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December 23, 2016December 21, 2016

24 drams till Christmas 2016 #23: Delamain Pale & Dry XO Cognac

Dram data:
Brand: Delamain
Distilled: –
Bottled: ca. 2015
Age: XO
Limitation: –
Casks: –
Alcohol: 40%
chill filtered(?) and uncoloured, no additives

Hey, isn’t this supposed to be a whisky series? Well, with whisky prices rising by the hour these days, it certainly can’t hurt to look into #malternatives as well! So there you have it: My first Cognac review, written from a whisky lover’s perspective!

Tasting notes:
Colour: light amber
The nose starts off totally delicious! Seriously! Stunning for 40% ABV! Sweet, thickened, dense grape juice with grape skins mixed with a very well-balanced, hugely fragrant oak note. Flowery too, rose petals and violets (is there such a thing as FWP for Cognac?). Dried, juicy, sweet oranges and mangos, with proper artisanal summer honey, dried herbs and light spices – a bit of cinnamon and a few cloves. Oh, this is lovely, thick, rich, filled with aroma. You can tell there’s some well-aged stock in there and I’m being told Delamain don’t add any additives to their Cognacs. A dram that instantly puts a smile on your face upon nosing. Let’s hope it carries through on the palate! Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas 2016 #23: Delamain Pale & Dry XO Cognac”

December 22, 2016December 21, 2016

24 drams till Christmas 2016 #22: Glen Spey 2004 by Gordon & MacPhail CC collection

Dram data:
Distillery: Glen Spey
Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail
Distilled: 2004
Bottled: 26.09.2013
Age: ca. 9 years
Limitation: –
Casks: Refill bourbon barrels
Alcohol: 46%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Glen Spey. That’s the Diageo distillery producing one of the lead malts for their J&B blends. How does it work on its own as a young malt?

Tasting notes:
Colour: straw
The nose starts off on the light side – Vanilla, orange and a malty sweetness with some alcohol on top. Fruits? Well, maybe a cheeky pear and a red apple with waxed skin have somehow made it into the barrel. Quality distillate for sure and very nice, but just a tad generic? Like a beefed-up (ABV-wise) young Glenlivet or Glenmorangie from the supermarket. Well, let’s see what happens on the palate! Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas 2016 #22: Glen Spey 2004 by Gordon & MacPhail CC collection”

December 21, 2016December 19, 2016

24 drams till Christmas 2016 #21: Laphroaig 1998 17 yo by Cadenhead’s

Dram data:
Distillery: Laphroaig
Bottler: Cadenhead’s
Distilled: 1998
Bottled: November 2015
Age: 17
Limitation: 192 bottles
Casks: bourbon hogshead
Alcohol: 56,2%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Indie Laphroaig seems to have become scarcer and scarcer these past years – especially older whiskies in their teens or above. Cadenhead’s to the rescue!

Tasting notes:
Colour: pale white wine
The nose is typically Islay. Well-matured, refill-cask, heavily peated Islay whisky. Peat smoke, the usual phenolic kind with dirty bandages and iodine, soot, ash and well-used machine oil. Behind all that smoke, a salty sweetness creeps in – salted toffee on custard served on clamshells with lemon drizzled on top. Maybe a green apple is involved as well. The power of great refill casks, allowing the spirit to shine, just rounding out the edges. On to the palate:

Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas 2016 #21: Laphroaig 1998 17 yo by Cadenhead’s”

December 20, 2016December 19, 2016

24 drams till Christmas 2016 #20: Timorous Beastie 40yo by Douglas Laing

Dram data:
Distillery: –
Bottler: Douglas Laing
Distilled: –
Bottled: 2016
Age: 40
Limitation: 1080 bottles
Casks: –
Alcohol: 54,7%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

It’s not every day I get to taste 40 yo whisky (or any whisky older than me, for that matter), so I guess today is a special day, despite it being an ordinary workday 😉

Tasting notes:
Colour: gold
The nose smells of.. aaahhhhh! old whisky! Or should I say well-matured whisky? There’s a perfumey fragrant oak character up front which only appears in old whisky – but not too oaky, just the right amount of oak! Rich and complex, with old banana, molasses, sweet fruit syrup, gingerbread with quite a lot of aniseed and frosting, assorted wine gums. Like entering an old-fashioned candy store with oak shelving, it features a very layered, complex set of sweet aromas which are impossible to dissect. Oh, this is right up my alley! Let’s see if the palate: can compete with the nose: Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas 2016 #20: Timorous Beastie 40yo by Douglas Laing”

December 19, 2016December 18, 2016

24 drams till Christmas 2016 #19: Edradour 2003 9 yo PTM

Dram data:
Distillery: Edradour
Bottler: official bottling for LMDW
Distilled: 2003
Bottled: 2012
Age: 9
Limitation: 247
Casks: refill ex-Caol Ila hogshead
Alcohol: 61,2%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

PTM? What the heck is PTM? Yet another three-letter abbreviation. Well, it stands for “peated through maturation”. Fill your Edradour new make into a hoggie which was previously used to mature heavily peated Caol Ila whisky – and the idea is that some of the peat smoke carries over. Let’s see whether the theory works!

Tasting notes:
Colour: gold
Ah yes, there’s definitely peat smoke on the nose! Not on the same scale as heavily peated Islay whiskies, but it’s there. Very similar to the inaugural Wolfburn bottling, where they applied the same technique. Surprisingly mellow for over 60% alcohol! We’ve got light peat smoke, vanilla, coconut, strawberry marshmallows, Kiwi, lime and heather. Light, but in no way boring. Let’s try the palate: Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas 2016 #19: Edradour 2003 9 yo PTM”

December 18, 2016December 18, 2016

24 drams till Christmas 2016 #18: Armorik Double Maturation NAS

Dram data:
Distillery: Warenghem
Bottler: official bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: 2013/14-ish
Age: NAS
Limitation: –
Casks: ex-bourbon/ex-sherry
Alcohol: 46%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

French Whisky? Why yes, the French aren’t just the largest continental European market for Scotch, they also produce their own!

Tasting notes:
Colour: red gold
The nose is surprisingly “Scottish” for a French whisky! This could pass for a light, young, fruity, sherried Speysider! Rather light, with a noticeable alcoholic note, paired with vanilla, stewed apples and pears, cherries, light mulled wine spices with a hint of ginger and sweet supermarket cream sherry. Very pleasant and gentle. Let’s try the palate: Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas 2016 #18: Armorik Double Maturation NAS”

December 17, 2016December 14, 2016

24 drams till Christmas 2016 #17: Fettercairn 2000 14 yo by C&S

Dram data:
Distillery: Fettercairn
Bottler: C&S dram collection
Distilled: 12.09.2000
Bottled: 23.03.2015
Age: 14
Limitation: 217 bottles
Casks: Bourbon barrel 3171
Alcohol: 53,5%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

This is the season of “firsts” – the first Fettercairn to be officially reviewed on the blog! Let’s do it!

Tasting notes:
Colour: red gold
The nose opens on the “green” side. Freshly cut grass with lemon and vanilla drizzled on top. Sawdust with resin and a hint of wood glue, dry end-of-season tangerines, old malt sweetness and a whiff of allspice. Very interesting profile that takes a bit getting used to, definitely not mainstream! Adding water and waiting for several minutes reveals more tropical fruity notes Give it some time! On to the palate: Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas 2016 #17: Fettercairn 2000 14 yo by C&S”

December 16, 2016December 12, 2016

24 drams till Christmas 2016 #16: Springbank 12 yo Burgundy (2016)

Dram data:
Distillery: Springbank
Bottler: Official bottling
Distilled: 11.2003
Bottled: 05.2016
Age: 12
Limitation: 10260 bottles
Casks: 1st fill Burgundy barrels
Alcohol: 53,5%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

So… we’ve had Madeira finished Finnish whisky yesterday, so let’s stay with wine finishes/maturations and pour a dram of a hugely popular Springbank from earlier this year.

Tasting notes:
Colour: red gold
The nose opens with quite a lot of peat smoke for a Springbank whisky. I’ve had more subtle Longrow drams! Not that I’m complaining! Once you cut through the peat there’s the usual slightly salty note intermingled with fresh mint and a whiff of alcohol. Digging even deeper we finally arrive at the core of the whisky. Very noticeable wine cask influence. Sweet grapes, grape seeds, candied oranges and pineapples, pickled ginger, mango sorbet with lemon drizzled on top, fruity pipe tobacco and Swiss orange cough drops. Not an easy dram. Let’s check the palate: Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas 2016 #16: Springbank 12 yo Burgundy (2016)”

December 15, 2016December 12, 2016

24 drams till Christmas 2016 #15: Teerenpeli Karhi NAS

Dram data:
Distillery: Teerenpeli
Bottler: Official bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: 2015
Age: 5
Limitation: 1882 bottles
Casks: ex-bourbon with Madeira finish
Alcohol: 43%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Finnish whisky named after a farming tool. Finished in Madeira casks after initial maturation of 5-7 years in ex-bourbon casks? Let’s taste it!

Tasting notes:
Colour: amber-ish gold
The nose promises a mellow, gentle dram upon first nosing – a bit shy, yet not without character. Malty sweetness paired with vanilla up front, spearmint, oranges and apricots and juicy sultana raisins. The profile is not too sweet, however, it is more fruity than sweet and it is overshadowed by an aroma I can’t quite put my finger on. Not really metallic but also not really in the grassy direction – maybe just something picked up from the Madeira casks? Definitely interesting and pleasant, but not earth-shattering so far. Let’s see if the palate provides us with further hints: Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas 2016 #15: Teerenpeli Karhi NAS”

December 14, 2016December 11, 2016

24 drams till Christmas 2016 #14: Tobermory 19 yo by Cadenhead’s

Dram data:
Distillery: Tobermory
Bottler: Cadenhead’s
Distilled: 1995
Bottled: 07.2014
Age: 19
Limitation: 498 bottles
Casks: Sherry Butt
Alcohol: 54,2%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

What’s that wee dusty miniature back there buried below other samples? Tobermory? Haven’t had one in a while – don’t mind if I pour one…

Tasting notes:
Colour: amber
The nose opens on… aaah! Dirty sherry whisky profile! None of this highly polished, clinically, modern stuff! Burnt rubber and oily rags with a bottle of Manzanilla poured over them on first contact! Not for wimps, that’s for sure. But what else is there? Almost burnt roasted dried fruits (any fruit, really), lovage, burnt toffee (hey, how many more burnt things can you cram into a Sherry butt?), high-octane chocolate and a handful of cloves. Sulphur, you ask? Well… err… maybe a burnt matchstick, but that’s about it. With water: not too much change, just a tad more accessible for people not used to this style of whisky. Let’s check the palate! Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas 2016 #14: Tobermory 19 yo by Cadenhead’s”