SMWS 76.127 - Funky Massage Whisky - 51.1% abv.
One of the many things I love about the Scotch Malt Whisky Society is that you can access whisky that would otherwise be out of reach for anyone but the 1%. This bottle is a good example of this. My general thought is that SMWS whiskies, if thinking only in terms of price paid versus age, tends to be a little pricier for young whiskies and good value for older whiskies - this older bottle is a good example of that. Although not inexpensive, this is a good value and could never be had at a reasonable price if bottle by the distillery (look up the SMWS codes online if you want to see where this is from).
Colour: Gold.
Nose: Perfumed and oak driven with notes of real navel oranges. The nose has a floral character and a hint of cooling eucalyptus. Honestly beautiful.
Palate: Soft and sweet initially with a orange and moving to a eucalyptus (massage oil) type flavour. The next sip confirms your initial thoughts... this is a nice older dram. I get sweet orange perfumed with some baking spices on top of chocolate which is than balanced with a nice woody/eucalyptus note and a (like the SMWS notes say) a distinct sort of effervescence. This is mature whisky.
Finish: Finish does not go right down to your belly and tends to stay up high in the chest and has nice persistence leaving you with that minty/eucalyptus sort of taste and sensation.
Comments: When would I drink this? When you have time to enjoy a dram quietly, drink this one. I generally think this one lends itself better to warmer days or when you feel like a whisky in a lighter style with some class... maybe night cap on those days? It shows its 28 years of age nicely and its 51.1% alcohol with almost no alcohol sensation at all. It's balanced and complex enough while just being damn good. This whisky at this age, if bottled by the distillery, would be multiples of the price the SMWS charge. If you're looking for a good older dram to just relax with, this is a strong bet. Maybe this is a massage whisky after all!
P.S. A quick tip with this one... give some time in the glass. Sip it over at least 28 minutes (1 minute per aged year) and you will see that it changes quite a bit over that period.
Bruichladdich - The Laddie Ten - 50% abv.
I've been away for a while. I had to take a bit of a hiatus to take care of some business and now, since I think I am done that and its 2017 and Bruichladdich has done a fantastic thing by releasing a trio of new ten year olds (The Laddie Ten, Port Charlotte 10, and Octomore 10) I thought it a good time to start some more posts. I have a crap-tonne of amazing whiskies in backlog to review so I hope I get to them soon. In the mean time, hear is my quick notes on the first of the three new tens: The Laddie Ten, Second Edition. It is a limited release of 18,000 bottles.
Colour: 14 kt. gold.
Nose: Classic Bruichladdich! Honey and lemon, salty marine notes, Islay florals, fruit, and a hint of mint.
Palate: First taste reminds me very much of the first Laddie Ten released from the revival era of Bruichladdich. That is a good thing. There is a very nice balance of honey and lemon notes along with a marine tang and some crisp fruit. The first time I had this I thought it might be a little mellower than the version put together by Jim McEwan (I thought them to be very close with Jim's a little more punchy and coastal where this ones is a softer version). This coats the mouth nicely and as you sip it more, you get some more complexity and mid-palate shows a real waxy Wine Gums note along with a very faint smoke (I'd expect this is from the use of first fill american oak barrels which are charred on the inside).
A little water spreads this out a bit and takes things further along the waxy wine gum thread. Maybe you get a little vanilla in there too, but my mind could be playing tricks.
Finish: The finish lingers and leaves me with that marine salty tang, lemon peel, some mint, and some very light, whispy char smoke on the back palate.
Comments: It reminds me a bit of martini time which gets me thinking about when would I drink this. I think the answer to that is really any time you'd drink a martini... the sweeter side of this can come out for certain moods which may make it perfectly good in the evening instead of just as an aperitif or the "I just had a long day," kind of dram. Though it is bottled at 50% instead of the 46% of the previous version, I don't feel any more alcohol than the previous version on the palate. I'd also say that, this seems shockingly similar to the previous version as well. Good on the new guy (Adam Hannett)... lovers of Jim's Laddie Ten will not be disappointed! Hopefully the Ten continues to be solidly in the Bruichladdich line up going forward.
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."
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!
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.
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.
Glendronach 15 Year Old Revival - 46% abv.
I'd say that it occurs often that I am in a liquor store and someone comes in looking for the Macallan 18 Year Old. There is a certain easy-drinking, night-cappy and rich profile about that whisky that people seem to go for. I like that kind of thing at the right time as well. Macallan 18 is hard to come by or ridiculously expensive if you do find it. I'd say this Glendronach 15 year old aged in Oloroso Sherry casks is a phenomenal substitute and may even better that other whisky for a fraction of the cost. And its non-chill filtered with no colouring added and bottled at 46% alcohol which make it more of a "craft" presentation.
Colour: Rich brown with amber highlights.
Nose: Juicy raisins covered in chocolate. Dates. Dark-caramelized sugar. Sweet sherry with a bit of a punch to it. Some sort of citrus rind. Pepper.
Colour: rich sherry notes. Raisins, chocolate, bitter chocolate, white pepper. Right away, it takes me to that classic Macallan 18 year profile that seems so sought after. Its easy to drink but has lots of rich flavour. There may be a little liquorice in there or aniseed as well. A few drops of water spread this out really nicely without killing the lovely mouthfeel.
Finish: good persistence and it makes its way right down to your belly.
When would I drink this? This is a fantastic after-dinner dram and can double as a nice night cap. Feel free to bring this out with confidence as a gift for your boss or father-in-law or save it to share with them and look like you know what you are doing.
