Advent 2022 #3 - Glenfiddich Fire & Cane Batch 4

 

This interested me enough to get a sample a couple years ago, and here we are with it turning up in the final calendar from my 30ml sample collection.

Glenfiddich Fire & Cane Batch 4, Speyside Single Malt, 43% ABV

Minutia: Matured in ex-bourbon casks and finished in ex-rum casks. Reviewed blind, neat in an opaque glencairn.

Color: Amontillado Sherry; 0.9.

Nose: Malty. Some hay, apple skins. It feels like there is some smoke in here, but it’s not present enough for me to be sure. 

Taste: Sweet malt. Or more like a sweetness that switches between malty, fruity, and honey notes.

Finish: Ash. Malt. Shorter.

Guess: I was thinking Laddie, but the vague smoke in the nose suggested peat making me think it could be the Fire & Cane sample I know is in the pool, The ash in the finish cemented my guess as the Fire & Cane.

Feels really good to be so precise with a guess, I gotta say. Anyway. This whisky doesn’t have a ton going on in terms of complexity. The taste is mostly just sweet, the finish doesn’t really linger, and the nose doesn’t have a ton going on. That said, the fact that the sweet taste is in flux for the duration it’s in the mouth is a nice plus. It is light and simple, which is not bad, but I tend to prefer more robust flavors.

Score: 77

The Peat Faerie, Jr.

One of the earlier blended batches from the SMWS, this one takes after the prior one with slightly less age.

The Peat Faerie, Jr., 7, 2010 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society Blended Batch 04, Scotland Blend, 50% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in Speyside and Islay on October 12, 2010 and matured in 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrels for Error! Reference source not found. years yielding 2172 bottles. This is part of the Lightly Peated flavor profile named The Peat Faerie, Jr. I think the “Jr.” was added for the US bottling to help differentiate from its 10-year-old predecessor. This may be more familiar to some as simply a The Peat Faerie with a 7-year age statement instead of 10. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Yellow gold; 0.5.

Nose: An earthy smoke. A mustiness to it.

Taste: Nice, sweet. Smoke and spice come in. Herbal tea.

Finish: Fruit with peat and spice.

This isn’t anything incredible, but it’s a quality blend and was released at a decent enough price. 

Score: 80

Musical Evocation: Tuatha de Danann – “Faeryage”

SMWS 35.275 Glen Moray 25 1994 “A desert island dr(e)am”

I don’t quite remember exactly why I bought this, especially for the price, but it had something to do with how much Jenna liked it in the tasting. Maybe she made a favorable comparison to something I know I liked? Anyway, I was willing enough and have finally opened it…

Glen Moray 25, 1994 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 35.275, Speyside Single Malt, 59.6% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on November 24, 1994 and matured in a 1st-fill toasted hogshead for 25 years yielding 180 bottles. This is part of the Juicy, Oak & Vanilla flavor profile named “A desert island dr(e)am”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Auburn, polished mahogany; 1.5.

Nose: Rich, toasty, and woody. Musty. Dried fruit. Malty vanilla. Very nice.

Taste: Sweet, spicy, woody. Cinnamon.

Finish: Maple and bourbon. Wood spice. Medium-long, leaning longer.

…and boy am I glad I have. I’ve been finding that as my palate grows and I like unpeated malts more than I did, I still prefer peat, generally, but when I like an unpeated expression I really like it. A recently reviewed old Glenlivet comes to mind.

Score: 88

Musical Evocation: Skyclad – “Our Dying Island”

SMWS 108.25 Allt-a-Bhainne 8 2012 “Gets your blood pumping!”

The final bottle from that set, and one I was actually pleased to have since it’s a profile I tend to enjoy.

Allt-a-Bhainne 8, 2012 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 108.25, Speyside Single Malt, 65.9% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in February 2012 and matured in a 2nd-fill barrel for 8 years. This is part of the Heavily Peated flavor profile named “Gets your blood pumping!”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Yellow gold; 0.5.

Nose: Floral gin, wax, plastic.

Taste: Wax and spice. Green wood. Ash.

Finish: Herbal, earthy, woody smoke. Touch of jam. Long.

Well, it has potential, but it’s just a bit too youthful. If the way that came across was somewhat unappealing to me it could be a good deal better, but that’s the way she goes.

Score: 77

Musical Evocation: Children of Bodom – “Living Dead Beat”

SMWS 113.37 Braeval 7 2012 “Picking fruit from an oak tree”

The second from the set that came with the glasses and pitcher.

Braeval 7, 2012 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 113.37, Speyside Single Malt, 64.1% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in August 2012 and matured in a 2nd-fill barrel for 7 years. This is part of the Spicy & Sweet flavor profile named “Picking fruit from an oak tree”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Yellow gold; 0.5.

Nose: Gin, grass. Light fruit, putty, chalk.

Taste: Warming, ginny malt. Something similar to an apple. Banana-ish. Slight spice.

Finish: Hot. More malt (but normal malt, not the variety in the taste). Chocolate, coffee. Medium.

It’s pretty nice, but unremarkable. Youth comes through a bit more than I’d like, at least from a flavor profile that isn’t typically to my preference.

Score: 76

Musical Evocation: The Ting Tings – “Fruit Machine”

SMWS 72.92 Miltonduff 7 2011 “A wonderful welcome”

I mostly got this because of the glassware that came in the set. The three 100ml sample bottled (which I believe come from casks which were only meant for these bottles rather than as part of a typical outturn) was just gravy, particularly with the spread as there is a heavily peated one, which I expect to like, and two unpeated ones which I’ve been growing more interested in exploring.

Miltonduff 7, 2011 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 72.92, Speyside Single Malt, 62.2% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in March 2011 and matured in a 1st-fill barrel for 7 years. This is part of the Young & Spritely flavor profile named “A wonderful welcome”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Jonquil, ripe corn; 0.4.

Nose: Strong, malt behind the ethanol and juniper. Herbal and some fruit.

Taste: Honey, gin. Malt.

Finish: Slightly hot malt. Vanilla. Dry-ish. Apple skin. Medium.

This isn’t bad, but it is young, and I think the new-makey qualities are coming through as gin to me. (Initially I figured it was part of the spirit or cask influence, but I got a similar note in the other two bottles that came in the set, also similarly young.)

Score: 72

Musical Evocation: Pink Floyd – “Welcome to the Machine”

SMWS 46.98 Glenlossie 9 2010 "Petrichor vindaloo"

Another one where the petrichor in the name got me, but as a peat fan who really liked a Dalmore I’m hoping this unpeated malt has some similar qualities to that one.

Glenlossie 9, 2010 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 46.98, Speyside Single Malt, 57.1% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on December 14, 2010 and matured in a 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel for 9 years yielding 233 bottles. This is part of the Young & Spritely flavor profile named “Petrichor vindaloo”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Yellow gold; 0.5.

Nose: Apple, malt, floral something. Custard.

Taste: Malt, pepper. Putty. Cereals.

Finish: More malt. Grass/hay. Apple. Medium.

A nice unpeated dram. It doesn’t quite have what I loved about that Dalmore, but it’s in that vein.

Score: 75

Musical Evocation: Draconian – “Death, Come Near Me”

SMWS 39.192 Linkwood 13 2006 "Putty and petrichor"

Nothing special other than petrichor being one of my favorite notes to get in a whisky, so if it made it into the name it’s worth a shot. As a peat fan, it’s not at all in the realm of my normal preference, but as I’ve had more whiskies my palate has widened so I may just like it anyway.

Linkwood 13, 2006 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 39.192, Speyside Single Malt, 58% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on July 24, 2006 and matured in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead for 13 years yielding 204 bottles. This is part of the Light & Delicate flavor profile named “Putty and petrichor”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Pale gold; 0.3.

Nose: Fruit, malt, yellow apple, floral. I get putty, and also where they got petrichor, but it’s a bit of a stretch.

Taste: Sweet, some pepper, apple skin.

Finish: Malty, putty, slight chocolate. Medium-long.

It’s quite nice. The petrichor isn’t quite what I’m looking for (hopefully the other SMWS bottle I have coming up soon alleging to have notes of petrichor will deliver) but the sweetness on the palate was unexpected and quite nice, and this is a nice whisky when you want something light but not weak.

Score: 82

Musical Evocation: Delain – “April Rain”

Allt-A-Bhainne 7 2011 SMWS 108.14 "An enjoyable curiosity"

I bought this quite a while ago so don’t remember what I was hoping for with it, but I believe I was after more ‘farmy’ type notes when I purchased it. Also, it’s neat how with the SMWS you can get to try a single cask from a distillery that’s basically a blend component.

Allt-A-Bhainne 7, 2011 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 108.14, Speyside Single Malt, 66.2% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on November 1, 2011 and matured in a 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel for 7 years yielding 217 bottles. This is part of the Lightly Peated flavor profile named “An enjoyable curiosity”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Yellow gold; 0.5.

Nose: Bready, malty, yeasty, a bit of vanilla like a bread pudding. With water: root beer, toasted marshmallow.

Taste: Sweet, strong. Smoke and ash. With water: about the same.

Finish: Smoke, salty, bitter; a vague sense of a very concentrated dark chocolate with salt in it. Long. With water: the same.

This is nice, but hot. Water really improved the nose with some very interesting elements coming in there and at no real cost to the rest of the dram as can often happen.

Score: 81

Musical Evocation: After Forever – “Estranged (A Timeless Spell)”

Glenlivet 36 1981 Signatory Vintage for The Whisky Exchange

I’m not gonna lie, most of the reason for my purchasing this was to have something in this age tier for the sake of it. That said, I’m not disinterested in it, it’s just nothing I’d go for otherwise. Preferring peat, and only ever having Glenlivet back when I thought Scotch was something to shoot, I’d never have thought of it, but as my appreciation for unpeated malt has grown, I am looking forward to it.

Glenlivet 36, 1981 Vintage, Signatory Vintage, Speyside Single Malt, 47.6% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on December 21, 1981 and matured for 36 years with the final 76 months in Sherry butt #12 and bottled on April 18, 2018 yielding 702 bottles. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Burnt umber; 1.7.

Nose: Fruity, malty delight. Orange liqueur chocolate treat. Very little jumps out (other than intense fruitiness from the glass before you even get your nose to it), but many things play coy in the background.

Taste: Wow, rich, decadent fruit. Cherry goop. Orange. And whatever that tasty chewable antibiotic is that as a kid made me happy to be sick.

Finish: Orange zest and malt. Medium-short.

This exceeded my expectations, and given the described familiarity with Glenlivet that was a surprise. The nose was nice, and the palate was full of bold flavor, though the finish didn’t last as long as I’d have enjoyed.

Score: 90

Musical Evocation: Mazzy Star – “Fade Into You”

SMWS 107.16 Glenallachie 7 2011 "Truly a fairy tale"

The last one from this tasting pack for now (holding off on the Ardbeg, the main reason I was interested in the pack, for a bit later in the summer). This is the first of the bunch with a finish, but also the youngest of them. A couple of these weren’t exactly my cup of tea, so I’m hoping this finishes these 4 on a more positive note.

Glenallachie 7, 2011 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 107.16, Speyside Single Malt, 67% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on April 4, 2011 and matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 5 before being transferred into a 2nd fill toasted butt for the duration of its maturation yielding 524 bottles. This is part of the Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits flavor profile named “Truly a fairy tale”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Burnished, 1.1.

Nose: Sweet, like a dry bourbon. Caramel. Something else in there, a bit non-specific but like Sherry.

Taste: Butterscotch, spice.

Finish: Malt, nuts. Slightly hot. Medium.

I enjoyed this well enough without peat. The proof gave it enough oomph to compensate for the lack of peat I prefer, and I really liked the butteriness of the palate.

Score: 74

SMWS 64.108 Mannochmore 10 2008 "Something for the weekend..."

 

A third sample from the package I bought, another from a distillery I haven’t tried and likely wouldn’t have were it not for this package.

Mannochmore 10, 2008 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 64.108, Speyside Single Malt, 61% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on March 5, 2008 and matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel for 10 years yielding 218 bottles. This is part of the Light & Delicate flavor profile named “Something for the weekend…”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Pale gold, 0.3.

Nose: Grassy, malty, putty.

Taste: Fruit, some spices.

Finish: Putty, sweet flowers.

This didn’t have all that much going on with what I tend to like, mostly smoke and peat-associated flavors and aromas. I did find it interesting how it played with my palate when I returned to it a bit after having a rocket pop, though, so that was kind of neat.

Score: 69

SMWS 44.99 Craigellachie 14 2004 "A real cracker"

The second from the pack of samples I picked up letting me dip my toe outside my normal peat pool.

Craigellachie 14, 2004 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 44.99, Speyside Single Malt, 55.9% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on June 9, 2004 and matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel for 14 years yielding 188 bottles. This is part of the Spicy & Dry flavor profile named “A real cracker”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Pale gold, 0.3.

Nose: Malt, yellow apple. Light nuts.

Taste: Sweet into dry, buttery.

Finish: Olive oil-dipped bread. Floral, apple. Medium.

Another one that didn’t quite hit the notes I like most, but did work for me a bit. I suspect those who aren’t very big on peat would enjoy this a good deal.

Score: 73

SMWS 35.239 Glen Moray 23 1995 "Sweet seduction"

I nabbed this sample pack at an auction because it featured the Ardbeg with a name I found really enjoyable, plus it gave me 4 other samples from distilleries I’d otherwise have been unlikely to try. Here’s the first of them.

Glen Moray 23, 1995 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 35.239, Speyside Single Malt, 52.9% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on October 27, 1995 and matured in a 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel for 23 years yielding 202 bottles. This is part of the Old & Dignified flavor profile named “Sweet seduction”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Deep gold, 0.8.

Nose: Honey, vanilla, coconut.

Taste: Honey, spice, malt, wood.

Finish: Malty honey, vanilla, coffee bean. Coconut. Medium-short.

This is alright, it doesn’t hit the smoky notes I prefer, but I like it well enough. Has me looking forward to a bottle I took a chance on a few months ago.

Score: 75

Macallan 12 Double Cask

 

I don’t like Macallan. I don’t hate it, but I’ve never felt more than neutral about it. That said, I’ve never really had it on purpose, so I figured it deserved a shot at proper focus removed from intoxication, recent cigarette, etc. Plus it was the last example I needed to complete linking them all in my scale. So, here are my thoughts.

Macallan 12 Double Cask, Highland/Speyside Single Malt, 43% ABV

Minutia: Matured in American and European oak Sherry casks. Reviewed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Tawny, 1.4.

Nose: Malty, cereal honey. Vague apricot.

Taste: Honey, stone fruit (ambiguous).

Finish: Chocolate, malt.

I enjoy this more than I have in the past. It reminds me of when I tried Bunnahabhain 12 and 18 and didn’t like them as much as I’d have thought (as a peat fan that is somewhat expected, and I have become more fond of unpeated whisky since and they warrant a re-review). Except this is missing something that Bunnahabhain’s spirit has that, peat or not, makes it enjoyable to me. While I mostly felt neutral about Macallan in the past, sometimes it was a bit aversive. I did experience that a few drams from this bottle, but not others, particularly the one poured for review. I’ll attribute this more to mood than something like time in bottle.

Score: 69 

Musical Evocation: Amorphis – “The Bee”

Cragganmore 12 Special Release 2019

I tried Cragganmore 12 when I was looking to take a break from peat, and had heard nice enough things that it fit the bill. I found it ok, but lacking some kind of punch. As a fan of peat, I felt it was the punch it needed, and some ABV over the measly 40% wouldn’t hurt. I liked that enough to take a shot on this after reading other notes here. After reviewing Caol Ila, Lagavulin, and Talisker Distillers Editions, I got the idea to revisit them in a side by side with their regular counterparts. Not wanting to spend the money on whole bottles of that when I’m overflowing my storage as is, I found the little “Classic Malts” sets of 20ml bottles and figured it would be a great way to do that without breaking the bank and eating up space at home. Fortunately for me, one of those packs included a tiny bottle of Cragganmore 12, and since my bottle of that is long gone I thought it would be fun to include a comparison in this review. So, here we go.

Cragganmore 12 Special Release 2019, Speyside Single Malt, 58.4% ABV

Minutia: Matured in refill American oak casks, this was a peated run of Cragganmore from when Diageo was worried about a drought on Skye compromising their stock of medium peated malt. That never came to be so they had the barrels and fortunately released them on their own instead of shipping them off the be blended. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn alongside the standard Cragganmore 12.

Color: Old gold, 0.6.

Nose: Malty and fruity, unmistakably like the standard 12. Little smoke if any, but coming back after nosing the 12 it’s there in a pretty big way. Kind of fun to see how differently things can be perceived under different circumstances.

Taste: Honey, that same Cragganmore malt that was in the nose, heat comes in and builds to wood and smoke.

Finish: Spicy smoke. Medium. After it’s mostly gone it’s a bit nutty.

At the end of the day, I’m glad I picked up this bottle. I liked it quite a bit more than the standard expression. I’m interested in trying a cask strength version of that without the peat to see how much of that difference is peat vs alcohol. I almost think it was a mistake to release this as going to the standard 12 after a sip of this, to my tastes it is outright boring, almost bordering on unpleasant. This drinks easily while still letting you know it’s there. It’s a nice dram to just have a glass of while lounging or spending time with friends.

Score: 83

Musical Evocation: Buckethead – “Ghost Host”

Cragganmore 12

If any of you recognize what I generally review, you’ll know this is well off of my path. I ended up ordering this (since locally it’s about 1.5x the price, a rare case of international shipping being ultimately cheaper) after seeing some fair praise and comparisons for it when I was looking for a break from peat. I found myself sipping on a dram of Lagavulin and noticed I didn’t find it smoky at all, so I figured I should take a break from peat for a bit. This was the first bottle of that period. 

Cragganmore 12, Speyside Single Malt, 40% ABV

Minutia: Matured in 2nd-fill Bourbon casks, often combined with 1st-fill or virgin oak casks. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Burnished, 1.1.

Nose: Malty, honey, vague indiscriminate fruit.

Taste: Much like the nose, tiniest bit of heat.

Finish: Dry, much like the palate. Pretty long, especially for its ABV.

So, it’s certainly not my cup of tea, but I didn’t have to power through it or anything. I actually quite liked the light maltiness, I just wish there were some more power to it. It’s not complex, but I kind of like that from the get-go you know the experience you’re getting. The 2019 special release of the peated Cragganmore from when Diageo thought they might need to use Cragganmore to cover Talisker went from a novelty I’d try if I could to something I intend to buy while it’s still around.

Score: 76

SMWS 76.144 Mortlach 13 2005 "I caught the darkness..."

The first of the bottles I’ve bought from them that I’ve reviewed. I bought this at a preview tasting and I was very surprised that one of the two bottles shown that night that I felt I needed to buy was an unpeated Speyside. Let’s just say that historically they aren’t my favorite. But I did like it enough to buy a bottle. Was it the right call, or was that tasting just too generous with the pours?

Mortlach 13 2005, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Speyside Single Malt, 60% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on October 5, 2005 and matured in an ex-Bourbon hogshead for 11 years, then in a 1st fill red wine barrique yielding 237 bottles. This is part of the Spicy & Sweet flavor profile named “I caught the darkness...”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Auburn, 1.5.

Nose: Malty, woody element. Musty dark fruit. Maybe some spice like a bay leaf. Leather.

Taste: Twizzler, spicy, hot. Berry jam/other smushed berry product.

Finish: Long, hot, musty and malty. Similar sensation when breathing that you get after a mint.

Aside from its own merits, I like this as a change from my standard smoky leanings. I enjoyed this one so much more than anything in this realm it’s what encouraged me to look beyond peat into what characteristics are similar in drams I like and to start tracking scores and averaging based on casks, peatiness, and beyond, something I’m glad I started doing.

Score: 89

Musical Evocation: Anyone – “I Shot the Sheriff” (just because I can’t help but read the name in that melody)