Braeval 18 year old 1994 Exclusive Malts, cask 159162

Yesterday's two Inchgowers did not spar alone. They had a third partner, today's Braeval. Unlike the Inchgowers, I had tried this whisky before, and I'd liked it. That's why I thought it was going to be a super triple tasting. But it wasn't super. Those Inchgowers could not compete. Bring on the Braeval, baby.

Distillery: Braeval
Ownership: Pernod Ricard
Region: Speyside (Banffshire)
Bottler: Creative Whisky Company
Range: Exclusive Malts
Age: 18 years old (December 1994 - January 2013)
Maturation: "Oak cask", probably a bourbon barrel
Outturn: 228 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 52.1%
Chillfiltered? No
Colorant added? No
(thanks to Brett for the sample!)

NEAT
The nose delivers a spot on mix of malt, peaches, lemons and honey. Hints of roses, clementines and low-rye dusty bourbon rest beneath. At first the palate has citrus and toasted oak spice, then a rush of malt, limes and cara cara oranges takes over. Then almonds and apricots with a gentle ripple of chili oil. The rich long finish holds onto those nuts and fresh citrus notes, as well as the nose's malt.

I don't want to add water to this but for the sake of science:

DILUTED TO ~46% abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Ah gorgeous. Whew. Peach skins, roses, lemon cookies and orange peel on the nose. The palate hasn't changed much. Maybe a little sweeter, maltier. The finish matches the palate closely too with just little more of a spicy zip.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Flawless teenage bourbon cask whisky, with or without dilution. It's been a long time since I had something like this, and I hope dearly the next bottle I open from my stash is near this quality. I did have two opportunities to buy this in early 2013, and I turned them both down because spending $100 on a single bottle was CRAZY back then. Damn it.

See, a nice surprise this week! And a second 90-point whisky. Wut?

Availability - All gone
Pricing - It was around $100-$120 six years ago
Rating - 90

Two sherry cask 1995 Inchgowers from the Laings

Sherry cask Inchgowers are somewhat scarce. The Laing companies seem to have 90% of the casks, which I don't entirely understand. That they would be enthusiastic about the stuff is reasonable; yet almost no other indie bottler is. Inchgower can be a quirky spirit, but it seems to do very well in a vibrant cask.

All three sherry cask Inchgowers that I have previously tried were great. So great that I went ahead bought a bottle of another sherry cask Inchgower. Blindly. 😱. One could say I was pretty excited about this Taste Off.

Inchgower 19 year old 1995 Old Malt Cask (Hunter Laing), sherry butt 11402, 50%abv

NEAT

Right up front, the nose is strange. Wet wool, mold, raw alcohol. But also plum wine and apricots. After 20 minutes there's caramel sauce and fermenting apples. After 30 minutes, dark chocolate, prunes and more caramel. The palate is quirky, though it's a bit filthy and earthy, almost peaty. But also bursting with citrus and blackberries, with a subtle grassy undertone. There's a soy sauce and sesame oil combo happening in the background, and it kinda works. At the 30 minute mark there's some manuka honey and burnt raisins. It finishes with the palate's fruit and nose's fustiness. Then some raisins, vanilla and a hint of tannin.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or ½ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose's oddities have calmed. Now it's dunnage and a tiny bit of peat. Prunes and chocolate make up the rest. The palate is sweeter, with more generic sherry cask notes (raisins, prunes). But there's also a savory note that meets up with orange candy. It gets very very sweet, and that sugariness goes right into the finish. Vanilla, golden raisins and lemons. The savory note lingers here.

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Inchgower 20 year old 1995 Old Particular (Douglas Laing), refill sherry butt 10880, 51.5%abv

NEAT
Oats on the nose. Oats and barley and lemons. Feels very raw and young. Roses and rock candy. The whole thing gets grainier with time. No sign of sherry cask to be found. Except, maybe, rubber. The palate leads with barley, burlap and cardboard. Sand, plastic and ethyl heat. A little bit tanginess and cayenne pepper, which also carries over into the finish, as does the sand, heat and plastic. Like a polluted beach.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose perks up a little. Barley, honey and oranges. But also fabric and alcohol. Barley, dried herbs and something meaty linger about in the palate, as does cardboard and plastic. The finish is papery, grainy and herbal.

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COMMENTS ON BOTH
The 19 year old is weird, but has its charms. I like the earthy, musty, phenolic notes. And there's a good spot somewhere between 10- and 30-minute mark after the whisky is poured. Its character is constantly on the move, which is entertaining but also slightly annoying. Diluting it to 46% straightens it out and declutters, but also risks turning it into just another generic sherry cask Speysider. It gets points for amusement but falls short of my previous experiences with sherry cask Inchgowers.

The 20 year old comes from one dead ass cask. Possibly a dead ass cask in a warm warehouse corner. Sometimes it's reminiscent of the tragic Dewar Rattray Auchentoshan (also 20yo and from a sherry cask) I reviewed last year. Sometimes it's almost recommendable for nosing purposes. The good news is it's devoid of vanilla and tannin. And there's plenty of barley rolling around the nose and palate. I'm hard-pressed to say anything else positive about it.

The two main takeaways today: I will not be buying another sherry cask Inchgower blindly anytime soon, and I'm beginning to understand the reluctance of all the other indie bottling companies.

Inchgower 19 year old 1995 Old Malt Cask (Hunter Laing)
Rating - 82

Inchgower 20 year old 1995 Old Particular (Douglas Laing)
Rating - 72

Balvenie 14 year old 2003 Peat Week

There have been a number of recent tastings that did not go according to plan. Some were positive, most were not. Luckily I don't own any bottles of the disappointments, so the surprises weren't so heartbreaking. Here's one that was a surprise.

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I haven't reviewed a Balvenie since February of last year. Though I find Balvenie's single malts to be consistently pleasing and well made, I don't have a single Balvenie bottle in my collection. This situation would be different had they priced the 15yo single sherry cask like its predecessor, the 15yo single bourbon barrel, but they didn't. The 15yo sherry cask is good, but not $120 good. The reliable 12yo Doublewood is priced north of $50 here in Ohio, and I don't value it at that level either.

In Europe, the Peat Week releases have been priced about 20% lower than the much more prevalent sherry cask bottlings. Yes, I realize those are "single" sherry casks, but there are hundreds (or thousands, or at least a constant supply) of them. Anyway, enough about those damned sherry casks. That Balvenie review posted 14 months ago was of Peat Week 2002. Today I'm reviewing Peat Week 2003. To quote last year's review with some edits:

For each of the past 17 years Balvenie distillery has devoted one week to heavily peated still runs. The malt used for this distillation is peated to around 30ppm with Highland peat. In 2018, they bottled this whisky with an actual two-digit age statement, no chill filtration and a respectable ABV — an almost revolutionary act by an official producer.

I stand by that last statement, though peated Speyside single malts are no longer unique. The good news is that malt dried with Highland peat produces different characteristics than malt dried with Islay peat. So different peaty experiences have been coming to the market during this past decade. That can be good. Let's see how this particular whisky panned out.

Distillery: Balvenie
Ownership: William Grant & Sons
Region: Speyside (Dufftown)
Age: 14 years old (2003-2018)
Maturation: American oak
Limited bottling: ???????? bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 48.3%
Chillfiltered: No
Colorant added: Probably
(from a purchased sample)

NEAT
An aggressive Islay-style band-aid peat bursts forth from the nose at first. Beneath that is a very milky vanilla note. Then cut grass, apple peels, wet snuffed cigarettes and lumber. The palate is also mostly peat and smoke at the start. It transitions to an aggressive sweetness loaded with lime candy, ginger ale and vanilla. And, just, sugar. A hint of manure floats around in there. The finish is very sweet and tart with salty smoke, ginger ale and chlorine.

DILUTED TO ~43%abv, or ¾ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose becomes farmier, but also picks up more vanilla and an apple cider vinegar note. The palate gets bitterer and bitterer. Then comes some sulphur, limes and sugar. LOTS of sugar. And sheep shit. It finishes with smoke, sugar and limes.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
With its loud peat, louder sweetness and blankets of vanilla, this comes across as an aggressively engineered whisky. It could have used some more sheep shit.

Sad Cynic says, "The market doesn't need any more of this sort of whisky."
Happy Cynic says, "Balvenie has been spending big bucks to market themselves as a craft whisky, when all they really needed to do was make a craft whisky."

The whisky also doesn't work on the rocks, nor as hot whisky, in case you're curious. I was. Now I'm not. If you are ever given the choice between Balvenie 2002 Peat Week and Balvenie 2003 Peat Week, I'd recommend you choose Benromach 10.

Availability - Europe and USA
Pricing - Europe: $65-$85, US: $90-$120

Rating - 76

Old Pulteney 21 year old

To spice up my Birthday Bottle Kill event last August, I opened up two bottles and added them to the fray: Old Pulteney 21yo and Springbank 13yo Green. They wound up being the best things I put on the table. I've reviewed that Springbank already. It's time to talk about Old Pulteney 21 year old.

In full disclosure, this bottle was sent to me by Amy of Ten27 Communications two years ago, which was outrageously generous. The whisky was already being retired by Old Pulteney at the time and it couldn't possibly require any additional positive reviews after The Fedora gave it his lordly stamp of approval. But, thank you, Amy!

I haven't worn a fedora since prom night. Either I air out my monstrous fleshy pate or affix a Yakult Swallows cap when the sun is high. But I can and will lavish praise on this late whisky.

Distillery: Pulteney

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

Region: Northern Highlands (Wick)

Type: Single Malt

Maturation: from the official site, "ex-bourbon casks with spirit from ex-Oloroso sherry casks. We mostly use second fill American oak, plus some Spanish oak first fill. However, there is a higher proportion of ex-Oloroso sherry cask compared to the 17 Years Old."
Age: minimum 21 years

Bottled: 2015
Bottle code: L15/323

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered? No
Colored? Not much if any

NOTES
The rich, complex nose starts off with anise, cantaloupe and cherry ice cream. Then, from underneath arises almost-smoky ocean air and dusty bourbon. After 30 minutes in the glass, there's raisin bread, honey, guava, orange peel, toasted oak and a subtle floral note. With a little bit of water, new notes of toffee pudding and sugar cookies appear. Then lemon peel and flowers. Orange pixy stix and berry jam.

The silky palate is a spicy, honeyed thing. Lemon bars with mint leaves. Paprika, orange liqueur (minus the sugar) and melon. The sweetness and sherry casks stay subtle. No raisins nor prunes. With a little bit of water it gets sweeter and spicier. Bread pudding with golden raisins. More lemon bars. Bits of baking spices.

It finishes with stone and citrus fruit, flowers and salt. Lots of oranges and limes. Mint candy and a slight serrano pepper bite in the back. It gets a little sweeter with a little bit of added water. Oranges, serranos and toasted oak.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
I don't fully blame Jim Murray for killing this whisky off. Those at fault are the "news" organizations who blindly announce The Greatest Whisky In The World every time some oddball with an unusual palate sends out press releases. See also, Yamazaki. It's not Fake News, it's Not News.

While I adore Old Pulteney 17 year old, the 21 year old is (or was) something special. What struck me about the whisky is that it was excellent from the very first pour. I always (or 99% of the time) find the first pour from a whisky bottle to be very tight and narrow. This was luscious and perfectly balanced from the start. Because the price tag on the remaining bottles has bloated beyond reason, I'm just going to finish this bottle and bid this great expression adieu.

Availability - A few dozen retailers
Pricing - Europe average price is $254. US average price is $177, per winesearcher
Rating - 90

Killing Whisky History, Episode 23: Longmorn 15 year old, bottled late '90s - early '00s

I hereby sacrifice the beloved Longmorn 15 to Persephone to bring spring forthwith!

 

Clynelish Distillery Only, 2018 Edition

I liked this lineup: an indie Clynelish, the sherry cask-finished Distillers Edition and this Distillery Only bottling. There was (SPOILER ALERT) not a bad whisky amongst the three. In fact, they might have been slightly better than the Crown Royal Taste Off.

MAO rescued a bottle of this whisky (please see his review here) from the very homey-looking confines of the Clynelish gift shop last year. He sent me this sample for which I am very grateful.

Stellar idea
So poorly executed
Where is my whisky

According to whiskybase, there was only one previous Distillery Only Clynelish. 7000 bottles of ex-bourbon malt bottled at a hefty 57.3%abv, back in 2008. The distillery took a similar approach in 2018, ex-bourbon and 6000 bottles, but reduced it to 48%abv. No it's not full power, but 48%abv is a good spot for whisky. For 80GBP, though, it'd better be a really good spot.

Distillery: Clynelish
Region: Highlands (North)

Ownership: Diageo

Maturation: bourbon casks

Age: ???
Outturn: 6,000 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 48%
Chillfiltered: Probably not
Colored: Probably not

NEAT
Ah, no woodwork in the nose. It's bready, with sesame seeds and chives. Dry grass, dry soil. Pears and lemons and dried parsley. A barley note grows with time. The palate is brighter and fruitier than the nose, with loquats (I know it's random but I love loquats), clementines and limes. Some floral esters, ginger powder and a hint of soil. Very little heat. Brown sugar, honey and ginger in the finish, with a little bit of the floral esters and grassy notes.

DILUTED TO ~40%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky
Lemons, dry grass, chives, brine and mint leaves on the nose. The palate and finish are identical to the nose. Lemons, mint, grass, herbs, salt.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
This is a fine representation of lean Clynelish. Good on Diageo for not squeezing it out of recharred quarter casks. The fruit, grain, salt and herbs work well as a team whether the whisky is neat or diluted. I don't really understand the price (natch), but there aren't many/any cheap distillery-only bottlings in Scotland. As of last year this D.O. was available as part of the 12GBP tasting at the distillery, and that's probably the best way and place to taste it.

Availability - Distillery Only, as per the name
Pricing - £80
Rating - 86

Clynelish 1997 Distillers Edition (2012 bottling)

Diageo's Clynelish Distillers Edition had a brief seven-year run, ending in 2012. Until now I didn't understand why they chose to end that one, but continue, say, Glenkinchie's DE. But I just realized Diageo also retired Green Label in 2012. Could they really have been facing a Clynelish shortage? Should I give them the benefit of the doubt?

No? Okay.

This final batch (Cl-Br: 175-7l) was brought out for a Columbus Scotch Night last year. It was a hit. People liked it better than Johnnie Walker Blue, because people have taste buds.

Distillery: Clynelish
Region: Highlands (North)

Ownership: Diageo

Range: Distillers Edition

Maturation: ??? years in ??? casks, then a brief finish in Oloroso Seco casks 

Age: 14-15 years

Alcohol by Volume: 46%
Chillfiltered: Probably
Colored: Probably

NEAT
The sherry cask keeps out of trouble in the nose. Brine, beachy kelp and miso lead the way. Then honey mustard and nuts. Small notes of cocoa and dried fruit round it out. More sherry cask in the palate. Dried stone fruits, buttery caramel and fresh ginger float in a mellow sweetness. Hints of flowers and limes. The edges feel sanded down. A lightly warm and sweet finish. Ginger candy, flowers, pepper, salt and a hint of drying tannins.

DILUTED TO ~40%abv, or < 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky
The nose shifts to raisins, molasses, brine, vanilla bean and apple skins. No raisins in the palate, but there are plenty of nutty notes. Mint candy, a few peppercorns. A good earthy note leaps out of nowhere. It finishes with cayenne pepper, salt and mint candy.

WORDS WORDS WORDS
Though the spirit is much shier than in yesterday's Clynelish, it's not completely drowned out by the casks. This is a simpler, cuddlier Clynelish than the regular 14 year old, but it hasn't slipped into the long line of multi-cask somnambulant Speysides. Its Highland roots are still showing, and its shoes are scuffed. I don't actually know what that means, but this is still Clynelish albeit very approachable.

Availability - maybe a few European retailers
Pricing - ???
Rating - 85