I’m almost to the end of my series of reviews of Diageo’s 2023 Special Release slate. For the most part, it has been a somewhat mundane experience. However, Monday’s Clynelish 10 was a true highlight. We’ll remain in the highlands for this penultimate review. Will this Oban, just a year older, be in that general ballpark of quality? Like many of the others in this year’s Special Release, this one received a finish. The Talisker, you will recall, was finished in port casks, the Lagavulin in tequila, the Glendullan in chardonnay and the Mortlach in a mix of Japanese whisky and pinot noir casks. This Oban was finished in casks that had previously held Caribbean pot-still rum. I’m not sure if they said which distillery or even island the relevant pot-still rum was from—at any rate, I don’t have that information. I also rather doubt that this brief finish has been enough to impart “The Soul of Calypso” to this Oban but that is what Diageo has chosen to call it. Anyway, let’s see what it’s like. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Whisky
Clynelish 10, Special Release 2023
Alright, we’re on the home stretch of my reviews of the 2023 release of Diageo’s so-called Special Release. I’ve found it to be more of a Ho Hum Release so far. Will this 10 yo Clynelish turn things around? It seems to be a . lot to ask of a 10 yo whisky—but keep in mind that others in the series (the Talisker and the Mortlach) don’t even have age statements. This was put together from first-fill bourbon casks. I might have asked for a mix of first-fill and refill casks but, hey, at least they didn’t use virgin oak casks. Got to keep things in perspective if you want to be a positive guy like me. What fanciful name did they give it? The Jazz Crescendo. I assume that’s because the casks were American. So hip, that Diageo. I don’t believe there’s any truth to the rumour that it was originally titled The Jazz Climax before concerns over font readability caused them to change course. Okay, enough nonsense: let’s see what it’s like. Continue reading
Mortlach, Special Release 2023
Diageo Special Release 2023 week remains in the Speyside today as we go over the halfway mark. Today I have the Mortlach. (See here for the Talisker, here for the Lagavulin, here for the Roseisle, and here for the Glendullan.) Like the Talisker, the Mortlach does not bear an age statement. Like all of the others, it does have a silly name. That silly name is “The Katana’s Edge”. This is apparently because this whisky is comprises partly of spirit matured in ex-Japanese whisky casks; mostly, though, it gives the impression that Diageo’s Head of Silly Concepts may be 14 years old. Oh yes, there were also pinot noir casks involved, but the French didn’t get a shout-out in the name. Maybe next year they’ll put out “The Guillotine’s Edge”. Anyway, you may have got the sense that I have been dubious about the specialness of all the Special Release whiskies I’ve reviewed so far. The fact is the Special Release stopped being that a few years ago. That’s when Diageo launched the so-called Prima & Ultima series and moved all the heavy hitter whiskies to it—your Port Ellens and Broras and other whiskies with large age statements on the label—this year’s release had a 26 yo Clynelish, a 25 yo Lagavulin, a 26 yo Oban, and even a 46 yo Talisker, among others, to go with the 45 yo Brora and the 43 yo Port Ellen (£15,000 each, thanks for asking). The Special Release is now more like The Consolation Prize. On that cheery note, let’s check in on this Mortlach. Continue reading
Glendullan 14, Special Release 2023
Here is the fourth of my reviews of the 2023 Special Release from Diageo. I’ve previously reviewed the Talisker, which bears the name “The Wild Explorador”; the Lagavulin, which bears the name “The Ink of Legends”; and the Roseisle, which bears the name “The Origami Kite”. Here now is a Glendullan that is older than all three of those; I believe this one’s special name is “The Macramé Turtle”. Strange are the ways of Diageo. So strange, in fact, that this Glendullan was finished in French Oak casks that had previously held chardonnay. Will that be enough to make Glendullan special? Let’s see.
Glendullan 14, Special Release 2023 (55%; Chardonnay de Bourgogne French Oak Finish; from a bottle split)
Nose: A very nice opening with honey, lemon, peach and cream; just a bit of toasted oak in the background and on the second sniff, some grass. As it sits there’s some overripe pear in there as well. A few drops of water push the oak back and make the fruit a little muskier still. Continue reading
Roseisle 12, Special Release 2023
I closed out November with reviews of two of the whiskies in Diageo’s Special Release slate for 2023 (the Talisker and the Lagavulin). Over the next two weeks I will post my reviews of the rest. The third is a release that does in fact count as a special release. Not on account of its age but because it is the first release from the distillery. Roseisle was officially opened in 2010 in the Speyside. It was built by Diageo to produce a high volume of malt for its blends. Larger than Diageo’s classic distilleries, with 14 stills and a production capacity of 10 million liters per annum, this was nobody’s idea of a romantic operation. Still, it’s exciting to drink the first release of any distillery, especially when that first release is not new make or just over 3 years old. I think I remember reading that they were set up to produce all kinds of malts for different blending needs. As to whether that’s proven true in practice, I don’t know but I do know that I have no idea what to expect of this malt. The packaging mysteriously says the spirit is from “first-fill bourbon & refill casks”. That’s different from “first-fill and refill bourbon casks”. Does that imply that the refill casks had previously held other contents? I can no more answer that question than tell you why the hell they gave this the name, “The Origami Kite”. But I can tell you what I think of it. Continue reading
Lagavulin 12, Special Release 2023
Alright, I started the month with a heavily peated whisky from Islay’s south shore, and so it’s only fitting to close it with another. Circle of life and what not; as written in the Ink of Legends. That’s a non sequitur, you’re thinking, but really it’s a very smooth transition. You see, “The Ink of Legends” is the silly name Diageo has given the 2023 release of the hallowed Lagavulin 12 CS. You may recall that that Monday’s Talisker bore the sobriquet, “The Wild Explorador”. Possibly that name has some connection to the fact that the Talisker contains spirit finished in a trio of port casks; quite possibly “The Ink of Legends” similarly has some connection to this Lagavulin’s own finish. Yes, it’s not a pure ex-bourbon Lagavulin 12 as used to be the norm. When did they stop being pure ex-bourbon releases, you ask? The 2021—which bore the name “The Lion’s Fire”—was ex-bourbon. The 2022 edition—“The Flames of the Phoenix”, if you must know—included virgin oak casks in the mix, and was—as far as I know—the first to depart from the ex-bourbon tradition (I never did get my hands on any of that one). Well, this year the distillery has gone from fire and flames to ink, and they’ve also gone quite a distance from virgin oak. No, the ink in question was not secreted by last year’s “Lustrous Creature of the Depths“; this year’s Lagavulin 12 was finished in tequila casks. I don’t believe I’ve ever reviewed or tasted a tequila cask finish before. Well, I’ll try anything once. Okay, so I tried the Balcones Brimstone twice—I’ll obviously try anything twice. Continue reading
Talisker, Special Release 2023
After a week of single grain whiskies (from Cameronbridge, Cambus and Carsebridge), let’s end the month with a couple of whiskies in Diageo’s Special Release slate for 2023. The first two weeks of December will feature the rest of the whiskies in the lineup. First up is the Talisker, which is such a special release that it does not have an age statement. It does have a silly name though: The Wild Explorador (I’m sure there’s a reason for this but I will try not to find out what it is). Last year’s Special Release Talisker also had a silly name though—The Lustrous Creature of the Depths—and I quite liked it anyway (it also had an age statement). So, what makes this one special? Perhaps it’s the complicated finish regimen. It would be easy to say that this is a port finished Talisker, and it is; but it was finished in casks that had previously held not one, not two, but three types of port (cue Diageo’s Head of Silly Concepts next year, saying “Fuck it, we’re going to seven”). The port casks involved had previously held white port, tawny port and ruby port. In case the white port thing sounds familiar, this year’s Laphroaig Cairdeas was also finished in white port casks (along with madeira). Typical: you go more than a decade without encountering whiskies from white port casks and then two come at once. Anyway, let’s see what this is like. Continue reading
Carsebridge 45, 1973 (Thompson Bros.)
Alright, let’s bring my reviews of old single grain whiskies to a close. Today’s whisky is older than both the others I’ve reviewed this week (this Cameronbridge and this Cambus) and also all three of the considerably older single grains I reviewed in October (this Invergordon, this North of Scotland, and this Caledonian). It’s a 45 yo from Carsebridge, distilled in 1973 and bottled by the Thompson Bros. of Dornoch in 2018. Whiskybase lists it as being from a sherry butt but lists an outturn of only 349 bottles. Might have been a cask split with someone else? They did bottle another 1973 Carsebridge the next year with an outturn of 437 bottles (and a much higher abv); but 349+437 adds up to a lot of bottles, even for a sherry butt. If anyone knows where the rest of this cask went, do right in to the comments. Anyway, I liked both the Cameronbridge and the Cambus and hope this Carsebridge will take us out on an even higher note. Let’s see. Continue reading
Cambus 30, 1989 (Alambic Classique)
My second week of reviews of older single grain whiskies got off to a decent start with the Cameronbridge 27, 1990 bottled by Jack Wieber for their 20th anniversary. Here now is another sherried single grain bottled for another German indie, Alambic Classique. Where the Cameronbridge was a sherry finish, this 30 yo Cambus was entirely matured in a sherry cask (or so I think anyway). The Cameronbridge was let down a bit by sherry separation; in theory at least that shouldn’t happen here. Let’s see if that’s the case.
Cambus 30, 1989 (61.1%; Alambic Classique; sherry cask 19094; from a bottle split)
Nose: Bright orange and polished oak on the first sniff; some brandied raisins on the second. The oak expands a little as it sits and then there are hints of sweeter, muskier fruit (roasted pineapple?) and some cereals. Bitter caramel here too with time. A few drops of water push the oak and caramel back and bring out some apricot and more orange and also some toffee. Continue reading
Cameronbridge 27, 1990 (Jack Wieber)
I did a week of reviews of old single grain Scotch whiskies in October: a 43 yo North of Scotland, a 43 yo Invergordon, and a 40 yo Caledonian. Of the three, I was only particularly enthused by the Caledonian. Best to quit while ahead, you might say. Accordingly, here is another week of reviews of old single grain Scotch whiskies. Three completely different distilleries this time, all of whose names start with “c” (a good omen perhaps). They’re also all either from sherry casks or sherry finishes (the previous trio were all ex-bourbon). They’re also not quite as old as that 40-something trio. Well, one of them is older than all three of those but the other two are quite a bit younger. We’ll start the week with the youngest, a 27 yo Cameronbridge that was distilled in 1990 and received a sherry finish (of what duration, I do not know) before it was bottled in 2017 by the German bottler, Jack Wieber on the occasion of their 20th anniversary. You’d expect a quality pick for the occasion. Let’s see what I make of it. Continue reading
Edradour 12, 2010, Super Tuscan Cask (for Spec’s)
This has been a mult-themed week. All Edradours. All single casks bottled for Spec’s in Texas. All wine casks of one kind or the other. The week got off to a rocky start on Monday with a 10 yo chardonnay cask that had just a bit too much sulphur in it. Wednesday’s 12 yo moscatel cask presented a course correction. Let’s see if we can remain on a positive trajectory with the last cask, which is also a 12 yo distilled in 2010 (and a fairly proximate cask number). I’m a bit nervous as it’s a red wine cask. I don’t have the best history with red wine cask whiskies: I really did not like the last red wine-bothered whisky I reviewed (this Talisker handfill). Let’s give it a go.
Edradour 12, 2010, Super Tuscan Cask (54.6%; cask 93; for Spec’s; from a bottle split)
Nose: The nutty, beany notes are trying, they’re trying hard, but they’re mostly covered up by the wine. The good news is there’s no eau de cologne, just some red fruit (cherry) and a touch of orange peel. As it sits, some of the nutty/beany complex emerges. With more time still there are softer, sweeter notes of cream and butterscotch. Water brings out more of the citrus—and it’s brighter now; some plum in there too now. Continue reading
Edradour 12, 2010, Moscatel Cask (for Spec’s)
This week I’m reviewing single casks of Edradour that were recently bottled for Spec’s in Texas; the further twist is that they’re all wine casks of one kind or the other. The series didn’t get off to the best start on Monday. That 10 yo Chardonnay cask had a little too much sulphur in it even for a non-sulphur-phobe like me. Water rescued it but, on the whole, it was underwhelming. Today’s cask, two years older and filled a year prior, is a moscatel cask. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a moscatel cask Edradour or Ballechin before. Let’s hope it gets the week back on track.
Edradour 12, 2010, Moscatel Cask (53.1%; for Spec’s; cask 88; from a bottle split)
Nose: Starts out nutty, beany and yeasty, just like the chardonnay cask. Some roasted malt on the second sniff and then a big wave of citrus (lime peel) and chalk. Spicier here too with time even as some sweeter fruit is teased—let’s see if water brings it out. No, not really; in fact, it washes it out. Continue reading
Edradour 10, 2011, Chardonnay Cask (for Spec’s)
Okay, having done a week of blended malts/whiskies from Compass Box (here, here and here), let’s do a week of single malts. This week’s whiskies are all from Edradour, they were all bottled for Spec’s in Texas, and they’re all wine casks of one kind or the other. Edradour—the tiny highlands distillery owned by Signatory—have a history of wine cask releases; both for the mainline malt, and for the peated variant, Ballechin. The base spirit is an idiosyncratic one and it’s probably fair to say that Edradour in general is more a cult distillery than a crowd-pleaser, and also that the cult is not very large. I myself have historically preferred the heavily peated stylings of the Ballechin variant to mainline Edradour—just as I prefer the heavily peated Ledaig to that distillery’s also idiosyncratic mainline malt, Tobermory. And whether it’s Ledaig/Tobermory or Ballechin/Edradour, I generally prefer sherry casks to ex-bourbon. Well, none of this week’s casks of Edradour for Spec’s are sherry casks. First up, is a chardonnay cask. It was bottled at an eye-watering strength; which is, I suppose, another hallmark of the distillery’s single cask program. Anyway, let’s see what it’s like. Continue reading
Compass Box, The Circle No. 2
I am at the end of my week of Compass Box reviews and you’ll be relieved to hear that I’m not closing it out with another release from seven years ago. The last review of the week is of a release from just last year and it was not made as protest against whisky industry regulations. It seems to have some connection to a international bartender conversation called the Circle. This is the Circle No. 2, which implies—if you’re good with the detective work like me—that there was another release before that. And for all we know there may have been one after as well. It’s also different from the Enlightenment and Three Year Old Deluxe in that it’s got a lot more parts to it. While the Enlightenment had malt from four distilleries in it, and the Three Year Old Deluxe had malt from only two distilleries in it, this has malt from five distilleries, as well as a not-inconsiderable portion of blended whisky. About half of it is bourbon cask Glen Elgin and another 17% or so is bourbon cask Speyburn. The remaining 33% is made up of first-fill sherry hogshead Ardmore (2.2%), first-fill sherry butt Teaninich (13.5%), a little bit of wine cask Linkwood (2.3%) and that parcel of blended Scotch, said to be “primarily first-fill sherry butt” (14.3%) . I got all this from Compass Box’s fact sheet, which also tells me that I might know the person who composed this whisky. Let’s hope I like it. Continue reading
Compass Box, Three Year Old Deluxe
Here is the second Compass Box review of the week. The first was of the Enlightenment, which was released in April 2016 as a response to EU and UK regulations that forbid whisky producers from disclosing the ages of constituent whiskies in their blends/vattings (at least I think that’s what they were responding to—it’s been a while and I confess I didn’t follow the drama very closely even then). Today’s review is of the so-called Three Year Old Deluxe which was released a few months later in August 2016 and was marketed as yet another salvo against the arbitrariness of those regulations. Here, the whiskymakers told us, they had composed a whisky that comprised only 1% of a 3 yo single malt from a highlands distillery (“near the village of Brora”; i.e Clynelish) and 90% of “considerably older” whisky from the same distillery; the remaining 9% came from a distillery on Skye (i.e Talisker). Of course, by the regulations the only age that can be disclosed is that of the youngest whisky in the vatting, making it a 3 yo and isn’t that silly? Continue reading
Compass Box, Enlightenment
For the first full week of November let’s do a series of reviews of releases from the boutique indie bottler, Compass Box. As you doubtless know, unlike most Scotch whisky indies, Compass Box does not release casks of whiskies from distilleries but their own blends of one kind or the other: vatted malts (or whatever they’re officially called now), blends of malt and grain, all grain whisky: they’ve released them all. They are very popular with the whisky geek corner of the market. I have previously aired my skepticism about aspects of Compass Box’s presentation and appeal to this part of the market. In short, I’ve speculated that their bespoke presentation and facility with the language of whisky geekdom is a large part of their success. The whiskies themselves have often seemed to me to be adjacent to the presentation of them. That said, I’ve liked a number of their releases even as I’ve wondered about the fuss. Enlightenment, released in 2016, was one of their releases about which a fair bit of fuss was made. Continue reading
Laphroaig Cairdeas 2023, White Port & Madeira
My whisky readership has shrunk dramatically in recent years (I base this entirely on the lowered level of engagement with my whisky reviews). And so I almost feel I should apologize to the little that remains of that readership for trying their patience in October. So far this month I’ve posted two weeks of reviews of mezcal, one week of reviews of brandy, and one week of reviews of grain whisky (I am assuming here that my whisky readership is really mostly interested in single malt whisky). Please accept as penance this very timely review of a recent release, one that should be widely available all over the United States: the 2023 release of Laphroaig’s annual Cairdeas, bottled for Feis Ile, the Islay whisky festival. The Cairdeas releases have come to the US every year since 2011 (the series itself is only a few years older than that). The price has slowly edged up (it’s now in the mid $80s in Minnesota, before tax) and this year—for the first time—it’s a 700 ml bottle even in the US. Which means it’s a bit more expensive still per pour. Continue reading