Diageo – DramWorlds

September 22, 2021September 22, 2021

Auchroisk Old Malt Cask K&L Excl., 24yo (1994/2019)

*Rating*	28.3/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Central Speyside
*Distillery*	Auchroisk
*Owner*	Diageo
*Distilled*	February 1994
*Bottler*	Douglas Laing
*Series*	Old Malt Cask
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt
*Cask*	Refill Hogshead HL15186
*Bottled*	June 2019
*Bottles*	239
*Strength*	54.5% (106.8 Proof)
Retailer	K&L Wine Merchants

Auchroisk is not exactly a well known distillery with a significant presence on store shelves. And so it’s always a pleasure and interesting to find some expression, especially an older one like this. Let’s see how it stacks up!

Nose: Purple flowers. Why purple? I don’t know. But it does smell like purple flowers. Not lavender though. Some other purple flower. It’s not easy getting past that floweriness and diving deeper into the nose because it’s quite snappy like a tense cat. Approach at an angle it doesn’t like and you get bit. Quite pretty but flowery noses aren’t generally my thing. (6.7/10)

Palate: The flowery notes don’t go away but they cease to be flowery. Probably because someone has set the bouquet on fire and then tried (and failed) to put it out with honey water. (7.3/10)

Finish: A quite wonderful heat spreads down the back of the throat toeing but not crossing the line to discomfort. The flavors however do not keep up with the heat leaving little but prickly sparkles of mild bitterness along the roof of the mouth. (7.1/10)

Balance: I think some folks would like this a lot more than I do but it’s just not well aligned with my preferences. For me it’s a decent dram that doesn’t quite manage to deliver on its innate potential. (7.2/10)

June 11, 2021September 17, 2021

Auchroisk Hepburn’s Choice K&L Excl., 21yo (1996/2018)

*Rating*	32.8/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Central Speyside
*Distillery*	Auchroisk
*Owner*	Diageo
*Distilled*	1996
*Bottler*	Hunter Laing & Co.
*Series*	Hepburn’s Choice
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt
*Cask*	Refill Hogshead
*Bottled*	2018
*Bottles*	283
*Strength*	52.6% (105.2 Proof)
Retailer	K&L Wine Merchant

This cask strength Speysider came out of a refill hogshead hotheaded and with a temper even after 21 years of ageing. Auchroisk doesn’t do a lot of official releases and most of it seems to go straight into J&B so it’s usually only available in this form of an independent bottling. I find them to generally be on the brighter and sharper side but, of course, it’s hard to tell if that’s the real distiller profile with such limited exposure.

Nose: Hothothot! Ok, phew, that was just the first hit fresh out of the glass. Now I can actually smell something… lemon batter mixed with straw? Hard to get much out of this… after that initial violent burst of alcohol it settles into a somewhat restrained state. (7.8/10)

Palate: A small, fiery, angry black hole centered on the middle of my tongue seems to draw everything around it inwards while refusing to give anything up. There’s a compact, spatially contained fierceness to it. Then some bright flavors. But everything seems to want to stay low following a flat profile across my tongue. I would have expected this one to expand upwards but it’s simply not wanting to do anything like that until much later. Some chewing and swishing finally unleashes this beasty and releases it to freedom. It still doesn’t want to expand upwards but rather drives a heated cloud of flavor straight into the back of my throat. I can’t pinpoint the notes but it’s good and still vaguely related to the batter from the nose. Perhaps we’re baking the lemon-straw tart now? (8.6/10)

Finish: A few sips in I become aware of a burgeoning heat in the back of my throat that later fills up with flavor as well. The heat manages to push and plow its way down behind my sternum until it reaches almost all the way to my solar plexus. (8.2/10)

Balance: There’s a bit of a struggle involved in coaxing this one out of its fiery, angry shell. But it’s worth it. If only the nose gave up a little more of the treasures and secrets hidden deep inside its tense and fiery little heart. (8.2/10)

June 4, 2021June 4, 2021

Johnnie Walker Double Black

*Rating*	27.1/40
*Origin*	Scotland
*Blender*	Diageo
*Series*	Johnnie Walker
*Edition*	Double Black
*Style*	Blended Whisky
*Peated*	Yes
*Cask*	Blend aced in heavily charred casks.
*Strength*	40% (80 Proof)

Introduced around 2012 or so, the Double Black was a new concoction by master blender Jim Beveridge. After blending the whisky is matured in “deep-charred old oak casks” which adds additional smoke and depth. Whether or not the whisky is already cask aged prior to blending I’m not certain. Either way, it’s actually one of my preferred choices in the Johnnie Walker line-up.

Nose: A salty, meaty smoke, kind of like German Landjaegers or ham. Light but quite solid and mildly prickly with a hint of mint emerging on the back end. Satisfying but doesn’t evolve much. (6.8/10)

Palate: The initial impact comes with a weird watery numbness out which the peat smoke from the nose emerges. Though that smoke has now shifted over to a mossier, fuzzier and earthier range on the spectrum. From there the whole thing separates into actual smoke and slightly watery liquid right on the verge of the finish. (6.3/10)

Finish: The smoke that rose out of the liquid hangs around for quite some time in the upper regions of the throat and mouth. It’s now reminiscent of very dry earth. There is even a nice bit of warmth evolving in the chest though it’s limited by the low strength of this whisky. Still the finish is rather enjoyable. (7.4/10)

Balance: While the finish punches above its weight it also, unfortunately, takes the wind out of the sails of the nose and palate on subsequent sips. For that it gets dinged a bit on the balance. Usually I’d rate a whisky that finishes on a high not comparably high on balance but not in this case. (6.6/10)

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)

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)

February 15, 2021September 8, 2021

Johnnie Walker White Walker Game of Thrones Ltd. Ed., 2018

*Rating*	23.3/40
*Origin*	Scotland
*Blender*	Diageo
*Series*	Johnnie Walker/Game of Thrones
*Edition*	White Walker
*Style*	Blended Whisky
*Bottled*	2018
*Strength*	41.7% (83.4 Proof)

This limited edition was Diageo’s Johnnie Walker addition to the series of mostly pretty decent Game of Thrones branded single malts from their massive portfolio of Scottish distilleries. An additional gimmick here is that, if you freeze the bottle, you’ll see some changes on the wrapping. Which one could interpret to be a less-then-trust-inspiring suggestion or expectation by Diageo that most people should or will drink this on the rocks. Winter… is it coming?

Nose: Something green? Conifer-like? Like pine boards painted with stain made from freshly ground pine needles and a base of bitter sap. A minute or two in there is a surprising puff of sherry that quickly melts away into caramel made from generic brown sugar. (5/10)

Palate: Hm, this is actually reasonably nice given that I wasn’t exactly a huge fan of the nose. A mellow but flavorful entrance. Is that a very faint echo of Bowmore lavender notes in there? Anyhow, this will do fine as a starter for the night but probably won’t hold up to much else that comes after. The flavors do wear out sip after sip like a cheap t-shirt’s fading colors but it’s pleasant enough. (6.8/10)

Finish: Surprisingly, even at this low strength, the blend actually manages to generate a little bit of heat in the chest, at least when it’s the first of the night. A pleasant surprise that. Unfortunately all the notes from the palate thin out into some residual bitterness and sparingly applied coating of some sweet, fake fruit flavor, like some unpopular candy. That said, eventually things layer up a bit and there’s actually a pleasantly flavorful afterglow to enjoy. It takes perhaps a bit too much effort to get there but, hey, not complaining. Well, not complaining anymore after it arrives. (6/10)

Balance: Eh, it’s not terrible or anything. Happy to warm up with this one if there’s nothing else that’s more enticing. No particular desire to stay with it for too long though. Time to move on. If the rating for balance feels oddly low it’s partly because of the suboptimal nose and mostly because the pleasant part of the finish takes a while to develop and, until that happens, the backend is not exactly enjoyable. There’s good stuff in this blend but, in terms of the experience and the journey, the price one has to pay for it is perhaps just a little higher than warranted. (5.5/10)

January 27, 2020May 28, 2021

Dailuaine, Old Particular K&L Exclusive, 12yo, 2007/2019

*Rating*	33.5/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Central Speyside
*Distillery*	Dailuaine
*Owner*	Diageo
*Distilled*	March 2007
*Bottler*	Douglas Laing & Co.
*Series*	Old Particular
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt
*Cask*	Sherry Butt DL13293
*Bottled*	August 19th, 2019
*Bottles*	573
*Strength*	57.6% (115.2 Proof)
*Retailer*	K&L Wine Merchants

A delicious single sherry butt cask strength bottling of a single malt from one of Speyside less known distilleries, Dailuaine, which mostly produces component whiskies for Diageo’s portfolio of blends and rarely gets bottled as single malt, comes to us courtesy of Douglas Laing.

Nose: A friendly neighborhood flower shop that stocks nothing but pretty meadow flowers on the main floor. Though I get a sense that they’re keeping a few buckets of roses stashed away in a backroom somewhere. And I’m fairly certain the owner had grilled Branzino for lunch. Much later there are passing whiffs of freshly watered grass in the sun. (8.5/10)

Palate: A hot wave spills through my mouth and finally breaks, foaming with bright and tangy notes more reminiscent of top shelf oranges than flowers. Quite lovely. (8.5/10)

Finish: Echoes of orange juice and bitter herbs are hovering high above a growing and comforting heat right behind my sternum. Ultimtely the warmth doesn’t last all that long but it’s wonderful while it lasts. (8/10)

Balance: Very pretty but not as timid as one would expect. A mellow, pleasant late spring and early summer filled with plenty of joyful times. Very nice. (8.5/10)

January 10, 2020April 2, 2021

Lagavulin GoT Collection House Lannister – Hear Me Roar!, 9yo, 2018

Lagavulin Game of Thrones House Lannister, 9yo., close-up

*Rating*	32.5/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, South Shore
*Distillery*	Lagavulin
*Owner*	Diageo
*Series*	Game of Thrones Collection
*Edition*	House Lannister – Hear Me Roar!
*Style*	Single Malt
*Peated*	Yes.
*Bottled*	2018
*Strength*	46% (92 Proof)
Whiskybase	Whiskybase
*Wine Searcher*	Winesearcher

Nose: Grape skin bubbles sparkle as they float up into my nostrils and release flowery peat puffs as they pop . Sweet and sour. Quite nice. (7.5/10)

Palate: Not a lot of complexity really. Rather a homogeneous wide and opaque wave on an otherwise dark and quiet pond. Could be more vertically expansive. It barely reaches the roof of my mouth even on its tippy-toes. But, again, quite nice. (8/10)

Finish: Warm. The theme of simplicity and homogeneity continues. The whisky plumbs the depths of my chest about half way before reeling it back in. But right in the back of the throat there are long lasting embers that alight pleasantly on every breath. (8.5/10)

Balance: The nose promises a complexity that the palate and finish just can’t deliver. However, they make up for that inability with comforting hugs and cozy warmth. So who am I to complain. One of the best of the GoT series in my opinion. (8.5/10)

July 17, 2019May 28, 2021

Mortlach Faultline K&L Exclusive, 22yo, 1995/2017

Mortlach Faultline 1995/2017, 22yo, close-up

*Rating*	30/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Speyside, Dufftown
*Distillery*	Mortlach
*Owner*	Diageo
*Distilled*	1995
*Bottler*	Alexander Murray & Co
*Series*	Faultline
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt Whisky
*Cask*	First Fill Sherry Butt #7301
*Bottled*	December 4th, 2017
*Strength*	53.3% (106.6 proof)
*Retailer*	K&L Wine Merchants
Price	$120 (Sold Out)

Nose: Oranges, flowers mingle in minty heat. Water drops it to faint notes of a wet leaf-covered ground. (8/10)

Palate: Hot orange-flavored hard candy. Water dials fruitiness up to 11 and spreads everything out wide. (7/10)

Finish: Astringent wood and unripe, acidic oranges. (8/10)

Balance: Somewhat unbalanced. Adding water, while nicely boosting the palate, messes with the bookends in rather disappointing ways. The heat on this one definitely requires warming up ones palate with something else first. (7/10)