Caol Ila 29yo Duncan Taylor 1983 Whisky Review & Independent Bottling's Explained!

My first review of an independent bottling, and a very special one, this bottle of glorious whisky was my 29th birthday present last year, from my parents no less, albeit with a few subtle pointers from myself! At 29 years of age, like I was at the time, this just felt so right! This is still the oldest whisky I've tasted to date, and one of the more expensive as well. 

Distilled in 1983 at Caol Ila distillery, and bottled in 2012 at 29 years of age, this whisky is part of Duncan Taylor's 'Dimensions' range, and is non-chill filtered, bottled at cask strength and has no added colouring. For the serious whisky obsessives this is cask 3624, and bottle 191 of 362 from that cask. 

But before we dive into the review, let's have a quick look into the what, why and how of independent bottling's of Scotch whisky. 

For the what, essentially an independent bottling company, such as Signatory, Gordon & MacPhail, or Duncan Taylor, is an independent company (duh) which buys casks of whisky from distilleries, to market & sell themselves, usually as a single malt or single cask bottling. 

For the why, they do this for a number of reasons, but the main one is to offer something which one cannot buy from the distillery. For example, if a distillery always chill filters their whisky before bottling, an independent bottler may buy a cask from the distillery and bottle it without chill filtration, to off the consumer something they can't get in an original bottling from the distillery. The same goes for things like adding colouring/caramel, bottling at below cask strength, different ages of whisky, and different casks used for maturation. Another reason why, is because they can usually sell their bottling at a lower cost than the distillery would charge for an equivalent whisky. It doesn't always work this way, but the 29yo Caol Ila I'm reviewing here cost around $100 less than a 25yo distillery bottling, which would have been watered down to 43%, and with some chill filtration. 

As for the how, these companies will either approach a distillery to buy any casks they don't want, and that may be because the whisky hasn't matured as the distiller expected, or the flavour profile is too far from the norm to be blended into their standard offerings, or because they need/want a bit of extra income. The independent bottler may mature this whisky further themselves, or bottle it straight away. It is important to note here that independent bottling's vary wildly in terms of quality and flavour, and can be quite a risk come buying time. For this reason, I recommend sticking with the major companies, and if possible try before you buy. Failing that, research the bottling as much as you can before taking the plunge. 

There are also a few independent bottlers which do not name the distillery their whisky came from, usually because they have an agreement with that distillery that they will not disclose that information. There are also many, many independent bottlers out there selling blended whisky, and also do not state which distilleries their whisky came from, but I'm focusing more on the single malt and single cask bottler's here. Now, on to the review!

Caol Ila 29yo, by Duncan Taylor, 'Dimensions' Independent Bottling.

Distilled 1983, bottled 2012, 53.8% cask strength, non-chill filtered, no added colouring. 

(tasted neat and with a drop of water)

Colour: Dark bronze

Texture: Clean and refined, lightly oily.

Nose: Salty, fruity and peaty. A little reminiscent of Lagavulin initially, with less peat and smoke. A little ethanol and soap, furniture polish, not a lot of smoke at all. Sweet grapes, dry grass and herbs. Water brings out more grassy, herbal notes and fruit.

Taste: Sweet peat and smoke, dark fruits. A little heat, and salted, stewed stone fruit in the background. Water brings out a nice malty sweetness and caramel/toffee.  

Finish: Long and peaty, smoky, slightly burnt caramel, warming and drying. Even longer with water and a little more burnt caramel. 

Score: 4 out of 5. 

Notes: As expected, quite different from distillery versions of Caol Ila. Maybe a slight nod in the direction of their distiller's edition, but with more malt, less sweetness and more depth & body. A very interesting whisky, and pretty good value, compared to original bottling's. A little hard to find now, but SM Whisky still has a few samples, along with other independent bottling's, and there are a few bottles around in other online whisky shops. Happy hunting! Cheers.

What Is Chill Filtration?

As a whisky drinker, you have probably heard the term 'chill filtered' or 'non-chill filtered' before (you certainly have if you've read any of my reviews!). But what does it mean exactly, and why should you care?

Well, this term refers to the type of filtration used to prepare a whisky for bottling where, as the name states, the whisky is chilled to a low temperature, usually around 0 degrees C, or lower, and forced through multiple micro filters under pressure. What this process does is remove naturally occurring particles from the whisky, namely fatty acids, proteins and esters, oils and sediment. But why? So the whisky does not go cloudy/hazy when it is chilled, and/or diluted to below 46% alcohol by volume (ABV), and this is seen as undesirable by some whisky drinkers (especially when they add a handful of ice cubes to their Johnnie Walker), so many distilleries take this extra step during the production of their whisky to prevent this happening. Yes, that's it. That's all it does. Shocking, I know.

In fact, you may have noticed, many non-chill filtered whiskies have a statement on the bottle to explain themselves and hopefully prevent complaints from the less discerning drinker. Generally something along the lines of  "this whisky is non-chill filtered, and may go cloudy with the addition of water or ice. This is normal and it is safe to consume". Regardless, some casual consumers will still find this weird or concerning, and it puts them off buying and drinking that particular whisky. Obviously, distilleries and their owners do not want that to happen.

Also known as 'scotch mist', this cloudiness occurs when the above mentioned particles bind themselves together (coming out of solution, technically) as a result of a temperature drop. This does not occur in spirits at above 46% ABV because the higher alcohol level stops the particles binding together (keeping them in solution), but if you add enough water to your cask-strength whisky to reduce the amount of alcohol in the glass to below 46%, it can and generally does still go cloudy. Another purpose of chill filtration is to remove any sediment from the whisky before bottling, which occurs during distillation, and also during maturation (coming from the cask). But this can be removed from the whisky using simple barrier filtration, without altering the temperature of the liquid, which retains most of the natural oils and compounds in the bottled whisky.

The chill filtering process is pretty interesting scientifically, at least to this layman, as the (apparently) unwelcome particles are filtered out using adsorption, rather than absorption. Basically this means the particles are collected as solids on the surface of the filter medium, rather than being absorbed or dissolved by it. Another interesting fact is this process actually adds to the production costs of the whisky! So come on Scotch (and other) whisky industries, why not save some money and stop this madness?

So how does all of this affect your whisky (or other spirit, for that matter)? This is bit of a contentious topic, as some parties (let's call them the 'yes' camp for added drama), both distilleries and consumers, claim chill filtration has no effect on the finished product, other than preventing the 'scotch mist' from occurring. On the other hand, those opposed to chill filtration in whisky (the 'no' camp), which I belong to, believe that the removal of these particles dampens, or more accurately strips out the natural mouth-feel and texture, and also even the flavour & body of the whisky. There have even been blind tastings where some experts cannot tell the difference between all tasted samples of whisky which has been chill filtered, and all samples of whisky which has not. But in this whisky enthusiast's opinion, chill filtration is evil!

Thanks to dramming.com for the image. Guess which sample has been chill filtered!

It is important to note that chill filtered whiskies do not advertise this fact on the label, or even on the distillery website. You won't find it mentioned anywhere. Likewise if a whisky does not state on the label that is has not been chill filtered, it's usually safe to assume it has been chill filtered to some extent. Not always though, since there are plenty of distilleries & companies that use generic labelling across their ranges, so a cask strength whisky that is non-chill filtered may not necessarily say so. It's also important to note that not all chill filtration is the same, there are lesser- and more evil versions, which are dictated by the temperature that the whisky is chilled to prior to filtering, plus the grade of filters that are used, how often they are changed, and how many times the whisky is forced through those filters prior to bottling.

There are not many examples of the same whisky being offered in both non-chill filtered and chill filtered forms, but one way where this is possible is to look for an independent bottling (such as those from Duncan Taylor, Gordon & MacPhail, etc.) of a normally chill-filtered whisky, which states clearly that it is non-chill filtered. You can also run your own experiment, by simply leaving out two glasses of whisky that are otherwise similar, but one is non-chill filtered and one that is chill filtered, and you'll clearly see the difference once the alcohol (ethanol) has begun to evaporate.

Lastly, I should point out that a whisky being chill filtered is not necessarily grounds to avoid it, it may still be a great whisky of excellent quality (looking at you, Lagavulin). The point is though, if it were non-chill filtered, it could be just that much better!

Cheers!

Glenlivet Nadurra 16YO Whisky Review

A slightly unusual whisky to review on a blog named 'Peated Perfection', being unpeated, but bear with me! I first tasted this whisky at Whisky Live a couple of months ago, and was very impressed. But, it's hard to judge a whisky when you've already had 'a few' others, so I thought I had better buy a bottle and do a proper review. Just for integrity's sake of course!

Before we delve into the details, let me drop a hint: 'Nadurra' means 'Natural' in Scots Gaelic. Which means, this whisky is bottled just as it comes out of the cask, in it's natural state. No added colouring, no evil chill filtration (a deeper explanation of this dastardly act is coming), and bottled at cask strength, not watered down. There is some variation between batches, mainly in the alcohol levels (ABV%), and a slight variation in the flavour as well. There are three variants in Glenlivet's Nadurra range, being Nadurra Oloroso, matured only in ex-sherry butts, Nadurra 48%, watered down from cask strength (don't know why they bothered with that one), and the Nadurra 16 year old cask strength, matured in ex-bourbon casks, which I'm reviewing here.

Glenlivet (or 'The' Glenlivet, to give it the full title) is one of the largest distilleries, in production terms, in the world, bottling over 6,000,000 bottles annually. It is the second highest selling single malt whisky, as a brand, in the world, and one of the oldest distilleries, working since 1824 with only a short break taken for world war II. You would think this would mean a lot of their whisky goes into blends (such as chivas regal, owned by the same company as Glenlivet), but no, the majority is sold as Glenlivet single malt. But the majority is unfortunately also chill filtered, bottled with colouring, and with added water.

Glenlivet Nadurra (Natural) 16YO, 54.8% cask strength, Speyside, Scotland. 

Ex-bourbon cask matured, bottled 03/2013, non-chill filtered, no added colouring. 

(tasted neat and with a drop of water)

Colour: Yellow gold

Texture: Beautiful, mouth-coating, creamy, slightly thick. Excellent mouth-feel. 

Nose: Honeyed pears and pear nectar, juicy grapes and sweet melon, just-ripe banana, a hint of oak and sweet wine, a tiny hint of spice. Water brings out more sweetness and oak.  

Taste: A lot of ripe pears, melon, honey, oak, clean and bright. A little mild heat from the high ABV%, but goes away quickly, and doesn't hurt anything. Water brings the sweetness to the front, and enhances the oak a little more.

Finish: Long, sweet and bright, more fruit, and sorry but I have to mention pears again! Water doesn't shorten the finish at all.

Score: 3 out of 5.

Notes: There isn't a great deal of complexity in this whisky, and I would like a little less sweetness and a little more spice. But the texture, body and mouth-feel (all terms for the same thing, really) are outstanding, and are the stars of the show for me. I honestly wish chill-filtering was banned by the Scotch Whisky Association, it just ruins the natural feel and flavour of our beloved spirit. But that is extremely unlikely to ever happen, simply because casual whisky drinkers panic when their drink goes cloudy after they add water (again, more details to follow shortly).

I congratulate Glenlivet distillery on this Nadurra range, it really is a huge step in the right direction for them, and is a massive improvement over the 12 and 18yo offerings. If I had my way it would be the only style of whisky they produced. They do not make any peated whisky either, unfortunately, but guys if you're reading, you should do it. And naturally, please keep it natural!

If you're interested, the Nadurra 16yo is fairly easy to find, Dan Murphy's have it here in Australia, but most whisky shops and major bottle shops should also. It's definitely worth trying.

Cheers!

Ardbeg Supernova 2010 Whisky Review

There is a lot of anticipative energy in the Ardbeg 'community' at the moment, and with good reason: a new Supernova is coming! To mark the occasion, I thought I would review the last version released, SN2010.

For those of you not familiar with this Ardbeg expression, the first version of Supernova was released back in 2009, and was back then the world's peatiest whisky, at "well over 100ppm". It has since been dethroned by multiple versions of Bruichladdich's Octomore . Very peaty indeed, and it won Jim Murray's 'Scotch whisky of the year' back then as well.

The 2010 release I'm reviewing here didn't win Jim's award, but is still a big peaty beast of an Ardbeg. It was actually my second major whisky purchase, after the always-excellent Lagavulin 16yo. My bottle of SN2010 is getting a bit low now, but I won't be replacing it, as it is now selling for well over double what I paid, just those few years ago!

An NAS bottling, this young peat monster, it is thought to be 7-9 of age, to retain the maximum peatiness. As we know, peat levels recede with time during maturation. It is also bottled at a high 60.1%, and is very aggressive and eye-watering without water to calm it (very slightly).

Ardbeg Supernova 2010, NAS, 60.1%, Islay, Scotland. 

'Well over 100ppm', thought to be aged 7-9 years in ex-bourbon casks. Non-chill filtered, no added colouring.

(tasted with a few drops of water)

Colour: Light gold. 

Texture: Creamy, Oily.

Nose: Masses of peat & salt, some herbal, oaky sweetness. A little heat, even with water. More vanilla sweetness comes through with time in the glass. Not the most complex ardbeg nose, but makes a big impression.

Taste: Huge, creamy, herbal peat. Definitely a peaty Supernova explosion! Salty, sea air, some hot smoked fish, tarred ropes and old grease. Some herbal and vanilla sweetness from the oak towards the end, and a little heat reminding you how young & strong this stuff is. 

Finish: Goes on for miles! Miles of never-ending peat, that is. Some more herbs and vanilla, and a hint of thin honey right at the end. One of the peatiest, and longest, finishes I've experienced. Not for the faint of heart!

Score: 3.5 out of 5.

Notes: A little too young and aggressive, and while I haven't tried the 2009 version, I have heard it was quite different in this regard. Definitely a peat monster, and a very good quality whisky, but not on the same level as Ardbegs' Uigeadail and Corryvreckan, in terms of complexity and enjoyment. Certainly much more aggressive than Bruichladdich's Octomore releases that I've tasted, despite the extra couple of years' maturation time, but that's probably down to the different shaped stills. 

The new Supernova release, however, promises to be a show-stopper! Down to 55%, which either points to extra water, or extra maturation, or both. But -wait for it- some sherry cask maturation has been used! Could this be a peatier, meatier version of my all-time favourite Uigeadail? Time will tell, but I'm counting the days until it's release next week!

Also worthy of a mention is Ardbeg's space experiment, which is what the new Supernova release is commemorating. Back in 2011, they sent vials of compounds, called Terpenes (basically flavour compounds), and some charred oak, up to the International Space Station, for an experiment. The purpose was to study the differences between oak maturation on earth, and in space (a 'control' set of compounds & oak was kept at their warehouse on Islay). An interesting mission, although the benefits of this are beyond my understanding. This space-travelling Ardbeg experiment returns to earth next Friday, the 12th of September 2014, and the occasion will be marked by the release of this promising new Supernova. 

I can't wait to try it, and I'm told my favourite whisky bar, Cobbler, will have it available for purchase by the glass. So if you're in Brisbane and you're not sure about buying a bottle of this stuff, head to Cobbler to check it out!

Cheers!

Talisker Distillery Profile

Probably one of the most widely known Island distilleries, Talisker is the only distillery on the rugged and beautiful Isle of Skye, a much larger northern cousin to our beloved Islay, it is even connected to mainland Scotland by road. Talisker distillery is located in Carbost, on the western side of the Island. 

Considered lightly peated, generally to approximately 20ppm, Talisker whisky is widely renowned for it's salty, maritime character, although this is very hard to find in some versions. Unfortunately, they use chill filtration, in (at least to my knowledge) all their bottlings, and only bottle at 45.8%, with the exception of their '57 degrees north' NAS version, which is 57% ABV. Speaking of which, although their core offering is still the 10 year old, they are now leaning towards mainly NAS (Non-Age Statement) bottlings as their core range, with a number of these bottlings being released recently, and none have been very good, in my opinion. 

My pick of their bottlings would be either the '57 degrees north' or the 18 year old, although the older releases of their sherry-finished 'Distiller's Edition' is very good as well, if not a little too gentle compared to the standard releases. 

Distillery location: Carbost, Isle of Skye, Scotland

Owner: Diageo, operated by United Distillers

Producing since: 1830

General whisky style: Lightly peated, salty & maritime (most bottlings)

I wish Talisker (and Diageo) would allow their whisky to shine through in it's natural state, by stopping chill filtration, and releasing some cask strength bottlings. A 12-16 year old, cask strength, non-chill filtered Talisker (without any fancy cask finishing) could be a truly fantastic whisky, and would put the distillery back on the radar of the whisky enthusiast. At the moment, one must search for an independent bottling to find such an animal, and even then they're quite rare. If they were to follow in the footsteps of Glenlivet, for example, and release a Nadurra (natural) bottling, it could be a stunner. Come on Diageo, make it happen!

Nevertheless, Talisker do produce some fine whisky, and their 10 year old is a great introduction to peated / maritime whiskies. Cheers.

Click here to view some Talisker whiskies!

The Highlights of Whisky Live! Speed Whisky Reviews

So, Whisky Live has wrapped up (the second session just finished actually), and it was a fantastic event. Having attended last year as well, I can say there was a definite improvement this time around. Whereas last year was hot and over-crowded, this year was far more comfortable (spread over the two days, rather than crammed into the one session). As always some punters got a little messy towards the end, and the food was essentially gone within the first hour, but really, if you were seriously worried about that, you seriously were there for the wrong reasons!

The range of whiskies on offer was about the same as last year, but with a few notable exceptions. Bruichladdich for example was setting up at the start but suddenly packed up and disappeared, taking their whisky with them. No idea what happened there, and was really looking forward to tasting their Port Charlotte Scottish Barley and Octomore 6.1 Scottish Barley again, but it wasn't to be. They may have been in attendance for the second session, I can't say.

There was again no representation for Ardbeg or Glenmorangie (in fact I have not seem them at any whisky event I've attended), which I find very odd, with Ardbeg's ever-increasing popularity here and everywhere, they would be a huge draw card to an event like this. On the other end of the scale it would be great to see a lesser-known Islay distillery present, such as Kilchoman or Bunnahabhain, or even Caol Ila, which is not very widely-known for it's single malt in Australia. Yet.

On the other hand there was a good cross-section of the whisky world present and accounted for, with Glenlivet (Speyside), Nikka (Japan), Talisker (Skye), Laphroaig (Islay), Amrut (India), Teeling (Ireland), Woodford Reserve (USA) and many, many more distilleries and companies well represented. A few tables also had samples of their malted barley (used to produce the whisky) out for tasting, which gave a very interesting angle when it came time to taste the end product. This stuff would make for a great snack on it's own, particularly the slightly smoky Laphroaig version.  

Laphroaig had a great selection out for tasting, with Dan Woolley the whisky lord, (officially the brand ambassador for Beam Suntory, but whisky lord sounds much better!) and team presenting their entire 'core' range including the 10 year old, Select Cask, Quarter Cask and Triple Wood bottlings, plus something very special hidden out of sight, but more on that later. If you're not sure why I'm calling Dan the whisky lord, refer to the below image:

See? I told you so. 

Talisker also had a good showing, offering their usual 10 year old and 'Storm' NAS bottlings, but also their relatively new 'Port Ruighe' NAS port-finished whisky, and a 2002 bottling of their Distiller's Edition. However both of those were disappointing, unfortunately, the Distiller's Edition in particular had absolutely nothing on the older versions I've tried. 

But, in a very deft move by Whisky Live, the star of the show was their 'Rare & Old' whisky bar. Not included in the ticket price, this little gem had a very impressive range of some very impressive whisky. Manned by Nathan from the Dram Full Whisky Club , who really knows his stuff, there was a nice range of old to very old whisky available for purchase, which also netted you an etched Copita tasting glass. The two gems I was interested in, however, were amazing. Refer to the below reviews for more details, I've left them 'til last to let the anticipation build! But here's a teaser shot (apologies for the zoomed in potato phone image). 

Without further ado, these are my highlights from the show, which I managed to get a few quick notes about: 

-Hakushu Distiller's Reserve, NAS, 43%. A blend of >18 year, <10 year, and a younger peated Hakushu. Sweet, fruity and light, like all Hakushu, but with a nice edge of soft peat. Decent. 

-Nikka Yoichi 15yo, 45%. Again, sweet and light, fruity and with a tiny, tiny bit of peat at the end. Jim Murray raved about this stuff, I don't really see it, but it's not bad. Easy drinking for sure.

-Amrut Fusion, 50%, NAS. Distilled from a mix of Indian and Scottish barley. Very good stuff, markedly different with it's own style, despite the use of some Scottish ingredients. Some very interesting spices, a little bit of peat, excellent quality with no heat despite the NAS and higher ABV. Very impressive.

-Glenlivet Nadurra, 16yo, cask strength 54.2%, non-chill filtered. Such an incredible mouth feel and texture, I cannot believe that Glenlivet have not stoped chill filtering their whisky altogether. This stuff was one of the highlights for me, really exquisite, even despite it being un-peated! Smooth and syrupy, almost thick. Not too sweet, a little spice and vanilla from the oak, nicely fruity and well balanced. 

So impressed with this, I think it will be my next purchase! Hard to believe it comes from the same distillery as their other offerings, this is a must have. There's a lesson in there - ban chill filtration! I'd have to give this a 3.5 out of 5, or even a 4. I better get my hands on it to figure that out!

-Teeling 'Poitin', un-aged, Irish spirit. Something a little left-field, this isn't actually whisky, it's basically moonshine or 'new-make spirit', over 61%, distilled from a mix of barley and potatoes, and only double-distilled unlike most Irish spirits. Smelt like nail polish remover and methylated spirits, but actually tasted interesting. Obviously is very strong and a bit rough, but has a surprising sweetness and berry-like flavour. Worth a try just to satisfy your curiosity, but try and have it after the whiskies!

-Laphroaig 25 year old, 2013 release, cask strength 45.1%, a mix of Oloroso sherry cask and Bourbon cask. Something special! Not cheap, at over $550 a bottle (although good value compared to the other 25yo listed below), but the extra age has really worked. Warming and gentle, some sherry sweetness and peat, but not medicinal or even saline like the Laphroaig you'd expect. It's grown calm and refined with age, gained some extra complexity and charm. Very nice, and beautifully presented too in it's leather box.

-Port Ellen, 4th release, 56.2%, aged 25 years, bottled in 2004. Only around 5000 bottles produced, and currently selling at over $2000 AUD per bottle (usually at auction). This Islay distillery closed in the early 1980's, and Diageo (owners) release a bottle every year, increasing in price each time. The old site is now Port Ellen Maltings, which supplies peated malted barley to most of the Islay distilleries. 

As you may have guessed, this was a purchase from the 'Rare & Old' bar, and wasn't cheap at $99 a half-nip, but this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for this mere mortal. Serious collector fodder, it saddens me to think that most Port Ellen whisky is purchased without the intention to open and enjoy, but rather as an investment. I will likely never see, let alone taste, another Port Ellen in my life. 

And, I have to admit, I was a little disappointed, although probably because I tasted the next whisky in my list before this. It is very good, don't get me wrong, it stands apart from 90% of peated malts out there, but it's not overly complex, and definitely doesn't deserve the insane collector/investor-aimed pricing. A little dusty, but lovely warm peat, not medicinal, a little salty but not overly so, well balanced with a long finish. Certainly no traces of other Islay distillery styles, this stands on it's own merits. 

Some other releases may be better, I will probably never know, but this one would score around a 4 out of 5 for me. Yes, that's a good score, but not at this sort of price point. No way. Diageo is really driving the Port Ellen prices up here every year, and fair enough, that's why they're in business, but does the whisky justify the pricing? I don't think so. 

-Lagavulin Feis Ile 2013, 18 year old, sherry butt matured, 51%. For those not familiar with the term, 'Feis Ile' is the Islay festival, an annual music and whisky festival on the Island, which sees most distilleries release a special bottling to commemorate the event. These can only be purchased from the distillery itself, or sometimes online if you're quick enough. Ardbeg go all out with their release, selling it all over the world for their 'Ardbeg day' celebration, but the other distilleries' releases are much harder to come by.

This makes them quite rare, in fact Lagavulin only released 3000 bottles of this 2013 version, considerably less than the 5000 bottles of the Port Ellen 4th release reviewed above, despite Lagavulin being an operating distillery. It is also considerably cheaper (at auction) than the Port Ellen as it is not as desirable among the collectors. Yet.

Now, let me start by saying that tasting this single whisky made my night at Whisky Live. My only regret was leaving it too late to have a second! Naturally it was for sale at the 'Rare & Old' bar, but was a relative bargain at $39 per half-nip, under half the price of the Port Ellen. I tasted this within the first 20 minutes of the show, which turned out to be a good idea, I wouldn't have wanted any other tastings getting in the way here.

The nose on this whisky was truly stunning. Beautiful rich sherry, that fantastic Lagavulin smoke, richer and slightly sweeter than the standard 16yo bottlings. Very well balanced, with the gorgeous salty peaty smoky notes happily married to the rich fruity sherry. I cannot find any information as to what style of sherry cask was used, it could be a mix of a few, but wow has it worked. Honestly the best nose on a peated sherry matured whisky I've ever experienced. 

In the glass there is absolutely no movement here, even once finished there were solid legs on the glass (I managed to resist sticking my finger in there), and even now two days later there's still a hint of this amazing whisky on the nose in the glass. Outstanding texture and mouth feel here.

Taste wise it is similar to the nose, beautifully balanced, rich and fruity, smoky and peaty. No detectable heat at all, even at (presumably) cask strength, absolutely exquisite quality whisky. The finish was medium length, smoky and sweet, not as long and weighty as I would have expected, but amazing nonetheless. Based on this quick tasting, in a less than ideal environment, I would give it a rough 4.5 out of 5. With more time, and a better tasting environment, I could give it my full attention, and work through the subtle complexities of this magnificent whisky. Hopefully I will get that chance one day.

So, if you've been undecided about attending whisky live in the past, hopefully you've now realised the error of your ways! With the Rare & Old bar, the event now appeals to the hardcore connoisseur and collector, as well as the punter. See you there next year!

How to survive (and enjoy) a whisky show!

One of the best ways to get into tasting an enjoying whisky, is to get to a whisky show / festival / expo / tasting. And with 'Whisky Live' in Brisbane tomorrow night (pumped!), I decided to do a quick article on what these shows are about, and how to approach them.

Generally there is a reasonable entry fee / ticket price,and there is a host of distilleries, brands and brand ambassadors in attendance, offering you a taste of their wares. The price often includes a tasting glass and finger food as well. The advantage of these events is that they allow you to try a multitude of different whiskies, including multiple bottlings / versions from the same distillery, giving you a good idea of what you like, and what you don't. Some of the larger shows have over a hundred different whiskies / bourbons out for tasting, so there is no lack of variety!

A bonus is because you have paid that entry fee / purchased that ticket already, the wallet generally doesn't need to enter in to the equation. You can therefore try some high quality whiskies (and other spirits usually) which you would not buy, due to the relatively high price, without tasting them first. Understandably, we don't want to spend $100+ on a bottle of spirits we don't like or haven't heard of.

These shows can be quite daunting for an amateur as well, they may not know what to expect, or if they are "going to get their money's worth". Likewise for the experienced whisky 'enthusiast' they can be a little off-putting, but more on that later. With these things in mind, here are a few tips to help you get the most out of an event like this. Let's call them the 'three BP's' because that kind of happened anyway.

Be prepared
Most of these events will have a list of which whiskies, or at least which distilleries, will be presenting on the night / day, so peruse the list, and make our own list of which whiskies you have been wanting to try, any you are unsure of or are not aware of, and any you're not particularly interested in, for one reason or another (while trying to keep an open mind). Armed with this mental or physical list, you can plan which tables to visit straight away, which to visit if they catch your eye or if you have extra time, and which not to bother with. Also, have a good meal before attending, drink plenty of water (a black coffee is also great for cleansing the palate too) and dress comfortably, you'll be standing around for at least a few hours.

Be patient
With the growing popularity of whisky, shows and tasting events like these can be very busy, even over-crowded. Be prepared to have 10+ people gathered around a particular brand's table, with everyone reaching over each other with their hands or tasting glasses thrust towards the ambassador/representative. This is why the previous rule is the most important, as you can spend a good deal of time tasting and enjoying the whiskies you were most looking forward to, without needing to rush and hustle through them.

Be polite:
Spare a few thoughts for the attendants, brand ambassadors, distillery managers or owners who are standing behind a table for a few hours, repeating themselves many times, and unfortunately dealing with those who have had too much, too quickly. Engage them in conversation, and talk to them about their products, but also let them do their job, don't crowd the table and talk for 20 minutes about that time you went to Scotland. On the same note, spare a few thoughts for the people waiting patiently behind you, and let them have their turn!

Based on those three golden nuggets (Yeah OK, they're just common sense), here are a few other points to consider (they don't start with B or P, so I'm afraid they don't belong) :

• Don't get plastered (intoxicated)! Take your time, and have some food & water between tastings. Obviously everyone is drinking spirits, you will get a buzz going, but don't let it go too far. If you can't tell the difference between the whiskies, it's time to take a break, or stop! 
• Taste the best first! By this I mean, the whiskies you are most looking forward to. Make a bee-line straight for them, early in the night, to make sure you don't miss out on something you really don't want to miss out on. The older and more expensive whiskies are usually the first to go. 
• Keep an open mind! You may think that you don't like peated whiskies, or that you don't like a certain distillery, but you may be pleasantly surprised. What do you have to lose? Don't turn your nose up based solely on a style or brand of whisky. 
• Have a whisky conversation! There is perhaps no better place to meet your fellow enthusiasts, and have a good discussion about this fantastic drink. Don't be afraid to ask for advice and / or share some knowledge either. 
• Remember to enjoy yourself! Don't take it too seriously, you're there to try some new whiskies, broaden your horizons and have a good time. Take notes to help your memory if you like, and don't be afraid to go back to a table for seconds later on. 

There are many different whisky events all over the world all the time, and there is no better way to further your whisky experience in one go, so have a look online, or ask your local whisky clubs / bars, to find out when the whisky train is coming to your town!

See you there!