A very belated post, since the bottle is now empty. Oops. This is the first release of the 12. Not sure if there's significant batch variation, but I guess a first release is always a landmark.
Kilkerran 12 (abv 46%)
Colour - gold
Nose - There's a soft mossy peat on this that is immediately apparent, which reminds me of more mature Longrows. Vanilla floats to the top, and there's a distinctive maltiness to the nose too. Slightly yeasty, if you strain to find it. Then very fruity - passion fruit and pineapple.
Palate - A little smoke. The wood isn't very apparent, but it is there. An oaky backbone, if you will. As all whiskies should. Spicy, on cloves and nutmeg. The sherry wood influence isn't very strong, though you can detect a pomegranate-like tartness. That's very well-balanced by the sweeter side, with vanilla coming back, and quite a lot of honey. Then there's the malty side returning too - oatmeal cookies and a traditional Hainanese bakery.
Finish - Malty and oaky, with a strong honey comeback. Some ginger and herbs. Not too long, but that's about right for a 12 year old.
Overall - As widely-anticipated, and now widely confirmed, this is good. Amen.
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Exclusively Yamazaki
Friend and brother JE was in Osaka for a holiday and managed to persuade his missus to go visit Yamazaki. He graciously brought back bottles. One, the 2017 Yamazaki Limited Edition, and two, the Yamazaki distillery exclusive bottling. The LE comes in a 700ml bottle, while the distillery exclusive is in a 300ml one. Such consideration to travellers' duty free allowance...or a nefarious marketing ploy to get people to buy more - it probably is the same thing.
First up, the Yamazaki 2017 Limited Edition (43% abv)
Nose - A lot of umeshu up front. The plum liquor is followed by some faint spices, some raisins, a bit of vanilla. Some grassy scent, oak...I've seen reviews that describe this as a deep nose - can't say I smell the depth here. Maybe my nose is off, but this is good, not great.
Palate - Some fruity profiles...mango? Plum liquor getting in the way of everything. With some time, oak comes out, spices too. I guess this might be what you call...delicate, if not for the umeshu. Some hints of flowers, a bit of honey...but really, that plum liquor. Good, but somewhat off-balance.
Finish - tannic, woody, spicy. Some honey sweetness sticks around, but not a long finish, I think.
Overall - There's supposedly some 20 year old Yamazaki in here - they maybe should have left it alone as a super premium once-off bottling. This Limited Edition was brought back by JE from the distillery itself, where this bottle was sold for about SGD100. Which is about the right price. Retailers in Singapore are selling it for $400 though. That's a rip-off.
Yamazaki Distillery Exclusive
Nose - Ok, if you ever wondered what Yamazaki smells like without the powerful sherry influence in the 12 and the 18, this is it. Mangoes, malty porridge, a bit of baked bread. There's some coconut in this, and a touch of eucalyptus.
Palate - More of the same on the nose. I like this style of Yamazaki! More oak and tropical fruits than the Limited Edition. Certainly younger though.
Finish - short, clean.
Overall - This is naked, no frills Yamazaki. Good, and makes for a welcome change to the usual Yamazaki. Rougher, but somehow, I think I can grow to like this. It works great in a highball, by the way.
Thanks JE for the generosity!
First up, the Yamazaki 2017 Limited Edition (43% abv)
Nose - A lot of umeshu up front. The plum liquor is followed by some faint spices, some raisins, a bit of vanilla. Some grassy scent, oak...I've seen reviews that describe this as a deep nose - can't say I smell the depth here. Maybe my nose is off, but this is good, not great.
Palate - Some fruity profiles...mango? Plum liquor getting in the way of everything. With some time, oak comes out, spices too. I guess this might be what you call...delicate, if not for the umeshu. Some hints of flowers, a bit of honey...but really, that plum liquor. Good, but somewhat off-balance.
Finish - tannic, woody, spicy. Some honey sweetness sticks around, but not a long finish, I think.
Overall - There's supposedly some 20 year old Yamazaki in here - they maybe should have left it alone as a super premium once-off bottling. This Limited Edition was brought back by JE from the distillery itself, where this bottle was sold for about SGD100. Which is about the right price. Retailers in Singapore are selling it for $400 though. That's a rip-off.
Yamazaki Distillery Exclusive
Nose - Ok, if you ever wondered what Yamazaki smells like without the powerful sherry influence in the 12 and the 18, this is it. Mangoes, malty porridge, a bit of baked bread. There's some coconut in this, and a touch of eucalyptus.
Palate - More of the same on the nose. I like this style of Yamazaki! More oak and tropical fruits than the Limited Edition. Certainly younger though.
Finish - short, clean.
Overall - This is naked, no frills Yamazaki. Good, and makes for a welcome change to the usual Yamazaki. Rougher, but somehow, I think I can grow to like this. It works great in a highball, by the way.
Thanks JE for the generosity!
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Old Pulteney 25
An early day that popped up out of nowhere allowed me to drop by 1855 Bottle Shop's Wine and Whisky Week at Suntec, and boy am I glad I went. Most of the offers were for fairly standard stuff - you've got the usual Diageo entry range, Balvenie and Glenfiddich from William Grant and Sons, Suntory trying to pass off non-aged Hibiki as worthy successors, and so on. LMDW was there this year too, and boy was I glad they were.
For sampling was the usual Amruts and Kavalans. And, by sheer luck, Khai was on duty, saw me, offered to let me try anything I wanted, paused, then said, "But you've already tried everything on display, right?" Which is true. And I need to repent for the amount of time I've spent in the lovely bar that La Maison has. Tongue-in-cheek, I pointed to the bottle of Old Pulteney 1983 vintage (RP: about $900) and said that I've not tried that one. That one was, unfortunately, not open for sampling, but there was the Old Pulteney 25, if I did not mind the plastic cup that he had to use for the event...
Old Pulteney 25 (abv 46%)
Colour - Beautiful. Deep golden with a teak-ish hue.
Nose - plastic cup probably interfered a little, but this is eff-ing beautiful. My gosh. The sheer richness and balance is the best I've nosed since the 50 year old grain at Whisky Live two years ago. There's a very sprightly fruity touch. Grapes, raisins, some prunes, and maybe half a banana. But behind that. A dollop of cream, baked bread, slightly salty notes, very classy notes that remind me of a French Oak single cask Chichibu, lots of honey. A little more time, and the spices come out. This is from a newly opened bottle (I did ask if he was sure this was for sampling). Bloody hell.
Palate - Raisins and grapes come back. That must have been a really active sherry second maturation. Same as the nose, the sherry influence is but an added flourish on a very excellent whisky from the first 22 years of bourbon oak. Vanilla more present on the palate (I blame the plastic cups for the lack of vanilla on the nose), butter and milk cream, which goes very well with the viscosity. Really nice when what you taste matches the texture. Spices here, more of that classy wood notes I associate with French oak. Very fruity still, on lychees, I think. There's a light peat on this, which I didn't detect on the nose. A little bit of salt and eucalyptus oil. This is one beautifully aged whisky.
Finish - gets spicy and then drying, feels like an over-steeped fruit tea, due to the strong fruity elements. But there's a hit of peat too...so...fruity lapsang. Like my colleague DDW mixes in the office by putting a lychee teabag and a lapsang teabag into the same pot. This Old Pulteney works better, buddy. You might want to age your tea for 25 years.
Overall - I think $580 might be worth the money for this, if you have bottomless cash. But I don't, so not getting this on balance. But if money isn't a problem, buy 2 of this. One to drink, and another to drink later.
For sampling was the usual Amruts and Kavalans. And, by sheer luck, Khai was on duty, saw me, offered to let me try anything I wanted, paused, then said, "But you've already tried everything on display, right?" Which is true. And I need to repent for the amount of time I've spent in the lovely bar that La Maison has. Tongue-in-cheek, I pointed to the bottle of Old Pulteney 1983 vintage (RP: about $900) and said that I've not tried that one. That one was, unfortunately, not open for sampling, but there was the Old Pulteney 25, if I did not mind the plastic cup that he had to use for the event...
Old Pulteney 25 (abv 46%)
Colour - Beautiful. Deep golden with a teak-ish hue.
Nose - plastic cup probably interfered a little, but this is eff-ing beautiful. My gosh. The sheer richness and balance is the best I've nosed since the 50 year old grain at Whisky Live two years ago. There's a very sprightly fruity touch. Grapes, raisins, some prunes, and maybe half a banana. But behind that. A dollop of cream, baked bread, slightly salty notes, very classy notes that remind me of a French Oak single cask Chichibu, lots of honey. A little more time, and the spices come out. This is from a newly opened bottle (I did ask if he was sure this was for sampling). Bloody hell.
Palate - Raisins and grapes come back. That must have been a really active sherry second maturation. Same as the nose, the sherry influence is but an added flourish on a very excellent whisky from the first 22 years of bourbon oak. Vanilla more present on the palate (I blame the plastic cups for the lack of vanilla on the nose), butter and milk cream, which goes very well with the viscosity. Really nice when what you taste matches the texture. Spices here, more of that classy wood notes I associate with French oak. Very fruity still, on lychees, I think. There's a light peat on this, which I didn't detect on the nose. A little bit of salt and eucalyptus oil. This is one beautifully aged whisky.
Finish - gets spicy and then drying, feels like an over-steeped fruit tea, due to the strong fruity elements. But there's a hit of peat too...so...fruity lapsang. Like my colleague DDW mixes in the office by putting a lychee teabag and a lapsang teabag into the same pot. This Old Pulteney works better, buddy. You might want to age your tea for 25 years.
Overall - I think $580 might be worth the money for this, if you have bottomless cash. But I don't, so not getting this on balance. But if money isn't a problem, buy 2 of this. One to drink, and another to drink later.
Sunday, May 13, 2018
A Sour Taste in the Mouth
It has been a really long time since the last post, which can only mean that I had to find a balance between tasting whisky, and earning money so that I can continue tasting whisky. Horrible. Evidence, if any were needed, that we do not live in an ideal world. Did Marx foresee this? Perhaps. The capitalists keep us working by dangling carrots and drams in front of our noses, until we become so busy chasing that we no longer have time to do any tasting. A belated happy birthday to Karl.
This long break leaves a sour taste in the mouth, and it must be quenched by some new whisky, the next high (abv), the next experience. To anticipate my trip to Taiwan next month, here's a Taiwanese dram to whet the appetite.
Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask, bottled for The Auld Alliance (56.3% abv)
Colour - Very dark. Or maybe it was the lighting at the bar. But it appears to be mahogany. Or at least teak. Like all the other whiskies in Kavalan's Solist Sherry cask range. It isn't specified what type of sherry this is, unlike the much more premium Amontillado, Pedro Ximenez etc. I wonder how Kavalan's staff distinguish between what gets markets as Solist Sherry, and what gets marketed as a specific type of Sherry. (Edit: If it says sherry only, it looks like it's Oloroso)
Nose - Porridgey and lots of oats on the first attack. Pretty strong alcohol vapours. Wood varnish comes out quite strongly, as do notes of leather and rubber. This is very...challenging. After some time in the glass, it gets sour too. Sour prunes.
Palate - Ouch. Big alcohol burn, and the tingle remains throughout. The cask did not tame the whisky here. It was bottled in 2017, and based on the number stamp, it looks like this batch was laid down in 2010. 7 years, but the alcohol hit is still pretty big. And that's not very common for Kavalan. Hm. Sour. Sour prunes, grapes, green mangoes, sour plum. Was. Not. Expecting. That. My face is all scrunched up. Lots of wood varnishing again, and very heavy oak presence. Leather, rubber, some red wine's that already turned sour. This is...very...hard to like. Maybe it's meant to be a manly drink, but I can accept industrial, fresh lemon, brine, barbecue, etc. But this is tough.
Finish - Some spices peak out finally. Some cloves, star anise. But mostly wood.
Added a fair amount of water, and some vanilla turns up on the nose. Less leathery, and the sourness tones down a bit, but what emerges? A little bit of nutmeg, but otherwise, more of the same, just less intense.
Overall - This was hard to love, and left a sour taste in the mouth. Let's hope I'll find nicer stuff when I bring my friends to Kavalan's distillery next month.
This long break leaves a sour taste in the mouth, and it must be quenched by some new whisky, the next high (abv), the next experience. To anticipate my trip to Taiwan next month, here's a Taiwanese dram to whet the appetite.
Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask, bottled for The Auld Alliance (56.3% abv)
Colour - Very dark. Or maybe it was the lighting at the bar. But it appears to be mahogany. Or at least teak. Like all the other whiskies in Kavalan's Solist Sherry cask range. It isn't specified what type of sherry this is, unlike the much more premium Amontillado, Pedro Ximenez etc. I wonder how Kavalan's staff distinguish between what gets markets as Solist Sherry, and what gets marketed as a specific type of Sherry. (Edit: If it says sherry only, it looks like it's Oloroso)
Nose - Porridgey and lots of oats on the first attack. Pretty strong alcohol vapours. Wood varnish comes out quite strongly, as do notes of leather and rubber. This is very...challenging. After some time in the glass, it gets sour too. Sour prunes.
Palate - Ouch. Big alcohol burn, and the tingle remains throughout. The cask did not tame the whisky here. It was bottled in 2017, and based on the number stamp, it looks like this batch was laid down in 2010. 7 years, but the alcohol hit is still pretty big. And that's not very common for Kavalan. Hm. Sour. Sour prunes, grapes, green mangoes, sour plum. Was. Not. Expecting. That. My face is all scrunched up. Lots of wood varnishing again, and very heavy oak presence. Leather, rubber, some red wine's that already turned sour. This is...very...hard to like. Maybe it's meant to be a manly drink, but I can accept industrial, fresh lemon, brine, barbecue, etc. But this is tough.
Finish - Some spices peak out finally. Some cloves, star anise. But mostly wood.
Added a fair amount of water, and some vanilla turns up on the nose. Less leathery, and the sourness tones down a bit, but what emerges? A little bit of nutmeg, but otherwise, more of the same, just less intense.
Overall - This was hard to love, and left a sour taste in the mouth. Let's hope I'll find nicer stuff when I bring my friends to Kavalan's distillery next month.
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