Kilkerran Heavily Peated Batch 4 (NAS)

 

I have enjoyed both expressions of Kilkerran that I've had previously - the 8 year and the 12 year - and tonight I am sampling the "heavily peated, batch 4" expression of their Peat-in-Progress series. 

Kilkerran is a product of one of the three remaining Campbeltown distilleries (Glengyle, which is owned by Springbank, another favorite distillery of mine). This is batch 4, no age expression (apparently is 5-6 years old), was bottled at 58.6% ABV, matured 80/20% in bourbon/sherry casks. Let's immediately dig into some young Campbeltown glory:

Mortlach "Game of Thrones" 15 Year

 

It's safe to say now that the Diageo "Game of Thrones" scotch experiment was - sadly - not a success. These attempts to lure your average HBO viewer to the world of expensive liquor was (perhaps) well intentioned, and maybe even well executed, but didn't really pay off. Most scotch drinkers I know considered it some kind of joke, and all the liquor store owners I chatted with said the bottled were hard as hell to move.

The original Game of Thrones collection had the following bottlings:

• Game of Thrones House Stark – Dalwhinnie Winter’s Frost
• Game of Thrones House Tully – Singleton of Glendullan Select
• Game of Thrones House Targaryen – Cardhu Gold Reserve
• Game of Thrones House Lannister – Lagavulin 9 Year Old
• Game of Thrones The Night’s Watch – Oban Bay Reserve
• Game of Thrones House Greyjoy – Talisker Select Reserve
• Game of Thrones House Baratheon – Royal Lochnagar 12 Year Old
• Game of Thrones House Tyrell – Clynelish Reserve

The final bottle was this - the "Six Kingdoms" Mortlach 15 Year

To the Best Drinking Partner I Ever Had

 

Glenfarclas 21 Year (Second Take)

 

It's been almost exactly a year since I last had this magnificent 21-year scotch from Glenfarclas. Quite possibly the best-priced 20+ year scotch on the market (I obtained it for $135, less than even the 17 year goes for!), I remember this being full of fascinating, balanced flavors. 100% aged in Oloroso sherry casks - the standard Glenfarclas house style - and bottled at 43% ABV, this was one of the highlights of my 2021 drinking year. 

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. 

Ardbeg Grooves (NAS)

 

I have held onto this bottle for some time, in a secret "emergency scotch" stash, and only remembered tonight that I had yet to review it! So here we go: the Ardbeg Day 2018 release, aged an undisclosed period of years in super heavily charred red wine casks (!). Very interesting - I think scotch and red wine casks go hand-in-glove. This one is bottled at 46%. Thanks to Ardbeg rep Clarke Boyer for hosting the Ardbeg event where I ordered this from Ace Beverage in Wesley Heights in Washington DC. 

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.

Worthy Park 7 Year Jamaican Rum (SMWS R11.13 "Dunder Heid!")

 Another side jaunt into the world of interesting rums! My last bottle, a fascinating and challenging bottle from Guyana, was a real stunner. So I took a chance on this seven year bottling from Worthy Park - made in a pot still, aged 7 years in a second fill barrel (I think the aging occurs in England). 

This is nicknamed "Dunder Heid!" which refers to dunder, a remnant of rum distilling that is extremely funky and high in esters, and is left at the bottom of the boiler - much like sour mash, with bourbon. So this is going to be super super funky. 

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. 

Glenfarclas 8 Year (SMWS 1.246 "A One Like No Other")

 

I wasn't planning on buying anything this month, especially not a young Speysider, but I saw this bottle in the January outturn and just couldn't resist. A peated Glenfarclas (!). Glenfarclas is a family-owned Speyside distillery known primarily for very heavily sherried whiskies, and I have never seen a peated variant of any of their whiskies, ever. Not one. 

So when this showed up, I had to buy it and try it. Apparently the story is: this spent 8 years in a 2nd fill barrel... and the first fill of the barrel must have held heavily, heavily peated whisky. When a whisky ages in a wood barrel, it's not just the oils and esters and other chemicals in the wood that are imparted into the liquid... the liquid, for its part, sends chemicals and oils and esters right back into the wood, in turn. And here, heavy peat and smoke were residing in the barrel used here. 

Ardmore 12 Year (SMWS 66.206 "Magnificently Manky!")

 

Sometimes shipping alcohol from state to state here in the United States can be prohibitively expensive - between 25% and 33% of the cost of a single bottle, oftentimes. Thus, when placing orders with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), I usually find it best to buy at least two bottles to distribute the cost a little better. More than once, I have bought a whole bundle that contained a bottle or two I wanted, just to maximize my booze-against-shipping rates. 

This 12 year Ardmore was one such "plus one" bottle, bought to accompany the peated Glenfarclas I couldn't resist. And I have been a longterm fan of Ardmore for a long while now, so this was an easy pick.

Spade and Bushel 10 Year Cask Strength Irish Whisky

 

Another treat provided by the venerable Rob Martin, whisky connoisseur deluxe! And another departure from my usual single malt scotch focus. This was released in a limited edition of 5000 half-sized bottles, at cask strength (57.5% ABV), after aging for 10 years in unknown casks. 

Ireland doesn't have the same oak restrictions that the US and Scotland have - they only require "wooden" casks, since oak is hard to come by in Ireland and the whisky industry would have long ago extinguished the species from the island if they were required to use it - thanks to Teeling distillery tour for that bit of info. But I suspect that this spent its years in oak anyway, just based on the drying tannins I taste. 

Bottled by the Connaught Whisky Company, the actual distiller here is unknown. Let's investigate:

Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie 21/137 (NAS)

 

Thank you to mom for this unexpected Christmas gift! Almost a year after my last look at Bruichladdich and their core expression, let's have another glass. An unpeated Islay made with all Scottish barley, this is bottle 21/137, which carries the following information on the Bruichladdich website (and kudos to them for providing this): 

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: 

Ardnamurchan AD/03.21:02

 

This is the inaugural bottle released in the American market. Here are the basic stats: Aged somewhere around ~6 years, only 5004 bottles released, 35% ex-sherry casks and 65% ex-bourbon, 50/50 peated/unpeated, non-chill-filtered, uncolored, bottled at 46.8% ABV. 

Ardnamurchan is the much-heralded new distillery in the western Highlands, and I was much intrigued by the first bottle I had through the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). Thank you to Rob Martin for this one! Let's see how this one comes across...

Highland Park 13 Year (SMWS 4.301 "Sooty Clouds")

 

The third and final bottle of a trio of independently bottled Highland Parks from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), as part of a distillery deep dive they did in December of 2021. I couldn't resist - I think independent Highland Park is the best Highland Park. 

This one, like "A Horned Beast" (4.300) before it, is considered peated rather than oily and coastal by the standards of the SMWS flavor categories. I'm curious - normally Highland Park isn't considered super peaty, but rather quite lightly peated, almost as an afterthought. 

Highland Park 13 Year (SMWS 4.300 "A Horned Beast")

 

I'm intrigued that this independent bottling of Highland Park from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") is considered peated (and not even lightly peated!) instead of oily and coastal, the usual category determination. I have never had a well-and-truly-peated bottling of Highland Park, so I'm ultra curious about this one. 

Part of a trio of 13 year Highland Parks released by SMWS as part of a distillery deep dive, this is the second one I'm partaking in. I love independently bottled Highland Park, which is coastal, fragrant, lightly sweet and salty, and filled with personality. 

Highland Park 13 Year (SMWS 4.298 "I See Seashore")

 

This is part of a "distillery deep dive" in Highland Park from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), a trio of 13 year bottles that all come from the same revatting experiment as two lovely previous bottles I had from SMWS: "Dining by the Harbour" and "By the Beautiful Sea." 

I have consistently found that independently bottled Highland Park (often called "Orkney Distillery" or "Unnamed Orkney" on independent bottle labels) is where the spirit really shines, divorced from the marketing juggernaut that continues to amuse and frustrate the scotch-loving public with watered down bottles and overripe names. 

I almost wish they would go way over the top with the whole effort. Instead of "Viking Honor" and "Viking Scars" and "Viking Heart" and "Loyalty of the Wolf" and "Spirit of the Bear" etc etc etc (ugh), they should get creative with the naming. "Untamable Fury of the Malmsteen" ... "The Angriest Rooster" ... "A Barbarian, Reading a Book" ... "Dragons Dreaming of Scary Children" and so on. I would be 1000% more likely to actually buy a bottle if they had some humor or personality. Instead, I continue to boycott the ridiculous expressions, with the sole exception of the surprisingly good Cask Strength bottles, which really deserve more attention. I look forward to reviewing the Batch No. 2 very soon.  

Ardnamurchan 5 Year (SMWS 149.2 "Peaty Peninsula")

 

Ever since my friend Rob had a bottle of the newly released whisky from Highland distillery Ardnamurchan, I've been very interested in trying some. This month's outturn from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") offered a 5 year expression, aged entirely in a first-fill Oloroso sherry butt - I couldn't say no!

Glenfarclas 7 Year (SMWS 1.238 "Well-Danced Upon Flood")

 

I am quite a fan of Glenfarclas, and will nearly always take a chance on an independent expression of their spirit when I can find it. This young 7-year bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") fit the bill nicely. It's actually the second bottle I've had that follows this casking: 5 years in ex-bourbon, 2 year finish in PX sherry oak. This one is apparently much closer to the "normal" Glenfarclas sherry-forward profile. 

Caol Ila 10 Year (SMWS 53.357 "Smoke and Smirr")

 

Yet another ~10-12 year bottle of single cask Caol Ila from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). In the past, I have liked a few of these, and one ("Industrial Chimney Soot") was quite distinctly good indeed. Nicknamed "Smoke and Smirr," which originates in a poem called "The Smokey Smirr O' Rain" by George Campbell Hay: 

A misty mornin’ doon the shore wi a hushed an’ caller air,
an’ ne’er a breath frae East or West tie sway the rashes there,
a sweet, sweet scent frae Laggan’s birks gaed breathin’ on its ane,
their branches hingin beaded in the smoky smirr o rain.

The hills aroond war silent wi the mist alang the braes.
The woods war derk an’ quiet wi dewy, glintin’ sprays.
The thrushes didna raise for me, as I gaed by alane,
but a wee, wae cheep at passin’ in the smoky smirr o rain.

Rock an’ stane lay glisterin’ on aa the heichs abune.
Cool an’ kind an’ whisperin’ it drifted gently doon,
till hill an’ howe war rowed in it, an’ land an’ sea war gane.
Aa was still an’ saft an’ silent in the smoky smirr o rain.

Craigellachie 17 Year (SMWS 44.143 "Good Traditional Fare")

 

Now here is a bottle I am greatly looking forward to: a 17 year single cask Craigellachie from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). I have adored every single Craigellachie SMWS has released, and the last one, a 13 year bottle called "The Fruits of One's Labors" was outstanding: a succulent mixture of apples, pie crust, and meaty sulfur notes. Wonderful stuff. 

Craigellachie means "rocky hill" - I imagine that's where the words "crag" and "craggy" originate - and refers to an outcropping that overlooks the Spey river, across from the Macallan distillery. Craigellachie is owned by Bacardi, and I have to say - based on what I've had, they are doing all the right things. It was built in 1891, and is currently a major part of Dewar's blends; they produce 4,000,000 litres of alcohol a year.  

Inchgower 13 Year (SMWS 18.38 "The Happy Ponderer")

 

Here is a new one to me - Inchgower, a four-still distillery on the outskirts of Buckie in Moray, Scotland. Dating from 1871, it was owned by Bell's for many years, and is currently owned by Diageo. It remains a major component of Bell's blended whisky, which I always liked just fine. I have never, not once in a decade of drinking primarily single malts, seen or even heard of a bottle of Inchgower, anywhere. According to the cask coding that the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") uses, this is only the 38th cask they've ever obtained from Inchgower - a real rarity!

Research: Phenols and Esters

Phenols and esters are two volatile molecular compounds that cause many of the flavors in alcoholic drinks, Scotch included. There is actually a considerable body of scientific research into these compounds and exactly how they are created, destroyed, and generally interact. 

If you ever had a glass of Scotch and wondered where that rubber tire aroma came from, or lavender soap, or that *exact* aroma of charred pineapples ... these articles will help explain. 

Naked Grouse Blend

 

An interesting offering from the Grouse family of blended whiskies, this one has been aged in first-fill sherry butts, and consists heavily of (apparently) Macallan and Glenturret and Highland Park. Color me intrigued! Thanks to Rob Martin for the sample! Bottled at 43% ABV, let's just drink the damned stuff!

Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend, Single Marrying Vat

 

First off, thanks to Rob Martin for this sample! I always admire the Compass Box whiskies, and have been curious about this bottle for a while now. 

Compass Box manufactures some really excellent blends, and even the worst bottles I've had from them are pretty damned interesting. This one is, apparently, a love letter to Glasgow; the website opens by saying 

"Aromas of sherry and smoke permeate the streets of Glasgow

In his 1930s book ‘Whisky’, Aeneas MacDonald teaches us that Glaswegians historically preferred fuller bodied and more flavour-packed whiskies than people in other parts of the world. So what better name for a whisky such as this?

Glaswegians are also famed for their sense of humour, which is why the city’s Wellington statue – traditionally dressed down with a traffic cone – is featured on the front label."

Highland Park 20 Year (SMWS 4.277 "A Punch and a Pout")

  

If I'm being completely honest, I only really bought this because it supported a good charity (Fisher House Foundation) on Veteran's Day here in the US, and because it was the least expensive of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") Black Label bottlings - their oldest, most mature offerings. I simply couldn't justify $1000+ for an ancient Mortlach, etc. 

But I do quite like independent bottlings of Highland Park, especially the recent revattings I've had from SMWS - "Dining by the Harbor" and "By the Beautiful Sea" were both amazing bottles. This is a 17 year Highland Park (those 17 years in ex-bourbon) that was revatted and finished another 3 years in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead. Here are the official notes:

David vs Goliath - The Battle of the Single Cask Sherry Bombs

 

I normally don't do posts like this, but I couldn't resist - I got both these bottles about a week apart and they begged for comparison. 

DAVID: A 13 year bottle of Dailuaine (a distillery owned and operated by Diageo, 98% of their production goes into Johnnie Walker), matured for 11 years in an Oloroso butt and another 2 year finish in a Pedro Ximenez butt. Bottled at 57.5% ABV by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). 

GOLIATH: A 12 year bottle Macallan (a renowned distillery owned and operated by The Edrington Group, famous for its high prices and sherry casking), matured for 10 years in an Oloroso butt and then revatted and finished for 2 years in a Pedro Ximenez butt. Bottled at 63.9% ABV by the SMWS.

So we have two massive sherry bombs. Can the smaller distillery keep up? Let's find out...

Dailuaine 13 Year (SMWS 41.142 "Jam-Packed with Darkness")

 

I discovered Dailuaine through the lens of single cask independent bottlings; not the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") as you might think from reading this blog, but actually Signatory. That bottle was fresh, bright, full of lovely candied citrus, and had a very distinct tart/sour watermelon Jolly Rancher flavor that I later found in other bottlings. I was immediately a fan. 

Old Pulteney 7 Year (SMWS 52.40 "Sweet and Zesty Sea Air")

 

Now this is an oxymoron if I've ever seen one - a young Old Pulteney! A single cask bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), I was just so curious I couldn't resist - the normally oily, salty Old Pulteney house style at a very young age and filed under the SMWS flavor profile Young and Sprightly?? Yes, please. Someone once said that SMWS Young and Sprightly bottles were "not for the faint of heart." 

Glenturret 11 Year (SMWS 16.52 "Campfire Breakfast on a Damp Morning")

 

I have absolutely loved and respected the three previous peated single cask Glenturrets I've had from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). They were real surprises, richly flavored, with a very distinct rich sweetness paired to a note of fresh pencil shavings (!). This bottle is, of course, also heavily peated, and was a lottery release, chosen at last year's tasting panel experience by US members - it's exclusive to the US SMWS. 

Guyanese rum (SWMS R2.17 "Staggering Bravado")

 

From time to time I explore spirits other than Scotch whisky. It's good to broaden your palate, try new things, see what else is out there - and when you come back, it gives you a renewed appreciation for old favorites, and sometimes a new slant on flavor. 

I recently had a fantastic (and extremely funky) overproof Jamaican rum (Hampden Estates) from Smith and Cross, a London bottler, and decided to try again with a type of rum I've never had - Guyanese rum made on the east bank of Demerara river in the capital of Georgetown.

Macallan 12 Year (SMWS 24.157 "In a Tapas Bar")

 

Another single cask, natural strength Macallan from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS")! I'm delighted. The last bottle (24.147, "The Deepest of Mahogany") was absolutely rich and impressive from every single angle - a rare opportunity to have a full blast sherry bomb from a well-known distillery that prides themselves on full sherry maturation. 

A quick SMWS note: the cask coding is used to protect the identities of the many, many distilleries who sell their casks to the SMWS; this is somewhat common in the independent bottlings scene, as you'll often see bottles from "Unidentified Orkney" or generic "Highland distillery" and so on. In this case, 24.157 indicates the 157th bottling released from distillery 24 (in this case, known to be Macallan). 

This bottle comes from a specific project where they took five 10 year Macallan casks that had been aged in first-fill Oloroso butts, revatted them, and then finished the revatted single malt in three other sherry casks (!). I'm intrigued. 

Port Charlotte PAC:01 2011

 

I do love Bruichladdich and their peated variant Port Charlotte; this is their PAC:01, which is part of their cask exploration series. Here is Bruichladdich's own explanation:

Introducing the newest Cask Exploration edition of our heavily peated Islay single malt, the Port Charlotte PAC:01 2011 demonstrates the versatility of our soft, barbeque smokey Scotch in the highest quality French oak casks. Two parcels of Scottish barley distilled spirit have matured for a minimum of six years in ex-American oak casks before being transferred to red wine casks from the Gironde left bank, north of Bordeaux. Bottled at 56.1% abv, this spirit showcases stunning spice and fruit notes. It is a rich and elegant, undeniably Islay single malt.

Wolfburn 3 Year "Aurora" Sherry Oak

 

I had a drink of Wolfburn's first release, and enjoyed it quite a bit. This bottle is a more recent one, where Wolfburn has begun experimenting a bit: unpeated, matured in 40% second-fill quarter casks, 40% first fill bourbon, and 20% first-fill Oloroso hogsheads. Non-chill-filtered, uncolored, and bottled at a nice 46%. Thank you to Rob Martin for the bottle! Let's see how my second dram from Wolfburn does...

Edradour 11 Year Cask Strength

 

Picture credit to Potomac Wines  - get a load of the color!! It's like blackstrap rum. 

I'm a big Edradour fan, going way back - it was maybe the first sherry-matured Scotch I ever had, back in 2013/2014. Over the intervening years I've had most of the major variations on it - but never a cask strength version. Many, many thanks to Rob Martin for saving me the last few drams from this bottle of cask strength 11 year!

Balvenie 15 Year Single Barrel Sherry Cask

 

This is a bottle I've been eager to try for some time - thank you to Rob Martin for the final dram out of this one! Balvenie was one of the first "real" bottles of Scotch I had - one that made me realize the full flavor universe of Scotch. Specifically, it was probably the 14 year Caribbean Cask, back in 2014 or so. I've always respected the quality of their spirit. Therefore, it was only a matter of time and opportunity until I reviewed the 15 Year single barrel sherry cask release.

Bowmore 11 Year (Classic Cask)

 

This is the third bottling I've had from independent bottler The Classic Cask - the first two were an Aberlour and a Craigellachie, both of which were atypical examples of their kind. Therefore I'm super curious about this Bowmore! I recently had a fantastic (if unusual) 17 year Bowmore, and am excited to see what this single cask 11 year bottling brings to the table. 

Balmenach 7 Year (SMWS 48.120 "Worm Tub Stodge")

 

Balmenach is a very old distillery, founded in 1824 (as "Balminoch") by James McGregor (a known smuggler, which was a surprisingly common profession back then). It's currently owned by Inver House, who also owns Speyburn, Knockdhu/anCnoc, Old Pulteney, and Balblair. Balmenach is commonly used in blends like Crabbie's. 

It was one of the very first distilleries sanctioned by the Excise Act of 1823; if you want more data on that, please consult Charlie MacLean's fantastic book "Malt Whisky" - I just finished it, and it's fantastic. 

Tullibardine 8 Year (SMWS 28.51 "Classical and Fulsome")

 

I have never had Tullibardine before this single cask bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). Tullibardine is not an old distillery, founded in 1949, located in Blackford in Perthshire. 

Ardmore 7 Year (SMWS 66.193 "An Engine Starter For Cold Mornings")

 

Anyone who has read through this blog over the last year or two knows I'm a big fan of Ardmore, a somewhat chameleon-esque distillery in the eastern Highlands of Scotland. Capable of making all kinds of wild, vivid flavors, I buy almost every single cask offering that's released by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS").

Highland Park 13 Year (SMWS 4.278 "By the Beautiful Sea")

 

I basically bought this bottle entirely on the strength of the previous revatted bottling of Highland Park that I obtained from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). That bottle was called "Dining by the Harbor" and was a fragrant, coastal, fruity, floral, softly smokey dram that I poured and poured and poured into my glass. 

Bowmore 17 Year (SMWS 3.324 "Split Personality")

 

I've been waiting for this for some time - an older single cask Bowmore! I am one of those who hasn't terribly been impressed at all with the uber-funky 15 Year official bottling, and can't source any of the older bottlings that everyone else seems to rave about (generally the 18-to-27 year range) for a price below First Born Child. 

But finally I have my chance to have a full-strength bottle from the gentle, fragrant Islay distillery that is Bowmore. This single cask bottling is released via the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") under their Lightly Peated flavor category, nicknamed "Split Personality." But it's not without some peculiarities...

Douglas Laing's Big Peat Christmas Edition 2019 Cask Strength blend, Second Take

 

I don't know why, but I am still finding Douglas Laing's Big Peat Christmas Edition from 2019 (you can tell because it's bottled at 53.7% ABV) on the shelves of local Washington D.C. liquor stores. At *very* competitive prices. We're talking ~$50 for a cast strength Islay blend that includes Ardbeg and Port Ellen (however small the proportions might be) and Bowmore and Caol Ila. 

I guess this is still something of a secret in the Scotch community, perhaps only known to Islay maniacs and smokeheads. But boy did I love my last two bottles, and now I'm going to review this third version, even though it's been two years since it came out. 

Smokehead High Voltage Islay Single Malt (NAS), Second Take

 

I decided to re-sample some of the Smokehead High Voltage Islay single malt whisky, after finding some lately at a competitive price. I've already accepted that I spend every cent of my disposable income on Scotch... might as well make it interesting!

Coming from bottler Ian MacLeod, this is unidentified, no age statement Islay whisky. It's young and very much in-your-face. The normal bottling is only 43% ABV - who has time for that? This "High Voltage" edition is bottled at 58% - now that's more like it. 

Bunnahabhain 7 Year (SMWS 10.216 "Creels and Harbors")

In the past year I have had no less than five six-or-seven-year single cask bottlings of peated Bunnahabhain from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). As my friend Rob Martin would say, it should be its own category of Scotch by this point, along with the ubiquitous 10 year Caol Ila. I'm only surprised at this point that kitchen sinks don't have a third tap for 10 year Caol Ila, next to the hot and cold water. It's everywhere. 

As the weather cools off, my taste for peat grows and grows, and this came with a particularly high recommendation during the SMWS's 2021 Gathering - a sort of general Scotch festival they hosted. I made an impulse purchase and now the bottle sits next to me, waiting for review. Let's investigate!

Glen Moray 8 Year (SMWS 35.286 "Xanthous Symphony")

 

For anyone wondering, "xanthous" is an adjective referring to something yellow in color, usually a particular mustardy golden/red/auburn/brownish shade of yellow. Video game fans will recognize the term from the Dark Souls games, where there is a set of clothing that is xanthous-colored (and is so named). 

I haven't had a bottle of Glen Moray in a while, and decided it was time to come back and revisit this excellent distillery whose bottles I have so enjoyed in the past.

Smith and Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum

Very rarely do I review a non-Scotch spirit on this blog - after all, it's called Let's Drink Scotch - but once in a blue moon I find something so outstanding and noteworthy, I have to discuss it. The last time, I think, was Yellow Spot Irish whisky (and god, that was good). This time, it's Smith and Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum. It's the best rum I've ever had. 

One Year in the Scotch Malt Whisky Society: A Review

 

I don't think my journey to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") is all that unique. 

Like most single malt Scotch drinkers, I started with your basic blends as a teen or early twentysomething (I distinctly remember that it was Cutty Sark at a bonfire in my hometown of Damascus, Maryland, around 2001 or so).

Then I moved up to the entry level single malts (Glenmorangie, Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, and so on), then began experimenting more and more, partaking in liquor store tastings, meeting the reps, gradually expanding my palate and growing more and more curious about different styles, caskings, ages, regions, all of it. 

Ardmore 7 Year (SMWS 66.192 "The Dalai Farmer")

 

I am such an aficionado of Ardmore - a Highland distillery owned by Japanese beverage giant Suntory - that I love basically every bottle I've come across. Originally built by William Teacher's son Adam, to supply blend fodder for Teacher's Highland Cream, they did have a small core selection of single malts for some time. 

Unfortunately, my delightful original experience with their official distillery bottling, the Traditional Cask (no age statement), was short-lived - Ardmore pulled it from the market, and whatever they've replaced it with has taken years to come out, and doesn't seem to be widely available in the American market. At least, I can't find it anywhere. Which leaves independent bottlers.