Category: Malt Nuts

Malt Nuts: Young Laphroaig Tasting 2

It’s been over four years since we did our last young Laphroaig tasting. The last one was fun, a lot of fun, and so we decided it was time to revisit an Islay favorite. The rules for this tasting were pretty straightforward: Laphroaig aged 10 years or under and something we haven’t already tried in […]

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It’s been over four years since we did our last young Laphroaig tasting. The last one was fun, a lot of fun, and so we decided it was time to revisit an Islay favorite.

Malt Nuts - Young Laphroaig 2 -7

The rules for this tasting were pretty straightforward: Laphroaig aged 10 years or under and something we haven’t already tried in a previous tasting. Armed with this info we submitted our bottles, or bought into the event, and then gathered on a Los Angeles winter evening to taste them all blind. As usual. Here’s how all shook out.

 

Malt Nuts: Young Laphroaig Tasting 2 – Round 1

Malt Nuts - Young Laphroaig 2 -2

1A: Scarabus (Laphroaig): 46% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Vanilla, malty, smoky, minerally, honeycomb, spice.
  • Palate: Vanilla marshmallows, smoke, minerally, spirity, malty, HNC, spice.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoky, spice and marshmallow.
  • Overall: (2 / 5) Young and spirity with a light sweet touch.

1B: James McCarthur’s Islay (Laphroaig) 6 years: 45% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Vanilla, smoke, spice, caramel, malt, butterscotch and spice.
  • Palate: Vanilla, spice, smoke, butterscotch, caramel and herbal notes.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoked caramel.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Nice, I like what’s happening here. It’s an easy sipper.

1C: Exclusive Regions Islay KO (Laphroaig): 50% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Vanilla cake, malt, copper, smoke, butterscotch, herbal, roasty.
  • Palate: Iodine, metallic, spice, smoke, vanilla cake, herbal.
  • Finish: Long -> Sweet, smoky, spiced fade.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Is this Laphroaig? It has a sharpness to it and a roasty note I’m not used to, but it’s not bad.

1D: Laphroaig 10 years: 43% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Apple juice, spice, smoke, green mango, orange peel and wax.
  • Palate: Plasticy phenolic smoke, metallic, roasted malt and spice.
  • Finish: Long -> Sweet and ashy metallic fade.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) It’s a bit more ashy than smoky, but it’s nice and easy to drink.

Post-Reveal Commentary: Everything in this round was decent except that Scarabus. It was so light and spirity it was almost like new make.

 

Malt Nuts: Young Laphroaig Tasting 2 – Round 2

Malt Nuts - Young Laphroaig 2 -4

2A: Laphroaig 10 years Sherry Oak Finish: 48% – ex-Bourbon, ex-Oloroso

  • Nose: Ashy, sweetly malty, iodine, copper and raspberries.
  • Palate: Leathery dark fruit, copper, ash, iodine, rasperries and tin.
  • Finish: Long -> Leather, ash, metal and sweetness.
  • Overall: (4 / 5) Wild, this one is just wild… but good. I definitely want more of this one. Gets a slight soy sauce, umami note as it opens.

2B: Carn Mor Laphroaig 10 years (10-20): 47.5% – ex-Oloroso Hogshead

  • Nose: Apples, caramel, spice, iodine, smoke and malty sweetness.
  • Palate: Buttered biscuits, smoke, spice and slight herbal notes.
  • Finish: Long -> “Laphroaig” and buttery toffee.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Soft and sweet with a lingering richness. I’d be happy with more of this as well. It’s tasty.

2C: Claxton’s Islay Blended Malt (teaspooned Laphroaig) 8 years: 50% – Refill Sherry Butt

  • Nose: Spirity, minerally. plastic, banana chips, smoke, malt and vanilla taffy.
  • Palate: Vanilla taffy, heavy minerality, smoke and saline.
  • Finish: Medium -> Vanilla, smoke and minerality.
  • Overall: (2 / 5) Sharp yet watery… not loving this one.

Post-Reveal Commentary: Dang, that sherry oak Laphroaig is good. It’s a bit inky and has this underlying earthiness that’s just awesome. The Claxton is pretty much the exact opposite of that and is much more like 1A.

 

Malt Nuts: Young Laphroaig Tasting 2 – Round 3

Malt Nuts - Young Laphroaig 2 -4

3A: Laphroaig 10 years Cask Strength Batch 010: 58% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Floral, spice, smoke, Spree, cereal sweetness, iodine and dried fruit.
  • Palate: Dried dark fruit, smoke, leather, spice, cereal sweetness, and coastal notes.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoked dark fruit and toffee fade out with an earthiness.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Sherried and fruity with a smoked earthiness… yum.

3B: Laphroaig 10 years Cask Strength Batch 012: 60.1% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Earthy, coastal, smoky, malt and copper.
  • Palate: Earthy, coastal, smoky, malty and metallic with some caramel and dried fruit.
  • Finish: Long -> Sweet and smoky coastal.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) This is another tasty Laphroaig, this round is killing it.

3C: Alexander Murray Laphroaig 12 years (05-18): 54% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Candy sweetness, creamy vanilla, malt and dried fruit and smoke.
  • Palate: Candy sweet and a touch spirity and earthy with some dark sweets and smoke.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoky and malty fade, touch lemony and metallic.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Huh… interesting…

3D: Duncan Taylor Laphroaig 12 years (05-18): 53.9% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Dried fruit, smoke, malt, caramel, copper and saline.
  • Palate: Dried fruit, ashy char, darkly sweet, copper, herbal and saline.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoked fruit.
  • Overall: (4 / 5)There is a metallic note that gets stronger as it opens and some Honey Nut Cheerios come out with water.

3E: Laphroaig 10 years Cask Strength Batch 013: 57.9% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Minerality, herbal, fruit cake, smoke and copper.
  • Palate: Fruit cake, herbal, nutty, smoky and coppery.
  • Finish: Long -> Fruity candy smoke.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) I like the way the fruit and the smoke sit balanced and give this whisky a great round character.

Post-Reveal Commentary: Doing Batch 10,12 and 13 of the CS blind was great and I ended up liking all of them, which is great because I have a bottle of each in the bunker. The only “stinker’ in this round was that Alexander Murray, which was still decent. An all-around good round.

 

Malt Nuts: Young Laphroaig Tasting 2 – Round 4

Malt Nuts - Young Laphroaig 2 -5

4A: Laphroaig Cairdeas Triple Wood: 59.5% – ex-Bourbon, ex-Quarter, ex-Oloroso

  • Nose: Sweetly fruity, smoke, touch grainy, copper and herbal.
  • Palate: Fruity, charred and smoky, Banana’s Foster and some malt.
  • Finish: Long -> Dried strawberries, leather and char.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Deep and rich, I love the oily texture here. I’m very happy with this one.

4B: Laphroaig Cairdeas Pedro Ximenez: 58.9%

  • Nose: Banana, malt, dried orchard fruit, smoke and coastal notes.
  • Palate: Banana, malt, smoke, marshmallow, honey, dried orchard fruit and graham.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoke, nuts and graham.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) There is something quintessentially Laphroaig about this one. Love it.

4C: Laphroaig Cairdeas Port Wood: 51.3%

  • Nose: Candied dark fruit, cocoa, fruit, cinnamon and Sunkist gems with a winey sweetness.
  • Palate: Candy sweet, darkly fruity, malty and smoky with a roasted nut undertone.
  • Finish: Long -> fruity, smoky nutty.
  • Overall: (4.5 / 5) A nice way to end a tasting, this is a solid Laphroaig.

Post-Reveal Commentary: A mini-battle of the Cairdeas here and seeing the Port Wood was indeed included was amazing. It’s one of my favorite Laphroaigs of all time, it’s just a magical whisky.

Malt Nuts - Young Laphroaig 2 -6

When we first started talking about doing a 10 and under Laphroaig, I was thinking we might get a bunch of stinkers, instead, we ended up with a lot of great OBs and several good IBs. Sure the 10 year got stretched to 12, but who’s going to complain about getting some older whisky?

This was a fun tasting that showed when comes to Laphroaig, the OBs really do set the stage and the standard by which Laphroaig should be measured. They really do put out some just fantastic stuff. If you haven’t gotten acquainted with this distillery yet, I hope this tasting motivates you to give them a try.

TIll the next one, cheers!

Related Malt Nuts Tastings

Malt Nuts Young Laphroaig Tasting
Malt Nuts Laphroaig Tasting
Malt Nuts Laphroaig 14-18 Years Tasting
The Malt Nuts take on UIWs (Unidentified Islay Whiskies)
Malt Nuts: Undisclosed Islay Part 2

Malt Nuts - Young Laphroaig 2 -8

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Malt Nuts: Ledaig Part 5

The Malt Nuts gathering to do a Ledaig tasting has become a yearly tradition. Though this year, unfortunately, I had to opt to do the second (digital) version because of a scheduling conflict. Luckily that option is still open, though who knows for how much longer. This is why the photos below don’t look like […]

The post Malt Nuts: Ledaig Part 5 appeared first on The Whiskey Jug.

The Malt Nuts gathering to do a Ledaig tasting has become a yearly tradition. Though this year, unfortunately, I had to opt to do the second (digital) version because of a scheduling conflict. Luckily that option is still open, though who knows for how much longer. This is why the photos below don’t look like my usual shots. These were taken by the head Malt Nut Barry.

At this point, I don’t think I need to go into much detail about our blind tasting setup or the distillery, but for the heck of it here it is. The rounds were all done blind, mine in minis, with a reveal after the tasting. Ledaig is peated Tobermory and we focused on expressions aged 10+ years and 46%+ ABV. All good? Great, here we go.

 

Malt Nuts: Ledaig Part 5 – Pre round

Malt Nuts Ledaig 5 - 2

Pre 1: Morgan & Morgan Barrel Selection Ledaig 9 years (08-18): 50%

  • Nose: Salty, briny, dirty smoke, spirity vanilla, cakey
  • Palate: Buttered popcorn, fruit, char, spirity vanilla, smoke and maritime.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoke, vanilla cake, minerally and dry.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Damn this is a classic Ledaig. Fun and tasty!

Pre 2: Ardbeg 10 years: 46% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Minerally clay, malt, vanilla, spirity smoke
  • Palate: Buttered toast, smoke, minerality, honied fruit and malt.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoke, fruit and minerality.
  • Overall: (2.5 / 5) Super minerally and spirity, kind of an off profile, not as “dirty” as Ledaig usually is. And light, I had a hard time getting the notes I wrote from the nose.

Pre 3: Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2012: 50%

  • Nose: Malt, Honey Nut Cheerios, BBQ smoke, fruit and spice, sharp.
  • Palate: Malt, fruit, HNC sweetness and BBQ smoke with a bit of cakey sweetness.
  • Finish: Long -> Sweet and fruity with BBQ smoke.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) BBQ smoke isn’t usually something I associate with Ledaig, more of a Bruichladdich thing, but I like it.

Post-Reveal Commentary: These pre-rounds are always fun because they’re usually things we’ve tasted at previous tastings or things to calibrate the palate. I obviously, and now seeing falsely, thought it might all be Ledaig, but glad to see I pinged the true Ledaig right out of the gate. Also, by now I should know Barry’s going to throw a few curveballs into a tasting.

 

Malt Nuts: Ledaig Part 5 – Round 1

Malt Nuts Ledaig 5 - 3

1A: Exclusive Malts Tobermory 11 years (05-16): 57.6% – Refill Hogshead

  • Nose: Strawb shortcake, fruit leather, dried apricots, malt, touch of sulfur
  • Palate: Shortcake, spice, stale dried fruit, malt, touch of sulfur.
  • Finish: Long -> Coppery fruit.
  • Overall: (2 / 5) Has an almost artificial note to it and no real smoke to speak of. Weird.

1B: Archives Ledaig (08): 55.9%

  • Nose: Banana malt, smoke, dried fruit, spice and touch of oak.
  • Palate: Banana malt, malt, smoke and dried fruit, spirity oak.
  • Finish: Long -> Fruit and malt with a smoky Cheerio.
  • Overall: (2 / 5) Watery and light. What little I’m getting is in hints and whispers. Again, a slight artificial note to it like 1A.

Post-Reveal Commentary: Sooooooo we’re not off to a good start. It’s like the curse of bad whisky carried over from the Peated Bruichladdich Round 2 into this tasting. I hope this doesn’t continue.

 

Malt Nuts: Ledaig Part 5 – Round 2

Malt Nuts Ledaig 5 - 4

2A: Blackadder Ledaig 13 years (01-14): 57.5% – Oak Hogshead

  • Nose: Malt, banana, smoke, Canada mints, fruit and minerality.
  • Palate: Smoke, fruit, minerality, malt, floral and caramel.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoke, fruit and malt.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Dirty and a bit crisp.

2B: Single Cask Nation Ledaig 15 years (04-19): 55.7% – Refill Bourbon Hogshead

  • Nose: Sunkist fruit gems, smoke, vanilla, cherry taffy.
  • Palate: Buttery, Sunkist fruit gems, minerality, smoke, vanilla and fruity syrup.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoke, fruit, Sunkist gems and malt.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Pretty good, it’s an enjoyable Ledaig.

2C: Blackadder Ledaig 17 years (01-19): 58.3% – Hogshead

  • Nose: Malt, banana, smoke, fruit, vanilla taffy, touch floral.
  • Palate: Honey Nut Cheerios, smoke, banana, vanilla taffy, mildly floral.
  • Finish: Long -> Sunkist, smoke, fruit and floral.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Nice, I could drink this all night.

Post-Reveal Commentary: Now this is more like it! This was a good, tasty round of Ledaig and I was surprised to see Blackadder in there. I’ve only been so-so on them over the years.

 

Malt Nuts: Ledaig Part 5 – Round 3

Malt Nuts Ledaig 5 - 5

3A: G&M Ledaig 16 years (90-06): 46%

  • Nose: Crisp and coastal, minerally clay, dark fruit taffy, vanilla, fruity and malty.
  • Palate: HNC, banana, Sunkist candy, malt, clay, leather and winey sweet with a teeny hint of peat.
  • Finish: Long -> Butterscotch, sunkist gems and malt
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Is there smoke in this? Are the smoky hints I’m getting leftovers from the last whisky or a psychosomatic? It’s so light. It’s a good whisky, but it’s more like a Tobermory…

3B: Alexander Murray Ledaig 20 years (97-17): 50%

  • Nose: Smoke, herbal-spice, banana, fruit, malt, char.
  • Palate: Fruit, malt smoke, char, dried fruit, sweetness and
  • Finish: Long -> Smoke, malty sweetness and char, a bit dirty.
  • Overall: (3/ 5) Tasty whisky, not bad at all.

Post-Reveal Commentary: Huh, so 3A actually was a Ledaig, a super lightly peated Ledaig, but I guess a Ledaig nonetheless; I thought this was going to be like 1A and be a Tobermory. I think the only reason I’m getting a hint of peat on the palate is because of the residual peat from the others, it should just be labeled a Tobermory.

 

Malt Nuts: Ledaig Part 5 – Round 4

Malt Nuts Ledaig 5 - 6

4A: Chieftain’s Ledaig 11 years (07-18): 58.1% – Butt

  • Nose: Banana chips, malt, smoke, waxy vanilla, cinnamon, fruit and salt.
  • Palate: Banana, smoke, waxy vanilla, cinnamon, malt, nuts and leather
  • Finish: Long -> Smoke, sweet, honey and malty graham.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) I like this, it’s odd and fun and rich. This is a heavy, velvety, whisky.

4B: G&M Cask Strength Ledaig 14 years (00-15): 54.5% – Refill Sherry Hogshead

  • Nose: Sunkist gems, overripe fruit, malt, fruity syrup, graham and char.
  • Palate: Sunkist, grapefruit peels, malt and graham, touch minerality.
  • Finish: Long -> Fruity, smoke and candy sweet
  • Overall: (4 / 5) There is a dry grapefruit peel note that reminds me of Laphroaig 18, I like it a lot.

Post-Reveal Commentary: I really want a bottle of that 4A, it was super unique and wholly enjoyable. It stood up and stood out amongst everything I drank up to this point. I love surprises like this in a blind.

 

Malt Nuts: Ledaig Part 5 – Bonus Round

Malt Nuts Ledaig 5 - 7

BONUS: Single Malts of Scotland Ledaig 14 years (05-19): 55.4% – Sherry Butt

  • Nose: Fruit, malt, banana chips, touch floral, spice and smoke.
  • Palate: Malt, fruit, banana chips, nuts and taffy, with a dark candy sweetness.
  • Finish: Long -< Smoke, malt fruity candy and spice.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) I like it. The peat is oddly light on the nose, but very punchy on the palate and finish. This was a great whisky to end the night on.

Post-Reveal Commentary: It was good.

 

As always, this was a fun event. Even if it was just a handful of us doing it via Zoom, it was still fun to see some familiar faces, try some tasty whisky and spend the evening chatting and laughing.

Cheers!

Previous Malt Nuts Ledaig Tastings

Cask Strength Tobermory and Ledaig – A Malt Nuts Meeting
Malt Nuts: ex-Bourbon vs Sherried Ledaig
Malt Nuts: Ledaig Tasting Part 2
Malt Nuts: Ex-Bourbon Ledaig Tasting
Malt Nuts: Heavily Sherried Ledaig

Malt Nuts Ledaig 5 - 1

The post Malt Nuts: Ledaig Part 5 appeared first on The Whiskey Jug.

Malt Nuts: Peated Bruichladdich Part 2

A week after our Peated Bruichladdich Part 1, we gathered for Part 2. And like last time we all arrived with our samples in tow and after the usual hi-hello pleasantries we got down to business. Just like we’re about to do with this recap. I mean it, no long preamble or anything. We all […]

The post Malt Nuts: Peated Bruichladdich Part 2 appeared first on The Whiskey Jug.

A week after our Peated Bruichladdich Part 1, we gathered for Part 2. And like last time we all arrived with our samples in tow and after the usual hi-hello pleasantries we got down to business. Just like we’re about to do with this recap.

Malt Nuts - Peated Bruichladdich Round 2 - 16

I mean it, no long preamble or anything. We all know and love peated Bruichladdich. So let’s get to it.

Peated Bruichladdich Part 2 – Pre

Malt Nuts - Peated Bruichladdich Round 2 - 0

Pre 1: Bruichladdich Port Charlotte PC 10: 46%

  • Nose: Honied fruit, smoke, graham, cocoa and a light BBQ sweetness.
  • Palate: Medicinal, fruity, smoke, plastic, malt.
  • Finish: Long -> Medicinal, fruity, tannic
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Nice and sweet with a great medicinal kick that compliments perfectly.

Pre 2: Bruichladdich Port Charlotte PC 10: 50%

  • Nose: Plasticy smoke, malty, cocoa, hay, spice and mint.
  • Palate: Candy, fruity, malty, smokey.
  • Finish: Long -> Honied fruit, spice and smoke.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Not bad… not bad at all. In fact, I rather like it.

Post-Reveal Commentary: Old PC 10 vs new PC 10 = Both tasty. I don’t have anything to complain about.

 

Peated Bruichladdich Part 2 – Round 1

Malt Nuts - Peated Bruichladdich Round 2 - 2

1A: Elements Of Islay PI5: 63.1%

  • Nose: Vanilla, smoke, malt, fruit, cocoa, ash and saline.
  • Palate: Floral, herbal, smoke, fruit, saline.
  • Finish: Long -> Floral, smoke and malt.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Soft and light, as soft and light as peated Bruichladdich gets, but wonderfully interesting.

1B: Boutique-y Port Charlotte Batch 5: 51.1%

  • Nose: Smoke, malt, olde candy, ash, wine and caramel.
  • Palate: Smoke, charred fruit, candy sweetness, graham and a touch vomity.
  • Finish: Long -> Sulfur, smoke, char and a bit of vomit.
  • Overall: (2 / 5) Reading my notes it sounds awful, but it weirdly isn’t utter dreck. It’s not great, but in a weird way it’s kinda interesting and I don’t loathe it as much as I should.

Post-Reveal Commentary: I’ve never been a massive fan of Boutique-y whisky picks and the trend continues. Though why do I keep wanting to taste it again?…

 

Peated Bruichladdich Part 2 – Round 2

Malt Nuts - Peated Bruichladdich Round 2 - 6

2A: Malts of Scotland Lochindaal 12 years (07-19): 58.1% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Spirity, banana, malt, smoke, vomit, peach, caramel.
  • Palate: Spirity, banana, malt, smoke, vomit, peach, caramel.
  • Finish: Med-long -> Banana, alkaline, spirity, vomit.
  • Overall: (0.5 / 5) 1B held a perverse allure…. this does not. Wow, this is bad. Might be the worst peated Bruichladdich I’ve ever had.

2B: Alexander Murray Bruichladdich 12 years (05-17): 56%

  • Nose: Buttered popcorn, vanilla, old cigars, wood, red licorice, stale herbal spice.
  • Palate: Watery version of the aroma.
  • Finish: Med-long -> Buttered popcorn, wood, char, vomit.
  • Overall: (1 / 5) What is going on with this round… this is not a fun round so far. Blegh, this is awful.

2C: SMWS 127.36 Bruichladdich 11 Years (02-13): 63.2% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: BBQ smoke, fruit, honey, herbal spice, hay and malt.
  • Palate: BBQ smoke, fruit, honey, herbal spice, hay and malt with touches of soap.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoke, malt and a touch of soap.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) I don’t know if it’s the juxtaposition to the vomit twins 2A & B, but I’m enjoying this one quite a bit despite the light soapy notes.

2D: Whisky-Fassle Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 years (08-19): 62.7% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Malt, honey, BBQ smoke, malt, olde candy, honey, spearmint.
  • Palate: Malt, honey, apricot, BBQ smoke, malt, olde candy, honey, menthol.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoke, BBQ sweetness, olde candy and menthol.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Not your typical peated Bruichladdich profile, but it’s nice.

2E: Chorlton Whisky Port Charlotte 15 years: 54.9% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Candy sweetness, smoke, char, honey, malt, nuts and brine.
  • Palate: Nuts, smoke, wood, char and malt with bits of graham, fruit and cocoa.
  • Finish: Long -> Funky sweet and oaky smoke with some spice.
  • Overall: (4 / 5) Wow, this is delicious. It’s by far the best of the night.

Post-Reveal Commentary: 2A and 2B are some of the worst Bruichladdich I’ve ever had. And what’s even sadder is that I have a bottle of 2B sitting at home, unopened. I’m now dreading opening what seems like an utter waste of money because it was just awful. The second half of the round though made up for it. They were all delicious and I’d love to have taken home that Chorlton!

 

Peated Bruichladdich Part 2 – Round 3

Malt Nuts - Peated Bruichladdich Round 2 - 13

3A: Darkness Lochindaal 9 years: 51.8% – ex-Moscatel

  • Nose: Smoke, orange peel, mint, malt, fruit and cocoa.
  • Palate: Honied fruit, vanilla candy, smoke, citrus, malt, cocoa and a bit of mint.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoked fruit.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) This round is off to a better start than the last. This is something I’d like to drink regularly.

3B: Whisky Broker Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 15 years (04-19): 53.9% – ex-Sherry Butt

  • Nose: Buttered popcorn jelly beans, vomit, butterscotch, smoke, dried fruit.
  • Palate: Grape nuts, sulfur, buttered popcorn jelly beans and vomit.
  • Finish: Long -> Funky, smoky, vomity.
  • Overall: (1.5 / 5) This profile again? What the hell is going on with some of these releases?

3C: Bruichladdich Port Charlotte OLC 01: 55.1% – X Cask

  • Nose: Fruit, oak, smoke, malt and toffee.
  • Palate: Sweetly fruity, smoke, malt, dark sweets and spice.
  • Finish: Long -> Malt, fruit and smoke.Overall: (3 / 5) Tasty. Fun. Good. A nice way to end the tasting.

Post-Reveal Commentary: A better round than 2 for sure, but man, when that vomity note hits hard, it’s just obscenely unpleasant. I don’t mind it in the background, it’s in a lot of Bruichladdich, but when it moves up like this… yikes.

Malt Nuts - Peated Bruichladdich Round 2 - 12

After this tasting, I’m feeling less sure about single casks of peated Bruichladdich, though not by much. Instead of being 100% sure on them, I’m down to about 85% sure, which means I’ll still be buying them, though not from Alexander Murray and Boutique-Y. I’ve been burned by them too many times. Though this does make me wonder…

The vomity note is a light background note in a lot of Bruichladdich, including OBs, but what if they’re letting the really funky ones out to the IBs? Maybe having the IBs be hit-or-miss is a distillery tactic to keep people coming back to the OBs? It could work, but that would take a ton of work so that’s of course silly and cynical… but then again…

Despite some of the major letdowns of this round, it was still a great tasting all-in-all and it was immeasurably educational to try those awful Bruichladdich SiBs, to dive into the shallow end of the pool and see what it’s like when things go wrong. Though, obviously, more of it went right. Especially that Chorlton.

Till the next time, cheers!

Malt Nuts - Peated Bruichladdich Round 2 - Full Lineup

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Malt Nuts: Peated Bruichladdich Part 1

This tasting started life as a virtual event. I’d broken down all the bottles for this, and part 2, into sample bottles and we were all prepared to have these two epic tastings take place on Zoom. And then everyone started to get vaccinated. So we punted them a few months further out and did […]

The post Malt Nuts: Peated Bruichladdich Part 1 appeared first on The Whiskey Jug.

This tasting started life as a virtual event. I’d broken down all the bottles for this, and part 2, into sample bottles and we were all prepared to have these two epic tastings take place on Zoom. And then everyone started to get vaccinated. So we punted them a few months further out and did them in person instead.

Malt Nuts - Peated Bruichladdich Round 1 - 12

It was kind of odd, but actually quite nice, to see everyone show up with their whisky sample bottles ready to go. There was no bottle passing, looking for where the blanks went, etc. We all just sat down and started tasting, comparing and talking. It left more time for socializing after and reduced the “rushed” feeling of doing some of these mega verticals.

Everyone drank as much, or as little, as they wanted and there was no pressure to “get your money’s worth”. You already had it in the samples in front of you. If you wanted to sip 1/3 and save 2/3 for later you could. I really liked it.

I wish there was an easy way to merge the benefits of the remote and in-person like this. This is the perfect setup for a blind, but the logistics of it are a nightmare unless you have a machine that bottles minis… I’d love one of those.

The point is, this was a great setup, the night was amazing, and now let’s talk about what we drank.

 

Peated Bruichladdich Part 1 – Round 1

Malt Nuts - Peated Bruichladdich Round 1 - 1

1A: Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Scottish Barley: 50%

  • Nose: Plasticy peat, fruit, malt, spice and some bubblegum.
  • Palate: Plasticy peat, fruit, malt, spice and some cinnamon and bubblegum.
  • Finish: Long -> Plasticy peat, fruit and oil.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Tasty. Kinda rough and unruly, but in that perfectly acceptable Islay way.

1B: Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Islay Barley: 50%

  • Nose: Waxy, peaty, fruity and malty with bits of cinnamon, mint and nuts.
  • Palate: Waxy, peaty, fruity and malty with bits of cinnamon, mint and nuts.
  • Finish: Long -> Plasticy, malty, fruity and smoky.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) A weird combination of notes that works on every sniff and sip.

1C: Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2012: 50%

  • Nose: Smoke, fruit, malt, char, spice and a touch of bubblegum.
  • Palate: Malt, smoke, spice, fruit, and a bit of char and bubblegum.
  • Finish: Long -> Fruit and smoke.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Lots of fruit keeps this thing interesting and complex. The bubblegum notes make me wonder if French Oak is used in whatever this is.

Post-Reveal Commentary: This grouping of all Scottish-sourced barley was fun. It was interesting to see the differences in the years and how they compared. I’d love to do a super vertical of all of these releases.

 

Peated Bruichladdich Part 1 – Round 2

Malt Nuts - Peated Bruichladdich Round 1 - 3

2A: Claxton’s Bruichladdich 8 years (11-19): 57.9%

  • Nose: Bright and fruity with bits of smoke, malt, oil, nuts and floral notes.
  • Palate: Malt, fruit, smoke, nuts, oily char and floral.
  • Finish: Long -> Peaty fruit.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Very nice. Has a lovely bright quality to it.

2B: Malts of Scotland Rhinns 8 years (11-19): 56.2% – ex-Red Wine Hogshead

  • Nose: Buttered popcorn jellybeans, vomity (buteric), vanilla cupcakes and dried fruit.
  • Palate: Buteric, unintegrated wine (sweat quality) and smokey malt.
  • Finish: Long -> Vomity, vanilla.
  • Overall: (1 / 5) I can find aspects of it I don’t hate, but it’s mostly awful.

2C: Bruichladdich Port Charlotte CC 01 2007: 57.8% – ex-Eau de Vie (French Oak)

  • Nose: Plasticy peat, fruit, cinnamon, malt, and a bit of sulfur.
  • Palate: Plasticy peat, fruit, cinnamon, malt, and a bit of sulfur.
  • Finish: Long -> Peat, malt, cinnamon.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Reminds me a bit of 1A and like 1A… I like it.

2D: Bruichladdich Octomore 7.1: 59.9% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Sour candy, fruit, malt, smoke, saline.
  • Palate: Fruity, malty, smokey briny and darkly sweet with a touch of buttered popcorn jellybeans.
  • Finish: Long -> Fruit, yellow raisins, smoke and buttered popcorn jellybeans.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Dang, this is tasty stuff. I hope it’s something I can get.

2E: Bruichladdich Octomore 9.3: 62.9% – ex-Bourbon, Virgin oak, ex-Rivesaltes, ex-Syrah

  • Nose: Fruit leather, smoke, spice, caramel, malt, roasted nuts and oil.
  • Palate: Plasticy smoke, BBQ sweetness, spice, caramel, roasted nuts and dried bananas.
  • Finish: Long -> BBQ sweetness and smoke with some fruit.
  • Overall: (4 / 5) I keep waffling between 4.5 and 4, it’s very good. I wish I had more of it!

2F: Bruichladdich Port Charlotte PAC: 01 2011: 56.1% – ex-Bourbon, ex-Red wine (French Oak)

  • Nose: Dried fruit, sunkist fruit gems, smoke, char, saline and malt.
  • Palate: Butterscotch, smoke, fruit, char, saline and some floral hints.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoke, camphor and citric acid.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Coming back to it, the finish turns to cinnamon red hots. Weird, but still lovely all around.

Post-Reveal Commentary: The thing about OB vs Indie ‘Laddie is that they’re not all that different. Some whiskies change quite a bit when they’re done as a SiB through an indie bottler vs when it’s a cask vatting orchestrated by a master blender. Bowmore is a great example of this.

I don’t care much for OB Bowmore, there’s a plasticy funk they blend towards that I don’t care for. But it’s one of my favorite distilleries to snag when it’s an indie SiB, particularly Signatory, because it doesn’t have that note and I love it. ‘Laddie on the other hand is tasty, and similar, in both. Except for that Malts of Scotland Rhinns, that was absolute dreck.

 

Peated Bruichladdich Part 1 – Round 3

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3A: Bruichladdich Octomore 9.1: 59.1% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Waxy, plastic, smoke, dried fish, citrus peel and malt.
  • Palate: Smokey char, vanilla, malt, caramel, fruit, salty minerality.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoke, citrus and milk chocolate.
  • Overall: (4 / 5) Delicious… just delicious.

3B: Bruichladdich Octomore 8.1: 59.3% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Plasticy fruit, mat, spice, olde candy and nutty.
  • Palate: Olde candy, smoke, spice, and oil.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoke and olde candy with a touch of fruit.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Phenolic Smarties.

3C: Bruichladdich Octomore 4.2 (Comus): 61% – ex-Bourbon, ex-Sauternes

  • Nose: Chalky Necco, peat, malt, peaches, nuts and toffee.
  • Palate: Malt, spice, smoke, chalky Necco, dried orchard fruit and toffee.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoke, fruit, malt and a jammy sweetness.
  • Overall: (4.5 / 5) Kinda want to give this a 5, but something is keeping me from doing it. So good though. Gets a touch earthy as it opens, super nice and… delightful. I want more of this too. Goddamn.

Post-Reveal Commentary: This Octomore face off was awesome. Octomore is always a great way to end an evening, but here we got to try two consecutive .1 editions against my favorite release to-date. There’s just something magical about that Comus.

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If you’re a peated Bruichladdich fan, then this will be a series for you… and me. I’m a fan, so this was one I was really looking forward to. This night was awesome and it fueled the fire of expectation for the following week when we were going to sit down for part 2.

Though luckily you won’t have to wait a whole week. Part 2 will be up tomorrow. See you then.

Cheers!

Malt Nuts - Peated Bruichladdich Round 1 - 0

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SCWC + Malt Nuts: Milk and Honey Tasting (Super Vertical)

Over the course of two nights, the Malt Nuts and the SCWC joined forces with the Milk and Honey distillery to taste through a massive chunk of what they’ve released to-date. There are some indies, early releases and small releases we didn’t have, but on the whole, we covered a large chunk of what’s been […]

The post SCWC + Malt Nuts: Milk and Honey Tasting (Super Vertical) appeared first on The Whiskey Jug.

Over the course of two nights, the Malt Nuts and the SCWC joined forces with the Milk and Honey distillery to taste through a massive chunk of what they’ve released to-date. There are some indies, early releases and small releases we didn’t have, but on the whole, we covered a large chunk of what’s been available in the US market.

SCWC and Malt Nuts Milk and Honey - 1

If you’re not familiar with Milk & Honey, I’ll give you the two-second rundown: it’s Israel’s first, and only, whisky distillery. They focus on single malts done according to the Scottish tradition and was one of the late Dr. Jim Swan’s last projects. Everything from the lower barrel entry proof to the use of STR casks to young whisky tasting fantastic have his fingerprints all over it. This was a Jim Swan project to the T.

Everything M&H releases is roughly between 4-5 years old, with some being as young as 3, but they taste more mature due to the hot climate the barrels mature in. Everything I just mentioned is why this tasting was so interesting to us. Both groups, which have a heavy overlap, wanted to deep dive into another Swan project, see how it turned out and how the climate interacted with the wood and the spirit.

The first night was the SCWC, the second was the Malt Nuts. The photos and notes are a mix of the two nights. And with that, let’s dig in!

 

SCWC and Malt Nuts Milk and Honey - 4

Milk & Honey Classic: 46% – ex-Bourbon, Red Wine STR

  • Nose: Fruity, honied malt, graham and cocoa.
  • Palate: Caramel sweet, malt, fruit and slight candy sweetness.
  • Finish: Medium -> Soft, sweet, fruity and malty.
  • Overall: (2.5 / 5) Not bad, in fact it’s kinda tasty. It’s light, not super complex, but nothing wrong with it.

 

Milk & Honey Elements – Red Wine Cask: 46% – ex-Bourbon, ex-Red Wine

  • Nose: Fruity, malty, graham, frosting, fresh pastry.
  • Palate: Sweet wine, pastry, malty, dried fruit and a tad tannic.
  • Finish: Medium -> Soft and fruity pastry.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Nice. Warm and fruity with a solid maltiness and a touch of wine sweetness.

SCWC and Malt Nuts Milk and Honey - 5

Milk & Honey Elements – Sherry Cask: 46% – ex-Bourbon, ex-PX, ex-Oloroso

  • Nose: Honied fruit, graham, cocoa, malty sweetness, leather and citrus, a bit nutty.
  • Palate: Dried fruit, honey graham, strawberry shortcake, leather and Tootsie rolls.
  • Finish: Medium -> Dried strawberries and graham.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Also nice. Sweet, easy and fun. I’d drink this again no problem.

 

Milk & Honey Elements – Peated: 46% – ex-Bourbon, ex-Islay

  • Nose: Apples, honied graham and touches of smoke and mustiness with a spirity essence
  • Palate: Apples, honied graham, vanilla and touches of smoke and mustiness and a bit spirity overall.
  • Finish: Medium -> Smoke and mint.
  • Overall: (2 / 5) A combination of peated and un-peated whisky aged in an ex-islay cask resulted in very little peat, but a spirity sip.

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Milk & Honey #1 Dad 3 Years (18-21): 55% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Banana Quik, malt, fruit, char and caramel.
  • Palate: Toffee, olde candy, dates, dried fruit and bananas.
  • Finish: Medium -> Spice, char and fruit with a touch of oak.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Wow… this one really stands out. I like it. Warm and tasty, it’s one I grabbed another pour of at the end of the night.

 

Milk & Honey Apex – Fort. Red Wine Casks 4 Years (17-21): 60.4% – ex-Fortified Red Wine

  • Nose: Grapey sweet, vanilla, caramel, copper and spice with a touch of “trail mix”.
  • Palate: Metallic and malty with an unintegrated wine taste and some spice and “trail mix”
  • Finish: Medium -> Metal and malt with a touch of grapey sweetness.
  • Overall: (2 / 5) Not liking, but not hating either… I want more of that #1 Dad.

Impex Collection Milk & Honey 3 Years (17-20): 58.9% – ex-Bourbon, ex-PX

  • Nose: Citrus, malt, fruit, PX sweetness, honey and nuts.
  • Palate: Citrus, malt, olde candy, fruit, PX sweetness, copper, honey and nuts.
  • Finish: Long -> Sweet, malty and fruity.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Damn, this is nice. Rich, sweet and fruity with a light malty earthy kick.

 

Milk & Honey New Make: 50%

  • Nose: Minerally spirit with a slight bit of fruit and vanilla.
  • Palate: Minerally spirit with a slight bit of fruit and vanilla.
  • Finish: Short -> Minerally spirit with a slight bit of fruit and vanilla.
  • Overall: (NA / 5) Clean, warm and really a nice spirit. When I mentioned “spirity” in the Peated, this is what was showing through and not well integrating with the oak. On its own it’s not terrible, but not something I’d actively reach for either.

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Milk & Honey Whisky In Bloom Lightly Peated: 46% – STR, ex-Bourbon, ex-Islay

  • Nose: Spirity banana pudding with a bit of caramel.
  • Palate: Spirity banana pudding with a bit of caramel.
  • Finish: Short -> Spirity banana pudding with a bit of caramel.
  • Overall: (1.5 / 5) It was fun to see where the whisky started (before they called it whisky) and see how it tastes at a younger age.

Milk & Honey Apex – Dead Sea 3 years (18-21): 56.2% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Butterscotch, honey, char, earth, oak and vanilla with touches of dried fruit.
  • Palate: Butterscotch, malt, honey, char, earth, oak and vanilla fondant with touches of dried fruit.
  • Finish: Medium-long -> Toffee and fruit with a bit of oak.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Another super interesting and fun cask that showed how changing the location of a whisky can make big shifts in the end profile.

SCWC and Malt Nuts Milk and Honey - 2

Single Cask Nation Milk & Honey 3 Years: 59.3%

  • Nose: Banana cream pie, oat, char, milk chocolate and dried fruit.
  • Palate: Banana cream pie, oat, baking spice, char, milk chocolate and dried fruit with an herbal touch.
  • Finish: Medium-long -> Malty, oaky and a bit citrusy with some baking spice.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) As it opens a slight nuttiness shows up, but in all, it stays very nice.

 

Milk & Honey Apex – Pomegranate Wine Cask 3 Years (17-20): 60.3% – ex-Pomegranate Wine

  • Nose: FRUITY, some sweet pastry notes, candy and some maltiness with a bit of baking spice.
  • Palate: FRUITY, sweet pastry, old candy, char, honey graham and maltiness with a touch of spice.
  • Finish: Medium-long -> Dried dark fruit with some honey graham.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) It’s almost juicy with the way the fruitiness is delivered. Unique and tasty.

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Milk & Honey Cognac Cask 3 Years (17-21): 58.8% – ex-Cognac

  • Nose: Grapey, leathery, fruity, malty and nutty with light notes of cocoa, vanilla pod, baking spice and bubblegum.
  • Palate: BAKING SPICE! Grapey sweetness, leather, nuts, dried fruit, cocoa, and some oak.
  • Finish: Medium-Long -> Baking spice (clove and cinnamon heavy), orange peels, and a bit of vanilla and oak.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) I debated giving it a 4 (consider it a 3.75), but this is something else. Without a doubt, it’s my favorite thing they’ve done and it perfectly balances everything that ‘s going on in the glass.

 

There were some duds, there were some tasty whiskies and there was a lot in between. But the most important thing to note is that it was all educational. Both nights were a blast and we now have a better understanding of what kind of whisky Isreal is pumping out right now, and I hope you do too.

Cheers!

SCWC and Malt Nuts Milk and Honey - 11

The post SCWC + Malt Nuts: Milk and Honey Tasting (Super Vertical) appeared first on The Whiskey Jug.

Malt Nuts: Sherried Bunnahabhain Tasting

Ah Bunnahabhain. One of the two distilleries on Islay that buck the peaty line and add to the variety of profiles that come from the little island – Bruichalddich being the other. And like Bruichladdich, it does make some peated expressions, which the Malt Nuts dug into a couple years ago. Though for this tasting […]

The post Malt Nuts: Sherried Bunnahabhain Tasting appeared first on The Whiskey Jug.

Ah Bunnahabhain. One of the two distilleries on Islay that buck the peaty line and add to the variety of profiles that come from the little island – Bruichalddich being the other. And like Bruichladdich, it does make some peated expressions, which the Malt Nuts dug into a couple years ago. Though for this tasting we were focused on the un-peated style.

Malt Nuts Sherried Bunnahabhain - 0

To get more specific, we were aiming at unpeated ex-Sherry expressions as a followup to our ill-fated Wine Finished Bunnahabhain Tasting. Since publishing the results of that last one I did manage to cobble together some samples in untainted sample bottles and updated the notes, but the memory of that soapy evening still haunts me.

 

Malt Nuts: Sherried Bunnahabhain. -Round 1

Malt Nuts Sherried Bunnahabhain - 2

1A: The Octave Bunnahabhain 7 years (08-15): 52% – “Oak Casks”

  • Nose: Sherry, malty spice, dried dark fruit, honey and a touch floral.
  • Palate: Sherry, malty spice, dried dark fruit, butter, toffee, honey and a touch floral.
  • Finish: Medium -> Sherry, malt, spice and fruit.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Fun and tasty, a bit light, but really a nice drinker.

1B: The Octave Bunnahabhain 9 years (08-17): 52.4% – “Oak Casks”

  • Nose: Nutty, fruity, spiced malt and a touch of floral and cocoa notes.
  • Palate: Malted milk balls (Whoppers / Maltesers), cocoa, spice and nuts.
  • Finish: Medium -> Sherried malt and spice.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Decent, fun and nutty with a solid maltiness. Not a mind-blower, but tasty.

Post-Reveal Commentary: I like the Octave series, they always lend something interesting to these tastings and it was fun to taste two side-by-side and see the differences and similarities.

 

Malt Nuts: Sherried Bunnahabhain – Round 2

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2A: Signatory Bunnahabhain 12 years (07-19): 58.9% – 1st Fill ex-Sherry

  • Nose:  Milk Duds, malt, spice, dark sweets and floral notes.
  • Palate: Unintegrated wine and malt, metal, and overripe fruit.
  • Finish: Med-short -> Stale, copper and unintegrated and… off.
  • Overall: (2 / 5)  There’s some of that that unintegrated, winey, “human” note in there, but it’s not overwhelming.

2B: Signatory Bunnahabhain 12 years (08-20): 59.7% – 1st Fill ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Floral, spice, malt, cake, smoke and dark fruit.
  • Palate: Milk duds, butterscotch, nuts, cereal and a bit of spice.
  • Finish: Medium-short -> Touch of nuts and toffee
  • Overall: (2.5 / 5) Meh, it’s alright. It’s a bit sweet and starts tipping towards cloying as it opens.

2C: Signatory Bunnahabhain 13 years (07-20): 57.7% – 1st Fill ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Nutty, caramel, butter, spice and malt.
  • Palate: Buttered toast, caramel, fudge, spice and nuts.
  • Finish: Medium -> Warm and fruity with a touch of nuts.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Good and fruity with a nice malty profile.

Post-Reveal Commentary: This round was a roller coaster and it’s possible the reason I liked 2C as much as I did was due to it being after 2A and 2B. I’d like to try it again on its own and see it was as good as I thought or if it was a simple matter of juxtaposition.

 

Malt Nuts: Sherried Bunnahabhain – Round 3

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3A: Bunnahabhain 12 years (08-20): 52.3% – ex-Manzanilla

  • Nose: Farty, muddy, raspberries, cocoa and nuts.
  • Palate: Sulfur and unintegrated wine, “human” (sweat), and bad malt… no.
  • Finish: Medium -> Metallic.
  • Overall: (1 / 5) No… just no.

3B: Duncan Taylor Bunnahabhain 16 years (02-19): 53% – “Oak Casks”

  • Nose: Matchstick sulfur, pepper and fruit.
  • Palate: Matchstick sulfur, pepper, nuts, spice and fruit.
  • Finish: Medium -> Sulfur and caramel.
  • Overall: (2 / 5) Sulfur… just a bit too much sulfur.

3C: The Octave Bunnahabhain 15 years (02-18): 53% – “Oak Casks”

  • Nose: Clay, fruit, malt, nuts, raspberry candy.
  • Palate: Spice, fruit, malt, nuts, raspberry candy and trail mix.
  • Finish: Medium -> Spice and malt.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Not all that great, but far from bad. Decent sipper a bit above average.

Post-Reveal Commentary: I had that Manzanilla cask years ago at another event, when it came out, and I loathed it then too. Again, I’m wondering about my enjoyment of 3C because of its position next to two sulfur bombs.

 

Malt Nuts: Sherried Bunnahabhain – Round 4

Malt Nuts Sherried Bunnahabhain - 5

4A: Chieftain’s Bunnahabhain 10 years (01-12): 46% – ex-Sherry Butt

  • Nose: Super candy sweet with a bit of nuts and… bubblegum.
  • Palate: I keep getting distracted by this tropical fruit/bubblegum note.
  • Finish: Short -> Nuts and bubblegum with a bit of leather.
  • Overall: (2 / 5) This one was a curveball straight out of the 40 yard line. I don’t know what to think of it or its Big League Chew profile.

4B: Bunnahabhain 18 years (Current): 46.3%

  • Nose: Nuts, malt, dried fruit, malt and a bit of spice and citrus.
  • Palate: Nuts, malt, dried fruit, malt and a bit of spice and citrus.
  • Finish: Medium -> Dried fruit, malt and some nutty toffee.
  • Overall: (2.5 / 5) It feels light and kind of weird… like it’s getting overshadowed by everything else we’ve had.

4C: Bunnahabhain 18 years (Old): 46.3%

  • Nose: Roasted nuts, sherry, spice, dried dark fruit, malt and some leather.
  • Palate: Malt, nuts, spice and a bit of leather.
  • Finish: Medium -> Nuts, malt, fruit and spice.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Interesting. It feels weaker than the other stuff we’ve had, but it still has a nice character to it. I dig it, I would happily sip on this anytime.

Post Reveal Commentary: Getting to do two versions of the OB 18 yo side-by-side was interesting and showed how the whisky has changed over the years. This is the true beauty of blind tastings, the ability to remove any bias a label might give you and get to the heart of the matter: the whisky.

 

Malt Nuts: Sherried Bunnahabhain – Bonus Round

Malt Nuts Sherried Bunnahabhain - 6

Bonus: Signatory Bunnahabhain 13 years (97-11): 53.9% – Hogshead

  • Nose: Peat, fruit, malt, spice, copper and leather with a touch of citrus and cocoa.
  • Palate: Peat, fruit, malt, spice, copper and leather with a touch of citrus and cocoa.
  • Finish: Long -> Peaty smoke, fruit, malt, oak and citrus.
  • Overall: (4 / 5) Woah… this is lovely. I’m really digging this, easily my favorite of the night, this is a cracking bottle.

Post-Reveal Commentary: I’m beyond thrilled this one is mine.

Ok, so it wasn’t all un-peated. But when it’s not labeled as such, it’s kind of like getting a bonus prize in the bottom of your cereal box… provided you like peat that is. My friends Sarah and Dale would have spat the amazing bonus out immediately and for them it would have been like finding a furball in their cereal. But so it goes with taste and perspective.

Thanks for reading, till next time, cheers!

Malt Nuts Sherried Bunnahabhain - 1

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Malt Nuts: New and Old Glen Grant Tasting

This is the first in-person tasting the Malt Nuts have done since the pandemic started and we chose it carefully: it was the tasting we were supposed to do the week the world came to a halt. Glen Grant is a fan favorite amongst the group and we’d been talking about this tasting for years. […]

The post Malt Nuts: New and Old Glen Grant Tasting appeared first on The Whiskey Jug.

This is the first in-person tasting the Malt Nuts have done since the pandemic started and we chose it carefully: it was the tasting we were supposed to do the week the world came to a halt.

Malt Nuts Old Glen Grant - 7

Glen Grant is a fan favorite amongst the group and we’d been talking about this tasting for years. It was one we knew would be for the history books. Seriously, how often do you see more than one 20+ yo Glen Grant in a room? Let alone 8 ranged 20-30+, accompanied by 4 more aged 12-19, and 2 dusty blends? It’s a tasting lineup I’ve just never seen anyone do before.

Combine this incredible lineup with the usual Malt Nuts crew and add a dash of Robin Coupar and Johnnie Mundel, two of the absolute best in the industry who joined us as friends of the group, and you had a recipe for an unparalleled evening… and it was.

Robin was a stream of information and history, which Johnnie skipped a few poignant rocks across, and the whole MN crew was there to celebrate Glen Grant and life. It was a magical evening of reconnection and friendship enhanced by the special drams we had in our glasses. A night I won’t soon forget.

 

Malt Nuts: New and Old Glen Grant – Round 1

Malt Nuts Old Glen Grant - 3

1A: Glen Grant 12 years: 43%

  • Nose: Honey, fruit, graham, banana, marzipan.
  • Palate: Honey, fruit, copper, pastry, taffy.
  • Finish: med-Long -> Dark sweets, graham, char and fruit.
  • Overall: (2.5 / 5) Sweet malt with a bit of earth holding it together and a dry finish.

1B: Seagram’s 100 Pipers: 43%

  • Nose: Musty graham, phenolic funk, caramel, copper, stale sherry.
  • Palate: Musty and perfumy with a touch of copper sweetness.
  • Finish: Short -> Coppery OBE.
  • Overall: (1.5 / 5) Some kind of old blend that might be a bit oxidized. Not enjoying it.

Post-Reveal Commentary:  I could tell 1B was something old (bottled old, not cask old) but the reveal of the 100 Pipers was unexpected. I haven’t seen a bottle of that in a long time, but Glen Grant was a key malt component of it and that’s why it was there. This really was a good start to the night, a good way to kick off this kind of tasting and set the stage for what came next.

 

Malt Nuts: New and Old Glen Grant – Round 2

Malt Nuts Old Glen Grant - 4

2A: Glen Grant 18 years: 43%

  • Nose: Honey candy, orchard fruit, malt, pastry, tropical fruit.
  • Palate: Tropical fruit candy, herbal and malty sweet with a butteriness.
  • Finish: Long -> Sunkist fruit candy and malt.
  • Overall: (4 / 5) Buttery with a caramel fruit cake kick. I’m loving this one.

2B: Battlehill Glen Grant 20 years: 46% – “Oak”

  • Nose: Campfire smoke, graham and camphor.
  • Palate: Sweetly smoky, darkly fruity, sweet and malty.
  • Finish: Long -> Smoke, fruit and graham.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Fruity, smoky, malty goodness. Opens a tad hay-like and farmy, but that earthiness just adds to it.

2C: Mackillop’s Choice Glen Grant 30 years (80-10): 46%

  • Nose: Tropical fruit, orchard fruit, malt, oak and caramel.
  • Palate: Malt, complex fruit, layered dark sweets and oak.
  • Finish: Long -> Malt, fruit, graham.
  • Overall: (4.5 / 5) VERY nice. It has a ton of character and depth. Just lovely.

2D: Chivas Regal (70s) 12 years: 43%

  • Nose: Light and floral with a touch of malt and fruit and OBE.
  • Palate: Soapy and a touch smoky with bits of malt and fruit and OBE.
  • Finish: Long -> Soapy smoky caramel and mustiness.
  • Overall: (1.5 / 5) This is just so dang soapy and floral, it has to be a weird old blend with that punch of OBE funk.

Post-Reveal Commentary: From a haze of conversation and laughter 2C rose to grab my attention. The others in this round were good, except the Chivas, but 2C reached out and demanded attention. Wow is that a great bottle. The Chivas was, unfortunately, a soapy-oxidized mess. I’ve had some tasty Chivas from the 50s, 60s and 70s, and a truly outstanding one from the 40s, but this one didn’t match those previous experiences. It was here for the same reason as the 100 Pipers.

 

Malt Nuts: New and Old Glen Grant – Round 3

Malt Nuts Old Glen Grant - 5

3A: John Milroy Glen Grant 23 years (95-19): 49% – Refill Hogshead

  • Nose: Sugary Sunkist fruit gem candy, malt and a chalky “olde candy” sweetness.
  • Palate: Deeply fruity, buttery, malty and some of that same chalky candy.
  • Finish: Med -> Fruity goodness.
  • Overall: (4 / 5) Another fantastic dram. This tasting has a nice array of wonderful Glen Grants.

3B: Glen Grant 15 years Batch Strength: 50%

  • Nose: Chalky, ashy, fruity sweet and a bit of nutty char.
  • Palate: Fruity, mildly smoky and oily, ashy and nutty.
  • Finish: Long -> Sooty smoke and oil.
  • Overall: (2.5 / 5) WTF? This is weird, not at all Glen Grant-like and just… odd. I don’t have its, it has an allure to its odd, almost mechanical, presentation… it’s just so unlike the others.

3C: The Munro’s Glen Grant 22 years (95-17): 53.9% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Honey, malt, graham, caramel, copper.
  • Palate: Fruit, malt and a deep dark sweetness.
  • Finish: Med-long -> Fruity, malty.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Warm and fun, just a solid drinker.

3D: A.D. Rattray Glen Grant 20 years (92-13): 47.2% – “Barrel”

  • Nose: Fruity, astringent, malt, Sunkist candy and dried fruit.
  • Palate: Char, chalk, cocoa, dried fruit and nuts.
  • Finish: Med-long -> Fruit, malt, char, cocoa, nuts.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Odd… but good. I don’t hate anything about this.

3E: Subtle Spirirts Glen Grant 23 years: 52.4%

  • Nose: Fruit, malt, cocoa, caramel.
  • Palate: Banana, caramel, vanilla, spice and cocoa.
  • Finish: Long -> Caramel, S’mores and malt.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) It’s a bit chalky and dry overall, but still pleasantly drinkable.

Post-Reveal Commentary: Another good round, and again another special dram that stood out above everything else. That John Milroy (from K&L) was delicious and filled the senses. I was elated to see what it was after the reveal because this one was mine and I’m killing what little remained of the bottle while writing this recap and yes… it holds up. In fact, it’s gotten better with a bit of time and air.

 

Malt Nuts: New and Old Glen Grant – Round 4

Malt Nuts Old Glen Grant - 6

4A: Berry Bro’s and Rudd Glen Grant 22 years (95-18): 50.2% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Banana’s Foster, caramel, malt and vanilla.
  • Palate: Banana’s Foster, caramel, malt, vanilla, tropical fruit, chalk and Honey Nut Cheerios.
  • Finish: Long -> Dried fruit, HNC and dessert sweetness.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) The fruit gets more complex and prominent as it opens. Another nice sipper.

4B: SMWS “Witche’s Night 9.155 (Glen Grant) 22 years (96-19): 58.1% – 1st Fill Hogshead & ex-PX

  • Nose: Tart and jammy, red licorice, chalky vanilla and ink.
  • Palate: Alkine tartness, iodine, hay and smoke.
  • Finish: Medium -> Ink, malt, smoke and copper.
  • Overall: (2 / 5) It’s funky and cloying and a touch smoky/charred and slowly turns woody. Not really enjoying.

4C: Adelphi Glen Grant 19 years (95-15): 55.7%

  • Nose: Malt, banana taffy, pastries and dried fruit.
  • Palate: Malt, banana taffy, pastries and dried fruit.
  • Finish: Medium -> Banana taffy and malt.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Has a nice sweetness to it and drinkable, but only a hair above “average”… like a 2.6/5 if I were getting super detailed.

Post-Reveal Commentary: This was a good way to end the tasting. Almost like a ramping down of everything we’d had that evening. A great cap to the night.

This was an amazing evening that could never be repeated. Yes the people and most of the booze could all be brought together again, but the feeling of “the first in a long time” is something that can’t be repeated. This was one for the books.

Thanks for reading, cheers.

Malt Nuts Old Glen Grant - 1

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Malt Nuts: Clynelish Round 5 Tasting

I think it’s fair to say Clynelish is one of our club’s favorite distilleries. We love the waxy fruity delivery and there is no end to the number of indie releases available. This love of the dram + the endless supply means these are easy tastings to assemble and so it’s likely there are even […]

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I think it’s fair to say Clynelish is one of our club’s favorite distilleries. We love the waxy fruity delivery and there is no end to the number of indie releases available. This love of the dram + the endless supply means these are easy tastings to assemble and so it’s likely there are even more of these to come.

Malt Nuts Clynelish 5 - 5

This was done in our typical blind style, via Zoom. And with that short-and-sweet intro, let’s jump right into it.

 

Malt Nuts: Clynelish Round 5 – Round 1

Malt Nuts Clynelish 5 - 1

1A: Game of Thrones Clynelish: 51.2% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Waxy banana, toffee, apples, baking spice and pastries.
  • Palate: Waxy banana, toffee, apples, baking spice and pastries.
  • Finish: Long -> Waxy banana, toffee, apples.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Starting off with a banger, this is a basic, but tasty, Clynelish

1B: TWA Clynelish 11 years (07-18): 53.5% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Waxy banana, toffee, malt, stewed apples, and baking spice and pastries.
  • Palate: Malt, spice, waxy banana, toffee and pastries.
  • Finish: Medium -> Waxy banana and malt.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Similar to 1A, but a bit drier and not quite as dynamic.

1C: Malts of Scotland Clynelish: 60.8% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Waxy vanilla, spice, banana taffy, malt, toffee and pastries.
  • Palate: Tropical fruit, waxy vanilla, dried malt, toffee, baking spice and pastries.
  • Finish: Med-long -> Fruit and spice.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Ok, I take it back. THIS is more like 1A than 1B was. Quite nice.

1D: Single Cask Nation Clynelish 9 years (10-19): 58.1% – 1st Fill ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Super light, but has notes of waxy banana, vanilla, orchard fruit, lemon and copper.
  • Palate: Olde candy, waxy banana taffy, olde candy and copper.
  • Finish: Medium -> Waxy banana, copper and olde candy.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Not bad, fairly average for decent Clynelish but with a light nose.

1E: Signatory Clynelish 10 years (08-18): 57.9% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Banana bread, waxy vanilla, spice, floral, honey, lemon peel.
  • Palate: Waxy banana, vanilla cupcakes, honey, lemon peel and nutmeg.
  • Finish: Med -> Banana, malt, vanilla.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Like 1D, it’s a fairly average Clynelish and doesn’t get me excited.

1F: The Ultimate Clynelish 10 years (08-19): 56.8% – 1st Fill ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Waxy tropical and orchard fruit, Banana’s Foster and baking spice.
  • Palate: Fruit salad, malt, tropical fruit candy, honey, graham and spice.
  • Finish: Long -> Waxy fruit, malt and spice.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) This is quite nice, it gets better as it goes and opens to more depth of fruity and earthy notes.

Post-Reveal Commentary: This was a tasty, and perfect, opening round for Clynelish. It was quintessential to the distillery and set the perfect tone for the rest of the tasting. It was also nice to see the GoT Clynelish here and to see it hold its own so nicely.

 

Malt Nuts: Clynelish Round 5 – Round 2

Malt Nuts Clynelish 5 - 2

2A: Duncan Taylor Clynelish 18 years (95-14): 54.9% – “Oak”

  • Nose: Complex waxy fruit, oil, malt, char and nuts.
  • Palate: Complex waxy fruit, oil, malt, char and nuts with some powdered sugar and fresh pastries.
  • Finish: Long -> Waxy fruit, toffee and malt.
  • Overall: (4 / 5)  Wow, the layers and levels of fruit here are astounding.

2B: Berry’s Clynelish 15 years (97-13)

  • Nose: Buttery fruit, waxy vanilla, honey, graham, baking spice, saline and nutty char.
  • Palate: Buttery fruit, waxy vanilla, honey, graham, baking spice, saline and nutty char with hints of sauternes.
  • Finish: Long -> Waxy fruit, olde candy and spice.
  • Overall: (4 / 5) OMG, this is a killer round so far, this is an excellent and complex follow up to 2A.

2C: Pearls Of Scotland Clynelish 17 years (97-14): 53.6% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Buttery, waxy, fruity, malty and sweet with a sugar cookie undertone.
  • Palate: Buttery, waxy, fruity, malty and sweet with a bubblegum undertone.
  • Finish: Long -> Waxy and buttery fruit and malt.
  • Overall: (4 / 5) Hot, this one burns a bit, but it’s the good kind of burn and I’m enjoying the complexity

2D: Hepburn’s Choice Clynelish 18 years (97-15): 55.4% – Refill Hogshead

  • Nose: Malty, fruity, waxy and a bit oaky with some nuts and spice.
  • Palate: Malty, fruity, waxy and a bit oaky with some nuts and spice with a bit of vanilla taffy.
  • Finish: Med -> Fruit.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Not quite as dynamic as the rest, comes through a bit muted. Nice, but muted even with water.

2E: Art Nouveau Clynelish 19 years (00-20): 52.4% – ex-Bourbon Hogshead

  • Nose: Funky and odd, overripe banana, stale spice and imitation vanilla with a touch of sulfur and wax.
  • Palate: Overripe banana, dried fruit, wax and a bit of baking spice and vanilla with a touch of the sulfur.
  • Finish: Med-long -> Banana pudding, candle wax and a bit of spice and slufur
  • Overall: (2.5 / 5) Has an overall overripe banana note that is so… odd. I shouldn’t like this one, but I kind of, oddly, do. I keep coming back to it. WTF

2F: Subtle Spirits Selkie Clynelish 14 years: 57.1% -Hogshead

  • Nose: Dry malt, banana chips, day-old pastries, salted nuts, and oil.
  • Palate: Dry malt, banana chips, day-old pastries, salted nuts, and oil.
  • Finish: Med -> Plantain chips, malt, oil.
  • Overall: (2 / 5) Is this a Clynelish? I don’t remember bottling a non-Clynelish, but this is just… off.

Post-Reveal Commentary: I can’t speak to the Subtle Spirits and if it opened up over time, the owner of that bottle would have to weigh in. But I can speak to the Art Nouveau, which I own a bottle of and have open. It’s not the best dram on first taste, but after a month+ of being open it’s become more like the malts in the first round and I’d probably upgrade it to a 3/5. We’ll how I feel when I re-review it for an upcoming week of Clynelish.

 

Malt Nuts: Clynelish Round 5 – Bonus Round

Malt Nuts Clynelish 5 - 3

Bonus: Single Malts of Scotland Clynelish 8 years (10/11-20): 48% – ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Medicinal banana, dry malt, olde candy, copper and cinnamon.
  • Palate: Banana syrup, dry malt.
  • Finish: Med -> Banana syrup and malt.
  • Overall: (2 / 5) Damn near one noted with that heavy and never-ending banana syrup.

Post-Reveal Commentary: This surprised me. I’ve had nothing but great casks from SMoS, but this one… yikes.

Just as a point of record-keeping, I didn’t supply the Art Nouveau bottle for this tasting. A whiskey and grilled cheese-loving member of the group supplied it that night, I bought mine later. I supplied 1E (Signatory Clynelish 10 years (08-18): 57.9% – ex-Bourbon) which was a K&L pick I went deep on when it was released. I stand by that decision because it was dirt cheap at the time and remains a tasty whisky.

This was an excellent night of whisky and I wish I had bottles of 2A, 2B and 2C. They were stunners and I hope the owners of those bottles enjoyed the remnants of them to their fullest.

Cheers!

Malt Nuts Clynelish 5 - 4

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Malt Nuts: Gaggle of Glenfarclas 3 Tasting

Gaggle of Glenfarclas 3, the third time the Malt Nuts have gathered to sip indie drams from one of our favorite distilleries. Like all of our Glenfarclas tastings, the indies we sourced are only “highly believed to be” Glenfarclas since the name of the distillery cannot be used on any bottles not bottled by them. […]

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Gaggle of Glenfarclas 3, the third time the Malt Nuts have gathered to sip indie drams from one of our favorite distilleries. Like all of our Glenfarclas tastings, the indies we sourced are only “highly believed to be” Glenfarclas since the name of the distillery cannot be used on any bottles not bottled by them.

Malt Nuts - Gaggle of Glenfarclas 3 - 3

They’re very protective of the name and get a bit litigious if you try to use the name of the distillery on your bottles or casks of whisky. That’s why you never see the name Glenfarclas on indie bottles and will instead see names like “Possibly Speyside’s Finest” to signify this particular distillery. Though we had none of those bottles that night. Instead, we had lines of whisky from bottlers that use their own names for this source with a grab-bag of others in the middle.

Done as a remote tasting facilitated after breaking the bottles down into minis… here we go.

 

Malt Nuts: Gaggle of Glenfarclas 3 – Pre Round

Malt Nuts - Gaggle of Glenfarclas 3 - 4

Pre 1: Black Snake Vat 3 – First Venom: 56.1% – ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Honey, vanilla, malt, orange peel, malt, overripe fruit
  • Palate: Honey, vanilla, malt, orange peel, circus peanuts, overripe fruit
  • Finish: Long -> Orange creamsicle, malt.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Decent way to start a tasting. Touch hot, but could just be because it’s first.

Pre 2: Black Snake Vat 1 – Third Venom: 58.9% – ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Touch farty sulfur, sweet dried fruit, malty cereal sweet, spice, copper.
  • Palate: Touch farty sulfur, sweet dried fruit, malty cereal sweet, spice, copper.
  • Finish: Long -> Orange creamsicle and hay-like malt.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Soft and easy with a strong sweetness.

Pre 3: Black Snake Vat 2 First Venom: 57.5% – ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Fruity, farty, clay, orange marmalade, Smarties and hay-like malt.
  • Palate: Candy sweet, spice, touch sulfur, orange marmalade, Smarties and hay-like malt with some leather.
  • Finish: Long -> Orange creamsicle, cinnamon and malt.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Weird, all three of the “pre whiskies” have a soft orange note to them. Wonder if they’re actually Farclas…

Post-Reveal Commentary: It’s “all but confirmed” this line from Blackadder is Glenfarclas and so I was a bit surprised to get some of the notes I did. The soft orange note threw me a bit because I’ve never picked that up in a Farclas that was sherry cask. Fun round.

 

Malt Nuts: Gaggle of Glenfarclas 3 – Round 1

Malt Nuts - Gaggle of Glenfarclas 3 - 5

1A: Whisky-Fassle “A Speyside Distillery” 5 years (08-14): 46.9% – ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Malty, fruity, copper and a touch herbal.
  • Palate: Malt, vanilla, fruit, copper, citrus, dried fruit.
  • Finish: Med -> Malty and fruity.
  • Overall: (2.5 / 5) Decent, some good notes, but overall average. Youthful clay notes arise with water.

1B: TWE “From a family owned distillery in Speyside” 11 years: 57.9% – ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Fruity, touch oaky, caramel, citrus, vanilla frosting and a bit floral.
  • Palate: Fruit bomb, leather, cocoa, nuts and slight herbal notes.
  • Finish: Long -> Fruuuuuiiiittt… and malt
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Very nice, touch dry, but good and opens to a warmer fruitiness and a touch floral on nose.

1C: SMWS 1.219 10 years (08-18): 64.3% – Refill Oloroso

  • Nose: Banana chips, malt, oak, floral and a bit of caramel.
  • Palate: Super fruity, cocoa and leather with bits of caramel and baking spice.
  • Finish: Long -> Fruity, malty, candied sweet and oaky.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Quite dry and fruity with some nice graham notes popping up when it opens.

1D: Malts of Scotland Bridge of Avon: 53.2% – ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Winey, fruity, malty and a touch coppery.
  • Palate: Fruity, minerality,  touch smokey/firecracker sulfur and some spice.
  • Finish: Long -> Sulfur, copper, fruit, smoke
  • Overall: (3/ 5) Super unique, but on the whole a bit… meh. Gains a more sulfury note and some minerality as it opens.

Post-Reveal Commentary: The SMWS one I thought might, possibly, be a first-fill bourbon with the banana and oak notes. Instead, it was a refill sherry cask, and I think it might have been a very tired cask. The most surprising to me was the TWE offering that exploded with fruit. Quite nice.

 

Malt Nuts: Gaggle of Glenfarclas 3 – Round 2

Malt Nuts - Gaggle of Glenfarclas 3 - 6

2A: Adelphi “Breath of Speyside” 10 years (06-17): 58.4% – ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Sherried malt, graham, citrus, overripe apricots and nuts.
  • Palate: Cocoa, sherry, fresh fruit, citrus, nuts and spice.
  • Finish: Long -> Malt, fruit, cocoa and spice
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Buttery, round and creamy with a spicy profile that grows as it opens.

2B: Adelphi “Breath of Speyside” 10 years (06-17): 58.5% – ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Sherry, malty, graham, dark fruit syrup, caramel and nuts.
  • Palate: Cocoa, sherry, leather, cherry-heavy dark fruit and sulfur.
  • Finish: Med -> Malt, fruit, cocoa and spice.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Decent, nothing off or super about it, just a nice Farclas.

2C: Adelphi “Breath of Speyside” 11 years (06-20): 56.8% – ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Sherry, malt, dry minerality, citrus, caramel, spice and nuts.
  • Palate: Sherry, malt, caramel, dry minerality, vanilla and citrus.
  • Finish: Long -> Vanilla, sherry, citrus and spice.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Good, but dang… it comes through HOT. Could be fatigue, or could be proof. Either way, it’s coming through super hot right now. Also, there’s a typo on the bottle.

2D: Adelphi “Breath of Speyside” 11 years (06-18): 58.2% – ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Honey Nut Cheerios, dried fruit, vanilla taffy and citrus.
    Palate: Butterscotch, cocoa, citrus, malt and dried fruit with a touch of spice.
  • Finish: Long -> Sweet, dark and fruity, cocoa.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Fun! Dark and awesome with these weird stone fruit notes popping in and out. I’d drink this anytime.

2E: Adelphi “Breath of Speyside” 11 years (06-17): 57.7% – ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Musty, malty, fruity, leathery and nutty with a strong dried apricot profile.
  • Palate: Sherry, cocoa, citrus, dried fruit, malt, roasted nuts and vanilla taffy with that same dried apricot heaviness.
  • Finish: Long -> Sweet dark fruit, malt and citrus
  • Overall: (4 / 5) Good and fun and full. Damn, this is good but also just, so, odd.

Post-Reveal Commentary: I’ve seen, but never had, anything from this particular Adelphi series, so this was a real treat and an insane deep dive into what this line brings to the table. I’m already an Adelphi fan, they deliver great casks more often than not, but this turned me into a super fan with what they can deliver.

 

Malt Nuts: Gaggle of Glenfarclas 3 – Bonus Round

Malt Nuts - Gaggle of Glenfarclas 3 - 7

Bonus 1: Nose Art “Christmas Malt” 14 years (01-15): 45.7% – ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Matchstick, fruity, malty, but really it’s just oxidized. Light and minerally and weak.
  • Palate: Sulfur, fruit and malt, but they’re super light and again it’s mostly that minerally oxidized profile.
  • Finish: Long -> Minerally oxidized whisky with a bit of fruit.
  • Overall: (1.5 / 5) What’s going on here? This is kinda gross and overly oxidized. Did the seal break on it?

Bonus 2: Glenfarclas Family Casks 10 years (04-15): 60.4% – ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Sweet and fruity, spicy with a bit of clay-like minerality and some dried dark fruit.
  • Palate: Heavy dark fruit, leather, cocoa, baking spice and malt .
  • Finish: Long -> Dried dark fruit, cocoa and oak.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Nice, quite nice. A heck of a way to end a tasting.

Post-Reveal Commentary: This was a lot of fun to try an OB right next to an IB. The Nose Art line has shown up in several of other tastings and have shown to be a bit of a wildcard in their quality, but always a crowd-pleaser on the label front.

This is far from the last time we’ll be visiting Glenfarclas. This is a well-loved distillery and they continue to pump out quality whisky, whether they bottle it or not, and I’m already looking forward to the next one.

Thanks for reading, cheers!

Malt Nuts - Gaggle of Glenfarclas 3 - 8

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Malt Nuts: Invergordon

What’s that? You’ve never heard of Invergordon? Well strap in because we’re going deep on this Scottish grain distillery.  That’s right, the Malt Nuts are diving into the column distilled pool that’s responsible for the bulk of the whisky produced in Scotland. Single malts get all the attention and praise, but the real workhorse of […]

The post Malt Nuts: Invergordon appeared first on The Whiskey Jug.

What’s that? You’ve never heard of Invergordon? Well strap in because we’re going deep on this Scottish grain distillery.  That’s right, the Malt Nuts are diving into the column distilled pool that’s responsible for the bulk of the whisky produced in Scotland.

Malt Nuts Invergordon - 7

Single malts get all the attention and praise, but the real workhorse of Scottish whisky is grain whisky and it’s produced in volumes that surpass single malt. As whisky fans we tend to only think about, and romanticize, the single malt side of things, but the cold hard reality is that the whole industry is kept afloat by blends.

Blended Scotches like Johnnie Walker, Chivas, etc. are some of the biggest selling whiskies in the world and roughly 80% of what’s in their bottles is grain whisky which is closer to bourbon in its production than it is to single malt. So in the spirit of giving whiskies of all styles their due we set aside a night to get to know one of these producers.

 

Malt Nuts: Invergordon – Round 1

Malt Nuts Invergordon - 1

1A: Single Cask Nation Invergordon 26 years (93-19): 47.9% – 1st Fill ex-Bourbon

  • Nose: Fruit, cocoa, wood, spice and almost malty with so much cask influence pineapple?
  • Palate: Fruit cocoa, wood, spice, caramel, banana.
  • Finish: Med -> Spice, Necco and cocoa, wood.
  • Overall: (3.5 / 5) Tasty and fun. This is a good omen to start on.

1B: The Sovereign Invergordon 31 years (87-19): 52% – Refill Hogshead

  • Nose: Fruit, caramel, wood, char, butterscotch and coconut.
  • Palate: Candy sweet, Fruit, caramel, wood, char, butterscotch and sherried fruit.
  • Finish: Long -> Strawberry cream, fruit candy and coconut.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Hmm, this is interesting. I kinda dig it.

1C: Barrel To Bottle Invergordon 29 years (90-18): 55.5% – 1st Fill ex-Tennessee

  • Nose: Musty vanilla, oak, caramel, spice, nuts, coconut and cocoa.
  • Palate: Musty vanilla, oak, caramel, spice, nuts, coconut and cocoa.
  • Finish: Long -> Oak, spice and nuts.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) Tasty.

1D: Barrel To Bottle Invergordon 29 years (90-18): 57.9% – 1st Fill ex-Tennessee

  • Nose: Vanilla, oak, caramel, spice, nuts, ash and coconut.
  • Palate: Musty vanilla, oak, spice, nuts, coconut, cocoa and banana.
  • Finish: Long -> Oak, spice and nuts.
  • Overall: (3 / 5) I like this. It’s nice.

Post-Reveal Commentary: Nothing here blew my mind, I’ve had good grain whisky before and these ran along similar lines. A pleasant round.

 

Malt Nuts: Invergordon – Round 2

Malt Nuts Invergordon - 2

2A: The Octave Invergordon 8 years (09-17): 55.1% – “Oak Casks”

  • Nose: Fruity, oaky, a touch coconut and some toffee.
  • Palate: Candy sweet and notes of overripe fruit and toffee.
  • Finish: Short -> Touch musty and spicy with a toffee backbone.
  • Overall: (2 / 5) I dunno. I don’t loathe this one, but I’m not quite liking it either.

2B: Dramfool Invergordon 31 years: 52.8% – ex-Oloroso

  • Nose: Graham, char, butterscotch, nuts and cocoa.
  • Palate: Graham, char, butterscotch, nuts and cocoa.
  • Finish: Long -> Graham, cocoa and coconut for days.
  • Overall: (2 / 5) Super oily, but it doesn’t come together. It’s just a bit too weird and funky.

2C: Exclusive Malts Invergordon 30 years (84-15): 52.3%

  • Nose: Coconut… lots of coconut. Bits of nuts, cocoa and ash.
  • Palate: Coconut… lots of coconut. Bits of nuts, cocoa and ash.
  • Finish: Medium -> Coconut
  • Overall: (2 / 5) Did I mention this one might have a touch of coconut?

2D: Wilson & Morgan Invergordon 30 years (84-15): 57% – ex-Sherry

  • Nose: Candy, dried fruit, oak, ash, nuts and cocoa.
  • Palate: Dried fruit, sulfur, ash, mud and leather.
  • Finish: Medium -> Sulfur, oak and nuts.
  • Overall: (2.5 / 5) Too much sulfur, it’s just a hair beyond what I enjoy.

Post-Reveal Commentary: This round was more in line with the majority of my grain whisky experience. There’s a reason grain whisky isn’t often drank on its own and is used to stretch out the single malt in a blend.

One of the big reasons grain whisky has caught on in recent years is because of price. You can pick up a 30+ yo grain whisky for the same price as an 18 yo Scotch and people want to experience these higher age expressions. Which, on the face of it, is a better value. Though, in most cases, I’d rather drink the 18 yo single malt than the 30 yo grain.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the recap. Cheers!

Malt Nuts Invergordon - 5

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