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Lagavulin 12 yo Cask Strength
Islay Single Malt Whisky
58.2% abv (4th release)
£51.89
$105 (CAD)
$120(USD)
While Lagavulin does not foster the same cult following as its neighbour Ardbeg, it is still a legend among whisky drinkers new and old. I have met countless folks who came to the world of whisky through a glass of Lagavulin and others who claim they will drink nothing else. So with the help of Andrew Jefford's absolutely brilliant book Peat Smoke and Spirit, we can suck the mythical romance out of a few aspects of the distillery.
I have written about the difficulties some distilleries face in the legal and responsible disposal of waste before in the case of Isle of Jura distillery. For Lagavulin "the pot ale, spent lees and washing waters at Lagavulin have to be taken over to Caol Ila by road. They were formerly piped into the bay and had been for over a century, but because the bay is [...] naturally protected and sheltered, these arrangements could not meet current legislation for dispersal rates. This means three tankers per day have to travel the 70km round trip carrying 21,000 litres each: a heavy cost for the company and environmental cost to the island's roads and those who live alongside them. From Caol Ila, the waste goes into the briskly tidal Sound of Islay."(Jefford, 284) Wasteful, maybe. But don't forget the whisky industry is founded on an ideal of recycling (grist for cattle feed, second hand casks, etc.)
So now a mythbusting reality about maturation. Most of Lagavulin's new make spirit goes into third-fill American ex-bourbon hogsheads. These are ex-bourbon cask that are broken down and rebuilt to hold 250 litres, get used for one fill of grain whisky, then a fill of malt whisky before being filled with Lagavulin. So where does the sherry influence everyone notes come from in Lagavulin? Donald Renwick says "We do fill the odd sherry cask, but the wood is exhausted. And we do it less and less nowadays. So far as I'm concerned, there's more or less no sherry anymore in Lagavulin."
We must remember that Diageo owns Islay distilleries Lagavulin, Port Ellen(closed) and Caol Ila and very little Caol Ila is matured on Islay, most of it is carted off to the mainland to mature. 7000 casks of Lagavulin mature at their 3 warehouses, 7000 down at the dunnage warehouses at Port Ellen, 2000 at Caol Ila(more that Caol Ila itself), but the vast majority of Lagavulin casks have not been aged on Islay. Find this provocative and troubling? Read Jeffords' book for more.
This does not mean Lagavulin isn't delicious, it is! It just throws the ideas of regional style or terroir out the window and makes us question the techniques of wood management and marketing. Lagavulin is in high demand worldwide, is no longer part of White Horse (Malt Mission 16), and is about to start my Friday with a bang. Have a good weekend.
All Lagavulin posts HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Major vanilla ice cream sweetness off the top surrounded by petrol, pungent smoked fish and/or cheese, mascarpone and amaretto. Roadside construction and plain bubblegum.
Pow. Very big peat impact, earthy with old car smells (flavours?), but all kept in a dirty/sweet balance via pumpkin pie and whipped cream type flavours. But peat is what passes the time. Finish is still peaty. And still peaty. And...
SUMMARY:
Certainly not for everyone. I don't find this as complex as folks I have met or have read do, but it is a quality expression. Not super sexy or subtle, but certain; you know what you are in for when you pour yourself a drop. Missing the sensuality of the 16 (which has been diminishing in recent years, it must be said) and the breadth of the Distillers Edition, but completely distinct in the standard range. But don't take my word for it, go do some whisky 'research' of your own!
Malt Mission #126
Malt Mission #127
Malt Mission #128
Malt Mission #129
Malt Mission HOME
Lagavulin Distiller's Edition (1989)
Islay Single Malt Whisky43% abv
£49.50*
$104.90(CAD)
Lagavulin ('hollow where the mill is') is situated in a craggy bay on the south shore of Islay that housed Dunyvaig castle (13th century) and the Macdonald's power-base as Lords of the Isles. It makes sense that there were allegedly over 10 illicit stills operating in this area over 50years before a legal distillery was built buy John Johnston in 1816. Archibald Campbell built Kildalton distillery right next to Lagavulin in the same year and it became a part of Lagavulin in 1837.The whole area, including Laphroaig and Ardbeg distilleries are sometimes referred to as "the Kildalton distilleries" after the celtic cross that stands nearby and Ardbeg released a very limited and much coveted bottling of lightly peated Ardbeg called 'Kildalton 1980'.
The 16yo we all see as the standard bottling of Lagavulin was launched in 1989 as a part of the Classic Malts range. It is still a major crowd pleaser with a worldwide following whose demand unfortunately outstrips its supply.
The last Lagavulin I had (before 9am) was back at Malt Mission #19. Tasted with MH and the notes in quotes below are from his whisky-covered lips.
* This is the current price of this vintage because the Distillers Edition line of Lagavulin has been discontinued on these shores(UK), or if I am mistaken has at least vanished into near nothingness... Canada seems to still carry the stuff, how about in the U.S? Europe? Scandanavia? Asia? Anyone?
TASTING NOTES:
Chewing on chocolate covered almonds. Winey and fruity. Hickory sticks. Olives and sea salt. Smoke beautifully integrated in the warmth of all the other characteristics. "Honestly? Cadbury fruit and nut."(There was a chocolate egg stuffed with fruits and nuts on the table, so such an admission was potentially victim to the power of suggestion)
"Creamy and oily, a bit sweet... oh... that's... oh, lots of stuff happening after you swallow. Then spice."
Cream taste but thin texture, long slow wave of flavour from sweetness and shiraz spice to dry dustiness of nuts and ending in sheesha-type smoke; sweet and dense with peat but not heavily smoky.
"Earthiness, vegetables."
SUMMARY:
Totally satisfying, rich and peaty and flavourful. A great variant of the Lagavulin 16yo style, and it's currently the only one. The earthy, salty, peaty Lagavulin wrestles with intensely sweet Pedro Ximenez creating "The Best Islay(Peated) Whisky" in the World Whisky Awards 2007. People will always disagree which entry-level Lagavulin expression is beest but in most blind tastings you will find the Distillers Edition comes out on top.
Malt Mission #126
Malt Mission #127
Malt Mission #128
Malt Mission #130
Malt Mission HOME
Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Islay Single Malt Whisky
48% abv
£28
$59.15 (CAD)
$55 (USD)
Welcome to August.
127 Malt Missions before I had a Laphroaig(!) in this jaundiced journey. Crazy. It is a vast whisky world. Such diversity! When someone says "I don't like whisky", it is like saying that they don't like water. Fine, so they don't like water at the gym, or at Shary & Dug's flat, or Dasani, or at the cottage. But that cannot possibly mean they don't like water. There are just too many variants. Laphroaig is unique, challenging water.
Laphroaig ("La-Froyg") has a very high percentage of its output allocated for use as a single malt(45%), much more than the average Scottish whisky distllery so you can understand why they may be reluctant to screw with what works. No, they haven't become known for stunning innovations, clever marketing moves or a cool logo. Laphroaig has repulsed people for generations, and this is not necessarily a bad thing; it has made their spirit unforgettable the world over. The foul stench was enough for customs agents in the U.S. to waive cases through as 'medicine' during Prohibition. This was WAY before single malts were the norm. This was the heyday of blended whiskies (Dewar's, Cutty Sark, especially in America) and this unforgettable Islay single malt accompanied the best music and the lousiest poetry from Augusta, Maine to Aurora, Illinois to Alachula, Florida in the 1920s and early 1930s.
When first encountered, Laphroaig can disrupt one's life for hours, if not days. While for a few it is a revelation, for most it is a fair whisky warning: "if you think it's shitty, then you aren't ready." I've heard it (somewhat vulgarly) compared to Schoenberg and/or sexual acts illegal in some U.S. states and many countries (at one time or another). The point is you gotta ease into it, to learn to love it. Have I mentioned my appreciation for the Glenfiddich adverts?
One of the first nights I lived in Edinburgh I was sitting in what I would learn was an awful bar, stupidly drinking imported shit beer, and Steve McLean bought me a whisky. He told me it was a Laphroaig. All I knew was it tasted like cancer and reminded me of being at the hospital when I was 6 getting my broken leg casted. Nothing positive.
Thank you Laphroaig, you helped launch this pot still passion.
I have rambled on too long here so I will share more history of the distillery in a future Laphroaig post. Currently owned by Jim Beam Global and managed by the Islay-born John Campbell (only 35 years old!), Laphroaig distillery has, in a way, gone back in time with the release of the Quarter Cask. After 5ish years of maturation, they transfer ex-bourbon maturing whiskies into smaller quarter size casks (105 litres), the sort that apparently used to be used for shipping whisky by horse in the 19th century, for about 7 months. This allows 30% more wood contact and all the good stuff that comes with it. Unlike other standard Laphroaig bottlings, they haven't chill-filtered the Quarter Cask and have bottled it at 48% abv.
Officially the only entry-level release from Laphroaig in Ontario once the discontinued (at LCBO) 10yo sells out, Laphroaig is "powerful and for strong men" (R.J.S. McDowall, The Whiskies of Scotland, 1967). Someone from Beam Global, owners of Laphroaig, tells me "The global inventory of that expression is very limited and since there has been such a great response to the Quarter Cask we've simply balanced out the volume with more Quarter Cask. The Quarter Cask will be the only expression that LCBO carries." So get ready to fork out an additional 8 bucks for your Laphroaig fix. But you can rest assured that with your mega dollar you can almost buy TWO for that price at duty free stateside ($68.80 CAD... today).
Bring it, Laphroaig. I'm not scared of you.
TASTING NOTES:
Seductive smells. Ripe, new-make barley sweetness. A barbecue. A flower. A sooty chimney. A horse. A can of condensed milk. A slice of apple and a piece of Gouda. An amazingly tactile nose, if that makes sense; the aromas seem to make physical contact, they touch me.
Oak. Fruit. Grandparents' musty apartments. Soft impact that is very sensual and easy at the higher-than-normal abv%. Toffee and stubbed cigarettes. Nutty cheesiness. Slow arrival of a huge peaty impact and a cloud of smoke. Smoky finish with biscuity chewiness hanging around.
SUMMARY:
An absolute treat to drink. Full-on and not for every mood, but hearty as a good stew. A sweeter, softer, friendlier Laphroaig that still manages to fill every corner of the house of your senses with the medicinal peatiness in ways that only Laphroaig can. And should. And does.
Malt Mission #126
Malt Mission #127
Malt Mission #129
Malt Mission #130
Malt Mission HOME
Ardbeg Almost There
Islay Single Malt Whisky
54.1% abv
£30
Had the Still Young yesterday, and we are getting a year older today with Arbeg Almost There. This bottling is from all ex-bourbon casks, all 9 years old. After dubbing the first two releases of this series "Very Silly" and "Still Silly", even the ever-opinionated Richard Joynson of Loch Fyne Whiskies found something nice to say. "Ardbeg Almost There is not at all silly or even deserving of our proposed moniker of Almost Sensible, this is Perfect Ardbeg." And he is not alone. This stuff has been critically acclaimed across the board and the whisky world is pretty excited about the eventual release of the post-Allied, Glenmorangie plc produced 10 year old.
All Ardbeg Malt Mission posts can be found HERE
TASTING NOTES:
Black licorice, pine, fireplace, burnt beard/hair. Satsumas or mandarin squash/concentrate. Dirty Ardbeg bottom with some chemical odours of shampoo, tar, and tires. Has a winter-air effect, cold steel.
Big movement from sweets to salts with matzos in between. Syrupy, lemon Monin. Almost a smoky oil layer in the mouth too, smoked cod liver oil. Orange peels keep things bright while Play-doh and clay keep things earthy. Ardbeg coffee and chocolate are present along with more dirty Ardbeg characteristics in the form of compost or bad, bad breath.
SUMMARY:
Quite complex stuff that could be mulled over for hours. I am not ashamed to say that this is not really my bag, but I don't need to sell you on this. As I've said before, Ardbeg aficionados abound. This stuff will sell even if one whisky blogger says it tastes like compost or bad breath. I look forward to the new 10yo, but imagine I will remain a Uigeadail drinker when it's an Ardbeg evening.
Malt Mission #126
Malt Mission #128
Malt Mission #129
Malt Mission #130
Malt Mission HOME
Ardbeg Still Young
Islay Single Malt Whisky
56.2% abv
£33
We are going to start two weeks of Islay treats on the Malt Mission with a pair of young Ardbegs today and tomorrow. It will be a couple of extremely tasty weeks, if not entirely summer-themed... or perhaps perfect for this summer.
Glenmorangie Plc saved Ardbeg from an uncertain fate when they bought the distillery in 1997. This bottle is from a series launched with a 'for discussion' committee bottling in 2003, it was sold out almost immediately and today it fetches a pretty penny at shops and at auction. Buzz in place, the three official releases in the run-up to a relaunched 10yo began in 2005 with Ardbeg 'Very Young'. Now this one is difficult to find and will cost you large once you do. I have said it before but Ardbeg has a maddening cult following. Crazy, and hard to believe today, but in many whisky books published between 1960-1990 Ardbeg is absent. In 1989 Michael Jackson feared for its future writing, "Too intense for the blenders [...] and that uncompromising nature may have silenced the distillery."
So this is from a series that is effectively a run-up to the relaunch of the 10 year old, commemorating 10 years of Glenmorangie-produced Ardbeg(2008). They are named Very Young(2005), Still Young(2006), and Almost There(2007) and are all bottled unchillfiltered and at cask-strength. Risky idea that some may have once criticised, but has proven that at least a fraction of the malt market is interested in works in progress. We have already seen similar moves from other Islay distilleries and a few indie mainland ones. Expect more.
All Ardbeg Malt Mission posts can be found HERE
TASTING NOTES:
Puff (of smoke), the magic dragon. Toasted cashews, vanilla, mint fudge, and a clean teapot. Slightly metallic, wet worms or oysters.
Soft and sweet in the mouth. Then hot. Whoa. Yeah, explodes in chilli, pepper, and lime. With peat and sugar. Drying and sappy with raw oak.
SUMMARY:
Amazing that there is no prickle or bite in the nose for the strength and youth, but not that amazing that I found the array of flavours quite simple. There is an exciting youth about it (feinty and, um... hard?) that makes it volatile in the mouth, but I imagine a few more sherry casks per batch and a few more years will calm this dragon down and add great depth... If that is something you think would be desirable. Some people love playing with knives, I prefer playing with balls. Um, that doesn't read so well.
Malt Mission #125Malt Mission #127
Malt Mission #128Malt Mission #129
Malt Mission #130
Malt Mission HOME
Balblair 1989Highland Single Malt Whisky
43% abv
£39
After 125 morning malts there can be little doubt that I love whisky. But when I hear the name Balblair I still feel the hair the back of my arms stand up, starting a wave from my elbows to my shoulders (yes, I have hair on my shoulders). A few years ago when I tasted the Balblair 38 a real problem began. Well it had already started, really, but this just accelerated it. It could not have been more than 15ml in my glass, but the impact was enormous.
I had been an ageist with regards to whisky in that I didn't hold older whiskies in higher esteem by default. Hallmark or Islay Mist 8, Aberlour or Glenmorangie 10 were enough for me. And my budget. Sure I found ways to try much more, but if I was going to take it home, it had to be below a certain price point. But Balblair 38, the concept that absolute spirit(ual) ecstasy was available by the dram, broke that budget and convinced me that money spent could be pleasure earned. The next bottle I bought was £30 and I felt like a big spender. And re-reading that paragraph, I sound like a whisky junkie.
Forgetting age, InverHouse Distillers has abandoned age statements for vintages. While most of the literature surrounding their launch makes claims about opportunistic investment while Balblair is held in high regard by connoisseurs, the market opportunities on the premium end of the category and of capitalising on the emerging markets in Asia and Russia (to paraphrase Inver House marketing manager Karen Walker), there is a slightly more romantic justification that is more 'maturation warehouse' than 'management boardroom'. The vintage concept offers a totally different approach to cask selection: rather than having a goal of consistency from one batch of 10 or 16yo to the next, and therefore having to be sure to fill the appropriate number of X and Y casks every year to satisfy that objective in years to come, unusual expressions from varied casks of different vintages can be selected and vatted to create exciting and unique expressions of the diversity of this category 'A' blending malt.
Stuart Harvey sampled 1062 casks (jealous?) in his search for the best casks for the vintages range, settled on 1997, 1989, and 1979 (all from American ex-bourbon casks) and expects future releases of Spanish oak vattings and more bourbon barrels of different vintages. This is a big investment for Inver House in terms of research, marketing, and new packaging, but we are all looking forward to each new release, glasses in hand.
Thanks to Whisky Magazine Issue 63(May/June '07) for some of the above information and to The Whisky Exchange for the taster.
TASTING NOTES:
Very fragrant, tangerines, sweet canned peaches. Succulent oak influences exposing great depth of aromas. Bourbon creams. Subtle and laid back and worth becoming so yourself as this whisky really develops in the glass with emerging rum and raisin creaminess, a mineral saltiness, and exotic fruits.
Soft and sexy in the mouth, perfumy and floral that explodes in a different direction upon swallowing. Gets smoky and toasty, slightly charred. Plastic bags. Walnuts and chocolate chips. Finish is a slow fade of a grassy freshness on top of perfume and coca-cola Hubba Bubba, all smothered in oaky dryness.
SUMMARY:
Delicious.
While I really enjoy the whisky, and love the bottle (cool shape, great big cork, great design on back, etc.), the box drives me nuts. Yes, the pictures by Finn McRae are really lovely, but the box is just too big, too square, too wasteful. They must annoy retailers! These are the new core range and will not sit on shelves very long. The bottles will be consumed and the boxes tossed. Do we really need these big, multi-material bottle coffins for standard bottlings?
Malt Mission #121
Malt Mission #122
Malt Mission #123
Malt Mission #124
Malt Mission HOME
Balblair 10yo
Highland Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£22
Located just north of Glenmorangie (tasted Tuesday), Balblair is one of the oldest distilleries still in operation(1790), younger only than Strathisla(1786), Bowmore(1779), and Glenturret(1775).
An interesting stretch in the distillery's history not mentioned in my last Balblair post(Malt Mission 68) is 1909-1949. Asquith's proposed "people's budget" brought many great changes to social welfare but brought hard times to many industries, including whisky distilling. Owner Alexander Cowan lost the distillery and slowly stocks of Balblair were sold off. There are rumours that there may be (or once was?) some of Balblair from this era in Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Doesn't really make sense to me personally, but whatever (anyone buying up the stocks would have wanted to turn a profit immediately rather than wait 70years to invent a product in which to put the whisky). Through the Great War, the army took over the distillery. The distillery was saved from potential destruction after 36 years of uncertainty by Robert Cumming and production resumed in 1949. Balblair then became, and remains, a big part of Ballantine's aged blended whiskies.
Balblair has discontinued these aged statement releases and replaced them with a series of vintages, 1997, 1989(to be tasted tomorrow), and 1979. All Balblairs tasted in the mission can be found HERE
TASTING NOTES:
Soft and appetising. Breakfast cereals, sweet tropical fruits, coastal impressions with some salt and beachy earthiness.
Honey and nuts, Rolos, butter and some toastiness, all in a gentle/soft but weighty(flavourwise) impact. Salt in the middle. Drying with flavours of American oak and sucking on peach or apricot pits.
SUMMARY:
Great whisky, good balance of flavours, with general sweetness (grains, oak, fruits) dominating. Perfect for people who think they might not like whisky cuz all they've ever had are Bell's and Laproaig they stole from their father's liquor cabinet when they were 14. Highly drinkable. Great value, if you can still find a bottle.
Malt Mission #121
Malt Mission #122
Malt Mission #123
Malt Mission #125
Malt Mission HOME
Tomatin 12 yo
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£22
Oh, the poor letter 'T'. I have heard it mumbled among whisky nerds that there are no good whiskies that start with the letter 'T', save Talisker. Can it be true?
Taking its name from tha gaelic for "hill of the juniper", Tomatin has been a quite workhorse for many years. By 1973 there were 23(!) working stills and a capacity of 12 million litres of spirit per year. It was the biggest distillery in Scotland for over a decade. Tomatin became the first distillery to be acquired by Japanese interests in 1986 (Takara Shuzo Co. and Okara & Co) and production capacity was waned back to just under 7 million litres. Still quite a big boy, though.
So why haven't I ever heard of Tomatin, you ask? Well, this 12yo single malt replaced a 10yo in 2003, but only 1 or 2% of what the distillery produces ends up released as a single, and little of that tiny amount ever makes it to North America. Tomatin goes largely into blended whiskies (in Scotland and Japan) including Big T, Talisman, and The Antiquary. The marketing lines suggest that the distillery has been modest about its achievements, and all signs point to a reassertion of Tomatin and Antiquary blended whiskies in the marketplace.
The single is released as a 12 and a 25 year old, and there are several really good independent bottlings out in the big bad world.
TASTING NOTES:
Linseed or flaxseed oil, a beer hops floral aroma, slightly sweaty and rubbery. Damp, air dried towels, pecans and butter tarts. If there is any peat, it comes off quite rubbery. I know this must sound vulgar, but the impressions are delicate and quite enticing.
Peppery, full in the mouth. Parsley. Buttery, with sugar. Nutty, musty, and oaky. Some industrial style peat again, but just perfumy.
SUMMARY:
Quite an unusual whisky, unique combination of flavours, or types of flavours; a whisky that shows subtle depth with a real Highland style about it. A difficult dram to compare with anything else and hard to find a place for it on my shelf... what mood would it suit? I guess those moments of indecision, when you can't be bothered to think about what you want. Very satisfying for pub dramming(Big T and Tomatin were often on optics when I lived in Edinburgh) and good value by the bottle.
Malt Mission #121
Malt Mission #122
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Malt Mission HOME
Glenmorangie 10
Highland Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£25
$48.15(CAD)
$40(USD)
Hard to believe it took over 120 Malt Missions to finally taste Glenmorangie. Sure, we had one at a tasting in Canada (HERE), but that doesn't really count as part of the Malt Mission proper. There is a huge whisky world out there and I hope to tick 'em off one at a time.
Glenmorangie is very proud to boast the tallest stills in the industry measuring in at 5.1m. They can also claim responsibility for the various wood finishes on shelves these days as they pioneered the resurgence of the method over a decade ago. In fact, the wood management at Glenmorangie is among the most strict in the whole whisky world and is the product of 20 years of ongoing research into slow-growing trees and techniques of air drying the oak of particular trees from particular parts of the US, used for particular bourbons before being used to mature the spicy, vanilla rich whisky that we all know as Glenmorangie. It is the biggest selling malt in Scotland and is slowly creeping up on Glenfiddich for the No.1 spot in the UK.
Glenmorangie comes from the part of Scotland that, for me, makes the tastiest malt whiskies. The stretch between Inverness and Wick includes (or included) closed distilleries Ben Wyvis and Millburn, demolished distilleries Glen Mhor and Glen Albyn, The Dalmore, Teaninich, Balblair, Brora(closed) and Clynelish, and Old Pulteney. I realised this some time ago when on the Black Isle it occurred to me that my desert island malts were all within reach in either direction and that there was nowhere else in Scotland I would rather be for sunrise, scenery, and single malts. On another personal note, I will never forget spending a terribly depressing and lonely Christmas(2003) with a good friend and a1-litre bottle of Glenmorangie 10. Spirits were certainly lifted.
Tasting notes from my mate JM. All whiskies Jed has tasted for the mission can be found HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Orange rind, marmalade, bitter green grapes. Dry Chardonnay with hint of ocean air and lots of vanilla oakiness.
Heavy velvety mouth feel that doesn't coat, it reminds me of 2% milk or thin turkey gravy. Light and sweet, marshmallow spread (Fluff). Now wood and some smoke, lasting and tangy like hard cheese (parmesan).
SUMMARY:
Very easy to drink, none of the more offensive whisky qualities that may repel some drinkers. Definitely encourages another glass...
Back to Dr. Whisky talking now, Glenmorangie is a spectacular whisky that should never be overlooked or taken for granted. Being one of the very few malts that is made from hard spring water, coastal and lightly peated, aged in only the finest bourbon barrels, Glenmorangie is a unique and sophisticated whisky that will equally satisfy at noon or at midnight. The Artisan Cask expression is currently at the LCBO but has been discontinued so do try some (if you can afford it) if you haven't already.
Malt Mission #121
Malt Mission #123
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Malt Mission HOME
Edradour "Straight from the Cask"
10yo Port Finish
25 Jan 1994-23 June 2004
Highland Single Malt Whisky
55.9% abv
£38
$145(CAD)*
$65(USD)
Back in action on the Malt Mission after a great time in Norway. So we'll start this Highland-themed week with something I tasted last week. I bought this for Kristin's brother (he is a port enthusiast) some years back and he brought me some to taste when we were in Norway. Skål!
Packaged in pretty cute wooden boxes of different colours, Signatory's 'Straight from the Cask' series of Edradours has been hit and miss from the start. Having a distillery that is known for making and rich, hearty highland whisky, but working with decades of less-than-ideal casks Edradour was filling in Pernod Ricard's years of neglect, Signatory has had to make the most of what was available to them from a certain era since acquiring the distillery in 2002, and in some cases, this has meant using a second maturation, or ACE-ing (Bruichladdich/Jim McEwan), or finishing. The distillery has started to take great care in cask selection and currently fill only 12 casks per week. Bottled as a single since 1986, Edradour has managed to be one of the most visited distilleries in Scotland, providing guests with a great image of a cute farm distillery seemingly from a different era, perfectly located straddling a wee burn in a tiny glen in the hills above Pitlochry.
More info can be found at past Edradour Malt Missions HERE
TASTING NOTES:
Sweet spirit, wine, wet tootbrush without toothpaste. Tawny port. Floral and grassy. Water brings out a nutty oiliness and creates more wine-spirit (cognac?) impressions. "Burnt grape"- Espen
Oak and bran, cookie dough, pie crust. Sucking the water off the tootbrush above (like some people do when brushing their teeth). Drying with oak and puckering with grape skins.
SUMMARY:
The spicy, minty Edradour character is present, but beyond that this is an unusual whisky. The port influence is noticable, but it is the whisky spirit beneath that makes this such an unusual malt. A drop of water really lets the creaminess of the port wood do its thing.
*this price is for other finishes in the series currently available in Ontario, but just to give you an idea... and what a mad price!!! LCBOh my goodness...
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Malt Mission HOME
