Port Ellen 1976-2001, 25yo, 50% – Old Malt Cask

Posted on 19 September 2016 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

It’s been a while since I tried a Port Ellen, but my mate Jason gave me a sample of the bottle he opened for his 40th birtday, earlier this year. It’s not just any Port Ellen but one from the mid-seventies, which should mean it’s a bit more typical of the distillery style than 1980s releases. The last couple of years of the distillery’s existence were a bit more random than before, with some great bottlings, but also some less interesting ones.

In case of Old Malt Cask bottlings, a whisky released at 50% means that it was at least that when coming out of the cask, but most likely a bit higher still. I don’t think they’ve bottled much over the 50% mark, but I might be wrong. I do know there are some tremendous drams from the brand, of which we don’t get to see many since the split between the Douglas and Hunter Laing companies.

Sniff:
The nose is old and oily. Quite unlike any modern whiskies. The smoke is gentle with lemon candies and shammy leather. Real Port Ellen. Some white pepper, white oak and leafy green scents.

Image from Whiskybase

Image from Whiskybase

Sip:
The palate builds up and is quite intense. There are flavors of leather, smoke, lemon and oak. The lemon and leather notes keep building, but there aer also green leaves and some spices noticeable.

Swallow:
The finish is a tad more simple. Quite long, but more straight forward. Some of the more nuanced flavors are gone quickly. The oak, leather and lemon linger quite long with the gentle smoke.

Yup. This one works! It’s a really, really good one with a great balance of flavors. Nothing dominates the palate or nose and the smooth smoke is a reason to shell out for old Islay whiskies instead of the more monotone belters of peaty sharpness that are released nowadays.

The biggest drawback of this kind of whisky is that you want more of it and it’s now some 600 bucks in shops. The shammy leather, lemon and smoke combination is a really unique thing of Port Ellen and something to be treasured. Great stuff indeed!

90/100

Port Ellen, 03/1976 – 04/2001, 25yo, 50%, Douglas Laing’s Old Malt Cask

Thanks Jason!

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Benromach 1974, 41yo, Sherry Cask, 49.1%

Posted on 13 September 2016 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Finally, I decided to try this baby. G&M/Benromach sent it to me a few months ago, right about when all the other reviews came online. Somehow I’ve not been tasting a lot of whisky lately and I wanted to properly sit down for something of this caliber.

This single cask official release (you don’t see too many of these…) from Benromach should be quite awesome. Mostly since everyone likes older whiskies, and Benromach is a pretty great distillery itself. A combination of that which should work out.

And as well it should be great. This baby clocks in at £ 1200 (currently some € 1450) which is just about as much as I care to spend on bottles in a far longer period. Let’s say a year or more. But we can’t really blame them can we? Us whisky geeks have been overspending for years so the producers would be mad not to cash in on this trend!

Sniff:
Rich with lots of barley coming through. Lots of oak too, but it’s not overshadowing the other flavors. The chaff of grains, that coarseness. Also dried peach, baking spices with ‘speculaas’, and cloves showing. A very different style of whisky from the current 10 year old. More focus on the cask, but smooth and gentle.

Sip:
The sharpness here is not from the alcohol but more the flavor of red peppers and grains, although it’s not at a low ABV. Oak, spices, and a bit of fruit. Peach, some almonds with their bitterness.

Swallow:
The finish shows a bit more age, with more flavors like you’d expect from a 40+ years old whisky. Quite long with lots of focus on the cask. Wood spices galore, and hints of dried fruit.

Well, it’s not as ‘old’ as I expected, with the obviously old and spicy notes becoming prominent only on the finish. They’re there before, but not in a way you’d expect from something that’s been waiting to be drunk for over four decades.

Is it good? Sure it is! Is it £ 1200 good? Meh. Apart from the fact that I have never and (hopefully) will never spend that kind of money on whisky, I think this is pushing the boundaries of what’s credible, even in this day and age.

On the other hand, it has sold out in many locations, so apparently they’ve priced it quite acceptably. Still, it’s just shy of greatness with the ‘before-G&M’ style Benromach not producing as powerful a spirit as they could. I think if they release something like this with the spirit that they’re producing now in three decades, I’d sell a kidney for it.

89/100

Benromach 1974-2016, 41yo, Sherry Butt 1583, 49.1%. Available at The Whisky Exchange.

Thanks to Benromach and Gordon & MacPhail for sending a sample!

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More bottle shares

Posted on 8 September 2016 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

The whisky season is hitting the ground running with some really interesting releases.

Of course, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t want to try a lot of them, so there’s about to be a lot of bottle shares happening as well.

Here’s the ones that have some spaces available:

Compass Box ‘3 Year Old The Luxe’

1% 3 year old Clynelish, and the other 89% of malt whisky is much older whisky from Clynelish and Talisker. There’s some grain in there too. Pretty interesting, if you ask me.

10 cl: € 42.50
5 cl: € 25

Compass Box ‘Spice Tree Extravaganza’

10 cl: € 20
5 cl: € 12.50

Heaven Hill Islay Cask, 2001-2016, finished in Islay Casks, Malts of Scotland

10 cl (only one share left): € 22,50

Posted in - American Whiskey, - Blended Malt, - Blended Whisky, - Bottle share, Compass Box, Heaven Hill | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cherry Spirit, 2003-2012, 51.9% – Beacon Spirits

Posted on 7 September 2016 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Beacon Spirits is a new Belgian bottler of apparently not just whisky. This Cherry Spirit is not a typo for sherry, but an actual cherry brandy from Germany. It matured on oak casks for nine years so it’s far beyond the schnapps phase.

I have no real experience whatsoever with fruit distillates like this, since I’ve only dabbled in that sector since this year’s Armagnac bottle share and have not done much else to expand my understanding of any of it. With me trying to spend less money on booze it might also never happen.

Anyway, a fairly random thing to taste and review, and I won’t rate it since I can’t compare it to anything else. Apart from that I am going to give a fair opinion at the end.

Not my cup of (cherry tea)

Not my cup of (cherry tea)

Sniff:
On the nose it doesn’t smell like any brandy I’ve had before. The oak is very prominent and it takes a while for the spirit to make itself known. It would be excusable to mistake this for a very young whisky with a virgin oak maturation. Still fruit alcohol after the initial hit of oak, with quite some sharp edges. New oak. I don’t know if the cherry is suggested by the name or whether I’m actually getting it.

Sip:
The palate starts of on a generic note of fruit alcohol and loads of oak. After a bit of swimming I think I’m getting the cherries more prominently, with some other fruitiness as well. Very dry and a hint of leather. Pepper towards the end.

Swallow:
The finish is a bit more fruity again. It seems it keeps opening up and it needs to do that to be a bit more enjoyable. Far more clear on the cherry hints.

Well. It’s hard to rate this as expected. I’m not a huge fan because I think the oak has been made too prominent on this, or the character of the spirit has been distilled out of it. I would find it interesting to know at how much ABV this came off the still.

Anyway, I read that a bottle of this changes ownership for 85 euros, which I find quite high. I understand that the production and maturation cost money, but I don’t think it’s represented in the end product enough. Harsh, but my money is on the whisky for Beacon Spirits, so far.

Cherry Spirit, 2003-2012, 51.9%, Beacon Spirits. Available there too.

Thanks to Bert Dexters for the sample!

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Tomatin 9yo, 2006-2015, Virgin Oak, 60% – Handbottled at the Distillery

Posted on 6 September 2016 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

When I visited Tomatin in a snowy November last year, with some mates, we had a great tour and did an extensive tasting of all Handfills available at the moment. This is a good thing because the things aren’t cheap and I would otherwise have left without any of the good stuff. The definition of ‘a good thing’ varies wildly between me and my wife.

This nine year old Virgin Oak hoggie was the penultimate whisky in the tasting, only to be followed by a 25 year old bourbon cask. It was also the strongest in the tasting, and contrary to my expectations, I loved it. I loved it so much that me and TT split a bottle of a one-hundred-and-ten pound, nine year old whisky. F-ing expensive, but we wanted it. Hell, we needed it.

At the distillery they told us that virgin oak casks are not always as virgin as you’d normally expect. I always wondered how the Scottish whisky industry knew how to get so many virgin casks nowadays without having a major logging industry like America has. Apparently, a recharred cask is considered a virgin cask, since it hasn’t been used since it was charred, and the layer of oak that actually was in contact with the previous contents is gone. Sort of.

It does explain to me how some virgin oak casks are almost like sherry casks, and others are far more like really intense bourbon oak. Interesting stuff, but also a tad confusing.

Sniff:
Lots of fresh oak obviously. A bit sherry-like with a rather sweet, dry nose. Some fruits, apple and grapes. Fresh herbs, some cherries and baking spices later.

Sip:
The palate is (very) sharp, sweet and dry. There’s lots of oak with a fresh, slightly ‘green’ taste to it. Very dry, slightly fatty. Fruits and spices. Quite like some stronger rye whiskeys.

Swallow:
The finish is very, very oaky with lots of wood and spices. Very sharp, and very dry.

This is a weird whisky. Very weird. It does grant some insight on the mellowness that corn brings to bourbon, compared to rye whiskeys where the grain leaves more room for the intensity of the oak.

Even though it’s only nine years old it’s insanely oaky and very, very strong. This whisky does NOT work when it’s your first whisky of the night. Or at least it doesn’t shine like it can further on in a line up. When I first tried it out of Scotland it was after the Tomatin Club bottling selection and it was awesome. I tried it later without first having some other drams and I was surprised by the dry fierceness it showed, and the vast amount of oak.

In the end, this one will take you by surprise if you don’t pay attention, but I think it’s an absolutely lovely dram and it shows an entirely different side of Tomatin. Kudos!

Not a clue if it’s still available. It also didn’t make it through the weekend, as you can see in the picture.

89/100

Tomatin 9yo, 18/1/2006-11/2015, Virgin Oak #69, 60% – Handbottled at the Distillery

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Auchentoshan 17, Bordeaux Cask Finish, 51%

Posted on 2 September 2016 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Before the revamp of Auchentoshan years ago, they also had their series of special bottlings. In gorgeous off-white boxes with some proper age statements on them. There was a 16 year old Fresh Bourbon cask, an 18 year old Oloroso matured one and this one. A 17 year old finished in Bordeaux Wine casks.

Back in the day I bought all three of them and have thoroughly enjoyed the bourbon and Olorose ones. This one didn’t really catch my attention while it was sitting on my shelf for years (the better part of a decade, actually).

I had glasses of it over the years, and sold some samples. Now, it is finally nearing its end and after having some after barbecue drams of it a week or two ago I decided to finally sit down for it. Interesting find, when I finally did this, is that actually is quite a gorgeous whisky.

Sniff:
It’s quite soft on the barley front, but the sweetness and richness of the wine cask make up for this. The wine doesn’t feel like a second layer on top of the whisky, but is very well integrated. Lots of stewed red fruits like strawberries and plums. Obviously the wood influence is quite strong.

Sip:
The palate is quite strong, but not as strong as some 51% whiskies warrant. Still very sweet, but not cloying. Quiet dry too. The combination tastes a bit like raisin bread, but with stewed red fruits again. Old, wet oak.

Swallow:
The finish is fruity with more focus on the oak. It tastes like those old wine casks in a dunnage warehouse with earthen floors. Long and rich.

Apparently I was in the mood for some sweetness yesterday, since I generally am not too fond of very sweet whiskies. This one is quite sweet but not overly so. The fruitiness of the wine is very well integrated with the gentle barley notes of the whisky. The oak is very nice on this one too. All in all, it works.

I find the rating of 85 and a bit at Whiskybase on the low side, and I expect the last 6 or so centiliters in my bottle will not survive the weekend. Good stuff! Not surprising that Auchentoshan has kept working with Bordeaux casks over the years.

According to the label this was matured in bourbon casks for eight years and finished in Saint Julien casks for nine years. Now that’s a finish!

Auchentoshan 17, btld 2002, Bordeaux Cask Finish, 51%. Available in Belgium for 109 euros.

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Beers of August

Posted on 31 August 2016 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Another month of far too heavy beer drinking (according to my wife at least). The amount of beers was a fairly acceptable number until last weekend in which I both drank some new ones at home, and also went to a beer festival in Sassenheim with my friend RH.

The intention was to take it slow there. But as festivals generally turn out, slow was not part of the game there. Unfortunately the bar that hosted the festival is heavily focused on Belgian style of beers so there was one stout, a couple of IPAs and vast amounts of blonds and triples available. There were even some Radlers for some reason.

The beer festival before it got busy.

How is that unfortunate? Well, apart from it being a very familiar style with almost no variation in it, it generally is a fairly heavy beer regarding alcohol and in a lot of cases that is not compensated by flavor.

Also, apart from some staples I just find triples and blonds not the most interesting of styles. They feel like the supermarket’s choice of specialty brews, at least from a Dutch and Belgian perspective.

So, let’s get these out of the way first.

Triples

  • De Blauwe Tram (Brouwerij Klein Duimpje)
  • Scheveninger Tripel (Brouwerij Scheveningen)
  • Baltasar (Stadsbrouwerij De Koperen Kat)
    The above three were quite boring and not really worth the liver damage. The Scheveninger was a bit more intense and the best of the bunch.
  • Corsendonk Agnus Tripel (Brouwerij Corsendonk)
  • Mooi Weer IJsbeer (De Blauwe IJsbeer)
    Both were far too sweet, with the Mooi Weer IJsbeer being almost undrinkable.

Blondes

  • Saens Zoentje (Breugem)
  • Blonde d’Été (Crooked Spider)
  • Steenbrugge Blond (De Gouden Boom)

Meh.

Barrel aged beers

  • White Label Imperial Russian Stout Bruichladdich Peated BA (Bierbrouwerij Emelisse)
    What’s great about this beer is that they’ve managed to keep the smoke in check, compared to some others I’ve had from peated Bruichladdich barrels. Great depths and gentleness. A heavy hitter though.
  • Gift To Gaspar Barrel-aged (Edge Brewing Barcelona)
    I read great reviews of this on Facebook so I got interested. I’ve had great rum barrel aged beers in the past. This one wasn’t for me though. I found it too sweet and leaning too heavy on the rum.
  • Rasputin Bourbon BA (Brouwerij De Molen)
    Another sweet one, but not that sweet. The intensity of the beer is amped up compared to the Gift to Gaspar, and I simply prefer whisk(e)y over rum. Great stuff, this. Truly epic beer.
  • S… Than Ever – Brandy Barrel Aged Barley Wine Ale (White Pony Microbrewery)
    I don’t think I ever had a brandy barrel aged beer before. I find Brandy an interesting drink but I think I would like more information on this one. Brandy is a fruit distillate, but whether that’s plums, bananas or apples make quite the difference. Nonetheless, this was a rather impressive beer.
  • Ship Wreck (BrewDog)
    Now this is a weird one. Made with some smoked Agave in the mash, and matured on Speyside and Islay whisky barrels. There was a gentle hint of smoke and the agave gave it quite a different profile. It’s a hugely strong beer at 13.8%, but it works on all levels. Dangerously drinkable while never hiding its strength. I would like to have had a bit more agave influence, I think.

More Wild Beer

I might have said it before, but the Wild Beer Co. brewery in Somerset is quickly becoming one of my favorite brewers out there. They do utterly freaky beers, some of which are interesting to drink but not something you’d go and buy a case of. Still, I’ve had some utterly awesome beers of them in the last few months and I hope this will continue for a long time

  • Sourdough
    Not as bready as I expected, but quite refreshing and nicely acidic. Very light and very summery.
  • Millionaire
    This milk stout could’ve been a bit richer, but the longer it said in my glass, the more I enjoyed it. The caramel is mostly noticable on the finish, but it’s all good.
  • Smoke ‘n Barrels Summer
    One of the weirdest beers I’ve had in a long time, out there with the Ship Wreck. Quite salty, but with smoke and oranges. The flavors are all out there and it’s one I can now barely remember properly. I know I liked it, but I might have to try one more someday. Freaky stuff, but it kind of shows what beer can be as well.

Some IPAs

It’s summer. That normally means I drink more IPAs than I normally do. This month was a bit slow in that regard, but I still managed to rack up a few.

  • Six Hops Double Pale Ale (Brouwerij Klein Duimpje)
    Almost the only IPA at the beer festival. Therefore it was also one of the best ones out there. It’s not overly hoppy, as the name might suggest. Nicely balanced and some nice mashy notes in there.
  • IRA (Double Mountain Brewery & Taproom)
    Good red beer. Cloudy as hell, but it might not have been in optimal condition since it was brewed almost two years ago. Still rather tasty. Way overpriced in NL though, at almost € 10. I only got it because it was 50% off.
  • U.S.A IPA (Muifelbrouwerij)
    Good solid IPA. Nothing to moan about, but not surprising either.
  • Amass B&W West Coast Style IPA (Mikkeller)
    Good solid IPA. Nothing to moan about, but not surprising either. Normally I expect more from Mikkeller.

Random stuff

  • La Dixième (Leidsch Bier)
    Fresh and crisp, and surprisingly good. This was my 1000th check in on Untappd. The champagne yeast gives this some crisp edges and a light bitterness that makes for a lovely summery beer. Recommended.
  • Grand Prestige (2016) (Hertog Jan)
    This stuff is ridiculously big and seen in Holland as one of the best beers to keep for bottle maturation. I believe they sell it in duo packs with one to drink and one to keep as well. Anyway, it’s huge on the palate and ABV. Fairly simple flavors but very well made. I might get some for storing.
  • Sweet Blackberry Milk Stout (Brouwerij Klein Duimpje)
    The only stout at the beer festival last Sunday. Very good, but the blackberries should have been slightly more pronounced.
  • Kutbier Batch #5 (Brouwerij Boegbeeld)
    ‘Kut’ is Dutch for ‘Cunt’, and one of the most used words in Den Bosch. There’s a lot of corny references on the label, but the beer is not too bad. More of a gimmick than anything else though.
  • Strawberry Fields (Brouwerij Kees)
    Big on strawberry and chocolate. A dessert in a glass. Good stuff.
  • Brass Knuckles (Edge Brewing Barcelona)
    Now this one… I wasn’t even planning on buying this but in the end I decided to pick up ‘all’ the new Edge Brewing beers at my local bottle shop. It’s an American Strong Ale, according to the label, which I guess means it’s sort of a hopped up Quad. Which is nice, since I like both hops and quads.
    This turns out to be a freakin’ awesome beer, which ticks all boxes of initially rather sweet like a quadruple, but migrating to a more imperial IPA style with huge flavor. It doesn’t feel unhinged anywhere, and is very, very well made.
  • Triple Virgin Cherries (Edge Brewing Barcelona)
    A true Frankenstein’s Monster of a beer. Made by Americans in Spain, to a mix of two Belgian recipes (triple and kriek). Bright red, with nicely mixed flavors. More or an interesting beer and not one I’d go back to the shop for though. Still, far from bad.
  • Arcade Nation (BrewDog)
    I don’t even remember what this one tasted like.
  • Roasted Nuts Extra (Rebellion Beer Co. Ltd.)
    A very classic English bitter, but very well made. I got some from friends and I am very grateful for it. Generally this style isn’t really available in Holland, but it’s quite a gorgeous beer. And nutty, as expected.
  • Amass B&W Red Lager (Mikkeller)
    Nice, but forgettable.

This month’s beer of the month was a surprise for me. I had some utterly gorgeous beers and many surprisingly good ones. The one I am most thrilled about is Brass Knuckles though. That one is just plain awesome. Massive kudos to Edge Brewing in Barcelona!

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Mortlach 1998-2016, 18yo, 55.8% – Signatory for The Whisky Exchange

Posted on 26 August 2016 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

EDIT: I made a booboo on the title. I initially had this up as being distilled in 1988. It is, however, a decade younger than that, from 1998.

Mortlach has been gaining popularity and fame since Diageo revamped the packaging and upped the prices to ridiculous levels. The fun thing about this is that Mortlach is gaining that popularity mostly from the independent bottlers, since those bottles are affordable for mere mortals like you and I.

The Whisky Exchange, in their recent batch of single cask releases have included one, at a very decent age of 18 years old. It’s been finished in a sherry cask. There isn’t much more information, about the length of the finish or the type of sherry cask used.

EDIT: there is. The finish is 54 months. Which is pretty long, and it explains the intensity of it. See the rest of the post.

Whiskybase tells us that it used to be a couple of hogsheads that were finished in a butt, at least. Not an official ‘single cask’ according to the sometimes flexible rules of the Scotch Whisky Association, but I’ll roll with it!

Sniff:
The nose is sharp. Very sharp. There’s loads of sherry so it sure was an active cask. Some straw and lots of fruit. Plums, nectarines, both with stones for bitterness. Some spiced cake and lots of dried fruit. Some clove and cinnamon.

Sip:
The palate is sharp too and very dry with tree bark and lots of bitter wood notes. Spicy with some fruit in the background. Cinnamon sticks (not the ground stuff) and other baking spices.Very warming.

Swallow:
The finish is meaty, with some marinade like hints. Still lots of oak and sharpness, but slightly different. Long, spicy and lots of fruit.

Dave Broom called it ‘A monster of a Mortlach’, and he’s absolutely spot on. This thing is a monster in every way, and I love it. The complexity is good, and the sharpness tells me it handles a drop of water very well, which gives it even more longevity in my book.

The fruit (both dried and fresh) stand up nicely to the oak, and the fact that it’s a finish isn’t overly noticable. It’s not thin in anyway. Highly recommended!

90/100

Mortlach 1998-2016, 18yo, Hogsheads, then finished in Sherry Butt #5, 55.8%, Signatory for The Whisky Exchange. Still available at The Whisky Exchange for 120 quid.

Thanks to TWE for the sample!

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Eagle Rare 10, barrel 230, 45% – OB for World of Drinks

Posted on 24 August 2016 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

This is not going to be a traditional review with proper tasting notes. Mostly since I didn’t write any notes, but I still want to review this whisky, in a way.

Some background first, since that is the reason I’m writing this piece anyway.

Eagle Rare is a bourbon brand from Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky. It’s quite famous, although that fame is mostly based (for me at least) on the rather good 17 year old that comes out annually as part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Then it’s released simultaneously with heavy hitters like George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller and the 18 year old Sazerac Rye.

The ‘normal’ ten year old bourbons from Eagle Rare always are released as single barrels, which means this one, selected by the World of Drinks chain of liquor shops in The Netherlands, fits in that line of releases normally.

When it came out I got enthusiastic, since we don’t get many single barrels bottled for semi-local shops, events or anything. At least, not from America. I bought two, and decided to bottle share one bottle. It didn’t sell out, that bottle share, but that’s fine since I ended up with quite a bit of bourbon to drink.

The expensive sticker

The expensive sticker

One of the reaction I got on that bottle share was “That’s a fucking expensive sticker”, in regard to it being a single barrel bottled for a shop in Holland. While every bottle of Eagle Rare 10 year old is a single barrel. Of course, that guy is right since it being bottled for someone special doesn’t make it any more special if everything is already a single barrel.

I had to look into it, but the price of a regular bottle of Eagle Rare starts at some € 38 at the ‘box pushers’, the low margin stores that base their existence on vast amounts of sales instead of a healthy margin. In regular shops it’s a bit more expensive and clocks in at some € 40, but prices go up to € 48 in other shops.

This one is available (or was, it’s not in the chain’s web shop for some reason) at € 47. It seems the sticker is more or less included for free, compared to healthy competition.

The whiskey itself is fine. Just like many other Eagle Rares, if I recall correctly. It didn’t stand out but it’s quite good, and an easy drinker. It also works well in sauces and cocktails., Normally I prefer to use cheaper bourbon for that, but I didn’t have any open bottles at the time.

There’s some caramel and corn sweetness. The oak isn’t too pronounced or bitter. All is quite smooth and well balanced. Well done at Buffalo Trace and also well done for picking the cask at World of Drinks, I guess.

So, how do I feel about this all? I could have saved myself some 8 euros by getting an Eagle Rare elsewhere without a sticker. I could also have not gotten one since if it wasn’t released as a ‘bottled for World of Drinks’ special I wouldn’t have thought to buy it at all.

Still, I think it’s cool to get this. Mostly because there’s not much bourbon going around in The Netherlands among whisk(e)y geeks and there should be more of it. Also, I love that a Dutch shop had the balls to have this entire cask bottled for themselves, and this concept should be supported. Maybe we get a bit more special releases in in the future because of actions like this.

When all is said and done I suggest people get a bottle of this when they’re in the shop, and be happy with it. Let’s regard this as an investment in an improving bourbon market in The Netherlands. Massive kudos for World of Drinks for doing this!

86/100

Eagle Rare 10 year old, bottled for World of Drinks in 2016, 45%. Not sure if it is still available, but it cost me € 47 or € 48.

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A couple of Gordon & MacPhail Drams

Posted on 22 August 2016 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Over the last couple of months I’ve been getting some G&M samples from random distilleries. The ancient Mortlach and slightly less old Benromach have been sitting and waiting for the right time.

However, the somewhat younger drams have been piling up too, and me not blogging as much as I used to doesn’t help one bit. So, contrary to my usual habit of not drinking on work days, I broke with that plan for a night and tried three of them.

Two of them are from Speyside (Glenallachie and Craighellachie) and one Highlander (Dalmore). I’ve not tried many of any of those distilleries, and the ones I did try in the past weren’t overly convincing.

Well, except for some Dalmore samples. I’ve tried some cask samples (which you can’t buy) and some older ones (which you can’t afford), but those were good. Unfortunately the affordable ones are mediocre, in general.

Craighellachie 1997, 46%, G&M Connoisseur’s Choice (btld. 2014)

On the nose it’s all quite spirity, but not necessarily in a bad way. Lots of oak nonetheless, but mostly sawdust. Some straw and moss and a bit of a slate like minerality. The spirit is a tad green, with some sugary sweetness. The palate has the same sweetness but it’s more upfront. Some plants, and mossy green flavors. A bit of oak, and a grainy mouth feel. Some brown sugar, as well as straw and hay. The finish is a bit more warm but quite similar. Not too short.

On its own it’s not overly convincing, but there is a certain appeal to it. I can see the concept of these bottlings as being an introduction into independent bottlings.

80/100

Glenallachie 1999, 46%, G&M Connoisseur’s Choice (btld. 2015)

This one is quite a bit lighter with more hints of vanilla. A touch of sugar too and some green scents, but different. More grassy, I’d say. The palate is quite sharp with some pepper and vanilla, and a syrupy mouth feel. Some pear and a soft fruitiness, with a hint of oak. The finish is light and a bit warmer again. Quite classic, with a bit of sweet wood and more richness than expected.

This one is slightly different in balance. Although the flavors are comparable, the focus is rather different.

81/100

Dalmore 2001, 46%, G&M Connoisseur’s Choice (btld. 2015)

Dalmore then. Somehow I’ve been dreading tasting this. Mostly because my experiences are as described above. I generally don’t like them, and when I do like them I can’t get that one.

This one is much heavier on the nose, and warmer too. There’s hay and leather, some oak shavings. A nice spirit which has quite some autumnal scents to it. Some fruit, peach and pear mostly. The palate is sweet and heavy with hints of black pepper and hay. A bit of a gin like spiciness, but not without fruit either. More complex than expected. The finish has dry wood and focuses more on the spices again. It’s a bit short though.

Surprisingly, the Dalmore is the best one of the three. It’s a bit heavier, based on the distillery’s spirit, I’d say. In this case it works and it is a bit more complex because of it. Not bad at all.

82/100

The good thing about these bottlings is that they all show a different side of the distillery’s output. At least from what I know of each distillery. None of the first two are drams you encounter often, although the owner’s have been trying to remedy that.

Dalmore is slightly more common, but there’s quite some bottlings out there and the affordable ones are all pretty thin and watery and (I think) don’t showcase the distillery character all too well.

These bottlings are, as said, an introduction into independent distilleries. In the case of the Glenallachie the price is nice too. Clocking in just under 40 euros it is priced similarly to any other single malt of this caliber. Good stuff. The others I find a bit too expensive at just under and just over 50 bucks. A tenner less would have been more appropriate for the drams.

Thanks to G&M for sending the samples!

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