Scottish Whisky

Chivas Regal – The Chivas Brothers’ Blend

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Chivas Regal – The Chivas Brothers’ Blend

40% ABV
$55-$60 (travel retail exclusive)
Website
Chivas Brothers Blend

What the Blender Says

An ultra smooth and easy drinking whisky, perfect for sharing with friends. This 12-year old blend includes higher proportions of Strathisla and Longmorn Single Malts and was created as a fitting tribute to the famously smooth blending style of John and James Chivas.

Tasting Notes
COLOR: Rich amber.
NOSE: Bursting with ripe, soft fruit flavours, including peach and pear, and accented with runny honey, marmalade and soft candy.
TASTE: Rich taste of fresh soft fruit flavours, echoing the nose, giving way to a fantastic sweet, creamy texture.
FINISH: Creamy, round and smooth.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Soft, honeysuckle, vanilla, pears, slightly floral with a hint of oak.
Palate:  Soft but bright sweetness with canned pears, honey, vanilla, and a subtle peppery malt note at the end.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, sweet and wet with a slight white pepper note.
Comments:  A subtle and soft dram all around, where the nose lines up with what the palate delivers. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing special for my tastes either; a think just a bit too soft/subtle for my liking.

Rating: Average

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Laphroaig 28 Year Old

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Laphroaig 28 Year Old
44.4% ABV
$799
Website

What the Distiller Says
Over a quarter century in the making. Laphroaig 28 Year Old is a limited luxury meant to savor.

Laphroaig 28 Year Old is an exceptional expression that has been matured for 28 years in a suite of artfully selected casks. First matured in different sizes from quarter casks to butts, the liquid is married in sherry casks to age for its final 12 months.

COLOR: Coppery gold.
NOSE: Rich and peaty with aroma of grilled dates, Manuka honey, and a hint of licorice, complemented by notes of Islay heather, dry thyme and rosemary.
BODY: Full bodied.
PALATE: Sweet with baked pears and vanilla notes complemented by salted toffee, burnt wood, marinated grilled meat, and ground black pepper.
FINISH: Sweet and peppery with dried spices, cedar and complex lingering peaty flavor.

What Gary Says
Nose: Thick, peaty sea air w/ notes of honey, sultanas, iodine, leather, and a hint of tangy, smokey barbecue.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, intense sweetness, pears, honey, rice pudding with a hint of balsamic vinegar; subdued peat.
Finish: Long, lingering with sweet notes and savory but subtle spices.
Comments: If you’ve read my other reviews, you know my history with Laphroaig. This is just an exquisite dram; the oldest Laphroaig I’ve had the pleasure of tasting, and it has indeed been a pleasure. The peat and medicinal notes that fans of Laphroaig have grown to love are still present, but they are tamed in this presentation, with more complex sweet notes on the nose and palate. The final 12 months of maturation in sherry is a lovely touch – adding depth and richness to the sweet notes, balancing out the peat and sea air – but not changing the foundation of that classic Laphroaig profile. On my second tasting, I poured some Laphroaig 18 yr for a comparison, and that really highlighted the difference of that sherry finishing (although the other casks used throughout the maturation undoubtedly played a significant role). Much more gentle and refined, with less peppery edge than the 18 yr. Very well crafted, and delicious representation!
Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

We would like to thank Laphroaig and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

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Aberlour 17 yr Double-Cask Cask Strength

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

Aberlour 17 yr Double-Cask Cask Strength
55.3% ABV
Website

What the Bottle Says
Aberlour Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Double Cask
First Fill Sherry and Bourbon Cask
17 Years Old

Nose: Hints of cinnamon, baked apples and ginger intermingled with luscious dark chocolate and treacle toffee.
Taste: Rich and tangy on the pallet at first, followed by a burst of sweet orange and apricot flavors with delicate dark chocolate notes.
Finish: Long finish with a lingering spice.

What Gary Says
Nose:  Thick, rich sherry dark fruit – raisins, oranges, honey spent fireworks, burnt toast, subtle nuttiness.
Palate:  Rich sweet, creamy mouthfeel that then sharpens, dark fruit/plum jam with notes of oak; water brings the sweet more to raisins with a pepper spice.
Finish:  Moderate to long in length, sweet yet tart while drying.
Comments:  Another pickup by Richard while visiting (no mention of on their web-site, and no price).  By comparison with the Aberlour 17yr CS, the sherry influence here is pretty apparent, but that smokey, spent matches, sulfur note is also still present, even when adding water (water tamped the heat a bit, but not the smokiness as much). If you like a really smokey whiskey, this might be the bees knees. I found it to be better balanced than the other though.
Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Aberlour 17 yr Cask Strength

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Aberlour 17 yr Cask Strength
The Distillery Reserve Collection
50.2% ABV
Website

What the Bottle Says
The Distillery Reserve Collection
[Non Chill-Filtered]
Aberlour Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whiskey
Aged 17 Years
The Distillery Reserve collection is a limited release of rare and exceptional whiskies from Chivas Brothers single malt whisky distilleries. Each release is bottled at cask strength.
Distilled: 12th December 1997 Bottled: 8th July 2015
Cask Nos: 17749,17756-58, 17771
1 of 1380 50cl bottles

What Gary Says
Nose:  Sharp/astringent, tart cherries, spongecake, hazelnuts with spent matches; bit of water brings out more citrus notes with the cherries and hints of caramel with dark chocolate.
Palate:  Subtle sweetness w/ oranges, apricots and honey, then sharpens to a sulphury, oaky, spicy tobacco note; hints of toffee and cherry; bit of water brings out the oranges and honey a bit more.
Finish:  Moderately long, and drying with smoke.
Comments:  This was a distillery exclusive that Richard picked up while visiting a few years ago, and as such no mention of it on their web-site (and not sure what the price paid was). This drank pretty hot for the proof, and has a lot of sulfur, spent matches. It does take water well, although the smoke was still fairly acrid for me. Next going to review an Aberlour 17yr Double-Cask cask strength, which was an interesting comparison.
Rating: Average

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Highland Park VALKNUT

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Highland Park VALKNUT
46.8% ABV
$80
Website

What the Distiller Says
In partnership with renowned Danish designer Jim Lyngvild, Highland Park VALKNUT is the second in a series of three Viking Legends releases inspired by the rich Viking heritage and mythology of Highland Park’s Orkney Islands home. The first expression, VALKYRIE, was released in mid-2017 to critical acclaim, winning the Ultimate Spirits Challenge’s highest accolade, the Chairman’s Trophy for Best in Category, with a 99/100 score.

Viking sagas tell of the Valkyries, the fierce angels of Norse mythology who combed the battlefields for the bravest fallen warriors. Vikings who met an honorable death were marked out by the symbol of the Valknut and spirited away by the Valkyries to Valhalla to join Odin’s mighty army and prepare for Ragnarok, the battle of the end of the world.

VALKNUT means “knot of those killed in battle” and is represented visually by three interlinked triangles. This symbol is closely associated with the Norse god Odin, who guided the spirits of the dead to Valhalla.

“VALKNUT is a bolder, more intense style of Highland Park with a drier and smokier profile and a higher ABV than VALKYRIE. It has been matured predominantly in American sherry seasoned oak casks with a slightly higher phenolic level compared to VALKYRIE,” says Jason Craig, Highland Park’s Global Brand Director. “We’ve also used a small amount of Orkney-grown tartan barley, which adds to its smokier edge and lingering sweet, spicy finish.”

Nose: Toasted vanilla pods, cracked black pepper, oak shavings, cloves, anise, aromatic smoke
Palate: Sweet, aromatic cloves join forces with tangy hints of anise
Finish: Intensely balanced and bold; leaves a lingering memory of aromatic peat smoke and sweet spices

What Gary Says
Nose:  Rich smokey sweetness, dark fruit, vanilla, anise, subtle spice notes beneath wisps of sea air and brine.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, sweet with raisins, cloves, almonds and a subtle earthiness.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with smoke and pepper spice.
Comments:  Very nice! Balanced, less sherry-forward than Highland Park 12 or 18 yr, but with that sea air/smokiness that I love in their offerings. I find more complexity on the nose than in the palate, but nothing off-putting in either – and both are well balanced. I think fans of Highland Park are unlikely to be disappointed!
Rating: Stands Out

We would like to thank Highland Park and Forte Mare for sending us a sample to review.

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