cool.

http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/05/29/diageo-building-a-new-distillery-in-kentucky/

I guess it's about time.

Review #80: Images of Islay "Kildalton Cross," Malts of Scotland, 53.2%, 195 bottles

out of practice

I've been sidelined with a cold, but I think everything tastes normal again. It probably isn't a good idea to start with something mysterious, but here is something from Malts of Scotland's "Images" series. This one must be an Ardbeg, unless it isn't. That would make it my only indy Ardbeg, unless it's not. It's NAS.

A big whiff of salted butter and toffee, and then the blast of dark smoky peat. It does smell like young Ardbeg -- somehow green and spirity, but then tarry and really really briny peat. Not particularly medicinal. The faintest traces of grapefruit and oysters and some linseed oil and wet wool. Sterno.

Palate is salty and tarry and surprisingly hot -- this is young. Finish is extremely long and ashy. Some sweetness comes through, but then gets confused and leaves because it feels like a coal fire has been put out on my tongue. Charred wet dog at the end. A terrier if I had to guess.


There have been bunches of really young peat monsters out recently. This is one of them, but not one of the most successful. It's good, but neither balanced nor outrageously bold. Mostly coal-fired dog.


score: 83

Review #79: Benrinnes 23yr 1988/2012, 43%, Mackillop's Choice, Cask #2836

pushing my luck

I'm on a hot streak with whiskies that have surprised on the upside. so it's time to take a bigger chance.

Benrinnes is -- or was -- a weird distillery. They still use worm tubs, I think; they used to (until recently) use 2.5x distilling, and they try to minimize copper contact to let the distillate have a 'meaty' character. I keep looking for a cask in which it all comes together nicely, but the result is usually a little strange. But maybe this time ...

nose: light and chalky at first, and then bunches of spicy green fruit take over: cider apples and Grüner Veltliner, or something like that. I could almost imagine that this was made from apples and grapes, but some other notes come in: pralines and vanilla custard, a hay bale and a rose petal. It becomes sweeter, almost honeyed, over time. All in all, unexpected but not weird.

palate: ugh, it's watered down to 43%. there's a bit of oily sweetness, and some apple custard comes through for a second, but then it's washed away. Some oak bites, and nothing bites back. The finish finishes.

The nose had me sold completely, but it turns out I did push my luck a little too far. The palate really doesn't hold up its end, and whisky isn't just for smelling.

score: 83

scotchy scotch scotch

sadly, whisky-free

Review #78: Arran 15yr 1996/2012, Glen Fahrn, 56.2%, Cask #776, 236 bottles

yet another German (or mostly Swiss) bottler

Arran's been lurching forward in quality, so it's time to try another one. (I seem to have a tag for it, but I don't remember the last one I wrote up -- and that's pretty much why I started the blog.)  Let's hope Arran can stay in that space where it's fantastic but not fantastically priced. This one should be a fairly early distillate from Arran.

Nice soft nose, with faint pineapples and peaches against a sharp grassiness. Chamomile and citrus, too. Becomes more juicy and floral as time passes, with some crushed herbs and a touch of gristly malt and oak. White chocolate and peonies.

Palate is great -- oily, then a blast of salt, eucalyptus, and floral sweetness. There's some oak there, too, but it blends nicely with the salt and everything else.

Finish is ok -- long enough, but the oak and the flowers last longest, and don't play together well.

This is, indeed, fantastic. In some ways, I'm more impressed by this than by some other Arrans I've tried: just a single naked malt from presumably and old refill cask, and the quality really shines through.
I think I prefer this over the Punchbowl or some sherry casks I've come across.

score: 89

Review #77: Bunnahabhain 24yrs 1989/2013, Alambique Classique, 50.9%, ex-bourbon, C# 13305, 141 bottles

another German bottler

"Alambique Classique" seems like a silly name for a German bottler, but I guess they bottle all sorts of spirits, including French ones. Looks like they sell a lot of Cognac.

There still seems to be a pretty good supply of Bunna casks on the market, but time and thirst are probably about to overtake those, too. This one will be disappearing soon.

nose: I can tell this is a good one right out of the bottle. It starts off with thick vanilla cream and some almost figgy fruit, nuts, and marshmallows -- I think I was expecting a sherried cask. But it settles down into something leaner and more coastal. Vanilla salt water taffy, smoldering bonfire, and slightly mentholated wet gravel. All sorts of smaller grassy and mineral and even meaty notes, and then the creamy vanilla pops back in. Maybe creme brulee. (uh, crème brûlée).

palate: soft and sweet before a salty smoky attack. I'm really surprised by the intensity of the smoke and salt -- it's like the malt got a spice rub.

finishes quite long, like the palate. burns a little, and then vanilla caramel puts it out. some chewy malt and a tart apple note is new. oaky dryness, but not too much.

This is full of surprises, and really good stuff. It might take some attention -- there are a lot of little flavors underneath the big bold ones - but the whole thing is fantastic.

score: 90