Lagg 3, Kilmory Edition, 2019-2023, ex-Bourbon Barrel, 46%

Posted on 16 June 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Another new distillery and by now it should not come as too much of a surprise that Tom is on it! This time it’s Arran’s Lagg distillery. The other distillery, on the other end of the island, owned by the same people.

You have got to admire the brand new Lagg Distillery. They have chosen a specific and well-articulated road for themselves: only heavily peated whisky is produced. This week their first ‘standard release’ has hit the shelves. Lagg calls it the Kilmory Edition, named after the Isle of Arran village that is near to the distillery. Distillery Manager Graham Omand appears to be a big fan of Lagavulin. Let us see if he can follow in those big footsteps.

Sniff:
This comes at 50 PPM and that is obviously something you pick up. It has a lemony feel and whiffs of dry blooming heather. There is a distinct floral note that dominates, whereas with (for instance) Lagavulin you pick up more coastal notes. According to the information on the box the peat is sourced in North East Scotland. So, more inland peat than a sea influenced peat? The nose seems to confirm this. Delicious, by the way.

Sip:
Stunning! Truly stunning. It is shockingly mature for a whisky that cannot be much older than 3 years. Oily, mouth covering, and a warming classic peat taste, with indeed citrus influences and smoky chocolate. I rather liked the Inaugural Release from September 2022 but this seems to push boundaries even further. With a few more sips you (finally) get a more medicinal note. Water brings out a sugary sweetness which adds complexity.

Swallow:
Soft and warming. Extremely balanced. With water more medicinal. No off notes at all. Reminiscent of Laggan Mill bottlings and the official 8 Years Old by Lagavulin. Mission accomplished.

For lovers of clean and young peated whisky. But more broadly this is a wonderfully constructed modern single malt whisky. An afterthought I feel I must share, is a comment that was given on my tasting notes for Maltfascination about Wolfburn 10 Years Old. An underwhelming whisky, and raising the question if new(ish) distilleries are not walking into a trap. The trap of making whisky that reaches high level quality after just a few years of maturation, but then experiencing a flat curve after like 8 to 10 years. I wonder how this Lagg will develop, because I am really blown away by the maturity and quality of the product already. Where will longer maturation take this single malt?

88/100

About Tom van Engelen

Tom is a whisky enthusiast since the beginning of this millennium, not only savoring the taste of the drink but also the soul of it. Malt whisky from Scotland therefor remains his favorite focus. As former editor of the oldest Dutch whisky magazine he found a passion in writing about whisky too, with a mild preference for the nostalgic. He lives between the big rivers of the Netherlands with his wife Dasha, daughter Sasha and cat Amour.

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Bunnahabhain Abhainn Araig, Feis Ile 2022, Bourbon + PX Octave Casks, 50.8%

Posted on 15 June 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Leave it up to me to enthusiastically buy a bottle of whisky, only to review it a year later. This Bunnahabhain was released for last year’s Feis Ile and much like several other brands the whisky is available through regular channels as well. There’s no information to batch size but with this still being available at the moment, for the original price, makes me think there’s quite a few bottles of this kicking around.

The whisky is matured in a mixture of casks. Bourbon casks on one hand and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks on the other. I don’t know if one is a maturation and the other a finish, there’s not a lot information to go on, with this one.

Image from Whiskybase

All that leaves us is whether it tastes nice or not. So, let’s just find out!

Sniff:
There’s a very thick syrupy sweetness to it, like date paste or soft dried plums. A lot of sweetness. There’s the more typical note of hay and salinity that is rather common in Bunnahabhain too. Some old coffee grounds too.

Sip:
The arrival has some white pepper, but is otherwise rather thin. The sweetness is toned down in such a way that it feels a bit consisted. It get’s a bit hotter after a while, with more hay, old barley and marram grass.

Swallow:
The finish luckily is consistent with the palate. Less hot, and more focus on the grassy, Islay-y notes. It has a bit of that Bunnahabhain dirtiness too.

It’s not a ‘clean’ whisky, but that something I rather like. What I like a lot less is that the nose is so inconsistent with what comes after. The nose shows the small PX casks a bit too much, compared to the palate and finish. Not Bunnahabhain’s best. Not their worst either.

83/100

Still available for about £ 80

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Royal Brackla 1983-1997, 57.5% – Scott’s Selection

Posted on 14 June 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Leave it to Scott’s Selection to hide almost all information about a whisky by not putting it on their label.

“Matured in oakwood casks”. Sure, you mean you didn’t break the law. That’s an achievement…

Anyway, old whisky from a long time ago. I got this from a friend who’s from 1983, so there was some reason for getting the bottle. And Royal Brackla is not a whisky you come across all that often, so that’s interesting too.

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Older, high quality whisky, as we consider that now. I bet in 1983 it was a cheaper product since the entire industry was in the slums. Anyway, now we get all excited because of significant age, lots of barley and only a gentle oak influence (since casks were expensive and reused often). It has friendly notes of vanilla, cigars, ripe pears, and tree bark.

Sip:
The palate is very friendly, although it packs a bit of heat. Less than you’d expect at 57.5% ABV. Tree bark, cigar leaves, vanilla and other classical notes like that. A minor hint of cardboard, olive oil.

Swallow:
The finish continues down the same line but does add a bit of heat before mellowing down a little bit. Lots of oak and barley notes. Less fruity than before, though.

Even though the whisky is only 15 or 16 years old, it’s a very different beast to contemporary 15 to 16 years old. It feels more ‘peaceful’ and less in-your-face than most things do now. Really a dram for quiet contemplation and some down-time, or me-time if you will.

88/100

It might be available in the secondary market. At the time of writing, the Whiskybase Marketplace has one for € 320.

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Lagavulin 13, Islay Jazz Festival 2021, Ex-Mezcal Casks, 54.8%

Posted on 13 June 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Much like the Lagavulin I reviewed a little while back, Tom has already reviewed this one on MaltFascination too. While he and I often draw similar conclusions, we do have different palates. I likes the High Char Port Finish a lot more than he did. And generally when it comes to young peated whiskies, he scores them a bit higher than I do. You know, we agreed upon this beforehand to keep things interesting.

Of course we didn’t.

Anyway, this one caught my interest because I tend to really like Mezcal too, although with it being quite expensive and not as much liked as whisky (by me, that is), I don’t go in that direction often. You can’t have everything as a hobby, can you?

Image from Whiskybase

But, Lagavulin and Mezcal. Two things I really enjoy. Two smoky things too. I bet this’ll be interesting!

Sniff:
The combination of two styles of smokiness combine well, but does ‘dilute’ (or mellow) the impact of both. Quite herbaceous, but also coastal and peaty. Very green, quite salty, marram grass and brine.

Sip:
A sharp arrival, with quite a woody bite. Lots of coastal salinity, with lots of herbaceous notes. There definitely is a bit of green agave notes of mezcal in here.

Swallow:
A long finish that once again shows lots of smoky notes. It’s surprisingly crisp and not unlike a fresh Islay morning, with a brisk breeze.

Tom, being more of a writer than I am, went all prosaic on this one. I have to say it’s a ridiculously gorgeous whisky though. The two styles of smoke complement each other very nicely and the slightly more crisp and aromatic notes of agave distillate combine surprisingly well with the rather heavy style of Lagavulin. I am very surprised by how well this works, to be honest.

90/100

Available in the secondary market for € 350 at the time of writing.

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Bowmore 17, White Sands, Ex-Bourbon Casks, 43%

Posted on 12 June 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Some notes to start off this tasting note:

  • Yes, I’ve tried this one before. The review is in this post.
  • I bought it last year as a sort of everyday dram.
  • I do realize that a 17 year old Bowmore had something to live up to in 2014, and that has not diminished.

Anyway, 17 year old Bowmore, from bourbon casks. That does sound good to me. I quite enjoyed a sample of this back in the day, when I participated in that Twitter tasting for its release. Then, last year in my local bottle shop they unearthed a bottle of this and I decided to get my hands on it.

The lion’s share of it was shared over the months following, and this weekend I decided to end my last 10 cl of it, or what was left of that. Just to see how my palate changed over the last decade. Sample size one, so that doesn’t say much, but I do like to re-evaluate stuff once in a while.

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Very crisp and very Bowmore-y. As in, there definitely is peat and smoke, but it’s not as in-your-face as the south and east of Islay distilleries. There’s a hint of banana and apple, almost no salinity, but there’s a bit of fruity acidity.

Sip:
The palate has a peppery smoke with with a warming palate. Banana, apple, coconut, peat. Quite gentle after the initial hit of black pepper. Quite a bit of white oak too, far more than on the nose.

Swallow:
The finish is very similar. Less peppery and that leaves a little bit more room for the fruity notes. White grapes show up, and the banana is gone. Apples are still present. Some peat smoke with a bit more coastal flavors than before.

Some tasting notes are different from what they were in 2014. Most of them are the same. So that’s something, I guess. I still quite like this dram, although I’m not as impressed by it as I was back in the day. I might have been a bit too enthusiastic then, or I am a bit more cynical now. Who’s to say.

Still, with this costing you about € 100 now the price is almost the same as it was back then, interestingly. I guess these releases by Bowmore, that never really got a lot of traction, aren’t very popular. A couple of years ago this was the same with the 100 Proof.

87/100

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Bruichladdich Bere Barley 10, 2011-2021, 50%

Posted on 9 June 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

When my whisky buddy Thijs reviewed this whisky and rated it 9 out of 10, I knew I had to get myself a bottle. I always have liked Bruichladdich, and I like what they’re doing with their Islay barley bottlings. While this barley isn’t from Islay but from Orkney, it should not limit the enjoyment we get.

Image from Whiskybase

Anyway, Bere Barley. One of the oldest, if not the oldest, cultivated grains in Europe. It’s really interesting that aspects of whisky making like barley strains and yeast are getting some attention too. It’s been about casks for a long time, and Bruichladdich wasn’t an exception. But, while casks do impart a lot of flavor, for a long time it’s been said that grain and yeast were not very important. As it turns out, they are.

I don’t know where, but I read somewhere: You can ruin a good spirit with a bad cask, but you can’t fix a bad spirit with a good cask. So, spirit matters. And with Springbank’s local barley, Kilchoman and Bruichladdich with their Islay barleys, Lindores Abbey going more and more local, things are moving in the right direction.

Oh yeah, this one matured in fresh bourbon casks from Jim Beam and Jack Daniels.

Sniff:
Lots of barley, straw, rushes and grass. Quite a bit of very fresh oak. White pepper and other hard spices. Crisp salinity, grist. A whiff of sherbet too.

Sip:
The palate is quite harsh, with heaps of barley, grist, fresh oak shavings. White pepper, some resin. Quite a green part too, with grass, ferns, rushes.

Swallow:
The sherbet notes are strongest here. Milky, slightly floral. Heaps of barley, sharper than I’m used to. Dry with some spicy notes too.

So, I’m not as enthusiastic about this as Thijs was. Although, it is a rather nice drop! There’s a lot to like and even though it matured in fresh bourbon casks, it’s not as sweet as some of those drams are. Which is a good thing! It’s very dry with lots of spicy notes. A great showing of spirit and barley.

87/100

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Ben Nevis 10, bottled in 2001 for the 175th anniversary, 46%

Posted on 8 June 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Time for a dusty! This 10 year old Ben Nevis has been in a bottle for over two decades, and was bottled for the distillery’s 175th anniversary.

I just love it that there’s a whole bunch of distilleries in Scotland celebrating anniversaries like that, or even like the south coast of Islay a few years ago, their 200ths. Imagine if the founders knew their companies would last two centuries!

Image from Whiskybase

What just popped up in my head is that this also means that Ben Nevis will be celebrating their 200th in 3 years! I’m suddenly looking forward to the celebratory releases then!

Sniff:
Old bottle effect, leather, lots of porridgy barley notes. A hint of vanille and dry barley too. Oak shavings, soil. Not overly complex, but quite good at what it does.

Sip:
The palate brings a bit of a chili pepper bite, together with the leather and sawdust notes from before. Hay, porridge and oatmeal. Lots of barley too. Very grain driven.

Swallow:
The finish is suddenly quite different. It’s still quite funky, but brings slate and a type of earthy peatiness.

The old bottle effect really helps this one. Otherwise it might have been a bit simple, and I think based on the current 10 year old, that the new one might be strictly ‘better’. Although, as just said, the age of the bottle really helps this one. It makes it extra funky, extra interesting. Also because ‘Old Bottle Effect’ is something more commonly found in blended whiskies, simply because they are way more available.

Good, and fun stuff!

87/100

Still available in France for € 60, but more expensive on the secondary market.

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Tomatin Cù Bòcan, Creation #5, Colombian Oak, 46%

Posted on 7 June 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Finished in the incredibly rare Andean Oak, or Colombian Oak, and winner of gold awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Those are two of the main USPs for this whisky, on the Cù Bòcan website.

To be honest, that award doesn’t mean all that much to me, since there are way too many of them given out to matter. The oak is a bit of a different story. That is indeed not a common tree, since it only grows in Colombia and Panama. More info on, obviously, Wikipedia.

Image from Whiskybase

Cù Bòcan is said to be an experimental highland malt, but with it having been around for years, I think the malt itself isn’t all that experimental anymore. It comes down to ‘peated Tomatin’. A lovely Highland Distillery just off the A9. And by lovely I don’t mean it’s picturesque, but more that what they produce is nice and the place is kind of impressive. In all its industrial and concrete ways.

Sniff:
A combination of warming fruit and smokiness. Lightly peaty, with barbecued mango, fruity marinade. A bit of straw too.

Sip:
The smokiness is a little bit more straight forward. More spirit, more oak, more straw. Less fruit, but there still is some. More grilled fruit, pineapple skins, a very slight bitterness too.

Swallow:
The finish lands in the middle of the nose and palate. More fruity, a bit more sweet. Quite long and with a whiff of smoke.

Since I’m me, I didn’t really investigate what this whisky was about. I only got a sample since my friend Tom recommended it. I know he’s a bit of a Tomatin fan, mostly because of the name I guess, but still. He won’t recommend shit whisky.

And in this case, he didn’t indeed. It’s a nice dram with a lot of sweet fruitiness going on. The whiff of smoke keeps the sweetness in check, though. Quite well priced too, at about € 65 in The Netherlands.

86/100

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Speyside 8, 2014-2023, First Fill Moscatel finish, 51.7% – Dràm Mòr

Posted on 6 June 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer
Image by Tyndrym Whisky

Recently I was sent some samples from Dràm Mòr’s newest release by Viktorija Macdonald for reviewing. Of course, I am willing to make a sacrifice for the greater good, so here’s the first one!

Some years ago I met Viktorija’s husband Kenny at Maltstock. We had an awesome semi-drunk chat in which the man tried to teach my and my friend JP some Gaelic. But, at that point I was barely able to speak coherent Dutch, so it’s a miracle in itself that I remember this…

This isn’t an undisclosed Speyside whisky, it is actually from Speyside Distillery in, you guessed it, Speyside. This one specifically was finished in Moscatel casks which tends to make things a bit sweeter. I am curious to find out how this turns out with a youngster like this!

Sniff:
Quite some sweetness with hints of barley, charcoal and some honey. Brazil nuts, with their dryness. Almonds as well.

Sip:
The palate follows the nuttiness of the nose. Quite a dry one, but there’s fruit salad too, the tinned kind. Barley and a bit of porridge with honey.

Finish:
The finish has a youthful sweetness that shows the alcohol. It’s not hot, but it is young. Some nuts, pastry notes, a bit of fruit salad.

The rather amped up nuttiness of the whisky keeps the sweetness in check. I don’t mind that the youthful alcohol is noticeable. When a whisky is on the younger side, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to actually taste that. I prefer that to massive woody notes that haven’t integrated well.

The combination of the sweeter honey notes (but not too sweet) with fruit salad and nuts works really well. I’m very positively surprised by this one!

It’s available in Scotland for about £ 61, at The Green Welly Stop / Tyndrum Whisky, for example.

85/100

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Islay 1992-2002, 59.9% – James MacArthur’s

Posted on 5 June 2023 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer
Image from Whiskybase

Interestingly, even with our current drive for information in the world of whisky and the flack that a lot of whiskies, brands and distilleries get for not disclosing enough, this doesn’t seem to have been a problem two decades ago when this was enough.

Islay, cask strength. That’s the info you’re getting. Although this one is highly unlikely to have come from anything else than a refill bourbon cask. Also, it is considered to be a Laphroaig.

I bottle-shared this one a year ago, but have only been able to pick it up a week ago. Shamefully, I hadn’t been at De Whiskykoning since forever, even though I love the shop. Sometimes things don’t just go according to plan.

Sniff:
Peaty, with an intense but gentle smokiness. By that I mean it’s not sharp. There’s a salt and iodine mix. A lot of licorice, straw, and some tar.

Sip:
Far more gentle than the 59.9% would suggest. There’s a lot of white pepper, dry salinity and licorice. Some smoke and tar.

Swallow:
The finish veers back to tarry ropes, peaty smoke. A big finish, with classical notes of Islay.

As said, even though it’s ridiculously strong, it feels much gentler on the palate and finish. What is also lovely is that in 10 short years the peat and smoke notes of the whisky have been tamed significantly. This tastes a lot more mature and ‘ready’ than a lot of other products nowadays. A really classical Islay whisky.

89/100

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