PEAT FEST - Live Tasting - February 6, 2010

[pkt77242]

Lagavulin 12 2008 release
Brand : Lagavulin Expression : -
Nose : Salted Mango, peach and peat. Coal smoke and a bit of diesel. Very different Laga. Palate : Peaches in coal smoke. Some banana and salt. Smoke fish and beef jerkey. Finish : very long finish on salted fish and coal. Comment : Just great. Nice and smokey. Colour : - Score : 0
Age : 12 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 56.4% Bottler : -	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : none Ice : none Glass : - Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

Great 91 points.

[pkt77242]

Lagavulin 12 2009
Brand : Lagavulin Expression : -
Nose : lemon yogurt and peat smoke. Hint of vanilla and smoked fish. Palate : Lemon yogurt and coal smoke. Hmm quite an odd combo. Very smokey. Just a hint of iodine. Finish : Long finish on coal and smoked fish. Some lemon and vanilla yogurt. Comment : Very enjoyable. Caol smoke and lemon yogurt a surprisingly good match. Colour : - Score : 0
Age : 12 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 57.9% Bottler : -	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : none Ice : none Glass : - Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

89 points, just not quite as complex as the 2008

[pkt77242]

Last one of the night.

Lagavulin 12 2004 Release
Brand : Lagavulin Expression : -
Nose : Coal smoke, salami, and some smoked fish. Coal, diesel and tar. Lemon rind. Palate : Coal and diesel start it off followed by some lemon and then onto the smoked fish. Finish : Very long smokey finish on lemon rind and coal smoke. 5 minutes in and it is still lingering. Comment : Very good nose and palate, and amazing finish. Colour : - Score : 0
Age : 12 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 58.2% Bottler : -	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : None Ice : None Glass : - Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

91 points.

[Ryguy]

Ok I 'm back, did someone say peat???

[Ryguy]

Benriach Authenticus 21yo
Brand : BenRiach Expression : Authenticus 21yo
Nose : Very nice on the nose, I'd have guessed and Islay whisky for sure! Lots of wood smoke from a campfire with an underlying sweetness. Palate : Nice oily mouthfeel, coats the palate just perfectly. It starts really sweet like maple syrup then the peat takes over. Finish : The finish is medium to long, more than expected at just 46% too. Lots of dirty smoke lingering. Comment : Very nice dram! Colour : Polished gold Score : 89
Age : 21 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 46% Bottler : -	Type : - Region : - Water : None Ice : None Glass : SMWS glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Ryguy]

Ardbeg SMWS 33.79
Brand : Ardbeg Expression : SMWS 33.79 "A road-side dram"
Nose : Very nice on the nose, engine oil and smoke and a hint of burnt rubber (oooh I like it!) Palate : It all starts sweet with vanilla cake, a bit of dark chocolate, then becomes very phenolic and tarry. Finish : The finish is long and just keeps going and going! The sweetness and peat just keep swapping back and forth, it changes throughout! Comment : This is very nicely balanced, very much my type of Ardbeg! Colour : Light gold Score : 91
Age : 10 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 55.3% Bottler : SMWS	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : None Ice : None Glass : SMWS glass Notes : First fill barrel
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Ryguy]

Ardbeg SMWS 33.75
Brand : Ardbeg Expression : SMWS 33.75 "Penetrates and Explodes"
Nose : Very nice on the nose, the vanilla has really taken over, reminds me of a coffee milkshake! Hints of smoked meat lingering in the background. Palate : Whoa, much more peat smoke than I anticpated based on the nose, very nice! Nice and oily on the palate with loads of vanilla sweetness. Finish : Oooooh, very long finish, the peat lingers on and on. Comment : Another excellent cask selection by the SMWS, keep them coming! Colour : Pale gold Score : 91
Age : 7 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 61.5% Bottler : SMWS	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : None Ice : None Glass : SMWS glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Ryguy]

Ardbeg SMWS 33.59
Brand : Ardbeg Expression : SMWS 33.59 "Angel in Doc Martins"
Nose : Very phenolic and smokey on the nose, some lavender. Palate : The palate is very warming, it's sweet, oily with a nice campfire smoke flavor. Finish : Shorter finish than I expected, but yet very good. It becomes even more phenolic towards the end and a bit dry. Comment : Excellent dram, I absolutely love these young Ardbegs!! Colour : Pale gold Score : 90
Age : 7 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 58.5% Bottler : SMWS	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : None Ice : None Glass : SMWS glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Ryguy]

Cadenheads Ardbeg 1993 10yo
Brand : Ardbeg Expression : Cadenheads Ardbeg 1993, Sherry hogshead
Nose : Very complex mix of dark fruits and peat, a bit tarry. Palate : Whoa, now this is good stuff, very nicely balanced between the sherry and peat here, neither is overpowering. It becomes very drying towards the end, and the peat is still very evident. Finish : Long and phenolic with a bit of mint leaves at the very end. Comment : You just don't see sherried Ardbegs like this around anymore, another extraordinary bottling! Colour : Light orange Score : 90
Age : 10 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 58.6% Bottler : Cadenheads	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : None Ice : None Glass : SMWS glass Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Ganga]

Ok, thought I would post a little bit on the whisky I'm having right now.

Hogshead circa 1999.

Nose: smoked straw, cracked wheat, honey, iodine?
Palate: seashore bonfire ebbing, straws, gristy dough mixed with honey
Finish: lingering honey and dough with whisps of smoke

[Willie JJ]

Ganga you didn't say what you were drinking.

I'll pop up a note or two tonight.

Peat Fest never ends.

[Willie JJ]

Let's try this new Golden Cask Caol Ila first:

-
Brand : Caol Ila Expression : -
Nose : Big smoke, calomine lotion, elastoplast, lightly singed seashells on the barbecue. Palate : Here comes the salt. Mmm lovely flavour development with the salt managing to harmonise beautifully with the barley (somehow). Finish : It doesn't end with the great palate. Crashing waves of flavour like someone sticking fresh plasters on your tongue and then ripping them off again. It sounds strange but keep doing it please. Comment : Old Caol Ila is great. Colour : - Score : 0
Age : 27 Years Old Vintage : 1982 ABV : 54.4% Bottler : Golden Cask	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : - Ice : - Glass : Glencairn Notes : Cask #cm149
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

[Willie JJ]

Big guns now:

Ardbeg Supernova Committee bottle
Brand : Ardbeg Expression : Supernova
Nose : Raging smoke, glowing peat embers, underlying iodine, but its all about the smoke. Palate : There's barley there, but its smeared on the peat rather than the other way around. It's sprinkled with sugar though. Finish : A rush of Calomine at the end. Sinus clearing strength. Smoke, smoke and more smoke. Comment : This is great whisky, but I just find myself wishing for Ardbeg that doesn't have the more delicate flavours masked by peat smoke. These mega-peated drams are great fun but they will never become mainstream drinking stock for me. There's just so much more to whisky than peat smoke. Colour : - Score : 0
Age : 0 Years Old Vintage : 0 ABV : 58.9% Bottler : OB	Type : Single Malt Region : Islay Water : - Ice : - Glass : Glencairn Notes : -
More tasting notes by None Please do not reproduce or copy this tasting note without permission.

Sadly that's the last of that bottle

[johan brugge]

Here are my notes of the Caol Ila 1984 Samaroli 45% vol. (bottled in May 2007).

Colour: dark gold

Nose: Peat, some smoke, medicinal and yet somewhat sweeter than the average Islay whisky. I notice in the background some citrus notes like orange peels and fresh hay. With some water it becomes more open. It's like standing on the beach with a nice breeze. I can sniff this for hours. The citrus notes are a bit more pronounced but not overwhelming. Everything is in perfect balance.

Palate: More peat and smoke but it's not over the top. Some wood, which makes me think of licorice and a hint of vanilla. It's an oil-like whisky which sticks to your mouth. Lovely complexity. It makes me think of a very peated Longrow. Can't be bad. With some water it's a tad sweeter. I prefer it neat. It remains in perfect balance.

Finish: Long. A bit softer than the 'heavy hitters' like Ardbeg or Laphroaig. A little bit of saltiness stays on the lips. After a few minutes I can still taste some wood like the Laphroaig QC.

Comments: A real stunner. I'm glad I openend this bottle. Now I don't have to wonder how this one would taste. A big 95/100!!

[Willie JJ]

That sounds fantastic Johan. I'm hoping to have a trip to Italy next year. Maybe I can find some Samaroli fun then.

[Willie JJ]

Will do Nick, but not tonight as I have a very early start tomorrow. There's a JT tasting tomorrow, so it will be Friday before I get to it.

I want to take my time and really enjoy it.

[Willie JJ]

Hi Nick
I did mean to try it a couple of Fridays ago, but the best laid plans ... However, I shall find it and try it tonight.

The sample situation in the house is getting ridiculous. I've tried to run down the number of open bottles to force myself to deal with the samples and that'll start happening right about now. The problem is that I always want to give samples a fair hearing, but sometimes you just want to have a good dramming session.

[Willie JJ]

Port Ellen Douglas Laing Platinum 23yo 1983 54.9%. Thanks to Collector57 for the sample.

Nose: Wow there's loads of smoke, but maybe a little coal smoke as well as the peat. There's plenty of vanilla, tropical fruits and fudge, but also salt and ozone. Very coastal for a PE. Then there's the classic PE farmyard coming through. Excellent stuff.
Palate: Salt first then a rush of juicy barley then more salt of positively Pulteney-esque proportions. Not that much peat here at full strength. It's opened by a drop of water though.
Finish: Long, salty and balanced with a gentle sweetness. With water it goes on forever.
Comment: Top class PE. Thanks Nick. I understand completely why you are so pleased with it.

[Willie JJ]

A wee change of pace:

Mitchell's Glengyle 40% blend

Nose: Youthful but feisty. Unripe bananas, slightly fishy and a hint of peat.
Palate: Unruly and wild. The flavours are all over the place, but its not dull.
Finish: Lots of hot spikes that go on for ages.
Comment: What can I say? Sophistication gets zero points, but the entertainment value is good. Not for the faint hearted though.

[Willie JJ]

Springbank 18yo 46% 2010 bottling

Nose: Mmm I love Springbank when it gets older. The coconut really comes to the fore, but there's a host of other tropical fruits like pineapple, guava and mango. The gentle peat envelopes it with soft smoke. Lovely.
Palate: Barley, sugar, salt and not a little heat. Surprisingly fiery.
Finish: The heat continues.
Comment: The nose is wonderful, but as soon as it hits the palate it bursts into flames. Its a shame because the nose makes you think something wonderful is coming. Water doesn't help.

[Willie JJ]

Springbank CV 46%

Nose: There are youthful elements here but it is complex and there's lots to admire. The salt air and shellfish are very pleasant.
Palate: Soft fruit, barley and a sprinkling of salt amidst the sweetness.
Finish: Chewy with a sweet barley rush but then drying and a little bitter.
Comment: I've tried this many times now and found it to be well worth drinking. Especially later in the evening when the tastebuds welcome a big dynamic flavour range.