Aqua Vitae

For å rett og slett sprite opp lørdagskveldene, bestillte jeg noen flasker med whisky i forrige uke. Utvalget av livets vann på polet her oppe er ikke allverden. En finner kanskje tre-fire forskjellige typer med single malt. Rett og slett elendig, spesielt når en ser sortimentet med cognac. Norge må jo være det eneste landet der det drikkes mer cognac enn whisky. Dette er jeg strengt tatt på ingen måte sikker på, siden bakgrunnssjekken min består av utvalget på diverse butikk- og spritutsalg i utlandet. Men det som er sikkert er at whisky banker cognac. At folk her oppe foretrekker brunt brennevin med sukkersmak er for meg en gåte. Forskjellig smak betyr forskjellig behag, men allikevel tror jeg en del hadde hatt godt av å rett og slett lære seg å drikke whisky (For å så aldri se seg tilbake på cognacflaskene).

I hylla. Evisons favoritt.

I likhet med øl må en lære seg å drikke whisky. Det smaker ikke godt første gangen. Jeg husker en fest i 17-18 års alderen der jeg slapp opp for drikke og tok beina fatt hjemover for å finne mer. Det eneste jeg fant i pappas klesskap (Jepp, det var der han oppbevarte godsakene), var noen single malt-flasker. Det smakte selvfølgelig helt forferdelig og løsningen ble å blande de dyre Taxfree-dråpene med Gøy Bringebærsaft. Dette var rett og slett en blasfemisk lite gjennomtenkt gjerning, men det fungerte der og da. Det var vel først i 21-22 årsalderen jeg begynte å kjøpe whisky selv, og nå er stort sett hovedregelen;  jo mer røyksmak, jo bedre.

En av mine gode gamle venner, e-dogg hadde en morsom måte å lære seg å drikke whisky på. e-dogg senior gav han rett og slett en “Bruichladdich” (Røyksmak til de grader) og gav han beskjed om å lære seg å drikke ordentlige saker. Han smakte på den, sa æsj! og tenkte at “Peach Canei” er da mye bedre. Men så begynte han å se på en eller annen tv-serie der de drakk mye whisky (Sopranos?) Etter mange episoder fordelt over flere dager begynte flasken å bli tom, og han hadde begynt å like smaken. Rett og slett lært seg å drikke whisky.

Not 4 Dummies

 Merkelig nok er det god stemning i Irland når Metallica spiller “Whiskey In The Jar”. Men huff så dårlig Ulrich spiller….

Linkwood 17y 1987/2004, 43%, Signatory, cask 4145 – Speyside – 72/100
Granige neus met appel en versgemaaid gras. Niet onaangenaam, maar weinig boeiend. Zachte, wat zoete smaak met ook hier granen. Vanille ook en iets bloemigs. Middelange afdronk. Beetje saai, deze Linkwood.
 
Linkwood 18y 1990, 45%, G&M for LMDW 2009, cask 6962 – Speyside – 84/100
Stevige sherrytoestanden in geur en smaak. In de neus geeft dat noten, koffie (sterke espresso), karamel, rozijnen en bittere chocolade. En ongetwijfeld nog heel wat meer dat ik dan niet inmiddelijk kan plaatsen. De smaak is bitterzoet. De bittere chocolade onieuw. Rubber. Vrij veel hout, mag wat minder voor m’n papillen. Ook kruiden doemen op. Middellange, droge en kruidige finish. Complexe whisky met een erg aangename neus maar een ietsje te droog, te scherp in de smaak. Dit laatste doet ‘m net uit de 85+ catagerie vallen.
 
Caol Ila 15y 1990/2005, 50%, DL OMC, 358 bottles – Islay – 83/100
Neus is erg zacht, de turf is eerst vaag aanwezig maar komt langzaamaan bovendrijven, en verdringt daarmee de vanille en de citrus. Appelschil. Ook de smaak is zacht, zoet, met lekkere turf en dito zilt. Middellange, eerder droge afdronk.
 
Caol Ila 17y 1991/2008, 46%, Cadenhead, 361 bottles – Islay – 82/100
Neus: zoet, turf, rook, fruit. Matig complex. Smaak: lekkere zoete turf. Gerookte zalm. Beetje vettig. Vrij lange, zoete afdronk. Aangename Caol Ila.
Frapant, op enkele uitzonderingen na (die Manager’s Dram!) scoor ik bijna alle Caol Ila’s tussen 80 en 85. Degelijke, lekkere whisky zonder echt uitzonderlijk te zijn, maar ook zelden tegenvallend.

Port Askaig is de naam van een havenstadje (nu ja, dorp) aan de noordoostkust van Islay én sinds kort ook de naam van een nieuwe single malt whisky. Denk nu vooral niet dat Islay een nieuwe distilleerderij rijker is, het is Speciality Drinks Ltd. – de firma achter The Whisky Exchange van Sukhinder Singh – dat onder deze naam een single malt whisky uit Islay bottelt. Als je er de kaart van Islay bijneemt, zie je dat er zich in de buurt van Port Askaig maar één distilleerderij bevindt, Caol Ila. Alles wat onder het Port Askaig label wordt gebotteld, is dus in feite Caol Ila whisky.
Vandaag de dag bestaan er drie varianten Port Askaig: een 17-jarige aan +/- 60 euro, een 25-jarige voor een 90 euro en een cask strength whisky die ongeveer 45 euro moet kosten. Eind dit jaar zou er ook nog een 30-jarige gebottled worden. De whisky op drinksterkte hebben ze – net zoals Talisker dat doet trouwens – tot Imperial 80 proof versneden. Dit komt overéén met 45,8% alcohol.
Je vindt Port Askaigs natuurlijk op The Whisky Exchange, maar je komt ze evengoed tegen in de betere whiskyhandel. Ik heb me – ondertussen al een tijdje geleden – via Whiskysamples een setje besteld en nu eindelijk ook geproefd.

 
Port Askaig 17y, 45.8%, Speciality Drinks Ltd (TWE), 2009 – Islay – 83/100
In de neus een klassieke turf-rook-citrus mélange. Cleane turf, kampvuur, citroenen, sinaasschil. Beetje zoets ook, honing. Licht medicinale touch. Hey, als extraatje een subtiele waxy note! In de olie-achtige smaak krijg ik eerst veel turf, citrus (pompelmoes) en honing. Tot zo ver dus mooi in lijn met de neus. Daarna meer en meer zilt, zoethout en kruiden. Lange, warme afdronk op teer en zilt. Klassieke en dus best genietbare Caol Ila met een mooie balans.
 
Port Askaig 25y, 45.8%, Speciality Drinks Ltd (TWE), 2009 – Islay – 86/100
Oh, deze is veel fruitiger, wat gezien de leeftijd niet geheel onlogisch is natuurlijk. Zachte, complexe neus met sinaas, appel, passievrucht, boenwas, honing, zoethout, kruiden… Rook ook (en as – verbrand hout hier) maar merkelijk minder prominent dan in de 17y. Zachte smaak waar fruit, zoet en hout de kernwoorden zijn. Pompelmoes, sinaas, appel, honing, suiker, zilt, kruiden en hout. Serieus drogend (bitter) naar het eind. Middellange droge finish met hout, peper, zoethout en rook. Complexer dan de 17y, lekkerder ook. Een ietsje minder hout in de smaak had een puntje of twee meer opgeleverd.
 
Port Askaig Cask Strength, 57.1%, Speciality Drinks Ltd (TWE), 2009 – Islay – 77/100
Smokey! Veel rook, meer nog dan de 17y. Als ik ze naast elkaar zet, geeft de 17y eerder pure turf en deze CS rook. Houtskool, sigaren, smeulend haardvuur, roet/uitlaatgassen, dat soort zaken. Daarnaast heb ik wat zoets en hooi (of is het stro? – Even een zijsprongetje, een luistertip: Hay foot/Straw foot van 16 Horsepower, een project van de geniale David Eugene Edwards). Datzelfde hooi/grassige in de smaak, naast weerom veel rook en assen. Wat ziltig en met moeite een beetje vanille. Vrij lange rokerige (of wat had je gedacht?) afdronk, die kruidig en wat bitter eindigt. Blijf toch wat met een asbak gevoel zitten, de rook verdringt te veel de rest. Vond de 17y beter gebalanceerd.

Het wordt tijd dat ik eens een woordje placeer over deze nieuwe bottelaar, want heb er ondertussen al één en ander van geproefd, meestal tot mijn grote voldoening.
The Whisky Agency (TWA) is een Duitse bottelaar die werd opgericht door de heren Ehrlich en Schneider. Carsten Ehrlich is trouwens ook één van de drijvende krachten achter The Whisky Fair, één van de meest gerenomeerde whiskyfestivals ter wereld, dat jaarlijks plaatsvindt in het Duitse Limburg. Het hoeft geen betoog dat beide oprichters al jaren intensief met whisky bezig waren alvorens ze besloten zelf whisky te gaan selecteren en bottelen. In principe bottelen ze alles wat ze zelf lekker vinden, ongeacht regio, distilleerderij, leeftijd, vattype of wat dan ook. De whisky wordt niet koud gefilterd noch bijgekleurd. TWA bottelt zowel onder z’n eigen naam als onder het label van The Perfect Dram.

Vandaag mijn bevindingen van hun Caol Ila, Fettercairn – ja, die hadden we nog niet gehad – en Longmorn, later deze week gaan we de sherrytoer op met één van hun Bunnahabhains (de 1974) en een spiksplinternieuwe Glenfarclas.

Caol Ila 26y 1982/2009, 63%, The Perfect Dram (TWA), 120 bottles – Islay – 84/100
Door de alcaohol ruik je zoete truf. Met water heel wat meer. Wat? Wel, we hebben o.a. zilt, gerookte vis (heilbot?), appels en vanille. In de smaak zonder water kruiden (nootmuskaat) en rook, met water nog meer rook en ook appels (opnieuw), zoethout en drop. Lange rokerige finish. Heeft absoluut water nodig om open te komen, maar vertoont zich dan een goeie zwemmer.
 
Fettercairn 33y 1975/2008, 58.3%, The Perfect Dram (TWA), 143 bottles – Highland – 80/100
Pfff, dit is een vreemde neus. Er is een hoek af, maar kan niet onmiddelijk associëren. Stoffig? Mmm, zeker geen old bottle toestanden. Nat karton misschien. Iets ranzig in ieder geval. Granen ook, kandij en na een tijdje wat fruit. Appels. Advocado? Moeilijk. Je moet ‘m sowieso wat tijd geven. Smaak is in ieder geval beter. Hout (vrij veel), karamel, fruit (allerlei citrus) en kruiden. Kruidige, licht bittere afdronk. Niet slecht en alhoewel lang getwijfeld over de score toch 80, weliswaar met de hakken over de sloot en volledig op het conto van de smaak.
 
Longmorn 32y 1976/2008, 53%, The Whisky Agency, 120 bottles – Highland – 85/100
Aangename neus met hooi, fruit (perzik, abrikoos, peer), beetje hout, kruiden, lichte rook en tabak. Mondvullende smaak – deels door het hout veronderstel ik – met ook hier fruit en kruiden, wordt vrij bitter naar het einde. Lange, droge en kruidige afdronk. Lekker, maar een beetje te bitter om geweldig te zijn.

Caol Ila 15y 1992/2007, 52.5%, Duncan Taylor, cask 3633 – Islay – 86/100
Typische frisse Caol Ila neus met vanille, turf en zilt. Appels. Sappige groene appels. Stevige smaak. Zoet (de vanille), kruidig (peper) en voorzien van een behoorlijke dosis turf. Robuust, maar toch erg vlot drinkbaar. Lange zoete finish met de klassieke zilte turf. Foutloze en dus erg lekkere Caol Ila.
 
Laphroaig 15y, 43%, OB 2008 – Islay – 89/100
Complexe, subtiele neus. Vrij medicinaal. Zilt, jodium, turf… een echte eilander. Beetje zoet en fruitig ook. Smaak is wat vettig (olie), zoet en fruitig (citrus vooral). Turf natuurlijk ook, en naar het eind wat zilt. Hout ook, die de lange afdronk licht drogend maakt. Allemaal wat minder direct dan bij de andere OB’s heb ik de indruk. Wel héél lekker.
 
Port Ellen 26y 1979/2006, 50%, DL OMC, 514 bottles – Islay – 88/100
De herkenbare Port Ellen neus met zilt, zeewier en turf. Ook smaak dominant turf, maar daarna komt het fruit, citrus. Lichte aangename bitterheid. Bittere chocolade. Orangettes! Middellange rokerige afdronk.

Hey guys,

I find myself once again apologising for not having updated my blog as much I would liked to have. Due to the lack to time available at events,(I’m too busy telling everyone about Black Bottle you see), it’s not always easy to find time to type up some decent news for you guys. Having said that, hopefully this week’s blog will go some way to making up for the lack of content. I’m going to blog about Birmingham this week and next week I’ll tell you all about my adventures round London at the London Taste Festival in Regents Park. I don’t want you to get too excited all at once.

My travels started a few weeks back going to the Summer Good Food Show (SGFS) in Birmingham. The SGFS is a huge indoor and outdoor event over 5 days in the Birmingham NEC where 120, 000 visitors get the opportunity to come and sample great produce from across the world and then take advantage of show prices. It was a great show for Black Bottle, we managed to sample 16k people over the 5 days and we sold all the stock that I had taken down to the show. For those of you who did miss out however, remember that in England and Wales you can purchase Black Bottle in all good Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s, as well as online. Remember to keep an eye out for it!

Highlights of the show for me included the banter from my team at the show; I’d like to thank Scott, Verity, Sharon and Kate for all your hard work. They are all big Black Bottle fans and their endless micky taking of myself ensured the long days were all the longer. Other highlights included having to repeatedly knock back offers for the Jalopy from show visitors – to the point that we had to write on a chalk board that the van wasn’t for sale. I have to add that some of the offers were very reasonable and if we ever decide to sell it, you’ll hear it here first.

I have added a few pictures below; make sure you check them out. As always if you have any comments or questions make sure you add them below.

Enjoy the rest of your week,
Darroch

Introduction

Port Askaig Samples

I think my wife was worried about me last night as I sat surrounded by four whisky nosing glasses (Port Askaig Cask Strength (57.1%), 17 year (45.8%), and 25 year (45.8%) expressions, as well as Signatory Caol Ila 14 year). I wanted to do a head-to-head and really get a feel for how these different Caol Ila expressions stack up based on my own preferences.  If you’re unfamiliar with Port Askaig (and why I’m referring to them as Caol Ilas), check out my full PA 17 review and/or this introductory post on The Whisky Exchange Blog.  In order to do the comparison, I ordered 30 ml samples of the whole Port Askaig range from whiskysamples.eu (my review of their service here). The Signatory was part of the mix just to provide a Caol Ila baseline for comparison. You can read my post on that one here.

Tasting Notes

I’ll start with a recap of the tasting notes from my full Port Askaig 17 post, using that as a baseline for the two other Port Askaig expressions. I did a full comparison on one night, then tried the CS and 25 by themselves the next two nights.  The first night, I nosed the full 30 ml samples, but then set 15 ml aside for the second tastings. I’ll describe the tastes, then editorialize more in the conclusion.

Port Askaig 17

On the nose, I get a strong citrus scent up front (lemon zest), followed by sweet peat and some smoke. Digging deeper, honey sweetness starts to turn a little richer, and there are possibly some apple notes in there.

On the palate, some citrus remains with the sweet peat, and then a bit of a pepper kick comes in and then dies off.

On the finish, as the pepper dies down, nice coal smoke builds up and joins the peat, coming up through the back of the nostrils.

Port Askaig CS

On the nose, you can tell this is a higher strength, with the alcohol hitting first. Then you get sweet peat and smoke. There’s something else there as well, which I interpreted as dry dog food (Nutro). Sorry, I don’t have a good human food equivalent to translate to at the moment. I felt it detracted slightly from the overall experience. The Caol Ila citrus is almost non-existent, but does come on a little with a couple of drops of water. Overall, this nose says “hello, I’m a peaty single malt, with more peat coming your way on the palate.”

On the palate, it’s not really that hot considering the alcohol volume. It seems a bit one-dimensional, with sweet peat being the primary taste. No surprises here.

On the finish, I’m getting that strong peat and coal smoke that I like with Caol Ila. Then it seems like a little of that dog food (or is it hay now?) comes back towards the end.

Port Askaig 25

On the nose, the citrus is toned way down from the 17, and what’s there is more of a candied orange than a zesty lemon. There’s a pretty strong caramelized sugar sweetness on this one, and the peat really takes a back seat to the other aromas. Overall, it’s quite mellow.

On the palate, the sweet, mild peat is there, and a light pepper comes on. It remains pretty mellow, though.

The finish is where I was most disappointed in this expression. The coal smoke that I like so much in Caol Ilas is all but gone. There’s an earthy peat and regular camp fire smoke that’s nice, but it’s not strong. Finally, I’m getting a tea flavor that reminds me of Bowmore 12. I don’t want tea on the finish. I want a solid peat/smoke combination.

Conclusion

I’m really glad I purchased the Port Askaig 17 full size bottle over the other two expressions. It’s definitely my favorite. I wanted to be wowed by the 25 year. It did have an enjoyable nose, but it was also quite tame. If it had come on strong on the finish with coal smoke, strong peat, and maybe a pepper kick, I probably would have been more than happy with it. However, with it staying mellow throughout, and adding that tea flavor on the finish, the 25 just didn’t quite do it for me. It’s nice, but not £75 nice. Finally, the CS was more of a pure peat play. I could drink this on a fairly regular basis when I need a peat fix, but it didn’t offer me much more than that.

The 17 year takes me back to the first time I tried Caol Ila 12 year. I took in that strong citrus scent that mixed in with the peat and sweetness, and proceeded to expect a relatively calm finish with muted peat and smoke.  Then bang! That build up of peat and coal smoke came on, along with some pepper, and it made for a great experience from start to finish. The PA 17 gives me that experience, but with a little more class.

Attempting to rate them

Ok…I’ve been avoiding providing ratings, as I’m still working my way through a lot of distilleries for the first time, and continuing to discover my own preferences. I’m also only picking up a few scents and flavors, where more experienced whisky aficionados can coax out much more. However, I’ll try to convey my feeling on these Port Askaigs by assigning ratings to a couple of other scotches that I’ve written about and feel comfortable with, and then providing relative scores for these three expressions.

Let’s say, just to provide context, that I were to assign the following ratings to other expressions: Laphroaig 30 (93 pts), Lagavulin 16 (91 pts), Laphroaig 15 (90 pts), and Caol Ila 12 (87 pts). Based on this, I would slot the PA 17 in at 89 pts, right up with my favorites. The PA CS and PA 25 would drop down to around 81/83 respectively; still very enjoyable drinks depending on my mood, but neither offering anything outstanding, and both having one thing that detracts from the experience (for my tastes).

Other Opinions

• The Whisky Exchange Blog – Tim F provides his notes on the 17, and also states that this is his favorite of the three.
• WhiskyNotes.be – Ruben provides great notes on the PA CS and the PA 25. He definitely likes the 25 more than I do, rating it at 88 pts vs. 82 for the CS. I’m looking forward to seeing what he thinks of the 17 year.
• Malt Advocate Blog – John Hansell also prefers the 17 year (91 pts) to the 25 (85 pts). His review is the one that compelled me to purchase my bottle of the 17 year.
• Edinburgh Whisky Blog – 17 and 25 year notes from Lucas.
• Caskstrength.net – Another comparison of the 17 and 25 year expressions, with both rated very close together.
• Spirit of Islay – Scroll down a bit for the 17/25 notes. He seems to really enjoy the 25 year.
• Dr. Whisky – [Aug 12, '09 Update] The good doctor just did his own comparison of the 17 and 25 year. It doesn’t sound like he’s quite as crazy about the PA 17 as I am, but he does like both, and seems to also prefer the 17 to the 25.

Att jobba med skuggor är väldigt intressant. Här har jag försökt dölja och visa olika detaljer på flaskorna och få lite dynamik i bilden. Utan skuggorna skulle bilden vara väldigt grafisk till sin karaktär, nu blir det mer djup och dynamik.

Introduction

Caol Ila Signatory 1992

I had to take my daughter’s viola to the music store today to get a string replaced. I knew of a liquor store nearby that is supposed to have a good selection, so I stopped in to take a look. They had some interesting stuff, including a pricey 29 year Cragganmore. Prices were generally a bit higher than I’m used to paying.  Caol Ila 12 was selling for $65, vs. $56 at Bevmo and $50 at Total Wines. Then I noticed a Signatory Vintage 1992 Caol Ila with the following specs for $57:

I’ve heard good things about the Signatory Cask Strength series, and at basically the same price as a bottle of CI 12 (OB) at Bevmo, I decided to give this expression a shot. I was planning to buy a full size bottle of Caol Ila 12 soon, anyway. I just finished a Caol Ila 12 vs. 18 comparison a couple of days ago, but I couldn’t resist trying this bottle out right away.

Tasting Notes

On the nose, I get the lemony citrus right away that I expect from Caol Ila. This seems a little cleaner than the OB 12, but more subdued than the Port Askaig 17. Working through that, there’s a pleasant peat smoke, and I want to say a little bit of caramelized sugar.  Like the OB 12, I’m getting a mixture of saltiness and sweetness. Perhaps some kind of smoked meat for the salty scent?

On the palate, there’s peat, coal smoke and pepper, but the body seems a little lighter than CI 12. I think there’s a little less coal smoke in this expression, allowing the peat to come through a little more on the finish.  At first, it seems like a medium finish, but after dying down a little bit, the peat and some smoke continue to linger for quite some time.

Conclusion – If you just handed me a glass of this Signatory Caol Ila and told me that it was Caol Ila 12, I would believe you. I’m not getting any significant clues that this is an older expression from another bottler.  Even the color is virtually identical. Signatory did a great job of maintaining the distillery character that I like so much. This is a perfectly good value given the asking price, and definitely worth a shot if you’re a regular Caol Ila 12 purchaser. I can’t imagine anybody liking the 12 and disliking this one.

Compared to Caol Ila 12 – I have now proceeded to pour a glass of Caol Ila 12 from my 2006 Islay Collection gift pack.  I don’t recall having noticed this with my 2007 bottle, but side-by-side with the Signatory, I’m getting a slightly rubbery scent on the nose of the Caol Ila 12 (returning momentarily on the finish as well). Everything else is virtually identical between the two expressions, except the body on the 12 year seems slightly more oily. Given a choice, I think I would opt for the Signatory. I’m a little baffled by this based on my experience with the 2007 CI 12 bottling, and will compare again in the future after both bottles have been open for a while.

Other Opinions

I can’t find any!  In fact, I can’t find any evidence that this expression actually exists.  Well…except for that fact that there’s a bottle sitting in my cupboard.  If somebody out there with one of the other 381 bottles from this cask actually comes across this blog post, how about leaving a comment and sharing your experience?

So, given the unknown likelihood of finding another bottle of this particular expression, what is my takeaway from this tasting?  It’s that Signatory is capable of producing a solid Caol Ila release that is true to the original distillery profile.  I won’t hesitate to try another one of their expressions in the future.

Introduction

Tonight I’m comparing 2007 OB versions of Caol Ila 12 and 18 year expressions. These are 200ml bottles that came in my Islay Collection gift pack.  Both are bottled at 43% ABV.  Locally (Arizona), the full size bottle of Caol Ila 12 can be found for around $50, while the 18 year goes for $75 to $80.  I’ll state right up front that I really like the Caol Ila profile.  I purchased the Islay Collection gift pack so that I could get my hands on the Port Ellen annual release, with Lagavulin 12 and 16 being a great bonus.  I was happy to get to try Caol Ila, but wasn’t expecting a whole lot, as I hadn’t seen a lot of buzz on the internet about this distillery.  I ended up being very pleasantly surprised, especially by the 12 year.

Sampling Caol Ila 12 and 18

Tasting

Caol Ila 12

On the nose, there’s lemon citrus, sweet peat, and smoke.  The smoke isn’t all that strong, though.  This is a pleasant nose, and relatively “light” compared to Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Lagavulin.  After working through the initial citrus, there seems to be something salty mixed in with the peat and smoke.  I’m not sure exactly what it is, though. [Update - I forgot to mention that the lemon scent reminds me a little bit of lemon Pledge furniture polish...not necessarily pure, unadulturated lemons.  It's subtle, and I didn't find it off-putting.]

On the palate, BANG…that peat and smoke come through much stronger. Then a wave of pepper takes hold.  The pepper lingers into the finish, and the smoke keeps building into a strong coal smoke chimney coming up through the nostrils.  Excellent.

Caol Ila 18

On the nose, it’s very similar to the 12 at first, with citrus, sweet peat and some smoke.  But there’s something else as well…I think this one is a little more fruity, and there’s perhaps something a little floral there.  I guess you could say this makes it more “complex”, which is usually a good thing. However, I find these “extras” to be a bit of a distraction.

On the palate, there’s not quite the bang of the 12 year.  The peat, smoke and pepper are there, but more mellow.  On the finish, it continues to be more subdued, and I’m getting a little bit of “hot tea” like I was getting with the Bowmores.  At the very end, I get a subtle sense of something musty or stale.

Conclusion

I really enjoy the Caol Ila 12. At $50 locally, it will probably end up being my favorite value in Islay single malts, once stock of Laphroaig 15 disappears. I like the Caol Ila 18 as well, but I’d rate it a couple of points below the 12 year, so I don’t really see a scenario where I purchase a full bottle of that one in its current form. Having it as part of a gift pack is fine, though. I’ll certainly continue to drink it, and enjoy it.

I have exactly the opposite reaction to the Caol Ila 12/18 as to the Talisker 10/18 expressions. In both cases, the older one is mellower and has more going on. However, the Talisker 18 retains enough of the energy of the younger drink to stay interesting, and the additional complexity provides a significant increase in enjoyment/interest. With the Caol Ila 18, I feel like it loses a little of the pizazz that I like so much in the 12, and the additional scents and flavors distract me slightly from the primary profile that I enjoy so much.

Other opinions

• Whisky Fun – Whisky Fun has notes specifically on the 2007 bottlings of both the 12 year and 18 year Caol Ila, along with a slew of IB expressions. They rate the 18 year a few points higher than the 12.  Funny, they also mention a “tea” flavor (earl grey) on the palate of the 18, but I think they found that to be a positive.
• Whisky Magazine – Notes and ratings, along with links to related discussion forum threads.
  • Issue 25 (CI 12) – Review of Caol Ila 12 by Michael Jackson and Dave Broom
  • Issue 50 (CI 12) – Notes on Caol Ila 12 by Martine Nouet and Dave Broom.  The numbers are not ratings, but peat levels out of 5.
  • Issue 25 (CI 18) – Reviewing Caol Ila 18; Michael Jackson rates the 18 over the 12, while Dave Broom is less impressed with the 18.
  • Issue 50 (CI 18) – Like the 12 year issue 50 link above, these are peat level numbers, not overall ratings.
• Whisky for Everyone – Review of the Caol Ila 12 year, along with interesting info about the distillery.  Matt also notes something salty on then nose like I did, and compares it to bacon crisps.  I’m not sure if I quite get bacon, but that analogy of salty meat being cooked is a pretty good one.
• Scotch Chix – The Scotch Chix find Caol Ila 12 to be a good stepping stone to stronger Islay malts.
• Whisky Party – “dodgydrammer” compares Caol Ila 18 to Talisker 18.  He rates the Talisker slightly higher, but it’s reasonably close.  He’s probably a little higher on the Caol Ila than I am, and not quite as impressed with the Talisker 18 (one of my absolute favorites).
• YouTube – IslayScotchWhisky reviews Caol Ila 12 and has good things to say about it.  He gets tart apple on the front of the nose, as opposed to citrus.  He also takes the spiciness a different direction at the end.

Introduction

A pour of Port Askaig 17

Tonight, we have the Port Askaig Islay 17 year single malt scotch, bottled at 45.8% ABV, non-chill filtered, and no added coloring.  Port Askaig is a new range of single malts from Specialty Drinks Ltd (SDL), a sister company of The Whisky Exchange (TWE). Along with the 17 year, they offer a No Age Statement (NAS) cask strength, and a 25 year. Apparently, they’re also going to introduce a limited release 30 year expression later this year. This range was just introduced in late April, 2009, but is already getting a lot of buzz around the online whisky community. I think I have more links in my “Other Opinions” section on this post than for any other scotch I’ve blogged about.

One of the things that’s interesting about this range is that they haven’t disclosed which distillery the whisky actually comes from. Current consensus on the internet seems to be Caol Ila. More about this later in my post. Port Askaig 17 is available from TWE for 50 GBP (current equivalent: $75). I believe it’s also available through select importers in other European countries, but it’s not currently exported to the United States.

Tasting Notes

Tasting notes on the bottle

On the nose, the Port Askaig 17 immediately reminds of Caol Ila. That honey-sweet citrus right up front, with peat that isn’t quite as tarry as Ardbeg or Laphroaig, or as medicinal as Lagavulin. However, as I spent some more time taking in the aroma, I noticed that the citrus seemed different than the Caol Ila 12 or 18 original bottlings (OBs).  With CI, I get a very strong citrus zest. The PA seems to take a little of that zesty edge off, like you’re just getting the inner fruit. With even a little more time and imagination, the citrus started to turn to apple, like I get with Ardbeg. Perhaps, also, that honey sweetness is a little deeper than CI, again more along the lines of Ardbeg. The last bit of “Ardbeg” that I’m picking up is a hint of “art store”…the aisle where they have the ink and pencils. Very interesting. I like this nose a little better than the CI 12 or 18.

On the palate, I’m again immediately reminded of Caol Ila. The citrus and sweet peat are still there from the nose. It’s a tiny bit “hot” on the tongue, but in a good way, not a rough/cheap way. As it works its way towards the back of my tongue, some pepper starts to come on, building into the finish and slowly dying down. Also coming on with the finish is the Caol Ila coal smoke, and the earthy peat continues to linger. There are no bad after-tastes, and it goes down with a pleasant warming. My glass is emptying rather quickly.

Conclusion: This is a very enjoyable dram. I think it’s a step up from the Caol Ila 12, Ardbeg 10 and Laphroaig 10 standard bottlings. Then again, so is the price. Port Askaig 17 strikes me very much as a bridge between Caol Ila and Ardbeg, which I think is a positive thing. It makes me want to try experimenting with my own vatting of CI 12 and Ardbeg 10. I’m going to put this close to (but after a head-to-head comparison, a little below) the Laphroaig 15 as one of my favorite whiskies so far, with Talisker 18 and Lagavulin 16/DE above that.  If you’re an Islay scotch lover, you really should try to get your hands on this. If you’re a big Ardbeg fan, but Caol Ila not so much, I think you should still try this out. You might be surprised. If you’re in the U.S., the shipping cost makes it a little less cut-and-dry, as the Caol Ila 12 (Edit: or the Signatory 14 I’ve now tried) gets you pretty close to PA 17 for a lot less money.

Update (head-to-head): The above notes were done without directly comparing the PA 17 with Caol Ila and Ardbeg. It’s a couple of nights later, and I decided to pour small drams of Caol Ila 12, Port Askaig 17, Ardbeg 10, and Ardbeg Uigeadail. So, any change of heart from what I stated above? A little bit. I said that I felt the citrus “zest” from Caol Ila was rounded off a little on the PA, but I’m not so sure about that. I’m getting that lemon zest this time. I also felt that the PA was much more clearly in the Caol Ila camp with this hands-on comparison.  My bottom line here is that Port Askaig 17 is what I think Caol Ila 18 should be. I would gladly pay the additional $7.50 at TWE for this over the CI 18.

Update 2 [6/4/09]: I’ve got samples of the PA 25 and Cask Strength on the way, so I’ll be able to compare the whole range. Woo hoo!

A Caol Ila by any other name…

Nobody from Specialty Drinks Ltd and/or The Whisky Exchange has come right out and stated that Port Askaig whisky is distilled by Caol Ila, and industry insiders that have probably been clued in seem to be playing along, just offering clues. Not convinced that Port Askaig is really Caol Ila?  Let’s take a look at the evidence:

1. The name: Port Askaig is located on the East side of Islay, a short ferry ride from Jura.  If you look at a distillery map of Islay, you’ll see that Caol Ila is located right in Port Askaig, with Bunnahabhain just a little bit north of the Caol Ila location.  The rest of the distilleries are much further to the South or West.
2. The ages of the expressions: The NAS Cask Strength, 17 year, and 25 year expressions sure line up nicely against other common bottlings of Caol Ila, both by the original distiller (OB) and independent bottlers (IB). I mean really, how easy would it be for Specialty Drinks to come up with a bunch of 17 and 25 year (and don’t forget the 30 year later on) casks of Ardbeg?  Ardbeg can’t even seem to get 17 and 25 year casks of Ardbeg.
3. 

   Port Askaig 17 Bottle Seal

   Geographic Coordinates on Bottle: Printed on the seal of the bottle is the following coordinates:  N. 55:50:41 W. 06:06:10, which converts to Lat. 55.8447, Lon. -6.1028 in decimal. I saw this and thought perhaps this would be a clue. If it’s from another distillery, would they potentially provide a Latitude/Longitude that doesn’t match the actual Port Askaig location? However, punching in the  numbers in Google Maps puts you right in Port Askaig, just a bit south of the Caol Ila distillery.

4. Taste profile: While I could potentially be fooled in a blind test into believing PA 17 is an Ardbeg, the overall profile is certainly in line with the OB Caol Ilas I’ve tasted. Don’t take my word for it, though. The many tasting notes in the “Other Opinions” section below (by people with much more tasting experience than me) show a strong similarity to the Caol Ila profile.
5. Clues from industry insiders: Check out the Malt Advocate blog post and comments, linked in the “Other Opinions…” section below.
6. I know somebody who knows somebody…: I got a tweet (Twitter post) from @whiskyfan who says that  ”according to @hansemalt the German importer verified that Port Askaig is Caol Ila.”  So there you go…I know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody with inside information.

View Larger Map

Other Opinions

• The Whisky Exchange Blog - Tim F. writes about the new Port Askaig releases, and provides his own tasting notes for the 17 year.
• Malt Advocate Blog (What does John know?) – John Hansell provides notes and ratings for both the 17 and 25 year expressions.  He really likes the 17 year.
• Edinburgh Whisky Blog – Notes and ratings personifications by Lucas of both the 17 and 25 year expressions.  More extremely positive feedback.
• Caskstrength.net – More notes and discussion about the 17 and 25 year expressions, and more of a “statement” than a guess that this is from the Caol Ila distillery.
• Spirit of Islay (once it’s archived, this will be the link) – In the May “A Whiff of Peat Smoke…” newsletter, Gordon shares his notes on the 17 and 25 year expressions. There is also a discussion in Gordon’s Warehouse No. 4 forums.
• Whisky, Whisky, Whisky – Tasting notes on the Port Askaig 17 year. Making me feel much better about myself, Mark also noted a similarity to the Ardbeg profile. There’s also some additional discussion in the WhiskyWhiskyWhisky forums, kicked off by none other than Tim F. from TWE.
• YouTube – Ralfy (from ralfy.com) has now reviewed the PA 17 on his video blog. Quite entertaining…check it out: [Added July 10, '09]

I love those gift packs where you get a few (usually three) 20 cl bottles of whisky in a nice box.  The cost is usually not much more per cl than you would pay for a full size bottle, but you get to try out multiple expressions.  They’re especially great for a new whisky enthusiast.  I was browsing through The Whisky Exchange (TWE) web site Special Offers a few weeks ago, and a Diageo gift pack stood out at me because it included five 20 cl bottles instead of the usual three.

I noticed that it was an “Islay” gift pack (Islay whiskies being my new obsession), so I clicked on it.  They called it the “Islay Collection 2007″, and I couldn’t believe what I saw:  Caol Ila 12, Caol Ila 18, Lagavulin 16, Lagavulin 12 CS, and…wait for it…Port Ellen 28 year ‘7th Annual Release’!  The price was marked down from 97 GBP ($146) to 70 GBP ($105) [Actually, that's including VAT.  Outside of the UK it's 61 GBP ($90)].  They now also have the 2006 version of this same gift pack, which includes, you guessed it, the 6th Port Ellen release.

2006 Classic Islay Collection

Are you kidding me!?  One of the Port Ellen Annual Release original distillery bottlings that I’ve been reading great things about, but was scared off by the $400+/bottle price?  I had to get my hands on this gift pack.  I couldn’t believe that they would stay in stock very long.  On the contrary, six weeks later they now have both the 2006 and 2007 versions of the gift pack available.  How is this staying on the shelves?  Let’s consider the price and value:

Spending over $100 on a liter of whisky is still a considerable purchase.  However, let’s take a moment to rationalize this for ourselves.  What would 20 cl of these five scotches go for if you calculated it based on the full bottle price?  I’m going to go with current TWE prices for reference:

• Caol Ila 12: 70cl = 25 GBP, so 20cl = 7 GBP ($10.50)
• Caol Ila 18: 70cl = 45 GBP, so 20cl = 13 GBP ($19.50)
• Lagavulin 16: 70cl = 40 GBP, so 20cl = 11.5 GBP ($17.50) [This would be much more in the USA]
• Lagavulin 12: 70cl = 49 GBP, so 20cl = 14 GBP ($21) [This is the 2008 price; might be more if you can find 2006/2007]
• Port Ellen 6th: 70cl = 299 GBP, so 20cl = 85 GBP ($128)

“Fair Price” Total:  130 GBP ($205)

Another way to look at it is that you’re getting nearly 30% of a bottle of Port Ellen at a discount price, and they’re throwing in the other 800 ml of Islay goodness for free. Yet another view is that a fair price for the four non-Port Ellen bottles is 45.50 GBP, so this is a chance to get 20cl of the elusive Port Ellen for a mere 24.50 GBP ($36). A final consideration is the flat monetary outlay that we’re talking about here in order to taste an OB (original distillery bottling) Port Ellen:  Approximately $100 to $135 depending on tax/shipping vs. $400+.  This is a significant lowering of the barrier to entry.

So, if you’re in the UK, or someplace that allows mail order of this gift pack from TWE, what are you waiting for?  You might also still be able to find this in some specialty shops in primary whisky market areas in the United States.  This is your chance to be a part of a rapidly disappearing piece of history; a chance for us middle/working-class scotch lovers to exchange tasting notes of a rare, expensive malt with the rich and famous.  You’re also armed with convincing numbers to explain to your significant other why it would be like throwing away money NOT to buy this set.  Isn’t it great to turn the tables around now and then?

Update: I forgot to mention another tip if you’re having this shipped to the United States – They charge 32 GBP shipping for this gift pack, vs 26 GBP for a single bottle. However, you can add up to five 50ml miniatures to your order and the shipping cost will stay the same. So go ahead and try out some new malts while you’re ordering the Islay gift pack, expanding your horizons and defraying the shipping costs.

Port Ellen and friends

Caol Ila Stills and Jura View Lores - photo courtesy Cognis Public Relations

Intoxicologist Note: No time for bottle shots, there are only labels this time.  These Single Malt Scotches are so special they went straight from bottling to Islay.  The importance of the man in the photo: Iain MacArthur is the warehouseman who chose the Lagavulin cask and one of the Caol Ila photos. 

Lagavulin Warehouseman Iain MacArthur - photo courtesy Cognis Public Relations

Media release follows:

Cognis Public Relations – Tuesday, May 5, 2009 – To celebrate this year’s Islay Festival of Malt & Music on 23-30 May, Diageo is once again making available two special Festival editions of its Islay Single Malt Scotch Whiskies. These very limited editions will be available only to personal shoppers, with a limit of one bottle per person.

Caol Ila Front Label – photo courtesy Cognis Public Relations

The first-ever single cask bottling of Caol Ila™ by the Distillers is drawn from a European oak ex-sherry cask filled in December 1996, which has provided just 654 70cl bottles of 12 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The cask was hand-selected by Caol Ila distillery’s long-established manager, Billy Stitchell.

Lagavulin Front Label – photo courtesy Cognis Public Relations

From Lagavulin™ comes a 14 year old expression of this famous Single Malt, from a European oak cask filled in 1995, and hand-picked from Warehouse No. 1 by Iain McArthur, long-standing warehouseman at Lagavulin distillery. This edition consists of 660 bottles.

Both editions are bottled at natural cask strength, and will be on sale at £69.99.

Lagavulin Front Main Label – photo courtesy Cognis Public Relations

Nick Morgan, Diageo’s Scotch Knowledge and Heritage Director, said: “The Lagavulin single cask edition for the Feis Ile has been a great success in previous years, and we hope this one will bring just as much pleasure to Festival visitors. The Caol Ila bottling is a first for us: I’m sure devotees of this Whisky will find it an interesting and satisfying dram. Both are genuine bottlings made specifically for this year’s Festival and are priced very fairly, we think, to meet the pockets of the hard-pressed Whisky enthusiasts who may have travelled a very long way, and at considerable expense, on their pilgrimages to Islay”.

The Lagavulin Festival Edition will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis at Lagavulin distillery during their open day on Saturday 23 May. The Caol Ila Festival Edition will go on sale at Caol Ila distillery during their open day on Monday 25 May.

Caol Ila distillery

Lagavulin distillery (inc. Iain McArthur)

contact Pat Roberts or on +44 (0)7774 424 410

This press release was distributed via Response Source, a service from Daryl Willcox Publishing, on behalf of Cognis Public Relations. For more information visit http://www.dwpub.com/pressreleasewires

As I have a less event-laden week, I thought it would be good to blog a bit about Islay, and more specifically, the Islay Malts. For those of you who are not familiar with the island, Islay is off the west coast of Glasgow and is an area of Scotland that is rich with history – in fact the earliest evidence of human existence was found on Islay dating from around 10,800 BC – about the same time your granny was born. Currently just over 3,000 people inhabit on the island, a tenth of size of the population before the Highland Clearances in the 18^th and 19^th century.

There is a plethora of history I could bore you with, however it is the 7 whisky distilleries* on the island that it best known for; Islay isn’t just an island or a place, but a globally renowned sign of quality, reassurance and prestige.

Ardbeg, Laphroaig and Lagavulin are in the south of the island and are famed as intensely peaty malt whiskies; the three distilleries are right next to each other but are three iconic brands with very distinct flavours. Caol Ila, Bruichladdich, Bowmore and Bunnahabhain are all in a more northerly part of the island and in general, much less peaty in flavour – in fact Bunnahabhain is completely unpeated in flavour – a lighter taste of Islay if you will.

The peat level of the barley, cask type, the source of water and shape of the pot still (used in the distillation) are just some of variables that have a huge bearing on the flavour of the whisky. This may answer a few questions for those of you who can’t fathom why 7 distilleries in such close proximity to each other make such distinct whiskies.

I have tried deliberately not to go into too much detail so not to alienate a proportion of my blog readers who are less knowledgeable about whisky – for some of you who may find this too basic and general, please accept my apologies.

Finally I apologise for the late blog this week, I’ll endeavour to make sure I update my blog on Monday next week! Enjoy the rest the week and make sure you check back next week!

*I have not included Kilchoman in discussing Islay distilleries as their new spirit will not become whisky until November 2009 and it would be unfair to comment at this stage. However it fair to say the it is the 8^th working distillery.

Deze jonge bottelaar werd in 1997 opgericht door Mark Reynier, Simon Coughlin en Gordon Wright. Deze laatste is een lid van de familie Wright, eigenaars van Springbank Distillery. De naam Murray McDavid verwijst naar de grootouders van Mark Reynier, Harriet Murray en Jock McDavid, adjudant van Winston Churchill tijdens de eerste wereldoorlog.

Murray McDavid bottelt single malt whisky, het brengt geen blends op de markt. Sommige vaten worden onmiddellijk gebotteld, bij andere wordt er geopteerd de whisky nog wat verder te laten rijpen op vaten van Europese eik. Wat vrij uniek is, is dat het zelden ‘single casks’ bottelt, maar vaten van eenzelfde distilleerderij mengt tot het een ideale blend verkrijgt. De argumentatie hiervoor is dat de kwaliteit van single cask whisky erg verschilt van vat tot vat, de balans vaak zoek is en dat single casks niet altijd representatief zijn voor de distilleerderij. Er zijn immers heel wat factoren die een rol spelen in het rijpingproces, factoren waar je niet altijd invloed op hebt.

De whisky’s van deze bottelaar worden op 46% gebotteld en niet gekleurd noch koud gefilterd. Elke fles vermeldt het aantal vaten dat gebruikt is voor de whisky in kwestie. Dat kunnen er twee zijn, drie, vier, vijf… maar dus uitzonderlijk ook één. Het bottelen vindt plaats in de bottelarij van Bruichladdich. Bruichladdich kwam immers in december 2000 in handen van Murray McDavid. Het was meteen de eerste maal dat een onafhankelijke bottelaar eigenaar werd van en distilleerderij. Jim McEwan (ex-Bowmore) werd aangetrokken om Bruichladdich te leiden en is vandaag ook verantwoordelijk voor de selectie van de vaten voor Murray McDavid.

Murray McDavid brengt een beperkt aanbod whisky op de markt, onder één van volgende reeksen:

• The Benchmark, een reeks jonge whisky’s.
• The Mission, een jaarlijkse release oudere whisky’s, geselecteerd door Jim McEwan en beperkt tot 600 flessen.
• Jim McEwan’s’s Celtic Heartlands, unieke vaten, gebotteld in karaffen, beperkt tot 700 stuks.
• Maverick, de jongste telg.

 
Caol Ila 11y 1993/2004, 46%, Murray McDavid, Maverick chenin cask W0404 – Islay – 84/100
Eerst op een Bourbon vat gerijpt, daarna op een Chenin vat (uit de Loirestreek?). Erg fruitige neus. Citrus, pompelmoes. Lekkere rook. Wat vettige smaak met de Caol Ila turf en rook, maar ook fruitig. Iets van koffie. Zoethout (zou dat de invloed van de wijn zijn?). Lange en mooie afdronk. Ik heb zo m’n reserves bij rijping of finishes op een wijnvat, maar hier is het huwelijk meer dan geslaagd te noemen.

I know very little about scotch.  I could even say that at this point I know more about bourbon than I do scotch.  Having attended one tasting sponsored by Glenlivet several years back, I guess it’s not shocking that my favorite scotch was until recently a Glenlivet (15 Year Old French Oak Reserve to be precise).  I did once have a run-in with an interesting scotch whose name I don’t remember at the brilliant Brandy Library, New York City mecca for all who want to learn about fine spirits, but that was about it.

Well.  I had an encounter with a scotch just over a week ago that blew the doors off what I thought scotch was or knew it could be.  And it came out of the blue when I was not expecting anything of the kind.

A friend and I got together for after-work drinks at Keens Steakhouse, which serves up phenomenal steaks but also features a beautiful bar.  It’s what another friend of mine would call (and this is a compliment) an old man bar.  Very old school decor dating back to the time when Keens did not admit women.  When we arrived it was populated mostly with well-heeled middle-aged gentlemen, some of whom have discriminating palates when it comes to adult beverages.  As thirtysomething women we kind of stood out, but it was comfortable.

As we pulled up to the bar I noticed that there were several rows of scotch lined up a central place of honor right there in full view.  That was more scotch than I had seen collected in one place before.  Being able to suss out a given establishment’s specialty or passion, whether it be a bar or a restaurant, has served me well and led to some exciting discoveries.  So when the bartender came by and asked me what I was drinking, of course I said “Scotch.”

“What kind of scotch are you looking for?”

I paused for a moment, not being too sure of the lingo.  He listed a few adjectives.  I caught smoky and peaty and said yes, that’s what I’d like.

Ardbeg 10 Year Islay Single Malt

This is what I got:  Ardbeg 10 Years Old Islay Single Malt.  It was smoky, peaty, earthy and quite the opposite of the smooth, perhaps overly civilized scotches to which I had become accustomed.  A few moments after I started drinking it, another friend who’d arrived later said she could feel it even though she was sitting a couple of feet away.  As the glass warmed in my hands and the aroma of the Ardbeg began to waft out, soon all of my companions were commenting on how powerful it was.  For a lover of high-proof Armagnacs and a sometime bourbon drinker this was definitely the right call.  What a hit!

Unfortunately that night I had to run and so I didn’t get a chance to ask the bartender all about the Ardbeg, but I went back the following week with my friend and got the lowdown.  Then we did the formal scotch tour.  It began with the Ardbeg 10 Year, then continued with Ardbeg’s Uigeadail, which was yet again a different thing and entirely fascinating in its own right.  Next came Caol Ila, which brought a lighter and more calm element into the picture.  I’d say it was closer to what I had previously thought scotch was all about.  But our bartender still had surprises in store for me.  He finished with this:

Lagavulin 1991

Lagavulin 1991 Distillers Edition.  Now this really was a work of art.  I’m not even sure I fully understood all that was going on with it at the time but I knew I was being introduced to something rare and special.  I savored and appreciated it as much as a novice could.  All of these scotches were fully enjoyed over the course of about five hours’ worth of conversation, which is the way one ought to enjoy such an experience.  My friend and I also ordered some grillet filet mignon skewers which nearly sent us into orbit.

I think I lucked out to find such a great bartender who could pick out what I wanted and what my tastes were the first time I walked in the door.  I’m not sure that would have happened anywhere else except perhaps The Brandy Library, but even there it wouldn’t have been the same because The Brandy Library, while classy and blessed with expert staff, cannot offer the buzz and atmosphere of a steakhouse bar.  The next time I want to explore scotch I am heading right back to Keens for another foray into the world of peaty, smoky single malts.  Sláinte!

The Bar at Keens Steakhouse

72 West 36th Street (just off 6th Avenue)

NYC

- Rosie

Amendment to the earlier post.  Yes, I just got back from my day at the Guinness storehouse.  Yes, it was, again, fabulous.  Not AS fabulous as the day that began at the Four Seasons that kept on giving and giving in so many fabulous intoxicating ways.  But nearly.   And yes, today was another first.  My first taste of Johnnie Walker Blue Label.  It is everything you could hope it would be, and more.  I did an entire nearly hour-long tasting of whiskey and whisky (that be Scotch to those of you who don’t detect the spelling nuances), double malts (Irish), single malts (Scotch), and some superior blends.  Yes, today again had some lovely Champagne and Proseco.  And some other decent finds.  But not as many interesting finds as before.  The wine was much more “industrial/commercial,” and one company even brought in wine in a can (like a beer, can you believe it…ugh…couldn’t chance that).

The whiskey.  Oh dear.  So here is what I tasted, in order:

1. Bushmills Malt 16 year old – aged in Bourbon, Sherry, AND Port casks, which gives it a gorgeous almost cherry color.  Very nice indeed.
2. Bushmills Malt 21 year old – Bourbon, Sherry, and Madeira casks.
3. Bushmills 1608 Reserve – a very special edition, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the distillery.  It’s the oldest place in the world to have a license, I think, over 300 years or so.

The Scotch whisky.  Oh me oh my, the single malts:

1. Glenkinchie 12 year old – made by a woman, light peat, sweet, gorgeous, quite light.
2. Cragganmore 12 year old – less smokey, less woody, much more fruity, bananas, nice and accessible.  But not for me!  I want the smoke!
3. Royal Lochnagar 12 year old – the smallest distillery in Scotland.  Very smooth.  Not my fave, but very very good.
4. Talisker 10 year old – MY FAVORITE!!!  Amazing.  The amazingly adept man who was leading us through, the “spirit ambassador” of his company, had us pour a drop into our hands, rub into both hands, let dry for a second (evaporated in a heartbeat), and then cup our hands, and breathe out of them.  Leather.  Wood.  Ocean.  Peat.  Amazing.  The taste is very rich and smokey.  It’s the only distillery on the Isle of Skye.  If you like whiskey, and haven’t tried this, DO!
5. Caol Ila 12 year old – Also an exquisite whisky.  Higher on the peat scale than Talisker, I’m told, but I’m not as big a fan.

Enter the fancy blends:

1. Johnnie Walker Black Label – Very respectable.  I’m not  blend drinker.  But it’s OK.
2. Johnnie Walker Green Label – here’s where it got interesting.  The Green label is a pure malt.  It’s a blend of single malts only, along with a grain malt.  Our Spirit Ambassador reckoned that this was a perfect blend for single malt drinkers to introduce them to blended, and a perfect drink for blend drinkers, to introduce them to single malts.  It’s really interesting.  See, they take the best of the best, including Talisker and Caol Ila and Lochnagar and mix them up.
3. Johnnie Walker Blue Label – the king of blends.  It is a blend of 42 single malt scotches.  It mixes every region in Scotland.  You have the sea and peat of the islands, the heather of the highlands, and the good solid flavors of the Speyside.  AND what I didn’t realize is that Johnny Walker kind of acts as a librarian of Scotch.  They collect from distilleries all over the place for years.  The blue label might have some scotch that is over 80 years old, some that’s 60, and a good deal that is 30-40 years old.  Some of what goes in there doesn’t exist anywhere else, because the distilleries have since shut down.  How cool is that.  See, I’m not for the blends, usually.  I like the nuances and color of the single malts.  But, if and when I have the chance to drink a Green or a Blue label, I’d absolutely jump at the chance.  And so should you, if you’ve read this far!

(And another whisk(e)y review if you’re interested)

Other highlights of today’s tasting included an amazing Cognac table from Leopold Gourmel.  It’s extremely accessible cognac.  They label the bottle with the exact flavors you can expect to find in it.  Charming man who presented them, Olivier.  Urged us to become, “Cognac Intelligent.”  They have names such as Cognac Age du Fruit, and du Fleurs, and des Epices, as the years go by, so change these flavors.  Of particular interest was the Cognac Bio Attitude, the world’s first 100% organic Cognac,  from beginning to end.  And finally, the finest I’ve ever tasted, something special indeed — the Quintessence (Lot 31) – the 30 year old Cognac, this from 1971.  It was so smooth.  So beautiful to drink.  No spitting this one out.  Thank you to these wonderful folks.

The lovely Miss S and I ended up drinking quite a bit of Champagne Laurent-Perrier, of which they had an interesting unsweetened “Ultra Brut,” a Brut Rose which is made in the traditional winemaking way (most champagnes make white wine and red wine separately, then mix them before the bubble-making process, but not these folks!), and a really really fab “Grande Siecle” their flagship, a multivintage wonder (always 3 years together), 50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir.  We had some good Proseco as well, but chose to end the day with a second glass of the Grande Siecle before turning tail and going to eat…

OYSTERS!  That’s right.  Straight to Bentleys right on St Stephens Green for a lovely spread of 12 raw seawater wonders, all local, all fresh and gorgeous.  All the champagne and proseco sort of made us want them, and I said, why not, I’ll treat, we’re on vacation!  Wonderful!  And we had another glass of proseco to go along with them.  Ha ha!  We met another uni friend there from way back, another lovely Miss S, had a great chat, and then the second Miss S took off, and the first Miss S and I went off for Thai food to finish off the night.

And here I sit.  Writing for way too long.  Giddy from this great day.  And I have a taxi coming in under 6 hours to take me to a pre-dawn flight out of here.  We’ve had so much snow in Dublin this week, half of me is hoping to get snowed in so I can have another fabulous adventure with the sainted Miss S, to whom I am so very indebted for helping make my week in Dublin fantastic indeed.

Read more fun stuff about whisk(e)y from a tasting I did in Tel Aviv.

My tastes seem to have wandered far from my past infatuation with Lagavulin. It’s been over 2 years since my last bottle. And I truly don’t get excited about words like “peaty”, “iodine”, or “seaweed”. But Jeff busted out an old bottle of it last night and we had a couple wee drams. What the hell, this is the scotch that changed my life so many years ago, right?

And oh my lord. The complexity and excitement of the nose had me enthralled for close to 10 minutes without even touching it to my mouth. There certainly wasn’t anything specific about the aromas that made me want to drink, other than the sheer complexity of the aromas. Can you add the term “intensely fascinating” to a flavor profile? This is no ordinary scotch.

Fearing the “seaweed” of the first taste I tilted the glass. I definitely got a load of what I don’t like, but I got it in a way that left me breathless. Layer upon layer of flavor, even flavors I didn’t like, was fascinating. The way it made me feel was exhilarating. It’s a peat monster alright, but sometimes a right hook to the jaw is what it takes to find out what kind of man you really are. This was not just a drink, it was an emotional experience.

No wonder Lagavulin 16 has won 2 Scotchtoberfests & placed second in the other one. I don’t even like it, but I LOVE IT. Like a great heavyweight bought, I can’t wait for the Lagavulin v. Caol Ila, Round 2.

Game ON.

Brian

Caol Ila 8y ‘unpeated’, 64.2%, OB 2008, third release – Islay – 82/100
Inderdaad geen turf te bespeuren. Ondanks alcoholpercentage best drinkbaar zonder water, maar dan is ie wel erg droog en lichtjes bitter. Water maakt het geheel zachter, zoeter. Dan krijg je vanille, fruit (appel, banaan), hout en iets kruidigs in de neus en veel fruit in de smaak. Smeuïge zoetigheid. Melkchocolade! Korte, droge en fruitige finish. ‘Cleane’, atypische Caol Ila. Wel lekker.
 
Lagavulin 12y 1995, 48%, OB 2008, for the Friends of Classic Malts – Islay – 85/100
Rokerige, zilte en ‘farmy’ neus. Zoet ook. Beetje bitter. Pompelmoes. Vrij complex. Lekkere turf in de smaak, naast citrus, thee en karamel. Lange finish op zoete turf.
 
Linkwood 26y 1981/2008, 56.9%, OB 2008, Port Wood, 1260 bottles, 50 cl – Speyside – 82/100
Deze Linkwood heeft z’n laatste 14 jaar op een portovat gerijpt. Te veel om van een finish te spreken, laat het ons een ‘double wood’ noemen. Het resultaat mag er in ieder geval zijn. Veel zoet fruit in de neus. Banaan. Sinaas. Honing. Cake. Vernis? Hu, ja. Ook fruit in de smaak, maar dan eerder rood fruit, gestoofd rood fruit. Confituurtoestanden. Aardbei- en rode bessenconfituur. Lichtjes zurig. De rode bessen! Het zurige wordt wel serieus gecompenseerd door zoets. Chocolade. Sinaas. Ha, orangettes! Zuur-zoet, speciaal. Noten naar het einde. Droge, wat bittere afdronk met okkernoot. De port heeft z’n werk gedaan, maar overheerst niet. Geslaagd indeed.

Over the Christmas break I shared three bottles of scotch, all of them island malts, with my best friend who shares a penchant for peat as much as I do. I just thumbed through my notebook hoping to find some decent tasting notes, but instead found mostly half-finished scratchings suggesting I was too immersed in the drink and conversation to be diligent. Now that I think about it, I’m also recalling inordinate amounts of time playing Quake Wars. It’s hard to take notes while you’re intent on saving the world.

Still, I thought I’d share some of my thoughts one of the scotches we sampled. This was the Caol Ila 18yo, an Islay malt that is sadly too often drowned out by the more reputable and assertive likes of Ardbeg, Laphroaig, and Lagavulin.

Caol Ila is tucked away near Port Askaig on the northeastern corner of Islay, with only Bunnahabhain, an even lesser known distillery in close proximity. Thus the owners have adopted the self-styled moniker, “The Hidden Malt”. The distillery was originally founded in 1846, although the current equipment is thoroughly modern, and produces whisky for several different blends.

This was the most mature Islay malt I’ve tried to date, and what drew my immediate attention was the complexity of the nose. Not only complex, but much more delicate than the likes of its Islay counterparts. The Lagavulin 16, boasting every bit of a multifaceted nose itself, appears brutish next to the subtleties of this gentle beast. From its smoky backbone rise wafts of leather and the gentle sweetness of clover honey. The scent is notably herbal, with some peppermint featuring prominently. Most of all, the impression is one of cleanness that is rare in Islay malts – linen comes to mind. The extra time aging seems to have mellowed the vegetal qualities of peat found in younger bottlings.

The palate, while thoroughly enjoyable, is somewhat anticlimactic after the enticing nose. At 43%abv it is also a little more biting than you would expect. The sweetness carries over in the familiar taste of honey, but the complexity is diminished. Mint notes are present, but the dominant flavour is woodsmoke which lingers into the finish. The body was also shy of what it appeared in the glass.

Overall I will definitely be trying the 18 again, if only for its amazing nose! 7/10