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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)”
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”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I’ve found this bottler to be generally to my liking, so I’m very happy to be trying something a bit more their own in that it’s a blend from multiple places. Let’s get into it.
Elements of Islay Peat & Sherry, Islay Blended Malt, 56.8% ABV
Minutia: Distilled at least two Islay distilleries and matured in a Sherry Butt for some time yielding 400 bottles. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.
Taste: Bitter, changes to a charred meat flavor. Coffee grounds. Spice/heat.
Finish: Similar. Mostly smoky with hints of coffee and similar earthy tones. Medium-long.
Guess: Lower ABV, big flavor. Guessing Triple Wood.
Hm. I wouldn’t be surprised if this were Caol Ila and Laphroaig blended together, but there wasn’t much in the medicinal area. This is well named, and definitely gives you both peat and Sherry, or more importantly, how they work together. Definitely drinks well below its proof, not nearly as burning in the mouth as you might expect, though the finish lingered and maybe could hasve clued me in that this was likely more than 43%.
Nose: Minerally peat, smoked seashells. Ash, fried dough. Once you notice the dough, it’s very present in the nose.
Taste: Bitter and earthy. Salty.
Finish: The taste just lingers. Medium-long. The longer it goes, the more pleasant it becomes.
Guess: I’m getting notes I’ve gotten for sure in Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Caol Ila, Bowmore, Talisker, and even Kilkerran. I’m leaning Caol Ila or an Islay-based blend, but I’m really at a loss with this one.
I don’t feel too bad about not being able to pinpoint a release that isn’t released “on profile” for the distillery. This is ok, and like at the beginning, I don’t have any strong feelings about it. It’s really quite minerally and ashy and maritime, to the point it held it back from being really good for me. If you like that, it’s a homerun. The nose has a good amount going on, but is still dominated by a few, but you can still find the others in there. Typing up my notes and going through my memory, it’s actually growing on me a bit more, but I’m leaving the score as is.
Octomores more than 5 years old are always fun, particularly IBs. So I'm looking forward to getting into this one.
Elements of Islay Oc6, Islay Single Malt, 58.1% ABV
Minutia: Distilled at Bruichladdich (Octomore) in 2011 and matured in ex-bourbon barrels for 8 years and bottled in 2019 yielding 870 bottles. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.
Nose: Very smoky, ashy, medicinal. An astringent quality which has some fruity and musty tones. They’re a bit hidden, though.
Taste: Smoke. Peppery heat. Charred meat. Tannic.
Finish: Bitter earthy flavor. Smoke and ash, though less. Long.
Guess: Gotta be a Laphroaig, maybe 1815? If not, it’s definitely an Islay, and there’s a good chance it’s not just bourbon casks.
Interesting. It’s been a while since I’ve had an Octomore, so maybe it would have jumped out at me better if I had, but I’ve mistaken Laphroaigs for Octomores blind before, so… This is a nice dram, is very familiar, and it has strong flavors. I usually like Octomore’s better than this, and I think the combo of that astringent quality in the nose seeming to mask some notes, and that bitter flavor in the finish held it back for me (that bitterness isn’t necessarily negative, but it’s a bit much for me). Overall a nice dram, but maybe 8 years was too much time in the wood?
Continuing the trend of a sister cask side by side to mark a 25th review. This is one I’ve been looking forward to for a while. At least one of these has had fantastic reviews both on reddit and elsewhere. The other is just a bit older. Plus the Islay festival release this year was made up of casks from the same distillation and was excellent, though was a bit too expensive to warrant a bottle. Enough of that, let’s get to the whisky.
Bowmore 15, 2004 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 3.314, Islay Single Malt, 56.8% ABV
Minutia: Distilled on February 16, 2004, matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 14 years and finished in a 1st-fill STR barrique for a total 15 years aging yielding 246 bottles. This is part of the Lightly Peated flavor profile named “Loungecore stave exoticism” and was released for the Islay festival in 2020. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn with its sister cask 3.324.
Nose: Fruit, toffee, carfamel, fruity, musty, all under an earthy, smoky “cloud.”
Taste: The nose sells it well. More emphasis on the fruit and must.
Finish: Charred wood, citrus peeks in a bit. Medium-long.
Superb.
Score: 90
Musical Evocation: Volbeat – “I Only Wanna Be With You”
Bowmore 17, 2004 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 3.324, Islay Single Malt, 56% ABV
Minutia: Distilled on February 16, 2004, matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 14 years and finished in a 1st-fill STR barrique for a total 17 years aging yielding 251 bottles. This is part of the Lightly Peated flavor profile named “Split personality”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn with its sister cask 3.314.
Nose: Similar to the other. It’s a bit punchier like vinegar (not in a bad way at all, just a slight nostril sting that you get from it), and it’s a bit industrial akin to Longrow.
Taste: Again much like what the nose promises, but adding some heat.
Finish: It drops off right away before working its way back. Chocolate-ish, salty (slight), musty and ashy. Medium-short.
Wow.
Score: 91
Musical Evocation: Tragedy – “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”
I decided my post-review commentary for each would just be the single word I wrote describing my overall impression and let that stand on its own. These are excellent. Very similar, yet different. 3.314 made me upset I waited this long to open it. 3.324 made me upset I passed on other sister casks. These are right up my ally, and are prime examples of the high regard people have for Bowmore IBs. With the blind Advent calendar starting tomorrow, it made me think about it a bit, and the 3.324, blind, I’d guess Longrow or Springbank. It’s hard to imagine a better pair to send me off into the Advent calendar full of hype and love for whisky.
