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So, what are you drinking now?

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By @Wodha @Wodha on 15th Jan 2010, show post

Replies: page 390/645

@Nozinan
Nozinan replied

@thecyclingyogi Great to see you on Connosr after a "brief" hiatus!

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@bwmccoy
bwmccoy replied

@RianC - Sorry for not replying before now. The Benromach 15 was outstanding. Thanks to @jordytropp for opening his bottle for us. As you probably know, the standard Benromach 10 year is 80% ex-bourbon casks and 20% sherry ex-sherry casks (all first-fill) and then married for an additional year in first-fill European oloroso sherry casks. The 15 year is an additional 5 years (6 years total) in oloroso. The color is mahogany with a deep, resinous sherry character. The sherry barrels are sourced from Bodegas Williams & Humbert in Jerez. The bourbon barrels come from Heaven Hill and Jim Beam. For both the 10 and the 15 year, the malt is lightly peated (10-12 ppm) using highland peat in order to recreate the traditional style of Speyside whiskies. Hard to find anything not to like about this one, unless it is something that you don't like. :-)

I'm behind in my posting;

Monday night, Glentauchers SMWS 63.46 (10 year - Dec 6th, 2007) "A walk in the park" - Refill ex-bourbon barrel - 59.4% ABV

Tuesday night, Ardmore SMWS 66.123 (12 year - Mar. 6, 2006) "A strong personality" from a refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 57.3% ABV

Last night (Wednesday), Westland Distillery (Seattle, WA) Single Cask #3824 (Rum Cask Finish) and Westland SMWS 133.1 (5 year - October 2011) - "Speakeasy sneaky peeky" in order to write reviews that I promised @Robert99 I would do a couple of weeks ago. Sorry @Robert99 for taking so long. Finished the night with Caol Ila SMWS 53.241 (6 year - April 2011) - "Dense smoke over a tarry deck" - Refill ex-bourbon hogshead - 60.3.% ABV

5 years ago 5Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound

I was preparing a sample of Corryvreckan for a friend, and the temptation was too strong. I had a small (20ml) pour and it was fantastic ! Big, rich smoke, cherries, toasted oak, oily and mouth-coating, with tons of cinnamon and black pepper on the finish. I’ll be interested to see how it evolves over time, but it’s a great first impression.

5 years ago 4Who liked this?

Jonathan replied

2018 Machir Bay---the sherry finish is in the background but does the trick. Also--- sweet peat. I liked the CS a bit better, wasn't entirely convinced by the Loch Gorm (esp. for the price, and though I did like it, the sweet sherry was a bit too prominent). I don't think I've tried the Port Cask version yet....the red wine version is also decent, but I keep coming back to Machir Bay.I wish they would provide more info about what goes into it....

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound

@Jonathan I believe Machir Bay is 100 % malted barley, twice distilled, and aged in oak casks for at least 3 years. You’re welcome. stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes

5 years ago 4Who liked this?

Jonathan replied

@Jonathan I do't smell or taste that raisin and dark fruit flavor from Machir Bay in any comparable whisky. The Uigeadail has much more more peat, HP12 not enough. Will see. The local store has the young-ish high octane peat monsters on sale ( Lag 8, Ardbeg 10, Laphroaig QC and 10). I think they could all use a subtle dose of sherry casks, which Kilchoman is doing and doing well. The nose is great.---raisins, figs. ok , gottta go eat my winter congee :)

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

Jonathan replied

@OdysseusUnbound Hate to be a stickler, but this is what Kiichoman has said from the beginning: "Machir Bay, our signature peated single malt, is a vatting of Kilchoman matured in both bourbon and sherry casks. Named after Islay’s most spectacular beach, the high proportion of bourbon barrels create a distinct balance of classic Islay character and fresh floral complexity." There's a subtle and fruity sherry influence. Sometimes Lag 8 tastes like a really good Mezcal.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

Jonathan replied

@Jonathan You have to taste for it. The wine-matured versions of the Kilchoman house brand sometimes come on too strong (winey?)

5 years ago 0

Jonathan replied

@Jonathan Machir Bay has always been combination of 3,4 and 5 year old juice, which is then matured for a short time in sherry casks. It's the only whisky distillery I have been following since its inception. The first version was better and batches vary, but I don't think they have changed the formula.I thought that the whisky would get older as the distillery progressed, but they would advertise that if it happened.Anyway, nice to know another Kilchoman fan. The CS is great, by the way.

The subtle fruit influence is more something one can smell/nose rather than something one can taste. Kilchoman not just any young Islay, but that's just my 2 cents.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

Jonathan replied

@Jonathan I'll now have to get the Port version and let you know what I think. Is Kilchoman easily available in your parts?

5 years ago 0

Jonathan replied

@OdysseusUnbound I placed the comments under @ me instead of you. I know that, unbound, you can hear the Sirens' call. Try out more Kilchoman! And I'll check out Kilkerran.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC replied

@bwmccoy No problem - and thanks for the info, especially about the sourcing of the barrels. I rated the 15 really highly as well (I did a review last year) but it doesn't seem that many have tried it. At c£50 it's one of the best value for money whiskys I've ever bought.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC replied

I'm not doing a dry Jan but wanted to slow down a bit after the xmas overindulgence. Not had a drink all week until a small pour of Laga 16 last night. Was hoping to have a couple more but tiredness got the better of me. Reading some reviews today is making me salivate and feel a few 'wee samples' may be drank later stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye

5 years ago 3Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan replied

@RianC Fatigue and children. Two confounding variables in my hobby

5 years ago 4Who liked this?

@cricklewood
cricklewood replied

@Jonathan, I don't ever get much of a sherry influence in Machir Bay, the brash, peaty side is always on display rather prominently a kind of burnt corn husk note.

The Loch Gorms are getting to be rather stellar, it has that dark, bass note sherry influence, the 2017 was probably one of the top ones.

Then there is the Sanaig which gets lukewarm reviews but I find great, kind of ovaltine, nougat and peat smoke...it's just not as in your face as the other two.

I have the most recent Kilchoman red wine cask release and I have a bit of trouble with it, I find there is a strange herbal clash. I figured I would give it some time and come back to it.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@cricklewood
cricklewood replied

I haven't been indulging much of late either, this week back at work has kicked my ass a bit. I got home after having had supper with my kid and poured myself a dram of Gooderham & Worts 11 souls and ended up putting a cover on it and going to bed after a few minutes and one sip.

The interesting part is taking off the cover and doing a good nosing in the morning, your senses are so much sharper in the morning before you've consumed any meals or gone through your day. No tasting for me before work though.

@Robert99 had suggested trying to do nosing and tasting in the AM rather than at the end of the day, I think I might try that this weekend, it's rather interesting...as long as your SO knows you're not a lush I guess.

5 years ago 7Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC replied

@cricklewood - Yeah I quite like sniffing the glass the morning after. Especially something sweet and peat like Oogy or Laga 16. Bourbon also leaves a lovely toffee oaked dryness.

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

RikS replied

I'm having a Rittenhouse Rye dram, and yes - I understand what Victor means when he says it will both grow on you and develop nicely once opened. This one has now been opened a while and the initial hmmm has been replaced by a more pleasant ahh....

The initial corn syrup sweetness is toned down to something more mellow and round, and the spiciness has calmed and integrated better, whilst a certain fruitiness, dark cherries papaya, has emerged. This bottle will 'develop' for a while (which is a polite way to say that it's not my daily go-to by any stretch of the imagination), but it's certainly developing into something that I can understand is rather appealing.

I may even contemplate a furor into pure Rye land at some stage I believe...

5 years ago 5Who liked this?

@Robert99
Robert99 replied

@fiddich1980 It is funny how we describe flavors. When you mentioned "fresh coriander" in the OP 17 it sounds fantastic to me and gave me the idea to go back to my opened bottle of OP 17, although I don't remember that flavor. Then I realized that I don't use the word "coriander" in my reviews, I would probably opt for a mix of mint, citrus and parsley to describe that flavor (or those flavors). Funny how we have each our own idiosyncrasy.

5 years ago 4Who liked this?

@Robert99
Robert99 replied

@bwmccoy With all the great whiskies you are drinking, I would not know which one to review first. I will be happy to read your review(s) but I don't want to rush you. Take your time and first enjoy those whiskies.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@fiddich1980
fiddich1980 replied

@Robert99 Coriander is a herb that people like or hate. Most, people who hate it tend to describe the "soap" like quality to it or in some instances a swampy association. When you add a citric acid to it I wonder if it buffers the PH and thus makes it more palatable. This would be in relation to a Brushchetta where lemon or lime juice is added to soften the sharp alkaline astringent flavour of the coriander or parsley.. Sorry off track....

I ran across this thought at a tasting where a group of individuals has interesting flavour associations. The other group did not get what the other group were referring to - Plantain. Flavours and how an individual expresses communicates them maybe linked to cultural experiences and the diversification of food.

5 years ago 3Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan replied

@fiddich1980 My whisky reviews are always thought out...never written by occident.

Though there may be other bias...

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Robert99
Robert99 replied

@fiddich1980 You make a very valid point: we do have our cultural references. But as a French Canadian, I doubt my references are the same as an American or an English man or even as any Canadian from another province. In the Canadian group with whom I do some tasting we are all Canadian but we are from English, American, Italian, Jewish, Caribbean, French and, probably, a few other origins. I think our experience of food and beverage is more important than our origin. Our relation to words is also very important.

We are lucky to live at a time where you can find Papaya in Scotland, dates in Canada and a McIntosh apple in Asia. The Chinese love the maple syrup and we love the Soya sauce. We have all a lot of international influences and I hope for myself to have the opportunity to be exposed to many more. Just by the number of references to Oolong tea on Connosr, I could have guess that we may also have an Oriental bias. wink

5 years ago 5Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan replied

@Robert99 I agree that globalization has led to the availability of products and flavours.

I have to say though, in my minimal experience in China, and based on my wife's assurances, soy sauce is much more prevalent here in Canada than it is on tables in China...

5 years ago 0

Jonathan replied

@cricklewood With Machir Bay, this may be a case of me finding what I expect to find---and believing the distillery's description. The recent releases seem younger and less elegant, but when I think of 'brash," the younger Islay whiskies (QC, Lag 8 and Ardbeg 10) come to mind.I love those too, but their peat is much stronger than Machir Bay ( although i haven't checked the ppm). For me, it's the nose that makes the difference. I've heard that Machir Bay may have declined in quality, which is a shame when one considers that the distillery can now produce older whiskies. I have personally found that the heavy sherry in the Loch Gorm didn't quite mesh with the peaty spirit, but that could be a batch issue. I liked it, and I'd still buy it again if I could find it, but not before the Port Cask (if I can find it anywhere). I think I saw the Sanaig once (literally one bottle), but I didn't have the knowledge at that point to snap it up.

I'm thinking of venturing into Bowmore again--I like Darkest--- but they have nothing but the 12 where I live. I do love the Oogie and the Lag DE when I can find the latter or afford the former.

5 years ago 0

@RianC
RianC replied

@Robert99 @fiddich1980 @Nozinan - This topic interests me a lot. It's funny how many flavours that I used to dislike, coriander for instance, I now love. At one time I couldn't stomach whisky and now . . .

I wonder if as our taste receptors 'mature' and we gain more experience (especially through cooking and trying new foods) it allows us to identify more of the subtleties and complexities in whisky?

I also find the range of flavours that come from the wood and the grain fascinating. I know it's all chemistry at the end of the day (esters, aldehydes and phenols) but how it all comes together and is then perceived by us all so subjectively and idiosyncratically is what turns a straightforward distillation into pure magical alchemy. I mean, we are tasting the same thing, right? smile I guess it's like vision - we all see the same world but how we then perceive it is very different (arguably, due to one's collective experiences, that and good old DNA)

This is an interesting read (apologies if posted before) with a nice colourful table to look at

thewhiskylounge.com/felipes-whisky-flavour…

5 years ago 3Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound

I had a few pours of Signal Hill Canadian Whisky last night. I believe it is an Ontario (Hiram Walker?) sourced whisky, mostly corn with a bit of barley. First impressions: very sweet and floral, like drinking a good honey. A bit of fruitiness on the nose (tart green apples?) and very floral on the finish. Water adds a slight bitterness to the finish, reminiscent of the orange zest or grapefruit “meat” that I find in Canadian Club 12 and CC 20.

5 years ago 0

@conorrob
conorrob replied

Drinking redbreast 12 ... an eternal favourite of mine. Still doesn’t disappoint, shows that while other distilleries seek to diminish their craft in the search for profit. Redbreast continue to be a light in the dark compared to other distilleries perpetually seeking fame and glory. Good luck to them. Slaintè

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

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@Nozinan@NamBeist@fiddich1980@Timp@RianC + 61 others

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