Advent 2022 #24 - Caol Ila 17 Unpeated Special Release 2015

Now this is one I’m excited about. I found it intriguing to begin with, and a number of people have commented on my posts recommending unpeated Caol Ila. Let’s get into it and find out how unfortunate I find it that they seem to have discontinued this annual release.

Caol Ila 17 Unpeated Special Release 2015, Islay Single Malt, 55.9% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 1997 from unpeated barley and matured for 17 years in ex-boubon casks. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Amontillado Sherry; 0.9.

Nose: Sweet malt, honey.

Taste: Like an intense version of the nose, emphasis on the sweetness. Saltiness builds as it sits in your mouth.

Finish: Malt, almost smoky. Earthy.

Guess: Unpeated Caol Ila

The above are just copied from my written notes, and reflecting back on it as I typed them I can’t believe I didn’t write ‘grass’ anywhere. That was the overall feel along with the sweetness, and it’s what I believe I called ‘earthy’ in the finish. I wasn’t blown away by this, but I liked it and it’s one of the better unpeated whiskies I’ve had. I’m disappointed this isn’t a regular thing, hopefully there’s some stock out there aging to bring it back with the special releases.

Score: 84

Advent 2022 #23 - Ledaig 10 2009 Bordeaux Red Wine

With how much I love Ledaig and how well wine casks seem to have done for me, this was never something I wasn’t going to buy. Incidentally, I waited long enough to open it and ended up getting this sample bottle in a pack ordered from the distillery, so decided to save it for its day in an Advent calendar, which has now arrived.

Ledaig 10 2009 Bordeaux Red Wine, Island (Mull) Single Malt, 56.9% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in February 2009 and matured for 10 years in ex-Bordeaux Red Wine Casks before bottling in January 2020. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Auburn, polished mahogany; 1.5.

Nose: Smoked brisket, wine, marshmallow.

Taste: Great feel. Smoke, wood, pepper. Ash, coffee. Tar.

Finish: Tobacco, pepper, musty. Medium-long.

Guess: Ledaig Bordeaux

I have been looking forward to trying this since the moment I heard of it, and boy was I right to feel that way. So many notes that weren’t quite novel, but presented in a more concentrated way that I really enjoyed. It reminds me a bit of how in the first year the final dram was an unbelievably good Ledaig. Missed it by a day for the same thing here, but good enough for me.

Score: 92

Advent 2022 #22 - Laphroaig 15 200th Anniversary

A celebratory release, and if what I’ve read about a bunch of bottlings from Laphroaig, it will likely be one that should be standard but isn’t. I wonder if I’m right.

Laphroaig 15 200th Anniversary, Islay Single Malt, 43% ABV

Minutia: Bottled in celebration of Laphroaig’s 200th anniversary. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Deep copper; 1.0.

Nose: Musty, lemony, apple skin. Tobacco, leather, fruit. Gummy bears.

Taste: Vegetal. Honey, Wood. Heat builds, but not to a high level.

Finish: Delicious bitter note into smoke and coffee and sweet grapes. Malt.

Guess: Laphroaig 15

Non-standard indeed. Wow, this whisky is good in many ways. I got notes I’ve never gotten from a Laphroaig and didn’t get some notes I usually do. I thoroughly enjoyed drinking it and it’s such an interesting expression I felt surprised the whole dram. Not necessarily because a new note appeared or anything, but I kept being surprised it was a Laphroaig, and at 43%, too.

Score: 89

Advent 2022 #21 - Lagavulin Distillers Edition 1998

I’m always interested in trying different batches of what is meant to be the same release. Not a ton of exposure to Lagavulin DEs, and I’ve found it to be a dram that goes one way or the other depending on the glass. Let’s see how this goes.

Lagavulin Distillers Edition 1998, Islay Single Malt, 43% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 1998 and matured for 16 years with a PX finish. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Tawny; 1.4.

Nose: Smoke, meat. Maritime, medicinal. Leather, tobacco, rubber, cereal. Pancakes with butter and syrup. Hazelnut coffee (it actually reminded me of a specific vape flavor from when I used to do that – don’t take this as a negative, Phillip Rocke Crème de la crème was the flavor and it’s excellent even though I dislike hazelnut to the point I find Nutella to be gross).

Taste: Musty, wood, spice. A sweetness there.

Finish: Smoked meat. Medium.

Guess: Lagavulin DE. Laphroaig 15 wouldn’t surprise me, but it kinda would.

This is just excellent. Each time I revisited the nose I found something new, and it was more delightful than the last time. It tastes fine and the finish is good, but they don’t compare to the star that is the nose. I hadn’t developed an interest in whisky until well after “the good old days” but this peak into something closer to then, even if just by a few years, is interesting, and I’ll be giving a bit more credibility to declarations that this or that expression isn’t what it used to be.

Score: 91

Musical Evocation: Bob Dylan with Emmylou Harris – “One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)”

Advent 2022 #20 - Laphroaig Triple Wood

I really want to try this one to see how it compares to the Cairdeas from a few years ago. I wonder if it’s a possibly serviceable alternative.

Laphroaig Triple Wood, Islay Single Malt, 48% ABV

Minutia: Matured in bourbon, quarter, and European oak ex-Oloroso casks. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Burnished; 1.1.

Nose: Smoke and ash. Crisp fruit in the smoke. Icing later.

Taste: Musty with spices. Also pepper and heat.

Finish: Must. Leather. Longer.

Guess: It’s tough, but I’m going to say Triple Wood.

So, this is a good whisky and it makes sense that lots of whisky fans were over the moon about a cask strength version of it. Interestingly enough, this scores a tier below the Cairdeas, which checks out – that’s the same whisky but a tier above.

Score: 83

Musical Evocation: Iron Maiden – “Die with Your Boots On”

Advent 2022 #19 - Ledaig 12 2008 Marsala Finish Ink 2020

I guess Tobermory now has something akin to the Ardbeg Committee which is joinable by anyone for free and with releases exclusive to those members. Ardbeg plays very fast and loose with that exclusivity, contrived as it is, but as far as I know these releases were only available at the distillery shop (online, anyway). Whatever that case is, I bought a bottle as I love Ledaig and the Marsala finish was very intriguing. Some time later I ordered some sample packs from the distillery and this was included in one, so I decided to keep the bottle sealed and let it turn up as a sample in an Advent calendar, and now it has.

Ledaig 12 2008 Marsala Finish Ink 2020, Island (Mull) Single Malt, 58.1% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on January 29, 2008 and matured for 12 years including a finish in Marsala casks numbered 912-914 before bottling on November 14, 2020. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Tawny; 1.4.

Nose: Filthy. Sweetly smoky and funky.

Taste: Salty, smoked ham. Leather. Pepper.

Finish: Mostly smoke, some ash.

Guess: Marsala Ledaig

I doubted myself a little bit thinking it could be the other Ledaig, but really it couldn’t have been anything else. This is both very good and right up my alley. It’s super dirty and does it super well, and that’s exactly what I like in a Ledaig. I actually ended up with two of these samples and had one the better part of a year ago at a poker game and absolutely loved it then, so the blind, critical experience being the same is no surprise. The only thing bad about this is that I only have one more Ledaig in the calendar.

Score: 90

Advent 2022 #18 - Port Askaig 2000

Nothing interesting to say about this before we get into it.

Port Askaig 2000, Islay Single Malt, 45.8% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 2000 and matured in an ex-bourbon cask numbered 3312418 for 15 years before bottling in 2016. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Amber; 0.7.

Nose: Ashy and musty smoke. Maritime and medicinal. A funky dough note. Something that might be gingerbread builds up over time.

Taste: Feinty and rubbery. Smoke and ash.

Finish: Smoky malt and pepper. Long.

Guess: Port Askaig 15

I was thinking Laphroaig at first, but it really started feeling more like Caol Ila so I went with the Port Askaig guess. Unfortunately at this point I’m aware of what few samples remain, so my guesses are likely going to be more accurate. This is alright, it’s a good peaty dram, though I wish the ashy note wasn’t so prominent throughout and there was more evolution of flavors and aromas.

Score: 81

Advent 2022 #17 - Caol Ila 9 2009 The Whisky Exchange

I picked this up quite a while ago by now back when I still thought it was feasible and practical to try all but the most exclusive expressions from Islay distilleries. Now that I’ve long since realized that ambition is pretty pie in the sky, it got put into the Advent sample pool and turned up today. IB Caol Ilas right around 10 years old are typically excellent in my experience, so let’s see if this continues that.

Caol Ila 9, 2009 Vintage, The Whisky Exchange, Islay Single Malt, 58.7% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 2009 and matured in a Gonzalezz & Byass Sherry cask numbered 316103 for 9 years and bottled in 2019 as part of the ‘Magic of the Cask’ series yielding 308 bottles. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Chestnut, Oloroso Sherry; 1.2.

Nose: Musty, smoke, ash. It’s got a sharpness that I almost want to call plasticy, but don’t want to suggest it actually smells of plastic.

Taste: Mustier, hints of tart fruit behind an earthy smoke.

Finish: Similar mustiness and smoke. Long.

Guess: A young Caol Ila, though Triple Wood wouldn’t surprise me, but I think I’m right.

Cool, I got this one pretty well. Unfortunately, the remaining drams in the pool are ones which I think I know are in there. Fortunately, if memory serves most of the rest of this calendar can be real bangers. This is a nice whisky. I wouldn’t call it ‘excellent’ but it does continue the trend of Caol Ilas around this old being enjoyable. Glad to see that from a Sherry cask, as bourbon casks have been the ones that really made that impression on me. The nose is the best, and the finish is greatly lengthened by the ABV, and other than being a little burny if you really sniff hard the ABV really only contributes that benefit without any other baggage that can sometimes accompany a higher ABV.

Score: 83

Advent 2022 #16 - Port Askaig 30

A fun but dangerous one for a blind review. Let’s go.

Port Askaig 30, Islay Single Malt, 45.8% ABV

Minutia: Distilled at Caol Ila and matured for 30 years before bottling in 2015. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Amber; 0.7.

Nose: Ashy, salty smoke. Leather. A sense that there are fruit notes to be coaxed out; you get whatever you might call a “nasal glimpse.” Some fruit comes in better with a bit of time, and a sweet icing note develops as well.

Taste: Rich and sweet with spices and pepper. Honey.

Finish: Earthy and smoky. Maltiness comes in, roasted in nature. Long.

Guess: Ledaig Rioja? Triple Wood?

This one stings a bit as I was thinking Caol Ila, but didn’t think there were any left. Oh well, I made my guesses based on the proof seeming lower than a single cask would be. This reminds me of the Bowmore 25 I had in a prior Advent calendar, unfortunately not in a good way. I’m not talking about quality, just the fact that it was a blind review that I think worked against it a bit. I gave it a score based on what seemed like a lighter quality mistaking that lightness for a weaker or watered down spirit rather than spirit tamed with significant time in a cask. After the reveal I revisited the dram and a couple other notes had appearing before then and an overall more positive impression knowing the age and consequent delicacy. I did revise my score based on additional notes with time in the glass, but refrained from revising based on subjective elements. That said, I still regard it a bit more highly than the given score. I’m going to reconsider keeping samples in my blind review pool that may be underserved without additional context, but this year’s will be unaffected.

Score: 82

Advent 2022 #15 - Jura Two-One-Two

Jura interests me enough to keep trying their releases. This one was of particular interest given it was released to honor the approximately 212 residents of the island suggesting it would have a bit more going for it than the usual expressions from Jura. I haven’t found them terrible, but a handful were underwhelming so I’m hoping this isn’t what people have come to expect from Jura. Let’s see.

Jura Two-One-Two, Island (Jura) Single Malt, 47.5% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 2006 and matured for 13 years in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels and finished in chinkapin oak casks before bottling in 2019. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Russet, Muscat; 1.3.

Nose: Musty, leather, malt. Thoughts of a shoe shop after hours.

Taste: Malt, pepper (light). Sweet like bubblegum.

Finish: Malt and cereals. Longer.

Guess: Unpeated Caol Ila or a Laddie

Man, it’s so much more fun doing blind reviews with a limited knowledge of what it could be. Not only do you avoid getting kind of shoehorned into thinking about which of the options it could be, but there’s actually room for surprise. I had forgotten a Jura was in the pool, and seeing the reveal it was surely the only option. My initial gut was a Bruichladdich. It felt almost unpeated, but not entirely. But rather than unpeated malt from a distillery that does peat sometimes, it’s a lightly peated malt. And this is light. It’s no all-star, but it’s bottled at a respectable proof and has some nice notes to offer. I didn't want to change my score, but there's a nice chocolatey note that develops in the nose and finish after a bit in the glass, and factoring that in, I'd say this goes up 2-3 points.

Not too long ago I started using a certain plant to help me sleep, and between consuming it and sleeping I’ve found I enjoy whisky less. As I’m primarily a fan of peaty whiskies and those with robust flavors and aromas, I’m guessing I’m more sensitive to things in that state, so I’m curious if something like this would be appealing as it’s light but not weak.

Score: 81

Musical Evocation: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – “Gone Gone Gone”

Advent 2022 #14 - Octomore 10.1

Always happy to try an Octomore. I’ve loved a couple but for the most part find I’m happy with a sample rather than a bottle. Let’s see if this is one I’ll have to seek out.

Octomore 10.1, Islay Single Malt, 59.8% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 2013 and matured for 5 years in 1st-fill American white oak casks. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Jonquil, ripe corn; 0.4.

Nose: Smoke, ash, a bit medicinal. Tar, tobacco, leather. Bubblegum.

Taste: Smoke, heat/pepper.

Finish: Musty, earthy, pepper. Long.

Guess: Laphroaig 1815

I’m not surprised given the tar and leather that I associate with Octomore which have made me guess Octomores as Laphroaigs a handful of times by now. A very solid dram. The nose is the star, and in comparison the palate is almost not worth a look. It is, but any expression would have a hard time living up to it after the nose. The bubblegum note was a surprise and a delight even though I don’t go for flavors like that anymore. Beyond that, it feels boilerplate Octomore.

Score: 90

Thanks for reading!

Advent 2022 #13 - Bruichladdich Black Art 7.1

Always happy to try something like this, so I picked up a sample. As a person who primarily prefers peated whisky, something like this is a really good choice for a blind review as I can’t be biased (as much) by my own preferences, or by expectations for something that’s supposed to be special or very highly regarded.

Bruichladdich Black Art 7.1, Islay Single Malt, 48.4% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 1994 and matured for 25 years before bottling in July 2019. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Tawny; 1.4.

Nose: Richly fruity and nutty. Cereals, dry wine. Green wood. The nose is nice and interesting.

Taste: Sweet malt, like candy. Spices. These play well together.

Finish: Wood. Grains, with an occasional sweet note popping in. Long.

Guess: I can’t imagine this is anything but Black Art 7.1

With a nose a rich as this one, with no sign of peat, I can’t think of a sample I’ve bought that might compare, so this was an easy one. It’s very nice, and a good choice for a change of pace from peat, but it doesn’t ‘wow.’ It had me thinking of a 25-year-old Glen Moray I had recently and falling a bit shy of it, though I must say that was one of my favorite unpeated whiskies to date, so falling short isn’t exactly a knock.

Score: 82

Advent 2022 #12 - Peat's Beast Cask Strength PX Finish`

I picked this up a while ago interested in trying the various blends and unbranded malts that might work as a nice budget alternative to some more preferred drams. Finally getting to try it.

Peat's Beast Cask Strength PX Finish, Scotland Single Malt, 54.1% ABV

Minutia: All I know is that’s it’s from a single distillery. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: 0.4

Nose: Smoke, musty fruit, salinity and minerality. Rich tobacco and leather.

Taste: Musty fruit, wood, spice. Nutty.

Finish: Smoke and ash and iron. Medium-long.

Guess: That Rioja Ledaig. Wouldn’t be terribly surprised if it’s an Octomore, Laphroaig, or even a peated Bunnahabhain, but there are really only an element or two of each in here and I doubt it’s one of them.

Interesting. The palate is certainly less interesting than the nose, but not by a lot, and the nose is a great benchmark if being compared to it. I don’t really have a guess to the source as there’s no region listed, so this could have come from a mainland or island distillery rather than Islay.

Score: 84

Musical Evocation: Beast in Black – “Berserker”

Advent 2022 #11 - Bruichladdich Bere Barley 2010

Nothing special for me to say about this one, just another expression to try.

Bruichladdich Bere Barley 2010, Islay Single Malt, 50% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 2010 and matured in American oak casks for 8 years and bottled in early April 2019. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Yellow gold; 0.5.

Nose: Musty berries, orange, malt. Cream. Light anise. Putty.

Taste: Malt and honey. Slight pepper.

Finish: Same as the taste. Medium.

Guess: Laddie Bere Barley, maybe and IB

This was too easy to guess, as it didn’t seem like Bunnahabhain and other than that Bruichladdich is just about the only unpeated malt likely to be in my sample inventory. The nose was very promising and I like what I smelled and how much I smelled. Unfortunately not much of that came through on the palate and it was mostly just malty. If you like that, you’ll really like this. As I’ve grown to appreciate that, I liked it more than I would have, but unfortunately I found the palate a bit boring.

Score: 75

Advent 2022 #10 - Elements of Islay Bw8

Some nice age in a decent cask variety, I’m looking forward to seeing how this is.

Elements of Islay Bw8, Islay Single Malt, 51.2% ABV

Minutia: Distilled at Bowmore between 2001 and 2003 and matured in ex-bourbon and ex-Sherry casks for 16-18 years and bottled in 2020 yielding 1320 bottles. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Jonquil, ripe corn; 0.4.

Nose: Seaside smoke. Sweet bread.

Taste: Sweet, malt, pepper, banana. Coffee.

Finish: Vegetation, wood. Long. A fruitiness works its way in over time, but I can’t identify it.

Guess: Bowmore, maybe a Caol Ila.

After yesterday, I’m glad this one held up better. While I prefer my Bowmore’s to have a bit more punch, this is nice and light, with a lot of sweetness, and still some smoke in there. It doesn’t touch the Bowmore’s I’ve reviewed recently of a similar age, but it does outdo the one from yesterday. I get the sense this gets better as it sits in the glass.

Score: 81

Advent 2022 #9 - Bowmore 19 1998 The Whisky Agency

I grabbed this ages ago when I was picking up anything near my area of interest sample-wise, and it’s now finally turned up in an Advent calendar. By the accounts I’ve seen, this is a nice Bowmore and I’m hoping I get to see that blind.

Bowmore 19, 1998 Vintage, The Whisky Agency, Islay Single Malt, 48.8% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 1998 and matured in a butt for 19 years and bottled in 2018. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Pale gold; 0.3.

Nose: Ash, rubber. Fried dough. Malt.

Taste: Pepper, malt.

Finish: L:ight malt.

Guess: Gonna guess it’s a Laddie that has a couple qualities typically associated with peat.

This is interesting after the reveal. This is much more highly rated than the score it got from me, and reviews mention a lot of things I didn’t get anything close to. Either this one isn’t really for, I’m just not in the mood for it/my palate is compromised, or something went wrong with the sample and it didn’t hold up. I’m not saying it’s bad, but from what this looked like it could have been, I am a bit disappointed.

Score: 74

Advent 2022 #8 - Johnnie Walker Island Green

Green Label was one of the first whiskies I ever had, well before I even knew how to appreciate it. When I found out about a slightly different version in the same vein, I was interested to try it but it wasn’t in my market. Fortunately I came across a sample a while back, and finally it’s turned up in my calendar. Let’s go.

Johnnie Walker Island Green, Scotland Blend, 43% ABV

Minutia: Comprised of malt from Caol Ila, Clynelish, Glenkinchie, and Cardhu. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Amber; 0.7.

Nose: Smoke, ash. Plastic/rubber. Slightly medicinal, but more the plastic part presenting as medicinal than true iodine/anbesol notes.

Taste: Sweet malt. Honey. Banana. Coffee, pepper.

Finish: Nutty, smoke, musty. Medium-short.

Guess: Lagavulin DE

I was leaning toward a low ABV blend with the short finish and variety, but Lagavulin DE has a couple different faces so I guessed that this was one. I’m not surprised at all that it’s a blend, as I noted this was simple, but varied. It’s not complex in each area, but it three different non-complex facets, the most different being the taste with a real nice sweetness.

Score: 82

Advent 2022 #7 - Elements of Islay Lp9

 

Hmm, after what was a fine but umtimately disappointing dram yesterday, I’m grateful this one turned up blind as I would not have been too keen on it right on the tails of Lp7. Let’s see how it compares/

Elements of Islay Lp9, Islay Single Malt, 54.3% ABV

Minutia: Distilled at Laphroaig in 1998 and matured in an ex-PX butt for 20 years and bottled on 2018 yielding 714 bottles. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Auburn, polished mahogany; 1.5.

Nose: Smoke and musty red fruit. Leather, soot. A brightness to it, overall.

Taste: Smoky seafood, pepper, coffee.

Finish: Smoky espresso. Long.

Guess: Octomore, not an X.1.

Damn, what a follow up. The nose of the Lp7 was a bit too gentle, and this makes up for it in all areas. Laphroaig was actually my initial thought, but it felt too robust and flavorful to not be an Octomore. I briefly considered Caol Ila/Port Askaig, but, again, strong notes that are common to Octomore. What a great dram. I liked the PX finish Cairdeas, and really like this full term PX Laphroaig. Excellent cask, excellent dram, and I’m fired up to keep this going tomorrow.

Score: 91

Musical Evocation: Erasure – “Always”

Advent 2022 #6 - Elements of Islay Lp7

 A distillery I like from a bottler I’ve found to be of quality? Let’s do it.

Elements of Islay Lp7, Islay Single Malt, 52.8% ABV

Minutia: Distilled at Laphroaig in 1998 and matured in four 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrels for 17 years and bottled in 2016. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Amontillado Sherry; 0.9.

Nose: Barely there. With the glass being black it almost seems empty. Mostly astringent and ethanol vapors, with some ashy hints you really have to search for.

Taste: Greek coffee, pepper. Smoked vegetables. Orange. Sweeter orange.

Finish: Coffee, smoke. Long.

Guess: Johnnie Walker Island Green

Wow. Wow. Color me surprised. I was thinking the smoke and hints of ash could be Caol Ila, with some pepper from Talisker, and the fact that it’s a low ABV blend hiding the nose. I was thinking Laphroaig for a bit as the palate reminded me of it, but I just couldn’t accept that a Laphroaig would be so gentle on the nose. It’s a shame there’s not more there, as it definitely held it back for me, since the palate is really nice. Particularly those orange notes, they were novel to me and quite a delight. I wonder if it would do better not as a blind review but knowing it’s gentler on the nose. Not a blockbuster amazing whisky, but still a very tasty one.

Please note that this score is one of if not the least representative of the liquid that I’ve given as I believe ultimately it’s better than the score, but the nose was nearly absent and I have to knock points for that. Points for not being aversive, but not as many as if I could tell I had a whisky. 

Score: 78

Musical Evocation: Danny Elfman – “Ice Dance”