It has no age statement, but from what I understand, its matured for at least ten years in classic ex-bourbon barrels and “rare” — whatever that means — ex-Manzanilla casks (an extremely dry sherry).

Make sure to check out the two other Ardbegs I reviewed today: Blasda and Galileo.

Facts

Nose

Maybe a bit salty, but not so peaty at first. Cherries, plums, brown sugar and walnuts. A bit lemony. Tobacco, vanilla and marzipan.

Mouth

Surprisingly punchy on the palate. Smoke and ash. Very salty, the Manzanilla comes really through now. Walnuts, cherries and lemons, followed by pepper, burned caramel, licorice and wood polish. A bit of tobacco. Gets pretty bitter and oaky towards the end.

Finish

Long. Spicy and dry. Smoke, peat ash and lemon salts. Caramel.

Thoughts

Pretty wood driven, the spirit has not much to say. Maybe a bit too Ardbeg-unlike for the purists, but I like it!

Score: very good and highly recommended (89 / 100)

This 12 year old expression was matured in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and some ex-Marsala casks from Sicily.

Facts

Nose

Sweet and creamy, but not that peaty for an Ardbeg. Hot chocolate with whipped cream. Pineapples, bananas and lemons. Pencil shavings. Hints of vanilla and popcorn.

Mouth

A bit all over the place. Peaty and zesty, but also dry and fruity. Peaches, tea leaves, pepper, lemons and apricots. A few walnuts, too.

Finish

Long, dry and spicy. Peat smoke with hints of fruits and salt.

Thoughts

The nose is great, but the palate is kinda weird. Not in a bad way, it’s just a bit inconsistent in my opinion. That said, I like the general sweetness of this expression, although I guess it’s a bit too sweet for the Ardbeg purists.

Score: good but not exceptional (86 / 100)

The first one for today is the Ardbeg Blasda, which is Gaelic for “sweet and delicious”. Only 8ppm (in the spirit), chill-filtered, bottled at 40% ABV… Well, it’s never a good thing to judge a whisky by its label, but this doesn’t sound really Ardbeg-like to me.

Facts

Nose

Light, very light indeed. Surprisingly some peat smoke and ash, very little but more than expected. Rather fruity with green apples, fresh lemons and some kiwis. Small hints of salty caramel and vanilla.

Mouth

A tad more smokey and ashy now, but not a lot. All the fruits are back plus some peaches and lemon zest.

Finish

Short and fruity. Pretty lemony with hints of peat smoke.

Thoughts

Yeah…not really sweet, but definitely not un-tasty. A decent enough dram for summer I guess, but nothing special in my books. I’m simply not a big fan of this lighter than usual style.

Score: average but worth a try (80 / 100)

Single Cask Seasons is a bottling series from independent bottler Signatory Vintage for Kirsch Whisky Import. The goal of this series is to find a whisky that matches the season of the year. This time they bottled a 11 year old Bunnahabhain, matured in a 1st Fill Sherry Butt.

Facts

Nose

Very lovely and unbelievable fruity. Cherries, oranges, peaches, raspberries and frosted strawberries, followed by caramel, hints of mint and some freshly chopped nuts, maybe hazelnuts. No smoke, but a very light maritime touch. Warm marzipan and a bit of vanilla.

Taste

Unexpected punchy and intense. Cherries, plums and spicy vanilla. A bit oaky and peppery. Cooked oranges and cherry tobacco. Seaweed and sea salt. Some smoke, but really just a tiny bit.

Finish

Long and warm. Hints of smoke, sweet fruits and salt. Pipe tobacco, citrus and wood.

Overall

A very fine young Bunnahabhain from a good sherry butt — intense, punchy and wonderful fruity. Well worth the money (70€)!

Score: very good and highly recommended (90 / 100)

Last year’s Laphroaig 2001 Feis Ile Bottling was absolutely outstanding, so I have high expectations for this one.

Facts

Nose

Surprisingly mineral and salty (sea salt), with a good portion of peat and sweetish vanilla flavored smoke. Peaches, alongside other orchard fruits. Hints of cacao powder and smoked ham. Maybe some wild berries.

Taste

Lots of sweet barley at first, followed by chili chocolate and frosted orange peel. Gets more chocolaty, reminds me quite a bit of a thick chocolate drink now. Ends on notes of green apples.

Finish

Long. The peat smoke comes back. Malty and slightly spicy with fruity sweetness. A little bit chocolaty, too.

Overall

Maybe a bit too spicy and raw on the palate, but besides that, this is another well selected Feis Ile bottling from Douglas Laing. It’s definitely worth the price (about 150€) if you don’t mind to pay a Feis Ile premium. That said, I liked last year’s Laphroaig a lot more, but maybe that’s because I prefer Laphroaig over Bowmore in general. Anyways, if you are lucky to find a bottle, go ahead and buy one. You will not reget it!

Score: very good and highly recommended (89 / 100)

I guess Malts of Scotland likes to mix it up when it comes to maturing / finishing bourbon, because after the Heaven Hill 2001 Sherry Hogshead and the Heaven Hill 2001 Port Cask Finish from last year, we just got another Heaven Hill distilled in 2001, this time finished in a “Caribbean cask”.

Facts

Nose

At first mainly nutty ice cream and Belgian coffee sweets (coffee filled bonbons), together with hints of brown sugar, toffee, caramel syrup and raisin nut chocolate. Becomes fruitier with red apples and apricots.

Taste

Starts very sour and sulfurous, like burning matchsticks. After those strong notes, burnt brown sugar, caramel and raisins come to the front. Yes, it kinda tastes like a high strength brown rum now.

Finish

Medium and warm with more sulfurous elements, followed by some fruity undertones.

Overall

I’m not sure if it’s the bourbon, the Caribbean Cask or a combination of both, but I personally don’t find this expression very intriguing. It’s a nice relief from your “typical bourbon”, but nothing to write home about. The nose is good, the taste would be nice without the sour and sulfurous notes, but the real deal breaker for me is the very shallow and undefined finish.

Score: good but not exceptional (81 / 100)

Facts

Nose

Fruity and sweet with dates, apricotes, bananas as well as heather honey, vanilla and caramel sauce. Almonds. Hints of coconut oil. Touches of grass and hay in the background.

Taste

Smooth and rather sweet. Again sweet fruits and grassy notes. A bit of vanilla.

Finish

Medium, sweet and fruity. Coconuts and lemons balanced by a whiff of bitter oak.

Overall

A very nice and approachable Irish Whiskey. It lacks a bit of complexity, but the sweetness from the Malaga casks is really pleasant.

Score: good but not exceptional (84 / 100)

Facts

Nose

Definitely somewhat winy. Orchards fruits, most notable peaches, together with ripe berries like strawberries and raspberries. Notes of apple peels and raspberry brandy emerge, alongside hints of  vanilla and grapes. A little bit peppery.

Taste

Oily. Again orchard fruits and ripe berries, complemented by vanilla, pepper and hints of ginger. There is a distinctive touch of woody red wine in the background.

Finish

Medium and rather dry. A bit of pepper, a bit of fruit and more woody red wine.

Overall

Not earth shattering, but the wine finish is fairly well integrated.

Score: good but not exceptional (83 / 100)

The Spot brand is produced by the Middleton Distillery for Dublin-based wine merchant Mitchell & Son, making it one of the few “whisky bonder brands” still available today.

Back in the old days, the Mitchells send their empty wine barrels to Jameson’s Bow Street Distillery, where they were filled with new make and were then sent back to mature in the merchant’s cellars. This changed when the Midleton Distillery was build. Since then, the whiskey is matured by the distillery in its own casks, but Mitchell & Sons still have sole rights to develop, market and sell the whiskey.

As for the brand name itself, it was actually inspired by Mitchell & Son’s practice of marking their barrels with a spot of paint to determine the age potential of the whiskey: blue for 8 years, green for 10, yellow for 12 and red for 15 years. The Green Spot was their most popular one.

The current Green Spot is slightly younger than the original. I read it’s between 7 and 9 years old, but don’t quote me on that.

Facts

Nose

Kinda tight-ish but pleasant. A nice, fruity sweetness of bananas, sugared pineapples and apple sauce with a tiny bit of cinnamon, together with hints of vanilla and heather honey. Developing notes of sweet barley, wet leaves and sourdough, followed by something fishy… no, literally, it smells like fish… I don’t know… maybe oyster sauce?

Taste

Oily but pretty thin. Dried citrus peels, milk chocolate and rhubarb, alongside sweet barley and cereals. A whiff of spices in the distant background. Becomes more bitter and oaky towards the end.

Finish

Medium. Lemon peels, milk chocolate and some herbal hints.

Overall

What a snoozefest! Seriously, this is one bland expression, there is really nothing too exciting about it. Maybe ok for hot summer days, but not for much else.

Score: average but worth a try (78 / 100)

But now back to the Benromach 35 Years Old. It has no vintage year on the label, but since this bottling just came out, the casks were laid down either in 1980 or 1981, which was only a few years before Benromach closed (1983) and way before Gordon & MacPhail acquired the distillery and brought it back to life (1993-1998).

Facts

Nose

Super complex and very lovely, although I expected more sherry. No complaints though. Starts with pleasant beehive notes (wax, warm honey) and progresses with cooked kiwis, apple juice and orange zest marmalade. A little cinnamon for good measure. Then something leathery, a old leather couch perhaps.

Taste

Bitter sweet harmony with a fruity touch. Cigar tobacco, cooked bananas and baked red apples with nutmeg and cinnamon, complemented by hints of lemon zest and cacao powder. Delicate touches of cracked pepper corns and toasted oak are lingering in the background.

Finish

Long. Cacao powder, sweet tobacco and bitter orange oil, followed by oak and a bit of mint.

Overall

Funny enough, this expression feels more “modern” than some of the way younger Benromachs I reviewed last week. However, its freshness is what surprised me the most considering the three and a half decades in first-fill sherry casks. That said, this is a dangerously good and delightfully malt, although I’m not a big fan of bottling a whisky this old at anything but cask strength.

Score: very good and highly recommended (90 / 100)

Sample provided by Gordon & MacPhail