Tag Archives: Olive Oil

Autumn, High West, Summertime

High West Silver Whiskey – Western Oat

 

Utah – 40%ABV – $25 – $42 (now THAT’s a spread!)

Oat whiskey?  Yeah, oat whiskey.

Actually, the mash bill is comprised of 85% oat and 15% malted barley.

People seem to love the stuff, too:

  • 92 Points “Very Stylish…Will Make Great Cocktails” Beverage Testing Institute
  • GOLD MEDAL – International Review Of Spirits 
  • “A” Rating — “One of the most enjoyable silver whiskeys I’ve ever had” Christopher Null – Drinkhacker.com 

Me, I’m usually more of a malt whisk(e)y, bourbon or rye whiskey sort of a guy.  However, more so than my preferred tastes, I am an adventurous soul and when it comes to whisk(e)y, there’s isn’t anything I wouldn’t try.  Well, except for pissky maybe.

So let’s give this one a go, shall we?

On the nose –  Sweet, soft and pillowy.  Much like Steve Martin’s lower cheeks in Planes, Train’s & Automobiles.

Better yet, more like marshmallows.

Speaking of…  There is a distinct marshmallow note to this whiskey.

Very light/clear olive oil.  (Not in color but in scent.  To clarify, more like olive oil from an economy brand bottle where the olive scents are very, very subtle.)

Soapy – and this is a good thing here as it lends a very clean quality to the stuff.

Not overly complex but quite enjoyable.

On the mouth – Here’s where it gets good!  That marshmallow note is quite pronounced and the mouthfeel could not be better.  Oily verging on ooey.

Lot’s of dairy going on here as well – sweet cream, powdered creamer, evaporated milk… Dulce de leche?

Again, not super complex but the spirit is so nice.

Finish – Somewhat short but those milk & marshmallow notes leave an impression.

In sum – A surprisingly good, easy sippin’, whiskey.  I actually had a small sip of this at WhiskyLive NYC back in 2011 but, admittedly, I was a few whisk(e)y samples in by then so I can’t say as I remembered it.

I know that there are some folks out there that dig their cocktails and I’d imagine that this would go well in one.  However, I really enjoyed this ‘as is’ and you may too.  Kudos to micro distillers that try new stuff.  Kudos to David Perkins and the rest of the people at High West for releasing such an interesting whiskey.

(Maybe you can do a 100% quinoa mash bill and make a whiskey from that so I can imbibe during Passover??)

Special thanks to High West for the sample!

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

Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist 1990, 16 years old

Islay region – 46%ABV – 750ml bottle – $79 and up | £64 | €71

So, a short while back the nice folks over at Shoppers Vineyard put on this amazing sale which, as of today (March, 12, 2010) is still going on – 46% off of their price on Ardbeg’s “Airigh Nam Beist” 16yr old beauty!!  Talk about a Sweet Sixteen!!  Take that Molly Ringwald.  You may never see a price like this again so my suggestion is to take advantage of it, while you can.

Pronounciation — The Airigh Nam Beist is pronounced “Ari Nam Baysht” (which actually sounds Yiddish to me).  Thankfully, the fine folks at Ardbeg decided to finally come out with products we all can pronounce: Rollercoaster and, umm, well that’s all of them I suppose (discounting the 10yr which was released years ago and we all can pronounce that one, right?).

As winter is now winding down, my taste for the peatier malts is beginning to wane.  So I wanted to get this review under my belt before the temps started hitting 70 deg F and the birds started chirping.

Initial whiffs — Peat (extremely warm peat, not like the citrusy peat you get from the 10yr), baby sick, quite fruity, gooseberry jam, the more you sniff, the less peat you get, grassy, oaky now but, not a ton

Palate — Warming peat, golden raisins, silky velvet in the tongue, very sexy mouth-feel like the Ardbeg licked my tongue, salted olive oil, pine nuts (like a peaty pesto minus the garlic & basil)

Finish — Shorter than I expected (due to the 46%Abv?), here comes the wood; now the beastie is showing it’s age (this baby is 16yrs old, BTW.  It can start driving here in the US), lots of wood but not too-too much (like a good Chardonay — the crappy ones are over-oaked, the good ones are complimented by the oaky influence), lasting peat with a warmth similar to that of the Lagavulin 16yr.

In sum — Wow.  Astounding stuff.  Alone, she shines like the morning sun.  Next to other, more youthful Ardbegs, not so much…  Drink her alone, this beast is a one guy gal (or a one gal gal).  Don’t believe me?  Check out Whisky Israel’s Corryvreckan vs Airigh Nam Beist review.  Enjoy this one with your family during Thanksgiving dinner (for my US & Canadian readers)!  Drinking this made me long for fun family times, roaring fires and relatives falling asleep due to high levels of turkey-induced tryptophan in their system.

UPDATE – I’ve come to find out from a friend that these bottles could have 16, 17 or 18yr scotch depending on the code etched into the bottle.  L6 = 16yrs, L7 = 17yrs & L8 = 18yrs old (or, another way of saying it is L6 was bottled in 2006, L7 in 2007 or L* was bottled in 2008 which makes this 1990 vintage 16, 17 or 18 years old).  My Airigh Nam Beist is 18yrs old, not 16yrs.  It make me want to try the 16 vs 17 vs 18yr old expressions.  Anybody up for some sample trading??