Tag Archives: Honey

Summertime, Takin' It Easy, Tormore

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

 

Tormore-1Speyside 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.

Tormore-4On 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.

Tormore-3Very 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:

Tormore-5A 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).

Tormore-6The 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!

Bunnahabhain, Let's celebrate!

Abbey Whisky’s Bunnahabhain from their Rare Casks series. A 23yo elegant stunner.

 

Abbey Whisky BunnahabhainIslay region – 44%ABV – £80 (only available from Abbey Whisky)

I’m going to limit the preamble in today’s review because the whisky is going to be better than anything I have to say.

Let me quickly say, however, that Abbey Whisky seems to be on to something here, and that something is choosing good casks of whisky to bottle.  First they released a 17yo Caperdonich and now they have this 23yo peated Bunnahabhain.

Peated Bunnahabhain can be hit or miss but this one, good people, is a total hit.  Check it:

On the nose –  Peated Bunnahabhain is *so* peated Bunnahabhain.  Quite unique.

Peppery upfront but the peat is soft which I am guessing is due to the 23 years in the refill bourbon cask.

Abbey-Whisky-Bunnahabhain-Rare-CasksSmoked and dried granny smith apples.  Bit-o-Honey candies (a wonderful honey and nutty mix of flavors).

Wildflower greens (minus the flowers) gives this whisky a very late summery feel.

A touch of pool water here as well.

Though bottled at 44% ABV, the peppery quality gives it a touch of sting in the nose.

Abbey-Whisky-Bunnahabhain-Rare-CasksHeavily salted Tomato Juice (like the V8 Spicy Hot stuff).  So far so yummy.

On the mouth – Soft, delicate and nowhere near as peaty on the mouth as it was on the nose.

Very vegetal (as the nose suggested) with hints of lemon, minus any sugar that might be associated with lemons.

Abbey-Whisky-Bunnahabhain-Rare-CasksMedicinal and Listerine like but in a very comforting way.  Those wildflower greens are gone but the flowers make themselves know.

This is, ummm, lovely stuff and it begins to grow in intensity as the finish nears.

Finish – Lovely spice and great Islay character.  The finish sticks to your gullet and you’re happy for that!

In sum – One of the better, older, peated Bunnys I’ve ever had.  Like grilled peanut butter and jelly on seeded rye bread, all of pieces go together so well for me.  I sort of wish I had a full bottle to open and share with friends in a single night.  We’ll finish together in a few hours.  Yeah, it’s that good.

Special thanks to MS of Abbey Whisky for the surprise sample!

Glenlivet

Exclusive Malts Glenlivet 1976 36yo, 44.6% ABV

 

GlenlivetSpeyside region – 44.6%ABV – $325, US market only

I am about to lose my  Glenlivet reviewing virginity.

I don’t know if I’m ready or what it will do to my relationship with The Glenlivet after we do it I review this whisky.  I just know that I really-really like the Exclusive Malts range and, I think I’m ready to commit.  I’m ready to take this shapely glass into my hands and…

You know, as I typed the above ridiculousness, I realize that it (and by extension I) is no where near as funny an innuendo as Baptize Me from the Book of Mormon Soundtrack.  If you don’t know the piece, you should check it out below.  Seriously, here it is (funny stuff):

I guess it’s time for me to do it.  I’m finally going to review this Glenlivet.  Please think well of me in the morning my sweet, sweet whisky…

This is 40On the nose –  Upon initial sniff I am reminded of that type of woman that lies about her age.  Yes, like Leslie Mann from the new movie “This is 40.”  Sure she’s 40 but she tells everyone she’s 36 and, you know what, she looks it too.

Funny enough, this is a 36yo whisky but I’d never assume it as such.  Sure there are elements of age in here such as wood spice and clean church pews however, there’s a delicate fruity quality and some clotted cream as well that makes it feel younger.

Let’s explore further…

Glenlivet-2
If you want to understand the Hitler with a pineapple image, I suggest you click on the picture to be take to the YouTube video. Sit back and enjoy.

A whiff of smoke in the background adds to notes of over ripe, browning pineapple and some nail polish remover.  Model glue meets white sugar in a honey reduction.

So far, I’m impressed.

On the mouth – Presto-chango-alla-kazam, the flavor profile is quite the different animal from the initial nosing impression.

Step back, take a breath, dive in again, Hatton.

Glenlivet-3Here we go:  An oily start but give it ¾ of a second and it starts dry the tongue.  Popsicle sticks soaked in the aforementioned nail polish remover, wood spice and brown spice and wilting dandelion stems.

Some tart, white wine like elements here as well.  As I try to think of the wine grape I am reminded that I am a whisky reviewer and not a wine reviewer.  I will stop all attempts in guessing the wine grape.

Moving on…

Glenlivet-4And now I am noticing some pepper and hints of artificially flavored banana Laffy taffy.  Better yet, banana chips.

Finish – A long finish with, guess what?  Hints of wine!  This time I *can* tell you that the wine is identifiable by myself and much more dessert like.  I’d liken it to a Moscato.

In sum – A bit on the pricey side but also a rarity to find a single cask of Glenlivet (and a 36yo one at that, too).

Don’t let the nose fool you, this whisky will take you on a bit of a ride.  What a great, great nose!  The flavors were nice as well, I was just not expecting the change.  While I’d not choose this as a celebratory whisky, I’d surely reach for it when I had some “me time” and wanted a bit of a change.

This is a fun whisky to drink when you want to really think about whisky and ponder life a bit.

Special thanks to ImpEx for the sample!!

Be sure to check out Jason’s review from Guid Scotch Drink

A World of Discovery, Let's celebrate!, Old Pulteney

Old Pulteney 40yo bottled at 51.3% ABV – the oldest Pulteney bottled to date!

 

Highland region – 51.3% ABV – 493 bottles – £1399 (or £85 for a dram at Master of Malt)

Forty years old.  This whisky is forty years old.

It’s a strange thing to drink a whisky that is older than you.  Perhaps what’s even more strange to me is that I will be turning forty this year.  It’s actually really messing with me that I’ll be forty.  Half way to 80 as it were.  Ugh.

I don’t feel forty so, that’s good, right?  They say you’re as old as you feel, right?  Well, when I think about what happened ten years ago I think about the early 90’s.  Not the early 00’s.  That’s a bit disconcerting and makes me feel old and a bit disconnected from the new and hip things of the world.

All of my heroes are getting old too!  (I.E. Ian Mackaye just turned 51, Jello Biafra is 54, Willie Nelson *just* turned 80.)

Hold on a sec, I seem to be typing myself into a bit of a depressing cul-de-sac here…

Mayhaps it’s best we talk about fun things?  Let’s talk about a 40 year old that is way sexier than I’ll ever be.  Yup, this Old Pulteney is one sexy beast.

On the nose –  Wow.  Just wow-wow-wow.  Initial thought?  Screw nosing and tasting notes, this smells as lovely as can be and all I want to do is stop thinking and enjoy this whisky.  The age is there yet it’s lively and juicy and moreish smelling right from the go.  Yum.

I suppose I should try to dissect it though – try and get the most out of this and give it the respect it deserves.  Begin:

OLD-PULTENEY-40-1Orange essential oil and savory herbs meets paraffin and the tiniest hint of smoke and what is really tough to explain: the smell of time in a cask.

Let me try to pick it out the time in the cask (good time in a cask, not tiring/tired time)…

OLD-PULTENEY-40-2Cedar humidors meets old time men’s cologne meets an old study with fine polished wood and leather chairs.  Now take those scents and remove the old and tired element from that scenario and there you have it!

Apple slices with cinnamon and orange with touches of clove, filberts and ground nutmeg on the side.  Boy, this is really lovely and very hard not to taste!

On the mouth – Very drying upon first sip but the second sip corrects that misstep.  Quite ooey with orange syrup, cinnamon and hints of molasses.

OLD-PULTENEY-40-3Salted black licorice and more of the spiced wood and wood polish element I touched upon with the nosing.

I can’t tell if it’s honied or it’s the mouthfeel that’s tricking me into thinking it’s honied.  Nah, it *IS* honied and it’s delicious.

OLD-PULTENEY-40-4Rhubarb jam/pie filling, moist pie crust.

Finish – Toasted almond slivers and dark chocolates.  It lasts and lasts.

In sum – This has to be up there in the category of best of 2013 (best whiskies I tasted in 2013, that is).

This is oh-so-good and obviously, at almost £1400 a bottle, one to break out at the most special of occasions.

Special thanks to LD of Alembic for the sample!!

Mortlach, This one is a bit of hard work!

Exculsive Malts – Mortlach 17yo – 53.3% ABV

 

MortlachSpeyside region – 53.3%ABV – US only — Price: unknown at this point.

Day two of the Exclusive Malts reviews.

Interestingly enough, after having my little fun with the term “nut skin” yesterday, two people unsubscribed from my posts.  As sad as this is, I gained three new subscribers and a few very nice emails.

Please know that on occasion, in addition to having fun reviewing whisky, I have fun using the humor of my inner nine year old boy.  Sorry if this offends some but, hey ho, I’ll keep doing what I do and will be ever thankful for all of you out there enjoying my posts.

Speaking of “doing what I do,” I’ll move on with my review of this 17yo Mortlach:

Mortlach-1On the nose –  I’m struck first by the scents of bruised apples and apple cider vinegar.  It’s quite present and tough to get past (thankfully, I’m enjoying those notes).

Freshly kneaded dough with a high yeast content and highly sugared cereals.  Speaking of cereal, I’m reminded of a fine muesli and golden raisins, too.

Hot cinnamon and apple sauce (currently warming apple sauce).  Grilled lemons.

Mortlach-2With water it gets a bit more savory with touches of baked tomatoes.

Mortlach-3On the mouth – Thinnish mouthfeel with a keen focus on the malt character of the whisky.  Honied water and just a hint of smoke in the background.

Cracked white pepper or, is it just peppery?  Hmmm…

Mortlach-4Rubber party balloons (or balloon animals), lemon fizzy candies and well, that’s about it I’m afraid.  So far, the nose wins out.  Let me add some water to see if it opens this one up…

Water adds a great amount of texture to the mouthfeel of this whisky and begins to align the nose with the flavors.  Adding water to this whisky was a good choice.

After about 20 minutes, it now, in an odd way, reminds me of Redbreast 12yo Cask Strength.

Finish – A surprisingly long finish filled with fruits and again that touch of smoke.

In sum – While not as approachable or easily dissected as the Clynelish I reviewed yesterday, a bit of patience and water pays off.  This would be a good whisky to have as part of a tasting.  Compare this to some other Mortlachs.  It’s an odd duck out from others that I’ve had but for those up to a challenge, this can be a good dose of fun!