Must Try

North British Old Particular 1988 30 Year

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Single Grain / ,

North British Old Particular 1988 30 Year
Single Grain Scotch Whisky

48.4% ABV
$100
Website
North British 30 Year Old "Old Particular" K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Grain Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle Says

One of 180 Bottles Charged from a Refill Barrel
Ref DL12798
No Colouring; No Chill Filtration

This Single Cask Was Distilled July 1988 And
Bottled August 2018

Specially Selected for K&L Wines

Nose: Opens with a golden syrup, slight spice and Californian orange quality
Palate: Expect Scottish marmalade with runny honey and lightly toasted pine nuts
Finish: Medium long with a citrus twist, American cream soda and gentle pepper

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla, buttercream frosting, hint of baking spices (hermit cookies), light caramel, porridge cereal notes with a subtle hint of citrus.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel with a citrus zip, honey, caramel, oak and hints of herbal tea.
Finish:  Long, damp with honey, pepper and vanilla.
Comments:  This is a really nice well aged single grain, and like others – benefits a lot from time in the glass (the old adage of ‘1 min in the glass for every year in the cask’ is asking a lot; I gave it an honest 20 minutes and it was much improved over freshly poured). Delicate and subtle, with a lovely depth on the nose. A bit of water brings a nuttiness to the nose, while the mouthfeel maintains the viscosity and the palate introduces some notes of toffee.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Bourbon de Luxe (National Distillers)

/ / Bourbon, Review, The Collector's Cabinet / ,

Bourbon de Luxe
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
National Distillers (dusty)

40% ABV
$8.49
Bourbon de Luxe Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

What the Bottle Says

Bottled under United States Government Supervision by The Bourbon de Luxe Distillery Co. Frankfort, KY. Aged 4 Years

NOTE: The bottle has a tax stamp from the State of Georgia, as well as a ‘faux tax seal’ over the enclosure. The stamp on the bottle indicates it was made in 1987. There is no government warning on the label (which was mandated beginning in November 1989). The first part of the UPC is 86259, which identifies it as a product of National Distillers.

What Gary Says

Nose: Butterscotch over vanilla ice cream with a bit of caramel and nutmeg.
Palate: Creamy, caramel, vanilla cream, hint of butterscotch with a bit of toffee and cinnamon.
Finish: Short to moderate in length with caramel and faint spice.
Comments:  As far as dusty, glut-era National Distiller’s bourbon goes, this isn’t close to the top end. Wouldn’t go so far as to call it ‘bottom shelf’ since it is straight bourbon with a four year age statement, but more middle of the road. Given the late 80s, this bottle very likely has some whiskey that is older than four years old. If you’ve never had dusty ND bourbon, this is a treat! It holds a special place for me as being one of the first dusty whiskey finds I made in the wild in April 2013 (along with a tax stamped Old Charter that I had to pour out; was just horrible). This has that butterscotchy note that ND is well known for, and has a nicer mouthfeel than most 4 yr, 80 proof bourbon would. While not very old, it does benefit from some time in the glass, and I find myself appreciating the nose more than the palate. This isn’t a complex pour by any means. The whiskey itself I’d rate as ‘Stands Out’, but throwing a ‘Must Try’ in there if you’ve never had it (and if you can come across it for reasonable money).

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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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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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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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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