Tag: whisky | Page 14 | MaltKlaus' Daily Drams

February 8, 2016October 9, 2016

Tasting: Tomatin 1991 21 years by C&S

Dram data:
Distillery: Tomatin
Bottler: C&S dram collection
Distilled: 05.06.1991
Bottled: 17.01.2013
Age: 21 years
Limitation: single cask
Casks: Sherry butt 12488
Alcohol: 55,7%
Unchillfiltered, uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: light gold
The nose is rather light on the first sniff, but it’s a few years old, so let’s set the glass aside for a couple of minutes. 10 minutes later: Ah! That’s better! Mmmmmhhhh… old, aged whisky in its best years, balance between subtle cask influence and spirit character. Continue reading “Tasting: Tomatin 1991 21 years by C&S”

February 2, 2016October 7, 2016

Tasting: Octomore 2008 Virgin Oak cask sample

Dram data:
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Bottler: official
Distilled: 2008
Bottled: sample drawn 2015
Age: 7-ish
Limitation: unavailable
Casks: virgin oak cask 1202
Alcohol: 64,4%%
unchillfiltered and natural colour

Tasting notes:
Colour: dark amber
So Bruichladdich has done it again! The latest Octomore 7.4 “virgin oak” release is out. Well, all virgin oak? Nopedy nope! Only 25% of the liquid is actual full-time virgin oak matured. I haven’t got a sample of that one and a full bottle might exceed my budget, so let’s rummage through my sample cabinet – I think there might be something similar. Hey! What’s that? A 2008 virgin oak Octomore cask sample, drawn from the cask for the 2015 Feis Ile warehouse tasting with Jim McEwan. That’s the ticket! Uncut, unblended, let’s see what it’s like! On the nose there’s not that much peat. Well, that’s not surprising if you look at Bruichladdich’s stills, they produce a much lighter distillate than, say Laphroaig or Ardbeg. Still quite a lot of peat, but not overwhelming and that’s good! A slight alcoholic tingling, but you’d never guess this was 64% ABV! Very well-integrated! Fresh vanilla, vanilla pods, toasted cask, caramelised oak sap, Lapsang Souchong (unboilt), burning oak staves and a coal-fired steam engine squirting oil around, burnt toffee, heather, ginger, slightly toasted orange peel and a squirt of citrus providing a hint of distillery character. Continue reading “Tasting: Octomore 2008 Virgin Oak cask sample”

January 24, 2016October 7, 2016

Tasting: The Highlander NAS by Single Cask Collection

Dram data:
Distillery: undisclosed
Bottler: official bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: 2012 (CSC1-2012)
Age: NAS
Limitation: –
Casks: –
Alcohol: 40%
most likely chill filtered and coloured

Tasting notes:
Colour: orang-ey amber
Right. So we’ve got a “Single malt Scotch whisky” in the glass and that’s the only thing we know about it. Despite the name “The Highlander” I don’t know whether it actually is from a Highland distillery but chances are high since the Highlands also include the Speyside region. Well – there’s no other way to find out other than sticking my nose into the glass! Right off the bat the nasal receptors say “Clynelish”. A creamy, light vanilla-fudge note (as is so common these days) accompanied by the dirty, waxy, oily Clynelish character. I could be wrong, it could be the cask, we’ll never know, but that’s the type. Speaking about cask: It feels too round to be a single cask, there’s both ex-sherry and ex-bourbon in the mix. Continue reading “Tasting: The Highlander NAS by Single Cask Collection”

January 21, 2016October 7, 2016

Blind tasting: Penderyn NAS Single Bourbon cask B227

Dram data:
Distillery: Penderyn
Bottler: official bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: 2015
Age: NAS
Limitation: –
Casks: ex-bourbon
Alcohol: 63,2%
Unchillfiltered, uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: white wine
The nose is… wait, err, are we sure this is whisky? Something tells me there’s an additional “e” in the name or is the reused Crown Royal bottle just there to deceive me? There’s a fake perfumey, artificially sweet dominant vanilla note right at the front, which, thank god, fades after a few minutes but still stays present. Vanilla, old banana, limoncello, neroli, orangey ladies perfume, coconut, caramelised ginger, toffee, orange Haribo gummi bears and, well, toasted american oak “spices” with a cooling alcoholic sensation.
Continue reading “Blind tasting: Penderyn NAS Single Bourbon cask B227”

December 31, 2015October 7, 2016

2015 in review, my personal whisky awards and an outlook of what’s coming in 2016

Wolfburn: The two whiskies we got to taste

2015 in review

2015 was a schizophrenic year. It was a great one and a bad one. Let’s start with the good stuff, shall we?
I managed to churn out 117 whisky reviews – that amounts to about one review every three days. I’m quite happy with that and although other bloggers get much more done I prefer to take it easy and be thorough – and that can mean taking two hours just to write about one whisky. Quality, not quantity, both in my writing and in my consumption of alcohol.
I attended only two whisky festivals, the biannual Vienna whisky festival and the Finest Spirits in Munich. Both are fantastic ways to meet fellow whisky enthusiasts, try good malts and make new friends, but at least Munich was so crowded it was almost too much to bear. At times one couldn’t even move. Talking about crowded: I expected Feis Ile 2015 to be much more crowded than it was. Sure enough, there were many people there, but the limited housing and ferry capacities put a cap on the number of visitors – and that’s a good thing. My first Feis and probably not my last, though I prefer visiting Islay in the quieter months. Nonetheless, Feis Ile was a big party, meeting many people – old friends and new ones – and bonds for life were formed. Not a day goes by when I don’t think back! Continue reading “2015 in review, my personal whisky awards and an outlook of what’s coming in 2016”

December 24, 2015October 7, 2016

24 drams till Christmas tasting #24: Bunnahabhain 1988 24 yo by Signatory Vintage

Dram data:
Distillery: Bunnahabhain
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Distilled: 10.10.1988
Bottled: 30.07.2013
Age: 24 years
Limitation: 588 bottles
Casks: refill Sherry Butt
Alcohol: 55,9%
unchillfiltered; uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: amber
How fitting! A 24 yo single malt whisky to conclude the 24 drams till Christmas series! This better be a good one for a great finish or I’ll have to extend it to 25 days… The nose starts off slightly alcoholic but there’s greatness underneath! Classic European oak sherry cask matured whisky – post Paxarette! Spices up front – cloves, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg. The cask is strong with this one (excuse the Star Wars pun…), no oaky notes, just letting the spices talk. Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas tasting #24: Bunnahabhain 1988 24 yo by Signatory Vintage”

December 23, 2015October 7, 2016

24 drams till Christmas tasting #23: Arran Amarone Finish NAS

Dram data:
Distillery: Arran
Bottler: Original bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: ca. 2013
Age: NAS
Limitation: –
Casks: Amarone finish
Alcohol: 50%
unchillfiltered; uncoloured
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: amber with cherry juice
The red wine finish is very apparent on the nose! An initial blast of fresh citrus fruits (ripe oranges and tangerines) with red fruits (cherries, brambles, strawberries, cassis) and cask spices (allspice, cloves). Initially I was not a fan, the freshly opened bottle was a tad too young, but it improved greatly with oxygenation. Adding a tablespoon of water and time in the glass helps to bring out the fruits even more.
Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas tasting #23: Arran Amarone Finish NAS”

December 22, 2015October 7, 2016

24 drams till Christmas tasting #22: Double Barrel Highland Park + Bowmore 10 yo

Dram data:
Distillery: Highland Park / Bowmore
Bottler: Douglas Laing
Distilled: –
Bottled: 2009
Age: 10
Limitation: –
Casks: –
Alcohol: 46%
unchillfiltered; natural colour
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: straw
The nose is very light and gentle – quite surprising, to be honest. One would expect greater, bolder things. Light and fragrant peat smoke with burning lavender in the mix, a slight perfume note, vanilla pudding where the cook was very stingy with the sugar and the vanilla, the same cook also overly diluted the honey with sugar water (again, being stingy with the sugar) and had just a pinch of coconut and ripe pineapple left.
Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas tasting #22: Double Barrel Highland Park + Bowmore 10 yo”

December 21, 2015October 7, 2016

24 drams till Christmas tasting #21: Jura Prophecy NAS

Dram data:
Distillery: Jura
Bottler: Original bottling
Distilled: –
Bottled: ca. 2014
Age: NAS
Limitation: –
Casks: Limousin oak
Alcohol: 46%
unchillfiltered; coloured
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: light amber (coloured, what a shame!)
You can smell the spitting distance to Islay on the nose! Peat smoke, the phenolic kind, dominates on first contact. Salted toffee, heather, spent ground coffee, cocoa beans, malt syrup and vanilla-infused palm honey with star anise and cinnamon from the Limousin oak. The advertising says the “finest and rarest aged” whiskies were used, but that doesn’t mean anything.
Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas tasting #21: Jura Prophecy NAS”

December 20, 2015October 7, 2016

24 drams till Christmas tasting #20: Glen Ord 1997 15 yo by Archives

Dram data:
Distillery: Glen Ord
Bottler: Archives
Distilled: 04.1997
Bottled: 04.2012
Age: 12
Limitation: 64 bottles
Casks: Hogshead 800083
Alcohol: 54,2%
unchillfiltered; natural colour
Whiskybase link

Tasting notes:
Colour: straw
The nose suggests a refill hoggie, slightly restrained yet fragrant and fruity-sweet. Vanilla, pear juice, malt extract, peaches, sweet grapes, white chocolate and a slight hint of sweet perfume with a layer of alcohol and citrus on top. A summer dram.
Continue reading “24 drams till Christmas tasting #20: Glen Ord 1997 15 yo by Archives”