Black Rock, Gold Reef, White Sands - the three maritime and colour-themed whiskies released by Bowmore for Travel Retail. The prices are pretty affordable, should you be flying. But are the whiskies good? There is very little consensus online regarding travel retail exclusives, though there are some whiskies that did well enough in Travel Retail to make it out of the airport and onto the shelves. Is this one of those whiskies that are good enough? Or will it remain a novelty?
Bowmore Gold Reef (43% abv) - this one is matured in ex-bourbon casks.
Nose - An initial burst of white, milk chocolate, though that disappears quickly, never to be found again. After that, vanilla comes to the fore, with some hints of coconut. That's the bourbon cask at work, I guess. Some pineapples, or a sharp, citrus fruit. I think this has been found in several newer Bowmores. A little salt.
Palate - Soft peat, a little salty, and more vanilla and pineapples. Smooth on the palate. The peat turns a little ashy, but that's fine. Well within limits, unlike the Ardbegs, which push those boundaries quite aggressively.
Finish - Ashes and honey. Pretty short. Right at the end...is that a touch of...chemical caramel colouring?
Overall - Fairly straightforward and pleasant, nothing offensive, but unfortunately, nothing very memorable either. I've only had 2 Bowmores thus far; this one, and the Bowmore 12. I've not tasted anything in either of these that's made me impressed with the distillery. It may be one of the more historic distilleries on Islay's, but the ones I've had have been fairly tame. Is there any Bowmore I should try that is a better showcase of what the distillery has to offer? Or is this it?
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Monday, March 14, 2016
Ardbeg Uigeadail
Ardbeg Uigeadail (54.2% abv) - fairly affordable if you buy this Duty Free. Otherwise, it's slightly under $200 SGD at some places. And slightly over at others...
Nose - Initially burst of sherry's wine/raisin sweetness. Then the Ardbeg peat and smoke takes over. A hint of vanilla comes through to balance against the peat. The peat on the nose isn't ashy, but is more grassy. Nice touch.
Palate - A touch of sherry sweetness, then grassy. The peat takes over from there, with a bit of alcoholic burn, probably from the high strength. Ashy. This changes to smoke, and then rubber and tanned leather. Vanilla peeks through a bit. A little bitter too. Oak. This is a rather complex taste, for something that has no age statement. Some have complained that the quality of the sherry cask has gone down through the years, but this is still pretty excellent.
Finish - A little minty. Lots of tea. English Breakfast? Drying, with strong wood accompaniment. A bit bitter at the end too. The minty feel lasts quite a while. As does the drying tea tannin.
This one is courtesy of XT, who did a little swap with me. Gave him my leftover Talisker 18, and got a glass of this in return. Pretty good trade. Much as I like the Talisker 18, I think the Uigeadail is actually more complex in the flavours on offer. I think I like Ardbeg's peat more than Laphroaig's. Ardbeg is going to be one of our stops if we ever go on a distillery-hopping tour in Scotland. Together with Lagavulin and Bunnahabhain on Islay, Highland Park from the highlands, Balvenie from Speyside, Springbank in Campbeltown, and maybe Talisker on Skye. Pretty exciting. Gotta start saving.
Nose - Initially burst of sherry's wine/raisin sweetness. Then the Ardbeg peat and smoke takes over. A hint of vanilla comes through to balance against the peat. The peat on the nose isn't ashy, but is more grassy. Nice touch.
Palate - A touch of sherry sweetness, then grassy. The peat takes over from there, with a bit of alcoholic burn, probably from the high strength. Ashy. This changes to smoke, and then rubber and tanned leather. Vanilla peeks through a bit. A little bitter too. Oak. This is a rather complex taste, for something that has no age statement. Some have complained that the quality of the sherry cask has gone down through the years, but this is still pretty excellent.
Finish - A little minty. Lots of tea. English Breakfast? Drying, with strong wood accompaniment. A bit bitter at the end too. The minty feel lasts quite a while. As does the drying tea tannin.
This one is courtesy of XT, who did a little swap with me. Gave him my leftover Talisker 18, and got a glass of this in return. Pretty good trade. Much as I like the Talisker 18, I think the Uigeadail is actually more complex in the flavours on offer. I think I like Ardbeg's peat more than Laphroaig's. Ardbeg is going to be one of our stops if we ever go on a distillery-hopping tour in Scotland. Together with Lagavulin and Bunnahabhain on Islay, Highland Park from the highlands, Balvenie from Speyside, Springbank in Campbeltown, and maybe Talisker on Skye. Pretty exciting. Gotta start saving.
Monday, March 7, 2016
Birthday Drinks (Part 2) - Glendronach 21, Glenfarclas 40 Family Cask for Silver Seal, Highland Park 18
Three whiskies tasted at the Auld Alliance. Seriously, go check out their whisky selection. It's crazy the amount of stuff they have in there. Some really interesting independent bottlings and limited edition ones as well. This session was a couple of days ago. Let's hope my notes are sufficient to jog my memory.
The three new ones are the Highland Park 18, Glendronach 21, and the Glenfarclas Family Cask, which was about 40 years old, but I'm not sure which vintage it came from. Too excited about the drink to check the years. But it might have been the 1971/2011 vintage, bottled for The Whisky Shop Dufftown, since I remember the abv of the one we had that night to be about 51%. (Edit: It's the Family Cask for Silver Seal Glenfarclas 40 1971, bottled at 52% abv)
Note that I don't mention the colour for many of my posts. This is because, often, I drink my whiskies in places where lighting isn't the best. Since I'm not going to be able to even see the colour accurately, much less describe it, I usually skip it altogether.
Highland Park 18 - (43% abv)
Nose - Fresh ad grassy. A lot of oranges in this one. This is the first Highland Park I've ever tasted, but the big oranges seems to be in agreement with a few other whisky blogs out there. There's a hint of smoke in this one, and some rubber and tar.
Palate - Oranges, definitely. A bit of raisins and rubber. Does Highland Park use sherry casks? There's a touch of peat. The grass from the nose returns. The middle of the palate is drying on tea tannins. There's strong suggestions of honey too. On the whole, it's a little prickly, but fairly smooth.
Finish - A little bitter. Feels like burnt sugar and tea rolled into one. A bit of caramel, it seems. The finish is generally short, but the tannins last.
Overall, pretty good! Won't be the last Highland Park I try.
Glendronach 21 Parliament (48% abv)
Nose - Rich raisins, like the 18. Prunes. Seems like a more mature, riper version of the 18. Some fresh cut grass, which came as a pleasant surprise. Oak, and light vanilla.
Palate - Rather oily texture, and a bit of alcohol sting, but that goes away quickly. Raisins and grape seed tannins. Or maybe that's grape skin. Oak, vanilla. A touch of something darker, like chocolate, but not quite. Honey too. A sweet whisky, this one.
Finish - Lingering grape tannins, like that you find in a good wine. A touch of spice, and some vanilla. Not so long, lest it becomes cloying.
Not very expensive, considering its age. I saw a bottle at Auld Alliance for just over $200.
Glenfarclas Family Cask
Nose - Sherry. Grass. Vanilla that borders on icing sugar. Held together in a fine balance by a rich oak of the highest quality. The oak adds character and balance without dominating the nose. Very nicely done. A sherried whisky of the top quality, from the nose alone.
Palate - Amazing. Gives the Balvenie 30 a run for its money (and probably winning the race too, in my opinion). Light peat and grass o entry. The sherry then shows its power, building in rich sherry flavours. Just before it becomes sweet, the whisky turns to a slightly bitter touch. Feels like the dried orange peel that my mum used to tell me was a healthy snack. Vanilla too. A very rich and well-layered sherried whisky. Much deeper in complexity when compared to the Glendronach 21. The extra years weren't wasted. Must have been an amazing cask to give so much flavour.
Finish - Light spice, vanilla. Light peat. And then a small burst of eucalyptus and menthol at the back of the throat. Delightful.
At $100 a glass, this one is worth a try on a special occasion.
The three new ones are the Highland Park 18, Glendronach 21, and the Glenfarclas Family Cask, which was about 40 years old, but I'm not sure which vintage it came from. Too excited about the drink to check the years. But it might have been the 1971/2011 vintage, bottled for The Whisky Shop Dufftown, since I remember the abv of the one we had that night to be about 51%. (Edit: It's the Family Cask for Silver Seal Glenfarclas 40 1971, bottled at 52% abv)
Note that I don't mention the colour for many of my posts. This is because, often, I drink my whiskies in places where lighting isn't the best. Since I'm not going to be able to even see the colour accurately, much less describe it, I usually skip it altogether.
Highland Park 18 - (43% abv)
Nose - Fresh ad grassy. A lot of oranges in this one. This is the first Highland Park I've ever tasted, but the big oranges seems to be in agreement with a few other whisky blogs out there. There's a hint of smoke in this one, and some rubber and tar.
Palate - Oranges, definitely. A bit of raisins and rubber. Does Highland Park use sherry casks? There's a touch of peat. The grass from the nose returns. The middle of the palate is drying on tea tannins. There's strong suggestions of honey too. On the whole, it's a little prickly, but fairly smooth.
Finish - A little bitter. Feels like burnt sugar and tea rolled into one. A bit of caramel, it seems. The finish is generally short, but the tannins last.
Overall, pretty good! Won't be the last Highland Park I try.
Glendronach 21 Parliament (48% abv)
Nose - Rich raisins, like the 18. Prunes. Seems like a more mature, riper version of the 18. Some fresh cut grass, which came as a pleasant surprise. Oak, and light vanilla.
Palate - Rather oily texture, and a bit of alcohol sting, but that goes away quickly. Raisins and grape seed tannins. Or maybe that's grape skin. Oak, vanilla. A touch of something darker, like chocolate, but not quite. Honey too. A sweet whisky, this one.
Finish - Lingering grape tannins, like that you find in a good wine. A touch of spice, and some vanilla. Not so long, lest it becomes cloying.
Not very expensive, considering its age. I saw a bottle at Auld Alliance for just over $200.
Glenfarclas Family Cask
Nose - Sherry. Grass. Vanilla that borders on icing sugar. Held together in a fine balance by a rich oak of the highest quality. The oak adds character and balance without dominating the nose. Very nicely done. A sherried whisky of the top quality, from the nose alone.
Palate - Amazing. Gives the Balvenie 30 a run for its money (and probably winning the race too, in my opinion). Light peat and grass o entry. The sherry then shows its power, building in rich sherry flavours. Just before it becomes sweet, the whisky turns to a slightly bitter touch. Feels like the dried orange peel that my mum used to tell me was a healthy snack. Vanilla too. A very rich and well-layered sherried whisky. Much deeper in complexity when compared to the Glendronach 21. The extra years weren't wasted. Must have been an amazing cask to give so much flavour.
Finish - Light spice, vanilla. Light peat. And then a small burst of eucalyptus and menthol at the back of the throat. Delightful.
At $100 a glass, this one is worth a try on a special occasion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)