anCnoc ('a hill', pronounced a-nock) has been putting out well-received (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, etc.) whiskies for a number of years now, but really hasn't garnered any sexy cachet amongst whisky fans in the process. And I can be counted amongst that number. As of four weeks ago, I had never tried one of their US bottlings.

[DISCLOSURE: Today's bottle was sent to me by Amy from Ten27 Communications, a PR firm for InterBev, AnCnoc's parent company. Thank you, Amy.]

Distillery: Knockdhu

Owner: Inver House Distillers (via Thai Beverages plc via International Beverage Holdings Ltd.)
Type: Single Malt
Region: border of Speyside and Western Highlands

Age: minimum 18 years
Maturation: "Spanish oak ex-sherry casks and American oak ex-bourbon barrels"
Bottling year: 2016
Alcohol by Volume: 46%

Chill-filtration? No
Caramel colored? No
Review taken from just above mid-bottle.

NEAT
Its color is a medium gold. The nose begins with a toasty, spicy fruitiness that I imagine comes from the Spanish oak. There are orange peels and honeydew. Toffee and fudge. Candied ginger and cherry lollipops. A hint of vanilla gives it a little bit of shortbread note too. A dusty maltiness lingers in the back. More straight up sherry in the palate, though never prune-y or raisin-ed. Toffee, citrus peels and mint. It has a mineral edge to it and solid herbal presence that almost feels peaty. A spicy white pepper note mingles with some thick malt. It finishes sweetly and full of citrus. Woody spices, candy corn and Nutella.

WITH WATER (~40%abv)
Thought the liquid doesn't cloud, it does get very oily. The nose is minty and chocolatey. Cherry candy, caramel and some musty cask notes. The palate gets creamier, fragrant. It's simple, but sturdy and spicy. Citrus and nuts. The finish picks up some pepper and earth, and quite a bit of tannins.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This is a very solid, textured malt, with a more interesting European oak angle than most sherried (and much more expensive) 18 year olds. It won't knock (hee) you off your seat, but it's very reliable and tasty. As a totally random comparison, it reminds me more of Arran 14 than Arran 18, which is a good thing because the 14 is my favorite of Arran's range.

The first few pours from the bottle were a bit tight, as I've found with most whiskies. But right here at the bottle's midpoint, it has opened up well. The finish gets too sugary for me at times, but I don't have much of a sweet tooth. On the other hand the whisky swims pretty well, which may be partly due to its good presentation. And that good presentation (46%abv, no chill filtration nor added colorant) demonstrates a company's respect of its products and its customers. I'm glad InterBev understands that. It's too bad that most of the other conglomerates do not.

Availability - Many spirits specialists in the US and Europe
Pricing - $90-$120, can also be had for less than $100 in a European shipment
Rating - 87

This February: Taliskravaganza 2017 and the return of BARD Friday!

Taliskravaganza 2014 was a delight to write, so I've been threatening to do a sequel ever since. And like any proper sequel, Taliskravaganza 2017 is going to be bigger and louder and more bloated than the original. It's going on ALL MONTH LONG. That's right. You're just lucky February is the shortest month of the year.

"Will there be relevant Talisker reviews?" you ask. "Ha!" I reply.

If you could not care less about Taliskravaganza (for shame), be comforted knowing that Bourbon and Rye Day Friday returns for perpetuity (or until I run out of samples) starting this coming......Friday. There will be old stuff, new stuff. Red stuff, blue stuff. Odds and ends. Dusties and musties.

Technically tomorrow isn't February, so I'll begin the week with a review of a current(!) whisky. And not from a sample, but from my own bottle. Amazing!

A Brief History of Ardmore Distillery (Part 3), plus a review of Ardmore 16 year old 1996 Old Malt Cask, cask 8020

History

(part 1)

(part 2)

When Allied Distillers bought William Teacher & Sons in 1976, they shut down Ardmore's on site Saladin malting box, preferring to use sourced malted barley instead. In 2002, Ardmore was the second to last distillery to move away from coal-fueled direct fired stills, transitioning to modern steam coil heating.

Allied split up in 2005, with Jim Beam Brands picking up more than 20 Scotch whisky brands, including Teacher's and Ardmore. In 2014, Beam merged with Suntory to create the massive Beam Suntory conglomerate.

Despite all these changes, Ardmore continues to produce peated Highland whisky. As of several years ago, the sourced malt had peat specs of 12-14ppm, which is almost twice that of Springbank's current levels. The malt's peat comes from St. Fergus in the Northeast Highlands, so it produces different characteristics than Islay, Northern or Western peat.

Only within the past decade has the distillery put out a steady supply of official single malt, though enthusiasts are still better served by exploring Ardmore's potential through independent bottlings.

Sources:
MacLean, Charles. Whiskypedia. A Compendium of Scotch Whisky. New York, NY: Skyhorse Publishing, 2010.
MacLean, Charles. Scotch Whisky, A Liquid History. London, UK: Cassell Illustrated, 2005.
Ronde, Ingvar (Ed.). Malt Whisky Yearbook 2016. Shropshire, UK: MagDig Media. 2015.
Roskrow, Dominic (Ed.). 1001 Whiskies You Must Taste Before You Die. New York, NY: Universe Publishing. 2012.

---

Whisky

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: Douglas Laing
Range: Old Malt Cask

Age: 16 years (February 1996 - February 2012)

Maturation: refill hogshead
Cask number: 8020
Bottle: 315

Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? No
Colored? No
(A purchased sample)

NEAT
Its color is almost the same as Wednesday's immature 6yo Ardmore. Perhaps un-oaked chardonnay rather than pinot grigio? The nose presents an amusing duality. First there are the industrial note: new carpet, new sneakers and glossy magazine print. Then there's the fruit: peaches and pears, raspberry jam and orange marmalade. After 20 minutes or so, a wet sand note arises. Its palate's challenging quality comes not from peat but from the raw ultra-young spirit. Very spicy cinnamon notes. Hay, dried basil, white fruits and vanilla. The finish is similar to the palate. Cinnamon Red Hots candies, bran flakes, dried herbs and hay.

WITH WATER (~40%abv)
The nose has barely changed. If anything, the fruit has lessened and a bit of mossy peat has joined the rougher synthetic notes. There's a better bitterness to the now leaner palate. Less sweetness, less spice. It's herbal and mineral. Savory and salty with a tiny bit of sneaker peat. It finishes salty, savory and earthy.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Another raw Ardmore. I tried this one alongside the 6yo and by the time I finished my palate was wrecked. Like the 6, the 16 reads like less than half its age statement. The 16's good nose shows some level of maturation and puts it ahead of the 6 quality-wise. It's admirably naked stuff, but even as a fan of low-oak whisky, I don't mind if I never drink this again. Which means, as enjoyable as the nose may be, I can't grade the whisky over 80.

Though I've been singing this distillery's praises for years, I've reviewed only one Ardmore that approached excellence. I guess I'm going to have to start opening up more bottles from my stash.

Availability - Still around at a few European retailers, five years later
Pricing - around €75
Rating - 78

A Brief History of Ardmore Distillery (Part 2), plus a review of Ardmore 6 year old 2008 van Wees The Ultimate, cask 800067

History

(click here for Part 1)

William Teacher & Sons began construction on Ardmore Distillery in 1898. William I had passed away in 1876. His son, William II, died in 1880. And before the distillery's construction had completed, Adam Teacher passed on. William's son-in-law, Walter Carl Bergius, helped run things while the company received help from the nearby Glendronach distillery to get Ardmore up and running. Production began in 1899.

The distillery expanded from one pair of stills to two in 1955, then added an additional two in 1974. While there were a few special single malt bottlings of Ardmore during this time, almost all of the spirit was needed for Teacher's Highland Cream. Demand for Teacher's increased to the point that William Teacher & Sons bought Glendronach in 1960 to help secure more malt.

In 1976, Allied Distillers bought William Teacher & Sons, picking up Teacher's Highland Cream, Glendronach and Ardmore in the process.

...stay tuned for Part 3 on Friday.

Sources:
MacLean, Charles. Whiskypedia. A Compendium of Scotch Whisky. New York, NY: Skyhorse Publishing, 2010.
MacLean, Charles. Scotch Whisky, A Liquid History. London, UK: Cassell Illustrated, 2005.
Ronde, Ingvar (Ed.). Malt Whisky Yearbook 2016. Shropshire, UK: MagDig Media. 2015.
Roskrow, Dominic (Ed.). 1001 Whiskies You Must Taste Before You Die. New York, NY: Universe Publishing. 2012.

---

Whisky

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: van Wees (The Ultimate)

Age: 6 years (June 24, 2008 - October 29, 2014)

Maturation: Bourbon Barrel
Cask number: 800067
Bottle: 263 of 340

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
Colored? No
(Sample taken from an OCSC event bottle)

NEAT
Its color is pinot grigio or lighter. At its best, the nose reads like baby Caol Ila infused with honey. But it's not often at its best. It's mostly new make. Barley, vanilla frosting, plastic toys, Red Vines candy and stinky cheese. The palate is hot and spirity. Barley meets rye white dog. Salt, char, caramel and a late bitterness. The peat trends towards farmy. The mouth-drying finish is pretty flat with chlorine and barley notes. A quiet chocolate note in the distance.


WITH WATER (~40%abv)
The nose is aggressively farmy. Notes of pancake mix, yeast and pears follow. The palate goes harsh. Burnt hair. Bitter ashes. A strong tanginess overtakes the mild sweetness. The finish is very tangy, very burnt and very bitter with a weird caramel note in the middle.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
The Ultimate has released at least 14 casks of five-to-eight-year-old 2008 Ardmore over the past couple of years. That comes out to more than 4000 bottles of immature Ardmore. Most of these casks can be easily found any many European whisky retailers. While the prices on these bottles are very reasonable, my concern is that The Ultimate has flooded the market with casks that sincerely needed more time to mature. Why did they do this? Did they really think there's a market for this stuff? I'm their target demo and I don't want to buy a bottle of this even if I can get it for less than $40.

It's not the worst single malt on the market, but it's the least exceptional Ardmore I've ever tried. I'm actually kind of sorry I selected this bottle for a whisky event.

If you try this whisky, DO NOT ADD WATER. It's drinkable neat. Or, at the very least, it's noseable. Young peated whisky is always fun to sniff, as it blasts off in all sorts of crazy directions, and this is no exception. The palate can be trying, though. While it's probably as close to Ardmore new make we plebeians are allowed to try, it's also probably not as good as actual full strength Ardmore spirit because some unformed barrel-related notes have slipped in. And it's also not strong enough to be amusingly crazy.

Jordan at Chemistry of the Cocktail wasn't the biggest fan of this whisky either had some issues with this whisky, though he did like it more than I. Did I mention, don't add water?

Availability - Many European retailers
Pricing - most of these casks can be found for less than €40
Rating - 70 (don't add water)

A Brief History of Ardmore Distillery (Part 1), plus a review of Ardmore 16 year old 1998 G&M for Binny's

History

At the ripe old age of 19, William Teacher secured a liquor license for the grocery store owned by his girlfriend's (and wife-to-be's) mother. Around the time of his 25th birthday, he'd opened his own store, a 'dram shop'. By the time William was 40, there were 20 Teacher's Dram Shops throughout Glasgow, and he had moved into the wholesale wine and spirits business. In his time away from liquor commerce, William became a frequent pen pal of Ralph Waldo Emerson and a number of Scottish socialist leaders.

At the time of his death in 1876, William Teacher was had the largest pub business in Glasgow. His sons, William II and Adam, joined the family company in 1875, forming William Teacher & Sons. Over the next several years the sons experimented with in-house blending until they honed their craft. William II passed away in 1880. In 1884, Adam and company registered Teacher's Highland Cream, a blended whisky, and began selling it widely.

Such was Teacher's Highland Cream's success, the company was soon in need of a larger source of malt whisky. William Teacher & Sons broke ground on Ardmore Distillery in Aberdeenshire in 1898.

...stay tuned for Part 2 on Wednesday.

Sources:
MacLean, Charles. Whiskypedia. A Compendium of Scotch Whisky. New York, NY: Skyhorse Publishing, 2010.
MacLean, Charles. Scotch Whisky, A Liquid History. London, UK: Cassell Illustrated, 2005.
Ronde, Ingvar (Ed.). Malt Whisky Yearbook 2016. Shropshire, UK: MagDig Media. 2015.
Roskrow, Dominic (Ed.). 1001 Whiskies You Must Taste Before You Die. New York, NY: Universe Publishing. 2012.

---

Ardmore 16 year old 1998 G&M for Binny's

Distillery: Ardmore
Region: Highlands (Eastern)

Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

Age: 16 years (September 7, 1998 - August 2015)

Maturation: refill sherry hogshead
Cask number: 5587
Exclusively for: Binny's

Alcohol by Volume: 55.5%
Chillfiltered? No
Colored? No

Sample obtained in a swap with My Annoying Opinions. Thank you!

NEAT
Its color is a reddish brown, another loaded "refill" sherry cask? The nose begins with orange peel, toffee and seawater. It's slightly raisiny, but otherwise the sherry is light and dry. It's nutty with an herbal edge. Citronella candles and roses. A hint of smoked salmon. The palate is full of hardy, tarry, green herbal peat. Intensely bitter at times. Earthy and mineral. Limes, cocoa powder and a chili oil bite. The peat grows more rugged in the long finish. Bitter herbs, burnt plastic. Sweetness eventually emerges.

WITH WATER (~46%abv)
The nose is a little meatier. More nuts and salt. Anise, tar, lemons, citronella candles (again) and a hint of canned peaches. There's bitter cocoa and bitter herbs with tarry peat in the palate. This meets the toffee, honey and tropical fruit notes well. The straightforward finish is of nuts, honey, salt and bitter smoke.

WITH MORE WATER (~40%abv)
The nose has more classic wood smoke, ash and vanilla. A few pears in the mix. No sherry. The palate is sweeter, but also briny. The bitterness has cooled down. Plenty of vanilla, ginger ale and limes. More vanilla in the sweet finish. Caramel, limes and a slight bitterness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
A good whisky with a curious cask. Its nose first told of a peatless Ardmore, but the palate spun the opposite story. As water was added, the two grew closer. It's a brisk, sharp Ardmore that will appeal to fans of austere, earthy, bitter whiskies. I'm always a fan of this type, though at times its edge approached my limit. But I really like its meanness and I respect Binny's for selecting this unsexy single cask. There's really not much sherry to speak of, which isn't a bad thing. The more the whisky is diluted, the more American oak character appears. I prefer it neat.

Even as someone who chases nearly every new Ardmore release, I find its $120 price tag concerning. Then again, the younger Exclusive Malts Ardmore single casks are going for the same price. I won't be buying any of them. If Binny's ever puts this single cask on sale for less than $100, I may be able to recommend it then.

Availability - Binny's only, and still fully available as of the date of this post
Pricing - $120
Rating - 87

Single Malt Report: Ledaig 16 year old 1997 Gordon & MacPhail for The Whisky Exchange

Two intense Ledaigs so far this week and, yes, two very positive reviews. I'll finish up with a darker-colored Ledaig that has had a few more years in a cask. In fact it's from the '90s (ancient!). It's another Gordon & MacPhail bottling sold exclusively through a single retailer. This time it's from the big boys and girls at The Whisky Exchange, whom (I just learned) are no longer at the massive Vinopolis location, as of two years ago. So don't head over to Bank End looking for booze. Anyway, TWE usually picks good stuff. Let's see how this bottle of Tobermory's Farts fares...

Distillery: Tobermory
Brand: Ledaig
Region: Isle of Mull

Independent Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

Age: 16 years (October 23, 1997 - October 30, 2013)

Maturation: refill sherry hogshead
Cask number: 465
Exclusively for: The Whisky Exchange

Alcohol by Volume: 56.8%
Chillfiltered? No
Colored? No

Sample obtained in a swap with His Annoying Opinions. Thanks, HAO?

NEAT
It has a dark gold color. The rich "refill" cask registers first in the nose: Raisins and vanilla. Dark chocolate merges with the vegetal peat. Lavender honey. Make that golden raisins and plums. Chocolate, toffee and tobacco in the palate. Pepper in the back, lime on the sides. Moderate peating. Fizzy ginger. Hints of anise and mint. The finish is its sweetest point. Then dark chocolate, soil and citrus.

WITH WATER (~46%abv)
The sherry gets even bolder in the nose. Buckets of dried fruit and honey. Vanilla. Less smoke than before. The palate has also mellowed, now more toasty than smoky. Ginger and bitter chocolate. A whole lotta limes. The finish is sweet and smoky. Limes and vanilla.

WITH MORE WATER (~40%abv)
Oddly, the peat now returns to the nose, while the sherry fades. Simple but nice honeyed herbal peatin'. The palate is sweeter, lightly peated. Easy drinking. A little bit of pepper and minerals. A sugar-covered raisin or two. It finishes sweet and raisin-y. Peppery and lightly bitter.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This is, probably, the closest thing to a crowdpleaser amongst the three Ledaigs I reviewed this week. It's quite sweet with plenty of dried fruit and vanilla. Yet, the peat remains more Ledaig-style than Islayesque, which is much appreciated by this drinker. It's too bad I missed out on getting my own bottle, but TWE's shipping prices are forbidding.

Mr. Opinions, from whose bottle this sample was poured, found some different angles to it. He detected more smoke and ash than I did. But he did note the lime, raisins and sweets. Serge "liked it a lot", too; one or two more points than MAO and I, if such a thing can be so precisely quantified; which it can't.

Availability - The Whisky Exchange, but it's been sold out for some time.
Pricing - What kind of asshole reviews whiskies you can't buy? What kind of asshole doesn't?
Rating - 86