BenRiach 17 year old Solstice (2nd Edition)

As promised, there will be a few port cask whisky reviews this week. Though I did these tastings on my home turf, I wrote the posts while traveling. I hope they make at least a little bit of sense!

First up, is (SPOILER ALERT) one of the best port cask-finished whiskies in recent history. The fact that it's also peated is impressive since wine and phenolics rarely dance well together. Also, I usually don't like wine cask finished whiskies since the elements rarely merge well, making the flaws more obvious rather than silencing them. Billy Walker and his team seemed to know something most other blenders don't because Benriach's finished peated whiskies had (in my opinion) by far the highest success rate in the business.

Yes, you may have noticed my use of the past tense. Brown-Forman bought the Benriach Distillery Company last year—I just barfed in my mouth—so who knows what happens next.

Distillery: BenRiach
Ownership: BenRiach Distillery Company (now owned by Brown-Forman)
Region: Speyside (Lossie)

Age: at least 17 years

Maturation: ex-bourbon casks first, then an extended finish in tawny port casks

Alcohol by Volume: 50%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colored? No
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
The nose leads with rich peat character: seaweed, tar, salty air and band-aids. There's a light grapiness (grape-y-ness?) around the edges. Then butterscotch, burlap and honey. The peat remains ever-present in the palate, alongside a dynamic milk chocolate note. Early notes include lemons, toffee, nougat and caramel. A hint of mango. It gets sweeter with time in the glass. There's an effervescent fizziness to it throughout. A toasty peatiness highlights the finish. There's also toffee, lemon and brine. Hints of grapes and fresh ginger. A surprising lack of heat.

WITH WATER (~40%abv)
The nose becomes quite farmy. And lots of band-aids. Some tobacco and apples. The calmer palate has more butterscotch and toffee. A nice coffee/mocha note. Hints of salt and peat. A little bit of chocolate in the finish, which is sweeter than before. Lots of lemons and limes. Caramel sauce and grape jam.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Solstice is a pleasure. I hope there's a third edition in the works and it hews to the formula of the second edition. The peat is pretty fab, the port casks aren't too aggressive, and there's a remarkable lack of heat. It all works (and swims) well. I'm going to assume this is due to very good casks and great cask management. Though I'm not in the market for buying any bottles right now, I'm very tempted to get one of these.

Availability - A few dozen retailers around the world
Pricing - $80-$125, on the lower end of the range in Asia, on the higher end in Europe
Rating - 89

Bourbon and Rye Day Friday: Tap Rye Sherry Finished 8 year old Canadian Whisky

Though scotch producers are prohibited from adding sherry to their products, Canadian whisky makers are not. I learned the latter when Alberta's Dark Batch Rye came to the US in 2015 with its 1% sherry content.

The folks at Tap Whisky add a little something extra to each of their three products: maple syrup, port and sherry. When their US distribution rep offered me a bottle, I elected for the sherried one because it had a good old fashioned age statement.

The rye is sourced from "the oldest distillery in Western Canada", which is probably Alberta Distillers. It does eight years in new American white oak, after which an undisclosed quantity of Amontillado sherry is added. That combo is left to marry for 60 days before bottling.

Company: Tap Whisky

Distillery: probably Alberta Distillers
Region: Canadiana
Type: rye whisky
Age: at least 8 years
Maturation: new American white oak
Mashbill: ???
Batch: 14TL-8-98
Alcohol by Volume: 41.5%
Sherried? Yes
Chillfiltered? ???
Colored? ???
(This bottle comes to Diving for Pearls courtesy of Conundrum Marketing. Thanks!)

NEAT
Its color is quite light compared to eight (or even two) year old American rye. Sherry dominates the nose at first. Gradually other notes emerge. Grape drink, fennel seed and apples. A drop of almond extract. Even though this isn't a blend, there's a hint of Canadian Club-type neutral spirit drifting in the midground. The sherry is the loudest note in the palate as well. Toffee and almonds. Prunes. Ginger ale, black peppercorns and black licorice. Some mild heat and graininess to it. The finish is quite candied. Twix bars, prunes, ginger ale and black licorice.

MANHATTAN
It's a very sweet, light combo of red wine and sweet sherry with a hint of cinnamon.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
I've found Canadian producers to be very successful at making totally inoffensive whisky, seeming to play into American stereotypes of Canadians. (Of course, part of the reason Canadian whiskies drink so easily is their maximum dilution levels.) My two favorite Canadian whiskies have been the Collingwood 21yo and Lot No. 40, whose characters are anything but shy.

Tap's 8 year old sherry-finished rye feels like it would have been lost among the many character-light Canadian whiskies out there if not for its extra ingredient. I don't know how much sherry was actually added, but it takes over the whisky throughout. There's not much rye left to speak of.

If you're not terribly picky about sherry-cask-finished single malt whiskies, then this rye may appeal to you most. For instance, if you're a big Glenmorangie Lasanta fan, then you may want to give this a try. It could also appeal to people turned off by bold American ryes. For the rest of us, I will say this is a little better than the usual Canadian blend, whatever our feelings about Canadian blends may be.

Availability - A few dozen US liquor specialty retailers
Pricing - $30-$45
Rating - 78

Linlithgow 28 year old 1982 Mackillop's Choice, cask 2206

Mazel Tov (good fortune!) to a great honest lifelong friend, his wife and their new baby boy! To celebrate, I unearthed a gem from the stash and, after a wee l'chayim, consumed it......in good health.

Built in the late eighteenth century on the grounds of a former convent and leper colony(!), St. Magdalene distillery cranked out single malt in the town of Linlithgow for nearly two centuries before being shuttered and demolished by a certain spirits conglomerate in 1983. St. Magdalene / Linlithgow was one of the last remaining Lowland malt distilleries before the weak market spelled its demise. Like its sister-DCL-destroyed-Lowland distillery, Rosebank, its output was mainly for blends, but its single malts are well-loved by that previous generation of whisky nerds who are even more pissed off than I am about the current whisky world.

This is my first St. Mag / Linlithgow. And if many other single malts by this late distillery were as good as this one, then I'd be proper raging too.

Distillery: Linlithgow (a.k.a. St. Magdalene)
Region: Lowlands
Owner: DCL (proto-Diageo)

Independent Bottler: Mackillop's Choice
Type: Single Malt

Age: 28 years (October 5, 1982 to April 2011)

Maturation: a cask
Cask number: 2206

Alcohol by Volume: 57.3%
(Thank you to Eric S. for this super thing.)

It has a light amber color, which is nice to see after so many years in the cask. Its nose moves forth on two levels with impressive balance. The Light: gentle tropical fruits, toasted oak, honeydew and apple pie. The Dark: soil, eucalyptus and hints of dunnage. Similar yin-yang on the thickly-textured palate. Plenty of barley; marshmallows and butterscotch, though moderately sweet; and late BIG citrus. This is met by hints of savoriness and wood smoke; soft heat and cool herbal bitter nip. The two sides come together in the finish as an herbal (basil?) candy that both cools and bites the mouth. Lemons and earth. A lengthy experience.

This is so good. (For another review, see the review by some whisky funyun.) This Linlithgow's duality plays out in every aspect of its nature. And I can't think of too many current whiskies that keep this balance. It's like old Balbair with some dirt thrown on it. It's also very light on the oak after 28 years, yet clearly not from a crap cask. I shouldn't have been worried that this one wasn't going to hit the mark, but I was. The pleasures of pessimism!

Availability - Happy Hunting!
Pricing - north of $500
Rating - 90

Speyside (Glenfarclas?) 10 year old 2004 Exclusive Malts, Port cask finish

I was going to do a whole week of port cask whiskies, but there's been a wee change of plans. Though today's whisky is porty, the full week of port cask goodness has been delayed until next week.

This single malt's spirit was distilled by a Speyside distillery that elected to prevent this independent bottler from using its name. There's a certain family-owned Speyside distillery has a habit of doing this, especially when indie bottlers release their single malt not aged in sherry casks. While I can't guarantee this whisky was distilled by Glenfarclas, I will say that's my guess is it's Glenfarclas. If so, it was a cool idea for David Stirk's The Creative Whisky Company to give folks a chance to try it port cask-style.

Distillery: Glenfarclas?
Region: Speyside

Independent Bottler: The Creative Whisky Co.
Series: Exclusive Malts

Age: 10 years old (May 2004 - August 2004)

Maturation: port cask
Limited bottling: 296

Alcohol by Volume: 57.7%
Chillfiltered? No
Colored? No
(Thank you to Mr. Perkins for this sample!)

NEAT
Its color is very dark and rosy. The nose is full of chocolate—rather than berry—port notes. It's a bit hot, sharp and young, but it's also full of barley notes that stand up to the wine. Earthy, candied, a little floral. Hints of cassis juice and nectarines. In the palate, it's the berry port notes that show up. It's hot and sweet. A little bit of good bitterness. Hints of menthol and tart citrus. Lots of port. Its warm finish is moderately sweet. Tart berries and citrus. An earthy bitterness.

WITH WATER (~46%abv)
The nose has completely changed gears. Kirsch, roses, mint leaves, cookie dough with toffee chips, brine and butter. The palate is very earthy, tart and sweet. There's some pencil lead and shavings. Salted butter. The berries are much quieter. But then they show up again in the finish. Sweet, grapey and buttery with a hint of earthiness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
The vibrant nose is the star here. In fact, it's gorgeous when reduced to 46%abv. The port cask overwhelms the palate, when neat. The palate gets quirkier and rougher when water is added, which was an improvement in my opinion. If you like port cask whiskies, you probably won't have too much problem with this one. Other than the price, perhaps.

Availability - It's still around, a dozen or so US retailers
Pricing - $95-$105
Rating - 84 (with water only)

Bourbon and Rye Day Friday: Calumet Farm bourbon

Sometimes I review a whisky because it fits in with a weekly theme. And sometimes I review a whiskey because its bottle takes up too much damn room in my storage box.

Western Spirits appears to have invested in a slinky, curvy vessel for their Calumet Farm bourbon, even though the thing is twice as wide as the average bottle. One wonders how much they invested in the NDP NAS non-straight whiskey itself. A 750mL of Calumet sells for $50 in many states. How much of that goes towards recouping the expense of the glass?

Non Distiller Producer: Western Spirits
Brand: Calumet Farm
Distiller: ???
Type: Bourbon
Region: Bowling Green, Kentucky
Maturation: New American oak
Age: ???
Mashbill: ???, mystery meat indeed

Alcohol by Volume: 43%

NEAT
Its color is very pale for a bourbon, sort of a light gold Scotch tone. The nose leads with flowers, almond paste, paint and cardboard. Quite a mix there. Loads of barrel char. Snuffed cheap cigar butt on the morning after. Then hints of vanilla and chlorine. The palate is mildly sweet. Hold it. Never mind. REALLY sweet. Honey and hint of citrus. Slightly nutty, slightly chemically. It finishes tooth-rottingly sweet. Honey butter and orange candy. Sour aftertaste.

ON THE ROCKS
Plenty sweet. A bit of caramel candy shows up. Barrel char. Cigarettes. The finish ditches its sourness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
I was expecting the worst after reading Sku's review and its comments. But the bourbon is not horrible. It does feel watered down, and the nose is cockeyed. Yet, it's drinkable. And though it is waaaaaaaay too sweet for my mouth, other drinkers may not feel the same.

Its lack of "straight" designation has me thinking one or two things are going on. There could be very young whiskey in the mix or there's a tiny bit of sweetener or flavoring that has been added. Or both.
(UPDATE: As Florin noted in the comments, bourbon can't technically have any flavoring additives, though rye can. Though, as morlock added, if the industry is self-policing it becomes easy to suspect some tinkering.)

Calumet Farm would be a good-enough bourbon in the $15-$20 range, but it's not in the $15-$20 range.

Availability - Most US specialty liquor retailers
Pricing - US: $38-$55, averaging close to $50; Overseas: $100+ (yup)
Rating - 75

Old Pulteney Navigator (blind tasting)

The first whisky of the blind tasting was Old Pulteney 12 year old.
The second whisky was Old Pulteney WK 217 Spectrum.
The third whisky was Old Pulteney Clipper Commemorative Edition.
And then there was Old Pulteney Navigator.

This whisky confuses me. The official website lists it as a limited edition release, but it's been around for four years, and the company never announced a bottle count. The site also says the whisky was "inspired by the intrepid maritime adventure in the 13-14 Clipper Race", but that's the same thing they said about the Clipper Commemorative Edition. The Clipper edition, which I reviewed yesterday, was also a limited edition but its bottle count number was publicized. To make things even cloudier, these whiskies were released less than ten months apart. Navigator (2013) was released before Clipper (2014), yet Navigator is still being bottled—for instance, my bottle was from June 2016—and, as mentioned at the start, is listed by the company as a limited edition. So, what exactly qualifies as a limited edition nowadays?

Distillery: Pulteney

Ownership: Inver House (via Thai Beverages plc via International Beverage Holdings Ltd.)

Region: Northern Highlands (Wick)

Type: Single Malt

Maturation: "Bourbon and Sherry Casks" per the tube

Age: NAS
Bottled: 2016
Bottling code: L16/178 R16/5182 I8 13:05
Limited Bottling: ???

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? ???
Colored? ???
(DISCLOSURE: This was one of the bottles that Amy from Ten27 Communications had sent me recently (thanks, Amy!).)

Its color is the second lightest of the group, sort of a light gold. This nose is......active. Ham, deep fryer oil, yeast and Romano cheese. There are hints of orange candy and toffee, as well as something metallic and industrial. A little more barley slips in, with time in the glass. The palate is loaded with cinnamon, carpet and rye new make. Toasted wheat bread. Hints of caramel sauce and umami. It grows sweeter with time until it's much too sweet. It finishes with cinnamon and salt. Barley. Toast. The sweetness issue shows up here as well.

There's another glass of Navigator in my hand right now. As I smell and taste it in very different (non-blind) circumstances, I'm finding that cheese note to be overwhelming. It's the largest thing happening in the nose and it's blocking most other notes from showing up. The palate has a sharpness and hotness to it that I didn't notice before. On the positive side, there's a definite lack of oak.

I like hot mess whiskies, but this one doesn't work for me. Like the Clipper, Navigator is young stuff, but there's something dearly out of whack to it. Unlike Clipper, it doesn't present a united front. A bunch of things misfire simultaneously. The good news is that OP doesn't try to paper over all of it with a bunch of new oak, like most other distilleries (in many countries) are doing right now. So I do respect them for that. But if the Clipper and Navigator are on the shelf, I'd go with the Clipper.

Availability - Many specialty retailers worldwide
Pricing - Japan, Europe and US: $45-$65
Rating - 77

Old Pulteney Clipper Commemorative Edition (blind tasting)

Keeping with all their boat-themed NAS expressions, Old Pulteney released this Clipper Commemorative bottling as a tribute to the folks who raced 'round the world in their yachts in the...er, Round the World Yacht Race in 2013-2014.

Released in July 2014, the Clipper Commemorative edition was "limited" to 16,200 bottles. Perhaps due to its lack of age statement, an overestimation of the whisky-drinking yacht enthusiast contingent and the high bottle count, the Clipper can still be found rather easily in US, Europe and Japan.

I included this amongst my four-whisky blind tasting this past weekend. It turned out to be the third glass. (See here for the first whisky, and here for the second.)

Distillery: Pulteney

Ownership: Inver House (via Thai Beverages plc via International Beverage Holdings Ltd.)

Region: Northern Highlands (Wick)

Type: Single Malt

Maturation: "ex American bourbon and ex Spanish sherry casks"

Age: NAS
Bottled: 2014
Limited Bottling: 16200

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? doubtful
Colored? probably not
(DISCLOSURE: This was one of the bottles that Amy from Ten27 Communications had sent me recently (thanks, Amy!).)

Its amber color is the lightest of the four. The nose has a momentary Loch Lomond-style garbage note at the start, but that quickly vanishes. It's replaced by very clean light floral notes, followed by whisky wash, and a hint of grape candy. It's very grassy. With time, it picks up small notes of maple syrup, vanilla and yellow delicious apples. Wow, the palate starts off all barley. Straight up wort. Yeast. Roasted nuts with a sprinkle of confectioner's sugar. Then brown butter and saltines. Hints of bitter herbs and a phenolic note. It finishes with brown butter and barley. A little bit of heat. Mild bitterness and that phenolic element.

This one fascinates me. During the blind tasting it sat next to the WK217, the darkest of the four. Both are made up of American oak and Spanish oak casks, but they couldn't be any further apart in style—perhaps due to first-fill/refill cask status. While the Clipper does pick up some small oak-influenced notes after oxidation, it's usually very grassy and barley-forward. Meanwhile the WK217 is mostly sherry. Despite their differences, these two were my favorites.

Yes, the Clipper is undoubtably young, but I don't find it out of balance. Nor is it hot. Nor do I find it as oaky as Whiskyfun and The Whisky Jug did. I've had a few pours of it since the tasting, and I still feel the same way. Because I'm not exactly part of the yachting crowd, I have no idea if Clipper is great for fancy boat drinkin'. But I can say it's a nice spring or summer whisky, and takes to ice very well. I'd happily buy it at $40, though that's the lowest price it goes for.

Availability - A few dozen retailers in the US, Europe and Japan
Pricing - Japan: around $70; Europe: $55-$80 (w/o shipping and VAT); US: $40-$60
Rating - 85