Must Try

Laphroaig 16 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

/ / Islay, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Laphroaig 16 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

48% ABV
$90
Website
Laphroaig 16 yr Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
We would like to thank Laphroaig and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Laphroaig® 16 Year Old is an exceptional expression that has been matured for 16 years in ex-bourbon barrels. Over time, the whisky’s smoky flavor softens on the senses and is beautifully married with sweet vanilla notes aging in Americna Oak to deliver a long lasting, smoky sweet and rich flavor. Laphroaig 16 Year Old is best served neat or with a drop of water.

TASTING NOTES
Color: Deep copper
Nose: Sweet leather, oaky spices, with floral notes, roasted chestnuts with rich maple syrup, and a touch of black pepper.
Palate: Sweet with treacle, caramel, Manuka honey and thyme, as well as wood smoke, creosote, lots of floral notes of heather and bergamot, and a chili mouthfeel.
Finish: Long lasting, smoky, sweet with a salted seaweed, medicinal character.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Thick and lovely with seaweed, iodine, leather, peat smoke, tar, and a subtle sweetness underneath.
Palate:  Sweet salted caramel to start, then sharpening with pepper spice, peat, smoke, oregano & thyme dried near the sea.
Finish:  Moderately long, smokey and drying with medicinal notes.
Comments:  This is a lovely dram! Water tamps the sharper edges and brings more sweetness forward, but make no mistake this is squarely in the Laphroaig wheelhouse. I was fortunate enough to have a bottle of Laphroaig 18 yr on hand to compare to, and it was fairly similar (maybe not quite as creamy of a mouthfeel and a tad less refined). Unfortunately that isn’t a standard offering, which is all the more reason I’m excited about this new addition to the lineup. In particular I appreciate the relatively high ABV. While softer than the 10 yr with more nuance, this still brings images of a peat fire by the sea shore. If you’re a fan of Laphroaig, I’d consider this a ‘Must Try’.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso Batch OL0614

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso
Batch OL0614

60.7% ABV
$90-$100
Website
Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso batch olo614

What the Distillery Says

First Fill Oloroso Sherry Oak casks from Jerez add richness and luxury.

The Nàdurra range uses traditional 19th-century production methods to create inventive and original whiskies. This version is matured in first-fill Oloroso sherry oak casks from the Spanish region of Jerez. The sherry-soaked wood introduces the rich, sultry flavors of dried fruit and warm spice. Nàdurra Oloroso, like all expressions in the range, is bottled and released in small batches, and, unlike most modern whiskies, is non-chill filtered so has all the body you would expect from a whisky that has been drawn straight from the cask. It’s a bright, vivacious gold liquid, with aromas of dried fruit and spice. To drink, it’s smooth and creamy with chocolate and marmalade. This is a divine example of what happens when you bring together Spanish passion and Speyside tradition. This whisky is all about using traditions to achieve modern brilliance.

Color: Bright gold
Cask: First Fill Oloroso Sherry Oak
Flavor: Dried fruits, warm spices
Nose: Dried fruit, raisins, apricots, cinnamon, liquorice
Palate: Smooth and creamy, spicy orange marmalade, dark chocolate
Finish: Long and sweet, slightly dry and spicy

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sherried oak (more dry sherry than dark fruit) with subtle dark chocolate and spices; water brings dark fruit notes forward.
Palate:  Robust and intense fruitcake, plums, black cherries, raisins, baking spices, dark chocolate and unsalted mixed nuts; water tamps the chocolate a bit and brings the spice forward.
Finish:  Moderately long with drying sherry and subtle earthy oak spice trailing.
Comments:  I’m not sure if this has changed in the last few years (note that my sample was batch OL0614 from 2014), but I wouldn’t describe the color on this as ‘bright’. It’s a fairly dark and dense dram (which I prefer visually!) This one is a bit odd to me in that typically Oloroso matured whisky is heavy with dark fruit, and every time I tried this what jumped out to me was the sherry itself and oak over the fruit. That said, I really enjoyed every taste! Just a lovely intensity of flavor.

Rating: Must Try

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Blanton’s Gold

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Blanton’s Gold

51.5% ABV
$70-$90
Website
Blanton's Gold

What the Distillery Says

Blanton’s Gold Edition was created for discerning bourbon aficionados who appreciate exceptional smoothness and complexity in their bourbon whiskey. The nose is first marked by spicy rye and tobacco notes. Caramel and honey follow soon after, mingled with dark fruit and citrus notes. The palate emulates the same complex nose with rye, tobacco, and honey at the forefront. Round and bold notes of charred oak and vanilla carry you through to an extremely long and harmonious finish. This bourbon consistently delivers on balance and character, on par with the world’s finest whiskey. Best served neat or with a splash of water. Bottled at 51.5% alcohol by volume.

*Not available in the United States. Only available in select international markets.

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich sweetness, brown sugar, oak, toffee, vanilla, cinnamon, dark chocolate, hints of dark cherries.
Palate:  Sweet and thick, salted caramel, vanilla, notes of chocolate with cinnamon and a hint of . . . root beer?
Finish:  Moderately long with trailing notes of chocolate, root beer, and pepper.
Comments:  Delicious bourbon, wish this was available here in the United States. Takes water well, bringing out a little blood orange. The ‘root beer’ notes were a pleasant surprise (don’t get that often!) As a single barrel, maybe this one was really unique – I don’t know. While it is delicious, it isn’t always easy to get in those international markets where it is offered (so I might buy it on-sight just because you might not get another chance). A cut above Blantons, although not sure it is the cut that the price (and scarcity) would have you believe.

Rating: Must Try

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Talisker 57° North

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Talisker 57° North Single Malt

57.8% ABV
$75
Website
Talisker 57 North
We would like to thank Paul (who shares reviews on Distiller.com, as well as reviews and general musings on his YouTube channel Dapper Drams) for the sample to review!

What the Distillery Says

Talisker 57° North takes its name from this remote, rugged and windswept distillery’s latitude. And rightly so, because this is an untamed, natural expression of the Talisker’s full power: a volcanic, intensely appealing flavour that most drinkers will have only experienced in a cask strength bottling.

Appearance: Full gold.
Nose: Clean and intense, with the light smoke of a struck match. Creamy toffee balanced by fruit. Hints of seaweed, heather blossom and vanilla.
Body: Explosive, intense and smoky.
Palate: Sweet, with smoke and tar exploding around the middle – evoking the raw volcanic power which formed Skye’s famous Black Cuillin mountains.
Finish: Oily, tingling with the signature pepperiness. Smoother with water.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Big sea-mist, iodine, oysters, sea-brine, acrid smoke, vanilla with hints of chocolate.
Palate:  Sweet with apricots, pears and caramel to start, than a pepper pop midway through with sulfur, smoke and peat.
Finish:  Long, drying with pepper and sea salt.
Comments:  This is Talisker with the volume turned up past 11. A non-age stated bottling, but nothing in my experience would lead me to believe it is young. While the proof will up the umph, taking a 5 yr malt at near cask strength wouldn’t be that similar of a profile when diluted.  After making my notes, I decided to take 10 mL and bring it down to about 92 proof, and it reminded me of Talisker 10 yr – so my guess is that it isn’t far off in terms of age.  Regardless of age, this is just delicious.  If you are a fan of Talisker or peaty malts in general, I’d highly recommend trying it.  I think you’d enjoy it.

Rating: Must Try

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Nikka Coffey Malt Whisky

/ / Other Whisk(e)ys, Review / ,

Nikka Coffey Malt Whisky

45% ABV
$70-$75
Website
Nikka Coffey Malt Whisky

What the Distillery Says

The Coffey Still is the world’s first patented continuous still invented by Mr. Aeneas Coffey in 1830. Masataka Taketsuru valued the feature of this type of still, which retains the flavors of ingredients and also creates a distinctive texture.

Coffey Grain and Coffey Malt are Nikka’s signature grain whiskies which show the beauty of our Coffey Stills.

Coffey Malt is made from 100% malted barley. However it is not categorized as “malt whisky” but as “grain whisky” since it is not distilled in a pot still. This unique production method results in extraordinary flavors and texture.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sweet malt with butterscotch, vanilla flan, over-ripe pears, subtle oak and spice
Palate:  Lovely fruit notes of peaches, pears, plums, cherries, a bit of coconut, with a viscous mouthfeel.
Finish:  Moderately long with notes of fruit salad.
Comments:  This is a very nice malt. On the sweet side to be sure, but not sickeningly sweet. I get a nice range of fruit flavors, but clearly a malt whisk(e)y. Really shows that a column or Coffey still can make some lovely whisk(e)y, which fans of bourbon have known for years.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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