Talisker Parley Wilder Seas Whisky Review!

Talisker "Parley Wilder Seas" is not to be confused with "Talisker x Parley" which was a 44-year old cask strength release that went for a rather insane $7,000 AUD. Instead this is a $145 AUD non-age statement Talisker bottled at a higher strength than their usual default, and it's been finished in cognac casks, which is a first for Talisker.

I've been lucky enough to try that 44-year old, and it is - perhaps unfortunately - delicious. Why are both of these Taliskers called "Parley", then? That would be down to the environmental group "Parley for the Oceans" that Talisker has partnered with, which is all about cleaning up, restoring, and protecting the world's oceans. The word "parley" was made famous by Pirates of the Caribbean as part of the - apparently real - pirate code, basically meaning to negotiate or discuss terms during a battle while under ceasefire. Parley for the Oceans has partnered with a few different brands in different projects, most notably Adidas which involved using recycled plastics collected from the oceans, and closer to home they're involved in the efforts to restore & protect The Great Barrier Reef. In Talisker's case the project is all about "rewilding" 100-million square kilometres of kelp (seaweed) forests - Diageo's contribution being £3 from every bottle of Talisker Parley Wilder Seas sold, plus awareness and "exposure" I suppose. £3 may not sound like a lot, and it isn't. There are 17,940 bottles in this Talisker release, so that's around £53,000 in total from the world's largest drinks company which reported £4.6-billion in profit last financial year. Is this just another green-washing, lip service, "look how environmental and cool our corporation is" marketing exercise then? Possibly, but the awareness and "exposure" is probably worth more to Parley for the Oceans than the dollar figure, and to be fair that's where the deal could've ended, so maybe we shouldn't complain too much. The environmental aspect does go a step further here since this particular Talisker bottling uses a 100% recycled glass bottle which was made using biofuel. The bottle and packaging does actually look great, significantly better than the redesigned packaging on the regular Talisker range if you ask me.

Talisker is the more famous of the malt whisky distilleries on the Isle of Skye, although it's now one of two since Torabhaig came online. Talisker is probably Diageo's biggest peated single malt brand, more so than Lagavulin as far as the casual whisky consumer is concerned, particularly if they don't like heavy peat. Talisker is medium-peated to around 20 ppm using mainland peat, with their malted barley coming from Diageo's Glen Ord Maltings plant near Inverness. The distillery makes plenty of noise about their coastal location affecting their flavour profile, but this is a contentious subject since most of their whisky is matured on the mainland at Diageo's centralised warehousing in Scotland's central belt. Many Taliskers do have a coastal flavour profile and a great salt & pepper character, particularly the venerable 10-year old and some of the cask strength Special Releases. Also the NAS 'Dark Storm', and the discontinued '57 North' if you can find it. Quick digression here - let's not forget that regardless of where the maturing casks are stored, these coastal distilleries are mashing/fermenting/brewing on site. In my amateur opinion this is another possible source for some of these coastal characters that is hardly ever talked about. What Talisker should make more noise about is their surprisingly traditional production methods, from wooden washbacks, to purifiers on the spirit stills, and most importantly worm tub condensers. Talisker is often left off people's lists when they're looking at this more traditional piece of equipment where the spirit vapours are condensed into liquid more slowly and with less copper contact compared to the modern shell & tube condensers. That's all in the name of a heavier and more textural spirit, in some cases quite sulphurous and 'meaty'. The cynics can say what they like about Diageo, but they certainly seem to value these more traditional production methods in many of their distilleries - and they don't try to fix what isn't broken like many other companies do. 

On to the whisky itself, then! This is a non-age statement medium-peated Talisker, nothing unusual there of course, and like their core range it's been dosed with e150 artificial colouring and is chill filtered. Strangely it's bottled at 48.6% ABV rather than their usual 45.8%, which is apparently only chosen as a historical throwback, being 80 degrees Imperial proof. So there should be a fair amount of flavour to play with here. Aside from that, the other main point of difference is the casks used. Parley Wilder Seas is finished in XO cognac casks, XO meaning "Extra Old" so a minimum of 10-years in oak - have a read here for more information. Specifying cognac casks means they must be French oak casks that have held double-distilled brandy from the Cognac region of France, but we don't know which brand or appellation, and we don't know how long that finishing period was. As far as I'm aware Diageo doesn't directly own a cognac brand, but they do have a 34% stake in LVMH which of course owns Hennessey that could well have been the source of these casks. We're seeing plenty of cognac casks used in Scotch whisky these days, and some in the wider world of whisky as well. In my experience the results can be fantastic, particularly with peated whisky. Here in Australia this release was exclusive to The Whisky Club subscription service, who received the entire country's allocation from Diageo just like they did with the Lagavulin Offerman releases. I'm not a member of this service, so the sample for this review came from a generous fellow whisky geek. Let's see how it goes!

Talisker Parley Wilder Seas, NAS, 48.6%. Skye, Scotland.

Medium-peated, finished in XO ("Extra Old", minimum of 10-years in oak) French oak cognac casks. Chill filtered, artificially coloured. Bottled March 2023.

Colour: Amber. Maybe a little less neon orange glow than some Taliskers, but it's hard to say.

Nose: Quite Talisker-y, the cognac influence seems fairly subtle. Salted caramel sauce with extra sea salt flakes, and green chilli flakes. Salted butter, soft ashy peat smoke, and some oxidised (browning) red apples. Wood spices and a touch of dried orange peel around the edges. 

Texture: Light-medium weight. Buttery & creamy, lightly smoky, and quite flat. Slight heat. 

Taste: More salted caramel sauce with extra salt flakes, more salted butter too. Warm green chilli flakes and a bit of metallic damp copper/brass. Red apple again, touch of sultana, and more wood spices. 

Finish: Short length. Sultanas & salted caramel continue, then turns quite earthy - think fresh soil. Green chilli flakes and a couple of pink peppercorns. Touch of bitter lemon to finish. 

Score: 2.5 out of 5. 

Notes: Despite the higher ABV and the extra cask treatment, unfortunately this Talisker still feels quite flat to my tastes. It's a contentious subject, but I'm putting this flatness down to chill filtration and added caramel colouring - possibly more so the latter. Both of these artificial processes are totally unnecessary in this Talisker. Why go with a higher ABV than usual, but then cancel that out by chill filtering it? This could've been a proudly naturally presented product, or at least stated to be non-chill filtered like the travel exclusive bottling Neist Point and some of the 8-15 year old Cask Strength special releases. I know it's a mass-marketed product and it's a large release, and the majority of that mass-market will naively gravitate towards darker whisky. But then why go with the higher ABV at all? My guess is they were trying to get the cognac influence to show through more, which is still quite subtle to my tastes. Aside from the fleeting appearances of some orange, sultana, and wood spice, it's hard to pick. That's not necessarily a negative by any means, a well-integrated cask finishing is usually something to be celebrated, having not stolen the show from the distillery character. However, I'd still be reaching for the standard 10-year old Talisker over this limited release. 

Short of some of the cask strength special releases and the sadly discontinued 57 North, if you ask me Talisker 10 remains the best example of what this distillery does best. It also hasn't inexplicably jumped in price like many of Diageo's core range / flagship bottlings - RIP Lagavulin 16. How they can justify that ridiculous jump in price with no change to the whisky whatsoever, is entirely beyond me. I'm voting with my wallet, and I hope you do the same. Talisker 10 is currently a whopping $80 AUD less than Lagavulin 16 here in Australia, despite being a higher ABV (45.8% over 43%). Easy decision there, folks...

Cheers!

Signatory Silent Stills Brora 18 Year Old Whisky Review!

Starting 2024 off with a bang... An 18-year old Brora! This cask strength single cask rarity was distilled in early 1983, the year the distillery closed, and was bottled in late 2001 when yours truly was only finishing high school. Very, very special!

Brora is one of DCL/Diageo's trio of famous closed distilleries that have now been rebuilt, along with Islay's Port Ellen which is yet to reopen and Falkirk's Rosebank which has recently reopened under the ownership of Ian McLeod Distillers. Brora and Port Ellen both met their demise in 1983 when DCL (predecessor of Diageo) closed over fifteen of its distilleries due to a downturn in demand and an oversupply of stocks, while Rosebank lasted a decade longer and was closed due to the investment required to bring it inline with modern standards and regulations. All three of these highly-lauded whisky brands have attracted very expensive pricing as the remaining stocks continued to dwindle, with ages and apparent scarcity steadily increasing with every mention. Most releases are now beyond the reach of your average whisky enthusiast, having been propelled into the realm of the collector and the investor - for those in Australia, you're now looking at multiples of a thousand dollars for any official bottling. Diageo saw this happening a long time ago, and while they'd surprisingly sold the remnants of Lowland distillery Rosebank to Ian McLeod back in 2017, later that year they announced that Port Ellen and Brora would be rebuilt and reopened. Hopefully they catch the remainder of the whisky boom before the old stock runs out and the famous brand names start to fade away - then again in the age of the internet they probably never would have. While the other two distillery sites had to be built from scratch and Port Ellen is still under construction over five years later, Brora required the least work and the least investment with even the original stills remaining in place. Brora Distillery reopened in May 2021 following thirty-eight years of slumber, including three-years of rebuilding & refurbishment work. This included refurbishing the original stills and their worm tub condensers.

The distillery was originally built in 1819 under the name Clynelish, located in the village of Brora in the eastern Highlands, roughly 75-minutes drive north of Inverness. Then DCL opened a newer, larger Clynelish distillery in 1968 across the road from the original, which was then shut down for a year before reopening under the name Brora Distillery, after its namesake village. From 1969-1973 Brora produced heavily peated spirit for the owner's blends while Caol Ila was being rebuilt and Islay was going through a severe drought, and from (roughly) 1973-1983 Brora produced lightly peated and unpeated spirit, before meeting its end in the dark times of 1983. The spirit from this era varies in style and profile, but the best Broras that I've been lucky enough to try have a distinctive farmyard style and oily texture, while some have also been lightly smoky & industrial. While Diageo have taken as many steps as possible to recreate the original profile, including those worm tub condensers, it'll be fascinating to see how the new spirit turns out. Since the first casks will officially become whisky in mid-2024, we may not have to wait too long! It's obviously an extremely rare thing to find a young Brora that was distilled pre-closure, and after so long in bottle a comparison would be largely pointless, while more recent bottlings have all been 35-40 years of age so won't be comparable to the new spirit. But I'm sure comparisons will be made regardless, and I look forward to hearing about them!

The Brora that I'm reviewing today is quite a different story from the current aged stuff. This is an 18-year old Brora, and it was bottled over twenty-two years ago! A Scotch whisky with an 18-year old age statement is never anything to turn your nose up at, but that makes this particular Brora the youngest example that I've ever tasted by well over a decade. I'm sure it wasn't any cheaper as a result - the sample for this review came from a generous fellow whisky nerd who purchased and opened this bottle to celebrate his 40th birthday in January 2023. That means that this is a "birth year bottle" for the owner, having been distilled in the year he was born, but that's not all folks - it was distilled on his actual birthday, as in the exact date. Incredible! Aside from being one of the most legendary closed Scotch whisky distilleries of all-time that was bottled twenty-two years ago, and a single cask & cask strength example at that. This is a special thing, and it was extremely generous of him to share it! That's the default setting for this gent though, some of the rarest whiskies I've reviewed here have been courtesy of his generosity and his friendship. You know who you are; thank you and happy birthday! Yes, I've decided to go one step further by posting this review on this person's birthday - which also means I'm posting this review exactly forty-one years after it was distilled!

When this whisky was bottled in September 2001 - when yours truly was only about to graduate high school - there'd have been little hope of Brora ever re-opening, and while there was far more stock around than there is today, it was still finite. This is an independent bottling from Signatory Vintage, released under their 'Silent Stills' range of single malts from closed distilleries. This particular single cask release, a refill hogshead designated Cask #40, was distilled on 18/01/1983 and was bottled on 03/09/2001, with said cask yielding 294 bottles at a cask strength of 52.9% ABV. Naturally it is non-chill filtered and natural colour. As you can see below the presentation is very nice, and includes a miniature of the same whisky so you don't need to open the full bottle straight away - which is an excellent idea. Let's see how it goes!

Brora 18 Year Old, Signatory Vintage 'Silent Stills', 52.9%. Highlands, Scotland.

Distilled 18/1/83, matured in a refill hogshead cask #40, bottled 3/9/01. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 294 bottles. 

Colour: Pale gold. 

Nose: Very dusty, farmyard-y, oily, and malty. Dusty hay in a (clean) earth-floored barn, light olive oil. Candied lime peel, touch of dried orange rind, and the most mouth-watering rich malt biscuits you've ever smelled. Creamy milk chocolate, dried ginger chunks, hints of yellow stone fruit behind. 

Texture: Medium weight. Oily, malty, waxy. Quite clean & light in style here, but not light in flavour. Slight heat but nicely integrated and very pleasant. 

Taste: Quality light olive oil, milk bottle chewy lollies (confectionary), dusty hay & malt biscuits again but they're much lighter here. Sweet flaky pastry, more creamy milk chocolate & dried ginger chunks. Lime peel and orange rind again, but less candied and more bitter this time. 

Finish: Long length. Malty & gingery, more milk chocolate and that yellow stone fruit comes through from the nose, with peach & nectarine in particular, maybe a little apricot as well. Touch of barley sugar sweetness, waxy red apples, and almond meal (ground almonds). Natural lime cordial to finish. 

Score: 4 out of 5, but close to a 4.5. 

Notes: No, that's not an insanely high score, but it's still a very high score for this tight-arsed amateur reviewer! This is much cleaner and lighter in style than any Brora I've come across so far, particularly light on the oily funky characteristics that I love in this legendary distillery, and in comparison I prefer the "funkier" styles. But this is still absolutely delicious. If a great teenaged bourbon cask Hazelburn and a great teenaged Bruichladdich had a baby, this would be the delicious result. Surprisingly clean & light in style as I mentioned, but not in flavour or character by any means. That oily, malty, farmyard character is fantastic, although there's much less of it in this example but it's still there. It's important to remember how much the distillery's flavour profile changed in the last decade or so of production, the 1980s distillate seems to be lighter and cleaner in style with little-to-no peat, than I've found in Broras that were distilled earlier and/or aged for significantly longer. Heading more towards Clynelish in style over the final couple of years I suppose - which doesn't detract from the quality at all, or at least it definitely doesn't in this case. 

This may not be the most complex Brora that I've tried, but it's important to remember that it's 10-20 years younger than the contemporary releases that were either distilled earlier or aged much longer, or both. So direct comparisons are basically impossible and largely pointless. This younger & cleaner example is really quite delicious, and it's a very special piece of whisky history. I suppose we'll get to see what young Brora will be like in a few years time, but it won't be the same, that would be impossible. Thanks again to the generous owner for the sample, and happy birthday again!

Cheers!

SMWS Maverick Whisky Review!

A small batch 12-year old single malt from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, released to celebrate their 40th anniversary. 

Independent bottlings can be a minefield, and while I certainly appreciate what they do and the considerable following that they have, in my experience "The Society" is no different. Whether it's one of the extremely high highs or one of the surprisingly low lows, by their very nature the SMWS is actually more susceptible to these variances. Yes, of course personal preference plays a huge role here and cannot be underestimated. But since the SMWS' modus operandi is to bottle single cask spirits, whether they be whisky, rum, gin, or brandy, they don't often have the luxury of blending / marrying / vatting casks together. Or at least they didn't, until they started doing more small batch single malts and blended malts a few years ago. The main appearances here are the "Heresy" series of blended malts and small batch single malts, and the "Festival" bottlings of single malts. As much as us whisky nerds love to find exceptional single casks, it's important to remind ourselves that that's exactly what they are; the exception. Many independent bottlers do prefer to release single casks, but most of those are much smaller than the SMWS, with far less pressure put on them in comparison. Of the millions of casks that are filled with malt whisky every year around the world, only a very small portion will ever be bottled as single malt, and a much, much smaller portion will have a chance of being bottled as a single cask. Off the top of my head, I'd guesstimate less than .1 of a percentage - i.e. less than 0.1%. And of that 0.1% that do go on to be single cask single malts, a good portion are going to be duds. Even if the spirit is good and the cask seems good, the result may not be. Nothing is guaranteed in whisky. I'm tempted to go on another rant about cask investments here, but I'll resist for now...

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society was founded in 1983 by Englishman Pip Hills - who is the 'maverick' that this whisky refers to - initially as a private syndicate which purchased casks of single malt from distilleries and bottled them as-is, with no dilution, artificial colouring, or chill filtration. Famously the first distillery was Glenfarclas, which of course carries distillery code 1 in the SMWS coding system. This operation eventually turned into a successful independent bottling business, which 40-years later boasts over 35,000 paid members and shows no signs of slowing down. That year of founding is significant, because while the 1980s were a miserable decade for Scotch whisky, 1983 in particular was about as dark as they come, at least in 20th century terms. Following huge downturns in demand and some other factors, there were mass distillery closures and lay-offs, with many now-legendary distilleries closing their doors forever. Yes, the three most famous names are being reopened or have reopened and they get all the attention, but even among one company, DCL (now Diageo), nearly twenty malt whisky distilleries were closed in the first half of the 1980s, and nearly a dozen distilleries closed in 1983 alone. So that was some good & lucky timing from Pip Hills, since if the industry had been in a "boom" like they have been for the last decade or so they'd probably have told him to get stuffed. Just like many distilleries and distillery owners are saying to independent bottlers right now. 

'The Maverick' is a 12-year old single malt that was sourced from an unnamed distillery in the Speyside region. It was initially matured in ex-bourbon hogsheads before being filled into first, second, or third fill Spanish oak Oloroso and PX sherry casks for the final 2.5-3 years of maturation. 2,098 bottles were released at 50% ABV, which is the "go to" strength for most of the SMWS' blended malts and small batch single malts. Naturally this single malt is non-chill filtered and natural colour. That's finishing period is a very healthy one, but the addition of second & third fill sherry casks in that finishing period is also an interesting point - there's a good chance this'll still be quite a spirit-driven whisky. And that's a good thing! 

SMWS 'The Maverick', 12-Year Old Unnamed Single Malt, 50% ABV. Scotland.

Matured in ex-bourbon hogsheads and finished in first, second, and third fill Spanish oak Oloroso & PX sherry casks. 2,098 bottles. Non-chill filtered, natural colour.

Colour: Amber.

Nose: Spicy, nutty, fruity. Waxed bitter oranges & red apples, wood spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), creamy vanilla fudge. Nutty fresh oak, stewed stone fruit, rich tea biscuits. Touches of double cream & leather. 

Texture: Medium weight. Nice grip in the mouth, a tad on the dry side. Spicy & nutty. No heat.

Taste: Stewed stone fruit again, more leather, fresh oak, spicy & nutty. Dried orange peel, double cream, waxy red apples. Touches of marzipan & vanilla fudge. Pinch of ginger heading to the finish. 

Finish: Medium length. Wood spices, dry nutty oak, leather, and stewed stone fruit again. More marzipan, waxy red apples, and double cream. Touch of sultanas and more rich tea biscuits to close the show.

Score: 3.5 out of 5.

Notes: Nicely balanced sherried whisky, and certainly not a one-trick "sherry bomb". The Maverick is more on the drier, spicier, nuttier side of sherry-influenced malts, but that's absolutely fine by me. Maybe I'm reaching a little here given this bottler's history with the distillery, but I could see this being an anonymous Glenfarclas. Plus the SMWS has had plenty of ex-bourbon Glenfarclas releases in their regular coded single cask range, so given the flavour profile here and that it's a sherry finish, it wouldn't surprise me at all. For a $220 AUD single malt at 12-years of age and 50% ABV, I'd say it offers solid value here in 2023, and it won't disappoint any fans of sherried Speyside / Highland whisky. The cask finishing has certainly been well managed, there's a good balance to the sherry influence. I don't find any overtly PX notes in this one, maybe they've added a bit more richness and sweetness, but it's much more Oloroso-forward rather than PX-forward, to my tastes. Again, fine by me! 

This is a great approachable, relatively affordable way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the SMWS. Yes, there are cheaper 12-year old single malts out there at similar strengths, but again this is still a reasonable offer in the ongoing madness of 2023. Particularly when the flavour of the month (year) for such things is to release some mega-expensive "luxury" decanter made from pure Martian vibranium which is permanently encased in the hollowed-out tusks of the world's oldest narwhals, which were sustainably slaughtered for the occasion. Which would then sell for $150,000, of course. There have already been more commemorative releases from the SMWS for their 40th anniversary and I'm sure we'll see more before the year is out, but doing both high-end releases and this mid-range small batch bottling is just the way such things should be done. You still get the "halo effect" of the mega-expensive stuff, but us regular people can still partake in the celebrations by actually drinking the stuff.

Cheers!

The Hearach Single Malt Review!

After an eight-year wait, it's finally here... The first whisky release from Isle of Harris Distillery! They may be more famous for their very successful gin, but that's set to change!

Hearach is the Gaelic word for a native to the Isle of Harris, like an Ileach is to Islay. A different approach to just naming it "Isle of Harris Whisky" I suppose, which will help to to separate the newly-established whisky from the long-established gin brand. The success of that gin has undoubtedly helped this small privately-owned operation take its time with their first whisky release, which has been in the works since the distillery was established back in September 2015. Rather than being a gin distillery that dabbles in whisky, this is a whisky distillery that also makes gin, which means that they didn't need to push a whisky out the door on its third birthday for cashflow reasons. Instead they could make sure the whisky was exactly where they wanted it to be before releasing it on an almost-unsuspecting fanbase. Rather than doing a pre-release bottling for "founding members", or some one- or two-year old spirit releases to keep people's attention, or releasing a couple of hundred "halo effect" bottles at an exorbitant price, the launch of The Hearach single malt was kept relatively quiet until only a few months ago. Rather than a single cask or a small batch bottling for their first release, tens of thousands of bottles have been launched at an age of 5-7 years, at 46% ABV, and crucially at a very reasonable price. Waiting more than seven years after establishing the distillery would not have been an easy decision, and I'm sure there was pressure from some internal and external parties to release it sooner, and also to do more releases. But this is not a distillery that rushes things or one that takes shortcuts. 

Harris is a small island in the Outer Hebrides with a population of under 2,000. The stunning-looking island technically shares the same landmass as the Isle of Lewis to the north, with the official name of the island being "Lewis and Harris", but they're usually referred to as two separate islands. Lewis to the north is much larger both in population and geographically, with the main town of Stornoway being the largest in the Hebridean islands with a population of 8,000 people, whereas Tarbert, Harris' main town and ferry port,  is home to less than 600. While only an hour's flight north-west from Glasgow or a 1.5-hour ferry from Skye, Harris is still a small and remote island, only really famous for Harris Tweed fabric. But that has started to shift since Isle of Harris Distillery, the island's first legal distillery, was established in 2015. Today the distillery employs over 50 permanent staff, which is significant in such a small community and is in stark contrast to many of the larger corporate distilleries in Scotland. The distillery's gin is produced on separate equipment to the whisky, although both use copper pot stills that were made in Italy. The two smaller stills are only used for malt whisky, with casks filled on-site and matured on Harris in a mix of both dunnage & racked warehouses. There are five wooden washbacks, using a split fermentation time of either 72 or 120 hours, and all malt whisky so far has been lightly peated to 12-15 ppm using Scottish malted barley sourced from Bairds in Inverness. That obviously means mainland peat rather than local peat, although there's talk of using the latter for a heavily peated release in future. Regardless, there's no mistaking the coastal influence in The Hearach. 

As you'd expect from the design of the Isle of Harris Gin bottle, no shortcuts have been taken with the presentation or packaging of their first whisky release. Famous London-based design company Stranger & Stranger was responsible for the design and packaging of both products, in consultation with the distillery of course, and as you can see from the images below The Hearach bottle does share some broad similarities with the "straked" design of the Harris gin bottle. The whisky bottle is a squat almost-square shape, and the fully recyclable outer packaging is beautiful - it's even been debossed to resemble the gneiss rock that is found on the island. There's even a rather nice booklet (we need more whisky booklets!), and a branded thick cardboard coaster included, which was made from the excess cardboard used in the making of the outer packaging. As much as we whisky geeks try to argue the opposite, little extra details like these really do make a difference!

I suppose we should talk about the whisky itself at some point! As mentioned above The Hearach is a lightly peated 5-7 year old single malt. It's been matured in 85% ex-bourbon casks from Heaven Hill and Buffalo Trace, 11% ex-Oloroso sherry casks, and 4% ex-Fino sherry casks, all matured separately and married together for a minimum of 12-weeks. It was bottled at 46% ABV and is of course non-chill filtered and natural colour. Eight different batches of the first release were released simultaneously in October 2023, with each batch consisting of around 12,000 bottles. Combined together that's a massive first release, which allows The Hearach to get into as many hands as possible at quite a reasonable price. The only notable difference between the batches is the marrying time after the casks are disgorged - largely because the distillery bottles everything on-site, so the bottling stage was always going to be a bottleneck (pun intended) for a release of this size. For Batch 1 that marrying period was 12-weeks, which increased with each until Batch 8 was married together for nearly 22-weeks. There'll naturally be some variance between batches of course - the batches are identified by a code printed on the paper seal across the closure, with all labelled as 'First Release' followed by the batch code. We'll be getting Batch 2 in Australia, with stock expected to arrive in early December thanks to the usual delays that often happen with international shipping. Pricing is expected to be under $175 AUD, which is very reasonable for a 700ml bottle of 5-7 year old single malt at 46% ABV, let alone for the first whisky release from a respected distillery. Thanks to those shipping delays the bottle I'm reviewing is from Batch 7, while the stock that arrives in Australia in December will be Batch 2. As mentioned, aside from the minor natural batch variation the only actual difference between these batches is how long they casks are married together prior to bottling. 

Before we get into the actual review, a quick disclaimer. I do work part-time for Alba Whisky, the Australian importers for both Isle of Harris Gin and The Hearach single malt. I don't normally review any products that we import or distribute, which is quite the challenge when some of them are fantastic! While I'd never let this skew my opinions or reviews, I decided to keep the two "halves" separate, purely so there is absolutely no chance of a conflict of interest or any questioning of my motives / integrity in either direction. But I'm making an exception here, because this is a brand-new release which has not technically landed in Australia yet, only some advance stock, and that advance stock is not the same batch that we'll be seeing down under. As always, my review is entirely my own honest opinion, and is completely unbiased. Plus this is a brand-new first whisky release that has been long awaited, and we need to know what it smells & tastes like! So let's do just that...

The Hearach Single Malt, Isle of Harris Distillery, NAS, 46%. Harris, Scotland.

Lightly peated 12-15 ppm, matured for 5-7 years in 85% ex-bourbon, 11% ex-oloroso sherry, 4% ex-fino sherry. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. Approx. 12,000 bottles per batch - Batch 7 tasted. 

Colour: Pale-medium gold. 

Nose: Oily, fresh, coastal & fruity. Warm sand, oily builder's putty, salty damp rock pools, fresh red apples. Soft & delicate earthy peat smoke, fizzy lemonade soft drink/soda. Maybe a touch of ginger beer. Lovely sweet biscuity maltiness comes through with more time, along with dried lime peel and a touch of dried banana chips. 

Texture: Medium weight. Lovely oily & viscous texture for the age. No heat at all. 

Taste: Oily, malty, sweet. Flash of rich honey, then dried banana chips, sweet red apples, and crumbly light caramel fudge (Scottish tablet). Some sugared almonds, and that fizzy lemonade soft drink/soda again. Caramel wafer biscuits, soft earthy peat smoke running underneath. 

Finish: Medium length. That gentle soft smoke carries through, then some acidic (sour) lime zest, those banana chips and red apples again. More caramel wafer biscuits, some apricot jam underneath which is interesting. Nice damp draff (spent barley) notes rounding things out. 

Score: 3.5 out of 5. Easily. 

Notes: As first releases go, The Hearach is extremely impressive! In fact it's extremely impressive in it's own right, first release or not. The complexity & depth at just 5-7 years of age is quite remarkable, particularly on the nose. The palate shows more sweetness and less of that coastal character than the nose, but it also has a lovely viscous texture to it that is quite surprising & really enjoyable. I'm assuming that viscosity is at least partly coming from the spirit itself, which is a good thing! I shouldn't be surprised really. As we're constantly being reminded in this wide world of whisky, age is just a number!

Local pricing on The Hearach is very reasonable, especially considering that it's a full-size bottle at a relatively decent age - not the minimum legal age of 3-years. That's the advantage of doing such a large quantity for your first whisky release, of course. The Hearach does hide its relative youth extremely well - there's a great mellow, even-paced balance to this dram. A "crowd pleaser" I'd say, but not by the usual bland & boring definition, more that there's something for everyone. Keep an eye out for this one when it finally lands down under!

Congratulations to The Isle of Harris Distillery on their first whisky release, and here's to many more in future! 

Cheers!

Ardbeg Heavy Vapours Whisky Review!

My first taste of the 2023 Feis Ile release; a "de-purified" Ardbeg. This another two-for-one review; featuring both the standard boxed release at 46% and the "naked" Committee Release at 50.2%. 

I'm trying to avoid being too negative and cynical here, but Ardbeg are trying to fix what most definitely was NOT broken with some of their recent limited releases. They've been mucking around with fermentation times, heavily roasted barley, and now the stills themselves, instead of just giving us a cask strength 10-year old or sticking to their tried & tested formula of different cask types married with "regular" ex-bourbon casks. Alongside Laphroaig, Ardbeg basically pioneered releasing widely available bottlings for the Islay Festival / Feis Ile. That started way back in 2012 with the first Ardbeg Day release, at a time when the other distilleries were still doing very small batches or even single casks that were only available from the physical distillery shops during the festival. Before anyone shouts "what about El Diablo and Alligator?" from the rooftops, they only released 1,200 bottles of the former PX-matured rarity in 2011 compared to 12,000 bottles of Ardbeg Day the following year, and while Alligator was fantastic it wasn't a Feis Ile / Ardbeg Day bottling. The other distilleries have mostly caught up on this act since, although most releases are still only available from their own shops and/or websites, while Ardbeg continue to ship their commemorative release to selected countries all over the world. Most of the Ardbeg Day / Feis Ile releases have been variations on a basic theme, featuring their regular spirit either partly matured or finished in some exotic type of cask, ranging from manzanilla sherry to rum. The ABVs continue to drop every year, but availability has improved, although pricing has increased substantially. That's the case with any distillery over that timespan, though. Lately Ardbeg seem to be focussing on more "experimental" whiskies that have been altered at the early stages of production rather than only in the final stage (maturation). You could argue that they've been doing this sort of thing for a while, from the unpeated Blasda to the super-heavily peated Supernova, but those were merely changes of peating levels on the malted barley and/or the source of that barley, rather than significant changes to the production of the spirit itself.

Which (finally) brings me to my point. 2023's Feis Ile / Ardbeg Day release, 'Heavy Vapours', has done just that. Ardbeg's main point of difference among the Islay distilleries - particularly both neighbours - has always started in its production regimen. Aside from more technical things like still sizes & fill levels, lyne arm angles, and spirit cut points, there are two main points of difference in their spirit production process. First is the partially-longer fermentation made necessary by the 23,500-litre washbacks which aren't matched / balanced to the size of the wash still, which has a capacity of 18,000-litres but is filled to 11,000 litres. So half of each batch of wash stays in the fermenter / washback while the other half goes through its first distillation. Prior to their recent expansion Ardbeg only had a single pair of stills, so this choke point was unavoidable, but they haven't said whether this partial-extra fermentation still takes place post-expansion where they now have two pairs of stills and have effectively doubled their production capacity. We won't see the results from this expansion for a few years yet, but I would hope that they've just increased production while keeping these quirks in place. The second and perhaps more important point of difference at Ardbeg is in the spirit still/s. Both the old and new spirit stills are fitted with purifiers, which are small copper drums that are attached to the lyne arms. The idea here is that heavier vapours travelling along (in this case, up) the lyne arm/s will be "caught" in this purifier which then channels them back into the body or neck of the stills for re-distillation, which in theory - all other things being equal - results in a lighter spirit. While plenty of other Scotch whisky distilleries use purifiers Ardbeg is the only one on Islay, and this is believed to be the main reason that Ardbeg's spirit profile is something of a contradiction, being balanced between heavy, oily & peaty, and relatively light, fruity & sweet. This is still a heavily peated southern Islay malt, using 55 ppm malted barley, but it's not as heavy as it could be if these two things, the partial extra fermentation and the purifier on the spirit still/s, didn't happen. 

As you've probably guessed by the name, for this year's Feis Ile release Ardbeg have blocked off that purifier, theoretically allowing those heavier vapours to travel up the lyne arm into the condenser to become spirit. So unlike the lacklustre Fermutation release which was basically an attempt to salvage the results of an accident, Heavy Vapours was created purposefully. More of a "what if?" than a "what now?". I'm trying to keep an open mind here, and an experimental heavier, thicker Ardbeg sounds promising on paper. But that purifier is there for a reason, and it's a crucial part of what makes Ardbeg Ardbeg. You don't see Bruichladdich cutting their still necks in half to see what would happen, and you don't see Lagavulin fitting a reflux onion / boil ball to their still necks to see what would happen. But Ardbeg have never been afraid to muck with things, and this time they've targeted the purifier. In theory this change would also allow more sulphur and more phenols to get through to the new make spirit. Aside from this change in production we don't have a lot of other information on this whisky, other than a quote from Bill Lumsden stating that this experiment was only done once, twelve years ago. So we can assume that Heavy Vapours is around 10-11 years old. We don't know what casks they've used, we only know that the purifier wasn't used, and that the two versions - the standard release at 46% ABV and the Committee Release at 50.2% ABV - haven't been chill filtered. That's all she wrote. The marketing department did have time & space to include some bullshit about "Agent 46", which is something to do with the ridiculous web comic that they're trying (and failing) to get us all to read. Seriously, Ardbeg marketing department, it's not going to happen! That space could be put to much better use - even by leaving it blank...

Just like my previous Ardbeg review, the more recent 'Ardbeg Anthology Harpy's Tale', Heavy Vapours is still readily available in Australia, in both of its iterations. Which is unusual compared to a few years ago, but not unexpected. At the time of writing, on top of Tales of the Harpy and BizzarreBQ and another overpriced batch of Traigh Bhan, Ardbeg have just released another special release, Anamorphic. Which many people, quite rightly, don't seem to give a shit about. Moving right along, we'll do the boxed general release version first, then the "naked" committee release at the higher strength. 

Ardbeg Heavy Vapours, NAS, 46%. Islay, Scotland.

Distilled without using the purifier on the spirit still, rumoured to be around 11-years old. Non-chill filtered, assumed natural colour. 

Colour: Very, very pale gold.

Nose: Immediately very young. Hot tar & bitumen, hot industrial plastics, burning leafy & woody herbs. Aniseed jube lollies (not liquorice, the clear aniseed jellies/jubes), some old natural rope, and chunky, earthy, muddy peat. Freshly chopped red chillies, and a little under-ripe pineapple.  

Texture: Medium-heavy weight. Quite oily, & viscous. Peaty & youthful. Touch of heat but the viscosity carries it well.

Taste: Big oily & chunky peatiness, industrial & slightly muddy. Hot tar & bitumen again, more red chillies but they're dried this time rather than fresh. There's a syrupy sugary sweetness to it, and it's entirely from the spirit itself rather than any cask influence (which is almost non-existent). Sharp lime juice and canvas / hessian sacking heading to the finish. 

Finish: Long length. Still considerably peaty, still raw & industrial. Hot industrial plastics, burning herbs, thick oily & dank peat. Black pepper, lemon oil, and a little cardboard. Throw a couple of Szechuan peppercorns in there too. 

Score: 3 out of 5. 

Notes: Not sure I believe that unofficial quote about this being 11-years old. Older than Wee Beastie yes, but I'd say 8-years old, or maybe 7. Those of us who tasted Ardbeg Very Young, Still Young and Almost There back in the day will know that there's absolutely nothing wrong with young Ardbeg on paper, but unlike those early releases Heavy Vapours has seemingly spent all of that time in very tired, very inactive refill casks. Third or fourth fill hogsheads at a guess. Which I suppose is fine by me, including active casks in the mix would potentially hide the difference that deleting that purifier has made. Thankfully the heavier, oilier peatiness and more viscous texture carries the youthfulness nicely here. I'd put the peat levels on par with some of the later 2014-on Supernova bottlings (not the originals from 2009 & 2010), but in terms of character there's a rather different peatiness to Heavy Vapours. That lime juice, black pepper, tar, and old rope is all very Ardbeg spirit, but it does definitely feel heavier, peatier, and more viscous. That could be because it's an entirely spirit driven whisky, which is not a criticism provided there's enough maturity and texture alongside, which I think there is in this case. Just. Fans of Lagavulin 8-year old will find this familiar, just with a little less depth and complexity in comparison. Only peat lovers need apply, and even then you may need to be in the mood. But I'm enjoying this one more than I expected to!

Right, on to the big one; the Committee Release at 50.2%. As usual, this one was a similar price to the regular version at the lower strength, and doesn't come with a box. Gone are the days when the committee releases were bottled at cask strength, the gap between the two versions seems to get closer every year. They're also sold at regular retailers these days, rather than only from the Committee website and promptly selling out. In theory this higher strength version should be heavier and oilier than the regular Heavy Vapours at 46%. But there's only one way to find out...

Ardbeg Heavy Vapours Committee Release, NAS, 50.2%. Islay, Scotland.

As above. 

Colour: Very pale gold again. No difference to my eyes.

Nose: Bigger & punchier, still very youthful and raw, if not more so than the 46%-er. More red chillies, plus some clove oil, and industrial hot plastics. Syrupy sweetness but it's also floral - which is unexpected. Disinfectant, tar, warm gravel & sand. Black pepper, and chunky, earthy peat that is drier & more vegetal. 

Texture: Medium weight. Raw and punchy, a bit of a bruiser. Rougher and hotter, but not overly so. 

Taste: Big peppery, jagged entry. Definitely sweeter than the 46% version, a syrupy floral sweetness, with more clove and lemon oils as well. Dry earthy peat, with more roots & plant matter to it. A little under-ripe banana behind all that. 

Finish: Medium length. Szechuan peppercorns & clove oil, bitter woody herbs, a little powdered aniseed and more hot plastic. Boiled root vegetables, flash of something a little metallic too. Touch of cheap cooking chocolate. 

Score: 2.5 out of 5. And only just. 

Notes: Fascinating that it feels both sweeter and more floral than the 46%-er, and also less peaty. That's not what most would expect from a higher ABV version of the same whisky, where that peatiness is hidden behind a higher ABV. But it certainly can happen with oily, peaty, spirit-driven whiskies. Also with some peated new make spirits for that matter, where water is needed to bring the phenolics out. The committee release version certainly feels younger and more raw & jagged than the 46%, which I suppose could be expected. While the standard version will appeal to fans of Lagavulin 8-year old, this 50.2% committee release is catering more to mezcal fans. Particularly the unaged, dirty, and industrial mezcals. Maybe the Committee Release is just too young, at least to my tastes. The 46% standard bottling is notably superior in my book. There's only been one previous instance where I've preferred the 46% version of an Ardbeg Day / Feis Ile release to the higher ABV Committee Release - which was back in 2017 with Ardbeg Kelpie. Unfortunately the 46% version of Heavy Vapours isn't any cheaper than the committee one, and it's also less "collectable". But if you're planning on drinking it, don't chase the higher strength this time. No, I didn't expect to be saying that either!

The "bigger picture" point to consider here is that Lagavulin 8-year old is half the price of both of these Ardbegs, and it's bottled at 48% rather than the 46% of the standard version of Heavy Vapours. Which is why I still say that Ardbeg shouldn't be trying to fix what isn't broken, obscuring their distillery's points of difference in the process - if we want a heavier, oilier, peatier & less fruity version of Ardbeg, then we'll just buy Lagavulin! Like most of the good distilleries Ardbeg's spirit character is unique, with the almost-contradictory bright & fruity sweetness that balances the oily & maritime peatiness. But if you do away with most of the former points and boost up the latter points, I'd say you're starting to emulate some of your competitors. I like an experiment as much as the next whisky geek, but I'll be glad if this experimental Ardbeg is only a one-off. Stick to the tried & true formula Ardbeg, it's why we love you!

Cheers!

Old Master Spirits 55-Year Old Cognac Review!

Another single cask brandy with a serious age statement from Melbourne-based duo Old Master Spirits! These guys really are spoiling us...

Old spirits are often taken for granted, so let's get some perspective here. 1968. Well over five decades ago. The Vietnam war is at its peak, Martin Luther King has been assassinated, we're still a year away from landing on the moon, and I'm still sixteen years away from being born. Meanwhile in south-western France, this cognac was being distilled and filled into a cask, where it would stay for the next 55-years. Longer than many readers or their parents, or even grandparents, will have been alive. Absolutely crazy to think about. Even more so when you see the price - $299 AUD in a 500ml bottle. Yes, a 55-year old single cask cognac, naturally presented and cask strength, at a similar price to many Australian whiskies, many of which are also 500ml bottles and are only 2-3 years of age. That's just as crazy to think about as the 55-year age statement. Sure, you could point to our ridiculous tax system as the culprit, but all brandies still attract an excise of $93.44 AUD per litre of alcohol - $7 lower than other spirits, because the Australian government loves the wine industry and hates everyone else. Don't get me wrong, many of those Australian whiskies are delicious, and I don't intend to entirely turn to the dark side anytime soon. But this 55-year old cognac is a totally different proposition to whisky in terms of value for money, and spirits geeks always love an underdog. Frankly, this cognac too cheap - in fact it's $65 cheaper than this 51-year old cognac that Old Master released 18-months ago. I don't see how they're still doing this when the rest of the spirits world has gone mad with price increases! That's what happens when two drinks geeks take on a passion project and decide to show us what we've been missing.

As a quick refresher, cognac is essentially a brandy that is made in the Cognac region of south-western France. It can only be distilled from a few legally permitted varieties of white grapes that are generally fermented for 2-3 weeks and produce a dry, highly acidic white wine that was never intended for consumption as-is. The wine must then be distilled twice in copper pot stills, and it must be aged in French oak casks for a minimum of two years before bottling at a minimum of 40% ABV. One murky area here is the inclusion of ageing in glass vessels in your age statement, where the spirit is taken out of cask and filled into inert glass demijohns / demijeannes to stop further wood impact, and to stop further evaporation. In this case though, just as with all Old Master bottlings to date, the entirety of those 55-years was spent in an oak cask. The vast majority of cognac is blended, particularly the big name brands, and just like whisky it will often have added e150 spirit caramel colouring. Another legally permitted additive in cognac that is thankfully not found in whisky is 'boise'. This is essentially wood flavour essence or wood syrup, made from boiling wood chips in sugar syrup, that is added to many cognacs for flavour purposes. Just like the all too common practice of adding sugar to rum, this process is artificially flavouring the spirit. Really, if your spirit needs additives for flavour, you're either cutting corners or doing something wrong. Mostly making a rough & nasty spirit, using tired old casks, and not letting it age properly. A quality cognac doesn't need such rubbish, especially when presented properly - i.e. at a decent strength above the minimum 40%, and without chill filtration or added colouring or flavouring. The independent bottling that we're looking at here is a prime example, albeit an extreme one since it's 55-years of age! But this is a single cask, single vineyard cognac, unblended and unadulterated. Just what the doctor ordered. 

This Old Master Spirits single cask cognac was distilled at Cognac Peyrot Francois, a small privately-owned producer five hours south-west of Paris in the heart of Cognac's Grande Champagne Cru appellation, the "crème de le crème" of the six cognac production regions. This single 25ha vineyard, known as "Les Bergeronnettes" (The Wagtails), was founded in 1893 and is currently in its fourth generation of family ownership. This 1968-vintage cognac was distilled by Mathilde Peyrot-Barret, grandmother of the current owners and daughter of vineyard founder Jean-Baptiste Peyrot. The vineyard began producing its own cognac in 1956, with the current alembic brandy stills being installed in 1967 - yes, the same stills that produced this 55-year old cognac are still in use today! This 1968 vintage cognac was distilled from Ugni Blanc grapes grown on vines dating back to 1928, and then spent its entire 55-years in Peyrot's cellar maturing in a single French oak cask before being bottled at a natural cask strength of 44.3% ABV. The cask was sourced from the famous Limousin Forest in central France, and yielded just 141 x 500ml bottles after its 55-years in oak - so just over 70-litres of cognac, i.e. not a lot, but that's to be expected after more than half a century in cask. Unlike most of the name brand cognacs and brandies, this independent bottling from Old Master Spirits ticks all the boxes that spirit geeks want - cask strength, natural colour, non-chill filtered, and no additives - no 'boise' wood flavouring, no sugar, no e150, no shenanigans. Single vineyard, unblended, and straight from the cask to the bottle, au natural. This 55-year old cognac is being released on Thursday the 26th of October 2023 - sign up to the Old Master mailing list here, or see here for more info. Happy hunting!

Old Master Spirits 55-year old Peyrot Cognac, 44.3%. Cognac, France. 

Distilled 1968, fully matured in single Limousin oak cask, bottled at cask strength. Non-chill filtered, natural colour, no additives. 

Colour: Rich mahogany.

Nose: Rich, sweet & fruity. Stewed stone fruit - apricot, plum, touch of yellow peach. Juicy sultanas, old leather armchair, dark chocolate mousse. Warm baking spices, touch of bitter orange peel, roasted chestnuts. 

Texture: Medium weight. Rich, sweet, and juicy. No heat whatsoever. 

Taste: Sweet stone fruit, both dried & stewed here. Apricot & plum again, with more raisins, and dark chocolate mousse. Sweetened espresso, rum & raisin fudge, and a touch of acetone-like floral sweetness. 

Finish: Long length. Dark chocolate, baking spices, orange peel. Sweet raisins in syrup and oily furniture polish take over, with a little vanilla essence. Warm nutty oak, plum pudding, and woody cologne. 

Score: 4.5 out of 5. 

Notes: Extremely moreish, and absolutely delicious. Great balance of fruit, sweetness, and oak. This would have to be my favourite cognac to date, and also my favourite brandy to date. I can see why the Old Master Spirits team had to jump on this one as soon as they'd tried it. What a find, and what a buy! I've said it before and I'll say it again; any 55-year old single cask spirit for $299 AUD is an absolute steal, and deserves to be more widely appreciated. An equivalent whisky would easily be 20-times that amount, if not more. The same goes for the big cognac brands - which are all blended, and bottled at 40% ABV, and most are artificially coloured and have added flavouring. Natural cognacs like this one need no such rubbish. They're still hidden gems, but they can't stay that way forever. The more they increase in popularity, the more the pricing will start to creep. Am I helping by writing about it, then? Probably not... Don't miss this one if you're a brandy fan. And if you're unsure, split a bottle with a few friends to share the cost. You won't regret it! 

Thanks to Deni from Old Master Spirits for the sample for this review. Once again my horizons have been broadened! 

Cheers!

SMWS 29.285 (23 Year Old Laphroaig) Whisky Review!

A 23-year old single cask Laphroaig from the SMWS' prestigious "Vaults Collection", titled "Fabulous Fusion". It spent 20-years in an ex-bourbon cask, then was secondary matured / finished in an STR ex-sherry cask for a further 3-years. That's something different, especially for a whisky of this age!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, a.k.a. the SMWS or "The Society", have never been afraid to play around with different cask types, whether for cask finishing or for full maturation. There aren't many independent bottlers who'd be game to play around with a 23-year old single cask Laphroaig, most just wouldn't take the risk of it going backwards or letting the cask influence go too far. But cask strength Laphroaig tends to hold up well to assertive casks, possibly better than any other Scotch whisky. Their spirit seems to easily withstand full-term maturation in Oloroso or even PX sherry, which is not something I'd say about any other Islay make. With these cask-heavy Laphroaigs the results can still be excellent. In this particular case, the Society have done something a little unusual. Rather than the usual refill bourbon maturation or oloroso sherry finish, this 23-year old single cask Laphroaig has been finished in an STR cask that was seasoned with Oloroso sherry. The STR (shaved, toasted, and re-charred) cask treatment was pioneered by the late Dr. Jim Swan, but is usually carried out on ex-red wine casks rather than sherry seasoned ones. What isn't made clear is whether this was an ex-sherry  cask that was given the STR treatment or an STR cask that was then seasoned / re-seasoned with sherry, but given the wording on the front label below, "first-fill ex-Oloroso barrique", I'm going to assume it was an ex-sherry cask that was then given the STR treatment. The STR part of the equation is only mentioned at the end of their official tasting notes. "Barrique" by the way is a generic French word for "barrel", so it doesn't tell us anything specific about cask size, but the term is most often used in the wine industry to refer to 220-250-litre casks, so broadly similar to a hogshead. What we do know is that this whisky spent 20-years maturing in a single ex-bourbon hogshead (250-litre) cask before being transferred into that STR ex-sherry cask for a further 3-years. 

Older Laphroaigs can be absolutely fantastic, both in official and independent bottlings. Rather than the assertive peaty & medicinal flavours found in the younger examples, when it hits roughly 20 years of age it can take on a more fruity, citrusy (particularly grapefruit in the good ones) and sometimes tropical profile, and in 25 > year old examples that's often joined by sweet & soft floral notes that are worlds apart from the standard 10-year old official bottling. However, just like every distillery in the whisky world, age alone is no guarantee of either quality or maturity. Some of the "old guard" may look down their noses at a significantly aged single malt that has been finished or secondary matured in an additional cask, but that's a very narrow view. Sure, sometimes a cask finish is done to give a lazy or under-par whisky a kick in the pants, to get it up to scratch and thus get it out the door. But this practice is also done to add complexity and/or additional flavours to that aged whisky to help set it apart. Often when done well the result is more than the sum of its parts, particularly when it's allowed to evolve over a decent period of time, rather than being thrown into a wet cask for a few months prior to bottling. 

Aged whiskies like this one are inevitably going to become harder & harder to find for the independent bottlers, particularly from the desirable distilleries and even more so the desirable Islay distilleries. Which of course means they'll become more & more expensive for both the bottler and thus for the customer. And they're already far from cheap, of course. You'll struggle to get a 20+ year old Laphroaig for less than $700 AUD from most independent sources let alone an official bottling, and another decade of age could easily double that figure. One exception is the recent run of 28-30 year old "unnamed" or "mystery" Islay bottlings that have popped up lately, from the likes of The Whisky Jury, Port Askaig and Thompson Bros, many of which seem to be anonymous Laphroaig. These can be had for sub-$1,000 AUD, which is still a big chunk of money for a bottle of whisky, but is unfortunately quite reasonable in the ongoing madness of 2023. As a comparison for those playing overseas, the 30-year old Laphroaig "Ian Hunter Series" official bottling is priced at $2,500-3,000 here. As for this SMWS single cask example, I can't find any Australian references to a retail SMWS members price for 29.285, but I'd assume it was similar to todays pricing for these 'Vaults Collection' bottlings which ranges anywhere from $900-3,500. As we've talked about before, the SMWS bottling code 29.285 means it's a Laphroaig, distillery code 29, and the 285 means it was the 285th cask of Laphroaig that the SMWS has bottled. The sample for this review came from a generous fellow whisky nerd who opened this bottle to celebrate his 40th birthday, and it went down a treat. Let's see how it goes this time around!

SMWS 29.285, 23-year old Laphroaig, 55.2%. Islay, Scotland.

Distilled 13/5/98, matured in ex-bourbon hogshead for 20-years, secondary matured in single first-fill STR Oloroso sherry cask for 3-years. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 194 bottles, released mid-2022. 

Colour: Bronze.

Nose: Rich, dense, earthy, sweet & spicy. Thick chai & cinnamon spiced caramel, cigar box, old leather, earthy mushroom. Bitter orange around the edges. Getting quite meaty with more time - Chinese BBQ pork? With sweet dark soy sauce. 

Texture: Medium-heavy weight. Rich, thick, spicy, meaty, lightly peaty. Slight heat. 

Taste: Big, rich & powerful entry. Thick spiced caramel, BBQ pork with sweet dark soy sauce. Touches of that earthy mushroom & bitter orange. Furniture polish, cigars, Chinese five-spice mix. Touch of dried red chilli. 

Finish: Long length. Soft old leather, more mushroom, spicy charred wood, hint of sweet lemon. Thick sweet soy, maybe even hoisin sauce but not as sweet. More dried red chilli. Finally the peat gets through, dry, earthy & spicy peat, with a big dose of sea salt. 

Score: 4 out of 5. 

Notes: Big, big whisky! Mega-rich, dense, and powerful. Simultaneously sweet, earthy, meaty, and spicy, and certainly not shy. There's something very "Asian BBQ" about it, which is intriguing. There are still some shades of sherry cask as well, but with a much bigger wood impact - which is exactly what you'd expect from this cask treatment. Totally different to any Laphroaig that I've had before, particularly at this sort of age. Is this too much cask influence though? It's probably close to the line, but hasn't quite gone over it. At least to my tastes. Like I said above, Laphroaig can seemingly stand up to just about any cask treatment without losing its identity, probably better than any other Scotch whisky. And this 23-year old is just another example of that. If you'd put a Caol Ila or Bowmore etc. through this treatment, chances are there'd be no distillery character left at all.

They say Guinness is "a meal in a glass", right? Well this SMWS Laphroaig is a Chinese BBQ banquet in a Glencairn. 

Cheers!