Tag Archives: whisky

Connemara 12 Peated

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Distillery/Brand: Connemara
ABV: 40%
Colour: Sunlight


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

Review
Did the Irish invent whisky? I don’t really know for sure. But I do know they’re pretty good at this game and this peated Connemara is an example of that.

The delicate honey and sugarcane nose is quite fresh and wafts lazily over the smoky peat on the bottom. Sway it gently and up comes a zing of bright lemon. Very playful.

You know the distiller has done his job when the nose is in sync with the delivery. The honey, sugarcane and lemon on the palate are testament to that!

The minty medium finish is a touch on the shorter side but over all this is quite a pleasant dram.

Rating: 86

BenRiach 12

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Distillery/Brand: BenRiach
Region: Speyside
ABV: 43%
Colour: Sunlight

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

Review
I once had the misfortune of tasting a 20 year old and vowed never to touch BenRiach again. Luckily I changed my mind and decided to forgive the distillery and uncorked this 12 year old expression.

The first nose is immediate bourbon which is quite delightfully interesting. Instantly transporting you to a carnival of aromas where vanilla, coconut, strong caramel, cotton candy and ripe bananas each offer you a ride if you’re willing to go along.

The delicate honey on the palate has a touch of spice on a smudge of marmalade. Un-complex. Simple.

The medium finish is oily with a biscuit and fennel after taste. An easy early evening dram if you ask me.

Rating: 86

Talisker Storm

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Distillery/Brand: Talisker
Region: Island
ABV: 45.8%
Colour: Young Sauternes

Nose: 22
Taste: 21
Finish: 21
Balance: 20

Review
Talisker created quite a bit of buzz around this particular No Age Statement bottling with many speculating that this would be the complete Skye malt. But it was not to be…

The typical salty Talisker nose is at first comforting as it brings with it the traditional Skye notes like lemon zest, melted butter with herbs drizzled on a salmon and cream pie soaked in brine. I quite liked the nose.

The palate, on the other hand, is a touch disappointing for me. While the delivery is quite intensely spicy with a lemon honey twang it is the presence of something mysteriously bitter which throws me off towards the end. Quite unsettling if you ask me.

The oily finish, unfortunately, retains the nagging bitterness which I can only hope later editions address.

Rating: 84

Glenlivet 15 Years French Oak Reserve

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Distillery/Brand: Glenlivet
Region: Speyside
ABV: 40%
Colour: Sunlight

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

Review
This has been one of my favorite malts for a long time. Not because it’s the best malt out there but because it was one of the first I tried early on in my career as a malt enthusiast. And I’m glad it was this one for who knows what would have become of me had I tried something vile.

The uncomplicated Speyside nose is bursting at the seams with an orangey citrus burst on a bed of smooth melon rind. The honey and delicate flowers accompany this fruitiness and make for quite a nice bouquet of aromas.

The beautifully textured spirit is a touch spicy but that quickly gives way to a lovely warm fruit basket mixed with marshmallows. Something oddly comforting about this delivery.

The long and oily finish with a touch of oak keeps taking me back to why I began this glorious journey in the first place.

Rating: 91

Glenfiddich 19 Age Of Discovery – Madeira Wine Finish

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Distillery/Brand: Glenfiddich
Region: Speyside
ABV: 40%
Colour: Pale Straw

Nose: 21
Taste: 22
Finish: 20
Balance: 21

Review
This is part one of three of the, now über popular, Age of Discovery series. A 19 year old malt finished in Madeira Wine casks complete with gorgeous box that has, not one, but two doors! So you can understand if I was a little gutted that this one did not blow me away.

The honey sweet nose is both woody and citrusy at the same time. But you really have to coax the aromas out. If you keep at it you’ll be rewarded with a hint of sweet red melon and a touch of something grassy.

The same honey and oak mixed with white pepper are first to greet the palate followed by a spoonful of marmalade, roasted nuts and butterscotch.

The abrupt finish is a little disappointing. I would have liked to nurse the flavors a bit more but there was none of that.

I don’t mind drinking this one again but I would gladly pass this over if offered the 15 or the 18 year old instead.

Rating: 84

Nikka Yoichi 15

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Distillery/Brand: Nikka Yoichi
Region: Japan
ABV: 45%
Colour: Old Gold

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

Review
What is it with the Japanese? They insist on doing everything so perfectly. Just like this 15 year old beauty from the Asian powerhouse that is Nikka.

Such a heady, almost dizzying, array of aromas greet you as you say hello to this beauty from the East. There’s maple syrup covered dark fruits ladled on a stack of hot pancakes, sprinkled with woody cinnamon and then rounded off with a drizzle of sherry infused with subtle peat. Quite arresting actually.

The maple syrup and black pepper on the palate play a woody chocolatey tune that works in perfect harmony with an edgy pinch of cumin. You’ll want to mull this one over for a while.

The long, oily finish sits on your lips for ages forcing you to make smacking sounds every two seconds. This makes you look quite silly in the process.

But that’s OK…

Rating: 94

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

Glenlivet Master Distillers Reserve

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Distillery/Brand: Glenlivet
Region: Speyside
ABV: 40%
Colour: Gold

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

Review
Let’s start with the fact that there is really no bad Glenlivet. Consistent & classic flavors is what this single malt is known for. So even when they come out with cute marketing gimmicks like this expression it’s something still worth drinking!

But first the nose.

Sweet honey; and quite a strong honey at that. Quite zestfully sweet and delicately floral at the same time. Followed by moist barley in a cereal bowl topped with a whisper of vanilla essence. It’s almost like sitting in a field of pretty white flowers.

The lovely, full bodied, honey delivery is first intertwined with a playful pinch of white pepper. Then a caramel-ish toffee sweetness infused with a not-so-overpowering mint sprig coupled with crushed nuts. Very pleasant.

The medium to long finish is oily with a touch of spice. A lovely Speysider that embodies all that is good about that region.

Rating: 88

Bowmore 18

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Distillery/Brand: Bowmore
Region: Islay
ABV: 43%
Colour: Full Gold

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

Review
I think Bowmore is a dependable distillery with some solid expressions (Tempest Batch 2) and some not-so-solid expressions (Mariner & Enigma). And that’s what makes a distillery exciting and human, in my opinion. So when I uncorked the 18 year old I had no idea what to expect.

The nose is salty and instantly reminds you of a dank warehouse. The musty smell, I imagine, can be found in the actual Bowmore warehouses housing all the maturing casks. From within the salty sea spray then comes a warm mix of bananas, tangerines and peaches followed by nutty peat and a touch of iodine. The final flourish is unmistakeable butterscotch.

The palate is strong and oaky with a vigorous application of dark spice rub. Bananas and nuts then decide to make a come back accompanied by something pleasantly sweet

The woody medium finish is, of course, peaty with a touch of salt and fennel. There is, though, a hint of something bitter but it’s faint enough not to be a nuisance.

Rating: 87

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