Category Archives: Distilleries

Summertime, Takin' It Easy, Tormore

Exclusive Malts 1984 Tormordor (Tormore for those non-geek-types out there)

 

Tormore-1Speyside region – 51.4% ABV – $230

With the exception of having a name that inspired the following statement: having absolutely nothing to do with the whisky at hand, I thought there’s no better time than the present to tell you that I secretly refer to Tormore (a Pernod Ricard malt whisky distillery) as “Tormordor.”

Mordor as in Sauron’s Mordor of Middle Earth.  Sauron as in the  creator of the One-Ring, forged in Mount Doom itself and apparently a lover of fine whisky!

Yes, this guy right here:

Tormore-2

 

In all seriousness, I have little nicknames for a few distilleries and this “Tormordor” happens to be one of them.

Looking through my blog, I noticed that this is the first Tormore I am publicly reviewing.

Tormore is known to be a *very* spicy malt.  The only ones I’ve ever had were older (like this one) and all seemed to drink younger than their stated age.  Like Sauron himself, perhaps these whiskies are seemingly ageless?

Let us see how this one for the Exclusive Malts range pans out.  It’s a 29yo distilled in 1984 and from an ex-bourbon cask.

Tormore-4On the nose — The ex-bourbon, bourbony character comes straight through to your nose.  Wow.  And, at 29 years old, it does not smell old or tired in any way.  There’s a peppery, spicy liveliness to this whisky.

Almond brittle in a cardboard box, minus the wax paper.  Spiced vanilla chai latte.

Tormore-3Very prickly in the nose and, as expected, still very spicy.  Torrone Itailian almond nougat.

Light fruits, pears and a touch of baked apple as well.  A nice, well rounded nose.

On the mouth — Very soft and silken in the mouth.  The flavors, however, are fairly shy from the first sip.  Sip # 2:

Tormore-5A bit sour upon initial entry but that subsides to notes of casaba melon, peppery melon juice and heavily honied baklava (thought not as nutty as I found on the nose).

Tormore-6The mouthfeel is that of caramel sauce, warm and sliding down the back of the throat.  It’s really quite a lovely texture.

Finish — Growing and peppery but not overpoweringly peppery in anyway.

In sum — Tormore has a voice all its own in the malt whisky world.  Good Tormore is great Tormore and great Tormore is Tormordoriously delicious!

In all seriousness, I quite enjoyed this whisky.  A bit shy in flavor to start but a little time is a lot rewarding.  Dare I say, some might like this in the dead of summer and with an ice cube.  Not me though.  Those other people might like to do that…

Special thanks to SF and the rest of the good people at ImpEx for the sample!

Bruichladdich, Takin' It Easy

Two whiskies from Bruichladdich that I’ve been meaning to review since… 2010!

 

For the most part, I try not to be a slacker.  In fact, I am a real go-get-em, gung-ho guy with a ton of sticktoitiveness.  For the most part that is…

Somehow, someway, I’ve been sitting on a few samples from Bruichladdich (as well as samples from a few other distilleries) for quite a while now.  And by “quite a while” I mean like 2 or 3 years.  That’s a long time, right?  Right.  No better time than the present to review them though, right?  Right.

So what do we have today?  Firstly, we have “Redder Still;” part of the Blacker/Golder/Redder series from the lads and lasses at laddie.  Second is a 1992 (distilled in 1992, that is) sherry release from them – the Fino Cask.

Redder Still is matured in Château Lafleur Pomerol wine casks and the Fino Cask is matured in, well, Fino casks.  The former is bottled at 50.4% ABV (with 4000 bottles released) and the Fino was bottled at 46% ABV – 6000 bottles in that release.

Here are my thoughts on these two:

Bruichladdich Redder StillBruichladdich Redder Still – 50.4% ABV

Bruichladdich Redder StillOn the nose –  My immediate impression is that of paraffin wax and red wine gums.

Incredibly soft on the nose. If I could apply an attribute to this nose that was not in the realm of scents, I would say this noses like a cotton ball.

Salted and ground mustard seed meet lager beer.  Quite malty.

Am I detecting smoke here?  I think so.

Not very winey at all considering this was matured in Château Lafleur (Pomerol, red wine cask – nothing to do with Fleur Delacour, mind you) casks.  Really soft peat — looking for the wine notes but, none here really.  Not yet.

Wait a sec, red currant jams and cracked black pepper.  Moving on because this smells yummy and I want to taste now.

On the mouth – Quite sweet upfront.  Sugary sweet, in fact.  Oily moth feel with an effervescence toward the back and sides of the tongue.

Bruichladdich Redder StillPlums (prunes, too! Elderly plums, as it were) and smoke and more wine gums and peppery yet all of this is not forceful in anyway.

Much more winey after a few sips but is still very much whisky.  Smoke is present in the mouth and it gets quite drying as we get to the finish.

Finish – Short… a bit abrupt.

In sum – Compared to the *AMAZING* Blacker Still, this pales. Taken out of that family of Blacker/Golder/Redder, the Redder Still is a nice-nosed whisky!  I quite enjoy it actually.  The flavors work well together too however they’re a bit like a boy scared to ask a girl to hold his hand.  I feel this whisky should man up a bit in the flavor impact department but it does not.

Thinking back to that nose though… yum, yum, yum!

Bruichladdich Fino SherryBruichladdich 1992 Fino Cask – 46% ABV

On the nose –  Quite noticeably a Bruichladdich with a salty coastal element that’s reminiscent of their old 90’s 15yo.

Noses of yellow chilis and the sweetness of Scotch Bonnet peppers (before you bite into one and it burns your dad gum head off!).

Bruichladdich Fino SherryA touch of sulfur and turmeric.  I think this is the first time I smelled Deviled Eggs in a whisky!  Guess what, it’s subtleness work here!

Some damp cardboard and sugared papaya (fresh, not dried).  Soft black licorice.

On the mouth – Wow, the fino influence is right there and pretty dang lovely.  Nutty, very nutty.  Salted almond and pecan, fig paste and dried banana.

Anise seed, black licorice (again, though, salted this time), window putty.

At 46% it has enough attack to it as well as nice oils allowing for a good mouthfeel.

Bruichladdich Fino SherrySweet pecan pie and black strap molasses (treacle for the Brits out there).  Quite a satisfying whisky so far!

Finish – Increasing sherried goodness, melted caramel and a touch of rum cake.

In sum – This is one fine Bruichladdich!  the scent, flavors, mouthfeel, finish, etc… all works out.  Very nicely balanced with the sweet, salty, slight pepper.  Very much a dessert whisky.  Worth you seeking out, in my opinion!

 

Bunnahabhain, Let's celebrate!

Abbey Whisky’s Bunnahabhain from their Rare Casks series. A 23yo elegant stunner.

 

Abbey Whisky BunnahabhainIslay region – 44%ABV – £80 (only available from Abbey Whisky)

I’m going to limit the preamble in today’s review because the whisky is going to be better than anything I have to say.

Let me quickly say, however, that Abbey Whisky seems to be on to something here, and that something is choosing good casks of whisky to bottle.  First they released a 17yo Caperdonich and now they have this 23yo peated Bunnahabhain.

Peated Bunnahabhain can be hit or miss but this one, good people, is a total hit.  Check it:

On the nose –  Peated Bunnahabhain is *so* peated Bunnahabhain.  Quite unique.

Peppery upfront but the peat is soft which I am guessing is due to the 23 years in the refill bourbon cask.

Abbey-Whisky-Bunnahabhain-Rare-CasksSmoked and dried granny smith apples.  Bit-o-Honey candies (a wonderful honey and nutty mix of flavors).

Wildflower greens (minus the flowers) gives this whisky a very late summery feel.

A touch of pool water here as well.

Though bottled at 44% ABV, the peppery quality gives it a touch of sting in the nose.

Abbey-Whisky-Bunnahabhain-Rare-CasksHeavily salted Tomato Juice (like the V8 Spicy Hot stuff).  So far so yummy.

On the mouth – Soft, delicate and nowhere near as peaty on the mouth as it was on the nose.

Very vegetal (as the nose suggested) with hints of lemon, minus any sugar that might be associated with lemons.

Abbey-Whisky-Bunnahabhain-Rare-CasksMedicinal and Listerine like but in a very comforting way.  Those wildflower greens are gone but the flowers make themselves know.

This is, ummm, lovely stuff and it begins to grow in intensity as the finish nears.

Finish – Lovely spice and great Islay character.  The finish sticks to your gullet and you’re happy for that!

In sum – One of the better, older, peated Bunnys I’ve ever had.  Like grilled peanut butter and jelly on seeded rye bread, all of pieces go together so well for me.  I sort of wish I had a full bottle to open and share with friends in a single night.  We’ll finish together in a few hours.  Yeah, it’s that good.

Special thanks to MS of Abbey Whisky for the surprise sample!

Autumn, Cold Winter, Highland Park

Highland Park Loki – Another fun Marvel Character but this time its a Villain!

 

Islands region – 48.7%ABV  – $230 – $250

Ah, Marvel’s, nay, Stan Lee’s Loki in all his Eeeeeevil glory.

HIGHLAND-PARK-LOKI-VALAHALLA-COLLECTION

Wait, what?!  Yes, yes, yes.  Loki the Marvel character NOT the god.  That’s where my brain goes to.    Ah, but look at the picture and it seems that Loki’s thoughts gravitate toward Highland Park whisky!

“In Marvel mythology, Loki is on bad mutha…”

“you shut yo’ mouth!!”

“I’m just talkin’ ’bout Loki!”

“and we can dig it!”

Seriously, I know there’s a “real” mythology to Thor, Loki, Odin, Tyr, Frigga, Thumper, Bambi, Sarah Palin, etc… but growing up as an avid comic reader, to me, Loki is Thor’s total jerky-turkey-of-a-brother.

In both “real” mythology (oxymoron?) and Marvel mythology, Loki is one sneaky, shape-shifty, creepy dude.  Highland Park have decided to use this element of Loki’s character to create their 2nd whisky in their Valhalla series.

Let’s see if the flavors shift.  Let’s see if Loki is tough to pin down.  Let us explore this new Highland Park whisky!

HIGHLAND-PARK-LOKI-WHISKY-1On the nose –  Solid peat bricks; sweet, smoldering and smoking.  This is what I imagine that piece of Pure Concentrated Evil smells like at the end of Time Bandits.

(Damn, I love that movie.  I need to watch it again.)

Spice and cayenne pepper meets baked pears meets goarse flowers.

HIGHLAND-PARK-LOKI-WHISKY-2Burning orange peels, cardamom pods and fresh trash bags (the black ones – you know, Hefty, Hefty, Hefty!).

Seems sort of un-Highland Park-y and very Highland Park-y at the same time.

HIGHLAND-PARK-LOKI-WHISKY-3On the mouth – More smoked than peated.  Very, very smoky.  Loads of salted licorice nibs and fresh vinyl records.

Like deep sea heavy water forming pools at the bottom of the ocean, all of the flavors seem to be sitting at the bottom of the palate/back of the tongue.

HIGHLAND-PARK-LOKI-WHISKY-4Chocolate and a touch of chicory become apparent after spending some time with this whisky.  Apple butter, generous apple butter spread over burnt soda bread.

Finish – Smoky and oaky and loaded with cooked apple skins.

In sum – Quite interesting, especially with how the flavors hit the palate.  It’s a sneaky dram, sort of elusive unless you know where to look.  Look toward the back of your tongue and all is revealed.  Fun and different but as with the comic book, Thor is the better of the brothers.  Better put, when comparing the two, Thor is the more approachable of the brothers.

Feel free to read my review of Highland Park’s Thor here.

Special thanks to SR of Highland Park for the sample!

Glenlivet, Refreshed, Summertime

The Glenlivet Alpha [Dawg] invades my mouth and sense and I share my opinions with you. Fun!

 

Highlands region – 50% ABV – About $150.  Good luck finding some!  Only 3350 bottles were made available.

So, what in the blue $#%@ is Glenlivet Alpha?!  Well, there were a lot of people wanting to know just that.  Glenlivet, those sneaky little buggers, decided to make this whisky a big ‘ol secret: bottle the whisky in a black bottle with zero info, packaging came with zero info and there what, guess what?  Zero info around the web as to what this whisky was all about.

So, what do we know?  It’s bottles at 50% ABV which means there is no chill filtration needed.  And, at only 3350 bottles and this being sort of a special one-off and coming in a black bottles, I am guessing no caramel coloring.

So, that’s really all we know about this whisky.

What about the name?  Alpha?  Hmmm… Alpha *is* the first letter in the Greek alpha (hey, there’s that word again) bet.  (not to be confuse with Aleph or Aleph Bet).  First?  First fill?  But first fill what?  Bourbon, I’d guess from the lighter color.

So, here in the whisky blogging world there were a lot of cranky bloggers upset with Glenlivet that A) they charged so much for a NAS (no age statement) whisky and B) this expensive bottle of whisky came with ZERO information!  I’ll come right out and tell you that I was one of those crotchety bloggers.  Big price for a NAS whisky with zero information.  I was upset but I was also intrigued.

What intrigued me more is I came to find out this week that Glenlivet were going to do a big reveal on the whisky.  That I liked!  I like, too, the fact that Glenlivet seemed to be getting out of their comfort zone of 12yo, 15yo, 18yo, 21yo, etc… and decided to do something a bit whacky!  Good on ye, G’livet!

So, I tasted this whisky right before the big reveal.  I will post the reveal below my notes but, let’s see what I get:

On the nose –  Highly malty with a sweet and tangy quality to it.  Perhaps just a whiff of smoke?  Either there’s are good deal of refill barrels in the mix allowing a stronger spirit quality to come through or there is a higher proportion of young whiskies in here.

Glenlivet-1This bright and vibrant.  Light lemons (or orange) and pear, more lemons than pear.  There’s some black pepper in here, too.  It’s fun and refreshing so far!

I do detect some older, more wood influenced whisky in here.  Smaller casks?  Nah, methinks older whisky is a component.  Maybe some Cognac cask maturation in here?  Hmmm, not sure.  Must sip.

On the mouth – A very viscous mouth feel but a touch hot.  The malt carries through as does that hint of smoke I got on the nose.

I think I change my mind about the Cognac cask influence.  I change my mind about the smoke too.  This is a dodgy duck!

Glenlivet-3Notes of star fruit, unripened mango and fresh rain.  Yummy stuff!  The heat is gone after the 2nd sip, btw.  Highly sweet and malty!  Is there some Bere barley in this make up?

I know the Nadurra was with Triumph barley.  Maybe this is a them delving into different barley with less active casks?  Whatever it is, it’s delicious.

Glenlivet-2Finish – Lasting, peppery, toffee-like, sweet and malty.

In sum – If the price was lower and if there were more than 3350 bottles, I’d say this is an everyday, easy drinker!  This was a fun experiment to get people’s minds working and getting them to think about the whisky.  I am glad that there will be a reveal as to the make up of the whisky because if there weren’t, if this were all no-info marketing, it’d be a big joke without a punchline.  Kudos to Glenlivet, I say.  Kudos!