Tag Archives: islay

Bruichladdich – The Organic

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Distillery/Brand: Bruichladdich
Region: Islay
ABV: 46%
Colour: Chardonnay

Nose: 22
Taste: 22
Finish: 21
Balance: 21

Review
Bruichladdich are the ever experimenting single malt brand and, even though, it’s hard to keep track of them all there are few expressions that are below par. The Organic is another example of a decent (not mind blowing, mind you) expression – this one made purely from organic Scottish barley.

The lightly peated nose evokes images of green apples strewn on moist grass as you sit on a wooden porch made damp from the morning dew. Completing the picture is a basket of freshly laundered clothes atop which sits the tiniest bale of hay.

The delivery is full bodied and sweet smacking of honeyed cinnamon, moist lemon slivers and a touch of fennel. All this enveloped in a feathery wisp of smoke.

The long and oily finish is chewy and a little minty though, as it fades, it develops a slightly bitter chalky characteristic.

Rating: 86

Laphroaig 25 – 2011 Cask Strength

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Distillery/Brand: Laphroaig
Region: Islay
ABV: 48.6%
Colour: Sunlight

Nose: 23
Taste: 23
Finish: 23
Balance: 23

Review:
I’m generally a fan of anything Laphroaig and the distillery has never let me down in all these years, though, I’ve heard of a miscreant 15 year old that may taint an otherwise perfect track record. But let’s cross that bridge when we get to it.

Right. The 25 year old 2011 Cask Strength. Possibly the most un-Laphroaig nose you will ever find. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. The iodine and peat is subdued; it’s there but comes to you in gentle waves riding on a crest of sweet lemon citrus. The citrus is then enveloped in a fine spray of honey and sugarcane. This is possibly the most delicate of Laphroaig noses you will ever come across.

The lemon and honey are dominant on the palate but not before a burst of white pepper greets your tongue. The peat and smoke, as on the nose, play a supporting role as if to nudge you from time to time and let you know this is an Islay.

The finish is long, dry and spicy with a touch of oak and a smattering of nuts.

This is a lovely dram and does all the right things but the question remains; should Laphroaig be producing such delicate whiskies or focus on mouthfuls of iodine, peat and personality?

I’ll let you decide.

Rating: 92

Port Charlotte PC8 Ar Duthchas

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Distillery/Brand: Port Charlotte
Region: Islay
ABV: 60.5%
Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: 23
Taste: 22
Finish: 23
Balance: 23

Review
I know people say ‘What the hell is Bruichladdich doing? Churning out an expression a day?’ But you know what? They make sure each expression is worth the trouble. And the PC8 is no exception!

Obvious smoky peat on the nose, of course. Let’s get that out of the way and try to find what’s hidden amid the swirls. First some nuts. Then a nice piece of sausage on the barbecue grill. Accompanied by a glass of honey milk. Sprinkled with a nice pinch of rock salts. Quite glorious actually.

The 60.5% makes it a touch hard to get around the alcohol and the only flavors I can make out are black peppers, honey and smoke. A couple of drops of water opens up the nose and makes the liquid a touch more palatable. This enhances the honey in the mouth and introduces a touch of salt. Must be that rock salt.

The dry long (extremely long) finish is curiously minty with a touch of fennel. Certainly a powerhouse malt to be handled by seasoned experts only.

Rating: 91

Caol Ila 12 Years Old Unpeated

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Distillery/Brand: Caol Ila
ABV: 57.6%
Region: Islay
Colour: Sunlight

Nose: 21
Taste: 22
Finish: 21
Balance: 21

Review
I’m a sucker for anomalies and anything off the beaten path. So it was nice to get my hands on this un-peated Islay and give it a whirl.

The sweet and salty nose is like pouring honey in a bowl of tepid sea water accompanied by a whiff of wood shavings. I expected more from the nose but that was to be it.

The palate is quite a simple serving of lemon tart dusted with black pepper. And again that is it.

The slightly bitter finalé to this expression is, once again, not up to mark.

I expected more from this expression and did not get it. I don’t know whether this was a case of my high expectations not being met or it was just an average malt. In either case I was quite upset not to be over the moon.

Rating: 84

Laphroaig PX

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Distillery/Brand: Laphroaig
ABV: 48%
Region: Islay
Colour: Old Sauternes

Nose: 24
Taste: 24
Finish: 23
Balance: 23

Review
Take a typical Laphroaig (like the 10), pour it over a chocolate rum cake, soak it over night and say ‘Hello’ to the Laphroaig PX Cask!

The nose is quintessential Laphroaig with that familiar seaweed, iodine and peat mixture. But that’s where the similarity ends. Because from within salty seas comes through the most decadent of dark chocolate cakes smothered in ripe bananas, charred citrus and burnt treacle. Finally mossy undertones remind you that you’re being enveloped by the open seas and wet skies of Islay. Quite magnificent, actually.

The full bodied, juicy palate is dark chocolate and maple syrup with a healthy drop of dry fruits, cinnamon and a touch of clove. Burnt citrus re-emerges to add to the complexity followed by a strange spoonful of yoghurt found in a musty drawer.

The oily long finish is lovely and leaves you salivated for hours on end with fennel and banana bread.

This is a malt where you finish an evening with because you don’t want anything else polluting the gloriousness in your mouth.

Rating: 94

Laphroaig Quarter Cask

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Distillery/Brand:
Laphroaig

Region:
Islay

ABV:
48%

Colour:
Pale Straw

Nose: 23
Taste: 24
Finish: 23
Balance: 24

Review

Here I go trying to review a gem that’s been put through it’s paces and come out in spades. But who cares?

The Quarter Cask is a stroke of Laphroigian genius!

Familiar Islay aromas creep out from my snifter glass as I try and keep pace with a barrage of sensory fireworks. A damp, musty muscovado fruitiness is the first thing that arrests your senses. And then nestled within the woody nuts lies the unmistakable smoky peat which is covered in a thick layer of honey, sausages, wood varnish and old cardboard cartons.

Don’t look at me like that! You know what I mean….

The full bodied palate is succulent honeycomb and nuts with something a touch bitter to give it a layer of mysteriousness. The citrusy sugars stand up with aplomb as the peppery spices cascade in to gently caress your taste buds.

A long and dry oaky finish rounds of one of the best 30 seconds malting experiences of my malting career.

Rating: 94

Laphroaig 10

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Distillery/Brand:
Laphroaig

Region:
Islay

ABV:
40%

Colour:
Sunlight

Nose: 23
Taste: 24
Finish: 22
Balance: 23

Review:
The Laphroaig 10, in my opinion, is possibly one of the finest and most flavorful single malts out there. And at a price which begs for multiple bottles to be stowed away for a rainy day. Which is precisely what I’ve done.

The nose is like standing atop a hill overlooking the churning sea as a light drizzle of honey and lemon spatter against your anorak. As you look up the strong peat and iodine coupled with the salty spray of the gorgeous waves remind you what it is like to be in Islay country. And carried on the back of the robust smoke comes just the tiniest hint of black pepper spices.

The honeyed palate covered in oak shavings and cardamon pods is truly a work of art. The beautifully balanced greens give way to the most delightful peppery profile I have ever encountered.

The medium finish is just so ever slightly nutty with a dab of, dare I say it, dark chocolate and spice.

Scrumptious!

Rating : 92

Bruichladdich Sherry Classic

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Distiller:
Bruichladdich

Region:
Islay

ABV:
46%

Colour:
Pale Straw

Nose: 23
Taste: 24
Finish: 24
Balance: 23

Review:
Sherry can go horribly wrong or wonderfully perfect. So it was with a sense of trepidation as I uncorked this bright blue opaque bottle only to discover the poetry that is perfectly balanced sherry.

Set against the backdrop of a musty, yet oddly comforting, wooden laundry room comes the interplay between the brilliantly balanced barley and grapes. The odd spices then work in tandem with the subtle oak to produce, what has to be of late, one of my favorite noses.

The delivery is pure sherry passion and juicy juicy barley. The full bodied liquid then courses the palate like a sweet honey river infused with licorice, aniseed and cinnamon. Oaky mild spices finally round off an absolutely scrumptious experience.

The long all-spice finish, mixed with a crumbling slice of apple pie, rounds off my newly crowned favorite ‘Laddie.

Rating : 94

Ardbeg 10

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Distiller:
Ardbeg

Region:
Islay

ABV:
46%

Colour:
Chardonnay

Nose: 23
Taste: 24
Finish: 24
Balance: 23

Review:
How can one distillery go through, what is fundamentally, the same process and produce expressions that are miles ahead of everyone else?

The standard Ardbeg 10 is anything but. Like a young savant it hides the most complex of personalities yet remains buoyantly youthful. As the tangy smoke rises from delicately grilled lemon zest roasting on the grill the chef brushes the main course of sausages with his own brand of special butter glaze. The sweetened smoky peat, mixed with a touch of tincture, remind you where this savant was born.

The palate is like eating a soft pudding under a haze of powdery volcanic ash. I never thought words like tar, soot and tobacco could be used to describe something so utterly scrumptious but then I’ve been proven wrong many a time. A juicy, brightly colored orange kicks in at the last instant re-affirming the massive complexities that lie in this delivery.

Smoked bitter gourd, a touch of medicine, tiny oak shavings and a toss of minty leaves finishes up one of the nicest and longest deliveries that have ever had the pleasure of cascading down my fortunate gullet.

Rating: 94

Ardbeg Uigeadail

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Distiller:
Ardbeg

Region:
Islay

ABV:
54.2%

Colour:
Pale Straw

Review:
How does one even begin to review what is arguably the best single malt in the world from arguably one of the best distilleries in the world.

Of course the nose is peaty and full of smoke! But what a brilliant nose. Underneath all the peatiness lies the sweetest, most delicious aromas of a citrus pudding. On top are the salty, iodine sea waves that keep lashing the shore and give this malt the most delicious of all noses.

The palate is simply perfection. It is sweet. It is salty. It is strong. It is gentle. There is spice. There is sweetness. There are salty oils caressing juicy nectarines. I don’t know where to begin. After tastes of tobacco and leather remind me of sitting in a smoky gentleman’s club. Exactly the kind of place where the Uigeadail would feel right at home. Finally there is the faintest hint of aniseeds to round off what is most definitely the way whisky was intended to taste.

Rating : 96