Signatory Vintage Caol Ila Whisky Review!

A single first-fill bourbon cask Caol Ila, bottled at cask strength. This dram has been described to me as a worthy challenger to the delicious Port Askaig 100 Proof, so the level of anticipation is quite high!

Selected by Melbourne's The Whisky Company, who are the Australian importer & distributor for independent bottlers (and Edradour owners) Signatory Vintage, this single cask was only sold in Australia, both directly through The Whisky Company themselves, and through Single Malt Whisky Club Australia (singlemalt.com.au - that'll be easy to remember!) as their malt of the month. Established in 2005 and founded by whisky fans Brad Wright and Andy Anderson, the free-to-join SMWCA - for short - is essentially a subscription service that selects one bottling of whisky each month, and then sends it out to their members - with an opt-out option for each bottling via email, of course. Those bottlings have ranged from lesser-known independent bottlings, to small-batch Australian single malts, to rarely-seen whiskies from "new world" distilleries, and of course plenty of very tasty single malts from Scotland. As far as I'm aware the SMWCA was the first service of its type in Australia, and let's remember that our whisky 'scene' would have been very different back in 2005 - whereas it is now at an all-time high, back then you would not have seen anywhere near the relatively huge range of single malts available that we enjoy today. So it would've taken quite a lot of  brainpower and original thinking - and no doubt also quite a lot of whisky - to launch this sort of operation back then.

This Caol Ila is something out of the norm for the SMWCA, though, because this is a cask strength, single cask, heavily peated single malt from the largest distillery on the glorious Isle of Islay. At the relatively young age of nine years, 312 bottles were yielded by this single first-fill ex-bourbon hogshead (re-coopered 250-litre cask), and as is the case with all single cask bottlings, once it's gone, it can never be repeated. It's not a very common thing to find a Caol Ila that has been matured in a first-fill cask either, most - particularly the official bottlings from owners Diageo - spend their years in refill casks, whether they are destined to be blended away in mass-market blended whiskies like Johnnie Walker, or bottled as a single malt. Likewise most of those official bottlings are bottled at 43% ABV, and are chill filtered and occasionally also artificially coloured. There are some exceptions, but unless you're lucky enough to snag a bottle of the distillery's annual Feis Ile or Distillery Exclusive bottlings or the un-peated expressions that are part of the annual Special Releases, you're probably going to need to turn to the independent bottlers for your high-strength Caol Ila salvation. Thankfully it's quite an easy thing to find a good quality independent bottling of Caol Ila, with bottlers like Gordon & MacPhail and Signatory Vintage regularly releasing cask strength expressions from the distillery, as do some of the smaller companies, often in different cask types and with more natural presentation as well.

Caol Ila is often seen as a softer, more gentle entry into Islay's peated malts, and for the standard 12-year old official bottling that's true, but there are certainly exceptions. When bottled at cask strength and without chill filtration or added colouring, this unglamorous (see above photo) and often under-appreciated workhorse of a distillery - producing around four million litres of spirit per year - is certainly capable of producing some absolutely outstanding single malts. It's trademark grassy & malty character, alongside a softer style of peat and smoke offer a lighter and more approachable style than is often showcased by some of the other Ileachs - including its stablemate Lagavulin. But rest assured, this is still very much an Islay whisky. As an interesting aside, both of those Diageo distilleries use exactly the same malted barley, peated to 35 ppm and of course sourced from the company's Port Ellen Maltings, but the resulting malts are remarkably different. That's largely down to the different fermentation times, the size, shape, design and fill level of their stills, and the cut points used during the distillation runs, among other factors. On paper this 9-year old single cask bottling at 57.2% ABV offers one of the best opportunities to see just what Caol Ila can do when it's allowed to shine. Before you ask though, this whisky has already completely sold out from singlemalt.com.au / SMWCA, who kindly provided the sample for this review. So unless you grabbed a bottle yourself, you'll just have to sit back & enjoy the ride!

Signatory Vintage 9-year old Caol Ila single cask, 57.2%. Islay, Scotland.
Distilled 10/2009, matured in a single first-fill ex-bourbon hogshead, bottled 10/2018. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 312 bottles, exclusive to Australia.

Colour: White wine, very pale - and beautiful for it!

Nose: Yep, it's cask strength Caol Ila alright! Grassy, softly peaty and sweet - but that's a spirit sweetness, not a cask sweetness. There's some lovely fresh malted barley on show, a little vanilla and some sawdust from the cask, a herbal & grassy smoke, and a decent touch of aniseed.

Texture: Medium weight, with plenty of distillery character. Soft & warming with only a little heat.

Taste: Nice, of course! An earthy peaty-ness, much more obvious here than on the nose, but it fades quickly and is replaced by that herbal smoke, more aniseed and those grassy malted barley notes. More sweet spirit with a bit of baked vanilla custard and some buttery oak behind it. Echos of a couple of dried strawberries around the edges too.

Finish: Long. A big pinch of black pepper first, then that aniseed again which also comes back later on. Sawdust again, or maybe pencil shavings, and that lovely golden malted barley grassy-ness - not something often seen in heavily peated malts. A slight hint of meatyness too - like a touch of vegemite. More aniseed, black pepper & grassy spirit to finish.

Score: 3.5 out of 5.

Notes: Tasty stuff, as expected! It's surprisingly malt-forward and spirit-driven for a first-fill cask, in fact I'm not sure you'd pick it for a first-fill - and it's all the better for it! There are definitely shades of the aforementioned Port Askaig 100 Proof here - they're both from the same distillery after all - but this is a sweeter and more rounded malt with more cask influence (the Askaig being refill casks), and more aniseed & pepper. And before you go searching, yes, I gave both the same score! This Signatory bottling is definitely a great example of young, spirit-forward cask strength Caol Ila, with a good balance to it as well. This was clearly a well-chosen single cask, and sold (past tense) at quite a reasonable price no less.

If you've tried the standard 12-year old Caol Ila expression but would like some more power, do yourself a favour and find a bottling like this. They really show a different side to this quiet giant of an Islay distillery, and it's a side that isn't shown often enough!

Cheers!

Ardbeg Traigh Bhan Whisky Review!

The first age statement Ardbeg core range release in a long time, and one that at first glance - and I'm hoping - could echo the brilliance of the long-departed Airigh Nam Beist. Exciting stuff!

It seems these days that for every Ardbeg fan there are two very vocal Ardbeg haters. For such a brilliant distillery, they certainly get more than their fair share of criticism, mainly from the "old guard" of whisky drinkers that think we're still in the last decade, or even the last century. The industry has changed, as it has many times in the past, and it has reached new record highs because of it. The main tired old argument is that non-age statement (NAS) whiskies aren't as good as age statement whiskies, which of course is complete crap. Yes, some of the component whiskies are probably younger than the older expressions that they often replace, and yes, it's nice to know how old a whisky is, but does that omission alone make them inferior? Absolutely not. Ardbeg seem to take the brunt of this attack, which is surprising when you consider that they were certainly not the first Islay distillery to produce an NAS whisky, and they've stuck to their guns with the ever-reliable 10-year old flagship expression. We should also remember that while NAS whiskies may seem new to some, they're far & away not a new thing. In fact in the long-term scheme of things it's really the age statement whiskies that are the new thing.

Ardbeg are probably an easy target because prior to the release of the "Twenty Something" series and the very tasty 21-year old a few years ago, there was only one age statement whisky in their line-up (the 10-year old), including the rest of their core range, the delicious Uigeadail and Corryvreckan and the more recent An Oa, and the annual Ardbeg Day and other committee releases. Far more importantly to myself, Ardbeg do not chill filter or artificially colour anything in their range, and they generally bottle at 46% and above, and prefer releasing "married" fully-matured whiskies rather than the more common short-term cask finishing - which would likely be one of the reasons for their lack of age statements. So when all of those other boxes are ticked with each & every release, I can easily forgive the lack of a number on the front label!

All of that has changed with the arrival of this new release. Named Traigh Bhan (pronounced Tri-Van) after the beach on the western coast of Islay, this new 19-year old expression is going to be an annual small batch release, and is matured in ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. What I do find curious is why they chose to go with a 19-year age statement rather than the more common 18. Did the whisky need that extra year of maturation? Or was that simply the age of the youngest component casks in the recipe and therefore what had to be the age statement by default? The batch code declares that the youngest component casks were distilled in 2000, less than three years after the distillery was re-opened under the current owners - and for that reason we can safely assume that there aren't a huge amount of much older casks in the mix. What is also interesting is that they're calling this whisky a core range release, which normally refers to an expression being constantly available, when this is actually an annual small-batch release, and they've already declared that each batch is going to vary in its cask recipe and also its strength. But let's forget all that, the proof is in the pudding!

An Ardbeg of this age level - if you can find one that is - can be truly excellent, and I'm hoping this release takes me back to the brilliant Airigh Nam Beist that was bottled annually in 2006, 2007 and 2008 (all from 1990 distillation) before being discontinued. But Airigh Nam Beist was fully matured in first-fill bourbon casks and was bottled at 46%, whereas Traigh Bhan was matured in both bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, both fully-matured and then married rather than being finished, and is bottled at the rather strange strength of 46.2%. As with almost all Ardbeg releases there is no mention of how many bottles were released, so we can safely assume that it was a reasonably large figure. By the way the sample for this review came from a generous fellow whisky nerd, so there's absolutely no bias here - well, other than being a self-confessed Ardbeg fan! Something that Ardbeg and Moet-Hennessy Australia need to be commended for is the lack of delays in getting their special releases to the other side of the planet in time for the official release date. That doesn't happen very often in Australia, in fact I can't think of a single other brand that accomplishes it. We're usually left to wait for 3-12 months before we receive a new release, by which time the initial worldwide buzz has often dissipated, and it also opens the door for parallel importers. So that's great to see, and it's very much appreciated Ardbeg!

The distillery has a very useful page setup on their website which explains this whisky in a little more detail, including how to interpret the batch code, which in this case is the rather lengthy TB/01-15.03.00/19.MH. Which decodes to Traigh Bhan, Batch 01, youngest component distilled 15/03/2000, 19-years old, Mickey Heads (Ardbeg Distillery Manager). This was a relatively expensive release in Australia, coming in at $299-320 AUD, although Moet-Hennessy Australia should again be commended for keeping in step with the international pricing. For reference that figure is around double the AUD asking price of the venerable 18-year old core range bottlings from the likes of Talisker & Glendronach, but those aren't limited, small batch or yearly releases, and an older age-stated Ardbeg was never going to be a cheap bottle of whisky. Is it worth it? Well, it's an Ardbeg, so most likely yes! But there's only one way to find out...

Ardbeg Traigh Bhan 19-year old, 46.2%. Islay, Scotland. 
Youngest component distilled 15/03/2000, matured in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. Non-chill filtered, natural colour.

Colour: Medium gold, a shade darker than the Ten.

Nose: A softer & rounder Ardbeg, as expected of course. Sweet charred / BBQ'd pineapple, black pepper, sweet lemon drops and a bit of black jellybean (aniseed). A soft drying salinity, and a hint of dried strawberry, plus a touch of muddy peat and the tar & old (natural) rope that Ardbeg does so well.

Texture: Medium weight, soft & sweet initially but then turns spicy & drying. Only a slight touch of heat.

Taste: More BBQ pineapple and black pepper, plus some smoked paprika, sweet lemon drops again, and some drying dark chilli chocolate. More old rope and a little coastal minerality, like damp volcanic rock or flint.

Finish: Short-medium length. More dark chilli chocolate and  black pepper, a bit of soft leather, and a touch of past-ripe banana. Dried strawberries again, and more black jellybean under some spicy & buttery old oak.

Score: 3.5 out of 5. Almost a 4, but not quite.

Notes: Another tasty Ardbeg. It's definitely a softer & rounder style, particularly on the peat side of things, but it's also quite a spicy & peppery one - as in flavour, not alcohol heat, with plenty of chilli chocolate and black pepper. The Ardbeg sweetness & citrus is there on the nose & palate, and that charred pineapple note is very nice, but it does get a little subdued on the finish which is where the spice takes over. I'd have to say that it's not on the level of the legendary Airigh Nam Beist, but it's still a very enjoyable dram. It's definitely a softer Ardbeg, and I can only imagine how great it would be at cask strength, but I can completely understand why they would bottle this one at 46% instead. If you're a fan of Ardbeg Ten you'll find this one familiar in overall style, and I'm betting you'll enjoy it - as I did. And an Ardbeg of this age is undeniably quite a special thing.

So is / was it worth the asking price? For an Ardbeg fan, yes, I think it is / was. As with all of their limited releases it'll inevitably be compared with the Ten, Uigeadail and Corryvreckan, which still offer great value, but as with all of their limited releases such comparisons are basically pointless. They're very different whiskies, and are a different style of Ardbeg that is still very worthy of their cult following.

Cheers!

Talisker Storm Whisky Review!

Storm was the first in the range of recently launched non-age statement Taliskers, hitting the shelves back in 2013. It's been a few years since I last tasted it, so this'll be fun!

Talisker Distillery, located in the village of Carbost on the Isle of Skye, produces some excellent whisky. The 10 Year Old, 18 Year Old and higher strength 57 North are tasty and dependable drams, and the 8 Year Old Cask Strength from 2018's Special Releases was fantastic. You would think that five core range bottlings (including the yearly Distiller's Edition and 25-year old) and the occasional limited release would be enough, and it would be for many distilleries. But Talisker go way beyond that, adding the non-age statement Skye, Storm, Port Ruighe, Dark Storm and Neist Point expressions to that line-up. In fairness the latter two are travel retail / duty free exclusive, but there are also a few older releases above all of these that I haven't included in the list. All of which adds up to a massive range of single malts for what is a medium-sized distillery that produces around two-three million litres of spirit (no official figures are available) per year. But that's not all folks, Talisker malt whisky is also a major component of quite a few blended whiskies, most famously the Johnnie Walker range - particularly Black Label. The distillery's marketing department is certainly kept busy, or maybe the marketing department is keeping the distillery team busy!

As part of Diageo's Classic Malts the distillery gets plenty of time in the limelight, and although Lagavulin isn't far behind these days Talisker would still have to be the most well-known of the  bunch. Adding to that fame is the "Made by the Sea" tagline, and the fact that despite being overwhelmingly matured on the Scottish mainland rather than on Skye, many of the distillery's whiskies do have an undeniable maritime / coastal character. Some more than others, though. Another point that adds to that fame is the reasonable pricing of the venerable 10-year old expression, which has been around for a long, long time now and can be seen sitting on the back bar in pretty much any decent bar or pub around the world. That sort of market penetration gives a product quite the following over time, and each time the distillery releases a new younger bottling the whisky world holds their breath, pitchforks at the ready, awaiting the news that the 10-year old has been discontinued. But - touch wood - it hasn't happened yet, and the 10-year old is still a dependable single malt that can be found for a reasonable price, albeit significantly higher than it was a few years ago, since it now has to sit above a couple of those newer non-age statement bottlings that I mentioned above. If you ask me Talisker has always been a great introductory light-medium peated whisky, but it seems that some feel differently, thinking it too intense for the novice palate, which they addressed by introducing milder and more tame expressions. And many other distilleries have done the same in the last few years.

That said, that may not be the case here. The idea behind Talisker Storm is that it's "an intense Talisker, with a profoundly maritime character". Which translates to it being more intense than the venerable 10-year old, and to achieve that they've used a mix of refill and rejuvenated (shaved & re-toasted or re-charred) American oak casks - so probably all of the ex-bourbon variety - of different ages. Thankfully they've largely stuck to their traditional bottling strength of 45.8% ABV in this expression, and most of their bottlings for that matter, but on the flip-side the vast majority of Talisker whisky is chill filtered and pumped full of E150a artificial colouring, and Storm is no exception to that. After being rather disappointed with the non-age statement Game of Thrones Talisker bottling (House Greyjoy, reviewed here), and not being a huge fan of the travel retail expression Dark Storm, both of which were partly- or fully-matured in heavily charred refill ex-bourbon casks, I'm interested to see how this one fares. Will this Talisker be more of a Talisker? Or will this 'Storm' turn out to be more of a light breeze? Time to find out...

Talisker Storm, NAS, 45.8%. Skye, Scotland.
Matured in rejuvenated (shaved & re-toasted / re-charred) and refill ex-bourbon casks. Chill filtered, artificially coloured.

Colour: Amber-gold. Does look paler than the 10-year old actually, possibly less added colouring?

Nose: A little flat and bitter to start with. Salted caramel, some baked apple and marzipan. The Talisker salt & pepper are there, but they're a little muted and there's much more salt than there is pepper. Some damp wood, or even driftwood comes through with extra time, as does some stewed stone fruit with a slight bitter note behind it.

Texture: There's that intensity that they were talking about, wouldn't have guessed that from the nose. Light-medium weight, relatively clean but with a little peat & chilli spice.

Taste: A little sour, more salt and pepper here, plus that salted caramel, and dry charred oak rather than the damp driftwood. There's a nice dry earthy peat to this Talisker, plus a solid pinch of dry chilli flakes, and a very slight iodine note.

Finish: Medium length. There's more of that bitterness here, plus a little tangy sourness. Charred fresh oak and a little pepper, and that dry earthy peat adds a little more depth. Slight bitter liquorice and stewed stone fruit to finish, and that slight iodine note again.

Score: 2.5 out of 5. Not miles away from a 3 though.

Notes: I do get the extra intensity in the Storm compared to the standard 10-year old, but overall this is still quite a mild whisky. Which is fine of course, but an Islay and/or cask strength drinker won't find this to be an intense dram and could be a little disappointed after reading the marketing blurb. But it does have a decent depth of flavour for what is a relatively lightly peated, crowd-pleasing malt. If it had been non-chill filtered and perhaps slightly higher strength then things would've been turned up a notch, but the distillery has stuck to their guns on both counts. It does have that notable maritime influence that a lot of the more recent NAS Taliskers (particularly the 'Skye' expression) are missing, and there's more of the pepper & peat that Talisker fans tend to look for. Storm is priced around 10% below the 10-year old in Australia, which is probably the right level for it, but the 10 often dips under that when it's on special, so it would be my pick between the two in that scenario.

If you're wanting an actual intense Talisker, you'll be better served by the 57 North. Well, assuming you can't find last year's 8-year old Cask Strength special release, that is. Despite being considerably more expensive, if you're after more volume of flavour and intensity the 57N is the bottling to go for. And the higher strength (57%) justifies the price jump. Which reminds me, the recent announcement of Diageo's Special Releases for 2019 included a 15-year old cask strength Talisker, and although the details are yet to be shared, if the aforementioned 8-year old is anything to go by the 15 will not be one to miss. Exciting stuff!

Cheers!