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.
Highland region – 46%ABV – 700ml – Limited bottling 1 of 3551 – $446 | £278 |€325 (I bought my bottle a good while back and did not pay these prices. My bottle number, by the way, is # 3535)
Where do I begin, and to what do I compare the feelings I had upon opening this bottle so as NOT to make a comparison to my *first time* with a girl and the anticipation some teenage boys, such as I was, feel regarding the prospect? Aw, crap. I just made the comparison, now didn’t I? At least there were no details, right? Right.
In all seriousness, I’ve had this bottle sitting in my whisky cabinet for a good 2 years (or so) before I went ahead and opened it. It didn’t stay there because I was planning on keeping it for whisky collecting purposes. No, it just so happened that I wanted to wait until the right time (whatever that would be) to open and enjoy it. Thanks to you, I discovered what that special time was and, even though I haven’t gotten there yet, I’m well on my way on what I believe is the right track to attaining that goal.
So, why did I open this bottle if I hadn’t reached my goal yet? Well, that is all explained in this here post.
Let’s just say that opening it was a thrill. And to be in the good company of friends who are fellow whisky geeks/bloggers (Jason, Sam, that’s you!) made it all the more special.
Anyone who frequents the blog or knows me personally understands that I’ve basically got a boner for all things Glenmo. If you’ve not tried their range in a while, I REALLY suggest you give it another go. Their current line up is very special – even down to their 10yr “Original.”
And shit, if the contents of that bottle didn’t smell like pure heaven…
I’ve used this video once before (for another Glenmorangie whisky) and few drams can be compared to what is being compared in this video but, enjoy!
On to the review…
On the nose — A very un-Glenmo nose.
Wafts of over-ripe grapes.
Delicious prune like notes.
Scents of grass and wild flowers (the little white daisies that aren’t so sweet smelling – very earthy).
Italian herb rub.
Fine red wine for the holidays.
Subtle notes of apples and peach (wine soaked peaches at that!).
Big chunks of chocolate.
Paper lunch bags.
On the mouth — Powerful – like licking a dank dirt floor cellar; musty and earthy.
I wouldn’t want this any other way.
Very tannic, big wine and tobacco.
Lots of dried fruits with a focus on raisins and prunes.
This is really massive and the mouth feel goes back and forth between creamy and peppery.
Finish — Very drying finish, oaky and hints again of that herb-rub I got on the nose.
In sum — Delectable. Way too big for daily dramming (also, too expensive & limited for it as well). Handle with care.
This is the elephant in the room. Not to be ignored.
If drinking with friends, the conversation needs to be deep and it should be centered around this beauty or you’re just not giving it its due respect.
It’s no secret my love for The Balvenie runs deep. Their whiskies can be delicate, complex, bold, intriguing, thick and rich, light and peppery, etc… However, what you can always count on are the “classic honeyed Balvenie notes”. Unmistakable.
A while back Sam Simmons gave me a sample of The Balvenie 21yr Portwood Duty Free expression which is both non-chill filtered and has a higher ABV (47.6% as opposed to the standard 43% — the 43% being chill filtered, by the way).
Sam, thanks again!
I’ve been holding off on posting my thoughts on that whisky as I had not yet posted my thoughts on the standard 43% ABV Balvenie Portwood. I now have some of that 21yr Portwood.
A big thanks goes out to Andrew Weir for that sample!
There is something so rewarding about The Balvenie Portwood. Come on folks, this is expensive stuff. Not an everyday drinker. You break it out for that special, joyous occasion; or perhaps you buy it for a loved one or your boss. So, to taste two different Portwood whiskies in one sitting… Man, I felt like I was treating myself to a world class massage — my happy ending being The Balvenie x 2!
Balvenie, me love you long time!
Time to share the experience:
On the nose 43% — Classic honeyed Balvenie nose with a good deal of black pepper notes. Something astringent here; perhaps a touch of witchhazel. Black grapes. Honey peppercorn salad dressing. Poached pear and a touch of green apple. Oranges. A tad salty.
On the nose 47.6% Duty Free — Somehow, even with the higher ABV, the nose is softer here. Much like the off the shelf stuff but with added elements of salted toffee. Not as peppery as the standard stuff.
On the mouth 43% — Sweet blessed Benjamin, that’s good! Big grapes. A good deal of pepper & bite. Hot pepper and honey. There’s a creaminess to this whisky that somehow offsets all of the spicy bits I’m getting here. Cool.
On the Mouth 47.6% Duty Free— A world of difference in the mouth feel. Excessively oily. And, though I really don’t like to use this as a descriptor, Sssssmmmmooootttthhhh! Buttery smooth. It must be the non-chill filtering – leaving in all of those great fatty acids! Earthier in flavor, almost mushroomy but still very sweet with the grapes and the “hey-hey and the pretty lady!!” (sorry, my inner Jerry Lewis came out. Yes, I have an inner Jerry Lewis. You don’t??).
Deep red fruits – over ripe strawberry, strawberry & rhubarb compote.
G-d, I love this!
Finish 43% — Long with hints of hazelnuts and vanilla.
Finish 47.6% Duty Free— Much more nutty on the finish, lasting vanilla and more honey.
In sum — It’s amazing what 4.6% more alcohol and non-chill filtering can do! I am not knocking the standard 43% 21yr Portwood – it’s a solid, kick-ass dram but, this duty-free stuff was on a whole other level – especially with the mouthfeel – ah’good G-d y’all!
Both are celebratory drams. Go ahead, give yourself a happy ending and enjoy some Balvenie Portwood soon!
So, beyond bottling some fine whiskies, the SMWS (in America) puts on a series of tasting events called “The Single Malt & Scotch Whisky Extravaganza“. The “Extravaganza” is now in it’s 17th year. If you’ve never been to one of their events, you may want to change that, and soon!
Perhaps I can help. I’ve been working with the good folks at the society and they were kind enough to extend to me a discount code for my readers; specifically for people who are not members of the SMWSA. Tickets to one of their Extravaganzas, for members, are $120.00ea, non-members are $135.00ea. If you use the discount code JMS10, all of you non-members can purchase your first two tickets at the member price of $120.00. Not bad!
For more information on the SMWS events and on how to purchase your tickets, click here.
See below for a full listing of their fall events schedule. I always jump at a chance to meet my readers so, for those coming to the Boston event, drop me a line: jewmalt [at] yahoo [dot] com – I’d enjoy the chance to talk with you.
Now, onto the review of what I think is a fine Highland Park:
On the nose – Chewy sweets gums like Jujyfruits; the lemon ones specifically (these are also known as wine gums to my friends on the other side of the pond).
Increasingly fruity and altogether tropical (papaya, horned melon, mango).
Very tangy and a deliciously smoked backbone.
Not smoky but smoked; like smoked cheese (interesting, I’ve been finding this note in a few of the whiskies I’ve had as of late. Maybe I shouldn’t do these reviews on an empty stomach…).
Rosewater chews/Turkish delights.
On the mouth – Hello you little shapeshifter.
I think this is more a transformer than it is a whisky – tons of sweet coconut; both toasted and the milk thereof, salt, nail polish and vanilla.
What started off as a thin mouth feel gets viscous, the taste of the smell of hot plastic milk jugs (tee-hee, I said jugs…).
The smoked quality I got on the nose is gone giving way to some nice sharp cheddar notes but the body now has a smoky tone to it (just around the edges).
Like I said, this is a transformer, not a whisky 🙂
Finish – Makes the mouth water with hints of powdered sugar and the rosewater pops again.
Long and strong like bull.
In sum – Another summer dram with lots to offer. Very different from any OB Highland Park I’ve had but hey, that’s OK. It’s more than OK. It’s wonderful, surprising and welcome. Thank you single cask whiskies, thank you SMWSA!
As a reminder, a short while back I did an interview with Alan Shayne(President of the SMWSA and an all around great guy). To read that, click here.
Of the 30 plus people we had at the tasting, I’d say about 40% of them were women. Why do I bring this up? Well, I can tell you that the favorite dram of the evening was this 17yr Peated Cask and the majority of the women there LOVED this baby.
Why does this matter? Well, the old stereotype was that women don’t like Scotch whisky (or whisk(e)y in general). This has since become a bit of a fallacy. The new stereotype is that women don’t like peated (or smokey) whiskies. The tasting of this expression last week, and the women’s love for it, helped to debunk that as well. Huzzah!
Strangely enough, after everything was said and done, and the tasting was over, there was a wee bit ‘o whisky left in each bottle. Sam was nice enough to gift them to the society. I gave the DoubleWood, PortWood and Madeira Cask remnants away to a few lucky society members and kept the balance of this Peated Cask Balvenie as well as the Caribbean Cask bottle (for scientific purpose, you know…).
Sam, thanks again for the tasting and for the samples!
On the nose — Wow, it’s amazing what a little bit of peat does to this Balvenie!
Smoked provolone cheese.
Salty maritime notes.
A slight smokiness (like a warm campfire smoke).
Instant oatmeal with brown sugar.
Warm honey & peaches.
I want to curl up in my glass and camp out here for a while. Really loverly schtuff!
One last whiff before I sip on this juice and I get some nice notes of oranges and burnt sugar.
On the mouth — No doubt in my mind, this is a Balvenie – classic honey notes!!
Peaches are back.
Oak is well integrated.
I’m reminded of what Sam said during the tasting – that the peat in this whisky will remind you of a toasted marshmallow (in smoky style, not flavor). He’s spot on! The smokiness is just around the edges but no doubt it’s a part of the whole experience.
Caramel arrives with a side of dried apples.
Did I mention the mouth feel is a chewy one?
Slightly spicy and very vanilla’ed (yes, I understand that this is not a real word. Sue me.)
Finish — Somewhat lingering with orange lollipop notes arriving after the swallow.
In sum — I’m a longtime fan of the Balvenie’s yearly 17yr expressions and this one is no exception. This could actually be my favorite of all the B17’s (as I lovingly call them – William Grant & Sons, feel free to use this term in later marketing campaigns. Royalty free, my gift you).
So, when should you enjoy this? This, for me, is a cold morning dram. The slight peatiness will warm you up but the fruitiness will brighten you day. If the morning dram is not your thing, gather with friends ’round an outside bonfire, queue up some Beach Boys and, later on, make out with your surfer girl!
As mentioned in a previous post, Jason Johnstone-Yellin of Guid Scotch Drink joined me and my society for The Balvenie tasting last week and he went home with a sample of this juice. You can read his notes here.
Islands region – 46%ABV – $70 | £38 | €45
On the nose — Big, big apples! Wow!
Getting fruitier, this time a bit more tropical…mango and star fruit.
Interesting… Malt, top notch belgian beer (Duvel, my favorite).
