Mars Tsunuki Peated [Tasted #559]

Rounding out our look at just what Japanese whisky is these days, we come to the final whisky (for now) - Mars Tsunuki Peated. Mars is by no means a new entry into the world of Japanese whisky, but Tsunuki is,  having only started distilling in 2016.

Located in Kagoshima (on the site of a previous ageing warehouse), Tsunuki distillery was designed to provide some variety in the Mars whisky portfolio - a fact we first learned from the president of Mars (Kazuto Hombo) himself when he visited HK a few years ago.

So, we're talking about a ~3yo whisky (distilled 2016-2017, bottled 2020), said to be peated to between 20-50ppm. I enjoyed the first Tsunuki ("The First"), so was keen to see how it takes to a bit of peat...let's go:

Mars Tsunuki Peated Single Malt Japanese Whisky (52% ABV, 3yo, Kagoshima, Japan, $2,200HKD)
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Colour: Bright yellow gold.

Nose: Initial campfire smoke, then waves of yellow and green fruit (peach, pear, green apples, rockmelon). Not tropical, but a distinct fruitiness - something I've found on a lot of these younger Mars releases, from both Shinshu and Tsunuki distilleries.

Palate: Less obviously peated, though there is some background smoke. Melon, peach, earthy subtly-smoked honey, and then (interestingly) some BBQ-smoked salmon!

Finish: Long, with notes of oak, slight smoke and a slight tannic note towards the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. Not overly complex, but tasty and very drinkable.

Thanks again to AF Trade for the review bottles / samples, and for bringing all these proper Japanese whiskies into HK!

Cheers,

Martin.

Teeling "Blackpitts" Peated Irish Whiskey [Tasted #528]

My enjoyment of Teeling Whiskey is well documented on this blog, having first tried their whiskey way back in 2013 (a year after brothers Jack & Stephen Teeling started operations), and many times since - including some incredible single casks from the early 1990s, with their trademark Irish tropical fruitiness.

The thing is, those whiskies weren't actually distilled at the Teeling Distillery in Dublin (which only opened in 2015, a year before the brand's Hong Kong launch), but rather at the Cooley Distillery, which was started by Stephen & Jack's father John, but sold to Beam in 2011. 

Things changed in 2018, when Teeling's Dublin Distillery released their first Dublin-distilled whiskey (Pot Still, which I shamefully still haven't tried), and last year the distillery released their second Dublin-distilled whiskey, in the form of this peated "Blackpitts".

Aged in a mixture of Sauternes (1/3) and ex-Bourbon (2/3) casks, the triple-distilled whiskey takes its name from the area located behind the distillery, previously home to some of the largest barley malting houses in Ireland.

It ticks a lot of the same boxes that Teeling's first "Small Batch" did all those years ago (46%, NCF, well-priced, matured in an interesting mix of casks etc..) but let's see how it tastes shall we? 

Teeling "Blackpitts" (46% ABV, NAS, Dublin, Ireland, $729HKD, $94.99AUD)
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Colour: Light orange straw.

Nose: A lighter, funkier style of peat than your typical Islay peated whisky. Tangy BBQ sauce, white pepper and a slight hint of oak.

Palate: Apple chips, honey toast, peach and subtle pineapple. A delightful funk, with some subtle caramel undertones.

Finish: Fairly short, with some spiced oak and milk chocolate.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 87/100. I enjoyed this - it's an unusual style of peat (no doubt the triple distillation is part of the reason), but with some delicious complementary notes. A great addition to the range.

A big thanks to Teeling Whiskey Co & Summergate Hong Kong for this bottle, which is available for $729HKD from Summergate's Website in Hong Kong.

Cheers,

Martin.

Tasted #446: Lagavulin "Casks of Distinction" 23yo bottled for Vincent Leung of Ginger and Rex Tong of Whisky Lovers HK

A few weeks ago I wrote about a stunning 35yo Clynelish bottled under Diageo's "Casks of Distinction" programme*, for Dram Good Stuff (a Hong Kong whisky store) and Aaron Chan (renowned HK whisky collector and owner of Club Qing whisky bar). 

Stunning though it was, it's not the only "Cask of Distinction" bottling to hit HK recently, with Vincent Leung (of HK's other great whisky enthusiast bar, Ginger) and Rex Tong (of Whisky Lovers HK / Ming Kee Wine Cellar) recently bottling a 23yo "Select Cask" 1995 Lagavulin.

("Select Cask" being Diageo's terminology for whisky bottled from a single cask that potentially contained a vatting of multiple casks, versus "Single Cask" which refers to whisky matured in one single cask for its entire life. Under SWA regulations, both are technically still considered "Single Casks" and allowed to be labelled as such.)

Vincent and Rex recently invited me to Ming Kee Wine Cellar for a taste, which I graciously accepted.

1995 Lagavulin 23yo "Casks of Distinction"Select Cask #9001 exclusively bottled for Vincent Leung and Rex Tong (48.7% ABV, 23yo, Islay, bottle 254 of 396)

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Colour: Vibrant yellow gold.

Nose: Pear fruitiness initially, then some dried oak, wood spice and dusty sherry. There's slight hints of peat, but it's sweet fruity peat. It's a beautiful nose, but not one you'd typically associate with a Lagavulin.

Palate: Grilled / BBQ'd pineapple rings. There's smoke, but it's fruity, meaty. There's an underlying confectionary sweetness (pineapple chews, yellow jelly babies), then slight hints of white pepper and lemon peel emerge. There's oak (but never too dominant), icing sugar and some orange zest.

Finish: Long, sweet pineapple smoke.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  92/100. Not at all what I'd expected, and nothing like any other Lagavulin I've tried before...but that just makes an already delicious whisky even more interesting.


Well done to Rex and Vincent on the cask selection. Anyone wanting to try this will find it occasionally open at Ginger whisky bar in Hong Kong.

* For more about the "Casks of Distinction" programme, see our visit to Johnnie Walker House Singapore post.

Cheers,
Martin.

Tasted #352: Ardbeg 21 (2016 release)

If there's a trend present in recent distillery-bottled Ardbegs over the past few years, it would be that they're all on the (relative) younger side. Not "young", not "immature", not even "simple"....but when the oldest age-statement whisky in a core range is 10 years old, I think it's a fair comment. Of course, there are older Ardbegs (the distillery has bottled quite a few old single casks over the years, there are plenty of 21 year old independently-bottled Ardbegs, and there was even an OB 21 year old from years ago), but in recent years, if you wanted an OB age-statement Ardbeg, the 10 year old was it.

...so it was all the more exciting then, when late last year Ardbeg announced an official bottling of a 21 year old, from a parcel of casks Moët Hennessy (LVMH) acquired with the distillery in the late '90s. You may remember we originally brought word of the new release back in September.

The whisky for this 2016 release was distilled in 1993 and 1994 and comes from ex-Bourbon casks, bottled at 46% ABV with no chill-filtering. It was available in Australia for $565AUD...for about 90 seconds, as it literally took that long for the 90 allocated bottles to sell out. 

Luckily, we got our hands on one, quickly brought it to HK, and immediately cracked it open.

More photos from @TimeforWhisky.com on Instagram

Ardbeg 21 year Old 2016 release (46% ABV, 21yo, Islay, Scotland, $565AUD RRP but now sold out)

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Colour: Yellow gold.

Nose: Tropical, like many older Islay bottlings, but perhaps not as full on as some Ardbegs from the '80s. Peach, peat and mango at first. Then blackberries, fresh laundry, sea air, and (with time) a slight earthiness.

Palate: Smooth and light initially. There's citrus tingle, and then comes the peat, wrapped in a chewy caramel layer, followed by some chocolate orange. There's some damp earth, and everything is in perfect harmony. A drop of water brings hints of mandarin and mint. A mixed bag, but one that brings everything together beautifully.

Finish: More like the modern-day Ardbegs we've come to know. Ashy BBQ peatsmoke, with a hint of citrus zest. A little oak.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  94/100. It would be easy for the distillery to produce an average release, and still sell out in a matter of minutes. But they haven't. They've produced a beautifully balanced, complex Ardbeg, with plenty of brand DNA, but enough differentiation to make it a unique whisky - and a beautiful one at that.

Cheers,

Martin.

The Glenrothes Vintage Reserve 12yo and Peated Cask Reserve launch lunch - Hong Kong (Tasted #320 - 322)

Last week I was thrilled to be invited to lunch with Ronnie Cox (The Glenrothes' and Berry Bros & Rudd's Brand Heritage Director (Spirits), and Global Brand Ambassador for The Glenrothes), to celebrate the launch of both the Vintage Reserve 12 year old, an Asia-only release, and Peated Cask Reserve. It'd been almost two years since I last caught up with Ronnie in Hong Kong, so I was keen to hear him present these new expressions.

Held at Hong Kong's Lai Bun Fu, the lunch saw a small group of media enjoy an 8 course traditional Cantonese meal with a selection of The Glenrothes - served of course in those great little Glenrothes mini- Glencairn-esque glasses!

Ronnie opened proceedings in his usual trademark enthusiastic style, managing to relay all key facts about each whisky whilst making us all feel like we were catching up with a mate we hadn't seen in ages. Truly a great lunch companion. Soon though it was time to dive into the first course (there were eight, after all, and some of us did have to be productive later in the day!)

First on the menu was Steamed crab claw with chinese wine paired with The Glenrothes Select Reserve. A lighter whisky, with a little creaminess which I found worked well with the wine. None of the flavours dominated here and all worked together in harmony.

Moving along, the second course saw reliable old favourite The Glenrothes Vintage 2001 matched with Steamed Choi Sum with preserved vegetables, stir-fried Kale with shrimp paste. Described by Ronnie as a "conversational" whisky, I found it to be exactly that - an easy-going, enjoyable sipping whisky. It paired well with the dish (they all did) but I didn't find any particular standout highlights about the pairing (unlike some others).

The third (and fourth) dishes were the first to be paired with one of the new whiskies - The Glenrothes Vintage Reserve 12 Year Old. First Pan-fried minced pork and lotus root cake, with truffle seasoning and then Baked squid stuffed with glutinous rice. 

Despite carrying a (12 year old) age statement, Ronnie explained that the whisky is actually comprised of 12 different vintages, the oldest dating back to 1973 (the others being 1978, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003). Designed to show the "true character of The Glenrothes", I found it to be quite a decent whisky for the (relatively small) price tag in Hong Kong - $550HKD. Full tasting notes and pairing thoughts can be found below.

The Glenrothes Vintage Reserve 12 Year Old (40%ABV, 12yo, Speyside, Scotland, $550HKD)

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An Asia-only release including whisky from casks dating back to 1973. 

Colour: Straw-gold

Nose: Fruity - lots of berries. Strawberries, raspberries. Some sweet, fragrant spice - like a middle Eastern spice souk, but toned down.

Palate: Following the nose, the palate showed more berries (strawberries most notably), touches of burnt sugar, and more spice, with a hint of oak.

Finish: Long and slightly tannic.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  91/100. Not mind-blowingly complex, but a lovely dram to sip and savour. 

With the truffle-seasoned course I found it emphasised the truffle quite a lot, without producing any conflicting flavours. With the baked squid (which on its own was a little bland), there was a new-found subtle sweetness which worked well.

Our fifth course, Braised sea cucumber stuffed with prawn mousse was paired with the oldest whisky served - the 24 year old The Glenrothes Vintage 1992 (note: link is to an older, 21 year old release). Our second "sea cucumber and whisky" pairing in a week! How did it fare? Very well, with the whisky adding a gentle creaminess to the dish, which seemed to be a theme with the seafood dishes served. Full tasting notes below.

The Glenrothes Vintage 1992 (44.3%ABV, 24yo, Speyside, Scotland, £132 - previous version)

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Colour: Gold

Nose: Soapy! Creamy and floral too - lots of Jasmine.

Palate: Rich, creamy, mouthfilling. Lots of floral notes - Jasmine still, and some rose. Hints of red apples.

Finish: Long and creamy, with more red apple notes.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  93/100. Probably one of the best Glenrothes I've had in recent memory.

Sifu's crispy chicken with 5-flavoured condiments was up next, paired with the other star of the show, The Glenrothes Peated Cask Reserve. Released to celebrate the discovery of a connection (way back in 1887) to Bunnahabhain, the whisky is actually 1992 vintage Glenrothes given a brief finish in casks that formerly held (unnamed) peated whisky from an Islay distillery.

Whilst it was a little hard to match the whisky with all five condiments, it did compliment the green tea salt nicely, strangely enough. We saved the rest of the whisky for a proper detailed assessment though...

The Glenrothes Peated Cask Reserve (40%ABV, NAS, Speyside, Scotland, $715HKD)

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Colour: Very light straw.

Nose: Tropical. Custard mixed with mango and peach. Slightly perfumed. Really no discernible peat.

Palate: Oh, there's the peat! It's obvious, but not in your face, and it blends well with the (still) tropical notes. There's orange now too. It's an ashy, BBQ style peat, rather than an iodine-esque, seaside peat.

Finish: Medium length, oranges, smoke and slight bitteness.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  93/100. Also probably one of the best Glenrothes I've had in recent memory.

The last two dishes (Lai Bun Fu special fried rice with lobster, abalone with scallop truffle oil and Double-boiled snow fungus and lotus seed) were not paired with any whiskies, but were a fitting end to the meal, which turned out to be a great way to explore a range of The Glenrothes whiskies, including the new Vintage Reserve 12 Year Old and Peated Cask Reserve. Both are available in Hong Kong now.

The same whisky-pairing menu is also now available at Lai Bun Fu, until 1st December, at a price of $980HKD/head. Further details can be found on their Facebook page

TimeforWhisky.com would like to thank Edrington Hong Kong, Signature Communications, Berry Bros & Rudd and of course Ronnie Cox himself for a wonderful lunch.

Cheers,
Martin.

Compass Box's Transparency Campaign & Tasted #266 - #268: "This is Not a Luxury Whisky", "Flaming Heart (15th Anniversary)" and "The Peat Monster" (#101drams)

Compass Box, much like WM Cadenhead, Gordon & Macphail, Samaroli and many others, are an Independent Bottler who bottle (and blend) Scottish whisky under their own label. 

Unlike the others though, Compass Box are known for pushing the boundaries - the boundaries of expectation, of flavour, of experimentation, of marketing, and more recently - the boundaries of the UK and EU Law. I'm talking of course about Compass Box's "Transparency Campaign", which Founder and "Whiskymaker" John Glaser explains in this brief video:

In a nutshell, Compass Box would like the laws changed to allow whisky producers the option to better describe the contents of their whiskies, including the ages of all the whiskies that make up a particular whisky.

Currently under EU law, if a whisky chooses to display an age (which increasingly, they don't) the bottle/marketing must only state the age of the youngest whisky in the mix. Which is fine - it's what stops a bottler from filling a bottle with 99% 12yo whisky, 1% 50yo whisky, and calling it a "50 Year old Whisky".

What it doesn't allow though, is whisky producers to state the age of all the whiskies that make up a particular whisky. For example, Balvenie TUN1401 is a NAS whisky that includes some seriously old malts. In some cases, the age of the casks are known, but wouldn't it be nice to list them on the bottle, and even, should Balvenie decide, to list the % makeup of each cask?

That's really all Compass Box are seeking to do here - change the law to allow whisky producers the option to let consumers know more about what's in their whisky. In today's market, with an ever-increasing consumer thirst for knowledge, that just sounds like common sense to us.

Take for example their latest limited release, "This is not a luxury whisky". We know it's a blend, we know it's Scottish, we know it's NAS and we know it's non chill filtered, but wouldn't it be great to know a little more? Luckily, Compass Box have been transparent with us, and told us the whisky is made up of:

• 79% 19yo Glen Ord malt
• 10.1% 40yo Strathclyde grain
• 6.9%  40yo Girvan grain; and
• 4% 30yo Caol Ila.

How cool is that? Now if the bottle carried a big ** 40 YEARS OLD ** label on the front, we'd have an issue with it, but we think the sort of openness Compass Box are looking to introduce can only be a good thing.

Compass Box were kind enough to send through two samples of their latest (2015 release) limited editions recently - "This is Not a Luxury Whisky" and "Flaming Heart 15th Anniversary Edition". We've also included our tasting notes of "The Peat Monster", which we've been sitting on for a while (a #101drams dram).

Compass Box "This is Not a Luxury Whisky" (53.1% ABV, NAS, Blended Scotch whisky, one of 4,992 bottles, bottled by Compass Box, Scotland, £124.75)

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Designed to make people re-define their definition of "luxury whisky", and remind people that whisky is for drinking. We love the design of the bottle, in particular the cap/closure. No elaborate foil covering here, just a cork and a thin paper strip. It's almost saying "rip out the cork and pour a dram, NOW!"

Colour: Vibrant, deep dark gold.

Nose: Oh wow, there's a lot going on here. We've tried some incredible blends in recent months and this absolutely continues that trend. Marzipan, sherbert, lots of rich sherry influence (walnuts, glacé cherries, sherry-soaked raisins) with the slightest hint of peat smoke (which is interesting considering only 4% of the blend is peated, and at 30yo, that peat should be fairly subtle).

Palate: A hint of earthy smoke, a lot of sultanas, then citrus-driven Christmas cake. There's a definite sweetness too - icing sugar dusted milk chocolate truffles. Delicious.

Finish: Long and sweet. Lemon cream, a little peat smoke which lingers to the very end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100. A brilliantly-constructed blend, and testament to John Glaser and the Compass Box team's skill at constructing complex and fantastic whiskies. Is it a luxury whisky? In terms of taste, absolutely. Is it a bottle you should buy and leave on a shelf unopened? No, drink the bloody thing!

Compass Box "Flaming Heart 15th Anniversary Edition" (48.9% ABV, NAS, Blended Scotch whisky, bottled by Compass Box, Scotland, £83.12)

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A blended malt this time, with Caol Ila making up the majority of the blend. Also non chill filtered with no spirit colouring.

Colour: Light gold.

Nose: "Medicinal sweetness" best sums it up. Iodine and milk bottle lollies. Taiwanese pineapple cake and freshly cut grass.

Palate: Sweet and juicy peat. Some mocha, lots of milk chocolate, yet still medicinal. I would have guessed there was some Laphroaig in the blend if I didn't know better. There's a slight meatiness too, like an aged, oily piece of Jamón ibérico. Simply excellent.

Finish: Long, lingering woodsmoke with an underlying confectionary sweetness - boiled lollies predominantly. 

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. Another winner. It's not hard to throw a few Islay whiskies together and produce a blended (or blended malt) Islay whisky, but to produce one with the complexities that this has? That takes skill.

Compass Box "The Peat Monster" (46% ABV, NAS, Blended Scotch whisky, bottled by Compass Box, Scotland, $720HKD / $74.99AUD / £31.99)
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Part of the "Signature Range", another blended malt composed primarily of Laphroaig, Caol Ila, Ardmore and Ledaig.

Colour: Very light straw.

Nose: Peaches, apricot, pineapple. Tropical fruit peat fest!

Palate: Relatively thin, but loads of flavour. Tropical flavours mostly - passionfruit, vanilla cream, sweet, slightly tannic, with smouldering ashes in the background.

Finish: Medium to long length - those smouldering ashes to continue to the end, accompanied by a hint of spice.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. A nice, easy sipping Islay dram which, whilst not overly complex, is 1) certainly not one-dimension like some other peat-heavy whiskies and 2) a bargain at its price-point.

TimeforWhisky.com would like to thank Compass Box for the generous samples sent all the way from the UK. If you agree with Compass Box's Transparency Campaign, consider adding your support by signing the petition.

Cheers,
Martin.

Tasted #197: Octomore Orpheus 2.2 (#101drams)

When I wrote my list of #101drams whiskies in very early 2013, I kind of shot myself in the foot with a few of them. They were relatively available at the time, but after procrastinating (or rather, getting through others on the list), some of them became very, very difficult to track down.

#24 Ardbeg Alligator, for example. I tried it soon after compiling the list, but didn't take very comprehensive notes, figuring I'd find it again relatively easily - ha! Luckily I did manage to find it at a bar in Tokyo this year (and finished the bottle!) so notes will be up soon.

#41 Balvenie TUN1401 (any release) also became significantly more expensive and hard to come by than when I wrote the list, but luckily I did manage to track down a dram at Melbourne's Whisky + Alement.

#7 though, Octomore Orpheus, was looking increasingly difficult to track down. With bottles going for $500AUD+, and any bar that previously stocked it long since sold out, I wondered if I'd ever get to try this one...

...and then, just a few months ago, came a very kind offer from @gr8whisky, who offered to send me a dram, noticing that it was still outstanding on my list. This was the second time something like this happened, and was a perfect example of #whiskyfabric in action in my opinion. Cheers Grant!

With the dram safely back in HK, I whipped out a Glencairn and got to tasting....


Bruichladdich Octomore "Orpheus" 2.2 (61% ABV, 5yo, Islay, Scotland, good luck finding a bottle these days)
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Colour: Dirty, coppery brown.

Nose: At first, a big whack of peat, but then HUGE BBQ notes. It transported me straight into my fridge, where a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's was sitting. I don't usually get this specific with my tasting notes, but it was actually smack bang on the Sweet Vidalia Onion sauce, which I'd tried a few weeks earlier. With water it became a different whisky, and a lot more typical Islay notes - fishnets and iodine.

Palate: Lemon zest and more BBQ. Some cherries, smoked ribs with dry-rub. Drying and mouth-puckering. Water again amped up the peat and iodine, making it more of a typical Islay peat-monster (which it is, at 140ppm).

Finish: Long and smooth, with a fire at the very back of the throat.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 89/100. Unique, that's for sure. Not sure I loved it, but it was certainly different, and while it did have some of the characteristics I typically get from red wine-finished whiskies (drying, tannic), it had plenty that I don't typically get, too!

Cheers,
Martin.

Tasted #196: Laphroaig PX Cask (#101drams)

Another day, another #101drams whisky. I've been sitting on this bottle for a while, purchased duty free somewhere or rather, and finally got around to tasting it when I was back in Sydney recently.

Laphroaig PX Cask (48% ABV, NAS, Islay, Scotland, $100AUD (duty-free) / $768HKD)
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Colour: Dull copper

Nose: Maritime smoke - more Bowmore than Laphroaig. There's a rich sweetness - ripe cherries, mixed into a Christmas cake, along with glacé cherries. It wasn't Christmas time when I tried this, but it may well have been...

Palate: Now we're looking more like a Laphroaig. Iodinic (is that a word? It is now..), medicinal peat with a meaty undertone. Not too sweet. Hints of...jamon? Would pair well with a well aged hard cheese, like a Parmigiano-Reggiano I think (note to self - try that pairing one day). Just the right amount of sweetness.

Finish: Long, peaty and medicinal. The sweet PX influence makes a final stand at the very end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. A very enjoyable dram - still very much a Laphroaig, but different enough to the rest of the range to pique my interest. At $100AUD for a litre (duty free), it's worth consideration.



Cheers,

Martin.

Tasted #15: Ardbeg Gallileo (#101drams)

Another tick for the #101drams list...

The folk at World of Whisky in Double Bay (NSW) have quite a selection of tasting whiskies. During their Tasmanian Expo recently, I noticed the Galileo included amongst the collection, and the gents were kind enough to give me a taste and allow me to tick another dram off my list.

Ardbeg Galileo (49%, distilled in 1999, bottled in 2012, Islay, Scotland)
Nose: Definitely an Ardbeg. Perhaps a bit more mellow than the standard 10yo, and with a slight nuttiness (hazelnuts?)

Palate: Peat monster, no doubt, but a more ashy, tarry peat than I get from the 10yo. A tad spicy, but the peat wins out here. Ardbeg fans will love it.

Finish: Everything fades away but that ash, which lingers on. Very pleasant. Even 10+ minutes after, as I left the shop, I could still taste that ash. It's smokey like the 10yo, but even more so, and more of an ash taste than a tangy, salty peat.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100

Ardbeg Galileo can be purchased from World of Whisky for $182AUD.

Cheers,
 - Martin.

Tasted #6: Laphroaig 15yo

Most whisky fans would be all too familiar with Laphroaig's standard 10yo offering, and likely their Triple Wood and Quarter Cask releases too. Perhaps even their 18 and 25 year old releases, if lucky enough.

Not everyone would have heard of the 15 year old however, largely because it was discontinued some years back, replaced by the 18 year old.

Since then, bottles have been going for silly money through some outlets, so when I came across the chance to buy a bottle for a decent price last year, I jumped at it. I always enjoy having whisky with a backstory on my shelves, and if that whisky is no longer sold, even better.

Laphroaig 15 year old (Distillery bottling, 43% ABV, 15 years old)


Nose: Peat smoke, but not in your face as you'd expect with an Islay (especially a Laphroiag). Fresh fruit, sweet, but with a smokey undertone. Pleasant.


Palate: The peat is initially subdued, with the sweet characteristics found on the nose coming through. The peat quickly shines through, though not overpowering. 

Finish: Hmmm, odd. It's a long finish, but the smokiness only remains for a little while at the back of the throat, What really lingers is the spice. Warming, but not smoky in the way (say) an Ardbeg finishes. Pleasant, but different.

Jim Murray called this a "hugely disappointing, lacklustre dram" and "woefully short on complexity" but I can't agree. It's not my favourite malt, not even my favourite Islay malt, but it's unusual and complex in a way plenty of Islay malts aren't, and overall a very pleasant dram.



Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100

Cheers,
 - Martin.

Tasted #4: Lagavulin 1995 Distiller's Edition (Pedro Ximénez Finish)

E.D.V isn't easy to find, but if you
head down Malthouse Ln in Melbourne's
CBD, and see this light, you're in the
right place

There's a little (read: massive) website over in the UK called Master of Malt who have an unbelievable selection of single malts, ship to Australia, and have very reasonable prices. Duty, shipping and import concerns aside, I've often thought about putting through an order, and top of my list will be the Laga '95 Distillers Edition (PX finish).

So when I saw it at E.D.V in Melbourne (sister bar to my favourite bar in the world, Eau de Vie in Sydney), I had to try it. The sweetness of Pedro Ximénez sherry, with the peatiness for which Lagavulin are famous? This had my name all over it.

As a bit of background, unlike some other distilleries, Lagavulin distinguish their "Distillers Editions" by the casks in which they're aged, rather than the strength at which they're bottled. In the case of the '95 (and others), the aging is done in ex-Spanish Pedro Ximénez (aka PX) sherry casks.

So how was it? As good as I thought! Read on...

Nose: Smoke/peat (yes this is still a Laga), but a hint of sweetness too. Call it raisins, caramel, whatever (actually, calling it PX sherry might be more accurate) - there's a definite whiff of sweetness.

Palate: Again, peat is dominant, but there's a definite sweet undertone. What the sweetness did for me was make the whisky much smoother. It's like a regular Laga, but much smoother and with a hint of sweetness, maybe toffee. A drop of water really accentuated the sweetness and toned down the peat too.

Finish: Long, lingering and smooth.

Ten word summary: Could sip this all night, but only if neat. Tasty.

I think I know what I'm buying myself for Christmas...

Tasted #1: Hellyers Rd (Tasmania, Australia) - Original and Peated

Hellyers Road Distillery, based in Tasmania, Australia, bill themselves as "Australia's largest distiller of Australian single malt whisky". Part of a growing and highly praised Australian whisky industry, Hellyers Road (like a lot of other Tasmanian distilleries) produce a number of whiskies, liquers and even vodka.

It's the whisky we're here to taste today though - specifically the "Original" and "Peated" varieties.

It could be said that the bottles, labels (and names for that matter) aren't the most original, but consistency has to count for something, and besides - it's what's inside that counts right? So on with the tasting...


Original (46.2% ABV, 700mL, $80.50AUD)
I've always found Australian whiskies to have a unique taste. It's hard to put my finger on, and it's not something I've ever noticed in whiskies from any other region (except NZ), but it's a sweet, distinctive taste which (to me at least) instantly identifies an Aussie whisky. Coconut perhaps? Anyway, to me Hellyers Rd has that taste in spades (not dissimilar to the standard offerings from other Australian distilleries like Lark and Sullivans Cove).

The ABV content feels spot on - not overpowering, but not underwhelming either. A nicely balanced, easy-drinking whisky. If you've never tried Australian whisky before (and I suggest you do!), it would be an excellent place to start.

Rating: 88/100.


Peated (46.2% ABV, 700mL, $86AUD)
The Peated variety, on the other hand, has none of the standard "Australian" taste mentioned above. It's almost like they've taken out that taste (whatever it is), and replaced it with smoke/peat. Not to an overpowering extent, but peat is definitely the dominant characteristic.

I found this one to have a relatively short finish, unlike some Islay peat monsters which can linger around long after the dram is gone. If you enjoy a cigar with your whisky, this would be a match made in heaven (Dalmore's Cigar Malt Reserve was actually developed with a particularly short finish to allow it to be enjoyed with a cigar. I found this somewhat similar.)

If you're a fan of Islay whiskies (which I very much am), you'll probably really enjoy this. It's the right balance of flavour, smoke, and it's great to see an Aussie distillery mixing it up a bit.

Rating: 92/100.

Cheers,
 - Martin.

Welcome to "Time for Whisky"!

 "Time for Whisky" was born out of the love of sharing a dram, talking about a dram, laughing over a dram, and exploring different whisky styles, regions and stories. It'll cover what's on my shelf, what I've been trying in bars, whisky events, simple tasting thoughts, whisky news, and anything else whisky-related.

What "Time for Whisky" won't cover is complex tasting notes that you can't follow or sound down-right absurd. You won't hear about a whisky that "reminds one of a Tuesday morning in Spring with an Easterly breeze blowing" or that "smells like two wet dogs playing in a park" (thanks to the hilarious James Buntin for that last one), but you might for example hear how I think the Glenfiddich AoD 19yo Madeira finish is a nicer, more complex and significantly cheaper dram than the Glenfiddich 21yo (itself an excellent drop).

So anyway, why this blog? As a regular business traveller, I often found myself with a 2.25L alcohol limit when returning to Australia and  uncertainty over what to spend it on (those of you who have purchased alcohol in Australia will understand why I was keen to maximise the allowance!)

Not content to simply stock up on 1.125L bottles of Johnnie Red like the majority of travellers, I started exploring the world of Single Malt Scotch whiskies - first with Speyside/Highland options, then branching out into Islay, Japanese and even Australian whiskies.

At last count I had 43 different bottles of whisky/whiskey, covering Scotland, Ireland, Japan, India, USA and of course Australia. I love nothing more than sharing a dram with my wife or mates, but figured - why not share them with a broader audience? Not literally of course, but through blogging.

...and so that's my plan. This blog will cover simple tasting thoughts for various whiskies I already own, as well as:

• Whisky events (such as. the excellent Scotch Club tastings at Shirt Bar in Sydney)
• Interesting whiskies I've tried (often at Eau de Vie Sydney, E.D.V Melbourne or The Baxter Inn)
• The occasional whisky infusion (including bacon and banana) or cocktail
• Distillery tours; and
• Any other interesting whisky or whiskey-related news that might interest you!

Enjoy (and please let me know if you have any feedback)! Thanks for reading.

Note: This blog is intended for those who are of legal drinking age in the country in which they reside (in Australia, 18 years and older). This blog exists only to give my personal opinions on all things whisky, and does not constitute legal advice, suggestion or otherwise. If you are not of legal drinking age, please do not read this blog. Thanks.