Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Distillery Edition - 51% abv. - Non-chill filtered
Every now and then you get to have something that impresses you. This is one of those times... just as you might start to lose faith in the big, industrialized distilleries you walk into your local shop and taste something like this Glenfiddich Distillery Edition. I did and had to have it immediately.
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Colour: mid-amber with gold highlights
Nose: first thought is, "wow! this is sweet and fruity." Come back to it and I can't really describe what I am smelling. Then, I think to look for ideas and come across "banana skins" in a tasting note. I walk over to the kitchen where there are some nice yellow bananas with some brown spots on the skin and pick one up and literally smell one and then smell the whisky. That's it! Banana skins! No B.S.! Well, I guess B.S. after all because its banana skins. After I get past that, I get sweet raisins - maybe raisin ice cream with some spices. A little water (like 4 drops) opens up the nose and makes things even more discernible. Don't rush this... you can spend a while enjoying the nose.
Palate: again, first thought is fruity with a nice complexity. Sweet. This is a nice, sherried dram. Moves to a spiciness at the back end of the palate. Some vanilla shows up in there along with the fruit. With water, the vanilla is more prevalent. Taking my time, and going back to childhood memories, I think I actually get bananas in cream with raisins. Maybe some field berries in there.
Finish: the intensity of the flavour fades quickly but then lingers and extends at the lower intensity making it all the way down to the belly. This is a long finish.
Comments: This dram is fantastic and a fantastic value. Glenfiddich needs to make more stuff like this - non-chill filtered, more alcohol as required, lots of focus on interesting and big flavours and no industrial tastes. This tastes artisanal but masterfully made at the same time. This is special and makes me think that there might be hope for the corporations yet. I'd like to see Glenfiddich move their whole line to a no-colouring and no-chill filtering style with higher alcohol as needed.
Well, I finally did it... I made it out an Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) Canada tasting. My friend, Shaky Byrne, joined me and I must say that it was a good time and an eye-opening experience.
I won't go into a tonne of detail, but SMWS basically has a committee of a few folks who really love whisky and select single casks from a very wide variety of distilleries to bottle unfiltered, with no colouring added, and at cask strength. There's a catch - only members can buy their independent bottlings. Their bottlings are identified with basically anonymous labels (i.e. you won't know where the whisky came from unless you dig deeper) but they do tell you a lot about each whisky's character with both the title and their committee tasting notes. I must say, after having been subjected to a fair bit of marketing nonsense the past few years, their titles and tasting notes are shockingly helpful/accurate (probably because they do the smart thing and rely on a committee rather than on a single palate). They also have locations throughout the world and hold tastings and such.
I attended their September Outturn tasting here in Calgary and it was my first time trying SMWS whisky or attending one of their events. It was refreshing because the folks who put it on, Kelly and Rob Carpenter, went to the effort of eliminating the ages, regions, prices, etc. from each tasting note so it truly was a basically blind tasting... just what do you taste, what excites you, etc. about each dram. Great for conversation in the group and this really plays to what I've said many times in the past - never buy based on age or price. This is for people with a Passion for Scotch! As you might guess, it also made for a relaxed tasting with no snob factor which is always nice. Check out the selection of drams we tasted in the screen shot below.
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You can access the tasting notes through the SMWS and I will tell you that they do give a really solid idea of the profile of each whisky. You need to pay attention to the little nuances stated too because I noticed for one of the drams that it had a note to it (that was described in the tasting notes) that was off-putting to me... honestly, its the first dram in a while that I can say I didn't like. Others in the room actually liked the same one quite a bit so don't get the idea that I am saying anything negative about SMWS, it just was a flavour profile that was good and got to a note that I didn't appreciate.
The other drams I found were all excellent and very tasty and very unique - in a few cases totally different from anything I'd ever tasted and the kind of thing that made me want to be a member a immediately. Honestly, for a while I felt as if I was in an old fashioned soda and ice cream shop as I noted various flavours like cream soda, coke, cherry coke, ice cream, etc. If they pump out that kind of individuality every month, it could be a very tasty, exciting, and a bit expensive proposition. But as Bud Fox's old man in Wall Street said, "Money's only something you need in case you don't die tomorrow." The variety of unique flavours is staggering and the fact that these are single casks really brings some notes to the fore-front that might only be a whisper in typically distillery bottlings. I should say, at the end of the night, we did get the regional information as well as the ages, etc. I am happy with my self because my three favourites were the youngest (8 years old), the oldest (30 years), and one in the middle (21 years).
Anyway, I love flavour and this event brought it to me in spades.
Tobermory 15 Year Old - 46.3% abv. - Un-chillfiltered
Remember how I said that the best payment you can give someone is a bottle of scotch? Well, its true. Last month, I played the part of emcee at my brother-in-law's wedding to his lovely wife. Well, I guess I did a good job because the two of them decided to gift me this lovely bottle of scotch to thank me for my loyal service. My brother-in-law told me that they knew I had a lot of bottles of scotch at home and they wanted to get me something unique, something that I didn't already have. I'll be honest, they ended up getting me something that I never even heard of before I saw this bottle. In fact, it seems that most people have never heard of Tobermory. Well, if Tobermory keep making whiskies like this, I don't think that will last for too much longer.
Colour: Deep amber with copper highlights
Nose: I really get sultana raisins along with some really clean sherry notes and Christmas spices. Some chocolate syrup on the nose too.
Palate: Starts a little sweet and works through some warming spices to a nice tang... this is coastal, after all! Nice, clean sherry notes followed by some salt. The sweetness really is a raisin flavour that leads into a chocolate note accompanied by some salt. This takes middle road between rich and dry. Altogether pleasant and nice body here! This has a nice mouthfeel that develops into a gentle drying warmth.
Finish: Finish is long and carries on the spices and warmth right into my belly.
This is a nice, sherried dram! Easy to drink and has nice flavours. Not desert on its own like some Glenfarclas drams are, but is a nice, relaxing night cap. I think anyone would like this... one to have around if you need to impress a Father-in-law or your boss? One thing that is cool about this is most people haven't heard from it and it is quite good so folks might get the idea you know what you are doing if you serve this. Never a bad thing!
Bruichladdich The Organic - 46% abv
Okay, I'll come right out and say it... you may have noticed that I have reviewed a number of Bruichladdich products lately. The truth is that I am a big fan of Bruichladdich. Its a Bruichladdich whisky that brought me into the world of scotch whisky (I'll always remember my amazement with the 12 Year Old 2nd Edition the first time it hit my lips and how voluptuous the texture was!) and they have a philosophy I truly appreciate. They also have a lot of different expressions which is great for a curious explorer like myself. Anyway, on to the whisky we're talking about today - The Organic.
One of the things I truly believe in is having the correct whisky for one's mood or for the weather or whatever. This is why I have so many open bottles in my cabinet - I never know what whisky I am going to need so I like to have a pile of options of different things to pick from. I don't have a "go-to" whisky but I have a number of different ones and I usually buy based on the profile of whisky that I am low on. The Organic paints this picture nicely.
The Organic is a great dram to have on a Sunday afternoon, before dinner. I find it actually tastes totally different to me if I have it late in the evening rather than before dinner. No joke. Taken in the afternoon, it is the kind of dram that absolutely rejuvenates me - it brightens my day, my mood, and even wakes me up.
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Colour: Straw.
Nose: Creamy and floral... I almost get a touch of lilac. Herbaceous with a mint note. Lovely and interesting. There is an icing sugar-covered pastry.
Palate: Perfect for a Sunday afternoon! Sweet and floral and creamy. Beautiful. Does the creaminess come from the barley? It must. This restores us! Bright and light and a little salty. There is a nice, syrupy vanilla note in there that leads into a lemon-citrus layer. This is lighter tasting but has that viscosity that is so satisfying.
Finish: shorter and herbaceous.
This is a great dram for the summer and definitely great for before dinner or even for a picnic. After having had the Islay Barley drams, I kind of wish they bottled this at 50%. That being said, looking at Bruichladdich's new line of whiskies just released, it appears as though all of the core range will be bottled at 50% including the new Scottish Barley Organic. Let the good times roll!
Kilchoman Sherry Cask Release - 46% abv
Kilchoman is a new distillery on Islay (established 2005) and is the first new one in a very long time. My introduction to Kilchoman was in October 2012 at a three-night whisky tasting class - that night was "Islay Night." I tasted Kilchoman first or second out of a flight of eight whiskies and was very impressed with it, especially after I was told that the one we were tasting was only 3 or 3.5 years old. After that, I was constantly interested in them and the name kept popping up but I didn't buy a bottle until last month.
I was heading out to the mountains and wanted to buy something that would be peated as I new it would go with the crisp mountain air at night. This got me thinking Islay and I quickly got to the point... this is a good time to try a Kilchoman product. I must say, I am most interested by their 100% Islay expression but was convinced to go with the Sherry Cask Release on this occasion. Will have to get the 100% Islay next.
Like all Kilchoman products, this release is bottled at a higher alcohol (46% in this case) and is non-chill filtered and has no colouring added.
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Colour: Deep gold almost amber.
Nose: Immediately apparent are cooked soft fruits and dark smoke on the nose. A nice, sweet nose. Some spices and pepper along with salt.
Palate: sweet, thick, and smokey. Salt and pepper along with soft fruit. I can't help but think of a fruit crumble mixed and woven with smoke and peat. I say "smoke and peat" because both are there for sure. Its tasty, especially for the cooler weather and definitely works very well as a night cap along with crisp, mountain air! You get the smoke and the spicy, earthier peat following sweet cooked soft fruits. When I say "cooked soft fruits" I am thinking of a pot with peaches, plums, and apples (I know apples aren't soft but they soften with heat!) on the stove, bubbling away in their own sweet juices. This is a chewy dram... very thick.
Finish: pretty long finish. This whisky is young but seems to have spent all or most of its aging life in sherry casks and that helps to extend things well into the gullet. There is a definite ashiness too.
Comments: This is good stuff and a good intro to Kilchoman. This smells, feels, and tastes like a drink made by people who really care about whisky. This is artisanal whisky and I am really excited by the whole "farm-to-bottle" movement that Kilchoman is adopting as well. I'll be trying to test some more Kilchoman products soon.
Bruichladdich 22 Year Old - The Laddie Twenty Two - 46% abv
This is the longest matured expression I have tried from Bruichladdich other than a 33 year-old Legacy bottling I tried at an exclusive scotch tasting I attended in November 2012 (thank you local scotch guy and his store for setting that up!). This particular expression is part of the classic, unpeated range of Bruichladdich products.
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Bruichladdich The Laddie 22
Colour: Full gold.
Nose: Its beautiful! Sweet and very floral with herbal notes and some mint. Vanilla comes through and maybe even some marzipan and honey.
Palate: definitely tastes like well-matured Bruichladdich. Reminds a bit of the 33 year-old Legacy Series bottling I tasted last year. This is soft and sweet on entry and moves through a layer of what could be creme brulee and then to a honied lemon note. Some salt in there and a very complex run of herbal and floral notes. There even seems to be some apple and pear notes as this spends some time in the glass. This has been breathing Islay air for 22 years and it shows! At one point, as I was most of the way through my dram, I could have sworn I tasted pineapple or something tropical. Interesting since I remember clearly smelling pineapple on the nose of that Legacy Series I tasted.
Finish: The finish is quite long for something I believe was aged in American oak. The finish is also very consistent with the nose and the palate. One key thing I have noticed in drinking very old bottlings is that they do tend to have very strong links between nose, palate, and finish and have very consistent traits. It is one of the rewards of drinking scotch that was aged a long time.
Comments: This is a very nice dram. My ideal time to drink this would be after a big meal in the spring or summer time or as the last dram of the night on a warm or mild day. It tastes like something special and should wow anyone who tries it. A lovely unpeated dram and, in my opinion, what a lot of Speysiders should strive to be. That's the long way to put it... in short, a classy drink.
Tullibardine Port Finish - 46% abv - non chill-filtered
Tullibardine is a Highland region distillery (not Speyside) that seems to very much favour aging whisky in ex-bourbon casks and leaving them that way or subsequently finishing them in some other wine cask. I have experience with a couple Tullibardine products and have found that they seem to make easy-drinking, enjoyable products at a decent price. This Port Finish product falls into that category.
The Tullibardine Port Finish is aged in ex-bourbon casks for an indeterminate time (no age statement on the bottle) and then spends the last 12 months of its maturation in port pipes. This product is also non chill-filltered and I must say that I like the fact that Tullibardine does not chill-filter its whiskies.
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Colour: light to mid gold.
Nose: the nose on this is actually soft and beautiful and really reminds of sweet wine or port. I haven't had this for a while (usually drink this in the winter time) but I forgot how nice the nose is on this and it really makes me want to drink! It smells well made.
Palate: sweet and lovely! Definitely solid port influence in there. Not really tawny port, but the darker more full/chocolatey port. I get a bit of a Welches grape juice note in this... its not a bad thing either. Grape-y and delicious. Honestly, if you know someone who likes port and doesn't typically drink whisky, this may be the thing to serve them. There is a touch of vanilla in the tail end of this one.
Finish: mid-to-long finish... the time in port pipes seems to have brought the length in here. Warming.
Comments: I honestly can't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy this one. Its a nice, simple drink that tastes well-made. Its very easy to drink and may be a great dram to bring a beginner or non-whisky drinker into our exciting world. I like this and think I might have to go out and try to pick up a bottle of this to replace the one I'm almost through. I would go for this any time a port might be sought or on a cooler summer night or warmer winter night... after dinner for sure.
