Blind Tasting Competition day 13: Isle of Jura 1988, 51.2% – The Whiskyman for Sweden

Posted on 19 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Where yesterday saw me scoring for guessing the correct distillery, today saw me staying just clear of zero points based on a wild ABV guess.

Just for the sake of completeness. After 13 days, you can technically have 1300 points. The guy that’s in the lead has 629. That’s how ridiculously tough this is. Not surprising, with some 50000 options available, and everything being allowed (Balmenach single casks, and a random Ailsa Bay and such).

Technically, I’m glad I’m getting any points at all. And with me being somewhere around the 30th position, out of seventy-odd participants, I’m a happy camper. It does, however, make me doubt me ability to properly assess a whisky, and therefore the rights I have to rambling on about booze on this here blog.

Anyway, today’s dram turned out to be a properly aged Jura, without being heavily peated. Those are rare. Add to that that is was quite potable, and you can count those releases on one hand (per year, there’s more in total).

Image from Whiskybase

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
On the nose it’s rather comparable to yesterday’s Clynelish, albeit a bit lighter and sweeter. A bit more mint on the nose, and oak. Some resin, vanilla and a bit creamy. More like a creme brulee, with a hint of caramel.

Sip:
The palate is dry with oak and caramel. Some vanilla and quite a fierce zing of chili pepper in there too. Some resin, and that creaminess is back too. Rather interesting.

Swallow:
The finish has that sharpness of the chili again, and that’s happening in a good way. Honey, caramel and a little more oak. Some honeycomb, maybe?

With all the gentle flavors of oak, honey and vanilla going on I immediately went for a Speyside dram. Backed up by statistics I was certain I would be getting some points. My surprise was bigger than I expected with it being a Jura whisky. Quite a-typical for that distillery, but a nice dram in itself. I can see why this was picked by The Whiskyman.

Anyway, it’s a nice dram, but in my opinion, it’s the hint of chili pepper that makes in interesting. The rest is nice and tasty and all, but a bit generic as well. I’m missing the funkiness of Jura, which is a risky thing to have in a whisky. A little goes a long way and a lot of Juras have way too much of it. But in this case I would have liked to find it.

So, I was 1.2% off in the ABV, which netted me 8 points, and that’s what I have to go with today. It doesn’t do much for me in the ranking, but it doesn’t hurt either. Not many people got lots of points here.

Isle of Jura 1988, 24yo, Bourbon cask, 51.2%, The Whiskyman, exclusively for Sweden. No longer available.

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Blind Tasting Competition Day 12: Clynelish 25, 45.8% – Cadenhead’s Cask Ends

Posted on 18 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

So, yesterday I scored 50 points based on region and age, which is not a very high score, but in my case it’s the record of, I guess, the last few years. I was a happy camper with that.

There were quite a few people with 100 points yesterday, as there were with the Laphroaig Cairdeas. Apart from that Ewald has done his utmost to make things hard for us this year. He’s doing well, but what he’s also doing well is picking drams. There have been a lot of good whiskies in the competition this year. More than ever before I think.

Image from Whiskybase

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Slightly dry malt on the nose with quite some oak and a hint of vanilla. There’s apple peels, some resin but still rather crisp. Pine, mint and a touch of honey.

Sip:
The arrival on the palate is very smooth, but it gains in intensity very quickly. Oak, grain, resin. Quite dry with all these flavors. Also pine, sage and a very small hint of salt.

Swallow:
The finish suddenly brings a hint of minerals and some pepper. Rich, but dry with resin and wax and honey.

From the first whiff that got to my nose I was thinking Clynelish, and every bit that came after reinforced that idea. I had no idea to the age but I did get some woody notes on the nose so I was going for late teens. Not too strong, but cask strength.

That’s all a damn shame since it turned out to be a 25 year old at 45.8%. The ABV still is cask strength, but I estimated it a lot higher (54.5 was my guess. I took data from a 17 year old Clynelish by WhiskyBroker).

Anyway, I still got 40 points, which is a very good score and the first time I get the distillery right this year. I’m happy with it and it propelled me from the 38th spot to a shared 29th place. I wonder how much I am going to ruin that again tonight!

Clynelish 25, 45.8% at the moment of bottling (with the Cask Ends, it varies per bottle), Cadenhead’s Cask Ends. It used to cost £ 100 / £ 105

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Blind Tasting Competition Day 11: Kilkerran WIP 7, 11yo, 54.1%

Posted on 17 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

The chances of a whisky in the competition being a Campbeltown whisky kept increasing. The rule is that every region is represented at least once.  With seven drams to go the chance was only some 14%, but every day it was getting higher.

Yesterday brought us a Speyside whisky, of which there technically is a 50% chance with half the distilleries in Scotland being there. It also made today’s guess all that much harder, statistically.

Image from Whiskybase

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
There’s grain and a certain earthiness. Slightly salty too. My first thought goes towards Springbank right away. Slightly smoky as well as salty. Some hay, and it’s dry and coarse. Some straw, quite some oak. A slightly green scent too. What’s interesting is that the combination of the smoke and the green flavors give this whisky a mezcal like scent.

Sip:
The mouth feel is very sharp and dry with that mezcal flavor again. Very sharp indeed, with some vanilla. It’s bone dry, with lots of oak and lots of alcohol. Farmy and slightly salty. The smoke is a bit like diesel smoke.

Swallow:
The finish is salty and dry, but also warming and long. There’s oak and it’s not as sharp as the palate by far. Very nice and rich, with vanilla and almond.

This dram can use a drop of water and that does bring down the sharpness on the palate a bit. It doesn’t make all that much of a difference to the finish and the nose.

From a reviewing perspective, this is a gorgeous dram. I was convinced it was a Springbank before the reveal, but this being a Glengyle is good enough in my book. They do use the same distilling regime and almost all other facilities, after all.

A gorgeous dram, maybe a tad too sharp on the palate for 90 points, but this sure ticks all the boxes of whisky I love. Dry, lots of different flavors with oak being there but not overpowering. The same goes for the spirit. There’s that hint of mezcal all throughout the whisky.

Add to that that this is available for 66 euros and you’ve got a winner on your hands. Now, all I have to do is find myself a bottle or two.

Kilkerran Work In Progress 7, Bourbon wood and cask strength, 11yo, 54.1%

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Blind Tasting Competition Day 10: Glen Moray 20yo, 1994-2015, 56.5% – SMWS (35.134)

Posted on 16 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Ah, the annual SMWS dram! I think in every year there has been a Blind Tasting Competition, there has been at least one Scotch Malt Whisky Society whisky involved in screwing up the rankings.

The highlight of this messing up things was the sherried Arran that someone got 100 points on, without knowing the whisky beforehand. That was an interesting turn of events. I think yesterday not a whole lot was changed in where people are, compared to others. Of course there were some shifts, but not people from place 25 suddenly hurtling into the top 5 or so.

Anyway, I did guess Speyside, so I got points for that. For it’s 56.5% I find this a very gentle dram, since I had it at 46%. I randomly picked Braeval, mostly because I didn’t really like this whisky and I wanted to pick one that I generally am not thrilled about either. Braeval it was.

Image from Whiskybase

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Very timid after dram #9, even though it apparently has a very comparable ABV. Some toasted brioche, butterscotch, caramel and almond cookies.

Sip:
The palate has a lot more oak and it feels a bit ‘engineered’ (see below).  Lots of spices and a lot sharper than the nose was. Ginger, cinnamon but also oak, pear and peach. Quince too. Some jam and stewed pears.

Swallow:
The finish is suddenly dry with stewed fruits and sweet spices.

I find this a very inconsistent whisky, and the fruity flavors are not to my liking either. It reminds me of the Blair Athol 1988 we had last year in the Competition. Especially because of that stewed pear note, and I don’t enjoy that in my whisky (although I love stewed pears).

Anyway, pastry on the nose, spices on the palate and fruit in the finish makes this a rather erratic whisky, and after finding out it’s from a Toasted Oak cask, I am not overly surprised. What I am surprised by is that this is a Glen Moray. Normally I like their whiskies better than this one.

By this whisky tasting a bit ‘engineered’ I mean it tastes a bit like the casking and racking was done based on a certain desired outcome. That’s what I find often happens with charred oak, toasted oak and things like that. Some virgin oak whiskies have it too. Naked Grouse is a good example of it.

Glen Moray 1994-2015, 20yo, 1st Fill Toasted Oak Hogshead, 56.5%. It used to be available from SMWS for some £ 99.

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Blind Tasting Competition Day 9: Edradour 11yo, 56.5%

Posted on 15 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Yesterday I actually scored some points, but since almost everyone scored points I actually went down in ranking. Today I was certain I would score some points as I was quite certain about my guess.

Of course, things turned out differently, and I only got some points for the randomly guessed ABV. This turned out to be an Edradour. Surprisingly, since I liked the whisky. That has never happened before with an Edradour, as far as I can remember.

This bottling was done for Luxemburg’s biggest whisky shop in Wemperhardt called Vinothek Massen. I’ve been to Luxemburg quite often in the past, but not in the last decade since I love whisky. Therefore I’ve not been to that shop yet, but it’s on the to do list for sometime.

Image from Whiskybase

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Salt is the first scent I get, with quite some oak. Rather spicy with a gentle whiff of smoke. I can’t really figure out which kind of cask this is. Lots of caramel and I even get menthol after a while.

Sip:
It’s pretty sharp with lots of black pepper and chili pepper. Lots of oak and salt too. Some dried fruits with raisins.

Swallow:
The finish is very dry with oak and pepper. Not overly long.

The whiff of smoke, with the peppery heat and salt made me go west coast. I was in doubt for a while between Talisker and Longrow, but I found the smoke not heavy enough in the end and went for a Springbank.

The dried fruits on the palate made me think of a sherry cask, although that was the only tell for that, and the rest of the flavors could be anything. So, I went for an 18 year old Springbank in the end. I felt the wood influence to be quite pronounced so hence the 18 years.

Anyway, I really liked this whisky. I was very, very surprised this was an Edradour since I can’t really match the flavors with the profile for that distillery. I didn’t get any of the regular cheese I normally associate with Edradour. Another good whisky in the competition. It seems Ewald was on a roll for this year’s line-up!

Edradour 11, 2003-2014, Bourbon cask, 56.5%, OB for Vinothek Massen.

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Blind Tasting Competition Day 8: Laphroaig Cairdeas 2015, 200th Anniversary, 51.5%

Posted on 14 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

So, a bit of a cool down after that Ailsa Bay. Anything cask strength would still be a cool down, more or less.

I heard someone talk about this whisky on WhiskyCast a couple of months ago, and saying that the 51.5% ABV was intentional so it ended on 15 (the year, you know). I found that ridiculously far fetched, but marketing people come up with crazy stuff nowadays. Remember Macallan marketing that some casks that went in to a whisky were not going to be reused again? How is that of any significance?

Anyway, this year’s Cairdeas bottling. Apparently Ewald used his contacts to get his hands on the Feis Ile bottling of Laphroaig this year. Always interesting to taste this, even though they haven’t been all that good the last couple of years. The low point was that pink port cask of a few years ago.

Image from Whiskybase

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Rather peaty, with lemon and shammy leather. There’s a light sense of spiciness although I find it hard to indicate what or how. Sweet and syrupy.

Sip:
The palate is quite light, but a tad sharp. Not as smoky as on the nose. Sweet, with heather, vanilla creme and straw.

Swallow:
The finish is nice and rich with lemon curd, pastry cream. Not a lot of oak happening in this dram. Quite long with straw and heather.

I was convinced this had to be a Kilchoman. It ticked all the boxes I have for that distillery. I focused on that from the first sniff, so I never even considered another Islay distillery. With the lemon and lemon curd happening I think I should have, since they’re indicators of Laphroaig.

The age was indicated by John Campbell in the Laphroaig Live video, and is nowhere on the label. Point-wise that’s a bummer, but at least I got some today! 30 points (20 for the region and 10 for the age, my guess was 8yo).

The whisky is nice enough but I think Laphroaig needs a bit more age to it. Of course that would make it a lot more expensive, but the older versions are beautiful. And while this was a very nice dram, it’s not one I regret skipping.

Laphroaig Cairdeas 2015, 11yo, 200th Anniversary, 51.5%

Posted in Laphroaig | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Blind Tasting Competition Day 7: Ailsa Bay 3yo, 68.3% – Malts of Scotland

Posted on 13 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Malts of Scotland released this whisky last year and I wanted to get it, but somehow didn’t. It went rather quickly when it came out that this ‘Images of Ayrshire – Dalrymple Bridge’ turned out to be Ailsa Bay.

As far as I know this is the very first release of Ailsa Bay that has ever been released. I was lucky enough to taste a dram of Ailsa Bay (a cask sample) at Maltstock during the masterclass from Kevin Abrook. That was a very good whisky, at eight years old.

This day in the competition will most likely be remembered as a massacre. There are 71 participants that have entered their guess at any time during the competition. Of those 71 participants, only SEVEN have scored any points at all. The one that scored most points scored 20 points only.

So, for the final ranking this whisky didn’t do much but it sure was an interesting dram.

Based on a lot of the flavors I got during the tasting yesterday I went for a Springbank. Also because the type of sherry fits that distillery too, and Springbank sometimes tastes a lot fiercer than it is. Which also seemed necessary for this one.

Image from Whiskybase

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
The nose is sharp with lots of sherry. It’s quite spicy with a light smokiness. There’s dates, salt and chocolate. Really rich and fruity, and it’s a biter.

Sip:
The palate is ridiculously sharp, almost to a level that you start doubting this is not some raw alcohol. Salt, with malty notes. Again, the sharpness is insane. Dates. It’s a crude, unrefined spirit, but all the more interesting for it.

Swallow:
The finish burns as well, but mellows rather quickly. It’s long, dirty and there’s lots of sherry. Some salt as well, and rocks, and some smoke.

Club buddy Eugene remarked that so far I’ve liked all whiskies in the competition to some degree. This one adds to that list. Although, I can imagine this being a whisky that’s more interesting than tasty, more a gimmick.

However, I certainly liked tasting this and wouldn’t mind getting my hands on a bottle of this, just to see how this evolves with more water and a couple of glasses out of the bottle (and therefore more oxidation).

So, another good whisky, but another zero-pointer for me. Let’s hope I get some points tonight. I already tried that and have some certain ideas to what it can be. Not that that’s an indication of anything, as it seems…

Ailsa Bay 3yo, 2014, Sherry Hogshead, 68.3%, Malts of Scotland (Images of Ayrshire, Dalrymple Bridge), used to be around € 90

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Advent Calendar Day 11 & 12: Arran, batch 4, 52% (That Boutique-y Whisky Company), Caol Ila 12yo, 43%

Posted on 12 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

I didn’t write anything about the Advent Calendar yesterday since I didn’t have time for it, so today is a double post.

Behind door 11 is Master of Malt’s own Boutique-y Whisky Company, and more specifically it’s the fourth batch of the Isle of Arran distillery. Door 12 held the regular Caol Ila 12.

I was quite pleased to find those two drams since I generally like both Arran and Caol Ila, and the Caol Ila 12 is one of those whiskies that got me hooked on this weird hobby in the first place.

I haven’t had it in years, so it’s nice to go back to basic for a change and see how things work out after a decade of drinking excessively ridiculous whiskies. But first, the Arran.

Arran, batch 4, 52% by That Boutique-y Whisky Company

On the nose it’s quite intense and quite rough. Lots of barley and therefore this smells a bit younger than is usual for Arran at the moment. Quite forward with the alcohol, some shortbread and light spices. A dry kind of fruitiness, apple skins and pear skins.

The palate is sharp, but also quite warming. Barley, apple and lots of alcohol again. Slightly more focused on the fruits, and it adds white grapes to the equasion.

The finish is rather long and the fruit is more gentle. Barley, alcohol and soft oak.

This one works very well with a few drops of water. The balance is much better with less focus on the alcohol, more fruit and slightly more sweet too.

Caol Ila 12, 43%

Now, we go back to basic with a nose of smoke and peat, the typical creaminess of Caol Ila (or is it oily?). Not a lot of oak with sweet grapes, lychee and pear. A touch of dryness and heather.

The palate is gentle and slightly drying. Some spices, heather with peat. Not so much smoke as on the nose and white oak. Creamy, slightly thick and pastry cream.

The finish brings more and more heather. Lots of flavor and rather long. Light smoke and vanilla.

So, the Arran first. It’s a quite lovely whisky but it only really works with a bit of water. Otherwise it’s too alcohol forward, for my liking. The same effect might be achieved by letting it air for half an hour or so, but I didn’t wait that long. Still quite recommended!

The Caol Ila is a dram that does have a bit of an association bonus to me. Still, I was surprised by how much I still like that whisky after a decade. It doesn’t surprise you in any way, but it’s really good. I liked it a lot more than I expected I would.

The Arran is already sold out at Master of Malt, but you might be able to find them somewhere else (WhiskyBase has no links…). The Caol Ila is available everywhere, but please buy this kind of stuff from specialists and keep them in business.

Thanks to Master of Malt and Drinks by the Dram for sending this as part of their Whisky Advent Calendar!

Posted in Arran, Caol Ila | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Blind Tasting Competition Day 6: Inchfad 2001-2007, 45% (Loch Lomond)

Posted on 12 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

After yesterday’s disappointing score (zero points, obviously) I was hoping for a bit of points to get away from the bottom of the list again. Well, that didn’t work out at all.

Like last year there’s one of those weird Loch Lomond drams in the competition that I had never heard of until last night. I was scoring no points then, and I am not scoring anything now. I was way off on everything, including the ABV.

Also like last year, the whisky tasted much older than it actually is, and a lot more intense than the 45% it actually has. So, there is some consistency in the distillery, or so it seems. This makes me (try to) make a mental note to get to know the Loch Lomond products a little bit better.

Image from Whiskybase

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Some brine and salt, slightly oily, but also a ‘scent’ of water. Not necessarily watery, but the scent of running water. There’s grain as well, and it really makes me think of those newish unpeated Bruichladdichs. Old fashioned, with a hint of olive oil and bread.

Sip:
The palate is slightly drying with lots of flavor. On the palate it’s slightly thin with grain and salt. It builds up to more intensity after a while. Bread again and that oily feel is present here too.

Swallow:
The finish is light and full. Salty, briny and long.

I went for a 12 year old Bruichladdich at little over 55%. I filled this in after the dram of the day before since I was at our company’s Christmas party last night (drinking too much beer). I didn’t feel the need to revise my opinion, but that pushed me further to the bottom of the ranking.

Unfortunately, I think nobody got many points this time. I think most people in the competition had never heard of the brand “Inchfad”. According to Whiskybase this bottle used to go for € 33, which more or less makes this the best value for money whisky that was around in those days.

I really loved this dram, and at just over three tenners I wish it were still available. A while ago I reviewed a Glen Scotia and thought I needed to get that distillery’s products better. Loch Lomond has just been added to that list!

Inchfad 2001-2007, 45%, Loch Lomond, American Oak Cask, used to be € 33

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Blind Tasting Competition Day 5: Highland Park 1992-2015, 22 yo, 59.6% – Cadenhead Wood Range (Sherry Cask)

Posted on 11 December 2015 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

As expected, yesterday was another zero-pointer. I had everything wrong about this whisky, apart from the fact that it was a cask strength dram. That’s something that, obviously, is not getting you any points at all.

It seems that I can only get some points every second day. But if, like things are going, that means I get an average of 25 points per day (or 50 points every second day) I’m probably fairing better than I did in the last couple of years.

Sniff:
The nose starts quite gentle. There’s quite a bit of peat and it’s not salty. I’m veering away from Islay already. A very highland style dram in this, with a lot of earthy scents. Barley, grass, licorice. It gets a bit heavier so I’m expecting some age here.

Sip:
The palate is sharp and spicy. Sharper than expected, to be honest. Barley, oak, grass, peat, dirt. Very earthy, and very nice. The sweetness matches the flavors well.

Swallow:
The finish is rich. Still sharp but not as sharp as the palate was. Barley flavors, earthy and quite drying.

I guessed this was a BenRiach, and went for a far too young whisky, even though I wrote in my notes that there was some age to it. I missed my own markers, apparently. I did get a certain earthy note that could be either Highland Park or BenRiach.

We (Yoav and Shai on Twitter, and I) discussed this one and we concluded it could be either Highland Park or BenRiach, and we went for the safe option, the Spey option. We are idiots. What didn’t help is that this is probably the most peaty Highland Park I’ve ever had.

This whisky than. Let’s be very clear about this. It is bloody awesome. I really, really loved it. The peat is very different from Islay, but there’s quite a lot of it. It works really well with the barley focus and the earthy character of the whisky.

Highland Park 1992-2015, 22 yo, 59.6%, Cadenhead Wood Range (Sherry Cask). Available from Cadenhead’s Denmark for € 175

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