Glenlivet was my first introduction to single malts, years ago.  Since then I have developed a taste for very smoky peaty scotches but I like to keep a bottle for Glenlivet around, usually 18 year.  A while back I tried their Nadurra and was deeply disappointed.  This review is of the 15 year French Oak Reserve.  This was an exceptional tasting scotch.  The nose is bright with mild citrus.  The taste is very smooth.  No matter how big a gulp I take it doesn’t burn (yes I gulp my scotch).  The flavor is strong and bold but contains gentle flavors, if you can believe it.  I know it sounds like a contradiction a strong and bold representation of something subtle or gentle but it’s true.  I taste apricot and nuts and a bit of bread flavor, sweet bread like Challah.  The after taste is stronger than the initial taste.  If you are a Glenlivet fan you will be impressed with this element of their collection at about $62 per bottle it’s definitely worth it, very impressive.

Copyright 2015 David R Bergman

Happy 2015 readers!

I’ve reviewed Balvenie before and though it’s not in my favorite flavor group I like it, their scotches are intriguing.  I recently reviewed the 21 year port wood.  This one, 14 year Caribbean Cask, has some similarities to the 21 year port wood in that spice is a highlight of the flavor.  Whereas the 21 year was a sweet spice which reminded me of ginger bread cookies (the flavor of Christmas is what I had written) this has a darker spicy flavor, more pepper like.  Overall I do like this scotch and was impressed.

The aroma is strong, sweet and toffee like with a little citrus.  There is more flavor in the scent than in many others that just smell like ethanol.  The first taste is spicy and strong.  It’s also a little smoky or bitter but not overwhelming.  The aftertaste is a little bitter, nutty and woody.  I’d even say I taste a little leather.  Despite the clear presence of spice this is a very smooth scotch.

In my neighborhood the 14 year Caribbean Cask runs about $65-$75 per 750ml bottle depending on the time of year.  It’s not a cheap regular but definitely affordable and I will buy this again.

copyright 2015 David R Bergman

When I lived in MD there was a liquor store near my place.  I’d get wine there when my wife would visit and they had a great collection of scotch.  One item I would frequently get was a sampler of Balvenie.  The 21 year port wood was my favorite of the samples.

Nose is sweet and citrus, maybe orange, with a little spice .

When it first enters the mouth (I guess this is the palate) it has quite a fizz to it.  I taste a spicy profile, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, but it’s not too spicy.  There is something in the taste that reminds me of the smell of wood and I’m not just saying that because it’s finished in a port wood cask.  Many of my favorite Islay scotches taste a bit like coal, burnt wood.  This actually has a taste that reminds me of the smell of a wood shop, fresh sanded or cut wood rather than a fire place.  I taste sweet but again not too much, and a little smoky.  It’s almost like the burnt brown sugar cover on a crème brule.  So there is smoky too, which I like.  The overall taste is medium strength and very smooth.

The finish is very smooth.  I am usually not attracted to the fruity, floral, malt and nutty side of things.  Peat, smoke, salt and similar flavors appeal to me.  But this is different.  This one has enough of a burnt taste to make me want it more and more.  As I said this was my favorite of the three samples I always got and I’m glad I have a full bottle.

As I try this again and again I have to say that the flavor of this scotch is the flavor of Christmas.  That’s right.  The combination of malt, cinnamon and ginger, caramel remind me a bit of gingerbread and the wood taste like a tree.

This scotch is so good in my opinion that is the only one that could convert me from Islay to Speyside.  This one is on the pricy side at about $200 per bottle.  It’s not as expensive as a 30 year or 25 year but not an every day habit for most of us.

Copyright 2014 David R Bergman

I’m a big fan of Ardbeg and when I last purchased a bottle of 10 year it came with 2 small samples, one of Corryvreckan and one of Uigeadail.  I already reviewed Corryvreckan and I’ve been meaning to try Uigeadail for a while so this was a pleasant coincidence.

Uigeadail has a unique flavor relative to the other members of the Ardbeg collection.

First of all I notice that there is almost no nose.  Just the scent of ethanol but no discernible fragrance like with Corryvreckan.

Then the first drink.  The flavor is very strong, I would say the strongest I’ve ever had.  It doesn’t sneak up on you either.  The second it enters your mouth, BOOM, it hits you all at once.  The flavors I taste are: tar, coal, smoke, leather, oil paint or shoe polish, fresh asphalt in the summer.  It has a slightly salty taste but not at all like Ardbog or 10 year.  In comparison Corryvreckan is lighter and smells and tastes like grass, 10 year has a lighter salty taste.  Uigeadail is heavy, very heavy.  I feel like I’m sinking into my chair as I swallow each sip.  This one is a little more complex than other Ardbeg scotches and it’s flavors carry a powerful punch.  There is a slight bitter aftertaste, a little like an IPA.  It’s not a scotch for the weak, those who like smooth delicate flavors.  I will definitely have to get a full bottle of this.

Copyright 2014 David R Bergman

Dalwhinnie 15 year is a new one for me, from the central highlands, in a class by itself.

The nose is very delicate, sweet and floral to my nose.

The taste is medium strength, not as strong as a peaty smoky Islay.  I taste a combination of sweet, malt, floral and fruit.  The fruitiness is mild citrus flavor.  The sweetness is honey and candies fruit, I want to say apricot.  There is a very nice sweet floral aftertaste to this.  The profile is similar to Glenlivet Nadurra and Auchentoshen 12 year but Dalwhinnie is gentile where the others I compare it to have a harsh, severe flavor.  Malt is the first flavor that I notice when I take a sip.  As I swallow the sweeter floral and fruit flavors come out.  Cost wise this was within my “reasonable” price range, less than $55 for a 750ml bottle.  I like it but it doesn’t leave me wanting more.  In general I am not as much a fan of the gentile, sweet, fruity, floral scotches.  I would recommend this one to fans of highland scotches it definitely has more dimension than Glenfiddich, Genlivet and others like it.

Glenlivet was the first single malt I ever tired.  Before that I was drinking Johnnie Walker Black or Gold label.  I haven’t officially reviewed anything from the Glenlivet collection.  For a while I only drank their 18 year scotch.  On a recent trip to visit my in-laws I picked up a bottle of Nadurra as a gift for my father-in-law.  Now that I’m hooked on Islay scotches I wasn’t sure what to expect.

If I had to sum up the flavor and aroma of Nadurra in one word it would be ginger.  Citrus and spice were the strongest flavors present.  The first sniff reminded me of lemon pledge.  The palate also contained a citrus flavor with some floral and spice.  For me the taste was very spicy, overpowering. The finish, for me, was nutty.  Specifically cashews.

Since these are not my favorite flavors I probably won’t by this again.  It reminded me a little of Auchentoshen 12 year but Nadurra is much better.  I had it more than once and enjoyed it.  Several other people commented to me that the definitely smelled ginger and spice as we passed it around.  Since we were in India at the time I compare it to the smell of an Indian spice collection.  This might go well with Indian food, if you’re into pairing single malts and food.

copyright 2014 David R Bergman

You know the drill, try something new but something I think I’ll like.  So I’m at the liquor store and looking for something new but something low risk.  My last adventure with McClellands Islay was not great.  Still touring Islay I see Bunnahabhain 12.  This is a possibility.  The cost was about 53$ for a 750ml bottle.

The color is very dark, probably the darkest of all the Islay scotches I’ve tried.

The nose is very strong and has a strong presence of smoke and some malt.

The taste is quite strong, burns a little more than other Islays.  The taste is smoky and a little spicy in my opinion, unless I’m just tasting ethanol.  I would describe the taste as a little rough compared to Bowmore.  But it’s very good, sometimes I like it rough.  I don’t taste peat or medicinal flavors as I would expect from an Islay scotch like Lagavulin or Ardbeg.  If I had to compare this to something I would almost say add a burning smoky spicy dimension to Macallan, Glenlevit or Balvenie and you have this flavor.  This makes it stand out compared to other Islays.  Well done.  A few ice cubes really tames the flavor making it smooth and with that malt becomes more apparent.

I enjoyed this scotch very much but ironically it didn’t taste like the typical Islay scotch I am used to.  Like Bowmore I would recommend Bunnahabhain to friends of mine who like highland scotches and don’t typically go for Ardbeg, Lagavulin or Laphroaig.

copyright 2014 David R Bergman

In a previous blog about Auchentoshen I stated that perhaps there are no bad scotches just different flavors.  At the time I was mesmerized by the multiple dimensions of flavor, like when I first learned about string theory.  Well, that honeymoon is over.  I was kind to Auchentoshen when I reviewed it.  As I worked my way through the bottle I actually considered pouring it down the kitchen sink.

Yesterday I was at the liquor store and looking for a decent low cost single malt, as my bottle of Ardbeg 10 year is almost gone.  I saw Bowmore 12 but thought that it would be nice to write a blog about a new scotch.  The bottle of McClelland’s Islay called to me.  It had all the right attributes, Single Malt, Islay (my favorite region of Scotland at this point), and cheap at about 25$ per bottle.  It didn’t have an age though, and that concerned me.  I looked it up on line, 5 years.

This is not a great scotch.  It’s flavor reminds me a little of Dewar’s White Label which I have had many times in the past.  But White Label is about 5$ to 10$ cheaper for the same bottle.  That’s about all I can say bout the flavor.  I was expecting something comparable to Bowmore 12 but that was my mistake.  At the end of the day it was better, actually much better, than Auchentoshen.  Since I have stocked Jameson’s, Jonnie Walker Black and Dewar’s White in my collection for times when I just want a hit and don’t want to waste the good stuff I might consider getting this scotch again but I was disappointed in it.  It didn’t really taste like an Islay single malt and I can’t get over that.  Eh.

This is a really good scotch.

Bowmore Islay Single Malt 12 year.  Bowmore is supposedly the oldest Islay scotch.

As I stated in a previous blog single malts seem to be getting more expensive, by 5 t o10$ per bottle in my area, depending on the brand.

My favorite is Lagavulin 16, but that’s about 85$ per bottle.  I usually keep a lower priced but good bottle around for more frequent consumption.  Bowmore was a good candidate at 54$ and being an Islay scotch I knew it would be closer to my flavor category than Glenlivet or Glenfiddich.  I picked up a bottle and was immediately impressed.  It’s 5 bottles later and I’m finally getting around to this blog.

The aroma and flavor are really impressive.  Many of the Islay scotches lean towards the same flavor profile, smoky, salty, peaty, medicinal goodness.  Ardbeg, for example is quite salty, briny.  Lagivulin very medicinal and peaty.  All are strong.  I have had many friends who like highland scotches like Glenlivet and Belveine immediately turn off to Ardbeg, Lagavulin and other Islay scotches because the smoky peaty flavor was overwhelming.  I think they would like Bowmore.  The flavor is medium strength and there is a nice honey or caramel flavor that balances the smoke and peat, making it more complex and balanced.  While the flavor really stands out as extraordinary without comparison to others I would recommend this as a first taste of Islay scotch to friends who usually like highland scotch.  It’s almost a transitional scotch from sweet winy and fruity to peaty smoky medicinal.

I can’t say enough good things about this scotch and even though I still prefer Lagavulin 16 I haven’t bought any since discovering Bowmore 12.