Tag: Islay | Page 3 | MaltKlaus' Daily Drams

November 28, 2015October 7, 2016

Tasting: Bruichladdich 15/297/543 Cask Evolution Exploration – Port wood 12 yo

Dram data:
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Bottler: Original bottling
Distilled: 18.06.2003
Bottled: 04.11.2015
Age: 12 years
Limitation: ca. 250 bottles
Casks: Single Port Hogshead 15/297/543
Alcohol: 60,1%
Unchillfiltered; uncoloured

Tasting notes:
Colour: red cherry juice
The nose opens with surprisingly little alcohol. It’s there, but not 60% ABV there – no idea what they’ve done here but I like it! Toasted oak with slight cask smoke (that’s quercus robur talking loudly!), brambles, cassis, cherries, liquorice, roasted walnuts and assorted spices (again, that’s the oak talking). Continue reading “Tasting: Bruichladdich 15/297/543 Cask Evolution Exploration – Port wood 12 yo”

October 25, 2015October 7, 2016

Blind Tasting: McClelland’s Islay NAS (undisclosed Bowmore)

Dram data:
Distillery: Bowmore
Bottler: McClelland’s (Morrison Bowmore)
Distilled: –
Bottled: ca. 2014 (code L142025)
Age: NAS
Limitation: –
Casks: –
Alcohol: 40%
Chillfiltered; natural colour
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: gold
Oh, a blind tasting! I love blind tastings! Let’s see what we’ve got here! The nose opens on the fruity and sweet side. Heather honey, caramelised orange peel, vanilla pudding powder, candy floss, baked red apples with cinnamon, cloves and demerara sugar. Mellow oak notes in the background too – I think this dram is in its early to mid teens. Continue reading “Blind Tasting: McClelland’s Islay NAS (undisclosed Bowmore)”

June 10, 2015October 7, 2016

Tasting: Kilchoman 10th Anniversary Edition

Dram data:
Distillery: Kilchoman
Bottler: Original Bottling
Distilled: Multi-Vintage 2005-2010
Bottled: 2015
Age: NAS (3 years according to the youngest whisky)
Limitation: 3000 bottles
Casks: Bourbon + Sherry
Alcohol: 58,2%
unchillfiltered; uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: light gold
The nose screams “Islay”, just like most commercial malt bottlings from Kilchoman. An initial blast of peat with notes of iodine, coal fire smoke, tar and smoked seafood. The smoke is the predominant note at first with the alcohol making a strong appearance too – no wonder at 58,2% ABV. Continue reading “Tasting: Kilchoman 10th Anniversary Edition”

April 19, 2015October 7, 2016

Tasting: Five Lagavulin. Vertically. From the cask. At the distillery.

When on Islay one of the must-do tours is the warehouse tasting at Lagavulin, especially if Iain “Pinkie” McArthur is hosting it. This year will mark his 45th year in the whisky industry and during that time he’s probably forgotten more about whisky than some of us will ever learn in a lifetime. He’s fun, engaging and famous for baptising people with Lagavulin when sloshing it around after pouring from the casks. But this article is not about the warehouse experience – it’s about the whisky we (my two brothers and I) got to taste in the summer of 2014. I was the designated driver so I decanted most of what I was served into sample bottles and tasted them later on.

10yo “Baby Lagavulin” from an ex-Sherry cask (Hogshead?)
Colour: red copper
Nose: Young, a bit harsh and spirity, peat smoke, hints of dried fruits in the background. With water: Sweeter, less peaty, still young-ish in style
Palate: Alcoholic, strong, some new make still to be detected? Bonfire smoke. With water: Less intensity, still young and metallic, more sweetness and fruits in the background
Finish: Coating, sweet, phenolic, lingering for some time, not overly complex
Verdict: Very young, really “baby” Lagavulin – too young to “die”.
Score: 79 Continue reading “Tasting: Five Lagavulin. Vertically. From the cask. At the distillery.”

February 4, 2015October 7, 2016

Tasting: Lagavulin 16

Dram data:
Distillery: Lagavulin
Bottler: Original Bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: about 2014. Code: L3324CM000
Age: 16
Limitation: –
Casks: bourbon and sherry
Alcohol: 43%
Chillfiltered, fake colour
Price at the time of purchasing: 45€
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: fake reddish amber
The nose is everything Islay is known for. Initially a welcoming (or off-putting to some…) mixture of iodine peat smoke with sweet caramel pudding. The salt takes a bit of time to fight through, but it appears eventually. After a few minutes in the glass the smokiness settles down and a complex layer of previously subdued aromas appears. Continue reading “Tasting: Lagavulin 16”

January 11, 2015October 7, 2016

Tasting: Nikka Pure Malt White

Dram data:

Distillery: – (blended Malt)
Bottler: Nikka
Distilled: –
Bottled: ca. 2013-2014
Bottle Code: 6/14C441254
Age: NAS
Limitation: –
Price at the time of purchasing: ca. 40€ (yes, I paid too much at a retail store…)
Casks: –
Alcohol: 43%
Most likely chill filtered and artificially coloured
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: honey. Most likely fake.
The nose greets me with a combination of smoke, sweetness and herbal spices. It’s not often I encounter this kind of harmony, but then again this is a blended malt and as such it is designed to be that way. Continue reading “Tasting: Nikka Pure Malt White”

July 8, 2014October 7, 2016

Tasting: Laphroaig 10y Original Cask Strength Batch 005

Dram data:

Distillery: Laphroaig
Bottler: Original Bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: Feb.2013
Age: 10 years
Limitation: unknown
Price at the time of purchasing: 47€
Cask: –
Alcohol: 50%
Possibly Unchillfiltered / Natural Colour(?)
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: deep copper. On the nose I get peat smoke from a metre away… Continue reading “Tasting: Laphroaig 10y Original Cask Strength Batch 005”

May 24, 2014October 7, 2016

Tasting: Caol Ila 18

Dram data:

Distillery: Cao Ila
Bottler: Original Bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: 2011
Age: 18 years
Limitation: –
Price at the time of purchasing: – (sample)
Casks: –
Alcohol: 43%
Possibly Chillfiltered / Colouring added
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
On the nose I get a big hit of lovely peaty smokiness initially covering most other flavours. Some vanilla peeks through, white pepper, green apples, orange rind, orange juice, a very subtle honey sweetness in the background. Continue reading “Tasting: Caol Ila 18”