Tag Archives: Lime Ricky

Arran 8yo Single Sherry Cask #1536, bottled by Arran

Islands region – 59.3%ABV – Somewhere around $75

Spring is here, spring is here!!

G-d damn it if this winter didn’t beat the crap out of me (and anyone else living in the North East of the good ‘ol US of A).

I kid you not when I tell you that at one point this winter we had a snow bank at the end of our driveway that was higher than 10 ft (for those folks who use the metric system, that’s a shit tonne of centimeters!).  Storm after storm, foot after foot of snow, shovel after shovel, vertebrae after vertebrae breaking work… Oy.

Thankfully, the storms of 2010/early 2011 are now a not-to-distant memory and we can (I can) finally move on.  Passover, for us, brought about a good deal of spring cleaning (inside & out of the house) which is still going on but, it feels fantastic!  The warm sun hitting this t-shirted bloke feels right good!

The flowers are popping, there’s a new scent in the air brought about by the various flora that surrounds my woodsy/swampy area.  A combination of scents, really — Wafts of skunk cabbage, tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, dandelions, pollen (times a gazillion), chainsaw oil, armpit sweat, sunblock… it’s all in the air and it’s LOVELY!

Spring has a good way of making one feel anew.  I don’t know about you but all winter long I felt as if I was just doing what I could to survive through it.

Like a snake, the spring time allows you to feel as if you can shed the recent past and start again with new skin.  Maybe this year will be different, somehow better than last year.  That, of course, is not something you can just hope on.  You have to work to make that come true.  But perhaps the feeling of this new season might help to give you that strength.  Forge ahead, embrace life and cling on (Klingon) to the unexpected for it’s what helps us all to live.  Not survive but live.

Arran single sherry cask #1536:

ColorOversteeped tea with a slight ruby hue to it.  Lighter than expected given the fact that this has spent all it’s life in a sherry cask (2nd fill perhaps?).

On the noseFragrant, flowery, salty and slightly dusty and woody (sort of like an old church pew type note).

Actually, the more I nose it the more dust I detect.  Really dusty stuff…

Fruity too (think red plum without the tart).

Chocolate covered raisins.

On the mouthVery juicy entry, nice hot attack without losing the flavor.

Think of a red fruit and, it’s in there.

This is insanely sweet and fruity.

None of the dust I got on the nose.

Notes of lime and even a touch of mint (a fun little combination of flavors).

A very different sherry matured whisky profile.

FinishLots of lime of the finish – like a lime ricky.  Very long.

In sumThe fruits and raisins on the nose were nice but I found the dusty element to be almost overpowering.  It’s all about the taste and finish with this one.  Flavorwise, this was delicious; one to enjoy with an assortment of desserts.  If you’re going to go sweet, go all the way baby!

Amrut Peated Single Malt Whisky 46%ABV & Cask Strength – head to head

India – 46%ABV – $62 | £34 | €39

Moving forward with my reviews of the Amrut standard line — let’s jump now to their peated expression(s).

Now, being peated versions of the standard Amrut expressions, these whiskies should prove to have an even more complex and deep profile over the Amrut whiskies reviewed yesterday.  How peated are these?  Well, more so than say a Bunnahabhain or Benromach but nowhere near as peaty/smoky as, perhaps, a Laphroaig, Ardbeg or Longrow.

Let just go onto tasting these whiskies and see what we get…

On the nose Fried pancetta (ah, more memories from my carnivorous, uber-tref youth).

Caramel chews and tinder sticks (the fire starters, not the band).

Buttered hot bread (just like with the standard NAS 46% from yesterday).

Something immensely sweet about this nose that reminds me of grapefruit jelly beans.

On the mouth Big oak notes – very much like a humidor with half smoked cigars in it (there’s that peat).

Coconut and lime leaf, a touch of curry.

Gingery mango chutney (again, similar to yesterday’s Amrut).

Grilled cauliflower.

Finish Oak and vanilla, long and pleasing.

In sum The peat here is lighter than expected.  While normally a bit of peat will add an extra dimension, I think the addition of peated barley in the expression takes away from their standard NAS, non-peated whisky (which was a cracker, straight up!).

Truth be told, if I’d not have had the standard NAS yesterday, the previous statement might not ring true.  This being said, I did enjoy this whisky and the peat warmed my insides in the ways in which is needed for this time of year.  Oh yes, the heat is on in my house.  I am donning a sweater and all I want to do is snuggle up with the wife.  Tis the season!

And now onto the cask strength version which has nearly 17% more alcohol by volume…

India – 62.8%ABV – $78 | £40 | €46

On the nose Stuffy nose?

A cold got you down?

Nose some of this whisky and you won’t be complaining of what ails ye any longer.

A big sock to the nose with spirit and lots of it!

If you could turn crispy bacon into a powdered sugar candy for kids, this is what you’d be smelling, just that.

Burnt toast and melted butter.

A Lime Ricky, extra lime.

On the mouth Great mouth feel.

Yes, this stuff is strong as all hell but it is approachable (more so than yesterday’s Cask Strength though still not for the casual whisk(e)y drinker!).

Orange butter sauce.

A bit briny.

Some seaweed.

Juicy and chewy.

Damp wood.

I’m a fan.

Finish Smooth and oaky with hints of vanilla extract.

In sum for the Cask Strength and the overall experience between the two While I thought the added peat to the 46% expression was not up to par with the unpeated version of the Amrut, I found the brashness of this cask strength whisky, combined with the added element of peat, to be a terrific combination.

Many people out there my have a tough time sipping on a whisky that is over 60% and I can appreciate that.  As a note to those people…  Please send your cask strength whisky bottles to my house.  I will ensure the fluid contained within will go to good use 😉

For either of these whiskies, I really do suggest you enjoy there in the cooler months (or, go inside your house during the summer time, crank the A/C unit — pour, sniff, sip, swallow, repeat).