Category Archives: Refreshed

A World of Discovery, Bruichladdich, Refreshed, Springtime, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Bruichladdich 18yr (not 2nd edition)

Islay region – 46%ABV – 750ml bottle – $101 and up | £50 | €61 (prices shown are for the 2nd edition)

I feel somewhat bad that my first review of the Bruichladdich line was a bad review. But hey, it was what it was and looking at the big picture, I had to post an uncomplimentary post at some point or another.

I suppose, however, what I should have done is review the ‘laddie 18yr expression first as, after all, the 18yr was the very first ‘laddich I’ve every had and it made me come back for more. Also, I received this bottle as a gift (free scotch! who could ask for anything more??). Happy birthday to me!

Bruichladdich (a distillery from the Islay region of Scotland) is known for having a *very* expansive line of whisky expressions. They do a lot with special wood finishes and currently have the peatiest malt on the market today (The Octomore); they have both unpeated & lightly peated malts as well. The 18yr has little if any traces of peat, this is a sweeter one as you’ll soon read.

This beauty was matured in ex-bourbons casks then transferred to Pinot casks for finishing. Pinot is known to be a very soft, silky tasting wine, almost buttery (at least the ones I’ve had). I knew the make up of the scotch before I opened the bottle and was really looking forward to tasting!

Initial whiffs – Fresh fruits (think nectarine and maybe… pear??), vanilla with perhaps some cinnamon, some oak comes through, and a tad bit of citrus. This is what Bruichladdich is known for – even with their peaty expressions, the fruit really comes through and shines.

Palate – Very sweet, the wine-y-ness comes through here (slightly tannic, very slight though), almonds (maybe marzipan but without the bite that you can get from the marzipan), orange syrup, great mouth feel

Finish — Long and fruity, some nuttiness comes back in the end – oh, a something sort of earthy now too, grassy almost?

In sum — I love the bottle style, very cool & swanky. Well worth the money paid for it (thanks birthday gifters! You know who you are). This is one I’d revisit again, and again, and again… Quite complex and worth waiting for warmer weather to enjoy. This is not an easy drinking whisky though – this is one to “taste”, not “drink”

A World of Discovery, Balblair, Refreshed, Springtime, Summertime

Balblair 1997

Highlands – 43%ABV – 70cl (non-US) –  £29 | €34

I’ve got a couple of twitter buddies from the Holyland (one of them being Gal from Whisky Israel) who, knowing that I’m into the sweeter drams, suggested this one to me. They’ve not steered me wrong yet so I decided to listen to their suggestion and pick up a bottle.

This one is not available in the US because it’s not a 750ml bottle, rather a 70cl (or 700ml). Why the US will not accept bottles at the 70cl volume is just ludicrous and beyond me. Luckily, there are some good shops in the UK that do ship to the states so I got my bottle anyway. Ha, take that America!  In your face!!

Initial whiff — Pineapple, right away. Some sweet melon, think casaba and a little bit of spice, like a gum drop spice.

On the mouth — Waves of fresh fruit. So refreshing. Really, unlike any sweeter dram I’ve ever had. These are all tropical fruits (no apples, pears, etc… that you usually get from American Oak). Oakiness comes through now but does not overtake.  This is like a drinkable, tropical fruit salad.

Finish — Medium-long, spicy, some oak and the tiniest hint of smoke (?? could be in my head).

In sum — This stuff is so refreshing, you could forego brushing your teeth at night (or in the morning, if that’s your thing) and just get a dram of this stuff!

Port Ellen, Refreshed, Springtime, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Port Ellen 1978 24yr 2nd Release

Islay region – 59.35%ABV – cask strength – 700ml bottle – $?? | £?? | €?? – I could not find this one available anywhere.  It was bottled in 2002 and limited to 12,000 bottles.  My guess is that it was in the £250 range (which is more like $450 to my fellow yanks out there).

I consider myself very fortunate to have met so many interesting and kind people in the wide world of twitter.  I could go on naming names but I wont.  I will say, with regards to this tasting, I need to thank one of my twitter friends: Keith from Whisky Emporium.  He and I did a sample trade and my sample was this lovely and rare Port Ellen expression.  Keith, thank you.  If you’ve not visited Whisky Emporium yet, please do.  There are lots of great tasting notes, glass suggestions for different malts, whisky & food pairings, whisky & chocolate pairings, etc…  He’s got a very robust & unique site.

With regards to Port Ellen, it’s really one of the few Islay distilleries that I basically know nothing about.  Rather than focus on the distillery, I will focus more on the whisky itself.  If you’d like some information on the Distillery, here is a link from The Whisky Exchange with more info.

I will say that this stuff was so unique (especially given the style of the whisky itself, as you will read below, and it being an Islay malt) that I do plan on finding out more about Port Ellen and the history of expressions.  And, if my funds take a huge turn for the better, I may even buy some of this stuff.  I can tell you that Port Ellen whiskies are rare and uber-expensive!!

Initial whiff – Wow, this noses more like a Cambeltown – Grassy/flowery peat, fruity, definite hints of sea breeze.  Maybe a little bit of the smell of an electrical charge, metallic (not Metallica, though this stuff does rock) in a way.

On the mouth – Nearly undrinkable without water.  Some like it hot and some sweat when the heat is on, I’m sweating here… I need a little water.  Ahhh, much better.  Back to the fruits (think citrus – oranges & kumquats), grassy again, malty, waxy mouth feel, lots of smoked seafood here (yes, this coming from a vegetarian (I used to eat fish)), tar (sans feathers) and very delicate peat.  It is 24 years old after all.  It seems the peat has lost much of it’s fight or, better yet, it’s compromised with the other elements.  Very complex and quite yummy!

Finish – Long, the fruits stay but now the peat is a wee bit stronger.

In sum – This stuff is worth it’s weight in gold.  It’s an Islay in Campbeltown’s clothing.  Of all the regions, I do love Campbeltown the most.  Extremely complex, lots of salt, fishy peat & yummy citrus.  Because of the lighter style (read: more delicate peat with the addition of salt & fruits) I would suggest this one in the spring or summer time when you just want to take it easy or feel refreshed.  Good luck finding some though!!

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Autumn, Cold Winter, High West, Need To Bundle Up, Refreshed, Springtime, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

High West Rye – Rendezvous batch 17

Park City, Utah, USA– 45%ABV – 750ml bottle – $35

The first time I had a Rye Whiskey was about 3 years ago in Chicago (3yrs ago, before I even knew how to really taste whiskies).  It was Templeton Rye, the same stuff Al Capone drank – cool!  I remember it being very spicy but, inviting.

Earlier in the week I went to Binny’s in Schaumburg, IL just to see what they had — not really to buy anything but, they always have such a large selection, I just wanted to check it all out and drool a little bit.  And drool I did!  Man-o-Maneschewitz, they have a lot to look at (much of it is a bit overpriced though…).

Binny’s allows you to taste many of their whiskies before you buy (very cool value-added feature of their stores).  Walking through, I saw the Templeton Rye and they had a sample so I asked to try a some.  Quite nice stuff and at $26 a bottle, very buyable.  The salesman, however, suggested that before I buy a Rye, I should try the High West Rendezvous (I can not stand typing that word: “Rendezvous”, so unnatural!).  I did and… wow-wow-wee-wow-wow!! Awesome stuff, hence my buy, hence the review.

Here we go!

The High West Rendezvous is actually a blend of two ryes – a 16yr made from 80% rye and a 6yr made from a bill of 95% rye!  Both of those are well above the standard rye bill of about 51% (the minimum).  Even with the age of the 80% rye (16yrs), I was expecting something so insanely spicey that it’d be too much to handle. O-contrare-mon-frare!  The spice was there but not biting at all.

Initial whiff – Fennel seed (think candied fennel seeds one would get from a good Indian or Pakastani restaurant), cinnamon, maybe spiced pumpkin (or the spices that make up that smell)

On the mouth – Chewy. Chewy sugared gumdrops, the orange ones (I used to be addicted to these gum drops, sucking off all of the sugar until just the chewy goodness was there to masticate), quite a bit of vanilla, maybe some toasted coconut.  This one is all over the place, very nice.

Finish – The spice is mostly gone now, but my mouth is still all a’coat with warmth. Nice oily feel.

In sum – The folks who made this are artisans, plain and simple.  I could drink this any time of the year and in most moods.  This stuff is not available in Connecticut, check their website for availability in your area.  Seek this one out.

Refreshed, Springtime, Summertime, Suntory - Yamazaki, Takin' It Easy

Suntory Yamazaki 12yr – Is there anything the Japanese can’t do?

Japan – 43%ABV – 750ml –  $35-40 | £35 | €41

I bought my bottle of Suntory Yamazaki 12yr more a year ago (it is now gone, sadly) and I broke it out on rare occasions. Not because it’s the most spectacular dram but because it’s so very different than scotch and I’m not always in the mood for it.

Don’t get me wrong, this is some pretty impressive stuff and it makes me want to try more Japanese whiskies. I don’t drink it all the time but when I do, it makes my mouth happy.

Initial whiff — The stuff noses like my dad’s old bourbon (I always loved sneaking sniffs of my dad’s bourbons when I was a kids because it burned my nose and made me sneeze – ah, to be 8 again…). The stuff has an initial bourbon-y element, some sour corn and alcohol. Followed by some honey and dried fruits. Like a scottish bourbon if there were one.

On the mouth — Smooth honey and drying oak. This is one of the driest single malts I’ve ever had. This is a nice thing actually. Oh, some vanilla came through now, nice.  There is a cream soda element to it too (even feels a wee bit effervescent).

Finish — Dry & long. Honey and oak. The sour corn comes back too.

In sum — This is a huge bargain (in the US), well worth the $35 bucks or so that I paid for it.  Though this made me want to try other Yamazakis, the 18yr is about $100 and from what I heard, it’s just not worth the price.  Maybe I’ll find a swanky Japanese joint that has the 18yr and I’ll try it but $100 too much casheesh for me!!  Also, Yamazaki came out with a sherry cask see it here at Master of Malt (plug, plug).  The color on the sherry cask looks like the color of a nice 20+ year rum!

If you want to try some right quick (without buying a bottle), go to a Benihana’s (Japanese restaurant), they have it as a standard malt on their menu.

One thing that still throws me off is that this is not a corked bottle but a screw top. Strange but…cool. Arigato Japan!