Ben Nevis 8 Year (Single Cask Nation)

 

I recently bought the latest Single Cask Nation three-pack, consisting of three ex-bourbon bottlings: Balmenach (good), Glen Moray (better), and Ben Nevis (best). I hope it's not a spoiler to say up front that this is a damned fine bottle of Ben Nevis, and might be the best dram of Ben Nevis I've had in years. 

Balmenach 12 Year (Single Cask Nation)

 

Balmenach is a distillery whose profile seems to be rising fairly quickly with hardcore whisky fans - owned by Inver House, who also own Balblair, anCnoc, Old Pulteney, and Speyburn. I really miss the old anCnoc peated expressions that came out about a decade ago - The Cutter and so forth. But, on the other hand, Old Pulteney can't seem to get out of its own way and has poor quality releases for fairly insane prices these days.

Glen Moray 13 Year (Single Cask Nation)

 

Ah, Glen Moray! Previously a distillery only for "those in the know," it's rapidly becoming pretty well-known maker... or at least, those in the know has expanded dramatically. Maybe both. When I first joined the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, I barely knew them from one or two very subpar official bottlings at the larger retail markets. 

Allt-a-Bhainne 9 Year (Chapter 7)

It apparently is the season of new independent bottlings for me! First Five Lions and their bizarre, superoaky Craigellachie, now this 9 year expression of Allt-a-Bhainne. Allt-a-Bhainne is a small distillery founded in 1975 and owned by Pernod Ricard, and the vast majority of their output goes straight into Chivas Regal. I've never a seen an official single malt expression from them, but their independent bottling presence is pretty decent - they turn up fairly regularly from time to time. 

Kilchoman USA Small Batch Release No. 2 (NAS)

 I'm a long-time fan of Kilchoman, the small, family-run distillery on Islay, but I have to admit that their price point (everything hovers around or above the $100 mark) tends to dissuade me from buying too many bottles. However, I saw this dusty bottle on a back shelf at Batch 13 liquors on 14th St NW here in Washington DC, and couldn't resist. 

Glenmorangie 18 Year

 

I have always respected Glenmorangie as the best of the Glen-centered core expressions of Scotch - for years, their 10 Year was the best available single malt in the $30-35 range. Well-balanced, smooth, endlessly crushable, it had a little of everything and always seemed richer and more refined than the competition (Glenfiddich, Glenlivet especially). 

I decided today to try one of their "prestige" expressions for the first time ever - the 18 year, which Glenmorangie calls "Extremely Rare." Unsure if that is actually factually true, or marketing spin. 

Wild Turkey Longbranch 8 Year Bourbon

 

One thing I've noticed about smaller scotch blogs (like this one) is that reviewers inevitably end up reviewing non-scotch alcohol every so often. This is due both to (1) scotch fatigue and (2) the high price of reviewing many bottles of scotch per annum. 

So in addition to my rum excursions, I am also going to occasionally review bourbon, gin, etc. The focus will still be primarily on scotch, but to keep everyone entertained I'll toss in a few like this every now and again.

Old Tub Bourbon by Jim Beam

Here is another rare "general spirits" review, much like the Guyanese rum review from a little while back. Thanks to Rob Martin for sharing the bottle! Old Tub is an old school unfiltered bourbon made by Jim Beam. This website describes better than I can the exact ins-and-outs of Old Tub. I will note only that the only filtration they do is particulate (to remove little pieces of wood that break off the barrel), and since it's Bottled in Bond it's aged at least 4 years and is at least 50% ABV. Let's dig in: 

BenRiach "The Smoky Twelve" 12 Year

 

BenRiach is one of those curious cases where I had an independent bottling before I ever had the official distillery offering. And the independent bottling, from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, was fantastic ... so I'm making amends. This is the lightly peated 12 year, named "The Smoky Twelve," and tripled-casked - ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and - most intriguingly - ex-Marsala. Bottled at 46%, natural color, and I think un-chill filtered. 

Ledaig 10 Year

 

Ledaig is the heavily peated imprint from Tobermory, the distillery on the Isle of Mull.  I've actually never had Tobermory itself, but have always heard good things about Ledaig - namely "it's a very unusual kind of peated whisky." Well, aged for 10 years in bourbon barrels, non-chill-filtered, and presented at 46.3% ABV, let's see how unusual it is... 

Tomatin 12 Year (New Bottling)

 

This new edition of Tomatin (post-2015) is now a blend of bourbon and sherry casks, bottled at 43% ABV, and presumably colored and chill-filtered. 

Signatory Clynelish 11 Year NCF

 

I am going through an independent bottling phase, and the latest dram to cross my path is this delicious 11 year expression of Clynelish (the official bottling is 14 years). While I found the Edradour fractionally better than the official offering, this is the first independent bottle I have thought was definitively superior to the official one. Aged 11 years in a bourbon barrel, bottled at 46% without filtering or coloring, this is delectable stuff:

Longrow Peated

 

This used to be called "Longrow C.V.." which is how I first had it. Now, with new packaging but - presumably - the same great taste, we have Longrow Peated - the heavily peated entry from the Springbank distillery. Distilled 2.7x times, aged for an indeterminate time in ex-bourbon barrels, bottled at 46%, no chill filtering or coloring... let's see if it's as good as I remember. 

Signatory Linkwood 11 Year NCF

 

I've always been curious about Linkwood, one of the oldest distilleries out there (1821). Their 15 year routinely sells for north of $150. And owners Diageo uses most of Linkwood's output for blending, so it's a single malt you almost always see as an independent bottling. 

This one is part of Signatory's No Chill Filtration collection, and it's also uncolored - a beautiful light straw color that betrays how many other whiskies are tainted with E150. Aged for 11 years in a (presumably bourbon, presumably refill) hogshead, and bottled at 46% ABV. Let's see if rare ol' Linkwood makes the grade:

Laphroaig 16 Year

This is a REAL pleasure. My first Laphroaig in a while, and it's a nicely aged one - the same age as Lagavulin, the magisterial standard for all Islay. Can Laphroaig 16 measure up to that lofty standard? Aged in ex-bourbon barrels, and bottled at a nice 48% ABV. 

Springbank 10 (Second Take)

I just picked up another bottle of Springbank 10 after a few years away, and wanted to review it anew, since my memory of the original had faded a bit. Matured in a mix of sherry and bourbon casks, and bottled at 46% ABV. 

Balvenie 12 Year Single Barrel (Cask 3347, Bottle 138)

This was a gift from my good friend Mik of miksologist.com. He knows I'm a mammoth Scotch drinker, and found this for a steal. I do love the Balvenie lineup (and can't wait to try the peated cask), and have particularly good memories of the Caribbean Cask offering. 

Ardbeg An Oa (NAS)

It's finally here! The new fourth permanent installation in the Ardbeg lineup, An Oa ("Ahn Oh") is among us at last. An Oa is named for the Mull of Oa, a southern peninsula on Islay. I have been calling, emailing, and polling every liquor store in the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia area trying to get my hands on this. At last, randomly, I did a lunchtime google search and found it advertised in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, at Potomac Wine and Spirits. The salesman was completely nonchalant, but noted that they had been flying off the shelves far faster than they had estimated. 

Great King Street: Artist's Blend

This brand, Great King Street, is part of the Compass Box empire. The idea behind it is, I think, to bring great affordable blends back to the global hordes who love Scotch whisky - to fight the evil bottles of J&B and Dewar's and Cutty Sark that ruin and besmirch the good name of Scotch in liquor cabinets everywhere - all at a reasonable price. 

Ardbeg Corryvreckan (Second Take)

Oh, Ardbeg. How I love thee. Corryvreckan is actually my second favorite, after Uigeadail, but is a tremendous whisky in its own right. I acquired a bottle during a nice sale, and thought I would revisit this powerful Islay brew. 

Corryvreckan was originally a "Committee Release," Ardbeg's fan club offering, and it replaced a beloved dram, Airigh Nam Beist, in 2009. Corryvreckan was supposed to be a limited release, but has continued unabated to this day.