Kilchoman 2009 100 % Islay The 9th Edition 9 yo

 

 

 

50°

Distillery : Kilchoman - Islay 

1st Fill and Refill Bourbon Casks 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2019

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured 

Peated around 20 ppm

Since 2011, Kilchoman has been offering this annual limited edition made entirely on Islay, from harvesting to bottling. Each time, it is aged in bourbon casks and less peated than the distillery's other products. This batch contains 12,000 bottles.

Let's Taste It : 

On the nose, cereals and peat, wheat, barley, millet. Add to that light vanilla, meringue and chantilly, genoise and just a hint of lemon. Wheat, sunshine, orchard fruits, ripe apple, crispy pear, peach. Pleasant palate with white fruits, plums, grapes, mirabelles. Very discreet peat, friendly spices, paprika, cardamom and ginger. The finish is a little aggressive, earthy, coaly and stony. Quite long, though. Quince and orange jam in retro-olfaction. 

In Short, 

It's amazing how similar it is to Bruichladdich Islay Barley, with the added peat. And more prominent bourbon casks. However, I think I prefer Islay Barley, which has more cereals, and is also cheaper, I think.

Score : 85

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                                     Blondie - Heart of Glass

Machrie Moor Cask Strength The Peated Arran Malt

 

 

 

56,2°

Distillery : Lochranza, Isle of Arran - Islands

Ex-Bourbon Casks 

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 2018

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 20 ppm

After 4 limited annual editions of this Machrie Moor Cask Strength, Isle of Arran has decided to release it as part of its permanent range. As a result, I'm not sure it is still cask strength.

Let's Taste It : 

Granular peat, gravel, tar, coal. A bit sticky, vegetal. Marshes, mud, reeds. Something tropical. Humus. Forest humidity. Fruits behind, rather discreet. Apples, pears and honey. Nice palate, with vanilla and custard. A hint of lemon, counterbalanced by the thick peat. Fairly rich spices. But the finish is average, kind of short and lacking explosiveness, which is a bit of a shame for a cask strength, which is what we came for. Cola, earth, chocolate and coffee.

In Short, 

Not bad at all, for a distillery that doesn't specialise in peat. That said, it's still a long way from Islay, and the finish lacks punch.

Score : 85

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                                     Talking Heads - Psycho Killer

Arran Sherry Cask 7 yo

 

 

 

55,8°

Distillery : Lochranza, Isle of Arran - Islands

1st Fill Sherry Hogsheads 

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 2019

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

Seeking to revive the sherry cask-aged bottlings for which the Isle of Arran was famous when dozens of distilleries flourished there, Isle of Arran is offering this new entry in their usual range, dubbed The Bodega, although it doesn't say so on the bottle, nor does it say how old it is.

Let's Taste It : 

They went all out with the sherry. It's certainly fruity, with apple compote and raisins, meringue pie and cinnamon, quince marmalade, but I find it lacking in depth. It's pleasant on the palate though, very woody, with some spices, paprika, cloves, nutmeg. You can feel that it's quite young, but the damsons and blackcurrants have a field day, as do the tart tatin and lemon cream. The finish is not very long, sandy, paprika and saffron, cranberries, gooseberries.

In Short, 

It's pretty good value for money for a cask strength, and will suit any self-respecting sherry bomb enthusiast. Personally, I didn't like it very much, there was something about the balance between the wood and the sherry that I didn't like.

Score : 85

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                           The B-52's - Love Shack

Edradour 2008 Natural Cask Strength 10 yo

 

 

 

58,7°

Distillery : Edradour - Highlands

1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Casks 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2018

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

As part of the Ibisco Decanter Series, the distillery regularly releases cask strength bottlings, matured in either sherry or bourbon. This edition, launched in early 2019, is produced in a limited edition of 680 bottles.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Very good balance between vanilla, red fruits and wood. Robust wood covered in splinters, light red fruits, wild strawberries, damsons, but above all intense vanilla, candied, glazed in sugar, accompanied by lemon and other citrus fruits. The palate is similar, leaving the spotlight on the vanilla. Very good finish, pleasant and long enough, once again fruity and woody, more pastry-like, with genoise and caramel. A touch of dry earth and nuts at the end.

 

In Short, 

It is, of course, very friendly and appetising. That said, I find the bourbon casks a little too intrusive and make the whole a bit monochrome, although very pleasant. 

Score : 86

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                                     Scarlet Pleasure - What a Life

Scallywag The Red-Nosed Reinder Edition 3 12 yo

 

 

 

48°

Distillery : Mortlach, Macallan, Glenrothes - Speyside

Sherry Casks

Independent Bottling 

By Douglas Laing & Co. 

Limited Edition 

Blended Malt 

Bottled in 2018

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

As part of the Remarkable Regional Malts range, Scallywag is the bottling that pays tribute to Speyside whiskies, with a blend of Mortlach, Macallan, Glenrothes and surely other distilleries. The very limited edition The Red-Nosed Reinder was released in three batches, in 2016, 2017 and 2018. This one is the 3rd and final batch, of which only 450 bottles were sold. This is the Scallywag, but aged for 12 years and aged only in sherry casks. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The very tasty, very fine sherry is the first thing that stands out. Bright red fruits, raspberry, gooseberry, strawberry, a woody, slightly spicy flavour, freshly cut leather, quince jam and mirabelles in the background. I thought I smelled a hint of smoke but I may have been wrong. Still sherried on the palate, but softer, with a few yellow plums and cereals. Very long finish, dry earth and lignite, with something reminiscent of iodine and the sea.

 

In Short, 

The sherry is superb, great for connoisseurs, but it seemed to me that it was so intense that it hid the Speyside hallmarks. As a result, I'm not sure that this bottling fulfils its mission of paying tribute to this region. It is still very pleasant to drink though.

Score : 86

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                                    Pulp - Common People

Ardmore 1997 Old Particular 21 yo

 

 

 

51,5°

Distillery : Ardmore - Highlands

Refill Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By Douglas Laing & Co.

Limited Edition 

Single Cask

Bottled in 2018

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 12 ppm

 

 

 

The Old Particular range offers only vintage Single Casks, reduced to either 48.4° or 51.5°, or cask strength. Only 295 bottles of this limited edition have been released.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

A fresh, invigorating, iodised, maritime nose. The beach at low tide. A few pebbles. Citrus fruits, lemon, grapefruit. Moss, a hint of peat. A foresty character settles in. Holly, undergrowth, heather. On the palate, coarse salt, white fruits, juicy apple, grapes, vanilla and orange peel. Mirabelle plum. Not very disturbing spices. Unfortunately, the finish is not up to scratch, too short I think. There's still a touch of charcoal and a pinch of earth. It is reasonably woody.

 

In Short, 

I would have really liked it if the finish had been as remarkable as the nose and the palate. It's a shame, but there are some very satisfying elements in this bottling.

Score : 86

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                                     Baxter Dury - Cocaine Man

Balblair 18 yo

 

 

 

46° 

Distillery : Balblair - Highlands

Ex-Bourbon Casks and 1st Fill Spanish Oak Butts

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 2019

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

In 2019, the distillery, which until then had only produced vintage editions, is launching a regular range, of which this 18-year-old is the pinnacle.

Let's Taste It : 

Intense vanilla, toffee, white fruits, plums, Italian grapes, with a dash of banana, cereals and liquid honey. Very rich. On the palate, exotic fruits, mango, citrus, mirabelles, grapefruit, papaya, passion fruit. A lemon zest. Ginger and turmeric. An ounce of charcoal and wood to flesh it all out. Varnish. Very long finish, on cola, nuts, peanuts and a few discreet spices. Nutmeg, cloves. Macadamia nuts, cocoa powder. Rich and deep earth. Heather.

Bref, 

It's really nice, with a great variety of fruits. However, it fails to reach the level of excellence usually expected from an 18-year-old.

Note : 86

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                                    The Divine Comedy - A Lady of a Certain Age

Peated Cask Matured Blended Malt Scotch Whisky The Classic Range

 

 

 

44,2°

Distillery :  The Ardmore, Laphroaig - Highlands, Islay

Small Batch Bourbon Casks

Independent Bottling 

By Berry Bros. & Rudd

Core Range 

Blended Malt 

Launched in 2018

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

 

 

 

The Classic Range, which includes whiskies from Speyside, Islay and Ireland, also includes a whisky aged in peated casks, which are believed to be Laphroaig casks. The whisky aged in these casks, impregnated with a low phenol content, is thought to be partly Ardmore.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Good damp peat with a medicinal touch, the juice is strongly impregnated by the casks, which is astonishing. Limestone rock, granite, light fruits and sea breeze. Vanilla and honey on the palate, with a light fruitiness and creaminess. Unripe melon, cherry tomatoes, cereals, millet, barley, quinoa. Some floral fragrances. Fairly long finish on charcoal and honey. Puffed rice. Gravel, sand, wheat. A sunny day on a deserted Scottish beach.

 

In Short, 

I liked the contrast between the strength of the peated casks and the lightness of the aromas. That said, I wonder if I've exaggerated the score, given what I've read here and there about this bottling. In any case, it seemed to work for me.

Score : 86

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

                                                     Joe Cocker - With a Little Help From My Friends