Bruichladdich Black Art 6.1
$354.99
Adam Hannet's 2nd turn at the Dark Whisky Arts, crafting the 6th release in the Bruichladdich "Black Arts" series. Distilled in 1990 and bottled after 26 years at 46.9%. As always with the Black Arts, the casks used are a closely guarded secret, but almost certainly include a high proportion of wine casks.
Distiller’s Description: “A cryptic composition of casks, the legendary Bruichladdich Black Art reaches its sixth edition. This unpeated single malt has undergone a parallel journey with our head distiller, Adam. Having worked closely with these casks in his early days in the warehouses, under the guidance of then Master Distiller Jim McEwan, Adam has had the honour of learning and developing alongside this spirit. The substantial task of hand-selecting and blending our very best spirit now falls to him alone.”
Distiller's Tasting Note
Character: Like its predecessors, this expression of Black Art will take you on a spiritual journey.
Nose: There is a huge depth and richness on initial nosing. Roll the glass through your fingers to rouse the aromas and rich, black charred oak with blackberry jam, dark chocolate, raisin, plum, elderberry and apple appear. Notes of marzipan and lemon meringue pie give sweetness and tell of the Bruichladdich DNA working with the casks. Cedar wood and brown sugar come through as the whisky opens.
Taste: The richness and vitality of the oak and the fruit is astounding. The soft orchard fruit of the spirit comes through after opening a little, sitting beautifully alongside fragrant vanilla custard. Sip again and taste the dark fruits; date, fig, raisin and chocolate, crystallised ginger and floral red rose. Impossible to define as a particular style this dram twists and changes constantly, each layer revealed adds to the mystery of how this whisky was created. Layers of honeycomb, soft fruit, praline, tobacco coconut and a sublime texture tell of its class.
Mood: There may never be an understanding of how this whisky was created but tasting it and understanding why is more important. To compare and compartmentalise this exceptionally rare and unique dram is to miss the point of a whisky that is the essence of the distiller’s instinct, passion and experience. If you must ask, you will never know.
Finish: Chocolate, apricot, pineapple, classic exotic fruits from well-aged Bruichladdich tell of the quality and balance of oak and spirit. The oak speaks of its quality now with brown sugar, ginger nut biscuits, toffee, orange scented caramel and a velvet tobacco finish.
Bruichladdich Octomore 9.3
$159.99
The Octomore 9.3 was produced from barley grown on "Irene's field on Octomore farm", peated to 133 parts per million and was matured predominantly in refill ex-Bourbon casks. Bottled at 62.9%.
Producer Description
"Just 52 tonnes of precious Islay barley were malted to produce this single farm Octomore 09.3 edition. Raised in Irene’s Field on Octomore Farm in 2011, this uber-provenance single malt was later distilled and filled into 134 casks. Predominantly second-fill, the gentler influence of the wood allows more of the locally grown barley flavours to cut through the legendary peat smoke."
Distiller's Tasting Note
Character: Wild, Ileach, if this whisky could speak it would only speak in Gaelic. Atlantic coast raised. Out on the edge, the sense of place is strong.
Aroma: Malted barley, Horlicks, the smell of the mash going into the mashtun. Heather wildfire, black tea, golden syrup, lemon sponge.
Taste: Golden syrup in the tin, smoked tea, wort, malted barley, pear, peach melba. Sea spray, heather flowers.
Finish: Smoke, toasted oak, rye bread, salt, ozone.
Cadenhead Small Batch Dailuaine 2004
$71.49
Dailuaine. We love to champion the underdog, but only when the whisky is worthwhile. Hence the reason why we bought an entire bespoke barrel of 2004 Dailuaine from the good folks at Cadenhead. When we found a second 2004 Dailuaine to partner up to our own cask we were delighted. Sadly, we've run down to just the last coupledozen of our own release. But maybe sadder still is the fact that we only have a handful of these ones left at the time of writing as well. With prices like these, it's worth nabbing one of each to do a proper head-to-head.
Oh, yeah...did I mention that most of the distillery's output disappears into blends? It's a bit of a treat to find distilleries like this served up in small batch and single cask form.
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: Pineapple, gooseberries and quite floral. Orange blossom water and freshly baked scones.
Flavour: Soft butterscotch, lemon and lime along with butter icing and toasted almonds. Hints of cracked black pepper, strawberries and clotted cream.
Finish: Bigger than expected, with beeswax, spearmint and green tea.
46% ABV
Cadenhead Small Batch Teaninich 2006
$83.99
Teaninich is one of the true sleeper distilleries. It's a giant in terms of production figures, but a ghost when it comes to being made available as a single malt. Even our mate Serge over at Whiskyfun has only reviewed a few dozen (all but four of them through independent bottlers). There's a simple reason for this. Blended whisky still makes up of the lion's share of Scotland's production, so by nature some distilleries' output is going to be almost entirely earmarked as little more than 'an ingredient' in the blender's recipe book. Sad, but true. But this is where we tip our hat to the independents... 87pts Whisky Fun.
In recent years we've seen more and more utterly spectacular Teaninichs hit the market. And when you combine a consistently excellent distillery with one of Scotland's finest (and oldest!) indie bottlers - Cadenhead - the results are bound to be brilliant.
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: Very sweet, buttered popcorn followed by a hint of citrus and fresh green apples
Flavour: Toffee ice cream, barley sugars and cereals.
Finish: Burnt sugar, coffee beans and icing sugar.
450 bottles from two Bourbon Hogsheads. 55.2% abv
Tasting Note (Serge, Whiskyfun)
Nose: lemon in porridge, plus ink and new magazines. The new IKEA catalogue. With water: gravel, coal pit, herbs, paper pulp. Mouth (neat): perfect. A blade, with barley syrup, lemon juice, paraffin, and grass. Not many elements, but the balance is perfect. With water: wonderfully straight. Finish: long, grassy, austere in a good way. Chalky sauvignon (don’t Cadenhead order sauvignon blanc in bulk? But shh… ) Comments: a tad minimal, but perfect. In a way, this is what I would expect from Japanese whisky. 87 points.
Cadenhead Small Batch Glen Spey 1995
$146.99
Exclusive to KWM, a 22 year old Glen Spey, matured in Hogsheads and bottled at 57.9%.
Producer Tasting Note
Nose: grassy notes and porridge move to vanilla pods.
Palate: Quite peppery. Grassy notes continue before grapefruit comes through.
Finish: Long and zesty with lemongrass.
Cadenhead Small Batch Aultmore 1997
$184.99
A 20 year old single cask of Aultmore, bottled at 51.8% from two Hogshead casks. Exclusive to KWM in Canada.
Producer's Tasting Note
Nose: ginger, peaches and cream, freshly cut grass, tarragon.
Palate: bung cloth, lemon zest, coriander, black pepper.
Finish: all spice, golden syrup, honey then some citrus notes.
85pts Whisky Fun
"This new baby from two bourbon HHDs. That would be hogsheads. Colour: pale gold. Nose: as often with William Cadenhead, we’re closer to the distillate. Not that I could tell my Aultmore from any other ‘regular’ Speysiders, but his has more earthy strawberries, bubblegum, ripe pears and apples, and just sweets. With water: barley, mud, hessian, old cloth. In short, Nature. Mouth (neat): ah very good, bright, fruity, not void of any depth, with a feeling of IPA beer and good green tea. In the background, orange drops. With water: really very good. Good maltiness, good citrusy fruits, good beer. Finish: same. Gets a little grassier, which is totally normal. Comments: couldn’t write a whole essay about this little baby, but I find it very good. SGP:551 - 85 points."
Cadenhead Small Batch Benrinnes 1997
$184.49
A 1997 vintage marriage of 3 ex-Bourbon Barrels, bottled after 20 years at 54.0%.
Cadenhead Small Batch Linkwood 1997
$187.99
Bottled at 53.7%, this 20 year old Linkwood is a steal at just under $200. We are hardly seeing any Linkwood these days, and that which we do can be very pricey. Luckily this bottle bucks that trend! From 2x ex-Bourbon Hogsheads that produced 444 bottles, only 24 of which came to Canada, exclusively to KWM.
Producer's Tasting Note
Nose: Lemon curd followed by strawberry jam and apple pie.
Palate: Black peppercorn, cinnamon sticks and butterscotch
Finish: More cinnamon with coriander and toasted white bread
86pts @WhiskyFun.org: "Colour: straw. Nose: starts rather fruity, with marshmallows and candyfloss, then we have the expected custard and sweet barley, and then rather melons and peaches, topped with light acacia honey. With water: it’s the custard that’s coming to the front of the stage. Mouth (neat): simply very good. Hops, barley, more marshmallows, vanilla, melons, rather pears than apples, a touch of sour dough, and a growing lemonness. Simply impeccable, if not totally unforgettable. With water: rounder, sweeter. Barley water and IPA. Finish: medium, very pleasantly ale-y, although I’m not specialist. Sweet malt. Comments: super good, goes down very well, does the job to perfection. SGP:541 - 86 points."
Cadenhead Small Batch Tullibardine 1993
$157.49
When the distillery was first launched as a single malt in the mid 2000s, the 1993s were some of the most interesting whiskies. This Cadenhead Small Batch bottling, exclusive to KWM, has been bottled after 24 years at 43.6% after maturing in 2x ex-Bourbon Hogsheads.
Producer’s Tasting Note
Nose: coconut oil, pear drops, butter scotch, milk chocolatey mice, cubed pineapple.
Palate: syrupy, dried bananas, apricots, oranges, ginger.
Finish: shortbread, caramel, milk chocolate, rice pudding, white grapes.
85pts Whisky Fun
"In theory, that would be two hoggies. Pass the yack butter please! Colour: white wine. Nose: I have to say you get accustomed to Tullibardine, to these notes of carbon paper, of English vanilla yoghurt (with all the stuff they add), of engine oil, of custard, of new sneakers… Now this one’s rather gentler than others, it’s almost civilised, I would say. Mouth: very good, and pretty ‘craft’. Porridge, pumpernickel, leaven, turmeric, beetroots, agave syrup (indeed it’s getting pretty sweet), then ginger and ginseng, which ought to come from the wood. The thing is, I’d have said this is 5 years old, should I have tried it blind. Finish: medium, very bready, pretty fermentary/yeasty, and quite spicy. Ginger again. Comments: really odd, if you remember that this is some 24 years old Scottish single malt, but just imagine this is some 3 years old German whisky, and presto, a very high score! Ha, tasting dynamics… What’s sure is that Tullibardine’s back big time, but also that that’s almost 100% thanks to the indies (and probably one particular broker)."