Tag Archives: Peat

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??

All You Need Is Love, Autumn, Cold Winter, Highland Park, Need To Bundle Up, Springtime, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Highland Park 18yr – The best dram I’ve tasted in 2009!

Islands – 43%ABV – 750ml bottle – $75-99 | £55 | €64

I’ve read so many reviews on the HP18 (Highland Park, not Harry Potter, come on people!!) I figured, enough is enough – I had to try just to see what all the hoop-a-lah was about.

Back in October of 2009 I went to The Scottish Arms in St. Louis Missouri. If you’ve never been, go. Now. More than 150 drams (Scottish, Japanese, American, you name it) on their whisky menu – amazing! Well, while I was there I tried the HP18 and all I could say was…”eh…, so what”

PLEASE READ ON

I realized the reason the whisky was so sub-stellar was just because of the type of glass they used (should have brought my own Glencairn) and the fact that I had food getting in the way of the tasting. Note to self: only taste when you’re either A) done with food or B) haven’t had food yet (though on an empty stomach… that can be…ummmm…fun?!).

So, after many people telling me that I must be crazy for thinking the Highland Park 18 was no more than a big yawn, a little while later, I decided to shut them up and lay down the casheesh to buy a bottle.  I actually got the bottle for much less than what is shown but, it was an eBay buy so I won’t post that price.  Let’s just say, I got it for about the price of the standard 12yr bottle of Highland Park!!

Around this time I was reading that many people do their whisky tasting in the morning time so I decided to conduct my tasting during that time myself.  What a way to start the day!!  The following notes, by the way, were written in October, 2009:

Nose (almost 3 full whiffs!!) — Not as smokey as I had anticipated. Very sweet smelling, almost juicy with an underlying smokiness to it. Second whiff: More of the same, this time a little more smoke but now the oak came out a bit and something almost tropical – overripe banana perhaps? I couldn’t wait for the 3rd whiff…

Palate — Absolutely one of the most succulent drops I’ve ever had! The smoke was underlying but kept peaking it’s head out and was balanced so well by the sweetness. Sherry notes but thankfully not overly so. The age came out a bit, long vanilla oak notes and more sweet smoke. G-d damn, I’m in heaven!

Finish — Soft and silky, warming (which is much needed as it was 33deg F this morning!), smokey and long.

In sum — Those who know me now I am a devoted fan of the Glenmorangie line but I have to say, with the exception of the D’or (which remains to be my dram of choice), this has knocked all of the other Glenmos out of the way! Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s because I had it in the morning, I don’t know. I can tell you that I think I’m in love.

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.

A World of Discovery, Autumn, Cold Winter, Highland Park, Need To Bundle Up

Highland Park stole my Hjärta

Islands – 58.1%ABV – cask strength – 700ml bottle – £65

Ah, the Hjärta – a 12yr Cask Strength Highland Park. Available only through the distillery’s website, the distillery & in nordic countries. Which of coarse leaves the rest of the world out (unless you have sources…).

I’ve been lusting after this for some time and now it is in my possession (Mmmmwwwaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha!).

Let’s cut to the chase and go to my thoughts on it, shall we? Yes, we shall:

Color — Old pirates gold

Initial whiff — For 58.1%abv, nowhere near as prickly as I had expected. I could jam my nose in there ’til my “Hjärtas” content (or I run out of oxygen). Licorice, fried pineapple slices, heather, smoke and moldy celery. A bit salty and a wee more grassy

On the mouth — A bit more hot now, spicey, some sherry notes, buttered toast with honey & jam (raspberry), pineapple again and wisps of smoke, peat & figgy stuffs – all in all, a very luscious dram (reminds me of the succulency of the 18yr)

Finish — Long and a bit burny (in a good way), the sherry comes back up, smoke.

In sum — Rumor has it that a 12yr CS may be on the way as a standard expression for Highland Park. If the Hjarta is any indication as to what we can expect – I’ll be waiting with baited breath!!

The 18yr is still king in my book but this is uber nice!  Thanks to the fine gent who helped me get a bottle!!