"Keep the Peat Logs Burning" January Live Tasting

[pkt77242]

Last one for the night PlowedRiach 1986 23yo pc finish.

N: nuts (walnuts and smoked almonds), figs, dates, red fruit (cherry and strawberry) and wood varnish. A little leather and balsamic vinegar.
P: peaty red fruits with nuts and leather. Rather similar to the nose with some extra salt and barmyard notes.
F: long on the same notes as the nose and palate. Red fruits, peat, nuts and leather.

Reminds me of a balsamic vinegar that has been peated. Adam good.

[Ganga]

I find the PlowedRiach (PX finish) to be extremely complex and chameleonesque. Each time I have this one, it presents itself differently. Sometimes tea, sometimes coffee. Lots of different nuts and in different states-salted, candy-coated.

[johan brugge]

Johan, you are officially making me jealous.

Ha! If you ever get the chance to try or buy this one, don't hesitate. I tried this Ledaig before I stumbled on a tasting note by Serge Valentin. I could really relate to his notes. Here it is:

Ledaig 8 yo 2001/2010 (61%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams) Five stars Colour: white wine. Nose: Ardbeg??? Seriously, this is just like a young un-bourbonized Ardbeg. Flinty, zesty, coastal, very peaty, crystal-clean, with notes of seaweed and fresh oysters, a little lemon and no dirtiness at all (while earlier young Ledaigs could be a tad dirty-ish in my book). It's quite stunning I must say... With water: and now come the wet dogs (yeah, we're sorry, dogs!) and clothes. 'An old Harris tweed jacket after a walk on the beach under the rain' - yeah well... Also a little cane sugar. Mouth (neat): maybe a wee tad less Ardbeggian, just a wee tad. Ultra-clean again, extremely zesty and zingy, lemony, with a very 'chiselled' peatiness. Impressive and dangerously drinkable at 61% vol. With water: a little sweeter, with also a bigger earthiness. Finish: very long, very clean, very peaty. Comments: surprisingly good and definitely Islay-inspired. Also reminds me of an old 14yo 'Tobermory' by Sestante bearing a very Germanic label. Anyway, all very great, let's hope there will be more of this breed coming out in the coming months/years. SGP:358 - 91 points.

[Willie JJ]

Are we still going? I'll get some dinner and sort out a dram

[Willie JJ]

Hi Nick. Just pouring a dram.

[Willie JJ]

Arran Machrie Moor (14ppm) 46%

Nose: Young, porridgey and slightly butyric. Pears, stewed apples, buttermilk, yeast and anchovies
Palate: Pear drops, allspice, stewed apples and burnt sticks.
Finish: Heaps of spice, but not very long.
Comment: Very interesting. Youthful and a little feinty, but the palate is pretty nice.

[Willie JJ]

I don't think so Nick.. I think it was the Supernova that was the same batch between committee and regular bottlings. I think the Corry was different. Could be wrong though.

[Willie JJ]

Golden Cask Caol Ila 1996-2007 58.5%

Nose: Oysters laced with lemon juice on the beach with a peat fire in the background.
Palate: Very salty and clean.
Finish: Lint and carbolic as the peat-reek returns. Long and mouth-watering
Comment: A delightful youngish Caol Ila.

[Willie JJ]

Golden Cask Caol Ila 1982-2009 53%

Nose: Creosote, carbolic, tar, cooked swede and love hearts.
Palate: Very tarry with a splash of iodine, pencils and coffee grounds.
Finish: Long and smokey, like a peat fire smouldering in the mouth.
Comment: Fantastic! Even at about 27yo the peat is massive, but beautifully balanced.

[Willie JJ]

I don't think so Nick.. I think it was the Supernova that was the same batch between committee and regular bottlings. I think the Corry was different. Could be wrong though.

I just meant that as I was writing notes I thought I'd take a look at the previous ones and what I was thinking didn't look that different (slight change of emphasis maybe but the same essence) so I decided there was nothing to add.

That's interesting that they managed to get it so close. I can't ever remember having done a H2H of the two.

[Willie JJ]

SMWS 53.109 (Caol Ila) 15yo 54.5% (thanks Ryguy)

Nose: Ozone and shellfish, citrus and a hint of the hospital.
Palate: lemon drops with crystallised sugar and salt. A rush of coalsmoke.
Finish: Long, spicy, salty and sizzling.
Comment: Another lovely Caol Ila.

[Willie JJ]

Caol Ila Feis Ile 2009 12yo 58% sherry cask

Nose: Chocolate and cream, then a blast of pure Atlantic ozone with a big plate of seafood and the shells drying in the sun. There's a bit of lemon zest too.
Palate: Big coalsmoke on the palate. Really sooty with heavily sugared lemons and a dusting of cocoa.
Finish: Relentless, intense waves of salt and spice crashing on the palate.
Comment: Who says the location of the maturation doesn't matter? These FI casks are amongst very few that are matured at the distillery and they are just stunning. Also, if CI was matured in sherry wood more often it would develop a real cult following (no that's not a spelling mistake).

[AdamMY]

Wow, I love Caol Ila too, but you guys are making me wish I had even one bottle of it on hand.


Bowmore Legend [i]NAS[/i\]

Color: Light Hazelnut.
Nose: Warm nutty hints, possibly due to a bit of sherry influence. Warm hints of Leather and Apples, with a slight hint of smoke. A slight hint of peat, but no where near as sweet as the McClelland's Islay.
Taste: Strong, very subdued sweetness, with a nice robust character of apples, smoke, cinnamon and leather.
Finish Dry, with a subtle hint of smoke.

Incredibly confusing to me, as right now this reminds me of a smoked and peated Glenfiddich, than anything that is uniquely from Islay.

[Ganga]

We did a HTH about a year ago of the Committee Corry, the UK Corry and the US Corry. UK and US were very similar. The Committee had similar components but were highlighted differently. What I do remember was liking the Committee nose better but the palate of the other two more.

[Willie JJ]

It wouldn't surprise if the US and UK bottlings were either very similar or the same thing. I must check this out some time.

[Willie JJ]

Dram time!

I'm going to leave the Caol Ilas again for a bit.

[Ganga]

Oh no, Willie's on the loose "on" Islay! Look forward to what interesting drams you bring to the virtual table.

[Willie JJ]

SMWS 29.24 Laphroaig 1991 10yo 58.8% (Thanks to SOI for this one)

Nose: TCP, Diesel oil and smoked salmon. Vanilla and hops. The peat is very subdued for a Laphroaig.
Palate: Again its not about the peat. There's sugared fruit and mossy water.
Finish: Now the peat becomes a bit more intense as soot and coalsmoke envelope the tongue.
Comment: Very nice, if uncomplicated.

[Willie JJ]

Evening Ganga. I've got a couple more from Gordon to try.

[Willie JJ]

Hmm, before i get to Gordon's drams I'll try this Ardie from Chieftan's:

Chieftan's Choice Ardbeg 12yo 1998-2010 43% casks 1783 & 1790

Nose: Light on the nose. Quite fruity and soft. A little floral with a whiff of draff and iodine.
Palate: Gentle and charming. Most un-Ardbeg like. A mixture of pear and lemon drop sweets.
Finish: Floral notes again with gentle smoke now and spices.
Comment: Nothing to complain about but it's unexpected. I think the reduction to 43% was probably too much.

[Willie JJ]

Time for some Bunn before I go back to Ardbeg. Thanks to Bobbyb for this one:

Peated Bunnahabhain 1997 13yo 53.2% Feis Ile 2010 bottling Hogshead #3348

Nose: Wow what a charming nose. Barley sugar and bog myrtle with a birchy undertone. Light salt and shellfish; like a party on the pier. The sweetness of the malt and the peat are working perfectly together. Bunnahabhain is such a classy malt.
Palate: Beautiful mouth-coating malt with bursts of sweet smoke that positively sings on the palate.
Finish: A long, lyrical poem that speaks of the sea beating softly on the Islay shore.
Comment: You may have already guessed that I love this. If this is what is going to happen to peated Bunnahabhain as it gains age then John MacLellan is right. The others should be worried.

[Willie JJ]

Now for some more full on Ardbeg from SOI:

SMWS 33.54 Ardbeg 10yo 1994 59.1%

Nose: Nice and stormy. Heaps of ozone and washed up seaweed with salt spray and shellfish. Fabulous! Who needs to go outside?
Palate: Thump! Now the peat explodes with incredible intensity. Suddenly it's unmistakeably Ardbeg. Plenty of seafood here too, splashed with lemon, but the salt is massive.
Finish: Now there's a peat fire in my mouth. I can picture it glowing and smouldering on my tongue, before it subsides into ash.
Comment: Awesome! Screw you winter, do your worst.

[Willie JJ]

Now for a little bit of madness (and many thanks to Gordon for this blast from the past):

Ardbeg Very Young for Discussion 58.9%

Nose: Iodine, carbolic and lint. I suspect this is what Lister's ward must have smelt like when he was experimenting with antisepsis in the 1850s and 60s. Fresh sea air and shellfish too.
Palate: Salt and spice, salt and spice, but then the youth of the dram breaks out with Ardbeg new-make notes all over the place.
Finish: Endlessly sizzling on the tongue like salty sherbet.
Comment: Ok I know its young, but it's great spirit and it has obviously been matured in fine casks. I understand that the sheer intensity of it may not be for everyone, but frankly if I'm in the mood for it this is great stuff. Yum!

[Willie JJ]

That'll have to do for tonight. I'll be back tomorrow before taking a night off on Thursday to go to a Jolly Toper tasting.

[AdamMY]

The Black Bottle
Color: Medium Gold
Aroma: Sweet peat, Salt, Iodine, hint of smoke and seaweed. Like a small fire on the seashore.
Body: Medium and oily.
Taste: Toast and smoke, with a nice bit of salt. Incredibly sweet and decently fruity, notably pears.
Finish: Lingering sweetness, with something I will call peat.

[Willie JJ]

Light peat tonight:

MWBH Highland Park 20yo 51.2%

Nose: Tangerines, peaches, green tomatoes, pot ale and Darjeeling tea.
Palate: Lemon juice with a Fisherman's Friend lozenge in it.
Finish: Big, spicy and a little hot.
Comment: Not a classic, but good fun.

[Willie JJ]

Lagavulin 16yo OB 43%

Nose: iodine, carbolic, incense, sea air laced with seaweed and chocolate.
Palate: Lots of wood amongst the sweet/salt malt. Vanilla, coffee and bitter chocolate.
Finish: Shortish and salty.
Comment: Still a great dram, but it seems bland compared to Lagavulin from the past. That could be nostalgia though.

[Ganga]

Willie, I've found the 16 to be a little hit and miss. The L7 16 was a monster sherry...very creamy. Previous ones were more charcoal and a bit bitter as you described.

[Willie JJ]

This bottle may have been L8 Ganga. I didn't record that detail when I took the sample. Thy probably have more than one batch per year though.

[Willie JJ]

Cadenhead's Ardbeg 15yo 1993-08 57%

Nose: Straight in with a mountain of calomine and lint with ozone and dried shells rising through.
Palate: Salted lemons and very subdued smoke.
Finish: Long waves of salt.
comment: incredibly refreshing for a middle aged Ardbeg. Almost as if it was a lighter peating level. Very nice indeed.

[Willie JJ]

But then, nostalgia's not what it used to be either

You're so right. It was fantastic when I was a lad.

[Ganga]

We shouldn't let Willie have the last word.

Bowmore Legend, new style bottling

Glencairn
Nose: lavendar, heather (really sweet), sweet peas, little bit of fertilizer, light wood smoke
Palate: lavendar, sweet (perfume has dissapated), oak charcoal
Finish: moderate, bitter sweet, burning flower fields

I should note that I grew up in Lompoc which during my childhood was the leading supplier of flower seeds in the world. They used to burn the plants after the seeds were harvested. Also, this bottle seemed contaminated when opened. However, these notes have mostly blown off.

[Ganga]

HP 12, round shoulders

glencairn

Nose: caramel, smokey honey, heather, vanilla, wax, fruits
Palate: caramel, straw, meadow, lightly smokey
Finish: long, caramel and honey with a touch of smoke

This is wonderful for the price paid.

[Ganga]

HP 12, slanty shoulder, 43%

glencairn

Nose: Hugely floral, so different from the roundy. Very light smoke, apricots, tangerines, waxy, leaves from the orange tree, little fresh mint
Palate: huge smokey honey or maybe bit o' honey, dried orange rinds, orange blossoms
Finish: long and dry, honey and caramel

Really different. I need to do all three together.

[Ganga]

Springbank 18, 2nd (lavendar lettering-circa 2009)

glencairn

Nose: spiced heather, nutmeg, cinnamon, pork chops-the other white meat, malty
Palate: honey, cinnamon, leather, milk chocolate
Finish: satisfying

good whisky. much prefered by me over the first release with the blue/silver label.