I hope that any others who were adversely affected by hurricane Irene, be it damage to your persons, homes or vehicles, are doing OK. Refuah Shlema!
We’ll be back soon once full power is restored. There might be a post up here or there but we can not say for certain on that – playing it by ear.
Highland region – 56.7%ABV – $2699 | £2500 (limited to 1000 bottles)
Yes, yes, I know… the bottle looks like something off of Sephora’s website. And yes, I’m sure LVMH could have saved a £50-60 (maybe more) putting the whisky into a slightly simpler vessel.
I’m not posting here to talk about the whys & whatfors of corporate marketing. Yes, I do work in sales & marketing and I understand the whys & whatfors but I’d prefer to focus on the liquid that Dr. Bill Lumsden created, not what the good folks at LVMH have cracked up to sell the stuff – as smart and fancy as it is.
Glenmorangie Pride 1981 is a 28yo whisky that was aged for 18 years in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and then extra-matured exclusively in Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes casks for an additional 10 years before being bottled at 56.7% ABV. Sounds sexy to me!
Color – Deep gold with tints of green (I don’t always mention color but this is some attractive fluid!)
On the nose – Thick jams (quince and even some fig). Black strap molasses and ginger snap cookies (spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon). Sweet, sweet marzipan.
Damp and earthy. Man, I am taken by this nose. This juice demands your attention. Part of me doesn’t even want to dissect it, I just want to enjoy it as a whole.
But carry on, I will…
The Glenmorangie character is strong here and will not be ignored: Think citrus zest and even some peach; thoroughly ripe and juicy peach.
Walnut oil and even a bit of sauternes-drown golden raisin.
Vanilla extract and in the distance, toasted oak and almonds.
Coming back to the nose after a sip and there’s a very noticeable high lemon note just floating on top of it all.
On the mouth – Thick and insanely mouth coating – it’s invading every part of my mouth (like that scene in The Matrix where the liquid metal is taking over Keanu Reeves’ body until it goes down his throat).
Sticky sweet jams (like the ones mentioned above). A touch of citrus but not as much as on the nose.
Creamy, creamy but also a bit like thick honey when it starts to crystalize (tiny, tiny sugar crystals throughout the honey).
Speaking of honey, this stuff oozes with it.
Warm apricot jam over toasted almonds.
As the fluid starts to go from juicy sweet to drying on to the finish, booze soaked oak notes round out the flavor experience.
Finish – Long, drying, warm; and sitting like a king on the top/back portion of my tongue is the actual sauternes itself – apricots, peach, nuts and woody tannins. After a short bit, an interesting watermelon note popped up followed but some of that lemon note I got on the nose.
In sum – I can see why Dr. Bill Lumsden refers to this whisky as his “Pride”. If this whisky were a college bound student, she would have full scholarships to the Ivy League school of her choosing. This is so balanced, so well constructed and thoroughly enjoyable. Pride is as full and robust as it gets (without peat or sherry).
I come back to this over and over again, Sauternes finishes are my absolute favorite. Done right (like this whisky here), and it’s light years ahead of nearly any sherried whisky I’ve had.
There are only 1000 bottles of this stuff on G-d’s green earth and if you can find & afford one, I won’t say no; I’d accept the gift very graciously :). However, if you decided to keep the stuff for yourself, I would not blame you at all.
I will suggested, however, that you open this for the most celebratory of occasions but what’s more is that you NEED to open this. Don’t just buy and collect because NOT tasting this stuff (if you have the $$ to afford it) is doing yourself an injustice.
Huge thanks goes out to David Blackmore for the sample!
Islands – 57%ABV – 700ml bottle – £49 (sadly, this whisky is not readily available in the US so you’ll have to go to your favorite UK whisky shop or pick it up in a duty-free shop where it’s sold in 1L bottles!)
Looking through all of my reviews I noticed that I’ve only reviewed one Talisker to date and that’d be the Talisker 18.
Being that I’m headed there next week I figured I’d change that and right quick!
This Talisker started out, if memory serves, as a duty-free exclusive bottling but due to popularity made its way to UK shelves. Now, I say “if memory serves” because this whisky was released a couple of years ago. That being said, I think I’m the last whisky reviewer on earth to review it.
Better late than never!
On the nose – Is there such a thing as vanilla lemonade?
Loads of citrus and pepper, black pepper.
Salty sea spray on a late autumn morning while fishing for blues – this one is really bringing about some nice memories.
Nice round peaty smokey notes and a load of seaweed.
On the mouth – Oily and very *round* in flavor and a bit effervescent as well.
Nothing on the front of the tongue but the top and sides of the tongue are getting some great notes of lemon pastries and pineapple danish.
Oak and apples with still more salt (kosher-type, not sea salt) and delicious peat.
This is a very nice Talisker, tasty through and through.
Finish – The fizz continues as does some smoke and lemon.
In sum – Like most Taliskers I’ve had, this is just plain lovely. An easy every day drinker for me… if it were easily available in the US.
Nicely balanced, thoroughly delicious and wholly Talisker. There’s not mistaking it.
Special thanks goes out to David H for the sample (I think you gave it to me, it was a while ago!)
Speyside – 46.9%ABV – 750ml – $404 (wowza! This was originally about £100/$200 when it was first released 5 years ago)
It’s not secret that I’m a fan of The Balvenie. I’ll be headed there as part of the JSMWS tour this month and have been counting down the days until my arrival there. I was hoping to meet up with Mr. Sam Simmons while I’m out there but sadly, we’ll be missing one another.
In case you missed my video series on The Balvenie (special thanks goes out, once again to Sam on that one), you can check them out here.
The Balvenie has always nailed it with the 15yo single cask series, let’s see what another 10 years and an added $350 dollars does for this whisky…
On the nose — Lemony goodness right up front.
Indian cooking spices; turmeric and a breath of cumin.
This is a nice bourbon fresh nose. Oaky, honey, tangerines. Fresh cotton. Pineapple and mangoes. Ripe banana. Banana peel. I’m almost getting some blue raspberry in there. This list goes on and on…
Pears, bruised macintosh apples.
This is all rounded out by what seems to be lightly salted peanuts (the smell, not the taste).
On the mouth –– Hot and clean (an oxymoron in the adult film community).
Malty. Tannic. Limes.
So far, I enjoyed the nose much more… Let’s take a break, maybe add a bit of water…
Water calms this one down quite a bit.
Cooked sugar and orange butter. Malty. Insanely clean and fresh.
Dried apricots. Toasted coconut. Creme brulee.
Finish — Hot, long finish filled with banana, honey and a touch of apple.
In sum — Oh, you tease! The nose was brilliant. I can not stress that enough. The flavor of the whisky was a bit too shy but water woke her up just enough to make it all worth while. While normally I prefer a higher ABV, I think this one benefited with the addition of water. This is a watch-your-kids-play-in-the-sandbox-on-a-cool-summer’s-day type of dram. I’m not sure I know what that means but perhaps it’s the mix of parental pride and relaxation.
Special thanks goes out to Sam Simmons for the sample (sorry it took me so damn long to post on this one!!)
Islands Region – Limited to 6,000 bottles – 54.9%ABV – $78 | £57
Day one of the Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society’s whisky tour will bring us to the Isle of Arran. At only 15yrs, and as you might know, Arran is one of Scotland’s youngest distilleries. Young as they are, the whiskies they’re releasing are top notch and they’re surely making a name for themselves. A good, good name for themselves.
This whisky is limited and only 6,000 bottles were made available. 6,000 might sound like a lot of bottles but these releases really sell out quite fast.
According to Arran, “A donation from every bottle sold of The Sleeping Warrior will be made to The National Trust for Scotland to help maintain the footpaths on Goatfell, Arran’s highest peak, for the enjoyment of all.”
So, if you want to buy a new whisky and feel like you’re contributing to a good cause, this might be it.
On the nose – Quite obvious, this is an Arran whisky as it’s got a good deal of salt and brine upfront.
Melting milk chocolate with something bitter in here as well (perhaps some bitter sweet dark cherries).
Walnuts and breakfast food gristle sitting in the edges on the frying pan.
Blood oranges and to top it off, malt and lots of it!
On the mouth – Tip-top mouthfeel! Reminiscent of the mouthful I got on the 11yo, 15yr Arran Anniversary malt.
Warmed apple and caramel (or vice versa. Either way, I’m reminded of a state fair caramel covered apple).
So. Very. Warming.
Nutty (let’s hope you don’t have any nut allergies!).
Oily, savory yet sweet.
Baked pears, cinnamon & nutmeg, salted caramels. This is yummy.
Finish – Milky cafe latte that warms you from head to toe on a cold late autumn of early winter night.
In sum – Perfect for colder days when your loved ones aren’t around for you to snuggle up with. Love the one you’re with – love this Arran! I have to say, this is perhaps my 2nd favorite Arran after that 11yo, 15yr Anniversary Arran I mentioned earlier.
Special thanks goes out to Andy Hogan for the sample!