Flavour tag: Peat | Tasting Notes

88

Finlaggan Red Wine Cask Matured

Finlaggan is no stranger to the liquor stores here in Holland, but somehow we always managed to ignore the expressions of this Islay Single Malt. Until we bought our very first Finlaggan, since then, you can always find several bottles in our collection. If you are in love with...

89

Bowmore Vault Edition – First Release

If there’s one Islay distillery which appeals to the imagination it must be Bowmore. We were one of the lucky guys who got the chance to visit the distillery back in 2018. Bowmore’s marketing strategy is on point, it was one of the distilleries I was really looking forward to.

86

Teeling Blackpitts

A while ago, The Teeling Distillery, Chris and Niamh gave us the chance to taste a little bit more of what Teeling has to offer. Including their first ever Peated Irish Single Malt Whiskey: Blackpitts, named after the area just behind the distillery. Matured in Bourbon and Sauternes casks...

84

Lagavulin 16yo

Light up the fireplace, get a glass and put your feet up. On moments like this I pour myself a dram that doesn’t require much thought. And while Lagavulin 16yo has no permanent spot in my cabinet anymore, I can’t help myself but feel this is one of the...

89

Benromach 10yo

Benromach 10 definitely exists on our short list of whiskies that everyone should have in their cabinet. If it isn’t for the taste, then it’s for the value for money. You don’t see this bottle highlighted very often, in fact, we’ve only discovered how good Benromach actually was last...

83

Whisky Row Smoke & Peat

Knock knock knocking on heaven’s door with some holy water. Who’s there? It’s Whisky Row to put some long gone Edinburgh flavours back on the map. Our good friend Terri (@dmscotland) kindly introduced us to this new kid on the block by Gleann Mór Spirits. You wouldn’t say, because...

85

Linkwood 11yo 2007 Oloroso Octave Finish by 3006 Whisky

My holidays mostly take place in our own country, even before the pandemic. There’s so much to discover in this small piece on earth (the Netherlands, that is). There’s one tradition I try to maintain, and that is the tradition of finding a good liquor store to buy me...

88

Laphroaig Cairdeas 2020 Port and Wine Casks

If there’s one distillery that really bonds with its ‘fans’ or friends, if you like, It is Laphroaig. We’ve been ‘friends of Laphroaig’ ever since our first bottle but it took us years to finally ‘seal’ our friendship. Back in April 2018 we visited Islay and of course we...

87

Scotch & Tattoos: Caol Ila 13yo 2007-2020 by Torsten Paul Whisky Company

Here’s the third release in the Scotch & Tattoos series by Torsten Paul Whisky Company. And the first peated single malt of the three. Not only is it peated, it’s also from our beloved Caol Ila distillery, what could go wrong? The label for this 13yo bourbon matured Caol...

84

The visit of ‘Uncle’ Big Peat

Last week we were pleasantly surprised with the visit of our ‘Uncle’ Big Peat, arranged by our friends of De Monnik Dranken. So a huge thanks to them for hooking us up! We figured the best thing we can do with an uncle you haven’t seen in a long...

90

Lagavulin 12yo Special Release 2019

There she stands, with her pale skin, her light hazel eyes, her curvy body pleasing to the eye. I’m a difficult man to impress, but this was love at first sight. Lagavulin is not very high on my list anymore. I’ll admit, I was pretty unimpressed by our previous...

89

Kilchoman Sauternes Cask Finish 2018

I’ve been a big fan of Kilchoman since the beginning. They offer a great core range with diverse types of sherry and bourbon maturations, and the best thing is that they’re very open about which casks are used and in what ratio. It gives the buyers a good understanding...

91

Ledaig 15yo 2005 Single Malts of Scotland

Sadly, due to the pandemic, it’s a year without whisky festivals. Among many others, “Whisky in Leiden” had to be postponed till 2021. Especially for this festival, Elixir Distillers bottled this beautiful fifteen years old Ledaig under the Single Malts of Scotland Range. The organizer of the festival made...

90

Edradour Ballechin SFTC 12yo Heavily Peated Bordeaux Cask 2007-2019

It’s an open secret that I (Dion) am really digging into the wine-casks lately, I personally think that a Cabernet Sauvignon, or a nice Malbec is the next best thing. But don’t worry, whisky was my first love, and it will be my last. I promise you that. That...

87

Finlaggan Cask Strength

When you run out of money and whisky, what do you do? Finlaggan comes to the rescue!

85

Laphroaig Lore

The first time we tasted Laphroaig Lore, we were disappointed. It lacked complexity and tasted too peppery for our taste. So this bottle was -quite unintentionally- banished to the back of the cabinet.

88

Caol Ila 9yo Palo Cortado Finish by James Eadie

Well what do we have here? It’s the James Eadie 9 yo Caol Ila. Finished first fill, refill Palo Cortado sherry hogsheads oak European finished for 6 months. Quite a mouthful. Yet again, a relatively young Caol Ila, what’s new? (Indie) young Caol Ila is highly available in The...

85

Millstone Special No. 14 Peated American Oak Moscatel Finish

I love experimental distilleries. How small the Dutch Zuidam Distillery might be, they sure keep us entertained with special releases of Millstone whisky. And so does this one!

90

Port Charlotte 10yo

This ‘shampoo bottle’ may look weird, depending on who you ask, but who cares? It’s one of our go-to peated malts. It’s everything but the casual peated Islay-whisky and beautifully complex. As lovers of the Octomore range, we often speak of this as ‘Octomore Light’. It doesn’t provide that...

87

Kilchoman 2010 Vintage & Kilchoman 100% Islay 9th Edition

Thanks to Kilchoman, we were given the opportunity to sample two wonderful new releases: the 2010 Vintage and the 100% Islay 9th Edition. And since we’re a huge fan of the first 100% Islay releases, we decided to have them accompanied by the 100% Islay Inaugural and 3th Edition....

83

Bimber Distillery Vertical

London’s brand new Bimber Distillery was so kind to send us a couple of beautiful samples last summer. We were quite impressed and let Matt know our thoughts. Let us share our findings with you too. Here are our unaltered notes, as sent to the distillery…

86

Classic of Islay by Jack Wieber’s 2018

As a Dutchman I’m very pleased to have such great neighbors. Among many other independent bottlers, Germany brings Jack Wieber to the table. This cask strength bottle, named Classic of Islay is a solid staple in our collection. It has no age statement and it’s probably a young sherried...

88

Springbank 12yo Cask Strength 2019

Never been much of a Springbank fan, but this bottle might tempt me to change that fact!

83

Islay Mist – Original

Enter Islay Mist. A whisky that consists mostly of Laphroaig, blended with several Speyside malts and grain whisky, interesting! Created for beginning enthusiasts who are tiptoeing into the realm of peat, but don’t want to be punched in the face with it. We think that’s a good starting point....

83

Jura 10yo Origin

It may not be entirely our taste, but we can’t deny the fact that many starting whisky lovers find in Jura a good starting point. We often referenced a certain hint to ‘an almond urinal block’, which is definitely not something you’d say is mouthwatering. But as with many...

85

Kilchoman Port Cask Matured 2018

Whisky: Endless possibilities, varying opinions and lots to discover. Let’s do a little experiment!

84

Highland Park 18yo

Highland Park 18yo is a classic, a soft and gentle classic. It offers many facets, but there isn’t one that overpowers.

79

Bowmore 10yo – Dark & Intense

The struggle is real. We love Bowmore in general, but this ‘Dark & Intense’ isn’t as dark and certainly not as intense as Bowmore pretends it to be.

87

Ledaig 6yo 2010 – The Ultimate #700321

Almost nothing more reliable than Ledaig (peated Tobermory). I’ve yet to encounter a Ledaig that I didn’t like. The standard 10yo offers real value for money, but so does this 6yo independent bottling by Van Wees.

85

Ardbeg Perpetuum

It’s great seeing all those images from this year’s Feis Ile trickling in. It’s a trip down memory lane and a perfect moment to go through the photos and tasting notes we did on Islay last year. We found one that’s worthwhile!

88

Finlaggan Original

There aren’t many whiskies we can get for under €20 that always seem to deliver. But this bottle of Finlaggan nails it every single time.

84

BenRiach 10yo Curiositas

What are you pouring on this whisky Wednesday? We’re totally in for a peated BenRiach!

88

Arran Machrie Moor Cask Strength 4th Edition 2017

Have you ever considered trying a cask strength Machrie Moor by Arran? We strongly suggest you do.

79

Highland Park Drakkar

Let’s have a look at Highland Park Drakkar, a travel exclusive from a while ago. You can still get it in various shops, so let us guide you on whether to buy this badass looking dragon bottle, or not.

86

Talisker Distiller’s Edition 2003-2014

The Talisker Distiller’s Edition (a second maturation on Amoroso sherry) is making a splash on this beautiful spring day. This is a whisky that never fails to deliver.

90

Highland Park Dark Origins

Look at this people, it’s the the hero everyone deserves. But do we need it? The Highland Park Dark Origins is my favourite HP to date, let’s find out why.