Category Archives: Moods/Seasons

In a few more years, Kilchoman, this might be *really* good!

Kilchoman Sherry Cask Release – 2012 bottled at 46%

 

Islay region – 46%ABV – $79 – only 100 cases allocated to the US!  This is already sold out in all of the UK shops I’ve checked.

Following Kilchoman’s success story as the months and years go on is a very fun ride for a whisky geek like me.  And really, they go from success to success with a seeming ease

Kilchoman is Islay’s youngest distillery (as many of you know) and the tiny island’s first new distillery in over 124 years.  If that’s not pressure on this small farm distillery, I don’t know what is.

Thankfully, Kilchoman has a great team on their hands as was evident when I visited them back in March of this year.  You can read about my visit with Kilchoman here on the Jewish Whisky Company/Single Cask Nation blog – the post penned by Seth Klaskin.

So here we are today, again following the Kilchoman story line from start up and now getting ever closer to that 10 year mark. (They opened in 2005 so they’ll turn 7 years old in 2012.)  And for today we have their 5yo sherry cask release, bottled at 46%ABV.

On the nose — Peat smoke upfront however, it’s somewhat abbreviated and what follows is a good deal of black licorice (salted licorice at that).

Citrus sweetened green cabbage.  Now *that’s* an odd yet fun note!

More medicinal than expected given Kilchoman’s usual sweet peat profile and the fact that this whisky is from sherry casks.

Some notes of canvas sneakers (slightly loved).

A very promising nose.  The black licorice-like quality is quite nice.

On the mouth — Window putty and fresh caulking.  Somewhat artificial/industrial in flavor.

Slightly sweet yet very drying/tannic from the start.

A touch hot given the strength – it tastes closer to 50-55%ABV or more.

Unripened banana, hints of softening strawberry.

Better yet, Starburst artificial strawberry flavor (subtle though).

Finish — Long finish, the window putty and caulking notes last for a while as does the unripened banana element.

In sum —  This is the first time I’ve tried a 100% sherried Kilchoman.  Comparing this to the others I’ve tried,  I think I more prefer the 1st fill bourbon matured ones or the releases that were a mix of ex-bourbon and sherry (E.G.  the Kilchoman Machir Bay which is just lovely).    I was not really able to connect with this one as I would have hoped.  However, a lot of people out there will enjoy this one for sure. (In fact they already have, seeing as this has completely sold out in the UK and EU where most of the bottles have gone.)  It does show promise for future.  I look forward to trying more sherried Kilchoman.

Special thanks to the good folks at ImpEx for the sample!

A World of Discovery, Autumn, Cold Winter, Lost Spirits, Need To Bundle Up

Lost Spirits “Leviathan I” American heavily peated single malt whiskey.

 

California – 53%ABV – $55 (solid pricing for single cask, cask strength whiskey!)

Today I’ll be sharing some details on a new American whiskey called “Leviathan I” and the distillery that produces it; Lost Spirits Distillery.  If you’ve not heard of Lost Spirits before, don’t feel bad.  Most folks have not heard of them.  They waited quietly and patiently for their whiskey to mature before they made any large public announcements about their distillery and whiskeys.

Before we start with the whiskey, let’s start with the bottle and the fact that it’s got a wine cork rather than a whisk(e)y bottle cork with the plastic top (see right).  If you’re like me, you save your whisk(e)y bottle corks – you may need one after opening this bottle.

Now, onto the distillery owners.

Bryan and Joanne, owners of Lost Spirits in Monterey County California, came back to their native Cali-roots after a good stint with another distillery they owned; that one in Spain where they made Obsello Absinthe and Port of Barcelona Gin.

Not only did Bryan and Joanne up and move back to California to open a whiskey distillery, these good folks built their still entirely by hand.  Two people, four hands, one giant still with a big dragon head attached:

Yeah, that’s right.  A dragon head.   And what’s more is that the still is located outside… not confined in any building. I’ve not seen anything like this before and I doubt you have either.  Located outside and with a dragon head, it’s like this whiskey is distilled atop the Misty Mountains (where the spirits go now).  Brilliant: 

Now let’s talk about the actual whiskey itself.  This is peated American single malt.  Bryan and Joanne have sourced Canadian peat to peat their California barley to 110ppm.  Then they mature the whiskey exclusively in late harvest “Botrytised Cabernet” casks.  This type of Cabernet, as Bryan taught me, is basically a somewhat Sauternes-like wine.  If you frequent my blog then you know I’ve got a “thing” for Sauternes matured whiskies…

What’s more is every single release of theirs will be release as a single cask, cask strength bottling.  (*Swoon*)  It’s as if they had whisk(e)y geeks like me in mind when the designed this stuff!

Kudos to Bryan and Joanne for doing something so unique in the world of American whiskey!  It just goes to show that craft distilling in the US is growing; not only in the number of US craft distillers but also in the styles of whiskey and the way they produce it.

Now, to taste the Leviathan:

On the nose — Lost Spirits?  More like wild, crazy, wacky spirits.

I would have have never pegged this for malt whiskey.  I’d perhaps more assume this were a Mezcal. (In fact, it’s quite like the Tobala Del Maguey Mezcal I reviewed last year.)  Smoky yet not smoked (if that makes sense), phenolic/carbolic.

Screeching tires on sticky black tarmac.

Wine influence is quite noticeable after a few minutes.  Pungent and sweet red wine reduction and then hints of red wine vinegar.

The sweetness then dissipates to reveal charred swamp ash and an intense bitterness that evolves into what I’d swear is the scent of Manchego cheese.

Like I said, this is wild stuff.

On the mouth — Massive mouthfeel, sweet grape jam flavor to start but this is followed by tropical fruits such as mango and papaya.

Some malty quality comes through but this is still quite Mezcal-like.

Speaking of malty, I’m reminded here of a smoked porter flavor.  I love smoked porters.

I can taste the burning swamp ash.

Very salty/briny if you take the time to notice – a fine quality.

Finish — Like a smoked madeira or some red grape desert wine.  The finish goes on and on.

In sum —  Read the label – 110ppm (phenols rated in parts per million) peated malt whiskey.  Now forget what the labels says.  Do not go into this thinking you’re going to taste an Islay like whisky.

Like any and all spirits, you should go into a dram of this with the mind wide open.  If you do you’ll find that it’s a well crafted whiskey.  It’s not an every day whiskey, for sure, but it’s sort of “yum” in a glass if you ask me.

I’d suggest drinking this when you have time outside (fishing or hiking) or after a moment of completion – maybe once you’ve climbed to the top of that mountain.

Really enjoyable whiskey!

Special thanks to Bryan and Joanne for the sample!

Autumn, Cold Winter, High West, Interviews, Takin' It Easy

An interview with David Perkins, the man behind High West Whiskey – part II of II

 

Video interview with David Perkins of High West – Part II of II: wherein David continues to take us through his new whiskey “Campfire” (my review of Campfire can be found beneath the videos) we discuss peat, blending and he then gives us a virtual tour of High West’s Distillery and award winning restaurant.

You can see Part I of this interview here.

I think the above intro basically tells all.  I hope you enjoy the balance of this interview as much as I enjoyed interviewing David:

And now the fourth and final video:

And finally, my review of High West’s Campfire whiskey – a blend of Bourbon, Rye whiskey and peated Scotch whisky:

High West Campfire – 46%ABV – $50

On the nose –  Spicy and bright nose. Hints of pine resin and toasted rye bread.  Brown spices and a touch of shoe leather.  Honey and chai.  Approachable/easy.  Joyful.

New charred-oak & subtle spice, jasmine & sandalwood.  Some citrus spice laced with just a hint of smoke as a backbone.

Given the name of the whiskey, not as much smoke on the nose as you’d expect.

On the mouth – Forceful attack with big spice upfront.  A nice mouthfeel.   Toast and blueberry jam (notes I love to find with heavier toasted barrels).

Nutmeg, cinnamon and some orange zest.  Floral with citrus spice, like a rye IPA.

Smoke all around the edges, like burning twigs mayhaps…

Wonderful toasty and vanilla spice (chai) on the sides of the tongue.

Finish – Long and spicy (with the spice staying toward the back of the tongue).

In sum — A warmer upper for sure.  This is a whiskey with a very “American” attitude however the addition of the Scotch whisky to the blend offers depth and dimension that many bourbons can’t provide.

Kudos to David Perkins for putting in some extra sweat equity in creating a truly different whisk(e)y experience.

Thanks, too, for the sample!

Autumn, Cold Winter, Speyburn

Speyburn Clan Single PX Cask from 1975

 

Image shown is not of the 1975 bottling

Speyside region – 55.8%ABV – Pricing is TBD.  Will update this post as soon as I have more information.

One of the upsides to being a whisky reviewer is that now and again whisky shows up to my door.  Cool, right?

Sometimes the whisky is in sample form, sometimes it’s my own purchase.  Both scenarios do a fantastic job of setting my lovely wife’s eyes a’rollin.  Oh boy, *more* whisky.

A common question posed by me to my wife: “Did the whisky fairy arrive today?”

I quite enjoy it when the answer is “yes.”

Occasionally, one of my daughters will tell me as I walk in the door, “Hey daddy.  Surprise, surprise, more whisky.”

I love my daughters.  They really know how to bust my butt with the snark of a 22 year old.  You’d never think they were 3 & 5.

…so one day, not too long ago, I received a completely unsolicited sample of this 1975 Speyburn single cask from Lucas D saying: Enjoy!  Let me know what you think.

In addition to the “enjoy the sample” bit, he gave me the following information on this whisky:

“The whisky comes from a single mature Spanish oak sherry butt acquired from Pedro Domecq – the oldest Bodega in Jerez founded in 1730. The cask was most likely used to mature Pedro Ximenez sherry. This helps to explain its exceptionally dark colour, at 20 Lovibond (45.9 EBC) it is one of the darker naturally coloured Scotch whiskies out there. The sample was drawn at the distillery in March 2012 and the ABV is 55.8% (!).”

Well, thank you Lucas for the sample.  It’s much appreciated!

Here are my thoughts:

On the nose –  The initial offering from the nose on this whisky is that of pen ink (from a ball point) and summer pool water.

Fresh pulled garden greens, a salty smelling nose.

Fired apples (granny smith) and cherry stones here as well.  More apples yet in sauce-form with brown spices and burnt sugar.

It’s a wild nose here as it straddles the line between real and artificial (man-made) scents and does so fairly well.

With water some notes of a Cadbury Fruit and Nut bar say hello.

On the mouth – Whoa, this is a hot one!

Chocolate chunks (dark) and fresh black pepper.  Cinnamon and walnuts, shells and all.  Let’s add water.  A bit too hot for me.

Much better with water – and a decent mouthfeel to boot!

Black strap molasses, drunken raisins and chocolates.  Sugar cookies and sugary butter cookies.

Nutty – hazelnuts, walnuts, no salt, crushed into a paste and sweetened (with some vanilla added in for good measure).

Finish – Long and peppery (with lasting heat).

In sum – It’s nice to drink history.  I was only 2 years old when this was distilled.  That in and of itself is a bit mind boggling.  All of the parts were there and in the right places.  I think some of the heat detracted from the overall experience (even with water) but pair this with some nice Stilton cheese and/or 70%+ cacao chocolate and you just might find yourself in a little place I like to call “Heaven.”

Be sure to check out Gal’s (of Whisky Israel) post on this whisky.  It’s a great read and he seemed to like it as well.

Cold Winter, Laphroaig

Islay distilleries explained thru Rock and Roll comparisons – Part 8 – Laphroaig and my review of a Chieftain’s Single Cask of Laphroaig

Islay distilleries and their whiskies explained through Rock and Roll – Part VIII (of VIII)

This is the end, my only friend, the end.

Yes, you guessed it.  Eight active distilleries on Islay, eight Islay/Rock Band comparisons by yours truly.

G-d damn. I am sad to see this series end.  Such is life and all things must pass.

There were many Laphroaigs I could have chosen for this final Islay/Rock Band review and to be honest, I’ve got enough of the hooch in house for me to have chosen from. However, I’ve never had a single cask of Laphroaig from the Chieftain’s range so I figured I’d ask for a sample and if I were lucky to enough to get one then, cool, I’d review that.

Thanks to the good folks at Impex, they’ve got a new Chieftain’s 14yo single cask of Laphroaig and they were nice enough to pour me a few cl to review.  Special thanks to SF & EK from Impex for the sample!

Before I review this Laphroaig, let’s cover what’s been reviewed in this series to date:

  1. Part one:Bruichladdich as The Sex Pistols
  2. Part two: Ardbeg as Slayer
  3. Part three: Caol Ila as The 80′s (They get their very own decade!)
  4. Part four:Bowmore as David Bowie
  5. Part five: Kilchoman as the Jackson Five (somewhat fitting, in retrospect, with them both bearing the number five).
  6. Part six: Bunnahabhain as R.E.M.
  7. Part seven: Lagavulin as Led Zeppelin

Today we’re reviewing:

Chieftain’s Single Cask Laphroaig, cask #4127, bottled at 46% ABV – $?? to be announced.

On the nose –  Tell tale Laphroaig peat, somehow a bit less dirty but surely Laphroaig peat.

Scratch the surface and we find a good deal of unripened fruits (banana strings, hard peach, crab apple).

I also get the sense of an ashtray minus the butts but all of the ash.

All of this being said, though it might not sound it, it *is* a bit of a delicate nose.

I’d be scared to add water to this, there is very little alcohol punch.

On the mouth – Very sooty and stingy-like along the sides of my tongue.

Salted rhubarb and on hot linoleum counter.

Not-so-sweet star fruit and on the 2nd sip, I discover this has a really nice mouth feel.

Out of the blue, a floral/lavender-like note makes itself known (coming back to the nose and I discover it there as well).

Salted still and drying toward the finish…

Finish – Drying, a touch of citrus and decent length.

In sum – Not a bad little cask of whisky!  Based on the light color at 14 years of age, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I found a nice evolution from nose to palate to finish.  It’s an easy going whisky for the peat heads among us.  Not very challenging but very pleasing.  I’d suggest this one right after a snow storm and right before you start shoveling your driveway (if’n that applies to you). ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Laphroaig – The Band!

Comparing Laphroaig to a band was perhaps the toughest one of them all, hence my saving them for the last.  (Sorry grandpa, I know you always said to do the hard stuff first and save the easy stuff for last.  Note to self: I should have listened to you.)

So many bands came to mind.  I think of the dirty, gritty, filthy and delicious peat and I instantly think of The Melvins.  But, most people don’t know The Melvins.

However, there’s more to Laphroaig than just peat.  Their 30yo expression, a manly yet feminine and elegantly heavy dram makes me think of Into Another.  Like The Melvins, chances are, you’ve not heard of their awesomeness.

In the end, I have to admit, Laphroaig is a powerhouse whisky.  So, I’ve decided that you are Iggy Pop.  And, not just any Iggy Pop but Iggy from his 1973 “Raw Power” Record.  And not just any song on “Raw Power” but actually, Laphroaig, you are Iggy Pop’s “Search and Destroy”.  But not just any version of “Search and Destroy.”

With the often salty/briny character, you are “Search and Destroy” as heard/seen on the “Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” during the gun fight seen.:

So, congrats Laphroaig – you are RAW POWER.  You are Iggy Pop.  Thanks for playing!