This is another heavily peated Bunnahabhain (often called "Staoisha" after Loch Staoisha on the Isle of Islay where the distillery is located), this time with an interesting re-casking. Hailing from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), this was aged for five years in ex-bourbon before being finished for two years in a second-fill Oloroso sherry cask.
I was able to try a small sample of this at a local liquor store; I'm not sure if it's a new product, but they were definitely trying to push it out the door pretty aggressively. I declined that opportunity, though; aged for an unknown number of years in first-fill bourbon barrels, this Bowmore is unfortunately bottled at a tepid, wishy-washy 40% ABV. Unfortunate. Well, let's dive right in:
Another interesting selection from Glenturret, as released by the independent bottlers at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS")! This one is USA-exclusive, and was released for Father's Day 2021 (alongside a 23-year Glenrothes).
When the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's ("SMWS") June 2021's outturn was released, very little was said about this interesting "oily and coastal" bottling from Highland Park. I usually associate Highland Park with a sweetish, gentle profile - a little smoke, a little honey, a little heather (a distinctly dry and floral note), a little fruit... balanced, almost delicate. Even their fantastic Cask Strength Release No. 1 was bold in a balanced, thoughtful way.
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.
It's not very often you run across an independent bottling of Macallan, one of the Fine Old Names in Scotch. Well known for having old bottles selling at auction in the tens of thousands of dollars/pounds, they tend to guard their brand very, very carefully, and presumably they don't like to have their name and reputation out there floating around outside their control.
On the other hand, their brand has become a bit silly in the last few years, with rapidly climbing prices and more and more No Age Statement bottlings that verge on the ridiculous with the amount of hype and pretension invested in them. Many people have commented that they are perhaps too obsessed with their own image. So what to make of this bottle?
Purchased during the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's Highlands Festival 2021, this is a 15 Year Tobermory, a distillery I have before today never experienced in its unpeated form! Hailing from the Isle of Mull, Tobermory is perhaps better known by their peated imprint Ledaig, which I have quite enjoyed in the past, and that has a distinctive dry peat flavor I liked. Tobermory, the core distillery, is a real mystery to me.
Having reviewed - and loving - the Benriach Smoky Twelve, along with a wonderful independent bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, I am super curious about this ten-year expression, which features virgin oak intervention along with the ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
Loch Lomond is a Highland distillery that originally dates to 1814, but was closed for much of the intervening years. It only reopened around the mid-1960s, and today bears the distinction of making both single malt and grain whiskies - one of only a very very few places to make both.
A good friend bought this bottle to drink with me after a rough day; it was much appreciated. Over the course of a few months, we emptied the thing steadily, and I accumulated tasting notes.
Yes, the name is a real mouthful: Glengoyne The Legacy Series Chapter One 2019. Glengoyne is a very old distillery ("Unhurried since 1833" the bottle and packaging proudly says), but very new to me. One of the bottles I tend to overlook as my hand drifts around the shelving. However, perhaps it's time to rectify this; thanks much to Rob Martin for this bottle!
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.
Ah, another lightly peated Glen Scotia from the vaults of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS). The last one, "Members Remember Embers" was a little unusual, featuring notes of sweet medicinal peat, ethereal ash, and light fruit, along with hints of stranger things like fresh gauze, breakfast sausage, and lavender. It was very interesting, and these days "very interesting" is the name of my game.
This is actually an older review that I meant to post back in 2018 or so, but it got lost in the shuffle. I came across it yesterday while organizing - Bruichladdich's Octomore 7.4.
Octomore is the highly experimental super-peated (167 ppm, compared against Ardbeg's ~50-55 ppm) imprint of Bruichladdich, and 7.4 was bottled in virgin oak (!) for a somewhat complicated term of 7 years. Complicated because some of the spirit was aged for a short while in ex-bourbon and ex-French oak as well, hence the slightly older age - most Octomore is 5 years old. Bottled at 61.2%. How was it?
The 200th bottle reviewed!
One of my very favorite underdogs of the single malt universe: Speyside's Dailuaine, which has a wonderful juiciness about it, specifically a mouth-watering watermelon note that is hard to resist. So when I found this 7 year expression from Douglas Laing's independent bottler Old Particular, I didn't resist - I bought it right up. Matured in a single sherry butt for seven years, bottled at 48.4%, and in craft presentation. How is it??
Exclusive Malts was an independent bottler that, sadly, no longer exists. One of their releases was known as the "Exclusive Region," where they released an unnamed single malt generally related to the main whisky regions of Scotland: Islay, Speyside, Highland, Peated Highland, Single Grain.
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.
Another new one to me - Glen Grant, a Speyside distillery that has the distinction of being the biggest selling Scotch whisky in Italy! It's owned by Campari. This is their 15 year, bottled at a luscious, beautiful 50% ABV, spending all its time in ex-bourbon casks. 50%! I am so delighted. Let's get right into it...
Another nod of thanks to Rob Martin for supplying me with this sample of the new Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve, the no-age-statement rum-cask-finished variant of Glenlivet. Bottled at 40% (c'mon Glenlivet!), probably colored, probably chill filtered. I am not a giant fan of rum finished whiskies, but I'm willing to give this a fair shake. Let's see how it does.
This is a blend of Springbank and Longrow whiskies, from Campbeltown distillery Springbank, bottled at 40%, and priced aggressively. I love Springbank, and have never once had a bad pour from any of their offerings. Supposedly this is aged about 5 years. Let's get right down to it:
I have never had anything by Diageo-owned Speyside distillery Glendullan, which they place under their "Singleton" umbrella, and aim squarely at the United States market - and so I'm most curious to try this 15 year expression. Glendullan is most often found as part of blends like Old Parr and William's. Coming in at a rather tepid 40% ABV, mostly ex-bourbon, a little bit ex-French oak. Probably colored, probably chill-filtered. How is Glendullan?
Laphroaig's Quarter Cask is aged for 5 years in ex-bourbon casks, then transferred to quarter casks - which, just as they sound like, are casks a quarter the size of a normal cask - for about 7 months. Making this quite a young whisky indeed, but also a powerful, muscular one... yet not without nuance. Bottled at a very pleasing 48%, barrier filtered but not chill filtered, and colored with E150 (!?), let's see how it does 7 years after my last review...
This is my first experience with Glenturret, a distillery fairly south in the Highlands. An independent bottle presented by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), this is peated, aged for 6 years in a re-charred hogshead and bottled at a very stiff 64.9%. Nicknamed "Cooking on a Rusty Grill." Let's see what I can find...
I've taken quite a liking to Bruichladdich. I really enjoyed their Port Charlotte 10 Year, as well as their Rockside Farm, and their Islay Barley (which was both challenging and rewarding). I once had The Classic Laddie when it was a 10 year age statement.
It's been a LONG time since I've had a non-cask strength Aberlour - I don't even remember what the signature notes are. The last Aberlour I had was the 10 Year (now discontinued), which I had in Madagascar (!). This 12 year offering, bottled at a disappointing 40%, is matured by "double cask" - sherry casks and bourbon casks married together after 12 years apart. As for the taste... well, let's find out:
Ah.... my beloved Dailuaine. Right up there with Ardmore on my pantheon of "my favorite underdog drams." This bottle comes from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) and is bottle code 41.139, nicknamed "A Complex Character." 12 years matured in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, bottled at a wonderful 60.9% ABV. Let's see how the usual Dailuaine "watermelon" note comes across...
I jumped on this the moment I heard about it - a Glen Scotia (from Campbeltown) lightly peated and nicknamed "Members Remember Embers" by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS)?? Automatic purchase. This is aged for 10 years in 1st fill ex-bourbon casks, no chill filtration, no coloring. Let's see how delectable Glen Scotia comes across when peated...
It's been some time since I reviewed anything from Bruichladdich's heavily peated Port Charlotte imprint. I've had their Scottish Barley and the now-discontinued Peat Project (which I didn't care for). This time around it's their core 10 year bottling, which is peated to about 40 ppm, according to their website. Also from their website: 65% 1st fill American whiskey, 25% 2nd fill French wine, and 10% 2nd fill American whiskey. Bourbon? Rye? 100% malted? Who knows what they mean by that. Bottled at a nice 50% ABV (take notes, competitors!) with no chill filtration or coloring. Let's see what we have here...
