Tag: tasting | Page 6 | MaltKlaus' Daily Drams

March 17, 2017March 17, 2017

Tasting: Springbank 19 yo 1997-2016 (warehouse tasting)

Springbank 19 yo 1997-2017 (warehouse tasting)

Dram data:
Distillery: Springbank
Bottler: hand bottled
Distilled: 09.05.1997
Bottled: 2016
Age: 19 years
Limitation: –
Casks: Recharred Sherry #606
Alcohol: 58,8%
unchillfiltered; uncoloured
Whiskybase link

To mentally prepare for the Springbank festival in May, which I’ll attend, I think it’s time I tasted a “wee toon dram” again. How about this 19 yo from last year’s festival? Let’s take a look – and a sniff and taste!

Tasting notes:
Colour: mahogany
The nose has a lot of power! wow! it’s a re-charred cask (hogshead?), so there’s no sherry left, this is all Springbank distillate and even more wood! The cask spices are immediately there up front – I’m guessing European oak! Cough lozenges, liquorice, cloves, allspice, gentian and a hint of wormwood. The typical Springbank smoke is there, but it really has to fight through the spices, you could easily miss it! The base is made up of burnt toffee, caramel, a whiff of old cigar box and the freshness of illicit cherry distillate with loads of cracked cherry stones in the mash. An aromatic powerhouse, not for the faint at heart!
Continue reading “Tasting: Springbank 19 yo 1997-2016 (warehouse tasting)”

March 14, 2017March 14, 2017

Tasting: Mars Shinshu Komagatake 2012 – 2016 for LMDW

Mars Shinshu Komagatake 2002 - 2016 for LMDW

Dram data:
Distillery: Mars Shinshu
Bottler: bottled for LMDW
Distilled: 2012
Bottled: 2016
Age: ca. 4 years
Limitation: –
Casks: American white oak puncheon 1555
Alcohol: 58,8%
unchillfiltered; uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Time for a new whisky from a new (to me) Japanese distillery. Japanese whisky is all the craze – let’s see how well this malt, which was bottled for La Maison Du Whisky’s 60th anniversary, fares!

Tasting notes:
Colour: dark gold
The nose doesn’t hide the fact that this is a young whisky. Alcohol up front with a hint of glue which almost immediately turns into a mixture of citrus, citrus blossom, cherry blossom and orange gummy bears. Forgive the obvious cliche, but this noses like a light whisky enjoyed in the midst of the Japanese cherry blossom season on a tranquil spring day. Give it a few minutes and notes of honey, slightly burnt vanilla pudding, brown sugar and sweet citrus cake appear. Light and young like a delicate Japanese Geisha.
Continue reading “Tasting: Mars Shinshu Komagatake 2012 – 2016 for LMDW”

March 8, 2017March 7, 2017

Tasting: Glengoyne Cask Strength Batch 1 NAS

Dram data:
Distillery: Glengoyne
Bottler: Original Bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: 2013 (?)
Age: NAS
Limitation: –
Casks: Sherry
Alcohol: 58,7%
unchillfiltered; uncoloured
Whiskybase link

It’s been a while since I last reviewed a Glengoyne, so let’s take a look at this cask strength offering!

Tasting notes:
Colour: amber
The nose starts off in the typical, light Glengoyne style. Alcohol up front, but not too much, considering the strength! Citrus and fresh ginger meet noticeably spicy European oak casks, providing notes of baking spices – cinnamon, allspice, cloves – as well as dark cherries, cherry pipe tobacco, cracked cherry stones, marzipan, dark chocolate with orange bits, and a base layer of dark, dried fruits served on an oak platter with a match being lit nearby.
Continue reading “Tasting: Glengoyne Cask Strength Batch 1 NAS”

February 21, 2017February 20, 2017

Tasting: Teeling The Revival III 14 yo 2002 – Pineau Des Charentes finish

Dram data:
Distillery: not stated (most likely Cooley)
Bottler: Teeling
Distilled: 2002
Bottled: 2016/2017
Age: 14 years
Limitation: 10000 bottles
Casks: Ex-bourbon and Pineau Des Charentes finish
Alcohol: 46%
unchillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Oh, a surprise package from the Teeling Distillery guys and gals in Ireland, err, I mean, the #whiskyfairy, of course! The third edition in their “Revival” series was finished in French casks which previously contained a fortified wine, “Pineau Des Charentes”. Let’s see how well the French and the Irish cooperate!

Tasting notes:
Colour: gold
The nose opens light and Irish, just as expected. Another rather subtle finish, which is good, as wine finishes can get very overpowering. Sweet vanilla mixed with malt, honey and grape juice, with a few more fruits mixed in – red apples, juicy pears, mango, caramelised orange peel, possibly a cheeky lychee and a juicy peach. As time moves on, a richer, thicker, darker background note emerges. The official tasting notes speak of chocolate and nuts – I’d describe it more as a rich, mixed dark-fruit component. Overall very settled-down and mellow, not overpowering – in a word, Irish. 20 minutes later: Oh, even more dark fruits (and perhaps a hint of nuts), this is a transformer whiskey! Don’t rush it! On to the palate! Continue reading “Tasting: Teeling The Revival III 14 yo 2002 – Pineau Des Charentes finish”

February 9, 2017February 8, 2017

Tasting: Balblair 30 yo 1985 – 2015 by Gordon & MacPhail

Dram data:
Distillery: Balblair
Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail
Distilled: 14.01.1985
Bottled: 27.01.2015
Age: 30 years
Limitation: –
Casks: refill ex-bourbon barrels 245+246
Alcohol: 43%
chillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

I know, I know – I’m really slow with reviewing whisky lately, so many bad nose days… So let’s make today count!

Tasting notes:
Colour: dark gold
The nose starts out very promising! My favourite style of dram, the marriage of fruits and oak only long periods of maturation in excellent casks can achieve! Where to start… We’ve got dark red apples, sweet pears, thickened sweet grape juice, an abundance of lychees in glucose syrup, sultanas, dried mangos and papaya, a hint of pickled ginger with a wee drop of orange juice, dark milk chocolate, a box of milk toffee with vanilla flavouring and a light cigar, all stored in an old oak cupboard polished with fresh beeswax. The 43% ABV make it ever so slightly watery, but it remains an absolutely stunning nose, defying all “age doesn’t matter” claims. This would be the whisky to convert the NAStivists (I totally just made that word up…). Let’s see if it holds up on the palate! Continue reading “Tasting: Balblair 30 yo 1985 – 2015 by Gordon & MacPhail”

January 29, 2017February 23, 2017

Tasting: Black Mountain Whisky Selection Notes Fumées Blend

Dram data:
Distillery: – (Blend)
Bottler: Black Mountain Compagnie
Distilled: –
Bottled: 2016
Age: NAS (5-6yo with ca. 2 years additional maturation)
Limitation: 3000 bottles
Casks: French spirits cask finish
Alcohol: 45%
probably chill filtered, no colouring info
Whiskybase link

Finally, the first whisky review of 2017 after what feels like an eternity of “bad nose days”. Why not start with a surprise package from France, from the guys behind the “Black mountain compagnie”. They already released two different blended whiskies, one of which I’ve reviewed here. This latest release is the same basic blend recipe, but with an added 20% of “two different smoky whiskies” followed by a marrying stage – not in Scotland, but in France. All in all about 2 years of maturation were carried out in France, so despite having Scottish ingredients, it cannot be called Scotch. Let’s take a look!

Tasting notes:
Colour: straw
The nose features an undeniable smoky note right upon the first contact. Delicate smoke, almost like burning flower petals. Light and floral with delicate vanilla notes and early spring flowers, oranges, grapes, pickled ginger, green apples, some coconut and fudge. Not an in-your-face whisky but thanks to the 45% ABV with a bit more oomph than your standard blends and more elegant. Undeniably the same base (house) style as the BM 1, but the added smoky component does add an additional layer. Continue reading “Tasting: Black Mountain Whisky Selection Notes Fumées Blend”

December 24, 2016December 23, 2016

24 drams till Christmas 2016 #24: Mortlach 1954 58yo by Gordon & MacPhail

Dram data:
Distillery: Mortlach
Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail
Distilled: 27.01.1954
Bottled: 20.11.2012
Age: 58 years
Limitation: 347 bottles
Casks: 1st Fill Sherry Butt
Alcohol: 43%
chillfiltered and uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Let’s review the oldest whisky in the house – 58-year-old Mortlach, to be exact… just because it’s Christmas!

Tasting notes:
Colour: mahogany
The nose starts out surprisingly restrained. Not an over-oaked dram at all, as I initially feared. Delicate even, but what a nose! Lots going on in the glass! A myriad of warm, sweet, dried fruits. Seriously! An abundance of dried plums, cherries, figs and a sneaky date as well. But oh so mellow and as elegant as dried fruits can be! Of course we’ve also got spices. But mellowed, gentle spices, no harshness at all. Cloves, a cinnamon stick, bay leaves and allspice. And herbs. Wormwood, perhaps? But that’s not all, of course. The fruits and spices are accompanied by cherry-flavoured pipe tobacco with black cavendish, the leather jacket of an orchard worker, an bee-keeper’s oak cabinet and a slice of chocolate fruit cake. Dense, interwoven, layered, “aged” and still very elegant. What a nose! I really hope the palate will be the same! Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas 2016 #24: Mortlach 1954 58yo by Gordon & MacPhail”

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”