Category Archives: Single Malts

Self explanatory.

Single Malts

Ardbeg Kelpie

Leave a comment

glass

You know I like Ardbeg, it hits all the right buttons for me.  But their scotches seem to fall into one of two categories, (1) all salt and (2) amazing.  This latest scotch, Kelpie, falls into category (2).  This is one of their more complex scotches and a little subtle compared to others.  Of course it is smoky and peaty without a doubt, it lives up to the Islay standard.  But there are some nice surprises in this scotch that make it rich and interesting.  The nose is definitely smoky with peat, hints of pepper, and it burns hard.  The smell is a bit stronger than the taste.  First impressions for the flavor are salt, burnt wood, pepper and in my opinion licorice.  Of course salt is there, it’s always there just not overwhelming in this scotch.  After swallowing the salty flavor strengthens and a sweet caramel flavor rises up.  Now that’s nice, salted caramel.  The finish lasts a long time, several minutes.  Again it’s salty but mild like sea water.  And, wait for it, bacon.  Yes the finish tastes like bacon.  It is as if any flavor complemented by salt was put into the bottle.  Since caramel is my favorite candy and who doesn’t like bacon this is a home run for me.  The flavors are not overwhelmingly strong like Uigeadail or Ardbog but strong enough to satisfy my taste.  This is a pricey one at $125, and I’ve seen web sites that advertise it as high as 250$.  51.7% abv.

Copyright 2017, David R Bergman

Single Malts

Balvenie Tun 1509 batch 2

Leave a comment

20160529_201257

Another visit, another gift.  I am lucky.  Even though my first stop isn’t the Highlands or Speyside I have developed an appreciation for Balvenie.  There is a similar set of elements in most Balvenie scotches but a different mixture or variety in each.  The first scents are mild citrus and spice with a definite presence of wood.  Not smoke but fresh wood, like entering a wood shop of lumber yard.

The taste is complex and changes in time.  I love that element of many scotches.  The first flavor is mild vanilla and honey.  Holding it in your mouth it will begin to burn like very spicy food, like a ton of ginger.  However it burns the tongue but not the throat, it’s very smooth on the way down and leaves a nice hot aftertaste that dies away leaving a citrus, slightly sweet finish.

Comparing to other high end scotches I’ve had I would say I’d rather have another bottle of Black Arts, King Edward or Balvenie 21 year over this.  It’s good but there are better out there.  This is a pricey scotch at 350$ a bottle but worth it for the serious coinsure, especially when it’s a gift.

50.3% abv

Copyright 2016, David R Bergman

Single Malts

Glenfiddich 21 year

Leave a comment

20160206_195128

Glenfiddich is not a member of my favorite flavor profile but I do like these scotches.  I’ve tried their 12, 15 and 18 year scotches but I’ve only reviewed the 12 year on this blog.  The thing that’s interesting about Glenfiddich is that each of these has a distinct flavor.  In a nut shell 12 year is apple and/or pear, 15 year honey, and 18 burnt wood.  I loved the 18 year when I had it the first time since I love smoky scotches.  So, I decided to treat myself to a bottle of 21 year.

If I had to give this a single word description it might be spicy candy.  Spice is definitely the most noticeable quality in this scotch.  The aroma is light with some citrus.  The flavor starts out light, becomes stronger in the mouth but is very smooth on the way down.  Not too sweet at all but a candy aftertaste, the toffy flavor is there but spice is stronger.  This is not a sweet tasting scotch.  Finally, there are hints of vanilla.  Very smooth, reminds me a bit of Balvenie Caribbean Cask and Dalmore King Alexander III.  The price was a mere $180, not bad.

Copyright 2016 David R Bergman

Single Malts

Talisker 10 year

Leave a comment

Happy 2016!  It seems like just last year that I was ringing in 2015 with a Scotch reveiw, why change a good habit.  So here we go with Talisker 10 year.

20160101_172431

Years ago when I lived in Maryland I used to frequent a store there called The Perfect Pour.  It was a good store, great beer and wine selection.  They had a large collection of single malts there but the prices were unreliable.  One thing I always looked forward to was the small samplers are the check out.  Of course they had the 1oz Jack and Jim, but they also had a 3 piece sampler of Balvenie, 4 piece Ben Riach, and 3 piece Talisker.

At the time I was not very impressed with the Talisker, something about it didn’t sit well with me.  It was hard to put my finger on but after much consideration I described it as an Islay with a lot of spice in it, almost like hot salsa.  At first I was put out by the spice, but my tastes have somewhat changed over the years.  Especially with Dark Origins and Black Arts, both very spicy.

The aroma is light, sweet, and fruity, like a fruit pastry.  It reminded me of apricot Rugala.

Taste wise this is one of the spiciest scotches I’ve ever had.  It really fills up the sinuses!  Clears out congestion.  Other spicy scotches are more candy-like, cinnamon, ginger, etc.  Some are like black pepper or red pepper.  This is just pure heat and it just gets more intense after you finish it, like Wasabi or a mouth full of Horseradish at Passover.  The heat is strong enough to overwhelm other flavors, which is what I didn’t like about it the first time.  But there is clearly smoke and salty medicinal flavors here as well.  There is very pleasant after taste.

Takisker is not an Islay scotch but very similar in flavor.  It is the only distillery on Skye, west of the Northern Highlands.  Talisker 10 year is 45.8% abv and about $65.  I’m not sure if I’d buy Talisker 10 over Laphroaig or Ardbeg but I will try other members of the Talisker family.

Copyright 2016, David R Bergman

Single Malts

Caol Ila 12 Year

Leave a comment

This is a very complex scotch and especially for an Islay scotch (in my opinion), compared to Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ardbeg and others this has a much broader spectrum of flavors and is smoother than its fellow Islay scotches.

20151212_171416

The scent is smoky and sweet but mild.  The first flavor I get is malt followed by smoke.  In fact it initially tastes a little like Glenlivit 12 year or other Highland scotches for a second then the strong smoke fills your mouth.  As soon as you swallow a mouth full there is a sweet, fruity, floral taste that dominates.  It goes down smooth but leaves a spicy, smoky, and floral after taste.  This is one of the more interesting scotches I’ve tasted and I’m impressed with the complexity.  That is not what I typically go for.  If you read my blog you know I typically lean to the smoke and peat side.  Being an Islay scotch I expected that but the plethora of flavors is intriguing.  More so because they are all hidden in there.  They don’t come out at once.  To really appreciate this scotch you need to track the flavors in time.  Hold it in the front of your mouth for a few seconds, swish it around then swallow.  Each phase brings new flavors.

At 43% abv the price was $75, which is pricey for a 12 year but worth it for the flavor and complexity.  It’s in my price point for a good Islay, Lagavulin 16 year etc.  I would buy this again or keep a bottle in my collection for guests.

Copyright 2015, David R Bergman

Single Malts

Bruichladdich Port Charlotte

Leave a comment

I am a little disappointed.  I had a bottle of Black Arts by Bruichladdich that was amazing.  I want another someday.  So I was very eager to try this, it has all my favorite features among which are being from Islay and being Peated, Heavily Peated.  If I compare this to Ardbeg they are about 80% similar but I appreciate Ardbeg a lot more after tasting this.

20151011_165741

The color is light amber and the odor is earthy, peat, smoky, very promising.

Hold a swig in the front of your mouth and you will get a burning peaty wood flavor.  But I was surprised at how sweet this was when I swallowed it.  The initial taste is very sweet, way too sweet for my taste.  It almost seems like they created a very artificial sweetness to balance the peat.  For those of us that like, smoke, peat and medicinal flavors this ruins it (at least for me).  It has a long aftertaste that is more peaty and smoky.  The finish is the best part, it is here that you get straight smoke and peat and for me the flavor of an intense Chinese medicinal herb tea.  That was a pleasant surprise.  All in all, 10 years old, 50% abv and about 65$, if I had to do it again I’d go for Ardbeg 10 year.  The sweetness is what killed it for me.

Copyright 2015 David R Bergman

Single Malts

Dalmore King Edward III

Leave a comment

A trip to the liquor store and a search for something new led to my discovery of Dalmore King Edward III.  Based on my research this contains a blend of various Dalmore casks some of which date back to 1990.

Dalmore2

The color is very red and the nose malty, nutty and creamy.  I’ve tried scotches before that claim to have a creamy odor or flavor and I’ve never been able to identify it until now.

When I first drink it I taste apricot, licorice, malt – baked goods, and a hint of vanilla.  The aftertaste is stronger than the first taste with a little smoke and black pepper.  The strongest flavors to me are the malts.  This scotch leaves a sting on the tongue and lips but goes down like water, no after burn in the throat.  It’s very smooth, one of the smoothest I’ve tasted.

I generally don’t gravitate to the malty, fruity, scotches but I’m always trying new things.  It’s a challenge to identify the flavors in the scotch and my tastes are changing with exposure to new things.  This was not a strong scotch.  Flavors were not bright or bold but more subdued.  The price was about $160 per bottle and 40% abv.

Copyright 2015 David R Bergman

Single Malts

Ardbeg Perpetuum

Leave a comment

I’ll get to the point.  Ardbeg’s newest creation Perpetuum is consistent with their flavor profile.  Salty, briny, mild iodine and medicinal.  In my opinion it is similar to their 10 year in flavor.  Corryvreckan and Uigeadail are unique and Ardbog was a little too much, way too salty for me and I gave it a sort of negative review.  This one is somewhere between 10 year and Ardbog.  My main issue with it is that it isn’t unique enough to justify the 100$ price tag.  Ardbeg is usually stronger than the average scotch, this one is 47.4% abv.  It tastes great with or without ice but does not distinguish itself from the rest.  It isn’t bold enough or unique enough.  Sorry but they can’t all be good.  I’ll drink mine and enjoy it but I’d rather get Corryvreckan next time I have 100$ burning a hole in my pocket.

Copyright 2015 David R Bergman

Single Malts

Laphroaig 10 year

Leave a comment

My review of Laphroaig 25 pointed out the complexity and sweetness present in the aroma.  And as I’ve mentioned before my introduction to Laphroaig was 18 year.  I have expensive taste and that can be a problem.  So I decided to pick up a bottle of 10 year when I ran out of “cheap” stuff.  It certainly did not disappoint as I know I like the Islay scotches.  The aroma was earthier than the 25 year version.  It smelled a little like Ardbeg Corryvrecken.  The taste for me was straight smoke, peat and tobacco.  I did not detect any hint of the other flavors and for me there was more tobacco than sweetness, contrary to other reviews.

At about $47 per bottle this is a good buy compared to other scotches and for me he smokiest I’ve ever tasted.

Copyright 2015 David R Bergman

Single Malts

Bruichladdich Black Arts

Leave a comment

So this is going to be an interesting trip down memory lane for me.  I have seen this scotch in the store for a while and thought “wow, how cool the bottle looks like great grimoire”.  So naturally I didn’t buy it as I felt like a poser.  I’ve reviewed other scotches that reminded me of childhood memories because of the smell of oil paints, Testors model glue and the smell of new vinyl albums.  So now I tell you that I studied the occult too, spooky.  Yes everything from Allister Crowley, Israel Regardie and D. Kraig to the ancient Grimorium Verum.  Necromancy, “burning candles, incantations…” no human (or animal) sacrifice (lol).  So I may be enamored by the allure of the occult theme.

But wait there’s more.  This scotch kicks ass.  Wow, the aroma and flavor are out of this world.  First off it’s an Islay Scotch and I have liked every Islay I’ve tried.  It is unpeated so it doesn’t have that strong peat and medicinal flavor like other Islay scotches.  But it has everything else and then some.  I’ll try my best to describe the flavor dimensions below.

What I first notice about the aroma is the scent of oil used to thicken oil paints.  There is also a strong smoky spice to it, strong black pepper a hint of clove, turmeric and coriander.  The scent also reminds me of incense (but again I could be remembering rituals in my bedroom).  If I had to compare it to something I’d say the flower Night Queen, one of my favorite Indian incenses.

The taste is very strong.  There is smoke present but not peat or medicinal qualities.  For an unpeated scotch this does not disappoint.  It is every bit as strong as other Islay scotches.  It is quite spicy and not very smooth.  There is a sweet/sugar component to it closer to honey than any other flavor.  And much to my surprise I do taste a faint hint of peaches.  But most of all it is a smoky spiced flavor like in the aroma that dominates.

This isn’t an affordable scotch at approximately 375$ per bottle, so you’ll have to cast a few spells or make a talisman to get extra spending money, or hope for a generous gift for your birthday.  But this is a 23 year old 49.2% abv single malt from Bruichladdich, trust me this is a fine scotch and every Occultist should keep a bottle in their inner chamber.