Flavour tag: Peat | Tasting Notes

89

Ardbeg 10yo

Since the beginning of our whisky journey, we always considered Ardbeg 10yo to be peppery and heavy on the peat. The Uigeadail was always our go to, so we haven’t paid a lot of attention to the Ten. What a shame, because looking back, we clearly missed out. After...

85

Bowmore Cask Strength

Bowmore and the taste of kiwi, to me they are inseparable. I’ve tasted lots of different Bowmores, but this one thing always keeps coming back. It took me a while though, it was just this spark of enlightenment some years ago, when I tried to figure out what that specific note tastes like.

91

Lagavulin 12yo (bottled in 2012)

Lagavulin, one of the heavier distilleries on Islay. Not particularly because of the peat level of the barley, because that’s exactly the same as Caol Ila’s. It’s the shorter fermentation and shape of the stills which make Lagavulin this bold and full of phenolic flavours.

89

The Arran 14yo

A fruit cocktail in a bottle, this is one of those overlooked drams, which might steal your heart when you try it.

85

Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16yo

Maybe not the prettiest bottle, but the price and taste certainly are. Let’s have a look at this rather unknown independent bottle, named Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16yo.

93

Bowmore 10yo Tempest Batch IV

A whisky that captures the spirit of Bowmore perfectly, that’s what I’d like to call this Tempest Batch IV.

86

Welcoming 2019 with Port Askaig 19

And as we move towards the last hours of 2018 and the reflections have been done, it’s time to look forward. Which beautiful whiskies will we encounter in the everchanging landscape? And what trips are we going to make?

87

Glen Scotia 15yo

A well crafted dram for its price, the Glen Scotia 15yo. So full and warming that it’s almost hard to believe that is has matured on bourbon casks only.

87

Glenlivet Nàdurra Peated Cask

Don’t get confused here people, this is not a peated Glenlivet, but it’s a Glenlivet that has finished on a cask that previously held heavily peated whisky. We’ve see that more often lately, and it’s quite an enjoyable way of finishing whisky.

83

Jura Superstition

We often tell people: no association is wrong when writing down your tasting notes. But a hint of ‘urinal cakes’ in a whisky? Are you crazy? We proved we aren’t with this Jura Superstition.

90

Laphroaig 18yo

To me, this Laphroaig encaptures the spirit of Islay perfectly. A sadly discontinued expression, but luckily I still have some juice left in the bottle to enjoy.

89

Octomore Masterclass 08.1

We’ve already talked about high peat levels and how it doesn’t matter that much. We brought this one to a blind tasting two weeks ago and asked the participants which glass contained a whisky with such a high peat level as this Octomore (168ppm). Most of them were wrong, and chose an Indie NAS Lagavulin, which is only peated to a level of 35ppm. So let’s focus on the taste, which is most important of course!

85

Port Askaig 12yo

Let’s wave the summer of 2018 goodbye for good with this pretty independent expression bearing the name Port Askaig. Of course we all know this is Caol Ila, but have you heard they just recently bottled a Bunna for Bresser & Timmer? However, there’s no doubt this 12yo is...

83

Connemara Irish Peated Whisky Orginal

Frankly, my expectations weren’t very high for this one. The bigger was the surprise when I bought a bottle and tasted it for the first time. This highly affordable bottle grabbed my attention, because it’s a peated Irish single malt. Looks like some inspiration from Islay crossed the sea and created this rather unusual dram.

90

Highland Park Valkyrie

Highland Park goes all in on the Viking theme lately. A bit too much in my opinion, but does it distract them from creating a proper dram? Let’s find out.

85

Kilchoman Loch Gorm

Kilchoman has managed to left his mark in the ever expanding whisky-landscape, it’s one of the most easily recognizable single malts when tasting blind. What makes it so recognizable?

90

Blackadder Peat Reek RAW Cask PR2017-10

Ever wanted to use your whisky bottle like a snow globe? Well, here’s your chance!

79

Highland Park Einar

Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice. Words to live by, but taking a wee dram of this Highland Park Einar will warm you up in no time, and it takes less effort to do so. Choose wisely.

91

Bunnahabhain Moine Bordeaux Red wine Cask Matured

Imagine yourself on a hot day, with a smoking barbecue with huge chunks of glaced meat, sipping a glass of robust red wine. That’s basically what’s in this new addition to Bunnahabain’s limited edition range.

86

Ardbeg Grooves Committee Release

We’ve had two opportunities to taste the committee release from Ardbeg Grooves. The first was at the Islay Hotel and the second was at the Ardbeg distillery. It underwent an unusual treatment with the use of heavily charred red wine casks. This heavy charring results in deep grooves in...

Rime of the ancient mariner

What does Iron Maiden have to do with whisky I hear you ask. Well, let’s sit down for a moment and emerge in this great musical experience…

87

Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Cask Exploration 20 Valinch

Leaving Kilchoman behind, we went on to our last stop on our trip: Bruichladdich. There we tasted the Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Cask Exploration 20 Valinch

88

Kilchoman Distillery Exclusive 8yo Madeira Cask Matured 2010-2018

A quick stop at Kilchoman, discussing their early years and a review of the Distillery Exclusive 8yo Madeira Cask Matured edition.

87

Caol Ila Distillery Exclusive 2017

Visiting Caol Ila Distillery, getting the full Islay-weather experience and tasting notes of the Distillery Exclusive.

94

Bruichladdich Octomore 7.2

How come that these gems from Bruichladdich with a peat level of 208ppm are so smooth and gentle on the tongue?

89

Lagavulin Distillery Exclusive Bottling 2017

The Lagavulin Distillery, easily recognized by It’s tall red smokestack is not a complete stranger to us. Our collection contains the 8yo 12yo CS, 16yo, the Distillers Edition and some indie bottlings which don’t bear their name, but obviously come from this distiller. So we thought Lagavulin couldn’t surprise...

95

Ardbeg Kelpie

When you think Islay, you think Ardbeg. One of the most renowned distillers on the island. For some it’s too bold, for some it’s heaven.

88

Kilchoman Madeira Cask Matured

A Kilchoman with a Madeira twist. A great cask experiment from Kilchoman, but how does it taste?

92

Bowmore Warehousemen’s Selection 2017 – Distillery Exclusive

We made love to Bowmore, we visited her distillery and the final result: tasting notes of the 17yo Distillery Exclusive from 2017.

86

Laphroaig Cairdeas 15yo

About our first moments on Islay, visiting Laphroaig and the Cairdeas 15yo tasting notes.

89

How we traveled to Islay

Our travel to Islay by plane, bus and ferry, a tasting note of the Arran 14yo and a glimpse of what heaven looks like.

88

Laphroaig Triple Wood

Spotlights on, theatrical smoke filling the room, give a round of applause, here is Laphroaig Triple Wood!

89

Bunnahabhain Toiteach

This whisky has been part of the collection since a very long time. And it grew on me, to the point that I can’t live without.

85

Caol Ila 12yo

An all-time favourite, this beautiful Caol Ila 12. This was one of our first discoveries from Islay, a long time ago, and we have never forgotten it.

91

Kilchoman Red Wine Cask Matured

Let’s review another wine matured whisky. Most of you have seen this one passing by, it’s the limited edition Kilchoman Red Wine Cask Matured.

84

Laphroaig Quarter Cask

The Laphroaig Quarter Cask, a highly affordable dram from our friends of Laphroaig.