Age – Page 2 – DramWorlds

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 10, 2021May 10, 2021

Ardbeg K&L Excl. Chieftain’s, 15yo, 2004/2019

*Rating*	35.1/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, South Shore
*Distillery*	Ardbeg
*Owner*	LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE via Glenmorangie
*Distilled*	March 2004
*Bottler*	Ian Macleod Distillers
*Series*	Chieftain’s
*Style*	Single Malt
*Peated*	Yes
*Cask*	Ex-Bourbon Barrel 700177
*Bottled*	August 2019
*Bottles*	162
*Strength*	58.8% (117.6 Proof)
Retailer	K&L Wine Merchants
*Whiskybase*	Whiskybase

The mere 162 bottles of Ardbeg yielded by this particular ex-Bourbon cask turned out to be a very unique expression of a fuzzed out, warm blanket of peaty comfort. Come on in from the biting cold, kick back and relax. A forceful Islay take on what the Germans refer to as Gemütlichkeit. Almost as much of a meal as it is a drink.

Nose: Wait, is my backyard burning down? No. It’s probably just this nose right here. Meaty chunks of sweet peat drizzled with Bordelaise sauce, roasting in a cast iron frying pan over an open fire. Just what the doctor ordered after getting a vigorous back rub with heavily charred wood blocks wrapped in plum skins. I should really check on the backyard though. But that would mean getting up and walking away from this whisky. And that’s just crazy-talk. Over time the nose diminishes just a little. Or maybe it’s simply numbing my sensory apparatus.(8.6/10)

Palate: Prickly chocolate-peat cactus. Spikey bursts of peat bob around in a sea of chocolate milk. The chocolate milk has a thick, almost oily and rather coarse texture to it and leaves a similar coating on my tongue. Clearly whole, perhaps even raw milk was used, and the chocolate wasn’t ground too finely. You can almost eat this with a fork. Later bursts of smoke rise up, nearly a little bitter, as if the whisky has smoldered its way through all of it’s wood and peat resources.(8.9/10)

Finish: A vigorous burn develops on the sides of my tongue and the very back of my throat. Chocolate smoke rises from the depths and fills my head like a balloon. Breathing out is fun with this one. Everything alights and all the embers bloom. I wish it showed more presence deep in my chest but that’s really the only complaint I have. (8.8/10)

Balance: This is quite something. Beautiful. It has a much broader, deeper, warmer and fuzzier structure of peat than I’d usually associate with Ardbeg. I tend to perceive Ardbeg peat as a powerful, sharp blade slicing through my skull like a masterfully crafted Katana. This, however, is big, satisfying and comforting. I love it. A lot. (8.8/10)

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)

April 21, 2021May 28, 2021

Caol Ila K&L Excl. Sovereign, 7yo, 2010/2018

*Rating*	34.7/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, North Shore
*Distillery*	Caol Ila
*Owner*	Diageo
*Distilled*	August 2010
*Bottler*	Hunter Laing & Company
*Series*	Sovereign
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt Whisky
*Peated*	yes
*Cask*	Sherry Finished Butt HL15300
*Bottled*	July 2018
*Bottles*	556
*Strength*	59.9% (119 Proof)
*Retailer*	K&L Wine Merchants

What is a “sherry finished butt” you ask? In this case the bottler has taken a used sherry butt, re-filled it with sherry for a year for a bit of a boost, and then used it to further age some young Caol Ila. This results in a stronger sherry influence than a traditional sherry finish. Basically a fancy form of double maturation in a refreshed sherry cask. Either way, the result is rather convincing and I hope they’ll be doing this a lot more often!

Nose: Big, bite-y, beautiful beat, uh, peat. Velvety, too. Can velvet bite? I guess it can. Faint hints of chocolate flit about playing hard-to-get. This nose is not uber-complex but it is great regardless. (8.1/10)

Palate: Big and expansive right out of the gate. Even the chocolate gets a slight boost but mostly it’s that same thick peat smoke from the nose. A bright and shiny layer that’s almost acidic floats above it all. It’s not exactly citrus though. More like a cask aged vinegar perhaps that’s had a chance to mellow out over time. That vinegar, it seems, may have been used to marinate a few blood oranges. The more velvety aspects of the nose do not present themselves here. (8.5/10)

Finish: Now, this is one of those whiskies that can light a beautiful, warming fire all the way from your mouth down into your belly. The smoke stays up top and fills the skull, held in place by convections rising from the deep heat far below. Just like the nose the finish is not particularly complex, but, honestly, it really doesn’t have to be. It is so big, smoky, expansive and warm, and it comes alive with vigor on every single breath… what more could I possibly need? (9.1/10)

Balance: What a wonderful dram for those of us who love big, powerful, peated single malts! It starts out great and then keeps on getting better. And it was ridiculously cheap too. Under fifty bucks if I recall correctly. This can easily compete with (and beat) a ton of whiskies that would cost significantly more. The only sad thing about it is, that it was a single barrel bottling and is, by now, long gone. And that’s a serious bummer. (9.0/10)

April 21, 2021April 21, 2021

Caol Ila K&L Excl. SVUC, 8yo, 2009/2018

*Rating*	33.0/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, North Shore
*Distillery*	Caol Ila
*Owner*	Diageo
*Distilled*	Oct 22nd, 2009
*Bottler*	Signatory Vintage
*Series*	The Un-Chillfiltered Collection
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt Whisky
*Peated*	yes
*Cask*	Hogshead 319401
*Bottled*	Jul 16th, 2018
*Bottles*	287
*Strength*	56.9% (113.8 Proof)
*Retailer*	K&L Wine Merchants
Whiskybase	Whiskybase

A youthful, energetic and aggressive single barrel bottling from a cask hand-picked by the folks at K&L Wine Merchants back in 2018. Balance is not what this one is about but it has plenty to offer in other areas.

Nose: Sharp, bright peat jumps right out of the glass snapping excitedly at your nose with the sharp and pointy teeth of a young pupper that’s been cooped up inside all day and desperately needs to burn off a good amount of pent up energy. Apparently it tore into a bucket of powdered vanilla cream at some point, which is now caught in its fur. (8.0/10)

Palate: The same sharp, bright peat cuts through the oral cavity like a bright but narrow beam of sunlight that found its way into a dark room through the crack of a door left slightly ajar. While it indirectly lights up everything, it doesn’t itself spread out and you can clearly see the crisp geometry of the shaft where it lights up countless peaty dust motes in its path. (7.5/10)

Finish: Hoo boy! At first that beam of light illuminates some very young, freshly cut wood, but luckily that somewhat unpleasant, unripe smell burns away quickly. With the distraction of the bright beam gone the peat finally expands into a massive cloud filling the entire mouth and top of the throat. Heat is crawling down into my chest but I keep losing track of it as I’m too busy chewing on that billowing smoke, which intensifies and thickens with every breath. Wait, did I eat chocolate earlier? Where did that suddenly come from? (9.1/10)

Balance: A bit rough in parts and volatile and bouncy as one might expect from a younger whisky. In fact this one feels considerably younger than it actually is. If I had tasted this blind, I would have guessed it might be 5 or 6 years old at best. Water doesn’t really help it calm down or integrate more… it just… lessens it. That big smokey finish though… damn. It makes up for a lot. (8.4/10)

March 5, 2021May 21, 2021

Glengyle Kilkerran Cask Strength, 8yo 2017

*Rating*	28.3/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Campbeltown
*Distillery*	Glengyle
*Owner*	Mitchell Family
*Series*	Kilkerran
*Edition*	Cask Strength
*Style*	Single Malt
*Peated*	Yes
*Cask*	Ex-Bourbon
*Bottled*	2017
Bottles	6,000
*Strength*	55.7% (111.4 Proof)
Whiskybase	Whiskybase
*Wine Searcher*	Wine Searcher

This one-off small batch release of a younger and more aggressive expression adds another facet to Glengyle’s Kilkerran line of peated single malts, which already includes a number of “Work In Progress” as well as some heavily peated batch releases. Though the most commonly available bottling is probably the basic bottle strength 12 year old.

Nose: A soft perfume-y smoke, more bubble bath than peat really. It jumps out and up at you but then, ultimately, it doesn’t amount to much more than a thin bubble pushing some perceptible notes with not a whole lot of substance behind it. Not unpleasant, but also not really a whole lot of… anything. (6.1/10)

Palate: Aha! Stuff! Finally! Pretty aggressive and bouncy in its youthfulness. A sharp hit of smoke, a bunch of loose staves of unripe wood clatter about noisily, but all of that dies down quickly and what’s left can’t quite make itself be heard after the ruckus of the initial impact. Later sips are very candy… probably why the kids were bouncing off the walls like that. (6.5/10)

Finish: The kids have tired out and settled down. Finally it’s a quiet and peaceful around here. Mouth and throat are left feeling empty from the sudden silence. There’s a few wooden toys left scattered about the floor that need tidying up. But someone’s got the fireplace going on the other side of the living room and there’s a welcoming heat beckoning us to come on over from deep inside in the chest, just above the diaphragm. This is nice. (8.5/10)

Balance: The finish makes me want to forgive the whisky for the underdeveloped nose and the irritating palate, but this is a review and I’ve got to be honest. Still that finish is nice to settle into. Don’t bother sniffing. Just sip, swish and swallow, then sit back and let out a deep breath. (7.2/10)

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 10, 2021May 28, 2021

Aberlour, Old Particular K&L Exclusive, 25yo 1995/2020

*Rating*	34.7/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Central Speyside
*Distillery*	Aberlour
*Owner*	Pernod Ricard via Chivas Brothers
*Distilled*	May 1995
*Bottler*	Douglas Laing & Co.
*Series*	Old Particular
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt
*Cask*	Refill Hogshead DL14246
*Bottled*	August 2020
*Bottles*	211
*Strength*	58.4% (116.8 Proof)
*Retailer*	K&L Wine Merchants

Independent bottlings of Aberlour single malts are less common than those of other distilleries. Even more atypical is the absence of any sherry aging or finishing. As such this particular release represents a wonderful opportunity to experience the true heart of Aberlour’s spirit, laid bare, undecorated and without the fanfare of, say, an explosive A’Bunadh. Not that those aren’t great. Don’t get me wrong.

Nose: A mild spring breeze, carrying the scent of high quality hard orange candy, wafts along a linen sheet, just out of the wash and still minty fresh, hung out to dry on a pale bleached wooden rack in the early sun. A light breeze is all there is though. It never grows bigger or bolder than that even if one covers the glass. The only noticeable change is that, over time, the minty notes gradually morph into citrus ones, mostly fresh cut lemons. (7.5/10)

Palate: Oh, wow… damn… what??? The nose did *not* give that away. Like at all. Kaboom! This took the mild sunlit spring breeze of the nose and turned it into a glorious spectacle of a psychedelic spring storm, as if you’re experiencing all the same things while on mushrooms. Rich, flavorful, assertive, it overwhelms your unsuspecting senses. The orange candy is still there. So is the citric acid. So is the bright light. But all of it has been dialed up to 11 without losing any of its internal balance. Amazing… (9.5/10)

Finish: After that cosmic cataclysm of a palate the finish requires conscious effort just to remember there is one and to register its presence with your senses. On any other whisky it would be a grand finish but here it can barely make itself heard over the ringing echoes of the palate in my mind. Not as much warmth spreading through the chest as one might expect from a whisky of this strength. Most of the whisky’s heat seems to want to form a glow at the top and back of the throat. The orange candy theme steadily continues and ultimately settles into a lasting, pleasant coating. (8.5/10)

Balance: What a palate! But make sure to sit and focus on the finish as well. It takes time to assert itself but inevitably it will. And it’s worth the wait. This is good. Very good. Which is a good thing because this bottle ain’t exactly cheap. (9.2/10)

February 27, 2020May 7, 2021

Savage & Cooke “The Burning Chair” E-Ville Wine & Spirits Exclusive, Barrel #35, 4yo, 2017

*Rating*	31.5/40
*Origin*	USA
*Distillery*	Savage & Cooke
*Series*	The Burning Chair
*Style*	Single Barrel Finished Bourbon
*Cask*	New Charred American Oak, 90% Grenache + 10% Cabernet Finish in Barrel #35
*Bottled*	2017
*Strength*	44% (88 Proof)
*Retailer*	E-Ville Wine & Spirits

This release of David Phinney’s “Burning Chair” Bourbon was finished in a single barrel seasoned with a mix of 90% Grenache and 10% Cabernet from David’s wine projects. It was exclusively bottled for E-Ville Spirits & Wine in Upper NY. The mash bill is 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley.

Nose: The wine doesn’t give itself away here at all. Instead it presents a deep, mellow Bourbon nose with a hint of Japanese cedar bath salts and a sweet… something… that slowly rises to the top. Some kind of berry flavored candy perhaps? Maybe that’s the wine making itself heard after all. The mildly intrusive sweetness knocks a half point off of what is otherwise a great nose just because it displaces some other stuff I really like. (7.5/10)

Palate: One day a nice Bourbon decided to take a long and relaxing bath in a welcoming tub filled to the top with friendly red wine. The whole bathtub has been placed in your mouth which, presumably, is why you’re perceiving the Bourbon as floating somewhere in the center while the periphery is all wine. The sweetness of either compliments that of the other quite well. This makes for a very smooth and relaxing experience. Like taking a nice bath. This is great stuff and I find that I don’t want to swallow it quickly. (9.0/10)

Finish: The back-end definitely feels a little underpowered after the great palate though it does just about manage to reach the mid-chest point. Mild flavors gently spread themselves around and faintly glow on every breath. I wish it was a little more potent back here but, still, it’s all very pleasant in the end. (8.0/10)

Balance: I prefer when the flaws of a whisky manifest themselves up front so that the last part of the experience is the best. Here unfortunately there’s a bit of a downhill slope in the experience with the relative weakness of the finish which leaves me wistfully contemplating the amazing palate. (7.0/10)

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)