Islay – 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 7, 2021

Ardbeg Scorch Ardbeg Day 2021 Committee Release

*Rating*	35.8/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, South Shore
*Distillery*	Ardbeg
*Owner*	LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE via Glenmorangie
*Series*	Ardbeg Day Committee Release
*Edition*	Scorch
*Style*	Single Malt
*Peated*	Yes
*Cask*	Heavily Charred Ex-Bourbon
*Bottled*	January 2021
*Strength*	51.7% (103.4 Proof)
Whiskybase	Whiskybase

Matured in heavily charred Ex-Bourbon casks and bottled for Ardbeg Day 2021 this is Ardbeg’s latest Committee Release and it is one hell of a unique and interesting experience. Every year these bottles are gone in seconds and by day 2 what’s left in stores fetches double or triple the MSRP. But they’re almost always worth the trouble. Looking forward to comparing it to the bottle strength version soon to be released more widely during the time of Feis Ile 2021.

Nose: When you burn food until there’s splintery bits so charred you can’t tell if they once were food or just wood. Something acidic… like a lemon and vanilla glaze underneath. Almost metallic eventually. Later sweeter notes emerge that ever so slowly evolve into bulging, fuzzy, warm, peaty… blood orange juice poured over a mix of slices from ripe and not so ripe bananas. Does this thing ever stop changing? Between the experience of nosing this whisky straight out of a freshly opened bottle and the experience of nosing it out of one that had a chance to breathe lies a vast and inexplicable chasm. And yet the two are closely related. (9.0/10)

Palate: A large piece of sheet metal, coated with lacquer made from charred wood and ashes, slices horizontally through the palate, leaving nothing alive in its path, heading straight for the back of the throat. Deliberate chewing of subsequent sips awakens flavor in the front but this whisky is not one willing to expand vertically. All moisture has disappeared from my mouth. Lost I wander across the bitter ashes of the tortured plains leading up to the Morannon. (8.3/10)

Finish: The finish lives almost entirely on the air flowing in and out of my lungs. On each breath out, charred embers light up brightly, emitting sharp, acidic smoke. Breathe carefully… this one will make you cough. A drop of water proves to be the magic key. Suddenly the missing dimension of expansion appears and the finish begins to fill the skull. Countless additional notes and flavors appear to create a much more dense, complex and deep experience than one would have expected from first impressions. And, mind you, a much more lasting one too. The staying power of this finish is astonishing. (9.7/10)

Balance: Without water this is the mystical experience of a lifeless, burnt desert covered with the charred traces of a terrible wildfire. With water this becomes an intense, smoldering, smoke-laden alcoholic tea extracted from those very remnants. This is a difficult one to grasp. It’s both very Ardbeg and not Ardbeg at all. Fresh out of an unopened bottle it is almost a bit unfriendly and unwilling to explain itself. Give this a good amount of time and one tiny drop of water. It will turn into a great friend to have a long conversation with. If you don’t make the effort, I’m afraid, you’ll soon forget almost all about this one and move on to lesser drams. The greatest weakness of this whisky, such as it has one, is most certainly its palate. But since the finish almost serves as a palate-like experience this imperfection can be forgiven. (8.8/10)

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)

January 28, 2020January 28, 2020

Laphroaig Cask Strength Batch 010, 10yo

*Rating*	34/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, South Shore
*Distillery*	Laphroaig
*Owner*	Suntory Holdings via Beam Suntory
*Series*	Cask Strength
*Edition*	Batch 010
*Style*	Single Malt
*Peated*	Yes
*Bottled*	January 2018
*Strength*	58% (116 Proof)
*Whiskybase*	Whiskybase
*Wine Searcher*	Wine Searcher

Laphroaig’s 10th annual batch of their cask strength 10 year old single malt promising power and copious amounts of that iconic funky peat the Islay distillery has become known and loved for.

Nose: The darkly roasted skin of a chicken that was marinated in cola and spices. But where is the peat? There are thin hints of it behind everything else. This is atypical but nevertheless good. (8.5/10)

Palate: The baked crust of a smoked cheesecake without the actual cheese cake filling. Salty on the surface of the tongue but smokey and sweet everywhere else. (8/10)

Finish: All the flavors tended to spread low and wide in my mouth before things are heating up right at the edge of the throat. After a while the more smokey components finally descent into my chest and shortly thereafter the hot spot expands downwards as well. A sweet savoriness like the flavor of traditional ratatouille coats my entire mouth. (9/10)

Balance: A bit disjointed at first but it all comes together eventually as all the glory contained in this whisky slowly unfolds and properly re-assembles itself on the finish. Give this one time and you will be rewarded! (8.5/10)

January 19, 2020January 23, 2020

Bruichladdich Port Charlotte PC5 Evolution, 5yo, 2001/2006

Bruichladdich Port Chartlotte PC5, 5yo, close-up

*Rating*	40/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, LochIndaal
*Distillery*	Bruichladdich
*Owner*	Rémy Cointreau
*Distilled*	May 28th, 2001
*Series*	PC
*Edition*	5
*Style*	Single Malt
*Peated*	Yes (40 ppm)
*Cask*	Bourbon & Sherry Casks
*Bottled*	2006
*Bottles*	6,038
*Strength*	63.5
Whiskybase	Whiskybase

The legendary beast, the one whisky to rule them all, the holy grail of Islay single malts. In this reviewer’s mind anyways. The first experience of this whisky, years back, was a knee-buckling, bar-clutching spell of the vapors followed by an exclamation not well suited for public discourse. It remains among my top 3 whiskies of all time. I could say it’s number 1 and it wouldn’t be a lie but the real truth is that there is a range at the top of the charts where direct comparison and relative ranking of whiskies ceases to make sense. Sometimes different is not better or worse but just different. In any case this was the inaugural release of Bruichladdich’s new line of heavily peated single malts matured in warehouses located in Port Charlotte. The whisky was named in memory of a distillery once located there and named the same as the place, which was closed all the way back in 1929. Supposedly the new spirit was distilled in homage to the original 1881 distillate. It is long sold out save for a few bottles hidden away by savvy store owners which occasionally pop up for a high price and for private bottles surfacing in various whisky auctions here and there.

Nose: Huge wafts of smoke from a roaring fire place stacked with quality walnut, almond and sweet butter logs are caught in an ocean breeze carrying notes of seaweed and salt from afar. There is so much going on it’s hard to even pull out specific details. Just beautiful. (10/10)

Palate: Wow. I always forget just how amazing this is. Huge. Mountainous. A raging tempest that on impact instantly fills the entire head space with everything it has to give. Countless tendrils of delicious smoke from that same fire place swirling around and through me while I eat Austrian plum dumpling dough sprinkled with sugar and drizzled with dark browned butter. This is like sucking nectar from the teats of ancient gods. Big. Really big. Utterly and astonishingly beautiful. Beyond words. The mind can only experience this but not hold onto it. Undoubtedly next time it will be a complete surprise again. (10/10)

Finish: The afterglow cannot possibly keep up with the glorious inferno of the palate but, really, it doesn’t need to. Instead you fall gently into an abyss filled with dense, dark and rich smoke and settle into a deep, relaxed state of peaceful content. Bathing, as it were, in that indescribable delicious, all-permeating peat smoke issuing from near infinite stores of glowing embers. Soaking up a deep heat seemingly radiating from everywhere in the universe. I… am. No thought. (10/10)

Balance: Can perfection have a balance? To talk about balance one would have to be able to distinguish parts of the experience. This is a continuous, almost synesthetic, whole body experience that flows gently or violently but always uninterrupted. How can a liquid be this good? I know instantly that I will once again be unable to recall just how good this is until I return to it at some future point in time. And it will be astonishing and glorious all over. The wheels of life and whisky turn in perfect synchronicity. When I die please soak me in this stuff and then burn me. (10/10)

January 11, 2020May 28, 2021

Bowmore Old Malt Cask K&L Excl., 21yo, 1996/2018

*Rating*	33.5/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, Loch Indaal
*Distillery*	Bowmore
*Owner*	Suntory Holdings via Beam Suntory via Morrison Bowmore Distillers
*Distilled*	December 1996
*Bottler*	Douglas Laing & Co.
*Series*	Old Malt Cask
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt Whisky
*Peated*	Yes
*Cask*	Refill Hogshead #HL15197
*Bottled*	June 2018
*Bottles*	120
*Strength*	52.8% (105.6 Proof)
*Retailer*	K&L Wine Merchants

This bottle came and went quickly at K&L and I had missed my opportunity. Luckily a great friend brought his personal bottle to one of our gatherings and let us try this absolutely wonderful Bowmore. Thanks so much, Andrew! This one made me think deep thoughts.

Nose: A freshly showered mildly bite-y fish, perhaps a low-odor salmon that is resting on a bed of steamed parsley root and other sweet root vegetables. The fish in questions likely swam past Bowmore distillery last year, probably a sightseeing detour through Loch Indaal on the way to the spawning grounds, because there is only the very faintest echoes from far, far away and barely perceptible of that old lavender perfume so typical of the distillery. (7.5/10)

Palate: A sanded unfinished wooden board upon which the fish is going to be served, in anticipation of that happening to it. Perhaps some smoke is rolling in through the windows from one of the other Islay distilleries… it’s hard to tell for sure. Some thin high quality chocolate splinters around the edges. The realization of all the things the wooden board has seen. It has a functional and utilitarian perspective on life. It just does what it does. And I like it. Old school palate. Unapologetic. No frills. (8.5/10)

Finish: Layers in quietly. This wooden board has an unassuming manner that only initially succeeds in hiding its real power and solid structure. I like hanging out with this wooden board. Sitting next to each other on deck chairs, quietly watching the waves roll in under a darkening sky. I want this wooden board to be my friend. I think it likes me. I’m happy. (9/10)

Balance: This just keeps getting better and better and better as it goes though there is a price to pay because eventually the lavender does being to appear on the nose. Not as annoying as usual luckily. The rest is glorious. But not obvious. Who knew stoic, sanded, unfinished wooden boards could be such good friends and companions. (8.5/10)

January 10, 2020January 23, 2020

Bunnahabhain SMWS 10.76 “Duelling banjos dram”, 8yo, 2005/2014

*Rating*	31.5/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, North Shore
*Distillery*	Bunnahabhain
*Owner*	Distell Group
*Distilled*	May 25th, 2005
*Bottler*	Scotch Malt Whisky Society
*Edition*	10.76 “Duelling banjos dram”
*Style*	Single Barrel Single Malt
*Cask*	Refill Bourbon Barrel
*Bottled*	January 2014
*Bottles*	229
*Strength*	60.8% (121.6 Proof)
*Retailer*	Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Whiskybase	Whiskybase

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s 76th bottling of a Bunnahabhain single barrel single malt from Islay’s North Shore.

Nose: I get the canvas but not the burning driftwood from the label. I’m also missing the leather but there is, in fact, some faint shoe polish in there. Also some very mild vanilla flavored wafers. A few moments in someone behind me unwraps a tiny bit of leftover nougat. There is just not all that much here to be honest though much later on a nice autumnal note of drying leaves on trees floats by. (7/10)

Palate: The initial big hit from this beast-strength liquid is quickly subsumed by a velvety, richly buttered dough that is very chewy and thick and that, while not intensely flavorful, sparkles spicily. (7.5/10)

Finish: Again there is not a whole lot of pronounced flavor going on but the whisky does deliver a deep, rich warmth that fills the chest cavity throughout. I can live with this. (8.5/10)

Balance: Everything about this dram is interesting despite being under-powered in terms of strength of flavor. And the whisky ultimately gets lifted up high by the finish. It makes you easily forgive and forget any and all earlier shortcomings. I can barely remember the nose or the palate to be honest. All there is is this deep and cozy warmth everywhere. And I’m good with that. (8.5/10)

January 10, 2020January 23, 2020

Bunnahabhain Artist Collective #3.4 LMDW Excl., 8yo, 2011

Bunnahabhain Artist Collective #3.4 LMDW Excl., 2011, 8yo, close-up

*Rating*	33/40
*Origin*	Scotland, Islay, North Shore
*Distillery*	Bunnahabhain
*Owner*	Distell Group
*Distilled*	2011
*Bottler*	La Maison Du Whisky (LMDW)
*Series*	Artist Collective
*Edition*	#3.4
*Style*	Small Batch Single Malt Whisky
*Peated*	Perhaps a little?
*Cask*	2 Hogsheads
*Strength*	48% (96 Proof)
*Retailer*	La Maison Du Whisky
Whiskybase	Whiskybase

I was able to get my hands on a dram of this very rare and extremely interesting bottling of two casks of Bunnahabhain only because a wonderfully generous friend decided to bring their bottle to one of our lot’s weekly gatherings. So a big shout-out to Monique! You rock! The whole thing is a deceptive and full of surprises despite being bottled at a mere 48% ABV. An eye-opening experience!

Nose: Sour cherry cake batter that has been put in a form but hasn’t been baked yet. Mildly sweet and warm vanilla custard. Quiet but lovely. A gentle rap on the front door and a soft voice calling out to be let in. (7.5/10)

Palate: Boom! Within a fraction of a second the solid front door busts out of its frame with a deafening crunching sound and falls back into the room landing on the wood floor with a heavy, reverberating thud. It turns out the door-knocking owner of that soft little voice is 6’4” and built like a high end over-sized upright fridge. This thing is supposed to be 48% ABV? Where did this intense power come from after the deceptively subdued nose? Anyway I love it! Perhaps hints of peat on the hit but perhaps not. Fruit but not sure what kind. Stone fruit perhaps? (8.5/10)

Finish: Nice warmth in the back but, not unexpectedly, that’s where the bottle strength ABV runs out of steam and takes a very long time to fill the chest. It does, however, eventually manage to do just that, much to my surprise. Is there anything this little whisky can’t do? (8.5/10)

Balance: The finish takes time to develop. A lot of time. But the wait is so worth it. The whole thing is very rewarding for those equipped with a little bit of patience. (8.5/10)