Must Buy

The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask
Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 15 Years

47.8% ABV
$115-$130
Website
Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask

What the Distillery Says

The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask has been matured exclusively in a single European oak sherry butt for at least 15 years. The term ‘Single Barrel’ conveys the unique nature of the single malt whisky, which has been drawn from a single cask of a single distillation.
Limited by nature, each heavily toasted European oak Oloroso sherry butt will yield no more than 800 bottles of Scotch whisky.

TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Dried fruits overlaid with a gentle nuttiness
TASTE: Rich with elegant oak and subtle spice
FINISH: Long, sherried finish

What Gary Says

Nose:  Thick sherry, balsamic vinegar over spongecake with dark fruit, walnuts, almonds, floral notes with subtle smoke and oak; water brings out more orchard fruit notes.
Palate:  Rich mouthfeel, fruitcake with sherry, cinnamon, nutmeg, subtle clove, oak.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with notes of dark fruit.
Comments:  This has some very intense flavor for a sub 50% ABV dram. In fact, the first time I had tried this at a friend’s house, I expected it was cask strength – not that it drinks hot (it doesn’t) but just the flavor intensity. It takes water well, and maintains a great mouthfeel. I picked this up in early 2020 for $115, and felt that was a bargain for a 15 year single malt of this quality. As a single barrel, I don’t know how much variation there is. This is the first I’ve owned, and I think I’ve only sampled from two others – and thought all three of those were really delicious.

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Compass Box No Name Vol 2

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Compass Box No Name Vol 2
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

48.9% ABV
$150
Website
Compass Box No Name Vol 2

What the Blender Says

A serious, uncompromising smoky experience.
For this, the second Limited Edition of the No Name series, we’re again allowing the whisky to speak for itself. Still very smoky indeed, there is a new depth and delicacy. To borrow a musical analogy, No Name was peat as power chord; No Name, No. 2 has brought some harmonics to the party.

Built around an elegantly smoky Islay malt matured in refill Sherry butts, the second peated whisky we have used comes from the Isle of Skye. To these we added some old and ethereal single malt whisky from the Northern Highland village of Brora and just a dash of malt whisky finished in new French oak to add an underlying richness.

Bottled at 48.9% Not Chill-Filtered, Light 5 Micron Filtration, Natural Colour, Lead Whiskymaker: Jill Boyd
No Name, No. 2 will transport you straight to the peat bogs and malt kilns of Scotland’s West Coast. Weighty on the palate, hugely complex and concentrated, No Name, No. 2 also introduces a degree of delicacy. Our second whisky in the series offers an elegant mix of dried fruit notes, reminiscent of red cherries, and even a floral quality.

Those who snapped up No Name, and who are familiar with The Peat Monster, will love this latest exploration of the smoky whisky spectrum. No Name, No. 2 proves that peat is far from one-dimensional.

DISTILLERY SOURCING
Smoky single malt whiskies from the Caol Ila Distillery on Islay, and from the Talisker Distillery on the Isle of Skye.  Fruity malt whisky from the Clynelish Distillery in the Northern Highlands. A proprietary blend of Highland malts, aged in French oak, typically from the distilleries of Clynelish, Teaninich and Dailuaine.

AVAILABILITY: Release of 8,802 bottles worldwide.

FLAVOUR DESCRIPTORS: Highly complex peatiness and smokiness, accented by delicate cherry fruit notes. Full and concentrated on the palate, an interplay of peaty flavours develops throughout the long, satisfying finish.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Honey glazed chicken barbecued and smoked over a peat fire, grilled peaches, pears, pineapples, cherries, ashy campfire with hints of seaweed.
Palate:  Thick mouthfeel with sweet honey with cherries, peaches and baked apples that sharpens with fresh cracked pepper and smokey spice notes.
Finish:  Long, waxy with honey, lingering fruit notes and peat.
Comments:  Compared to No Name Vol 1, this has more fruit and nuance. Both are delicious pours, but if given the choice between the two I’d have to go with this one. A bit of water smooths the edges a bit without diminishing the fruit and mouthfeel. Really lovely blend and balance for lovers of Islay peat and smoke.

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend Single Marrying Cask (2018)

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend Single Marrying Cask

Selected by The Whiskey Library DC, Scotch Trooper &
Dekalb Bottle House, Cask No 5
49% ABV
$50
Website
Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend Single Marrying Cask

What the Blender Says

(Referencing the bottle details):
French Oak Barrel
Married 1/24/2017
Bottled 7/16/2018 (married 18 mos)
192 bottles
The Great King Street range from Compass Box is dedicated to creating contemporary Scotch Whiskies in the full-flavoured style of the great 19th Century blending houses. In creating these blends, we drew upon archive recipes from the golden age of whiskymaking then updated them with our own 21st Century custom cask maturation techniques. The result is a style of Blended Scotch unlike anything else available today.
Bold, Peaty, Sherried

What Gary Says

Nose: Thick peaty goodness, raisins, roasted marshmallows, subtle sea air with baking spices, wisps of barbecue sauce and rubber bands.
Palate: Thick and oily mouthfeel, peat with medicinal notes and dark fruit, vanilla, cinnamon, a hint of curry spice.
Finish: Moderately long, oily with lingering peat and subtle spice.
Comments: Third of these ‘single marrying casks’ I’ve bought, and only regret is not grabbing multiples. While I would buy any of them again given the chance at retail, this is my favorite. Just a lovely, intense, robust whisky with spice notes from the french oak. Compared to the standard Great King Street lineup, the additional proof points and marrying casks make more of a difference than you might suspect.

Rating: Must Buy

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Compass Box Great King Street Artist’s Blend Single Marrying Cask (2018)

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

Compass Box Great King Street Artist’s Blend Single Marrying Cask

Dekalb Bottle House Exclusive, Cask No 27
49% ABV
$50
Website
Compass Box Great King Street Artists Blend Single Marrying Cask

What the Blender Says

(Referencing the bottle details):
American Oak Hogshead
Married 1/18/2017
Bottled 7/16/2018 (married 18 mos)
162 bottles
The Great King Street range from Compass Box is dedicated to creating contemporary Scotch Whiskies in the full-flavoured style of the great 19th Century blending houses. In creating these blends, we drew upon archive recipes from the golden age of whiskymaking then updated them with our own 21st Century custom cask maturation techniques. The result is a style of Blended Scotch unlike anything else available today.
Rich, Round & Fruity

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich, baked apple chips, vanilla, biscuity, rickhouse oak, bits of apple cider spices (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg).
Palate: Rounded, slightly waxy mouthfeel with apples, pears, vanilla, honey, allspice, nutmeg, a hint of cinnamon give way to freshly cracked pepper.
Finish: Moderately long, damp with building pepper spice and over-ripe pears.
Comments: This is the 2nd Compass Box Great King Street Marrying Cask I’ve bought, and they’ve all punched well above their weight for the money. I had an opportunity to try this at the launch party, and immediately bought one. Unlike private barrels, these aren’t everywhere you look – but I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on one.

Rating: Must Buy

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Tamdhu Dalbeallie Dram

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Tamdhu Dalbeallie Dram

62.1% ABV
$160
Website
Tamdhu Dalbeallie Dram
We would like to thank Paul (check out his reviews here, or on Dapper Drams) for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Tamdhu Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky has launched an exclusive limited edition malt, the Tamdhu Dalbeallie Dram, at the 2018 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.

The bottling honours Dalbeallie train station, and the part the Victorian railway played in receiving Tamdhu’s precious sherry oak casks from Spain. Dalbeallie Dram is 100% matured in Oloroso sherry casks from Jerez in Southern Spain, bottled un-chill-filtered at cask strength (62.1% ABV). Only 1,000 individually numbered bottles will be made available of Collectors Journey 01 with future limited edition Dalbeallie Dram Collectors Journey releases planned annually for each Speyside Festival.

Carefully chosen by a team at the distillery, Tamdhu Dalbeallie Dram has notes of blackcurrant jam, mint tea and Bakewell tart on the nose, with sherry oak, cream soda, orange and nutmeg on the palate – then a finish of malt biscuit, dark chocolate and cinnamon. Like every bottle of Tamdhu, the rich natural colour comes from sherry casks alone.

Sandy McIntryre, Tamdhu Distillery Manager, said:

Having a new expression of Tamdhu is always exciting, and launching to guests during the Speyside Whisky Festival makes it all the more special. John Glass, our Master Blender, prepared a selection of drams for the team to nose and sample before we decided what we thought would best compliment the current Tamdhu range. We are absolutely delighted with the end result.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich and thick, chockful of sherry with raisins, plums, dates, figs, clove, nutmeg, allspice, worn leather, old books, pipe tobacco, mixed nuts. A bit of water brings out some caramel fudge and toffee notes along with hints of pears and apples.
Palate:  Luscious, rich and creamy with dark fruits, honey, chocolate, anise, clove, walnuts, cherries, and bits of melon. Some water brings out more chocolate with pecans and a bit of caramel.
Finish:  Long and gently drying with nutty chocolate and dark fruit.
Comments:  Wow. Just wow. This is only the second Tamdhu offering I’ve tried, and damn – this is just as delicious (maybe a touch better – and retailed for roughly half the other!). Easily one of the top three drams I tasted in 2019 (when I started my review notes). This whisky has such a rich and dense flavor, with a thick and creamy mouthfeel. It reminds me a bit of Macallan cask strength (in the glass it has that super-dark color, although a bit more brown than red by comparison), which is one of my favorites. If I had the opportunity to snag one at the $160 it was sold at, I think I’d buy multiples. Sadly unlikely to ever have a chance to buy one at anything close to that (or buy one period). This would be a contender for my Top 5 of all time, with the likes of Compass Box The General (and for those familiar with that dram and me, yes . . . it’s that good).

Rating: Must Buy

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