SPECIAL: Brennivin 80th Anniversary Edition

This isn't technically a whisky. But it IS finished in Islay whisky casks for four months, and is interesting enough in its own right to be covered here. And, as far as I can determine, this is among the only reviews of the 80th Anniversary edition of Brennivin on the net!

Some backstory: lately I've been tearing through the novels of Icelandic mystery author Arnoldur Indridason, who is right up there in the pantheon of modern Nordic authors for me. Starting with the first novel published here, Jar City, I've been knocking his books down like dominoes, one after the next.

In his books, many characters drink the national spirit of Iceland, Brennivin - the name means "burning wine," which is a fantastic name for any spirit. Iceland had prohibition just like the United States did, in fact starting even earlier in 1915; but there was a partial repeal in 1935 for spirits only - and Brennivin was the first spirit out of the gate to get back in the game. 

Bowmore 12 Year

Before now, I've had only the most basic Bowmore offering, the Bowmore Legend that I reviewed some time ago, and found a little thin and one-note, but still liked anyway. Since then I've always been curious about the aged expressions, especially since I've met multiple whisky drinkers who espouse strong, positive opinions of them.

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban (12 Year)

This was a total shot in the dark. I was at the liquor store with a million sales going on, and I had to either choose to revisit an old friend (Oban, Ardbeg, Aberlour, Glendronach) or try something totally new. 

The blog demanded fresh blood!! I have had about half of the current offerings from Glenmorangie, but not the port finished Quinta Ruben (the word means Ruby Farm, in a combination of Gaelic and Portuguese).

Ardbeg 10 (Second Take)

Next up in my series of second takes on previous reviews of mine is the core expression of my favorite distillery, Islay's Ardbeg. I actually intended my next review to be Talisker 10, but the bar I went to only had an ancient bottle of Talisker with two fingers left of liquid... Seemed like a bad bet.

Laphroaig Select Cask (NAS)

This new offering from Laphroaig has been very hotly debated, both on the internet and in person. When buying this bottle, the clerk even told me that the managers regret ordering it - apparently people pick it up, Google reviews on their phones, and promptly put it back down. It inspires violent opinion. 

Lagavulin 16 (Second Take)

While re-reading some of my old reviews, the one that struck me the most as needing revising was Lagavulin's 16-year core expression. My initial review finds a lot of sweetness, even a lemon citrus element... well, I've had a LOT of Lagavulin in the intervening years, and since then I don't remember much of a lemon scent, or really much sweetness at all. So I thought I would give this one a new look, much as I recently took a second glance at Talisker Storm. 

Talisker Storm (Second Take)

I recently found another good price on a bottle of Talisker Storm ($40) at a liquor store that's going out of business, and wanted to give the bottle another go after almost three years since I barely remembered what it was like.

Talisker Storm has been generating a lot of negative opinions across the net - virtually everyone agrees it is a fraction of the quality of the standard Ten Year, but often costs the same, or even more. Not a smart marketing plan.

Black Bottle (Blend, post-2013)

Black Bottle was known for decades as "the peaty blend," made up of bits of all the Islay distilleries. However, as of 2013 or so, after various changes in ownership, they changed the blend around, with the result that there is now a pronounced Highland/Speyside emphasis, with a greatly reduced peat character, all of which is provided by Bunnahabhain. This is a review of the new formulation of Black Bottle, since I can't find a dusty forgotten bottle of the old stuff for the life of me.