Puni Nero Whisky Review!

An Italian whisky! This is a first for me, and something tells me it's going to be an interesting one...

Puni Distillery is the only whisky distillery in Italy, located near the Swiss border in the Italian alpine region in the far north of the country, around four hour's drive north-east of Milan. This family-owned distillery is named after the nearby Puni River, and is housed in the very modern cube-shaped building pictured above (no whitewashed stone here!), which was built in 2010 with production commencing in 2012. But there seem to be a few points of difference in the whisky itself that are a little different from the norm. Puni's whisky is made from a mix of malted barley, malted rye and malted wheat. Yes, rye and wheat can also be malted, but the addition of these two other grains (whether malted or 'green') make this a grain whisky, not a malt whisky, by the Scottish regulations. Italy is not in Scotland of course, and the European Union whisky regulations only state that whisky must be "made from malted cereal grains, with or without whole grains of other cereals" which is very vague, and there is no provision for terms like single malt, malt whisky or grain whisky in their definitions. Puni have chosen to call their product "Italian Malt Whisky", which is obviously fine by the EU definitions, and all of the grain used has been malted, so it does make sense.

The majority of the EU whisky definitions do match those of the Scotch Whisky Association, including the minimum 3 year age and 40% ABV bottling strength, the maximum 94.8% ABV distillation strength and 700-litre cask size, and E150a caramel colouring being the only permitted additive. But those casks are only required to be "wooden", oak is not specified like it is in Scotland and the United States. Many countries around the world have ambiguities like this - and often more - in their definitions and regulations, including Australia & Japan. But many of the quality international producers do choose to follow the Scotch whisky regulations, and it'd be nice to get everyone on a more even playing field, wouldn't it? There's no questioning the massive effect that the use of different grains make to a whisky, with spirits predominantly distilled from rye, wheat, corn and barley being markedly different from one another. I must admit the use of different wood types for whisky maturation would be an interesting thing to explore, and a few "new world" distilleries have started doing just that. But there are already hundreds of different oak species out there, so there's already plenty of room for more exploration and experimentation in that area than seems to be happening at the moment.

Back to the subject at hand. Two of those three different malted grains, the rye and wheat, are sourced locally from northern Italy, while the barley is apparently imported from nearby Austria. The local South Tyrol region was actually part of Austria prior to World War II, to the point where the majority of the population have Austrian names and speak a mix of Italian and Austrian. Aside from the grains used production at Puni is otherwise traditional, being mashed on-site, using wooden washbacks for fermentation and being double distilled in Scottish-built copper pot stills that were built & installed by Forsyths in Speyside. Puni use a number of different cask types for maturation, from virgin oak and ex-bourbon to Marsala and Pinot wine, to PX sherry and refill ex-Islay whisky casks, and some of those casks are actually matured underground in re-purposed WWII-era bunkers. The distillery also benefits from the wide variances in the local climate, from warm temperatures in the mid-twenties in summer to below freezing in winter, which helps give the maturating casks a hurry-up.

The Puni expression we're looking at today is Nero (Italian for "black"), which refers to this whisky being matured in casks that previously held Pinot Nero red wine, which is the Italian term for Pinot Noir, sourced from local wineries. This expression did win the World Whiskies Award for best Italian single malt in 2017, but let's remember that there is only one Italian whisky distillery, and by the most widely-accepted definition of the term this isn't exactly single malt, so let's not get too caught up in that. This sort of situation does highlight the frivolity of some of these international whisky awards, particularly when they're very effective marketing exercises for the entrants and subsequently the awards themselves. Puni Nero is an age-stated (which should be commended) 3-year old whisky bottled at 43% ABV, and is non-chill filtered and naturally coloured. This is the 2016 bottling which is still readily available in Australia for around $140 AUD, with only 3000 bottles released. Let's give it a go...

Puni Nero, 3-years old, 43%. Glorenza, Italy. 
Distilled from malted barley, malted rye & malted wheat. Matured in local ex-Pinot Nero (Italian Pinot Noir) casks. 2016 release, 3,000 bottles. Non-chill filtered, natural colour.

Colour: Amber.

Nose: Light & fruity, quite wine (grape) forward to start with. Musty, gamy red grapes, a little mint, some dry herbal honey and light toasted oak. Touch of coconut around the edges. Spicy grain and dark chocolate with more breathing time.

Texture: Light-medium weight, but lightly flavoured. Slight touch of heat on the back end.

Taste: Spicy, quite rye forward here. Toasted grain and a little yeasty rye bread. More gamy and musty red grapes, but much lighter here than it was on the nose. A little powdery dark chocolate as well.

Finish: Short & light. Flashes of coconut and chocolate again, but the rye spices are still the main player. Fades quite quickly with a little musty grape and a touch of prickly heat on the tongue.

Score: 2.5 out of 5.

Notes: A pleasant drop, night and light and fruity, with a refreshing spice to it. And that's coming from someone who doesn't exactly love grain whisky in most cases. I wonder what proportion of each grain were used in this one? This Puni would make for a good summer's day dram I'd say, and it'll be to the liking of fans of spicy red wines as well. It's a little unfamiliar to the malt drinker, but that's not a criticism. Variety is the spice of life, after all.

Overall it's a good showing from a young and very "new world" distillery, and it's well worth a shot when you're looking for something a little lighter and a little refreshing.

Cheers!

Tobermory Bordeaux Cask 2008 Whisky Review!

A hand-filled 200ml cask sample, exclusively sold from the distillery shop. So it may not be easy to find, but it's well worth the trip...

The Isle of Mull is a short 30-minute ferry ride from the town of Oban on Scotland's west coast, itself a 3.5-hour drive from Edinburgh. Don't believe Google or your Sat Nav on that trip either, driving in the Highlands is not as easy as it looks on a map! Particularly if you leave your departure a little late and end up spending the latter third of the trip driving in darkness and heavy rain like I did. But it's a beautiful part of the world, and there's plenty to see on the way, particularly if you travel north via Falkirk and Stirling, and you could also take a detour to Glen Coe which looks absolutely incredible. Mull itself is quite large, larger than Islay to the south, and the ferry from Oban doesn't stop at the island's main town of Tobermory, only at Craignure which is around 40 minute's drive away. The attractive little town of Tobermory itself has plenty to offer as well, but let's be honest here, we're mainly interested in the fact that it's home to Mull's only distillery!

Tobermory Distillery sits on the right-hand side of the islands main road as you enter the namesake town, which is an area named Ledaig (pronounced "leh-chaig"), facing the main harbour and its iconic multi-coloured buildings. The distillery was actually named Ledaig up until 1979, and had a tumultuous past until it was purchased by Burn Stewart Distillers in 1993, now owned by South African company Distell. The distillery has just returned to production after a two year shut down for major upgrades to the "visitor experience" and major maintenance which included completely replacing their four stills and four wooden washbacks. My visit last year was in the midst of that shut down, but they were still open for tours and sales and have been releasing new limited edition bottlings from their existing stocks, including a few distillery exclusive bottlings that are well worth a look if you're over that way. Tobermory and sister distilleries Bunnahabhain and Deanston seem to be well aware of the value of rewarding their visitors with interesting expressions of their whiskies, and those whiskies are often quite reasonably priced, which is great to see.

I usually prefer Tobermory's peated bottlings, which are bottled as Ledaig, over the unpeated Tobermory whisky. Particularly at cask strength when it's spent some time in a sherry cask. But during my visit to the distillery I was particularly impressed with two Tobermory whiskies, a 17-year old Madeira finish bottling, and the very interesting 200ml cask sample that we're looking at here. During my visit there was a choice of two of these hand-filled cask strength bottlings, an excellent 14-year old Oloroso sherry-matured Ledaig, and this Bordeaux wine-matured Tobermory. They were selling for 30- and 25-pounds respectively, which may sound expensive for nondescript 200ml bottles, but considering the rarity, exclusivity and quality of these whiskies it's not unreasonable. As good as the full-sized offerings were, particularly that Madeira finish, it was these two hand-filled offerings that promptly stole my attention and took my money. And as usual, I already know that I should've bought two. The Tobermory example that we're looking at today is a 10-year old whisky, distilled in 2008, that has been fully matured in a single red wine cask from the Bordeaux region of Southern France. Unfortunately there's no information on oak type, cask number or number of bottles, in fact these little beauties seem to have a similar approach to Cadenheads' cask samples a.k.a 'cage bottles' in that there're absolutely no frills to be seen! This one was bottled at an impressive cask strength of 62% ABV, and is non-chill filtered and naturally coloured since Tobermory and her sister distilleries don't muck around with that sort of thing anymore. Let's get to it!

(apologies for the photo)

Tobermory 2008 Bordeaux cask, 10-year old, 62%. Isle of Mull, Scotland.

Distillery exclusive hand-filled 200ml cask sample, fully matured in a single Bordeaux red wine cask. Non-chill filtered, natural colour.

Colour: Deep bronze with a few tiny bits of barrel char as a bonus. Awesome!

Nose: Takes a while to relax and open up, but it's well worth the wait. Loads of sweet stewed fruit and berries: strawberry, green (under-ripe) pineapple, guava, raspberry and a little plum. Mild roasted nuts, sweet buttery pastry and golden syrup, like a warm pecan pie. A touch of brine with more time, plus black pepper and juicy charred oak. Fantastic.

Texture: Medium weight, warming and a little astringent with a touch of heat (it's 62%, remember!).

Taste: Lots of fruit again, but considerably less sweet than it was on the nose. More black pepper and a touch of light bitterness, like burnt toffee. Some light tannins as well, but in an enjoyable way (and I'm usually not a fan). A hint of plain (natural-flavour) bubblegum, more pineapple and stewed red berries.

Finish: Long. Very peppery here, and astringent again with a slight zing of chilli thrown in. Some more tannins and a hint of spent coffee grounds, more pastry and burnt toffee. The fruit returns further on, particularly that tasty pineapple note which is now more syrupy.

Score: 3.5 out of 5.

Notes: The nose is just fantastic on this one, once it opens up anyway, and when it does there's so much to explore! The palate is great as well with plenty of complexity, but the finish is a little disappointing after what came before it. It's a little too peppery and drying there, although not in a harsh or rough way, and not only from the high ABV. That pineapple note in this dram is really enjoyable, going from sour under-ripe fruit to naturally flavoured sweet syrup, like you'd find in a high-end ice block / popsicle. The wine cask has definitely had an effect as well, but rather than overwhelm anything else (although the pepper wasn't shy) it's well integrative and has added loads of depth to the whole experience.

A really enjoyable whisky that is just held back by the finish, and it's totally different to any Tobermory I've tasted before, which makes for the ideal distillery exclusive bottling. If you do manage to come across this one, it's well worth a go. And it's a great liquid souvenir from the little Isle of Mull over on the other side of the planet.

Cheers!

Octomore 8.1 Whisky Review!

Since the final bottling of the Octomore 9-series was just released overseas, it's about time I reviewed 8.1 from the previous series. And it just happens to be one of my favourite _.1 Octomores to date!

Those 9-series bottlings will still be at least a few months away from Australian shores, but all is not lost for Aussie Octomore fans, there are still plenty of the excellent 8-series "Masterclass" bottlings around. Including quite a few of the ridiculously good 309ppm 8.3 Islay Barley (reviewed here)! Which is a real surprise to me, I would've thought that glorious whisky would have flown off the shelves in the blink of an eye! If you're still after one of those I suggest you move quickly, and don't be afraid to shop around. From one Octomore fan to another it's not one you're going to want to miss.

That said, you're probably not going to want to miss this one either, because Octomore 8.1 is my second-favourite _.1 release to date, bettered only by the beastly and long-departed 5.1. 8.1 is still readily available from a number of Australian sellers at reasonable prices, although at $200-210 it's more expensive than previous _.1 releases have been. But that's understandable when you consider that it's 8-years old, as are the travel exclusive wine-matured 8.2 and partly-virgin oak matured 8.4 in the series, whereas the vast majority of other Octomore releases are 5-years old. Older Octomores can be utterly fantastic, with the incredible OBA and 2016's 10-year old Second Release being great examples. That extra age has definitely made a big difference to these 8-series whiskies, they're quite refined and disarming for Octomores, and even at their high strengths and peat levels all are remarkably easy to drink (but so is the 5-year old 8.3). Speaking of peat levels, with the exception of the aforementioned 8.3 the 8-series is 'down' to 167 ppm, which in reality is still a very high number. But as we've covered before that figure doesn't tell the full story since that measurement comes from the malted barley itself which is then milled, mashed, fermented, distilled and matured for years prior to bottling. Bruichladdich's tall stills, slow distillation and narrow spirit cuts will also have a huge effect on the finished product, as will the extra three years that Octomore 8.1 has spent in first-fill casks. So this probably isn't going to be the big beastie that you'd expect if you're only looking at the numbers.

While the more adventurous releases in each series always get more attention, the ex-bourbon cask-only _.1 Octomores are always the purest and clearest way to explore the Octomore spirit itself, since there are no fancy exotic cask influences getting in the way. They're always the lowest priced and most accessible bottling in each series, so they're ideal for newly reborn peat-heads to dip their toes in the (very peaty) water before jumping in head first. And this one is the ideal example of that. Octomore 8.1 was distilled in 2008 from Scottish barley, peated to 167 ppm at Bairds Maltings in Inverness, and spent eight years in first-fill bourbon casks from five different bourbon distilleries: Clermont Springs, Buffalo Trace, Jack Daniels, Four Roses and Heaven Hill. It was bottled at 59.3% ABV without any chill filtration or added colouring, since Bruichladdich don't go anywhere near that nonsense. And we certainly love them for it!

Octomore 8.1, 8-years old, 59.3%. Bruichladdich Distillery, Islay, Scotland.
Distilled from Scottish barley peated to 167 ppm, aged in first-fill ex-bourbon casks. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 42,000 bottles.

Colour: Full gold.

Nose: Sweet, salty and slightly muddy. A big pile of drying kelp on a stony beach, with some chilled vanilla custard, a little sweetened lemon juice and black pepper. Distant bonfire smoke, and a little salt-washed driftwood. A floral sweetness and lovely dry, earthy peat with more breathing time.

Texture: Lovely. Medium weight, oily and peaty. Slight heat on the back, but in a pleasant way.

Taste: Sweet on entry like a stone fruit syrup, and some vanilla paste before the big earthy, muddy peat comes to the fore. A pinch of dry chilli flakes, a drop of floral honey and black pepper, and some vanilla fudge behind the peat.

Finish: Long. The muddy earthy peat carries through, as does the chilli flakes and black pepper. Then the peat dries out, with some smoked sea salt and a little ginger alongside. Some vanilla custard and more stone fruit syrup, and some drying ashy smoke and wet stone behind the sweetness.

Score: 4 out of 5.

Notes: Very, very good! It may not be the most "out there" or exotic Octomore around, but there's absolutely no shortage of character or flavour and it's very good at what it does. It's very Islay, with some extra earthy peat of course, and it's surprisingly refined and alluring for an Octomore. And there are no off-notes to speak of, it's just pure peat & sweet Islay sexy-ness from start to finish!

This would definitely make for a good introductory Octomore, but any established Islay fan is going to love it as well. Yours truly included. Definitely my second favourite _.1 to date, since that beastly 5.1 holds a special place in my heart as the Octomore that got me hooked on Octomore (talk about jumping into the deep end!). But the extra three years on this 8.1 has worked wonders if you ask me, and I'd say this is actually an Octomore that you can keep going back to, it's not going to wipe out your senses for the rest of the night. Maybe even a "session-able" Octomore! Well done Bruichladdich, as always.

Cheers!

Craigellachie 13 Year Old Whisky Review!

My first Craigellachie review! In fact I've only tried one other example, and this is the first official bottling I've taken a close look at!

Craigellachie Distillery is located in the centre of the Speyside region, just up the road from Speyside Cooperage in the small village of Craigellachie. In fact the distillery sits right on the region's main road, with the still house and even the stills themselves easily visible from said road through the retractable glass doors, which are often left open. But visitors are not permitted inside the distillery and there's no visitor's centre, so that's as close as most of us will get. Although the village is home to both The Craigellachie Hotel and the famous Highlander Inn, so there's no shortage of whisky tastings in the vicinity. The name Craigellachie (pronounced "Cray-Gell-ack-ee") means "rocky hill", referring to the rocky bluff that the distillery & the namesake village sits on. It's a medium-sized distillery overall, with an annual production capacity of over four million litres of spirit, but that's actually quite small by Speyside standards, through two pairs of copper stills. Like many of the less-famous distilleries the majority of their production goes into blended whiskies, particularly the Dewars and White Horse brands. Originally founded in 1891, Craigellachie is owned by John Dewar & Sons, which itself is owned by Bacardi, having purchased Craigellachie and four other distilleries (Aberfeldy, Aultmore, MacDuff and Brackla) from United Distillers,a precursor to Diageo, in 1998.

Those four stills are quite large, with capacities of just over 28,000 litres a piece, and the wash & spirit stills are the same size, which is slightly unusual. You won't find any boil bulbs, onions or purifiers here, and you won't find any modern & efficient shell & tube condensers attached to their horizontal lyne arms. Craigellachie is one of the few modern distilleries to retain worm tub condensers! These large plain stills and their old-fashioned worm tub condensers have been designed to give minimal reflux and little copper contact, resulting in a weighty and (intentionally) sulphurous spirit. The un-peated barley is sourced from Glenesk maltings on the east coast, and is dried using an oil-fired heater, which is claimed to add sulphurous notes to the malt itself, to the point where Craigellachie is sometimes referred to as "the bad boy of Speyside". But we can expect those notes to diminish with time in casks, which could be why the youngest official bottling is 13-years old. Speaking of which, the vast majority of Craigellachie spirit is sent to Glasgow for maturation & bottling, partly since like many distilleries situated in the centres of villages or towns, physical space is at a premium.

The expression I'm looking at today is the entry-level Craigellachie, but unusually for an entry-level it's a 13-year old whisky which is bottled at 46% and is non-chill filtered, although I suspect there may be a little E150a artificial colouring involved. With those things considered it's quite reasonably priced, hovering around the $110-130 AUD mark. There's no information out there on the type of casks that were used for this one, so I'd assume it's mostly been matured in refill ex-bourbon casks. But what I don't particularly like is that Bacardi have been referring to their range of single malts, with Craigellachie among them, as "The Last Great Malts". Which is a huge steaming pile of you know what, particularly when it's being used for what were (and largely still are) almost completely unknown distilleries. Maybe I'm being a little sensitive here, but surely they could've found a better tagline to use in their marketing, because that one doesn't leave a pleasant taste in the mouth. How about "the last undiscovered malts" or "the hidden / forgotten gems of Speyside"? And I don't even work in marketing! That said however, I do like the classy and decidedly retro packaging that they've used on the Craigellachie range. Anyway, let's shake all that off and give this one a go...

Craigellachie 13-Year Old, 46%. Craigellachie, Scotland. 
Presumed matured in refill ex-bourbon casks. Non-chill filtered, suspected light added colouring.

Colour: Yellow gold.

Nose: There's definitely a vegetal "twang" to it, and it's more dry and savoury than I was expecting, but there's still the typical Speyside notes of honey & apple, and a subtle malty-ness. Some dry wood spices (sandalwood?) and dusty oatmeal, and a little dried spearmint. A hint of tea tree oil with more time in the glass.

Texture: Medium weight, lightly oily. And more than just a vegetal "twang" here! A touch of heat as well.

Taste: That vegetal note straight off, like a newly opened bag of lightly salted potato chips (crisps) that have gone stale. That may not sound particularly appetizing, but it's enjoyable! Some savoury dry honey and a couple of beef stock cubes (meaty). Hint of that dried spearmint around the edges, lightly nutty oak as well.

Finish: Medium length. More spearmint, some green apple, a little white pepper and bitter burnt toffee. More dry wood spices again, and a little salted butter, but it's that vegetal sulphur note that carries on the longest.

Score: 3 out of 5.

Notes: An interesting dram! The nose was quite deceptive in that it gives a prediction of what you can expect to find on the palate, but that prediction falls way short! It's definitely more dry, meaty and savoury than I expected, but that's not a complaint, just a little surprising. In fact it's quite refreshing. There may not be a huge amount of depth to this expression, but let's not forget that this is the entry-level Craigellachie, so we can definitely forgive that. That sulphurous vegetal note may put off some newcomers, and I've found that it increased as the bottle breathed and oxidised, which is also interesting as it's the opposite of what I'd expect to happen. I'd probably put the overall level of sulphur on par with some ex-bourbon cask Mortlachs that I've tried, but the actual effect of that sulphur is quite different and perhaps less pungent in the Craigellachie. Which makes me want to try a sherry cask-matured expression!

There's definitely a sulphurous and lightly rough edge to this 13-year old Speysider, and it's definitely not what you'd typically expect from the region, which is great to see. Those regional flavours are certainly becoming less and less relevant as more distilleries branch out and/or come to light. And this one is certainly worth a try if you'd like a bit more of a challenge in your dram.

Cheers!