The Eagle Has Landed - The Arran Eagle

Dan Dare, star
of the Eagle comics

There is currently a slew of new releases hitting the drinks market and this is naturally very exciting. Blackwood's are releasing the 2008 vintage of their excellent Shetland gin. The cask finish connoisseurs at Glenmorangie have released the Sassacaia cask-finished Artein (more on this soon); and the guys at Kilchoman have the 2006 Vintage on the market boasting a substantial five years of ageing. New releases always incur a fair deal of hype followed by satisfied approval or fist-shaking, vengeful disappointment. So as I try the new release from the Island distiller's of Arran I prepare my self for the best and the worst.

The Eagle unsurprisingly boasts a flamboyant painting of the bird of prey on its display tube. There is something about the iconography of the eagle that is quite exciting, it conjures images of Roman legions, mountainous wilderness and for vintage comic afficianados, the epic Dan Dare stories. So just from the packaging I am getting a little giddy with excitement, I am un-apologetically a sucker for branding. It is always a deeply satisfying moment when you tease off the foil cap and pop the cork and you are greeted by the aroma of what is clearly a great whisky. My experience with Arran is limited to one short vertical tasting, this whisky reminds me of Arran's excellence.

Arran Eagle
46% - Distilled 1999 - Bottled 2012
Nose: At first there is plain chocolate followed by cinnamon and dry stem ginger cut with a healthy dose of vanilla seeds. With time baked apple and a hint of gooseberry showcase the fruitiness this malt has to offer.
Palate: Green apple with the sweetness of pear dressed with cream and sharpened with a pleasing bitterness at the back of the mouth.
Finish: Chocolate again with spiced apple. I can't quite describe how long the finish on this whisky is without being sycophantic... superb.
Overall: A busy aroma followed with a Glenfiddich-eske flavour profile topped with a sturdy finish. The Eagle is a showcase of the excellent spirit flowing out of Arran at the moment. This is a new distillery reaching maturity with excellence.

Leap Year - Enter The Kracken

So today is a fairly uncommon day. It's not every year that in Gregorian calender tradition we add an extra day to the year, thanks to Mr Julius 'I came, I saw, I conquered' Caesar. Every 29th February unmarried men the world over bury their heads in the ground for fear of the marriage-starved gaze of their girlfriends, who for one day every four years become a dazed engagement-proposing zombie. On this day a small quantity of the population also celebrate their birthdays, enjoying extended youth through the division by four.

Noah inspecting his new home

With all this rarity knocking around I have also indulged in a rare extravagance. I, with Mrs Peatreek, have purchased a hamster. This idea was formulated by my pet starved girlfriend adopting the wide-eyed pleading, as seen by the wedding-gown starved girls mentioned above, for something small and cute. As much as I'd love a dog I can't afford one and I have refused to accept any other pet. However, finally, I cracked and in a wave of excited mania Ellen purchased everything under the sun you would need to own a hamster... including a name. So all that was left was to choose a hamster to fill a cage... and a name. For all my reluctance it took barely a minute. After a couple of hamsters whored themselves before the glass screen it was a little man with an inquisitive face that caught my eye. This was Noah, the hamster, the hero, the legend. With that we packed him off back to the flat where he is currently indulging in a running wheel and some carrot.

So to conclude this rare blog, I'm going to finish with a rare review. I don't review spiced rum as a matter of principle. I like to taste spirits and wine that are untainted by additives, including spices. However, this spiced rum has caught my eye for a while and with its excellent branding luring me in, I couldn't resist. Packaged in a Victorian-style flagon I give you the Kracken!

Kracken
40% - Black Spiced Rum - Caribbean Origin
Nose: Obviously spicy; cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. Followed with muscavado sugar and heaps of vanilla. There is also a Pepsi element for the Sailor Jerry fans.
Palate: Burnt caramel, vanilla intermingle with cloves and ginger in an exceptionally soft palate.
Finish: Vanilla, cinnamon and lime. Very tropical and very Caribbean.
Overall: A good spiced rum. The flavours I enjoyed, but the caramel/vanilla element lingered longer than was pleasantly required. I would have liked some Kracken-eske edge personally, hint hint more alcohol less E150a.

Banish the January Blues with Auchentoshan 1975

Well January was a blow to motivation. As clouds rolled over London, as Christmas cheer turned into New Year gloom, and as the economy shrunk like wool in a hot wash; it has been immensely difficult to summon the boundless enthusiasm for the delights of whisky. For the last month I have been indulging in wine (principally chardonnay), beer and cocktails. All the whisky I have been drinking has been standard release, supermarket, pub fare that is less likely to excite the whisky enthusiast. Then finally there was a whisky to shake me out of this dire hole - this vacuum of barrel aged malt barley aged spirit. This whisky was the almighty 1975 Auchentoshan. A 35 year old dream of a dram that makes you sit bolt upright and shout, "Now this is whisky!" As you may know I don't stand by the 'older is better' motto, but by God! Ladies and Gentleman I give you...

Auchentoshan 1975
46.9% - 35 Years Old - Distillery Bottled
Nose: Green melon and lemon flavoured boiled sweets, next there is tumeric and mango chutney. Sesame seeds, tree sap and vanilla complete this full-nose.
Palate: Spicy, namely lime pickle. There is green tea and herbal oak notes as well.
Finish: A burst of lemon followed with walnut and mango, later a woody presence announces itself.
Overall: An incredible whisky boasting curry spice notes and a lengthy finish. As much as I reject aged whisky it's always great to taste a whisky as complex and intriguing as this impressive Lowland.

Grape and Grain... Auchentoshan 1999 Bordeaux Cask

"We want the finest wines available to humanity.

And we want them here, and we want them now!"

Wine is a curious drink. It can be as grubby as a street urchin or as opulent as Marie-Antonette. It can drown the sorrows of the unthinking majority and it can tickle the cockles of the most inquisitive palate. It is delicious, up itself, austere, cheap, expensive, creamy, acidic, tantalising, charmless and ultimately moreish. There is nothing more relaxing than pulling a cork on a bottle of wine or sipping a Meursault with some intriguingly stinky cheese. What wine fails to offer is a user-friendliness. Wine is about status. If you drink Jacob's Creek a mob of sommeliers will chase you into the church yard and throw bottles at you until you collapse, broken and bruised, begging to be lectured on the delights of Ponet Canet or Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. Likewise if you drink the finest vino the world can offer you may be perceived as lacking empathy, having more money than is clinically good for you, and deserving of a good slap around your gout-ridden jowls. All of this is WRONG! Wine should be a pleasure, beyond judgement, it should excite at any level and not require a hedge fund to afford. Of course it is whisky that shows us the way. Whisky is friendly, relatively easy to wrap your head around and has tasty delights from the bottom of the scale up to the top. So tonight I want to review a wine cask finished whisky to encourage wine over to the good side. 

I am a big fan of wine cask finishes. Last year's Springbank 12 year old Claret Wood was excellent and the Dalmore Castle Leod had something to it. I find red wine finishes give a great red fruit character to whiskies without the intensity of sherry or port cask aging, or the varying quality of madeira finishes. Tonight's whisky was released in tandem with the creme brulee delights of the Auchentoshan Valinch. This Auchentoshan like the Valinch is cask-strength but boasts a fantastic Bordeaux cask finish.

Auchentoshan 1999 Bordeaux Cask
58% - 11 Years Old - 2011 Release
Nose: A freshly opened packet of wine gums arrived first with hints of rose water. Then comes a jammy and nutty quality reminiscent of the new-make spirit, followed with a vinous sherryness.
Palate: Nutty tawny port, tannic with dried fruit flavours.
Finish: Rye bread initially but then a dry charcoal bitterness.
Overall: An incredible whisky. The nose is jam-packed with complimentary aromas, the palate is rich without being cloying and the ABV adds a much needed weight to an Auchentoshan. Simply superb!

Shipwrecked with Poit Dhubh 12 Year Old

The slow and horrific realisation that you have made a mistake is deeply unpleasant. It begins in the pit of your stomach and turns into a fireball of dread before travelling upwards. It spreads out down your arms in a cold shudder and constricts your chest and then your throat. Finally your eyes bulge as your brain explodes. This is what I imagine the Captain of the Costa Concordia felt like when he heard the terrible crunch, as the rocks tore along the hull of his cruise ship. This sinking feeling aside, it is the mother of all mistakes. The cost involved is immense, the insurance underwriters are all going into cardiac arrest, governments will get involved and the press is enjoying a titanic extravaganza.

So, today I suggest a medicine for this feeling and that medicine is the Poit Dhubh 12 Year Old. Pronounced 'potch ghoo' and meaning 'black pot' or an illicit still, it is a blended malt whisky from the Isle of Skye. The guys making it are also planning to open Skye's second distillery, joining the already incredible Talisker. So without further ado...

Poit Dhubh 12 Year Old
43% - Blended Malt Whisky
Nose: A thick sweet combination of toffee and peatbog with malty orange foundations. Finally there is the smell of sea surf rolling over a stony beach.
Palate: Maritime with salty grape flavours but with caramel lending this whisky a very sweet character.
Finish: Malt biscuits and the faintest whiff of smoke; notable length.
Overall: A great blended malt from a company that have much promise for the future. I'm excited to try Skye's second single malt whisky!

Rediscovering The Classics: Laphroaig 10 Year Old

Gin cocktails at Evil Eye

Tonight's review is of an absolute classic. This whisky is self-defining, iconic and unique. What I like most about this whisky is that it gives me a feeling that can only be given by a few things. I get the feeling every time I travel to York. I love York; it has the perfect combination of historic architecture, excellent pubs and nostalgic value. It is like the feeling of coming home when I get Bangers and Mash at the Lendal Cellars or a pint of Yorkshire Terrier at the... er... Yorkshire Terrier. A trip to Jorvic and the Cathedral before a cocktail at Evil Eye Lounge and a browse of the beer selection at The Bottle on Stonegate makes for a very happy Angus.

I get the same feeling everytime I climb the Berwin hills behind Llanrhaeadr Waterfall back home. The spray off the falls and the rugged terrain are reminiscent of a time before man etched his face on the Earth. Like York there is a feeling that everywhere should be like this and everything will be alright. It is a feeling that in unclouded by worry or unnecessary detail, a feeling about enjoying the moment.

Llanrhaeadr

Tonight's whisky is the unapologetic Laphroaig 10 Year Old. Every time I drink this whisky I am filled with a feeling of calm. Laphroaig isn't a whisky trying hard to impress, it is a whisky that forces the drinker to come to it on its own terms. Its Marmite attitude can make it unapproachable for some drinkers but as soon as you come to terms with its balls-out confidence it becomes the most rewarding of all whiskies. I think it is unarguable to say that Laphroaig is a whisky hero. When I drink it I don't worry about how it is made. I don't care about cask selection or the slightly troubling small print 'mit Farbstoff' (with colouring). I couldn't give a damn about ABV or PPM, when I drink the Laphroaig 10 it is about coming home to what whisky is really about - the greatest drink on the planet. So without any further ado here's my tasting note to add to the legions of others shouting its praise. Slainte!

Laphroaig 10 Year Old
40% - Distillery Bottled
Nose: An island harbour protected behind the stormwall; the sea laps at a peaty shoreline. Amongst this intense maritime character there is a sweet citric character that plays with the earthy peat.
Palate: Peat bog followed with peat smoke. There is a marshmallow sweetness and a nutty undercurrent that provides flavour beyond simple peat notes.
Finish: Almost beer like with hops and gentle smoke. Lastly there is a fire that remains in the belly seething like Smurg on his treasure.
Overall: Such a characterful nose followed by a playful palate. The finish has the fire all good whiskies have burning underneath. The Laphroaig 10 is a masterclass in character development. Time for a second glass!

Too Young? Caol Ila Unpeated 8 Year Old

Age restrictions either plague or prop up our society. The age you can legally drive, vote, drink, smoke, have sex, get married or buy fireworks is always hotly debated and I'd argue they are debated with good reason. To define a cut-off point where one is prohibited or enabled is always difficult. Everything from the average maturity through to the social and personal development of the age group has to be taken into account before they can be enabled to legally do something that in many respects has potential to harm. Personal opinion aside; it is easy to see why six year olds aren't allowed to purchase rockets and matches, it makes sense, it would be dangerous to anyone within twenty feet of the child (and also the pyromaniac of a child). Where it becomes difficult is when you decide at what point someone can legally drink and legally drive, which should come first, the intoxicant or the tonne of speeding metal? Or when people should be allowed to vote? Teenagers can be more politically engaged than many adults but then at what age are they deemed (as a whole) to be able to rationally decide who rule the country, thirteen, eighteen, thirty? We pin the moral heart of our country on age restrictions - in the eighties Die Hard was rated 18 whilst later on Saving Private Ryan a 15. Attitudes change, maybe there should there be flexibility, but flexibility is damned difficult to enforce. Common sense is a cop-out for illogical rationale and complete liberalisation allows for self-regulation which can sometimes be taken too far. So age restrictions exist for a reason but they will never appease everyone. A nice inconclusive conclusion there.

When applied to whisky it is equally inconclusive. Every whisky drinker can argue over whether a whisky is young or old enough. To be fair its part of the fun of the drink. I'm a huge advocate of the school of thought that young whiskies can be incredible and offer value for money that older whiskies can't. However for as many awful aged whiskies I try, there are as many young. Of course you can't generalise, each whisky is individual. Despite this, I was sadly disappointed when I recently tried the Caol Ila Unpeated 8 Year Old.

Caol Ila Unpeated 8 Year Old
64.2% - Bottled 2008
Nose: An estery cocktail of diced pears in apple juice spiced with vanilla and cardamon.
Palate: Vanilla and mounds of wood spice with espresso notes to the back of the mouth.
Finish: Dry oak and hints of wormwood, short.
Overall: Very woody with not enough going on to intrigue. For me this is excessively strong at 64.2%, I feel the alcohol is there to disguise an unflattering youth. I loved the 12 year old release of 2011 and was disappointed that this release didn't compare. However whisky would be boring if they were all great, so come back tomorrow for an all time classic!

Seeing in the New Year with Balvenie Single Barrel

Happy New Year! I kicked the year off in Newcastle, celebrating with copious amounts of Strongbow (please don't judge) and champagne, and although the Mayan people predicted 2012 would bring the Apocalypse, the most dangerous event I observed was drunk Geordies setting fire to trees with multiple Chinese lanterns and setting off fireworks out of their hands. Incredibly dangerous - but we're still here.

Regardless of our impending Mayan doom, I have a good feeling about 2012. Partially because, against the odds, we survived 2011's 'Rapture' and also because there is an awful lot of whisky to be made, tasted, drunk, written about, sold and drunk some more. So quite frankly I don't have time for Armageddon or any other distractions. But in case the storms ravishing the United Kingdom do cause the planet to collapse in on itself, here's a whisky classic to get you through it. See you on the other side!

Balvenie Single Barrel
47.8% - 15 Years Old - Cask 7134 - Bottle 43
Nose: Pear drops and cox apples create a sweet and fruity nose with water melon providing some refreshment.
Palate: Soft texture with pear and tropical fruit there is also a porky element that works pleasantly with the apple flavours.
Finish: Vanilla and bark becoming more sappy towards the end.
Overall: A great whisky. Lively and fruity with some more interesting notes woven in. Finally the finish is woody without being too dry or stale. Delicious is the word here. Slainte!

Merry Christmas! (and a Dalmore Cigar Malt)

Merry Christmas from me and Mrs Peatreek!

Well it’s finally Christmas, marking the end of the busiest two weeks of my working life. So I was well in the need for some Compass Box Hedonism chased with a glass of Last Vatted Grain and some Port in front of the film epic that is Matilda to put me in the festive spirit. This morning Buck’s Fizz was the order of the day with a bottle of 2000 Chateau Lanessan with venison Christmas lunch. The drink will continue to flow with Blackwood’s 60% Gin, 2009 Meursault from Frederic Magnien, then Port and an angelic host of Christmas whiskies.

Choosing a whisky for Christmas is always a challenge but this year there is a clear winner. After years of scepticism of the Dalmore range I am finally discovering their grandiose charms. The 15 Year Old revealed a fantastic finish to me, the 18 Year Old a chocolate smothered palate and the King Alexander the most sensuous nose. However it is the latest release that has topped them all (and it contains no E150a!) this is the Dalmore Cigar Malt, the replacement to the Gran Reserva and an eye-opening dram.

Dalmore Cigar Malt
44% - No Age Statement – Distillery Bottled
Nose: Hoyo de Monterrey cedar cigar box notes with classic Dalmore toffee, rich red fruits, port, leather and a mustiness I associate with old attics.
Palate: Fairly light body with toast and tobacco spice notes.
Finish: Tobacco leaf, rich but with a soft sherried conclusion.
Overall: An aptly named whisky, apparently the ideal cigar pairing is with a Partagas Series P No. 2 although I’d argue a cigar of that calibre would overwhelm the lighter notes of this whisky, but then I don’t smoke, so the allure of cigars is somewhat lost on me. Merry Christmas everyone, Slainte!

My Lucky Day... Glenlivet 40 Year Old

There are some days at work that certainly pay off. Especially if you are offered a dram of forty year old whisky to brighten your day. Today I was as lucky when Joel and Neil from that there Cask-Strength blog rocked up with a bottle of forty year old single cask Glenlivet. I have always maintained a scepticism about old age whisky that although it can be excellent it does propagate the myth that whisky is exclusive to the privileged, when bottles such as the Longrow C.V. and Aberlour A'Bunadh scream otherwise. Politics aside, some forty plus whiskies are rather damn good, and the whisky I was being offered was thoroughly top notch. Cheers guys!

Glenlivet 40 Year Old Atlantic
41.6% - 40 Years Old - Distillery Bottled 16/09/2005 - Sherry Cask
Nose: Ginger provides a warm welcome coupled with tropical fruits notably pineapple and dried mango. With time a herbacious nature reveals itself with rosemary, mint, anise and a drop of pine resin.
Palate: A fantastical burst of spice; cardamon, ginger, cloves and vanilla mingling like spice merchants on the taste buds.
Finish: Menthol, oak, cream and spiced cake dough entwine in an excellently long finish.
Overall: So incredibly fresh. Unlike any forty year old I've tried before yet with a complexity that hammers home its venerable age. This is a masterclass in old age whisky.

It's Not All Doom And Gloom... Benriach 1995

What can I say, it's all going to the dogs with general strikes, double dip recessions and public sector cuts deeper than the Pacific Trench that have taken a machete to the arm of Christmas spirit. For the time of year that is supposed to be all good cheer it is looking glummer than a clown at a funeral. The Office of Budget Responsibility is not at all enthused about George Osborne's autumn budget and the OECD is prophecising another recession, which (and forgive the complexity of the following statement) we could do without. I am now convinced its only a matter of time before we hear that Rudolph's got collick, Santa's been assassinated and Christmas Trees contain asbestos.

My response is that we all need to buck up and smile. Aside from drowning our sorrows in a sea of austerity we should recklessly indulge in all things glutinous and excessive. Buy our way out of a recession with mince pies, pointless gadgets and turkeys that go beyond huge and are simply grotesque. Then we should all waste what little savings we have left on lavish holidays abroad. Here ends my magnanimous solution to the global economic crisis.

To get you in the mood for hideously expensive holidays in the tropics I have provided tasting notes for a tropical whisky to get you in the spirit. The whisky in question is the 1995 single cask Benriach aged in PX casks for 16 years, great stuff. See you on the otherside of the downturn!

Benriach 1995
58.3% - 16 Years Old - Cask 7164 - Bottle 670/695
Nose: Banana initially with orange juice from concentrate. Next tropical melon and pineapple fruits arrive with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
Palate: Fizzy cola sweets and teaspoons of cinnamon.
Finish: Lots of malt and spice, long and minty culminating with botanically brewed cola.
Overall: A fantastic unpeated Benriach. Such a variety of flavours packed in, excellently long finish, a refreshing change to Christmas cake PX cask flavours. Well worth a try!

Counting Down The Days... Glendronach 1989

If you watch a great film you immediately have high hopes for the sequel. I remember waiting for each Lord of the Rings release, each X-Men release and each Star Wars release; frothing at the mouth like a bunny in a laboratory for each one of them; and like most kids my age I looked forward to each Harry Potter book like the Second Coming. There is nothing like the excitement of anticipation. The consequence of this is obviously the disappointment of the poor sequel. The Matrix Reloaded's of this world. The ones where your heart sinks, your smile droops and your hand deftly pens a death threat to the director... or not.

What sequels do is immerse you in a saga, the wait and knee-shaking, night-before-Christmas, excitement that comes with the nail-biting waiting are as much a part of the experience as the sequel itself. Christmas would be beyond awful if there wasn't the tinsel-be-laden, mince pie be-decked lead-up that works us all into a wide-eyed consumerist-cum-consumptionist frenzy; and so it is with whisky. Like everyone else I pander to each Ardbeg release and each Diageo special release like a diligent puppy to an abusive master, but this is what makes whisky fun. Then last year I was introduced to Glendronach, indeed for the very first time, via the almighty 1989 release and from whence my love of the 'Dronach was born. Needless to say I looked forward to this year's release...

I was a massive fan of last year's Glendronach 1989, in fact it was the whisky that got me into Glendronach. So when I realised I would be tasting this year's release my excited anticipation went into overdrive. I had really enjoyed all the other releases this year but the 1989 had more significance. Having tried it I was not to be disappointed, in fact I would argue it was the most interesting and different of all the releases I have tried (the 1992 has sadly eluded me).

Glendronach 1989
54.1% - 21 Years Old - PX Cask - Cask 2917 - Bottle 40/618
Nose: Dense dark chocolate but with a contrasting floral side on a bed of roasted coffee beans, orange fondant and sultanas.
Palate: Coffee galore with that orange fondant returning and a suggestion of brown sugar. Holds the alcohol well.
Finish: Brazil nut is the catechism here, clean and long.
Overall: Great balance, an amalgamation of intriguing flavours and that 'Dronach moreish-ness that is completely irresistible. A welcome sequel for my money.

You Love It Or You Hate It... Ola Dhub Special 12 Reserve

Do you love it or hate it?

Marmite grabbed the catchy yet alienating slogan, 'you either love it or hate it'. Quite a good slogan to sell a product a lot of people clearly don't like. At first I thought why alienate those who clearly detest your product, why not try and soft sell them the black spread by broadcasting mouthwatering pictures of marmite and food combinations? (Marmite in bolognese is my favourite, it adds a really meaty undertone that lends this classic dish a bit of a punch). Interestingly I have found Marmite's iconic slogan to be wrong. I positively hated Marmite when I was growing up, the thought of putting the damned spread on anything was morally abhorrent to me - worse even than peanut butter. Then in Uni my girlfriend introduced me to crumpets lathered in butter and Marmite, and I... the unbeliever... believed! From that point on I am a firm advocate of the yeast extract. I've even tried the Theakston's brewery special edition which brings me round to the point of this post. The other day I tried a bottle of whisky-aged (very convenient for a whisky blog) ale - the Ola Dhub. The best word I can think to describe the aroma and flavour is Marmite, so I am very happy I can now appreciate the enormity of this beer that is aged in Highland Park 12 casks. You'll love it...

Ola Dhub Special 12 Reserve
8% ABV - Brewed at Harviestoun - Bottle No. 06391
Nose: Intense Marmite leading to Oxo Cubes and thick beef gravy notes. The complexity of this beer is enhanced with notes of cocoa, ginger, smoke and a faintest hint of honey (Highland Park 12 influence?).
Palate: Marmite but creamy, soft and sweet but with a meaty, malt-forward backbone.
Finish: The Oxo Cubes return with malt and milk chocolate.
Overall: Dark, thick and well-balanced. What a beer! If you like your dark malty ales you will not be disappointed. This has truly bowled me over.

Glendronach Single Casks - 1990

As you may have gathered if you have perused my blog before, I am a huge fan of the Glendronach Single Casks. My first encounter was with last year's 1989 offering, then recently I reviewed last year's and this year's 1994 bottlings. Unfortunately this only heightened my desire to try them all so when I was offered a glass of the 1990 I couldn't refuse.

Glendronach 1990
50.1% - 20 Years Old - PX Puncheon - Bottled 2011
Nose: Lots of chocolate with candied orange peel and nutmeg leading to roasted nuts and raisins. With water milk chocolate ganache becomes dominant and makes this dram simply mouth-watering.
Palate: A soft mouth-feel with those PX raisins and sultanas merging with cocoa and spice for a Christmas feast.
Finish: Hazelnuts floating on a glass of Sherry, rich and rewarding.
Overall: For me this was a softer expression of the whisky than this years 1994. It had a nutty lightness about it that added another dimension to those classic chocolate orange notes. With water this became even more silky and I reckon could well match many a chocolate dessert.