10-14yo – DramWorlds

September 17, 2021September 17, 2021

Longrow (Springbank) Red Pinot Noir, 11yo (2019)

*Rating*	24.4/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Campbeltown,
*Distillery*	Longrow (Springbank)
*Owner*	J&A Mitchell & Company
*Series*	Red
*Edition*	Pinot Noir
*Style*	Single Malt
*Peated*	Yes
*Cask*	Pinot Noir
*Bottled*	January 7th, 2019
*Bottles*	9,000
*Strength*	53.1% (106.2 Proof)

Another one in the long running series of red wine aged small batch releases of Springbank’s peated single malt, the Longrow. Always unique, often tasty and always highly anticipated, at least by yours truly, I’m glad to try another one of these peated pearls.

Nose: The nose is definitely “red”, whatever that descriptor means. Knowing there is wine involved makes those notes apparent but I’m curious if I would have detected them in a blind tasting. If I try to dismiss any preconceived notions from my mind, I end up with Haribo fruit gummy candies hanging out in a cigar lounge. Except nobody is actually smoking because they’re all busy eating cherry pies at the moment. There’s stuff I like and stuff I don’t like. This one’s a bit hard to nail down points-wise. (6.8/10)

Palate: Thick, goopy cherry-pie effluent and splinters of dark wood. And I wish all of it would come to life more. Not sure why this stuff is refusing to blow up. There’s a sizzling heat emerging after each sip that seems to burn off all of those rather nice flavors too quickly until the last of them evaporates the moment it goes down. It’s kind of a shame really. This palate is its own worst enemy. This is what it must feel like to have a child of great promise which proceeds to turn into a petty thief. (6.1/10)

Finish: A lonesome ghost of slightly bitter flavor and some residual warmth in the upper chest is all that’s left after everything else quickly evaporates. That and a mild sugary coating on the back of the tongue. Definitely a bit of a let down this one. I really expected more. (5.6/10)

Balance: I dunno… I usually really like the Longrow Red releases but this one is subpar on all fronts. Somehow, despite its relative strength, it seems to lack the substance to assert and maintain the nice flavors it hints at. You open a cage at the zoo but instead of a roaring lion you get a disinterested shabby looking racoon. A bit of a bummer. But luckily also a bit of an exception in the series. At least I hope it’s not a harbinger of future doom. (5.9/10)

May 19, 2021September 8, 2021

Tobermory Fino Sherry Finish, 12yo, 2005/2018

*Rating*	37.1/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Highlands, Islands, Isle of Mull
*Distillery*	Tobermory
*Owner*	Distell Group vis Burn Stewart Distillers
*Distilled*	2005
*Style*	Single Malt
*Cask*	Fino Sherry Finish
*Bottled*	2018
*Strength*	55.1% (110.2 Proof)
*Whiskybase*	Whiskybase

One of my all-time faves. The little sherry-finished Tobermory engine that could. And it seems to have flown below the radar of a lot of folks. Perhaps because it’s list price wasn’t exactly cheap for a distillery with a relatively low profile compared to the big players.

Nose: (9.1/10) A fresh squirt of fussy cola jumps over the rim of the glass first, revealing a deeper layer of dark shoe polish hiding behind it. This slowly peels off of some heavy furniture that’s been polished with teak oil. I watch all this happening while munching on delicate blackberry gummy bears. And the whole thing comes with free nose tickles. Lovely.

Palate: (9.5/10) A huge, thick, heavy sheet of concentrated, dry sherry slices and rumbles through my mouth like those flexing steel plates classical orchestras use for making thunder. This is sherry thunder and lightning in a bottle. On subsequent sips things calm down a bit and I can hear myself think again. But that sense of a vast expanse of dry sherry demanding room to fill doesn’t go away. If anything some of the furniture and shoe polish related notes are managing to make themselves heard and add further depth and complexity to the experience. That initial bit of cola, however, does not seem to have survived the storm. This is a gorgeous palate. Damn.

Finish: (9.2/10) Right after the impact of that palate perceiving the finish requires a conscious effort. Though it will rise to awareness on its own over time. A great dry, peaceful silence settles on everything. There is a residual glow lingering at the top of the palate. There is a mild warmth in the chest (and I wish there was just a little more heat there). And, whodathunk, that little bit of cola did survive after all and alights on each breath like a bunch of sun motes wafting about on the fading esophageal thermals. I am happy.

Balance: (9.3/10) What can I say. This is some really, seriously, very good whisky. Wish I could find more of it. Wish I had bought more at the time but, not knowing, it seemed pricey. The only complaint I have, and it barely qualifies as such, is that perhaps the finish could have been just a little stronger so the drop in intensity from the palate wasn’t quite so steep. What an astonishing dram. This kind of experience is why I love this stuff. Amazing.

May 15, 2021May 15, 2021

BenRiach The Smoky Twelve, 12yo

*Rating*	29.4/30
*Origin*	Scotland, Speyside, Lossie
*Distillery*	BenRiach
*Owner*	Brown-Forman
*Style*	Single Malt
*Peated*	Yes
*Cask*	Bourbon, Sherry and Marsala Casks
*Strength*	46% (92 Proof)
*Whiskybase*	Whiskybase

The Smoky Twelve is one of the 4 base-line expressions of BenRiach recently revamped by their master blender, Dr. Rachel Barrie. I had the opportunity to taste all of them side-by-side which always makes for a very interesting experience. This one turned out to be my second favorite in that group.

Nose: Hm…. hello? Anybody there? This is a very shy nose. There’s something in the glass though. A little peat kitten hiding at the bottom, mewling forth little puffs of soft smoke. Very, very slowly the nose dares to emerge from the glass. A more refined smoke than the Smoky Ten but, for, uh, peat’s sake, please, come out of there already! Have a bit of fun in my nose! I won’t hurt you, I promise. Hints of mint. Or perhaps I’m hallucinating. Feeling a little bit lightheaded from the effort of breathing so hard to pull this nose up out of the glass. (7.0/10)

Palate: Hits with the texture of dry, dark chocolate. Quiet on flavors at first but subtly buzzing like a lit fuse. Then, after a few moments, flavor unfolds like an old canvas unrolling to reveal a rich painting of billowing dark smoke over glowing red depths. This is quite lovely and rather unexpected based on the nose. Not so unexpected is the degree of complexity compared to the Smoky Ten. Once again, as with the Original Ten and The Twelve, those extra 2 years made a huge difference. (7.6/10)

Finish: Not entirely unlike the Smoky Ten, the finish is struggling just a little bit to stay level. It’s really good though. Layers of smoke build up and only deflate occasionally and briefly. This one reaches just a little deeper into the chest than the Smoky Ten and flares up more pronouncedly on each breath. There’s a slight green aftertaste but it doesn’t bother me too much. (7.5/10)

Balance: All sides of this whisky are worth exploring but, man, that nose takes some effort to get to. No matter though. Once you’re a few sips in all is good and the struggle is quickly forgotten. The Smoky Ten is just fine but this one takes the same concept a notch or two further up. For BenRiach those extra 2 years from 10 to 12 have proven magical both for these peated and the non-peated expressions. Out of the basic BenRiach line-up revamped by Dr. Rachel Barrie both this and The Twelve have turned out to be clear successes. I’ll be happy to spot them on some bar’s shelf and have a dram or two. (7.3/10)

May 15, 2021May 15, 2021

BenRiach The Smoky Ten, 10yo

*Rating*	27.0/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Speyside, Lossie
*Distillery*	BenRiach
*Owner*	Brown-Forman
*Style*	Single Malt
*Peated*	Yes
*Cask*	Bourbon, Jamaican Rum and Toasted Virgin Oak
*Strength*	46% (92 Proof)
*Whiskybase*	Whiskybase

The Smoky Ten is one of the 4 base-line expressions of BenRiach recently revamped by their master blender, Dr. Rachel Barrie. I had the opportunity to taste all of them side-by-side which always makes for a very interesting experience.

Nose: The peat jumps right out of the glass with some green, herbal notes that turn slightly floral later on. For some reason this is making me think of those little, biodegradable seed starter pots. Not a whole lot of complexity past that but that’s fine. If you pay careful attention you may notice the faint sparkly of bright citrus notes somewhere underneath it all. (6.8/10)

Palate: Simple and direct. The same peat as described for the nose arrives unceremoniously and unfolds with ease, spreading wide but not particularly high, and simply stays right there at the same level and with the same notes carrying straight into the finish. The first few sips seem to leave a thin slathering of watery sweetness on the tongue but that quickly goes away as the finish begins to dominate the experience. (6.8/10)

Finish: The finish picks up seamlessly from the palate and it manages to wipe out those odd watery bits on the palate. However, it’s almost like the finish is running on a slightly undersized engine. It develops a pleasant warmth but keeps struggling to push it into the chest. It continues the flavors from the palate but keeps fading away like a fire fed with cold logs. One has to breathe on it and then it comes back as if nothing happened. (6.7/10)

Balance: A quite lovely basic expression of a quite strongly peated Speysider. Not overly complex but perfectly satisfying. It’s only real shortcoming is that finish struggling to stay alive, dipping and rising like a tired swimmer. A swimmer wearing smoldering peat speedos. Anyhow, it’s perfectly drinkable and delivers all the comforts of peat. B/c it doesn’t require special attention this one would probably be the perfect whisky to drink while reading an engaging book sitting in a comfortable chair near the fireplace. (6.7/10)

May 15, 2021May 15, 2021

BenRiach The Twelve, 12yo

*Rating*	30.8/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Speyside, Lossie
*Distillery*	BenRiach
*Owner*	Brown-Forman Corporation
*Style*	Single Malt
*Cask*	Sherry, Bourbon and Port casks
*Strength*	46% (92 Proof)
*Whiskybase*	Whiskybase

The Twelve is one of the 4 base-line expressions of BenRiach recently revamped by their master blender, Dr. Rachel Barrie. I had the opportunity to taste all of them side-by-side which always makes for a very interesting experience. This one turned out to be my favorite in that group.

Nose: Whoa… what a change from the Original 10! Usually I expect age to round off and diminish certain notes but this one has truly come to life with just another 2 years added. Darkly stained antique oranges, pleasingly arranged on an equally antique leather topped oak desk that’s been polished perhaps a week ago. A well disciplined nose, too. Somehow it’s managing to form a fairly precisely delineated volume hovering half an inch above the top of the glass like a mushroom cap and it doesn’t seem to move or spread from there. You can sort of just stick your nose into that space whenever you feel like having another whiff. This is quite nice! (7.7/10)

Palate: For a bottle strength whisky that’s a surprisingly bulky and solid mass pushing its way through the door, warmly buzzing into the room and spreading itself around comfortably wherever it can. It’s sort of all the bits from the nose but not in that formal arrangement. All the bits of wood, leather and antique oranges are stuck in a mildly sweet blob of delicious, honeyed dessert goop. The sweetness added to the other notes make for a nice balance of flavor all around. And unlike the Original 10 it doesn’t quickly fade away either. This is also quite nice! (7.7/10)

Finish: I wish the flavors of the palate carried over into the finish more. There are echoes that come to life on each breath but primarily the finish is all about an intense bright spot of heat in the very back of the throat radiating in every direction and, once again surprisingly for a bottle strength dram, quite deep into the chest. After waiting for a bit the deep and comforting heat makes you forget and forgive the loss of the palate’s flavors. If I was rating for the immediate finish only it I would have rated it slightly lower. But, after all, this is quite nice! (7.7/10)

Balance: Well now. Comparing this against the Original 10… we have a clear winner. Almost everything about this is, forgive me, quite nice! And the brief disappointment I experienced with the early finish can be easily forgiven. Nicely done, Dr. Rachel Barrie! (7.7/10)

May 14, 2021May 15, 2021

BenRiach The Original Ten, 10yo

*Rating*	25.8/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Speyside, Lossie
*Distillery*	BenRiach
*Owner*	Brown–Forman Corporation
*Style*	Single Malt
*Cask*	Bourbon, sherry, virgin oak
*Strength*	43% (86 Proof)
*Whiskybase*	Whiskybase

The Original Ten is one of the 4 base-line expressions of BenRiach recently revamped by their master blender, Dr. Rachel Barrie. I had the opportunity to taste all of them side-by-side which always makes for a very interesting experience.

Nose: The League of Generic Citrus Fruits has at long last made peace with their ancient enemy, the Alliance of Various Pears. All of them have gathered in the designated neutral zone located somewhere on the Gentle Oak Plains in order to talk things over and hash out the details of the peace accord. Currently Mr. Average J Grapefruit, a rather mild-mannered fellow, is addressing the crowd in long-winded sentences but nobody is really listening. This thing has been going on for a while and everybody is a bit sleepy and half dozing off. The future looks peaceful albeit a bit boring. This nose has all the non-thrilling pleasantness of the inoffensively decorated lobby of a hopeful, new small business. (6.1/10)

Palate: A little more excitement here. Like a conservative middle-aged office party with generic supermarket cake. The initial hit of flavor in the front is quite nice and delivers some caramel and orange cake notes but it fizzles out quickly as the whisky travels to the back of the tongue and diminishes to a shapeless… sensation. Hard to call it tasting something. It’s sort of a neutral, mildly buzzy wooden board that was washed with the same water someone must have used earlier to rinse off a bunch of citrus fruit. (5.6/10)

Finish: Ah, finally, something is making an effort here! As soon as the whisky goes down a nice puff of oaky breath rolls up the back of my throat. All it’s olfactory elements quickly convert into a pleasant but flavorless heat that mostly lives at the back and top of the throat and mouth. It even manages to, very hesitantly, reach down into the top of the chest. Though it appears to be scared by its own courage like a cat that climbed up to the lowest branch of a tree. Still this part is not bad and has a surprising amount of staying power.(7.2/10)

Balance: Honestly, this is not bad at all. A perfectly reasonable dram to start with or have at bar with a limited selection. Is it great? No. The palate definitely puts a dent in the experience. But the afterglow does manage to make up for it. I’m surprised by just how much I enjoy sitting here with the warmth and residual flavors of the finish and for how long I’m able to do so. (6.9/10)

May 12, 2021May 12, 2021

Lagavulin Offerman Edition, 11yo, 2019

*Rating*	27.7/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, South Shore
*Distillery*	Lagavulin
*Owner*	Diageo
*Edition*	Offerman Edition
*Style*	Single Malt
*Peated*	Yes
*Cask*	Re-filled and re-juvenated American Oak Barrels
*Bottled*	August 2019
*Strength*	46% (92 Proof)
*Whiskybase*	Whiskybase

According to the marketing blurb this whisky was created in partnership with Parks & Recreations’ Nick Offerman. What exactly that partnership involved is not entirely clear to me. Nor does it matter much. I’m always up for trying a new Lag when one pops up. Which, unfortunately, does not happen all that often.

Nose: Fresh peat brightly leaps out of a box of thin mints. This is one of the rare noses with what I can only describe as horizontal geometry. That’s how my brain experiences it anyways. It seems to be wide rather than tall and slices into my head right through my sinuses. I like peat a lot but this feels almost a little… green? Is there such a thing as unripe peat? (6.9/10)

Palate: Again with this green quality of the peat. I like the sparkly brightness of it, but it lacks the depth and heaviness I most appreciate in my favorite peaty malts. And this one wears itself out quickly on my tongue. It sort of shrinks and vanishes there towards the center leaving next to nothing behind other than a mild burn. (5.9/10)

Finish: The very moment the whisky goes down it releases a voluminous cloud of peat smoke that finally no longer contains that green unripe element of itself. However, that cloud is also really just an overblown puff of bright smoke and quickly fades into seeming emptiness. After a few more moments, when things have calmed down, I suddenly discover a much quieter and richer, dark peat smoke that’s quietly accumulated deep down in my chest, accompanied by a little bit of mellow heat. Hey, that’s actually rather nice! (8.0/10)

Balance: The reward here is in the very distant last part of the finish. I really could do without those bright, young, unripe and green elements up front. And I’m not sure the finish of the finish is truly worth the effort given that I could just drink some Lag 16 or 12 cask strength or one of the Distiller’s Editions which I think are much, much more rewarding overall. (6.9/10)

May 6, 2021May 6, 2021

Glenlivet, 12yo

*Rating*	26.6/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Speyside, Livet
*Distillery*	Glenlivet
*Owner*	Pernod Ricard via Chivas Brothers
*Style*	Single Malt
*Cask*	European & American Oak
*Strength*	40% (80 Proof)
Whiskybase	Whiskybase

The bog standardiest of bog standard single malts. But that shouldn’t stop anybody from occasionally enjoying a basic pleasant dram to ground themselves again after diving deep into high end stuff. No need to turn your nose up at this stuff. It’s cheap, it’s decent and you can find it just about anywhere.

Nose: Apples. Apple pie, in fact, permeated by soft cinnamon and vanilla notes that, on occasion, shift gears into a more perfumy type mode. The apples are of one of the more tart varieties. Some faint acerbic notes of dry wood float about. Mild but pleasant. (6.5/10)

Palate: The autumn winds must have ripped some dry, old wooden shingles off the roof. The shingles didn’t get very far and quickly plopped into a nearby, small, inflatable pool next to a bare apple tree. Some apples had fallen into the stagnant water where they’re now listlessly bobbing up and down. (5.5/10)

Finish: The standing water has evaporated and all that’s left are memories of using those dried up, crumbly old shingles to grate a batch of sweet and wrinkly winter apples. (7.5/10)

Balance: The somewhat forgettable mid section is bookended by quite enjoyable notes on either side, which makes up for the sad dip and ultimately adds up to a pleasant experience. A perfectly fine daily drinker or a pleasant starter and warm-up dram for a serious evening of tasting whiskies. (7.1/10)

February 19, 2021February 19, 2021

Macallan Double Cask Lunar New Year 2020 Pack, 12yo

*Rating*	24.7/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Central Speyside
*Distillery*	Macallan
*Owner*	William Grant & Sons via Edrington Group
*Series*	Double Cask
*Edition*	Lunar New Year 2020 Pack
*Style*	Single Malt
*Cask*	Oloroso seasoned American and European oak casks
*Bottled*	2019
*Strength*	40% (80 Proof)
Whiskybase	Whiskybase
*Wine Searcher*	Wine Searcher

One of Macallan’s slightly gimmicky Lunar New Year releases, this one for 2020, the year of the rat. To be honest the packaging is perhaps slightly more impressive than the whisky itself. It’s certainly quite nice but neither demands nor requires attention. A pleasant dram for distracted enjoyment at a reasonable price, at least compared to the usual Macallan price range.

Nose: A wooden bowl of creamy orange yogurt with some honey drizzled on top. Later it begins to dissolve and fragment and ends up shifting towards paint thinner flavored candy. Pleasant but with a slight impulse to try and turn less so. (6.2/10)

Palate: Quite nice. It puffs itself up to a decent volume filled with those orange notes from the nose minus the creamy yogurt and, luckily, the paint thinner candy. After a few sips some bitter elements begin to dominate things but, again, not to an extent that really throws a wrench in the flavor works. (6.2/10)

Finish: Decent heat, decent volume, decent flavor, decent length. Just not spectacular or particularly noteworthy. Slight to the better side of average. I do like the surprising amount of warmth it manages to develop near the solar plexus given it clocks in at basic bottle strength. (6.1/10)

Balance: This is nice? But if I’ve ever met a whisky that really doesn’t require attention it’s this one. Perfect for distracting social settings and yet that thought makes me feel like it’s a whisky wasted. (6.2/10)

February 3, 2020February 5, 2020

Glenfiddich Bourbon Barrel Reserve, 14yo

*Rating*	27.5/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Speyside, Dufftown
*Distillery*	Glenfiddich
*Owner*	William Grant & Sons
*Edition*	Bourbon Barrel Reserve
*Style*	Single Malt
*Cask*	Ex-Bourbon Casks, Charred New American Oak Barrels
*Strength*	43% (86 Proof)
*Whiskybase*	Whiskybase
*Wine Searcher*	Wine Searcher

Glenfiddich’s Speyside single malt is first matured in Ex-Bourbon casks for 14 years and then finished for a few months in charred new American Oak barrels sourced from the Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville, Kentucky.

Nose: Pleasant but… small? This one just refuses to expand beyond a small bubble that terminates about one half inch from the top of the glass. But if you stick your nose into that little pocket then what you find in there is actually quite pretty. (7/10)

Palate: Smooth with watery fringes. And by smooth I mean vague. It doesn’t seem to have any memorable characteristics. Sort of what one might consider the average flavor of a non-peaty single malt with no special maturation or finish to be. Boring but not exactly bad as such. (5/10)

Finish: This is where this thing finally comes to life. Dark but sparkly notes rise from the very back of the palate. It’s almost like drinking a really nice, freshly carbonated single malt flavored craft cola. But in the end it just doesn’t have the power to really light up the old fireplace in my chest. There’s a nice bit of warmth developing eventually but it never reaches beyond the throat. Still, this part of the whisky is quite enjoyable. (8/10)

Balance: Perfectly suited to start off an evening of tasting whisky. The palate is a rather nondescript and uninteresting but it’s short-lived anyway and serves as a quick transition from a pretty nose to a solid finish. (7.5/10)