Review #131: Lagavulin 12yr Cask Strength, 2013 release, OB, 55.1%

back in the game

Sometimes it's hard to appreciate whisky, which is fine. Other things intervene, and everything somehow starts to taste the same. I haven't written any reviews, or even tried anything new in a while, but I think I can do it again now.

This is, obviously, the annual cask-strength release of Lagavulin. My impression is that it's always worth getting, but never that exciting. This is last year's version, because that's where I'm at.

nose: linseed oil and coal smoke, lots of oyster liqueur, and a little bit of gasoline. Lemonade and crushed rocks and kelp.* There's a nice non-vanilla sweetness. It's sweet and smoky and coastal in a predictable way (but maybe I'm just spoiled).

palate: nicely intense. The peat becomes at once more vegetal and more dieselly, and it really bites; and there's a feeling of sucking on shellfish (shell and all). Oily background. This is where this whisky wins me over a little.

finish: lemon and sweetness fight back for a second, but then the peat reasserts itself, and lasts a remarkably long time.


This isn't the most intense; it isn't the most complex; the flavors aren't the most interesting. But it's very good and straightforward and likeable.

score: 86



* this reminds me: I once sat in a Japanese restaurant next to a table that had ordered oysters (I think). they were served on a bed of rock salt and nori, artistically presented. That table thought they were supposed to eat the plate decoration, and it seemed rude to interrupt them. They found it to be good, but too salty.

Review: Matusalem 30yr VORS (cream) sherry, 20.5% abv, Gonzalez Byass

pre-Thanksgiving preparation

Now that the turkey's soaking in brine and some extra dishes have been dug out, the only thing left to do is to start testing out the sherry, because that's just what the pilgrims would have done.

This is an odd one. It has an age statement. And its classification as a "cream" sherry is nearly microscopic, on the back label: "Cream, Elaborado con Oloroso y P.X." But basically it's an oloroso that's been sweetened up a little.

nose: stunningly dense -- raisins and dates, almonds, lightly roasted coffee. but it's just so dense that everything is in there: apples, molasses, toasted cinnamon bread, clover honey, roasted vegetables. quince paste, tonic.

palate: wow, sweet, then coffee and ginger, then back to raisins and prunes and molasses and cloves. I swear there's some anise in there, and tar. the whole effect is that it's so dense with dried fruit and spices that it's slightly medicinal.

finish: not powerful but lingers forever, a bit of wood comes out, but mostly more of the same.


score: super high!

Review #130: Bruichladdich Bere Barley 2nd edition 2006/2013. 50% abv, OB, 15600 bottles

I like it how they put "unpeated" on the bottle ...

... as if it were necessary to specify all the things that something is not. They also tell you that this comes from Kynagarry Farm, which is on Islay, and of course they also tell you the variety of barley, which is the big attraction. The bottle doesn't mention that this is a travel retail special.

I'm glad that bere barley is being tried out -- it doesn't make sense to me, at any rate, to use high yield varieties if there's any improvement to be made by using older ones. The barley doesn't seem to be a big part of the price of a 6 or 7 year old $80 whisky. I hope some barrels manage to sit around for a while.

nose: powerful fruit and custard. There really seems to be a lot of American oak influence, actually. But there a nice fruit salad, some wildflowers, malt, and hay mixed in with the vanilla cream and cinnamon toast. The apples stand out most, along with some thyme and bees' balm. It's striking how floral this seems for such a young whisky.

palate: a little gristly and herbaceous, although with the same sweetness. I feel I can taste more of the bare bere whisky -- dates and nettles and pepper and gravel join the apples. It's a little dry and oaky, too -- are they sure this was only in barrel for 6 or so years?

finish: it bites a little, and then there's a wave of sweetness.


This is approachable, delicious stuff, but I'm not sure what I'm getting. Is this about the barley or the wood? I suppose it doesn't matter.

score: 87

Review #129: Benriach 27yr 1983/2013, 48.9%, OB, Batch 10, Peated/Virgin American Oak Finish, C#7188, 257 bottles

some of these finishes seem kind of dumb

This is from Batch 10 of Benriach's single cask bottlings, which I guess is already a year old. It seems dumb to put beautiful 27 yr old whisky "Virgin American Oak," but at least it's not tawny port. It's probably best to think of this not as adulteration, but as capturing whatever was lost by not blending different barrels, while still preserving the distinctness of the single cask. Hah!

nose: actually, this is pretty brilliant. The fruit is covered over a little bit, but it's still there: ripe apples and squishy plums with a cherry or two thrown in. Mixed up with that is a wave of bourbonny flavors: banana, vanilla toffee, a little bit of coconut and oak spice. The mixture almost feels like a richly sherried malt, but with a demerara sweetness. The peat is a nice phenolic accent: it's definitely there, but everything else is overpowering.

palate: the peat comes out little more, and feels a little acrid at first. there's still lots of plummy, sweet fruit, though, along with a slightly more subtle apple orchard and completely unsubtle vanilla candy. maybe a little too sweet, but it all holds together well.

finish: the peat develops into a more organic range of flavors, and then a wave of bananas foster washes everything else away. then the peat comes back. and the fruit. then the peat again.


I feel like I'm being tricked here: just a sneaking suspicion that they took a mediocre cask and made it seem like it's really tasty. I'll fall for it, though.

score: 89

Review #128: Ledaig 6yr 2008/2014, Van Wees, 46% abv, Cask #800014, ex-bourbon, 433 bottles

off to a different island

I ran out of Nikka whiskies, so I guess it's time to move over to Mull. I guess I've not yet reviewed a Ledaig, which is a peated Tobermory, which I guess I've also not yet reviewed. Tobermory is known for tasting funny, but Ledaig is known for really successful peaters at a young age, which is good, because this one is young and was cheap.

Nose: a nice stinky, earthy peat with lots of gasoline, bacon, salt spray, and wet wool. There's some canola oil in the background, and the whole thing gradually settles on lemon wedges, wet rocks, and resinous smoke, with just a touch of vanilla. Except for just a touch of bare ethanol and some angry pears, everything seems suitably mature.

Palate: Oily, phenolic, zesty, and sweet. I expected a big letdown, but this is a pretty rich palate. Sweeter than I expected, maybe, with some new rubber tire and barley notes.

Finish: sweet, peaty, long


No big revelations here, but this is just good, richly-flavored peated whisky. Great bargain.


score: 86

Review #127: Miyagikyo 9yr 2002/2012, 62%, OB, Refill butt #101127, 517 bottles

another Nikka, but not the standard bottling

I probably should try a Bushmill's, in honor of Diageo's recent divestment, which seems like something weird to me. But I've been so pleased with the other Nikka whiskies, I thought I'd see if the streak could continue one more day. This one's from Miyagikyo, but it's a single cask bottling. It seemed ridiculously expensive at the time, and still does, but now of course it would cost more and it wouldn't be available.

Nose: nice thick, chewy caramel/toffee, with a little cinnamon. some butter and apple peels and gravel. lots of freshly charred oak, surprisingly. takes a while to develop. a bunch of parsley and then some candied fruits slowly emerge: oranges mostly. A couple drops of water makes everything a little more approachable.

Palate: This is a mouthful. Intense blast of oranges, raisins, poached pears, oak juice, arugula, vanilla, honey, and marzipan. Not a lot of subtlety here, but I didn't really sherry fruit could be so intense.

Finish: weird -- it starts off on a slightly gingery, mentholated oak, and then a sweet, fruity vanilla overwhelms it. Didn't think that was possible. Very long.


I think I might the Yoichi better -- esp. at a third the price -- but this is a big experience, so we'll go with the same score.

Score: 87

Review #126: Taketsuru 12yr, 40%, OB

the last one was good ...

I was so pleased by the Yoichi 10yr that I'd like to keep going with Nikka whiskies. Unfortunately, I only have a couple to choose from, but next up is this Taketsuru. Taketsuru is named after the Nikka's founder, and I believe it's blend of malts from the two Nikka distilleries. Only 40%, ugh. Why did they water this one down so much? I think they bottle everything else -- even the older and younger Taketsurus -- at higher proof. Maybe they had a good reason.

nose: apple, pears, sherry fruit, and fudge. a few crushed leaves. some malt and charred oak, too. very clear and distinct flavors. not a lot of them, but they're very nice, as if they're taken from the handbook of nice whisky flavors. patience lets some custard and lilac come out, but just a little.

palate: creamy-chocolatey pears, and lots of smoke. the smoke is a big surprise: it gives it some weight despite the low strength. Some rather herbal wood, maybe even a bit of cinnamon.

finish: not powerful but curiously long -- all the nice sweet, creamy flavors mingle with the smoke and wood.


I thought the nose was good but maybe a little boring, but it actually kept getting more interesting. It's still a little too light. I don't think it's as good as the Yoichi, but another pleasant surprise.

score: 85

Review #125: Nikka Whisky "Yoichi" Single Malt 10yr, 45% abv, OB

back to reviewing

Taking a break from pre-Thanksgiving housecleaning to get my senses back. This is a young-ish malt from Yoichi, Nikka's original distillery. According to Nikka, "Yoichi produces rich, peaty and masculine malt," maybe because they direct-fire their stills. I'm not sure how I feel about masculine malt; it might be slightly threatening.

This post is really helpful in case you, like me, have trouble keeping track of Japanese malts even though there's only about 5 distilleries and 8 or so labels. On another occasion I'll have to find another one that explains the difference between the various Nikka pure malts.

hmm. has a lot of color for a 10-yr-old.

nose: apples and lots of dried fruit, with peat in the background. it's way more fruit-forward than I expected, but also winter squash, honey-roasted nuts, almond paste, and tiny notes of something tropical and floral. the peat starts out as just little bits of soot, but then slowly opens out to become woodier and richer. (I'd say "bacon-ier," if that were a word.)

palate: a little thin on the palate, although the peat really takes a bite here. a light wave of fruit followed by a mouthful of soot. A little salty. Some tropical woods.

finish: honey and dark smoky peat linger.

(temporarily empty glass smells like roast beast smoked over fruitwood. and vanilla candy.)

The nose was absolute genius: it felt assembled out of parts, on one hand, but just fit together seamlessly. Develops very nicely, too. The palate didn't quite live up to that, but this is still surprisingly good whisky.


score: 87

This makes more sense now

Now that I've seen this:

anorak

1. British: A person obsessively interested in a thing or topic that doesn't seem to warrant such attention.

This makes more sense now:

Finally my whisky is teaching me some English.

Unnumbered review: wine gums

it's been a bad week

So, I have a cold, and although I still have my sense of smell, I think, I really don't feel like drinking whisky. (I do, but I also don't.) So here's something I've been wondering about: what are wine gums. They're mentioned here and here and here, for example, but I don't think I quite get the concept. I'm not sure that it makes sense to open a bag of candy in the aftermath of Halloween, but here goes ...

they're weird-tasting gummi bears that aren't bear-shaped. They're maybe a little firmer than gummi bears, so maybe a little closer to movie-theater candy. But they're the basic corn syrup/gelatin/wax composite that we all love.

the red ones seem to have the word "claret" printed on them. and also the yellow ones and the green ones and the orange ones. ok, so the words don't correlate with color. some of them have "sherry" and "port" and "champagne" and "burgundy" printed on them, too. the rest have brand insignia.

the red ones seem to have a very faint berry/cherry flavor, regardless of what's printed on them. the yellow ones are lemony, the green ones have I guess a lime flavor, the black ones have a weird grapey flavor, and the orange ones are orangey. I like the black ones best. It must be a weird historical accident that they name their gummi bears using English names for French wines. (clearly God wanted gummi candies to be bear- or worm-shaped.)

this has been a pretty uninspiring tasting, but I can see why one would use it as a tasting note: it's a kind of direct fruitiness that isn't fruit, along with some waxiness. there's also a bite to these: I notice that the ingredients list "vegetable extracts (black carrot, spinach, stinging nettle, turmeric)" and I can feel it a bit.

well, that's that. maybe next time it'll be salmiak or speculoos or gentian eau de vie.

Review #124: Greenore 10yr 2000/2011, OB, 52.9% abv, cask #87

shamrock not thistle

To Ireland today with a single-cask grain whiskey from the Cooley distillery. I think this is the first grain whiskey in the TastingDome, but I haven't really been paying attention.

So what is this stuff? Made from corn (plus a little malt, has to be), distilled in a column still, and aged in bourbon barrels (probably from Beam). I just read that Irish grain can be distilled up to 94.8% off the still -- that's more vodka than bourbon. I don't know about this one, though.

Nose: there's a wall of naked spirit in front, but behind that there's some nice fruit and crème caramel and biscuity notes. It's a fruit cocktail, with pears and peaches and pineapple and maybe a tangerine. Water doesn't do much, but time helps it open up.

Palate: very very creamy -- the alcohol bites for a second, and a there's a little orange pith, but then there's just waves and waves of sweet vanilla, with a little caramel and shortbread. With water, oddly, it becomes more bourbony.

Finish: a little vegetal, and then more of the same. It feels a bit hot, but the flavors are all there.


I'm impressed by this. I'd credit the barrel for all the flavors, but I didn't think that Beam had barrels this nice. It competes well with single pot still, certainly, if you like those flavors. Indeed, it's probably a purer expression of the fruit cocktail + vanilla candy formula, if that's what you're looking for.

score: 82

Review #123: Longmorn 26yr bottled 2013, Cadenhead Small Batch, 49.5%, Bourbon Hogsheads, 402 bottles

this one's a little pricey

It wasn't too long ago that there were a lot of (good) 1992 Longmorns running around for cheap; now the going rate on late-80's Speyside whisky is almost $200. (And the Longmorn OB is both expensive and dull.) Oh well. This is from Cadenhead's "Small Batch" line, in which "Cadenhead" receives no apostrophe; it is probably from a couple of bourbon hogsheads distilled in 1987, but nothing on the label gives that away. The label does call the distillery "Longmorn-Glenlivet," probably because that's what it said on the barrels. It's a little reminder of how recently "Glenlivet" practically meant "Speyside" and everyone used it in their distillery name.

Nose: very juicy fruit: cider apples and pears yes, but also maybe some strawberries. Plus some straw and crushed leaves. Lots of malt. There's still a little sharp herbaceousness, but at the same time some ultra-mature flowers and candy (both the fruit-drop kind and the buttery kind) and perfume -- very nice together.

Palate: again the herbaceousness, but then a blast of apples and a couple greengages, some buttery toffee and some drying oak. This strikes me as about what I'd expect from Longmorn. Compared to the nose, this was a little pedestrian, but the dryness gives it a nice body.

Finish: long but not terribly distinct: oaky and slightly peppery on top of the apples and the toffee.


Extraordinary nose, and then turns back into a typical Longmorn. Typical Longmorn is still pretty good.


score: 88

Review #122: Longrow Peated Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whiskey, NAS, 46%, OB

Halloween blogging

So this is the basic Longrow, which is the double-stilled and heavily peated Springbank. Probably a mix of ages (from young to very young) and probably not a mix of casks (refill bourbon).

Nose: crazy stuff. Well, maybe not, but there's lots of paraffin and plastic, greasy varnish, smoky pears, toasted oats, tonic, and, eventually, some sweet, creamy notes and citrus comes through. Lots of peat and rather youngish, but no monster.

Palate: rather dull, actually. ginger tonic plus some phenols.

Finish: lots of smoky, vegetal peat and then a burst of sweetness -- banana creme pie, I think -- plus herbal tonic.


This is good, dependable stuff. If there are any eccentricities, they are interesting ones. It falls apart on the palate for me, but otherwise very enjoyable.

score: 84

Review #121: Brora 30yr, 2009 release (8th edition), 53.2%, OB, 2652 bottles

birthday blogging

Seems like a good time to open this. From the dead distillery across the way from Clynelish.

nose: peaches, honey, a bucket of seawater, an almond, some rocks, roses, salted caramels, baked apples with oak spice, creamy beeswax, and muted but biting peat. More sherry fruit comes out over time. Tiny hints of loam and ricola and bacon. Nothing seems particularly profound or intense, but it's like a greatest hits album. Everything is sedate, balanced: it moves nicely between fruit and peat and wax.

palate: smoky wax, lemony apples. Really very waxy, and the peat coats everything. Some sauvignon blanc flavors, old oak, and some nice herbs (tarragon, lemon balm).

finish: the peat tingles and settles into smoke, lots of fruity sweetness with vanilla, and a little menthol. really lingers.


This doesn't rock my world, but it comes pretty close. It's basically a peaty Clynelish with some extra depth and richness. But that's pretty good!

score: 91

Review #120: Glen Spey 25 yr 1988/2014, Archives, 47.3% abv, bourbon hogshead, C#356079, 163 bottles

found another one!

I happened to have another Glen Spey sample lying around (just like #119), so let's get to it. It's from the Fish of Samoa series from Whiskybase. Very cheap for 25yr whisky these days.

Nose: wow, really minimal barrel effect, unlike the last one. Very, very pale and straightforward: malt, pear, vanilla cream, hay. After a while it opens up to some very soft fruit: peaches, currants, lemon, maybe even some blueberries. Marzipan. There's some charred oak in there, too. It's all very mellow.

Palate: Soft and creamy. The fruit comes out more, and there's a nice herbal sting that's not quite bitter and not quite minty.

Finish: well, pretty short.


This is very subtle stuff, but develops nicely and shows maturity without relying on any big barrel effects. It requires some attention, but I like this a lot.

score: 87

Unnumbered review: some Barbera

not from the wine lake

Here's some Barbera. It's hard not to think of Barbera as supermarket wine at best, when it's grown in somebody's uncle's vineyard in Piemonte that can't ripen nebbiolo, and wine-lake-wine at worst, when the grape is grown for high yields and no particular reason somewhere else. But then someone thought that it was possible to make excellent wine from barbera, and they were right.

These are all Barbera DOC (but not DOCG) from Piemonte. They're all good -- call them B/B+ -- and they go well with food.

Querciola Barbera D’Alba 2005, 14% abv

intense black cherry and berry nose, with some interesting pitchy/woody and acetic notes.

deeply flavored palate with smooth tannins and a little acidity, but finishes a little thin.

Giulin Barbera del Monferrato 2008, 14.5%

densely colored. smells like the inside of an old barrel, in a nice way, and then some very dark and dry fruits open up. chewy and slightly sour entry, but then it becomes light and fruity. it feels very old-fashioned – like it was vinified (although I have no idea) in a big wooden vat with lots of stems and wild yeast – which I like. But nothing about it really stands out otherwise.

Boroli Quattro Fratelli Barbera D’Alba 2007, 14% abv

softer and more brightly acidic than the others, with some simple red fruit and minerals coming out on the palate. wood spices and minty herbs come out next, and the finish is the best part: the fruit becomes deeper and more tarry.

The Boroli is probably a little too simple and thinly-flavored to stand up on its own, but holds up well with food. The Querciola is the most concentrated of the bunch, but the Guilin is definitely worth trying, especially if you prefer a woodier, less fruit-forward style.

Review #119: Glen Spey 21yr 1989/2010, 50.4%, OB, first fill American oak, 5844 bottles

is this for real?

I don't know much about Glen Spey, but the name seems like a joke, as if someone named a French wine "Mas de Domaine Château," or something like that. But this makes more sense than that -- it's just a little plain, as far as names go. This one is still pretty widely available, oddly enough. I'm looking forward to it.

Nose: grassy -- more than I expected -- with a lot of chewy, meaty bourbon funkiness. What is bourbon funkiness, you ask? It's leather and corn and crème caramel and extracted oak spices, mostly, with some savory herbs and a distinctive sour note. Underneath all that there's a toasty malt core, and some fruit come out after a while, but you could almost mistake it for an unusually dry, oaky, savory bourbon.

Palate: Oak in your face. There are lots of soft, candied flavors, too, and some bananas and coconut, but the oak really grabs you (me).

Finish: lots of spices (clove, cinnamon, coriander) and toffee appear for the finish. I think it might be the best part.


Although this is enjoyable whisky, I'm a little disappointed: I was hoping to learn something about Glen Spey distillate, and instead I feel as if I learned more about distillate that sits in American oak for a long time. Still, I like American oak, and I like the departures from bourbon (the dry, savory herbaceousness) that this stuff does make.

score: 87

Review #118: Kavalan King Car "Conductor" Taiwanese Malt Whisky, NAS, 46%, OB

What is this, anyway?

It's single malt whisky from Taiwan, obviously, but I don't understand the range. The single-cask bottlings, that may or may not be called "Solist," are easy enough to understand; the others are more confusing. But I think it goes like this: the one called either nothing or "Classic" is mostly ex-bourbon barrels with a few sherry barrels; the one called "Concertmaster" is all ex-bourbon, and then finished in port barrels (definitely either barriques or pipes); and this one is a vatting of eight different barrel types, including a lots of different wine casks, but is mostly just Classic with a higher proportion of sherry barrels.

nose: soft sherry fruit with a little banana and coconut. It's a little young and grassy, but there's are some nice almonds and marshmallows, too. Some oak and that's about it. Very clean gentle nose.

palate: still very soft and maybe a little prickly, but the flavor is nicely rounded. the profile adds some toast and a lot of buttery toffee, but otherwise stays the same.

finish: the sherry fruit becomes juicier for a second and lingers nicely.


This is nice whisky -- very pleasant drinking and nothing objectionable. It's hard to see how it's worth the $110 or so that it costs, but I guess that's the way of the world.

score: 83

Review #117: Benromach Peat Smoke 2005/2013, 46% abv, OB, 67 PPM, aged in first-fill bourbon barrels

more Benromach

67 ppm is really a lot of peat -- it's higher by a fair measure than any of of the Kildalton distilleries. Of course, the phenols in the malt might not make it through the still ...

nose: well, yes, there's peat, but no, not twice as much as Lagavulin. It's an oily and sooty peat, with some funky vegetal notes in back, and then something like the inside of an angry vacuum cleaner (I imagine). There's not a whole lot else going on, but there are lots of nice sweet lemon drops, some furniture polish, and a cracker.

palate: sweet and then peat. gumdrops for an instant, and then the peat: inky and phenolic at first, opening up into weird humusy notes.

finish: sweet, oily, prickly, long. it really is very sweet -- maybe they should put ppm of sugar on the bottle, too.


I find it a little strange that (almost) all the peat monsters (that's lower case) have taken to sweetening up their distillate so much. But it works well in this case -- everything is well integrated and comfortable, even if not super-exciting.

score: 85

Review #116: Benromach 10yr Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 43%, OB

everybody's doing it

There have been a lot of reviews of this recently, occasioned, I guess, by the new packaging. I still have a bottle in the old kit, which I like better anyway. I haven't actually seen the new design in person yet.

This is the little distillery that Gordon and Macphail bought and re-fitted so that they'd still have access to whisky. The 10yr, I hear, is 80/20 bourbon casks and sherry casks, and then gets another year in oloroso butts for fun.

nose: stunningly deep and complex. lots of malt character under layers of smoke and sherry fruit. apples and pears, metallic notes, mint, dried apricots and plums, vanilla custard, toast, and oak spice. The peat is gentle and sooty, but runs through everything else. Some rubbery notes, too -- maybe that's from the sherry?

palate: curiously rich for 43%. smoke and honey, butter and tangy marmelade. bread and exotic wood.

finish: more phenols, sweet creamy fruit, a little licorice.


This is so far beyond most other standard bottlings it's hard to know what to say. There's no way that the price and quality stay on this level -- look for it to double in price and become half as good. (There must be some older whisky, and some really amazing sherry casks, in there.)

score: 88

Review #115: Laphroaig 20yr 1990/2010, 52.8% abv, The Nectar of the Daily Drams

and let's keep going with Laphroaig

Here's an older one, don't know much about it. No idea what to expect.

Nose: somewhat subtle, actually. a black, oily peat with rubber tires and lots of smaller wildflower and vegetal notes. Very faintly: toasted muesli with yoghurt and bits of orchard fruit. If you give it a long time to open up, there's a plummy meatiness, too. Like memories of a breakfast that was set on fire.

Palate: much less subtle. Oily and mouth-filling smoke, tempered by a plummy sweetness.

Finish: the peat still burns, but there's suddenly a lot of licorice, and peaches and plums and a little custard shine through. Becomes a little salty and seaweedy at the end.


This is all curiously subtle for Laphroaig -- it really demands a lot of attention, which is not how I think of Laphroaig. But the attention is well repaid, at least. Nice stuff.


score: 89

Review #114: Laphroaig Quarter Cask, NAS, 48%, OB

another day of  Laphroaig

This is the Quarter Cask, which I think was a duty-free special that was made into a regular bottling. It's NAS, but I think it's only about 5yr old, plus a short finish in a quarter cask. (Where do those little casks come from? What do they do with them afterward?) They bottle it at 48%, at least.

nose: fairly soft but distinctively coastal peat, with some salt and iodine in it, in addition to the smoke and wet dog. a whiff of clarified butter, too, along with butterscotch and cotton candy. smoky candy.

palate: lots of prickly smoke and wet dog, not a whole lot else going on. nice mouthfeel, though: 48% works well here. I thought it would be sweet, but it's not.

finish: long on the smoke. the buttery sweetness comes back a little, but it tempers the young whisky more than being a thing itself.


It's interesting to me that this manages to be more coastal, and less aromatic, than the 10yr. The added weight helps it, but the 10yr is still the more distinctive whisky. "Distinctive" isn't always better, but in this case I'll give it a point difference, even though I'm really happy to find the coastal notes.

score: 83

Review #113: Laphroaig 10yr OB, 43% abv

I've been putting this one off ...

It's hard to know where to begin. When I first bought a bottle of Laphroaig in the early 90's, it seemed miraculous -- compared not only to all whisky, but compared to everything else at all. The sheer intensity of it -- and of the 10yr in particular -- and the distinctness of the flavors set it apart from anything else I had tried. Not that there was much to try back then -- it was hard to find anything apart from Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, maybe Macallan. But Laphroaig stood out as a school for whisky by itself, and indeed, for other flavors, too, for things I wouldn't have tried otherwise.

It was accessible, too. I didn't have any money then, but I could afford a bottle. I think it was about $25 for the 10yr. What's more, they seemed to be grateful for the business: there was a while when bottles came with a coupon for a free rugby shirt (and a square foot of Islay), which was mailed back from Scotland. I was sort of disbelieving and embarassed to fill out the coupon, but I did it anyway:

More recently it's been harder to love Laphroaig. In part, this is just the way of things, but I've had sips from maybe half a dozen bottles recently and they all, somehow, disappoint. The smoke is still there, but the intensity and the distinctive coastal elements -- that seaweedy medicine -- isn't really there. It's become a little blander, a little gristlier maybe, and a whole lot sweeter. There's a lot of Maker's Mark in there now, and lot less Kildalton peat. (I did have a bottle that reminded me of Basil Hayden, too -- I thought I noticed that Jim Beam sour milk taste and rye spice behind the smoke.)

I think it's not too hard to find bottles from the 90's still around, but I'd feel foolish trying to hold on to my past that way. But I do still wonder whether I'm just imagining the marked decline of Laphroaig, or if it's real. The best I can do, then is to compare a current bottle with a mini that I have left over from the 90's. I just have one left, somehow, from a ziploc bag that I bought about 20 years ago. (I can say it wasn't stored very well.) 67 Wine and Spirits in NYC was selling, at one point, 15 minis in plastic bag for slightly less than a full bottle. So I bought a bag. Here's the last mini:

So, here I go:

Laphroaig 10yr from the 1990's:

More color than I remember. More sweetness and less smoke, too -- I think this has changed in the bottle. It's salty peaches with a smokiness that moves from smoldering leaves to a tarry, oceanic wet wool. Menthol and seaweed, too, along with spring flowers. But peaches and honey and a little mint are stronger than the smoke, amazingly enough. Palate is oilier than sweet. The peat is still sharp and turns a little ashy. The fruit is still thick and rich and the coastal notes are still there. Nice long mentholated finish. Not that intense, but there's lots of peaches and cream, and a little iodine.

score: 90


Laphroaig 10yrs, +/- 2014:

Intensely smoky, like someone threw a box of band-aids on top of a campfire. That's the main thing, along with a little camphor and burnt rubber and an intense but fairly generic vanilla sweetness. There might be a little fruit in there. No seaweed or iodine that I can tell -- it's still medicinal, though, with sugar to make it go down easier, I guess. Palate feels very, very light -- smoke on the water. The peat becomes a little ashy, which is nice, I think. Lots and lots of fructose-like sweetness. The finish becomes almost sickly sweet (not really, but compared to what I expect), but lots of little coastal notes -- like iodine and seaweed and seashells -- start to come out. They're overwhelmed by the sugar, though: most of the appeal here is in the room-filling bandaids-on-a-campfire nose.

score: 84


Well, I don't think I learned anything here about the past or the present, except that I can't drink whisky in 1994 any more, and that it wouldn't have been so bad if I had set aside a few bottles from back then.

Review #112: Caol Ila 1999/2011, 43% abv, The Whisky Trail

what is this? where did it come from?

The label says it was bottled in 2011 but it's just popped up everywhere, from what I can tell. Not a lot of other information on the label, but it looks like it was barreled with something red. The brand is from Specialty Drinks, which I think is the The Whisky Exchange house bottler, but they don't have any. It's cheap -- 44.50 at Whiskybase.

nose: has a kind of Talisker peat -- earthy and peppery -- along with some fruit candy. Eventually it opens up into some more Caol-Ila-like soot and lemon notes, but I might just be imagining that. A little bit of salt and seaweed, too. A very expressive peat and sweet nose -- it goes through a range without anything dominating.

palate: the phenols hold up ok, but becomes thin and even a tiny bit green (vegetal, hot). some fruity/spicy sweetness is there, but again, it's really thin.

finish: not much. smoky peat lingers and some residual sweetness.


This is a huge bargain even though it's taken on too much water. Whatever wine finishes they used work brilliantly with the Islay peat.

score: 84

Review: Absolut Tune Sparkling Fusion, 14% abv, OB

vodka, white wine, and carbonation

The blessed among us receive, as a result of their dedicated patronage, first dibs on allocations of Pappy and Stagg. The rest of us are gifted whatever detritus the sales reps have left behind. It's hard to believe that this exists, but it does. Here is some evidence.

nose: pleasant sweet-tart fruit (artificial cherries and grapes), a bag of wet gravel, and cheesecloth. some vegetal notes, too.

palate: oh no, oh no this is sparkling vodka. it tastes like vodka, with bubbles. It's sweet and stemmy, too, but mostly this tastes like vodka soda. Not like: vodka and club soda. But rather like: vodka-flavor soda. With grape stems and sweet.

finish: lasts much too long but ends pleasantly, back on the fruit candy flavors.


This is an abomination, not because it tastes terrible (though it's quite bad), but because there is no reason for it to exist and yet it does. Sparkling wine continues to be a better option for sparkling-wine-type-products.

score: 60

Review #111: Cooley 13yr 1999/2013, 51.4% abv, The Whisky Mercenary, peated

so basically this is single-cask Connemara

It would be nice to get in a Cooley High reference, but sometimes things don't work out. All the same, this recently reappeared at Whiskysite.nl, so it seems like a good time to write it up. Casks of Cooley should be drying up since the distillery, I hear, stopped selling them out (except to Teeling?). I don't know why -- it's not like they have the "Cooley" brand to protect, but it seems to be Beam's way. This is single malt, from a pot still, I believe.

nose: it's not overwhelming, but it's a slightly acrid peat, with lots of dark smoke and forest floor. behind that there's some creamy malt and melon. Beyond that there's some banana, lemon drops, chamomile, and marshmallows, but that all takes a while to open up. It's nice when it does.

palate: sweet and indistinct. I got berries and bourbon vanilla for a second, and then it disappears.

finish: the peat comes back strong and sharp, until some Juicy-Fruit sweetness washes it away. And then peat comes back, at once creamier and more medicinal.


I can't quite figure this one out. Every sip seems different: sometimes it's a mouthful of acrid peat, sometimes it's melons and candy, sometimes it becomes creamier and maltier. Maybe it just takes more patience than I have, but the parts don't seem to come together for me. This is almost great, but I might just not like Cooley as much as some others do.

score: 85

Review #110: Ben Nevis 21yr 1992/2013, 46% abv, Van Wees, ex-sherry butt, Cask #2312, 695 bottles

that's a lot of bottles

This is from Ben Nevis, which promises to be a little weird and possibly good, and Van Wees ("The Ultimate"), which is often curiously cheap. It's from a well-stuffed sherry butt, but very pale, so probably very refill.

nose: gristly malt and brown sugar. a dollop of tangy yoghurt, fresh green herbs, and then some faint sherry fruit and walnuts come out. hazelnuts and vanilla and citrus rind, too -- like a flavored coffee without the coffee.

palate: much bigger than I expected. bitter almonds and herbal notes, caramel, and vanilla.

finishes: sweet and grassy, oddly enough


I like this one a lot, actually: it's a pretty plain malt with a couple complications and some nice sherry seasoning, it's youthful despite its age, and it's big-bodied for 46%. So no bombshells here, but straightforward goodness.

score: 86

Review #109: Strathmill 37yrs 1974/2011, 44.5%, Archives, ex-bourbon, Cask #1231, 180 bottles

the mostly anonymous Strathmill

Saw today the new Supernova is going fast for US $180. I can't justify spending that much -- that's an Auriverdes plus an Oogie, or better yet, something with some real age. Like this Strathmill (admittedly, sold out a long time ago). Strathmill produces a lot of juice for Diageo; I don't know where it all goes. (J&B?) I have trouble keeping track of which distillery it is, but whiskyfun reviewed a couple recently.

nose: a little quiet, with lots of dried grass, but then also: apricots, lychee, peonies, pineapple, white chocolate. Some ginger tonic and wood spices. Lovely, gentle old ex-bourbon nose.

palate: like some fruit-infused old wood. yellow fruits and tonic reappear, but most of the flavor and the structure are woody -- dry tannins, cinnamon stick, a little vanilla.

finish: honeyed, short but spicy, still very oaky.


I like all the oak! The rest of the whisky doesn't hold up to its elegant, beautiful nose, but it's still a great whisky, and the days of 37yr olds are probably winding down.

score: 89

Unnumbered review?: some honeys

wild honey try


A while back I noticed the appearance of "acacia honey" in tasting notes (for example, here and here and here.) Of course, I was immediately stricken by panic and fear: I have no idea what acacia honey tastes like -- maybe I've been tasting it all the time without even knowing it, or maybe -- even worse -- I haven't been tasting it at all, just emptiness where there should have been flavor, for lack of recognition. And then, of course, I was also confused, since I associate acacia trees with koa wood and things that giraffes eat, neither of which seemed appealing in whisky.

The last part I figured out, sort of: "acacia" is apparently used to mean locust, which makes a little more sense as a kind of honey. As for what it tastes like, I'll have to try. It was hard to find, but now I'm set. I'll try it along with a couple other kinds because it's honey and what the fuck they all taste alike.


Honey#1: store brand Clover Honey

Darkest of the bunch. (I'll put a picture below.) It's, um, sweet. Like honey. It does have a strong, direct flavor, almost demerara-like, and maybe some nettles, and it finishes with a bright apple note.

here's a picture, to show color:

Honey #2: "Pure Honey" (Spring)

This is from a lady at the Farmers' Market. Come to think of it, she was sort of near the Farmers' Market rather than at the Farmers' Market. You could see the farm stalls from her folding table, anyway. She said that this one was from a springtime batch. It's the one on the left.

This one is really fragrant -- like jonquils and damask roses. (The clover honey had almost no aroma at all.) Hyacinths, too. Very rich, spicy floral nose. Tastes like it smells but more so, with a much silkier mouthfeel than the clover honey. Slightly citric finish, but mostly it's like swallowing a very soft, sweet bouquet of spring flowers.

Honey #3: Breitsamer Acacia Blossom Honey

This is the one on the right. Hey, look it has a bottling code, just like whisky: L1741241. It says "mild" on the label, but I think that's just a descriptor rather than a separate category of acacia honey. (It also says "pure natural mild").

Faint floral nose, with just a tiny spicy-musky-lemony scent. A very tiny version of locust blossoms, I guess. Has a much cleaner, brighter taste than the other two -- it's like a archetype of honey, just pure honeyness, without much else going on. It such a blank slate you can almost taste the beeswax. But it abruptly becomes a little dull and cloying on the finish. 

Bonus honey: squeezy bear Orange Blossom Honey

I found one more, so I guess I'll try this one, too. I have to say, the squeeze bottles make tasting a hell of a lot easier, so I think I can handle this without the keyboard getting too sticky.

Faint but distinct floral note. I guess that must be orange blossom. (The closest I have around here is philadelphus and a potted grapefruit tree.) Noticeably more unctuous texture than the others, although that might be storage conditions -- but it really is thicker on the spoon and on the palate. Spicy-orangey flavor. 

I found #2 completely amazing, although I'm not sure how I could use it to take advantage of its flavors. #1 and #4 were intense but a little rough and single-minded (like foxy American grapes, if that means anything to anyone). #3 had a nice straightforward flavor -- it wasn't very floral compared to #2, and I don't think it's going to help with whisky tasting. (Based on this one example, I think what everyone's been calling "acacia honey" is what I meant by "honey".) All good stuff, though, even the stuff in the squeezy bottles from the supermarket.

Review #108: Highland Park "Einar" NAS, 40% abv, OB

duty-free blogging

Duty-free kind of sucks. You end up having to go through extra security checks. The prices are worse than back home, and the special bottlings are mysterious and generally inferior. (I should put in a link about that.) Maybe this is just the result of my particular situation: buying in the UK in general is lousy -- it's a shame, really, that it's so expensive.

Anyway, sometimes you end up with some currency left over, and it's certainly better to pick up a bottle of Highland Park than to get a few post-commission dollars back. This one is part of the inscrutable "Warriors" series. As far as I can tell, the more you pay, the higher the ratio of Spanish oak to American oak. None of them have an age statement.

The whisky has a rich copper color that probably came out of a bottle.

Nose: Canned fruit in syrup and some stinky peat. The fruit is pleasantly rich -- mostly peaches and pears, I think. The official notes say "pineapple," but that seems aspirational to me. The peat is somewhere in between fresh stable and old ashtray, leaning toward the latter, so that's good. There's a bit of sulfur, but so little it works as a seasoning. There are some winey dried fruits, too, and dry oak spices. A little bare alcohol, too, but overall it feels older than it probably is.

Palate: Nice oily/syrupy texture. There's probably some alcohol in there, too, but it's hard to tell. The peat stings a little and there's some marshmallowy fruit, but otherwise very very little is happening.

Finish: It's probably better to just drink some more.


This goes down very easily, and has its interesting moments. I don't know why they bottled a liter at 40% instead of a decent strength in a 70cl or 75cl bottle, but maybe it's more drinkable this way. In any case, very well assembled from probably very young stocks, so not a total waste of money (about GBP 45). An easy, enjoyable dram.

score: 83

(I like it better than the 12yr, actually.)

Review #107: Images of Islay "McArthur's Head Lighthouse", NAS, 53.2% abv, Malts of Scotland, 236 bottles

let's call this Caol Ila

Caol Ila is on the Sound of Islay and so is McArthur's Head Lighthouse, albeit at the southern end. Still, CI is the closest distillery, and I imagine the view of Jura is pretty similar, so Caol Ila should be a pretty safe assumption.

Wow, this stuff is clear like water. Well, maybe it has a little color to it, but against my maple desk it looks like young tequila.

Nose: smells like Caol Ila. Lemon, sooty peat, some shellfish, and also some candied sweetness. It smells young without being spirity: there's some ricola herbs, the sootiness is a little aggressive, and maybe there's some burnt plastic that hasn't quite settled down yet.

Palate: soft and lemony for a moment, then like chewing on a peat brick that's still burning. There's a little bit of meatiness to it, but that might just be my mouth.

Finish: eventually -- eventually -- the smoke clears and some sweet oyster brine is left.


Good entertaining stuff, if you like young peat a lot. Keeps its distillery character, too.

score: 84

Review #106: Bowmore 12yr Islay Single Malt, 40% abv, OB

independence day blogging

Today's vote merits something more momentous, but I have a bottle of Bowmore and a plane to catch. So the solution is to finish it off.

nose: very pleasant -- opens with some plums and savory spices before fairly soft, woody peat takes over. faint winey notes. but really soft and balanced in general: coastal notes (salt, shellfish) + citrus (grapefruit) + vegetable oil (?).

palate: well, it's 40%. the peat tries to assert itself, but decides to sit back down. slightly phenolic and slightly sweet.

finish: longish but not boldish. peat and grapefruit with bunches of small elements, settling down to chewy malt with a touch of sherry fruit.


This is very well done. Tastes like a truly great whisky that's been watered down to 40%. A nice choice for a standard bottling. I think they still make it.

score:84

(bottling code:
08:35 067
112084)

Review #105: Amrut 2008, Blackadder, 62.7%, Cask #BA 1/2008, oak cask matured, 277 bottles

I have no idea when this was distilled.

It was bottled in June 2008 in Scotland. I wonder if it was aged in India, though -- that's a pretty high abv. Nice coppery color, anyway, despite its presumable youth.

Anyway, I was saying yesterday that I think Amrut can be overrated because it's unusual. I don't mean to say it isn't good, but I think it plays better to people who give ratings than it should. But I haven't tried any of these Blackadder casks yet.

nose: I kind of like this: it's a nice combination of sour and greasy before the phenols really kick in. If there are any fruit, they're pretty lean -- maybe some grapefruit rind and some plums that shouldn't have been picked yet. Then there's the part I don't like: a gristly, sour milk note, like youth that is where it doesn't belong. Some nice sweet apples and a little meatiness come through at the end -- maybe I just need more patience. Really starts opening up -- starts to become spicy and floral.

palate: not that big a monster -- more like two sharp blows: first peat smoke and then spicy, woody apples with vanilla. slightly numbing.

finish: the vanilla fades, the peat and alcohol are still numbing, and an odd (for me) gristly, sour, greasy note reasserts itself. not my favorite part.


This might be a little at odds with itself, but it turns out I was wrong about it being overrated. (Although I still don't like the Cask Strength.) There's a lot going on and it packs a punch.

score: 88

Review #104: Balcones "Brimstone" Texas Scrub Oak Smoked Corn Whisky, 53% abv, batch BRM 11-10

now seems like a good time

I've been meaning and not meaning to write notes on this, but in light of the recent and ongoing kerfluffle at Balcones, now seems like a good time. [editorial note: I am completely ignorant of the situation, and almost 100% certain that Chip Tate is right, whatever the dispute is about. Also, the link is from spiritsjournal.)

This is good stuff, but I also think it's benefitted -- with good reviews here and here and here, for example -- from a particular phenomenon. That phenomenon is: people who taste lots and lots of whisky (or any one thing) tend to overvalue the ones that stand out just because they stand out. Of course it's possible to stand out on the basis of quality, but it's possible to stand out just by being weird, too. And of course being weird can itself be a value, but it's more of a value to someone who drinks hundreds of whiskies in 3cl increments than it is to most people.
(I think Amrut benefits from this, too, sometimes.)
(I think Brimstone also benefits from the weird mitteleuropaische fascination with Texas and barbecue, too, but that's another story.)

So I really like this whisky, too, actually, but I never find myself drinking it. (My bottle is dated 9-9-11.) It never fits with anything I'm eating or drinking or doing. Maybe if I were a cowboy.

nose: mainly soggy campfire -- it's an intense smoke that less phenolic and more old leaves and soup stock and roasted meat. lots of wood, maybe some nettles, too. there used to be something fruity, like plum liquor, but I can't find it anymore.

palate: When first opened, it had the strongest taste of fresh-roasted corn, lots of sugar and campfire smoke. Now the corn isn't so strong, letting more chewy woody-meaty notes come through, plus vanilla

finish: When first opened, like having a bitter campfire made from soggy wood and wet leaves slowing burning down in my mouth for hours. It's mellowed now: the smokiness burns a little, but there's plenty of sweet oak, and spicy, warm corn -- like the child of a red-hot and a candy corn. Still a long finish, but not overpoweringly bitter and persistent.


hard to score something that I like but not enough to drink much. It is interesting, though!

score: 83

sadness

Review #103: Clynelish 16yr 1996/2012, 52.3%, Whiskyman and Lindores, refill bourbon hogshead, 239 bottles

looking for the wax

It seems like it's been a while since I've had any Clynelish; I'm not sure that's true. My current worry is that Clynelish will become a generic apple/hay/vanilla malt, and lose its distinctive character. But this one is from 1996, so it should be safe.

nose: some sour apples, some nice dark smoke, mown grass, a little linseed oil ... and then finally opens up to to some nice sweet beeswax. (it actually didn't take that long.) still quite smoky, and has some nice Loire-wine notes, too.

palate: beautifully waxy palate, grass and smoke are very sharp in contrast, with lots of malt sugars and honey, bitter herbs, a little lemon pepper.

finish: long, more of the same.


I could imagine someone not liking this -- maybe it's not fruit enough or smoky enough or needs more flavors. But I can't imagine me not liking it.

score: 88

Review #102: Vizcaya VXOP "Cuban Formula" Cask #21 Rum, Dominican Republic, 40% abv

last gasp of summer

There's a bunch of stuff I've been meaning to try, but right now it's hot. Still. So one last rum, until next summer.

I like the website on this one, mostly because it just asks if you were born >21yrs ago, not what day you were born on. It also suggests that this is an agricole and aged in oak (ex-bourbon). I saw somewhere else that it's at least 8yrs old, but that's not on the label or the website. Nice bottle. I don't know who makes it or who owns the brand.

nose: like the Zaya, curiously enough -- a lot of cream soda and sasparilla flavors. not quite as intense or sweet as the Zaya, and a little more interesting, too: there's some fruit (apricot), and a little sharp, almost smoky grassiness. but then buckets of vanilla overwhelm everything. I thought there was a (nice) violet in there for a second, but it's all molasses now.

palate: nice woody body for 40%. like a grassier, but just as sweet, version of the Zaya.

finish: vanilla, molasses, vanilla, vanilla, vanilla.


this is a pleasant, enjoyable dessert that I like slightly better than the Zaya.


score: 73

Review #101: Balblair 21yr 1990/2011, Cadenhead's, 51% abv, bourbon barrel, 144 bottles

I have unfounded high hopes for this dram

Balblair is a Highlands distillery owned by Inver House that sometimes produces great whisky, and sometimes very boring whisky. Cadenhead's bottled a great many 1990 barrels from Balblair, some of which I suspect were very good and some very bad. I have high expectations for this particular whisky, but not for any particular reason, alas.

nose: starts off well enough -- dried grass with a lot of honey, and then some almost plummy fruit, peonies, and old oak. opens up to apples, yoghurt, and maybe a puff of smoke while keeping that honeyed sweetness.

palate: curious -- it starts aggressive, with astringent, very spicy apples, and then sort of peters out. there are some creamy peaches in there, and a nice combination of honey and hay, but there's not a lot of body there.

finish: shortish, with apples and lots of wood spices (cinnamon, vanilla, even some licorice).


My general (largely uninformed) impression of Balblair is that it makes dull young whiskies that just might become extraordinary with age. This will reinforce that impression: this seems like a dull young whisky that has gained (considerable!) richness and depth with age. Didn't quite make it to extraordinary, however.

score: 87

Index of first 100 reviews

oops, no hyperlinks

Ardbeg NAS, 53.2%, MoS (“Kildalton Cross”)                  83

Ardbeg Corryvreckan, 57.1%, OB                                       89

Arran 2005/2011, 55%, OB for the Nectar                          85

Arran 15yr 1996/2012, 56.2%, Glen Fahrn                         89

Arran 17yr, bottled 2013, 46%, OB                                     85

Auchentoshan “Valinch” 2012 release, 57.2%, OB             83

Auchentoshan 17yr 1995/2013, 53.5%, whiskybroker       78

Auchroisk 22yr, 1990/2013, 49/8%, Whisky-Faessle         86

Aultmore 6yr 2007/2014, 53.7%, Kintra                             83

Balmenach 24yr 1988/2013, 55.2%, van Wees                   87

Benriach Heredotus Fumosis 12yr, 46%, OB                      84

Benriach 36yr 1976/2013, 40.1%, OB for Whiskysite        92

Benrinnes 23yr, 1988/2012, 43%, Mackillop’s                   83

Bladnoch 21yr 1991/2012, 52.9%, Whiskyman &TBD     86

Bladnoch 1990/2011, 58/3%, Edition Spirits                      86

Bowmore “Tempest” Batch 4, 55.1%, OB                          88

Bowmore 11yr 2001/2013, 50.6%, The Whiskyman          89

Bowmore 16yr 1993/2010, 59.9%, Perfect Dram               87

Braeval 1991/2013, 53.1%, Brachadair                              83

Bunnahabhain Moine 5yr 2006/2012, 61.1%, Archives     83

Bunnahabhain 12yr (+/-2013), 46.3%, OB                         82

Bunnahabhain 24yr 1989/2013, 50.9%, AC                       90

Caol Ila 15yr 1996/2012, 56.5%, Sovereign for K&L       89

Caperdonich 1992/2012, 55.9%, Berry Bros.                    82

Clynelish 14yr 1998/2012, 49.5%, Maltbarn                     87

Clynelish 17yr 1995/2013, 45.2%, A.D. Rattray               87

Craigellachie 9yr 2002/2012, 59.5%, Exclusive Malts      70

Dalmore NAS, 49.1%, Asta Morris for TBD                     86

Dalwhinnie 15yr, 43%, OB                                                82

GlenDronach 19yr 1993/2012, 54.7%, OB for K&L         89

Glenfarclas 17yr, 43%, OB                                                 85

Glenlivet 12yr, 40%, OB

Glen Garioch 1990/2012, 54%, Archives                           85

Glen Ord 15yr 1997/2012, 54.2%, Archives                      85

Glen Scotia 1992/2010, 53.3%, Malts of Scotland            79

Highland Park 12yr, 43%, OB                                            82

Highland Park 17yr 1995/2013, 53.9%, Edition Spirits     85

Highland Park 21yr, 47.5%, OB                                         90

Imperial 17yr 1995/2013, 52.7%, Signatory for K&L       86

Isle of Jura 23yr 1989/2013, 46%, van Wees                     87

Isle of Jura 23yr 1989/2013, 58.7%, Signatory for K&L   91

Kilchoman 4yr 2006/2011, 60%, OB for WIN                   88

Kilchoman “Loch Gorm” 2013 release, 46%, OB             82

Knockdhu 18yr 1978/1996, 58.8%, Adelphi                     85

Lagavulin 16yr, 43%, OB                                                   84

Linkwood 14yr 1982/1997, 46%, Wilson and Morgan     86

Linkwood 16yr 1997/2013, 59.0%, C&S Dram                81

Longmorn 19yr 1992/2011, 52.7%, CWC                         85

Longrow Rundlets and Kilderkins, 51.7%, OB                  89

Macallan 12yr, OB                                                              81

Miltonduff 30yr 1982/2013, 49.5%, Maltbarn                   86

Mortlach 1995/2012, 49.1%, A.D. Rattray                         83

Mortlach 22yr 1989/2011, 47.9%, Kintra                           83

Old Pulteney 21yr, 46%, OB                                              88

Port Charlotte 2001/2013, 57.5%, MoS                             90

Springbank 18yr (+/-2012), 46%, OB                                89

Talisker 1986/2007, 45%, G&M (Secret Stills 1.2)           90

Talisker DE 1991/2005, 45.8%, OB          

Tomatin 1991/2013, 55.7%, C&S Dram                            82

Tomintoul 43yr 1968/2011, 43.2%, TWA Private Stock   90

Tormore 1984/2013, 51%, Archives                                   90

Tullibardine 23yr 1989/2012, 54.4%, C&S Dram              87

Big Peat NAS, Batch #22, 46%, Douglas Laing                 81

USA/Canada:

Blanton’s Single Barrel, 46.5%, OB (Buffalo Trace)          84

Burnside Bourbon 4yr, 48%, OB                                         72

Eagle Rare 17yr 2012 release, 45%, OB (Buffalo Trace)    92

Elijah Craig 12yr, 47%, OB (Heaven Hill)                          83

Elijah Craig 18yr, 45%, OB (Heaven Hill)                          84

Four Roses Single Barrel, 50%, OB                                     86

George Dickel No. 8, 40%, OB                                             67

George T. Stagg 2013 release, 64.1%, OB (Buffalo Trace)  93

Jack Daniels Old No. 7, 40%, OB                                         65

Jim Beam White Label, 40%, OB                                         62

Lot No. 40 Canadian Rye, 43%, OB (Hiram Walker)          80

McCarthy’s Oregon Single Malt (bottled 6/2011), 42.5%   83

Michter’s Small Batch Bourbon, 45.7%                              82

Wild Turkey 101, 50.5% (duh), OB                                     83

Ireland:

Green Spot Single Pot Still, 40%, OB (Midleton)               84

Redbreast 12yr, 40%, OB                                                    81

Japan, Taiwan:

Kavalan Solist Sherry, 58.6%, OB                                        89

Yamazaki 12yr, 43%, OB                                                      86

Mexico:

Del Maguey Santo Domingo Albarradas Mezcal                82

R(h)um:

Aniversario Ron Anejo, 40% (Venezuela)                      80

Barbancourt 15yr Estate Reserve Rhum, 43%, (Haiti)   75

Botran Solera 1893 Rum, 40% abv (Guatemala)            82

Caroni 15yr 1997/2012, 46%, Sansibar (Trinidad)         89

Millionario Sistema Solera 15, 40% (Peru)                    87

Plantation 2000 Rum, 42%, the Nectar (Trinidad)         87

Zaya Gran Reserva 12yr, 40% (Trinidad)                       70

Stuff from France:

Camut 6yr Calvados Pays d’Auge                                   85

Chateau de Pellehaut Armagnac 1996, 50.4%                90

Chateau du Tariquet VS Bas-Armagnac, 40%                82

Coeur de Lion Calvados Selection, 40%                         81

Amari:

Cardamaro

Cynar

Sparkling wines:

Mumm Napa Brut Prestige

Lamarca Prosecco DOC

Ruffino Prosecco DOC

Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace

Roederer Estate Brut Anderson Valley

plus there was some grappa, apple brandy, Spanish brandy, tea, vodka, and probably some other stuff