Nice Islay tasting took place on 07.12.2016. Four bottles from independent bottlers and one official release.
Cask Islay Dewar Rattray 46% - ashes, salt and some juniper in the nose. Green tea in an empty glass also. The taste is quite powerful developing on rubber and sweetness. Should be Caol Ila I guess :) Medium-long smoky finish. Quite ok for NAS whisky. Score: 21 20 20 20, 81/100!
Cask Islay Dewar Rattray 46% - ashes, salt and some juniper in the nose. Green tea in an empty glass also. The taste is quite powerful developing on rubber and sweetness. Should be Caol Ila I guess :) Medium-long smoky finish. Quite ok for NAS whisky. Score: 21 20 20 20, 81/100!
Bunnahabhain 14 yo 1997/2012 van Wees 46% - already tasted this one before, impression is pretty the same: smoke, vegetables and salt in the nose, palate is more complex than in previous sample despite being not so powerful. Longer finish developing on smoke and barley. Score: 21 21 21 21, 84/100!
Kilchoman 10 yo 2006/2016 single cask #42/2006 57.6% - it's first time I have 10 yo Kilchoman :) do you remember how everyone was observing Port Charlotte getting older and older?.. Nose: horse stable, men's perfume (the one with woody and musky accents), earth notes, shu pu erh tea and even some pickles afterwards. The palate is dense, salty, mineral, smoky and malty. Long finish bringing smoke, malt and salt. Brilliant Kilchoman! Score: 22.5 22.5 21 22, 88/100!
Caol Ila 2003/2015 bottled for Potstill cask #302315 58.5% - ashes, citrus and salt. In 9 cases out of 10 it's all you need to know about Caol Ila profile. Taste: salty lemon lying in ashes for a few days. Some malt notes also. Finish: long and biting on coal and salt. Score: 21 22 21 21, 85/100!
Laphroaig 23 yo 1991/2014 52.6% - m-m-m, so gentle and elegant in the nose! Pear, salt, sweet raspberry, delicate sherry influence. Beautiful combo of malt and salt on a palate. Finish is just great: saltiness, spiciness (umami!), cream and malt again. Score: 22 23 23 23, 91/100!
Conclusions: everyone was expecting Laphroaig 23 yo to be great and it really was, though discovery of the evening was 10 yo single cask Kilchoman. I should consider having a few drams on Friday morning, maybe that really works...
No comments:
Post a Comment