Tongue-tingling wasabi wipe-out, Tullibardine, 19yo, 57.8% – SMWS

Posted on 31 July 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Yesterdas I reviewed cask 28.21, today will be cask 28.22. This isn’t from a sample but from a bottle I bought myself when I became a member of the society. It came from a special series with arty labels instead of the regular SMWS style.

According to the name, this should be a feisty, hot dram. As I say that, it doesn’t sound too attractive but three years ago I must have thought differently. It was, after all around € 90 I believe. Not an amount you blow on a random bottle without having a general idea you’re going to like it.

Tullibardine 19 by the SMWS

Tullibardine 19 by the SMWS

Sniff:
Vegetables and a mountain of cereal. Mostly barley but also wheat porridge. A strange combination of warm pound cake and something crisp behind that. Pretty sharp and again, not very special. Barley sugar (not rolled in ash, this time) and mostly just barley.

Sip:
Here I find a touch of vanilla again, but mostly it’s sharp. Razor sharp. Dry barley, again that crispness. White bread, wood, some really default whisky flavours. But the sharpness keeps biting.

Swallow:
It doesn’t become much more friendly but when it starts mellowing, it goes away completely. Barley, bread, sugar are the flavours I pick up.

My general thoughts on this one are very similar to the ones I posted yesterday. It’s not very special, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the cask was a bit tired. To my surprise (and I only find this out as I’m writing this post) it’s from a sherry butt and not a bourbon cask. Didn’t really pick up on that, apart from (maybe) that pound cake note earlier.

Tongue-tingling wasabi wipe-out, Tullibardine, 19yo, 57.8%, 1989-2009, Refill Butt, Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

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Takes you to sunny places, Tullibardine, 18yo, 54.8% – SMWS

Posted on 30 July 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

A Scottish whisky taking me to sunny places feels a bit contradictory. Generally Scottish booze has brought me to Scotland, which is not known for its sunshine. Although we’ve had more good than bad weather out there…

Tullibardine is a distillery of which I have never been enthusiastic. They have recently released a new range of distillery bottlings that I have not tried, but their previous range was average at best. They also released some weird wine casks over the years that don’t really work with me, which doesn’t really help.

Let’s see which sunny place they take me to.

Tullibardine 18. Image from Whiskybase

Tullibardine 18 by the SMWS. Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Very light and floral with quite a bit of barley. Malty with a hint of acetone. It has some vanilla but not enough to be run of the mill. Friendly hints of barley sugar but also a touch of vegetables and the smallest hint of lemon in the background.

Sip:
The palate is quite a bit sharper than I expected and has a warming quality to it. After a few seconds of swimming there suddenly is a huge blast of alcohol, very sharp. Then I get vanilla and lemon but mostly barley.

Swallow:
It’s a fairly short finish which quickly takes the vegetable direction.

It’s not a very special whisky, from my perspective. I like bourbon casks, but this refill hogshead feels a bit tired to me. The hints you usually get from the wood are held back, and instead of that you get vegetables and alcohol. The only sunny place this one took me to is our backyard, since I was there sipping it last Sunday.

Takes you to sunny places, Tullibardine, 18yo, 54.8%, 1990, Refill Hogshead, Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

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On the dunes – watching a puffer, Bowmore, 16yo, 56% – SMWS

Posted on 29 July 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Let’s analyze first. ‘On the dunes’ gives me associations of sea breeze, sand, maybe some heather from just behind the dunes. ‘Watching a puffer’ I had to look this up. What’s a puffer? Apparently it’s something or someone who smokes. I could have figured that but since a puffIN is a bird, I thought a puffER might be something too. Anyway, apart from the smoke there’s no associations for me.

So far it could indeed be a nice Bowmore, since the indications don’t do anything to discredit the default characteristics of Bowmore. Not too much info about the floral bit you can sometimes find, and luckily no hints of FWP either. Let’s dive in!

Bowmore distillery. Image from IslayInfo.com

Bowmore distillery. Image from IslayInfo.com

Sniff:
Heather and ashes at first, with some peat and smoke right after. Light sherry sweetness and a little bit astringent. As with some sherry casks lately this has some moldy, mushroomy scent to it.

Sip:
It starts off similar to the nose with heather and smoke. It’s quite sharp and has a carbonized quality to it. There’s more sherry sweetness with oak, peat, ash and a hint of lavender. There’s a hint of FWP but not too much, luckily.

Swallow:
The finish is rather sharp and slightly sweet. It might even have a fruitiness that I haven’t picked up earlier. Ashy and short.

Well. As so many medium aged whiskies bottled by a lot of bottlers it isn’t bad but neither is it stellar. The heat from the alcohol is really present, more so than expected which doesn’t help either. So, not a bad whisky, but not one I will remember two weeks from now.

On the dunes – watching a puffer, Bowmore, 16yo, 56%, 1994-2011, Refill Ex-Sherry Butt, Scotch Malt Whisky Society

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Barley Sugars rolled in Ash, Glenturret, 22yo, 51.6% – SMWS

Posted on 26 July 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Glenturret is not a distillery I’m overly familiar with. That is one of the fun things about the SMWS. You get to taste all kinds of off the beaten path distilleries like Glenturret, Scapa and Mortlach as well as Bowmore and Glenfarclas.

Anyway, things rolled in ash gives me a rather smoky affiliation but I’m not sure Glenturret ever produced peated whisky. Let’s just get in, right?

Glenturret 22 by the SMWS. Image from Whiskybase

Glenturret 22 by the SMWS. Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Rather gin like with wood and barley. Very crisp but also quite some stewed fruits, strawberry. Shoe polish too. A very strange but very delicious combination. Light and spicy with some allspice, and speculaas.

Sip:
It starts building flavour right away with a great mix of allspice, fruit and wood. It stays fresh in spite of the rather heavy description. Lime, wood, vanilla, caramel. Also some walnuts and slightly spicy.

Swallow:
The finish continues the same way but adds the strawberry again. Long and spicy with the lime again.

A delicious whisky, with some strange flavours I didn’t expect. The combination of all this makes for a weird mix, but it’s very tasty. It proves again that aged Glenturret can be very great and something to be on the look-out for! I guess the combination of sherry and American oak is responsible for the unexpected combinations.

I don’t know where they get their names, but it doesn’t make sense to me. It’s a fun aspect but I think sometimes they go for the artistic instead of the apt.

Barley Sugars rolled in Ash (16.30), Glenturret, 22yo, 51.6%, 1988-2011, Refill Sherry Hogshead, Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

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Foamy bananas dipped in cayenne pepper, Mortlach, 15yo, 55.8% – SMWS

Posted on 25 July 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

I think it will be an increasing set of ridiculously named posts, this coming few days. This one doesn’t ring any bells and I guess after rereading my tasting it notes that will not change all that much.

I didn’t know the number of this distillery (76) but after tasting it I guessed it was Mortlach and that was correct. This is a shortcut to my thoughts about this whisky, since I generally really enjoy Mortlach when it tastes like Mortlach.

While Mortlach generally makes up a large chunk in Johnny Walker Blue Label, I didn’t like that blend quite as much as I had hoped. I certainly don’t like ALL Mortlach, but the sherry matured ones are generally pretty good.

Mortlach 15 by the SMWS. Image from Whiskybase

Mortlach 15 by the SMWS. Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Nuts and leather but apart from that it’s fairly closed at the start. It does get more spicy when I let it open up, with old sherry notes and wood, but also a bit of moldy mushrooms.

Sip:
It goes a bit sweeter here with allspice and the warmth that comes with it. Gentle and stewed fruits. Pepper and alcohol too, but later. It has a light tingle too it as well, and some tropical dried fruits. Some oak too.

Swallow:
The finish goes back to that mushroomy bit, but all in a good way. Dry, spicy and leather. It has a more aged feel to it that 15 years makes you expect.

I really can’t place those bananas and cayenne pepper. I do have a bit of a peppery flavour that I detected on the palate, but not in a way that I would name the whisky for it. The moldy, mushroom like scent and finish are a bit odd but tasty the way some really old sherry casks can taste. Tasty stuff, albeit a bit inconsistent with the much sweeter palate in between the similar nose and finish.

Foamy bananas dipped in cayenne pepper (76.78), Mortlach, 15yo, 55.8%, 1995-2010, Refill Sherry Butt, Scotch Malt Whisky Society

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Appletiser and Rock Salt, Scapa, 9yo, 57.2% – SMWS

Posted on 24 July 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

I didn’t know the title they gave this whisky at the moment of tasting. I didn’t even know which distillery is number 17. But Appletiser and Rock Salt does sound like Scapa to me. They might have added vanilla but I think you then would have all the main flavours they get from the Orkney distillery.

I don’t know much about Scapa. I haven’t tried many of their drams apart from a hand full. It’s not even that I don’t care about the whisky. It’s more that when they’re available there’s always much more to choose from and they’re nowhere near the top of my list.

Let’s just see how this one fares.

Sniff:
Ridiculously sharp at first with strong indicators that this is a refill bourbon barrel. I get large hints of glue and varnish, but also warmth of resin and vanilla. Some nice hints and some not so nice hints. Apparently I was correct about the barrel by the way.

Scapa distillery. Image from Whiskybase

Scapa distillery. Image from Whiskybase

Sip:
The palate starts of with much more spicy notes. It’s kind of tingling with green peppers, curry and some fruity sweetness. Syrupy with vanilla creme. Also slight hints of wood and cork.

Swallow:
The finish is gentle and warming and the soft vanilla starts taking over from the harsh and spicy notes. Creme brulee, nougat.

In short, I find this whisky inconsistent and not very interesting because of it. There’s a total migration from harsh and gluey ex-bourbon to a vanilla high note in the end. The first bit is not really good and the latter bit is kind of generic.

Appletiser and Rock Salt, Scapa, 9yo, 57.2%, 2002-2011, Ex bourbon hogshead, Scotch Malt Whisky Society

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Inchgower 1982-2011, 29yo, 54.6%, #6974 – Duncan Taylor Rare Auld

Posted on 23 July 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

I’ve tried some Inchgower 1982 (by Malts of Scotland) before and it came pretty darn close to tasting like a real highlander like Clynelish. Lots of character, lots of goodness. And actually, I have already had this exact Inchgower as well, at Hielander’s whisky festival in 2012. I did a short review but had a hard time pinning so I wanted to try it again. Enter Master of Malt’s Drinks by the Dram program.

Inchgower 1982 by Duncan Taylor Rare Auld

Inchgower 1982 by Duncan Taylor Rare Auld

Sniff:
A really full and rich old bourbon cask with vanilla and spices. There’s quite a bit of wood, but none in a too harsh way. Also bees wax, ginger and some black pepper. A rather fresh note of pine is also present. Very mature and absolutely stunning.

Sip:
Quite dry, more so than I expected or remembered. Initially rather gentle, though. It does gain some strength. The palate is a bit more simple with most of the scents present in the flavour too, but the palate is dominated by pepper, oak and bitter notes.

Swallow:
The finish has mountains of good oak, with saw dust and dry, old vanilla. Also hints of caramel and almond.

While the nose is far more complex than the palate and the finish, this is an absolutely stunning whisky. I am still trying to figure out which one I like best, this or the Malts of Scotland one. Both are stunning, and very close. I should have bought it when it was only € 105 at Master of Malt.

Inchgower 1982-2011, 29yo, 54.6%, #6974 – Duncan Taylor Rare Auld. Available at Whiskybase shop.

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A shout out for blends! Or not…

Posted on 21 July 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

For some reason the professional whisky press has decided that the last couple of years everyone should write an article about how cool standard (read: cheap) blends are. You can’t really open a Whisky Magazine (or Whisky Advocate) without going through reports on the incredible skill that goes into making the bulk of the industry run.

90+% of all (Scotch) whisky that is drank around the world is blended whisky which more or less makes the industry economically viable. And yes, keeping a blend consistent is a work of art and I am not in the nearest capable of doing anything like the great blenders can.

But why, I ask, is it so important to convince whisky geeks, who almost all go for premium malts, ryes and bourbons, that they should spend more time with blends?

It’s a bit like asking someone who enjoys driving his Aston Martin DB9 to take some time and appreciate a Lada, because that’s a car too and most people in the world don’t drive Aston Martins. Isn’t the intended marketing aimed at the wrong people?

Let’s take it from the start of whisky-geekdom:

  1. We all start in a bar and drink blends/bourbons/JD with ice.
  2. At some point we get lured to that more expensive bottle of Glenfiddich.
  3. We realize there’s a lot more to whisky than getting pissed quickly.
  4. We try a couple of miniatures.
  5. We start buying obscure stuff at a specialist.

I think that, in short and without all taken detours, sums up what we’ve all more or less gone through. Luckily, most people stay at step 1, and they keep our industry alive.

From my point of view most single malt afficionados just don’t really enjoy the basic blends any longer. According to professionals in the industry ‘crap wood is used to get it to three years and then everything is blended into oblivion’. Whisky geeks like some flavour, depth, richness and diversity. Especially that last bit is tricky to find in blends, if a blender does his work well.

I think we should all enjoy the fact that the entire planet drinks gallons of Famous Grouse and then enjoy our Macallan, Highland Park and other single malts.

In short. Please stop trying to convince me I should spend my hard earned cash on stuff I don’t enjoy and keep articles aimed at whisky geeks interesting for whisky geeks. No, there’s nothing wrong with blends, you’re just barking up the wrong tree.

PS: I’m talking about the press writing about cheap blends. Not premium stuff like Shackleton’s. That’s entirely different.

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Tormore, Batch 1, 50% – That Boutique-y Whisky Company

Posted on 19 July 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Why look at that! I found more tasting  notes to a TBWC bottling that I had completely forgotten about. Tormore is also one of the distilleries I keep forgetting about, since who drinks much Tormore, right?

Anyway, A TBWC release that was done within a few months of Master of Malt’s Single Cask, like it happens in many cases. No surprise but I am quite curious what the extra stuff is they put in it, apart from cask left overs. Also, my guess is a lot of the contents of this wee bottle is 28 years old, but that’s what it is: A guess.

Tormore is a fairly huge distillery on the side of the road which I happened to drive past while doing a run through Speyside. Impressive, but it also has a bit of a Russian feel to it. Maybe because everything is so huge and pompous and sort of old fashioned.

Tormore Distillery

Tormore Distillery

Tormore, That Boutique-y Whisky Company

Tormore, That Boutique-y Whisky Company

Sniff:
I can only compare to the Single Cask from earlier, because I don’t know many other Tormores, especially not recently. That other one had a huge donut scent and flavour to it, fried pastry and such. This one has that too, but it’s a bit more spicy and a tad sharper. This is weird since it’s about 10% lower in ABV than the Single Cask. So it’s sweet with a greasy scent. Also vanilla and cake icing, with cookie dough.

Sip:
The grease is back in full swing here. Incredibly fatty, but with quite some pepper before it gets dry and sharp. Also vanilla, malted barley and bread.

Swallow:
A very consistent whisky since I get that donut-dough greasiness here as well. It does change from greasy to dry, like before. And I get pastry dough with lots of vanilla too. Old vanilla. It’s of medium length, this finish.

I feel the same as I did about the 28 year old. It’s not bad, but it’s strange. I can’t really wrap my head around the creamy, greasy flavours and scents. I liked trying this whisky, but I am not really inclined to buy it. It would make a nice addition to my collection though, because I don’t think I have this kind of flavour profile yet!

Tormore, Batch 1, 50%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, available at Master of Malt at £ 69.95

Thanks to Master of Malt for the official sample!

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Balvenie Founder’s Reserve, 10 years old, 40%

Posted on 17 July 2013 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

During a whisky auction a few months ago I decided to browse the miniatures category for a change. I found a Balvenie Founder’s Reserve (the cognac bottle) which had almost nothing going for it so I decided I put a small bid in. I got it for € 3!

While I have never been a fan of Balvenie’s standard bottlings I thought I should taste this at some point, since it is supposed to be a whisky that got so many people interested in single malts in the first place.

Balvenie Founder's Reserve, miniature

Balvenie Founder’s Reserve, miniature

I didn’t write down too much info thinking there would be only one variety, but I am wrong. In this case it’s not 43% but 40% and there is an age statement (10yo) on the label. I have no clue to when it was bottled but I guess it would be some 20 years ago, since that is the periode where most of these bottles are from.

Sniff:
This is packing a lot more flavour than regular Balvenie bottlings from today, I can say that. A bit sharper and richer. Lots of honey, a bit of wood. It’s a bit dusty but rather crisp as well. A little bit of peppery heat and some alcohol.

Sip:
Light, with wood and vanilla. There’s quite a bit of tropical fruit as well. Pineapple, peach and it gets some spices a bit later too. Pepper, ginger, honey. Rather rich and syrupy.

Swallow:
The finish has some honey and oak. Quite long as well!

I can’t believe this has been watered down to 40% and still has this much flavour. It’s a shame they don’t make it like this anymore, since it’s a pretty delicious whisky.

What I like about this dram is that it becomes very clear where Balvenie gets its honey, fruit, spice and oak reputation from. I never get those big notes on current bottlings.

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