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.

Tamnavulin 15 Year (Berry Brothers and Rudd)

 

I haven't had a lot of Tamnavulin in all my years of drinking single malt. In fact, a look through my index indicates I haven't had *any* and this is the first (!). I don't think that's true, but I think the other Tamnavulin drams I've sampled were little pours had at Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") events, and didn't merit a full write-up. 

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. 

Caol Ila 31 Year (SMWS 53.504 "Maritime Drift")

 

There is something a little magical about very old whisky (30+ years old) ... it tends to balance out, sharp corners get rounded, harsh alcohol hits evaporate, and in general most old whisky tends to gain a lot of depth, but the sheer time required for the investment means that it's expensive and few people end up trying them.

There is also specifically a little magical about very old Islay whisky. All the things people commonly object to: the peat, the smoke, the medicinal aspects, the bracing strength, the general in-your-face nature ... well, they can be civilized by time, reigned in. Secret strengths can be revealed. 

Glen Garioch 12 Year (Berry Brothers and Rudd "Glens & Valleys")

 

My history with Glen Garioch is a weird one: I had never had anything by them, and, in a fit of pique, I bought three 18-year old single cask offerings from three sister casks all distilled on the same day from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. 

Dalmore 12 Year (Berry Brothers and Rudd, "Coasts and Shores")

 

Every three or four months, I get together with a group of friends who have known each other since kindergarten - 40 years this September, which is mind-blowing. We tend to gather early in the morning and sip beer and spirits while reviewing our lives over the last quarter year, comparing and contrasting how life has treated us. Basically exactly what scotch whisky was invented for! 

Ben Nevis 9 Year (Mossburn / Berry Brothers and Rudd)

 

Here is an unusual case: two independent bottlers working in tandem on a single bottle! This is Mossburn partnered with Berry Brothers & Rudd, and I'm not quite sure the story, but it seems like Berry Brothers & Rudd selected the cask and then Mossburn took control of it and aged it (?). 

Lochindaal 12 Year (Berry Brothers and Rudd)

 

Few distilleries seem to get things right as much or as often as Bruichladdich these days. In an era where official distillery bottlings seem hopelessly flawed - bottled at the legal minimum, chill filtered, poor casks and too-safe spirit, and - worst of all - rising prices for all of that, Bruichladdich has gone the other direction: consistently high quality, bottling at 50%, interesting wine casks and high quality bourbon casks, no chill filtration ... what drinkers of scotch like to call "integrity presentation."

Blair Athol 12 Year (Blackadder Raw Cask)

 

Blair Athol is one of those distilleries where I hear the name and think "Sure! Blair Athol! I've had a million of those!" and then I check my archive and I've had two. Just two. 

Maybe I've had a few drams at SMWS tastings or at the bar at Jack Rose here in DC and just forgot to blog them; maybe I just see the name on other blogs, I'm not really sure. But I picked this bottle from Blackadder because I trust Blackadder and I _thought_ I was familiar with Blair Athol. 

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.

Benrinnes 14 Year (Blackadder Raw Cask)

 

Today's bottle was one of those where I said to myself "Benrinnes ... surely I've had a boatload of Benrinnes!" ... and then looked at my archive and discovered no, I've only had three or four bottles of the stuff, and maybe a tot here or there at a tasting. So, in truth, I know very little about Benrinnes - owned by Diageo, founded in 1826 (one of the oldest), formerly known for triple distilling but giving that up in 2007, and a user of the vaunted worm tubs to condense during distillation.