The Speyside region isn't renowned for heavily peaty whiskies, but that doesn't mean there aren't any to be found! This example from Benromach, aptly named 'Peat Smoke', is one of the big ones, and is reputed to be one of the best. It is distilled from barley peated to an impressive 67 ppm , a number similar to (or even higher than) that used by the Islay distilleries. Being a Speyside malt though, and being made using local barley and local peat, it is of course rather distinct from your typical Islay.
Benromach only produce one batch of their 'Peat Smoke' whisky per year, with this latest release being distilled in 2005, and bottled in 2014. This is also their most heavily peated batch yet, at the aforementioned 67ppm, and the first to carry their spunky new packaging. As with all Benromach whisky, Peat Smoke has been matured in first-fill casks, exclusively ex-bourbon in this case.
I've tasted an older release of this bottling before, albeit at a whisky show, but I remember it as being a stand-out among the mainland offerings. I was also very impressed with Benromach's 10yo offerings, reviewed here , both the 43% and 57% versions, they were both very drinkable and of obvious quality. Will the load of extra peat, and slightly younger age, in this Peat Smoke expression change that?
Distilled in 2005, bottled in 2014. Peated to 67ppm phenols prior to distillation, matured in first-fill bourbon casks for 8-9 years. No added colouring, and assuming non-chill filtered, although not stated on label.
(tasted neat)
Colour: Light gold
Nose: Sweet and fruity, subtle camp-fire smoke. Crisp green apples, white pepper, sweet malt and honey, cigar ash. Smoke is surprisingly subdued for the high ppm.
Texture: Light and creamy.
Taste: Much more smoke than found on the nose, but not overpowering, very pleasant. Fresh, sweet malt, and subtle vegetal peat. Some stone fruit and pepper. The smoke is sweet, chewy and fresh, slightly reminiscent of Caol Ila smoke. Very enjoyable and well balanced.
Finish: Long & quite complex, initially fruity and sweet, then drying as the smoke comes back to the front. Fading slowly with malty biscuits laced with wood smoke.
Score: 4 out of 5.
Notes: Very drinkable, very interesting stuff. No surprise that, as with other Benromach single malts, the quality is very obvious. No harshness and no rushed distillation roughness, nice mouthfeel and malty character, with quite a complex finish. Lovely.
A very interesting take on a heavily peated malt, it may be slightly younger than your average mainland whisky, but it really doesn't matter. In fact if it was older we would lose more peat influence, and nobody wants that! A very good alternative for the peat lover who doesn't enjoy the medicinal and coastal style we get from our beloved Islay.
Having said that, I would love to see a 57% or cask strength version of Benromach Peat Smoke, to match their 10 year old offerings. I'm sure it would be a real cracker, and a real contender. They do have some other interesting whiskies on the way, including two french red wine cask-finished expressions, which should be very interesting. Keep an eye out for those!
Benromach Peat Smoke is quite widely available, all the major online retailers have it. Be conscious of the batch / vintage you're buying though, and the 2005 release can be found in both the old and new style packaging, so check the label. It's currently on special, albeit in the old packaging, at Nick's for a very good price, so get it while it's hot.
A big thanks to Ian from Alba Whisky , Benromach's Australian distributor, for the sample!
Bruichladdich distillery have never been afraid of experimentation. Their Octomore range has been around for some time now, and has been, and still is, a testament to their whisky mastery, and the brilliance of their head distiller, Jim McEwan.
Bottled at 5 years of age (with one exception), at high strength, and distilled from super-heavily peated malted barley, they are not for the faint-of-heart, or inexperienced-of-peat. But on the same hand, they are not as monstrous or one-sided as you might expect, given all of those high numbers and young age. They are big Islay peat monsters, but they'll only maim you slightly, rather than murder you. Will this version toe the line?
I've had the privilege of tasting (and owning) a few different Octomore releases over the last few years (4.2, 5.1, and 6.1), and they've all been very good . I've also tasted the 10 year old, but found it a little disappointing. This 6.3 release, that I can't stop looking at across the room (I swear it winked at me), this is the king of kings. To quote Bruichladdich themselves, this is the 'Octomore of Octomore'.
This particular Octomore 6.3 'Islay barley' release is very special. It was distilled exclusively from barley grown on Islay (duh), at James Brown's farm, named Octomore (once home to a small distillery), in the field named 'Lorgba'. The barley was then sent to Baird's Maltings in Inverness, where it was peated to an unbelievable 258 ppm phenols! This is the most heavily peated whisky in the world. By a huge margin. The previous ppm title holder was the 5.1 release, which was peated to 169 ppm phenols. So the 6.3 has well and truly smashed the ppm record. Will it ever be repeated? Time will tell. There has been another release since, the 7.2 version, which was distilled from barley peated to 208ppm. Still a huge number, and much higher than anything else that I know of, but it's not quite 258, is it? We know that ppm measurements aren't always a definitive indicator of what you will get in the finished product, but it's still very impressive.
Anyway, this super-heavily-peated malted barley was then sent back to Bruichladdich, where it was distilled in 2009 and aged in ex-bourbon barrels for 5 years, then finally bottled at a huge 64% in 2014. As with all Bruichladdich whisky, it's non-chill filtered and bottled without added colouring. Excellent.
To my knowledge, this is the first and only review of Octomore 6.3 in Australia, and I am looking at one of only eleven full bottles sold in the country, and we have one man / business to thank for that. The 6.3 was actually released late in 2014, and I was extremely excited about it, thanks to social media. But, Bruichladdich's Australian distributor, SouthTrade, were either unwilling or unable to get it. I enquired after it's availability myself three times, and while they did reply, it was not good news. **See update at bottom of page!**
Bruichladdich, to their credit, will ship to Australia direct, but through no fault of theirs the shipping costs are huge, not to mention the duty and taxes payable at customs on arrival. That unfortunately was not a viable solution.
Enter Craig from Nippy Sweetie Whiskies, the local hero who somehow managed to procure a case of this magnificent malt, and import it himself for sale. And rightly so, because within a few hours of a single facebook post (not even posted on his website), eleven bottles were spoken for (including mine), and the twelfth was being split into samples for individual sale. Nippy Sweetie Whiskies are really coming on strong, regularly adding new, rare, hard to find and ultra-desirable whiskies to their range. Great stuff.
Due to the aforementioned shipping and duty costs (higher than usual due to the high strength), this bottle did not come cheap. In fact it is the most expensive single bottle of whisky I've ever purchased, albeit not by much. But, there will never be a a lot of this whisky in Australia, and I believe it is out of production, or will be shortly. So I jumped at the chance to own a bottle. And it is a beautiful bottle...
Bruichladdich Octomore 6.3 'Islay Barley', 5yo, 64%. Islay, Scotland.
Distilled in 2009, matured in ex-bourbon casks for 5 years. Distilled from barley grown at James Brown's Octomore farm on Islay, and peated to 258 ppm phenols.
(tasted neat) Colour: Solid amber, glowing. Nose: Mega-peaty of course, but it's a stunning complex peat. A sweet and slightly sour, very slightly medicinal peat. Coastal sea spray, beautiful sweet golden barley. Some rubber & soap, sour milk (in a good way though, trust me), hints of toasted nuts. Not a lot of smoke, but that peat is just amazing. If that was the only thing I got on the nose, I would be satisfied. Texture: Mega thick, oily and creamy. Looking at the glass after a little swirl, the legs have become part of the glass. Nothing is moving at all. It's like the earth has stopped turning. The anticipation builds... Taste: Wow. Just wow. It's a challenge to put this experience into words, but I'll try. That massive, complex peat is there, but so is the sweet malted barley, salted caramel, brine, embers and thick, warm smoke from a camp fire. So balanced and creamy, I would never guess this was 64% and only 5 years old. But good god, that incredible peat. I'm giddy. Finish: Mega-long and mega-peaty. Sweet smoke and warm wood embers. Earthy, toasted grains, some gentle drying oak, even a little buttered toast. Lasts forever! It's been at least 15 mins since my last sip and it's still dominant, it's omnipresent, and I don't think about resisting. I must have more! Score: 5 out of 5. Yes, really. The first one, so far. Notes: This is incredible! I had thought of the 5.1 as the king of Octomore, but no, Bruichladdich are correct, this is it. 6.3 is the king. The peaty emperor. The Octomore of Octomore. And I love it.
Sure, it's expensive, but it's worth every cent, without question. Is this peated perfection? Well, nothing is absolutely perfect, but this is about as close as it gets. This 6.3 wants for nothing. Bruichladdich and Mr. McEwan may have a difficult task ahead trying to improve on this.
If you're in Oz, I strongly suggest you head over to Nippy Sweetie ASAP and order a bottle, or at least get a sample (while stocks last of course). I don't know how many bottles Craig will be able to get, but I'm going to start saving now, and I really hope there's still one left for me when the time comes. One bottle is just not enough, I must have more!
A huge thanks must go to Craig from Nippy Sweetie for having the initiative to get this baby in, outstanding stuff.
If you're not in Australia, do your utmost to find a bottle or sample of Octomore 6.3. If you're a peat head or an Octomore fan, you won't want to miss this one.
**UPDATE: I've just received word from Bruichladdich Australia (South Trade), Octomore 6.3 is coming to Australia! Great news.**
In the world of rare whisky, one distillery stands out as the 'holy grail': Port Ellen. The name is spoken in hushed tones, and the whisky is revered and worshipped by whisky enthusiasts, who may have never laid eyes on an actual bottle, let alone tasted some.
Why? Mainly because it has been closed since 1983. Yes, over 30 years ago. Which means that all the Port Ellen whisky in the world is at least 31 years old (actual age, not maturation time). This also means that once it's gone, it's gone. Every time someone enjoys a dram of Port Ellen whisky, there is one dram less of Port Ellen whisky in the world, never to be replaced. The site of the former distillery is now home to Port Ellen malting's, supplying malted barley to many different distilleries.
There are plenty of distilleries which closed down decades ago, so what makes Port Ellen so special? Well, mainly the fact that it is (generally) excellent whisky, being a very complex, peated Islay whisky. And also because Diageo (owners of the remaining stock) have been releasing a 'new' Port Ellen every year since around 2001. In line with the above points regarding age and dwindling supply, the prices (and demand) have been going more insane with every release. For example, last year's official release of Port Ellen retailed for approximately $4,200 Australian dollars.
Yes, it was 35 years old, and yes, it was bottled at cask strength (like all releases to my knowledge, to Diageo's credit). But $4200 is a massive amount of money. Enough to buy hundreds of bottles of very good single malt whisky (among many other things), or one bottle of Port Ellen 2014 release. As a point of interest, this price was almost double that of the previous release, despite both releases being bottled at the same age.
This usually means that Port Ellen whisky is the domain of collectors, or very well-to-do drinkers, while the average whisky enthusiast generally misses out. All is not lost, however, as there is an alternative to these official releases. Enter the independent bottler's! Although hard to find, and still expensive, the independent bottling's of Port Ellen are priced much more reasonably.
I have been lucky enough to receive a sample from one of these bottles in a swap (slainte Matthew!). A 25 year old Port Ellen single malt, bottled in 2007. It was matured in a sherry cask for that quarter of a century, prior to being bottled at a cask strength of 58%, by Signatory independent bottlers. Yeah, this is pretty special...
Port Ellen 25yo sherry cask, 58%, Signatory bottling.
Distilled in 1982, bottled in 2007. Cask strength, no added colouring. Limited release of 526 bottles, cask number 2844.
(tasted neat)
Colour: Amber-orange
Nose: Big fruit & sherry, oloroso, slight nutty sweetness. Some leather & salt, hints of gentle smoke. Barley sugar lollies, some slightly under-ripe tropical fruit.
Texture: Big, oily & viscous. Very nice.
Taste: Lovely earthy peat, big sherry influence - spicy and fruity. Pleasant gentle smoke adds depth, well-done toffee with slight bitterness.
Finish: Long, but surprisingly light. Fruit & smoke alternate. Very well balanced, drying slowly as it fades.
Score: 4 out of 5.
Notes: Ignoring the price & scarcity, this malt is a good one. In other words, if you can find it & can afford it, go for it! After all, any Port Ellen whisky is a piece of whisky history, and it's not coming back!
Having said that, I can't help but feel that the sherry cask has had too much of an influence over those 25 years. We know that older whiskies lose a great deal of peat influence and smoke during their slumber, and there was still a nice drop of smoke in this one, but I didn't get much of the dusty leather that Port Ellen is known for either.
I'm mainly comparing this one to the only other Port Ellen I've tasted (and seen, for that matter), which was the 4th release from Diageo, tasted at a whisky festival. It was ex-bourbon cask, so is obviously going to be different, but it was the same age and nearly the same strength. I wasn't blown away by that one, especially considering the price, but this independent bottling is much better value for money. I find myself wishing for a Port Ellen with a mix of sherry and bourbon cask maturation, maybe even a cask finishing? But that's not likely to happen. Nobody can afford to experiment with this stuff, financially or morally.
A huge thanks to Matt for the sample, a tasting of any Port Ellen is not something to be taken lightly, and not something that is likely to happen again.
Benriach distillery is yet another scotch producer which seems to fly under the radar of many whisky enthusiasts. It is not easy to find, at least in Australia, but is well worth the effort. This is actually my first tasting of a Benriach whisky, by way of a sample sourced from SM Whisky.
The distillery is located in the famous Speyside region, but it is among the few distilleries in the region which produce a range of peated whiskies as part of their regular line-up, along with un-peated bottlings. They are also one of the few 'Speysiders' which malt their own barley, using traditional floor-maltings. Their parent company, Benriach Distillery Company, also owns Glendronach (my favourite un-peated 'sherry bomb' whisky) and Glenglassaugh distilleries, all located in Speyside.
Benriach produce a very wide range of whisky, ranging from 37+ year old un-peated single cask bottlings, to peated whisky finished in exotic casks, such as ex-rum or ex-madeira casks. Benriach's peated range can generally, but not always, be spotted by their use of latin names, such as 'Curiositas' and 'Authenticus', among others.
In this case the whisky carries the latin name 'Heredotus Fumosus', which translates to 'Smoky Sherry' in English. The sherry in this case refers to a cask finishing / secondary maturation in Pedro Ximenez (PX) sherry butts. The whisky carries an age statement of 12 years, although the term of both the initial maturation and cask finishing is not made clear. It is also non-chill filtered, bottled at 46% and without adding colouring. Great stuff!
Finished in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks, non-chill filtered, no adding colouring. Limited release of approx. 3500 bottles.
(tasted neat)
Colour: Dark gold, slightly bronze.
Nose: Quite malty and biscuity for a heavily-peated whisky. A nice coastal peat with a hint of salinity, only a little smoke. Juicy red fruits, strawberry & plum, maybe a hint of cherries.
Texture: Oily & warm, very nice.
Taste: Much smokier than on the nose, but not overbearing, delicious! Quite dry with a tiny hint of ash. The red fruits are still there from the nose, but are beaten down slightly by the peat smoke.
Finish: Dry & mouth-watering, juicy red fruits now beating the smoke down. Nice long finish.
Score: 3.5 out of 5.
Notes: A very good whisky, although there's not a huge level of complexity present. The PX finish has certainly added some depth, the spirit itself is good quality, and that smoke is delicious! I don't know if I would pick this as a Speyside whisky in a blind-tasting, I suspect I would look towards the Islands first, but that isn't a bad thing.
I'll admit I was drawn to this sample in order to compare it to Laphroaig PX, my current favourite from Laphroaig. They are both heavily-peated, similar in alcoholic strength, and are both finished in PX sherry casks. The PX however is an NAS bottling, while the Benriach is stated as 12 years old, and obviously the spirits themselves are quite different in style to begin with.
I did prefer the Laphroaig by a considerable margin, but it wasn't a total annihilation (anyone remember that old PC game?). I certainly wouldn't turn the Benriach 'Heredotus Fumosus' away on a cold night. Unfortunately it was a limited release from the distillery, but assuming you can find a bottle without the inevitable 'rarity-tax' added on, it's certainly worth getting a hold of.
I look forward to trying more of Benriach's range too, it's going well so far!
For most of us, it is not very often that we get the chance to taste a whisky which is almost as old as we are. When this whisky in front of me was distilled, it was 1986. I was a toddler. Bob Hawke was the Australian Prime Minister, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred, and Top Gun was released in cinemas. Two of those things are still with us today, and so is this whisky. While age statements aren't the be-all and end-all of good whisky, and neither is age, there's no denying that this is pretty cool.
Slightly less cool however is the price, with Talisker 25yo 2011 release retailing for around $500 here in Australia, and only bottled at 45.8%, not at cask strength (there are older cask strength releases ). I confess I'm only reviewing a sample, which I purchased here, as a bottle of this 25yo is out of my price range. Another reason why samples are awesome! The Talisker 18yo is excellent as well, and is good value comparatively at around $150 locally.
Being matured for a quarter of a century, you would expect the 'standard' talisker flavour profile to become more subdued, and you would expect there to be more wood influence from all those years spent in casks. The label refers to refill casks being used for the maturation, also known as second-fill, meaning the casks have already been used for whisky maturation once since they held sherry/bourbon/etc. Many older whiskies are matured in this way, because 25 years in a first-fill cask is likely to have a massive influence on the finished product, which may not be desirable. Anyway, let's get into it!
Talisker 25yo, 45.8%, distilled 1986, bottled 2011. Isle of Skye.
Matured in unspecified refill casks, chill filtered, added caramel (assumed, standard practice for Talisker).
(tasted neat)
Nose: Salt & white pepper, surprisingly fruity though. Stone fruit, paw paw (papaya), maple syrup, hints of smoke and dry sherry. Light and slightly dust peat. Reminds me a little of a lighter Talisker 57 north. Complex & dynamic nose, very nice!
Texture: Buttery and syrupy.
Taste: A little sherry, nice sea salt. Quite dry, with some peat, ashy smoke and chilli. Stone fruit and white pepper, and a surprising amount of heat for a whisky of this age. The Talisker profile is there, but it's a little rough around the edges.
Finish: Medium length, dry spices, mouth-watering. Alternating between chilli, pepper and earthy peat.
Score: 3 out of 5 (adjusted for pricing, 3.5 without)
Notes: Not blown away, unfortunately. I wanted to love this whisky, but it's just not pushing my buttons. I'm sure other releases are better, and the nose on this one was excellent, likewise the texture, but the taste and finish left me disappointed. It's not unpleasant or 'bad' mind you, it's a very decent malt, but it just didn't live up to the hype and anticipation for me.
I don't see how this release could be worth more than 3 bottles of Talisker 18yo or 57 North, both of which I prefer to this 25yo. I found myself reaching for my bottle of '99 Distiller's Edition afterwards, and can't help but think I would choose it over the 25 as well, in a blind tasting.
I can't help but draw comparison to Laphroaig 25yo, which despite being a little more expensive, is far & away superior to this Talisker bottling. I'd recommend trying the Talisker to satisfy your curiosity, you may be more impressed than I was, but try and taste it before investing in a bottle.
I've been wanting to try Compass Box Peat Monster for quite some time, for obvious reasons, so when I stumbled across it hiding amongst a new range of samples at SM Whisky, I couldn't resist. It's a blended malt whisky, meaning it is a blend of different single malt whiskies, from different distilleries, and does not contain any grain whisky. See here for more information on the different types of blends and classifications.
Compass Box is essentially a blended whisky producer. They source malt whisky and grain whisky from distilleries like an independent bottler would, then blend the distillates together and 'marry' or mature them further in casks, before bottling. They produce a number of different blended whiskies, including some controversial ones like 'Spice Tree', which was essentially ruled 'illegal' by the Scotch Whisky Association. See here for more details.
This 'Peat Monster' expression is stated as being 'made from a marriage of an Islay south shore malt, a peated malt, a peated malt from the Isle of Mull and a smoky Speyside malt'. The Isle of Mull component is obvious, as there is only one peated malt made on the Isle of Mull, which is Ledaig (pronounced 'le-chig'), made by Tobermory distillery, but the other three components are a bit of a mystery. A previous version of Peat Monster was known to contain substantial amounts of Caol Ila single malt, which could be the whisky alluded to with 'a peated malt', and I am confident in my belief that the 'south shore Islay malt' to be Ardbeg.
Whatever the ingredients, the resulting heavily-peated blend has been 'married together' in American oak, before being bottled at 46%, without added colour or chill filtration. Sounds good, doesn't it?
Non-chill filtered, no added colouring. A blend of four undisclosed peated single malts.
(tasted neat)
Colour: Pale gold
Nose: Pungent peat & coastal salty air, medicinal, some sweet & sour fruits, and toffee'd bananas. Very light on the smoke, but heavy on the peat.
Texture: Slightly creamy, clean & warming.
Taste: There's the smoke, but it leaves quickly without saying goodbye. That lovely sweet, coastal peat is in it for the long haul, though. A bit of vanilla sweetness and oak offset the boisterous, punchy peat.
Finish: Very long, and very peaty. Brine, oak, vanilla and apples. Mouth watering peat alternates between sweet and dry, and clings on until the very end.
Score: 4 out of 5 (blend score)
Notes: Although it lacks the complexity and balance of say, an Ardbeg 10yo, it's a very good 'peat monster' in it's own right. It's tied for the honour of being my favourite blended malt, neck-and-neck with 'Big Peat', another vatted malt / malt blend, but consisting of only Islay whiskies.
The Peat Monster is also priced similarly to the entry-level Islay single malts, giving Big Peat a bit of an early advantage, but it holds it's own regardless. I picked up my sample here, or it's widely available by the bottle at most on-line stores. Certainly worth giving it a go.
Cheers!
P.S: A pretty special whisky review coming next, I won't give it away, but let's just say it has matured in a cask for a quarter of a century, and was made on the isle of Skye... Stay tuned!
I recently had the privilege of attending a masterclass for The Macallan, Highland Park and Laphroaig single malts, at the fantastic Morrison Hotel in Woolloongabba, Brisbane. Presented by the ever-excellent Dan Woolley, brand ambassador for Beam-Suntory, this was the first 'masterclass' I've attended, and I'm sure it won't be the last.
First off, what is a 'masterclass'? Essentially it is a guided tour of a particular brand of whisky, usually presented in a sit-down classroom/lecture setting, often as part of a whisky festival or spirits trade show, and naturally they include a few tastings. They are generally more in-depth and detailed than your typical whisky tasting, containing more distillery background information, and details on production methods and whisky characteristics. In this case, we had a less-formal format with a fantastic five-course meal, and three different brands/distilleries to explore, with two different expressions of each.
I imagine a masterclass would be quite difficult to present, particularly one such as this, not being tied to a whisky festival or trade show, and featuring whisky from three different distilleries. Why? Because your audience is likely to be a mixed bag, consisting of whisky industry professionals, bartenders and bar owners, dedicated whisky enthusiasts, and curious casual drinkers. While that is a good thing, it must make it tougher on the presenter. Some of the audience may not be at all familiar with whisky, or may have never tasted your particular brand, or (and this would be the worst-case scenario) they may only be there to eat food and drink spirits, and may barely pay attention.
So I imagine it would be difficult to find that balance between not presenting in enough detail for the enthusiast, not presenting from the right angle for the professionals, and presenting in too much detail for the curious. And obviously it would be difficult to choose which whiskies to present to the varied audience. But, as expected, Dan handled this situation just fine, keeping the event light hearted and relaxed, while still engaging the audience and making sure everyone took something away from the evening.
For a bit of serendipity, this masterclass was originally scheduled for November last year, while I was overseas. It was also scheduled on the day of a massive thunder and hail storm here in Brisbane, and was unfortunately cancelled. Well, Dan blamed the weather, but I'm pretty sure he actually rescheduled just so I could attend!
The venue for the evening was the 'Naked Whisky Bar' at the Morrison Hotel, a slightly eclectic mix of polished wood, whisky, and (tasteful) 'old-time' photos of naked ladies! Their range of whisky (and other drinks) is not to be sneezed at, and Fiasco's steakhouse, in the next room, serves the best steak in Brisbane, in my opinion. Go for the wagyu rump with their you-absolutely-must-have-it mushroom sauce.
Our room was the spacious art-deco style 'piano bar' function room, complete with thousands of photos of naked ladies substituting for wallpaper. Presented with a five course tasting menu, designed to match our whiskies by Dan himself, and with our six whiskies waiting patiently on the tables (the room smelled pretty damn good), it was time to get stuck in!
Starting with The Macallan distillery,from the Highlands, we had the 'Amber' and 'Sienna' expressions from their '1824' series, representing the year the distillery was founded. All five expressions in the series are matured in ex-sherry casks, and are un-peated. Interestingly, The Macallan do not add any artificial colouring to their whiskies, preferring to let the natural colour from the top-quality casks shine through. Good stuff!
The Macallan 'Amber', NAS, 40%. Light and honey-sweet, with a lot of green apple and pear on the nose, lovely medium-dry Oloroso sherry and subtly spicy on the palate, and that light honey sweetness, and a little spirity heat on the finish. Paired with a scallop & chorizo salad, drizzled with a little lemon oil, which matched brilliantly with the whisky.
The Macallan 'Sienna', NAS, 43%. A mix of American and Spanish oak (all ex-sherry). Stone fruit and spiced orange on the nose, syrupy and jam-like on the palate, with some tasty spice coming from that American Oak. Less sweetness than the Amber, and no heat on the finish. Paired with a delicious pulled pork spring roll, and orange & wombok (chinese cabbage) salad.
Next we have Highland Park distillery, from the Isle of Orkney. Starting with their standard 12yo expression, then moving to the 18yo. Highland Park only use ex-sherry casks for the maturation of their whisky, and generally peat their barley to around 20 ppm, using local floral, earthy peat.
Highland Park 12 year old, 40%. A little yeasty/new-make and subtle peat on the nose, nice warm, earthy peat and sweet heathery-honey on the palate. Very light smoke on the finish. Paired with a mildly-spicy seafood and sausage gumbo, which was fantastic.
Highland Park 18 year old, 43%. Considerably more European oak used than in the 12yo, and bottled with no added caramel, making it considerably lighter in colour. Extremely subtle smoke with some dark toffee and molasses on the nose, well balanced toffee and earthy peat on the palate with gentle smoke, building up for the finish. Paired with parmesan-crusted lamb cutlets with pea puree and parsnips.
Finally we have (for me) the star of the show, Laphroaig distillery from my beloved Islay. It's always interesting to watch peoples' reaction to Laphroaig, with it's very distinctive flavour profile it's a love it/hate it whisky. Personally, I love it, and so did many attending the masterclass. Both of these were paired with our dessert platters, which had freshly roasted honey macadamia nuts, brownies with caramel sauce, a selection of cheeses and more.
Laphroaig 10 year old, 40%. Trademark Laphroaig medicinal peat, iodine, seaweed & smoke on the nose, fantastic acrid smoke, salt and disinfectant on the palate, a little salted caramel and vanilla on the finish. I had not tasted Laphroaig 10 in a while, I tend to go for a quarter cask or PX over it, but I really enjoyed this, it's familiar and distinctive, there is nothing quite like it. Well, except the cask strength 10yo, that stuff is awesome! This went especially well with the blue cheese, which seems to be a rule for most peated Islay whiskies.
Laphroaig Triple Wood, NAS, 48%. Much less medicinal and salty than the 10yo on the nose, more fruity and spicy from the sherry cask finish, but still with a nice dollop of smoke on the palate. I've reviewed this some time ago here and found it disappointing, it's a little too subdued, too gentle for what I like in a Laphroaig. But it was very popular on the night, and I can see why. It was also the only non-chill filtered whisky of the masterclass, and bottled at the highest strength, which are both good moves. The triple wood matched brilliantly with the chocolate brownie and caramel sauce from our dessert platter, although I had to try the combo a few more times just to be sure!
That was the end of the official masterclass, but I hung around long enough for Dan to break out the big boy, the 25yo cask strength Laphroaig. I have had the privilege of tasting this a few times now, and it never fails to disappoint. So completely different to any other Laphroaig, even the 18 year old. Beautifully balanced and refined, gentle and warming. It's not cheap, but it's excellent stuff.
So, what was my pick for the winning whisky? Well, they were all enjoyable whiskies, but I'm going to cheat a little bit and pick something which isn't even whisky, technically. John Campbell, distillery manager at Laphroaig, had sent a little care package to Dan, to help present the masterclass, containing a bag of their peated malted barley (which is delicious, they should be marketing it for separate sale!), and one special little bottle of clear liquid...
Yes, a small bottle of Laphroaig 'new make' spirit, meaning it's basically straight out of the stills pictured above, at 68%, with no ageing or maturation, or watering down of any sort. Being un-aged, it cannot legally be called Scotch whisky by the rules of the SWA, which dictate a whisky be aged at least 3 years. I had the absolute privilege of tasting and nosing a small amount of this precious nectar, which is an experience not to be taken lightly, given the chances of even seeing Laphroaig new-make spirit, without travelling to the distillery itself, are slim, let alone the chance of nosing and tasting a little of it. 'Thanks' doesn't quite cover it!
How was it? In a word, remarkable! You could be forgiven for assuming an un-aged 'whisky', at 68%, would be very harsh, disagreeable or even un-drinkable. And some/most probably are, but certainly not in this case. The Laphroaig new make is amazingly gentle and drinkable for it's strength and youth, it was brilliantly smoky and peaty, even sweet, and is readily identifiable as Laphroaig. This goes to show the absolute quality and integrity of the distillation process at Laphroaig, and the absolute quality of the resulting spirit. Had the distillation been rushed or had any short-cuts been taken, it would show in the new make spirit, and it just doesn't.
If you're interested, check out the excellent video above, featuring John Campbell himself taking you around the distillery and explaining their production methods. Like Laphroaig's peated malted barley, their new-make spirit could easily be marketed and sold on it's own, albeit as a 'new-make spirit drink' rather than a whisky. That's obviously unlikely to happen, but it is fantastic stuff regardless.
Having said that, in the interest of fairness, my winning whisky of the masterclass itself would have to be Laphroaig 10. Although it's not my favourite Laphroaig expression, it's such a distinctive whisky, even among it's Islay brethren, and was perfectly matched with our dessert platter. It's also excellent value for money, although I wish it was bottled at a slightly higher strength, given the scarcity of the cask strength releases (I believe the 10yo is bottled at 43% for some overseas markets). A close second would be the Highland Park 18yo, although these are two very different animals.
All said & done the masterclass was a fantastic evening, the food was exceptional, as I have come to expect from the team at The Morrison, and the masterclass was very well presented by Mr. Woolley, as usual. It was great to see a decent turnout as well, the popularity of whisky is certainly still on the rise, and long may it continue.
Thanks go to Dan Woolley, The Macallan, Highland Park and Laphroaig distilleries, Beam Suntory, and The Morrison Hotel for making this happen. Be sure not to miss out on the next masterclass folks! I'll see you there.
