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. 

Caol Ila 14 Year (Single Cask Nation)

 

(Post this accidentally! Rather than go back and make up some banter, I'll present it as I have all my templates - the Single Cask Nation flavor notes, then my own. Enjoy!)

Miltonduff 14 Year (SMWS 72.117 "Black Forest Delight")

 

I'm going to come out and say it here - Miltonduff, a distillery owned by Pernod Ricard (who also own Aberlour, Glenlivet, Glen Keith, Longmorn, the ever-elusive Scapa, and the famous blends Ballantine's and Chivas Regal), is underrated. 

Scotch Malt Whisky Society 2023 "The Gathering," in Washington DC with Pip Hills (founder of SMWS)

Tonight the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") celebrated its annual Gathering at the Jack Rose Saloon... with founder Pip Hills in attendance, all the way from Scotland. It was a night of six whiskies, and many new faces to meet and greet and swap stories with. 

Allt-a-Bhainne 14 Year (SMWS Spirit of Speyside Festival 2023, "Frolics in the Rose Garden")

 

For some reason, I had a strong intimation - a sixth sense - I would like this one - and I was right. Released by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") as part of their Spirit of Speyside festival in 2023, from the hardly-known distillery of Allt-a-Bhainne, it's a 14 year first-fill ex-bourbon, bottled at 58.3% ABV. 

Bunnahabhain 14 Year (SMWS 10.249, 30th Anniversary Bottling, "Spectacular Horse's Mane Waves")

 

This throwback label celebrates 30 years of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in America - and the whisky behind the label is a 14 year unpeated Bunnahabhain. I really like Bunnahabhain and was delighted when I won this lottery-only release. 

Royal Brackla 14 Year (SMWS 55.71 "New Shoes")

 

The fourth of six samples at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society May 2023 outturn at the Jack Rose Saloon in Washington DC. This is a 14 year Royal Brackla, finished in a #3 char hogshead, and bottled at 55.1% ABV. I will admit that the six drams of the night were had in short succession, and this one is where I noticed my abilities to taste and smell might not have been 100% accurate. That said, I think I did an OK job tracking the main flavors here. 

Glen Grant 14 Year (SMWS 9.252 "Breakfast in the Orchard")

 

When I think of Glen Grant, I immediately think "Italian" (owned by Campari) and then "sweet." Almost always a dessert dram, for me. So this Spring 2023 bottling, from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") caught my eye, I won the lottery for the bottle, and picked it up.

Craigellachie 14 Year (SMWS 44.149 "The Early Bird Gets the Worm")

 

There are few distilleries I have an innate fondness for like Craigellachie. One of the infamous "worm tub" distilleries, that allows for a heavy, dense, sulfurous spirit, Craigellachie is always a bouquet of apples mixed with raw meat. It's often a wild ride. So this sherried Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") bottling (from the October 2022 outturn) was instantly interesting to me. 

Balblair 14 Year (SMWS 70.46 "Plenty of Razzmatazz")

 

Ah yes, Balblair. I've only had an older expression with my good friend Rob Martin, which I really enjoyed, so I am super curious to catch up with them and see how their spirit is doing. This single cask independent bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") is aged 9 years in ex-bourbon hogshead, and then a surprising 5 years (!) in a Chenin Blanc (!!) wine barrique - very unusual. 

Balblair is owned by Inver House Distillers (who also own Balmenach, Knockdhu/anCnoc, Pulteney, and Speyburn) and has existed since 1790. An old, vaunted brand, they only recently switched over from "vintage" releases to age statements. 

Meanwhile, Chenin Blanc is a white grape from the Loire valley in France. A high-acid grape, it's also popular in South Africa, where it's known as "steen." Chenin Blanc wines are often described as having the flavors of apples, pears, and quinces. 

Glen Moray 14 Year (SMWS 35.302 "A Quick Witted Dovetail")

 

The fifth of nine whiskies at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") June 2022 Outturn tasting at the Jack Rose Saloon on Sunday, June 5th. I love a good Glen Moray, which is known for delectable and rather sweet offerings. This has a very unusual two-year shaved/toasted/rechar ex-first-fill Pedro Ximenez sherry cask finish after a dozen years in ex-bourbon, and was a big winner among all the conversations I overheard at the event.

Ledaig 14 Year (SMWS 42.70 "Swash and Buckle!")

 

Peated Tobermory whisky is sold under the name Ledaig (pronounced luh-chaig, as near as I can tell), and Ledaig has been increasingly in popularity steadily over the last several years, with its current reputation hovering somewhere around vaunted peated classics like Ardbeg Ten Year and Laphroaig Ten Year. So when I saw a 14 year bottle from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") - with the adventurous nickname "Swash and Buckle!" to boot - I pulled the trigger.

Glenburgie 14 Year (SMWS 71.79 "Adventurously Awesome")

 

This was the third of six samplings of the May outturn for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") - a middle-aged Glenburgie, full of vanilla, chocolate, and bready notes! A gathering of about 30 people gathered at the Jack Rose Saloon in Washington DC to try and guess a blind tasting of the six drams. 

Glen Grant 14 Year (SMWS 9.224 "Harvest Hayride Happiness")

 

This year's Burns Night bottle from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") is a 14 year Glen Grant - a distillery I've only ever sampled in official bottling form, their lovely 15 year, which was full to the brim with vanilla, chocolate, coffee, pears. It was bold, and a real pleasure. So I am hoping for great things here. 

Craigellachie 14 Year (SMWS 44.140 "The Fruits of One's Labor")

 

I have a particular fondness for Craigellachie - home of the most distinct apple-and-light-sulfur flavor in the business. It's always delicious, and the previous single cask offerings (as well as the very solid official bottling) I've had have all been excellent. 

ScotchTalk Vol. 4: "Taste"

Taste is a strange sense, and perhaps the most subjective.

Most people can agree on the scent of an apple, or perfume, or the ocean when they encounter it blindfolded. Most people can differentiate touch between soft and hard, knobby and smooth, etc., to a very surprisingly minute degree. Most people can detect almost infinitely small gradients of color, and generally agree what is pleasing to observe and what isn't (within reasonable limits). 

The Balvenie Caribbean Cask (14 Year)

This was my introduction to The Balvenie - a distiller whose every Speyside expression seems to garner glowing reviews from professional reviewers and casual drinkers alike. I have had a handful of their whiskies, and am fairly chomping at the bit to try a few of the older, more expensive varieties (I'm looking at you, PortWood 21 Year). 

Light or heavy, Speyside whiskies are known for their sweetness, and this is something that the folks at The Balvenie seem to specialize in - a very rich, endless sweetness that is never cloying or sticks in your teeth. Instead they present a light, dancing sweetness that has facets and details and rewards patience. 

Oban 14 Year

I really like Oban 14 Year, and it's a Scotch I would not mind keeping on hand all the time. For someone whose Scotch cabinet has a fairly high turnover, someone who quests and voyages for new and interesting flavors on a more or less daily basis, this is pretty high praise. 

It's also the only single malt Scotch made by Diageo that is not used in any of their blends, which I'm not sure is praise exactly but certainly speaks to its distinctive character and gives it a certain cache.