tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33732212224385374022024-03-21T19:17:12.515-07:00Malts of PandemoniumPandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-87367740756521644932030-06-13T13:12:00.000-07:002014-06-22T13:39:06.523-07:00Previously on Malts of Pandemonium<h2>
<span style="color: orange;"><br />Crap that I posted here before</span></h2>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Divine grapefruit juice </span><span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">from <br />Scotland's oldest distillery</span></h2>
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At last, the final lowlander on my list (<i>let's just ignore Ladyburn, Glen Flager, Annandale, Ailsa Bay and Inverleven for a moment</i>).<br />
Didn't know what to expect, within the whisky community no consensus can be found on Littlemill. Some loath it as cod oil, others would sell their own children for a bottle. Thus it took me a while to gathered my courage and put in an order for some Littlemill.<br />
Easy to say, the search wasn't too hard, the market is literally being flooded with a wide variety of independent releases. One has to wonder how such a small distillery could leave a stock large enough to keep selling casks for decades after its demise at reasonable prices. (<i>Diageo is probably just cheating us out of our money with their rare releases from lost distilleries like Port Ellen</i>).<br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Distillery</u></span></h3>
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I'll admit, the distillery would probably never have won a beauty contest. Though its roots could be traced back to the 1750's, the buildings date back from the late 19th century, 1875 to be more precise. </div>
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As a small distillery, Littlemill never made much of a name for itself. </div>
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In the 30's the new distillery owners abandoned the traditional triple distillation methods from the Lowlands and started experimenting with the copper and still shapes. As far as I know Littlemill was the original birthplace of the Lomond Still, making the production of three different styles of whiskies possible: Dumbuck, Dunglas and Littlemill.</div>
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In the 80's like so many other distilleries Littlemill was swallowed whole by the whisky crisis. But strangely enough that was not the end, from 1989 till 1994 the distillery was revived by the Gibson Internationale Group. During this short period, most of the casks you can still find today were produced. In hindsight, the distillery seemed to have been in quite capable hands.</div>
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In 1994, the distillery had to close its doors for good, now in (<i>possibly the worst possible</i>) hands of the Glen Catrine Group, owners of Glen Scotia and Loch Lomond,who bought the stocks and left the distillery to decay by the elements. By the early 00's, the buildings had fallen into severe disrepair and the grounds were repurposed for redevelopment, though a small group advocated for the preservation in the hope, it could one day be turned into a museum like Dallas Dhu.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">www.lfw.co.uk/whisky_review/SWR22/article22-8.html</span></div>
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In 2004, the remaining buildings met their finale demise as an all-consuming fire (<i>cough, cough Lochside</i>) erased every last trace of the distillery.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span></b> light, fruity and a bit oily: notes of lemon cream, marzipan, a tad of vanilla, a layer of fruit: rhubarb, gooseberries and tangerines, finishing with a whiff of stone dust.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>Mouth:</b></span> light and waxy body with just one note on the palate: pink grapefruit (<i>amazing</i>): bitter, hot and burning.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>Finish:</b></span> long and drying, with notes bitter oranges and oak<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">The Verdict</span></h4>
With a nose similar to Rosebank and a palate bearing resemblance to Lochside, this is a most amazing dram. I was simply blown away by the powerful taste that came after the light nose.<br />
A straightforward dram, no overabundance of different flavours and aromas to discover, elegant in its simplicity.<br />
The palate just doesn't simply taste like grapefruit, if someone had told me he made a cocktail with its juice, I would have believed him. Great stuff, this tastes like more.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 92</span></h3>
Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-28134724903570962052014-12-12T07:08:00.000-08:002014-12-12T07:08:43.874-08:00<h2 style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">A Trio of Balblair,<br />The Dauntless<br />Northern Highlander</span></h2>
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Almost two weeks without a single post, looks like I've returned to my bad habits, though in my defense I've been quite busy with work.<br />
If I don't find the time to properly enjoy a dram or two and write some notes down, I'll usually just go for an easy sipper like Dalmore 12, Jura Prophecy, Glenfarclas 105 or my old and trusty companion the Lagavulin 16.<br />
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Therefore many bottles/samples remained unopened: stashed away for future enjoyment.<br />
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So I still got a few exciting posts coming up: some rare, some lost and some low profile distilleries will get their chance in the spotlight.</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Though I may already have confessed my love for Balblair here before, I owe it to the good people of Balblair, who provided me with these samples for a twitter tasting, that I add my tasting notes to this blog.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a name='more'></a><br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">There is something about Northern Highlanders, just think about it: Dalmore, Old Pulteney, Clynelish, Brora, Glenmorangie and Balblair (<i>sorry, I haven't had the opportunity yet to try Glen Ord and Teaninich</i>) all powerhouses by their own right.</span></span></h3>
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And yet, even though it has been getting quite some buzz over the last few years, Balblair is still the lesser known. Which is, if you think about it, quite a relieve for the fans, as this distillery still offers its vintages at acceptable prices.<br />
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<i>Vintages you say? Time to get nostalgic with Balblair!</i></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Balblair 2003 Vintage</b></span></span></div>
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<i style="color: orange; font-size: medium;">The year of the US invasion of Iraq, the last flight of the Concord & a failed Matrix sequel</i></h3>
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<b style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></b></h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_H7VyBQzVHVyOllsP9A1-Td-ZIAl9YAGcs3vjq2pbVVBIdiX-fSbC6Tu6q3jG_VrGGs7YFPjWv5EQcNPOMo3xRHagHN8MfLkN75dyw9pnODk2tyFSRNi4dNaA2ZbIF1Nc38hjUNNtXljN/s1600/blbob.2003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_H7VyBQzVHVyOllsP9A1-Td-ZIAl9YAGcs3vjq2pbVVBIdiX-fSbC6Tu6q3jG_VrGGs7YFPjWv5EQcNPOMo3xRHagHN8MfLkN75dyw9pnODk2tyFSRNi4dNaA2ZbIF1Nc38hjUNNtXljN/s1600/blbob.2003.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><span style="color: orange;"><b>Nose:</b> </span>creamy on the nose with notes of soft butter, fruity elements of gooseberries, white fruits, and peach and pineapple. Underlying a slightly more floral layer, maybe a tad soapy with a whiff of blackboard chalk.<br />
(<u><i><span style="color: orange;">with water added:</span></i></u> <i>brings out the citrus in the nose: straight lemon juice, not just lemonade or lemon flavoured water. A strange thing that I've never witnessed before in a full-bodied whisky</i>)<br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>Mouth:</b> </span>waxy and full bodied, both spicy and bitter on the palate. With elements of lemon peel, cereal, a touch of banana, spiced up with white pepper and oak<br />
(<u><i><span style="color: orange;">with water added:</span></i></u> <i>the palate is pretty much ruined, only light citrus and vanilla notes remain, the loss of spicyness brings out the oak flavours</i>)<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b> lemon bitter in the finish with a touch of ginger in the tail</div>
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<u><span style="color: orange;">The Verdict</span></u></h3>
Very young whisky, but powerful in taste. A true testimony to youthful single malt whiskies.<br />
Something must be said about the addition of water as it improves the nose, but spoils the palate (<i>at least in my opinion</i>). My advice? Start by drinking this neat, you can still experiment with the leftovers.<br />
Take notes ladies and gentlemen, for as little as €37, this bottle could be yours.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 84</span></h3>
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<span style="color: orange;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Balblair 1990 Vintage </span><span style="font-size: large;">2nd Release</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><b><i>The year of the US invasion of Panama, German reunification & the birth year of the author</i> </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span></b> like a snowed in log cabin, a warm nose filled with notes of wood polish, demerara sugar (<i>raw brown sugar</i>), raisins, an various spices: nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> with a syrupy and waxy body and a slightly bitter palate come notes of coffee beans, molten toffee, a spicy edge of rough grind black pepper, a nudge of nutmeg and a whiff of dark chocolate<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b> medium long, with notes of pomander (<i>orange with nutmeg</i>) and dark wood<br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><b><u>The Verdict</u></b></span></h3>
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This whisky comes with that cosy warm feeling that you will need to get through the winter months. Old, bold, rich and a tad dusty, who wouldn't sign up for that?<br />
Drink this one neat, water ads nothing to the palate, though feel free to experiment.<br />
I can only approve of this fellow 1990 Vintage.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 89</span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: orange;"><b>Balblair 1983 vintage</b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: orange;"><i><b>The year of the US Invasion of Grenada, Michael Jackson's moonwalk & McDonald's McNugget</b></i></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span></b> this elegant nose opens with a touch of lemon, and vanilla, tropical fruits like mango and banana in the second act and for the grand finale, a variety of herbal essences and oak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Mouth: </span>Rich and smooth body with a palate of summer fruits, citrussy notes, some butterscotch, seasoned with cloves and cinnamon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b style="color: orange;">Finish: </b>long and a bit sour with a<b style="color: orange;"> </b>creamy touch of butter and a spicy edge in the tail<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: orange;"><u>The Verdict</u></span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US">Refined and elegant, much more in line with the 2003. This one has bourbon cask written all over it. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">A dash of water increases the flavour profile of the whisky, though no additional notes are created (<i>feel free to experiment</i>).</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Is it better than the 1990 vintage ?, only slightly I would say. It is much more refined and elegant.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Personally I would pick the 1990 (<i>even tough I might be a bit biased</i>) over the 1983, though I'll give the latter one a higher score due to the complexity of the dram. (<i>always reward craftsmanship</i>)</span></div>
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Maybe this metaphor might help: the 2003 is a dagger, the 1990 a broadsword and the 1983 is a rapier. </div>
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<span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 89</span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Disclaimer: Pictures are property from thewhiskyexchange.com</span></div>
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Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-81347747864230161162014-11-27T02:42:00.000-08:002014-11-27T12:19:19.498-08:00G&M tasting: Ardmore, Caol Ila, Glenlossie, Miltonduff & Mortlach<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Gordon & MacPhail Tasting </span></h2>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">hosted by the "Whisky & More" shop </span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: orange;">in Hasselt (Belgium)</span> </span></h2>
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Last weekend I attended a whisky tasting in my own hometown Hasselt, where only last year the first whisky shop opened its doors.<br />
As for now they haven't got much to offer the seasoned whisky drinker. But it takes some time for an independent shop holder to acquire a decent stock of exclusive and rare bottles that sets them apart from the local supermarkets.<br />
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feel free to pay a visit to their site: <a href="http://whiskyandmore.be/" target="_blank">whiskyandmore.be</a></div>
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To introduce the public to their newly acquired Gordon & MacPhail range, they invited the G&M ambassador over for a tasting.<br />
The participants were a mixed crowd of middle-aged to elderly men, both seasoned (at least going by their claims) and inexperienced. Therefore the ambassador did not go into too much detail about the distillery profiles, cask selection or even the tasting notes.<br />
A bit of a pity if you ask me, I'm a sucker for technical details and the little facts and figures of my whiskies keep it interesting<br />
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The line-up for the evening was as follows:<br />
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<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;">G&M Distillery Labels: Miltonduff 10yo</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">G&M Connaisseurs Choice: Glenlossie 17yo (1997/2014)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">G&M Reserve: Ardmore 17yo (1997/2014)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">G&M Distillery Labels: Miltonduff 30yo (1984/2014)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">G&M Distillery Labels: Mortlach 30yo (1984/2014)</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">G&M Connoisseurs Choice: Caol Ila 13yo (2001/2014)</li>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><u>The Distilleries</u></span></h3>
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I'll keep it short, I've spoken about <a href="http://maltsofpandemonium.blogspot.com/2014/09/mortlach-15yo-gordon-macphail.html" target="_blank">Mortlach</a>, <a href="http://maltsofpandemonium.blogspot.com/2014/09/miltonduff-10yo-gordon-macphail.html" target="_blank">Miltonduff</a> and <a href="http://maltsofpandemonium.blogspot.com/2014/09/trip-to-islay.html" target="_blank">Caol Ila</a> on this blog before (<i>just click on the links</i>).</div>
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Every distillery on this list serves one main purpose: <b>high quantity production of cheap whisky fit for the blended whisky market. </b><br />
That being said,that doesn't mean they are all just the same blend fodder, there are differences that set these distilleries apart.<br />
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We can easily divide them into two groups: </div>
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On one hand we have Mortlach, Ardmore and Caol Ila, as well-respected producers of single malt whiskies by their own right, while the other two Miltonduff and Glenlossie remain a mystery to many whisky drinkers.</div>
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Another distinction we could make, is the different purpose that these whiskies serve in a blend: the former are used as flavorful top-dressers, while the later are mainly used as packers.</div>
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Venturing further into the underbelly of the Scottish whisky industry means I'll encounter more and more of these packers along the way.<br />
And G&M offers quite a few of those through their semi-official distillery labels. So expect more G&M bottles in the near future. (<i>as of this weekend, G&M is the most common independent bottler on my list, with 15 hits it surpassing Blackadder</i>)</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><u>The Whiskies</u></span></h3>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><u><br /></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><u>Miltonduff 10yo</u></span></h3>
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As I've reviewed this whisky before and still stand by my notes, it will not be included in this review.</div>
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My notes can be found <u><a href="http://maltsofpandemonium.blogspot.com/2014/09/miltonduff-10yo-gordon-macphail.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</u></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><u>Glenlossie 17yo (1997/2014)</u></span></h3>
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Second up was a dram from the Glenlossie distillery. I was very excited for this one, It would be my first introduction to Glenlossie (Distillery #69 everyone!) and according to my research gets quite a few decent reviews for being an intensely fruity treat.<br />
It bothered me a bit that when the ambassador tried to situate the distillery he actually referred to the Glen Ord distillery (<i>but who am I to nitpick</i>).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCfe6QWlF3lOu0fB4cCuG0GNnVQc1q53w5rwp5heim7R7R0XZ9X2PmQcLMuqdtCpx4YR2SdkLNhIr_As1jCf_xUw5-Z3AjZyq4ff3iqjiiUPYcJuJDAwDG73ckKTlveOmkqgJKgdtfP84/s1600/10380913_544588309012016_6268496152816607995_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCfe6QWlF3lOu0fB4cCuG0GNnVQc1q53w5rwp5heim7R7R0XZ9X2PmQcLMuqdtCpx4YR2SdkLNhIr_As1jCf_xUw5-Z3AjZyq4ff3iqjiiUPYcJuJDAwDG73ckKTlveOmkqgJKgdtfP84/s1600/10380913_544588309012016_6268496152816607995_n.jpg" height="400" width="226" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Cask:</span></b> refill sherry hogshead and first fill sherry butt</div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span></b> soft sherry notes and overall dry: a teaspoon of honey, subtle notes oak wood scrapings, some fruit: peaches and pears, with a whiff of cereal</div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> a light body with a fairly weak palate, more fruitiness: tangerine and pineapple with a touch of salt</div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b> medium long finish with tones of citrus and vanilla, with unexpected notes of gruyère cheese in the tail.</div>
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<u style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">The Verdict: </u>Beautiful nose, smooth and round whisky but a tad weak on the palate. My number 2 of the evening, well worth a try.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>SCORE: 86</b></span> </div>
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<u style="color: orange;">Ardmore 17yo (1997/2014)</u></h3>
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<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">From one of my favorite distilleries comes a G&M special release for the Belgian market: a single cask Ardmore handpicked by the ambassador himself. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRwXfYiuW93wornSpskpLFpIGntmRMk6Q-kDVnl-4JaLgDtNdgpOBDHGSzGOMbwglb1t55pDsM7IWy4rs18FBr6RseyFzuZcsCCuLtqyXSrB60q_0ipAqGZGvkquL8yNhKXpFoZ7-UqgF/s1600/1939829_544588312345349_2249606996110912651_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRwXfYiuW93wornSpskpLFpIGntmRMk6Q-kDVnl-4JaLgDtNdgpOBDHGSzGOMbwglb1t55pDsM7IWy4rs18FBr6RseyFzuZcsCCuLtqyXSrB60q_0ipAqGZGvkquL8yNhKXpFoZ7-UqgF/s1600/1939829_544588312345349_2249606996110912651_n.jpg" height="400" width="226" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><div style="color: orange;">
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: small;">Cask: </span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Refill bourbon barrel #5555</span></span>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: small;">Nose: </span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">with a </span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">whiff of smoke, a subtle layer of peat with a spicy edge, a bit of chocolate and fumes of smoked wood</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: small;">Mouth: </span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">a </span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">high alcoholic burn on the tongue with </span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">notes of citrus and spicy oak</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">(</span><span style="color: orange; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><u>with water added:</u></span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> sweet notes of peach and pine resin)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: orange;">Finish: </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">medium to long mouth drying finish with mainly notes of citrus and soft vanilla.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><u style="color: orange;">The Verdict:</u><span style="font-weight: normal;"> like many others I can appreciate the sting of alcohol once in a while, but when it dominates the flavours of my dram I'll eradicate it without mercy with a dash of water. Don't drink this one neat if you want to enjoy the palate! </span></span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Not bad, but can't say that I would pick this one over the cheaper OB "Traditional Cask".</span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: small;">SCORE: </span><span style="color: orange; font-size: small;">82</span><br />
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<u style="color: orange;">Miltonduff 30yo (1984/2014)</u></h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5l3BmnPSARAzXGMkT4K-5HRV-GfLazJ0jJvGva64sbCEAnhVbnhqKxI2-s-9xbK5ng_Uthq98a2IAQbNM8m0BXeZkQrJDCFp-IoLXgWtS1h8QL1Dz2ItzH-ktbly9ETI5EtKasXSdbwb/s1600/mtdg!m1984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp5l3BmnPSARAzXGMkT4K-5HRV-GfLazJ0jJvGva64sbCEAnhVbnhqKxI2-s-9xbK5ng_Uthq98a2IAQbNM8m0BXeZkQrJDCFp-IoLXgWtS1h8QL1Dz2ItzH-ktbly9ETI5EtKasXSdbwb/s1600/mtdg!m1984.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a><span style="color: orange; font-size: small;"><b>Cask:</b> </span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Refill bourbon </span>barrel<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: small;"><b>Nose:</b> </span><span style="font-size: small;">high </span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">sherried notes of red apples, peaches, with a touch of mint. Some lemon hidden underneath</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: small;"><b>Mouth:</b> </span><span style="font-size: small;">a </span><span style="font-size: small;">waxy body but surprisingly </span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">fresh on the palate: notes of grapes and peach with a raw edge</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: small;"><b>Finish:</b> </span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">very short and grassy, leaves a slightly sour taste, notes of chocolate in the tail.</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: small;"><b><u>The Verdict:</u></b></span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"> Swimming against the stream here, I actually preferred the 10yo Miltonduff.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And before you'll all stone me to death, allow me to explain myself. </span>The nose was excellent, the palate surprisingly fresh for a 30yo., but it was the somewhat sharp and raw edge of the palate and the lack of a finish that sunk this one for me. This whisky felt incomplete, something was missing.<br />
<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: small;"><b>SCORE: 83</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<u style="color: orange;">Mortlach 30yo (1984/2014)</u></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKVpf4_iMm5_QoCylB8XNBCpFls8WzP5rROXTEfoY10bTRiAeNJxzQp-wPzWtcX-z5sLP6CojeB3IkJUIaezjiluhEastjFVv5QNxq7qN3Jum0s9kl6Yk0vQ7wEsEgInqAt6HIqT0kQoI/s1600/MORTLACH_1984_1024x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmKVpf4_iMm5_QoCylB8XNBCpFls8WzP5rROXTEfoY10bTRiAeNJxzQp-wPzWtcX-z5sLP6CojeB3IkJUIaezjiluhEastjFVv5QNxq7qN3Jum0s9kl6Yk0vQ7wEsEgInqAt6HIqT0kQoI/s1600/MORTLACH_1984_1024x1024.jpg" height="400" width="299" /></a><span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Cask: </span>First fill sherry butt</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Nose: </span>sherried notes, scents of chilly, red apples, a touch of cinnamon and eucalyptus</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Mouth: </span> a waxy and creamy body with meaty bold flavours on the palate: high sugary notes, orange peel, some cream cheese, spiced up with nutmeg and cinnamon</div>
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<b style="color: orange;"><br /></b>
<b style="color: orange;">Finish: </b>Long and satisfying with tones of citrus and a touch of chocolate<br />
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<b><u><span style="color: orange;">The Verdict: </span></u></b>My number 3 for the evening and probably the most complex of them all. This bombastic round bodied whisky, has Mortlach written all over it. Properly aged in a sherry barrel this whisky feels so much better than the <a href="http://maltsofpandemonium.blogspot.com/2014/09/mortlach-15yo-gordon-macphail.html" target="_blank">G&M 15yo.</a> No more discusting layers of vanilla. A work of art, but I'm just no Mortlach kind of guy. Still not getting what all the fuzz is about.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 85</span></b></div>
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<u style="color: orange;"><br /></u>
<u style="color: orange;">Caol Ila 13yo (2001/2014)</u></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpB08-N_uBRw6Xay3_pBX_mRNScqJqDJruW_dBEF8pRkyz-v7LGRz6XhlU0lLPEGGCs5ky1MhdOaGNUc6GNnWVOWQh-nFdEk2ZofL6QmBtMCvEVHLiQhyphenhyphen-Kgrvsw2vgWPzfSBxTVrULQOa/s1600/10394779_544588349012012_3181925429195296404_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpB08-N_uBRw6Xay3_pBX_mRNScqJqDJruW_dBEF8pRkyz-v7LGRz6XhlU0lLPEGGCs5ky1MhdOaGNUc6GNnWVOWQh-nFdEk2ZofL6QmBtMCvEVHLiQhyphenhyphen-Kgrvsw2vgWPzfSBxTVrULQOa/s1600/10394779_544588349012012_3181925429195296404_n.jpg" height="400" width="226" /></a><span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Cask: </span>First fill bourbon barrel<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Nose: </span> notes of citrus, adhesive, bandages and cleaning alcohol. Underlying a layer of soot and soft <br />
medicinal peat<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Mouth: </span>a light and refreshing body with soft notes of citrus on the palate, some rough grind black pepper, a whiff of peat smoke and a notch of pine wood to finish it off.<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Finish: </span>Long and satisfying notes of pine rasin with a drying mouth feel.<br />
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<b><u><span style="color: orange;">The Verdict:</span></u></b> This evening's winner, I don't have bias for peat. But this Caol Ila is beautiful in its simplicity.<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: orange;"><b>SCORE: 87</b></span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><u>The Verdict</u></span></h3>
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Overall a well organised tasting with a nice variation of different flavours. The Caol Ila was banned to the last place of the line-up because it was peat smoked. In my opinion a bit of an overreaction, seeing as it was only a mild-flavoured Caol Ila. It would not have ruined ruined my palate for the older drams.<br />
But as it was my high note of the evening, I'm greatful that they did.<br />
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To the kind folks of Whisky & More, keep up the good work and my apologies if the tone of my interview seems to be a bit on the negative side.<br />
A posh critic, like me, can't effort to sound overly positive.<br />
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Keep up the good work and I'm really looking forward to the Blackadder tasting.</div>
Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-34367883389775552072014-11-16T13:02:00.005-08:002014-11-16T13:05:00.655-08:00Glen Albyn 35yo (1975/2010) Gordon & MacPhail<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Loch Ness mysteries in a bottle</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUtpi2ew7E45riEOLO4Xr7B5scgkL4R7GVfHkJ9EzVUZvU0Sp0dnZlMQNbb-8rdAdxvtU_QxhZs1M275PCfYVHCcjVep7sKIfZtCySZY7wfYFjbSr4CV0H3uxXj9Uv7LvJ7IqX91J-yTU/s1600/DSCI1537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUtpi2ew7E45riEOLO4Xr7B5scgkL4R7GVfHkJ9EzVUZvU0Sp0dnZlMQNbb-8rdAdxvtU_QxhZs1M275PCfYVHCcjVep7sKIfZtCySZY7wfYFjbSr4CV0H3uxXj9Uv7LvJ7IqX91J-yTU/s1600/DSCI1537.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">View of the Beauly Firth at the mouth of the Caledonian Canal,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;"> 100m from the grounds of the former Glen Albyn</span></div>
</div>
<h3>
<b><u><span style="color: orange;">Prelude</span></u></b></h3>
Last summer, I <a href="http://maltsofpandemonium.blogspot.be/2014/09/trip-to-islay.html" target="_blank">stayed in Inverness for a couple of nights</a>, it only came natural to do a bit of whisky relic hunting during my evening strolls.<br />
Nowadays no one would likely make the connection between whisk and Inverness. Only a few of you would probably point out to me that the town is home to Bairds, an important supplier of malted barley.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Up to the 80's Inverness could proudly say it had no less than three small distilleries within the city limits. All was fine with the world until the overzealous industry created the infamous whisky lake that swept away two centuries of whisky production in Inverness.</div>
<div>
<a name='more'></a>In 1983 both Glen Albyn and Glen Mohr had to close their doors, soon afterwards in 1985 Millburn too fell into demise. Though The Millburn buildings still stands to this day, all my efforts to find a trace of the former distilleries were in vain. Demolished to make place for a mall or hardware stores, their names erased from history.</div>
<div>
As for their whiskies, I didn't find a single bottle of Inverness whisky in the local pubs. </div>
<div>
At last I found an affordable sample here in Belgium with the good people from Whiskyhuis.<br />
<h3>
(<i>disclaimer: I had a little peek at the whiskyfun review, there are notes that I agree with, but this no copy-paste review from Mr. Serge Valentin</i>)</h3>
<h3>
<u><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></u></h3>
<h3>
<u><span style="color: orange;">The Whisky</span></u></h3>
</div>
<div>
Most likely unpeated or ever so slightly peated. The distillery used the famous Loch Ness as its water supply. So in fact you're drinking the water swam in.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Zu-RECa4-QJtojIdKiAkWoWUCaUUcUCERFLquizaKrqwkFnXRPxpZ9YSOH7p_6zBLVzm3IyCB-owtJToNpDF0170JalnQeBxHADD_dUcTahhVaq5tZzkzgTo42s4CYy_EuhLZu03c3-l/s1600/1462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Zu-RECa4-QJtojIdKiAkWoWUCaUUcUCERFLquizaKrqwkFnXRPxpZ9YSOH7p_6zBLVzm3IyCB-owtJToNpDF0170JalnQeBxHADD_dUcTahhVaq5tZzkzgTo42s4CYy_EuhLZu03c3-l/s1600/1462.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">www.whiskycorner.kiev.ua/en/whisky/scotland/map/highland/glen_albyn/28729/</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span></b> a soft and amazingly fresh nose for a 35yo. Notes of mandarins and Turkish delights with a touch of mint in the first layer. Some faint floral tones of orange blossom and mineral notes of chalk lay underneath.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> entirely deviant from the nose. With a waxy body and palate that is just a tad bitter. It mainly comprises elements of spicy oak, pear juice, wood polish and grist.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b> long and lingering vanilla with a touch of honey and a whiff of oak.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b><u><span style="color: orange;">The Verdict</span></u></b></h3>
Well what to make of all this? <br />
<br />
Whiskyfun describes it as a typical "Inverness" style whisky. Could be, but as this is my first, its impossible for me to validate that claim.<br />
That being said, there is indeed something about this whisky: it has such a fragile and most unusual profile. The nose is exquisite, though it was a bit on the faint side, the mouth was interesting but not that appealing, but the rich finish balanced it out.<br />
<br />
Not saying this was one of the best whiskies I've ever had, but it was certainly one of the more intriguing ones.<br />
<br />
So burned out and deep down afraid that you have tasted it all, or just adventurous and looking for something that's above average and out of the ordinary? </div>
<div>
This mysterious whisky might just be what you need.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 87</span></b></h3>
</div>
Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-87526961309549179692014-11-14T16:43:00.003-08:002014-11-14T16:44:41.425-08:00Port Charlotte PC8 Ar Duthchas <h2>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Bold Strokes from Islay</span></span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiIfI-VwsZBHMOFmvLK7nRn6SHF9uYxmx_bMeX689MixQWYp_5-xCi_lnBF2U0ruPpNCbXAVyD_u7iPlMR9RYGs813l_Q-9nW2LcY_F0B7ahyphenhyphenhhlinifWMaR1qNrVtAWIcuoFPTjrHgOO/s1600/Kopie++van+DSCI1771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiIfI-VwsZBHMOFmvLK7nRn6SHF9uYxmx_bMeX689MixQWYp_5-xCi_lnBF2U0ruPpNCbXAVyD_u7iPlMR9RYGs813l_Q-9nW2LcY_F0B7ahyphenhyphenhhlinifWMaR1qNrVtAWIcuoFPTjrHgOO/s1600/Kopie++van+DSCI1771.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Time to
re-taste an old classic from the Bruichladdich stable: tonight's entertainment is brought to you straight from the shores of Loch Indaal.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">And it brings back with it quite a few good memories. </span><br />
I bought a 10cl sample back in early 2012 going by a few good online reviews. T<span lang="EN-US">his was the second Port
Charlotte I ever tasted and a</span>s I was still relatively unfamiliar with single malt whisky back then it simply blew me away.<br />
Looking back now, the PC8 has become somewhat of a cult classic that has gained quite a following. Some even hail it as Port Charlotte's best release ever.</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: orange;"><b><u>The Whisky</u></b></span></h3>
<div>
Matured in American Oak and bottled at a whopping 60.5% ABV (<i>that's impressive for an official bottling</i>)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2D5t60MHlfRqv2bTSduTkNbbl3c9AOZyj-wK_-nCf3Q4kj_Pk0Q4iwlPjFI5P8EfSD6wkbC2lzJ1VInG5H2ExlRlLLd9K8N87CQHPHkqo60AI5gPW5KlFLphYe8sHsxNfZFvU4rJDvdDR/s1600/pclob.08yo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2D5t60MHlfRqv2bTSduTkNbbl3c9AOZyj-wK_-nCf3Q4kj_Pk0Q4iwlPjFI5P8EfSD6wkbC2lzJ1VInG5H2ExlRlLLd9K8N87CQHPHkqo60AI5gPW5KlFLphYe8sHsxNfZFvU4rJDvdDR/s1600/pclob.08yo.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-10583.aspx</span></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: orange;">Nose: </span></b>It
has that dusty scent of an old grainery, like a malting floor with fermenting
barley, with soft notes of linseed, iodine and peat smoke seeping through.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> The
same powerful attack that you would expect from an octomore. Briny on the body
with a rain of hot ash and soot on the palate. A touch of mint and ginger in
the underlying layer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b>
Takes some time to kick in, but is long and satisfying. Soft notes of liquorice
and salty lemon, with some wood polish,
and peat & tar in the tail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: orange;"><b><u>The Verdict</u></b></span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It took me
right back to the shores of Islay, at the smoking kilns of Laphroaig where I
got a taste of some freshly peat smoked barley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Overall
this it doesn't bear the signature of a complex and rich whisky: no hidden layers of fruity esters, no water-induced transformations. It just paints the story of Islay in bold strokes. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">Throughout the whole distillation and maturation process little to no new flavours
were added. The profile of the nose says it all: barley, smoke and peat, all this whisky
needed to be splendid. Thumbs up.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 87</span> </span></h3>
</div>
Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-87138103139544830422014-11-10T09:48:00.001-08:002014-11-10T09:51:31.800-08:00Rosebank 25.59 (1991/2011) Boxing gloves and rapier thrusts<h2>
<span lang="EN-US"><b><u><span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">The Sleeping Beauty</span></u></b></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This review
is for the SMWS 25.59 Boxing gloves and rapier thrusts from the silent Rosebank
distillery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41Qfvtr-02_CQu8hfxihL0d48iz2R-nEBEiOyzBcCbyuusxiFTFX-n0MZFiddJhPRfq9s_ormqcb5cr5wwkvb2JWdkPJqwswCRWjazdlJULurvULRx1fDNqYL4ezPPMuKfsEsII_RD1q0/s1600/170389-rosebank-distillery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41Qfvtr-02_CQu8hfxihL0d48iz2R-nEBEiOyzBcCbyuusxiFTFX-n0MZFiddJhPRfq9s_ormqcb5cr5wwkvb2JWdkPJqwswCRWjazdlJULurvULRx1fDNqYL4ezPPMuKfsEsII_RD1q0/s1600/170389-rosebank-distillery.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">news.stv.tv/tayside/202761-former-distillery-to-be-turned-into-brewery-and-visitor-centre/</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When in late 2012 the good people from Arran Brewery announced their scheme to breathe new live into the abandoned distillery, I had good hopes that Rosebank could be revived in one way or the other. But now almost two years later we know sadly enough that the sleeping beauty of the lowlands will remain dormant for a the years to come.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for now , all we have left is its legacy: a rich heritage in the form of a wide range of expressions from independent bottlers sold at ridiculously high prices at online auctions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rosebank is probably the best selling lost distillery after Port Ellen and Brora. But does it live up to its name? Only one way to find out.</div>
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</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Distilled
back in 1991, this 20yo whisky was matured in a refill bourbon cask. It was bottled under the name 25.59 Boxing gloves and rapier thrusts by the well-known Scotch Malt Whisky Society with the 25 referring to the Rosebank distillery. And my guess is that the 59 stands for the batch.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVl2FiwBkY6_R7TZPWpGwK4sJixAualOIoGa-hN8u073BsIKOKWN2orfgdnZGi-sOpMS49GpA_P43tXg6xjfk0RcJ3_AgyPSdv1TAUokfQ0JZBV7rtqJhJIGsm2rvgFQFCCSKMFLGLqVS/s1600/78799-normal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVl2FiwBkY6_R7TZPWpGwK4sJixAualOIoGa-hN8u073BsIKOKWN2orfgdnZGi-sOpMS49GpA_P43tXg6xjfk0RcJ3_AgyPSdv1TAUokfQ0JZBV7rtqJhJIGsm2rvgFQFCCSKMFLGLqVS/s1600/78799-normal.png" height="320" width="160" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.whiskybase.com/whisky/42878/rosebank-1991-smws-2559</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span></b> first
impression: tropical notes; pineapple and coconut. The second impression is
entirely different: fresh on the nose. Notes of green apples and raisins with a
touch of cinnamon and hint of citrus. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">(<i><u><span style="color: orange;">with water added: </span></u>lychee scented
flavours appear</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span> </b>with
a rich body and high sugary notes of cassonade and ripe durondeau pears on the
palate. Followed by refined notes of smooth and sticky marzipan, a touch of
coconut flakes, and a whiff of oak. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">(<i><u><span style="color: orange;">with water
added:</span></u> some banana flavours blossom, and overall the mouth becomes much more
zesty</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b>
long and satisfying, drying and dusty (<i>it tastes old</i>),soft fruity notes with a
touch of lemon peel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US"><b><u><span style="color: orange;">The Verdict</span></u></b></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I do not know about boxing gloves or rapier thrusts, but another
winner by my books: solid and rich, not too complex and beautiful in its simplicity. It
does everything right: elegant in the nose, graceful on the palate and mature in the
finish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The highest
rated Lowlander by my standards, so its demise was a devastating loss for the industry.
Now I've got only one Lowland distillery left to try: Ladyburn, though it will not be easy
to track down an affordable sample.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 91</span></span></h3>
Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-45231442294629255432014-11-08T16:39:00.004-08:002014-11-10T09:48:54.107-08:00Glengyle's Kilkerran Work in Progress VI Bourbon Cask<h2>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Apricots by the Sea</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I love
Campbeltown whiskies, by that I mean everything of the Springbank range, not
Glen Scotia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But it took
me quite some time to eventually try the sister distillery of Springbank from
the same owners. <o:p></o:p></span>I'll admit I've been missing out.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9PMF_hgURV0a8HmhIivyc3BFhyphenhyphen6LtzhhT1vqGgu_JZe5rX6uLendNXMENdx5cSt9qW_lT6oSA7irH6Na510p7plmgB8U9apLeVK2iuz_ETIBJcwqJxvgz5vvIL3D13rKhNmVYGUmqDvs/s1600/P1080484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9PMF_hgURV0a8HmhIivyc3BFhyphenhyphen6LtzhhT1vqGgu_JZe5rX6uLendNXMENdx5cSt9qW_lT6oSA7irH6Na510p7plmgB8U9apLeVK2iuz_ETIBJcwqJxvgz5vvIL3D13rKhNmVYGUmqDvs/s1600/P1080484.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">whiskymizuwari.blogspot.be/2012/12/glengyle-distillery.html</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I'm still often surprised to hear people asking me where the "Kilkerran" distillery is situated, or bluntly stating that Kilkerran is just another range of the Springbank distillery along Hazelburn and Longrow. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However Glengyle is the name of the beast, and it is an independent distillery by in its own right.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The distillery has some historic roots as it was rebuild on the grounds of an older Cambeltown distillery. In the hollow shell of what once was a mighty Glengyle distillery, a new chapter was written in the early 2000's . </div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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Just like with the Wolfburn or Annandale distillery not much publicity was given at the time. And few people knew about its existence when after 90 years of silence the spirit started running again through its stills. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And by its stills, I actually mean the pot stills of the old Ben Wyvis distillery, Invergordon's Ladyburn if you will. Not much is known of Ben Wyvis, few have been privileged to taste one of its independent bottlings, but the general consensus is that the closure of Ben Wyvis should not be considered a tragic loss for the industry.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Glengyle is thus an inspiring distillery, incorporating both new and old elements from the industry, bringing back life to the former whisky capital of the world. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"A prophet emerged from the desert to bring forth the good news to people, that they were at the dawn of the Whisky Renaissance."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lastly, why is it called Kilkerran and not Glengyle? Well the name Glengyle is currently owned by Glen Catrine, the corporation behind Loch Lomond and Glen Scotia, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></span></h3>
<div>
<span lang="EN-US">Every year, a new "Work in Progress" edition is being released, for as long a they are not entirely satisfied with the end product. As always they are NAS with a distinction is made between the bourbon and sherry matured edition. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-n3dIa-ouY7PJ40BC4IyEGf-QL_HQgJsZaeXWk2Rmmis_pJFiQeeUa3j-IhpIdOzK2ohvAOZW-MmTaX-IgAJICXT66y6aZc9viVM2DwJBNyFA4yH-SXMcFu10a0gZeJOUV0bAPWH0vN1j/s1600/klkob.non8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-n3dIa-ouY7PJ40BC4IyEGf-QL_HQgJsZaeXWk2Rmmis_pJFiQeeUa3j-IhpIdOzK2ohvAOZW-MmTaX-IgAJICXT66y6aZc9viVM2DwJBNyFA4yH-SXMcFu10a0gZeJOUV0bAPWH0vN1j/s1600/klkob.non8.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-24660.aspx</span></div>
<div>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span></b> tones
of apricots, honey, sunflower oil, with some underlying briny soft coastal
notes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: orange;">Palate:</span></b> light body and sharp (<i>unexpected</i>) on the palate, with an oily texture, almonds, honey, a
touch of green apples, and a mix of soft fruits with mils peppery notes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b>
medium long and drying, sugared flavours with an endnote of dried prunes, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US"><b><u><span style="color: orange;">Conclusion</span></u></b></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Not all
what I expected, the palate came as a bit of a shock. After the soft nose, it cuts like a
knife, clean and pure .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Didn't like
it at the first sip, adored it at the last. Takes some getting used, so
probably not for beginners, but to the seasoned malty mad heads under us I say,
give it a go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></h3>
<div>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: orange;"><b>SCORE: 88</b></span></span></div>
Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-84053201610784328742014-10-26T13:33:00.002-07:002014-10-29T06:43:34.859-07:00Inchgower 35yo (1975/2011) The Whisky Fair<h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Solid but Unimpressive</span></h2>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">potstill.org/info/distilleries/3876/</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Tonight's dram is from the Inchgower distillery: another workhorse from the Diageo stable.</div>
<div>
Even though it is an important ingredient of both Johnnie Walker and Bell's blends, it still is a fairly obscure distillery and remains uncharted territory even for most whisky drinkers.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
Today I'm trying a festival bottling from the well known German whisky festival in Limburg: "The Whisky Fair".<br />
This 35yo was the festival bottling of 2011 and matured in a bourbon hogshead.<br />
<div>
I selected a sample from this bottle after some online research on other enthusiasts' tasting notes. This particular whisky generally scored well on their charts, so why not give it a chance?<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b><u><span style="color: orange;">The Whisky</span></u></b></h3>
<div>
Pale gold in colour and bottled at only 41.9% ABV, no chill filtration and no colouring.</div>
<div>
As only 224 bottles were offered for sale, leads me to believe that the hogsheads content was not watered down. The low alcohol percentage was due to greedy angels. In those 35 years they took their fair share from the cask.</div>
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<div>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-size: xx-small;">www.shop.whiskyfair.com/images/ichgower35black.jpg</span></div>
<div>
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<div>
<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Nose:</span> Three layered goodness. First fruity notes: passion fruit and Mango, then some flowery notes: violets and underneath a salty layer of coastal notes: sea spray and ocean sand to finish of fresh oak wood, </div>
<span style="color: orange;">(</span><i><u><span style="color: orange;">with water added:</span></u> fresher fruity notes develop, like the sweet aromas of a mango sponge cake, the salty notes all but disappear and some nutty flavours develop in the background: a touch of walnut</i><span style="color: orange;">)</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> waxy, creamy, bitter, fresh and a bit salty. Not as fruity as I expected, but there is still some fruitiness left down there: bitter oranges, a puff of smoke, and notes of roses<br />
<i><span style="color: orange;">(<u>with water added:</u></span> It all falls apart, nothing left on the palate, that drop of water may have opened up the nose, but broke the palate and turned it into tap water<span style="color: orange;">)</span></i><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b>Finish:</b> </span>fairly long, some hay, soft licorice, vanilla notes with a peppery edge.<br />
<i><span style="color: orange;">(</span><u><span style="color: orange;">with water added:</span></u> notes of orange reappear after the watery palate, with a spicy edge of white pepper<span style="color: orange;">)</span></i><br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b><u><span style="color: orange;">The Verdict</span></u></b></h3>
Not too impressive, but still a complex and balanced whisky. <br />
<br />
But I must admit that I wasn't blown away by this one, maybe my expectations were too high again.</div>
<div>
I'll remember that this particular expression had a beautiful nose, after a good sniff I was anticipating an equally stellar palate.</div>
<div>
But the mouth was not up to the challenge, had this been a younger whisky or had the nose been of a lesser quality, I would certainly have given it a higher score, </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The fact that a simple drop of water destroyed almost all flavour proves that the whisky has become very fragile, My advice: enjoy this one neat! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
<b><span style="color: orange;">SCORE:86</span></b></h3>
Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-39542027267221662972014-10-21T06:02:00.003-07:002014-10-29T08:02:35.519-07:00Braeval 22yo (1991/2013) Brachadair<h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Tropical Sensation</span></h2>
<br />
This week's dram is a sample from distillery #64 on the list: Braeval (<i>or Braes of Glenlivet, if you please</i>).<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1974453</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As far as obscure distilleries go, Braeval is certainly one that perfectly fits the title. Build back in 1973 by Chivas Brothers, this distillery was designed as an highly efficient machine for the blends market. </div>
<div>
A product from the 70's and designed for low cost production: blend fodder you might think. Well you might be mistaken there, although Braeval has no official releases, many consider it to be one of the better Scottish distilleries with a high consistency of quality independent bottlings.</div>
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<a name='more'></a></div>
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<div>
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Thus to introduce me to this distillery I've picked a bottle from a Belgian bottler called Brachadair (Gaelic for malt man). As they had no new releases this year, I'm assuming they are no longer active in the industry. But I've heard a lot of good things about their bottles nonetheless.<br />
<br />
Let's dive right in<br />
<div>
<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u><br /></u></span></h3>
<h3>
<u style="color: orange;">The Whisky</u></h3>
<div>
<u style="color: orange;"><br /></u></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.brachadair.com/index.php/ourwhiskies/whatotherssay/reviewbraeval</span></div>
<div>
<u style="color: orange;"><br /></u></div>
<div>
<u style="color: orange;"><br /></u></div>
<div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span></b> warm hay, succulent coconut meat, notes of bananas with a pinch of butter, a light touch of lemon. Underlying some grassy notes with a whiff of vanilla. </div>
(<i><u><span style="color: orange;">with water added:</span></u> coconut flavours blossom, more crispy vanilla</i>)<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> slightly waxy body, spicy and drying on the palate. Some honeyed notes, apple juice, ginger, a sniff of vanilla and bold layers of coconut milk.<br />
(<i><u><span style="color: orange;">with water added:</span></u> cloves are added in the mix together with some some honeyed peaches</i>)<br />
<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b>Finish:</b> </span>A two layered long evolving finish: smoky at first with notes of apple wood smoke, later some sensational tropical notes develop: distinctive tones of fresh pineapple (not the conserved version).<br />
(<i><u><span style="color: orange;">with water added:</span></u> pineapples disappear, more smoke develops</i>)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<u><span style="color: orange;">The Verdict</span></u></h3>
<div>
After a series of mediocre to bad introductions to new distilleries, this tropical sensation was the perfect first encounter.<br />
As this was just matured in a bourbon cask with no special finish. I sincerely doubt that this was just a lucky shot. It takes a great experience to create such a class-act rich dram, thus I'm giving Braeval the benefit of the doubt. Maybe one of the Speyside's hidden gems.</div>
<div>
<br />
I'm definitely considering to buy a bottle of this, great stuff.</div>
</div>
<div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 90</span></h3>
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Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-17053789849828842302014-10-18T13:07:00.003-07:002014-10-29T08:04:02.019-07:00Dalmore 12yo (OB)<h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">More than meets the eye ?</span></h2>
<br />
I'll admit at first I wasn't too impressed by the 12yo Dalmore. Granted, I never gave the Dalmore Distillery too much credit, in my mental ranking it was right there at Macallan-levels as an overpriced/overestimated snobbish brand. More than once I called the 12yo an overall bore in my reviews<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.whisky.de/archiv/dist/dalmore/dalmore.htm</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
But now that I got a bottle of the 12yo as a gift, I must admit that I find myself having a tiny sip almost every day of the week. It is just such an accessible whisky, nicely soft and smooth. The more I try, the more I like it, something I would never have acknowledged the first few times that I tried it. <br />
<br />
Which begs the question of course, is there more than meets the eye here? <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqqgAcUybjbabYK8N7e09X7984-DDyvchvk9NnhBun63bhHDSa7CAFCeMBYdYwR9xs3kBTNYHgu8uPiDSx49YTkcB0ab5ruqHxPhn4Eh_5_3poVogp7y8-1sFpn8ewIdgs0-3AGK4zUIg/s1600/26568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQqqgAcUybjbabYK8N7e09X7984-DDyvchvk9NnhBun63bhHDSa7CAFCeMBYdYwR9xs3kBTNYHgu8uPiDSx49YTkcB0ab5ruqHxPhn4Eh_5_3poVogp7y8-1sFpn8ewIdgs0-3AGK4zUIg/s1600/26568.jpg" height="320" width="98" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div>
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<div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span> </b>Mostly malty notes, soft banana cream, sherry, cabernet sauvignon, a touch of chocolate, and faint hints of blackcurrant.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> Smooth body, dry and a little bitter on the palate, some spices like cloves, strips of leather, chocolate, tones of oranges, green malt and vanilla<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b> fairly short and drying with notes of bitter oranges.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<u style="color: orange;"><br /></u>
<br />
<h3>
<u style="color: orange;">The Verdict</u></h3>
Like I said before in my Dalmore Cigar Malt review, maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way. Maybe its not in Dalmore's intent to create an conceptionally flavoured single malt. They just want to create a smooth enjoyable whisky that can be consumed at all occasions, preferably after a hard day's work.<br />
<br />
And in a way it works very well, quite addictive stuff gents, beware.<br />
<br />
If so I have to congratulate them, well done guys.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 83</span></h3>
</div>
Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-33562298730467176392014-10-14T14:51:00.005-07:002014-10-29T08:05:06.285-07:00Glenburgie Gordon & MacPhail 10yo<h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Blender's Fodder</span></h2>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://blog.whivie.be/#post1589</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
The Gordon & Macphail bottling serves as a semi-official release of the obscure Glenburgie distillery. </div>
<div>
Glenburgie is ranked in one of the higher tiers when it comes to the annual production volume, due to the fact that, though the distillery may have had a long and interesting history, it was rebuild completely back in 2004.</div>
<div>
Though many of you may never have tried the Glenburgie single malt, you probably drank it before, as it is one of the main components of the Ballentine's blends.</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
<div>
With a heritage tracing back to 1829, one would expect that this survivor could would be well worth a try. Than why am I hesitating to even open this whisky? </div>
<div>
With a bottling date of 2004, this particularly whisky was distilled back in the old distillery.<br />
A quick search on the web, offers a glimpse at what I'm in for: a lot of mixed reviews with very dissimilar tasting notes, but overall low scores. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/glenburgie-10-year-old-whisky/</span></div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span></b> needs some air to develop: grassy, some notes of citrus, honey and linseed with a whiff of wood polish. <br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> medium body, waxy and more floral on the palate: faint hints of orange oil, some cereal with a peppery edge. <br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b> fairly short and drying finish: creamy vanilla notes (yuk!), tones of toffee and some chemical notes in the tail, but I can't really put my finger on it. Simply disgusting. <br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Verdict: </u></span></h3>
<br />
No I won't lie, the nose and palate were not great, but at least they were "ok", now the finish is where it all falls apart. <br />
<br />
As some may already have guessed, I'm not someone who appreciates the presence of an overabundance of vanilla flavours in his dram. When this gets mixed in with some weird chemical notes, it looses all credibility in my eyes, nothing salvageable here. <br />
<br />
A weird unbalanced whisky were neither the mouth, nor the finish seem to match the nose <br />
Just a boring bland whisky with a terrible finish: Blender's fodder. <br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 70</span></h3>
</div>
Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-9491418318281709982014-10-08T12:33:00.000-07:002014-10-29T08:05:38.113-07:00Dalmore Cigar Malt Rerserve OB<h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Is Perfection Boring?</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyLr46qYCHXm2Dyskkz1o0mVg8yoMZVSZXJhWKFgybTDORiCPRElEiSLqbhYbC_uI-bds78kBi-BMnXwDIElo2RM9Rg-7j9BTDxWtsvT6Hpeyk5ZU7n2eCrNaiLy3HEWlGAAuQuBRoYGJ/s1600/272-Dalmore-Large-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyLr46qYCHXm2Dyskkz1o0mVg8yoMZVSZXJhWKFgybTDORiCPRElEiSLqbhYbC_uI-bds78kBi-BMnXwDIElo2RM9Rg-7j9BTDxWtsvT6Hpeyk5ZU7n2eCrNaiLy3HEWlGAAuQuBRoYGJ/s1600/272-Dalmore-Large-13.jpg" height="282" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">jamstudio.uk.com/projects/commercial/the-dalmore</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
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On today's men, another whisky that seems to split the whisky community in half: time for yet another "love or hate" dram.<br />
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I'm talking of course about the 2012 re-release of the popular Cigar Malt, now called the Cigar Malt Reserve. This second coming of the crowd favorite got quite a lot of flak from the fans the old whisky.<br />
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Though I'm not sure why Dalmore withdrew this whisky in the first place at the dawn of the NAS single malt era. I'm guessing it had something to do with the name, propably due to the pc-environment or even pressure from the anti-tobacco lobby.</div>
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Anyhow popular outrage among the Dalmore crowd brought this whisky back from the dead, be it that the distillers tweaked the recipe a bit.</div>
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<a name='more'></a>So how about all the widespread critique? Are we whisky reviewers just a bit too grumpy and unwilling to accept change. Or maybe there is some valid criticism here: the general consensus is that this whisky is maybe a tad too fabricated and the overabundance of caramel colouring is affecting the palate.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-16650.aspx</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span></b> Sherry obviously, some citrussy notes: sugared lemon, notes of cherry snaps, chocolate and warm notes from the wood. Some slightly chemical undertones (some would call it artificial).<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> Clean and smooth, overall superior notes of sherry, some subdued woody tones, hints of toffee and white chocolate.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span> </b>surprisingly ever so slightly bitter and drying, but also zesty with a spicy edge in the tail.<br />
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<h4>
<u><span style="color: orange;">The Verdict</span></u></h4>
Intensely smooth, a sherry monster without any rough edges, an easy sipper perfect in its simplicity,… blablabla.<br />
Its only sin might be that it is just a bit too boring. My educated guess is that the distillers were aiming for the perfectly balanced whisky, but by trying to do it all right, it turned into a whisky, that is simply a bit bland: no secret layers, no original flavours.<br />
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But still the better dram when compared to the 12yo entry level whisky, thumbs up.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">SCORE:85</span></h3>
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Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-8017213061107696142014-10-05T11:59:00.002-07:002014-10-29T08:06:10.122-07:00Tullibardine 1993 Vintage edition<h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Milk and Cardboard</span></h2>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">wikipedia.org/wiki/Tullibardine_distillery#mediaviewer/File:Tullibardine_Distillery_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1801793.jpg</span></div>
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A new week, a new distillery. This week the Tullibardine distillery #62.</div>
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The Tullibardine distillery, proudly displays the year 1488 as its founding year, with the slight nuance that the distillery was only erected on former brewery grounds back in 1949.</div>
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As one of the few Scottish distilleries that was privately owned, it ventured into the single malt market, though dare I say, fairly unsuccessful thus far. With a large portfolio featuring a wide range of various whisky finishes on offering and unbound by the limitations of the blended whisky market, this could very well have been the next BenRiach.</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
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After eight years of silence, the revived distillery, (<i>as far as I can tell</i>) still running at only 50% of its total production capacity, had to turn to their old stock, back from the Whyte & Mackay days.</div>
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What followed were a series of vintage releases that targeted the cask finish single malt market. </div>
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The sale of the distillery to the French Picard Vins & Spiritueux company in 2011 was the start of a new chapter. With the arrival of a new range of NAS whiskies mainly wine finishes, the vintage releases seem to be history. .</div>
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While its newest range has earned some medals at the latest IWSC awards, Tullibardine still is not one of the mainstream brands, nor is it considered to be one of the hidden gems by the connaisseurs.</div>
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The choice for wine finished whiskies by the new owners who are primarily vinters themselves is obvious and with their solid access to various premium wine casks, we may very well be at the dawn of a new era for the Tullibardine distillery. Just like Mark Renier transformed Bruichladdich, these new owners could open a whole new world of wine matured whisky. Given the age restrictions there are only wine finished whiskies available. But maybe in a few years we could see a whole new range of fully wine cask matured whiskies.</div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">www.drankdozijn.nl/artikel/fles-tullibardine-1993-single-malt-70cl</span></div>
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Anyhow this is the 1993 vintage edition a 17yo whisky, distilled under the former management two years before the distilleries closure and bottled under the new management back in 2010.</div>
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For a 17yo whisky this one still comes at a surprisingly cheap price, only €34 at the "local" online retailer. </div>
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A light straw colour (no colour added) and nice long legs in the glass<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Nose: </span></b>Spirituous, cardboard, soft fruity notes, whiffs of white spirit, scents of fermenting rice (sake) and a touch of rubber.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> Slightly waxy body, touch of vanilla, a dash of milk, lavender liquour, some underlying notes of sake,finished of with a peppery edge.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b> Quite long, soft to medium spicy notes, grey pepper: soft grind, and milky tones.<br />
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<h4>
<u><span style="color: orange;">The Verdict</span></u></h4>
This all may sound very unpleasant and I'll admit, it was not a "good" or "enjoyable" whisky by any definition. But it was not repulsive and still highly drinkable.<br />
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Image a Tobermory with a dash of milk in it.<br />
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Will I buy again? No, Will I recommend it to anyone? No.<br />
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Will I try something from Tullibardine again in the near future? Of course, never judge a distillery by one dram and the new range seems promising.</div>
Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-66692508680655594652014-09-26T16:18:00.002-07:002014-10-29T08:06:59.015-07:00Glencadam 15yo OB<h3>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">A Sweet Strawberry</span></h3>
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<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></div>
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My 60th Scottish distillery: Glencadam.</div>
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And what better way to get my first taste of this distillery by by skipping the entry level whisky and taking it one step further.</div>
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This is a review of the 15yo whisky, first released back in 2005 and described by Jim McEwan as the next best thing to Bruichladdich (dixit whiskyfun).</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-9408.aspx</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></div>
Let's dive in:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Colour:</span></b> straw (<i>as unchillfiltered and no colour was added: bold move for an OB</i>), with nice long legs<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;"></span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span></b> Soft and fruity on the nose, with notes of citrus, fresh wood shavings, some vanilla, with complex aromas of raspberries & strawberries. Underlying layers with a soft touch of iodine, some flour, apples and a whiff of roasted chestnuts<br />
(<i><u>with water added:</u> empowered strawberry aromas</i>)<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;"></span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth: </span></b>Dry in the mouth, not that much on the palate, some Eucalyptus and citrus. The initial sensation is underwhelming. And then comes the burst of flavour: very fresh and very fruity with more strawberries, a touch of cinnamon, tones of fresh cut grass, and bitter cherry<br />
(<i><u>with water added:</u> vanilla flavoured layers reveal themselves and become more distinct, unfortunately</i>)<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;"></span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b> the real beauty lies within in the tail: long and zesty, a little bit bitter and dry. With formidable notes of lemon balm with a hint of thyme and most importantly strawberries!!!!!. Even tough its bitter and dry, it is still quite fresh.</blockquote>
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<h4>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Verdict</u></span></h4>
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Another great whisky, makes me want to try some more Glencadam expressions .<br />
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One important remark here: drink this whisky neat. The nose might see some improvement, as it is far to soft when freshly poured from the bottle. (<i>not sure how it will develop over time...</i>). </div>
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No my main argument to keep you from making the mistake of dropping a dash of water in your dram is, that it ruins the palate by empowering the vanilla notes.<br />
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Overall a great versatile whisky: complex and refined with some notes of strawberry. I've only once encountered a similar profile before, with <a href="http://maltsofpandemonium.blogspot.be/2014/06/old-pulteney-19902004-blackadder-raw.html">an independent bottling of Old Pulteney</a> (<i>though the flavours were far more prominent there with a much more interesting transformation process</i>). </div>
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Not sure where these strawberry esters do come from, but their origins are closely linked to the amount of water that's being added, allowing for tight layers of the whisky to be broke up.<br />
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Single malts with a unique and distinct fruity profile are my kind of whisky and I do so enjoy original whiskies: high points all around!<br />
You can keep your vanilla flavoured miscarriages or light citrussy whiskies, I'm rolling with the fruity, sherried or peated crowd.</div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 87</span></h3>
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Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-43901962756634773972014-09-24T00:54:00.004-07:002014-10-29T08:08:14.108-07:00Benromach 10yo (OB)<h2>
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A Quality Dram</span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://insidemoray.co.uk/forres-distillery-to-roll-out-the-up-to-15000-barrels/</span></div>
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Ever had a whisky that you simply forgot about? According to my log I had my first Benromach 10 back in 2012. So this is more of a rediscovery, than an actual new experience.<br />
Right from the Gordon & MacPhail Boutique Speyside distillery comes this ten year old 80-20% mix of bourbon and sherry casks with an oloroso finish.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<h3>
<b><span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></b></h3>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-10894.aspx</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span> </b>greasy on the nose with hints of tea, a touch of peat, a whiff of sherry, mustard, brown sugar, nutmeg (<i>stimulating</i>) and some vanilla.<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;"></span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> A rich big bodied, sherry infused, smooth whisky with a warm mouth feel, mineral and slightly waxy on the palate. Notes of apple wood smoke, bitter oranges, and a touch of vanilla.<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;"></span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b> medium long finish with light mineral elements, with a spicy edge and some citrus notes in the tail.</blockquote>
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<h4>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Verdict</u></span></h4>
A great whisky, certainly for a 10yo. The mix of bourbon and sherry casks paid off and created a rich and multi-layered whisky. <br />
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Great job here G&M, an absolute must have.</div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 85</span></h3>
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Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-69602942994337221752014-09-18T23:26:00.001-07:002014-10-29T08:09:07.062-07:00Glentauchers 1990 Gordon & MacPhail<h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">First time, definitely last time</span></h2>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.scotchwhisky.net/images/dist/gltch_dist.jpg</span></div>
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<div>
There are mediocre whiskies, there are bad whiskies...</div>
Unfortunately we ventured back into the bad territory, with a whisky that for the time being has the dubious honour of being the penultimate single malt whisky on my list.<br />
Only second to the Drumguish of the Speyside distillery, a harsh verdict indeed.<br />
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One could wonder why Glentauchers, being one of the most productive Scottish distilleries with a production of 4.5 million l/year and one of the main ingredients of Pernod Ricard blends, has such a terrible reputation.<br />
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Well let's just dive in and ind out why I granted this poor score to this whisky.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1uaVq-aswhL9Y7PftvwTEKPaHgI67Em88vL3TjqA8dR1Jr9tBEq2rqwQUDR_3OvggrR8w5zNxRd63LPAO0ARmedU69z_sjoo8LKEgLOE2qH9WUp1sa7yYLojXebzEGYM9vP4HpJUggPa/s1600/gtag!m1990.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1uaVq-aswhL9Y7PftvwTEKPaHgI67Em88vL3TjqA8dR1Jr9tBEq2rqwQUDR_3OvggrR8w5zNxRd63LPAO0ARmedU69z_sjoo8LKEgLOE2qH9WUp1sa7yYLojXebzEGYM9vP4HpJUggPa/s1600/gtag!m1990.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-2693.aspx</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: orange;"><b>Nose:</b></span> waxy and salty structure: apple buns sprinkled with cinnamon fresh from the oven, strong notes of caramel (disgusting, as if you can taste the colouring), some roasted chestnuts and a whiff of eucalyptus.<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;"></span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth: </span></b>sharp and bitter on the palate with notes of nutmeg, chestnuts, dour acorns and tea. Vegetable elements as well: endive and carrots with a few unidentifiable sour notes in the tail.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish: </span></b>rather short, sharp and drying with a peppery edge.</blockquote>
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<h4>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Verdict</u></span></h4>
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While other describe this as a whisky that is rather weak on the palate, <br />
I wouldn't use the term "weak" here as it could imply a lack of taste. And it surely didn't for a 40% whisky.<br />
If I had to discribe the palate in one word I would rather use the term:"repulsing".<br />
Good nose, bad whisky, thumbs down.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 69</span></h3>
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Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-74181043576092427112014-09-16T07:36:00.000-07:002014-10-29T08:26:39.952-07:00Miltonduff 10yo Gordon & MacPhail<h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Miltonduff: a pleasant surprise</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHBFTbJU2jR1KoPXGopwYacZGv7NmWjk4nVowzqOsGq3GoKRP4mPaE9vCnjy1RcJpagFWqV3cqXjBoDcAsCPNGYgkvxRAq1U-9eT01aeIN6erMmlSYxEYqeTMlx0sWdI3YFSnRIBS1B9e/s1600/_wsb_504x343_Miltonduff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHBFTbJU2jR1KoPXGopwYacZGv7NmWjk4nVowzqOsGq3GoKRP4mPaE9vCnjy1RcJpagFWqV3cqXjBoDcAsCPNGYgkvxRAq1U-9eT01aeIN6erMmlSYxEYqeTMlx0sWdI3YFSnRIBS1B9e/s1600/_wsb_504x343_Miltonduff.jpg" height="271" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.axmaltwhisky.co.uk/75.html</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></div>
Venturing further into obscure distillery territory, today's stop is at the Miltonduff distillery. A disitillery currently owned by Pernod Ricard, though the bottles that you nowadays find were still distilled under the previous management by Allied Domecq.<br />
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With a set of six stills and a yearly production 5.5 million liters of pure alcohol this is one of the bigger acts in the industry, standing shoulder to shoulder with other giants like Balvenie, Dufftown, Glen Ord and Tomatin.<br />
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How is it possible that it managed to stay under the radar for so long?<br />
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The answer is simple, this distillery does no longer target the single malt crowds, as it withdrew its only official release; the 12yo expression from the market a few years ago.<br />
Thus apart from the Ballantine blends we are left with what's being provided by independent bottlers and the semi-official releases by Gordon & MacPhail.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
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This 10yo semi-official bottling of Miltonduff by G&M, is rarely reviewed and even then seems to divide the public into two camps. Either you love it or you hate it.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-3944.aspx</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span> </b>a fresh and fruity nose: sherried apple, elderberry, pineapple and a touch of melon. Young and grassy with floral notes and a hint of toffee.<br />
(<i><u>with water</u>: notes of heather, it becomes fruitier with more apple tones. A dash of water strongly reinforces the aromas of the nose</i>)<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;"></span></b></blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> a fizzing and smooth mouth feel: fruity and round, sharp (a bit harsh) peppery notes, honeydew, cereals and raisins.<br />
(<i><u>with water</u>: water smoothens the sharper tones and brings out the floral notes</i>)<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;"></span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish: </span></b>short and drying, with a touch of spicy vanilla in the tail, toasted oak and a spoonful of honey</blockquote>
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<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Verdict</u></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><u><br /></u></span></div>
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An impressive strength in taste for a 40% dram. With its beautiful nose and maybe a bit less spectacular palate (<i>well the fizzing mouth feel experience was quite interesting</i>), it is overall a highly likable and easy all-rounder. </div>
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Not a grand complex powerhouse, put as far as light Speysiders go, this might just be the bang for your buck.<br />
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I can definitely recommend this one.</div>
<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 84</span></h3>
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Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-61002798858177675942014-09-11T13:00:00.001-07:002014-10-29T09:11:39.702-07:00Bladnoch 10yo (2002/2013) bourbon cask<h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Best of the Lowlands</span></h2>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/wigtown/bladnochdistillery/</span></div>
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As dark clouds gather above the Bladnoch distillery, just three years from its second centennial, how about a review of a 10yo by Raymond Armstrong? (<i>there is a whole range of different 10yo single cask editions, hence the frequent confusion</i>)<br />
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Earlier in 2014 the Bladnoch Distillery went into liquidation as two of the four directors wanted to sell. Since its successful revival the distillery had been plagued by problems like the restrictions imposed by former owner Diageo and an apparent quarrel between the Armstrong brothers.<br />
Thus due to the high costs of production was halted in 2009 and early this month rumors about the possible sale to a real estate company started to emerge.<br />
So if your thinking about stocking up before the price of these beauties reaches Port Ellen levels, keep your eyes and ears peeled for news on this distillery. Fingers crossed and lets all hope for the best.<br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-19271.aspx</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span></b> a briny nose, with farmy notes like hay, malt and yeast in the background. A second layer improves the nose with hints of iodine, peat, a few fruity tones of figs and citrus accompanied by a subdued whiff of vanilla and toasted oak. (With a dash of water the nose becomes surprisingly clean and new coconut aromas surface)<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b></b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: orange;"><b>Mouth:</b></span> warm on the palate, with spicy orange peels and honey on the forefront, mouth drying and bitter in the middle with notes of oak leaf lettuce and spiced up with black pepper in the tail (with water added, more fruity notes like pineapple and white grapes develop)<br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b></b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: orange;"><b>Finish: </b></span>long and lingering finish with notes of cereal, biscuits and a bit of porridge and good touch of spice.</blockquote>
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<h4>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Verdict</u></span></h4>
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<div>
A decent whisky at a good price, maybe a bit inferior to other 10yo Bladnoch editions, but overall still a more than decent dram.</div>
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Bladnoch is by far the other lowland distilleries' superior (not taking the silent distilleries like St Magdalene and Littlemill into account) and it would sadden me to see it suffer a similar fate like so many lowlanders before.</div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">Score: 86</span></h3>
Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-25428469243013108612014-09-08T14:41:00.002-07:002014-10-29T14:30:36.422-07:00Trip to Islay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">Trip to Islay</span></h2>
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Well since this blog is all about whisky-related stuff, not solely reviews of bottles that I tried. So let me tell you about my last trip to Scotland, more specifically to the Mecca of whisky.</div>
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No not the Speyside, the other one: Westering home of single malt whisky and Queen of the Hebrides, Islay.<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Old cemetery of Port Ellen</span><br />
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My gratitude goes out to all the friendly people who helped me along my journey.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: feel free to use these images at all times, click to enlarge</span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">Prologue</span></h3>
<h4>
<span style="color: orange;">Project "Getting back on track" is on the way</span></h4>
<div>
The life of a recent graduate is harder than it looks. So much time and so little to fill it with, endless days of sifting through job vacancies and sending in my CV with little to no feedback from potential employers.<br />
I needed a break from it all, so how about another hiking trip before I could turn the page and start a new chapter in my life. One week away from all the screening procedures, endless hours of procrastination, one week of doing the things I like before being turned into an actual member of society, who makes a worthwhile contribution to this fellow citizens.</div>
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Now the idea to strap on my boots once more and get some more miles on the counter weren't new. My planned excursion to the Mont Blanc (The Tour du Mont Blanc, to be more specific) right after my dissertation defense in late June was cancelled due to bad weather. And in July I completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge.</div>
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First my mind was set on doing the Isle of Skye trail and an invitation from the SYHA (Scottish Youth Hostel Association) to spend a few nights at their expense and a free excursion to the Isle of Skye came in quite handy.</div>
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The only thing holding me back, was finding one or more partners to accompany me, share a tent and a few drams along the way. Well let that just be the problem: last year's rainy adventure along the West Highland Way did not encourage too many people to accompany me back to the Scottish Highlands. Others were too preoccupied with the search for a new job or were still working on their dissertation.</div>
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And let's be honest about it, I've never been a great people's person, but I'm doing the best I can. To me, being a charismatic and overall likable person is something that requires a certain emotional investment of time and dedication. And as I spend my last year pouting about being rejected by the girl of my dreams and not making any progress in life, I should not be surprised that nowadays my cell phone rarely rings on the weekend days and few were enthusiastically lining up to become my partner for the road.</div>
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So well f*** it, I said to myself, let's just make this a solo-trekking trip, somewhere in Scotland with an easier geography than Skye.</div>
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How about a trip to Islay, with enough distilleries to help me fight the elements and sore feet along the way and enough time out in the wilderness to help me rethink my life and become a better person.</div>
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And the rest is history...</div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: orange;">Inverness and Skye</span></h4>
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Actually not the first time that I've been to both regions in Scotland. I had a pretty wild and drunken night back in 2012 in Inverness, on a highland trip with fellow Erasmus students of the University of Edinburgh.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Back in November 2012 at Culloden, picture taken by Adeline Ang</span></div>
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And I was on the Isle of Skye back in September 2013 where I paid a short two-hour visit to Portree.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Now isn't that a face that only a mother could love?</span></div>
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So nihil nove sub sole, though now I had enough time to do a proper walk around the city and with the WOW Scotland tours, I got my fair share of great seafood, whisky (Talisker 10 and 18 at the excellent whisky bar of the Sligachan Hotel) and scenery on our 14h bus trip through the Western Highlands and Skye.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Red Cuillin at Sligachan Hotel</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The Black Cuillin</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The Quiraing</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Planning</span></h3>
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Travelling from Oban, the easiest way unto the Isle of Islay was the ferry route from Oban to Port Askaig.</div>
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Once on the isle, I would have five full days to travel along the coast from distillery to distillery with large stretches of cliffs and beaches along the northern shores.</div>
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Seemed like a simple and straightforward plan, but the weather gods and the actual outlook of the isle intervened. </div>
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The five day trip was cut short one day, paths that should have been taken were left untrodden. </div>
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While reconstructing the route, it may look like I might have gone a bit mad, or maybe there is some pigeon-DNA running through my veins.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">The Trip</span></h3>
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<h4>
<span style="color: orange;">Day 0: The Journey</span></h4>
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My trip to Inverness and Skye remained largely dry, nothing out of the ordinary, with sunny spells and the occasional showers. Though the flood level of the River Ness gave away that the last weeks must have been quite wet.</div>
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On the morning of the 16th however the skies turned grey, the mountaintops were covered by clouds rolling in from the sea and for the rest of the day I would experience all different sorts of rain. <br />
Thus the coach ride from Inverness to Oban proved to be a very dull: rain and fog can easily turn a magical place like the Highlands into a bore. <br />
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Why Oban? Well as it was the easiest way to reach the isle from the mainland, the alternative: the Kennacraig/Port Askaig/ Port Ellen would require a much longer bus ride. Plus the scenery of the rugged shores of Kerrera, Mull and other smaller islets along the ferry's route are a true sight to behold.<br />
But when I arrived in Oban, it seemed that the four hour ferry trip would not be worth its money. The Isle of Mull was shrouded by clouds, dark rain clouds barred the sun, an orange alert issued by the meteorological services for the high seas and the people of Calmac could not confirm that my ship would eventually set sail for Colonsay and Islay.<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The harbour of Oban before departure</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The Sound of Kerrera before deparure</span></div>
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Well time to get some shopping done and collect some whisky miniatures in the tourist shops. I managed to find some single malts that I hadn't tried before like GlenTauchers, Glenburgie and MiltonDuff.<br />
Nothing to excited I hear you say and I'll admit, these will probably never appear in my personal whisky-top-10, but as in opinion it is always the best approach to try a new whisky as a miniature, a sample or just as a dram in a pub, instead of buying a whole bottle and regretting it later.<br />
Besides, I wouldn't have been able to fit a whole bottle in my already massive backpack without crushing my spine anyway.<br />
A pity, cause in the Oban Tesco they had 15yo Mortlach and Longmorn from Gordon & MacPhail on sale.<br />
But I probably did manage to find the last Mortlach miniature on sale in Oban.<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">, </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: orange;">Glenburgie 10yo, </span><span style="color: orange; text-align: center;">Glentauchers 1990</span><span style="color: orange;">,</span><span style="color: orange; text-align: center;"> Tullibardine Vintage 1993, </span><span style="color: orange; text-align: center;">Bladnoch 10yo, </span><span style="color: orange; text-align: center;">Mortlach 15yo,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: orange; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: orange;">MiltonDuff 10yo,</span><span style="color: orange; text-align: center;"> BenRomach 10yo and </span><span style="color: orange; text-align: center;">Glencadam 15yo</span></span></div>
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However half an hour before the ferry left port, the skies above the Isle of Mull appeared to clear up and the sun broke trough the clouds. </div>
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And around 16:45, without any further delays, we set sail on the old ferry ship called "The Hebridean Isles" to our first stop on the Isle of Colonsay.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The same Sound of Kerrera a few hours later</span></div>
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The views were stunning, though the strong winds were making it hard to move around on the ship's upper decks. But as soon as the ship reached the open seas, we became a toy for the sea gods to play with, heavy waves rocked the ship, setting of the alarms of the cars on the decks below.</div>
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It didn't take too long before the first passengers got sick and I'll admit, I myself retreated to the lower decks, as I was sure I would soon join in, as it seemed to have set of a puke chain reaction.</div>
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I only left my chair to get some fresh air when the ship docked in the Colonsay harbour and as soon as we got into the calmer waters of the Sound of Islay.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">A rainy Colonsay harbour, in the evening</span></div>
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So by the time we had entered the Sound of Islay, dusk had already set in and except for the lower shoreline no further signs of the Ise of Jura could be observed.</div>
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Safe to say that none of the pictures that I took on the chilly and wet after-deck were a success. So I'll just post the last two pictures of that day here. One of the Caol Ila distillery and one of Port Askaig's pier.</div>
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They turned out to be a lot brighter than I expected, as by the time we docked in Port Askaig, it was already dark.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Caol Ila other than Bunnahabhain showed at least to some signs of life.</span></div>
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Half an hour later than expected we arrived at our destination and by God, was I glad I could set foot on some solid ground. Normally I love ferry trips, but this rough ride was a solid attack on my physical health, guess I don't have sea legs after all.</div>
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The plan was to set up camp on the shores of Loch Finlaggan, a short walk from the harbour. But it proved to be quite the challenge in the dark being battered by wind and rain, a foretaste of what tomorrow would bring.</div>
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Around half past ten I managed to set up camp near the path to the ruins of the old seat of the Lord of the Isles.</div>
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Made a pitch in the dark by torchlight, not a great start.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Day 1: Loch Finlaggan to Port Charlotte (45km total => 36 km walking)</span></h3>
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What a first day! Throughout the night, storm fronts kept coming in, but my good old trusty tent kept me warm and dry. Though the rippling water of the nearby burn, the howling of the Northwestern wind and the screeching of an unclosed fence gate kept me up for most of the night.</div>
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The morning brought more wind and rain and as I crawled out of my tent (they really didn't think the design of my tunnel tent through), I saw that given the circumstances of utter darkness and rain, I had made a decent pitch.</div>
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The main idea was to make a pitch between the ruins of Loch Finlaggan. But in hindsight I don't think that the trust keepers would have appreciated it, if I had caused any damaged to the archaeological remains of the site.</div>
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As in the dark I had missed the sign on the museum, which prohibited camping on the domain, so I probably should be glad that my presence remained unnoticed.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The ruins of Loch Finlaggan in the background</span></div>
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The heavy rains that approached with great speed, forced me to run for shelter while I was still breaking up my tent. Safe to say that most of the inner tent got wet during this operation, in these circumstances it was advisable to find a hostel or a camping with a drying room before I could use it again.</div>
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Bad luck, as I was planning to wild camp near Loch Gruinart, just within the first minutes of my trip it became clear that this trip was not going to go as planned.</div>
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The winds had gained in strength overnight and the Jura to ferry had been cancelled due to the adverse weather.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Caol Ila Distillery</span></h4>
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Off to Caol Ila than in the pouring rain, for a healthy nourishing breakfast consisting out of a dram or two.</div>
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The old distillery lies a short walk from Port Askaig down by the shore. In both cases of Bunnahabhain and Caol Ila, a lick of paint would do miracles. They look pretty run down, but I guess that the cost/profit ratio of the upkeep compared to their more touristy southern neighbours would be far too high. This is probably how most Islay distilleries looked a decade ago.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The old warehouses, far too small for a Caol Ila, so most of the whisky is matured on the mainland</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The 70's distillery building</span></div>
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I arrived about a quarter of an hour late for the scheduled tour, but was welcomed by a young and pretty girl, whom I guess was about the same age as me.</div>
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We chatted a bit about the weather, while she poured me a dram of Caol Ila Moch and the latest Distiller's Edition.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-1629.aspx</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Nose: </span>fresh notes of peat smoke, aromas of hot tar, a good squash of zesty lemon, and notes of hay.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Mouth: </span>peat, buttery texture, apple wood smoke and grind pepper, </div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Finish: </span>medium long finish, briny mouth feel with hints of tar and smoldering smoke.</div>
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Safe to say that I really like the Moch, very similar to the other 8yo Caol Ila (young and feisty) that I tried from Douglas Laing.</div>
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Age is no guarantee for quality, but generally they still prove to be the better drams. But young peaty whiskies are often quite the sensation for your taste buts. Just like the Lagavulin 12yo, the young Caol Ila Moch is no immature version of the standard bottling, it is a completely different expression in itself.</div>
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A dry lemony whisky with notes of peat and hay. A great start this first dram on Islay and just as I finished my glass, the sun started shining.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-24409.aspx</span></div>
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Second up was the Caol Ila Distiller's edition 2001-2013 with a Moscatel wine finish. Well it was not a bad whisky per se, but after the Moch it was a bit underwhelming. More waxiness in body, subtle notes of spices and orange.</div>
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My hostess closed the shop for a few moments to give me a tour of the still room. The massive Caol Ila stills are a sight to behold and the views across the Sound of Islay are supposed to be amazing, but the Paps of Jura were nowhere to be seen, quite the disappointment. As always, no photos allowed inside Diageo distilleries, but except for the still room the building, there is barely anything worth taking a picture off anyway. </div>
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The 70's building that replaced the old distillery has little to no charm and with an atmosphere similar to that of the my old school building, "shivers".</div>
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No time for romance here, this is an industrial facility with a production of almost four million liters of pure alcohol each year and they do little to effort to hide it. </div>
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Not that it bothers me, it's quite interesting to see the true face of the whisky industry and not the romantic Potemkin villages that most tourists get to see.</div>
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With a free tasting glass in my hand, I left for my next target, the Bunnahabhain distillery a bit further along the Coast.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Bunnahabhain</span></h4>
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The road up to Bunnahabhain was beautiful and quiet, the sun came out and it stopped raining for a moment. The scenery along the way mainly consisted of views across the water to the Isle of Jura, but the Paps remained hidden behind a thick layer of clouds.<br />
Unfortunately the winds had not died down and it seemed like they were only getting stronger throughout the day. Thus the walk along the coastal road became a true battle against the storm.<br />
Still far from the epic proportions of last years storm in the mountains between Kinlochleven and Fort William, but strong enough to slow me down significantly. Let these pictures be a testimony of the rapidly changing weather that day.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: orange;">The dark waters of Loch Ardnahoe colored purple</span> <span style="color: orange;">by the strange sunlight</span></span></div>
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The Bunnahabhain distillery is something out of the ordinary, it is an enormous complex of warehouses, hangars and living quarters for the staff.</div>
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The site was completely deserted, during the silent season it appears that only two members of the staff are running the premises. </div>
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Not many tourists drive up this far, though to my astonishment the shopkeeper, who looked suspiciously like the captain on the distilleries emblem, told me that about a hundred people made the trip to the distillery each day.</div>
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Now back to the distillery, while the seafront buildings got a nice white paint coating, the rest of the tall buildings are grey and in need of some repair. Some people abhor the "prison"-like outlook of the buildings. But I believe it fits perfectly with the atmosphere of pure isolation. One could easily believe that this is the last outpost of mankind, beyond lies nothing but an endless uninhabitable wilderness.</div>
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The entry to the shop, is well hidden, you'll have to enter the atmospheric courtyard and climb the stairs to the first floor. The shop has been furnished like a small cosy living room, a sharp contrast with the cold desolate surroundings outside. Inside the Captain and two female colleagues from the Deanston distillery were chit-chatting as I walked in.</div>
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Of course, I was once again too late for the tour. Before my departure I had collected all the info available on tours at every Islay distillery, but with the elements working against me, my progress that morning had been far too slow.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">It may look like it, but this is not the shop</span></div>
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The Captain poured me a dram and offered to show me the stills as soon as the other tour returned.</div>
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"<i>What Bunnahabhain expressions have you tried?</i>", he asked. "<i>The ten and the eighteen year old</i>", I replied. They all had a laugh: "<i>It's the twelve year old!</i>" </div>
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What a shameful rookie mistake, no luck trying to present myself here as a true whisky-connaisseur.</div>
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"<i>Well I'll let you have taste of the Bunnahabhain 18 than</i>", the Captain said, while he poured me a dram from a bottle of Bunnahabhain 12 (<i>at least i know my bottles!</i>).</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-12827.aspx</span></div>
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The Bunnahabhain XII, is the opposite of what most people would define as a classic Islay whisky. It's unpeated, yet not light or lemony in any way. It's an excellent single malt, briny on the palate, rich body that always reminds me of some syrupy old-style Belgian Dark beers like Westvleteren, Westmalle or Maredsous. Hints of coffee, black pepper, orange and vanilla. This is a complex dram with a lot of layers for an entry level dram.</div>
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Unfortunately that was the only dram I got a t the distillery, a pity, it won't stop me from ordering some other Bunnahabhain expressions in the near future.</div>
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I discussed my itinerary to the north with the shopkeeper: up to the Rhuvaal lighthouse and the walk along the northern coastline. He advised me that this weather was unsuited to traverse alone along the cliffs with these high winds. (<i>The weather services had given the Amber alert</i>)</div>
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One of the things I would hear very often during my trip on Islay was that I just picked the wrong week.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">View from the pier</span></div>
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The people from the previous tour walked back in and their young female guide was told to show me the still house. </div>
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Well where do they keep getting these girls, are they trying to convince the world that distilleries are nowadays run by young blonde amazons? </div>
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The trip to the stills turned into an almost complete tour of the empty distillery. It was interesting to have a peek inside the empty mash tun and pot stills. </div>
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Though I do not believe my guide actually worked at the distillery, she had a desperate look on her pretty face when I asked her about the absence of a pagoda on the roof (<i>It never had one</i>) or when I asked her in what way their stills were the "largest" (<i>they are the tallest not the largest</i>).</div>
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The stills were indeed impressive, the interior of the distillery does not have the sterilised look of other distilleries open to tourists. In fact the stills and wash backs are pretty dirty. They may claim that it improves the flavour, but I have my doubts that the stains on the outside help in the development of the flavours inside.</div>
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No further comments here, Bunnahabhain is the only distillery on Islay that you can still give you that impression that you are indeed a traveler who crosses the rugged seas to discover the purest of flavours at distilleries forgotten by the rest of mankind. While at the other distilleries, you do no longer feel like an adventurer, you're just one of the many tourists joining the distillery tour that day.</div>
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Bunnahabhain, the last home of the Islay single malt pioneer, never ever change.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The wreck of the Wyre Majestic engulfed by the rough seas</span></div>
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When I tried to get close to the Wyre Majestic, I was simply blown of my feet by the harsh winds. It made me realize that it would be for the best if I abandoned my plans to travel further north. </div>
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Venturing on my own, along ill-defined paths in an uninhabited area with no cellphone coverage, behind on schedule and along the cliffs with high winds, rough seas, against all warnings of meteorological services & locals and with a wet tent, would probably not be the stupidest thing that I've done this summer, but certainly the most irresponsible.</div>
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My decision to aboard the planned route was therefore a decision of the mind and not of the heart, as I still regret not crossing the Margdale river and heading out to that lighthouse.</div>
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So I decided to head of to Port Charlotte to spend the night at either the youth hostel or the Port Mor campsite. I took another way back, through the forests west of the distillery.</div>
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The scenery along these paths was mainly unexceptional, but the trees provided some cover against the wind.</div>
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Back on the main road that connects the eastern and the western part of the isle, I headed towards Bridgend. Along the way I was constantly battered by harsh side-winds and gusts of rain. After several hours out there in the rain my trousers and coat started to absorb the water and cured my own foolishness.</div>
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It was a Sunday, so there was no coach service on the isle. Fortunately a mile or two out of Bridgend a local elderly woman with a dog called kiwi took pity on me and offered me a ride up to Bridgend.</div>
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After the storm had passed I headed out again on foot along the surprisingly busy road between Portnahaven and Bridgend. Two miles out of Bruichladdich it started raining again and I was picked up by a couple of friendly locals, fierce Scottish nationalists, who brought me to the Youth Hostel. </div>
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One thing that I learned on Islay, is that the Ileach are generally good and helpful people, most tourists cruising at high speeds along the Islay roads however are selfish pricks.</div>
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That night I stayed at the Port Charlotte Youth hostel, located in the warehouses of the former Lochindaal distillery, where I was able to dry my cloths and tent. </div>
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I concluded that evening with a couple of Islay Ales at the Port Charlotte Hotel (<i> they served their whisky at tourist prices</i>).</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Sundown at the Port Charlotte Hotel</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The Port Charlotte Youth Hostel, located in the warehouses in the rear.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Day 2: Port Charlotte Circuit (31km total => 27km walking)</span></h3>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Port Charlotte Lighthouse</span></div>
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As promised by the hostel keeper, the weather would improve. At least the winds would die down a little and there was a significant decline in the amount of rain that fell that day.</div>
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It's only a two mile stretch of coastline that separates Port Charlotte from Bruichladdich and even though it was pleasantly warm and sunny when I closed the hostel door behind me, by the time I reached my destination it started raining again.<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">With all that rain, those highland cows probably mistook me as one of their own.</span></div>
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Two remarks, first of all every morning on Islay was wet, with rapid interchanges of sunny spells and gusts of rain, every ten minutes the weather would change. So after a rainstorm you knew you had a ten minute interval to break up your tent and get everything in your bag.<br />
So you always had to keep a watchful eye out for the next cloud front on the horizon, while packing up.</div>
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Secondly, the main roads on Islay are completely unsuited for those few who travel on foot. There are rarely alternatives for the main roads available. For instance, why is there no footpath connecting Port Charlotte and Bruichladdich? One would expect it to be possible to travel along the coast, but most areas are simply fenced of.<br />
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But I digress,...</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Bruichladdich</span></h4>
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From the inside, the Bruichladdich distillery is a sight to behold. The Victorian equipment is in running condition after all these years, it is living history. </div>
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Our tour guide, once again a lovely young lady, gave us a tour of the mill, mash tun, wash backs, stills and warehouse.</div>
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The open mash tun is an iron cast survivor, instruments such as these are what makes this distillery stand out. </div>
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I had my first taste of the wash and I have to admit, it doesn't taste that bad. For those who know it, it comes very close to a sour Belgian white beer, like Hoegaarden. And it stills tastes better than any British beer that I've tried thus far!</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Inside the wash back</span></div>
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The still house is a lot darker than most of its counterparts and the dark coloured stills are true beauties.</div>
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But of course the eye catcher is the "new" lomond still from the old Inverleven distillery, now being used for the production of their "botanist" gin.</div>
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Ugly Betty was meant to be used in the future Port Charlotte distillery, but it has luckily been taken out of the cold and found a new destination.</div>
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I forgot to ask if she still has her rectifier plates, or if she had been lobotomized like the one in the Scapa distillery. </div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Ugly Betty, a pretty small still, but a true beauty.</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The classic haversack pose, hard to believe but I was actually having fun.</span></div>
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Of to the warehouse than, where a wide variety of casks were on display. Bruichladdich was for some time known as the Willy Wonka's chocolate factory of single malt whisky, where anything could happen. </div>
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And given the wide variety of casks here in Warehouse Two, they still have some excited experimental casks laying around from the McEwan-Renier period. Which will probably be released as pricey limited edition bottlings, better get your wallets out gents.</div>
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At the end of the tour there was a visit to the bottling plant.</div>
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After the visit they lined up six or seven bottles for a wee taste, but you only got to pick one. Wait and you can't keep the glass? That's a bit meager wouldn't you think so?</div>
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I picked a dram from the Vallinch available in the store. </div>
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That thing had caught my eye as soon as I came in, it was leaking pretty bad, a sad thing to see so much good whisky going to waste.</div>
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£75 for a 50cl bottle was pretty expensive, but hey you can not put a price on a limited edition, 24yo single cask whisky. A 50cl bottle still might have fitted in my backpack, so why not give it a try.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thegreenwellystop.co.uk/blog/tag/bruichladdich/</span></div>
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The Andy Ritchie Valinch 07 is a cask picked out by the (bottling hall manager?), who's going on retirement. A 24yo (1989/2014) cask, matured in a bourbon cask, finished in a rioja winecask at 51.4%ABV.</div>
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Rich and smooth, fruity on the <b><span style="color: orange;">nose</span></b>: hints of cherry, peat, red fruits and iodine on the <span style="color: orange;"><b>palate</b></span>, with a peppery <b><span style="color: orange;">finish</span></b>.</div>
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A good and complex whisky, an interesting take on the classic Bruichladdich whisky, but not convincing enough to go through the trouble of buying a bottle.</div>
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Added some water from the large water jug, a slightly bit too much, but not more than 20% or so. Causing the other Belgian visitor to cry out that I was doing it wrong. </div>
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If there is one thing that I hate, than it are these so called experts. Mind your own glass, I thought while keeping a smile on my face, there is no wrong or right way of doing it, just keep it to yourself . </div>
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Plenty enough other good Bruichladdich official bottles available in the shop, but nothing except for some older leftover valinches that I couldn't find in Belgium at a better price.</div>
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At the counter I asked for a taste of the Octomore 6.1, as I really enjoyed the 5.1 a long while ago. </div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-21596.aspx</span></div>
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This is not the same peaty beast as its older brother, a lot of the power and roughness had gone. The 5.1 was a true powerhouse, a iron fist in a velvet glove that would kick you right in the nose.</div>
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I expected so much more from this one.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Nose: </span>Leather, medicinal peat, notes of sea spray, strong hints of tar with underlying notes of lemon.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Mouth:</span> Rich and fruity on the palate: white fruits, pears, teaspoon of honey, cinnamon, with powerful notes of vanilla and peat of course.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Finish: </span>A long and smoky finish, with hints of dark chocolate and berries.</div>
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Good, but.... not as great as the 5.1. But as there are more Octomores on the way, even more powerful than their predecessors. So I keep, my hopes up and wait for an Octomore that can outclass the 5.1.</div>
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Oh well, the 6.3 will soon become available and I saw a flask with Octomore 7.2 in the warehouse, good times ahead people. </div>
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Definitely in the top 3 of all the distilleries that I've visited. </div>
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Now that they are focusing more and more on the "terroir" aspect of their whiskies, how about a malting floor and a proper kiln? I guess that they would swimming against the tide, but wouldn't it be great if the Octomore was made with Islay peat, instead of the Biards of Inverness malt smoked with peat from the Orkneys(<i>so I have been told</i>).</div>
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No stab at the good people of Bruichladdich, but just a hint for improvement, making this distillery even better?</div>
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Maybe an idea for the new Port Charlotte distillery, if that projects gets of the ground someday.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Kilchoman</span></h4>
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I went on my merry way, along the main road until somewhere halfway between Bruichladdich and Bridgend I reached the road to Loch Gorm and Kilchoman.</div>
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At the crossroads I came across my future guide who was loading, what looked like sandwiches into the back of the Kilchoman truck. </div>
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I didn't ask for a ride as I wanted to get some serious walking done as I felt bad about the previous day, taking those rides out of the rain felt like cheating.</div>
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On top of the ridge, you could see both Loch Indaal and Loch Gruinart. almost touching each other Who knows maybe in a couple hundreds of years the Rhinns of Islay may become a separate island.</div>
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As I got closer to the dark waters of Loch Gorm, the landscape changed from heathland to farmland with fields of golden barley, I was getting close to the Rockside farm, famous from the Bruichladdich bottlings.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Tempering with the modes of my camera</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Loch Gorm with the cliffs of Ardnave Point in the background</span></div>
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After a short walk, I arrived at the Kilchoman distillery and oh my goodness me, this might actually be the busiest distillery judging from the amount of traffic that past me by on that small road.</div>
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It was not that easy to find the entrance of the distillery, you'll have to go around the back, past the casks from the Buffalo Trace distillery to make your way to the shop.</div>
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The shop and restaurant where they offer locally prepared food were quite crowded, though the possibilities of getting on a tour were limited.</div>
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On thing that you'll immediately notice is that the visitor center is larger than the distillery and a lot of the stuff that they'll sell is not whisky related. </div>
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With an hour to go till the next tour, I left my bag behind in one of the distillery's offices and headed out again to see the old Kilchoman parish church, which now lays in ruins.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Kilchoman parish church in the distance</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Celtic Cross in the Kilchoman kirk yard</span> </div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The decaying parish church of Kilchoman</span></div>
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Back at the distillery, there was a visit to the malting floor, which is also is used to storage facility. A good example of how cramped the small distillery actually is. They already had to give up their cask warehouse in order to create room for a bottling plant. (<i>their casks are stored at Bruichladdich</i>)</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">A handful of green malt from the Kilchoman floor</span></div>
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Kilchoman is slowly excepting some modest technological upgrades. New machinery like a conveyor belt to transport the malt from the floors to the kiln and a new corking machine have been introduced to make the lives of the crew a bit easier. </div>
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But most of the work is still done in a manual fashion, the sole fact that they have to climb to the top of the smoking kiln with a ladder in order to turn the barley manually, earns my respect.</div>
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Kilchoman uses Islay peat for their whisky, but unlike Laphroaig, it is mechanically cut. </div>
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Just like with the Laphroaig distillery, they use stainless steel wash backs to create a sweeter taste. And in the stillhouse both the wash back and a set of small stills were installed.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">All sweaty, after a sprint to get back to the distillery on time</span></div>
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The tour ended with a taste of the Kilchoman Machir Bay 2014 and Kilchoman 100% Islay.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-25298.aspx</span></div>
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Machir Bay 2014: A lightly peated expression born out of 5yo bourbon and oloroso sherry casks.This is the Kilchoman house-style expression.</div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Nose:</span></b> soft on the nose, prominent notes of citrus and freshly cut grass, with a few layers of ashes and peat underneath.</div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth: </span></b>sweet on the palate: fruitiness from the sherry vanilla from the bourbon, spiced up with soft notes of black pepper and aniseed.</div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish: </span></b>Long and lingering with aromas of vanilla and oak.</div>
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I must admit that I liked the Machir Bay 2013 edition better (<i>although, it has been some time since I last had a taste</i>), but there is a high consistency in taste between the two batches.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-24347.aspx</span></div>
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100% Islay 4th edition:</div>
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A whisky that only uses locally produced barley, aged in first fill bourbon casks and bottled at 50%ABV. Only lightly peated and going by the introductory remarks of our tour guide, this is what's supposed to be their ultimate product.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Nose: </span>notes of citrus, biscuity malt, figs, brine and a fairly soft layer of smoke.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Mouth: </span>sharp on the palate, a body that is both creamy and briny fruity notes of pears, some vanilla and wood polish</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Finish: </span>medium long finish: peat, lime and elements of oak</div>
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No taste from my favorite Kilchoman expression, the Loch Gorm, but I did get a delicious piece of sponge cake from the cafeteria and a free glass.</div>
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It was time to return back to Port Charlotte, this time using the passage along the cliffs and the beaches of Machir Bay.</div>
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A slight change of plans was required due to the presence of a bull in the fields.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">More like a field full of young bulls</span> </div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The sands of Machir Bay, more rain on the horizon</span></div>
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I made my way back trough the hills past the the Kilchiaran farm and back on the road to Port Charlotte.</div>
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The Rinns of Islay are an exquisite part of Islay, quiet and almost completely void of tourists. Not a living soul to be seen, except for some kettle. </div>
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It started raining again, but somewhere along the way, the brother of the owner of Kilcherian farm gave me a ride. </div>
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Apparently he was a former engineer at the Rolls Royce factory in Glasgow, who returned to Islay after his retirement. And the Kilcherian farm is one of the local barley suppliers of Bruichladdich.</div>
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<div>
I got to the Port Mor campsite, put up my tent, just in time before the next rainstorm hit. Had a drink at the Lochindaal Bar later that evening, which is probably the best pub of Port Charlotte.</div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">Day 3: Bowmore-Port Ellen-Laphroaig-Oa-Kintra (68km total=>47km walking)</span></h3>
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The toughest day on Islay for me, not because of the weather or the terrain, but because of the long distance I covered with my heavy backpack that day. I've covered longer distances before, but this was the first hike with 15kg backpack over 40km. By the end of the day, I almost suffered both a physical and mental breakdown.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Last sights of Port Charlotte</span></div>
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The previous night had been a cold one, the Port Mor facilities were excellent, though no drying room was provided, which would have been helpful given the Scottish climate.</div>
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However the location on the shores on Loch Indaal, more particularly the flat open grass field along the coastline caused the temperatures to drop significantly during the night.<br />
The only option left was to close all the tents ventilation flaps and curl up inside my sleeping bag.</div>
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<div>
Of course it started raining again around 6am. So I had to wait for a bright interval to pack up.<br />
Therefore I was only able to leave the campsite at about 9am, though I had been up for almost three hours.</div>
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I had made up my mind about my future trajectory: the general roads were unsuited for hikers (<i>every five minutes or so you had to jump unto the road's shoulder to evade cars</i>), plus they didn't provide me with that satisfaction that I normally would get out of hiking. I prefer the scenic small trails over challenges of distance. (<i>the isle has some entrancing places, but by doing it this way its beauty remained hidden</i>)<br />
<br />
Plus I had received a job offer in Belgium and had to make sure I'd be back on time, thus had to leave the isle a day earlier. (<i>PS: I did not get the job</i>)</div>
<div>
After a tip to visit Portnahaven from my generous chauffeur yesterday, I decided to take the bus from Port Charlotte to Islay's western point. But as my ride hadn't showed up some thirty minutes later, I abandoned my plans and headed out again, along the all too familiar road to Bridgend.</div>
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By the time I had reached Bruichladdich, the weather gods decided that it was time again for a nice portion of rain, but I carried on as usual.<br />
A mile out of Bridgend a lorry driver from W&M Currie and son from Port Ellen pulled over and got me out of the rain.<br />
I asked for a ride to Bridgend, but the kind man was willing to take me as far as Port Ellen.<br />
As per my request, he dropped me off right at the front door of the Bowmore distillery.<br />
As I got out of the truck the sun broke through the clouds and it would stay dry and sunny the rest of the day.<br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: orange;">Bowmore Distillery</span></h4>
I payed a visit to the rather small visitor centre and enlisted for the next distillery tour in two hours.<br />
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Time enough to get some food from the local Co-op, visit the small shops, walk up to the church and seafront. First time that I found a shop selling some proper fruit on Islay, enough to still my sudden and inexplicable appetite for apples.<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Bowmore distillery: a lot smaller than I expected</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The famous round church of Bowmore</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The distillery buildings are a true architectural beauty</span></div>
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When the bus arrived I made a decision to abort my planned visit to the Bowmore distillery. Of all the Islay distilleries, Bowmore is probably my least favorite. Bowmore is one of those distilleries where the official range leaves me largely indifferent, but I love some of the independent releases. (in other words I'm not convinced that their entry level whiskies are the best that they can offer for that price).<br />
Plus as Bowmore was in its silent season, there would be so much less to see and to do. With only one day left to visit distilleries on the Isle, I decided that I preferred a visit to Laphroaig over a tour of Bowmore.<br />
So Bowmore is the only distillery on Islay that I didn't properly visit (<i>maybe next year?</i>)<br />
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The road from Bowmore to Port Ellen is almost completely straight, by my experience a unicum for Scotland and Great Brittain.<br />
Thank god that I chose the bus here, the road was unsuited for pedestrians and it was a way to avoid the alternative, a long walk across the sands of Laggan bay.<br />
Plus, from the bus you got a good view of fields where the peat is harvested from.</div>
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<h4>
<span style="color: orange;">Laphroaig Distilery</span></h4>
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From Port Ellen it was a short walk up to the Laphroaig distillery. They constructed a new footpath along the road to the distillery to keep the drunks and tourists off the road. Though most of them continued to use the old way.<br />
Guess that it would be wise to put up some signs to guide them to the path. The path for some reason stops a few hundred meters from the distillery's entrance, so you had have to get back on the road anyway.</div>
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The Laphroaig distillery is the first of the Kildalton distilleries (<i>well Port Ellen not included</i>) and a classic beauty.<br />
These distilleries are like white pearls shimmering on the rocky Islay coast. With all the classic ingredients to make a whisky lover drool: white washed buildings, pagodas crowning the kilns and a seafront warehouse proudly displaying their eloquent names, like a statement to the world: "<i>we are Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg, the ancient homes of the most exquisite of peated whisky, hear us roar!</i>"</div>
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Due to its proximity to Port Ellen, this is probably the most visited distillery on the isle (<i>though by my experience that would be Kilchoman</i>).<br />
When I arrived and asked to be part of the next session, the following two tours were already fully booked.<br />
But they managed to get me in on one in the early afternoon. I made use of the spare time to dump my rucksack behind the counter and walk up to Lagavulin, to make sure there would still be a spot on the warehouse demonstration the next day. </div>
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Had to make a run for it to get back on time at Laphroaig. Back at the distillery, a group of New Zealanders, joined the tour.<br />
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Our guide appeared to be an Ileach, though I've never been very good at making out accents and at times I had trouble making out what he said.<br />
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The tour started on the malting floors, where the barley was almost ready, and the kilns were smoking. Laphroaig still gets 25% of their malted barley from their own floors, a laborious work that earns my respect.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The green malt almost ready for drying</span></div>
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Got a look inside the smoking kiln and a taste of the dried barley, which proved to be an excellent snack, or was I just getting a bit too hungry?<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">That smell, oh that godly smell of peat phenols!</span></div>
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The first look at a burning peat oven, there were a lot more flames than the photo reveals as they just fired up a new peat fire.<br />
Normally you won't find any flames on a peat fire as the distilleries only use the upper layers of the peat, which contains more remains of the vegetation (<i>so this not the high quality peat that is being used by locals in their stoves</i>), creating a fire that releases more aromatic smoke than heat.<br />
The goal is to dry and smoke the barley, not to burn it.<br />
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The fires send large thick white clouds of phenolic smoke across the bay, filling the surrounding area with that divine smell of burning peat.<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">A few meters below the kiln, a smoldering peat fire</span></div>
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The mash, wash and still houses with their steel skeleton structure are no original 19th century installations, they are modern additions, but far less notable than the Caol Ila rebuilding.<br />
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The mash tun and wash backs are made out of stainless steel, a bit unusual for a classic distillery like Laphroaig I guess.<br />
But let's believe the usual argument that stainless wash backs create a much sweeter whisky, than this might actually be considered as an improvement by some people.</div>
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Like before, we were offered a taste of the peaty wash, which in my opinion was inferior in taste to the Bruichladdich or Kilchoman wash. (<i>I guess that's the reason why there aren't any popular peated beers</i>)</div>
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Off to the still room than, where three wash and four spirit stills were boiling away and we got a taste of the new make spirit from an opened spirit safe?<br />
I was expecting the "new make" to be a bit warm yet, even after it left the condenser, but was surprised to find it quite cold.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The still house: spirit stills on the foreground, the wash stills on the background</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The author, in dire need of a shower</span></div>
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The tour of the distillery ended with a quick glimpse of the warehouse and the Prince Charles cask that they're so proud of.<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Laphroaig, keeps their casks carefully locked away. </span></div>
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And you should know the drill by now: a wee dram and a free glass at the end of the tour. </div>
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As the 10yo is no longer the introductory malt, we only got a taste of the now notorious Laphroaig Select, an NAS release that was designed to appeal to a wider crowd.<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-24539.aspx</span></div>
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<div>
Laphroaig Select:</div>
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<b style="color: orange;">Nose: </b>notes of oak, vanilla, hints of mint and citrus and a whiff of chocolate</div>
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<b style="color: orange;">Mouth: </b>coconut, strong layers of vanilla, vague remnants of medicinal smoke</div>
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<b style="color: orange;">Finish: </b>bitter and drying with notes of oak and strips of leather<br />
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One thing is for sure, it did not appeal to me. Do not get me wrong good people of Laphroaig, I'm not going to whine about the good old days or the introduction of yet another NAS whisky. Even that it lacks the classic recipes that make Laphroaig work: the medicinal smoke and saltiness. My quarrel lies with the overabundance of vanilla flavours in this whisky. I don't mind a touch of vanilla here or there, but as more first-fill bourbon or even virgin casks of american oak are used for the production of this whisky (<i>In my humble opinion</i>), the prominence of these soft and creamy vanilla notes ruin it for me. Get me some older refill casks, or add some more oloroso or PX sherry casks to even it a bit out, thank you.<br />
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Not satisfied with the whisky I got, I asked for a taste of the Laphroaig 18 in the shop.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-9910.aspx</span></div>
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Laphroaig 18: now we are talking</div>
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<b style="color: orange;">Nose: </b>fruitier than expected, notes of toffee, delicate scents of smoke and medicinal peat, a touch of vanilla, coastal notes return: seaweed and iodine, </div>
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<b style="color: orange;">Mouth: </b>slightly floral, big round body, oily on the palate with notes of lemon, honey, earthy tones, black pepper, a touch of ginger, walnuts, but mainly big on the dark oak, </div>
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<b style="color: orange;">Finish: </b>long and smooth<br />
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Age is not everything, that is not why I would say that the 18y is the obvious superior to the Select, it has more to do with the palate of displayed flavours. Though I prefer the 10yo and Quarter Cask over this particular whisky, as they more prominently exhibit the rough and raw nature of the Laphroaig malt. </div>
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Probably slightly intoxicated by the excellent dram, whilst trying to take a picture of the distillery from the rocks across the bay, I dropped my camera and only got it working again the next day.<br />
Had to rely on my phone on low batteries to take any other pictures that day.<br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: orange;"><b>Port Ellen and the Oa Peninsula</b></span></h4>
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Back to Port Ellen, a nice seaport town and second largest settlement on Islay, in the shadow of the Port Ellen maltings.<br />
Those were smoking barley and the streets were covered in a thick white smog as there was barely any wind. It smells of the phenols was terrific, but I can't imagine it to be healthy for the villagers.</div>
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Along the way I passed by the old warehouses of Port Ellen, which are currently being used to mature Lagavulin whisky and presumably there might still be some barrels of Port Ellen left inside. Guess only a few people in the world know how much still remains of the ever dwindling stocks. </div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Views across the bay to the lighthouse </span></div>
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The kilns look like they have seen better days, the lead roofing of one of the pagodas is starting to come loose. I still have my hopes up that, if the renaissance of single malt whisky leads to a stable market with high demand for high quality whisky, this distillery will get another chance. In the end a lot of the buildings are still more or less intact, there is still plenty of space to build a new stillhouse on the site that is still actively being used by Diageo. (<i>A pity though that the large red kiln has gone</i>)</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The Port Ellen maltings are rarely featured on Port Ellen postcards as they are a bit of an eyesore</span></div>
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Next stop, the unconventional Port Ellen lighthouse, better known as the Carraig Fhada from 1832 and the singing sands.</div>
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I came across the beautiful old cemetery of Kilnaughton, centered around the ruins of the old chapel and some rogue highland cows were blocking to road.</div>
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As I had dinner on the rocks, a scuba diver suddenly surfaced from one of the rock pools and walked right past me. He greeted me with the message that the water was warm and than disappeared. Probably on of the most surrealistic moments of my life.<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Kilnaughton cemetery</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">View across the bay to Port Ellen and its smoking maltings</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">My point of view before the scuba diver emerged from the pool on the right</span></div>
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It was already half past five and I still had to get up to the American monument on top of the Oa.<br />
In hindsight I'll admit that I underestimated both distance and terrain. What I should have done was to set up my tent and call it an early night. Instead I embarked on a trip that would lead me to the the top of the cliffs and than on to the Kintra campsite.</div>
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The Oa is exquisitely beautiful and it was only afterwards that I realised that it would probably have been more satisfying, to just hitchhike from one place to another and see some more of the unspoiled nature: the hills and the coast, maybe I just needed some more time.</div>
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The route that I took along the southern cliffs initially followed hardened roads along a surprising lot of new housing developments, until it simply ceased at the last farm building.<br />
The path that I planned to follow (<i>as indicated on my map</i>) simply did not exist or maybe it had fallen into disuse, so I had to cross a boggy field with a very uneven surface, significantly slowing my progress.</div>
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The monument for the Americans on the Oa is dedicated to the two tragedies near Islay during to the First World War, that cost the lives of some 640 American souls. The monument and the views from the cliffs are breathtaking. Far too few people who visit Islay make it up to this point. Let me tell you they missed something beautiful.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.islayinfo.com/islay-walk-american-monument.html</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islay</span></div>
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Afterwards came the long way back down to Kintra. And I'll admit, by the time I got to the Kintra farm, I swear I could just cry, it felt like I had broken the all the bones in my feet. And though I tried to catch a ride on the road to Kintra, no cars actually pulled over.<br />
As good-natured as most of the locals are, so ill-mannered are the mainstream tourists.<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The sundown going behind the Rinns of Islay at Kintra Farm</span></div>
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I only arrived at Kintra farm at about 9:45 pm, I set up my tent in the dunes and tried to cool down my feet by paddling in the refreshing seawater. Something I would have to do once more later that night in order stop them from swelling.<br />
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Kintra was an excellent campsite, dare I say better than Port Mor, the scenery here was great and except for the cafeteria they offered almost the same services (<i>maybe a bit less modern though</i>).</div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">Day4: Lagavulin, Ardbeg and Kildalton (24km total => 22km walking).</span></h3>
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What a day! As usual it started to rain in the early morning. The Lagavulin warehouse demonstration was taking place at 10:30 am and I had a 10km walk ahead of me. The rain was delaying my departure and I still had to find the camp site owners to pay for my overnight stay.<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Lagavulin Bay and Dunyvaig Castle</span></div>
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Half a hour later then expected I left for Port Ellen. By the time I reached Laphroaig I knew I wasn't going to make it on time, but just like the day before, no tourist were willing to give me a ride.</div>
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By the time I was already ten minutes late (<i>are you seeing a tend here as well?</i>).</div>
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Luckily for me Iain McArthur had only just started his demonstration and I could still join in.<br />
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No photos from this tasting exist as I thought the usual Diageo policies applied. The demonstration consisted of seven drams of Lagavulin from various ages and casks. </div>
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I'll just list them here, I did not take any notes, but let me tell you this, for about an hour I was in whisky heaven, an orgy of peated scents filled the warehouse as golden liquid was pulled from one cask after another.<br />
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The line-up:<br />
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<li>New make spirit at 72.0% ABV</li>
<li>10yo Cask Tasting from a 1st refill bourbon cask at 58.0% ABV</li>
<li>16yo Cask Tasting from a 2nd refill bourbon cask at 52.0% ABV</li>
<li>21yo Cask Tasting from a refill sherry cask at 50.0% ABV</li>
<li>32yo Cask Tasting from a refill Dewar’s sherry butt (<i>used at Aberfeldy</i>) at 48.0% ABV</li>
<li>48yo (1966/2014) Cask Tasting from a refill Johnnie Walker (<i>???</i>) cask at 45.0% ABV</li>
<li>NAS. Triple Matured Edition (Friends of the Classic Malts) at 48.0% ABV</li>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">www.wine-searcher.com/wine-116846-0001-friends-of-classic-malts-lagavulin-12-year-old-single-malt-scotch-whisky-islay-scotland</span></div>
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The spirit was surprisingly fruity and delightfully tasteful, not what you woud expected from an unfinished product. I believe it could easily outsell many vodka's available on the market these days.</div>
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As we moved towards the older drams, the phenol levels of the peat decreased and were replaced with bolder layers of exotic fruits like papaya and honeydew, tea, spicy like aniseed and tones of dark hardwoods like red cedar and sandalwood.</div>
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In my experience, Lagavulin reached its ultimate top with the 21yo.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">A video of Iain McArthur of Lagavulin</span></div>
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To me, this was the ultimate Islay experience, a thorough tasting of various expressions of my favorite whisky: the Lagavulin.</div>
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It was a joyous moment to finally be here, at the Lagavulin distillery, the home of the whisky that sparked my interest for single malt whiskies.</div>
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The distillery has a rich history that is probably best reflected by the fact that the present building is composed of three different distilleries: Lagavulin, Ardmore and Malt Mill. (<i>the latter onces were incorporated in the Lagavulin distillery</i>)</div>
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Though it is probably one of the most visited distilleries on Islay, it still has an old school feel to it, with no large (<i>noticeable</i>) renovations or improvements to the interior and all technological aids well hidden. </div>
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It's in that romantic-shabby-cosy atmosphere of the visitor center ( <i>located in the old Malt Mill distillery buildings</i>) with its green painted interior and old doorbell, together with the living room outlook of the waiting/tasting room, that the true secret lies.</div>
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Lagavulin, it was a true pleasure and my visit was all I hoped and dreamed it would be!</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Lagavulin's Village hall</span></div>
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Incidently I met a nice Australian couple during the tasting, after pouring down a 32yo whisky down the wrong hole and setting my longs on fire. </div>
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They too were going to the Ardbeg distillery afterwards, so they offered me a ride, which I gratefully accepted. With a a warm belly full of whisky and the first signs of inebriation I stumbled into the backseat of their car.</div>
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"<i>I've got to warn you, I've been drinking</i>" the guy said. "<i>I know</i>", I replied: "<i>I was there, remember?</i>", "<i>but don't worry, I don't think that they have a police force on Islay</i>".</div>
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Of to Ardbeg than, my driver probably started to feel the alcohol kicking in too, as he took the wrong turn and drove back to Laphroaig.</div>
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By the time they dropped me off at Ardbeg, I was drunk off my ass and decided that my breakfast that consisted of two energy bars was probably inadequate to get that amount of whisky processed.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">Ardbeg</span></h4>
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Fortunately the Ardbeg distillery has a restaurant and by the looks of my waitress, she had dealt with my sorts before. So two adequate meals later and I was back to the old me.</div>
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I booked for the afternoon tour and left for Kildaton.</div>
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Later I came across the Australian couple again, half way between the distillery and the chapel, they offered me a ride, but I kindly declined. After all, one might almost forget that one of the main purposes of my visit was to do as much on foot as I could.</div>
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The road back and forth to Kildalton was busier than I expected, but the 1200 yo celtic cross was well worth the trip.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The 1200 yo cross, miraculously well preserved</span></div>
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Afterwards I returned to Ardbeg for my final distillery tour. </div>
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Ardbeg is somewhat a mix between Bruichladdich and Laphroaig: a distillery that somehow managed to preserve the old and coat it with a modern commercial layer.</div>
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Incredible to think that back in the 90's they were still considering to tear these buildings now, little did they know that Ardbeg would grow out to become one of the best known and most identifiable producers of premium single malt whisky.</div>
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However the 2000's have been kind to the distillery, that was transformed from a rundown shanty into a highly profitable tourist attraction.</div>
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Everything surrounding the distillery radiates wealth and profitability.</div>
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The tour however was pretty standard and short: mill, mash tun, wash backs and stills. No peak into the warehouse, no tastes along the way.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">The stills with a purifier</span></div>
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You all may now the famous Diageo no pictures allowed policy, well get this, they got that at Ardbeg too, but at least they give an excuse: the flash might ignite the alcohol fumes. (<i>???</i>)</div>
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Hadn't heard that one before,</div>
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The still house was pretty cramped compared to other distilleries, well maybe that can be said about almost every room of the Ardbeg distillery, the visitor centre + restaurant are larger than the actual distillery.</div>
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Nice side note here, the condensers are on the outside of the building.</div>
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Afterwards we were given the opportunity to try one of the whiskies.<br />
The final tasting on Islay consisted of a choice between the Corryvreckan or the Uigeadail.<br />
A bit disappointing when you're sitting in front of their whisky wall, but apparently those are the only bottles that are left at the distillery, they had to repurchase expressions like the Blasda from foreign distributors as they ran out of stock.<br />
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Most choose the Uigie, I picked the Corryvreckan for a change.</div>
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The Corryvreckan: a fellow whisky reviewer called this one a whirlpool of flavours,..</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-10767.aspx</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Nose: </span>notes of seaweed, grapefruit, peat smoke, a touch of roasted nuts' aroma, and the smell of bread, fresh out of the oven.</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Mouth:</span> rich and oily body, hints of aniseed combined with notes of salt, lemons, peat, coal smoke, maple syrup with a more spicy addition of black pepper and savory elements</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-weight: bold;">Finish: </span>long and full with salty tones , black pepper and coffee, </div>
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A French man on our tour kept insisting on getting a taste of the Blasda and when most of the group had already left, our guide agreed to pour us some drams.</div>
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Ardbeg Blasda:</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-8928.aspx</span></div>
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Well there is no nice way of putting this, it is just vanilla liquor, like drinking a liquid twinky. I perfectly understand why hardcore Ardbeg fans abhorred this expression.</div>
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It was getting late and I walked back to Port Ellen for the last strech of my journey.</div>
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That night I camped on the stretch of grass in front of the White Hart Hotel in order to catch the early ferry.</div>
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The Loch Finlaggan (<i>and the circle is round</i>) ferry took me back to Kennacraig on a calm and open sea</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-small;">Last views of Islay before it disappeared in the mist</span></div>
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Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-90090202246398711912014-09-06T14:50:00.005-07:002014-10-29T12:32:14.752-07:00Mortlach 15yo Gordon & MacPhail<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Great Disappointment</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-4085.aspx & www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-25847.aspx</span></div>
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Don't let the images fool you, this is not a comparison between the old and the new. This review is all about their alternative.: the Mortlach 15yo Gordon & MacPhail, a bottle that is hard to find here in Belgium, but it can easily be found in let's say a Tesco somewhere in the Highlands. </div>
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I picked this one up in Oban, while waiting for the ferry to Port Askaig ( the Islay report will follow shortly, I promise)<br />
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I really liked its older brother, the famous 16yo Flora & Fauna, so the stakes are high. Mortlach has been the subject of controversy these last months as the old bottling that we all knew and loved was replaced by a few NAS- versions, packaged in an expensive perfume bottle. Maybe I'm a little too grumpy for my own good here, as I haven't even tried the new versions yet. But I guess I've arrived at that stage in the life of a malt enthusiast, where melancholia clouds the rational mind. </div>
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Thus it might be usefull so let's well how this one holds up and if it could be a cheaper replacement of its older brother.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-25642.aspx</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Nose: </span></b>Malted barley, sherry, notes of milk and biscuits with a touch of spice, oak and faint hints of citrus. All this served on a powerful layer of vanilla cream. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> creamy and syrupy on the palate: with tones of biscuits and malted barley, white chocolate and raisins, shades of of nutmeg and black pepper, a dash of sherry and of course the elements of toasted oak that brings forth the dominant layers of spicy vanilla <br />
(Luckily a drop of water removes much of the vanilla)<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish: </span></b>Medium, but smooth as butter, with notes of oak and ginger. </blockquote>
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<h4>
<u><span style="color: orange;">The Verdict</span> </u></h4>
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I'm not going to lie, this is not what I expected and definitely not my style. </div>
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What I miss here is the fruity flavours and that meaty quality of Mortlach. Yes, I get some sherry notes along the way, but I find it quite astounding that this was matured in a refill sherry cask: it has American oak written all over it. <br />
Don't get me wrong, this is not necessarily a bad whisky, I recon that this is a quite the rich whisky, layered and rounded, with a creamy texture and notes of oak and vanilla that may appeal to a lot of people, </div>
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But not me. <br />
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The disappointment that I felt after trying this whisky is most likely the main cause of the low score that I attributed to this whisky.</div>
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Maybe it was just a bad bottle, but this G&M is not worthy of liking the boots of the 16yo F&F.</div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">Score: 79</span></h3>
Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-21348664867024890972014-08-12T15:39:00.002-07:002014-10-29T12:33:09.484-07:00Jura Superstition<h2>
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Jura Floozy</span></span></h2>
Last review before I leave for Islay, how about a young floozy (<i>no disrespect intended</i>) from the neighboring Isle of Jura?<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.scotland-flavour.co.uk/pictures/jura_scotland_5770.jpg</span></div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/isle-of-jura-superstition-whisky/</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: orange;"><b>Nose:</b> </span>young, soft and slightly salty: faint hints apple wood smoke, scents of linseed, porridge and hint of pine. (Nose less strong than the last bottle that I tried)<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;"></span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> strong on the palate, porridge with a spoonful of white pepper. Underlying sweetness with hints of caramel and butter are spiced up with a dash of salt and pepper, further notes of peat and a teaspoon of honey.<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;"></span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b> Medium long with hints of caramel, honey, butter, soft smoke, hints banana, vanilla and a bit of rough grind pepper in the finishing touch.</blockquote>
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<h4>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Verdict</u></span></h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Origin with a touch of spice (bam! spice weasel)</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 83</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-48959538977789550392014-08-01T07:34:00.001-07:002014-10-29T12:33:49.658-07:00Clynelish 14yo OB<h2>
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A True Classic</span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://potstill.org/info/distilleries/3840/</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></div>
Cleaning out the cabinet, and saw that my bottle of Clynelish 14yo was almost empty, time to replace it. But as I'm likely to make a stop at the distillery anyway in two weeks time, I guess it couldn't hurt to finish this one.<br />
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I did a review on another Clynelish 14yo on this blog in March, but that was a release from the independent excellent independent bottler Blackadder. </div>
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I don't want to fall in repetition here, but I have a weakness for that wine-like quality that characterizes all clynelish bottling. And in my opinion, a bottle of Clynelish is a quite essential part of a man's whisky, one of the cornerstones of his collection. This is a distillery with a solid reputation that has been granted a prominent place in my personal top 10. <br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">www.masterofmalt.com</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: orange;"><b>Nose:</b></span> Zesty, floral and ever so slightly waxy: a basket of tangerines, a vague scent of pears, vanilla sticks, a whiff of smoke (has always been a mystery to me), sea spray and something reminiscent of paraffin.<br />
<i>(<u>with water added</u>: a dash of water sets the salty aromas free.)</i><br />
<b><span style="color: orange;"></span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth: </span></b>elegant medium body, clean and oily on the palate: a marriage of fruit and spice.<br />
Fruity tones: bitter orange oil, vanilla, undertones of bitter oak and hints of juniper.<br />
Spicy tones: black pepper and ginger.<br />
<i>(<u>with water added:</u> water induces a certain softness, spicy notes are replaced by softer fruity ones, but the dryness and bitter remain.)<br /> </i><b><span style="color: orange;"></span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b> Quite long, bitter and salty, with a bit of spicy oak and a drop of smoke in its tail. <br />
<i>(<u>with water added</u>: soft and long, but the viper lost some of its venom; an overall saltier profile)</i></blockquote>
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<h4>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Verdict</u></span></h4>
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Well what is there more to say? This is just an excellent whisky, by a brilliant team of distillers. Simple as that; a solid whisky.</div>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;">SCORE: 87</span></h3>
Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-9794919196101196712014-07-30T08:17:00.002-07:002014-10-29T13:45:47.018-07:00BenRiach: Heart of Speyside<h2>
<span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Entry Level Dram</span></span></h2>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>My Apologies</u></span></h3>
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<span style="color: orange;">The author letting his inner child out in the Yorkshire Dales</span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Long time since I wrote a review, but since I'm currently making some space in my cabinet for a few new bottles, I might as well do a few reviews on older bottles in my possession. I had high hopes to find some interesting bottles whilst on vacation in Yorkshire, but I was deadly wrong. Thus until my trip to the Northern Highlands, Skye and Islay next month (yes I'm quite the busy bee), there won't be any new exciting whisky-reviews, only a well known classics that you'll find in the cabinets of whisky lover all around the world.</span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">So for this is a review of an easy cheap NAS. Speysider, known as Heart of Speyside from the BenRiach distillery. It is the entry level dram from Flagship Range of the BenRiach distillery.<a name='more'></a></span></h4>
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: xx-small;">http://www.whisky.fr/benriach-heart-of-speyside.html</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: orange;"><b>Colour:</b> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Straw gold</span><span style="color: orange;"><b></b></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: orange;"><b>Nose:</b> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Fresh nose with soft elements of heather, grass and honey. soft undertones of salt and oak wood with a touch of spice. Very clean.</span><b><span style="color: orange;"></span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> fruity and farmy notes, soft and slightly buttery on the palate with once more hints of honey and heather. Tones of oak wood but not overly powerful and a whiff of pepper and soft smoke.<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;"></span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b> Stronger in the finish with powerful notes of pepper, sweetened up with a teaspoon of honey.</blockquote>
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<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span>
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<h4>
<span style="color: orange;"><b><u>The Verdict</u></b></span></h4>
Harmless and overall pleasant, don't expect a complex majestic dram here for this price. Probably one of the better decent entry-level whiskies out there. well worth a try.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><br /></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><br />Score: 80</span> </h3>
Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3373221222438537402.post-13960973009336192062014-06-29T10:02:00.001-07:002014-10-29T13:47:37.785-07:00Springbank 15yo OB<h2>
<span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">
Another Springbank</span></h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">With everyone talking about the CV, the 10yo, the 12yo and the Cask Strength, one would almost forget there was a 15yo Springbank.</span><br />
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Another dram from one of my favorite distilleries, located in the former whisky capital in the world: Campbeltown. I've said this before and I'll say it again, I'v never had a bad whisky from this distillery before. And with their different styles for their three standard lines: Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn, they've shown us that they're quite capable of creating a wide range of different expressions, each with a distinctive taste.<br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Whisky</u></span></h3>
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<b><span style="color: orange;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.whiskypascher.fr/whisky-springbank/125-whisky-springbank-15ans.html</span></span></b></div>
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Nose: </span></b>fresh nose, but a little waxy, dominant notes of orange peel, a whiff of honey, scents of iodine (<i>seaweed</i>) A second layer of subtle fruit, (<i>pears, cherries, pineapple and bananas</i>), sweet fudge, traces of sherry, leather, peat and oakiness.<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Mouth:</span></b> bitter and dry palate, a bit of smoke with a touch of lemon zest. Undertones of spice, soft notes of earthy peat.</blockquote>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Finish:</span></b> Lasting and dry, elements of genever (<i>juniper</i>), lemon, leather and noticeable traces of peat and tar.</blockquote>
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<span style="color: orange;"><u>The Verdict</u></span> </h4>
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I love Springbank and it was an excellent whisky, but I was not really blown away by it. It is not a real step up from the 12 or the 10yo. That being said, it doesn't need to, it is an enjoyable smooth whisky with a most enjoyable nose. Not overly complex, but an artisan tour the force.</div>
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<span style="color: orange;">SCORE:86</span></h3>
Pandemoniumd01http://www.blogger.com/profile/03307892080378601171noreply@blogger.com