Bruichladdich Port Charlotte: The Peat Project

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Islay Single Malt, No Age Statement,
46% ABV, $50

Thanks to Mark E. for this sample!

The color is a pale yellow. On the nose, there’s plenty of sweet, peaty smoke with grapefruit, toffee, vanilla and a bit of ginger in the background. Giving it time to breathe tames the smoke a bit, although it wasn’t overpowering before, and reveals a soft grassy aroma with just a touch of honey. This is a very enjoyable whisky to breathe in. The taste is at first sweet, then turns immediately to soft smoke and peat. The next wave brings a salty collection of fruit and spice with a chewy leathery texture entering next. The finish is leathery charred oak, smoke and white pepper as the sweetness lingers and fades along with the salt and peat. That salty, peaty taste returns again as the wood and smoke diminish. The sweet flavors are butterscotch, honey and vanilla with a generous ginger and black pepper bite. The fruity flavors are grapefruit, orange and peach. There’s a lot of flavor here and I like it all the way to the finish, where there’s a bit too much bitterness to balance with the other flavors. The smoke becomes a bit more prominent with time. A splash of water restores some balance as it enhances the fruit, subdued the spices and cleans up the oak tannin. Even the smoke moves to the background a bit.

Although this whisky is not for me, it is very good and should appeal to Laphroaig fans who want something a bit less bold.

Super Bowl XLVII

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Super Bowl HoldI’m not a big sports fan, although I used to be one years ago. I didn’t watch any NFL games this year (maybe parts of a few), so I had no real history with either the Ravens (Black Birds?) or the 49ers (50 Minus 1’s?). I enjoyed the game, although I enjoyed the gathering more. Despite my lack of enthusiasm, I do tend to analyze the game, plays, teams, etc. and I did notice some unfortunate things in this game and, more generally, in the NFL.

First of all, the Harbaugh brothers lived up to their reputation and put on a great game. The champion has been crowned (ringed?), but this was anybody’s game and could have had much different results on a different day. It is interesting that John is now 2-0 against his younger brother, Jim, though. The unfortunate aspect of this game is that the officiating played a significant role in the outcome and it really taints the results when that happens.  You can argue that there were offsetting calls made earlier in the game, but it’s harder to ignore the ones that happen as the game is concluding.  Jimmy Smith clearly got away with holding in the end zone on 4th and goal on the 49ers final drive.  Compounding that was the blatant holding by several members of the punt team on the following drive, which allowed the Ravens to burn more time off of the clock.  It was just adding insult to injury at that point.  It seemed like the referees had made a decision that the game was over at that point and were not going to allow any more action.  That’s really a shame.  Still, you can’t be displeased with another close game in the Super Bowl after so many years of blowouts.  It’s almost worth watching now.

I hate to bring up another subject, but it’s even more disappointing that an overzealous league commissioner was able to ruin the season of one team and several players, while allowing others to get away with similar and worse infractions.  It’s hard not to conclude that Goodell really had it out for Sean Peyton and the New Orleans Saints.  I’ll just leave it at that and go back to other things that are more worthwhile than professional sports.

Laphroaig 10 Year Old Original Cask Strength

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Islay Single Malt, 10 Years,
58.3% ABV, $53

Thanks to Mark E. for this sample!

The smoke and alcohol are readily evident in the aroma, along with peat and salty sea breeze. This is against a backdrop of butterscotch, charred oak, vanilla wafer, grapefruit and just a hint of apricot. The taste is very bold! The initial flavor is tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, vanilla, tobacco and apricot followed by a burst of butterscotch, vanilla and ginger that give way to a bit of iodine and grass. The finish is smokey white pepper and fades to a slightly salty and leathery oak bitterness. The smokiness remains and the pepper lingers for a long time. All of this distracts from mild sweet tobacco that still remains in the background. Adding water really tames this beast and makes it much more enjoyable. The aroma becomes mostly grass and toffee as the smoke moves to the background and the salty sea breeze becomes still sea air. The citrus becomes ginger and the alcohol burn is brought under control. The taste become more fruity and sweet with notes of apple, tart cherry, peach and grapefruit to accompany the vanilla and peat. A mild smoke aspect remains as does the white pepper that arrives in the finish. The ginger is much milder and the bitterness gives way to salt and a hint of leather. After a while, the remnants are of salty peat, licorice and charred oak and this final finish has somewhat of a numbing quality to it. Some water is definitely needed to subdue this animal. It’s wild and woolly!

My impression of this complex whisky is diminished by the bitter, numbing finish (helped out much by water). The tangy flavor is too much at times for the milder fruit elements to compete with and disappears quickly, which leaves the smoke, peat and spice to complete the experience. After a while, the balance improves but is never really achieved. For me, it just doesn’t work that well (and I know it does for many). I’ll stick with Ardbeg Ten Year over this one.

The Scarlet Ibis

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The Scarlet Ibis

Trinidad Rum, 3-5 Years, 49% ABV, $27

This rum has a beautiful golden amber color that I really like. I tend to overlook this characteristic in most spirits, but it’s very noticeable with this one.

It amazes me that the alcohol doesn’t overpower the aroma at nearly 100 proof, but it really is nicely under control. It’s fairly easy to pick out the toffee, honey, grass, tobacco and overripe banana. With some work, I can detect charred oak and a faint smell of ripe plum and cherry.

My mouth is immediately taken with a tangy and spicy experience. There’s a woody, slightly bitter aftertaste that lingers while the pepper fades ever so slowly. Up front the tangy taste is of orange and grapefruit while a blast of white pepper and ginger appear. There’s also vanilla, raisin, honey, banana and an ever-present oak that starts early and persists throughout. There’s a good bit of dry bitterness and only a mild sweetness here. This reminds me of a fairly young rye whiskey with a bit more sweetness and wood (like its aged more with some young character). It’s the fruity vanilla flavors that give away the fact that this is rum. This is definitely the spiciest rum that I’ve tasted and I’m a big fan of spicy spirits. The bitterness is more controlled as I drink more and more of the sweeter flavors endure longer. Still, after it’s all said and done, the remaining artifact is pepper and wood… not the greatest finish.

The Scarlet Ibis is a unique rum that I’ll definitely come back to (I have another bottle). It’s unlike other rums and that’s enough to peak my interest, along with the rye resemblance.

Rhum Barbancourt Five Star Réserve Spéciale

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Rhum Barbancourt Five Star

Rhum Agricole, 8 years,
43% ABV, $22

 

I’m finishing off my bottle of this one and decided to give it a closer look before its all gone. My Barbancourt experience started off rough and I didn’t care for this one at first, but as time has passed I’ve come to appreciate it more and more. My intent is to determine whether I continue the experience or move on to another Rhum Agricole offering (e.g. Montecristo 12 Year).

The nose is earthy and mildly sweet with notes of sugar cane (I was raised in south Louisiana and know this smell), toffee, honey, prunes and roasted walnut. If you nose it lightly, the aroma takes on a definite woody quality with the sweetness deriving more from caramel. You have to breathe it in deeply to get the details. It’s a light, delicate aroma that I’ve not fully appreciated until now.

The taste is nutty, tart, sweet and peppery and the finish is leathery while the peppery heat dissipates slowly. Up front I taste walnut, persimmon (which I’ve not had in a long time), ginger, black pepper, vanilla and bitter honey. I’ve heard that the flavor has a reedy quality and I think that this may be coming through as nuts in combination with the persimmon and bitter honey. It’s an interesting flavor that you don’t get from molasses based rum. The more I sip on this, the more I detect a brief appearance of tart apple mid-palate. There’s also a mild anise taste on the back of the tongue that lingers long after the pepper fades. This is definitely not a sweet rum and it also avoids the dryness of some Barbadian offerings. It’s not bold, but it offers some nice complexity that keeps me interested. It’s also different enough from other rum styles to provide some useful variety.

It’s clear that I’ve sold this rum short in the past and this detailed tasting has guaranteed a spot in my collection for it. It’s also solidified my decision to not purchase Barbancourt’s 3-Star (4 Year) offering, which is supposed to offer more reedy taste and less wood. I may even opt to go in the other direction and try their reasonably priced 15 Year rum. My thanks go to my mentor, Cap’n Jimbo at The Rum Project, for encouraging me to give this rum another shot. I’m glad I did.

Ardbeg Ten Year Old

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Islay Single Malt, 10 Years,
46% ABV, $40

Thanks to Mark E. for this sample.

Smells of sweet, salty seawater with smoke, peat, grass, honey and toffee greet the nose. The taste is of orange, ginger, vanilla, caramel and smokey peat. These flavors give way to a bit of lemongrass and white pepper as a smokey, woody licorice bitterness complete the experience. The bitterness of the aftertaste is subtle and the sweetness fades slowly along with the pepper. This is fantastic stuff!

Here’s the description from Ardbeg:

Ardbeg Ten Years Old is revered around the world as the peatiest, smokiest, most complex single malt of them all. Yet it does not flaunt the peat; rather it gives way to the natural sweetness of the malt to produce a whisky of perfect balance.

Best of The Whisky Advent Calendar

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I’m delinquent in summarizing my favorites from The Whiskey Advent Calendar. Here are my top 5:

  1. Master of Malt 50 Year Old Speyside (3rd Edition)
  2. Glenfarclas 1981 Family Cask Release V
  3. Glenfarclas 105
  4. Glenkinchie 20 Year Old (2010 Release)
  5. MacAllan 10 Year Fine Oak

The only affordable offering is the MacAllan, but I may spring for the Glenfarclas 105 at some point as well.

Sublime Chocolate

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My daughter had this bar custom poured for me with hazelnuts and bits of candied ginger. This one was enjoyable, but not great. The nuts tasted fresh and the ginger mild (not as spicy as others I’ve had). The chocolate was creamy with mild cocoa flavor and tasted like others I’ve had in the area of 60% cocoa. While the cocoa flavor was good, it was too mild for my taste and this chocolate was too creamy, making it almost reminiscent of a dark milk chocolate.

Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon

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Single Barrel Bourbon,
No Age Specified, 50% ABV, $40

Notes of toffee, cherry, shortbread and ginger on the nose with a hint of cigar box. There’s also a sweetness that nicely offsets the alcohol burn. The taste is full of ginger and pepper that bursts, then subsides to a gentle fade. The burst of flavor is also filled with bitter orange, apple, vanilla, cinnamon and plum jelly. A bit of clove and white pepper are left on the palate as the burn subsides. I would characterize this as a very bright and spicy whiskey. Smooth would not be an appropriate label here and I mean this in a positive sense. I may have to spring for a limited edition offering based on this experience. This is a unique bourbon and I’m looking forward to more like it.

Here’s the description from Four Roses:

A premium Single Barrel Bourbon with a taste you’ll want to savor again and again. Complex, full bodied and surprisingly smooth with a delicate long finish that’s unbelievably mellow. Contains hints of ripe plum and cherry tastes with fruity, spicy aromas including maple syrup and cocoa.

Advent Completed

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The Whisky Advent Calendar from Master of Malt

The Whisky Advent Calendar from Master of Malt

I was 3 days late, but that completes The Whisky Advent Calendar.  This has been an enormous amount of fun and a lot more work than I expected.  I’m extremely grateful to my friend, Gene, who made this possible through his generous and thoughtful gift.  I’ve learned a lot about Scotch whisky in a very short time and tasted some great examples from each of the regions of Scotland: Highland (and Islands), Speyside, Campbeltown, Lowland and Islay.  There are definite differences between the whiskys from each region and I now have a good idea of the flavor profiles to expect from distilleries located in each of them.  I’ll be reviewing my tastings and will follow-up with a list of my favorites from the set of twenty-four, although I’m sure that the two bourbons won’t make that list (not that I don’t like bourbon, but these two were not noteworthy).

For those interested in the details, all of the tasting was done from the same glass at the same temperature using the same water at the same location in the same chair.  All blog entries were authored on an iPhone 5 using the WordPress application, which was used to take all photos.  Further editing (due to WordPress mobile limitations) were accomplished via web browser.