Lagavulin (16 yo) [REVIEW]

Lagavulin 16 yo (ABV: 43%)

• Colour: Somewhere between chestnut and tawny.

• Nose: Robust and beautiful, like the refined and intellectual brother of the Laphroaig QC. Coming in with heavy smoke, making way to the peat, and finally iodine in the best way.  As the strongest notes fade, caramel and charred wood come through. Something like a rugged canvas backpack in there too.  All the favorite smells of a rough camping trip are here and it is glorious.
• Body: Smooth and thick, becomes wonderfully oily when left to sit on the tongue.
• Palate: A thick and wonderous bombardmend of smoke and peat. Followed up with subtle sweet notes of toffee, vanilla, and cream.  Just a touch of sea salt.
• Finish: Warm, long, like the last embers of a late night campfire on a soundless night.  More smoke and peat, giving way to caramel notes, touch of pepper, and the promise of fantastic next sip.
• Summary: I love this dram (can you tell?), it blew my mind the first time I had it.  The nearly perfect balance of flavors, with seemingly endless subtley and depth, give me a new adventure every dram while still staying so comfortably familar.  I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a beautifully crafted whisky, and even those who don't.
• Score: 96 / 100

Laphroaig Quarter-Cask (ABV: 48%)


This is a bit of a different review for me, as it was at a restaurant. I went for steak and decided to glance the bar while waiting - they had an unopened bottle of Laphroaig QC on the shelf. I asked how much, $6 for a single, $9 for a double. That sealed the deal, as I had not tried any Laphroaig malts before. I tried to nose/taste as much as I could before I started eating my steak (Baseball cut sirloin, med. rare, for those who care ) and it affected the taste. The smokey qualities of the whisky and the charred seasoned crust of the steak worked very well together.

• Colour: Light Straw? (Light was really bad, none of my pics really turned out)
• Nose: Smoke, Brine, Iodine, Mossy Logs, Damp, there is a lot going on here.
• Body: Thin and pleasent, expected it to be a little heavier at 48% - but not complaining.
• Palate: Peat, Smoked Honey (is that a thing?), liquorice, did I mention Peat?
• Finish: PEPPER->SMOKE->MORE PEPPER->Soft Lingering smoke, it is really nice - doesn't overstay it's welcome.
• Summary: I really like this, it is very robust, when the server was carrying it over I started nosing it from like 1 meter away. The flavors are intense and complex. I had worried that I would find the medicinal qualities of Laphroaig overwhelming, and there was a part of my brain that said "ACK! Don't drink that", but I didn't listen and that makes me glad. That being said, it is a lot of iodine to handle and it throws off the balance for me a bit, but just a bit. I would still pick the Lagavuilin 16 over this anyday because of the balance between smoke/peat/iodine being more to my liking, but it was a quality dram and I will be picking up a bottle or two.
• Score: 91/100

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban (12 yo) [REVIEW]

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban (ABV: 46%, 12 yo, matured in Bourbon casks, then finished in Port casks)

• Atmosphere : Post putting the kid to bed bliss, Parks & Recreation on the TV (Ron would be angry that I am not drinking my Laga 16, but I am note ready to review it just yet, too much going on there)
• Colour : Tawny
• Nose : Port, Very Fruity, Floral, Beeswax, subtle vanilla - almost ninja like, some toffee, and something I cannot figure out - a sweet something...
• Body : Light, smooth, and a little dry
• Palate : Flowers, port again, spiced cider and dried fruit, more of that honey/beeswax, just a little wooded note here and there
• Finish : Warm, a little spice, and here the oak comes that the palate teased about, smooths out nicely
• Summary : I really like the Quinta Ruban, I have not tried a full blown sherried scotch yet and I hope they go further down this path when I do. The nose on this is my favorite part, I sat there for a while trying to take it all in. The body is pleasent, I hoped for it to be a little more oily, with the 46% ABV. It has a nice dry snap to it that I enjoy, the fruits and honey on the nose made me worry it would be sweet, but it was not the case. Going back to this will be a pure delight, as I am sure there is much more to it that I have not discovered. I would buy this again, but hopefully at less than the $75 CAD I had to pay.
• Score : SGP740, 90/100

Glenmorangie Original (10 yo) [REVIEW]

Glenmorangie The Orignal (10yo, 40% ABV)

This is my second review, and for it I tasted something a lot milder/lighter/weaker than the Talisker 10 I did for my first. I tried the "The Original" when I started getting into whisky a year or so ago and loved it. Mostly because it didn't hurt like the Bowmore and Talisker that I had tried first. At the time I wasn't really looking for complexity, just something I could drink with out feeling like I was punched, and this was it.

Fast forward to the present, and I feel different about it.

• Colour: Pale gold
• Nose: light, honey, fruity, floral, maybe potpourri?, notes of beeswax
• Body: Very light
• Palate: hints of honey, sweetened creme, vanilla, light citrus fruit
• Finish: Quick with a little warmth, leaving honey for a brief moment

Summary: I had to taste this a few times, and really sit with it. It is an easy dram that I would have been very happy with as my first whisky. I don't hate it, but I cannot help but feel disapointed that I couldn't find the complexity that a lot of the other reviewers have mentioned. I will have to come back to it again after having developed my skills a little more. I probably won't pick up another bottle unless it blows me away in the future, but I still enjoyed it.

Score: SGP620 - 80 / 100

Thank you for reading!

Talisker (10 yo) [REVIEW]

Talisker 10yr

This was my first single malt whisky, and I have a love/hate relationship with it.  It is strong, rich, and a serious heavyweight.  This fact would scare some people away, but I felt challenged by it.  I respected the ferocity it has, and yet, I was determined to overcome it.

Talisker, the only distillery on the Isle of Skye, have been doing their thing for over 175 years. So they must be doing something right, right? You bet!  I always have a bottle of this on the go.  Anyways, on to the review.  This is my first review ever, so bare with me.






Colour : Honey Gold
Nose : Smoke, peat, vanilla, dried fruit
Body : medium-light
Palate : Woody, light earthiness, hint of vanilla and creamy caramel.
Finish : Strong and Spicy, old campfire, very warm and long.
Score : 87/100