Archive For June 11, 2014
This is a Diageo gem. It’s 58% ABV but really doesn’t need water at all. In general, I think that this distillery does not rise to its full potential, part of it is because this is the main provider of peated whisky to the Diageo blends and part of it is that it seems that…
I’m tasting all manner of vatted malts for a feature post, and received three samples from Douglas Laing: Two Double Barrel expressions (Ardbeg & Aultmore and Caol Ila & Tamdhu) and a sample of Big Peat. The Big Peat sample will be tasted with some other Islay vatted malts, but I don’t have to wait to…
Sherry cask matured Laphoraig at cask strength aged 13 years and 11 months (couldn’t you have waited 3 weeks?). This is one cracking dram and is a real gem that separeates the type of stuff Indies bring to the market vis-a-vis the official bottlings, especially looking at the new plethora of NAS and, sadly, with the…
This is a Caol Ila bottled by Specialty Drinks. It’s different than the CI from the official bottlings, and has a much stronger Islay character. Port Askaig 12 (45.8% ABV, NCF) Color: Straw, quick legs. Nose: The sea up your nose, seaweed, iodine, hot sand, tar and vanilla with a sweetness you’d almost associated with a faint sherry barrel…
Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be reviewing some vatted malts I’m tasting as part of the writing of a bigger post on vatted malts in general. Some of these, like the Compass Box expressions, are official samples sent to me by the bottlers, and some tasted from my collection as well as…