Caol Ila 34yo, 1982-2016, 60.1% – Cadenhead

Posted on 27 April 2020 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Back in 2016 when I bought two sizable samples of this, I wasn’t overly impressed. I don’t remember why and I don’t remember what I expected. However, it made me forget sample number two until recently, when I could try it again, with only slight reluctance.

That reluctance, however, turned out to be a good thing, since I went in a tad skeptical, and with an inquisitive mindset. This whisky warrants inquisition.

The insanely high ABV, especially for the age, has most likely to do with the fact that Caol Ila used to fill casks at a much higher than usual ABV around 1980, because the industry was in decline and casks were expensive. So, no 63.5% filling strength, but most likely to be slightly over 70%. The 60.1% after 34 years is still very high, but at least slightly less surprising.

139075-big

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Quite smoky, but very light in character. Milky, with a bit of petrol and smoke. Lots of brine and dries herbs. Surprisingly gentle on the nose.

Sip:
Very dry and a lot of heat from the alcohol. Smoky, coastal but again, light in character. Quite some American oak, and after a while the heat really kicks in. Herbs, smoke, cigarettes, fuel, brine, oak, barley, moss.

Swallow:
A quickly mellowing finish, with a lovely warmth. Brine, smoke, oak and barley. Hints of cream, engine oil, petrol, vanilla and moss.

This is quintessential Caol Ila, albeit a bit more gentle in regards to flavors than usual, with a high ABV that causes a slight mismatch. However, when properly sitting down for this and giving it time and attention, this is a tremendous dram in every possible way.

The combination of the milky scents with diesel fumes make for what I consider to be the essence and core of Caol Ila. On top of that there’s a lot more happening and that makes for a very worthy journey. Stunning stuff! I should’ve gotten a bottle…

91/100

Caol Ila 34yo, 1982-2016, 2 Bourbon Hogsheads, 60.1%.

Posted in Caol Ila | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kilchoman 12, 2006-2019, 50.8% – OB for 12Barrels

Posted on 26 April 2020 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Me and Kilchoman don’t match. There’s no good reason for that, but it’s just the case.

It’s weird, since I’ve looked back and found a dozen or so reviews of Kilchoman on my blog. All of them (except for that very first Port Cask) were at least good, and most were better than that. So, based on quality, and their independence, and the focus on local production, I should be shouting their name as often as I can.

But  yet, somehow, I can’t find myself to be enthusiastic when a new Loch Gorm comes out, even though I know it’s a high quality dram that is worth the € 75 they ask for it. And yet, I’m not even inclined to click the link in my mailbox.

So, when my friends HE and HE brought their newest bottling (at least one of the HEs is part of 12Barrels) along for the Blog Birthday Bash last summer, I was positively surprised to find out this was a Kilchoman and I wanted a bottle of it.

What helps is that they don’t release to the general public and their prices are more just to cover costs than anything else. So, in the end, this 12 year old Kilchoman only set me back € 65. I’m a happy camper.

And now I sit here, looking at the last dregs of the bottle in my glass, and wonder why they didn’t wait one week longer for it to be 13 years old. Anyway, in the end that doesn’t matter, it’s just that there’s not much Kilchoman around at this age.

Tasting notes then!

20200426_000217Sniff:
There’s quite some vanilla sweetness at first, followed closely by the natural surroundings of the distillery. Barley, brine, coastal salinity, peat smoke. Some minerals in the form of slate, but also apple crumble with some custard. Heather too, with some honey.

Sip:
The palate is quite gentle in its alcohol, but there’s some bite from the flavors. The dryness makes itself known and the heather brings more of it. Lots of salty coastal notes with marram grass, brine, sea weed. The sweetness is almost gone except for some heather honey notes. Peat and smoke, but mostly earthy peat. The smoke is nicely kept in check.

Swallow:
The finish is surprisingly hot on the way down, and mellows only a few seconds after swallowing it. Rather salivating with gorgeous dryness and coastal notes. Smoky embers of a beach bonfire. That kind of stuff.

I don’t want to go too poetic, so I’ll keep the bonfire stuff to myself now.

This is a cracking Kilchoman and it shows why this distillery might deserve some more attention from me. However, this whisky does need some proper attention, as if you drink it without any, it will go down as ‘just another Islay bourbon cask’ and it’s much more than that.

Especially the lack of sweetness and the heathery notes make this stand out to me, and that it’s not overpowered by the peat. Even though Islay is known for exactly that, peat, I love the flavor to be a bit more tempered.

88/100

Kilchoman 12, 12/07/2006-04/07/2019, Bourbon cask #145/2006, 50.8%, OB for 12Barrels Selection

Posted in Kilchoman | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Talisker 18, 2019 release, 45.8%

Posted on 25 April 2020 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

When I started drinking whisky, about 15 years ago, we went straight from Glenfiddich 12 to Talisker 18 and Caol Ila 18. Let’s say I’ve never been sensible about whisky, or money.

Anyway, back then this whisky made tremendous impact because it was way out of my league. Not financially, as it appeared (back then it cost around € 60), but my friend TT and I skipped so many steps on the way there that we appreciated it, but I doubt we appreciated it enough.

Back then this was a whisky that scored high marks in everyone’s league, with The Whisky Bible (we used that as a reference back then) giving it around 90 as well. If memory serves that is…

Fast-forward a decade and a half, and here we are. Recently this current release of Talisker 18 was discounted from € 100 to € 75, and a few friends and I decided to split a bottle to see how this holds up now.

Some information for the years in between: Quality of this whisky declined significantly around 2010, and then picked up again a few years after. I remember it making an impact again in 2013 when I visited the distillery with my wife and newborn.

20200425_140457Sniff:
The nose starts off gently. Which, in this case, means a bit thin and watery. There are some hints of smoke, oak and the quintessential black pepper, but it’s very thin. Some wood pulp, slightly briny and crushed black pepper. After a minute or two it gets going a bit more with increasing richness, with lots of dry malt, a hint of pine too.

Sip:
The palate continues the streak of richness from the nose. Quite peppery and with some bite because of it. Lots of malt and oak, some honey and a gentle smokiness. Apple crumble, the apple being dried with a touch of bitterness from the seeds. Surprisingly dry, in total.

Swallow:
The finish is surprisingly coastal, with quite some salt. More smoky and more oak, with the crushed black pepper pushed back a little bit.

Well, the first sniff was worrying and disappointing. Lucky, if you give this a minute or two the quality of everything that’s happening comes into view. The nose develops awesomely, and the palate and finish show a lot of depth and prove that this is still a whisky to be reckoned with.

Absolutely solid stuff and, if I’m totally honest, in the current market this is an insanely high quality dram for € 100. If you can get it cheaper in a discount, there’s no reason not too, if you can afford it.

I’m a tad torn between 89 and 90 points… Erring on the side of caution… Now let’s empty this bottle!

89/100

Talisker 18, 45.8%, released in 2019, available for about a hundred euros.

Posted in Talisker | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Rhumerie du Simon 15yo, 2004-2019, 61% – The Duchess

Posted on 24 April 2020 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

I decided that the summery weather warrants a summery drink, and what’s more summery than rum? Daiquiris maybe, but apart from that I can’t really think of anything.

So, I picked this sample that Best of Wines recently sent me, and didn’t really do any further validation of this decision. So, now I sit here, with the first drink of the day being a rum at 61%. Let’s take this one slow!

Rhumerie du Simon seems to be a very low key operation, since the first page of Google contained 6 links to this particular bottle, and some links to info about the distillery. No other products. The second page contained another release, but only from an auction site.

Should I have read up on the distillery then? Probably. Did I do that? No. Why not? Not a clue. It’s Friday afternoon. I’m exhausted from yet another week of managing work, 3 kids and, somehow, my mental health. I am just looking for a drink and doing a review of that.

20545_big

Image from Best of Wines

Sniff:
It’s quite light, with some syrupy sweetness at first. The alcohol makes itself known with some chili heat. The lightness in combination with the alcohol does make it a bit solvent like. Somehow, and I can’t pinpoint why, this reminds me of some evenings I had on holiday in Mexico. People having dinner on the town square in Campeche, with desserts being served. So, fruity sweetness with pineapple and mango, with a bit of a green agave like hint.

Sip:
Well, this is hot. The alcohol really needs some time to settle and it starts off rather numbing, with chili heat and some dry oak and sawdust. The green hint of cactus or agave is back on the palate, again with pineapple and mango. Maybe some guava too. After about half a minute of swimming it gets a bit quieter with hints of molasses and brown sugar, on top of the fruitiness.

Swallow:
The finish gets a bit more lively at first and is quite warming on the way down. The fruitiness is a bit diminished, with more notes of soft oak, molasses and sugar cane.

Well, apart from the trip down memory lane that this rum triggered, I can honestly say that it is a pretty fine rum in itself. It’s nicely fruity without being overly sweet. Quite tropical, with hints of green plants (sugar cane, cactus, agave) to keep the fruitiness in check, and some soft notes of oak for more balance and depth.

A cracking pick from the guys at Best of Wines / The Duchess and a recommended one!

88/100

Rhumerie du Simon, 14yo, 2004-2019, Bourbon barrel #14, Martinique, 61%, available in quite some shops, Best of Wines sells it for € 89

Thanks for the sample guys, much obliged!

Posted in - Rum, Rhumerie du Simon | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blended Malt, 18yo, 46.6% – Whiskybase

Posted on 23 April 2020 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

As we know by now, Whiskybase releases a whisky for every 10,000 whiskies added to their database. The last one that was released is a blended malt of 18 years old, at a very limited ABV of 46.6%.

What we also ‘know’ is that this is a blended malt of Edrington stock, which means that this most likely is Glenrothes and Tamdhu. There might be some Highland Park in there too, and technically Macallan is not impossible either. Unlikely, but not impossible.

Let’s do the tasting notes first, and then get into a bit of a rant.

248600-big

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
A lot of juicy fruitiness, typical fresh sherry on a backdrop of high quality malt. Since this is made from Edrington stock, it makes sense that there’s a lot of Glenrothes and Tamdhu in the mix, and that’s noticeable with the typical fruitiness that goes along with it. Some oak on the background, and cask is king!

Sip:
The palate is a lot more spicy than I initially expected. Still very fruity but there’s some chili heat and more oak than before. Sawdust and ginger. Quite some oak here too.

Swallow:
The finish carries on with the dryness from the palate, but with more fruitiness. Oranges, apricots with stones and almonds. A rather long finish with warming flavors of oak and roasted barley too.

It’s not overly surprising that this is mostly a drinking whisky and doesn’t offer the greatest complexity and depth. Having said that, though, it’s a great whisky for kicking back and just simply enjoying a dram. There are no downsides to drinking this. The ABV isn’t too high, which makes a second (or third) glass of whisky rather likely. There’s great fruitiness that give a lot of nice flavors, and are not surprising from the distilleries used in the blend.

The lower ABV is a benefit, in this case.

So, all in all, a rather good dram that didn’t break the bank too much. Not surprisingly, my bottle is empty by now, since it’s a tad too drinkable…

87/100

Blended Malt, 18yo, 2001-2019, Sherry Butt 980, 46.6%, Whiskybase. Now available for between 89 and 95 euros.

Now for that wee rant.

This whisky is a symptom of something we all know about. Whisky is too expensive. As said in the review above, this is a great drinking whisky. Categorically (now based on price) I guess the MaltManiacs would put this under ‘daily drinkers’.

However, just a few years ago, a daily drinker would be under € 50. When this came out, it was € 80 or 85. Of course, this is a sherry cask, and it’s 18 years old. But blended product was a lot cheaper than single malts, and 18 year old single malts weren’t this expensive.

Of course, or at least, I assume, Whiskybase is not at fault here, since casks haven’t gotten any cheaper either. This is a problem for the entire whisky industry.

Initially, I doubted whether or not to buy two bottles instead of just one, but in the end this is a whisky that should cost 60 euros, and not 85. However, if that’s keeping you back you should go back to drinking pilsners…

A bummer, but what can you do.

Posted in - Blended Malt, Glenrothes, Tamdhu | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Search for a Whisky Bothy (Ralfy Mitchell)

Posted on 21 April 2020 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

It’s been ages since I did a book review here. I’ve not been reading much at all, over the last few years, not since travelling by train to work stopped because of changing jobs and locations. But I’m trying to pick it up again and when Ralfy (famous for his whisky vlogs) published his first book, I decided that would be a good one to pick up.

wrp195_400x400

Image nicked from Ralfy’s Twitter page

Ralfy is an undertaker from Glasgow, who now lives on the Isle of Man, and is well known for his love for whisky, transparency and honesty. What I know about him is all based on what he says in his videos, but those have a true sense of honesty and openness about them.

Albeit that I do accept some samples for reviewing, I did learn from him to never hide opinions, and always be as open as possible in this regard. Something I think I am managing (please tell me if you disagree).

This honesty, compared to the scripted nonsense you often get from brand ambassadors (paraphrasing from the book here) is something that he values greatly, and in Ralfy’s opinion this is what the internet is for. To be an antithesis to paid for publishings, marketing and brand outings.

53dcef7728055453f6d2d95fdee2a36832d78f7c

The book starts with how he got to be into whisky, from happenstance meetings with alcoholic coopers that left him their random collections of assorted samples and bottles. Many nights dozing off in front of the fireplace with several drams being tasted are described, with even a few appearances of Ralfy’s ‘spirit companion’ Orlando. A cat, dead twenty years.

Outings to and with the Glasgow Whisky Club, a motorcycle trip to Bladnoch distillery and the start of vlogging at Springbank and Loch Fyne Whiskies are nice descriptions of what makes being a whisky fanatic great, and what makes (a sizable chunk of) the whisky industry great.

There are some parts of the book that are a bit too philosophical for me, and (without this being condescending or demeaning) it would surprise me if these chapters were written after a dram or two.

What is great about the book is that it makes me want to have a dram. It makes me want to visit Scotland, and it reminds me of my ‘journey through whisky’. Of course, Ralfy is rather famous and I am not, which is perfectly fine, but the random drinks of whisky leading into a full fledged passion, or even mania, is very recognizable.

What this book does great is reestablishing a passion for whisky, with more focus and zeal. Ever since I’ve been reading this, cooped up during the corona crisis, is make me love whisky more for what it is. Not for what ‘The Industry’ wants it to be.

Oh, and in name of honesty. The only drawback to the story is that it sometimes seems the author really loves adjectives, and can get carried away with those. Not a huge surprise if you follow his Youtube channel though.

And, secondly, if it peeves you, this is a self published book, and with it come the expected typos.

Thanks Ralfy!

You can get the book at various retailers, from Amazon, Bol, Whiskyboeken. If possible, try get it from your local shop, especially nowadays.

Posted in - Book | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Foursquare 2001-2019, 18yo, 56.9% – The Duchess

Posted on 20 April 2020 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Yet another rum from The Duchess, which is a series from Best of Wines in Bussum, The Netherlands. They’ve been bottling some whisky, but lately it is mostly rum that’s coming from their stables.

In this case there are two new releases of which I am now reviewing the first one. The second is pending drinking and will be written about shortly. For these two releases they are using a new label, after the flowers they’re now releasing a series of hummingbirds. I know there’s more coming out shortly of which I had a wee sip at the Hielander Whisky Festival last February.

Anyway, Foursquare. It still reminds me of some app that was popular a decade ago for tagging locations (if I’m not mistaken). I never used it but for a year or so it was a thing on Twitter.

Anyway, an 18 year old, which is nice in itself. From a bourbon barrel, which I also like. At cask strength, but not too ridiculously strong. All good there. Let’s see what this brings us.

20564_bigSniff:
Heavy, and sugary rum. Fairly straight forward on the nose. A bit of leather, copper polish, custard and baked cheesecake. There’s a fruitiness as well, blueberries.

Sip:
The palate is pretty sharp, but not overly so. Sweetness, oak, blueberry cheesecake, but also some feinty notes like copper polish, and leather.

Swallow:
The finish is more ‘generic’ I think. More sugary sweetness, some vanilla and oak. The palate is nicely continued.

Generic might sound negative, but in this case it’s just to indicate that it’s more typically rum-like, with more focus on the sugary / syrupy parts, and slightly less so on, in this case, the blueberry cheesecake.

Talking about that blueberry cheesecake. I keep getting it, initially I though I was going crazy. However, according to myself, I am not. And I love it. It’s a very unique thing that I’ve not gotten before.

88/100

Foursquare 18, 2001-2019, Bourbon Barrel #18, 56.9%, The Duchess. Available for € 99 at Best of Wines

Sample kindly provided by Best of Wines! Much obliged!

Posted in - Rum, Foursquare | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Willett XCF 1.0, Curacao Casks, 51.7%

Posted on 18 April 2020 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

Whisk(e)y is a rather static product. At the moment the marketing departments of every distillery keep blabbering on about innovation, but in the end, there is none. They do the same thing they did a hundred years ago, but by slapping a new age statement (or none) on it, in combination with some semi-fictional name that almost never means anything it suddenly is new.

I disagree. To me there’s not much new happening, and generally the things most enthusiastically received by the people actually drinking whisk(e)y are steps back to how things were done a hundred years ago. More characterful barley varieties, yeast strains that aren’t all homogeneous throughout the industry, better cask management. Things that were commonplace, and have gone out the window for profit.

Then, sometimes, something different is tried, like finishing a whiskey in a Curacao Cask, which is an orange liqueur from France, in this case (not the blue kind).

It’s unique, for sure, and the name XCF “Exploratory Cask Finish” is correct. However, what is also telling is that this was bottled in 2013 and there has been no version 1.1 or 2.0 since. THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

So what this is, is a sourced rye whiskey finished in a rather unique type of cask. Is it any good? Let’s see.

20200418_154359Sniff:
Well, it’s unique for sure. There’s the backdrop of rye whiskey, which isn’t surprising at all, but with a massive hit of oranges, both sweet and bitter. It actually combines rather well with the rye spiciness. It’s a bit perfumy, with clove and ginger.

Sip:
The palate is quite sharp, which suits the style of whiskey well. At first there’s mostly rye grains, the accompanying spices and dryness. Then the oranges hit, mostly the bitter kind, with lots of pithy notes and seeds. Orange zest, clove, ginger, sharp oak, dry grains.

Swallow:
The finish continues down the same line, with again some bitterness, dry spices and some perfumy notes. Quite intense.

I understand why there aren’t more finishes like this. Not that I find this a bad whiskey, but to go through a whole bottle of this is way too much for something this gimmicky. Also, apparently it’s rather expensive to produce since this was absolutely not a cheap bottle, and because of its apparent collectibility, it’s price is now around € 400 a pop.

The initial € 150 doesn’t make sense, the current starting price at little over € 300, with a maximum of almost € 500 700 is just ludicrous.

But, the whiskey is fine. It’s unique and interesting but too gimmicky for a repeat exercise. I like that the rye whiskey used is of good quality and that saves it a bit.

80/100

Willett XCF, 7 years old, finished in Curacao Casks from France. 51.7%

Posted in - American Whiskey, - Rye Whiskey, Willett | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Moonshine and Bourbon from Kings County Distillery

Posted on 17 April 2020 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

I always get a bit of an itch when distilleries release a moonshine. The definition of moonshine is that it is illegally distilled hooch, and when it’s properly released it is everything but that. So, apart from marketing it doesn’t mean anything, except that marketeers don’t really have much regard for the truth.

So, in the end, we’re having a new make spirit and a bourbon from Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn, New York. My sister went there years ago, and brought me these two wee bottles. Somehow I recently decided to open them while playing a few games of Magic the Gathering through my webcam setup.

From there, things went quickly, but my level of play didn’t really go up. Apparently, drinking and trying to keep track of hundreds of variables isn’t really a good combination.

Anyway, here’s the tasting notes that I recently wrote, just before I emptied the bottles:

Kings County Distillery Moonshine, 40%

75048-big

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
The typical sweetness of fresh alcohol. There’s a corn like sweetness too. It’s very much not a malt spirit. Slightly minty, with fresh herbs. Cornbread.

Sip:
The palate is pretty intense, dry and grainy. Sweet with corn syrup and fruit candy. Winegums even.

Swallow:
The finish, again, is sweet. Alcohol, slightly herbaceous.

Much further than ‘this is drinkable’ is out of reach. It’s far from bad, but it is also rather uninteresting. It certainly lacks something in complexity and depth. Not surprising for a new make spirit, but at least I didn’t go blind. Which, with real moonshine, would be a possibility.

This new make has the problem virtually all new makes have. There’s just no point in drinking it.

Not a clue how to score this. 70/100 or so?

Kings County Distillery Moonshine, 40%, € 18-ish

Kings County Distillery Bourbon, 45%

75049-big

Image from Whiskybase

Sniff:
Slightly fiery, but not sharp. Minerals, wood, dried herbs. Not overly sweet, but there’s a candy like scent.

Sip:
Quite sharp, definite oak influence, with spices and chili peppers. Corn syrup, dry sawdust, tobacco.

Swallow:
The finish loses the sharpness quickly, but there’s a warmth that lingers and is quite nice. Oak and sawdust.

82/100

Nice and drinkable, not great. I think this is quite young and it wouldn’t hurt to mature this a couple of years longer. I think this could be quite good, but it’s just not there yet.

All in all, I prefer the book over the booze.

Kings County Distillery Bourbon, 45%, € 30

Posted in - American Whiskey, - Bourbon, New Make Spirit | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ardmore 2008-2019, 10yo, 56.2% – Claxton’s for The Old Pipe

Posted on 15 April 2020 by Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer

The Old Pipe, a whisky shop that I don’t visit nearly enough, released some single cask bottlings through Claxton’s last year. I happened to get samples of both of them and decided that it was high time for a review of one of them.

This one is a 10 year old Ardmore, which is an interesting distillery. It’s a peated whisky from a region not well known for their peated whiskies. Also, I happen to have had some really good ones in the past, so let’s see where this one ends up.

What I find odd about this one, even before I begin tasting it, is that it was drawn from a Laphroaig cask. I don’t really see the point of maturing an already peated whisky in a Laphroaig cask, unless you want to add some of the coastal flavors from Islay, that are not usually present in Ardmore.

In a way that is understandable, but also, why would you want to get around so much of the distillery character by adding both sherry and coastal influences to a whisky that doesn’t necessarily have, or need that.

ardmore-10y-exclusive-release-for-the-old-pipe

Image from The Old Pipe

Sniff:
A very barbecue-y smokiness. Teriyaki beef, charcoal, soot, some dried fruit. Smoked peaches, roasted barley.

Sip:
A lot sweeter than expected, more fruit, some chili heat, dry oak. Soot, smoke, charcoal. Grilled beef and grilled peaches.

Swallow:
The finish is dry and rather hot, but short. Some oak and smoke but not much else.

This is a bit of a confused whisky. I don’t really feel like I’ve been drinking Ardmore at all. It’s a tasty dram, but if I want a whisky that tastes like a sherried Islay whisky, I’d buy that and not a tinkered-with Ardmore.

So, it’s not bad, but I don’t really see the point.

83/100

Ardmore 2008-2019, 10 years old, Ex-Laphroaig Oloroso Octave, 56.2%. Available from The Old Pipe for € 80

Posted in Ardmore | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments