Archives for August 2018

Octomore / 9.1 Dialogos.

Summary: 

COUNTRY/REGION: Scotland/Islay.

CATEGORY: Single malt.

DISTILLERY: Bruichladdich.

BOTTLER: Distillery Bottling.

DISTILLED: 2012

BOTTLED: 2018

NUMBER OF BOTTLES: 

STRENGTH: 59.1% Vol.

A WRITTEN OR SPOKEN CONVERSATIONAL EXCHANGE BETWEEN TWO OR MORE PEOPLE, AND A LITERARY AND THEATRICAL FORM THAT DEPICTS SUCH AN EXCHANGE. AS A NARRATIVE, PHILOSOPHICAL OR DIDACTIC DEVICE, IT IS CHIEFLY ASSOCIATED IN THE WEST WITH THE SOCRATIC DIALOGUE, AS DEVELOPED BY PLATO – BUT ANTECEDENTS ARE ALSO FOUND IN OTHER TRADITIONS INCLUDING INDIAN LITERATURE. THE TERM DIALOGUE.

Octomore 09.1 questions the fundamentals of superior single malt Scotch. Confident in its five year age statement, the Head Distiller demonstrates how a focus on raw ingredients and considered distillation can definitively debunk the myth that older is better.

Distilled in 2012 from 100% Scottish barley, the 09.1 is matured full-term in top-tier ex-American whiskey casks. The vitality of the spirit offers an awakening for those bound by traditional indicators of quality, it is the bold embodiment of a living, breathing experiment.

Springbank / 15 Year Old Single Malt.

Summary: 

COUNTRY/REGION: Scotland/Campbeltown.

CATEGORY: Single Malt.

DISTILLERY: Springbank.

BOTTLER: Distillery Bottling.

STATED AGE: 15 years old.

STRENGTH: 46.0 % Vol.

Like a storm gathering off the Kintyre coast, the 15-year-old Springbank is dark and ominous, yet delicious. Best enjoyed after dinner or with your favourite cigar, this is a true classic.

NOSE: Demerara sugar, dark chocolate, Christmas cake, almonds, toffee, oak.

PALATE: Creamy, raisins, dark chocolate, figs, marzipan, brazil nuts and vanilla.

FINISH Oak and sherry notes sustain and mingle with hints of leather.

Compass Box / Flaming Heart.

Summary: 

Country/Region: Scotland/Various.

CATEGORY: Blended Malt.

BOTTLER: Compass Box (CB).

BOTTLED: 2018

NUMBER OF BOTTLES: 

STRENGTH: 48.9% Vol.

This is the sixth edition of Flaming Heart, a whisky inspired by a rock song.

Once again, they combine the rich, bold spiciness of malt whisky aged in heavy-toasted French oak barrels with the evocative smoke of heavypeated Islay malt whisky. The components are from a range of ages that provides depth and complexity.

The combination yields a flavour profile like no other in Scotch whisky: big, bold, hauntingly smoky, but with an alluring ethereal sweetness that calls you back to the glass.

In this 2018 edition, they have reintroduced a subtle Sherry cask influence that adds an additional layer of complexity and richness. This is a touch Compass Box have used for Flaming Heart only once before, in the 2012 edition. While they nuance each edition of Flaming Heart, the signature style always remains the same.

TASTING NOTES: A medium smoky-peaty base is enriched by a sweet maltiness and notes of baking spices and dried fruit. Full on the palate and very long.

 Malt Whisky from Caol Ila Distillery

 Malt Whisky from Deanston Distillery

* A Blended Malt Scotch Whisky composed of 60% aged malt whisky from the Clynelish distillery, 20% aged malt whisky from the Dailuaine distillery and 20% aged malt whisky from the Teaninich distillery. After vatting, they recask this ‘Highland Malt Blend’ and mature it for another four and a half years in their highly active hybrid casks.

** A proprietary blend of single malts sourced from the Glen Ord, Benrinnes and Allt a Bhainne distilleries.

Glengoyne / Douglas Laing's Single Minded 10 Year Old.

Summary: 

COUNTRY/REGION: Scotland/Speyside.

CATEGORY: Single Malt.

DISTILLERY: Glengoyne.

BOTTLER: Douglas Laing (DL).

BOTTLING SERIE: Single Minded.

BOTTLED: 2018

CASK TYPE: Refill Hogshead.

STRENGTH: 43% Vol.

Balvenie / 21 Year Old Portwood Plus Free Balvenie Dipping Dog.

Summary: 

COUNTRY/REGION: Scotland/Speyside.

CATEGORY: Single Malt.

DISTILLERY: Balvenie.

BOTTLER: Distillery Bottling.

BOTTLING SERIE: Portwood.

BOTTLED: 2015

STATED AGE: 21 years old.

CASKTYPE: Port Wood Finish.

STRENGTH: 40% Vol.

To create The Balvenie PortWood 21 year old single malt whisky, a marriage of rare Balvenie is transferred to port casks, or pipes, which have held fine port wines.

Here it is sampled regularly by The Balvenie Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE to ensure that just the right amount of character is imparted by the port casks, enhancing and developing the single malt whilst preserving its original characteristics.

Considered by many to be David’s finest creation, this whisky is one of his proudest achievements and has won an array of highly coveted industry awards since its release in 1996.

NOSE: A perfume of fruity and ripe raisin notes, backed by a nutty dryness.

TASTE: Refined with remarkable character, it is creamy and silky with fruit, honey and spice notes.

FINISH: Long, gentle, nutty.

Glentauchers / Douglas Laings Old Particular 20 Year Old.

Summary: 

COUNTRY/REGION: Scotland/Speyside.

CATEGORY: Single Malt.

DISTILLERY: Glentauchers Distillery.

BOTTLER: Douglas Laing (DL).

BOTTLING SERIE: Old Particular.

DISTILLED: December 1996.

BOTTLED: March 2017.

STATED AGE: 20 Year Old.

CASK TYPE: Refill Barrel.

CASK NUMBER: DL 11635

NUMBER OF BOTTLES: 223

STRENGTH: 51.5% Vol.

NOSE: I could nose this charmer all night long and into the early hours…there is fruity dexerity to this upon which I could lecture for hours on end. We are talking the thinest silvers here; kiwi fruit, psysallis, Chinese pear…exotic yet fresh and rich. The malt has a gristy quality emboldened by the lightest and most demur golden syrup…;

TASTE: You really couldn't ask for a better delivery; so gentle as the malt lands like snowflakes, so complex as the spices meet the fuller red liquorice and crystallised ginger notes…;

FINISH: A little bitterness creeps in, but the extension to the delivery fades as unhurried as a Scottish Highland summer sunset…;

BALANCE: Have to admit: will be drinking a mouthful of this before bed tonight. This is the perfect Speyside experience!

TASTING NOTES: Jim Murray's 2018 Whisky Bible.

Balvenie / Tun 1509 Batch 4.

Summary: 

COUNTRY/REGION: Scotland/Speyside.

CATEGORY: Single Malt.

DISTILLERY: Balvenie.

BOTTLER: Distillery Bottling.

BOTTLING SERIE: Batch No. 4.

BOTTLED: 2017

CASKTYPE: 13 traditional American oak barrels and 10 European oak sherry butts.

NUMBER OF BOTTLES: 8850

STRENGTH: 51.7% Vol.

SIZE: 700 ml

For the 2017 release, The Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 4, David C Stewart MBE carefully selected 23 casks – 13 traditional American oak barrels and 10 European oak sherry butts – from the distillery’s precious aged stocks.

All were transferred to Tun 1509, which sits in Warehouse 24, for several months before bottling. Tun is a rare interpretation of the marrying process and allows our most mature casks of various vintages to come together to create a unique expression of The Balvenie that is greater than the sum of its constituent parts.

NOSE: Rich and malty, sweet toffee vanilla fudge, layers of honeycomb and citrus.

TASTE: Luscious malty notes and concentrated honey gradually developing into deeper richer oak with some dried fruits and a cinnamon and ginger spiciness.

FINISH: Luxurious and honeyed with delicate spices and oak.