Ardbeg 2007 Arrrrrrrdbeg! Committee Release

 

 

 

51,8°

Distillery : Ardbeg - Islay

Ex-Rye Casks

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 54 ppm

 

 

 

This is a somewhat unexpected committee release that took place in January 2021, a NAS aged in rye whisky casks. It's a tribute to Mickey Heads, the distillery's managing director, whose face appears on the label, dressed in a pirate costume. He left the company after 13 years of loyal service, and this bottle was offered to him as a farewell gift. The whisky was distilled in 2007, the year Mickey Heads took up his post.

Let's Taste It : 

Fruity iodine. I don't know whether it's pineapple or greengage, mirabelle or banana, or perhaps all of these at once. The cereals grow behind, rye or barley? I can tell that it's sweet, fresh, pastoral, with hints of young wood, bread dough, yeast, sage leaf, loukoum. The smoke appears at last, rather light, seeking to harmonise rather than impose itself, unusual for Ardbeg. Chouquettes, bread crust, white crumb. Flour. The addition of water brings out a dash of vanilla. Still cereal, puffed wheat, popcorn. Laurel. On the palate, white fruits, plum, very pleasant, light spices, curry, turmeric, ras el hanout, then a few grains of salt. Beautiful finish, which seems to climb to the top of a tree, first the bark, then the branches, the leaves, finally hazelnuts, acorns, nuts. Coal and earth, of course, as well as a bit of cola. Appropriately long, without being overwhelming. Soda. Lemonade.

 

In Short, 

A good Committee Release, if you ask me. Wonderful balance. On the other hand, maturation in Rye Whiskey casks erases the character of the distillate a bit, you can barely feel the peat. Well, obviously, it's far too expensive for what it is, but it's already worth more than a few of CR's other bottlings, almost all of them over the last four years, I must say.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Wintersun - Time

Glenrothes 2009 Premier Barrel 10 yo

 

 

 

46° 

Distillery : Glenrothes - Speyside

Refill Sherry Hoghshead

Independent Bottling 

By Douglas Laing é Co. 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

In Douglas Laing & Co's Premier Barrel range, this Glenrothes from a single cask produced 411 bottles. The bottle is distinctive in that it is made of ceramic.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Beautiful breadth on the nose, with iodine and vanilla, it's intense but also mellow and pleasant. Slight minerality, fine sea salt, granite. A whiff of butter. The dried fruits are rare, the Sherry is very discreet, but they give an appreciable thickness. Continues on the palate, with candied vanilla, chalky rock and discreet dried fruits that add character. The finish is fairly long, salty, dry earth, charcoal, lacquered wood. Nevertheless, it lacks a little power.

 

In Short, 

Very nice bottling, to be enjoyed in a cool, cosy place. On the other hand, I almost didn't smell the sherry, but maybe that's just me. And the price is totally exaggerated.

Score : 86   

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping  :

 

                                           Cigarettes After Sex - Apocalypse

Kilchoman 2012 Loch Gorm 2021

 

 

 

46°

Distillery : Kilchoman - Islay 

Oloroso Sherry Butts

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured 

Peated around 50 ppm

The first edition of Kilchoman Loch Gorm dates back to 2013. The idea was to produce a whisky aged entirely in sherry casks. Every year since then, a new bottling has been launched, and it has always been a great success. This one, the 9th, is a blend of 24 Oloroso casks distilled in 2011 and 2012. 17,000 bottles were put on sale. Loch Gorm is one of the largest lakes on the island of Islay, and serves as the distillery's reservoir.

Let's Taste It :

Rich sherry, full of various fruits, damsons, juicy plums, muscat grapes, blackcurrants, blackberries, peeled tomatoes, all combined with a bewitching smoke, chimney fire, hot ashes, glowing embers, you're in front of the hearth warming your toes. On the palate, the string of fruits continues, it's really very pleasant, you think you're drinking a variety of fruit juices, but with great depth, heather earth, volcanic rock, crumbling coal, lignite. Finally, a very good but not extremely long finish, again successful, with floral hints, wine lees, tannins, damp earth. Very slight hint of bitterness.

 

In Short, 

As good as ever. I am in possession of the 2019 edition and am very pleased with it. It seems to me that this one is even better. Very fruity, with great variety and complexity, without hiding the beautiful peat. However, one downside, the price has gone up again for this edition, when it was already expensive before. How high will it go?

Score : 88

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                          Tash Sultana - Jungle

Kilchoman 2011 100% Islay Oloroso Butt Single Cask 10 yo

 

 

 

57,3°

Distillery : Kilchoman - Islay

Fresh Oloroso Butt 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 20 ppm 

La Maison du Whisky is behind this bottling, selecting this single Oloroso cask from others, to introduce it into the "Conquest" range. The barley used was grown at Rockside Farm on the Isle of Islay.

 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It :

Rich Sherry with red grapes, blackberries and gooseberries, blackcurrants, passion fruit, set with thick, charcoal peat, powerful, racy. Behind, iodine and limestone, beautiful minerality, granite, gypsum, cliffs whipped by the sea breeze. Very fine palate, full of iodine and spices, with damsons and raspberries, ginger, turmeric and chilli. A lovely charred finish, heather earth, ferns, chestnut cream, damp undergrowth. Black berries. Fermented fruits.

 

In Short,

I really liked this one, very fruity, slightly acidic, not forgetting the distillery's hallmarks. On the other hand, the low peat content threw me off a bit, which is probably what prevented me from loving it. And the price is a bit excessive too.

Score : 88 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Olàfur Arnalds - So Far

Scarabus 10 yo

 

 

 

46°

Distillery Officially Unknown - Islay 

Refill Ex-Bourbon and Virgin American Oak Casks

Independent Bottling 

By Hunter Laing & Co. 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured   

Following the success of the Scarabus Islay Single Malt launched the previous year, Hunter Laing has released this Scarabus 10 Year Old in December 2020, accompanied by a Batch Strength edition. The aim is to keep the public waiting for the first juices from the Ardnahoe distillery, owned by Hunter Laing, which will be delivered around 2023. Of course, this whisky is beautifully peated, aged in bourbon casks, not chill-filtered, and we'll pretend we don't know it's Caol Ila.

 

Let's Taste It : 

A drizzle of cold cigar ash, juicy citrus fruits, lemon zest, grapefruit slice, bewitching smoke. Slight hints of the sea, tide, kelp, a bit of foam. Sea breeze. Nice iodine freshness at the end. On the palate, quite light at first, followed by virulent spices, pepper, cumin, nutmeg, all coupled with vanilla, thick peat and lemonade. Coarse salt. Nuts and cashew. Beautiful finish, long, powerful, on rock, slate, a touch of acidity, chalky charcoal. Ginger. Crushed almonds.

 

In Short, 

Some slight imbalances on the nose and palate, but this is very well offset by the finish, which I found excellent. Overall, a coastal and iodised Islay, very nice and full-bodied, lots of ash and not too expensive. It reminded me of Finlaggan Eilean Mor, but this one is riper and more intense. I recommend buying it, but you should know that I found the Batch Strength much better, almost at the same price. 

Score : 86

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          To Be Listend While Sipping :

  

                                          Amber Run - I Found

Kilchoman 2006 Oloroso Hogshead Single Cask 14 yo

 

 

 

54,5°

Distillery : Kilchoman - Islay 

Oloroso Hogshead 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 50 ppm

 

 

 

It is currently one of the oldest Kilchomans, aged 14 years and eight months. Matured in a single Oloroso Sherry Hogshead, 255 bottles were produced. The barley is sourced from the Port Ellen Maltings. Selected by La Maison du Whisky as part of its "Conquête" range, it is sold exclusively in France.

Let's Taste It : 

On the nose, a very pleasant Oloroso, fruity, balanced, sweet and intense. Between the bewitching smoke, the damsons, plums, blackberries, raspberries and a few malty hints, I can't find anything to complain about. On the palate, still very fruity, nuanced, with muscat grapes, gooseberries, wine lees, heather, wood, sandalwood, and of course spices, turmeric, paprika, saffron. Vieille Prune, marinated in a pot of peat. Very good finish, on ash, brown tobacco, wet earth, cola, tree bark.

In Short, 

This is without doubt the best Kilchoman I have tasted, very rich, simply beautiful, deep, subtle and nuanced, and at the same time with a beautiful intense peat. Just perfect. Unfortunately, the price, once again excessive, prevents an enthusiastic purchase.

Score : 89

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                           Foals - Neptune

Kilchoman 2011 100% Islay The 11th Edition 9 yo

 

 

 

50°

Distillery : Kilchoman - Islay 

Bourbon Barrels and Oloroso Sherry Butts

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured  

Peated around 20 ppm

Every year since 2011, a limited edition has been released, made entirely on Islay, and more specifically in the distillery itself, from the harvesting of the barley to bottling. That's why it says Single Farm Whisky on the bottle, not Single Malt. The peat is not as present as usual, and the cereals are much more insistent. Here we have a blend of 26 different casks, with 60% Bourbon and 40% Sherry. The distillation dates range from 2007 to 2011, with the youngest whisky being 9 years old. 12,000 bottles have been distributed.

Let's Taste It : 

Sweet, cereal, earthy nose, with the peat more discreet and country-like. Toasted wheat, puffed rice, hot corn. Roots still moist with earth. Ginger. Vanilla and white fruits, but the Bourbon dominates, even if the fullness of the Sherry is noticeable. On the palate, it's very smooth and balanced, gliding along like velvet. The spices come next, cumin, nutmeg and cinnamon. On the whole, it's pleasant to drink. The finish is quite long and greedy, with more cereals, still very earthy, sourdough, flour, a few grains of cola.

 

In Short, 

Some time ago I tasted the 9th edition, which didn't convince me at all. This one is much better, in my opinion. Very cerealy, rustic, with a light peatiness, it looks like a good Springbank. With a little more peat. On the other hand, the price isn't the same, I understand that it's a homemade product, but it's still very limited value for money.

Score : 87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Uncle Lucius - Keep the Wolves Away

Torabhaig Allt Gleann The Legacy Series 3 yo

 

 

 

46° 

Distillery : Torabhaig - Islands

1st Fill Bourbon and Refill Whiskey Barrels

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2021 

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 77 ppm

 

 

 

After a very first bottling in January 2021, which was quickly sold out, the distillery released this one the following August. It is a blend of 30 casks of Bourbon and American whiskey. The barley used is a blend of Concerto and Laureate peated at 77 ppm, with a residual peat after distillation of 17 ppm.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

From the outset, there's coarse salt, sea foam, tide, seawater-laden sand and the sea breeze. The rest is dominated by the influence of Bourbon casks, especially creamy vanilla and a few grains of Italia grape. On the palate, it's very light, with vague hints of bourbon, a good pile of vegetal peat and a pinch of salt. Rustic spices. The finish is pleasant, earthy and iodised, not very long but decent. Flower of salt. Mirabelle plum. Hazelnuts and almonds.

 

In Short, 

Like its predecessor, it's not bad, but it's still very young and lacks a bit of personality. At the moment, I'd say it's a bit too much like Talisker, only not as good. It'll be a few years before it looks like anything else.

Score : 85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

 

                                           Richie Havens - Going Back To My Roots