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KWM 2021 Whisky Calendar Day 20: Tomintoul Peaty Tang

Posted on December 20, 2021

by Evan

We are staying in Speyside for Day Twenty's dram within the 2021 KWM Whisky Calendar. We are also potentially going younger than yesterday's 9-Year-Old Aberlour from That Boutique-y Whisky Company. Today, we will be tasting the non-age-stated Tomintoul Peaty Tang!

The oddly named Tomintoul Peaty Tang has been available since at least 2007 according to what I could dig up on Whiskybase.com - the whisky consumer's best resource for bottle information (not a paid promotion - I am just a genuine fan of the site). The 2022 Edition of the Malt Whisky Yearbook states that this whisky was launched in 2008. The Malt Whisky Yearbook should be taken as the one and only annual whisky book that extols the gospel truth, so we will go with that (also not a paid promotion, but Kensington Wine Market does stock this holy book!).

I can remember this bottle being around for a long time, too. Tomintoul has been making heavily peated new make spirit runs off their stills since 2001 when it was initiated under Angus Dundee Distillers, which purchased the distillery in the year 2000. And I do mean heavily peated spirit - they use a peat spec of 55ppm for the malt, which puts it up with the likes of Ardbeg for peat level. The peated whisky they make is dubbed Ballantruan, which is named after an old settlement on the west side of the Tomintoul Distillery grounds. The Ballantruan Spring is also Tomintoul Distillery's water source. The Old Ballantruan 10 Year from Tomintoul is made with the heavily peated spirit, and if you have not yet tried that bottle out I suggest you do so: At 10 Years of age and 50% ABV it is criminally underrated peated whisky.

The Peaty Tang itself is lighter and tamer than the Old Ballantruan. It is bottled at 40% and is blended from a combination of peated and unpeated stock from Tomintoul. There is also a 15-Year-Old version of the Peaty Tang, but it has not reached our shores yet.

Let's give the Peaty Tang a go, shall we?

Tomintoul Peaty Tang - 40%

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: Pine needles, grapefruit husks and lime peels burning away in a backyard firepit while you eat a freshly made s'more that has gingerbread cookie instead of graham crackers to sandwich the marshmallow and chocolate together. A bit of London Fog to drink should wash it all down.

Palate: Key lime pie with a slightly burnt crust, milk stirred into oatmeal, unsweetened iced tea, and ginger ale with a tonic water chaser.

Finish: An interesting combination of sweet, smoky and dry all at the same time.

Comment: A single malt masquerading as a botanical gin? Hey Bartender! I'll take a Peaty Tang and Tonic, please! A bit drying on the finish but still a good introduction to peated whisky from this Speyside...

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KWM 2021 Whisky Calendar Day 19: TBWC Aberlour Batch 6 - 9 Year Old

Posted on December 19, 2021

by Evan

We are heading to Speyside today for our third bottle in the 2021 KWM Whisky Calendar supplied to us by That Boutique-y Whisky Company - this time it is a bottling of 9-year-old Aberlour!

Aberlour Distillery was founded in 1879 and resides in a town with the same name, right in the heart of Speyside. There are 5 or so other distilleries that are within a 6 km drive of Aberlour including Macallan, Craigellachie, Benrinnes, and Dailuaine.

For its official lineup of Single Malt Scotch Aberlour is probably best known for the cask strength sherry bomb known as A'Bunadh, which has quite the following and is typically one of the whiskies that others in high-ABV sherried style are always compared to.

About The Label

"The label on our Aberlour bottling features the Mash Tun whisky bar in Aberlour - though who’s that nervous fellow peeking out of the window?"

This is the 6th Batch of Aberlour was bottled released by That Boutique-y Whisky Company in 2018. It was bottled at 9 years old and at 49.7%. 3080 of the company's standard 500ml bottles were made in total. Though you cannot tell by the colour of the whisky alone, this bottling of Aberlour sure looks like it could be a lot less sherried than the official releases we see from the distillery.... Interesting.

For many - myself included - Aberlour is a whisky that is intrinsically tied to the heavily-sherried style. Much like Macallan, Glenfarclas and perhaps now Tamdhu, I am so used to thinking of Aberlour as a sherried whisky that when I see an indie bottle of it that may be matured in a refill or ex-Bourbon casks, I get excited. Could this bottle from That Boutique-y Whisky Company be one of those that shows us the whisky in a different light? It is time to pour a glass and find out!

So, could this be a naked Aberlour stripped of its sherried clothing? Let's find out!

That Boutique-y Whisky Company Aberlour Batch 6 - 9 Year Old - 49.7%

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: I do get some sherry influence here along with caramel popcorn, banana flambe, apple crumble and lightly roasted coffee beans.

Palate: Very creamy with some spice as well as Orange Tic-Tacs, lemon sponge cake, creme brulee, lychee, coconut water, and tingly ginger.

Finish: Spicy and sweet with lingering creaminess.

Comment: Some sherry, but my guess is refill casks. A nice, lighter showing of Aberlour.

Cheers,
Evan
evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com
Twitter and Instagram: @sagelikefool

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KWM 2021 Whisky Calendar Day 18: Old Pulteney 12 Year Old

Posted on November 27, 2023

by Evan

The days keep rolling on by. Just like that and we are all of the sudden on the eighteenth window for the 2021 KWM Whisky Calendar. How did that happen? Where did the time go? Your guess is as good as mine. The only thing I am certain about is that today we are going to be tasting the Old Pulteney 12-Year-Old!

For a long time, one of the factoids that you could bring up about Old Pulteney was that it was made at the most northern distillery on the mainland of Scotland. That title was taken from it back in January of 2013 when Wolfburn Distillery began producing spirit. Pulteney Distillery resides in the town of Wick, right on the coast of the Western Highlands, just south of the Orkney Islands. Its nearest neighbours include the aforementioned Wolfburn, which is around a 40-minute drive to the north and west in Thurso. Beyond that and further north on the Orkney Islands itself - Highland Park and Scapa. Clynelish Distillery is a one-hour drive south along the A9 and the Eastern Coast of Scotland.

Pulteney Distillery was founded in 1826, and other than a 21-year closure from 1930 to 1951 it has spent most of it history in production.It is currently owned by Inver House Distillers / Thai Beverages PLC, which also owns the two other Highland distilleries: Knockdhu (bottled under the name anCnoc) and Balblair. The company also owns Speyburn Distillery and Balmenach Distillery (which makes Caorunn Gin) within the Speyside region.

Dubbed on the label as "The Maritime Malt", Old Pultney whisky typically shows a good amount of coastal influence but is unpeated. For me, this combination makes it a fun whisky to introduce to people who say they want a "Speyside Malt". Getting that salty, seaside experience in a whisky without any of that dirty peat can be an epiphany to some people. It can be easy to assume that you can't make a coastal whisky without it being smoky at the same time if you are still new to Scotch Whisky and not used to the different styles available. To me, the saltiness of Old Pulteney malts is a welcome bit of nuance that helps bring out the flavours in its lighter spirit.

The Old Pulteney line of Single Malts includes this 12 Year Old that we will be tasting today as well as a 15 Year, 18 Year and 25 Year old plus the vintage Flotilla, and the Huddart, which is finished in ex-Islay whisky casks to give it a touch of smoke and peat.

Old Pulteney 12-Year-Old - 40%

This is the flagship bottling of the Old Pulteney range of Single Malts. it is matured in ex-Bourbon Casks.

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: Salted toffee, honey, freshly cut apple slices, and pear pie with a graham cracker and cinnamon crumble on top.

Palate: Honey roasted almonds, sweet oatcakes, dried apple chips, salted macadamia nuts, and a micro...

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KWM 2021 Whisky Calendar Day 17: Port Askaig 100 Proof

Posted on December 4, 2023

by Evan

It has been a few days since we have headed to Islay. Since the Kilchoman KWM Mezcal Cask which we tasted on Day Ten to be exact. So, why don't we head back there now? For Day 17 we are featuring the Port Askaig 100 Proof Islay Single Malt!

For many of us who have made the pilgrimage to Islay, Port Askaig is where we the ferry landing where we disembarked from the CalMac Ferry and went off to explore the rest of the island. Port Askaig is on the east coast, on the Sound of Islay. East of the Town and about 1 KM across the Sound is the Isle of Jura. Distillery-wise, Caol Ila is closest to the town and ferry landing and is about a five-minute drive to the North. The new Ardnahoe Distillery and Bunnahabhain Distillery to the north are also within seven and twelve minutes by car, respectively. While the Port has been used for hundreds of years as on of the main berths between Islay and Jura as well as the Scottish Mainland, the town at the port itself only consists of a handful of houses, a hotel, a gas station and a shop or two.

Named after the village of Port Askaig itself, the Port Askaig Islay Single Malt label is owned by Elixir Distillers. The company also owns a few other brands you may have heard of, including The Elements Of Islay, The Single Malts Of Scotland, The Whisky Trail, and The Black Tot Rum brand. Over the past three or so years, Elixir has become one of our most trusted partners and go-to indie bottlers for sourcing single casks to be bottled for our store. Thanks to their supply and trust in us, we have been incredibly lucky to select and sell our own casks under their Single Malts of Scotland label including a Caol Ila, a Clynelish, a Ben Nevis, and multiple casks from the closed and demolished Imperial Distillery during this time. The first label that was released in Canada belonging to Elixir was Port Askaig, so it is exciting for us to be able to showcase it in our 2021 KWM Whisky Calendar.

The main range of the Port Askaig lineup consists of the 8-Year-Old, the 100 Proof we are tasting today, and limited runs of older whisky including a 12-Year-Old, 15-Year-Old, 19-Year-Old 25-Year-Old, 28-Year-Old, 34-Year-Old and 45-Year-Old. Many of these small batches have long since sold out, but we will hopefully see more bottlings in the future. Though it is a line of mystery Islay single malts and the source of each batch of Port Askaig is not usually disclosed, much of the whiskies bottled under the label are reputed to come from the Caol Ila distillery, Not all of them are likely Caol Ila, though. Other distilleries that have possibly been bottled under the Port Askaig name include Bunnahabhain and Laphroaig.

If like me, you are a fan of peated whisky in general and Islay whisky itself, you are living in a period full of options to choose from. The amount of peated Single Malt...

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KWM 2021 Whisky Calendar Day 16: Ardnamurchan Single Malt AD 01.21:01

Posted on December 16, 2021

by Evan

I am very excited for our dram for Day Sixteen of the 2021 KWM Whisky Calendar because it is coming from a young distillery that I honestly haven't tasted much from. Today, we present the Ardnamurchan Single Malt AD 01.21:01 in mini bottle form!

Ardnamurchan Distillery is located in the Western Highlands on the west coast. It is about a four-hour drive north and west from Glasgow along the A82 and a bit over a three-hour drive south and west from Inverness on the same road. Fort William is also an hour and a half drive away. The distillery takes its name from the Peninsula it resides on just to the north of the Isle of Mull.

Its nearest distillery neighbours include another new distillery called Nc'nean to the south across where Loch Sunart meets the sea and Tobermory Distillery is a ferry ride away on the Isle of Mull. Though both of these distilleries are geographically nearby, they both would take at least an hour and a half to get to from Ardnamurchan because it is fairly remote and you either have to traverse the waterways between it and other destinations.

The remote distillery is owned by the Independent bottler Adelphi. Adelphi made the decision we have seen other indie bottlers make over the past few decades in building a distillery, putting them on a list of bottlers and distillery owners that includes the likes of Cadenhead, Gordon & MacPhail, Signatory, Hunter Laing, Douglas Laing and I am sure more that are just not coming to my mind right now. The reason for this diversification is to ensure that they always have something to bottle of their own if they suddenly are not able to buy stock from other suppliers. It also gives them stock that they can potentially trade with other distillers if they wish to.

Adelphi started planning on Ardnamurchan back in 2007, though the distillery was not built and in production until seven years later in 2014. Thanks to Adelphi having their independent bottlings, they were able to take a bit more time to get things running the way they wanted at Ardnamurchan and have not had as much pressure as young distilleries often have to produce and sell gin and get that first whisky out the door ASAP in order to start recouping costs. However, they have been excited to share Ardnamurchan with the rest of the world so we have seen a few releases of barrel-rested spirit that was too young to be called whisky over the past few years.

Thanks to steady finances and patient owners, Ardnamurchan is able to push fermentation time longer than many distilleries to between 72 and 96 hours - a big difference between the typical 50-60 hours seen at many distilleries. It allowed Ardnamurchan to take more time in maturing their first single malt release which launched on September 30th of 2020, more than six years after they opened. According to Adelphi, they have over 1...

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