Caol Ila 11 Year (Berry Bros and Rudd)

 

Caol Ila is a fascinating distillery. Easily the largest facility on Islay, because it's mostly buried by Diageo the general public has almost no awareness of the name. The people I meet in bars who can even pronounce Caol Ila are few and far between. 

Yet since so much of the spirit gets sold off to independent bottlers (although that situation seems vaguely precarious, and a couple years ago there were rumors it might end or at least curtail), there are myriad presentations of Caol Ila, some of which are simply stunning. 

Bruichladdich Island Barley 2013

 

In the world of Scotch there are very few distilleries that deliver a "sure thing" year after year - a product whose quality doesn't diminish much, if at all, and sometimes exceeds itself. Many of the vaunted and much-hyped distilleries have faded - Glendronach, after their old stocks were expended; Ardbeg seems to be using tired casks, especially for the Uigeadail; everyone agrees Macallan and Balvenie and such are much diminished from yesteryear. It's such a common talking point that it's more or less a cliche.  

Yet I think it's a pretty popular opinion that Bruichladdich has kept things marvelously consistent.

Laphroaig Elements 1.0

Laphroaig's Elements 1.0 is a small batch experiment, a whisky that Laphroaig fermented for 55 hours (which is on the short end of the spectrum - average is about 60-70). The remainder of the process... well, I'll let Laphroaig speak for themselves: 

Caol Ila 15 Year (Elixir Distillers)

 

I have taken a bit of a shine to older, more mature Islay expressions this last winter. They are softer, hazier, subtle, and complex. The peat punch to the face becomes a smoky breeze full of savory things and sweet things. So when I saw this 15 year Caol Ila while at a whisky tasting, I took a chance. It'll be the last bottle I get for a while (budget reasons) so I figured to make it something I could enjoy for some time to come. 

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Blended Batch 15

 

From time to time, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") pulls a move out of the Compass Box repertoire and releases a curated blend, usually at 50% ABV. This one is Batch 15, which is peated Islay and Orkney distilleries matured for ten years in a wide variety of casks: ex-bourbon, ex-PX sherry, ex-Oloroso sherry, American oak, French oak, etc.

Port Charlotte 10 Year (Second Take)

 

This is a second look at Bruichladdich's standard heavily peated offering, their 10 year Port Charlotte bottling. This was recently named Whisky of the Year 2023 by YouTube whisky icon Ralfy, and has since become almost unobtainable here in DC. At 10 years old, it's priced right around the same point as Ardbeg 10 or Laphroaig 10 - heavily competitive territory.

Blackadder Smoking Islay (9 Year Islay Blend)

 

A blend of two unnamed Islay distilleries, married, vatted, and aged 9 years before bottled at a very nice 60.5% ABV (full cask strength), with zero filtration of any sort. I have been in the winter-inspired mood for smoky whiskies lately, so I picked this up on sale. 

Blackadder Peat Reek Embers (Special Reserve, Oloroso Finish, NAS)

 

I can't find very much about the Peat Reek series from independent bottler Blackadder. Even less so about the Embers designation, or the Special Reserve status. All I *do* know for certain is that it's peated to 50 ppm, it's unfiltered and cask strength, and it carries no age statement. Considering that Sherry Snake was the same way - and was beyond fabulous - I am very hopeful for this.

Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie 21/137 (NAS)

 

Thank you to mom for this unexpected Christmas gift! Almost a year after my last look at Bruichladdich and their core expression, let's have another glass. An unpeated Islay made with all Scottish barley, this is bottle 21/137, which carries the following information on the Bruichladdich website (and kudos to them for providing this): 

Bowmore 17 Year (SMWS 3.324 "Split Personality")

 

I've been waiting for this for some time - an older single cask Bowmore! I am one of those who hasn't terribly been impressed at all with the uber-funky 15 Year official bottling, and can't source any of the older bottlings that everyone else seems to rave about (generally the 18-to-27 year range) for a price below First Born Child. 

But finally I have my chance to have a full-strength bottle from the gentle, fragrant Islay distillery that is Bowmore. This single cask bottling is released via the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") under their Lightly Peated flavor category, nicknamed "Split Personality." But it's not without some peculiarities...

Douglas Laing's Big Peat Christmas Edition 2019 Cask Strength blend, Second Take

 

I don't know why, but I am still finding Douglas Laing's Big Peat Christmas Edition from 2019 (you can tell because it's bottled at 53.7% ABV) on the shelves of local Washington D.C. liquor stores. At *very* competitive prices. We're talking ~$50 for a cast strength Islay blend that includes Ardbeg and Port Ellen (however small the proportions might be) and Bowmore and Caol Ila. 

I guess this is still something of a secret in the Scotch community, perhaps only known to Islay maniacs and smokeheads. But boy did I love my last two bottles, and now I'm going to review this third version, even though it's been two years since it came out. 

Smokehead High Voltage Islay Single Malt (NAS), Second Take

 

I decided to re-sample some of the Smokehead High Voltage Islay single malt whisky, after finding some lately at a competitive price. I've already accepted that I spend every cent of my disposable income on Scotch... might as well make it interesting!

Coming from bottler Ian MacLeod, this is unidentified, no age statement Islay whisky. It's young and very much in-your-face. The normal bottling is only 43% ABV - who has time for that? This "High Voltage" edition is bottled at 58% - now that's more like it. 

Bunnahabhain 7 Year (SMWS 10.216 "Creels and Harbors")

In the past year I have had no less than five six-or-seven-year single cask bottlings of peated Bunnahabhain from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). As my friend Rob Martin would say, it should be its own category of Scotch by this point, along with the ubiquitous 10 year Caol Ila. I'm only surprised at this point that kitchen sinks don't have a third tap for 10 year Caol Ila, next to the hot and cold water. It's everywhere. 

As the weather cools off, my taste for peat grows and grows, and this came with a particularly high recommendation during the SMWS's 2021 Gathering - a sort of general Scotch festival they hosted. I made an impulse purchase and now the bottle sits next to me, waiting for review. Let's investigate!

Ardbeg 10 Year: A Celebration

 

This brief post isn't really a review. It's just a general celebration of a great bottle of whisky - Ardbeg's vaunted 10 Year expression. 

Bunnahabhain 7 Year (SMWS Small Batch Release "Smoky Maritime Hit")

 

A single cask small batch release from Bunnahabhain via the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), this was released in 2021 for the annual Islay Festival. At a brash 7 years old, this was matured in second-fill Pedro Ximenez hogshead as well as re-charred casks (!). Interesting combination... not to mention it's heavily peated! So unsure quite what to expect.

Rock Oyster Batch No. 1 Malt Blend, Cask Strength

 

Here is a bottle I found totally by chance in a small DC liquor store (shout out to Central Liquors on E St in Chinatown! Great selection), after having reading about it here and there. After trying - and loving - the Big Peat Cask Strength offering from the same company, I had to give this a go. 

Apparently Rock Oyster had two small batch Cask Strength releases (this is the first of the two), but then was rebranded to "Rock Island," so you may see it near you under that name. Unsure if they have released any cask strength Rock Island.

Bruichladdich The Organic Barley 2009

 

Another addition to my Bruichladdich reviews: The Organic Barley 2009! I almost bought another Bere Barley - it's so so good - but I wanted to expand the blog, try something new So here we go. 

Bunnahabhain 12 Year (Second Take)

 

According to my records, I last reviewed this hallmark Islay dram a long, long seven years ago. And after recently sampling a wild, bold, brave 6 year Bunnahabhain from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, I became curious about their main, core spirit. 

What IS Bunnahabhain? Is it the richly savory Toiteach A Dha? The soft, sweet, chocolatey Stiuireadair? One of the wild independent bottlings I've had? Perhaps the true Islay chameleon isn't Caol Ila, as everyone always says, but Bunnahabhain - a high quality spirit that plays well in every environment. 

Smokehead High Voltage Islay Single Malt (NAS)

 

I've been curious about Smokehead for a while, but only recently was I able to source any in the DC area. An unnamed, no age statement single malt from bottler Ian Macleod, it's from Islay, it's young, and at 58% it's very punchy. No idea about the casking, but it doesn't taste sherried to me at all. Likely ex-bourbon, maybe even 2nd fill. The core spirit overwhelms the wood influence, that's for sure. It's pretty much a mystery all the way around - although internet sources variously say it's either a young (~6 year) Ardbeg, or a young unsherried Lagavulin. Others have even guessed it's Caol Ila. My money is on Ardbeg. 

Port Charlotte OLC:01 2010

 

It's fair to say, at this point, that I love Bruichladdich. They are so clean, so crisp, the flavors are so warm and wonderful. Their Bere Barley 2010 is my whisky-of-the-year so far. I could drink it all day and night (and have!). So when my friend Rob Martin gave me a dram of the Port Charlotte (heavily peated Bruichladdich imprint) OLC:01 2010, I was ecstatic.