Tobermory 17 Years Review

“Tobermory-Lemon”

Country: Scotland

Region: Highland - Islands - Mull

Brand: Tobermory 1995 (Anam Na H-Alba - "The Soul of Scotland" series)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 17 Years

ABV: 55.2 %

Date: 27/06/2014

Sample provided by Thomas from Germany. Many Thanks!

Colour: Pale White Wine

Nose: Please give it some time to open up. My first impressions are lots of Malt and Cereals as well as Mint, Lemon, Grass, Earth, Oak, Nuts, slightly Burnt Toast with Butter and Cooked Vegetables in Salted Water. After a while I find light Vanilla, light Spices, light Toffee, light Honey and some Fruit Candies. Medium Sweet. The Alcohol is strong and not fully integrated.

Taste: Strong, Fruity and Spicy delivery with Lemon, Mandarin, Malt, Oak, light Vanilla, Nuts and White Pepper.

Finish: Middle-Long, Hot, slightly Bitter-Sweet and quite Dry in the end with some Pineapple, Pear, Lemon, Menthol, White Pepper and a sprinkle of Salt.

I added a little Water and that softens up the Nose. Quite some Lemon like in Swiss Lemonade. Some Pear as well. The Malt remains quite present. Palate and Finish do not change a lot altogether. It just becomes easier to drink this Tobermory. 

Rating: 82.5

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 20.5 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: This Tobermory 17 Years Single Cask was distilled on the 6th of June 1995 and bottled on the 31th of January 2013 by Independent Whisky bottler Anam Na H-Alba from the town of Oberhausen in Germany. It matured in an Ex-Bourbon Hogshead with Cask # 698 . Only 282 bottles went to the market and I was lucky enough to get a sample. This Tobermory is non Chill-Filtered, naturally coloured and was bottled at Cask Strength. The Bottles were sold at around US$ 75 a piece.

The Tobermory Distillery is located on the Hebridean Island of Mull. It was formerly named Ledaig and was founded in 1798 by John Sinclair. Nowadays it is owned by Distell Group Ltd from South Africa. The Distillery produces unpeated Malt under the name Tobermory and peated Malt under the old Distillery name Ledaig. The whisky is mainly used in blends like Black Bottle and Scottish Leader.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Considering the Flavour and Aroma profile, this Tobermory with its uncomplicated Fruity, Malty, Lemony aspects is a nice simple Summer Dram. However, I would argue that Summer Drams (Aperitifs in general) benefit from a lower ABV and less years in the Cask. Less Alcohol, less Heat and more Fruit. Nevertheless, this Tobermory-Lemon is well-crafted and I wouldn't say no if I was offered a dram!

Jan van den Ende                                                               June 2014

Bunnahabhain 2006 Review

“The Peated Vodka”

Country: Scotland

Region: Islay

Brand: Bunnahabhain 2006 Moine/Peated  (Archives - Anniversary Release)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age:  5 Years

ABV: 51.1% 

Date: 22/06/2014

Colour: Very Pale White Wine/Vodka. The Palest Whisky I have seen so far.

Nose: Very Young and Harsh New Make. I find Maritime Peat, Cold Smoke, Brine, Bacon and Baked Potatoes from the BBQ, Wet Leather, Wet Newspaper, Wet Earth, Bread Dough, Cereals, Light Fruit (Pear Drops), Straw, very light Vanilla and, after a while, a hint of Tobacco. Five years is a very short time in the Cask and Colour and Nose tell that story. Still, it's not bad.

Palate: Sweet, Strong, Edgy, Peaty and Fruity New Make Spirit. I find Cold Smoke, Ashes, Brine, Wet Grass, Straw, Earthy Peat, Pear, White Pepper and Salted Nuts. The Alcohol is very strong, almost like a Peaty Peppered Vodka.

Finish: Middle-Long with Cold Smoke, Cigar Ashes, Earthy Peat, Licorice, Pear, White Pepper and Strong Alcohol.

Rating: 79.5

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 19.5 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 20

General Remarks: This Bunnahabhain was distilled in December 2006 and bottled in September 2012. It matured in a Bourbon Hogshead with Cask # 800041. This Single Cask expression is Uncoloured, Non-Chill-Filtered and bottled at Cask Strength. I'm not sure if it's still available. Whiskybase in Rotterdam, the Netherlands sold it at around 45 Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion: It's almost too strong to drink neat. I don't want a hangover from this stuff! But with water it smells and tastes more like a Peated Vodka. And here's the problem. Five years in a Bourbon Cask is not sufficient to produce an interesting and tasty Bunnahabhain Malt. What you get is a Peated New Make Spirit that, although it possesses Islay and Fruity elements, is too harsh and rough to really enjoy. Interesting Tasting Experience though! 

The Bunnahabhain Distillery

Some Data: Bunnahabhain means Mouth of the River. The Distillery is located at the end of a 4 miles country road, close to Port Askaig on the isle of Islay.   It was founded in 1881 by William Robertson and the two brothers William and James Greenless, the owners of Islay Distillers Co.Ltd.  Nowadays it is owned by Burn Stewart Distillers, part of the South-African Distell Group since 2013. The Distillery possesses a large stainless steel Mash Tun, 6 Wash Backs (Oregon Pine) and 2 Pairs of Stills. In 2013 they produced around 1,5 million litres, of which 20% is the Peated "Moine". Bunnahabhain is an important part of Blends like Black Bottle, The Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark.

The water for the distillery is sourced from the river Margadadale and Loch Staoisha. The Distillery is open from March to October (Monday - Friday 10.00 to 16.00) or by Appointment. The standard tour costs 4 pounds and there is also a VIP Tour that costs 25 pounds.

Warehouses at Bunnahabhain!

We planned to visit Bunnahabhain on Sunday May 18, 2014. Unfortunately the Distillery was closed, officially on account of some staff problems. From local people we heard however that the Distillery is usually closed in the weekends. Despite the pouring rain we were at least able to shoot a few pictures outside. I certainly hope I will be able to come back here one day. And hopefully while the sun is shining!

Whisky Rider in the Rain!

Jan van den Ende                                                                   June 2014

Laphroaig 18 Years Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Islay

Brand: Laphroaig 

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 18 Years

ABV: 48 %

Date: 14/06/2014

“Mainstream Laphroaig”

Colour: Bright Gold. (Caramel added).

Nose: The first impression is classic Laphroaig with Campfire Smoke, Maritime Peat, light Iodine, Tar, Burnt Rubber, BBQ, Toast and Salted Butter, Today's Newspaper, Ashes, Leather, Damp Cellar and Wet Grass. But all quite subdued and not as fierce as for instance in the 10 Years. But there is much more to this Laphroaig. When the fog has lifted I find Toffee, Smoked Almonds, Espresso, Menthol, Heather, Honey, Bitter Chocolate, Oak, Sweet Barley, Biscuits, Citrus and some Herbal Tea. In the end the Nose, though not spectacular, is quite balanced and smooth. Certainly for a Laphroaig!

The Malt Floor at Laphroaig!

Palate: Maritime Peat, light Smoke, Ashes, slightly Burned Bacon, Toffee, Dried Apricot, Aniseed, Menthol, Licorice, Salted Almonds, Heather, Oak, Wood Spice, Straw and Grass.

The Kiln at Laphroaig!

Finish: Quite Long and Dry towards the end with Maritime Peat, light Smoke, Ashes, Toast and Salted Butter, Oak, Aniseed, Licorice, Bitter Chocolate with Orange Flavour, Menthol, Black Pepper and hints of Salted Bacon and Tobacco.

The Stills at Laphroaig!

The Laphroaig 18 years does not need Water. You get too much Caramel, Toffee and Spices in my opinion.

Rating: 88

Nose: 22.5 - Taste: 21.5 - Finish: 22 - Overall: 22 

The Writer at the Gates of Heaven!

General Remarks. The 18 years was introduced in 2009 and replaced the highly successful 15 years. The 18 years is bottled at a higher 48% and is not Chill-Filtered. The average price amounts to around 100 US Dollars.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: The Laphroaig 18 years is certainly not a very complex Single Malt although it has some interesting Salty and Menthol elements. If you want to get to know Laphroaig, the 18 years might be an excellent place to start. It has most of the Laphroaig characteristics but never in an aggressive way. And they are accompanied by other tones as well. As a result, the Laphroaig 18 years is a very balanced, polished, smooth Single Malt. If you like Lagavulin 16 Years, you will love this one as it benefits from the higher ABV. If the 10 years is savage and rugged, the 18 years is accessible and smooth. Mainstream but in "the Laphroaig way". 

Laphroaig Distillery!

The Laphroaig Distillery.

Some Data: Laphroaig is located 2 miles east of Port Ellen on the isle of Islay, not far from Ardbeg and Lagavulin. It was founded in 1810 by two brothers, Alexander and Donald Johnston and received its license in 1815. Nowadays it is owned by Beam Inc. It's one of the few remaining distilleries with its own Maltings, accounting for around 15% of their total needs. The rest comes from the Port Ellen Malting Facility and/or the Scottish mainland. It is also the only distillery on Islay that holds a Royal Warrant, granted by Prince Charles in 1994. The Distillery possesses a large stainless steel Mash Tun, 6 Wash Backs (Stainless Steel), 3 Wash Stills and 4 Spirit Stills. In 2013 they produced 3,2 million litres. Laphroaig means Beautiful Hollow by the Broad Bay. 

The Famous Peat Smoke at Laphroaig!

The water for the distillery is sourced from the nearby Kilbride Dam. The Distillery is open all year (Monday - Friday 09.30 to 17.30) and from March to December also on Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 - 16.00. The standard tour costs 3 pounds and there are various in-depth tours as well. If you become a Friend of Laphroaig (free of charge) you become the owner of a square foot of Laphroaig land. Along with a certificate, you can actually plant your flag on the land and, once per year, collect your rent in the form of a dram!

A Friendly Welcome at the Visitor Centre!

We visited Laphroaig on Thursday May 15, 2014. We opted for the Standard & Flavour Tour and were lucky again! We did the Standard Tour with only a small group. Our hostess was very knowledgeable and sympathetic. Then we had a very pleasant private Tasting Session in the lounge with David. Lots of fun! We tasted the 10 Year, the Select, the Quarter Cask, the 18 Years and the 25 Years. The Visitor Centre and Shop are quite nice. It's a pity they only sell miniatures of the 10 Years. On the other hand you are allowed to take pictures wherever you want. If we were challenged to nominate the best overall visitor experience, we would certainly choose Laphroaig!  

The Famous Warehouse at Laphroaig!

We really liked our visit to Laphroaig. Great Tour and Great People. Later in the week we just passed by again to have a dram with David. We truly became Friends of Laphroaig!

Flavour Tasting at Laphroaig!

Jan van den Ende                                                                    June 14, 2014