Taste: Sweet with oak slightly sharper finish on the tongue
Review:
A solid Speyside whisky at a great price for a 12 year old single malt and the right one for a Friday after a long week at work. I find the finish a bit sharp on the tongue but a little splash of water or some ice cuts it nicely. It also comes in a container shell, which makes it appear like a fancier bottle and is good for transporting.
Kilchoman Sanaig is a new whisky for me that I have seen it on the store shelf before but had never tried it. I bought it blind and I was very impressed but as I sampled it I wondered what market it was create to serve. Sometimes whisky have that taste profile of “put together” and some have the taste of true craftsmanship.
The Kilchoman Distillery produces single malt whiskies on Islay on the Inner Hebrides. It is the first distillery built on the Island of Islay in 124 years and began production in December 2005. The name “Sanaig” comes from one of the inlets on the coast. Mature in sherry and bourbon barrels.
The flavor profile is very nice with the good balance of peat and sweetness on the tongue. I was correct in my tasting notes about why it was created. Kilchoman Sanaig was original created for the French market but is now available worldwide. If I had to guess it is probably the earth notes which give you more of a cognac taste and finish to it. See my French Whisky section for more reviews. All the French Whiskeys I have tired seem to have an earthy taste profile.
Kilchoman has other expressions which are the following; Machir Bay, Loch Gorm, and 100% Islay. I look forward to sampling them all in the future.
Price around $70 and good for the flavor and price but not a big boy peat scotch just a nice blend of sweetness and peat.
Nose: Smells like Laphroaig (peat, wood, iodine) with a hint of sweetness
Taste: Taste like Laphroaig on steroids (PEAT, WOOD, IODINE!!!)
Review:
Triple Wood is the biggest big boy scotch from Laphroaig that I have tried to date. I like it, but, I cannot drink it without cutting it with ice or a decent splash of water. Maybe if I was in the Highlands and just came into a lodge from the freezing cold rain after trudging through a peat bog I could drink it neat, maybe. Since that probably will never happen, I opt to add one big ice cube.
The title “Triple Wood” comes from the 3 barrels Laphroaig uses to mature the whisky.
Barrels are as follows:
Wood 1 – Ex bourbon Barrels
Wood 2 – Special made quarter casks (secret stuff)
This is “big boy whisky with extra peat”, but is very strong and only designed for people who like Laphroaig. If you do not drink strong peat/wood whisky then this not for you.
The priced around $80 and it a little high, but I believe it is worth it if you like this style of scotch.
Aultmore 12-year-old Single Malt is a scotch that I purchased without trying before, so I gambled. Astor Wines recently had their spring cleaning scotch sale of 15% off so I bought a few bottles blind to treat myself.
The whisky is 100% malted barley, aged in ex-bourbon barrels, bottled at 46% abv, and the distillery is located in Keith, Banffshire (Speyside region of Scotland). The name Aultmore is derived from the Gaelic word Ant-Allt Mor which means “big burn”. The “big burn” refers to the water source the Auchinderran Burn. A “burn” is a spring or source of water.
Upon my first sip I immediately wondered if this was a start up distillery that outsourced its whisky or if it was used in a blended scotch. The bottle label was a bit too fancy for a new distillery. Aultmore is one of Dewar’s “Last Great Malts” expressions and some of the single malts are used in Dewar’s blending. The Last Great Malts are: Aberfeldy, The Deveron, Royal Blackla, and Craigellachie, and Aultmore. I am familiar with these scotches but have not tried all them. “Last Great Malts” sounds like a great marketing name.
Last Malt Collection
Aultmore flavor profile is very good but it reminds me of another whisky that I am having trouble putting my finger on. I cannot really compare it to anything else, but for some reason I am reminded of the Bruchladdich Laddie, but that is a real stretch. I think my mind is comparing it more to its standalone flavor profile rather than their similarity.
Price around $85 and very good but I feel Aultmore is pushing its luck when you compare taste vs price with respect to age.
The Deanston Distillery is located on the River Teith, about eight miles from Sterling, Scotland (near Edinburgh) and was founded in 1965. The Distell Group Limited owns Deanston and also owns Bunnahabhain, Isle of Islay, Tobermory, and Isle of Mull whisky. The name “Deanston” is named after the Dean of Dunblane. Dean was connected to the Gaelic term “toun” meaning farm/settlement to make the name “Deanston”.
My cousins, who live in Sterling got me a sample pack of Deanston Scotch. Each bottle contains 3cl (1oz) samples from the distillery and Decennary was the fourth sample I tasted.
Decennary was created to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Deanston Distillery. The word “Decennary” is the old British word for decade (10-year time period). Not sure why they picked this one when they were celebrating their 50th. From my research I have learned the whisky is finished in a multi-vintage vatting of four casks; 1977 ex-bourbon, 1982 American Oak, 1996 Port Pipe, and 2006 Pedro Ximanez. The flavor is very nice and well balance but a bit on the sweet side. It is worth trying, but for me, it is a one and done due to the sherry sweetness.
Price around $150 and is a limited run of 1400 bottles. If you like the flavor profile it is worth it, but $150 can get you a lot of other whiskies.
Highland Park Magnus whisky is a single malt, non-aged stated scotch. It is named after the founder Magnus Eunson who built the distillery in 1798 in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. If you are not familiar with Highland Park you should know they are one of the major players in the whisky world.
The Magnus expression is lighter and less complex compared to the Highland Park Valkyrieexpression I recently reviewed. Magnus does not have a heavy smoke/peat or complex flavor profile. It is a good scotch, but not amazing when it comes to the taste. Valkyrie is better tasting, but not double the price better tasting. I find Magnus too light for the winter months. It will be good for the summer months if you need some smoke and peat in the warm air.
A little bit of education for you when it comes to whisky botany; Highland Park uses Orcadian peat to smoke the barley for Magnus and for other expressions. Orcadian peat comes from decomposed Sphagnum moss (aka peat moss) and heather shrub (aka Calluna vulgaris). Some say they can smell and taste the difference. I have not done a comparison of peats and heather so I cannot tell the difference. I hope to in the future.
Sphagnum moss
Heather shrub
I am still not crazy about the black bottle design and labeling. I like to see the color of my scotch in the bottle. I am sure there is a good (marketing & advertising) reason for it.
Price around $40-50 depending on where you shop. It is decent, but nothing great. I’ll keep it on hand for the warmer weather.
Glen Garioch Founders Reserve is from the East Highlands of Scotland and was established in 1798. This scotch is a non-age stated, but I would guess from the taste profile it is approximately 6 to 8 years old. The Founders Reserve is 48% abv, non-chilled filtered, natural colored, and finished in ex-bourbon and sherry casks.
This was my first experience with Glen Garioch and I was pleasantly surprised when I compared the taste to the cost. I was not familiar with this scotch so I decided to gamble on buying the bottle before I had an opportunity to sample a dram.
Every time you buy a bottle of anything that you have not tasted before it is a gamble. Sometimes it pays off, other times it does not. I like to think, “What is the worst case?” The worst case is you are going to get stuck with some whisky. It will get drank, one way or another.
Glen Garioch is very nice scotch for the price and I look forward to trying other expressions from their distillery in the near future.
Price around $50 and worth the money for a non-aged stated scotch.
Talisker 10 is a well-known and classic Scotch from the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It is a name brand when it comes to Scotch Whisky. So, if you do not know it, or have not tried it, I recommend you experience it. The Talisker Distillery was found in 1830 and is located in Carbost, Isle of Skye.
Being so close the ocean it states it is “Made by the Sea” and is a fun play on words. I get the sea taste in the scotch but I also get it from Old Putney which is located even more North in Wick, Scotland. The Talisker 10 is the baseline or benchmark of the expressions. Other expressions include; 18, 25, 30-year-old, Storm, Skye, Dark Storm, Distiller Edition, 75 North, Port Ruighe, and Neist Pint. I have sampled the 18-year old and I will be doing reviews on the Skye and the Storm soon.
I received a 3-pack sampler when I was in Scotland from cousin and I enjoyed each of them while I was spending a few days in a hotel in Edinburgh. Talisker 10 can be a little harsh for some, but the 10 years and a little water soften it out. Aged in American Oak, a single malt, and bottle at 45% it is a requirement of any good whisky bar or home bar. It also tastes much better when you drink it in Scotland for some strange reason.
Price around $60 and well worth the money if you like this flavor profile or need a nice gift.
Taste: Medium bodied, you taste the honey with a finish of sweetness and peat on the tongue.
Review: I discovered this Scotch at a Robbie Burns tasting at the Astor Center, NYC in during the blizzard last winter that dump three feet of snow and shut down NYC for a day. I discovered a little too much of this bottle that night when I was trapped in my studio apartment in midtown but it was worth it!
This scotch is a single malt, aged 14 years in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in new American charred oak barrels. It has be designed and created exclusively for the USA market and the finish with the bourbon and charred barrels gives the scotch a wonderfully tasty flavor with a medium smooth finish. This Scotch would be ideal for Glenfiddich drinkers who want to mix it up a bit and Bourbon drinkers who want to step into the Scotch world. Price range is $45 to $55 and well worth the money.
I sampled Wolfburn Scotch at the Astor Center Robert Burns Tasting a few months ago. I was not familiar with this brand so I took my time to try them all. The three types I tried were Aurora Single Malt, Morven Peated Single Malt, and Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Hand Crafted). All three are non-chilled filtered, and the “Single” & “Hand Crafted” are naturally colored. A quick summary of each;
Aurora: Light, Sherry spice flavor.
Morven: Light, Fruit and light peat flavor.
Hand Crafted: Light, Sweet peaty flavor.
Wolfburn Distillery is now the Northern most distillery in Scotland. It is located in Thurso, Scotland and was founded in 1820’s. After a few years, and for various reasons, it stopped production in the 1850’s. The distillery was restarted 2011 after being closed for 150 years.
Non-chill filtering is the opposite of chill filtering and is where the substances from the distillation process are removed before the whisky is bottled. When ice or water is added to a non-chill filtered whisky it has the potential to become cloudy. This process is done for cosmetic reasons and some say there is a taste difference. Personally, I cannot really tell the difference in taste.
Wolfburn scotch was released around March 2016 after a short time maturing in the cask. To be classified as Scotch it has to be matured for minimum of 3 years and 1 day. The short maturing time does not offer the most complex profile in taste, but is easy to drink. I find the quality of this scotch to be more of a slugging whisky. Easy to drink and you can knock them back with friends without breaking your wallet on a bottle. Wolfburn is not the best scotch on the market, but it is very far from the worst.
Priced around $60 each and is a decent scotch at decent price.
