Re: What Wee Dram are you enjoying now?
Way too much Ardmore Trad Cask last night...and paying for it today.:bigeyes:
Re: What Wee Dram are you enjoying now?
Figure I'd finish up the night with a small pour of Aberlour a'bunadh. Closes things up nicely.
Re: What Wee Dram are you enjoying now?
Opened a Redbreast 15 today. Wow, this is a wonderfully dangerous bottle to have around.
Gary
Re: What Wee Dram are you enjoying now?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
timd
Broke open a Longrow 11yr Sherry Cask. Aged entirely in refill sherry, you'd never know it from the color - which is about like a very light repasodo Tequila.
On the nose - huge whiffs of coal and peat. Very "burnt earth" and phenolic. Slightly medicinal, but overall just... peat.
Taste - peat. More peat, and then... some more. A bit of coal (actual coal from a steam engine), a bit of charcoal briquets with a nice big alcohol sting (it's 57% after all) and some sweet vanilla & citrus. and lastly a big sweet cherry bomb
Finish - it's smokey & peaty with deep notes the imprint themselves on your tongue, but at the same time it's soooo sweet from the sherry. It's not balanced at all, I don't think it's supposed to be, but it goes on forever.
Overall - this is a peat-monster. I'm shocked, because while Longrow is heavily, peated, it's Springer at it's core, and Springers are typically so refined and un-brazen. Flavorful & intriguing, yes - but this brash? My first time to experience it like this. It was like being hit with a smoking two-by-four log of peat. Not smoke/BBQ mind you - but peat. Vegetal, damp rotting earth at it's finest. Almost rotten (but not in a sulfur way at all) and very earthy.
Could simply be my expectations being stretched so far by a Springbank family member that I'm exaggerating this (I've had it on 2 different days now), but from a peat perspective, I'm throwing this up against Octomore & Supernova in terms of PPM. Would love to hear any other opinions on this beast from others who have tried it - am I smoking too much peat? Is it really closer to typically Longrow peating levels, or is there's something else in the mix that's got me believing this is a peat monster my first two glasses have led me to believe it is?
Regardless, in typical Springer/Longrow fashion, this one more than please my pallet and is an easy 93 (if you don't like peat, it's would be about a 60!)
I'm drinking a glass of this as I type, and I have to say, this is the stuff of dreams. I don't get as much peat as you opine about, at least not in the sense that talk about. I get A LOT of earth, but it's beautifully balanced by briny, jellied fruit. It's very interesting how all spice in this ignites and then quickly expires like dirt dumped on a flame, but the sweet, briny fruit bounces back in to fill in any empty spaces. I really, really love the spongey nature of this whisky that surrounds a still unadulterated Springbank center.
I still consider myself a malt noob, but for me right now, this is bunker material.
Re: What Wee Dram are you enjoying now?
Was in San Francisco on Saturday and got to try quite a few drams I'd never had before:
Laphroaig Triple Wood
Kilchoman Machir Bay
Glenfarclas 17
Even got to try Nikka Black, which was quite nice.
Re: What Wee Dram are you enjoying now?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MacinJosh
A peated Auchentoshan??? I know Bladnoch has some peated expressions but I was unaware Auchentoshan did.
Dont get too excited, I may have mislead do to inexperience in terminology. it has some faint smokiness, no more.
Re: What Wee Dram are you enjoying now?
Ardbeg Uigeadail. My first try at an Islay malt. Different, to say the least. But I "think" I like it. Time will tell for sure.