Caol Ila for newbies

This bottle is from LMDW's The Ten series. The series is meant to be an introduction to the various prominent styles of whiskies from Scotland, and thus are labelled things like 'Heavy Smoke', 'Intermediate Sherry' (oh wait, was that for Amrut?), 'Light sherry', etc. This one is 'Medium Islay Peat'. The whisky is from Caol Ila, distilled in 2008 and bottled in 2015, making it 7 years. I think it's a marketing strategy for the seventh whisky in the Ten to also be seven years. So, one number, two interpretations, both valid. Yay. A hermeneuticist's best friend.

Caol Ila 'The Ten' for LMDW (abv 40.10%)

Colour - Pale. Very pale. Paler than the picture suggests. The pee of a normal person who's maybe a little dehydrated.

Nose - Light Islay peat, contrary to what the label claims. This is lighter than usual Caol Ilas. Smokey without venturing into the heavily charred territory of Ardbeg. Not even the pure charcoal smoke of Caol Ila. This is more like lightly charred wood. The light smoke helps one to notice the other aspects of Caol Ila - citrusy. Suggestions of apricots. A little savoury, with a generous dash of salt.

Palate - Mm. Alcohol heat, probably due to age. But fairly fruity. Pears and apples, with a hint of grapefruit. Orange pith. Ooh. Surprising sweet touch...tastes a bit like triple-sec. Pepper. Salty too.

Finish - A little minty and maybe one eucalyptus leaf. Peppery, a whiff of smoke that wasn't prominent on the palate comes back up the chimney.

Overall - As an introductory malt, this is actually pretty tasty, and showcases the goodness of a simple, naked Caol Ila. Not complex enough to wow, but good to use as part of an educational tasting set. Though I would probably tell tasters that this is not 'Medium', but light. And, perhaps the peat isn't as obvious here, though perhaps a comparison with, say, a light Laphroaig might help the newcomer to recognize peat. I'm also wondering if the ".10%" abv is part of the branding. Probably, right?

Next post will be a heavy Caol Ila. 

Late Asians

Hakushu 12 (abv 43%)

I'm guessing these Suntories need no introduction or pictures by now. Hakushu's the one in the green bottle. For me, this is the quintessential Japanese single malt. Green, tea, refreshing, simple, not too bold. The 12 used to be the standard entry level, but is now in the premium price category. Sigh.

Nose - Not as green as the Distiller's Reserve. Some soft mossiness here that is Hakushu's style of peatiness that reminds me a little of a three-egg veg dish you often see at Chinese restaurants. Spicy, with some alcohol prickliness. Suggestions of sherry and vanilla. A little butter.

Palate - Lemon zest, tamed by velvety sweetness - honey and I think a bit of stewed pears and cinnamon apples. There's a touch of creamy peanut butter to it, so that'll be...peanut, salt, oil (basically, right?). A slight woody undertone that dovetails very nicely with the mossy peat. Gingery, in a tuber way, and not how I move after a game of football.

Finish - Mm. Not long. Spicy and gingery, a little more honey and lemon.

Over all - Not as good as the 18 (duh), but still pretty great. I really like Hakushu.

Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique 

This bottle was had at LMDW's free (!) tasting 2 months ago, but I kept my notes from then. Free! A Kavalan! A former Whisky of the Year! What a treat! Let's see if the whisky is as generous as LMDW. No abv, because I did not take it down when tasting, did not snap a picture, and, yea. I was too happy sipping and chatting. Sorry.

Colour - Almost mahogany, but not quite as dark as the Solist Sherry.

Nose - Mm. Big notes of vanilla, some sweet wine, but actually, to my untrained nose, borders on sherry. A little more on the sour side, but still sweet and raisin-y. Spicy too, with a big alcohol hit. Bold oak, and also very malty. This is a big nose. A little... too in-you-face for my liking, but, hey, sometimes, you don't want it subtle.

Palate - Again, big alcohol hit. Expected for a cask strength (really should have paid attention to abv). Vanilla, sherry, a bit of port, caramel toffee. Browned sugar. Ooh. Turns very drying, a lot of oak, fairly tannic, though the vanilla and toffee makes it pretty bearable. Prunes and plums. Maybe parsley or coriander.

Finish - Oh, burns a fair bit going down. Fairly smooth, after the alcohol on the nose and palate. Aftertaste of dark chocolate, plum peel, and spice.

Overall - Different cask/batch and all that, but I'm not sure if I'll award this a World's Best award.

Lying Low in High Season

Work's been pretty crazy since the summer break, and that has killed off many of the opportunities to go trying new whiskies. That's quite a downer. The upside is, my backlog will not be piling up as quickly, giving me some time to clear stuff...

And, without further ado, 2 whiskies today. A lowlander, the Glenkinchie 12, and a rare (and weird) Bowmore.

Glenkinchie 12 (abv 40%)

Colour - Colouring added, so you know what to expect.

Nose - Mm. Slightly floral, but not overly so. Digestive biscuits. A little jam...strawberry jam? Fig jam? Yea, those are quire different. Citrusy, basically. Some vanilla, but not very big.

Palate - A little malty, some oak and pencil shavings. Some oatmeal biscuits this time. Sweet on brown sugar.

Finish - Fairly short...a little spice from the wood, some oak tannin, and a little drying...maybe the colouring speaking here...

Overall - This was the first whisky in the tasting session I conducted (I'm not noob, not the audience). Good whisky to start a tasting session with - light, uncomplicated, but definitely on the pleasant side without entirely slipping into being nondescript.

Bowmore 8 years 'The Octave' by Duncan Taylor (abv 46%)

This, is what it looks like.

Nose - Strong whiffs of paraffin and perfume. Oopsies. Was this from one of Bowmore's weird years? Some oak, and a bit of smoke...that'll be smoked seaweed, I think. A little tingly on the nose too.

Palate - Mm. I don't like this very much. Characteristic Bowmore smoke, yes. But, the paraffin notes get a bit soapy here. A little floral and perfumed. Pencil shavings. Slightly savoury, like...fish. Cured fish. Mm. Not my favourite.

Finish - Not very long, but oaky, slightly spicy, oily.

Overall - Hmm. Not my favourite Bowmore ever. But, it was $70 at La Maison's sale, so...I guess you get what you pay for?

Anyhows, odd tasting notes at the back of the bottle. "Before" and "after" referring to...before and after the re-casking/finishing? Not the most conventional way, but I guess if you're selling the series on its recasking, that's one way to do things...