Whisky Review – Bruichladdich by whiskybroker.co.uk

Bruichladdich 9 year old single cask
50%ABV (bottled at)
£35.00 at whiskybroker.co.uk

Details from whiskybroker

This Islay whisky, distilled on 30th June 2004 at Bruichladdich Distillery, has been matured in a bourbon barrel for over 9 years. The cask was heavily charred, with several litres of charred wood being collected in buckets from the empty cask. This has been filtered out, although very small particles may remain in the bottle and are only visible when the bottle is left standing for a period of time.

The whisky has not been chill filtered, nor has any colouring been added. It has been lightly filtered to remove large particles of wood sediment from the cask, but may still contain small traces, which are visible only when bottle is left standing for a period of time.

Cask Details:
Bourbon barrel 638
Distilled 30th June 2004
Bottled 21st August 2013
The cask yielded 273 bottles at 50% vol.

Nose.

More resembling the Islay barley profile than the classic laddie. No smoke here, is is a powerful and rich honey lemon mix with a bouquet of blooming flowers. There is a minute element of the maritime in the background. Some seaside saltiness in the air. A rich vanilla joins with time in the glass and more barley sugar sweetness. More floral and oak spice comes in time with a pepper heat.

Palate.

Quite sweet, but dry at the same time, lots of honey and vanilla, a little toffee. Some citrus. The maritime notes come through mid palate, with some sea salt and iodine. Pepper spices are present throughout. The development carries onto the sweet side, a very rich flavoursome laddie.

Finish.

Long finish. The citrus fruit remains and the sweetness of the barley oils feel very good all the way through to a drying end. A little sawdust, oak spice is at the very finale.

Adding water.

Adding a small drop of water to bring on the mist. The nose has added intensity, the lemon citrus notes are expanded with added honey. Floral and oak spices also provide balance. The nose is reminiscent now of the Islay barley expression but with added age and depth. The palate, while lighter in the mouthfeel, expands the fruit and toffee notes. It is very chew, sweet sugar also expanding with an added creaminess. The finish retains this new creaminess, and smooth texture.

Conclusion.

A really nice complex single cask from Bruichladdich (care of whiskybroker). It’s very Bruichladdich, but also has some nice variation. Having tasted and reviewed the 10 year old and Islay barley just before this whiskybroker release I can say this is a very interesting middle ground. It has elements of both of those previous expressions, but added uniqueness in the intensity of the flavours. There’s no smoke here if your not a smoke fan, just a whole lot of flavour and aromas to explore.

Thanks to Martin at whiskybroker for the cask sample. It’s much appreciated and enjoyed, as will the bottle I purchased be in time. 🙂

BENRIACH RELEASES LATEST BATCH OF ITS SINGLE CASK BOTTLINGS

BENRIACH RELEASES LATEST BATCH OF ITS SINGLE CASK BOTTLINGS

THE award-winning BenRiach Distillery has today, 17th of July, released Batch 10 of its eagerly-anticipated single cask bottlings.

Selected by Master Blender Billy Walker, the superlative twelve-expression batch from the Elgin distillery was bottled last month and all bottlings are available as of today.

Batch 10 comprises sublime Speyside vintages ranging from 1976 to 2005. Cask types vary from Moscatel and Virgin American Oak Hogsheads to Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheons and Barrels.

As always, they offer a mouth-watering range of classic BenRiach malt charm – zesty tropical fruits, dark roasted coffee beans, soft vanilla, banana, toffee, cinnamon…and even campfire-roasted apples with a touch of black pepper!

Unusually for BenRiach, one expression – the 1998 cask # 7633 – has been triple-distilled. The taste is sensational – lively crisp pineapple explodes and gradually softens into creamy toffee.
And also included in the new batch is an intriguing young 8 year old, an amazing 2005 cask # 3782 which is rich gold and, on the nose, bursts with sweet heather smoke, ripe soft fruits and a touch of citrus zest – ideal for summer drinking.

The cask details are:

1976 cask # 2013 / 37 years old / Classic Speyside / 49.6%vol

1977 cask # 1031 / 36 years old / Moscatel Finish / 54.9%vol

1978 cask # 1047 / 35 years old / Moscatel Finish / 51.1%vol

1983 cask # 296 / 30 years old / Classic Speyside / 43.9%vol

1984 cask # 1051/ 28 years old / Peated / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Finish / 49.9%vol

1985 cask # 7188 / 27 years old / Peated / Virgin American Oak Finish / 48.9%vol

1988 cask # 4000 / 24 years old / Tawny Port Finish / 52.6%vol

1992 cask # 986 / 21 years old / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Finish / 53.3%vol

1994 cask # 4385 / 18 years old / Virgin American Oak Finish / 55.5%vol

1996 cask # 10306 / 17 years old / Marsala Finish / 56.0%vol

1998 cask # 7633 / 15 years old / Triple Distilled / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Finish / 56.1%vol

2005 cask # 3782 / 8 years old / Peated / Virgin American Oak Finish / 58.1%vol

Some really tasty looking drams there. Can’t wait to try some.

Wemyss update – tasty summer drams

Some yummy looking stuff coming from Wemyss

With the summer heating up, we have 6 new single cask releases as sizzling new drams on offer from today. The first orders to UK, EU and Asian distributors are going out later this week, so there no bottles in stores yet. Please see the press release attached.

The 6 new whiskies are:

“Apple Pastry” – 1991 single cask from Linkwood, Speyside

“Salted Caramels” – 1991 single cask from Glen Scotia, Campbeltown

“The Smokery” – 1980 single cask from Caol Ila, Islay

“Maritime Embrace” – 1989 single cask from Bunnahabhain, Islay

“Melon Cocktail” – 1994 single cask from Aberfeldy, Highlands

“Spiced Chocolate Cup” – 1997 single cask from Clynelish, Highlands

I’m hungry just reading those.

Whisky Review – Elements of Islay PL1

Elements of Islay PL1
60% ABV
Sold out. Though Corks of Cotham may have 1 or 2 left! £65.99

I love Bruichladdich. Love em I tell you! I’ve tried a few of their expressions. I love Octomore loads! I’ve tried a few of theirs as well. However…I think this is the first time I’ve done a Port Charlotte!

Nose.

Coastal BBQ. The sizzling bacon fat is bubbling away. The salted waves crashing in the background. From the colour and presumed (port Charlotte would have been going up to ten years at the time of this bottling so I would assume 6-9 years in a very active ex-sherry cask) age I would have thought more fruit present on the nose. But it’s very much a big, young, boosty Islay malt. It’s big ABV makes it harder to get your nose into. But with a litter perseverance the sherry spice and dark stewed fruit notes can be found lingering in the BBQ background. A little time in the glass and the fruit does wonder a little further forwards.

Palate.

Immediately some sherried dark fruits followed by a massive alcohol blast. As the blast subsides, it becomes quite maritime. Sea salt. Chilli and pepper. Peat earth. The fruit doesn’t return though.

Finish.

Salt and pepper. Some minimal fruit. Very warming. Drying wood tannins.

Adding water.

Think this will take a bit but will go in stages. Dollop 1. Nose is still hot. Rummed raisin coming through now. A little fruitcake in the background. BBQ still there in abundance. Palate. Wow. Big stuff. Fruity peat. Lots of fruit now. Really chewy. Great mouthfeel. It’s big, brash and fun. It’s got a lot of sherried dark fruits coming through but not the intensity of a a’bunadh, more sherried fruits with a peat fired rocket up its jacksie. Still got quite a bit of heat mid palate, but the flavours are coming out. Finish has some very subtle peat smoke infused fruits. More berried fruit now as opposed to raisins. I would go black/red/straw berrys. Lets do another water dollop. Dollop 2. For reference we have cloudiness. The nose is now well fruited. With many berries in addition to the raisin effect. The BBQ is more bonfire now. Damp brown leaf bonfire. There’s a little toffee coming in with the fire. The palate is now without the big burn. The malt is more toffied in its nature. Still fruity, very little peat on the immediate palate. The finish has peat earth, toffee encrusted fruit bars. Some cereal is floating around the mix as well. Possibly malted milk biscuits. There’s some creaminess throughout the experience now also. With or without water?! Can’t decide. Work to do there I think to find the right balance. It’s an experimental dram. You could spend a whole evening with a couple of these exploring the nooks and crannies. It’s an experience.

Conclusion.

A complex, different, big beastie boy of a malt. Lots to do, see, smell and taste. It’s not easy going. It’s a marathon of an Islay experience. Worth taking up though. If you can find it!

Whisky Review – Glendronach 1994 / 18 Year Old / PX Puncheon #3547

Glendronach 1994 / 18 Year Old / PX Puncheon #3547
55.1% ABV
£79.95 from theWhiskyExchange

I love sherried whiskies. If you read my reviews you’ll see that as I usually have more to say about them than others. Doesn’t mean I don’t love the others. It just means that sherried whiskies, good ones that is, fuel my need to write. Kind of like a textual purge!

Bear in mind this is a first opened bottle. First dram from it. If it differs greatly in time I will post updates.

Colour.

Deep dark natural mahogany. They look effing rich and sumptuous (will try not to use those descriptors again in this review! Lol) in the bottle. You know your in for a thick ride!

Nose.

Sweet spicy sherried malt. Serious PX influence. There’s a nice bit of aged oak wood spices also. Some rum drenched sawdust. A little polish. Bucket tonnes of dark fruits. Raisins, sultanas, plums. Some chocolate. A dollop of coffee. And spiced oranges baked in mulled wine! Christmas has definitely come early!

Palate.

Damn my barring of those descriptors! Errrr. It’s thick and juicy! Sweet PX big sherried monster malt. Then the bite comes. Subsides and develops into more sweet dark fruity pleasure. Mouthfeel is oily, chewy and all around big. Some oak influence in the palate showing a subtle age, but the sherry sweetness is the dominant entity here. Right up my street! Sweet oranges, chocolate, spiced oak chips, rum engorged fruitcake, raisins, sultanas, some coffee.

Finish.

More coffee, chocolate, oranges, rum and raisin. Drying out to sherry drenched oak, a little sawdust and toasted oak chips.

Adding water.

Being cautious with the water due to the age. I think it will take a bit. But I’ll go slow as its the first dram from this bottle. More balanced now. Quite delicately so. All the same fragrances are in place, little less fruit dominance and more stabilisation with the oak age influences making more of a statement. Fascinating. The palate. Sweet, fruity, tasty big! Less burn gives development more space and layers interchange between oak and fruit and aged spiced oak and chewy fruit and oak and yummm and ahhhh. Finish is lighter, fruitier, and, oh balls to it RICH and SUMPTUOUS!
A little more water. Probably put too much in as its quite cloudy (a good thing I know, but maybe not for the age) and diluted. Lets see. The nose is more oak than fruit now. Lots of polish and wood. Fruit very definitely left behind. Palate wise, much weaker, still got its bits and bobs. But it’s lost a bit there. Finish is well, fruitier! How strange! It’s fruitier, sweeter and less oaky dryness! That’s a bit different! So. How much water? Well it’s worth a play. For me. It’s a dollop. But not too much!
*update* – bit of time in the glass and the heavier diluted is really good! It’s just worth playing with this dram. Pour a large one. Make it last and add water several times during the hour or two you slowly spend nosing and sipping. It’s a good slow ride to awesomesville!

Conclusion.

It’s friggin awesome. I’m biased because I love sherried whiskies and especially glendronach px matured whiskies. They don’t pay me or anything, but they can if they want! (I could do with a new job!) Lol.

Whisky Review – SMWS 9.72 Lockets Honey and Lemon Lozenges

SMWS 9.72 Lockets Honey and Lemon Lozenges.
17 year old.
62.1% ABV
£59.90 from SMWS

Nose.

Intense lemon citrus. Rich thick Honey. Powdery Vanilla. Icing sugar. There is a menthol/eucalyptus twang.

Palate.

Initially hot. Then waves of lemon followed by hot chilli spices. Milding out to hot toddy honey and lemon. Chilli sticks in there with some chewing but gives a more menthol freshness in the effect.

Finish.

Chilli fades to Vanilla, lemon, citrus peel. Drying out to oak spices.

Adding water?

A good dash. Opens up more citrus fruits. Oranges. Some apple. Very much more lemons, juice and peel. More honey and vanilla. Richer overall. Some waxiness on the nose also. On the diluted palate the heat is calmed down and the chilli effect. Allowing for the honey lemons to be more exploitable. Sweet icing sugar coats those honey lemons! Mouthfeel is thick and chewy. Finish leaves some menthol and spearmint now alongside the citrus with a little fizz. Added another dollop. Still heat to the nose. Lemons seem diluted in favour of the menthol and oak spice/pepper/chilli. But then later was more lemons again. On the palate it’s getting more watery but still has an immense amount of flavour going on. Heat more diluted now, lemons, lemon oil, citrus peel. Oranges. Honey and vanilla and sugars all there still. Lighter and more layered now. Finish remains fruity as anything, warming and satisfying drying oak. Needs and can take quite a bit of water. Reminding me of old bassett’s sherbert lemons!

Thanks to SMWS for sending me a sample.

Whisky Review – Glendronach 1993 19 yo oloroso sherry butt #487

Glendronach 1993 19 yo oloroso sherry butt #487.
£99.99 at Whisky Barrel

Colour.

Dark dark mahogany.

Nose.

Quite constrained nose of concentrated fruits and nuts and chocolate. Rum soaked cherries and raisins. Almonds. Intensively syrupy sherried malt.

Palate.

Strong nip of alcohol. Penetrating concentrate of everything in the nose all at once.

Finish.

Slightly bitter chocolate. Drying.

Adding water?

Adding about 20% water. The nose gives rich dark sherried fruits. Xmas cake. Chocolate nuts. Sweet spices. Orange peel. Palate gives a Sumptuous fruity explosion. Rich and scrumptious. Smooth and still delicate yet bold. The finish is dryish. Fruity leftovers. Adding more water makes things less rich. More nut. Still scrummy, but the palate is less intense. The finish less also. Worth being discrete and careful with water quantity added.

Conclusion.

Another cracking single cask release from Glendronach. I’m a big fan. I know it may sound like I’m biased, been bought, sold out. But, I’ve bought these myself, as I am totally in love with this distillery! I am a sherry head and this distillery delivers for me! Thank you Glendronach!

Nickolls & Perks Exclusive Glenfarclas family cask. 2003. Cask number 1448 – Review

Nickolls & Perks Exclusive
Glenfarclas family cask. 2003.
Cask number 1448.
57.5%.
Available here.

Colour.

Rich treacle.

Nose.

Restrained sherry. Furniture polish. Thick rich toffee. Glutenous sugar. I adore this nose. I don’t know why they don’t make perfume like this. It’s not alcohol it’s heaven. After settling in the glass for 15 minutes more spicy sherried oak comes to the forefront with the familiar Christmas pudding notes shining away.

Palate.

Rich and mellow considering the strength. Heavy sherry monster. So viscous and oily. It’s gloriously rich and costs everywhere. Chewy sherried malt. So thick with fruitcake. Chocolate coming through as well.

Finish.

Sherried oak spices that goes on for ages and just internal warmth. That’s a glorious dram.

Adding water?

You know I don’t want to add water to this one. I’m enjoying it too much! But in the interest of science. A very small drop into half a dram. And wait. (Patience!!). Hmmm. It’s kind of reset the nose. Less sherried malt and back to the more restrained spicy oak aged profile. It’s not a bad thing. But. I prefer the settled down without water nose. Ahh. On the palate there is more layering to the fruits and chocolate. A little nuttiness coming through the spiced oak also. Finish feels a little richer with more age. Maybe the drop of water isn’t so bad after all. I’ll try another drop of water in what’s left. Just a small one! Nose weakened some more. Still has a good aged oak nose but the fruitcaky pleasure I love is toned down a lot. Palate is now loosing the oiliness and hasn’t benefitted from the extra water in my opinion. So, in conclusion on the water argument. I would say no water. Tho maybe worth putting a drop in close to the end of your dram to experiment and make your own mind up with.

Conclusion.

This is a rich, beautifully made whisky. It’s definitely one that I like more than most because of my sherry monster preferences. It is a monster. But a soft cuddly one that makes you lovely and cosy and warm inside. It’s quite an expensive bottle, but if you like your heavily sherried malts and have the dough. Then it’s worth the splash out in my opinion. But if your anything like me. This bottle won’t last a long time. It’s very more-ish!

Thanks go to Nickolls & Perks for providing me with the dram. It’s greatly appreciated and enjoyed.

You can buy this bottle for £100.00 from Nickolls & Perks.

Benriach Batch 1 – That Boutique-y Whisky Company – Review

Benriach Batch 1
That Boutique-y Whisky Company
48.2%
Available at Master of Malt £49.95

Benriach is high on my favourite distillery’s list. Had a great time with caskstrength.net‘s ‘b’ release at Christmas, and this is another corker.

Nose

Big fruity explosion. Dark fruits. Raisins. Grape. Cherries. Nicely Sherried. Spme aged spicy oak. Sawdust. I can sense some aniseed in the background. Some woody varnish notes. Warmth richness. A complex nose which I can spend a long time sniffing!

Palate

Dry arrival. Not as fruity as the nose would suggest. Some Chocolate and Sherried dark fruits come in time. Rich but delicate.

Finish

Dry medium finish. Dry wood spices dominates. Some limited fruit.

Adding water?

I added a small drop here. Conscious of the alcohol levels and not wanting to drown it. Wow! Here comes the fruit! Everything is enhanced with a drop on this one. The fruit really shines through. Everything previously noticed on the nose but appearing absent in the taste and finish blows up and outwards!

Conclusion

All round complex beast with some interesting characteristics in the nose and finish. Would say there is a reasonable age to this. Well worth spending some time with to interrogate further!

Bought as a drink by the dram from Master of Malt. I need to buy a bottle of this before it sells out I think. I’d like to spend more time with this complex monkey!

Macallan batch 3 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company) – Review

Macallan batch 3
That Whisky Boutique-y Company
50cl – £66.95 (Master of Malt)
43.4%

Nose

It’s got that Macallan character in a good way. Lots of toffee. Thick spicy fruitcake with rich dark fruity joy. Spices aloud, cinnamon dominating. With time sat in the glass I get more intensive fruit layering evident. It’s one that you can have sat for a long time, revisiting the nose, different every time, and just begging to be drank, but still has so much to give before hitting the tastebuds.

Palate

Surprisingly delicate. Scrummy plums and prunes hit first along with that lovely spicy fruitcake heaven. Spices meander around gently. Rich malt. There’s a creamy texture to the mouth feel which just makes my mouth salivate even more.

Finish

A medium long finish. Dry, leaving those dark fruits, some sawdust, a little mustiness (in a good way), and creamy leftovers.

Adding water?

I added minuscule water due to its already low strength. On the nose the fruit is toned down, but exposes more age, developing more oak notes and sawdust. Other fruits become forefront, with stewed apples and pears coming into play. Very complex. The palate increases the varied fruit compote and is a joy to explore. The finish is slightly lighter and creamier.

Personally I would be very sparing with adding water, but it is worth the trip. Just don’t drown it!

Conclusion

A relaxing, complicated, but easy and enjoyable experience. A loving dram. It embraces the soul and says your worth it! An adventure of an exploratory dram, well worth chilling out to. I’d love to know its actual age!

Would I buy it? I already have! Lol.

Available at Master of Malt
Also available as a dram for £6.32