A Genuine Smoky Beast Whisky Review! Lagavulin 8-Year

February 19, 2017

A Genuine Smoky Beast Whisky Review! Lagavulin 8-Year

Hello beasties,

Today I have the luxury or writing a bona fide whisky review. I know these have been few and far between this year. I, along with my partner Ben and the wife, have been putting more time into whisky than ever before. And I want to sincerely thank everyone who has supported Beast Masters Club. It's a real labor of love, and it's really starting to take off. In the next few months we've got three private barrels coming out (WhistlePig, Elijah Craig, and Four Roses) and some amazing interviews including WhistlePig master distiller & all-around whiskey legend Dave Pickerell leading a tasting for us in March. Anyway thanks to everyone who has joined the club, sent amazing emails and social media posts, and showed up at our events. It's been amazing meeting so many of the people that I only knew online as readers of this blog and fellow whiskey fanatics.

Anyway, on to the matter at hand, one legitimate, non-podcast format, review! For the President's Weekend, the family headed up to the Berkshires  for a long overdue quiet several days of fires, Netflix cartoons, and of course a little nip before bedtime. I went to a random liquor store near the Stop&Shop, and lo-and-behold they had an awesome selection. I saw a bottle that I've been meaning to try, the Lagavulin 200th Anniversary 8-year sitting there for under $60 and couldn't say no. So now by the fire I'm popping it open and enjoying some warm peat on a cold night. (sure it's 60 degrees in Manhattan, but it's still in the 30's up here!).

So what do we know? We know Lagavulin was founded in 1816 and for its 200th anniversary they released a few special bottlings. One is the 25 year old which is frankly too expensive to casually pop, President's weekend or not. The other is this interesting 8-year. We've seen it cost more than the 16 year and sometimes less, so let's say it's about the same price. It is offered at a higher proof, 48% instead of Lag16's 43%, so 10 additional proof points at 96.

It comes in a very tasteful white box.

Tasting Notes

Nose:  If I nosed this blind I would not guess Lagavulin. Islay for sure, but probably I would have said Caol Ila, or wait...  maybe... Kilchoman.  Yes that's probably what I'd guess. Which totally makes sense since they're releasing very high quality younger malts. The nose has a lot of smoke, but not quite the warm smoldering campfire rocks smoke you get from older Lag. This is a more raw, slightly hot and spirit-forward and very peaty smoke. While the smoke is more in your face than what we typically think of with Lag, there are other interesting flavors that are much more prominent as well. Granny smith apples, white chocolate, citrus candies. Yes, pretty much exactly the flavors I usually pick out in Kilchoman. Funny that.

Palate: I will say in the mouthfeel department that it has a nice oiliness going on that's not as apparent in the 16. It's a bit thicker and more full on the tongue. That's kind of where the compliments end. The taste is just thinner, hotter, and not quite as complex as the 16. It's got some of the same components as the nose. White chocolate, lots of bright peat, little wood, citrus, and maybe some spice like cinnamon and red pepper flakes.

Finish: The finish is where this differs most dramatically from most of the OB Lagavulin that we've tried. It's sort of thin and hot and a little bitter. Very similar to what you get from most of the off-the-shelf Islays these days like a Caol Ila or one of the NAS Ardbegs.

Review

Look I love me some Lag. It's my first and still favorite malt. This is still a really nice whisky. If you collect Lag, obviously you're going to score a bottle or two. The box is lovely. But it you're a malt drinker shopping on a budget, it's hard to see the allure here. Getting something twice as old in the standard 16 year bottling, with a little more sherry (sure and some E150 coloring too) is just a better deal and a tastier whiskey. Granted, sitting here by the fire drinking out of a ridiculously oversized snifter, and letting the peat smoke mingle with the birch I'm burning doesn't suck. And I don't mean to sound like a dick. I love that they put out higher proof stuff, love that they aren't afraid of a younger age statement, and still love me some Lag. But there's nothing "do-not-miss" about this one if you're keeping score.

Until next time.  Cheers/Steve

Kilchoman US Tour Bottle - Cask Strength Machir Bay

November 4, 2016

Kilchoman US Tour Bottle - Cask Strength Machir Bay

Last week Joshua Hatton poured me one of the best tastings I've ever had. His Whisky Jewbilee festival bottlings are amazing.  Where else are you tasting 15-year Heaven Hill cask strength bourbon next to 28-year Bunnahabhain, next to a limited release bottle from Kilchoman? Life in the fast lane...

The lineup

The Kilchoman bottle in question was the US East Coast Tour bottling that they just released. In a nutshell, they put aside a small allotment of what would eventually become their flagship Machir Bay single malt and released it at full (116.8) proof.  Only around 200 bottles were released nationwide.

Tasting Notes

Nose:  Kilchoman has a very recognizable signature nose leading with white chocolate, olive oil, peat smoke, and pink peppercorns.  This has all those things wrapped up very nicely into a lively and integrated aroma.

Palate: Another Kilchoman trait is that a big smoky and full nose results in a very mellow and smooth taste. If you poured this for me blind and told me it was a <10 year 120 proof whisky I'd never believe you. The taste is very fresh with some grass and herbals going on, the peat carries through but is not overwhelming, and the sweets and chocolates finish on the back of the tongue.

Finish: The cask strength really flourishes on the finish with big full peat smoke flavor balancing out the intense strength of the spirit. This one lasts a while with little embers of roasted peated barley echoing through your sinuses for a few minutes.  Very lovely Kilchoman expression.  We tasted through the entire line as well as some single barrels and jumped at the chance to offer this selection to the group, probably the best Kilchoman I've tasted yet.

left to right: Ben (BMC co-founder), Me (Steve), Josh, Jim (Xavier Wines owner) hitting some very rare bottles...

You can listen to the whole live recording of the tasting and interview with Josh here.

At the time of writing this we have 5 bottles left of the Kilchoman East Coast Tour bottle...  (If you want a heads-up next time before they're all gone, sign up for free membership!)

Thanks for all the feedback on the Booker's Rye post!  By popular request, we're going to follow up with some recommendations for more affordable / attainable ryes that you can find on the shelves.  Stay tuned!

Cheers/SB

Malts of Scotland - Eilean a Chuirn Lighthouse

August 4, 2016

Malts of Scotland - Eilean a Chuirn Lighthouse

We keep finding ourselves buying more of these Malts of Scotland independent bottlings. What's not to like? They are all uncolored, unfiltered, cask strength monsters. They come in the coolest squat medicinal bottles.  And they seem to have limitless supplies of super peaty Islay malts. So far so good.

The "Images of Islay" line appears to be a range of single malts from distilleries that asked Malts of Scotland for non-disclosure as to the source of the whisky. This is pretty common for distilleries like Ardbeg and Lagavulin which will agree to sell barrels to various bottlers but would prefer it not made public. This is why you rarely see an independent bottling of Lagavulin, though there are a few out there labelled anonymously. Each Images of Islay features a different Islay landmark on the label like "Cattle at Islay Graveyard" "Round Church of Bowmore" "Port Ellen Lighthouse" "Soldier's Rock", or this one, "Eilean a Chuirn Lighthouse".

In this case, the stuff is almost certainly Ardbeg. It's got the flavor profile written all over it. Also the Eilean a Chuirn lighthouse is located on the southeastern tip of Islay, with the closest distillery being Ardbeg. Also the guy in the store told us it was Ardbeg.

We want to get in touch with Malts of Scotland! We dropped a note on their 'contact us' page, but didn't hear back. If anyone knows them, please introduce us!

Tasting Notes

Nose:  Brilliant phenolic explosion on this one. Limes and bandaids, tons of tropical fruit all wrapped up in the smoke like grilled pineapple, mango, coconut, maybe just the whole palm tree. Some little bursts of skunky cactus, aloe vera, or - agave? (have we been drinking too much mezcal?? No it's there!)

Palate: Lighly oily mouthfeel on this one. Some more traditional flavors come out in the mouth - white grapes, some light oak tannins, white chocolate.

Finish: Damn is this just incredibly smooth for a cask strength (106.4 proof) whisky! Not a big bruiser of a finish at all, this is all elegance. Everything comes together nicely with the smoke carrying a brush of sweetness. That strange fruity skunk aspect remains (not using "skunk" in a bad way here, it's quite nice).

Review

This is a great straight-ahead Islay malt. Strong, smooth, smoky, and sweet without too much cask influence. Guessing this is in the 8-9 year age range and just a lovely expression of what a simple well-treated Islay malt can do.

Cheers/SB

James MacArthur's Fine Malt Selection Caol Ila 14 Year

June 30, 2016

James MacArthur's Fine Malt Selection Caol Ila 14 Year

For a weekend in the country with friends and family we wanted a nice lightly peated malt for porch-top sipping at sunset. Digging through our bunker for something interesting, we found this independent bottling of Caol Ila from James MacArthur.

We couldn't find a lot of information about James MacArthur other than that they were founded in 1982 and produce uncolored and un-chill-filtered (yay!) limited release private case bottles.  This Caol Ila is from the lower proof line (43%) which seemed appropriate for our summer drinking plans, and comes from a sherry cask. Peated malt matured in sherry has always been a favorite. So far so good. 

Caol Ila is perhaps not as esteemed as some of their Islay neighbors like Laphoaig, Lagavulin, or Ardbeg, however they're one of our favorites. Perhaps it's this lack of acclaim that makes it a bit easier to track down interesting expressions and older releases. We picked this one up a few years ago for around $50. These independent bottlings of Caol Ila are pretty easy to come by if you keep an eye out and always fun to experiment with.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Simple and pleasant nose dominated by ocean scents. Sea air, mossy rocks, and light waves of peat. There's some sweet citrus - lemon meringue perhaps, and some vegetal notes like putty and hay. Very mellow nose with just the right amount of peat for sipping neat.

Palate: Very nice balance here with a mid-thick mouth-feel leaving a nice oil on the tongue. The peat fits in nicely with the sweetness and spirit warmth. More tropical fruits come out like a hint of mango and peach, and also some nice complexity of vanilla, white chocolate, and a little spice.

Finish: Mid-length finish, it's still a peater, but it's extremely smooth and leaves just a brush of smoke on the throat with honey and lemons lingering on the tongue.

Review

This was a totally pleasant if not altogether remarkable malt. We'd buy this bottle again. It's a great Islay for people who aren't committed peat junkies like us. You can pass this around to your relatives without worrying about scalding their palates with an assault of ashtray Islay goodness. It has enough age to show maturity, enough sherry to bring forward a good sweet balance to the smoke, and a very solid mouth-feel and finish to complete the package.  Should you go hunting after this bottle to the ends of the earth? No. Should you pick it up if you happen to see it around? Yes.

Happy Drinking!  Cheers/SB

Lagavulin Feis Ile 2013

June 21, 2016

Lagavulin Feis Ile 2013

For the past two weeks we've been sipping some highly indulgent bottles, limited edition releases from Islay's annual spring festival Feis Ile. Caol Ila's 2015 Feis Ile bottle was a real treat, combining grace and fire with a powerful seventeen year cask strength offering. Lagavulin's 24-year Feis Ile release was simply mind-blowing, combining huge gentle peat smoke warmth with an incredibly sophisticated and elegant flavor profile.

This week, our friend Al Pop came to town to see the Belmont Stakes. I took him and his son Brock to Koreatown for some Bibimbap. And of course he had a whiskey surprise up his sleeve - Lagavulin Feis Ile 2013. Sweet! So why not continue our Feis Ile reviews and dive in. 

Tasting Notes

Nose: Distinctly sweeter than the 2015, it's starts with leather, smoke, and honey. Vegetal aromas follow like okra or fresh cut green beans. Then it tails off with pink peppercorns and rock salt. It's actually quite similar to the 2015 overall but with a more sweet fruit-forward character.

Palate: OMG Yum!  (ok perhaps that was less than professional, but damn this is good). It's got a huge mouth feel with some signature Lagavulin elements. The smoke and sea air are there. The little pops of citrus and melon. The old men's club stuff like creaky leather and tobacco are here big time. It's definitely got more punch than the 24 year, which is kind of awesome.

Finish: Extremely well balanced finish with lingering smoke, strawberry jam, and tobacco.

Head to Head with Lagavulin Feis Ile 2015

What a privilege to be able to taste these two beauties head to head. They're both just top top quality malts. The 2013 is sweeter, but also has more heat with a little spirit burn. The 2015 is pure elegance with perfect balance and no burn at all. But there's also something nice about the younger bottle, it's got more of the fire, a stronger finish, and definitely a more rounded taste with the additional sherry influence. We'd have to go with the 2015 as the winner, but these are both gems.

Cheers/SB

Continuing our vicarious trip to Islay - Caol Ila Feis Ile 2015!!!

June 3, 2016

Continuing our vicarious trip to Islay - Caol Ila Feis Ile 2015!!!

We've been sobbing ourselves to sleep thinking about how we're missing ANOTHER Feis Ile - the annual spring festival in Islay, Scotland where all our favorite distilleries celebrate another year with music, food, and malt malt malt.  One day we'll get there!!

Oh well, we are consoling ourselves by popping open some gems that have been patiently waiting on the shelf at SmokyBeast headquarters.  Last week we corked the mighty Lagavulin Feis Ile 2015, a truly magnificent 24-year old beauty that set the bar just impossibly high for what a subtle old smoky beast can deliver.  Today we're sampling the sister bottle, Caol Ila's 2015 Feis Ile release.

Caol Ila's offering, hand picked by distillery manager David Wood, is younger than Lagavulin's release. It's a seventeen year expression distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2015. It's cask strength, bottled at a whopping 57.3 ABV. It's triple matured, barreled in American oak, Moscatel (Spanish sherry) casks, and finally in "old oak puncheons". We're not sure what that last one means except that they're old and a puncheon is a very large barrel. They're about 150 gallons or three times the size of a standard whisky barrel.  Are the "American Oak" ex-bourbon barrels? Is it possible that they took these bourbon casks and some sherry casks and dumped them together into the large puncheons for additional aging?  Unclear, but that would make sense... In any case, we love Caol Ila 18, with the only gripe being that it's proofed down to 43%. So if this is similar juice at cask strength then let's get this party started.

Tasting Notes

Nose:  Wow again this nose is extremely delicate. First we get salted cashew nuts. Then cologne. Then sea air. Meyer lemons start to emerge with some tangy citrus notes. Then it wraps up sweet like that gooey honeyed crust on a lemon cake. The smoke is like a dark canvas on which all these flavors sit, definitely not in your face, but ever present.

Palate: Very subtle palate.  Are you kidding me, this is 114.6 proof????  That has to be a typo. But no, the flavor is there. Still, damn, it's just so smooth. We've maybe never tasted an Islay malt this smooth at this high a proof. You'd be crazy to add water. The palate pulls you right in with some lovely wood and leather notes, more of that gooey lemon cake, and a delightful mouth feel that's just a perfect thickness.

Finish: It's not a barn-burner. The finish just has great balance with the smoke fading slowly into some honeyed cough drops, pears, and lemons. There's absolutely no bite, just none, even upon freshly opening the bottle, the first sip is incredibly smooth out of the gate.

Couldn't help going back for another splash on this one. The smoke and power actually come out as the bottle opens up. This is surprising, usually cask strength whiskies can be harsh at first and then open up smooth. This one almost reverses it with a very smooth entry and then more fire and smoke coming out while it opens up in the glass. This is not a bad thing. The power and flavor increase as well and the whole experience is very welcome. The finish particularly gets longer and more satisfying with a big wad of peat smoke rolling around your mouth many minutes after the last sip is gone.

Review

Caol Ila is quickly becoming one of our favorite malts. It's got all the beautiful beastly smoke of the big boys like Ardbeg and Laphroaig, but while those brands can sometimes be overly phenolic and have some of that "ashtray" quality, Caol Ila has kind of signature warmth and smoothness. It's probably the most like Lagavulin in that respect, which is still our all time favorite.

We were so ready to be let down by this bottle. Last week's review of the Lagavulin 24 year was absolutely mind blowing. This one is not nearly as old, coming in at a paltry seventeen years old. And, well, it's not Lagavulin. But it's really just damn good. It's got everything we look for in an Islay malt. Balance, warmth, smoothness, big smoke (after another dram it's definitely smokier than the Lag), a hefty sense of a seaside campfire with salty ocean spray mixing with rich smoke, and delicious sweetness mixing in. A superb treat. We've had thirty year old cask strength Caol Ila's before, and they're awesome, but this may well be the best expression we've tasted yet from this fantastic distillery.

Another dream dram here which makes us both happy and doubly sad we still haven't made the mecca to Islay.  Next year my friend, in the Hebrides!

The Long Awaited Pop of that Lagavulin Feis Ile 2015

May 20, 2016

The Long Awaited Pop of that Lagavulin Feis Ile 2015

Ever have a best friend that you've never met, never spoken to, never emailed or texted?  That's how we feel about Thomas and Ansgar Speller, fellow bloggers who write WhiskySpeller about their travels and tastings around the world. How did the Spellers capture such favor? Well they know the key to a beasts heart: vintage Lagavulin. Thomas and Ansgar went to last year's Feis Ile (Islay's annual spring festival) and sent us a bottle of Lagauvlin's limited release Feis Ile 2015.

Feis Ile happens the last week of May. All week long, one day is dedicated to a specific Islay distillery. They open their doors with tours, parties, music and tastings. Malt whisky fanatics from all over the world come to celebrate the beauty that is Islay. It's also become tradition for each distillery to offer a limited release festival bottling. These are small batch releases of casks hand-picked by the distillery managers. They're often served up uncolored, at cask strength, and have some special characteristics like age or maturation. If that doesn't make your eyes light up, then we're just not speaking the same language.

We haven't been to Islay yet. It's in the cards, but with a 4.5 year old at home it's not so easy to hop over for a week of sipping malt, sleeping in a charming B&B, and watching the waves at Port Ellen. Just writing about it brings a tear to my eye. We'll get there. 

That's why when our bottle from last year's festival arrived, we were excited. Excited doesn't even really cover it. Ecstatic? Giddy? Something like that. As you know if you're a fan of SmokyBeast, Lagavulin is our first and still greatest love when it comes to whisky. And we'd never tasted one of their special limited release Feis Ile bottlings.

The 2015 Feis Ile bottle was a very special run, even by Feis Ile standards. Iain McArthur, Lag's legendary warehouse manager of 40 years, chose extra aged casks for a twenty-four year release that came in at a whopping 59.9% ABV. This will be the oldest, and the strongest Lag we've ever tasted.  in summary: Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!!!!!

We were so excited that we let the bottle sit on our shelf and gazed longingly at it for almost a whole year. It was like an unspoken pact that we would save it for a special occasion. Well almost a year later, with Feis Ile 2016 coming up next week, this seemed like as good an occasion as any.  

Tasting Notes

Nose: The peat is so subtle in the nose here it's all rose petals and heath and lavender. There's a healthy punch of saddle leather and expensive men's cologne. It tails off with a little more smoke, and some melons - cantaloupes and honeydew.

Palate: It opens up and shows its Islay roots in the palate with a big thick mouthfeel of peat and honey. More melons, apricots.  It's so integrated, the peat and the spirit and the sweetness are all wrapped up into a perfect balance.

Finish: Compared to the cask strength 12-year this is a very subtle finish. It's not a fire-breather by any means. The tongue is coated in honey and the smoke rests at the top of the palate drifting up into the nostrils.

Conclusion

It's just superb. At almost 120 proof we expected this to be a ripper, but it's just the opposite. It's a super mellow well balanced whiskey that hits all the right notes. It pulls you in with sweetness and florals before rewarding you with the desired smoke. We felt this one was just perfect with about two eyedropper drops of water (room temperature spring water of course) per ounce. The tiny bit of water opens it up beautifully and it's just a killer dram. Real desert island stuff here, probably in the top ten malts we've reviewed on the site.  A big SmokyBeast "A"!

Vegas, Part 2!! Review Lagavulin 21-Year and Parker's Heritage Collection #4 Wheater!!!

November 25, 2014

Vegas, Part 2!! Review Lagavulin 21-Year and Parker's Heritage Collection #4 Wheater!!!

Ok, as you faithful readers know, last week left us with a little fear and a lot of loathing for Las Vegas.  We'd ventured out into the whiskey universe and come up empty.  Like Pappy without his cigar.  After that we wondered around The Strip aimless.

And of course we wandered into the casino.  It was bound to happen.  But don't you know it, karma being the righteous soldier that she is, our fortunes turned.  Twenty-five dollars were converted into chips. Knowing slightly less than nothing about gambling, I put it all on black.  Roulette win!  Now it's $50.

One hand of blackjack.  Get a ten and a five.  Shit!  Gotta hit.  A two.  Double shit.  Stick.  It's a push. Next deal: king and an eight!  Dealer gets an ace.  Triple shit!  But wait, the next card is a four! That's a soft fifteen.  Dealer hits.  Next card is a ten.  That's a hard fifteen.  Dealer must hit.  My $50 burns a hole in the table a foot deep.  Next card: A TEN!!  Dealer busts.  Fifty bucks just became a hundred.

Next stop: craps.  Going with the groove, put it all on the line.  First role is an 8.  We're still in it. Next role: a five.  Third role: AN EIGHT!  Two hundred bucks!

And you know what we do next?  We f'ckin leave!  Because that's the only smart thing to do.  We take our $200 and leave and we go to the bar at the hotel, figuring that even though the drive to the whiskey tasting was a bust, now we've got two hundred bucks to drop on twenty shots of Jameson or whatever standard stuff they've got at the bar.

We scan the horizon and it's like a plethora of good whiskey. Plenty of high-end scotch and bourbon. We're getting excited. But then, upon closer review, one bottle shines out like the halo on an angel.  Could it be?  After all these years?  Hiding right here in our hotel???

Lagavulin 21-Year

When this bottle came out, in 2012, we thought it would be crazy to spend around $500 on a bottle of scotch.  We quickly came to regret it, not only because they now sell for almost double that, but because we're such Lagavulin nuts and we never got to taste it!  Well with $200 of gambling winnings in my pocket and this bad boy marked at $75/glass it was a no-brainer.  Would it measure up to my hopes and dreams?

In a word, YES!  This is everything we love about Lagavulin amped up to the tenth degree!!

Breaking it down: 

Lagavulin 16 Year is the best of the standard Lagavulin line because the age reduces the sharpness and the peat comes through all warm and lovely.

Lagavulin Distiller's Edition is a nice variation with the extra emphasis on sherry barreling.  The sweetness comes through which mingles wonderfully with the peat.  Ultimately we still prefer the 16, but the DE is a nice change of pace and a frequent drink for us, especially around the holidays.

Lagavulin 12 is the most powerful/peaty/flavorful of the standard bottles, mostly because it comes in cask strength.  It's a ballsy dram for sure, not for rookies, and you have to be in the mood for a fireball of peat.

Lagavulin 21 though, good God, it captures all the big bold flavor of the 12 (coming in at a perfect 52%) adding the sherry goodness of the DE (21 is pure sherry cask), and the maturity and warmth of the 16.  Actually those extra five years really make a difference, taking the complexity and maturity (think saddle leather, pipe tobacco, and vanilla) up to a whole 'nother level!  It really may be the best malt I've ever tasted.

Ok now we're having fun.  So what else does this hotel bar have in store?  Well we browse for a while and happen to see another gem that's been on our wishlist for some time.  We ask the bartender to put it next to the Lagavulin just for sh*ts & g*ggles.

Parker's Heritage Collection (#4 Wheated Bourbon)

We should really line up all the Parker's one day and do a massive PHC marathon.  So far the #7 "Promise of Hope" was a strong release last year.  The previous year's #6 "Blend of Mashbills" was even better (hint - keep these up at cask strength!!).  We got two opportunities to taste the #2 - 27 Year Bourbon and it was one of the finest American whiskies we'd ever tasted.  Big, deep, incredibly complex, and very woody but not over-oaked in our opinion.  A true gem.  But up to this point the #4 release from Heaven Hill's yearly limited edition lineup had eluded our taste buds.  Well Viva Las Vegas!  There it was sitting in the bar in our hotel just waiting.  And at not a bad sticker price of $30.  (So far we've only spent half our winnings, so the rest went towards a massive rib steak!).

Of course Pappy Van Winkle is the mother of wheated mashbill bourbon.  For a quick explanation, bourbon has to be at least 51% corn.  From there, distillers will add rye, malted barley, and/or wheat to complete the recipe.  "High corn" mashbills typically have 60% or 75% corn, and the rest rye.  "High rye" mashbills have 51% corn and 35+% rye.  "Wheated boubon" uses wheat as the second ingredient.  Pappy Van Winkle, William Larue Weller, and certain bottles of Willett are all highly sought after wheated bourbons.  The wheat gives it a dry and almost hoppy character with a lot of crack and richness.  Once you start drinking wheated bourbon, you tend to dream about it the next day.

The Parker's is no exception.  It's a delicious, big, sweet spicy and complex flavor that's 1,000% drinkable at cask strength right out of the bottle (well ok in a glass).  This is a total winner.  Lovely crisp short finish where all the wood and spice, sweetness and spirit warmth wrap you up in a flood of classic american whiskey bliss.  Definitely give it a go if you have the chance, a wonderful experience!

Cheers/SB

Review: Port Ellen 18 Year McGibbons "Winter Distillation" - A home run just in time for the World Series

October 22, 2014

Review: Port Ellen 18 Year McGibbons "Winter Distillation" - A home run just in time for the World Series

Two Things That Don't Suck

Two things that don't suck:  Douglas McGibbon's Provenance, and Port Ellen.  Provenance is a line of independent single malt bottlings.  In other words, the geniuses at Douglas McGibbon & Company hand pick casks of scotch (and these dudes have one of the best barrel collections in the world), age them in their vast warehouses, and release them just at the right time.  If you love a particular distillery and Provenance offers a single cask release, you should buy it.  You can bet it won't suck.

Another thing that rarely sucks is Port Ellen.  If you're a loyal reader, you know that PE is like the holy grail for peat heads.  It was one of the most prized distilleries in Islay until it was closed down in 1983.  They made some magic there with a massive peaty whiskey that was so smooth it makes a baby's butt feel like sandpaper.  We're faithful that Lagavulin 16 Year is the best scotch you can buy on the shelf today, but this stuff is like Lagavulin's elder statesman, older brother, or cool uncle.  It's the shit.

Needless To Say...

Needless to say when we saw two favorite things come together in this McGibbon's Provenance bottling of Port Ellen 1982, we were pretty pumped up.  We'd never had a Port Ellen this YOUNG. Since it's been thirty-one years since the distillery closed, you usually see older bottlings these days at twenty-five years and up.  With these peaty Islay scotches, sometimes younger is better because the glorious fiery smoke tends to fade with age.  At a barely legal eighteen years old, would this young beast show some of that coveted fire?  On top of that, take one look at the color and you know that it's got to be a sherry cask.  Sherry-cask, peated Islay scotch is our all time favorite type of malt. So on paper all the ingredients pointed to this being a hell of a dram. This bottle is dubbed the "Winter Distillation" and it was distilled and bottled in the winter months.  Does that make any difference?  We have no idea.  But it sounds really cool.

Tasting Notes

Nose:  It's like campfire stones bubbling with melted marshmallows, sticky candy orange slices, tree bark, and spicy lemongrass.  Pink rock salt, a little salty ocean brine, more sweet: honey, molasses, bitter cherries, pears, and rose water.

Palate:  The balance is just amazing.  With sherry and sweetness and nice round edges, but adding an amazing layer of smoke and warmth underneath.  It's got that "Ragout Factor" as in "It's In There!"  Everything you're looking for: the old leather, the pipe tobacco, the sweet sticky raisins and plums, the big big smoke, the amazing spirit warmth.  It's got it all.

Finish:  Wonderful mid-length finish where the smoke, chocolates, and fruits just meld together in the mouth and float on top of a nice spirit warmth with absolutely zero alcohol burn whatsoever.  The flavors linger until you're left with a little beautiful pipe smoke, sweet citrus fruits, and warm oak.

Review

We've gotten away from the grades lately, but holy crap this one is an "A+".  It's a "desert island" dram without a doubt, just a total gem.  We're going to have to savor this bottle for as long as we can before letting that last drop go.  Because of course we weren't smart enough to buy two...

Cheers/SB

A Pair of Single Barrel Gems from Kilchoman - Impex and Binny's Exclusive Barrel Picks!

September 11, 2014

A Pair of Single Barrel Gems from Kilchoman - Impex and Binny's Exclusive Barrel Picks!

We're really quite nuts for Kilchoman.  They've got this raw young energy bursting with peat, smoke, and fresh farm-to-bottle quality that sets our senses reeling.  When we found out that our friends at Impex (the guys that import The Exclusive Malts) were doing a barrel pick of Kilchoman - aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels and finished in Pedro Ximinex sherry barrels (did we mention that's our favorite combination??) we got very pumped indeed.  Very pumped indeed.  And how better to taste this new young Islay beauty than head-to-head with another Impex Kilchoman private cask, the "Barrel Room" pick from Binnys?  Here for your reading pleasure are these two new sherried beauties lined up for a classic SmokyBeast kind of evening...

Impex Exclusive Kilchoman, Cask 494
Distilled 10/2/2008, bottled 1/29/2014, 119.2 proof

Nose:  Classic Kilchoman:  smoldering peat, fresh farm grains, white chocolate, sweet grapes, little flecks of celery, pepper flakes, mint, tarragon, thyme, and a hint of vanilla / baking powder.  

Palate:  Again. like we've come to expect from Kilchoman...  While the nose is big in-your-face peat smoke, the tongue is soft, round, and mellow.  Chewy and thick for such a young malt, we get black licorice covered in chocolate (Good & Plenty anyone?), smoked trout, and crispy sage.  An all out fresh attack on the senses, totally unexpected and totally awesome.  

Finish:  And we're back to the deep long smoke & peat finish.  Living right up to its expectation as the new young beast from Islay.  Smoke just crawls up your jaw and the sides of your mouth.  The little plums and strawberry jam of the sherry make themselves present on the finish.  And the big cask strength spirit warmth doesn't shy away, but also doesn't overwhelm - just sitting perfectly in the pocket with the big flavors of this whisky.  We didn't even think of adding water at almost one hundred and twenty proof!  Enough said...

Kilchoman Single Cask 3010 

"The Barrel Room" for Binny's Chicago

This awesome bottle was one of the warriors in our Battle of the Beasts and scored really well against some legendary peat monsters.  It's still available at Binny's.  Granted $110 is a little expensive for a 5-year malt, but this may be the last cask strength single sherry cask Kilchoman you'll be able to get for a while.  (we bought two, one for drinking and one for good measure!)

Tasting Notes

Nose:  Very strong compact and punchy smoke.  Like match heads, surrounded by some florals - tarragon, lilies, then the familiar salted nuts, cocoa, olive oil.  This one feels less sweet and chocolaty and more punchy and smoky.  A diesel peat lovers dream of a nose.

Palate:  This one stays strong in the smoke right through the palate.  Smoldering campfire rocks, sea air, hot spicy mesquite bbq.  The sherry influence is more tannic and adds an herbal tartness that goes really well with the smoke.  

Finish:  On and on for days, this one is a delicious tight smoky beast.  First class peat-head finish.  

Conclusions

What is there to say except the Kilchoman is a smoky beast kind of dram!  The Impex exclusive barrel is rounder and has more sweetness to it, while the Binny's selection is more straight ahead smoky and powerful.  They're both awesome and showcase the freshness and flat out ballsy young Islay style pioneered by Kilchoman.  If you haven't yet tried the new Islay (Kilchoman is the first new Islay distillery in 150 years!), start with one of their core offerings: Machir Bay or Loch Gorm.  If you fall in love like we did, pick up one of these single casks for a real knock out.  You can end any whisky tasting with this bad boy and it's sure to be remembered!  

Cheers/SB

P.S.!!!  We just got word that Kilchoman is releasing a PX cask as an addition to their standard line.  Awesome news!  Stay tuned for a review as soon as we can get our hands on some.