2021 Advent Calendar

I intended to post this before starting the calendar, but forgot, so here it is after.

Back again with some adjustments that are hopefully improvements. Last year I increased the blindness by expanding my pool rather than randomizing 24 samples, and this year I've got even blinder. I've decided to pour and take notes and make my guess from a black glencairn, then determine color and take the photo in a clear one. Since I'll know the expression by the time I take the photo, I can include the bottle as well. The former years' processes and links to the reviews can be found in their respective posts.

To make the guessing less dependent on knowing what is left in the pool, this year’s selection of 24 is from among 48 sample bottles, chosen randomly. This selection was determined back in September to allow me to forget anything I might have accidentally seen during the randomizing and label obscuring.

Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:

Advent 2021 #24 - Bowmore 15 2001 Signatory Vintage

With all the praise IB Bowmore’s get, it’s a bit of a no-brainer to include a sample of it in an order when there’s one available. And with that, this year’s Advent calendar draws to a close for a regular review format and schedule to resume. So is it closed out with a bang or a whimper?

Bowmore 15, 2001 Vintage, Signatory Vintage, Islay Single Malt, 55.6% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on October 2, 2001 and matured in hogshead #20117 for 15 years and bottled on August 23, 2017 yielding 233 bottles. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Pale gold; 0.3.

Nose: Sweet, seafoody, creamy, malty, buttery, grassy.

Taste: Honey, red/black pepper, malt. Cayenne flavor and heat persists.

Finish: Pepper up front. Malt, subtle smoke. Medium.

Guess: Laddie Bere Barley? Unpeated Caol Ila? Springbank? Is there a Hazelburn in my inventory? No idea.

This is really a unique whisky. The nose started out with characteristics of a lot of whiskies, it said Bruichladdich at first. The pepper is something I never got quite like that. If Talisker did an unpeated expression that would have been my guess. A characteristic in the finish really felt a lot like Springbank finishes. It wasn’t quite smoky enough for that so I thought Hazelburn, as well as the nose having a quality I find in a lot of Irish whiskeys so I figured maybe it was a triple-distilled thing but I’m pretty sure there are no Hazelburns in my sample inventory. It’s not my favorite as I really prefer a more upfront smokiness, but this is really a very interesting dram and I’m glad I got to try it. While not an in-your-face explosion, it’s far more toward bang than whimper.

Score: 81

Musical Evocation: Denali – “Real Heat”

Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:

Advent 2021 #23 - Elements of Islay Ar7

Enough of these samples have turned up this year where it almost feels like an Elements of Islay Advent calendar (something that would probably be successful if they made it, thinking of it). Really looking forward to this one as Ar11, a different PX Ardbeg turned up and impressed in last years calendar, amusingly also on day 23.

Elements of Islay Ar7, Islay Single Malt, 56.3% ABV

Minutia: Distilled at Ardbeg in the early 2000s and matured in a PX butt for ana unspecified amount of years and bottled in 2016. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Mahogany, henna notes; 1.6.

Nose: Musty, a little smoky. Fruit used to be here. Medicinal vibes. Makes me think of a hospital which closed after a fire and you’re in the room where they kept fruit.

Taste: Smoky, medicinal honey. Wood.

Finish: Earthy, smoke, warming. Long.

Guess: Feels like Laphroaig, maybe Lagavulin DE. 

Alright, not too bad. I guess the other two of the Kildalton trio, and sort of got the task with the DE guess. This didn’t impress as much as the 19 year old Ar11, but it’s still quite a nice dram. My desire to get more sherried Ardbegs remains intact.

Score: 87

Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:

Advent 2021 #22 - Elements of Islay Cl13

 

Another sample to try an expression from a bottler which I’ve typically found to be good but isn’t available in my market. Here’s hoping the decent trend continues.

Elements of Islay Cl13, Islay Single Malt, 54.6% ABV

Minutia: Distilled at Caol Ila between 2010-2011 and matured in oak hogsheads and ex-Sherry butts for at least 9 years and bottled in 2020 yielding 1060 bottles. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Deep copper; 1.0.

Nose: Earthy smoke, funky. Seafoody.

Taste: Spice, musty, wood. Nutty later.

Finish: Smoky, musty. Medium.

Guess: Staoisha IB or Caol Ila. Maybe Lagavulin.

Well, I technically guessed it, but I don’t feel super good about it as I had very little conviction in thinking it was Caol Ila. Anyway, nothing wrong about this, but also nothing spectacular. As a peat fan it’s something I’m happy to drink, and from what I can tell about what this cost it’s a decent enough value. Having some more sips after the reveal, I can say that this does a pretty good job of saying “Caol Ila.” I think I like it more knowing what it is, but my score is unchanged from the blind part of the review.

Score: 81

Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:

Advent 2021 #21 - Bunnahabhain Cruach-Mhòna

I’m always looking to try more peated Bunnahabhain, so when this was in stock on a sample order it was a no-brainer to include.

Bunnahabhain Cruach-Mhòna, Islay Single Malt, 50% ABV

Minutia: Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Chestnut, Oloroso Sherry; 1.2.

Nose: A bit fruity on the way in. Then smoky, salty, musty. A little medicinal.

Taste: Earthy smoke, some berry which gets overtaken by spice and wood.

Finish: Sweet and bitter wood. Smoke, too. Medium.

Guess: I feel like this could be anything. Parts say Laphroaig, parts say Ardebg, Caol Ila, Kilchoman. Even Lagavulin or Talisker could be it.

Naturally it’s about the only distillery I didn’t put in the guess. I stand by it as each of those distilleries typical notes were present here. This is nice, there are a lot of facets, anx while it doesn’t go too deeply into them, they are there. Bunnahabhain does really well with peated malt, to the point I’m not sure why they bother with unpeated, but for those of you who really like that, I suppose it’s good they do.

Score: 84 

Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:

Advent 2021 #20 - Tobermory 12

As a big fan of Ledaig, I missed out on an opportunity or two to order some highly recommended bottles from their website during a time they didn’t have shipping to the States, but they ended up coming along in some sample packs they had available, so I ordered those and this was a part of it. It wasn’t the main reason, but I wasn’t upset it was in there or anything. A handful of other, more interesting Tobermorys were in their, too. It feels appropriate this turned up toward the end of the calendar as after it’s done, my next review will be for some Tobermory sister casks side by side for review #300.

Tobermory 12, Island (Mull) Single Malt, 46.3% ABV

Minutia: Matured for 12 years in 1st fill bourbon and virgin oak casks. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Russet, Muscat; 1.3.

Nose: This was fruity before getting it up to my nose. From then, malt, honey, fresh wood/grass.

Taste: Malty, honey and toast, a bit of spice/heat.

Finish: Mostly malt, some red pepper. Medium. A faint maltiness lasts quite a bit longer.

Guess: Bunnahabhain, doesn’t feel strong enough to be an IB. Could be Jura, maybe.

Ah, Tobermory. It certainly fits as it did feel “islandy” but I didn’t think I had an Arran in there and didn’t detect any peat. I prefer Ledaig so much, I forgot about half of the distillery’s output. This is quite nice for a dram without smoke, and it’s nice to try some more Tobermory expressions as I’ve only had the 10 thus far. It’s quite nice as far as something without peat goes, though it’s not very complex (not that that’s a mark against it, necessarily). I find myself now rather eager to try those older and differently finished Tobermory samples I have in my inventory. 

Score: 81

Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:

Advent 2021 #19 - Bunnahabhain 11 2008 Mòine French Oak Finish Fèis Ile 2019

A peated Bunnahabhain released for Fèis Ile 2019, these bottles tend to go fast, so I was pretty happy I got to find a sample of one, moreso that it’s in my preferred peated style.

Bunnahabhain 11 2008 Mòine French Oak Finish Fèis Ile 2019, Islay Single Malt, 57.4% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on February 7, 2008 and finished in French oak hogsheads before bottling on February 11, 2019 yielding 1872 bottles. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Deep copper; 1.0.

Nose: Smoke, winey, cardboard. Some fruit tries to peek out, but the ethanol is strong, as are the other aromas, so they really get through.

Taste: Musty, bitter, wood, ash, leather, smoke, faint fruit. The fruit feels like the taste version of a product that’s sat in a shop window getting faded for a few years.

Finish: Smoked stuff, medicinal flavor, wood. Long.

Guess: Cask strength Laphroaig. Maybe an Octomore, but I doubt it. If I weren’t pretty sure I don’t have a Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength sample in my inventory, I’d guess it’s a batch of that.

Wow, a real nice peater. It’s fun how the distillery probably best know for being the unpeated one on Islay makes some damn good peated whisky. Not worth quite what it’s going for now, but it’s a real good one I’d be happy to have bought a bottle of had I been on Islay when it was sold.

Score: 88

Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:

Advent 2021 #18 - Talisker Storm

As a fan of Talisker, this was one I wanted to try as I’m never upset to find more affordable alternatives to whiskies I enjoy.

Talisker Storm, Island (Skye) Single Malt, 45.8% ABV

Minutia: Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Amontillado Sherry; 0.9.

Nose: Smoke, seashells, green fruit. Grass.

Taste: Salty smoke, sweet like caramel.

Finish: Salt, smoke, wood. Medium-short.

Guess: Caol Ila, maybe Moch?

I don’t feel to bad about the guess, as Moch is Caol Ila’s NAS alternative while this is (one of) Talisker’s. It’s decent, but doesn’t encourage any seeking out. 

Score: 82

Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:

Advent 2021 #17 - Caol Ila 7 2009 Signatory Vintage

This is another of those I picked up mostly just because it was available when placing an order. And it turned up to start the final third of this year’s calendar.

Caol Ila 7, 2009 Vintage, Signatory Vintage, Islay Single Malt, 57.2% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on October 13, 2009 and matured in a hogshead for 7 years and bottled on August 31, 2007 yielding 335 bottles. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: White wine; 0.1.

Nose: Smoky, funky, tarry. Smoked seafood.

Taste: Creamy, smoky vanilla, bit of spice, smoked shellfish. A sweetness tries to peek in.

Finish: Leathery smoke, white grape. Medium. After the more present part of the finish is gone, there’s a very long smoky note left over.

Guess: Octomore, X.1 or X.3 since I don’t really detect any wine influence.

Wow, this hit some notes I really associate with Octomore. Though, a young, cask strength Islay isn’t all that far off. I enjoyed this a lot, and after my last Caol Ila with a disappointing nose, it’s a relief. This reminds me of another Caol Ila from Signatory which I enjoyed so much I ended up getting two bottles. This, however, is sadly not as available as that was. It felt nice to be reminded of that Caol Ila. I’ll keep it short so as not to overshare, but lately I’ve not been terribly motivated to keep this up, but this reminded me of what I love about whisky, and I’m hoping it brings back that enthusiasm.

Score: 92

Musical Evocation: Heart – “Alone”

Here are links to the other posts from this calendar:

Advent 2021 #16 - Elements of Islay Bn7

A pretty solid looking offering from Bunnahabhain. I’ve been liking it more and more lately, so I’m expecting good things (or I would be if I knew what it was beforehand).

Elements of Islay Bn7, Islay Single Malt, 55.7% ABV

Minutia: Distilled at Bunnahabhain in 2001 and matured in two Oloroso Sherry butts for 16 years and bottled in 2018 yielding 1620 bottles. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Auburn, polished mahogany; 1.5.

Nose: Plum, malty, honey, toffee. A lot going on but hard to pin many things down. Reminds of wine.

Taste: Wine, clean whisky, sweet fruits and honey.

Finish: Malt and honey. Bitterness like grapefruit. Medium-long.

Guess: Bunnahabhain, moderate ABV; not crazy high, but above average. I wouldn’t be surprised by a Black Art.

Nice, got it. It’s a nice dram, even for someone like me who prefers peat. After a less-than-awesome introduction to Bunnahbhain, I’ve since enjoyed their peated stuff, and with an expanded palate have appreciated the unpeated stuff a good deal, and that trend just continues here.

Score: 84

Here are links to the other posts from this calendar: