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“Because you can't buy happiness... but you can buy whisky and that's pretty much the same thing”

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Stories from February, 2012

Besmoked Vodka Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Master of Malt

“This vodka is liquid smoked pine wood. Really evil. Just Bloody-Mary-lovers pyromaniacs. ”

71
Besmoked Vodka
In the quest to create the perfect smoked vodka, dozens of species of wood were sent to their fiery deaths before the ultimate combination was settled upon. The final recipe included Maple, Apple, Cherry, Pecan and Hickory to which was added a sprinkling of aromatic Rosemary.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (72): average. alcohol, pine, smoke, wood.

Palate (71): light, powerful. smoked wood, wood, pine, alcohol.

Finish (70): average. smoke, pine wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Besmoked Vodka with 71 points over 100.

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Thanks to the chaps at Master of Malt for this official sample.

Not being a cocktail man myself, what kind of cocktail would you make with this vodka?


Mackmyra Moment Norrsken Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Mackmyra

“Really interesting Mackmyra whisky... although I have no clue about which type of cask is this whisky aged on. I like it!.”

88
Mackmyra Moment Norrsken

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (87): more than average. honey, citrus, floral, spices, wood, nail polish.

Palate (90): smooth, powerful, oily. honey, vanilla, citrus, floral, spices, pepper, anise, wood.

Finish (88): longer than average. spices, cardamom, honey, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Mackmyra Moment Norrsken with 88 points over 100.

Lots of thanks for @TheScotDreamer and @AngelasShare for inviting me to Mackmyra Blind tasting.


Blind Tasting with Dramming.com

By Miguel in News

Blind tastingOliver Klimek, the Malt Maniac behind Dramming.com is proposing a great idea: a blind tasting competition.

Oliver explains the idea at his blog:

«There will be consecutive tastings in two categories: Scotch Single Malt and Freestyle, both consisting of five 3 cl samples. Participants will have to pay for their samples based on bottle price as well as for shipment.

My intention is to give you as little information as possible. I want you to trust your palate and not to ponder about direct or indirect hints. Don’t expect that all bottles have or have not been reviewed on the blog. And here is a dilemma: Samples are supposed to be paid for, but knowing the total price for the set is already a little hint. To solve this problem it needs a bit of mutual trust.

Participants will only have to pay an initial down payment. I will then buy the bottles and send you the drams. I will charge you for the rest afterwards, when the results are in and I disclose the identity and price of the bottles. I will trust you that you are going to pay for the whisky I sent you, and you can trust me that I don’t charge more than I paid for the whisky. I will only tell you that the total for each 5 bottle set will be less than 500 Euro. This is the only hint you will get in addition to the category description, and I basically do this only to assure you that you don’t have to expect to pay monstrous amounts for samples of luxury bottlings.

The winner(s) of the competition will not have to pay anything and will get the down payment refunded

You can check the rules at http://www.dramming.com/2012/02/27/blind-tasting-anyone/

About the payment it is like this: you pay now 25€ for the samples that amount 15€ for delivery ( worldwide ) and 10€ for samples. After the tasting happens, Oliver disclose the bottles and the prices and you will have to pay up to 10€ more, as the total price of the samples won’t go beyond 25€, so in worst case scenario we are talking about 40€ for five expensive whiskies. Seems like a great idea. I am in!.

Hurry up as there are only 21 seats and more than 50% is now occupied.


Bunnahabhain 30 years old 1978 Murray McDavid Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Bunnahabhain

“Forget whatever I have wrote about sherry and peat. I love this whisky! Superlative!”

92
Bunnahabhain 30 year 1978 Murray McDavid
Vintage Bunnahabhain selected by Jim McEwan (Master Distiller at Bruichladdich). This was distilled in 1978, matured in Oloroso casks for a whopping 30 years, and bottled at the Bruichladdich distillery in 2009 for Murray McDavid's Mission range. A release of 300 bottles of cask strength whisky.

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. honey, peat, leather, spices, vanilla, tobacco.

Palate (93): smooth, dry, powerful. honey, peat, spices, leather, floral, raisins, cocoa, nuts.

Finish (92): longer than average. peat, honey, leather, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bunnahabhain 30 year 1978 Murray McDavid with 92 points over 100.

Bunnahabhain 33 years old 1976 Celtic Heartlands Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Bunnahabhain

“Nice Bunnahabhain with more peat than I am used from this distillery.”

90
Bunnahabhain 33 year 1976 Celtic Heartlands
Aged for a whopping 33 years, this is a single cask, cask strength Bunnahabhain from Master Distiller Jim McEwan's Celtic Heartlands range.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. honey, wood, peat, spices, a little mango, candies. Rather good lovely nose.

Palate (90): smooth. peat, floral, spices, pepper, wood, honey. A bit woody but quite fine.

Finish (89): longer than average. peat, earth, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bunnahabhain 33 year 1976 Celtic Heartlands with 90 points over 100.

Bowmore 7 years old 2002 Murray McDavid Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Bowmore

“Good Bowmore whisky not bad at all for such young whisky. Thumbs up!”

88
Bowmore 7 year 2002 Murray McDavid
7 year old Bowmore, bottled for Murray McDavid. This was distilled at the Bowmore distillery in 2002, aged in bourbon barrels and then finished in casks from First Growth Bordeaux winery Chāteau Latour. Bottled at Bruichladdich in 2009 as part of an outturn of 1,700 bottles.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. peat, salt, honey, dried fruits, dates, wood, cinnamon.

Palate (87): powerful, oily. peat, salt, raisins, wood, spices, a bit cocoa. Maybe sweet sherry cask? Not bad at all.

Finish (87): average. honey, peat, wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bowmore 7 year 2002 Murray McDavid with 88 points over 100.

Fifty Pounds Gin Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Fifty pounds

“Fine gin but it won't shake your world neither.”

74
Fifty Pounds Gin
A very handsomely-presented London gin, made by Thames Distillers. Thankfully the product lives up to the stylish packaging - this is excellent stuff.

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (72): weak. floral, juniper, citrus.

Palate (77): powerful. juniper, herbal, floral, citrus.

Finish (74): short. juniper, herbs, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Fifty Pounds Gin with 74 points over 100.

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Bulldog Gin Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Bulldog

“Floral gin where outstandingly juniper isn't the dominant profile.”

78
Bulldog Gin
A delicious English gin made with poppy, dragon eye, lotus leaves, citrus, almond, lavender and various other botanicals (12 in total). This is four times distilled in copper pot stills, and Bulldog had the highest rating ever received by a gin from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was also voted a Top 50 spirit!

This dram has a white-like color.

Nose (78): average. juniper, honey, floral, citrus.

Palate (78): light, smooth. floral, juniper, citrus, lemon zest, herbs.

Finish (77): short. floral, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bulldog Gin with 78 points over 100.

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Lagavulin Distillery Only Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Lagavulin

“Rather interesting dram that you can only taste at the distillery ... or with the chaps of Master of Malt. I prefer though the raw power of the 12 years old.”

91
Lagavulin Distillery Only
A very special Lagavulin, this "distillery only" bottling is made with the remnant of whisky from a previous bottling run of Distiller's Edition. It is then re-casked and left for a few extra years.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. peat, honey, vanilla, fruits, a little pears, salt. More complex than 12 years old but not as much as 16 years old. Rather interesting.

Palate (92): powerful, oily. peat, salt, peach, honey, vanilla, pepper, rubber, espresso.

Finish (91): longer than average. peat, salt, pepper, honey, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Lagavulin Distillery Only with 91 points over 100.

Lagavulin Feis Ile 2011

By Miguel in Tasting , Lagavulin

“This Feis Ile whisky is a sea christened Lagavulin: Laph-gavulin!”

91
Lagavulin Feis Ile 2011
An amazing and very rare Lagavulin, distilled on the 23rd February 1998 and aged in cask 1715 for 12 years before bottling for the 2011 Feis Ile.

A limited release, aged in warehouse 1 in a single refill butt, selected by Iain McArthur. A real crack!

If you liked this Lagavulin, you may want to try some Laphroaig whiskies.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. peat, rubber, salt, iodine, honey, citrus, fruits. It doesn't start like a Lagavulin. It it more maritme but then you get that characteristic Lagavulin aroma.

Palate (93): smooth, powerful, oily. peat, salt, fruit, honey, wood, smoke, burnt wood, coffee. Now it tastes more like a 16 year old Cask Strength. Really nice.

Finish (91): longer than average. peat, pepper, citrus, honey.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Lagavulin Feis Ile 2011 with 91 points over 100.

Balblair 2001 Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Balblair

“Rather good flavor with a bit closed nose. A great whisky nonetheless.”

89
Balblair 2001
Latest addition to Balblair vintage series. A full-bodied whisky with an incredible flavour.

This dram has a white wine-like color.

Nose (87): more than average. floral, honey, vanilla, toffee, mango.

Palate (92): powerful, oily. honey, wood, spices, floral, vanilla, a bit cocoa.

Finish (88): longer than average. wood, spices, honey.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Balblair 2001 with 89 points over 100.

1800 Tequila Ańejo Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , 1800

“This tequila remind me of a rye whiskey. Very floral with lots of spices. I have been surprised really.”

88
1800 A?ejo Tequila
An ultra premium tequila, 1800 Anejo is aged in small French oak barrels for over 12 months, with a small proportion of it aged in American oak for 3 years.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. honey, spices, old cloth, sugar cane.

Palate (88): light. floral, citrus, spices, wood.

Finish (86): average. floral, wood, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this 1800 A?ejo Tequila with 88 points over 100.

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Bruichladdich Octomore 01.1 Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Bruichladdich

“Liquid peat ambrosia. Tasty!.”

91
Bruichladdich Octomore 01.1
The now very rare first release of Bruichladdich’s Octomore. When it was released it was the world’s peatiest whisky, with phenol levels of 131ppm. This has since been eclipsed by the astonishing peaty punch of the second edition, but this will remain the original!
TODO: Check if strength is 63.5% or 63%
TODO: Check if strength is 63.5% or 40%

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (90): strong. some peat, iodine, floral, pears, wood.

Palate (93): oily, powerful. some peat, iodine, floral, honey, salt.

Finish (91): very long. peat, floral, a little honey.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bruichladdich Octomore 01.1 with 91 points over 100.

Suntory Hibiki 12 years old Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Suntory , Hibiki

“A great whisky - sherry and bourbon blended with exquisite taste. Maybe a Balvenie Doublewood?”

91
Suntory Hibiki 12 year
A stunning 12 year-old blend from Hibiki. Lovely malt from Hakushu and Yamazaki, plus some aged grain from Chita - and part matured in casks formerly home to Japanese plum liqueur! One of the best new releases of 2009, without a doubt. Picked up the top prize in its category at the World Whisky Awards 2010.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. honey, vanilla, peaches, flowers, spices, citrus.

Palate (91): powerful, oily. honey, wood, vanilla, tobacco, plums, raisins, citrus, spices.

Finish (91): longer than average. honey, vanilla, tobacco.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Suntory Hibiki 12 year with 91 points over 100.

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Sweden's best blind date: Mackmyra Whisky tasting

By Miguel in Mackmyra

Not knowing what you were drinking never was so fun before. Thanks to Angela and Colin for the chance of sharing such a great night.

mackmyra blind samples whisky

On Feb, 8th, we had a great night at Twitter tasting five secret Mackmyra expresions.
Fourteen Whisky bloggers guided by Colin Campbell @TheScotsDreamer and Angela D’Orazio @AngelasShare, who is right now master blender at Mackmyra distillery.

Before starting the tasting I was quite reticent because I have tried some Mackmyra whiskies before and I although they were fine drams they were not my favourite kind of whiskies: floral whiskies. I am more about sherried monsters and peat-armored whiskies.

mackmyra twasting concentration samples tasting whisky

So the tasting was a set of five different Mackmyra from a clear-white one to a very reddish-copper tones whisky. We had to taste them and after the tasting session we should name them. Angela shared an unsorted list with the whisky names and so we all did our best bet.

#1 Mackmyra Vit Hund

So our first whisky, named #1, was a white clear whisky which have been in a cask. From still to bottle. Very floral with notes of grapes and herbs. It remind me of grappa. People kept talking about potatoes and soaked potatoes. My nose wasn’t so fine :)

Angela introduced us some facts about the new Mackmyra distillery, Gravitational, a new green distillery with a production of 0.5 million litres of alcohol per year.

#2 Mackmyra Special 07

@WhiskyBrother and I, impatient as we are, were already smelling #2. Awesome honey and spices in this one with notes of liquorice and pepper on the taste. For me it was perhaps the best one of the night. Again the twitter crew talked about banana, banana pie and that it smelled similar to Irish whiskeys, which it does but like four or five times stronger.

#3 Mackmyra Moment Rimfrost

Whisky #3 has more fruits and nuts with touches of cinnamon. Angela points that it has a mineral touch that she loves. Maybe that is my nuts aroma. Then the taste is a torrent of spices. Just imagine Hulk using a spice punch. Yeah, like that. Many spices as vanilla, pepper, nuts and some cocoa. The finish is 100% Mackmyra: floral and citrus with honey and spices. This one is good but not as whisky #2.

mackmyra twasting writing tasting notes

#4 Mackmyra Moment Norskew

Next whisky, #4, is similar to #3, but Angela swear they are different. Honey and spices, but not as much as #3 with some acetone going there. On taste this one is great, lots of spices with anise and some wood. And finish with cardamom and honey. This one is the hardest to figure what it was about for me.

#5 Mackmyra Ex Sherry Smoke Private Cask

Finally the whisky #5 presents itself with a powerful “Ole!” and a peat-punch. It is very in the line of Master of Malt’s Bunnahabhain 20 years old Single Cask: sherry and peat. Lots of raisins, nuts and peat over the floral and citrus of Mackmyra. I am 100% sure that the cask that matured this whisky was a sweet oloroso sherry as I have finished a Laphroaig in a similar cask and this show the same profile aroma. Lots of excitement about this one, which unfortunately is a private cask.

Read the full tasting at Twitter

The Contest

The tasting lasted around 2:45 hours, which is really a bit long for what I was used to, but it was a great event with great whisky and really nice whisky people.
We were asked not to publish any of the pairing whisky, names and instead email them to either Colin or Angela. I have fingers crossed waiting for the result.

Note to self: Publish the tasting notes as soon as you know the real names of the whiskies involved. You don’t want people to know you missed even the newmake one.

Update: Woo! Not bad at all. I guessed 3 of 5 just naming wrong #3 and #4. Congratulations to @whiskybrother, @AWG_whisky and @galg who did 5 of 5.


Glen Marnoch (Aldi) 24 years old Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Aldi

“A bit light and with a simple but promising nose. Unfortunately the rest of the whisky isn't up to the level, but serious you can't ask much more for that price. It doesn't feel like 24 years old whisky.”

86
Glen Marnoch 24 Year Old (Aldi)
Bottled by Aldi from a secret distillery this Glen Marnoch is a pretty affordable dram.

But although it is sold as 24 years old and had an incredible price, you can find better drams for that price without the glossy 24 years old age statement.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. honey, raisins, wood, spices. Not a bad nose, but simple. It doesn't smell of old at all.

Palate (85): powerful. honey, spices, floral, pepper. A bit light. Perhaps bottling it at 46% would have done the trick. Not sure Aldi customers would mind about it either.

Finish (85): average. honey, spices, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Glen Marnoch 24 Year Old (Aldi) with 86 points over 100.

Springbank 15 years old Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Springbank

“Good Springbank but my heart belongs to the great Springbank CV.”

88
Springbank 15 year
A 15 year old from the Springbank distillery with plenty of sherry notes and spice, dried fruits and nuts.

Distilled at Springbank distillery in Campbeltown, this single malt whisky is the return of a classic.

It is very nice, but I personally prefer the Springbank CV bottling.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (88): more than average. honey, citrus, vanilla, apples, floral.

Palate (89): smooth, powerful, oily. honey, peat, citrus, vanilla, pepper, floral, wood.

Finish (87): longer than average. honey, floral, smoke.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Springbank 15 year with 88 points over 100.

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Lagavulin 1991 PX Finished DE Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Lagavulin

“A rather interesting PX finished Lagavulin that doesn't overrun the whisky but doesn't make it stand out neither. A sweeter Lagavulin.”

90
Lagavulin 1991 Distillers Edition
With all your favourite Lagavulin characteristics, allied to an extra layer of sweetness, this is the most consistently excellent of the highly popular Distiller's Edition series.

Winner of a Gold Medal and Best in Class at the IWSC, as well as the 'Best Peated Malt' in the Premium category at the Malt Maniacs Awards 2008.

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (89): average. peat, wood, salt, cocoa, citrus.

Palate (90): powerful, oily. peat, salt, peach, citrus, honey, wood, cocoa, cappuccino. Ha! Delicious sweet coffee on the end. Surprising!

Finish (90): longer than average. peat, sweet, cocoa, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Lagavulin 1991 Distillers Edition with 90 points over 100.

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Glenturret 18 year 1990 Chieftains Choice Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Glenturret

“Something strange and spicy appears on the taste that breaks a light and floral whisky.”

83
Glenturret 18 year 1990 Chieftain's Choice
An 18 year old from Ian MacLeod's Chieftain's Choice range. This was distilled in October 1990 and aged for 18 years in cask number 91781 before bottling in May 2009. A release of 312 bottles.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (82): average. honey, floral, pepper, citrus. Very light whisky and overall floral aromas.

Palate (85): light. honey, floral, citrus, paper, spices.

Finish (83): average. floral, honey, a little wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Glenturret 18 year 1990 Chieftain's Choice with 83 points over 100.

Bladnoch 16 years old 1992 Murray McDavid Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Bladnoch

“Powerfully floral whisky. This Bladnoch has some nice citrus notes inside.”

88
Bladnoch 16 year 1992  Murray McDavid
A 16 year old Bladnoch, distilled in 1992, matured initially in bourbon barrels before a finish in Amarone Italian red wine casks. Bottled in 2008 at the Bruichladdich distillery, with Islay spring water. A release of 2,500 bottles.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (87): more than average. toffee, malt, floral, citrus, a little oranges.

Palate (89): powerful, oily. floral, honey, spices, vanilla, wood, citrus.

Finish (87): longer than average. floral, sweet, wood, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bladnoch 16 year 1992 Murray McDavid with 88 points over 100.

Lagavulin 12 years old 2008 Release Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Lagavulin

“Raw powerful peat-amines! Just what doctors recommend.”

92
Lagavulin 12 year 2008

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (92): more than average. peat, honey, vanilla, salt, peaches, wood.

Palate (93): powerful, oily. peat, wood, iodine, honey, citrus, floral, coffee, spices. 100% Lagavulin: You can only love it or hate it.

Finish (91): longer than average. peat, honey, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Lagavulin 12 year 2008 with 92 points over 100.

How to drink whisky by the nose itself

By Miguel in News

In this rather funny video Whyte and Mackay master blender Richard Paterson shows David Hayman how to drink whisky. Right after that he crafts a blended whisky for David and show how to drink it.

It is a must see even if you consider yourself an expert. You never get disappointed or bored with Mr. Paterson.
WARNING: video contains slaps and scenes of whisky being thrown on the floor.


Bunnahabhain 20 years old Single Cask Master of Malt Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Bunnahabhain

“Peat and sherry isn't a blend I particularly enjoy but on the other hand I could spend a few weeks drinking this one. Heavy sweet oloroso character.”

89
Bunnahabhain 20 year Single Cask Master of Malt
A fascinating little Bunnahabhain distilled in December of 1990 and aged in a single Spanish oak butt for 20 years before bottling on the 7th November 2011. Astonishingly sherried, this stuff really reminds us of a good old Japanese single cask malt, and it has more than a hint of aniseed. Well worth a try!

This dram has a mahogany-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. wood, peat, raisins, vanilla, honey, citrus, liquorice.

Palate (88): smooth, powerful, oily. wood, peat, dates, raisins, nuts, citrus.

Finish (88): longer than average. nuts, leather, peat.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bunnahabhain 20 year Single Cask Master of Malt with 89 points over 100.

Bruichladdich 10 The Laddie Ten Tasting note

By Miguel in Tasting , Bruichladdich

“Superb whisky!. Not very peated with just a touch of delicious sherry aromas. Love it!.”

91
Bruichladdich 10 The Laddie Ten
The very first 10 year old whisky to be wholly distilled, aged and bottled by Bruichladdich's new owners. In many ways this marks the beginning of the new era, and this will be snapped at by connoisseurs and collectors. This was bottled on the 11th September 2011. A true milestone bottling.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. peaches, peat, honey, nuts, citrus.

Palate (91): smooth, powerful, oily. peaches, peat, vanilla, honey, tobacco, milk chocolate, wood.

Finish (90): longer than average. peat, wood, salt, cocoa.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bruichladdich 10 The Laddie Ten with 91 points over 100.

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