Category Archives: Distilleries

Arran, Autumn, Springtime

Arran 8yo Single Sherry Cask #1536, bottled by Arran

Islands region – 59.3%ABV – Somewhere around $75

Spring is here, spring is here!!

G-d damn it if this winter didn’t beat the crap out of me (and anyone else living in the North East of the good ‘ol US of A).

I kid you not when I tell you that at one point this winter we had a snow bank at the end of our driveway that was higher than 10 ft (for those folks who use the metric system, that’s a shit tonne of centimeters!).  Storm after storm, foot after foot of snow, shovel after shovel, vertebrae after vertebrae breaking work… Oy.

Thankfully, the storms of 2010/early 2011 are now a not-to-distant memory and we can (I can) finally move on.  Passover, for us, brought about a good deal of spring cleaning (inside & out of the house) which is still going on but, it feels fantastic!  The warm sun hitting this t-shirted bloke feels right good!

The flowers are popping, there’s a new scent in the air brought about by the various flora that surrounds my woodsy/swampy area.  A combination of scents, really — Wafts of skunk cabbage, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, dandelions, pollen (times a gazillion), chainsaw oil, armpit sweat, sunblock… it’s all in the air and it’s LOVELY!

Spring has a good way of making one feel anew.  I don’t know about you but all winter long I felt as if I was just doing what I could to survive through it.

Like a snake, the spring time allows you to feel as if you can shed the recent past and start again with new skin.  Maybe this year will be different, somehow better than last year.  That, of course, is not something you can just hope on.  You have to work to make that come true.  But perhaps the feeling of this new season might help to give you that strength.  Forge ahead, embrace life and cling on (Klingon) to the unexpected for it’s what helps us all to live.  Not survive but live.

Arran single sherry cask #1536:

Color — Oversteeped tea with a slight ruby hue to it.  Lighter than expected given the fact that this has spent all it’s life in a sherry cask (2nd fill perhaps?).

On the nose — Fragrant, flowery, salty and slightly dusty and woody (sort of like an old church pew type note).

Actually, the more I nose it the more dust I detect.  Really dusty stuff…

Fruity too (think red plum without the tart).

Chocolate covered raisins.

On the mouth — Very juicy entry, nice hot attack without losing the flavor.

Think of a red fruit and, it’s in there.

This is insanely sweet and fruity.

None of the dust I got on the nose.

Notes of lime and even a touch of mint (a fun little combination of flavors).

A very different sherry matured whisky profile.

Finish — Lots of lime of the finish – like a lime ricky.  Very long.

In sum — The fruits and raisins on the nose were nice but I found the dusty element to be almost overpowering.  It’s all about the taste and finish with this one.  Flavorwise, this was delicious; one to enjoy with an assortment of desserts.  If you’re going to go sweet, go all the way baby!

Let's celebrate!, Mackinlay's, Springtime, Takin' It Easy

Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky (Shackleton’s Antarctic whisky replica)

A mixture of Speyside & Highland region whiskies – 47.3%ABV – $165 | £99 | €111

I understand and fully appreciate that what I am about to taste here is history.  Actually, I’m getting a preview of the history that you all out there are about to taste (should you go out and pick up a bottle) and I thank all those involved for sending me a sample to allow me this opportunity.

I could say a lot about this whisky – much of is has been reported by the major (and minor) news outlets.

Rather than throw in my $0.02 in a poor attepmt to expand on the historical aspect of the Mackinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky, I’ll let this video do the talking (then review it, as shown below):

On the nose — Very grassy and flinty, a fist full of hay and a full jar of sea salt.

Untoasted & freezer burnt English muffins.

Then the fruits, nuts and saltier treats lay on good and thick – -pineapple, assorted nuts and unripened peach drizzled with melted toffee.

Threads of smoke from ocean grass and and driftwood.

Sea glass and a long walk on the beach (high tide).

An empty box that once held Nilla wafers (wow, that sounds pretentious but, I’m smelling it; the pretentious bastard I am…).

The mix of scents and over all balance is so nice, part of me is refusing to taste this stuff.  But, I must move on.

On the mouth — Smoky, bright and crisp.

Lots of flavors here, all of them have burnt edges.

A touch of meatiness here (not in an offensive way, it’s subtle).

Lemon rinds, pears, bruised apples and a high malt influence.

Smokey, malty goodness.  Really, a good deal of malt.

Salty but not nearly as much as what I detected on the nose.

Nice mouthfeel over all, a good mix of light viscosity and zingy, fizzy effervescence.  I’m sure you know this but, when I say fizzy, effervescent, etc… I’m not suggesting that this (or any other whisky I describe as such) whisky is carbonated.  No, I’m describing the feel/sensation one gets from a fizzy drink.  Cool?  Cool.

Finish — Fizzy pop rocks minus the “POP!”, long, salty

In sum — My initial thought was that this resembles a nice Springbank mixed with some bourbon cask Port Ellen (due to the coastal, flinty, mineral, smokiness).  If this replica is exact, Mackinlay knew what he was doing and Shackleton was drinking some fine fancy juice!  Well balanced, composed and thoroughly delicious.  I’d save this as a treat for yourself or perhaps to impress your friends with.  There’s a fantastic story to accompany this one.  Lots of great conversation can started with this whisky.

Special thanks goes out to Jill of Whyte & Mackay & Andy H for working your magic to get the sample to me!

An everyday dram, Caol Ila, Let's celebrate!, Master of Malt

Single Cask, 30yo Caol Ila bottled by Master of Malt

Islay region – Master of Malt Exclusive Single Cask bottling limited to 154 bottles – 57.4%ABV – £99 | €111

Yay!  The whole “get a free sample of whisky using the JSMWS sample code at the Master of Malt website during checkout” works (details on that program can be found here).  I’m not here to push Master of Malt right now, not really.  I’m just reviewing one of their whiskies and letting you know how I ended up getting a sample of their new Caol Ila single cask whisky.

I am a patron of Master of Malt as well as Royal Mile Whiskies, The Whisky Exchange, SCOMA, Shoppers Vineyard, Abbey Whisky and many, many others… not trying to show favoritism here… I shop them all.  My whisky purchasing business gets spread all around as I want to help keep all of these stores up and running.

So, to continue with my story…

While spidering the MoM website, I uncovered some great deals so I took my own advise and used the “JSMWS sample” code in the shipping instructions during my last purchase to Master of Malt.  Lo and behold, what did I find in the box along side some Hanyu, Aberlour and Arran I bought?  A fun little 3ml sample of this 30yo Caol Ila single cask, that’s what!

So, it all worked out in the end.  I got some fancy whisky bottles and a shiny, bandy-new sample of Caol Ila.  Lucky for me because this is a well chosen cask of whisky!

On the nose — More smoky than expected with this one being as old as it is… perhaps it’s the pepper attack that grabs my nose’s attention which is then followed by a smoke burst that makes it seem more smokey than it actually is.

Let’s give this another go.  Incredibly fruity – sugared tropical fruits.

Vanilla creams and lemon pepper.

Tobacco and fig ice cream (topped with fresh figs) – hungry yet??

On the mouth — Soft – bloody f&%king soft entry (!!) and filled with salted sugary goodness.

Aged rum – this actually reminds me of some aged cask strength rums I’ve had.

Nowhere near as smoky as the nose suggested.

Smoked salt on pineapple (fried pineapple).

Peach Melba.  Fabulous.

Herbed incense.  Hot now, salty too.

Finish — Long, longer, silken and warm with peaches.

In sum — A luxurious Single Cask of Caol Ila.  Wonderfully composed, balanced and just a damn, damn tasty dram!  Powerful yet soft and elegant.  An any occasion dram – perhaps a dram to enjoy ASAP!  Before it sells out!

A World of Discovery, Port Ellen, Summertime

Signatory Port Ellen 1982, Bourbon Cask #1202, 26 years old

Islay region – 54.1% – $339 | £? | €?

An out of the blue voicemal:

Marshall (this voicemail is completely paraphrased): “Hey Joshua, Marshall here, just checking to see if you might want a sample pour of some Port Ellen the LASC just got”

I was busy setting up a tradeshow booth so I sent a text:

Joshua: “As ‘The Dude’ would say: Does the Pope shit in the woods? Hell yes!”

The back and forth goes on from there but there are too many expletives and references to “Jewish English” that would make my reproducing of the entire transcript too risque for the JSMWS blog.  No shit.

Special thanks to Marshall and the LASC for the “bad-a$$ F&#$ing great pour” sent to me!

On the nose — Lemon soap suds & sweaty canvas sneakers.

Bright smoke.  Burning, salty driftwood.

Chamomile tea and a bushel of hay on a very, very humid summer’s day.

After a while the bourbon influence is very noticeable with scents of cinnamon and vanilla even fresh corn.

After this, it gets a bit dank and dewy.

On the mouth — The ABV is barely… wait a sec.  Wow, this is really…really heating up on me.

Oh crap!  This goes from oily, soft and sweet then onto being thin, hot and fiery in a matter of 6-7 seconds…

Let’s have another go at this:  Grassy, earthy, flinty, almost electric.

It starts off with freshly bitten plum then moves into pink lemonade.

This is evolving with every single sip.

Soapy, like on the nose and growing into sugary tart Sweetarts.

Honeyed teas and salted, baked lemons.

Finish — Lasting and evolving, hot, spicy and lemony sweet.

In sum — Nicely balanced.  I really dug the way the flavors exploded and evolved with every second.  A late summer’s night dram if you have a shit ton of cash to spare!  Very enjoyable.  For the $$ tag on this one, I can spend less on another whisky that can also be enjoyed on a late summer’s night.