Complimentary Tasting at LMDW - A big mixed bag

For the month of April, La Maison is hosting complimentary whisky tasting in the afternoons, from noon till 6pm, when the bar opens. If you're free, in the area, and wanna sip some good, cheap whiskies and have a lovely chat with the lovely Sarah, then do pop down. A word of warning, though: tasting good and cheap whiskies has a strange effect on you; it makes you a lot more willing to buy. After the complimentary tasting, I bought 2 bottles - the Redbreast 12 Cask Strength, and a Caol Ila from LDMW's The Ten series of whiskies for beginners.

Quick notes of the whiskies that were on offer:

Picture taken from LMDW's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/finespiritsLMDW/

I didn't try everything, and the Kilchoman Caroni Cask ran out.

Whisky de Table
Nose: Could be my eyes playing tricks on me with the colour and packaging of the bottle, but this smelt like white wine. Citrusy, tannic, sour and refreshing. A light malty notes comes out after some time in the glass.
Palate: Ok, yes, this is more like whisky. A lemon and lime edge, slightly smoky, with this whisky carrying a significant proportion of Clynelish. Texture is pretty smooth. Very easy, very quaffable. Sarah kept this bottle refrigerated, and I don't disagree with that.
Finish: Short, slightly sweet notes of honey. Vinous.

Redbreast Cask Strength
Nose: Intense, this one. Rich fruits. Apricots, figs, apples, pears, some hint of minerality...limestone and copper. A little vinous, but maybe more on dessert wine - more sweet, less sour. That's gotta be the sherry talking Rich, velvety vanilla and oak. There's so much going on here.
Palate: Ok, the alcohol packs a punch. After that subsides...rich and smooth. Mouth coating and full bodied. It's like ramping up the normal Redbreast 12 several notches - this one has more flavour coming in huge waves. Similar to the nose. Very consistent, with maybe a touch of floral about it. Maltier on the palate than on the nose.
Finish: Long, intense, clean. Fruity, spicy, oak.

Clynelish 8 years (2008/2015), Signatory 'Very Cloudy'
This one is very cloudy because it is un-chill filtered.

Nose: Mm. Smokier, maltier. Spicy, even on the nose. Compared to the Whisky de Table, of course.
Palate: Lemon, pear, malted barley. Clean, simple, very straightforward. I think I preferred the Compass Box blend...
Finish: Short, slightly spicy, a little woody. Good spirit, young age.

Glenrothes 8 years, G&M 'The Macphail's Collection'
Nose: This is rather meaty and chewy. I would say it smells more chewy than the Mortlach 21 I finished some time back. Chewy, malty too. It's sherried, but the sherry cask must have been a refill, I think. It's not very dominant on the nose, forming more of a backdrop. Like a fruitcake made with preserved fruits.
Palate: Spicy, slightly sherried. Fruits are dried - raisins, dried cranberries. Still chewy and slightly waxy texture.
Finish: Short, spicy and woody.

Cambus 24, Signatory
Nose: Intense. Bubblegum sweetness, corn syrup. Smells more like maize than rye. Mm. Spicy, on ginger and pepper. Big smells, really. Wood behind all the sweetness. Vanilla comes up too, if you get behind the corn syrup. Floral and perfumed.
Palate: Big hitting syrup, but not without complexity - honey, spicy. Ginger, cinnamon, saffron. Toffee, caramel. Solid oak backing too. Pretty good, these old grain whiskies
Finish: Long, spicy. A slight sour note here. Like wine tanginess, if there's such a word.

AnCnoc 12
Nose: Rather straightforward. Honeyed, with wood and light spiciness. Raisins and apple, cinnamon. Simple, good Speyside. But not very special.
Palate: same as above. The body runs out of ideas quite quickly. It starts out nice and supple, but turns flat fairly quickly. Easy, quick drinking. Not one to be mulled over.
Finish: short, sweet. Mm. Slight bitter note here. Artificial colouring, perhaps...?

Ben Nevis Mcdonald's Traditional 
Nose: Whoa. Really old school. The makers wanted to replicate an old style highland whisky, and I think they've succeeded. Big on rocks and charcoal. Sooty, even. A touch of engine oil. Smoky, but on the ashy side. Some lemons and pears too, under all that.
Palate: Slightly peaty - but it's closer to ash than iodine. Big on leather and rubber, but made less brutal by a touch of apples that lies under those big, old-style, industrial notes. Mm. Pomelo - Sour and slightly tannic. I really like this style, but maybe a little more fruit, or wood, or spice would have helped pick it up. I like this, but found it too brooding to buy a bottle.
Finish: Medium, on leather, tannins, and a slight spiciness. Mm. A slight bitter note too.

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And, that's a wrap. Didn't try the rest: Highland Park 8 from the Macphail's Collection, and a Caol Ila G&M Reserve. Whew. Couldn't taste anything for the rest of the day.

Many thanks to Sarah, who very graciously talked PY and I through all the whiskies, sharing thoughts, stories, tasting notes from Google, and for being very patient while we deliberated on what to buy. Benefits of going to LMDW on a rainy afternoon eh?

Clynelish 14 and Springbank 10 "100 Proof"

Went to check out the sale at a whisky bar/retailer today, and was massively disappointed. The fb event page suggested that the sale was going to be big, with discounts of up to 50% on some brands, like the Old Malt Cask series, which I've liked. So, I was really gutted to realize that the bar had its original prices so marked up, the bottles were still expensive after the 50% discount. A 15 year Clynelish OMC for $180? A 14 year Clynelish from Signatory for $170? And these prices were after a 50% and 35% discount respectively. Ouch. PY and I went down, and walked out without getting anything. I think I can get things of similar age and quality at La Maison for a lower price, before discount.

So, off we went, and what better way to wash away the disappointment than a short walk to Auld Alliance?

Clynelish 14 (OB, 46% abv)

Nose - Fairly big malty nose, supplemented by a healthy dose of smoke, oranges, lemon, and something that smells a little like leather. Did this mature in a refill sherry cask? The balance on this nosing is towards the zesty fruits after the big malty attack fades. A bit spicy as well! Pretty promising!

Palate - This is oily, but a fairly thin texture. The texture doesn't detract from the quality of the whisky though! Big oranges this time, with quite a bit of lemons as well. There is a strong bitter note too. Not sure where that came from, but after a while, it feels a bit like... you know, the white part of the orange? The white fibrous thing between the juicy parts and the skin? Yea, that one. What do you call that?? A bit drying, with suggestions of leather. This does feel suspiciously like a refill sherry cask. A little salty, but this is not as coastal as I thought it would be. Not much honey nor heather either, though it is sweet - vanilla, and something that feels like sherry. Maybe my suspicions about the cask are playing tricks on my tongue. A bit of caramel - colouring?

Finish - Smoke, oranges, and, surprisingly, the bitterness stays with you. Hmm. Not a very long finish, which is, I think, good, considering the bitter notes.

Overall - Good, but not amazing. I prefer Springbank (but you already know that), though this is better than the "modern" entry level whiskies from many other distillers. This is similar in age and region to the Oban 14 - this is better, but not by much. So, onto the Springbank!

Springbank 10 "100 Proof" (OB, 57%)

Nose - PY and I found this nose quite a Jekyll and Hyde, except that both sides are good. Does that make sense? First nosing is salty and very coastal. Sea breeze, salted fish, and umami. Strong mineral presence too. After a while in the glass, there's a lot of lemons and other citrusy stuff. Sweet - honey, I think, and a bit of...flowers? On first nosing, I hardly got the lemony and fruity side to this, but on second nosing, the saltiness wasn't present. Odd. But in a pleasant surprise sort of way. There's also some smoke, and a light touch of peat.

Palate - Big coastal attack - like a beach landing in a war. Just a little less dramatic. Salty, and a touch of seaweed, I think. This turns to oranges and lemons, with quite a bit of smoke and a little bit of peat. It's like the two noses came in different waves and had a rendezvous on the tongue. There's a lot of classic Springbank in this - mineral, slightly oily, and a raw edge that suggests something earthy or rocky. It's not as big as the 12 yo cask strength, but it's a big step up from the standard 10. Pity that it seems that this one was discontinued.

Finish - This one lasts forever. PY had a sip of water, and realized that the finish was still there after the water. Finishes on spices - ginger, cinnamon, pepper, saffron...? Smoke continues, as does hints of lemon.

Overall - This one is good.

Raising two Diageos to Guinness - Clynelish 18 single cask for the Auld Alliance, and Talisker Distiller's Edition 2013

Under rather serendipitous circumstances, I bought Mansfield's The Search for God and Guinness on Kindle, and then, a couple of days later, got a ticket to attend a talk given by Os Guinness, the descendant of Arthur Guinness, creator of the Stout drank all around the world today.

Beyond learning more about the company, the Guinnesses, and how God was at work in the firm, I also found out, towards the end of the book, that Guinness would morph into Diageo, one of the biggest companies making and selling alcoholic beverages today.

Thus, to commemorate the finishing of this book, and to raise a glass to the vision that Arthur Guinness had for his beer and company, today's drinks will be from Diageo (which is, sadly, seen as a deviation from Guinness's initial vision).

Today's whisky comes from Clynelish, a distillery that was bought over by Diageo, and appears to be increasing its output ever since. It is one of the old classics of Scotch whiskies. Let's see how this newer expression is.

Clynelish 18 Year old, 1995 - 2013, bottled for The Auld Alliance single cask series 005 ( 51.2% abv, matured in refill hogshead)

Colour - white wine

Nose - Some maritime scents - sea salt and other minerals. Vanilla, some honey, and then, amazingly, green fruits. Feels like figs. This is quite nutty too. Almonds, I think. Then, there's some peat, pepper, and European oak (I think. Still learning to tell my wood apart). This is rather complex and well-balanced!

Palate - There's a peppery attack, and a little prickly due to the higher alcohol contnet. There's a bit of peat, vanilla, and oak. The peat is closer to an aromatic ash. Good quality tobacco, perhaps? More almonds here. They might have received a light roasting. There's some wine around the middle of the palate, as well as some leather. Apples and honey become more prominent after a few minutes of breathing, as does something citrusy. The combination of wine, apples and honey reminds me a little of canned pineapples. The texture of this dram is oily and viscous. Kinda like cream, or maybe good quality oil. The smooth texture clashed a little with the spiciness, or perhaps, it disoriented me a little, but not in a bad way, mind. More like a, I never expected this to work out.

Finish - Medium length, and goes down on peat. There's a touch of apple rind or grape seed, while the taste of ginger lingers around on the insides of the walls of the mouth.

Overall - I really like this. At $26 a glass, I think this is well-worth the money.

The second Diageo today is the Talisker Distiller's Edition, 2013 (45.8% abv, as is the Talisker custom nowadays). This is the standard Talisker 10, but given a little more time in Amoroso sherry casks.

Colour - gold, but close to amber. The sherry cask has left its mark on the visual presentation.

Nose - Fresh grapes giving way to salt and peat. Pepper comes out more slowly than the standard 18 or 10. After some time, orange peels become more prominent. It seems like there's something unpleasant right at the end, almost perfectly hidden behind the other scents...baby vomit? Some sulpher? Everything was good except that bit at the end.

Palate - Thinner than the Clynelish. The sherry is rich. Rich sherry overlays the powerful Talisker pepper without smothering it. The sherry actually helps to smoothen the pepper out, making it more muted than even the 18. Light peat, a bit of smoke. Oak, but the oak seems a bit bitter and drying. There isn't much bourbon influence detectable here, even though the Talisker 10 probably spent quality time with a bourbon cask. There's maybe a faint trace of coconut, but that's probably me imagining things. Placebo effect and things like that. This one is slightly rubbered. On the whole, it has a nice sherry attack that dries into the spice, peat and wood of a Talisker. The Amoroso complements the Talisker well

Finish - Less pepper than what I remember from the Talisker 10 and 18. Peat, smoke, rubber, pepper - all are present but less pronounced than in other Talisker expressions. The sulphur is popping up again, a blemish on an otherwise excellent whisky. Or maybe I'm just oversensitive, or under-appreciative.

Overall - This is priced between the Talisker 10 and the 18. The price is, I think, a good reflection of quality. Still, this would be higher in my reckoning if the sulphur notes were removed. Perhaps this batch wasn't as good as other batches.

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Guinness became Diageo, and Diageo continues to lead the world in alcoholic beverages. Here's hoping that the company recaptures its vision for social justice while bringing old distilleries like Clynelish back into business.