Tag Archives: Bacon

Caol Ila, Caol Ila

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar dram # 5 – A.D. Rattray’s 9yo Caol Ila, bourbon hogshead # 303050

 

Region – Islay – 56.7% ABV

On the fifth day, G-d filled the seas with fishes and other water animals. In to the air above the earth s/he put many birds of all kinds and colors and sizes.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me:

  • 5 Golden Rings
  • 4 Calling Birds
  • 3 French Hens
  • 2 Turtle Doves
  • 1 Partridge in a Pear Tree
    • Actually she brought me nothing because Chanukah is early this year…

Scotch Whisky Advent CalendarOn the 5th day of the Scotch Whisky Advent calendar, we are having a 9yo single cask of Caol Ila bottled by A.D. Rattray.  The color is quite light so I am assuming that this is a refill bourbon hogshead which suggests the flavors will be more spirit driven rather than cask driven.

This dram shall set us free:

Scotch Whisky Advent CalendarOn the nose — A good bit of cayenne spice upfront mixed with puffs of schoolroom chalk and well cooked bacon. Now the bacon overtakes and seems to have been smoked with applewood.

Pink salt and crushed green peppercorns on a plate in the middle of a hot/dry attic (so there is some wood presence here!).

In the mouth — Incredible mouth feel here. Oily, ooey, chewy, mouth coating goodness.  This dram is why I’m a lover of Islay whisky.  More applewood smoke, and the taste of the smell of a French patisserie. Biscuits and salty tarts galore!

A lovely note of lavender is quite present here, too. Nice.

Scotch Whisky Advent CalendarBurnt edges of waffles covered in warm salted honey.

Finish — Near endless. Salty, spicy and sweet.

In sum — I need a bottle. It’s as simple as that. This is perhaps the best Caol Ila I’ve ever had (not bottled by me).  Man-o-Maneshewitz!

An everyday dram, Ardbeg, Cold Winter, Need To Bundle Up, Takin' It Easy

Ardbeg Alligator – A surprising little snapper!

Islay region – 51.2%ABV – $89 – $139 (big, dumb price variance.  Can you say price “gouging”?  I know some US retailers can) | £58 | €67

Man-o-Maneschewitz, was the cat let out of the bag on this one or what?!

That’s right.  On January 14th, 2011, it was prematurely announced that Ardbeg would be releasing a new whisky: Alligator.

I remember this day quite well as the whisky world was in a tizzy and the folks at LVMH were scrambling a bit (or so I heard).  Think of all the time, planning and money spent on marketing to help create the “buzz” and poof…  Oh well.

Cats out of bags or no, Ardbeg’s website/online shop was still temporarily shut down due to sales traffic when the whisky was finally released!

Initially released as a “Committee release” (see image on the left), this whisky sold out damn quick!  With only 1000 Committee Release bottles here in the US (and I think a total of 6,000 world-wide (please someone correct me if I’m wrong on that number), this $hit sold out right quick!

I was able to get seven of those committee bottles.  I sold four (at no profit mind you!) and kept three.

So, what is Ardbeg Alligator?  It’s a mixture of 60% Ardbeg 10yo and 40% Ardbeg 10yo (or so) whisky that’s been matured in heavily charred bourbon barrels.  The name “Alligator” comes from they type of charring that’s been done to the barrels.  The char is so heavy that it resembles alligator skin.  Fun!

Now, what I find interesting is that this has been bottled at 51.2%ABV and nowhere on the bottle does it say cask strength.  At 51.2%ABV and only being around 10 years old, cask strength should be closer to 58-60%ABV.  Ardbeg normally bottles their whiskies at either cask strength or 46%ABV so, why the 51.2%??

Yes, the whisky is damn good at 51.2%.  Maybe that was the driving factor – it was the optimum strength to meet the flavor and mouthfeel.  Or maybe, it was bottled at 51.2% so that they could bottle more whisky.  Or maybe, just maybe, there will be a cask strength version down the road…  Only time will tell.

Just so you’re aware, the ABV on both the Committee Release and the new standard bottling as the same: 51.2%ABV.  I am told from a few hi-ranking birdies that the juice is the same from the Committee Release to the standard bottling.

Let taste this schtuff:

On the nose –  Whoa, I like this one here!  Burnt and briny and lemony custard tarts.

Bacon – pure, unadulterated bacon (like walking into a mid-western diner on a Sunday morning?).  This smells wonderful.

Bonesucking Barbecue sauce, vanilla and pencil shavings in the background.

Ballpark hotdog mustard.

Rounded, balanced and oh so sniffable!

On the mouth – Big creamy attack full of vanilla then an assault of charcoal ash (with hot embers still in the center).

Lemony sweet and tart – really affecting the sides of my tongue!

More of the pencil shavings I got on the nose (focus on the wood rather than the graphite).

Grilled and burn asparagus.

Tough to get past the creaminess on this one until we get to the finish…

Finish – Drying and medium in length

In sum – Balanced quite nicely, this is a whisky to just drink and enjoy rather than to pick apart.  I found this absolutely delectable to sit and relax with and that’s what I suggest here.  Work hard then relax with a nice glass of this fine whisky.  I can easily drink this every day.  Though at $99/bottle (or $139 at some places), it might break the bank…

Arran, I'd not drink this one if I were you...

Arran – Matured in Jerusalem and bottled for and by the Israeli Whisky Society

Islands region – matured in Scotland for two years then in Jerusalem (in the basement of the American Colony Hotel) for another two years.  Total of 214 bottles, bottled for the Israeli Whisky Society.

I heard about this whisky a while back from my good friend Gal of Whisky Israel and followed it with great interest.  If I had more money at the time, I would have bought a bottle.

We’re looking at a single cask of whisky – first fill bourbon barrel (which basically means that it was used once to mature bourbon and then used to mature this whisky) – cask strength – a whopping 63.5% ABV… This is some high octane stuff!!

A sincere thanks goes out to Gal of Whisky Israel for the sample!

On the nose – Like sniffing piranas – this stuff bites you in your nose.  Very spicy.

Wooden popsicle sticks.

Notes of pears & baked apple.

Uncooked bacon (in the distance).

Something metallic here too…

On the mouth – Like drinking a fire ball (it is 63.5% ABV after all…).  Let’s add water.  Done.

Now, with water — Vanilla, heat, sugar, more heat, woody – very woody, more and more heat.

Finish – Savory spices, a bit of orange zest and more oak.  Long.

In sum – “Is it soup yet?” No, sadly it is not.  Way too young here.  Not much of a fan.  I’m not sure what went wrong.  At four years of age and with two of those years maturing in Israel, you’d think that the whisky would be ready.

With all of the woodiness in here I’d say it was over aged but there is so much youth/non-complexity that would lead me to believe that it wasn’t ready.  Like drinking a conundrum wrapped in a paradox.