Ardbeg 10 Year 50ml
$8.49
One of Scotland's most beloved whiskies, this 10 year old highlights the distillery's peaty provenance. Although technically the most peated full time production whisky in Scotland, the distilleries stills and spirit-purifier gives this malt a softer edge than might be expected. It has been bottled at 46% without colouring or chill-filtering.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: orange and tangerine with French bakery notes and chewy peated malt; honeyed and fruity, some licorice and candied fennel emerge; then sweet smoke and salted caramel.
Palate: sweet, fruity and very smoky; the chewy peated malt dances with more salted caramel while the more delicate fruit notes are left at the edges of the room to watch; becomes peatier and earthier with the dark spices emerging on the second and third sip; coming in waves it softens and settles down becoming creamier and more fruity.
Finish: long, coating, salty and smoky; the malty notes linger as the palate dries with the fruits and caramel fading first.
Comment: the nose belies and understates the prominence of the peat and salt on the palate; this is a benchmark whisky that never disappoints; now if only we could see the return of an older incarnation!
Distillery's Tasting Note
Nose: A burst of intense smoky fruit escapes into the atmosphere – peat infused with zesty lemon and lime, wrapped in waxy dark chocolate. Bold menthol and black pepper slice through the sweet smoke followed by tarry ropes and graphite. As you dip your nose in further, savour the aroma of smoked fish and crispy bacon alongside green bell peppers, baked pineapple and pear juice.
Palate: An explosion of crackling peat sets off millions of flavour explosions on the tongue: peat effervesces with tangy lemon and lime juice, black pepper pops with sizzling cinnamon-spiced toffee. This is followed by a wave of brine infused with smooth buttermilk, ripe bananas and currants. Smoke gradually wells up on the palate bringing a mouthful of warm creamy cappuccino and toasted marshmallows. As the taste lengthens and deepens, dry espresso, liquorice root and tarry smoke develop coating the palate with chewy peat oils.
Finish: The finish goes on and on – long and smoky with tarry espresso, aniseed, toasted almonds and traces of soft barley and fresh pear.
Benriach 10 Year Curiositas 50ml
$9.99
Not all peated whiskies are from Islay, this peated Speysider is the classic example of this. Bottled at 46% wihtout colouring or chillfiltering, it is honeyed, malty and ashy. A tremendous bang for your buck!
Benriach est. 1897 was long referred to as Longmorn no.2; hidden in the shadow of its sister distillery. For 65yrs beginning in 1902 the distillery produced no whisky but was kept open to malt barley for Longmorn. This Benriach is of the heavily peated variety 1st distilled in 1983.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: honey, ash and malt leap out of the glass with crisp citrus and melon; toasty oak and dried cranberries also develop with a freshly opened pack of tennis balls.
Palate: the ash hits first with some baked apple and poached pear, the citrus is still there, but so is the whiff of a fresh tennis ball; very malty with building smoke, spices, melon and honey; dark muddy peat emerges over time with clove and Dutch licorice.
Finish: long, malty and honeyed with the fading ashy embers of peat fires.
Comment: if you didn't know any better you'd swear this whisky was an Ileach!
Advent Calendar Whisky CBGKSG
$6.29
Advent Calendar Whisky TISM
$7.19
This single malt is produced from the legacy stock the family took after selling their first distillery, Cooley, to Beam Global (now Beam Suntory). The whisky has no age statement, but consists of whiskies of different ages, the oldest of which were laid down into oak in 1991. The whisky is matured in American oak but finished in five different wine casks: (Sherry, Port, Madeira, White Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon). The whisky is bottled at 46% without colouring or chillfiltering.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: clotted cream of fresh baked scones and vanilla icing sugars; white fruits and citrus, toasty and honeyed with almonds.
Palate: creamy and very honeyed, more clotted cream on scones and vanilla icing on white cupcakes; still toasty, a touch of white pepper, more citrus and white fruits with some honeydew melon; soft and malty with a hint of licorice and dark fruits.
Finish: long, malty citric and sweet.
Comment: a very pleasant malt, youthful but complex and eminently drinkable.
Distiller's Tasting Note
Nose: Vibrant with notes of melon, figs, toffee and lemon.
Taste: A balance mix of dry fruits, citrus, vanilla, spice and cloves.
Finish: Long with sweetness in harmony with dry tannins from the wood.
Glenfarclas 21 50ml
$18.99
Established in 1836, this family owned distillery has remained independent for over 160 yrs. Benefitting from the cold, clear springs of the Ben Rinnes river, this distinctly traditional Speyside malt is well known for its mellow flavor, and is made in batches rather than continuously to ensure high quality standards. Considered by connoisseurs to be among the best Speysiders available. Bottled at 43% ABV.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: buttery, fruity and elegant all at once; I used to think that it was like a warm blueberry pie right out of the oven, but it is more like butterscotch pudding or sticky toffee pudding drowning in cream; some soft leather, spices and dark fruits--truly a lot going on.
Palate: rich, fruity and spicy; still very buttery, and while I can still taste blueberries it is more like wholewheat blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and a side of thick sliced bacon; leather, tobacco, dark fruits and spices develop.
Finish: very long, coating, pleasant and elegant.
Comment: this was one of my favourite malts when I just started in the industry 14 years ago, and it still holds up today!
Evan's Tasting Note
Nose: Rich, yet soft and refined in style. Toffee and honey, dates, golden raisins and dried apricots, a touch of leather and pipe tobacco, light waxy notes, buttery shortbread, pralines, and toast with marmalade.
Palate: Smooth and balanced on the palate with a dash of warming spices. Figs, Clementines, apricot jam, apple cider, Jammie Dodgers, almonds and roasted walnuts, milk chocolate, and fruit leather.
Finish: Silky smooth on the lengthy finish and just very slightly drying. The dried fruit, soft honey and nut notes stick around for a while.
Comment: As always, this a dangerously easy drinker. The tinge of spice and dryness on the finish just leaves you wanting more. This is a perennially well put-together whisky and belongs in every cupboard.
Kavalan Bourbon 46% - 50mL Mini
$14.99
No longer available in full size bottles! The Kavalan Ex-Bourbon Oak 46% was introduced to give the distillery a whisky at a lower price point, that retained the quality and depth of the Solist single cask, cask strength range. This whisky is very honeyed, creamy and smooth with lots of toasted oak.
Andrew’s Tasting Note
Nose: thick cream, polished new leather shoes, French perfume and Jujubes; soft melon and gentle orange notes; marzipan and almond paste filled croissants.
Palate: creamy, round and velvety; loads cultured butter, more French perfume, Jujubes and Wine Gums; loads of citrus, soft melon, some pineapple and homey.
Finish: light, clean and honeyed; more Jujubes, Wine Gums, soft fruits and creamy buttery notes.
Comment: this is a very pleasant malt, lots of great character… but it doesn’t hold a candle to the Solist Bourbon, so you might as well go all in!
From the Producer: "Kavalan ex-Bourbon Oak single malt whisky is purposely reduced in strength from our already popular Solist ex-Bourbon expression with Kavalan spring water to 46% abv. This new release may not be a single cask strength whisky, it nevertheless retains all the essential qualities of Kavalan ex-bourbon single malt. With the combination of Kavalan natural water, Kavalan ex-Bourbon Oak is incredibly smooth with soft sweetness lingering over unique flavours. Kavalan ex-Bourbon Oak is easy to drink and could be a perfect malt whisky to share with friends and family on most occasions."
Stronachie 18 Year 50ml
$14.99
This is a 50mL mini bottle of the regular-sized Stronachie 18 year old.
A recreation of a long lost distillery's single malt. Sourced from the Benrinnes distillery, from whom we see very few bottlings (including independents), Matured in Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry and bottled at 46%.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: very doughy and creamy, fruit flan and freshly peeled green bananas; soft and floral with gentle malt and juicy Mandarin oranges; white chocolate and beeswax candles.
Palate: round, creamy, fruity and malty with building spice; the floral tones are still there with a very faint edge of oak; the American oak has left the whisky with loads of cream, vanilla and more waxy honey; the sherry has added to this a touch of leather, crisp spice and some darker fruits; more fruit flan, green bananas and some pineapple.
Finish: big honeyed and malty, it lasts long with the fruits slowly and quietly reemerging and the oak pulls back.
Comment: good value for an 18 year old single malt, especially a pleasant one!
Glendronach Classic 3x50ml Gift Pack
$34.99
Ardbeg Uigeadail 50ml
$14.99
This Ardbeg, pronounced (pronounced ‘Oog-a-dal’), is a mariage of ex-Bourbon and ex-sherry casks. It takes it's name from the mysterious Loch that also happens to be Ardbeg Distillery's water source. It is bottled at 54.2%, but is still very approachable and savoury with the melding of sherry notes to Ardbeg's classic style.
Andrew's Tasting Note - Sampled for Whisky Advent 2016
Nose: salty Dutch licorice, coal fired kitchen stove, burnt bacon dripped in maple syrup and seared dates and figs; big dark chocolate with cayenne spice, cinnamon hearts and raw new leather.
Palate: very big, bold, fruity and chewy; smooth smoke drifting over plump wet malted barley; rich spices emerge: fennel, clove and anise leading the way to firm oily peat and Cuban cigar smoke; candied fruits and Christmas cake with bacon infused spicy dark chocolate; underneath the whisky's bold outer shell are soft fruits: orange, melon, banana and mango; the salt and smoke come back as the whisky comes full circle.
Finish: big, long, oily and coating; more juicy malt, coal smoke fading in and out of earthy peat; the fruits, chocolate and bacon notes are all there too.
Comment: this whisky changes a little from batch to batch; once named World Whisky of the Year by he who shall not be named; but vary as it does, it never disappoints: always sherried, peaty and meaty, and who doesn't love that!