Ardmore 12 year old Port Wood Finish

On one hand I'm happy that one of my favorite distilleries now has a full official whisky range. On the other hand, the entire range is essentially multi-casked. Tradition, formerly Traditional Cask, has a quarter cask finish. This 12 year old has a port cask finish. Triple Wood uses, er, three different casks. Even the limited edition 20 year old uses has an Islay cask finish. Legacy doesn't seem to have a finish, but it's NAS and 40%abv.

Ardmore makes an old school peated Highland spirit, so I'm not sure why they feel the need to futz with it. They do seem to be trying imitate their portfolio-mate, Laphroaig. How about an all ex-bourbon cask 10 year old Cask Strength edition then?

But back to the positives. Ardmore! A 12 year age statement! Also, Ardmore! And I do like a well done port cask whisky. I could barely wait to buy this whisky once we moved to Ohio, in fact I bought a bottle (not from Ohio) before we even had permanent housing. It took me only two years to open the bottle.

Distillery: Ardmore
Ownership: Beam Suntory
Region: Highlands (Eastern)
Age: minimum 12 years
Maturation: bourbon casks, then port casks
Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? possibly
(bottom half of my bottle)

NEAT
The nose certainly has its fruits – green apples, green grapes and blackberry jam – but it also brings out plenty of brine and mossy wet stones. Smaller notes of roasted corn, honey and brandy linger at the edges. The palate has light-to-moderate levels of sweetness, pepper, smoke and minerals. There's some blackberry jam, limes, almonds and caramel. The finish goes darker than the palate, with Band Aids and beach smoke. Tart limes and a few berries roll around as well.

DILUTED TO ~40%abv, or < 1tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Shisha, lemon zest and cinnamon lead the nose. Then fennel, orange oil and gentle peat smoke. The palate is sharper and less sweet than when neat. Bigger on the salt and chile oil than the peat smoke and berries. The finish still has a good length to it. Very mineral and peppery. No glamour.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Though Ardmore 12 year old Port Wood Finish won't wind up on any reliable Whisky of the Year lists, it did make my (totes reliable) Favorite Single Malts Under $80 list. Its port, peat and oak levels are never out of whack. It's never too hot or too sweet. And it's impressively austere (the A word!) for an official bottling, especially on the diluted palate.

Or to be less thoughtful and more gutful(?), this bottle was consumed quicker than my average whisky bottle. In three head-to-head comparisons it tasted better than my 1991 Ardmore, which still sits in the cabinet more than half full. Kudos to the blenders at Ardmore for fashioning a good malt. Now how about a 15- or 18-year-old bourbon cask release???

Availability - Europe

Pricing - $50-$60 w/o VAT, w/o shipping
Rating - 85

My 25 favorite single malts under $80

So it has come to this. Clickbait.

Actually if it were clickbait, the title would be "25 Best Whiskies Under $80!" and I would have posted it near Black Friday. Yet......you clicked over here so let's get to it.

I use the word "Favorite" (American spelling!) rather than "Best" because whisky is subjective and expensive. $80 is set as a ceiling because:

• It's a personal limit I'm trying to abide by for as long as possible. Good luck to me!
• The next level of each distillery's/brand's range appears just north of $80.
• Dude, I'm trying to keep this to only 25 whiskies.

Seven years ago this would have been a list of my favorite single malts under $50. So it goes.

THE RULES

• Official bottlings only - I'm trying to include whiskies that are at least somewhat available. And there's a grim lack of interesting indie bottlings at this price range.
• Scotch only - Yep.
• Three years - No, not 3yo whisky. I'm only listing single malts that I've consumed within the past three years. I'm of the camp that believes batches, small or large, change in character over time no matter how talented the blenders may be.
• Amerocentric Pricing - Current as of January 2019, and based on Wine-searcher Pro. European prices are calculated without VAT, but do include an average shipping rate for one bottle within a moderate-sized US order.
• Subjectivity - Again, these whiskies will not appeal to everyone. Each of us has our own palate preferences.
• Ethical-ish - I have purchased, or am currently price-shopping, all of these whiskies. My stomach does a weird wiggle-grumble each time I heap praise on a whisky I haven't purchased. Thus this rule is being applied so I can digest food properly this week.

THE WHISKY

1. Ardmore 12 year old Port Wood Finish - USA: not for sale; Europe: $65-$75
   Just finished my bottle. Watch this space!
2. Arran 10 year old - USA: $45-$55; Europe: $45-60
   The 10-to-15 year range is my favorite spot for Arran whiskies. They haven't messed with their 10yo since it arrived.
3. Arran 14 year old - USA: $60-$80; Europe: $55-70
   Old label, new label. Whichever. Great stuff.
4. Ben Nevis 10 year old - USA: >crazy; Europe: $65-$75
   Ben Nevis has arrived, and now this thing has become scarce. It's very good.
5. Benromach 10 year old - USA: $45-$60; Europe: $45-60
   This distillery is run by, like, one grandma, one sentient rubber band and two schnauzers (per the marketing material), yet the whisky is excellent. Not enough love for this particular 10yo.
6. Benromach 10 year old 100 Proof / Imperial Proof - USA: $70 and up; Europe $65-$75
   It's as good as the two-year-old hype. Possibly better.
7. Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie Scottish Barley - USA: $45-$60; Europe: $55-$75
   This was such a surprise to me because I'm not a fan of Bruichladdich's unpeated whisky. WARNING: Serious batch variation.
8. Bunnahabhain 12 year old - USA: $45-$65; Europe: $55-$65
   This has become an excellent whisky. I had it at two blind tastings in 2018 and LOVED it both times. Review of the current edition to post this year.
9. Caol Ila 12 year old - USA: $55-$75; Europe: $55-$65
   One of those whiskies I hate to like because it's factory-made. But then again, so are all the great Midleton pot still whiskies and MGP ryes.
10. Clynelish 14 year old - USA: $50-$70; Europe: $50-$65
    It still works, and is "better" than most of the indie Clynelishes I've had.
11. Craigellachie 13 year old - USA: $40-$65; Europe: $50-$70
    Probably not a popular choice. It's a difficult whisky, but I've grown to enjoy it,
12. Glenfiddich 15 year old Distillery Edition - USA: not for sale; Europe: $55-$70
    The most muscular thing Glenfiddich makes. And the best.
13. Glen Garioch 12 year old - USA: $55-$70; Europe: $50-$65
    As I mentioned in my recent review, this is as good as I'd remembered. I just bought another bottle. 
14. Glen Scotia 15 year old - USA: $60-$70; Europe: $65-$80
    The best thing the new regime has bottled. And I think it can get better.
15. Hazelburn 10 year old - USA: $60-$70; Europe: $55-$65
    Another shocker. I wasn't a fan of the previous regular Hazelburns, but the Springbank folks found the right recipe this time.
16. Highland Park 12 year old - USA: $40-$60; Europe: $45-$65
    Old reliable. WARNING: I haven't tried the new Leif Erikson's Boat's Starboard Dog's Wet Arsehole edition.
17. Lagavulin 16 year old - USA: $65 and up; Europe: $60 and up
    Old Faithful still rumbles.
18. Laphroaig 10 year old - USA: $35-$55; Europe: $45-$65
    Speaking of which.
19. Laphroaig 10 year old Cask Strength - USA: $60-$80; Europe: scarce
    After a couple of lame batches the behemoth has returned.
20. Longrow Peated - USA: $55-$70; Europe: $55-$70
    Springbank is a good distillery.
21. Kilkerran 12 year old - USA: $60-$80; Europe: $50-$65
    Not as superlative as some of the WIPs, but still very good. It's much more fun/complex/drinkable than the first batch of 8yo cask strength stuff.
22. Port Charlotte 10 year old, new edition - USA: $60-$70; Europe: $65-$80
    Watch this space!
23. Port Charlotte Islay Barley, previous edition - USA: $60-$80; Europe: $75 and up
    I haven't tried the new one in the mortar-shaped bottle, but I adore the older one in the classic Bruchladdich bottle. Hope to post a review of it this year.
24. Springbank 10 year old - USA: $55-$75; Europe: $55-$70
    Probably the Best whisky on this list, whatever "Best" means.
25. Tobermory 10 year old - USA: $50-$65; Europe: $50-$70
    Another one that's probably not the most popular choice. Oh well. It's on the list.

• Honorable Mention - Highland Park 8 year old Gordon & MacPhail (43%abv edition)
  Okay, one indie release. I don't know if the 43%abv version is being sold in Europe, but it's usually south of $50 in the USA, and it was much better than I'd expected.

NOTES:

• Several of these whiskies deserve an updated review. I will labor to do so.
• Some whiskies like Ledaig 10, Kilchoman Machir Bay, Oban 14, Talisker 10 and Balvenie 12, which would have been on this list in previous years, are currently under review.
• Some whiskies, like Springbank 12yo Cask Strength, missed the list because the reality of finding them for less than $80 is vanishing.
• Less than a third of these whiskies can be found for under $50. Yet the average age of the 26 whiskies is around 10.5 years old. Yes, Glenlivet 12 is cheaper, but have you had Glenlivet 12 recently?

Killing Whisky History, Episode 20: Peter Dawson Old Curio 12 year old, bottled in 1939, and Usher's Green Stripe, bottled in 1961

I'm feeling a little old and dusty in the new year, so it's time for some older and dustier scotch whiskies.

It's a mini head-to-head of Usher's Green Stripe, bottled in 1961, and Peter Dawson Old Curio 12 year old, bottled in 1939, both of which were sold in the sunny state of Wisconsin, both of which were produced by Diageo's predecessor, DCL, both of which were bottled at 43.4%abv, both of which were named after dudes and both of which had reeeeeeally delicate corks. Most importantly, both were drinkable.

Happy 2019!

Caol Ila 32 year old 1980 Sovereign for K&L

I'm feeling a little worn out with both Caol Ila and Clynelish after this Caol Ila-Clynelish month. There have been no terribly profound discoveries during this run, except that SMWS bottles a good whisky once in a while. And unless today's 32 year old whisky soils the bed — and I doubt it will — Caol Ila was the clear winner between the two Diageo distilleries this month.

Regarding Clynelish, the official 14 year old is preferable to all but the last two Clynelish bottlings I reviewed. And though the official Caol Ila 12 and 18 are very good, they were matched or beaten by most of the CIs I tried this month.

That leads to this, the 32 year old, the oldest Caol Ila I've ever tried. I just typed "tired" instead of "tried". Between overtime workdays, family parties, travel and two children, I am indeed ever tired. Whisky!

Distillery: Caol Ila
Region: Islay
Independent Bottler: Hunter Hamilton
Range: The Sovereign
Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants

Age: 32 years old (1980 - 2013)

Maturation: probably a bourbon barrel
Cask number: HH10083
Bottles: ~150

Alcohol by Volume: 57.1%
(thanks to Brett P for the sample!)

NEAT
The nose is very fruity: lychee, guava and white nectarines. What starts out as a roasted peat note morphs into an ocean peat note (think seaweed and brine) after 20 minutes. The smoke's intensity builds with time as well. A sort of smoked chocolate note appears after a while. I've never experienced a palate like this. Grape candy and ganja. Like, that's it, man, for the first 15 minutes. Then it gets tarry and salty. Grape bubblegum, band aids, mint and cherries. A lot of spiciness from the oak, but it's not tannic. Oh wait, yeah here come the tannins. It finishes smokier and bitterer than the palate. Tart berries, dry tannic red wine. Hints of the grape candy. Peat and heat last the longest.

DILUTED TO ~50%abv, or > ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose turns into something like a classic teenage Caol Ila. Candied peat, cured meat, tar and dried oregano. The palate becomes much sweeter. Tart citrus, tart berries. Small salty and savory notes. It gets peppery with time. The finish is noticeably shorter. It's tangy and sweet, but also has moments of smoke and peppercorns.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
If only the nose's great combination of fruit and peat had carried over to the palate, this would have been a killer. But the weight of the oak presses down late in the palate, then right through the finish. Still, the palate is kooky and unique enough to provide lots of entertainment. I don't think dilution did it any favors.

While I heartily encourage people to ditch The Port Ellen Chase in favor of well-matured Caol Ila, this one probably won't convince too many folks. Though it's a good whisky, it's not the best Caol Ila I had this month.

Availability - Sold out

Pricing - $269.99
Rating - 87 (neat only)

Clynelish 29 year old 1984 SMWS 29.105 (and Easy Rider)

(...continued from yesterday's post)

Despite all the editing flourishes in Easy Ryder, Peter Fonda's performance makes the most lasting mark in my memory of the film. He imbues Captain America with a yellow sheen of melancholy that can be felt from the instant he stuffs his cash stash into the red, white and blue gas tank. And though it isn't until the end of the film that he has a visual premonition of their fate, there's always a weight to his face and body that seems like he always knew what was going to happen. It's not just a distant stoned gaze into the abyss, it's resigned despair. He doesn't even have to speak the works "We blew it", it's in his flesh long before his bike burns.

The Clynelish tasting ended right before Billy and the Captain's Mardi Gras acid trip. Sadly, I can't pin the names "Billy" and "Captain America" on the two Clynelish because there would need to be considerable leaps to find parallels between the nonfiction whiskies and fictional bikers. But despite being of the same age, distillation year, bottler and cask type the two single malts were significantly different.

Distillery: Clynelish
Owner: Diageo
Region: Northern Highlands
Independent bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Age: 29 years (28 November 1984 to 2014)

Maturation: Refill sherry butt
"Poetic" name: Bumblebees by the sea
Cask number: 26.105
Outturn: 548

Alcohol by Volume: 57.6%
(thanks to Brett P for the sample!)

NEAT
Wildflowers, chewed grass, honey, honeydew and lemon on the nose. After 20-30 mins, notes of raspberry jam, herbal smoke and caramel sauce join in. The thick, oily mouthfeel reveals notes of ginger beer, lemon custard and lime juice in the palate. Meeting up with the fruity sweetness is a solid mineral nip. Soft oak-like notes of caramel sauce combine well with chili flakes and ground mustard seed. Its finish does have lemony notes similar to yesterday's Clynelish, but here it's more of a custard and marmalade than a juice. Mineral notes and chili flakes sparkle along the extensive length.

DILUTED TO ~50%abv, or < 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Now the nose has mustard, marzipan, parsley and peat moss. Guava and lemons. Toasted cinnamon bread. The palate becomes sweeter and more herbal with a touch of bitterness. Fresh ginger, lemon juice and honey. A mix of fresh green herbs. The finish keeps its great length. It's sweet and tart, focusing on limes, while also sneaking in parsley and brine.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Finally, an SMWS bottling that reflects its "creative" name. And alas, there's one Clynelish this month that shines with the distillery's great reputation. Similar to yesterday's whisky, the oak rarely appears and the sherry is absent. There's just big graceful age. While the nose etches out more detail, the palate shows great depth and balance. Despite the two whiskies' technical similarities, this one came with a $25 higher price tag. In my opinion, the high quality is worth some sort of premium. Yes, I just wrote that.

Availability - Sold out

Pricing - $175ish
Rating - 90

Clynelish 29 year old 1984 SMWS 29.102 (and Easy Rider)

As a parent of two children, I have discovered that the only way to get anything done is to do many things at once. Multitasking at work, multitasking at play. (For instance, I'm typing this post while eating breakfast.) It's not my preferred method of existence, but it's the only way I can get around to viewing a film once or twice a year.

This past weekend I consumed two samples of Clynelish with the same age, bottler, cask type and "vintage" (I prefer "birthday") while watching Easy Rider, a flick I hadn't seen in 20+ years. Easy Rider holds together better than I'd expected from a Dennis Hopper joint, almost solely due to heavy lifting on the editing flatbed. The story actually starts at the beginning, jumping right in without titles and — likely to the shock of many viewers 50 years ago — with Peter Fonda speaking titles-free Spanish. The structure is episodic, but there's little time wasted in the kinetic interstitial riding sequences. When it finishes at the 95-minute mark, Easy Rider feels both full and incomplete, like the lives of its antiheroes. Adventures were had, but a larger exploration was left unfinished.

This is where the Clynelish pair fits in. Whiskies of advanced age require an hour long tasting, in my opinion. They need time and space, rarely revealing their secrets up front. Also, despite what you may think of this glamorous blog, I don't drink 25+ year old whiskies on the reg, so I like to make them last as long as possible. And by "them" I mean whiskies like the two 29 year old Clynelish I'm reviewing today and tomorrow.

Distillery: Clynelish
Owner: Diageo
Region: Northern Highlands
Independent bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Age: 29 years (13 December 1984 to 2014)

Maturation: Refill sherry butt
"Funny" name: Pomanders in a lady's parlour
Cask number: 26.102
Outturn: 416

Alcohol by Volume: 56.0%
(thanks to Brett P for the sample!)

NEAT
The nose is loaded with zests (orange and lime), roses and melted candle wax at the start. That's followed by butterscotch, vanilla and sour apple candies. It gains more of that candied note with time but also holds onto a soft grassiness underneath. Meanwhile, the palate begins with lots of lemons and dulce de leche. Small notes of fresh ginger and bitter horseradish appear here and there. Some smoked nuts. It's very drinkable and never too sweet. The looooong finish is full of citrus, salt and peppery smoke. Hints of sugar and toasted grains.

DILUTED TO ~50%abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose reads a little hotter, curiously. But there's oranges, roses, vanilla, hay and ground mustard seed. The palate feels hotter, sweeter, bitterer. Louder, I guess. Lemons, vanilla, spicy mint. It's a little grassy and has the bite of an herbal liqueur. It finishes with citrus, peppery smoke, roses and mint.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Pretty darn good whisky this Clynelish, especially when neat. It balances sweetness, tartness and herbal bitterness. Smoke, or the illusion thereof, drifts up unexpectedly. It has some stamina to it, never fading out, getting only more raucous when diluted. This must have been a third- or fourth-fill sherry butt because the cask did only what it needed to do, hold the whisky and let it grow old.

I think this was $150 when it came out, which makes it a better deal than yesterday's Caol Ila. Yes, I just said something nice about SMWS. Again. What is the world coming to??? Find out tomorrow.

Availability - Sold out

Pricing - $150?
Rating - 88

Caol Ila 20 year old 1995 Signatory, cask 445 for K&L

The 18yo Caol Ila I reviewed on Monday was plum lovely. Today's Caol Ila spent two more years in a refill hoggie, in a different warehouse, for a different company. Thus it's likely that this whisky will be at least somewhat different in style than the 18yo. I've found Signatory's single casks much more reliable than SMWS's, so expectations are high-ish.

photo from K&L's site
I have no idea where my sample pic is

Distillery: Caol Ila
Owner: Diageo
Region: Islay
Independent Bottler: Signatory
Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants
Age: 20 years (24 January 1995 - 30 September 2015)
Maturation: refill hogshead
Cask#: 445
Alcohol by Volume: 54.4%
Chillfiltered? No
Caramel Colorant? No
(via a sample swap with Florin. Thanks, Florin!)

NEAT
Quite a style on the nose. Pineapple and lime juice meets cucumber skins, fennel and dried leafy peat. Smaller notes of Band Aids, wet sheep, dried cherries and vanilla in the background. The palate is very herbal: dried thyme, oregano and rosemary. Black pepper, burlap and bitter melon rind. Plenty of raw heat. Herbs, bitter cocoa, bitter smoke and heat in the finish.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Cucumber skins, bitter greens, lemon zest and peppercorns on the nose. The palate remains similar to the neat version. More limes and lemons. Sootier smoke. Slightly sweeter. The finish is bitter, sweet and salty, with a little more peat in the smoke.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
While it often tilts toward Herbal Bomb territory, this Caol Ila's fruit and smoke lend it some complexity. Of all the elements, the nose delivers the most entertainment. There's a roughness to the palate that may be due to an iffy cask. Water helps that part out a little bit, but it lessens the nose's impact. I do seem to like it more than Jordan, Florin and MAO, who all found more oak in it than I. Still, I agree with them that the whisky falls far short of its swollen price tag. Also, mark the calendar: SMWS beats Signatory in this match!

Availability - Sold out

Pricing - $149.99
Rating - 85