Small Sips After a Big Hiatus

Again, work gets in the way of enjoyment, and whisky tasting/drinking has been slow. Leisure is what a man would if he did not do it for the purpose of keeping himself alive. Play, as opposed to work. And it is, supposedly, in play and leisure that a person best finds and expresses himself. I think that's some kind of Aristotelian philosophy that I'm completely butchering, but the point is: work and no leisure makes a person less of himself. But what if you love your work? Or what if, you drink whisky and write tasting notes for a living? What is work? What is play? What is leisure? Who are you?

But I digress.

Finally found some time on Friday night to catch up with JP, collect 2 books that he helped me to buy, and try a few different drams. These three were tried at Auld Alliance, as usual.

Cadenhead Small Batch Craigellachie, 18 years 1994/2013 (54.4% abv)

Colour - dark gold, almost amber.

Nose - This one noses like what I've come to expect from Craigellachie. An old type of Speyside matured in dry but good sherry casks. Rubbery and leathery nose, with hints of dry sherry - not really sweet red fruit, but more like...the scent of a red wine stain on a shirt that hasn't been to the dry cleaners yet. I'm pretty sure that's not what "dry sherry" is supposed to mean. A hint of smoke under the leather, and I think suggestions of nuts. An oaky undertone stays throughout the nosing.

Palate - Tastes very much like it noses - rubbery and leathery in a good way. A little bit of sulphur, and something meaty - more like a seasoned jerky rather than barbecued meat. Sweeter than it noses - the sherry comes out more, and actually tastes fresher and brighter than the sherry you get on the nose. Pretty good! Not much nuts. Maybe I was wrong with the nose. Despite the high strength, this doesn't burn much, though there are some spices - cinnamon and nutmeg, I think. Oak remains on the palate, and maybe a hint of burnt sugar. Development on the palate isn't very long, and nothing very surprising, but overall, good sherried Speyside, and stays true to Craigellachie's character.

Finish - Not very long. And this is where I think this dram is most clearly inferior to the 31. Short-ish finish on some drying oak tannin infused with a bit of sherry. Remains a little meaty still.

Overall - Undoubtedly a good whisky, but doesn't quite make it into the hall of fame due to its predictability and short-ish finish. But that's probably because I've been spoilt by having the official 31 year as my first Craigellachie.

G&M Connoisseur's Choice Glenallachie 1992/2009 (43% abv)

This dram was tried unintentionally - JP and I ordered the Craigellachie, but was given the Glenallachie instead. Frankly, a mistake anyone could make. Auld Alliance were nice enough to give this to us free (they can't pour it back into the bottle anyway!), and served us the Craigellachie after that. Yay. Bonus whisky!

Colour - Light gold, almost white wine

Nose - Rather a lot of cut grass. Green and fresh, with a fair bit of vanilla and icing sugar. Mm. Doesn't smell very complex, this one.

Palate - Oh, this tastes younger than it actually is. Maybe the wood wasn't doing its job properly? Slight alcohol burn, and, again, rather green on the palate too. Grass and a soft vanilla/honey touch. A bit of oak and slightly bitter after a while.

Finish - Unremarkable. Slightly bitter, a bit of...star anise? Oak tannin, and no more.

Overall - Fairly easy and pleasant, but not memorable.

And I think I've got to get back to preparing stuff for work. Shall have to write about the other two whiskies another time! Longrow C.V. and Hakushu Sherry Cask 2013!

A Really Good One - Craigellachie 31

Craigellachie 31 (52.2% abv)

Colour - Gold. This colour promises much richness.

Nose - Rubber, sulphur, leather. Maybe this is because the bottle was newly opened, but the rubber and sulphur is strong in this one. Perhaps it'll tone down with time. There's a bit of a sour touch to this too - lemons? A citrusy and green fruit lurks too - perhaps...olives? Are olives technically fruits? This smells a little sour.

Nose (with water) - Ooooh. More of the lemon comes out, but it's sweeter too. A touch of smoke, a bit of honey on the nose, but the sulphur, leather and rubber refuse to lie down. This is complex.

Palate - Big sulphury, rubbery and leathery notes. There's a bit of olive oil in there that spikes in acidity and sourness to feel more like lemon, or even vinegar. There's a sherry sweetness too, as if the whisky wanted to remind me that it's a Speyside after all. Not quite rich in dried fruits though. Maybe with a bit more time in the bottle, the dried fruits will develop. There's a persistent malty character as well, which is amazing considering the strength of the sulphurous notes.

Palate (with water) - This is rather good. The lemon builds up slowly, suggesting other citrus fruits in its wake - grapefruit, I think. Sweeter on entry - honey/caramel, the rubber stays, and more sherry fruits come out - cranberries, perhaps? But not rich and bursting. More dry and understated. This is a bit drying with water, oddly. Texture is oily/waxy, and continues to remind me of olive oil. This whisky deserves your time to slowly get to know.

Finish - Loooooooong. Smoke and spices linger. The smoke adds a really nice finishing touch. JE says that pears remain on the insides of his mouth long after he's swallowed the whisky. Maybe Chinese pears. Malty on the finish again.

Finish (with water) - The same, but drags it longer.

Nose (on empty glass) - the sulphur lingers, but the wood and vanilla are finally discernible. Rich raisins, and perhaps a faint suggestion of milk chocolate. This gives me hope that the Craigellachie 31 will open up with a bit more time.

Overall - This is totally an "old style" whisky. It's got none of the well-engineered feel of many whiskies on the market nowadays. Both raw and mature, rough and polished. The fire has not gone out from this - it feels like Paul Gascoigne, compared to the Messi and Ronaldos of the newer whiskies. If that comparison makes sense. Not much wood engineering, though the influence of the cask is plainly evident. Just good spirit, good cask, and the wisdom of the old ways of making whisky. This is good. Made me want to get my hands on an aged Springbank. Maybe the 21 or 25. Hmm. How can I get to try them...

In a way, whiskies of this style have gone out of favour in a market that tries to hit the masses. There's the peaty camp, led by the yearly Ardbeg "new" release (frankly, they all sound like permutations of the same few variables), the sherry camp (yet another Macallan anyone? Maybe we'll name the next one Auburn? Oh, they've gone with "Edition No. 1"??), and the Japanese ones ($300 for a 10 year old Yoichi sounds about right?). This Craigellachie (and the Springbanks I've tried) turn back the clock to an older style of whisky flavours (and production). The results are glorious.

For now, this is THE best whisky I've ever tasted, and that's matched by the longest review I've ever written. Pity it's not anywhere near affordable (DW got it at about 400 sterling at Heathrow Airport). Thanks for sharing bro!

We actually drank a few other whiskies that were decent tonight, but they were wimpy compared to this monster. I'll write up some quick notes on the Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend and Douglas Laing's Timorous Beastie in a couple of days.