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Ob Whiskytram, Rhum-Verkostung in der Havana-Bar, Whiskywalk, Höhlentasting, Schottland-Fahrt, Jubiläums-Verkostung, spirituelles Dinner (Foodpairing 2.0), niveauvoller Junggesellenabschied, Probe zu Weihnachten und Geburtstagen,

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Salzboottour, Movie and Malt oder die klassischen Seminare – viel Wissenswertes und gute Stimmung stehen bei uns im Mittelpunkt. Auf Augenhöhe holen wir die Genießer ab und geben neue Impulse. Dabei helfen uns auch die engsten Kontakte zu diversen Brennereien, die wir mitunter sogar beraten. Gerne senden wir Euch Referenzen.

Für ein paar Eindrücke von slowdrink empfehlen wir unsere Galerie oder folgende Bilder:

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Malt Maniacs

Recent stunners were a Caol Ila 1990 from the Casks of Distinction-series (92-93 points, elegant and coastal), an undisclosed 2008 Bowmore from Sherry casks (91 points, what a bacon plum) and the portrait series triplet for Kirsch Import for their third birthday (Unknown Islay 1991: 92 points; Glenburgie 1995: 90 points); Caperdonich 2000: 90+ points).

In connection with Kirsch, they also dabble in ‚grape and apple juice‘ – try their Armagnacs from Aurian or Cognacs from Pasquet. The Calvados releases were another good leap to broaden the portfolio – we need more movers and shakers in the field of Malternatives. I recommend the 2017 taken from Hampden Estate Rum Casks! Now we can expect another Jamaican pleasure, a Longpond 22 y.o. is about to be released, alongside with a Ledaig 2007. Stay tuned for these offerings.

Glenrothes 36 y.o. Wu Dram Clan 1986, Bourbon Cask 2125, 45,6%

Today, I am tasting a dignified old Glenrothes from a Single Bourbon Cask. Doesn’t sound sexy? Stunad! Glenrothes was a favourite among blenders and still is very underrated as a Single Malt. It is a treasure to be unearthed. Lets try:

It starts off like liquid summer sun, bright, mature, sweet and not really woody. I am getting blood orange, quince, passionfruit, mango, cristallized pineapple, coconut, fudge and salted caramel, vanilla pastry. On the palate it changes to hay, banana and greener elements at first, the dry spice of the wood adds a nice complexity in check. All that is rounded off by peach, ginger and curd cheese-vanilla cake in the long finish. A charming summer dram.

Score: 91

BIZARREBQ-RELEASE

The latter one I could taste recently. Ardbeg states: „The connection to the topic of barbecue is not only made by the smoky notes of the peated malt, but also by the element of fire: double charred Pedro Ximénez sherry casks and specially developed „BBQ casks„, which were extra charred in an old-fashioned brazier, help the Ardbeg BizarreBQ to a special sweet-spicy-smoky aroma.“ – I found this dram successful and round, quite sooty and the pronounced notes of sweet smoke fit well. 90 points – although I categorize this as a typical version close to an Uigeadail, yet slightly more BBQ-ish.

ARDBEG ‚HEAVY VAPOURS‘ 46%

For Ardbeg Planet Day 2023 (June 3rd, online already on May 23rd) the release of Heavy Vapours is scheduled, the stronger Committee Version comes online tomorrow (25.04.), both at a price point of 135 Euro.

This expression has been distilled without the influence of their usual purifier being present on the still. The spirit has been laid down to mature in ex-bourbon casks. The purifier-apparatus on the still is responsible for maintaining Ardbeg’s balance between extreme peat and floral fruitiness as it catches „heavy vapours“ and redistilles them. Without it, what will happen?

Actually, I find the difference way smaller than expected. The ‚Heavy Vapours‘-release remains a classic and flawless Ardbeg, and it is round! The nose sports more coffee, chocolate and coal smoke than usual. There is also a greenish touch in the aroma (Mezcal-agave, Aloe, hops), but this stems more from its young age, I guess. Hot transformers, gun cleaner oil, chalk, tar, iodine, tires, earthy peat, antiseptic spray and more Ardbeggian insanity complete the intriguing nose. It tastes even more ‚ardbeggy‘ as I thought. No rough edges here, maybe a tad less sweet, more bittersweet I dare say. Smoke wafting in and out, nice dustiness, darker. An interesting yet not dramatically different Ardbeg experience. 89 points.

I have waited for this like a little child. The Supernova releases thrilled me, so what will this 170ppm phenol monster bring to the glass? Educated whisky drinkers know that the ppm content of the barley is not necessarily the defining number for tasting peatiness in the make – which Octomore shows occasionally. The phenols should be measured in the whisky instead because loads of reactions and proceedings strip away peatiness along the production process and during maturation (I can explain more in tastings if you are interested). So watch out, some parts of this peat race are a gimmick.

However, the 1970s Ardbegs had huge smoke. One should measure and compare e.g. a 1972 with the Hypernova to see numbers. I am so curious. Let’s hope it is good:

Comment: Yes, Ardbeg nose, pale colour, around 8 – 10 years, I guess… but way more farmyardy, also a bigger concentration on tar, camphor, burning green herbs and coal, less of the sweet BBQ-style at first. Composting pile in front of a mine? With time it becomes more typical, all is there, aromas like peat, soot, iodine, milk coffee, caramel (Dulce de Leche), tires, ointment, chalk, burnt oak, white pepper, weapon oil, old brown bandaids and plaster, but somehow different in array. The smoke is big, yet not as monstrous as I expected it. It renders the effects described though.

On the palate and in the finish, this becomes a real winner! Peated mocca! Sweeter now than it was to expect from the nose, a smoky chocolate bar with salt sprinkles meets sooty iodine. So Ardbeg, peatier, huge … yesss. The finish is deep and eternal. Powerhouse, but not hurtful or sharp at all – it has the thin silhouette in the middle that classic Ardbeg possesses. Maybe some time in the bottle makes this even better, I already love this project.

Is this worth the 210 clams? You decide. I bought some and look forward to cracking it open.

Score: 90+

It is a rare occasion these days that I am completely infatuated by a dram – or that I shell out 3.5 k for a bottle of it. Both happened here. I didn’t expect it to be that good … and I am glad that the group of friends on the label unearthed it and had the balls to bottle such a bomb. Respect! Loads of work and money involved in such an undertaking.

Comment: As this is pure magic, I keep it shorter than usual. You don’t explain a great joke either … . This is typical old Lagavulin yet so unique in its own amazing way. Character, character, character! This Single Cask Lagavulin starts off on balsamic leathery notes, gunpowder and big iodine. Being almost Brora-esque in moments, it is tertiary in aromas, the sherry is perfectly integrated, all is spirit-driven and complex, tightly knit. On the sweet side altogether. I am getting suckling pig skin and ears, diced roasted bacon (crunchy for more umami), BBQ-rub with herbs on pork, terpentine, ointment, old plaster, deep peat, glowing ashes, coal mine cart, cooked onions, chocolate nips with caramel, weapon oil, miniature train tracks and what not. I love it! The iodine sweetness, kid’s gunpowder and the porkiness are king here yet all this is perfectly harmonious. Great palate, eternal finish, high drinkability. Darn good, the best new dram of the year so far!

Score: 94-95 (I lean towards 95)

P.S.: Of course I was paid for my review and got three free bottles which I just popped on my yacht in St. Tropez with the boys (and loads of girls) accompanied by a mountain of coke. It is absolutely mediocre booze For real. We conspire to fool y’all, bitches! Kudos to those few Sherlocks who found us out. Great job!

Nachdem ich einige fantastische Drams von meinen Freunden bei DTS & W (danke Jürgen und Tobi) aus diesem Hause zugesandt bekommen habe, war ich baff. Beispielsweise war ein Spitzen-Bowmore dabei (2000-2021, 56,5%, 91 Punkte), und auch ein Benrinnes 2007 (57,9%, 88 Punkte) wusste zu überzeugen. Auch die anderen aktuellen Abfüllungen konnten was.

Dabei legte mir Jürgen eine exklusive Abfüllung für den deutschen Markt ans Herz, einen Longmorn „Private Cask“ aus der Barrel Selection, den ich nun verkosten werde:

Longmorn 14 y.o. Wilson & Morgan 2007 – 2022, Barrel Selection ‚Private Cask‘ 800354, refill Hogshead / Virgin Oak, 211 btl., 48,0%

Kommentar: Der obstgartige Longmorn verträgt ein 16-monatiges Virgin-Oak-Finish bestimmt gut, war mein erster Gedanke. Ich bin eh ein Fan dieser Brennerei. Gerüchte sagen, das erste refill Hogshead war ein Caol Ila-Fass. Mmmh, müsste man beides schmecken, dazu alles ungefärbt… . Es empfängt einen eine malzig-fruchtige Nose mit Vanille, Weißeiche und feiner Würze durch das Virgin Oak (Baumrinde, Kardamom, Pfeffer). Wie immer lohnt sich Geduld, denn erst dann spielt der Longmorn die Fruchtkarte: getrocknete Aprikosen, Haribo-Pfirsiche, Macedonia-Obstsalat, Kiwi, Kirsche Banane, Beeren. Wow! Dazu gesellen sich Dosenmilch, Dulce de Leche (Toffee, Karamell, Vanille) und eine Spur Maische. Im Hintergrund kann man tatsächlich Torf erahnen, der der Sache eine runde Mineralik beimischt. Am Gaumen wird dies noch deutlicher. Dieser Dram ist toll und gleichzeitig anders. Er kommt nun leicht torfig und moorig daher, Moos, Salzlache, Moltebeeren, Geißblatt, Waldboden, Banane, Anklänge an irische Whiskys kommen in den Sinn, karges grünes Land, wenig Holz, frische Brise, viel Charakter – komplex! Auch das Finish nimmt mich voll mit, genau meine Baustelle, alle vorigen Nuancen spiegeln sich wieder in bester Balance bei großer Trinkigkeit. Spitzenauswahl und Fassmanagement. Ein absoluter Tipp (81,90 Euro VK)!

Score: 89+

Some fine older Dickels came from Cadenhead’s recently, and the distillery is also diversifying their portfolio. Dickel always was the drier of the two famous Tennessee drams, and I passed by them quite often when I lived there. Watch he spelling of whisk(e)y, another clear hint to its origin. Let’s try the clan’s version:

Tennessee Whisky 18 y.o. Sour Mash, 2003 – 2021, New American Oak Barrel #12, 156btl., 50,8%

Comment: As always with Bourbon and such, give it time to unfold and lose the acetone. You will be rewarded. It starts with vanilla, creme brulee, maple syrup, painted fence in the summertime, honeycomb, orange zest, coconut, macadamia nut, catnip, cinnamon, cardamom, grilled marshmallows, dried apricots, figs and dates, summer forest floor, sweet yeast dumpling (Dampfnudel), warm oak with Asian spices. Great balance, lots to nose… . On the palate it becomes wonderfully sweet, accompanied by a slight woody bitterness to counter. The sour mash can be tasted, the wood and spice have the say and are tightly knit. Then a nuttiness joins in. It is becoming warmer, sweeter and softer by the minute and leaves you with a smile – a long finish of fine complexity causes that. Winning pick!

Score: 90+

Unser lieber Freund Stefan Bügler – einer dieser Menschen, die die Freude am Whisky großzügig teilen und einfach angenehme Zeitgenossen sind – ermöglicht Euch nun einen Blick hinter den Vorhang mit drei wirklich exklusiven Whiskys von St. Kilian, die das Potenzial der Brennerei zeigen. Passend zur Idee heißt diese Serie ‚Whisky Folks‘. Jede Abfüllung für sich ist eine Empfehlung und interpretiert das Rüdenauer ‚Water of Life‘, gebrannt am gleichen Tag – völlig anders – durch die Wahl der Fässer:  sehr hoher Lerneffekt … when the peat meets the sweet …

St. Kilian ‚peated‘ PX-Hogshead 666 (American Oak), 18. Januar 2017 – 30. April 2021, Whisky Folks Private Cask, 433 btl., 60,0%

Kommentar: The number of the beast – klasse Fassnummer mit dem Titel ‚pleased to meet you‘! Und da ich gerne handfeste Vergleiche mag, dies wäre der Ardbeg der drei Fässer (hinkender Vergleich, aber Ähnlichkeiten), die Geschmacksfarbe wäre braun. Torf, süße BBQ-Sauce und Jod, Reifen und Teer, dann Pinienharz, antiseptisches Spray, Spur Vulkanschwefel, Kreide, Kalk, Waffenöl, alte Hütte, Stall, Kaffee, auch Zitrusfrüchte, Datteln und Rosinen – dazu eine diskrete Sherrynote, die im Geschmack wesentlich deutlicher wird und gut eingewoben ist. Am Gaumen gesellen sich außerdem Leder, Pflaumen und Burnout-Reifenspuren hinzu, ein BBQ am Torf-Bauernhof. Gebt ihm Zeit, tolle Entwicklung, langer Abgang. Sweet peat, dirty core – 666 eben. Noch zu haben für 69,90 Euro (siehe Link unten).

Score: 89

Hier der Link zum Shop mit der ganzen Story: St. Kilian | 666 Whisky Folks Private Cask | Wein-Riegger Onlineshop

St. Kilian ‚peated‘ Bourbon-small cask (Garrison Bros., TX) 498, 18. Jan. 2017 – 08. Sept. 2021, Whisky Folks Private Cask, 86 btl., 61,2%

Kommentar: ‚A Cowboy called Peat‘ heißt diese Version und stammt aus einem 50l-Fass der texanischen Brennerei Garrison Brothers. Ich befürchtete zuerst eine zu krasse Holzigkeit, da diese Fässer echt enorme Kraft ausspielen, doch hier hat es spitze funktioniert. Dies wäre der Caol Ila der Serie, um bei diesen Vergleichen zu bleiben, seine Geschmacksfarbe wäre ein blasses Gelb. Wir haben hier neben dem Torf eine Mineralik, Austern mit Zitrone, Grapefruit, Mentholfrische, Wacholder, Olivenöl, Kunstleder, weißer Pfeffer, etwas Jod, Anklänge von Mezcal, Gurke, Eisen. Gelegentlich kommen durch das kleine Fass sogar Rum- und Bourbonanklänge durch, Kokos, Vanille, Marshmallow und Gewürzkaugummi (Zimt, Kardamom). Eine echt ungewöhnliche Nase, die gefällt, aber Zeit braucht. Am Gaumen ist der Cowboy kristallklar, leicht trocken, jodig und mineralisch, das Holz ist in genau der richtigen Dosis eingesetzt worden, auch Frucht kommt schön durch. Im Abgang wird er dann süßer und lässt die tolle Aromen-Kombination nochmals aufscheinen. Feines Ding. Für 74,90 Euro noch erhältlich (siehe Link unten).

Score: 89

Hier der Link zum Shop mit der ganzen Story: St. Kilian | 498 A Cowboy called Peat – Whisky Folks Private Cask | Wein-Riegger Onlineshop

St. Kilian ‚peated‘ first-fill Oloroso Sherry Hogshead 674, 18. Jan. 2017 – 30. Aug. 2021, Whisky Folks Private Cask, 446 btl., 59,6%

Kommentar: ‚Oloroso Glorioso‘ wurde diese Abfüllung getauft, sie entspräche in meinem Dreier-Typvergleich dem Port Charlotte oder einem 1990er Bowmore in Momenten, die Geschmacksfarbe wäre ein bräunliches rot. Industriehalle, Gummistiefel im Torf, Traktorreifen, Kräuter, gereifter Parmigiano, pilziger Waldboden im Herbst, Tannenharz, gesägter Baumstamm, Feuerstein und Mineralik kommen später dazu, auch Wildleder und kandierte Orange. Der edle Sherry bringt dunkle Früchte wie Trauben, Trockenpflaumen, Datteln und Sultaninen mit ein. Am Gaumen zeigt dieses Fass gute Balance, alles hallt wieder in leichter Trockenheit, Sherry, Würze und Teer kämpfen und umspielen die Geschmacksknospen, die im Abgang mit einer dezente Süße von jodigem Charakter und Salz versöhnt werden. 74,90 Euro für diesen dunkleren Burschen, sie Link unten).

Score: 89

Hier der Link zum Shop mit der ganzen Story: St. Kilian | 674 Oloroso glorioso – Whisky Folks Private Cask | Wein-Riegger Onlineshop

Fazit aller drei Drams: Ein lehrreicher und schöner Vergleich und eine Empfehlung. Holt Euch, solange es geht – Szenestoff!

Within the LVMH organization Dr. Bill has already implemented such dark malt at the Glenmorangie Signet version- unpeated though – and one can really taste the difference in terms of chocolate and coffee aromas there. How does this roasting work on peated malt?

As usual, there are two versions to look out for: The Committee Release with 50,1% (April 26th) and the Ardbeg Day Edition with 46% (May 17th), both priced 125.- Euro in Germany. I am going to drink these head to head now:

Comment: Let’s cut to the chase – this clearly is Ardbeg with its typical features, great quality as most of the times. Only nuances differentiate these dark roast versions from the regular distillate, the effect seems less in a peated environment, I guess. The strong phenolic elements might interfere with the experimental roast malt because usually the difference is recognizable.

As to be expected, the 46%-version comes across way more opened on the nose, on the palate, the 50,1%-release takes the trophy though. Give the latter lots of time.

The 46% has an impeccable balance and gives us more of the roast effects. The focus is on BBQ-sauce, coffee, chocolate, roasted steak, soot and vanilla. I am also getting thistle and aloe, deep peat, iodine, sweet smoke, suede, charcoal, tar, resin, mustard seed, oatmeal cookies and antiseptic spray on old bandaids.

The stronger version is greener over all and plays it close to the chest. Peat, hazel, aloe, herbs, chocolate, tar, tanned leather, resin, tires, hot transformer and phenols are the main characteristics, it takes time to open up. However, in the mouth the strength in abv is an asset, and it turns less green. The soot, lively acidity and iodine along with typical Ardbeg tastes make this a winner as well.

Both versions punk well. Hard to decide – let’s call it a tie.

Scores: 89 – 90 (both)

Consequently, this new Ardbeg is of great learning effect. It represents a taste stemming from much longer fermentation due to a broken boiler in November 2007: three weeks instead of 72 hours, the longest in Ardbeg history! I don’t know if the yeast stopped working for a while during the cooldown. The Ardbeg team, led by Dr. Bill Lumsden, opened the washbacks to allow Islay air penetrate more intensively. An experiment was born. Dr. Bill always wanted to find out the effects of longer fermentation and the boiler accident presented itself as the chance to see. Fitting the long fermentation, a longer maturation time was granted (13 years). Ardbeg fans, be excited for this one.

Comment: This is a typical spirit-driven Ardbeg of the good kind, to start out with. The nose is a stunner, very balanced and old-school Ardbeg, sweet peaty joy. I am getting a smouldering forest fire here, loads of pine and beech smoke, soot, resin, tar, sweet BBQ-sauce, sulphur and big iodine (which I love in such drams). Of course, tires, leather, coffee roast, milk chocolate, chalk, aloe, menthol, lemon drop and herbs are there too. Also some food analogies: A burnt steak with black pepper and chili rub comes to my mind somehow. Despite the discrete wood (I guess mostly refill) there is vanilla creme with toffee sauce for dessert, some orange and apple slices on the side. All this is so enticingly sweet, harmonious and well-integrated. I expected way more funk, but this is a fine and pronounced smokiness with deep iodine and phenols.

On the palate, this has the slim and drinkable profile that is so typical of Ardbeg. Mild start on spritely, minty and acidic tones, then it builds itself up towards spice and burning embers. Round again, quaffability is king.

It finishes on depth! Iodine! Peat, tanned leather, old wood, salt, soot and chalk – and this great sweetness again.

Altogether I think the longer fermentation resulted in a profile from older days of Ardbeg in parts. Iodine, a spice-laden maltiness and round integration of all aromas are to mention. I am getting a bottle and drink it with an old friend!

Score: 90

Join the Ardbeg Committee to get your bottle (in Germany, this is 8th February 2022)!

Cognac Bache Gabrielsen American Oak (Double Maturation) VSOP/4 y.o. for Kirsch, Single Cask, Fins Bois, 64,1%

Comment: This is a crazy one, very unusual. The producer with Norwegian roots is known for going modern and special ways in Cognac maturation. We loved the blue XO at cask strength from 15 years ago. This new release for Germany has spent its life in French and Tennessee oak and the Ugni Blanc grapes came from the Fins Bois region. Not your classic stats. But boy, taste this powerhouse. Heavy Hervé-style :).

With this one you can fool most people at a tasting – mix it among the whiskies and nobody complains. The mature nose is clearly showing American oak characteristics like vanilla, pineapple, banana, peaches and coconut. The grapes and raisins play second fiddle. Also there is some marzipan and white oak. Basically like a Pina Colada from the Charente! It tastes and swims well, no off-notes at all, vanilla-cream-style, and: more cognac shines through now. Honey, flowers, espresso, creme brulee, hints of tropical fruits. The sheer power is fun and the balance is surprising. Of course, it is no complexity monster after four years of maturation, but it tastes darn good! Not for cognac purists, but great for whisky fans and people who love to transgress borders. Simply a good drink. Stay curious! The long finish leaves you puzzled by what you just had. Cool and fun choice!

Score: 87

Finest Jamaican Rum, over 25 years old, Duckhammers / Wu Dram Clan, 164 btl., 50,1% 

Comment: I love the label. And estery rums. So let’s dive into the parrot’s feathers: Often older Jamaicans lose their funk, but here it is well-preserved yet more balanced and mature – a great nose! It starts out with old brown bandaids soaked in iodine, olive tapenade, almonds, ripe banana, star fruit, hot mulch, glue and bitumen – all with a sweet overtone, enticing! Gletschereis drops (a classic German sweet for refreshment from way back, lemony-minty in taste) meet caramelized burnt sugar, licorice, veggie stew, burnt raisins, roots, fence coating colour can, malaga ice cream (rum-raisins), Yuzu and Sicilian lemon.

It tastes likewise and so goooood – noble funk! Milder than one would expect (great alcohol integration), all on high class, lending itself perfectly for the early session of estery rums – or for an introduction into this category on highest quality. Long finish! I NEED MORE.  On the side, this probably is the most guyanese Jamaican I had, which is not a bad thing – both worlds meet here. Wow. Me want parrot now!

Score: 90+

Ledaig 25 y.o. Wu Dram Clan / Duckhammers / The Whisky Kingdom / Kyoto FWS 1995 – 2021, Hogshead 143, 50,6%

Comment: Education first: The peated Tobermory has risen to stellar quality in the vintages 1972/73, when they shared the malted barley with Brora, Talisker and such, as rumors go. Try and you know what I mean. After these years, Ledaig somewhat changed into a lesser peaty, leathery dram with somewhat volatile distillates, not often bottled. Only after 2005, the heavy peat returned with partly great results and higher outturns in the indie market.

This specimen is a perfect example of an outlier of the good kind. I am glad the Wu-sters dug up this one. After a great younger Kraken which I loved, they follow up with the second octopus.

The nose clearly is in the in the sour-fruity and spicy camp, autumnal somehow (fallen leaves), very nice and off the beaten track. At first I am getting tangerine, raspberry, kiwi, kumquat, grapefruit, peach, lemon drops, ginger, malt, yeast, leather, willow wood (aspirin, anyone) and glazed nut pastries. Inriguing mix. There also is sheep wool in a woollen mill, wet earth and discrete peat, hay, ginger bread, hazelnut, vanilla, incense, licorice, egg salad, brine and pepper. Compexity! It keeps getting fruitier by the time.

On the palate it is powerful and laden with spices, sour fruits and leather. Old wood meets shoe shine on fine leather brogues, willow branch, peach and licorice again. Water is not hurting it, try as you please.

It finishes long while becoming sweeter, the spices remain, nuttiness also joins the crescendo. The perfect dram for this time of year on a walk through the forest. Beware of tree krakens!

Score: 90

Ardbeg 20 y.o. OB 24.05.2001 – 10.06.2021 Wu DRAM Clan’s Private Reserve, Refill Bourbon Barrel 348, 155 btl., 46,6%

Comment: Let’s start by NOT arguing about its price. It is a personal decision to splurge on great booze, which this undoubtly is, and such are prices of Single Cask releases by Ardbeg or DIAGEO these days. No one has to buy, so leave it there. I think it takes big hairy balls to bring such babies to the market. So kudos – why not! We don’t judge price , only quality matters.

Many people were so keen on trying this. I am glad to be in the position now, I gave it two sessions. Not the shabbiest of moments :).

A typical Ardbeg right from the start, the refill Bourbon barrel allows the oily spirit to shine. Weapon oil (Ballistol), tires, burning pine cone, iodine, peat, leather, ointment, tarry rope with kelp, lemonized oyster, chalk, minerality, coal, aloe, menthol and mezcal, dirty harbour smells, cannon smoke – the whole spiel of a great Ardbeg in sweet background, aaahhh.

It tastes even better than it noses as it takes the direction of old-style Ardbeg now on leather, soot, flinty smoke and pine resin – no off-note here, just classic mature South coast Islay goodness with the typical slim and sweet profile in the middle, which every Ardbeg should have (sorry 8).

The amazing finish swells with iodine, soot, peat, flint, chalk, hints of espresso and burnt tires. A very good mellow cask that takes us back into the 1970s for moments!

Score: 92

Today on September 7th, the new manager Colin Gordon and Dr. Bill Lumsden send a third release into the ring, sourced from American oak and ex-Oloroso casks. On the label it actually reads ‚Bottled: In a lockdown‘. It took a while as it was stuck in the UK for months due to Covid-related shipping issues, but now the wait is finally over. Let’s go into the infight:

ARDBEG TRAIGH BHAN 19 y.o. Batch 3, 46,2%

Comment: A group of pot-smoking cowboys on sweaty horses rubbed with ointment underneath their old leather saddles ride into a coffee roastery while firing their guns in the air. After that, they clean their silver pistols with Ballistol oil, have some hot chocolate, milk coffee, others sip on Pu Erh tea, sherry or even lime juice, one replaces his iodine-soaked bandaid, another one writes ‚Islay Renegades were here‘ with chalk on the blackboard of offerings, one removes the nettles, thistles and resin from his socks and boots, as they all rode in from a nearby peat bog Sorry, but it noses like that. It is a wonderful and typical Ardbeg on the sweet and leathery side with discrete Oloroso influence. I am also getting nuts, completely nuts, and white pepper. Older style indeed, complex and balanced.

On the palate the fired weapons rule over all the other aromas, really cool – I love this profile. However, it is a bit too thin and low in alcohol to fully keep the amazing promises of the nose – for me. Some might exactly like this subtlety. Big sips help. This is suitable for being served in the middle of a tasting session to start the peatsters. Then it shines.

It finishes sweet, sooty and kelpy with loads of iodine. It grows on you and goes the long way if you let it. Now the cowboys have a BBQ on the beach after a storm. Join them and get a bottle of this noble Islay dram. The George Foreman of Ardbeg whiskies, or was that Axel Schulz?

Score: 89+

P.S.: Here is the official tasting note in German:

Ben Nevis 24 y.o. Wu Dram Clan / Duckhammers / The Whisky Kingdom 1996 – 2021, Bourbon Hogshead 1408, 290 btl., 45,6%

Comment: Aaaahh, a spirit-driven, waxy fruit bomb that develops. Gooseberry, white peach Bellini, grapefruit, passionfruit, kiwi, baby banana, yellow plum, pineapple, caramellized blood orange, redcurrant, wild strawberries and meet vanilla, gorse, New World Sauvignon Blanc, whipped cream, coconut, macadamia, fresh linen, latex (yes!), white pepper, ginger powder and discrete oak.

On the palate it delivers in balanced and gentle yet growing manner. The 45,6% are fine, just fill your mouth. Sour fruit compote, salty brine, exotic fruit, chocolate, kurkuma, ex-Bourbon oak, toffee, all very well-integrated. It is getting bolder by the minute and finishes big and fruity.

Drink this in bigger sips for full pleasure – rather early in a tasting session. I love its subtle details of excellence like in a fine watercolor painting. A tropical treat from the Highlands, Wooooorrrd!

Score: 91

Beschreibung: Hallo, das ist ein wahrer und typischer Ardbeg ohne jede Offnote, auf der würzig-ledrigen Seite befindlich. In der Ledertasche finden wir das Torf-Jod-Schwefel-Kombo, antiseptisches Spray, Mullbinde, BBQ-Sauce, Lagerfeuer-Rauch, Senf, schwarzen Pfeffer, Seegras, Aloe, Zitrusfrische, Milchschokolade, Latte Macchiato und Reifen. Auch gesalzenes Karamell, diverse Nüsse (v.a. Paranuss, Cashew und Macadamia), Vanille, Sägespäne und evtl. Virgin-Oak-Spuren kann man erriechen. Der Einfluss der Sherryfässer, wohl refill, wirkt nur indirekt ordnend. Klassisch und gut bisher.

Am Gaumen ändert sich aber so Einiges im Vergleich zu den Klassikern: Hier tritt er nicht schlank und süß an wie seine Artgenossen, er beißt pfeffrig zu – fast wie ein Talisker, dazu viel Holz (eher frisch wirkend, ich schätze Virgin Oak-Anteil, müsste mal nachfragen) in cremiger Textur. Definitiv Paralleluniversum Je nachdem, wie man seinen Ardbeg mag …

Wild wird dann langsam zu süß, wenn der Abgang einsetzt. Das volle Ardbeg-Aromenrad kommt wieder zum Zuge, und ja, leichte Echos der Sherrycasks sind auch da – ein schönes Finish. Die 65 Euro sind absolut fair.

Note: 88

As a pre-release, the somewhat stronger Committee Edition has been released now (115 Euro). The 46%- version will follow from May 25th on for the same price at embassies, online and in shops. Go get Colin Gordon’s inaugural release.

This scorchy Ardbeg was matured in heavily charred white oak casks (ex-Bourbon). Knowing former expressions, this is a winning formula for me. It just works magic on the peaty spirit, adding a sooty and sweet environment that elevates iodine, tar and BBQ-notes. Let’s see:

Comment: Yes, winner. The charred casks rendered an old-style cokey Ardbeg that takes you right into a rainy pit lane on a racing track: tarry tires, diesel, wet gravel (chalk and flint stones), oil, driver’s leather gloves and what not. We also smell hospital notes like old bandages, antiseptic spray, big iodine, cough pastilles and camphor. Nuuuurrse, please! The third world I get teleported to is a BBQ at the beach with grilled lobsters and herbs, a fish smoker (Arbroath Smokie), olive spread, coal fire, sweet smoke, soot, peat and embers, BBQ-sauce, honey-mustard dip and cocoa nibs for dessert with fine tea. Somehow the Scorch keeps all these together in good integration and harmony. Additionally, there are fired pistols, black liquorice, saddle leather, burnt cake, pepper and chili-flakes, resin, plums, vanilla and oak. Big and bold. On the palate is also appears bigger than usual Ardbegs, more spice, green elements lead in and get burnt away by the big black smoke of heavenly sooty sweetness, aaah. Iodine, peat, all crazy stuff from the nose reverberates here. A powerful, sweet, smoky and harmonic finish ensues this pleasure sip for chimney sweepers. Complexity and joy. Well done, little dragon!

Score: 89+

Beschreibung: Der recht helle Tropfen ist zwar einerseits sofort als Ardbeg zu erkennen (Torf, Jod, brennender Trafo, Reifen), weicht aber im Bereich Süße deutlich ab – er präsentiert sich trockener und „baumiger“, womit gemeint ist, dass sich viele Spuren des Eichenholzes finden lassen: Würze (Chili, Pfeffer, Wasabi), Harz, Vanille, Lakritz, Weidenast, Wacholderbusch, Nussschale und Räucherkammer wären ein paar davon. Diese Holznoten sind nicht dominant, machen diesen Ardbeg aber weniger Destillat-getrieben und weniger ausbalanciert. Der Roggen gibt indirekt eine gewisse Härte, man riecht Getreidekörner, Bohnen heller Kaffeeröstung, Kreide, Gurkenglas, Teerdach, Torfrauch, Distel, Nessel, Manchego-Rinde, helle Zitrusfrüchte, Birne und Banane.

Am Gaumen tritt der Arrrrrrrdbeg eher trocken und mild für seine knapp 52% an und folgt seiner Nasen-Aromatik. Die typische schlanke Mitte dieses Destillates ist vorhanden, aber die Süße ist zurückgehalten. Vor allem Erdnüsse, Eiche, Gurkenwasser (oft in Rye-Whiskys auffindbar) Teer und Harz treten bei mittlerer Reife in den Vordergrund.

Der Nachklang wirkt zuerst klassisch, klingt jedoch weicher und schlanker bei mittlerer Länge und im holzigeren Kontext ab. Torfwärme und Jod, Kokosschale, Paranuss und Teer verbleiben im Crescendo.

Als Fazit ist festzuhalten, dass ich überrascht war, wie sehr doch die Rye-Vorbelegung einen Ardbeg verändert, ein sehr spannendes Experiment. Dieser Dram wird mit Sicherheit im Reigen diverser (Nach-) Reifungen seinen Platz und seine Freunde finden. In Deutschland ist er ab dem 09. Februar 2021 für 150 Euro erhältlich. Arrrrrrgh!

Bewertung: 87

Beschreibung: Wir haben ihn im Team probiert und fanden den Traigh Bhan II sehr gelungen. Uns gefiel die mineralische Kalkigkeit, seine Typizität („der ist ganz klar ein Ardi“) und die Komplexität, alles rund und wertig, für große Schlücke. Man kann seine Reife deutlich wahrnehmen, da sind massig Sekundär- und Tertiäraromen in Esterform gebildet worden. Auch viel Jod, antiseptische Pflaster, Reifen, Trafobrand, Teer, Milchkaffee, Feuerstein, Streichholz, Leder, Zitrone, Pflaume, grüne Kräuter (auch Tee), Tomatenmark, Chiliflocken und Aloe Vera sind zu finden. Und natürlich Torfrauch, der aber viel mehr transportiert als in wilder Jugend. Man wünscht sich ein paar mehr Umdrehungen, das ist aber das einzige Manko an diesem wirklich feinen und kompakten Ardbeg – ich leg‘ mir sicher einen zu. Er erinnert an seinen Vorgänger, der süß-cremige Abgang ist ein Traum.

Bewertung: 90 Punkte

Verkostung: 4,7% weniger Alkohol also die Committee-Version, gleiches Vatting? Schwer zu sagen. Ich bin gespannt. Auf jeden Fall ist der Pinot Noir-Einfluss deutlicher als beim Committee, Kirschen und Erdbeeren, alles gut eingebunden, schnell verfliegend, dann alte trockene Holzplanke, Senfkorn, Leder, viel Rauch, Jodsüße, heißer Spielzeugeisenbahntrafo, antiseptische Pflaster, Teer, Kohle, Ruß, Tannenzapfenfeuer, mineralische Elemente (Kalk, Kreide, Muscheln), Salz, Schokolade und Kaffee, sogar Bittermandel und Vanille. Am Gaumen gewinnt er gegen die Vorversion, hier ist das Weinfassthema wirklich gut eingebunden, die Ardbeg-typische Süße bleibt erhalten und zieht sich durch bis in den mittellangen Abgang. Süffig, filigran, alle Elemente angehaucht. Der Cloudy Bay-Spätburgunder (Neuseeland) hält sich eher zurück, gibt aber positive Einflüsse und zähmt den Ardbeg bzw. sortiert ihn. Eine Schoko-Kirsch-Torte, die versehentlich auf dem Räucherofen stand. Kein Brecher, ein eleganter Altrocker in Tweet, im Ledersessel sitzend – spannend. Selten, dass die „dünnere“ Variante den Sieg holt. Ein gelungener Ardbeg, gefährlich trinkig und sicher kein schwarzes Schaf!

Bewertung: 88

Cognac 49 y.o. ‚Petite Champagne‘ 1970 – 2019, barrel, 49,2%

Comment: We don’t know the producing house but I have a hunch. It is very well-balanced, and no overboarding wood disturbs the pleasure full of nuts, plums, pineapple skin, tobacco smoke, Oyster Sauce, flowers, Asian spices, fruit cake with dried and caramellized fruits. Medium rancio though, this is more on subtleties on the lighter side – it unfolds lik an onion, give it time..it gradually becomes darker in character. medium-long finish. A high class Cognac, very typical. Not a 1960s-Bowmore-esque Berry Bomber, though (if you search for that unsusual profile).

Score: 89 – 90

Irish Single Malt 29 y.o., 1990 – 2019, barrel, 48,5%

Comment: When Irish Malts become this old, they become rare and expensive. Also did the load of older Emeralds dry recently, so this is really cool. This dram is still malty and has some wood spice to counter enormous tropical fruitiness, berries and lemongrass. Creamy, milky too, somehow: pineapple-vanilla milkshake, anyone? On the palate it plays out its strength the most: Mangos meet berries and blackcurrant. Yeah. I am a sucker for uber-fruitiness. Medium-length finish. Maybe not the best Irish from these years but certainly a great one. Got me a bottle…

Score: 91

Irish Single Malt 21 y.o., 1998 – 2019, barrel, 51,3%

Comment: A good age when usually fruitiness explodes in Irish drams. Is this in its prime yet? Yes. Wow, I like it. Bushmills 21, but more naked. Fresh and fruity, berries, vanilla, blackcurrant. All the way well-balanced, icecream topping quality. Absolutely typical, recommendation.

Score: 90 – 91

Irish Single Malt 16 y.o., 2003 – 2019, barrel, 51,9%

Comment: How does the youngest Irish contender hold its own? It is a nice example of a grassy and lemony version, discrete oak influence (spice), coconut too. Creamy, fruity, smooth, honest. Pistacchio. A good dram.

Score: 88

Littlemill 27 y.o., 1992 – 2020, hogshead, 52,3%

Comment: Thyme on roasted lamb, other Mediterranean herbs, pineapples, apple juice, Pak Choi, vanilla pod, pine cone, traces of Bourbon. Fragile and elegant all the way.

Score: 91

Secret Highland 34 y.o.,  1985 – 2019, hogshead, 47,0%

Comment: I like the pink grapefruit in this (hint – hint), nice old profile with big fruitiness and no offnote, fresh too, so spirit driven. Mangos, berries, blackcurrant, pineapple, maracuja and what not. Is there a smoked pink grapefruit? It would taste like this. Who needs distillery names

Score: 91+

Arran 17 y.o.,  2002 – 2020, Barrel, 49,2%

Comment: Spices on apples and pineapples, coconut, cappuccino froth, vanilla, peaches, Tarte Tatin, honey, pear cider, rosemary, Marshmallows, ozone, mossy brine. A fine Arran.

Score: 88+

Ben Nevis 23 y.o., 1996 – 2020, hogshead, 47,6%

Comment: Lychee sweetness, peaches, mango, herbs, roses, Alpine cheese, vanilla, apple crumble, sugar-coated nuts, honeyed malt, sandalwood candle, almost no wood. Amazing Ben Nevis from a great vintage for this distillery, fruitier than usual. Wow. This is en par with the Maltbarn release from last year which I adore as well.

Score: 92

Ledaig 25 y.o., 1995 – 2020, hogshead, 48,5%

Comment: Quite an aged Mull malt, rare indeed. The peat is secondary here, broken down into coastal aromas now. Malty, chalky, mineral, salty, briny. Air-dried ham, kiwi, peaches, melon, Atlantic seabreeze, wool, windswept sheep shack wood (sorry :)), leather, pepper. A pan of scallops deglazed with Vermouth and whisky. Aaah, this grows on you with every sip.

Score: 89+

Comment: Release the Kraaaaken! Cool label, thanks to Boris for providing me with a sample. I am a sucker for Ledaig anyway. Let’s taste: Very clear and focused, no nonsense peated Mull malt: immediately a bath of island peat, nice sweetness too, like digging herbs from wet earth. Aaah, historic shoe wax on polished Italian calf leather Oxfords, green apples and tea, pineapple, Lardo ham, stewed plums, tar and quite some chalky minerality (Loire wine). It evokes several images in my head like grey wood planks on an old windswept shed, freshly shorn sheep wool (no joke!), sea shells and Galician octopus cooking in a creamy Rias Baixas white wine reduction with herbs – high class! This is a very elegant version (compared to sister casks I had). It also shows great balance with enough power and a well-dosed oak influence that renders a seductive sweetness to the leather-peat-Island Combo. Long and complex finish that echoes the mentioned aromas and turns nicely flinty. Super choice, boys, I hadn’t expected this great quality from the stats on paper. One of the finest younger Ledaigs out there! Recommended.

Score: 90

This sample arrived late due to postal issues with Covid-19. I was so happy when it made it. Great to see an addition to Ardbeg’s core range, especially as this ‚Little Beast‘ has an age statement. The five years don’t worry me, peated whiskies are way more drinkable in younger years than normal ones. Of course, you lose some complexity but gain sheer power on the other end. However, a higher abv would be even more to my liking… but this has to fit newer palates in the market as well, so this is ok. And, forgive me, it really looks cool. The contents were taken from Bourbon and Oloroso casks, refill, I would reckon. Let’s have a dram:

Comment: Powerful and typical, extremely smoky (like thick clouds packed into a hole in the earth – quite mezcal-esque) and direct hit. No mash aroma, this is good antiseptic and peaty Ardbeg. Altogether it has a greener profile (herbs, green tea, pear, apple, Aloe, pickles) and spices are key (pepper, leather, jalapeno). It also sports chocolate, chalk, flinty sulphur, lemon dash, prosciutto ham, cold brew coffee and vanilla, even shortbread and a hint of cherry brandy. However, my beloved iodine is tuned on low. Not low on complexity, but wilder an greener than usual. On the palate you can detect the rounding-off effect of the sherry casks (well done), the Ardbeggian sweetness is there – and big smoke. Still balanced, not overpowering, not weak, just about right. Vanilla, and „welcome“, iodine, green elements, fired guns, leather and discrete old wood. Nice long finish. No monster, a good Islay Mezcal Proven: For this whisky, no weird finishes are necessary. Absolutely recommended for its price below 40 bucks.

Score: 88

Always make the best out of a situation. Isolation gave me time to taste some really nice drams after my nose was not congested anymore. My friends Boris, Martin, Dino and Maic provided me with some quarantine tipples. Thanks, guys! All of these are not expected to score low and I have heard good things, so this will be nitpicking. So without further delay, here some notes to distinguish:

Highland 36 y.o. Mancarella 1983, Hogshead 50, 47,3%

Cristallized tropical fruits (star fruit, pink grapefruit, lime, pineapple, maracuja, etc.), coconut, apple strudel, the wood is there but wonderfully discrete and adding interesting spice aromas that totally fit in (pepper, cinnamon, resin, supernice oakiness, all tuned well). It reminds me of older Springbank in moments, then it is very Tomatin-70s again, which might very well be the origin – what a combo. 91+.

Speyside Malt 46 y.o. Maltbarn 1973 – 2019, Sherry cask, 68 btl., 49,7%

Darker and sweeter in terms of wood than the predecessor, also somewhat rooty at first. Nutty, liqueurish, tropical fruits, Manuka honey, cristallized orange peel, Asian spice, dark wood, marzian It becomes brighter with time in its spectrum, peaches, pineapple, kiwi and marshmallows come to the fore. Very complex, take your time with this one. 91-.

Highland Malt 32 y.o. Maltbarn 1987 – 2019, Sherry cask, 159 btl., 49,9%

Great harmony, old sherry wood, plums, cherries, raisins, kiwi, leathery spice, dark chocolate, X-Mas-cake, nettles, tobacco. A classic profile fitting a Chesterfield club chair setting in a mahogany room. Chewy, gimme more! 91-.

Secret Speyside 24 y.o. Brothers in Malt 1995 – 2020, Bourbon Barrel 1409061, 261 btl., 52,1%

May I say the M-word? Smells just like an Easter Elchies House Malt Great fruit acidity, depth and balance, hard to grasp this fruit basket with discrete spiciness. Citrus fruits of all kind, pineapple, dried apricots, white grapes, hive, spring flowers, nutcake, roasted hazelnuts, wine gums, ginger, leather … soooo Speyside! The subtlest of smoke lingers within this harmonic dram where the oak is only traceable in secondary and tertiary aromas. High class, a sipper for all day, no offnote here. Great choice. 91.

Springbank 19 y.0. The Whisky Kingdom / Duckhammer’s 2000 – 2020, Refill Sherry Hogshead 669, 50,8%

Spicy over all, and with its typical maltiness, discrete peat in background, milky oats, Serrano ham, fresh grain, peaches and apricots (Bellini), strawberries, cherries, coconut, almonds and marzipan, salty brine, seaspray and ozone (nice coastal freshness), pepper, rubbery leather, moss, very complex, a smoky one that also lets fruit build up – there is lots going on, „Daddy like“! 91+.

Invergordon 46 y.o. Mancarella 1972, 49,2%

Pina Colada (Pineapple, coconut, cream, rum, vanilla) on speed! Typical old Invergordon, and perfect as such within its limits, sporting sweet juicy oak, catnip, mulch, fudge, cinnamon, nutmeg and  loads of maple syrup. It offers elements of the worlds of Bourbon, Rum and old Blended Whisky all in one, and White Russian. Dino’s third great Invergordon, nicely done, dude. 90+.

Clynelish 23 y.o. Maltbarn 1996 – 2020, Bourbon cask, 170 btl., 48,7%

Waxy and spicy, fruit acidity: there are aromas of leather, candles, hay, Sauvignon Blanc, then a great fruitiness breaks through (Granny Smith apples, peaches, passion fruit, pineapple, satsumas, gooseberries, plums), then persipan, beehive, ferny rocks, lime lemonade, wasabi, slight traces of darker oak bitterness as an antidote – all in excellent harmony, and highly drinkable. Plus, I love these pictures on the labels. 90.

Lochindaal (Bruichladdich) 9 y.o. Brothers in Malt 2010 – 2020, Bourbon Barrel 4337, 241 btl., 58,9%

From a rare run that is slightly peatier than Port Charlotte make. Well-dosed peat smoke still allowing complexity to come through, nice and original. Chalky minerality, kelp, fish smoker in action (yeah!), freshness of salty sea spray, resin, rubber boots, green tea, sheep shed, toffee, lime dash, roots, leather, wasabi … and sweeter than expected on the palate. A great example of a complex Islay Malt with hints of Campbeltown-esque maltiness. 90.

Caol Ila 20 y.o. Maltbarn 1999 – 2o20, Sherry cask, 118 btl., 48,9%

A dusty version (old sherry cask), interestingly different but still a typical Caol Ila (juniper in kelp, black olives), quite a lot of peat smoke, one for discovering more layers. 89.

Octomore 8 y.o.Maltbarn 2010/11 – 2020,  Bourbon and Wine casks, 43 btl., 58,3%

Read the label for more insights. A cheesy peatster, tar, seaweed, nettles and herbal weeds, dried apple rings, lemon skin, shed by the sea, leather, Virginia tobacco, smoked mackerel, sweet on palate with mentholated moments that dissolve into a peat, resin and iodine combo, loooong finish. Typical and good. 90.

Comment: No worries, this is an Ardbeg nose, at first on the sooty and smoky side. Typical features like peat, iodine, antiseptic spray, tar, sulphur, leatherbag, hot transformator and green herbs are right here. However, the wine casks left their traces: somehow this Ardbeg is drier due to woody oak tannins (and cedar). Resin and more aromatic smokiness than usual. Also I am getting a rooty aroma that reminds me of small cask maturation. Later, strawberries, raspberries and cranberries chime in discretely. Nice and unusual, I must say.

On the palate the wine casks speak way louder. The tongue hits a dry oaky wall at first, tannins stripped the beloved Ardbeg sweetness in parts. Not as balanced and slender as usual. The elements unfortunately don’t integrate so well altogether.

The finish is a bit shorter than usually in terms of Ardbeg but it builds itself up nicely, smokily and sooty. If you like dry Islay styles, this is for you – but it departs from the typical south shore tipple. A good whisky but not en par with an Uigeadail or a Corry, if you ask me. But I like to try out new things, and this finds fans for sure. Taste and decide for yourself, don’t follow the herd: „Baaaaaah!“, goes the sheep, tame in nature, shorn to be wild.

Score: 85+

Kommentar: Toller erster Eindruck, noch eindeutiger als das Standard-Destillat, reif wirkend. Hier ist Jod, starke süße Rußigkeit, Torf und Kaffee stehen sofort im Raum, Fischräucherofen, Wildleder, Tabak, Moos, Kampfer-Sauna-Aufguss, Trafobrand, H0-Schienenöl, Kreide, Vanille und Schokolade, dafür kaum die Aloe-Note und Eukalyptus (ich nehme dies anders wahr als die offizielle Verkostungsnotiz). Genau meine Baustelle, keine Schärfen und doch so komplex und würzig. Im Mund wird er tatsächlich mentholischer, dann zündet das Islay-Feuerwerk, das in perfekter Balance zur Süße steht. Erdloch-Lagerfeuer-Kaminkehrer. Aaahh. Kein reines Powerhouse, eher rund und süßlich-rauchig, wie eine gepimpte Barbecue-Sauce. Der Abgang bringt schöne Rauch-Schwefelwolken zum Torfruß, Arbroath Smokie-Planke, abgefeuerte Kanone, Harz und Jod. Man will sofort nachschenken.

Score: 90

Aroma: Wunderbar balancierter und typischer Neunziger-Ardbeg (sweet n‘ deep), der schon die kaktusartigen Aloe Vera-Anklänge späterer Jahre aufweist. Keine Offnote, gut, jodig-tief, würzig und vegetal (Tomatenstauden), wirklich fein und zwischen den Gegensätzen leicht und schwer wandelnd. Hauptsächlich findet man Torf, Teer, Harz, Kalk, Gerbleder, Milchschokolade, Kaffee, Ananas, Zitronenzesten und Paprikapulver. Zwar bemerkt man die Sherryanteile nicht direkt, doch indirekt verleihen sie dem Traigh Bhan Tiefe.

Geschmack: Kohlig-vegetaler Antritt, alles eher leicht, dann süßer und schwerer werdend durch Jod, Torf, Harzrauch, Teer und Leder – auch klassisch und gelungen, Ardbeg mal elegant.

Nachklang: Mittellang, erdig-torfig, stimmig. Wer auf puren und gereiften Brennereicharakter steht, mag diesen Vintage Islay. Bitte mehr davon!

Bewertung: 90

Entsprechend des Karneval-Mottos erwartet uns laut Dr. Bill eine prächtige Aromenparade im sommerlichen Stil, da der torfige Tropfen in amerikanischen Rumfässern nachgereift wurde. Das Committee-Bottling hatte 52% und kam bei uns gut an (89 Punkte), hier stehen wir bei 46% in strohfarbener Eleganz. Ich bin gespannt, wie sich diese Ausmischung im Vergleich verhält:

Verkostung: Schon beim Einschenken breiten sich süßlich-jodiger Torfrauch und frisch geteerte Straße aus, man ist sofort auf Islay. Apfel, Limette, Ananas, grüne Banane und Datteln sowie Gartenkräuter im schweflig-rußigen Räucherofen, heißer Trafo, Gerbleder, Gunpowder-Tee, Kreosot und alte Salbe in braunem Pflaster, Nadelbaum (insbesondere Kiefernharz), Latte Macchiato mit Vanilleschuss und peruanische Bitterschokolade – alles fein eingebunden und komplex. Ein zitruslastiger und leichtfüßiger Ardbeg, den Rum findet man nur durch seine indirekte Wirkung, die mehr Süße evoziert. Eine interessante Variante mit milderem Abgang als die Committee-Version, die im Sommer am Strand viel Freude machen wird.

Score: 87

Invergordon 45 y.o. Single Grain Scotch Whisky 1972 – 2018, Bourbon barrel, 49,5%

Comment: Classic flawless grain nose, on the crossroads between rum and Bourbon, very mature: vanilla sweetness, maple syrup, marzipan, well-oaky but fits in, marshmallows, Big Red chewing gum, almonds and coconut, fudge, cardamom and nutmeg, pineapple, peach, apple juice, fruit-infused tea and fruity pipe tobacco mix, catnip. On the palate, it is quite oaky and spicy at first, then it gives room to the complexity of the nose, loooong vanilla carpet all the way into the finish.

Score: 90

Ardmore 20 y.o. Mancarella 1998, Bourbon Hogshead, 51,9%

Comment: On the farmyardy side altogether with greener fermentation notes and cheese, aroma-laden coal smoke, peat, leather, yellow apple, olives, shoe shine, flowery elements too. Nice mature palate with a sweet malty backbone, peatier than the nose with my beloved flintiness. Complex and deep.

Score: 89

Dino visits Pit

Andi Christl besuchte Pit und die beiden hatten richtig Spaß!

Man unterhielt sich über Whisky als Genuss- und Entschleunigunsmittel, Sensorik, historische Flaschen und das im Bau befindliche Whiskymuseum sowie Pits Lehrberuf und seinen Werdegang. Pit legt selbst keinen Wert auf Titel wie Whiskypapst oder Preise seiner Flaschen – es geht ihm um die Sache des slow drinking und Lebensfreude. Dennoch bleiben manche Superlative dabei nicht aus. Ein Whisky-Enthusiast lebt seinen Traum.

Also reinhören, dies sind ein paar Auszüge des Interviews. Danke an Bayern 3 und Andi.

Aroma: Wie bei vielen Finishes ist das Resultat eher im Geschmack zu finden, die Nose, zeigt den Rum nicht klar an. Dafür ist sie aber richtig fein, ein reif und rund wirkender Ardbeg mit seinen typischen Merkmalen steigt einem in die Nase: Trafobrand, Reifen, Seegras, Jod, salzige Seeluft, Torf, geröstete Kaffeebohnen, Gerbleder, Pfeffer, Chili, Schokolade, Erdnüsse, grüne Kräuter, Spinat, Dill und Aloe Vera. Volles Spektrum. Was hier anders erscheint als bei den klassischen Abfüllungen sind deutliche Kiefernzapfen, Harz, mehr Vanilleanteil mit etwas mehr Holz (keine Angst, der Dram bleibt „spirit-driven“) und ein tropischer Einschlag durch trockene Ananas, Blutorange und Limettensaft. Auch Datteln, Gras und warme Erde (Rindenmulch im Olivenhain) tragen zu diesem leicht süßeren Gesamtbild bei.

Geschmack: Ah, the rum is not gone – hier erkennt man seine Spuren deutlicher als zuvor, jedoch nie aufdringlich. Dieser Ardbeg ist milder und süßer im Antrunk, ohne seinen Charakter zu verlieren – wie ein schön frisierter und in ein Hawaiihemd gesteckter Islay-Fisherman mit Bart und Brusthaar. Ananas, Apfel, Zimt, Banane, Datteln, Olivenöl, Vanille, Kaffee, Leder, Bitterschokolade, Erde und Mulch sowie aromatischer Torfrauch mit Jod. Das ganze ist enorm trinkig und angenehm, Ardbeg für die Sonnenterrasse.

Nachklang: Auch hier kein Kastrat, sondern ein herrlich spaßiger Ardbeg, der keine einzige Offnote aufweist. Zugänglicher, verspielter, etwas leichter, aber dennoch mit Aussage, wie Kinski an einem guten Tag. Der Rum bringt die Jodsüße stärker heraus, angezündetes Streichholz für brennende Kiefernzapfen, Vanilla-Espresso am Strand von Port Ellen mit Torfschwaden im Hintergrund. Could you be loooved …? Indeed. Ich mag ihn.

Bewertung: 89

Wir bringen unseren Klassiker nach München. Zu bestem Preis-Leistungsverhältnis erlebt ihr hier ein Traum-Whiskyseminar, das sowohl Neulinge als auch Kenner voll befriedigt. Viel Wissenswertes rund um das Thema Whisky, verschiedene Fassreifungen, Regionen, Altersstufen und Stile, Tipps und Rohstoffe sind in ca. acht ‚Drams‘ zu erleben. Alles im Edutainment-Stil (Spaß, Kult und Wissen), locker moderiert von zwei slowdrink-Experten, die tiefste Passion für das ‚water of life‘ haben. Mit Herz eben. Die Whiskys sind auch nichts von der Stange, wir legen Wert auf das Besondere – sie stammen aus dem Keller von Whiskyguru Pit Krause (Raritäten, Geheimtipps, Top Daily Drams usw.), der das Lineup zusammenstellt (69,90 Euro Unkosten inkl. Snack und zwei Cocktails)

Anmeldung: info@slowdrink.de

Pit Krause beim BR

Rare 21 y.o. Select Cask

This bottling was done for and chosen by some real malt heads (see picture) who love their Lagavulin dearly. As it is a rare sensation that DIAGEO allows original bottlings for a certain group, this is a special gem. I am very excited and hope this is good (as it was really expensive). Let’s taste:

Comment: Holy…, OmG! This is great from the first whiff. I could smell this for hours and it touches my soul. No joke, this is probably the best nose I had in 2018, full score. Why such praise: very complex and interwoven balance, deep, all elements fit together, like a huge orchestra with all musicians playing yet no instrument takes centre stage. The Tannoy speakers of Lagavulin, full of peaty, medical and leathery goodness paired with maturity. Here we have the precise middle between cask and spirit influence, going hand in hand, not tired but refined – a maelstrom of peat, iodine and sweet wine from very elegant old-style wood, like only the greatest of the great have. 21 is an ideal age for the Lagavulin distillate of this cask type.

I am now getting Shisha tobacco, roasted peanuts, gunpowder tea, dates, bacon-wrapped plums, cedar-wrapped Romeo y Julieta in a mahogany humidor, mmmh, and mint, like having a Mojito in the back of an authentic old Cuban bar. More pleasures chime in: espresso macchiato, chalk, iodine, gorse, kelp, vanilla pod, cough syrup, BBQ-glazed baby back ribs after 12 hours of smoking, bonfire and the combo of good sulphury smoke and peat. Aaaah….

On the palate it doesn’t disappoint at all, yum, but I am almost glad that it doesn’t go on with perfection like before – otherwise I needed more bottles   It is more on the liqueur-side than expected and wins out when drunk in big sips because the body is slick and elegant, no bruiser. Water is not necessary. All the above elements are to be found, but leathery spice paves the way nicely. It somehow unites Lagavulin power with mild and smooth character traits in a slender body.

The finish is earthy and sweet at first, then lit matchstick, flinty gunpowder and an iodine-esque peatiness linger. What a treat and a worthy dram for the occasion – these are the moments … amazing pick, boys! A must-have for the devotee. Free refills, anyone?

Score: 94+

Thanks to Donnie and Boris for the sample.

SMWS 35.219 Glen Moray 2003 ex-Chardonnay Barrique 14 y.o., 57,2%

This is a Germany-exclusive release, also titled and described in German – nice. And it is a winner that was chosen by a jury of German connoisseurs. A very „mortlachy“ Glen Moray, I must say because it has quite some smoke, a dry meaty and sulphury edge and metallic undertones. Old wood notes meet grapes, mango, Peach, orange zest, muesli box, ginger and chili, coal, pine needles and Aperol Sprizz. Funny and interesting nose on the dry and malty side of things. On the palate it Shows greatness, very round and flawless. Malt and spice-combo leads to honey sweetness, fruits and wine – like a watercolor painting that hints at things in a subtle way. It finishes long and metallic with all the aroma’s reminiscences glowing up shortly. Water makes it sweeter and sends the chilis to the fore. Quite a ride, like on Autobahn A3 in heavy traffic

Score: 88

SMWS 35.194 Glen Moray 2001 ex-Oloroso 1st-fill, 16 y.o., 59,8%

I am sure this release will find little common ground. I find it fungi-flawed like many of these casks that only display sulphury raisins, blue cheese and grapey sweetness – no distillery character and complexity. However, some love it exactly for this profile.

The nose is intact: rich and malty nose, dark honey, oak, pistachio, mash, hints of fruit (apricots and gooseberries), sulphury raisins, Spanish vinegar, ginger, chili and ginger, coal, eucalypt, chocolate Lebkuchen, not too bad. However, on the palate it displays the described flaw. Raisins, blue cheese, flinty sulphur. the spices save it a bit from being too monodimensional. Water also helps. I declare the discussion on this one as open…

Score 83

SMWS 35.204 Glen Moray 2001 ex-Bourbon/new oak, 16 y.o., 58,9%

This one is much less debatable. It has quite some wine character on the one side and wood spice on the other, almost bordering on Bourbon territory (yet smoother). Nuts, vanilla, cloves, maple syrup, salted caramel, honey, figs, dates, sulphury raisins, oranges and sweet tobacco big time. On the palate the sherry starts to speak more, with hints of the fungi-problem, but also juicy aromas. No water needed.

Score: 87

This was an interesting head-to-head comparison. Now I am glad to also try other releases as well.

SMWS 5.60 Auchentoshan 2000 ex-Bourbon/Oloroso, 16 y.o., 56,5%

The most surprising one in this set, it is beguiling. What a great cask! Very much like an older Glen Keith in moments. So creamy and full of Bourbon cask goodness, aaah! Mango on creme brûlée, coconut and pineapple meet Werthers Originals toffee, gooseberries, linden blossom honey, ripe pear, roses, orange zest, cinnamon hazelnut, amoroso sherry, calvados, vin santo, Bailoni Apricot liqueur sweetness, full on! All he way to the end this is powerful, complex and well-balanced. A clear buy!

Score: 89-90

SMWS 68.11 Blair Athol 2009 ex-Bourbon 7 y.o., 57,9% 

Forest Floor in late autumn, aromatic and fresh, then it becomes a sweet pasty like a cinnamon sticky bun with nuts, Marzipan fruitcake, honey-glaze and dessert wine. Water makes it even sweeter, one for afternoon tea parties.

Score: 87

SMWS 66.104 Ardmore 2008 ex-Bourbon 8 y.o., 60,1%

I love Ardmore at all ages. The younger ones don’t dissappoint but are a bit greener and sweeter than predecessors from the direct firing period of distillation. This one reminds me of a Bunnahabhain Moine in the nose. Like having a green tea on a frehsly tarred road near to an Islay distillery. Ashtray smokiness and aromatic peat, herbs, Aloe, juniper, metal, BBQ-sauce, mustard seed, ginger, apples, black pepper and chili – a powerhouse. On the palate it is way sweeter and more comlex as one would think. Everything tightly woven together like a Tsunami of peaty whisky goodness plus some iodine. So balanced and refined, you want another glass. Wow. Another recommendation!

Score: 88-89

Comment: This is like a gingerbread with a chocolate-chili coating, very appropriate for the season. The Oloroso smell and hints of a dry n‘ spicy classic ooze out of my tasting tulip. I am getting sherry, old wood, orange zest, soaked gingerbread, dusty warehouse, green tea and herbs, dark chocolate, Maraschino cherry gelee, dates, apricot, humidor, and: Chili! Altogether rather an old style dram … and on the palate? Less dry than expected! Great stuff with an exciting back n‘ forth between sweetness (jammy) and spiciness, yet in very good balance. Cough syrup-complexity It finishes lengthy and full of finesse, echoes of cherries, chocolate, dates and sloeberries linger. A real recommendation!

Score: 90

Speyside Region 28 y.o. Mancarella 1989 – 2018, Bourbon cask, 93 btl., 47,6%

Comment: Very fruity (pink grapefruit, maracuja, garden fruits) and full of blossom honey. This has good maturity and balance, the wood is exactly right. Mint, chili, bloody steak, a trace of ginger and the sweetness of vanilla pastries in the nose. On the palate it delivers similarly. very soft but lacking a bit of power. However, it is so refined, I forgive – a winner, again.

Score: 90-91

Invergordon 44 y.o. Mancarella 1973 – 2018, Bourbon cask, 106 btl., 52,3%

Comment: Those Grains are winning ground in the community of whisky nerds. A profile in the middle between Rum, Scotch and Bourbon makes them very complex at higher age. This one is no exception. Clear grainy whiffs meet Barbados-Rum (coconut, pineapple, soft smoke, vanilla), demerara sugar, lime blossom, blueberries, resin, maple syrup, apple crumble with cinnamon, gingerbread and what not, an amazing Bourbon cask did ist work here. For sweet teeth and lovers of complex drams. Wow!

Score: 91+

The 22 y.o. is from spring 1996 and was matured in Bourbon barrels only. I hope it can stand up to a wonderful Cadenhead Ardbeg with similar stats we recently had. Let’s taste it:

Comment: I had it on three occasions and it presented itself slightly different each time. Overall, it is a soft and sweeter Ardbeg, one for big sips, not too loud, very rounded, a dram for the second helping. Give it time and it will reward you. It brings old as well as new Ardbeg character to the table, a real mix that is not as „beasty“ as usual, more on the fruity side of things. However, it has the classic profile in its DNA, but if you are into pressure on your palate, this isn’t for you. It starts on coal, sweet smoke, vanilla, freshly sawn firs, Mezcal, Granny Smith apples, green tea with bitter elements, tar, kiwi, lemon drop, chalk and white pepper – plus the peat, tar, burnt trafo and iodine. All that is balanced and shy. On the mild palate, leather and apples take center stage, chalk and peat meet fruits. It is complex and tightly woven together, discrete, no powerhouse but one to drink another glass. Maybe it is easy to miss and tired in moments, but I like it for its special character and smooth style.

Score: 89/90

Glenrothes 10 y.o. The Shining Dram, from butt, 52,9%

Comment: I call this a greenhouse dram. I am getting floral elements, linseeds, orchard fruit (pear, apple, cider), green grapes, tomato plants, wet malt, pistachio, lemon zest and white pepper. All is in balance and a typical dram for ist age. Water opens it up a little more.

Score: 84

Glenrothes 20 y.o. The Shining Dram, from hogshead, 51,5%

Comment: This older version is wonderfully fruity (already esters of tropical fruits like passion fruit, but also orchard apple, Haribo’s sour apple rings and orange zest). There also is a fresh mintiness. The dram is a great combo between sour fruit elements and woody spices with vanilla. Although the oak is a bit loud, the oily mouthfeel and apricot fruit reward the drinker manifold.

Score: 87

Ben Nevis 19 y.o. The Shining Dram, from Bourbon hogshead, 48,6%

Comment: To start with, this is one of the most unusual drams I ever had, hence very Ben Nevis (which I like). Yes, an awkward mix awaited me but it is very interesting and mind-boggling. It will find its lovers and haters. The spectrum of aromas consists of hazelnut bush, cereals, mashy youthfulness, canned coffee milk, sheep stable and ewe’s cheese, fresh paint, coal, cocoa powder and Indian curried pickles. On the palate it is a wild ride in unusual terrain of old wooden planks, persipan, and all of the above. Cool yet crazy. Give it a try!

Score: 87

Auchroisk 24 y.o. The Shining Dram, from Bourbon hogshead, 43,5%

Comment: A summer breeze high in the Alps, this is the headline here, Fragile but so complex and lovely. Great balance and maturity, floral lightness, like a summer wind in a flower dress on an ‚Alm‘. We also have fruitiness (kiwi, strawberry, Austrian apricot), coconut, iron, grass and vanilla cream. Very elegant and a must-have for fans of this profile. Big sips recommended.

Score: 90+

Blended Malt 23 y.o. The Shining Dram, from sherry hogshead, 51,1%

Comment: X-Mas cake (‚Christstollen‘ soaked), very juicy – the sherry is perfectly integrated and not dry, which is rare at this high intensity. Rumtopf, raisins, figs, cherries, blackberries, cinnamon, orange zest, dark Wood – all in balance and full expression. Stunner!

Score: 90+

Orkney Single Malt 12 y.o. The Shining Dram, from hogshead, 50,6%

Comment: Give this one time and it will rock your world. Starts youthful and with great balance, then it becomes more mature. Mossy river, peaty Highland floor with heather, herbs, ozone, black pepper, juniper, sloe berry, hazelnut shrub, sweet malt, Turkish delight, white chocolate, litchi, kurkuma, olive oil and more. It tastes wonderful and manages to combine two worlds: lightness yet being heavily loaded with aromas. The malty sweetness and complexity in coastal style is breathtaking. Buy!

Score: 90

Caol Ila 10 y.o. The Shining Dram, from hogshead, 53,3%

Comment: A typical example, and a nice one too. Like a walk in a mediterranean olive grove with a glass of Islay Whisky. Oven fire gone out with spent coal, juniper, olives, resin, licorice, fishing boat (ropes, kelp, fish, seashell minerality, peat, ozone, green tea and Lemon chicken. On the palate it is well-balanced, spirit driven and naked, enticing! Flintiness joins in as well as a sweet oily maltiness. Pure Islay with finesse!

Score: 89

Overall, I am quite impressed with this debut. Well picked, Markus!

You can get these drams, prices and pictures on the website: www.theshiningdram.com

Bruichladdich 8 y.o. Maltbarn 2009 – 2018 Chateau Lafite Cask, 65,5% (Release #92)

Comment: A cask from one of Bordeaux‘ finest wineries, world-reknowned. The strength of this Laddie is brutal, I suggest to add some water after a while. It is a spicy-hot version (ginger, chili, wood-infused spices) that deals well with the sweet malt and wine cask elements which create a nice counterpart. Hints of green Haribo apple rings, Pineapple, peaches, canned milk, strawberries and oa7k come through. The wine becomes more detectabe on the palate and suits the dram. Young but already expressive.

Score: 87

Bunnahabhain ‚Moine‘ 5 y.o. Maltbarn/Signatory 2011 – 2017 hogshead, 61,9% (Release #84)

Comment: This is heavily-peated Bunnie, the stuff which is in many undisclosed Islay bottlings these days. Camphor meets peat in a dryer and steely style, also salty and herbal. I am getting Bacon-drizzled Barbecue coal, juniper, olive oil, lemon zest, ozone freshness, antiseptic bandaid and more. On the palate it is a bit Mezcal-like at first and way softer than one would expect from the Monster nose. Water releases more sweetness – astounding complexity at such a young age.

Score: 86+

Port Charlotte 10 y.o. Maltbarn 2007 – 2018 Margaux-Cask, 61,5% (Release #97)

Comment: I like this, a very typical and round one, the rooty style of peatiness is a PC trait. This powerhouse is balanced out by sweetness that adds complexity. Water helps but is not necessary. The wine also left traces of raisins and blue cheese.

Score: 88

Springbank 26 y.o. Maltbarn 1992 – 2018 Bourbon cask, 51,0% (Release #100)

Comment: An honour to try this – and a good choice for the jubilee. A fine example of Springbank with loads of fruit, coconuts, jamon saltiness and all that jazz older Springers offer – in an austere and mature style and great balance, not oily though. The Bourbon cask shines through wonderfully.

Score: 91 (emotionally 100)

Zum Ardbeg Day am 2. Juni bringt die Kultbrennerei wieder eine witzige Sonderabfüllung auf den Markt, die zuvor als fassstarkes Committee-Bottling wenigen Glücklichen vorgestellt worden war, der Grooves. Dieser im Sinne eines englischen Wortspiels an die 1960s angelehnte Ardbeg verdankt seinen Namen eigentlich den Rillen (engl. ‚grooves‘), die bei den verwendeten Eichenfässern das Flächenauflageverhältnis Holz-Destillat, und damit den Reifungseffekt, vergrößern sollen. Dies geschah bei der Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Edition auch schon, die für diesen Ardbeg verwendeten Fässer sollen aber stark getoastete Rotweinfässer gewesen sein. Abgefahrenes Rezept aus Hippiehirnen (verzeih mir, Dr. Bill) – hier ist ein ‚cask-driven‘ Whisky zu erwarten, der vom normalen Ardbeg ein wenig abweichen wird.

Tasting Note: In der Nase ist dieser Dram zuerst deutlich als Ardbeg zu erkennen (Torf, Jod, Trafobrand, Barbecuesauße, Lagerfeuer, Speck, Reifen, Sattelfett etc., vgl. viele der auf unserer Seite verkosteten Ardbeg-Abfüllungen), doch es gibt Abweichungen, die sich mit der Zeit verdeutlichen: Der Grooves liegt eher auf der holzigen Schreinerwerkstattseite und wirkt süßlich, die Toastung addiert Rußaromen. Nach ein wenig Zeit im Glas geht er ab wie Jimi Hendrix in Woodstock, man nimmt erhitzte Gewürze wahr (edelsüßer Paprika, Zimt, Pfeffer), bittere Kräuter, Pinienrauch harzigen Charakters, rote Äpfel, rote Johannisbeere und Leder steigen auf. Mit der Zeit wird er immer ungewöhnlicher und wie ein ‚crafted spirit‘ moderner Art, man kann sogar Granatapfelkerne, bitteren Apertif (Martini), Wermut, Orangenlikör und Pampelmusenschale erriechen. 

Der Geschmack, der bei Ardbeg meist ins Süße mit Schokolade und Espressonoten sowie Jod geht, ist hier leicht, bitterkrautig-likörig und weich („mellow“) ausgeprägt – fast wie ein torfiger Aperol Spritz mit Bitterorange in manchen Momenten, dabei stets trockener werdend. Auch englische Marmelade, lauter werdendes Eichenholz und die typischen Ardbegnoten finden sich im Hintergrund, der rußige Rauch bleibt bis zum Ende.

Fazit: Very groovy, das muss man diesem mutigen Experiment lassen. Für Ardbeg-Puristen ist er vielleicht nicht geeignet, aber wer einmal ein anderes Gesicht dieser Brennerei kennenlernen will, ist hier genau richtig. The Sixties were experimental times, right? Open your mind, klebt die Prilblumen-Aufkleber und füllt das Glas mit diesem leicht rötlich-braunen Islay-Blumenkind, das für mich der Ardbeg Spritz für den lauen Sommerabend in der Kommune ist. Ein Fun-Dram, der auch gut in die Jahreszeit passt!

Happy Ardbeg Day und danke Tobias für das Sample.

Score: 86+

Kommentar: Glen Keith ist in meinen Augen ein Geheimtipp, kaum ein anderer Malt liebt gute Bourbonfässer mehr im Ausbau. So ab 20 Jahren werden diese Speysider daher zu einem Fest. Diese Version hätte auf dem Papier alle Merkmale (evtl. aber recht reduziert in Stärke), kann er halten was er verspricht? Die Ananas und deutliche Weißeichenaromen mit Würze springen einen sofort an, dazu gesellen sich Sternfrucht, Kiwi, Passionsfrucht, Blütenhonig auf Toast, Zitronentee, Ingwer und Vanille, ja sogar Erdbeeren mit Sahne – die Holz- und Ingwerwürze arbeitet stets mit und gibt der Frucht kontra, später meine ich auch Ahornsirup und Harz wahrzunehmen: wie erwartet ein Spiegel des guten Bourbonfasses auf schottische Art. Am Gaumen tritt er zunächst bitterholzig an, dann entfalten sich aber die Früchte in einem langen Bogen. Der Abgang entspricht einem Pfauenrad der genannten Elemente, aber das helle Holz hat die Führungsrolle: For cask lickers like me !

Bewertung: 88-89

Fine Blended Malt Whisky 24 y.o. Whisky-Fässle 1993 – 2018, Sherry Hogshead, 54,3%

Kommentar: Jens‘ letzte Blended-Batches haben mich stets überzeugt, sie wurden teils schon als Jungdestillate vereint. Bei diesem weiß ich die Hintergrundstory nicht, habe aber Gutes in Sachen Qualität gehört. Er tritt mit trockener und klarer Sherrynote an, alte dunkle Fässer, Bitterschokolade und die Schoko-Lebkuchen-Herzen mit Kirschfüllung (Maraschino und Cocktail), Orangeat, Pflaumen, rote Trauben, alte Rosinen mit Staub, Dinkelkeks, schwarzer Pfeffer, Kaffeebohne und Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. Und so schmeckt er auch in genau der richtigen Intensität und Balance, zwar leicht trocken, aber mit genug Fruchtsüße hinten raus (Kirsche!), um diesen Stoff richtig geil zu finden! Man will sofort mehr davon. @Jens: send rüber, mein Zeuch, love it!

Bewertung: 90

Kommentar: In der Nase absolut typisch, rund, malzig und komplex, Pfirsich, Kokosnuss, Guave, Mango, Passionsfrucht, weißschokolierte Früchte, viel Honig, Minze, Spur Anis, Holz bringt Würze und ist noch nicht zu !aut. Am Gaumen ähnlich, ebenfalls äußerst rund und gelungen mit genug Kraft, Fruchtkorb, insbesondere Maracujasaft mit Honig, Creme Brulee; auch noch Säure neben der fetten Cremigkeit, spät auch Anis. Gewinner!

Score: 92

Speyside Region 43y.o. Whisky-Fässle 1973 – 2017, Sherry Butt, 51,3%

Kommentar: Kiwi-Bombe (DER KIWI-Whisky) und Tropen-King (Maracuja, Birne, Kokosnuss, Mandeln, Zotrusfrüchte, Guave, Sternfrucht, gelbe Äpfel usw.), Eiche zuerst da, aber noch nicht zu viel, dann weniger werdend, fette Vanillecreme im Krapfen, Honig, interessante geringe Würze, Leder, Minzfrische, dunkle Planke. Im Mund folgt er der Nose mit Frucht und Creme, auch Kokos, doch der Abgang wird kräftig und würzig, fast scharf (pfeffrig und holzig) . Lang! Afterburner – if you like a rollercoaster (zuerst mild, dann richtig holzwürzig werdend).

Score: 91+

Speyside Region 26 y.o. Whisky-Fässle 1991 – 2017, Sherry Cask, 50,6%

Kommentar: Klassischer Jens, sehr harmonisch balanciert, Sherry gut eingebaut und nie pappig, eng verwobene Aromen, interessante Würzkomponente, die alle anderen Aromen gelten lässt aber das Ganze interessant hält – auch irgendwie frisch in Momenten. Marzipanstollen! Orangeat, Feigen, Rosinen, Zwetschgen, Lebkuchen, Vanille, spät dezente Tropenfrucht dezent auftauchend. Am Gaumen ein klassischer Speysider aus dem Sherrycask, süß und trocken zugleich, ausgewogen, bitteres dunkles dumpfes Holz eines Refill-Fasses, Bitterschokolade, aber später auch helle Anteile (z.B. Aprikose) und Würze, wirklich schwer zu fassen, ein Chamäleon. Malz, Staub. Würziger Abgang mit weißem Pfeffer und Wasabi. Hochinteressant und eine Empfehlung. Den habe ich mir auch geholt.

Score: 90

Orkney Single Malt 13 y.o. Whisky-Fässle 2004 – 2017, Sherry Cask, 50,5%

Kommentar: recht typisch, gut balanciert, frisch, maritim, salzig, Brackwasser; kaum Sherry-Einfluss, schöne Würze (Pfeffer, Leder, Ingwer), dezent fruchtig (schon anteilig tropisch, Äpfel, Aprikosen, Pfirsich, grüne Trauben weiß schokoliert), schon reif und doch Malz und Silomaische von Brauereien. Am Gaumen beeindruckend für sein Alter mit feiner holzig-ledriger Bitterkeit (edel, frisch, wow) Sternfrucht und  Apfel trifft Maische und Malzigkeit sowie Würze, helles Orkney-Bier, dazu wieder der Traubenspieß mit weißer Schokolade, lang in Würze anhaltend und doch gut balanciert, herausfordernd, Spuren an Torf. Ein spannendes Gerät und guter Fund.

Score: 89+

Glenrothes 20 y.o. Whisky-Fässle 1997 – 2017 Sherry Butt 47.9%

Kommentar: Einer der vielen Releases aus dem Jahr 1997 mit tiefen Sherryaromen; diese Drams sind meist großartig, aber gelegentlich etwas schweflig. Nicht zu komplex, aber einfach gut und zu Herzen gehend. Dieses Fass ist ein feiner und absolut typischer Vertreter, wieder harmonisch im Stile von Jens: Schoko-Lebkuchenherz mit Kirschfüllung, Orangeat, fette Rosine (teils verbrannt), Blutorange, fleischig, auch Frische, leichtes Plankenholz, Leder, dazu besonders an diesem Fass: auch Tabak und dezenter Rauch (passt gut dazu). Alles wohl integriert – was er tut, macht er gut. Manchmal müssen es nicht 300 verrückte Aromen sein. Wer feine Sherry-Drams a la Macallan in guter Balance mag, wird hier perfekt bedient.

Score: 90+

Nose: The An Oa stats on  green notes of agave (Mezcal-esque), herbs (fennel, oregano, thyme), green tea (nettles), mint (catnip), anis and lime zest that meet the classic peaty Ardbeg profile. The focus is on tar, resin, a sweet peat-iodine-soot-combo, leather, quite some cocoa, roasted coffee beans, dates, chalk, oak and toffee. It somehow smells more liqueur-like than other Ardbegs, but it is clearly spirit-driven.

Palate: Great balance, classic Ardbeg, but more civilized, streamlined and quaffable. This plays on the lighter and sweeter side of Islay. For a change I am getting mossy green earth, vanilla and apple-hickory-BBQ-smoke that joins the world of Ardbeg. Well-made, this subtle yet ardbeggy dram.

Finish: Medium length and very pleasant, this unifies contrasts of wild and mild, of elegance and intensity. Introduce people to Ardbeg with this one.

Score: 85

Comment: Very typical for its provenance, and so tropical. To me this is an example of the finest Bourbon wood maturation (reminding me of Glen Keith 40, Bruichladdich 1970 or Springbank Local Barley) but the label says “sherry cask” … well, many of these were made from American oak in Jerez, and this has been a refill for sure. Like a Monin syrup of pink grapefruit, grilled pineapple with sugar, apricots, coconut, vanilla (Bavarian Crème), pear in cream and traces of green tea and herbs. The oak is perfectly integrated and not too loud. On the palate it arrives so wonderfully oily and fruit-laden, wow! This is close to perfection and finely balanced. It stays true to itself all the way to the finish, never too dry, medium-long and very ‘moreish’. The slight touch of bitter (herbal whiff) keeps it interesting and sets a nice counterpart to the fruit. Great pick, Dino, thank you for letting me try it.

Score: 92+

Glenrothes 20 y.o. malt mountains 1997 – 2017, sherry cask, 50,3%

Comment: Glenrothes ranks really high among blenders, and rightfully so. I also adore this malt with its bloodorange-tang. Oliver Späth already had a nice Glen Keith, Tobermory and the astonishing Bladnoch in his range, and this bottling is his latest. In this one, the sherry is dominant yet not overpowering, it goes in a balsamic direction altogether. There is more to it than just raisins, as some modern casks are these days. It is kirsch gateau (chocolate cake soaked in cherry schnaps) with hazelnuts and fudge, a dessert dram, earthy like a Glendronach but less dry, also whiffs of orange peel, humidor and cedar wood are to be nosed. On the palate it is very typical, a well-balanced sherry dram with blood orange and forest floor. Overall not overly complex but simply good at what it is and does. Long satisfying finish. Thanks Oliver! Good pick, again. Available here.

Score: 90+

Aultmore 33 y.o. OB ‚Exceptional Cask Series‘ for China Whisky Society 1983 – 2016, sherry cask finish, 678 btl., 53,3%

Comment: Don’t these new Aultmore bottles look beautiful (clear glass, that is), you wanna touch them. A rare one for China, let’s see: Oh my God, this is a monster of complexity: honey and hay meet the sweet side of oak – this what bursts out of the glass at first. Then licorice, honey, butter, sugar-glazed pastry, Werther’s Originals, vanilla and fruits (pink grapefruit, kiwi, plums, grapes) join a solid malty backbone of the classic kind (old style). After a while it reminds me of a walk in an olive garden in summer bloom, also ruccola and hot mulch. It arrives with great nervosity on the palate, quite some action is going on there. Like an aquarel painting all the aromatic dots are there but only hinted at. The interesting acidity is slowly becoming sweetness, everything happens in style and is well-integrated. Waves of tasty stuff return in the finish: sweet malt and pastry again (now with vanilla sauce), honey glace, green tea,  sycamore bark and so much more. Gimme a bottle! Thanks Boris!

Score: 92

Comment: Hooray, it doesn’t lose to its stronger brother, the dilution added great balance yet doesn’t weaken the impact on the palate considerably. This is quite a typical Ardbeg with deep notes of peat and iodine, burnt trafo and tires and all that Kildalton jazz. What sets it apart are peanuts and crushed nuts of all kind and a mezcalesque quality that isn’t too greenish. It appears mature and all notes are in place, no offs. Slender on the palate, then becoming huge in the finish which turns wonderfully sooty with my beloved smoke of children’s firecrackers in a peat-firing neighborhood. A real successful bottling.

Score: 90

Blended Malt ‚very old‘ Whisky-Fässle bottled 2016, sherry butt, 45,4%

Comment: Loved the last one, hope this can keep up. The nose reveals dry sherry wood, garden fruit and exotic fruit (esp. pineapple), cocoa, ginger, pepper, licorice, resin and soaked gingerbread cake (if that exists). On the palate it shifts into higher gear, really impressive and classic in style. Old polished sherry malt style that reminds me oft he biggest names in Speyside with a hint of Orkney. Juicy stuff that keeps you sipping because the finfish is soooo classy.

Score: 90

Cragganmore 27 y.o. Whisky-Fässle 1989 – 2016, sherry butt, 48,7%

Comment: This one is adored by quite some friends and I also find Cragganmore underrated but not all bottlings of this herbal malt are great. This specimen is the Amaro (an Italian Bitter) among Craggies, herbal healing. It also reminds me of a walk in the forest with a basket of apples and a flower bouquet. I also has nutty elements (even pistacchio), beech leafs, bark, nettles, green tea, honey, agave (yes, it has tequila-esque moments), yuzu and orange zest. The palate is mature and unusual, great old oak, sherry-style, yet teaish green, wow. Orange, apples, apricots, licorice, vanilla and fallen leafs. A long finish rewards the drinker. Different and hard to score, maybe I am at the low end of this one.

Score: 89 (some might go higher here)

Fine Tennessee Whiskey 5y.o. Whisky-Fässle 2011 – 2016, barrel, 51,4%

Comment: Clearly a Dickel from Tullahoma (I lived close many years ago) with rye in the mash bill. Complex sweet oak elements meet maple syrup, nuts and marzipan. Very more-ish.

Score: 88

Caol Ila 10 y.o. Whisky-Fässle 2006 – 2017,for Whisky Klubben Maltes Vänner hogshead, 53,6%

Comment: My favourite from this batch – which I wouldn’t have expected from the sheer facts on the label. This is so pure, clean and spirit-driven, it hurts. Classic profile with juniper, olive oil, moss, coal gas, big lemon drop, green apples, gunpowder tea, soot and ashes along with peat, resin and tar. The palate is powerful and very well-balanced. Expressive purity! Amazing spirit. Islay holiday at the first sip.

Score: 90

Mannochmore 28 y.o. Whisky-Fässle 1988 – 2016, hogshead, 46,0%

Comment: Another cool pick, I must say. Wonderfully old-school with a metallic edge. I am getting leather, peaches and stone fruits, orange zest, quince, lemons. Behind that there are nougat whiffs, mild chili and slightly bitter old oak elements that fit very well. It tastes very complex and much fruitier than expected. It is an example of a solid and complete malt.

Score: 90