Tag: South Shore

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Lagavulin Offerman Edition, 11yo, 2019

Rating27.7/40
OriginScotland, Islay, South Shore
DistilleryLagavulin
OwnerDiageo
EditionOfferman Edition
StyleSingle Malt
PeatedYes
CaskRe-filled and re-juvenated American Oak Barrels
BottledAugust 2019
Strength46% (92 Proof)
WhiskybaseWhiskybase

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)

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

Rating35.1/40
OriginScotland, Islay, South Shore
DistilleryArdbeg
OwnerLVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE via Glenmorangie
DistilledMarch 2004
BottlerIan Macleod Distillers
SeriesChieftain’s
StyleSingle Malt
PeatedYes
CaskEx-Bourbon Barrel 700177
BottledAugust 2019
Bottles162
Strength58.8% (117.6 Proof)
RetailerK&L Wine Merchants
WhiskybaseWhiskybase

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)

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Ardbeg Scorch Ardbeg Day 2021 Committee Release

Rating35.8/40
OriginScotland, Islay, South Shore
DistilleryArdbeg
OwnerLVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE via Glenmorangie
SeriesArdbeg Day Committee Release
EditionScorch
StyleSingle Malt
PeatedYes
CaskHeavily Charred Ex-Bourbon
BottledJanuary 2021
Strength51.7% (103.4 Proof)
WhiskybaseWhiskybase

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)

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Laphroaig Cask Strength Batch 010, 10yo

Rating34/40
OriginScotland, Islay, South Shore
DistilleryLaphroaig
OwnerSuntory Holdings via Beam Suntory
SeriesCask Strength
EditionBatch 010
StyleSingle Malt
PeatedYes
BottledJanuary 2018
Strength58% (116 Proof)
WhiskybaseWhiskybase
Wine SearcherWine 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)

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

Lagavulin Game of Thrones House Lannister, 9yo., close-up
Rating32.5/40
OriginScotland, Islay, South Shore
DistilleryLagavulin
OwnerDiageo
SeriesGame of Thrones Collection
EditionHouse Lannister – Hear Me Roar!
StyleSingle Malt
PeatedYes.
Bottled2018
Strength46% (92 Proof)
WhiskybaseWhiskybase
Wine SearcherWinesearcher

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)

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Ardbeg Drum Ardbeg Day 2019 Committee Release

Ardbeg Drum Committee Release Close-up
Rating31/40
OriginScotland, Islay, South Shore
DistilleryArdbeg
OwnerLVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE via Glenmorangie
SeriesArdbeg Day Committee Release
StyleSingle Malt Whisky
PeatedYes
CaskBourbon Cask Maturation, Rum Cask Finish
BottledNovember 2018
Strength52% (104 proof)
Price$145-250

Nose: Smoke drifts past freshly ground metal shavings used to season a barrel of mackerels. Right after the bottle was cracked open there was some mild sour fruit rising out of and above the smoke but that element was quickly aired out. (9/10)

Palate: A slightly bitter and tangy kernel hides out in a fluffy cloud of smoke. (7/10)

Finish: Smoke tentatively probes the back of my mouth but is too scared to jump off the ledge down into my throat even though there is a cushy pile of embers to land on at the bottom. (8/10)

Balance: Just a bit off in the middle but otherwise very nice. We have not yet returned to the level of the grand old Ardbeg Day releases such as the original Supernova or the stupendous Rollercoaster. (8/10)

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Ardbeg Grooves Ardbeg Day 2018 Committee Release

Ardbeg Grooves Committee Release 2018 Close-up

Rating36/40
OriginScotland, Islay, South Shore
DistilleryArdbeg
OwnerLVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE via Glenmorangie
SeriesArdbeg Day Committee Release
StyleSingle Malt Whisky
PeatedYes
CaskRecharred Red Wine Casks
BottledNovember 23rd, 2017
Strength51.5% (103.2 proof)
Price$115-300

Nose: Dark smoke, earth and coarse bark mulch. (9/10)

Palate: Broad, root-y, a little like licking rough bark but without the stabbiness and cuttiness of it. (8/10)

Finish: Deep and broad, wild mushrooms. Porcini? (10/10)

Balance: Just… lovely. (9/10)