You know I don’t normally post on deals that stores may be having but, this one is insane and, hey… tomorrow is my birthday!
Why is it insane? Well, you’ll see below. For me, I didn’t even know that Bruichladdich’s “Golder Still” and “Redder Still” we’re still available and to get them from one place and at this price. Pretty cool. Again, birthday, Chanukah… let me know if you need another excuse to buy me whisky 😉
Ireland – 58%ABV – $80 | £51 | €60 – soon to be released – 20,000 bottles total
A short time back I was asked by the good folks at Cooley Distillery (currently, the only independent AND Irish owned distillery in operation in Ireland) if I was interested in trying a whisky that was yet to be released and if I’d post my thoughts on it.
My initial thought upon seeing this email from them was, to quote Jeffery “The Dude” Lebowski, “Does the pope shit in the woods!?”
For those who’ve not yet seen The Big Lebowski — go and rent it ASAP!! Or, watch this summation (a word to the wise – there are a few cuss words in this video…):
OK, back to the matter at hand – peated Irish whiskey. So, what’s it like? You’ll see below. I’ve reviewed their standard Peated Cask Strength whiskey here. Let’s see how this differs…
On the nose — Fishing rubbers, bouncy balls & rubber chickens… I think you get the idea – very rubbery.
Lemon peel & espresso.
Raw, uncooked rhubarb.
A wee bit of soy sauce.
On the mouth — Peaty yet not a smoke-bomb; earthy yet sweet; wet stones & flint yet grassy.
Immensely fruity — think citrus and over-tart purple plums (more tart, less plum).
All the bite you get in pickled ginger without the ginger.
Wicked mouthfeel – all of these flavors make your mouth water something fierce making the experience a nice creamy one.
Finish — Almond paste with the most minor hint of vanilla. Tannic, hot and pretty lengthy.
In sum — I’m not going to lie — this whisky is not for everyone. However, if you like the more medicinal/peaty/earthy whiskies – this will please you. It’s a powerful whisky for sure – one for the colder season (smart of Cooley Distillery to release it in December).
Islands region – 50%ABV – £37 | €44
Tasting Arran after Arran after Arran after Arran after Arran after Arran, etc… has been lots of fun but I’m no where near done! For a company that’s only 15yrs old, they’ve had a lot of different bottlings.
While I don’t speak German, just looking at the pictures on this Arran collector’s website, shows me just how many whiskies this distillery has put out! Check it out here.
Today I’m going delve quickly into something Arran does quite a bit of – special cask finishes.
Currently, Arran has 5 different special cask finishes in their range: This one which is from a Sauternes cask, a Port cask, an Amarone cask, a Moscatel cask and then their 15th year anniversary whisky, an Amontillado Sherry cask finish.
Sauternes is a dessert wine and the first dessert wine I ever had was Sauternes. When it comes to whiskies, I enjoy various wine finished casks. It’s always a treat to try new ones out. Let’s see what this one offers us:
On the nose — Quite unlike some of the other Sauternes finishes whiskies I’ve had.
Spent matches.
Very grassy and notes of soured milk.
Lemon zest and walnuts.
Dandelion jelly & Crab apple jelly.
Apricot in the distance.
The taste of unripened pears which is offset but something meaty in here.
Man, this is an odd one!
Salted biscuits.
On the mouth — Like a mirror of all I discovered on the nose.
Additional notes of apple pie crust.
Quite the viscous fluid!
Red bitter berries.
Baked apples wwwaaaayyyy in the distance.
Abundant salt… Better yet, salty tomato juice.
Finish — Moves on to more nuts – salted cashews. Very long.
In sum — Complex and balanced but not up my alley. Warming and with just the right mouthfeel but the meatiness of this one was just too much (for me). Some will LOVE this one. I respect it (really, a well constructed whisky), I don’t love it.
Special thanks goes out to Andy Hogan for the sample!
Islands region – 46%ABV – £42 | €50
The Arran Peacock made some big noise when it was released. It seemed as though every blogger and whisky writer from here to there tasted it, loved it, wrote about. I thought it might be a good idea to do the same but then second guessed it. I wanted to be the Johnny-come-lately to the party and post my review AFTER all this precious fluid was sold out. No, not really. I just made a funny.
Truth be told, I’ve had a sample of this whisky for some time and shame on me for not tasting and posting about this stuff sooner. This is very nice. So nice that Jim Murray, in his 2011 Whisky Bible, awarded it the Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 years old with a whopping 96pts out of 100. Not to shabby!
A special thanks goes out to Jason of Guid Scotch Drink for the sample!
So, what does Joshua Hatton, author of the Whisky Torah think about this stuff? Read on.
On the nose — Oh, you big sweetie! Aren’t you just filled with all sorts of fun candies?
Did you just come back from trick-or-treating? Well, this is surely no trick – it’s quite the treat!
Strawberry & raspberry pixie stix.
A full roll of smartees and a pack of pineapple lifesavers.
Vanilla is right there.
Some plastic shopping bags (I get this in whiskies every now and again, huh).
On the mouth — Pow! Big caramels upfront followed by golden delicious apples.
Pineapple, white pepper and chloroseptic.
All of these notes hit me at the same time.
The mouthfeel is peppery and abrasive.
Yellow onion.
Lemon custard.
Finish –– Short but with lasting pepper.
In sum — Everything is in it’s right place. A mid day dram, summery and sweet. Smell the roses. Revel in all the small things that makes life so beautiful.
A special thanks goes out to Jason of Guid Scotch Drink for the sample!
Islands region – 46%ABV – $70 | £38 | €45
I’m going to skip the preamble today. As I type this, it’s Thanksgiving weekend and there’s a lot of family schtuff going on so I’m tired and my time is a bit short.
Anyway, the Arran 14yr is much more exciting than anything I have to tell you.
Here we go y’all:
On the nose — Big, big apples! Wow!
Lemongrass.
Malty goodness.
Getting fruitier, this time a bit more tropical…mango and star fruit.
Caramel syrup.
A big fat fruity & juicy nose that makes me very happy!
On the mouth — Fizzy-fizzy goodness (however I was hoping for a slightly chewier mouthfeel).
More floral in taste as compared to the nose.
Interesting… Malt, top notch belgian beer (Duvel, my favorite).
Youthful notes – I’d love to taste what the new make spirit is like, my guess is that it’s strong personality is showing through to the final product.
Cereal notes.
Apple peels. Dried apples.
Turkish delights minus the nuts.
Rose water.
A nice saltiness here.
Finish — Lasting, still fizzy. A briny & fruity finish.
In sum — Reminds me of a young Balblair with a set of balls (especially on the nose). This is a very summery dram. Bright and refreshing.