Review

Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength Batch 012

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength
Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Batch 012, Bottled Feb 2020

60.1% ABV
$85-$110
Website
Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength Batch 012 Islay Single Malt Whisky

What the Distillery Says

Three words can describe Batch 12 with unfettered honesty – full, uncompromising, powerful. We invite you to uncork this particular offering of our Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength to experience the purest taste of the land, sea, and air of Islay. Its distinctive flavor comes from being barrier-filtered (which removes unwanted char particles) and then bottled directly from the barrel after a decade has passed.

This 60.1% vol cask strength full-bodied whisky is a result of this laborious process. There is a smokiness of renown present, as well as particular depths that speak to both an unrestrained sweetness and spiciness. The palate can be overwhelmed by the flavor of fudge, cinnamon, and toffee, as fragrances of leather, vanilla, and pipe tobacco fill the nose. A little watering of the whisky can reveal more features of sea salt and peat smoke.

Colour: Tawny.
Nose: Sweet cereals with biscuit notes, fresh oak, smoked cedar and Manuka honey. Amsterdam pipe tobacco, shoe polish and old leather combined with a touch of waxy church candle, vanilla cream, nutmeg and oak extracts.
Palate: Sweet and spicy, with burnt oak staves, barbecued marshmallows, toffee and sea salt, vanilla and Belgium caramel waffles. Roasted coffee fudge cream on sticky toffee pudding, with a hint of white pepper and crushed cinnamon.
Finish: Floral with spicy oak tannins, iodine and sea salt.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Smokey seaweed, wet bandages, creosote, salty sea air, hint of sulfur, bit of caramel, smoked meat with lemongrass.
Palate:  Warm and oily mouthfeel, peaty and peppery with honeyed biscuits, hint of toffee and lemon.
Finish:  Long with peat, apricots, smoke and iodine.
Comments:  Classic Laphroaig! If you don’t know, it is hard to describe in a way that sounds appealing. In my experience, Laphroaig (and most other Islay peated single malts) can be very polarizing. I don’t know many folks who are on the fence; they either like it a fair amount, or really dislike it pretty strongly. I fall into the ‘like it alot’ camp. In fact Laphroaig 10 Year Cask Strength (batch 003, January 2011, 55.3% ABV) was my first ever single malt scotch whisky purchase. I shared that story here so I won’t repeat it. In fact, I was down to the last 2 ounces of that bottle (which had been decanted more than once, so please hold off on the comments about air time, etc) so I decided to do a side-by-side. This batch 012 definitely had a sharper edge to it, was a bit less sweet and not quite as well balanced. I mistakenly thought I had reviewed that already and didn’t take detailed notes – sorry about that (the only other batch to date we have reviewed is batch 005 which Richard was a fan of). To be clear, while I preferred batch 003, there wasn’t anything off-putting about this one. I find that this makes an excellent smoky old fashioned, with no smoking of glass required!

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Midleton Very Rare Irish Whiskey 2014

/ / Irish Whiskey, Review /

Midleton Very Rare Irish Whiskey 2014
Blended Irish Whiskey

40% ABV
$260 to $2,000 (range from new to vintage at auction)
Website
Midleton Very Rare 2014 Irish Whiskey

What the Distillery Says

Since 1984, each Master Distiller of Midleton Very Rare uses their eye for detail, their passion for quality whiskey and their exemplary skill to create the pinnacle of Irish whiskey, our special vintage release.

NOTE: The 2014 vintage was the first year that Brian Nation signed off on (following the legendary Barry Crockett), and is a blend of pot still and grain whiskies, believed to be aged from 12 to 22 years old.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Floral and fruity, poached pears, peaches, melon, roses, honeysuckle, soft oak and vanilla crème brûlée.
Palate:  Fruit salad with pears, apples, cherries, peaches, vanilla, honey, bit of toffee before a citrus note and a subtle mineral note.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length with dried fruit, a hint of cereal and vanilla.
Comments:  This is a nice layered dram with nuanced complexity, but a lot of work to unpack. If you didn’t let it sit and open up and just poured and sniffed at – may not have appreciated all it has going on. That said, while complex, it is a LOT of work to get after. Given the suspected age (and price, although many thanks to Richard for biting the bullet and sharing a sample!) I had higher hopes for the mouthfeel, and I can’t help but wonder if this would have been just lovely at 46% or more. Don’t get me wrong – if someone has one open and is offering me a pour, I’m not turning it down – but also wouldn’t pay the retail (let alone insane auction prices) for this one.

Rating: Stands Out

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New Riff 6 Year Malted Rye Whiskey

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

New Riff 6 Year Malted Rye Bottled in Bond
Kentucky Straight Malted Rye Whiskey

50% ABV
$65
Website
New Riff 6 Year Malted Rye Bottled In Bond Whiskey

What the Distillery Says

This style of whiskey is made of 100% malted rye grain, which is quite rare, even in today’s craft distilling scene. Plump, medium-full palate; finely dovetailed elegant spices; saltwater taffy, fruits, clove, and an interesting toasty – malty note. The finish is focused spice with clove and pink peppercorn. At six years old, our New Riff Malted Rye Bottled in Bond Without Chill Filtration is the oldest New Riff whiskey yet released, and will remain at six years as something of an exclamation point atop our standard portfolio.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Thick, cloves, figs, raisins, anise, tangerine, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar with a hint of toasted orange zest.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, fruity with blood orange, ginger, apples, vanilla, hint of grapefruit, cinnamon, anise, clove and mint.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with honey, citrus and a bit of caramel.
Comments:  As a rye fan, I’m absolutely loving this. My first taste of any kind of malted rye was a dusty Lot 40 (which to be clear, this doesn’t remind me of in the least – entirely different beast but in a great way). New Riff is right that 100% malted rye is pretty rare. The act of malting any grain is going to add some complexity and costs versus simply milling dried grain and mashing. Given that, this price point is quite reasonable, and I’m excited that New Riff is planning to continue this (and maybe even offer some limited barrels with more age, not that this is immature by any stretch?) This is more heavy on the spice notes of clove and anise than a non-malted rye. I would speculate that this would be an excellent cocktail rye, but I enjoyed it way too damn much neat to find out. Another delightful offering from the fine folks at New Riff.

Rating: Must Try

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Penelope Tokaji Cask Finish 8 Year Rye

/ / Review, Rye Whiskey /

Penelope Tokaji Cask Finish
8 Year Straight Rye Whiskey

53% ABV
$90
Website
Penelope Tokaji Cask Finish 8 Year Straight Rye Whiskey
We would like to thank Penelope Bourbon and BYRNE PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

Rich and decadent, Tokaji Cask Finish straight rye whiskey captures the late harvest notes of Tokaji wine from Hungary, once dubbed, “the wine of kings” by King Louis XIV. Distilled in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, aged eight years and bottled at 106 proof, its two-grain mash bill consists of 95% rye and 5% malted barley. The rye whiskey features a nose of dark chocolate-covered raisins and almond pastry; a viscous body with notes of sweet honey and caramel with hints of orange zest; and a savory finish highlighted by notes of black cherry, tobacco and red wine.

“From consumers to tasting panels, our Tokaji Cask Finish was really well received last year,” said Michael Paladini, founder of Penelope Bourbon. “For the initial release we used a 6-year-old straight rye whiskey as our base, and we are excited to bring this back but with an 8-year base at the same price point.”

In 2023, Penelope Bourbon Tokaji Cask Finish received 91 points from Whisky Advocate and was awarded a Gold Medal ASCOT Award.

It is the third installment of the company’s Cooper Series, which takes Penelope straight whiskeys on a world tour. The other members of the series include Rosé Cask Finish, Valencia and Rio. The Cooper Series was named after the son of Daniel Polise, one of the founders and the master distiller of Penelope Bourbon. A product locator for the Penelope family of bourbons can be found here.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Big rye spice with dill, mint and citrus zest, floral notes with almond cookies and toasted oak.
Palate:  Dry with honey, mint, cinnamon, chocolate orange, caramel, clove and pepper.
Finish:  Drying with orange zest, fading spice and tobacco.
Comments:  This is an interesting dram. Only my second experience with Tokaji as a finish, but like the first it seems to be a very subtle influence. I really enjoy the rye whiskey itself, and have long been a fan of that 95% rye mashbill the folks in Indiana make. With a bit of water the mouthfeel thickens and brings the citrus notes forward. This is an unapologetic rye that’s dry, spicy and savory. I enjoy it neat, but it also makes a mean Preakness cocktail.

Rating: Stands Out

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Nikka Whisky From The Barrel

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review /

Nikka Whisky From The Barrel

51.4% ABV
$75-85 (750 mL)
Website
Nikka From The Barrel Whisky

What the Producer Says

Nikka From The Barrel is a blended whisky which was released in 1985. The development of this expression started with an aim to deliver full flavors and richness of whisky like “from the barrel”, which only blenders can sniff and taste. The secret behind its gorgeous flavor is the unique combination of complex blending, higher ABV 51.4% and “marriage” process.

The iconic square bottle reflects its concept “a small block of whisky” and embodies the intense and rich flavors of the whisky inside. Long after its launch, this bottle is still timeless and recognized for its ultimate simplicity.

The complex formula is created by blending more than 100 different batches of malt and grain whiskies. After blending, the whisky is filled into used barrels and matured for another few months. This “marriage” process harmonizes all components in the formula, resulting in a mellow taste. Bottling is controlled at 51.4% ABV, almost equivalent to 90 British proof, that Nikka blenders determined through repeated experiments to achieve the ideal taste profile.

This product does not meet all the criteria of “Japanese whisky “ defined by the Japan Spirits & Liqueur Makers Association. Read More

What Gary Says

Nose:  Toffee, butterscotch, stewed apples, pears, vanilla, honey suckle, floral, malt with a hint of plums and oak.
Palate:  Creamy, syrupy mouthfeel with caramel, fruit notes including apples, pears, and peaches, bit of cinnamon, nutmeg, raw honey and tangerines.
Finish:  Moderate in length, syrupy with honey, apples, gentle baking spices and grapefruit.
Comments:  While a non-age stated whisky, this is really nice. A good amount of flavor intensity and balance on the palate thanks to the higher ABV. Nose is complex as well, but more subtle – takes some time and work. A bit of water thickens it up even more and brings the fruit forward, turning up the volume on the apples and pears more so than the citrus notes.

Rating: Must Try

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