Rediscovering The Classics: Lagavulin 16 Year Old

Tonight's review is of another classic; the stoic Lagavulin 16 year old. I have to confess I am no expert on Lagavulin. Aside from it being peated and coming from the south of Islay - I know very little about this Diageo owned distillery. Furthermore I've always avoided trying them. Trapped between its showy brothers at Laphroaig and Ardbeg, it always seemed like the clichéd middle child offering nothing more than a sturdy uninspiring malt. As usual I am very very wrong. Lagavulin offers balance, restraint and a refined spirit. Qualities often drowned out by large peaty gestures at Laphroaig and Ardbeg. The Lagavulin 12 year old may be a balls-out offering, and the Distiller's Edition may be a tad confused, but the 16 year old brings complexity to the table. So with apologies to Lagavulin for my previous ignorance, I give you the 16 year old...

Lagavulin 16 Year Old
43% - Distillery Bottling
Nose: Peat and barbecue smoke with a gristy accompaniment. Then there is kiwi fruit with something orangey beneath.
Palate: Big peat with a thick texture yet refined and larconic.
Finish: The peat has died away to embers and with time baked green apple emerges.
Overall: Absolute classic, excellent structure and balance. The Lagavulin 16 year old isn't about slapping you in the face with a peat shovel it is about restraint and pace, and it is a very hard drink to put down. Slainte!

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!

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!

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.

Peatreek Whisky Mince Pies

Ready to go in the oven.

Despite being snowed under at work, like a Glenfiddich Cask in 2010, I have found time to embark on a little experiment. My theory was that whisky is an ideal accompaniment to any Christmas cuisine, then I hypothesised that mince pies may be an excellent example of this. Mincemeat has brandy or rum stirred through it so why not whisky?

The base of my mincemeat was Bramley apples, medium cider and soft dark brown sugar. Then enhanced with some lemon zest and juice, almonds, raisins, currents, and a spice combination. Once this had stewed and cooled I stirred through a generous dose of whisky. The choice of whisky was a no-brainer, only the Compass Box Spice Tree would do. Its cardamon, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon flavour profile would perfectly harmonise with the mincemeat.

The first lesson I learnt was that although the mincemeat tasted fantastic (I apologise for the vanity, but it really did), it didn't taste overly whiskyfied. Maybe the Spice Tree complimented the mincemeat too well? So my next move was to make whisky butter. Now I make rum butter (one part butter, one part light brown sugar, a little Nutmeg and complete saturation with rum) to go with Frei Kirk. Frei Kirk is a Scottish Christmas pudding from a recipe passed down through my Dad's side of the family. The recipe is a secret so I am forbidden to divulge it here, although please feel free to drop by my flat on Christmas day for a taste. So my plan was to substitute the rum for the Spice Tree and by jingo did it work. I separated the lids from the (cooked) mince pies and spread the whisky butter over the mincemeat before replacing the lid. What I was left with was a mince pie with a distinct whisky flavour that didn't overpower the mincemeat but added more depth and warmth to a Christmas staple.

I am now thinking of stirring whisky through the pastry instead of water, maybe some Bowmore Tempest (Batch 3), who knows?

Peatreek Whisky Mince Pies & Butter
ABV Unknown - No Age Statement - Baked at Peatreek HQ
Nose: Pastry
Palate: Stewed apple, spice, sweet butter and Scotch Blended Malt Whisky.
Finish: Moreish!
Overall: The start of further whisky-food-combinations.

Growing Up... Kilchoman 100% Islay

I came to a strange realisation recently that I had crossed 'the line'. I was entering the grey and dangerous world of adulthood, I was growing up. Computer games hold little charm, I find certain comedy routines to be tired and unoriginal, and I struggle to see the point of Quentin Tarantino. Then I thought about it, was I becoming more and more immature? I can't deny that I enjoy animated kids films, the Incredibles and Toy Story are undeniably movie greats, and I did spontaneously buy a Lego set when walking around Canary Wharf the other day. Then it dawned on me, growing up isn't about rejecting the spontaneity and vibrancy of youth and it isn't about becoming entrenched, reactionary and right-wing. It is the selection of the best of both worlds through the well polished lens of experience (i.e. Lego is fun, Tarantino is overrated). We make decisions based on our experiences to maximise our overall pleasure (apologies for the Utilitarianism), ergo growing up should be about maximising pleasure... probably.

When thinking about growing up. It dawned on me that I used to almost exclusively drink heavily peated whiskies but more and more I shy away from them. Although I still enjoy peaty beasts I rarely seek them out. Today I tried a peated whisky that was so satisfyingly peaty that it brought me back to those early years drinking Islay whiskies as if they were an antidote to the Lowland and Speyside whiskies I was trying to get my head round. The whisky was the latest release from the guys at Kilchoman, the 100% Islay bottling. The concept being that the whisky is entirely produced on the Island from the barley to the bottling, and it demonstrates excellent interaction with the peat. This is a whisky that, like me, is growing up.

Kilchoman 100% Islay
50% - No Age Statement
Nose: Mounds of hay smoke, soft and warming with gentle iodine notes. Underneath there is the suggestion of mascerated red fruit and a hint of citrus.
Palate: Warm smoky charcoal, a grassy quality I associate with Kilchoman and a meaty mouth-coatingly oily texture.
Finish: Slow but builds into a campfire in your stomach with autumnal fruits following.
Overall: Exceptional balance, there is plenty of Islay peat here. It is a central flavour but it doesn't exceed its limits at any point. Another example of how great this distillery is and how brilliant it will continue to be.

Change Is In The Air: The Last Vatted Malt

Drink fuelled fun with friends at Uni...
one of the hardest things to let go of!

All good things come to an end, or so they say. Maybe it's because if we have too much of a good thing it loses its edge and fades into the dismal grey background of the dreaded norm. Or maybe they seem better in the utopia of nostalgia. Either way, what has gone before, or that which is no more, has a habit of seeming greater in hindsight than maybe it was in reality. I am a big advocate of change. If it ain't broke, break it and change it. The world would be a hideously boring and flaccid place otherwise.

Language changes too, old words leave and new words join our vocabulary each year. Who uses 'fallociloquence' (a deceitful speech) these days except in reference to the mutterings of News International executives before Parliamentary Committees; or 'schismarch' (a founder of a schism)? Language changes - and this brings me on to vatted/blended malt whisky. As of the 23rd November 2011, whisky that is a blend of two or more single malt whiskies can no longer be called 'vatted whisky' and must be called 'blended malt whisky'. The Scotch Malt Whisky Association argue that 'vatted' is too archaic a word to be understood by the public. Others argue that 'blended malt' and 'blended grain' sound too similar to 'blended scotch whisky'. I have to say in this instance I agree with SWA's decision, if not for the same reasons. I think there should be a catch-all term for blended malt/vatted malt/pure malt, and I think it does the public a disservice to imply that the difference between blended malt/blended grain/blended is too confusing to be understood, as suggesting the word 'vatted' is beyond them also. What I will say is that I spend as much time explaining what a single malt is as I do explaining blends and blended malt. Things change and 'blended malt' will one day be a term as part and parcel of whisky as 'vatted malt' was. Still, it's an excuse for those rebels at Compass Box to release another excellent bottling!

The Last Vatted Malt
53.7% - Bottled by Compass Box
Nose: Smoke with seabreeze and fishing port scents of menthol, iodine and, with time, toffee.
Palate: Soft smoke giving way to golden syrup and medicinal quality.
Finish: Peppery with sweet phenolic smoke and a hint of stewed strawberries, a little short perhaps.
Overall: A great marriage of peat and sherry cask. Those gutsy Caol Ila flavours rampage about followed by the stroke of sherry. Farewell vatted malt whisky.

The Full Monty... The Laddie 10

Nudity is a bizarre concept. On one level it is fragile, vulerable and open. On another it is knobbly, gangly and bloody funny. Nudity in art becomes a representation of the human form, of our animalistic desires and of being laid bare for judgement by God. Going starkers in public is simply hilarious. There is nothing like watching people streak across sporting grounds being chased by clumsy men in fluorescent jackets until the inevitable rugby tackle and pile-on.

I think, particularly in Britain, the embarrassment and self-awareness about nudity makes the juxtaposition of the beauty of it and its comic potential all the more evident. More disturbing perhaps is the insatiable desire of our society to consume near-naked images of 'perfect' bodies on billboards, in magazines and on the TV, yet still possess an innate fear of being seen naked ourselves. I would argue that this is an issue that needs addressing and one I agree with Gok Wan on.

The only place where nudity seems to be commonplace is men's showers. Due to a broken boiler I have had to shower at the gym recently. The gym in question has doors for its showers yet men still shower with the door open and sit around texting stark-bollock-naked afterwards. This is a scenario where I don't quite understand nudity - if there is a door use it. I completely understand if there is no door, but if there is, use it.

Lately I got the chance to try the new ten year old Bruichladdich, the Laddie 10. This Bruichladdich is unpeated and unlike most Bruichladdich, it isn't finished in an array of casks and hasn't had anything 'progessive' done to it. It is essentially a naked Bruichladdich. It is also my favourite Bruichladdich to date. The full monty...

Laddie 10
46% - 10 Years Old - Bottled by Bruichladdich
Nose: At first cheddar, weirdly enough, followed by nuts, melon and lemon. With time; kiwi, heather and white pepper announce themselves in a very eclectic nose.
Palate: Light, creamy and fruity with wheat cereal notes that I get in the Organic bottling.
Finish: Fairly spicy with good length. A solid end to an interesting and well constructed malt.
Overall: It's great to see a Bruichladdich that not only represents the work of the distillery since 2001, but also showcases how fantastic it can be without tassels and adornments. I hope this is the direction the distillery goes down because it offers a very rewarding, tackle-out, future.

Bad Things Come In T's... Tullibardine 1992

Bad things by all accounts come in threes, or so I am reliably informed. Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini were knocking around at the same time. There's the evil green threesome that is broccoli, courgettes and Brussels sprouts (forgive my childishness); and there were three members of the band Busted. Not that I'm implying that Busted were in any way as bad as the aforementioned dictators - the vegetables, however, definitely are. I contest superstitious sayings such as bad things come in threes and the toast always lands butter side down as conjecture and a willingness to substantiate superstition with coincidence and ignorance of all conflicting evidence. Despite my dislike of such sayings I am as much a victim of their baseless assumptions as anyone else. I don't like the number 13, I will dive towards anything that remotely resembles wood the moment someone screams, 'touch wood' and I have some time for the archaic view in the whisky world that whiskies beginning with the letter T (with the exception of Talisker) tend to be pretty awful. I have tried to steer clear of negative reviews as I don't find them constructive and as a rule I detest pessimism. However, when I sampled a Tullibardine recently, I had to pass some comment, although I will remain open to other bottlings.

Tullibardine 1992
53.8% - 18 Years Old - Cask 15022 - John Black 5 Bottling - Sherry Cask
Nose: A heady nose with fresh orange, vanilla and light red fruits with a very distinct and pungent smell of Bourbon that I would not associate with an aged sherried whisky.
Palate: A creamy sour mash palate that was sickly and a little too bitter, with no overall complexity.
Finish: Caramel, that's it, thankfully short.
Overall: I could have sworn I was drinking Bourbon, this was not what I was expecting from a sherried whisky at all, not a pleasant surprise. I'd have been better off opening a bottle of Four Roses, at least I wouldn't have poured the glass down the sink. Woefully inadequate.

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.

Happy Halloween...

Lost Distilleries Chapter 1 Part 2: Brora 32 Year Old

There are two names that dominate discussion on old and rare whisky: Port Ellen and Brora. The former I will discuss tomorrow but it is Brora I want to address today. What is special about both of these whiskies is that they were closed not because they were producing bad whisky but because of the economic environment of the time. So what we are left with are two excellent whiskies, aged to perfection and with no more to ever be produced. This is a recipe for expensive whisky, and usually I am quite critical of expensive whisky. I believe for a whisky to push the £150 barrier, it has to be able to justify itself. However with Port Ellen and Brora I can't even pretend they are unnecessarily expensive, they are top notch whisky, they aren't lavishly packaged and they are old (i.e. Warehouse costs). Worst of all, with depleting stocks they are soon to be extinct and this is very sad indeed.

Brora, for me, is a connoisseur's whisky. It has layers of flavour, some may not be to everyone's taste, but for anyone who wants to sit and consider a dram - this is the one. When I found out I was going to get to try this intricate malt again I was of course excited. In fact that's an understatement, I was whipping myself into an ecstatic frenzy of excitement, frothing at the mouth like a cappuccino machine, hallucinating glencairn glasses on the Tube, etc. Of course through all this anticipation, I thought it was going to taste similar to last year's release... I was very wrong. Last year's release had a tobacco and chlorine dominated nose, a smoky and peppery palate and a sherry forward finish (see here for this review). This Brora was very different, and I have to say... better. I have a preference for coastal malts and as soon as I tried this year's release I was immediately taken back to sampling Clynelish and Springbanks - whiskies I rate very highly. This Brora is a dram for drinking, not analysing to death. It is what a whisky should be, and I hate that it's collectable.

Brora 32 Year Old
54.7% - 1,404 Individually Numbered Bottles
Nose: Coastal, reminds me of Clynelish and Springbank. Grape arrives first providing vitality and vibrancy. Next, smooth waves of oak smoke and a sprinkling of salt giving a mineral backdrop to this whisky. Finally sherbet lemon gives a sweeter character that mellows the nose into a cohesive whole.
Palate: I got a slight medicinal character (maritime?). The saltiness returns giving it a drying mouthfeel. The grape notes are still present but become more spicy and dense.
Finish: Infinitely long, mint holds the fort from here with smoke and a touch of pepper. Incredible.
Overall: Where last year's release may have had more complexity, this year's is carefully woven and satisfying, with the peat working more elegantly with the spirit. The aromas and flavours make me want to drink it and enjoy it. For me this is the mark of the best whiskies. Deserved of its high regard.

Diageo Special Releases - Caol Ila Unpeated 1990

This is the first of the Diageo special releases that swept me off my feet this year. I tried my first Rosebank that I rated highly, my first Port Dundas that opened up the gates of grain whisky and anyone who read yesterday's review would have seen my opinion on the unimpressive Knockando. However, it was the Caol Ila that was the first that truly impressed me this year. For a while now I have seen the range of unpeated Caol Ilas, however having never tried them I had no opinion on them. Recently I tried the incredible Ardbeg Blasda, a lightly peated Ardbeg that was a beautiful demonstration of the complexity behind the smoky veil of peat so I was very excited to try a Caol Ila that was entirely unpeated...

Caol Ila 1999
64% - 12 Years Old - Unpeated
Nose: So distinctly Islay without being peated. Chlorine without phenol, citrus fruits notably lime. Also with green apple extract and green grapes with a hint of nectarine.
Palate: Fresh green fruits with vanilla essence, creamy and mouth-wateringly drinkable.
Finish: Creamy with chocolate notes, becomes soft and elegant with water.
Overall: Despite no peating, this 'Highland' style malt is clearly Islay born. Drinkable with layers of earthy Islay flavour. A champion of this year's Special Releases.

Diageo Special Releases 2011 - Knockando 1985

Of all the Diageo Special Releases this year, only one failed to impress me as much as I had hoped. This was the Knockando 25 Year Old, this whisky was one of three special releases from existing rather than closed distilleries. The other two hit the mark like Robin Hood at an archery contest. This is not to say this whisky was bad in any way, but for a 25 year old sherry cask whisky I was a little underwhelmed, especially with such great sherried whiskies emerging from Scotland currently. Furthermore, with a recommended retail price of £135, I didn't think it offered the depth and complexity required for a whisky in that price bracket. Anyway, with no further ado...

Knockando 1985
43% - 25 Years Old - First Fill Sherry Casks
Nose: Lots of toffee to begin with Christmas cake and raisin notes following, beneath lies a dark anise character. Clear Oloroso presence.
Palate: Demerara sugar, stewed red fruits (predominately strawberry), smoother with water with slight chocolate notes.
Finish: Too short for my liking, espresso and a touch of salt, giving the finish a drying character.
Overall: The Knockando was not a bad whisky, but didn't offer what I would expect for its age or price. There was an intensity lacking that maybe could have been added with being bottled at cask strength.

Lost Distilleries Chapter 3: Port Dundas 20 Year Old

This is my second review of the Diageo Special Releases 2011 (see here for the floral Rosebank).

Grain whisky has been an important discovery for me. Alongside rye whiskey, grain has opened up a completely new style of whisky to my palate. For the uninitiated grain whisky is made from unmalted grain, whereas single malt whisky is made from malted barley. Grain whisky can be distilled in pot or coffey stills, and has a sweeter flavour to malt whiskies. My awakening to grain was at the hands of the sublime Compass Box Hedonism, a syrupy dram that is just fantastic. Grain whisky is often under-represented as the vast majority of the product is used for blended whiskies, and hence is much under-appreciated.

Tonight's review is of the first ever Diageo Special Release grain whisky from the closed distillery at Port Dundas, that like most Scottish grain distilleries, was in the Lowland region. It was closed in 2009 when Diageo grain whisky production shifted to Cameron Bridge and North British distilleries. This release is 100% grain whisky and the oldest official release, blended from three casks distilled in 1990 and matured in a combination of casks. This was to be a bit of a treat.

Port Dundas 1990
57.4% - 20 Years Old - 1,920 Numbered Bottles Worldwide
Nose: Cherry leaps out of the glass with dark chocolate chasing behind in a combination much like the Green & Black's Cherry Chocolate. There is a real leatheryness to the nose with a grassy freshness mingling in. On a second take sawdust announces itself ever so politely.
Palate: Pepper and tobacco swirl around in a spicy waltz on a vanilla dance floor. Syrupy if a little too hot on the alcohol, water improves this dram.
Finish: Light yet vast, chocolate eclairs galore with a touch of aniseed.
Overall: Very good, a lot of complexity and depth here. I felt this whisky didn't need to be cask strength though, still with water, amazing.

To The Seaside! Clynelish 14 Year Old

I have found that I have a penchant for coastal whiskies. From the salty Campbeltown malts to the briny Pulteney, I am a fan. I find it intriguing that a whisky can (arguably) take on the character of the environment in which it is aged. I don't know how much this is true or how much is romantic terroir-driven musings, but coastal whiskies do have a saltiness to them. Recently I was fortunate enough to try one that I cannot remember having tried before. This whisky is the Clynelish from the legendary distilling town of Brora.

Clynelish 14 Years Old
46% - Distillery Bottled
Nose: Briny - reminiscent of fresh sea air, underneath there is honeyed vinigarette, grape and hovering smoke with a biscuity quality that adds substance to a full nose.
Palate: Sea salt and digestives (ship's biscuits?) with underlying fruit notes.
Finish: Grapes and stewed apples with a crisp acidity.
Overall: Fresh, clean and enticing. The Clynelish 14 reminds me of Springbank, if a little more savoury. Great standard release whisky for coastal fans.

An Exception To The Rule... BenRiach Arumaticus Fumosus

The world is full of exceptions to rules. The English language is positively riddled with them, "'I' before 'E' except after 'C'" being a flawed classic. Laws, especially when applied to those who make them, are diseased with exceptions and I am sure any game ever invented has a few thrown in for good measure (except perhaps connect four). Although exceptions make the world a more interesting and intriguing place they are also a major annoyance. For example: explaining a relatively simple concept to someone and, just when you think they've finally understood it, having to say "however there is an exception...". The whisky world is rife with exceptions. Quite often through my work I have to teach people the ins and outs of whisky. To keep it simple I work around the whisky regions of Scotland but of course every region has its exceptions. Islay has Bunnahabhain, the Islands have Arran, and Speyside has BenRiach. I usually skip over exceptions to keep things simple however it also means I forget about them. So recently I thought I'd pay more attention to these anomalies. The distillery I chose to explore was BenRiach, the peated Speyside. It was a distillery that I was dubious of, partly because I hadn't heard much about it but also because I had my doubts that Speyside could match the peaty passion of Islay - having previously tried the Benromach Peat Smoke I should have known better...

BenRiach Arumaticus Fumosus
46% - 12 Year Old - Dark Rum Finish
Nose: This whisky is meaty; smoke infusing itself in a hog roast lathered with sweet barbecue sauce.
Palate: Reminds me of punch, a rum kick from the cask finish with barley sweet flavours and some peat to boot.
Finish: Heathery and floral at first but then spicy and smoky with coffee following.
Overall: Arumaticus Fumosus is apparently Latin for 'smoky rum', for all that rum that was drunk in Roman times. That aside, I was impressed with this dram. It had layers of flavour that complimented its peating. BenRiach do a lot of different finishes so I couldn't say if this was comparatively under par or high quality, but it has intrigued me to find out. It is an exception to the rule I can live with, and I am curious to try more!

Welcome to Speyside - Strathisla 12 & 30 Year Olds

The location of my favourite
distillery tour (to date).

Of the limited number of distillery tours I have had the pleasure of joining, one has stood out as a favourite. Not because it was the most in-depth or the most wide-ranging but because it was the most charming. This tour was at the much-underated Speyside distillery of Strathisla, whose product principally goes into Chivas Regal and the excellent Royal Salute. The distillery is located to the east of Speyside and claims to be one of the oldest Highland Distilleries. It is certainly picturesque enough with cobbled pathways cherry trees, pogoda roofs and a waterwheel, but it was the tour that made it. The chap leading us around had worked in various roles at the distillery and had taken on the tour in retirement. He gave us a brilliant impression of what a working distillery was really like. Furthermore he let us try the malt that would open my eyes to the potential of Speyside. Strathisla is ever so lightly peated and it was this trace of smoke that appealed to my then peat-obsessed taste buds. So here's to Strathisla!

Strathisla 12 Year Old
43% - Distillery Bottled
Nose: Raisins, stewed pears, malt and fresh-cut grass play with a subtle smokiness, like burning hay with a phenolic chlorine edge giving another dimension to this dram.
Palate: Viscous malty aniseed with a touch of spicy smoke.
Finish: Full and wonderful; licquorish and burnt raisins with medium length.
Overall: A dram I link to a place and time so I am a little biased, but for me it is a great whisky to sit and relax with. Happy days!

Strathisla 30 Year Old
43% - Bottle by Gordon & MacPhail
Nose: Raisins and drifting wood smoke leading to pear and rum. Beyond this rich fruity nose there is chocolate and coffee cake with echoes of cumin and anise.
Palate: Sweet oily pear, smoke, malt and mocha in a lip-smackingly delicious combination.
Finish: Raisiny wood notes with a burst of pear drops with superb duration.
Overall: Fantastic: Complex, long, balanced, where can I buy more of this old bastard?