Category Archives: Takin’ It Easy

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

July 18, 2013 Jewmalt

Speyside 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.

On 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.

Very 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:

A 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).

The 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!

July 11, 2013 Jewmalt

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 Still – 50.4% ABV

On 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.

Plums (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 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!).

A 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.

Sweet 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!

An everyday dram, English Whisky Company, Need To Bundle Up, Takin' It Easy

English Whisky Company comes to the US!

May 31, 2013 Jewmalt

I could start off this post by exclaiming: “The British are coming! The British are coming!”

Or worse (and this would be really bad), I could wax on about the British Invasion and make references to Herman’s Hermits dramlaxing with ‘Enry the Eighth or The Kinks rocking out with The Village Dram Preservation ~~Society~~ or The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Dram…

Heck, if I wanted to I could post this Monty Python bit about Kamikaze Scotsman… if I wanted to:

However, I’m not going to do any of that. Wouldn’t even consider it!

There is a lot to cover in this post so I am going straight to the two whisky reviews.

Both whiskies are bottled at 46% ABV and non-chill filtered and can be found for around $69/bottle here in the USA.

Note that these bottlings are USA specific and have a slightly different make-up as compared to the UK or EU versions. These whiskies have both been matured in both new oak and ex-bourbon casks. The new wood cask usage is specific to the US market.

English Whisky Company “Classic” non-peated – 46% ABV

On the nose – A slightly pungent start on the nose however it’s balanced quite nicely with hints of pear drops and a slight spicy/spiced edge.

Damp dish towels are in here but it’s also bit like a banana split with, well, bananas, vanilla bean ice cream, the smell of nitrous from the whipped cream dispensing bottle and slight, distant notes of salted almond. A vegetal quality as well that reminds me of milk thistle.

On the mouth – Ab-fab mouthfeel. Attention whisky producers – this is the oily mouthfeel you want to target for your bottlings. For realz.

The spicy element really comes through. It’s a most welcome element that creates a nice frame for the fine and malty backbone. Some light fruits in here as well as hints of wild flowers. This is a really delicate and soft whisky.

Finish – A nice long and drying finish.

In sum – This whisky is nice, delicate and understated. However, there’s a spicy edge to it that is so very interesting…. Oddly enough, I see myself bundling up by a fire and drinking this one. So, I’d say this is a fine winter-time dram.

English Whisky Company Peated – 46% ABV

On the nose – Soft peat and again, floral, like I got with on the “Classic” version. An absolute joy that is somewhat reminiscent of the Octomore Comus when I nose it. Salty and oh, so biscuity on the nose. Anise seed or black licorice and touches of plums.

After a few minutes, the spice really shines through.

On the mouth – A nice mouthfeel but not as oily as the sample of the “Classic” I have. Very malty and salty with a good deal of smoke at the back of the tongue. Salty, spicy, subtle fruits and more flowers for you.

Amazing that behind all of the spice, salt and malt that the delicate character of the spirit shines through.

Finish – Soft, drying and hints of chocolate and chicory (unexpected).

In sum – If I had my choice, as nice as the peated is, the “Classic” is so well done that I’d reach for that. Actually, I’d reach for it anytime now that I think about it (and have a sip of it again). Dare I say, the “Classic” is an everyday dram? Yes, yes it is. Yum!

Special thanks to RS and Purple Valley Imports for the official samples!

Bowmore, Cold Winter, Takin' It Easy

Exclusive Malts – Bowmore 11yo – 53.6% ABV

April 10, 2013 Jewmalt

Islay region – 53.6% ABV– US only — Price: unknown at this point.

Day 3 of my Exclusive Malts reviews.

On this day we travel to Islay to visit the Bowmore distillery, one of Islay’s most beautiful distilleries.

Most of my favorite bottlings of Bowmore are independent bottlings (a great example was Master of Malt’s 26yo Bowmore – holy crap, that was an amazing, amazing, amazing whisky).

Let’s see how this one plays into the I-prefer-indy-Bowmore-bottlings-playbook…

On the nose – Big, smoky, meaty with hints of spent match sticks and balsamic vinegar.

Damp and smoldering (?) cardboard and, deep in the background, UK parma violets, lavender and chrysanthemums.

Burning tires and hints of chicory. Balsamic reduction and beef ribs and spent cigars.

This is a big man, male chauvinist pig of a whisky. In an Archie Bunker sorta way, I dig it so far!

On the mouth – Damp wood, earthy forest floor, farmyard barn on a rainy spring day.

No heat at all and a great mouth feel! Campfires and damp tents. Wow, this is truly yummers.

Chocolate covered pastrami on rye. Like the sandwich has been bronzed in chocolate.

If you could bronze with chocolate (I guess it’d just be called “chocolated” then, right?)…

Boozed raisins, dates and sulphured figs.

Finish – More of the sulphured figs (add to that apricot).

In sum – Please don’t be scared of this word “sulphured” as this is not a sulphur-y whisky. Go to your local health food store and buy sulphured dried fruit. You’ll see what I’m talking about.

This is a massive whisky that has the digestive feel of a fernet branca. End on a good note, end your evening with this one.

Thanks again to the folks at ImpEx for the sample!

An everyday dram, Glenglassaugh, Takin' It Easy

Glenglassaugh’s latest official bottling – “Evolution” which is matured in George Dickel Tennessee whisky barrels

January 2, 2013 Jewmalt

Highland region – 57.2%ABV – £57 | $93

Crack that whip / Give the past the slip / Step on a crack / Break your momma’s back

When a problem comes along
You must whip it

Before the cream sits out too long
You must whip it

When something’s going wrong
You must whip it

Now whip it, Into shape, Shape it up, Get straight, Go forward, Move ahead, Try to detect it, It’s not too late, To whip it. Whip it good.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Devo as much as the next guy. In fact, I likely love Devo way more than the next guy and think their music is quite genius but man, these lyrics go on and on and I never got them (but love the ever living snot out of the song).

I’m such a Devo-geek that as soon as I heard what Glenglassaugh was calling their 2nd bottling, Evolution, I thought of Devo. (Who, by the way, got their band name from the concept of De-evolution – “the idea that instead of continuing to evolve, mankind has actually begun to regress, as evidenced by the dysfunction and herd mentality of American society“.)

Whatevs – rock and roll!!

And now, perhaps my favorite version of The Rolling Stones “Satisfaction”:

Ok, enough with my love of the Devo, let’s get on with my new found love of the Evo(lution)!

On the nose – Another “confident” whisky here.

To start, a great and somewhat forceful interplay between churned butter, oodles of butterscotch and fresh white grapefruit.

Heaps of white pepper and vanilla wrapped in saran wrap and all warmed up (yes, this is a warming nose).

Did I mention butterscotch? Yes, I did. Just above. It’s well worth another mention though…

Barley cakes & oat cakes. Light lemon notes and soft leather gloves.

On the mouth – Perhaps it should have been called “Explosion.” This dram bursts with that now classic Next-Gen Glenglassaugh fruity character.

It is, however, tempered quite well with the very Tennessee oak characteristics of vanilla, honey and spice.

Light malt laden flavors now and back again with white pepper and a bit of that grapefruit I got on the nose.

Oh. So. Butterscotchy.

Medium oil-like texture with some citrus zing on the sides of the tongue.

Finish – Heavy wood spice, toasted oak, long and slightly bourbony.

In sum – I bought a bottle the day it hit the Glenglassaugh store. I had to have it. Glenglassaugh matured in George Dickel barrels? No brainer.

I obviously wanted to do a formal review of the whisky but went through half the bottle before I took actual notes (mainly because I just wanted to enjoy the whisky without dissecting it). Like George Dickel, this is great sippin’ whisky. Perfect for sitting on your porch or deck and letting the hours pass by…

Normally I do not like to mix cigars with my malts but I imagine this would go quite well with a cigar. Perhaps a mild bodied one.

To Glenglassaugh, this whisky is an evolution in their new story (and a great story it is!) For you as the consumer, this whisky is all about a little you time. Relaxing times. At only 6,000 bottles, you may want to to grab a bottle fast!

You may be interested in Oli’s notes on dramming.com

Jewmalt Whisky Reviews