Highwayman Batch 3.0 (Peated) Whisky Review!

It's here! The first peated release from Bryon Bay's Highwayman single malt whisky!

Since launching roughly two years ago in the midst of the pandemic, Byron Bay's Highwayman Australian whisky has gone from strength to strength. Each release sells out in record time, even the relatively large batches of 300-ish bottles, and since the first few batches which launched with the Australian Whisky Appreciation Society Facebook group, all sales have been directly through the Highwayman website, going straight to the man himself, Dan Woolley. Woolley has a huge & well-earned following in the Australian whisky scene since putting in a huge amount of air & road miles (hence the brand name "Highwayman") over a long career as Brand Ambassador for countless major brands, latterly and most famously Islay's Laphroaig. Since launching his own whisky brand in mid-2020, all of his releases (approx. 17 to date) have been unpeated, with the first ten batches distilled elsewhere, mainly in Tasmania, but all were fully matured in Dan's own casks in Byron Bay. See here for more information on those earlier releases. Distillation began at Byron Bay back in early-2018, and the first release of Dan's own Byron Bay-distilled spirit debuted in May 2021 with his first single cask release. But with a resume like Dan's, not to mention his insatiable thirst for peat, there has always been smoke on the Highwayman horizon. Now the first peated release is finally here! Highwayman Batch 3.0 is titled "Fires to Floods" to mark the truly disastrous flooding that hit northern New South Wales and southern Queensland in February-March 2022, not long before this whisky was bottled. Dan has also taken it upon himself to implement a huge fundraising effort for Northern Rivers Flood Relief, including a recent whisky auction and a number of Highwayman whisky tastings generously hosted by some of Australia's best whisky bars, with all proceeds going to said charity fund. It's a great cause. 

Mashing, fermenting and distilling for Highwayman happens at Lord Byron Distillery, run by Brian Restall and his family and located on a small industrial estate in Byron Bay in northern New South Wales, less than two hour's drive south of Brisbane. But don't take that to mean that Dan is just sitting back and letting Brian & his team do all of the work by contract distilling - far, far from it! All Highwayman production takes place in Dan's own equipment including the mash tun and the copper pot still itself, both of which are only used for Highwayman whisky since Lord Byron produce their products - chiefly rum, gin & vodka - on separate equipment. Dan is also heavily involved in every step of the process from the mashing to the spirit cuts, and if you take a few steps to the left from Lord Byron Distillery and literally enter the next door in the complex you'll find Highwayman "HQ", which is Dan's bond store and cellar door. This thoughtfully designed and thoroughly decked out unit is open by appointment only, and the group tasting sessions and one-on-one masterclasses, all run by Dan himself, are highly recommended! As it happens, visiting the bond store & cellar door for one of these experiences will also give you the chance to buy some of the sold out releases from Dan's archive that are now only available from the cellar door. 

Highwayman's peated releases - and there are many more in the pipeline - are denoted by a change of artwork, from the sand/beige & black colour scheme in the unpeated releases to the red & black colour scheme in the peated releases - which looks awesome! So far the mash bill for the majority of the peated Byron Bay-distilled spirit has been 2/3rds peated Scottish barley and 1/3rd local unpeated barley sourced from NSW, fermented for over two weeks and double-distilled in Dan's own copper pot still, then - importantly for Byron Bay's temperate climate - slowly diluted from still strength to 55% ABV before being filled into casks. This crucial step, coupled with the sub-tropical climate and some smaller cask sizes, helps the whisky soften and come of age in a shorter amount of time than it would otherwise, and if you ask me it's something that more Australian producers should be looking at or at least experimenting with to help counteract our aggressive climate. In many cases Dan is also charring, re-charring and/or re-seasoning casks prior to filling them with his spirit, rather than the "wet fill" casks that many of our whisky producers use where the casks are simply emptied of their previous contents and are immediately filled with new make spirit, which tends to result in the spirit being flooded with the "in drink", which is the previous contents that has soaked into the wood and is drawn into the spirit as it matures.  

Speaking of casks, Highwayman Batch 3.0 "Fires to Floods" is a vatting of peated and unpeated whisky, all distilled & matured in Byron Bay, with the peated components being distilled from 50 ppm Scottish peated barley and the unpeated components being distilled from local NSW (Australian) unpeated barley. This single malt whisky is from a mix of different cask types including Pedro Ximinez sherry, tawny (Australian port), red wine and bourbon casks, with the youngest component being 2-years old , which is the minimum age for Australian whisky, and the oldest being 3.5-years old. The total outturn was 320 x 500ml bottles at a natural cask strength of 53.9% ABV. Remember the 55% ABV filling strength mentioned above, so this release is one of the first to actually drop in ABV during maturation, albeit only slightly. Let's see what we're in for!

Colour: Dark bronze. 

Nose: Rich, dense & complex. Earthy, with soft dry peat and dried mushrooms - umami then, but also leaning towards rancio. Black cherry syrup with couple of freeze-dried raspberries thrown in. Some thick balsamic vinegar / balsamic glaze, Turkish delight coated in dark chocolate, and blow-torched coconut shavings. Dried herbs behind that - sage? - with some treacle coming through as it breathes. 

Texture: Heavy weight, thick & syrupy. Earthy, sweet & sour (lifting acidity). No heat at all. 

Taste: Big syrupy arrival with that earthy dried mushroom (umami) and a lovely soft, subtle peatiness underneath it. Cherry cola syrup, with the two freeze-dried raspberries thrown in again, and that balsamic glaze adding a nice subtle acidity. Leathery / dried tobacco hints doing the same. 

Finish: Long length. Dried herbs coming back through, touch of strong syrupy coffee (think bittersweet Turkish coffee) and that balsamic glaze adding depth. Soft earthy peat running underneath the black cherry cola syrup, with a hint of those burnt coconut shavings to round things out.

Score: 4 out of 5. 

Notes: Lovely big, rich whisky that completely belies its age. It's right on the balance of heavy cask influence, but with some intriguing savoury & acidic notes adding depth & complexity. Really enjoy that balsamic acidity in particular which is something that I've found in a couple of Highwayman releases so far, and it helps to balance out the wood influence and keep the taste buds interested. The peat is relatively subtle, I'd equate it to a Benromach or maybe Ardmore level in this case, but with a different style and character of peat influence. So the peat-averse should have no issues here since the peat is very well integrated, in a light & earthy style, but it's certainly there, holding up against some big assertive cask influence. Those earthy, savoury notes are intriguing as well, I'm guessing they're partly due to the peat being so well integrated in the finished whisky and also working with the casks, rather than fighting against them and potentially losing - which is often the case with peat vs. assertive sherry / wine casks, even with much more heavily peated whiskies. 

It's great to see Highwayman's first peated release finally bust through the warehouse doors and hit the virtual shelves, although like most of Dan's releases it's already sold out - but as I mentioned above, if you're heading to Byron Bay NSW anytime soon, make sure you book in here for one of Dan's masterclasses, which will also get you access to his stash of "archive" bottles if you time it right - and if you can convince him to sell you one! As always, I can't wait to see what Dan comes up with next. There are some epic and "out there" Highwayman releases in the works, so stay tuned!

Cheers.

Iniquity Flustercluck Whisky Review!

A great Australian name for a great Australian whisky. One of the rarer styles of Australian whisky too - peated single malt matured in a bourbon cask! But there's much more to this dram than the name might imply. 

Iniquity is the single malt whisky produced by South Australia's Tin Shed Distilling Co., which is located in a former flagpole factory in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, SA's capital city. This is not a ritzy, glamorous distillery by any means; and you won't find a fancy visitor's centre or fine dining restaurant attached to it either. But what you will find is a couple of people making tasty whisky in their own quiet way, without cutting corners and without shouting their own praises from the rooftops. Tin Shed is not a newcomer to the industry either, in fact the first iteration of this small distillery was one of the first built on the mainland of Australia. It was then known as Southern Coast Distillers (see here for more information), but after a disagreement between the business partners that company was dissolved in 2012. Ian Schmidt, one of the original owners, along with his business partner Vic Orlow saw the distillery reborn as Tin Shed Distilling Co. in 2013, and they now produce vodka, rum and more importantly, single malt whisky under the label 'Iniquity' - which essentially means naughty or wicked behaviour. Importantly, Iniquity single malt is mashed and fermented/brewed on site prior to distillation - which is sadly not a legal requirement for single malt in Australia - and is then double-distilled in a copper pot still. 

Being located in one of Australia's main wine-producing states has its advantages, and Ian & Vic are able to source red wine, white wine and fortified - tawny (Australian port) and apera (Australian sherry) - wine casks, but also brandy, rum and bourbon casks from further afield. I've prattled on about this before, but more Australian distilleries should be looking into bourbon casks to help their spirit stand apart from the rest, rather than the "standard operating procedure" route of 20- or 50-litre French oak tawny/apera casks. If you ask me, going for a lighter cask influence in our climate - whether that be ex-bourbon casks, or full-size rather than smaller casks, or refill casks, or all of the above - is even more beneficial when you're looking at making peated spirit to avoid the peat influence being overwhelmed by the wood and/or the previous contents. Most peated Australian whiskies are only very lightly peated by Scotch whisky standards, and many of them have a peat influence that is barely detectable in the completed whisky. Thankfully a couple of our producers have been doing this for years, but there are now more options on the shelves when it comes to ex-bourbon cask Australian whisky and peated ex-bourbon cask Australian whisky. Unfortunately a large proportion of Australian whisky drinkers still believe that darker means better, which is absolutely not the case, but thanks to that misguided belief the darker your whisky is, the faster it will sell. Although to be fair that's still a common train of thought all over the whisky world. A pale whisky is nothing to be afraid of folks!

Which brings us to today's review: Iniquity Flustercluck. If you haven't picked up on it already, this name is a play on words, relating to the series of errors that went in to producing this particular whisky. Error isn't really the right word though, so let's quote Bob Ross instead. These "happy accidents" started with the malted barley itself, which is peated, but not in the usual way. Iniquity's peated barley is commercially malted and brought in to the distillery unpeated, but is then "re-wet" with water and then dried using peat smoke. A couple of other Australian distilleries do this, and it's mainly because most of our commercial maltsters either don't produce peated barley at all, or they won't produce peated barley in small enough quantities to suit the size of most of our distilleries. Naturally this method does not give you the same effect as using peat in the actual malting process, and as always it also depends on where the peat itself was sourced from, just like it does in Scotch whisky. So far, Iniquity's peated barley has been re-dried using South Australian peat. But in the case of this Flustercluck release, the first "happy accident" happened when the distillery instead used some old Tasmanian peat that had been gifted to them by an agricultural research institute. And when I say old, I mean it was cut long ago - this peat was cut from the Tasmanian Highlands in 1932! Pre-World War II, and pre-atomic age. 

The second "happy accident" happened when there was a misunderstanding when it came time to fill the new make spirit into a cask - rather than being reduced from still strength to 60% for filling, it was reduced down to 48% before going into cask. They filled this spirit into a 200-litre ex-Heaven Hill bourbon cask, which was a complete departure for Iniquity at the time - hence it being part of their "Anomaly" series of limited bottlings that show a different side to the distillery! The cask was also "temporarily" left in a high spot on the distillery's racking - which I'm guessing means that they forgot it was up there! Given that low initial filling strength, cask strength in this case was 49.1% ABV, so it's actually increased slightly over its 2-3 years of maturation (because more water has evaporated than ethanol), and is natural colour and non-chill filtered. Pricing was reasonable at the time of release at around $180 AUD in a 700ml bottle, and stock did seem to last for quite some time, although it seems to have almost dried up now. So let's see if these "happy accidents" have paid off, shall we? 

Iniquity Flustercluck, NAS, 49.1%. Adelaide, South Australia. 

Distilled from malted barley dried with Tasmanian peat cut in 1932, filled into cask at 48%, matured in a 200-litre Heaven Hill bourbon barrel for 2-3 years and bottled at cask strength. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 

Colour: Pale gold. 

Nose: Creamy, smoky, lightly musty. Melted salted butter, creamy vanilla custard and dusty, dry & earthy peat. Touch of strong aged cheddar, lightly acidic too. Touch of cinnamon around the edges and a little fizzy effervescence as well. 

Texture: Medium weight. Creamy, dusty, musty & smoky. No heat at all. 

Taste: Dry, earthy peat and ashy smoke with creamy vanilla custard running underneath. A lovely dank, dusty mustiness and a touch of that salted butter again. 

 

Finish: Short-medium length. That dry, earthy peatiness follows through, plus some bitter smoke, touch of warm oak and some white pepper. 

Score: 3.5 out of 5. 

Notes: Adelaide goes to Islay!?! There are certainly shades of Caol Ila or Bowmore-level peatiness with a dry, earthy style of peat that is totally different from the lighter, floral peat influence found in the Tasmanian whiskies that also use the state's peat and the same "re-wetting" smoking method. Although few of those use 100% peated malted barley like this Iniquity, they're usually a mix of peated & unpeated barley for an extremely light, often undetectable, peat influence. That more prominent peat in this Iniquity is helped by the lighter impact of the bourbon cask, which is giving a lovely creaminess and a balanced sweetness without dominating the spirit or the peat. 

A great young showing from Iniquity, very different to their usual output - which is why it's part of the "anomaly" series of course! I also don't see much wrong with that lower cask filling strength - that's something that a few Australian distilleries are going towards now, and all the better for it! Whiskies like Melbourne's Starward and Byron Bay's Highwayman are purposely filled into casks at around 55% ABV rather than the natural still strength or the Scotch whisky standard of 63.5% ABV. And that helps both with wood influence but also with volatile alcohol compounds, which in many Australian whiskies survive the (admittedly short) maturation periods and give a hot & harsh spirit as a result. Particularly when they're matured in small casks - another great point of this Iniquity, with just 2-3 years in a full-sized bourbon barrel doing the trick nicely. So keep an eye out for a bourbon cask peated Australian whisky!

Cheers!

Old Master Spirits 51-year old Cognac Review!

Something new for Peated Perfection - my first cognac review! But we're setting the bar quite high with a forthcoming 51-year old cognac from 1970, followed by a sold out 36-year old cognac from 1984! 

Cognac! I've tried some of the standard, entry-level big brands, and also some older, but heavily-coloured and artificially flavoured spirits (more on that later) that have left me wondering what all the fuss is about. But when it comes to properly & naturally presented, quality cognac, armagnac or brandy, I've only had two encounters to date. But I enjoyed those, and now I'm about to dive much deeper with two new cognac experiences, thanks to a newcomer in the Australian spirits industry - Old Master Spirits. Old Master Spirits is a new importer and independent bottler based in Melbourne that is focussed on importing quality cognac, whisky & rum, and is run by two hardcore whisky & spirits lovers; Deni Kay and his brother in law David. Their first batch of releases arrived in late 2021, consisting of a 63-year old single cask cognac, a 36-year old single cask cognac, and a Spanish PX sherry that had been used to season both an American oak ex-bourbon cask and a European oak ex-port cask prior to bottling. That first release is entirely sold out of course, in fact it sold out completely in around 5-minutes, but the second batch of releases is not far away! Due to arrive in the first week of May (2022), Old Master Spirits is bringing us another single cask cognac, this time a 51-year old. And it's this 51-year old that we're looking at in this review, followed by a little teaser of the 36-year old cognac from the first batch of releases, just for posterity's sake! 

First, a quick rundown on cognac. In the very, very simplest of terms, cognac is a brandy (fruit spirit) or eau-de-vie that is distilled from grapes which can only be made in the Cognac appellation (region) in south-western France. The Cognac region is an "appellation d'origine controlee" or AOC, a legally protected production region, and it has held this status since 1909. Much like the similar protected status of champagne, sherry, and port, brandy made outside of this region cannot be sold as cognac. Essentially, all cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is cognac. Cognac can only be made from a small number of white grape varieties, mostly the Ugni Blanc variety, which after a fermentation period of 2-3 weeks produces a dry & highly acidic white wine that is not suitable for consumption. The wine must then be double-distilled in copper pot stills, and the resulting spirit must be aged in French oak barrels for a minimum of two years before it can legally be labelled as cognac. Diving a little deeper, distillation takes place in Alembic stills, also referred to as brandy stills, which are often direct-fired over a gas flame, with onion-shaped heads and very narrow necks for high reflux, then running into worm tub condensers. Slight digression here - Sullivan's Cove actually make their Tasmanian single malt whisky in a brandy still, including a worm tub condenser which is a very rare thing in the Australian whisky industry, more so since Lark replaced theirs with a modern shell & tube condenser. 

The "brandy still" / Alembic still at Sullivan's Cove

Most new spirit / eau de vie ("water of life") is initially matured in 300-350-litre casks, and if ageing for long periods it is then transferred into older 500-litre casks that are often on their third- or fourth-fill. Which brings us to a few interesting points of discussion. The vast majority of cognac is blended, with each brand often combining spirits from hundreds of different vineyards taken from some or all of the six different growing areas of the region that are known as "Crus" ("growths" in English) - the most highly lauded Cru is "Grande Champagne" region, which is not related to the sparkling wine of the same name. There are around 270 different cognac producers, known as cognac houses, in the AOC, and it's very common for larger companies to trade casks between producers and between companies in order to keep their blended product as consistent as possible. So finding an unblended Cognac from one producer, let alone a single cask bottling like these two examples, is a very rare thing, and it's really only the territory of independent bottlers - much like it was in whisky in the past. Interestingly, provided the spirit met that legal minimum of two years maturation in French oak, cognac can be transferred to inert glass vessels known as demijohns to continue ageing without any further input from wood, and to essentially store the spirit until it's ready for bottling or blending. These inert vessels also prevent the alcohol evaporating and thus avoids the strength dropping below the minimum ABV of 40%. Old Master Spirits' cognacs have not been stored in glass vessels as part of their maturation, they were taken straight from the wood - so unlike many cognacs out there, their age statements do reflect the actual amount of time that they spent in casks, rather than their total storage time regardless of the type of vessel. 

Unfortunately, there's also a darker side (pun not intended) to the cognac industry that we need to discuss: additives. In Scotch whisky, as we know, plain caramel colouring is the only permitted additive. But in cognac, producers can add not only caramel colouring, but also sugar, and a wood extract known as "boise" which is made from boiling wood chips and reducing the liquid down over heat. The vast majority of commercially produced cognac on the market contains all three of these permitted additives, including even the older, mega-expensive "luxury" cognacs made by the biggest names in the industry. And yes, most cognacs are also chill filtered for the same aesthetic reasons as the whiskies that are put through this unnecessary step in the bottling process. The two cognacs from Old Master Spirits that we're looking at today do not contain any of these additives - no added colour, sugar, or wood flavouring - and they are non-chill filtered. These cognacs are bottled "au naturel", just as any spirits aficionado would want them! 

On to the reviews! First up, the upcoming 51-year old cognac that is landing soon as Old Master Spirit's second release. Now, I know what you're thinking. A 51-year old single cask cognac must be prohibitively expensive, right? I mean, that's over half a century of maturation, and a similarly aged single malt whisky sells for tens of thousands of dollars - for example, Glenfiddich 50-year old is circa AUD$40,000! Well, cognac is a very different thing, and it doesn't tend to suffer from the same levels of "exclusive" and "luxury" marketing angles as whisky does at these advanced ages, nor the huge profit margins and high demand that go along with those angles. This 51-year old single cask cognac, distilled in 1970, is going to retail for just $365 AUD in a 500ml bottle. That bottle size is a more common practice in cognac, and isn't an issue if you ask me since it allows more people to purchase a bottle, and at a lower price. Even with that bottle size taken into account, aiming the same funds at malt whisky would get you as little as the likes of an 18-year old Macallan (at 43%) or the latest batch of 19-year old Ardbeg. Old, quality cognac certainly looks to be something of a bargain! 

This 51-year old - denoted on the label by the A.51, as in age - Old Master Spirits cognac was distilled in 1970 - denoted on the label by the V.70, as in vintage - by Mr. Jean Michel Tribot at Maison Tribot, the cognac house that has been skilfully illustrated on the bottle's label. Maison Tribot is located in the Grande Champagne Cru, considered to be the premier Cru in the Cognac appellation, the best of the best. This single cask cognac was sourced by Domaine Pasquet for Old Master Spirits, after spending a whopping 51-years of maturation in a French oak cask, and it was the oldest cask in the Tribot family's traditional stone-walled cellar. This cognac has been slowly reduced from cask strength over a period of months to the Old Master team's desired strength of 50.3% ABV, and as mentioned above it is non-chill filtered, natural colour, and additive free. This 51-year old cognac will be released in the first week of May 2022, and subscribers to Old Master's mailing list will get early access - sign up here. There are only 120 bottles available, so don't delay. Let's see how it tastes!

Colour: Amber gold. 

Nose: Immediately smells mature. Not quite "old" as in tired, boring or one dimensional though, but rounded and mellow, relaxed and inviting. It's lively though with dried & fresh stone fruit - I'd say fresh peach and dried apricot, maybe a touch of nectarine. Pineapple in behind that too. Dried herbs and a touch of mint, soft wood spices, roasted nuts with some brown sugar. Soft old leather comes out with more time. 

Texture: Medium weight. Lightly spicy & softly oaky. No heat whatsoever.

Taste: Stone fruit again, but more tropical fruit here. Pineapple, touch of white grape. Strong dark tea without milk (lightly bitter). Touch of charred wood and more brown sugar. Dried herbs coming through leading into the finish. 

Finish: Medium length. Earthy & spicy (wood spices), touch of cured meats and more roasted nuts. Lightly astringent with ground ginger and cinnamon spice warmth. Touch of mild (light roast) coffee grounds and creamy milk chocolate in the background. 

Score: 4 out of 5 (bearing in mind my limited cognac/brandy experience). 

Notes: Lovely soft, mature & rounded spirit with a lively, bright fruitiness that belies its age, and a nicely balanced wood influence with only milder tannins - e.g. those tea and coffee ground notes. I would not have guessed it had spent a whopping 51-years in French oak - which is handled with care in whisky circles for its spicy, tannic assertiveness - and clearly the wood influence has been carefully managed over that massive period of time. No doubt helped by that dark & cool stone cellar that this cask slumbered in for over half a century. Certainly not as sweet as I was expecting either, which is a good thing! That's no doubt helped by the natural presentation in this Old Master Spirits bottling, with no added sugar, colouring or wood flavouring. 

Those bright tropical fruit notes were a surprise also, and that's not something I remember finding in any of the cognac or brandy that I've tasted previously. I'd assume that's coming from a combination of the (very) advanced age and the careful management of the wood - much like in whisky, it seems that refill casks are often where the magic happens! This 51-year old is by far the finest cognac or brandy that I've ever come across, and it was a real treat. Don't miss this one when it lands! 

With that, on to cognac number two! This sample is from Old Master's first batch of releases, and is completely sold out. This is a 36-year old single cask cognac that just happened to be distilled in my "birth year", which is not something that happens every day! This 36-year old was distilled in 1984 -  again denoted on the label by the V. and A. figures, for vintage and age - by Mr. Claude Hillare in the Grande Champagne Cru in the Cognac appellation, and it was bottled in March 2021 at its natural cask strength of 53.8% ABV. Again, this cognac has been fully matured in French oak prior to bottling, no glass demijohns, and it is non-chill filtered, natural colour and additive free. So significantly younger than the forthcoming 51-year old, but 36-years of maturation is still very, very old for any aged spirit. This should make for a great comparison!

Colour: Copper. 

Nose: Richer & bolder. Fresh cinnamon scrolls / buns with butter icing, strawberry syrup and dark tea leaves. Touch of dried orange peel and leather. Raspberry bubble gum around the edges, but without the artificial sweetness. Floral & minty further in as well. 

Texture: Medium weight. Buttery & warm, richer, more oaky & spicy. No heat again. 

Taste: Strawberry gum, dark tea leaves, spearmint. Baked sweet bananas with a touch of brown sugar (almost banoffee). Oak spices, more fresh cinnamon buns / scrolls. Dried orange peel & leather again. Spearmint again around the edges heading into the finish. 

Finish: Long length. Touch of bitter herbs and more strawberry gum, strong dark tea and leather. Orange peel again but it's sweeter this time. Buttery cinnamon scrolls/buns again but with a few currants thrown in.

Notes: 3.5 out of 5 (again, bearing in mind my limited cognac & brandy experience). 

Overall Notes: Deeper, richer and more "up-front" than the 51-year old, this one jumps straight out of the glass in comparison. There's more wood influence and less complexity, and less balance. Bear in mind though that I've just recently tasted a 51-year old cognac, so this 36-year old had some big shoes to fill! Prior to this review I had expected to prefer this younger example, since I often prefer younger spirits for their vibrancy - not that it's a spring chicken at 36-years of age, and I should know seeing that it was distilled in my birth year! But that's proven not to be the case, although that's more of a credit to the previous 51-year old cognac rather than a critique of this 36-year old. 

Thanks to Deni & David from Old Master Sprits for the samples for these reviews, and for bringing these tasty cognacs to Australia at very reasonable prices. I also have to add that the level of professional communication and the passion shown by Deni is something that many large corporations should be striving for!

Cheers!

Springbank 16 Year Old Local Barley Whisky Review!

The mighty, legendary first release of the current Springbank Local Barley series, the 16-year old. Despite being released only six years ago (but it feels more like a decade ago), this whisky has become almost mythical in the last year or two!

Nostalgia in whisky can be a cruel mistress. We whisky lovers tend to look at the past through rose-tinted glasses, whether they're aimed at closed or dead distilleries, older limited releases, or older and/or discontinued core range bottlings. Some are underappreciated at the time, and to paraphrase about twenty 1980s power ballads, sometimes "we don't know what we've got 'til it's gone". Sometimes these whiskies are immediately appreciated in smaller circles, but the distillery responsible then explodes in popularity and can't keep up with demand, making them near impossible to find - which brings us to Campbeltown stalwart Springbank. For quite a long time this quieter distillery was something of a "deeper cut", as in it was really only recognised by hardcore whisky fans and often spoken about in hushed tones. Springbank and it's three different spirits have always been harder to find than the more commercially-oriented, marketing-heavy brands, generally requiring more effort than simply walking into your nearest supermarket/supermarket-owned liquor store or bottle shop and grabbing one from the shelf. And it still is harder than that, except it's now gotten to the point where the usual sources have all but dried up, and most of the stock never reaches shelves of any description before it's completely sold out and allocations are exhausted. Importers themselves are selling out of entire shipments before they'd even sent their allocations to other retailer, thus narrowing the pool even further. In a way, we've brought this on ourselves - we should've all kept our mouths shut about this brilliant old-school distillery and their brilliant old-school whiskies. But in the current & continuing whisky boom, both sustained & accelerated by the pandemic, it was inevitable that the spotlight would finally shine on the "wee 'toon" that is Campbeltown. It's a shame that the region's three small distilleries never had any real chance of keeping up!

One specific iteration of Springbank that has really catapulted in demand is the Local Barley series, distilled from barley grown on the Kintyre peninsula. Prior to the sixth bottling in the series, the 10-year old sherry cask matured release from late 2020, the "LB" series was slowly on the rise in popularity, but once that dark-coloured sherry cask hit the interweb in the middle of the pandemic-induced wave of insanity that is still continuing, the entire series was propelled into the stratosphere. Now there has been another release of 10-year old Local Barley Springbank, this time from 100% bourbon casks and the largest release to date of 15,000 bottles, which in theory should make it a little easier to source than its predecessors since it won't have the same appeal to the flippers and speculators. Although something tells me I may be dreaming there! Ignoring the older releases from the late 1990s that are now unicorn bottles, this 'modern' Local Barley series started back in 2016 with the 16-year old release that we're looking at today, which is the oldest in the series by a significant margin, followed by the 11-year old. If you're wanting to buy a bottle of this 16-year old Springbank here in 2022, you'll be looking at over £2,000 GBP at the latest overseas auctions - which has almost doubled in only a few months on the same auction site. For those of us playing on the other side of the planet, that would come to something like $5,000 AUD once Australian customs have had their way with you. Truly an insane amount of money for a teenaged whisky with a relatively high amount of bottles released (9,000), and only six years ago. Here's the kicker; the original retail pricing was around £95 GBP and around $220 here in Australia, which was widely considered to be too expensive at the time, particularly in Europe. Those naysayers have certainly been proven wrong since. I did say that nostalgia in whisky was a cruel mistress!

Given those astronomical and frankly stupid current values, the source of today's review may come as something of a surprise. I actually won this 30ml sample via an Instagram giveaway during a "like & share" promotion from Australian online retailer The Old Barrelhouse, who believe it or not actually gave away four of them! Before you start sharpening your pitchforks, there was no special treatment involved, all four winners were chosen by randomiser, nor was there any obligation whatsoever to review said sample here, or to mention where it came from. In fact I debated what to do with it for quite a while! With 30ml of this modern-day unicorn whisky in hand, which is now basically unobtainable, I could either a) drink it, b) share it with a friend, or c) review it here. As you can probably tell by now, I've gone with option C, although I was leaning towards the slightly more philanthropic option B until I realised that this would only upset the friends that I didn't share it with. So I'm going to upset you all instead, by singing this whisky's praises all over the internet. Now that I think of it, I suppose option C does also contain shades of option A...

The 16-year old Springbank Local Barley was distilled in 1999 from Prisma barley grown on Low Machrimore farm on the Kintyre Peninsula, a few miles from the distillery. That barley was of course floor-malted on-site at the distillery, lightly peated to roughly 15 ppm and distilled 2.5-times in the usual Springbank fashion. It was matured in 80% ex-bourbon casks and 20% ex-sherry casks, and bottled in January 2016 at a cask strength of 54.3%. As with everything from Springbank, it is non-chill filtered and no colouring has been added. Fire up the DeLorean, doc!

Springbank Local Barley 16-year old, 54.3%. Campbeltown, Scotland.

Distilled in 1999 from Prisma barley grown on the Kintyre Peninsula, floor-malted and lightly peated at the distillery. Matured in 80% ex-bourbon and 20% ex-sherry casks, bottled January 2016. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 9,000 bottles. 

Colour: Medium gold. 

Nose: Soft, minerally, malty. Peeled red apples, wet stone (flinty minerality), touch of old galvanised sheet metal and a little minty around the edges. Lovely golden malted barley, lightly grassy. Zesty lemon peel and a little honey-roasted nuts. Earthy, dusty dunnage warehouse floors, touch of fennel and white pepper. Grapefruit, clean wax and olive oil with more time. 

Texture: Medium weight. Rich & oily, malty & zesty. No heat at all. 

Taste: Clean engine oils, touch of petrol, gentle ashy peat smoke. Loads of lemon peel, even more grassy malt. Drying minerality (damp stone / flint), grapefruit and white pepper again. Dusty, earthy dunnage floors, but not as dank & musty as some can be! 

Finish: Medium-long length. Grapefruit & lemon again, dried lemon now though. Dusty grassy malt, a touch of hay, soft ashy/sooty smoke and that subtle metallic note. Earthy dunnage floors again with clean industrial oils and a subtle touch of salt. 

Score: 4.5 out of 5. 

Notes: Just delicious. Very "old school", with great maturity and character. But it's not as "funky" as some Springbank can get (which can tend to fade with maturation time), instead it's very malty, oily, citrusy and mineral. And there's very little obvious cask influence. Which is just what we want in a local barley Springbank! There's a nice industrial side here too, particularly on the palate and finish, but again it's not as dirty or dank as you may expect. Loads of character though, and it certainly doesn't feel like anything is missing or lacking. Not at all! 

This 16-year old Local Barley Springbank has to be one of the most "old school" whiskies that we've seen in modern times, particularly given the lack of overt cask influence of wood impact getting in the way of that lovely malty spirit. It's still the king of the current iteration of the Local Barley line-up if you ask me, but really you can't go wrong with any of them. Even the sherry cask from 2020/2021, albeit in a completely different way. These guys do not skimp on quality! 

Thanks to The Old Barrelhouse team for generously giving this sample away via Instagram - again, at random and with zero obligation whatsoever - when they could've easily sold the four samples for substantial amounts of money. This whisky deserves its legendary status - less so the current asking prices, though. 

Cheers!

Bruichladdich 11 Year Old Single Cask Barrel & Batch Exclusive Whisky Review!

A single cask Micro-Provenance Bruichladdich, bottled exclusively for Barrel & Batch, an Australian "whisky co-op" group sourcing exclusive and/or limited bottlings for their members. 

A single cask Bruichladdich is always exciting, particularly when it's an official bottling from the distillery's "Micro-Provenance (pause for a breath) Cask Evolution Exploration" range of frosted-glass bottlings that are rarely seen in this part of the world. In fact we've only officially seen one of these previously, an Australian-exclusive Syrah red wine cask that was bottled at the end of 2019 and released here in mid-2020, which I've previously reviewed here. While that cask was exclusive to the Australian market as a whole, the bottling that we're looking at today was available from just one source, the Sydney-based "whisky co-op" group that is Barrel & Batch, a relatively new company that is importing and/or reselling exclusive and uncommonly seen whiskies & whiskeys to it's members. Barrel & Batch is entirely free to join, and this is not one of the subscription-type "services" where they automatically charge your credit card every month and send you whatever they're selling, unless you ask them not to by "opting out" in advance before the deadline. Instead this is a more conventional operation where they tell you about the product, and if you want it, you order it - a much better system if you ask me! The folks behind Barrel & Batch aren't newcomers to the scene, with organisers Ray & Simon being involved in the Sydney hospitality industry for a very long time, and being behind the popular Webster's Bar in Sydney's inner-west. The pandemic hasn't exactly been kind to hospitality venues and has killed off many of them, but Ray & Simon have adapted & overcome, with this new project keeping them busy. They already have some serious notches on their bedposts, with exclusive single cask official bottlings from the likes of Old Pulteney, Glenglassaugh, and even Jack Daniels, not to mention a number of independent bottlings and Australian whiskies, and of course this official bottling from Bruichladdich that we're looking at here. Crucially they also support their releases with online tastings and launch events, often with direct participation from the distillery / bottler so they have access to first-hand information. This Bruichladdich for example was officially launched with a physical tasting at Webster's along with a live appearance (via Zoom) from Chloe Wood, the distillery's Brand Ambassador for the Asia Pacific region, and none other than Adam Hannett, their Head Distiller. Not something you see everyday, and certainly not something that every distillery would do!

"Progressive Hebridean Distillers" Bruichladdich are certainly one of Islay's most popular producers these days, so this second Australian-exclusive single cask bottling is a great thing to see. It's also quite exciting because this bottling is from a first-fill ex-bourbon cask, rather than the wine casks that are the distillery's mainstay - particularly when it comes to their namesake unpeated spirit. Yes, there are plenty of ex-bourbon or refill cask independent bottlings, and the official bottlings of the distillery's main peated spirits (Port Charlotte and Octomore in particular) see bourbon cask versions on a more regular basis. But the unpeated stuff tends to be finished or fully-matured in wine or fortified wine casks, particularly in these Micro-Provenance single casks. Some may turn their nose up at an ex-bourbon cask bottling, particularly one of an unpeated whisky, but they are often a much better example when it comes to showing distillery character and spirit character, rather than a darker and more cask-forward whisky that will inevitably attract more attention. Bourbon casks also give the influence of the barley itself a better chance to survive the maturation period, which is something that Bruichladdich excel at with their fresh & coastal unpeated spirit. Now I heard comment recently, and I won't name names, that bourbon cask Bruichladdichs "just aren't that exciting". And I disagree, because they work brilliantly when done well. And some of my favourite unpeated Bruichladdichs of all-time, the 23-year old Golder Still (reviewed here) and a 15-year old private cask bottling that I'm yet to review - but it could well beat the Golder Still's score if I do - have both been from bourbon casks, and both were incredible whiskies. And when it comes to their younger and more regular ex-bourbon stuff I also very much enjoyed the Bere Barley bottlings from the last couple of years, and the old Laddie Sixteen really opened my eyes to unpeated Islays back in the day. This distillery certainly doesn't need a fancy wine cask to show us what it can do!

In the case of this Barrel & Batch exclusive single cask, this first-fill bourbon barrel bottling was distilled from barley of the Appaloosa variety (a modern high-yielding distiller's barley) grown on the Scottish mainland, and in this case it was organically grown barley, although that isn't mentioned on the label. Along with the likes of Deanston and Benromach, Bruichladdich are one of the main players in organic Scotch whisky, with an annual release of "Bruichladdich The Organic" that could be considered part of their core range. Does organic barley actually make much of a difference to the completed whisky? Like many points of contention with whisky, there are too many other factors involved to be able to definitively answer that in either direction. But certainly the examples of that aforementioned Organic release have been markedly different to the same distillery's Islay Barley, Bere Barley and Classic Laddie releases, regardless of the exact cause for those differences which would be due to multiple factors anyway. Interestingly though I do often find the Organic 'laddie releases to be drier in flavour - as in less sweetness - than most releases in the distillery's range, and I do find a similar dryness in this single cask release. 

This Micro Provenance bottling, cask #1189, was distilled on the 31st of May 2010, fully matured in a first-fill ex-bourbon cask, and bottled on the 1st of June 2021 at a cask strength of 59.2% ABV, and of course is non-chill filtered and natural colour. It launched in Australia in October 2021, with a yield of 258 bottles. Pricing was quite reasonable at $220 AUD, around 10% less than the previous Australian exclusive Syrah cask which was six months younger - but wine casks don't always come cheap, and that one was over 62% ABV, so that slight price difference is very understandable. The sample for this review came from a generous fellow-whisky lover. Let's get to it!

Bruichladdich Micro-Provenance 11-year old, 59.2%. Islay, Scotland.

Bottled for Barrel & Batch (Australia). Distilled May 2010, fully matured in a first-fill ex-bourbon barrel, bottled June 2021. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 258 bottles. 

Colour: Pale gold. 

Nose: Attacks the nose hairs! Quite "nippy", even after breathing time. There's vanilla custard, a touch of honey, and dry malty cereals. Loads of barley character. Creamy apricot yoghurt, slightly floral with a touch of tinned peaches in light syrup. Some lightly toasted marshmallow, white pepper and dried lemon peel. 

Texture: Medium-heavy weight. Big & oily. There's definitely spirit-y heat that turns a little astringent, but the oils carry it and it's more than bearable. 

Taste: More vanilla custard and creamy apricot yoghurt, and more peaches in syrup. Then the dry cereals come through, oily with white pepper and dried lemon peel, turning slightly bitter. 

Finish: Medium length. Noticeable spirit-y heat from initial swallowing that carries through the finish. But the creamy apricot yoghurt and peaches are there, alongside the drying malty cereals, earthy white pepper and a pinch of hot cinnamon. 

Score: 3.5 out of 5. Towards the lower end of that scale, though.  

Notes: It's a little rough around the edges and a little raw, but there's enough oiliness and barley character to pull it off, and a great balance between cask & spirit. The barley character shows through in spades, albeit in a drier style than expected, but as mentioned above I do find that dryness in the organic 'laddies as well, so it could be a common thread. The fruitiness in this single cask is lovely too, and it's all very Bruichladdich. Some of these younger Bruichladdichs do present as being quite hot, regardless of the cask type. It's still a rarity, but I do wonder if it's down to their high to very high filling strengths? Then again, plenty of distilleries are filling their casks at still strength these days, so perhaps not. Maybe it's just the luck of the draw like with many distilleries, and it shows a little more with lighter cask influences from bourbon barrels and the like. Although I've also had an independent bottling of an older first-fill sherry cask that was considerably hotter, so who knows! 

It's great to see a second Micro-Provenance single cask make its way to Australia, so thanks to Ray & Simon from Barrel & Batch for making it happen! It was a great move going for a bourbon cask if you ask me. Bruichladdich fans love to see the distillery character shine through, and it's here in spades. 

Cheers!

Octomore 10 Year Old (2020 / 11 Series / Fourth Edition) Whisky Review!

The fourth edition of 10-year old Octomore, distilled from 208 ppm barley this time - the highest to date in a 10-year old - and bottled in late 2020. 

As much as the "standard" 5-year old Octomores can be delicious, when that number is doubled Bruichladdich's super-heavily peated whisky takes on a different persona. They're still peaty of course, but they're more rounded, more balanced and of course more mature. Obviously that differs by release, with different peat levels and different cask types involved each time, and with some being more cask-influenced than others, and some being more peat-influenced than others. But in general these older Octomores tend to be delicious, and a little less... confronting & aggressive than their younger brethren often are, particularly to relative newcomers. Due to the extra age these 10-year olds have always been significantly more expensive than the regular five-year old Octomores, save the Islay Barley bottlings anyway. None of these Octomores are budget-friendly whiskies, and said newcomers looking at a 10-year old Octomore at $300 AUD next to a 10-year old Ardbeg at $90 AUD  - or even a 10-year old Port Charlotte from the same distillery as the Octomore, at $110 AUD - might be a little confused. The first couple of appearances of a 10-year old were very special things, because they were rare and unusual things for the brand, but now as a regular occurrence they may have lost some of their allure in favour of the Islay Barley _.3 and the wine cask-finished _.2 bottlings that are seen to be more "exotic". Although they too have also crept, or in some cases jumped, up in price over the last couple of years. 

This "Dialogos" bottling from late 2020 was the fourth 10-year old Octomore (not counting the completely bonkers X4+10) that we've seen to date, released roughly alongside the 11th series of bottlings that was named 'Dialogos' (meaning "discussion"). The first 10 was released back in 2012 alongside Octomore 5.1, and it was distilled from 80.5 ppm barley and matured in ex-bourbon casks. The second was released in 2016, distilled from 167 ppm barley and matured in ex-bourbon and Grenache Blanc white wine casks. Then the third 10-year old release from late 2018 was where things started to get complicated, with port, cognac, ex-bourbon and virgin oak casks all thrown into the mix. Then we arrive at this fourth release of a 10-year old Octomore, distilled from 208 ppm barley (the highest in a 10-year old to date) and bottled in late 2020. Frankly the cask recipe for this one seems a bit of a complicated jumble! There were 77 casks in total in the vatting: 46 of them were full-term maturation first-fill ex-bourbon casks. Then 15 first-fill ex-bourbon casks that were aged for 5-6 years then filled into second fill ex-bourbon casks for the next 4-5 years. And the remaining 16 casks started off as a 'parcel' of 20% virgin oak casks and 80% first-fill ex-bourbon casks that were finished in second-fill virgin oak that was then vatted together at 8-years of age and filled into second-fill ex-bourbon casks in 2018. That latter part is interesting because of the virgin oak influence, and because it sounds like a similar maturation recipe to the virgin oak-influenced 8.4 8-year old, up until the finishing in second-fill bourbon casks for another two years. So basically this is a combination of first-fill ex-bourbon full maturation, and first-fill ex-bourbon finished in second-fill ex-bourbon, and first & second-fill virgin oak finished in second-fill ex-bourbon. Phew! That's one hell of a mouthful, and Bruichladdich aren't holding back any of the details. These guys don't really do anything by halves!

At the time of writing this fourth iteration of 10-year old Octomore is still available in Australia, with pricing ranging from $280-320 AUD. Not exactly cheap, but $50 more than the 5-year old 12.1 from the subsequent series is not an unreasonable difference given the age difference. Like many whiskies the Octomore pricing has certainly gone through the roof over the last couple of years, particularly for the _.3 Islay Barley releases and the wine cask finished/matured _.2 editions that were once travel retail / duty free exclusive prior to the pandemic. The new fifth edition of a 10-year old Octomore that was recently released is going for 160 pounds plus shipping, which for those of us in Australia would come to around AUD$500 once customs & DHL have ruined the party by sticking their dirty fingers in the cake. Rather tellingly that new 10-year old is still available from the distillery's website at the time of writing which is well-over a month after release. That's despite only 3,500 bottles being available, and its delicious-sounding recipe of 5-years in ex-bourbon casks and 5-years in Spanish red wine casks. That's the issue with only selling directly from a distillery's website, it's fine for British and (some) European buyers who just pay the VAT and the smaller shipping charge, but once you go further afield it becomes a seriously expensive proposition for many. And when the local duty, taxes, customs and courier charges are particularly nasty like ours here in Australia, it becomes a prohibitively expensive purchase, even for hardcore fans of the distillery. Even more so when this fourth edition can still be found on local shelves for far less money and significantly less trouble. 

So, Octomore 10-year old Fourth Edition. Distilled 2009 from Scottish barley peated to 208 ppm and bottled in late 2020 at 54.3% ABV, naturally without chill filtration or added colouring. Let's see how it goes!

Octomore 10-Year Old, Fourth Edition, 54.3%. Islay, Scotland.

Distilled 2009 from 208 ppm barley, bottled late 2020 alongside 11-series. Matured in combination of first-fill ex-bourbon, second-fill ex-bourbon, and virgin oak finished in second-fill ex-bourbon. Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 12,000 bottles. 

Colour: Gold. 

Nose: Creamy, citrus-y and smoky. Creamy caramel fudge, dried orange, sharp lemon, meaty & herbal dry peat smoke, and sweet charred wood. Raw fatty smoked bacon, dark chocolate, touch of aniseed and black pepper, toasted coconut. Icing sugar and creamy peach yoghurt around the edges. 

Texture: Medium-heavy weight. Thick, creamy & syrupy. Sweet & smoky. Warming, but no heat. 

Taste: Syrupy sweet entry with charred & caramelised wood & creamy caramel fudge. Then thick ashy peat smoke, dark chocolate, burnt smoked bacon and dried orange. Touches of aniseed and leather in the background. Some peach & nectarine in there too. 

Finish: Medium length. Thick smoke carries through, then the creamy lactic sweetness returns with that creamy caramel fudge. Vanilla pokes through here, as does white chocolate and a little more peach & nectarine, plus a little sea salt. Charred wood & black pepper to finish. 

Score: 4 out of 5. 

Notes: Very Bruichladdich, with that creamy & sugared lactic note, and the citrus and subtle salt showing through nicely - even in a 10-year old Octomore where the barley was smoked to within an inch of it's life! Really this is a grown up version of one of the 5-year old _.1 Octomores, a little calmer, a little more life experience, but with plenty of character and still packing a punch - in terms of phenols, but also with that creamy & viscous texture that helps to hide the ABV very well on the palate. This 10-year old 4th Edition is not the most "out there" or extreme Octomore in terms of flavour or cask influence (looking at you, 10.4!), but there's plenty of character on offer and while the wood influence is definitely noticeable, it's well balanced against the smoke and creamy sweetness. If memory serves this 10-year old is significantly smokier than the 11.1 from the same series and the 12.1 that came later, despite both of those being half the age. And that's not usually the case when comparing a 10-year old to one of the 5-year old upstarts. 

I was ready to be underwhelmed by this one, if I'm honest. Or at least unmoved by it. Mainly because of the virgin oak involvement, and the relatively conservative casks that made up the remainder of the recipe, and also because of the number of 10-year old Octomores that we've seen lately and the hefty price tags that came along with them. But I should've known better. Satisfying, sweet & smoky Octomore that shows the distillery character nicely, and has carried its age quite well by rounding off the edges. Very nice. 

Cheers!

Lagavulin 12 Year Old 2020 Whisky Review!

Since the 2021 Special Releases are (finally) getting closer to Australian shores, it's high time that I reviewed my winner of the 2020 line-up, the mighty Lagavulin 12.

Lagavulin 12-year old does seem to be attracting more attention over the last couple of years, but compared to the more "shiny" releases from other distilleries it is still sitting in the shadows. This Islay stalwart's "Offerman Editions" are getting the lion's share (pun intended) of social media & PR glory these days, which makes no sense to me. The 12-year old is the only accessible cask strength Lagavulin, for one, and - in terms of attainable official bottlings at least - some of these releases are quite possibly the best examples of a spirit-driven peated Islay whisky that you'll find anywhere. The amount of distillery character on show, and the magnificent oily texture, and certainly the natural presentation (cask strength and no colouring or chill filtration) make it a far better example of Lagavulin than just about anything, unless you're lucky enough to get to the distillery for a Feis Ile or Jazz Festival bottling, or you've taken part in one of Ian McArthur's legendary warehouse tastings. If you're sold on Islay whisky but have moved away from the likes of Lagavulin 16 and the 8-year old in favour of bigger whiskies from other distilleries, get yourself a bottle of the 12-year old. Add water if needed and let it breathe both in the glass and in the bottle, and you'll be well-rewarded. This whisky deserves much more attention than it receives!

The 12-year old does vary with each annual release, and as you'd expect some are better than others. But I'm yet to taste a "bad" one! Luckily for us in Australia they have been reasonably easy to obtain, although supply was more sporadic in the past - the 2015 and 2016 iterations were never imported into Australia, which I suspect was because the importers over-ordered the 2014 release which then took a long time to sell through. The latter of those two lapses in the series did hurt Australian fans a little more than usual, since the 2016 release was the distillery's 200th anniversary bottling, which was as delicious as you'd expect. Thankfully a few Australian retailers did parallel import (bypassing the local distributors) a small amount of stock, but the numbers were low, and the prices were high as a result. Regardless of your location, if you did manage to get your hands on either of those, then you've done well! Thankfully from 2017-on we've seen a steady supply of Lagavulin 12 down under, and that year also happened to be one of the best that we've seen in recent years - previously reviewed here. In my opinion the 2018 release that followed it was the low point in the series to date - still a solid whisky as they always are, but not on the same level as the other vintages that I've tasted. That 2018 release was also the last Lagavulin 12 to be presented in the "traditional" understated packaging with its brown glass, simplistic labelling and plain black carton which had featured since the debut of the 12-year old back in 2002. Thankfully the 2019 and this 2020 release that followed, with their elaborate new labels and their clear glass bottles, have both been excellent!

The 2020 Special Releases were very similar to the 2019 batch that preceded them, both in appearance as far as packaging and design, and also because they featured the exact same list of distilleries - different whiskies of course, but from the same distilleries. Notably there was no Caol Ila release in either batch, nor Port Ellen or Brora - that's probably because the dwindling stocks of the latter two are being held back for their "Prima & Ultima" mega-priced releases, but the missing Caol Ila was a little surprising. Interestingly both the 2019 & 2020 batches featured an older bottling of Mortlach, a 26-year old and then a 21-year old, which were the most expensive releases in their respective batches. Some would justifiably say they were overpriced, particularly when compared with the twin 30-year old Dalwhinnies from the same batches that were priced significantly lower. Both the 2019 & 2020 releases were themed "Rare By Nature", which is why they featured various flora & fauna on their labelling & packaging. As I'm sure most of us have already seen, the 2021 Special Releases is themed "Legends Untold", and features more "cartoony" artwork with stylised wildlife, or even mythical creatures. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing, far from it - in fact I think the new packaging looks amazing, particularly on the outer tubes / outer packaging. The surprise additions to this new and (for those of us in Australia) upcoming batch are a Royal Lochnagar, an Oban and a younger virgin oak-influenced Mortlach, and like the 2019 & 2020 batches all eight releases in the series carry age statements. There's also a refill cask 8-year old Talisker that is said to be from their "smokiest reserves", which promises to be interesting. Word is the 2021 releases will finally hit Australian shores in late March (2022). I hope there's plenty of stock coming, since like almost everything lately they're going to be flying off the shelves!

On to the subject at hand. The 2020 Lagavulin 12-year old follows the same proven recipe as the twenty annual bottlings that have preceded it since 2002. Matured in refill casks (which will be refill American oak ex-bourbon hogsheads) and bottled at cask strength - 56.4% ABV in this case - without chill filtration or added colouring. There is always minimal input from the casks in these cask strength Lagavulins, which allows the oily, dirty, sweet & smoky spirit to shine through beautifully with that coastal, minerally, citrus-y character that Islay drinkers can't get enough of. Let's get to it!

Lagavulin 12-year old, 2020 release, 56.4%. Islay, Scotland.

Matured in refill casks (presumably refill ex-bourbon hogsheads). Non-chill filtered, natural colour. 

Colour: Very pale gold. 

Nose: Big & powerful, smoky & dirty. A little nippy initially after breathing time. Aniseed, oily dirty smoke (diesel fumes come to mind!), salty & briny. Cracked black pepper, touches of dried lemon and something vegetal - as in fresh root vegetables, maybe parsnip? Dry seaweed, salmon baked in rock salt, and sweet maltiness comes through with more time. 

Texture: Medium weight. Rich & very oily. Smoky, dirty & mouth-coating. No heat at all. 

Taste: Dirty oily smoke again, think diesel fumes, but there's some clean olive oil in there too. Sweet malt with ashy warm peat smoke (must be what the Port Ellen Maltings smells like!) and more of that dried lemon & thick brine. Touch of baked black olives, maybe a couple of anchovies in there too. The smoke turns a little acrid & bitter heading into the finish.   

Finish: Medium-long length. Dirty smoke and ashy peat carry through, with the black pepper and olive oil following close behind. That vegetal note returns but it's turning towards bitter here. Then the sweet maltiness and dried lemon, brine too. Slight yeasty note to finish - baked olive bread.  

Score: 4 out of 5. 

Notes: It's possibly not the most complex or complicated example, but it's delicious regardless! I think Mezcal drinkers would be right at home here. Big dirty smoke and ashy peat, vegetal & sweet malty spirit. Just what the doctor ordered on a stormy afternoon! I feel like there's slightly more cask influence here than there was in the 2019 release, and both are far above the 2018 in quality if you ask me. Make no mistake though, this 2020 release is still very much a spirit-driven affair, we're talking about a very minor difference and it's neither a positive nor a negative.  

Lagavulin 12 always makes me wish that more Islay distilleries would let their spirit character shine more often - particularly the other two that neighbour Lagavulin on the southern shore... Yes, both do cask- or high strength examples but they're also quite cask driven - and yes I'm looking at you, Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength and Ardbeg Corryvreckan - which leaves the refill cask opportunities to the independent bottlers. Let's hope we see more of the same with the pending arrival of the Lagavulin 12 2021 in Australia. And lease keep the Lagavulin 12s coming Diageo, there's no need to mess with this winning formula! 

Cheers!