Tag Archives: caramel

A World of Discovery, An everyday dram, Linkwood

Linkwood 13yr Single Cask – bottled for the SMWSA – Cask number 39.75

Speyside region – 58.5%ABV – Go here to gain access to bottles from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society

I am delving once more into the world of single cask, cask strength whiskies.  There are a few bottlers out there who offer single cask, cask strength whiskies; Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Duncan Taylor, Signatory… to name the big ones.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is an exclusive group and you need to be a member to gain access to their whiskies.  The SMWS is now probably the only source for Ardbeg & Glenmorangie single cask whiskies (seeing as Glenmorangie now owns both Ardbeg and the SMWS, that would make sense).

Sure, you can try to get a single cask bottling of an 11yo Ardbeg, bottled by Ardbeg but you’re going to pay hundreds of £|€|$ for it.  Or you can get a similar, kick-ass, 11yo single cask, cask strength Ardbeg from the SMWS for $95.  Your choice.

But I digress… Let’s talk about Linkwood!

On the nose — Dank whole leaf tobacco however very sweet smelling as well with hints of maple candies and raisins.

I’m even a getting a minor hint of strawberry – a note I seem to find from time to time but rarely see it in other peoples notes; could just be me.

Burnt wood and perhaps some lemon zest.

Quenepa fruit – very tart.

Really lovely smelling stuff.

On the mouth — Powerful stuff with hints of gunpowder.

More tobacco notes.

More citrus notes and very peppery – really biting.

Burnt caramel and Wasa Crispbread.

Finish — Still biting, almost fizzy.  Lime leaves and more Crispbread notes.

In sum — A nicely balanced single cask whisky.  Yes, it’s first fill sherry but there are very few notes of what you’d commonly find in a sherried whisky (heavy on the dried fruit, and a sometimes cloying sweetness).  That being said, this is uncommonly delicious.  I can enjoy this on in any season however, it’s not an easy drinker – it’s powerful stuff and if you’re up for a challenge, this one is up your alley.  Another yummy Linkwood.

A big thanks to Aron Silverman for the generous sample!

Glenmorangie, Let's celebrate!, Need To Bundle Up

Glenmorangie Finealta – A touch of peat, a dash of oloroso sherry & I’m a happy man with this elegant whisky

Highlands region — 46% ABV — $80 | £55 | €66

Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Port Ellen, Lagavulin, Ardmore, Port Charlotte, Bowmore, Bruichladdich… The list can go on.  What list?  The list of Scottish distilleries that produce, or bottlings that are known for, peaty, smokey, medicinal qualities.

There’s a new list though, Scottish distilleries that are now releasing peated whiskies: Arran, Benromach, Bunnahabhain, BenRiach… I am sure there are others (feel free to add to this list in the comments section of the post).

Apropos of peoples’ current thirst (or lust) for peated whisky, the Sixteen Men of Tain over at Glenmorangie are now throwing their hat in the peat ring.

Though, for the amount of peat or smoke in this whisky, it’s more like a yarmulke being thrown in the ring.

Actually, what we have here is not another peated whisky crafted for the sake of being a smokey.  Rather, according to Glenmorangie, they set out to recreate a recipe for a Glenmo whisky as it would have been made back in the early 1900’s.  So we have some minor peat here and the whisky is a mixture of both American Oak barrels and European Oak (ex-Oloroso Sherry casks).

The combination delivers pretty damn well:

On the nose – Big cherry presence on the nose along with something minty.

An earthy quality to it – fresh potting soil, new ferns.

The peat in here is very light.

Toffee & caramel.

Cadbury fruit & nut bar.

Some soy sauce.

On the mouth – Spiced orange gum drops.  Red ones too.

Lots of nuttiness and now some coffee tones in there.

Solid mouth feel here, folks!  Creamy, ooey – I love it.

Peppery and more soy sauce notes.

Again, lightly smoked & very elusive.

Finish – Now quite tannic.  Quite long too.

The mild smoke returns for the finale.

In sum – This here is a well designed whisky.  The light peating is a welcome thing as is the added element of whisky matured in Oloroso Sherry casks.  Pseudo-techno-stuff behind, this is a whisky that will put you in your happy spot.  Not because it’s 46% ABV alcohol whisky (and will tipsy-fy you) but because it’s just damned delicious and warming in all the right ways.

Special thanks goes out to David Blackmore for the generous sample!

Arran, Let's celebrate!

Arran 15yr – Distillery Only, Open Day Dram

Islands region – 700ml bottle – £95.00 – Sold through the Arran website or at the Distillery only, 600 bottles in all!

Man-o-Maneschewitz, did I have a lot of fun opening this bottle or what!?  I did mentioned it in my post about WhiskyFest NYC — I was not planning on opening this bottle for a while but an opportunity presented itself and whisky is meant for enjoying and sharing in the right company.

Well, the opportunity was there – I had a bottle.  The company was there too – Andy Hogan of Arran, John Hansell of The Malt Advocate magazine and the What Does John Know? blog as well as Lew Bryson (managing editor of Malt Advocate).

The time was right — it was the night just before WhiskyFest; a very festive time… what better reason to open the bottle!?

What’s more is, I got to share this again later that night at Ward III with Michael Neff (one of the owners of the Ward III), a new friend Keith and the infamous World Traveler, Prankster & Ladies’ Man, Greenie D. McGee!

So, what is the Arran Open Day Whisky?  Not to be confused with the Arran 15yr Anniversary dram which is actually an 11yr old whisky finished in Amontillado Sherry casks — It’s a bottling of whisky (600 bottles in all) made of the first spirit fun from their stills back in 1995.  They vatted three casks from this run (all first-fill bourbon) to create this very limited bottling.

Here are my thoughts on the whisky (preview: great stuff!) —

On the nose — Big yummy bourbon nose!!

Hazelnuts – freshly cracked.

Coconut – freshly shredded and toasted.

Creamy and thick quality with over-ripened bananas.

Abundant vanilla and caramel.  Just a joy to nose.

Lychee nuts in syrup.

Some ocean breeze.

With a touch of water a really pleasant soapy quality is revealed.

Surgical soap and fruity taffy.

On the mouth — Apples, dowsed in caramel and nut laden.

Banana returns with a toasty feel to it.

Perfectly fresh mouth feel.

A touch of water brings out some pears.

But really, the water accentuates the apples and brings out a spiciness, also, the brine/salt that I got on the nose is now more pronounced.

Finish — A toasty & spicy finish, decent length.

Actually quite long with those lychee nuts just lingering about.

In sum — The balance is fantastic.  A wonderfully mature whisky but with enough spice to give you a “what for”.  A celebratory dram and one to enjoy on special occasions and with friends.  As you can see, I’ve done just that!

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Arran, Summertime

Arran Peacock – Vintage 1996

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!

All You Need Is Love, Arran, Summertime

The Arran Malt 14yr

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.