Tag Archives: Well used canvas sneakers

Kilchoman Sherry Cask Release – 2012 bottled at 46%

 

Islay region – 46%ABV – $79 – only 100 cases allocated to the US!  This is already sold out in all of the UK shops I’ve checked.

Following Kilchoman’s success story as the months and years go on is a very fun ride for a whisky geek like me.  And really, they go from success to success with a seeming ease

Kilchoman is Islay’s youngest distillery (as many of you know) and the tiny island’s first new distillery in over 124 years.  If that’s not pressure on this small farm distillery, I don’t know what is.

Thankfully, Kilchoman has a great team on their hands as was evident when I visited them back in March of this year.  You can read about my visit with Kilchoman here on the Jewish Whisky Company/Single Cask Nation blog – the post penned by Seth Klaskin.

So here we are today, again following the Kilchoman story line from start up and now getting ever closer to that 10 year mark. (They opened in 2005 so they’ll turn 7 years old in 2012.)  And for today we have their 5yo sherry cask release, bottled at 46%ABV.

On the nose Peat smoke upfront however, it’s somewhat abbreviated and what follows is a good deal of black licorice (salted licorice at that).

Citrus sweetened green cabbage.  Now *that’s* an odd yet fun note!

More medicinal than expected given Kilchoman’s usual sweet peat profile and the fact that this whisky is from sherry casks.

Some notes of canvas sneakers (slightly loved).

A very promising nose.  The black licorice-like quality is quite nice.

On the mouth Window putty and fresh caulking.  Somewhat artificial/industrial in flavor.

Slightly sweet yet very drying/tannic from the start.

A touch hot given the strength – it tastes closer to 50-55%ABV or more.

Unripened banana, hints of softening strawberry.

Better yet, Starburst artificial strawberry flavor (subtle though).

Finish Long finish, the window putty and caulking notes last for a while as does the unripened banana element.

In sum  This is the first time I’ve tried a 100% sherried Kilchoman.  Comparing this to the others I’ve tried,  I think I more prefer the 1st fill bourbon matured ones or the releases that were a mix of ex-bourbon and sherry (E.G.  the Kilchoman Machir Bay which is just lovely).    I was not really able to connect with this one as I would have hoped.  However, a lot of people out there will enjoy this one for sure. (In fact they already have, seeing as this has completely sold out in the UK and EU where most of the bottles have gone.)  It does show promise for future.  I look forward to trying more sherried Kilchoman.

Special thanks to the good folks at ImpEx for the sample!

Usquaebach – a review of their three standard expressions

Delving once more into the world of the unpronounceable names.

Well, there’s the ever famous YHVH (you can see the Hebrew to the left); the Tetragrammaton (or unpronouncable name of G-d… sorry folks, it’s not pronounced Yahweh.  Like I said, it’s an unpronounceable name).

But, this is not a religious site it’s a whisky site so let’s talk about unpronounceable names of whisky.

A while back we discussed Ardbeg’s Airigh Nam Beist (pronounced Ari Nam Baysht).  And, let’s not forget the Ardbeg Uigeadail (pronounced Oo-g’dal, or so I’m told).

Today we’re faced with USQUAEBACH (gesundheit!) blended whiskies.  Some people pronounce it as “Oosk’eh-bah”.  Some say “Us-quay-batch”.  I’ve even heard this brand referred to as “Whisk-ay-bay” (which I think is the way speakers of Gaelic may say it).   Either way, the pronunciation I hear most in the US is “Oosk’eh-bah” so, until I am told otherwise, that will be how I pronounce it.

So, what is Usquaebach?  Other than the Gaelic way of saying “Water of life”, it’s a blended whisky brand out of the Highlands which has recently be re-launched here in the US with three standard expressions: Usquaebach Reserve, Usquaebach 15yo vatted malt whisky and Usquaebach Old-Rare.

Usquaebach Reserve blended whisky – 43% ABV

On the nose A pleasant nose filled with notes of pears and charcoal.

Beat up Chuck Taylors and maybe even some white pepper.

A grainy sweetness fills my nostrils as does the scent of heavily used pencil erasers.

On the mouth Light mouth feel.

Grassy and flowery.

Slightly salty and hints of citrus hit the front of the tongue.

Finish A peppery finish, medium in length.

In sum Dangerously easy to go down the gullet yet nothing overwhelmingly magical about it.  A pleasant blend.

Usquaebach 15yo vatted malt whisky – 43% ABV

On the nose Hot sauna stones in a wooden sweat lodge.

Incredibly saltily smelling.

Mushroom & barley; earthy yet hints of honeysuckle and cucumber sauce.

Wow, those mushrooms come back in full force with a thin backbone of smoke, very subtle smoke.

On the mouth Peppery entry with cured meats and vinegar – very foodie.

A touch of jasmine.

Browned lemons and freezerburn.

Grassy notes – farm hay on a hot summer’s day.

Finish Medium finish with what I’d swear is very mild green olive but others would disagree…

In sum A very enjoyable vatted malt with nearly too much meatiness but just enough for me to be OK with it.  There’s a fine line for me on the “meaty”malts and this one walks it quite well.  I had this whisky as part of a tasting event I did for 20 some-odd people and I kept going back to it.  Very enjoyable stuff.

Usquaebach Old-Rare blended whisky – 43% ABV

On the nose Fun-fun-fun nose filled with dark roasted coffee beans and hot peppers.

Spiced fruits and stewed prunes.

Dates and chewy date bread.

On the mouth A slithery smooth mouthfeel (did I just use the word slithery because Conan the Barbarian is on TV right now and Conan just killed that big-ass snake?  Could be…).

Something slightly coastal about it.

More coffee, a bit lighter than the nose.

Raisins, simple syrup and cream sherry.

Apples and peppers (like on the nose).

Finish Beach pebbles, dates and sea air – a lengthy finish

In sum — A fantastic blend.  Beautifully balanced with lip-smacking sherry notes.  A bit of a warmer-upper – perhaps best on a cold early spring night.

Over all, I think each of these three whiskies has a time and a place.  The “Reserve” is a good any day dram (not to be confused with an everyday dram though).  The 15yo is an impressive malt that goes well with rich foods and good company.  And lastly, the Old-Rare is a celebratory dram.

You can find the Reserve here.

You can find the 15yo here.

You can find the Old-Rare here.

Special thanks goes out to Noah Goldstein for the samples!

Big Peat (or, what you’d get if you mixed Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila & Port Ellen in a really smart way)

A vatting of Islay region whiskies – 46%ABV – $80 – $100 | £30 | €35

Continuing my week of vatted/blended whiskies, I move onto “Big Peat”.

Not sure about what it’s like where you are but, it’s getting colder around here (Connecticut, USA).  Especially at night.  I’m seeing temps at 40 – 55deg fahrenheit (about 4.5 – 13deg celsius).  To me, based on my patent pending Mood-And-Season-O-Meter™, this means peat season!

I love a good smokey Islay malt in the fall & winter time (heck, I’ll take a heavy/smokey Campbeltown or a peated Highland malt too).  Mood will affect what you reach for in a whisky and season will affect your mood.  It’s the triple “S” effect.  No, not Shit, Shower & Shave.  Stupid, simple science.  Light & fruity whiskies (and wines) for the warmer months, heavy (and/or peaty for whiskies) and big for the cooler months.  Stupid, simple science.

I’ve been hearing a whole heck of a lot about the cost of this whisky accompanied with complaints of: “why so much for a… blend?”  Many folks see that this is, and is labeled as, a blended whisky so they wont break out their wallets for it because of the higher cost (especially in America).

Statements such as these make me break out my soap box so I can scream to the world “MORE THAN 90% OF SINGLE MALTS ARE BLENDS PEOPLE!!!”

Yes, it’s true.  That Glenfiddich 12, Highland Park 18 or Caol Ila 18 you love so much is a blend of many different barrels which could (and do) contain whiskies that are, 12, 15, 18, 25 years, etc… to create a flavor profile that the distilleries are comfortable labeling as their 12, 15 or 18 year old product.  Single Malt simply means that the whiskies were malted at the same single distillery.  The age statement tells you what the youngest whisky is that blend, I mean, single malt.

Update: In years past, if you mixed different malt whiskies from different distilleries it was OK to call it a “vatted malt”; if you mixed malt whisky with grain whisky it was then called a “blend”. Even though this is a vatting of four different single malt whiskies, the SWA has deemed that a mixture of whiskies from two or more distilleries (be it malt or grain) is now to be called a “blend”.  While I’m not sure I agree with this move, thems the breaks when it comes to labeling Scotch whisky!

OK, off of my soap box.  Let me review this fluid to see if  it’s worth its weight in whisky:

On the nose Well, there is big peat in here for sure!   A nice peat blast upon initial whiff.

Very briny and a blast of lemon zest.

Do I detect a bit of sherry influence here (mere hints of dried fruits)?

Well used canvas sneakers (rubber, canvas and salty perspiration).

A little flinty (maybe the Port Ellen rearing it’s head).

The smoke is a dirty one.

On the mouth It’s all about the mouthfeel here folks.

Lush, chewy and coating.  Yum!

Stewed root veggies.  Salty, salty, salty.

Less of a smoke attack on the mouth here.

Teas galore: Chamomile, Sencha, Black Oolong and Rooibos – it’s all there and a bit over steeped.

Finish Sweet carrots and singed tea leaves, all in the back of the mouth.

In sum Tough to tell which whisky is strongest here.  The Ardbegian lemons are out there for sure but so is the flintiness of Port Ellen and the mouth feel of many Bowmores I’ve have.  I’d be happy to enjoy this on a hot summer’s day.  Seriously.  It’s bright and refreshing (even with all of that peat smoke) like a nice Caol Ila.  Kudos to the people who made this blend.  Well done.  Take a bow (more)!  Impressive.