Gary

Managing apostle and whiskey enthusiast

Springbank 12 yr Cask Strength Batch 21 (October 2020)

/ / Campbeltown, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Springbank 12 yr Cask Strength
Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Batch 21 – October 2020

56.1% ABV
$120-$130
Website
Springbank 12 yr cask strength batch 21

What the Distillery Says

DISCLAIMER: The following notes are what is listed as of December 2021, but refers to an older batch with a different mix of cask types. Shame that Springbank themselves don’t keep more current information (as well as batch history), but focusing my review on their whisky rather than their website management 🙂 

Our 12-year-old edition, always bottled at cask strength, is a wonderfully balanced dram that boasts a smooth buttery body and rich fruity palate. Add a drop of water to release milk chocolate and vanilla notes.

Our latest release*, bottled in January 2017, is 54.2% and the tasting notes are:
Nose: It’s reminiscent of walking in an autumn forest full of pine and chestnut trees, before returning home to the iodine of a Campbeltown malt and ending with a delicate hint of peat.
Palate: A gorgeous richness on the palate which is balanced between citrus marmalade on toast and caramelised toasted marshmallows, not forgetting flavours of vanilla and pepper. It’s a lip licking meaty dram.
Finish: A delicious, viscous, smooth liquid with a salty edge. It brings back memories of a ham joint which has been marinated in a rich honey sauce and slow baked in the oven.

Special shout out to Ben’s Whisky Blog and The Washback for detailing out the Springbank 12 yr Cask Strength batch differences!

Per sources such as these and others, Batch 21 is different with the types of casks uses comprising of sherry (45%), bourbon (25%), burgundy (25%) and port (5%).

What Gary Says

Nose:  Dark fruit, red wine notes, hint of sulfur and peat, smoked barbecue pork, tobacco, oak, brandied cherries.
Palate:  Cream mouthfeel, fruity with apricots, not quite ripe strawberries, cherries, ginger, cinnamon and pepper spice.
Finish:  Long and drying with dry sherry, red wine, ash and pepper.
Comments:  Trying this side-by-side again Springbank 12 yr Cask Strength batch 15, this is much darker in color, and the burgundy cask influence really stands out. It is very good, but just not in my wheelhouse as squarely as batch 15 is with that 70% sherry mix. A bit of water thickened things up, but didn’t tamp the edges like I had hoped. If you’re a fan of different wine cask finishes or maturations, this might be intriguing (and again – it is very good; not off putting – just not the ‘sherry bomb’ that you may have come to love in the majority of previous batches).

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

Springbank 12 yr Cask Strength Batch 21 (October 2020) Read More »

Springbank 15 Year Old

/ / Campbeltown, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Springbank 15 Year Old
Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky

46% ABV
$135-$150
Website
Springbank 15 Year

What the Distillery Says

Like a storm gathering off the Kintyre coast, our 15-year-old Springbank is dark and ominous, yet delicious. Best enjoyed after dinner or with your favourite cigar, this is a true classic.

Nose: Demerara sugar, dark chocolate, Christmas cake, almonds, toffee, oak.
Palate: Creamy, raisins, dark chocolate, figs, marzipan, brazil nuts and vanilla.
Finish: Oak and sherry notes sustain and mingle with hints of leather.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Thick and rich sherry bomb, dark fruit with oak, graham cracker, toffee, caramel, leather, molasses, wisps of sea air with just a hint of sulfur.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, fruity with graham cracker and bitter chocolate, butterscotch, nutty earthiness with some soft pepper and baking spices, clove.
Finish:  Long and drying with vanilla, smoke and dark fruits.
Comments:  A solid Springbank for sure! Rich and intense, this has everything I love in a Springbank. Some water tamps the oak and brings the chocolate and toffee out of the shadows of the dark fruit – but don’t mistake that this drinks beautifully neat!

Rating: Must Try

Springbank 15 Year Old Read More »

Lagavulin Offerman Edition 2 Guinness Cask Finish

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Lagavulin Offerman Edition 2 Guinness Cask Finish
11 Year Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

46% ABV
$80-$100
Website
Lagavulin Offerman Edition Guinness Cask

What the Bottle Says

“I have travelled the world and sampled many attempts at pleasing nectars, but it is solely this distillation on Islay; a tiny, charismatic Scottish isle, that has claimed my palate,
Yea, and my heart into the bargain.”
Nick Offerman
TASTING NOTES
PALATE: A glorious adventure in ‘sweet peat’ through the combination of the intense peat and charred wood notes of Lagavulin with the roasted coffee, dark chocolate and sweet caramel notes from the Guinness casks.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sweet peat with sea air, hint of Guinness stout, ashy with leather, a hint of dried fruits with chocolate.
Palate:  Creamy and sweet with vanilla bean, chocolate, some tropical fruit notes of mango and dried pineapple, underlying peat smoke.
Finish:  Moderately long with sea salt, chocolate malt and pepper with peat.
Comments: This is delicious! Classic Lagavulin profile, but the Guinness really adds a lovely dimension without taking center stage. The 4 month finishing in former Guinness Beer Casks from the Open Gate Brewery in Maryland seems to have struck that right balance. I enjoyed the first Offerman Edition, and like this one even more (note that these were sampled months apart – just getting the reviews posted in close proximity!). If I have any complaint, it is that Lagavulin doesn’t acknowledge this fine dram on their web-site (their site in general leaves much to be desired, although if I wasn’t looking for content for a review – probably wouldn’t care!) If you’re a fan of Lagavulin, I’d absolutely seek this one out.

Rating: Must Try

Lagavulin Offerman Edition 2 Guinness Cask Finish Read More »

Lagavulin Offerman Edition Aged 11 Years

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Lagavulin Offerman Edition Aged 11 Years
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

46% ABV
$100
Website
Lagavulin Offerman Edition Aged 11 Years

What the Bottle Says

“I have travelled the world and sampled many attempts at pleasing nectars, but it is solely this distillation on Islay; a tiny, charismatic Scottish isle, that has claimed my palate,
Yea, and my heart into the bargain.”
Nick Offerman

What Gary Says

Nose:  Peat, sea air, smoked fish, iodine, creosote and tar with fruit notes tucked underneath.
Palate:  Rich mouthfeel, sweet with treacle, butterscotch, peat, gentle spices, fruit and honey with peat smoke.
Finish:  Moderately long with honey and peat.
Comments:  The nose is fairly dry and acrid, like a peat fire on the coast, with some fruit notes that you have to work to find. Then the palate comes out sweetly swinging! After a couple of passes on this one, I thought to myself “Wow – I’m not sure if I might not like this as much as Lagavulin 16 yr.” I wish I had done that earlier, as I only had enough to do two blind side-by-side comparisons. In both I thought they were very similar, and I picked both as better than the other. While I’d love to have a more clear winner, the fact that this gave Lagavulin 16 a run for its money is high praise in my book. And if you are a Lagavulin fan, I think this is priced to where you’ve got to try it for yourself.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

Lagavulin Offerman Edition Aged 11 Years Read More »

Booker’s 2021-04 “Noe Strangers Batch”

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Booker’s “Noe Strangers Batch” 2021-04
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

6 Years, 6 Months, 12 Days
62.75% ABV
$90
Website
Bookers 2021-04 Noe Strangers Batch
We would like to thank Beam Suntory and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says:

The final release in the Booker’s® Bourbon 2021 Collection is Booker’s Batch 2021-04 ‘Noe Strangers Batch.’ This batch celebrates the genuine, social nature of 6th Generation Master Distiller Booker Noe, and the way he could turn a stranger into a friend for life in no time.

Booker’s way of making friends was second nature to him. When Booker took a liking to the products that a salesman was selling, he would call his wife and say, “Set an extra plate at the table, I’m inviting this salesman to dinner!” In another instance, Booker was invited to a rally for the Blue Knights® Motorcycle Club, an international brotherhood of active and retired law enforcement officers who share a passion for motorcycle riding. There he struck up a conversation with some of the members, and the next day, he invited more than 300 of them over for lunch. His knack for making friends carried into his work as well. In Kentucky and out on the road, Booker wouldn’t leave an event until he shook hands with everyone that wanted to talk to him. And just like that, after shaking hands and a quick conversation, they’d become a fan – and a friend – for life.

Booker taught his son, 7th Generation Master Distiller Fred Noe, to ‘treat others how he would want to be treated’ — a lesson that the Noe family holds true to this day. Like they always say at the distillery: come as friends, leave as family.

Booker’s “Noe Strangers Batch” has a nice color coming from the time it rested in charred white oak barrels. The aroma has vanilla and brown spice, with a sweetness that continues upon the first sip. The initial heat isn’t overwhelming and leaves a taste that’s balanced with a long and warm finish, perfect for the colder months ahead.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Caramel, vanilla, dark chocolate, oak, slightly burnt peanut brittle and baking spices.
Palate:  Chocolate brownies, caramel, peanut butter, vanilla, honey, cinnamon and cracked pepper.
Finish:  Moderately long with oak, cocoa and pepper spice.
Comments:  I’ve lost count at this point, but this is another really solid Booker’s batch1. It could be just the holidays, but I got more peanut brittle/butter than I usually do – but don’t have a line-up to side-by-side (just comparing my notes from prior batches). This also takes water well, keeping a thick mouthfeel and tamping the pepper spice while keeping that gooey caramel goodness.

Rating: Stands Out

 

1Full disclosure – I have had a batch of Booker’s that I didn’t care for.  I’m not 100% certain of the details (can’t find my notes), but remember my rationale for buying it.  Batch C07-A-12 back in 2014 was higher proof than normal (130.4) and older than you typically see (7 years, 8 months).  Coming after the first roundtable batch (2013-6) which was the best batch of Booker’s I’d had (at that point), I thought that more proof AND age must make this even better, right!  Wrong.  But I digress – my point being that in recent years, while some have griped about the age dropping from what it once was (typically over 7 yrs old), I think that the consistency has improved while maintaining a solid, quality barrel proof bourbon.  – and the quality has been solid.  

Booker’s 2021-04 “Noe Strangers Batch” Read More »