Oban (18 year)
This is easily as smooth and refined as the Macallan 18, but the dryness and gentle, straightforward flavors make it unchallenging.
Tag: Malt
Ardbeg Alligator (Committee Release)
An interesting take on the Ardbeg profile, with a lot more sweet woodiness and big roasted barrel flavors. The final product is not nuanced or impressive enough for me to recommend paying the above-average price. Although this is quite good whisky, and innovation in Scotch is always to be applauded, it just didn’t move me to buy a bottle.
The Balvenie (14 year) Caribbean Cask
A nice, round whisky with an interesting twist. The rum doesn’t come through as “rummy”, but more vegetal and malty. In fact, the expected molasses note doesn’t appear until the tail-end of the finish. That said, it’s a nice, easy-drinking Balvenie with clear malt character.
Amrut Single Malt
Betrays its age with the burn, and its inexperience with the heavy banana notes. Nevertheless, it’s an impressive dram for an upstart distillery in a challenging climate. I wouldn’t pay more than $30 for it, though, as I’m not partial to banana flavors in my malts.
Deconstructing Whisky
Link to an article about a researcher who is deconstructing Scotch whiskies using a fractionating vacuum evaporator.
The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve
It seems to me that The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve has all the boxes ticked. A robust, ultra smooth and luxurious malt that can complement any quality cigar.
Laphroaig 18
Wherein I discuss Laphroaig 18, and the situation that arises when I can’t formulate a full review based on a partial tasting.
Independent Bottlers
…whisky has not always been sold by the distillery which created it. In the hazy, distant past… or really, any time before the last few decades, whisky was distilled by a distillery, barreled, and sold. Today, true independent bottlers remain in the market by providing customers a way to taste obscure, experimental, or now-defunct distilleries, as well as expertly aged and bottled single-cask expressions from familiar distilleries.
Hart Brothers Laphroaig 18 year
Hello! It’s Laphroaig. Iodine, seaspray, and a big wave of smoky peaty goodness. Behind it lurks some light florals – elderflower? and green tea. Maybe a little touch of honey and green bananas. Mostly the salty peat, though.
Bunnahabhain (12 year) (New 46.3% Presentation)
That said, I’m not crazy about Bunnahabhain’s updated 12 year-old expression. This seems a little overcooked to me, like grandma’s pecan pie was in the oven a few hours too long. The barrel char is deep and overrepresented, the sweetness is minimal and overshadowed.