The Macallan Select Oak Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 40% ABV $60/Liter Website What the Distillery Says: Select Oak is crafted from an exceptionally wide and unique combination of five cask types, delivering extraordinary smoothness, remarkable sweetness and depth.
Nose: Vanilla, butterscotch and a hint of damson Palate: An effortless balance of vanilla and sweet spice Finish: Medium sweet and luxuriously long
What Richard Says: Nose: Rich sherry with a bit of vanilla cream and treacle sweetness. Palate: Creamy with a cinnamon vanilla sweetness. Finish: The sherry is heavier on the finish than either the palate or nose. There’s lingering wood and that Big Red type of cinnamon spiciness. Comments: This expression is the entry level bottling for Macallan’s Travel Retail exclusive 1824 Collection. I enjoy it much more than the Whisky Maker’s Edition. It’s very easy to drink and pleasant. It doesn’t require deep contemplation but rather is a great setting/mood multitasker. Rating: Stands Out
Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 18 Years 48% $100 Website What the Distillery Says: This 18 Year Old expression of Laphroaig is made in limited quantities each year and savoured by a fortunate few. A soft, sweet and spicy Islay peat smoke greets you when you first open the bottle. The immediate taste is an oak sweetness, from 18 years in the barrel. A faint hint of the sea can be detected, testimony to its time maturing on the remote island of Islay.
It is bottled at 48% ABV and is non-chill filtered for a depth of taste and texture.
COLOUR: Bright gold NOSE: At bottling strength, a soft toffee sweet but faintly spicy flavour counterbalances the trace of delicate phenols and fruit. An all encompassing smoothness brings these together. A touch of water allows the seaweed and salt to come through but not enough to overpower the vanilla and honey sweetness with just a trace of new mown hay and peat at the finish. BODY: An intense depth that is exceptionally balanced and warming. PALATE: An instant warming tang of smoke fades into smooth floral scents, which blends seamlessly into an oaky nuttiness and leaves a lasting sweetness on the taste. With a touch of water, the peaty warmth fills the mouth but does not overshadow the sweet chocolate smoothness. This is balanced by the rich toffee taste and slowly fades into a delicate hint of heather and peat smoke. FINISH: Full bodied, long with a luxurious oily smoothness.
What Richard Says: Nose: Light on the peat, hints of sherry, more fruity, and hints of crushed peppercorns around back of the nose. Cucumber salad comes to mind. I have no idea why. Palate: Creamy, with a nice initial smokiness. The floral sweetness takes time to develop. Finish: Long and spicy. Comments: When this replaced the 15 I was sad. I really liked the 15. Plus, soon after the replacement the price started creeping up too. That said, I’ve grown fond of the 18 over the years. The 15 was more subtle and showed a more mellow and integrated side to Laphroaig. However, the 18 is a much richer dram. Really, you can’t go wrong with either one. This is not a dram for the Islay peat-freaks out there. It’s more distinguished, less brash. Maybe that’s your thing or maybe it’s not. Personally, I’m digging it lately but it took me time to warm up to how different this is from the younger siblings. Rating: Must Try
I would like to thank Ben and the team over at DBC Public Relations for providing us with bottles for review.
Laphroaig Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 15 Years 43% $65+ Discontinued What the Distillery Says: Mildly smokey with sweet, warm undertones – and just a hint of the sea – Laphroaig Fifteen year old is robust and succulent. Fulfilling and utterly unforgettable. Made in tiny quantities, it is esteemed and savoured around the world by a fortunate few. Enjoy it neat or with a splash of soft water.
What Richard Says: Nose: Much lighter brine and smoke notes compared to the younger siblings. It’s interspersed with a nice floral sweet back note. Palate: Unseasoned seaweed chips with just a mild hint of sweetness. There’s also a minty cherry thing going on in the background. Finish: Long and dry. And old wood burning stove that’s been unused for years. Comments: This is a long gone bottling replaced by the 18 Year Old back in 2010. When the switch first occurred I swore up and down that I preferred the old 15 to the new 18. However, as time and tastes have mellowed I can’t say one is really better than the other. The three years, higher proof, and non-chill filtration make the 18 stand out. Maybe it was just the nostalgia and sadness I felt whenever a good dram was discontinued. I like the 10 Year Cask Strength much better but for those who want a piece of history grab this one if you see it. Rating: Stands Out
Laphroaig Triple Wood Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 48% $60-$65 Website What the Distillery Says: This expression of our famous whisky, from the remote island of Islay in the Western Isles of Scotland, has enjoyed a triple maturation in 3 types of cask. Just as with our standard Quarter Cask expression, the first maturation is in American oak, ex-Bourbon Barrels. We then select the most suitable of these barrels, containing a range of different aged spirit and transfer into small 19th Century style Quarter Casks for a second maturation. The final maturation is in specially selected, large European oak, Oloroso Sherry Casks.
It is bottled at 48% ABV and is non-chill filtered for a depth of taste and texture.
COLOUR: Bright gold NOSE: At 48%, straight from the bottle, the initial flavour is quite sweet with a gentle mixture of sweet raisins and creamy apricots with just a trace of the dry peat smoke at the back, the smoother nutty flavours combine all these flavours into one smooth, syrupy whole. With a touch of water the peat smoke comes to the fore and masks the gentler fruitier notes. Even with the maturation being carried out in 1st fill bourbons, quarter casks and sherry butts, the intense bonfire ash smell of the earthy peat cannot be masked BODY: Powerful yet with a creamy consistency PALATE: With no water, a large initial burst of peat belies the slight lack on the nose but is gentled on the tongue by the creamier flavours of vanilla and fruit with just a suggestion of sherry sweetness. With a trace of water the peat reek is gentled, allowing the more complex flavours of citrus fruits and spices to come through. A slight tang comes from the European Oak balancing the creamier American White Oak. FINISH: Mouth filling and extremely long but balanced by the sweet smooth caramel taste
What Richard Says: Nose: [SMACK] take that you peaty wench! The sherry cask finishing almost destroys the smoky nose of the Quarter Cask. It doesn’t really scream sherry either. It’s more of a stone fruit and nut combination. There are little trace hints of smoke in the background but they are very understated. Palate: Oily and viscous in all the right ways. I would expect the sherry finishing to make the palate sweeter than the Quarter Cask but it’s actually less so. This is an almost lighter and more integrated expression. The sweetness is more fruit derived and with a more tannic spin. Light peatiness again plays around the edges. Finish: A rich, slow, but persistent fade. You are left with left over charcoals from last night’s fire. Comments: The Triple wood is essentially the Quarter Cask further finished in sherry barrels. It’s amazing how such a pronounced and aggressive dram like the Quarter Cask can take such a sharp right turn with the additional wood time. I don’t necessarily like one more than the other. They are like different sides to the same coin. Very intriguing. However, I do think the Triple Wood will be more approachable for those new to Islay or Laphroaig compared to the Quarter Cask. Rating: Stands Out
I would like to thank Ben and the team over at DBC Public Relations for providing us with bottles for review.
Laphroaig Quarter Cask Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 48% $55 Website What the Distillery Says: Laphroaig Quarter Cask offers an irresistible doubling of flavour, due to the double maturation in two barrels made of American oak. Still-maturing whisky from our standard ex-bourbon barrels is transferred to quarter casks and left to rest in our warehouse just a stone’s throw from the Atlantic shore.
This process represents Laphroaig breathing new life into a once-defunct tradition: the use of the smaller cask size, which ensures increased contact with the oak, creating a soft and velvety edge to complement Laphroaig’s distinctive peatiness.
On the nose the sensation is toffee and caramel, caused by the vanillas and tannins of the American oak, plus a dryness from the wood oil. The finish is long and alternates between this sweetness and smoke.
COLOUR: Full sparkling gold NOSE: Burning embers of peat in a crofters fireplace, hints of coconut and banana aromas BODY: Full bodied PALATE: Deep, complex and smoky yet offers and surprises the palate with a gentle sweetness FINISH: Really long, and dries appropriately with smoke and spice
What Richard Says: Nose: This is a campfire the next morning after it has died down and the embers were doused with a light rain or heavy dew. There is also a musty woody note like old polished furniture long forgotten. Palate: Very creamy in the mouth. The 48% ABV seems to be ideal for viscosity. A nice toffee sweetness plays with the smoky flavors well. Finish: A little hot and rustic on the finish. Spicy with more lingering smoke. Comments: A very fine dram in it’s own right but it’s interesting to compare it to the 10 Year Old Cask Strength. In the 10 year the Islay character comes through more peaty and briney. In the Quarter Cask it comes through much smokier. Not different enough to rock your world but you can’t go wrong with either version. Rating: Stands Out
I would like to thank Ben and the team over at DBC Public Relations for providing us with bottles for review.
