Monday 23 May 2016

Bruichladdich Cuvee 382 Review

Bruichladdich Cuvee 382 - La Berenice - 21 year old - 46% abv.

Here we go, another from the Bruichladdich series of 21 year old Cuvee releases. These were put out a while ago but pop up again every now and then. Honestly, the series was fantastic in that it delivered a wide variety of flavours from three different 21 year old malts. All of them were aged for most of their lives in bourbon casks (I believe for 18 years) and then moved on to other casks for additional evolution. The age brings out a level of mellowness that you'd expect from 21 year olds but this Cuvee 382 brings a crisp brightness with it as well.

In the case of the 382, it saw additional cask evolution in the sweet sauternes wine and barsac wine casks. For reference, these are both white wines. 
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Colour: Full gold.

Nose: Apricot, peach, pear, natural honey, kiwi, and caramelized sugar. 

Palate: first thought is a basket of fruit. White sweet wine influence is apparent. I get apricots in honey, fresh lemon peel, meringue, and a salt tang.  

I always find that this whisky benefits quite a bit from time in the glass. Give it that time and the flavours develop and get more layered. I get the above fruits leading into a layer of melon and cantaloupe with a clear crisp green apple note on the sides of the tongue. There is a nice hint of mint in there as well accompanied by a sort of champagne finish. Its mellow and bright.

Finish: good persistence and it on the shorter side in terms of length. Fresh.

Comment: This is a bit different than many might expect from a 21 year old.  I think most would expect a super mellow and rich night cap but this comes across a something else. When would I drink this? When its time to start bringing out the "good stuff."



Saturday 7 May 2016

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Cask 121.88 "Licking the Wooden Spoon" Review

SMWS 121.88 - Licking the Wooden Spoon - 15 years old - 53.8% abv.

I recently joined the SMWS after a long gap from the first taste I had of their whiskies (see previous article). I am actually really happy to have joined and I have to say that our SMWS Canada folks here (Rob and Kelly) are fantastic and do a very good job of pushing the exploration angle with this whisky. We see all sorts of stuff that is from distilleries most people never think to try or might even turn up their nose at. The quality of the casks they bottle always seem to be at a high level (my experience).  The best part though, is really the experience in the Society tastings... I have found people to be very friendly and very open to sharing and enjoying the company as well as the whisky.

Anyway, I bought my first green bottle and here is the review. I won't state the distillery here but will tell you that it is one of the Highland Island distilleries and it is unpeated and you can probably very quickly figure out which one. I want to avoid naming the distillery to encourage the spirit the SMWS does - don't prejudge this whisky based on the distillery it comes from.


Colour - 14 kt. gold.

Nose: natural honey with a punch from the alcohol. This thing is 15 years old but its punching its weight for sure. The SMWS tasting note speaks of buttered popcorn and I have to say that feels pretty accurate - I think of buttered kettle corn with that slightly sweet smell. There is a bit of sugary pastry note there as well. Baked goods of some sort and a hint of mint in there. 

Palate: first thoughts are very good. It seems maybe younger than 15 years old to me at first but has a lovely sweet hit right off the start. Second sip - sweetness is very nice and it leads into some baking spices - cinnamon especially - and you get the spicy sort of dryness at that back palate but its not overly drying. Third sip, you start getting some chocolate in there as well as the doughy flavour. As you read these notes, the name they gave this cask starts to make sense. There really is a nice balance here - sweet, a pinch of salt, some richness, some doughy-ness, and some spices.  The only nit I can pick with this whisky is that it takes a bit to adjust to the alcohol on this one but we are really just talking a couple sips and then you are rewarded with a great and satisfying and balanced dram.

This one needs time as well.  As you leave it in the glass, you start to get a bit more fruit notes to accompany things and there is juiciness there that is nice.

Finish: The persistence of the flavour is long with the spices and a bit of dryness that tends to make me salivate rather than just get dry. Good thing. In terms of length, this goes down to the Adam's apple for me so is a shorter, crisper finish. Good for the summer.

Comments: When would I drink this? An evening dram or night cap in the summer. I find that, in the winter, I tend to want a night cap to be a rich, sherry cask-aged whisky with a long finish. That doesn't fit so well in the warm summer months. This offers a lot of the richer, sweeter flavours but is really nicely balanced and doesn't have a finish that is too cloying in the summer heat. Case in point, I drink this on a warm evening after having had a high of 28 degrees Celsius today.

A little further comment: the SMWS tasting notes are highly entertaining and, to be honest, quite helpful. Although I think their language is a little over the top sometimes, I can get to most of the notes they describe in terms of flavour and they do go a long way to helping you get the profile of the whisky before picking up the bottle - much more than can be said for most distillery tasting notes which just leave people wondering "what is really in this bottle?"

I'm really looking forward to regular SMWS bottlings. I am excited!

Thursday 10 March 2016

Bruichladdich Octomore 7.3 Islay Barley Review

Bruichladdich Octomore 7.3 Islay Barley 2010 - 63.0% alcohol

This is the second Octomore in the Islay Barley series.  The first one, the 6.3, was an absolute shocker by the numbers... 258 ppm phenol and 64% alcohol.  I thought it was brilliant for its power but also for its fantastic mix of citrus fruit flavours and richer smoked barley flavours.

This one is a bit different. It is a marriage of american oak casks and spanish wine casks and the intensity of the peat, 169 ppm phenol, is less than the last one. There is another thing a bit special about this one - I believe it is the last Octomore that Jim McEwan was responsible for prior to retiring.  Let's see what its got.

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Colour: 14 carat gold.  Definitely a bit different than typical Octomore's which tend to be more straw coloured.

Nose: On the nose, there is smoke there but less than you would think. What jumps out at me more so is a real sweetness. Its like smoked honey in a background of sea spray. The power is there for sure. I get some iodine. I get smoke. I get stewed peaches and apricots. There is a dryness on the nose that reminds me of red berry fruits. A little air gets a real smoked barley note to rise up. 

A little water really softens the nose. It also brings out some more of the berry fruit scents.

Note: if you ever go to Bruichladdich distillery, they have bins with barley that will go to make each different brand of spirit - Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte, and Octomore - be sure to smell and taste these things because it will help you understand flavours in the whisky.

Palate: the palate is huge. A load of sweetness up front. This is Octomore for sure but leading with sweetness first and then blowing across the palate like a bush fire. With a second sip, its lighter in profile than other Octomore versions but it still has the thick texture. 

Its sweet almost like the 4.2 Comus but it moves into a drier fruitier flavour profile reminiscent of red wine. It dries near the back palate like red wine as well. I get berry fruit. I get apricot. I get lots of pepper mid-palate. I get smoke, of course. I get smoked barley. I get a crisp saltiness. 

A little water tames the beast a little and brings out a big whack of salt - really reminds me of sea water - along with the same sweetness. The water also brings out a lot of the lighter red wine flavours.

Finish: drying and warms the back of the neck and the Adam's apple. Dying embers of a fire. 

Comments: This is an Octomore like I haven't had before. Its unique in that it brings forward a red wine character that you would never expect in a whisky of such huge numbers. Many will compare it to 6.3. I would say get both and experience two different takes on Islay Barley but note the big fruit flavours that come through in these carefully made whiskies. Drink this on a cold day, preferably a wet one, and have it before you drink the other Octomores to finish off your night. 

Monday 25 January 2016

Bruichladdich Cuvee 640 Eroica Review

Bruichladdich Cuvee 640 Eroica - 21 Years Old - 46% abv.

I've been away for a while and anyone living in Calgary will know why. Its crazy out here. When the night is so freakin' dark like it is here now, sometime you just need a hit of luxury and why not have that to also celebrate one of the heroes of Scotland, Robbie Burns. Slainte.

Nose: chocolate, orange, mint present initially and then a nice soft saltiness. Beautiful. You can tell this is older. There is some soft tropical fruit in there as well or maybe just overripe pear.  A drop of water opens this up a bit - I usually don't add water to older whiskies - and some strawberry appears with a little carmalized sugar. 


Palate: Chocolate flowing into a layer of orange followed by a soft spearmint at the back palate. Soft and drying. Second sip leads with some champagne flavours - crisp tree fruits - then flows back into that chocolatey orangey minty set of layers. You don't get french oak often in scotch but when I do, I tend to get these kinds of flavours. Unusual but very nice. This whisky is so balanced and luxurious. Luxury in a bottle.

With a drop of water, its weird, the texture almost gets thicker and more luxurious. Velvetty with a lovely, balanced richness. I think of a chocolate orange, half milk - half dark, swimming in a nice crisp champagne. Sounds weird, but it really works. 

Finish: The finish is of medium length and persistence going just into the top of the chest cavity and spreading warmth there. A truly balanced experience.

Comments: Luxury. When would I drink this? When only a sexy whisky will do.