Tag Archives: Oily

Autumn, Bowmore, Need To Bundle Up

Bowmore 1992 Bordeaux Finish

Islay region – 53.5%ABV – 700ml bottle – Limited Edition, 1,800 bottles – £60 | €68

This is going to be a quick post.  I’ve got to get up at 2:30 tomorrow morning.  I’m flying out to Anaheim for a trade show (one of the things I truly love about my job).  While I’m out there I’m getting a chance to meet with one of my regular readers – we’re going to taste us some fine whiskies!  Ok, to the Bowmore:

I’ve got to be honest, my first experience with Bowmore was nearly my last.  It was their 12yr old expression and I had it during an Islay tasting.  We tasted the following whiskies that night: Bowmore 12yr, Bruichladdich “Rocks”, Laphroaig 15yr & Ardbeg 10yr.

Looking back, I guess The Bowmore did not stand a chance against the other three Islay expressions.  To add insult to injury, we broke out a little Lagavulin 16yr (which, in my opinion kicks the a$$ of most of the standard expressions out there, be they Islay or no).

Ok, enough crap-talking because I made the very-very smart decision to revisit The Bowmore.  First, I tried out the Master of Malt 26yr single cask exclusive (you can read my review here, and you can buy it here).

Then, I received a nice sample from my friend “O.K.” of The Bowmore 1992 Bordeaux Finish 53.5%.  I tried this Bordeaux finished Bowmore right after the 26yr Master of Malt expression – a world of difference (can you say understatement?).

Here we go:

On the Nose — Quite musky (think 70’s hippy oil meets mafioso cologne bath.

This is a strong nose!), quite smokey (but not like campfire smoke, this is very sophisticated smoke), fruity & winey, quite drying, cured meats, oily

On the mouth — Perfect strength at 53.5%, very tannic/drying mouth feel, Italian sausages and glycerin soap, slightly smokey, onions and kale

Finish — Very vegetal and the drying continues, more meats and a slight effervescence – Oh, some of those fruits from the nose came back.

In sum — I’m happy I made a return to The Bowmore.  It’s obvious that they’ve got some very interesting whiskies.  I’m looking forward to more Bowmore!  I’m going to make a point of trying the Bowmore 12yr again.  Alone this time to see how it stands up by itself.  That post will come within the next few months.

Autumn, Cold Winter, Glenfarclas, Need To Bundle Up, Takin' It Easy

Glenfarclas 15yr – Spicy, fruity…damn good dram!

Highlands – 46%ABV – 70cl – Not available through US stores – Master of Malt has it for £36 | €42

One thing that really bugs me is UK only or, better yet, non-USA bottlings of whisky.  My anger is not directed toward the UK in anyway, it’s directed at US law.  Specifically when it comes to the US *NOT* accepting foreign bottles which are 700ml (or, 70cl). They have to be 750ml.  Why?  It seriously does not make sense to me.  If you can clue me in, please, do!  Email me – I have to know what the dumb-arse reason is.

People in the US are missing out on so many good whiskies (or paying too much in shipping from the UK/EU to get them) due to US law regarding 70cl bottles.  One of the many drams us yanks are missing out on is the Glenfarclas 15yr.

The Glenfarclas 15yr is one of the better sherry finished drams out there – it benefits from all of the good things about sherry (rich fruits & spice) without being too winey, though, there is wine there for sure.  Many folks in the UK/EU refer to this as the ultimate Christmas Cake dram.  Jason over at WHISKYhost gives an excellent description of what Christmas Cake is actually like (if you’re a Jew like me, who has never had Xmas cake, you’ll benefit from this post).

Initial whiff – Wine soaked raisins, cinnamon (lots of it, almost like the smell of Big Red Chewing Gum), white pepper, extremely fragrant & masculine (in a very feminine, perfumey kind of way…)

On the mouth – Rich & decadent, oily, coating & spicy, very spicy.  Chewy, like chewing on taffy, malty sweet

Finish – Like the energizer bunny, it keeps going! A bit tannic, wine from the nose returns, the sides of my tongue have been tingling for some time now.

In sum – This is the first and ONLY Glenfarclas I’ve had.  Here in the US we have the 12yr, 17yr, 21yr and (I think) the 25yr.  And there are, of course, many others in the ‘farclas line but of all the Glenfarlas’ out there, this is the one I’ve read about the most so I went for the dram toughest to get in the US and I did not regret it one bit!  I prefer to enjoy this on a colder night.  Perfect for Christmas or, maybe good for the eighth night of Chanukah 😉  Nice cold weather stuff.

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Autumn, Cold Winter, High West, Need To Bundle Up, Refreshed, Springtime, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

High West Rye – Rendezvous batch 17

Park City, Utah, USA– 45%ABV – 750ml bottle – $35

The first time I had a Rye Whiskey was about 3 years ago in Chicago (3yrs ago, before I even knew how to really taste whiskies).  It was Templeton Rye, the same stuff Al Capone drank – cool!  I remember it being very spicy but, inviting.

Earlier in the week I went to Binny’s in Schaumburg, IL just to see what they had — not really to buy anything but, they always have such a large selection, I just wanted to check it all out and drool a little bit.  And drool I did!  Man-o-Maneschewitz, they have a lot to look at (much of it is a bit overpriced though…).

Binny’s allows you to taste many of their whiskies before you buy (very cool value-added feature of their stores).  Walking through, I saw the Templeton Rye and they had a sample so I asked to try a some.  Quite nice stuff and at $26 a bottle, very buyable.  The salesman, however, suggested that before I buy a Rye, I should try the High West Rendezvous (I can not stand typing that word: “Rendezvous”, so unnatural!).  I did and… wow-wow-wee-wow-wow!! Awesome stuff, hence my buy, hence the review.

Here we go!

The High West Rendezvous is actually a blend of two ryes – a 16yr made from 80% rye and a 6yr made from a bill of 95% rye!  Both of those are well above the standard rye bill of about 51% (the minimum).  Even with the age of the 80% rye (16yrs), I was expecting something so insanely spicey that it’d be too much to handle. O-contrare-mon-frare!  The spice was there but not biting at all.

Initial whiff – Fennel seed (think candied fennel seeds one would get from a good Indian or Pakastani restaurant), cinnamon, maybe spiced pumpkin (or the spices that make up that smell)

On the mouth – Chewy. Chewy sugared gumdrops, the orange ones (I used to be addicted to these gum drops, sucking off all of the sugar until just the chewy goodness was there to masticate), quite a bit of vanilla, maybe some toasted coconut.  This one is all over the place, very nice.

Finish – The spice is mostly gone now, but my mouth is still all a’coat with warmth. Nice oily feel.

In sum – The folks who made this are artisans, plain and simple.  I could drink this any time of the year and in most moods.  This stuff is not available in Connecticut, check their website for availability in your area.  Seek this one out.

Autumn, Cold Winter, Need To Bundle Up, Talisker

Talisker 18yr – Warm peat, a spicy, sweet treat

Islands – 45.8%ABV – 750ml bottle – $59-90 (crazy spread, right?!) | £53 | €62

Ah, another dearly departed dram (from my own liquor cabinet that is)…  Oh well, on with the review — I was first introduced to Talisker through the 10yr at a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse which is now a favorite of mine (not really a steak eater (as some of you in whisky-land may know) but, because of business, I find my self at steakhouses a few times a month).

When I went to buy a bottle I figured that if the 10yr was so good, the 18yr had to be better. As many of you know, with whisky, age doesn’t always matter.  With the Taliskers, I think the extra youth in the peat really adds to the over all experience of the whisky so, this being said, I do prefer the 10yr over the 18yr expression

While I find the 10yr to be a much tastier drop over the 18yr, I’m not going to do a comparative review. I will review the 18yr on it’s own merits. I just thought, for those who like to find a bargain, you can save a good and fair amount of $$ sticking with the 10yr, if you so choose.

Initial whiff — I found myself nosing this for quite some time. So nice and warm, almost savory. Some oak notes here too. Some peat, quite subdued however. Subtle fruits – overripe berries or spiced pear. Quite lovely. Kind of like when you go to the bakery during bake time, you just want to keep sniffing!

On the mouth — Warm & spicy. Toasted coconut, apple cake that has been re-heated in the toaster for too long and became slightly burnt (can’t tell you how many times I’ve done crap like that – I can be such a dumb-dumb at times), kind of peppery, honey glazed baked goods and burnt grass – hello peat!

Finish — Medium long with a bit more smoke. Oily coat. Some of the extra maturation can be tasted here – there’s some nice oakiness which I only noticed on the nose.

In sum — This made me want to bulk up on carbs! A nice baguette with some oil…here I come!

Autumn, Cold Winter, Lagavulin, Need To Bundle Up

Lagavulin 12yr Cask Strength – 2009 Edition

Islay region – 57.1%ABV – cask strength – 750ml bottle – $55 | £58 | €68

The first whisky to ever hook me was the Lagavulin 16yr — and I have to say, all of the regulars in The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society adore the Lagavulin 16yr; such a lovely dram. It reminded me of the first time I went camping with my father (25+ years ago, I was 11 or so) we had a warm campfire and were cooking baked beans in a can over it. This was the first night I ever saw the Milky-way without the obstruction of city/town lights – wondrous! We just hung out and watched the fire die to glowing embers & fell asleep.  That’s the feel of the Lagavulin 16 for me.

This 12yr is a little different, not as cozy and a little less natural. This is more like a lazer-light-show version of the Milky-Way, sans Pink Floyd.

Initial whiff — Lemon zest, oak, vanilla, and faint smoke. Salty & spicey, singed hair.

On the mouth — Bam!!! biting smoke, almost effervescent. A little melon perhaps and the smoke returns, oh, now oaky

Finish — Long, peaty, pleasing, seltzer type feel lasts for a while with lingering water doused fire flavor

Here’s where it gets weird – I never do this but, I added a little water because, WTF, right?

BAD IDEA! – Changes are as follows:

Initial whiff — spent rubber bands, burning rubber and a little vanilla, mostly the rubber bands

On the mouth — Mouth feel got real oily, but bad oily. Think bad vegetable oil. The flavor is almost like artificial rubber (isn’t rubber artificial? Imagine a fake version of that – odd!)

Finish — oiliness stays, so does the rubber but smoke comes to the rescue.

In sum — In the end, after water, I wanted to shave my tongue. Blech!  Without water – fabulous, with water – shaved tongue.