Scotch Whisky

Review: The Singleton of Glendullan 12, 15, and 18 Years Old (2017)

Christopher Null 0 Comments

My first experience with the Singleton of Glendullan whisky line, back in 2008, seems remarkably simplistic now. The Singleton line actually includes three distilleries, not just the Speyside-based Glendullan, all made by the Singleton family, but Glendullan seems to have the focus. To that end, the original Glendullan, which started with only a the 12 year old release, is now expanding, with a 15 year old and 18 year old expression coming to the U.S. for the first time.

We got all three for review, including a fresh bottle of Glendullan 12, to compare to our 2008 tasting notes. All are aged “primarily in bourbon casks” and are bottled at 80 proof.

The Singleton of Glendullan 12 Years Old (2017) – Malty with cereal notes and plenty of alcoholic burn on the nose, this is a starter Scotch if ever there was one. On the palate, ample apple, banana, and lemon peel give the otherwise grainy whisky some fruity nuance, as well as imbuing the malty core with additional notes of almond and baking spice. Otherwise, the finish tends toward some medicinal character. A bit dull on the whole. B- / $35

The Singleton of Glendullan 15 Years Old – Three extra years finds this whisky with more fruit on the nose, especially apple and banana again, plus some hints of coconut. That ethanol burn endures underneath, but it’s downplayed in comparison to the hot hot heat of the 12 year old. The palate is bolder here than on the 12, its roundness busting out notes of applesauce, caramel, vanilla syrup, and some cola notes. Again the almond makes an appearance, enduring on the finish with some roasted grain notes. A vast improvement over the 12 year old. B+/ $50

The Singleton of Glendullan 18 Years Old – New layers of flavor are revealed in the 18 year old, namely chocolate, which pairs beautifully with that banana and almond, which are common threads throughout the Glendullan experience. A sweeter expression than the 12 and 15, there are notes here of toasted marshmallow and honeycomb, with a gentle scorched wood — not quite smoky — element that wafts in and out. Here the finish ends squarely on the almond notes, a nutty and lasting character that is, surprisingly, the most gentle conclusion of all the whiskies in this range. A great price for an 18 year old spirit. A- / $80

malts.com

Review: Deanston Highland Single Malt 14 Years Old Organic

Christopher Null 0 Comments

Deanston, a southern Highlands distillery not far from both Glasgow and Edinburgh, often gets short shrift in the whisky world. While its 12 and 18 year old expressions are fairly well known, Deanston also has a limited edition portfolio, including this 14 year old made from certified organic barley. (As a bonus, all Deanston releases are crafted by hand, without modern technology.)

Deanston 14 Years Old Organic is first matured in ex-bourbon casks “sourced from a family run cooperage in Kentucky” and is then finished in new oak barrels, an unusual twist.

This is a light and fresh whisky, with lots of sweet cereal aromas complemented by notes of fresh-cut, toasty oak. The palate finds vanilla, a touch of spice, and heftier oak notes, before a more rounded conclusion comes to bear. It’s a finish that pours on the roasted barley, crusty bread, cloves, vanilla, and some chocolate notes — all of which work together quite well, but which, when put together as a whole, don’t make the most memorable of impacts, despite the relatively unique production methodology. The finish nags at the back of the throat, a bit peppery as it grabs at you.

If this were a $40 whisky, it’d be an easy “give it a try” recommendation. At over $100 a bottle, I’m a bit more cautious.

92.6 proof.

B+ / $110 / deanstonmalt.com

Review: Ledaig 19 Years Old 1996

Christopher Null 0 Comments

Ledaig, produced at Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, makes an 18 year old expression as a standard bottling. This is a vintage expression distilled in 1996, bottled at 19 years old. So, one louder. This expression is aged in Oloroso sherry casks (though it’s unclear if that is full maturation or just a finishing).

The whisky has a significant similarity to the 18. I don’t have the 18 on hand for side by side comparisons, but my notes are quite similar on the whole. On the nose it’s thickly peaty, with sea spray and iodine making only a minor impact against the dense and smoky/rubbery core. The palate finds more nuance, the sherry notes giving a velvet wrapping to the peat underneath, though here the whisky has more sweetness than you’ll find in the 18. That helps even out some of the briny seaweed and coal smoke character and gives it a suppleness that rounds out the finish and elevates the spirit above more straightforward peat bombs.

92.6 proof.

B+ / $159 / tobermorydistillery.com

Review: Highland Park Valkyrie

Christopher Null 1 Comment

Highland Park just surprised us with a new single malt release: Valkyrie, part of a new series of three releases called the Viking Legend series.

First, some backstory:

Having once been part of Denmark and Norway, Orkney became the raiding headquarters for Norwegian Vikings in the 8th and 9th century, shaping a unique past for the island. Magnus Eunson, who founded Highland Park in 1798, was a direct descendant of those first Viking pioneers.  Even today, 1 in 3 Orkney islanders bear Scandinavian DNA and share a fierce pride for the rich Nordic ancestry woven into the islands’ traditions and culture.

It is this enduring culture and legacy that is the inspiration for Valkyrie, set to launch in June 2017.

Highland Park approached Danish designer Jim Lyngvild, himself a modern day Viking and expert in Norse mythology, to design striking new packaging for the three special edition whiskies.

Valkyrie’s unique one-off design is inspired by two important Nordic sources – a typical Viking pendant from around 300 – 700 AD discovered in Uppland, Sweden and the ancient Hammar Stone of Gotland which details the epic journey of the Valkyries.

In his distinctive style, Lyngvild has interpreted the ancient legend of the Valkyries – avenging horse-backed angels who combed the battlefields for the bravest of their fallen warriors – in an expressive, story-telling illustration for Highland Park.

Noticeably different from the traditional black and silver Highland Park packaging, the re-imagined design maintains the distillery’s ongoing references to Viking design whilst updating the graphics with a bolder, hand-drawn aesthetic.

Using embossed metallic detailing, he represents the Valkyries as shield-maidens of Odin, offering their god a drink of mead from a curved horn. The larger illustration features a winged Valkyrie with coiled hair and a necklace that pays homage to the goddess Freya’s magical Brísingamen torc (necklace).

That’s the story. As for what’s in the bottle, well, a little deeper research finds that this expression is made with approximately 50 percent peated malt (whereas Highland Park’s standard expressions are typically made with about 20 percent peated malt. As with all Highland Park expressions, all the peat used is sourced locally from Orkney. It is bottled with no age statement.

A smoky spin on young Highland Park? That’s not a bad way to describe Valkyrie, but there’s more going on beyond that simple descriptor. The nose is sharp, smoky for sure but also with notes of citrus oil, bergamot, and other sherry-fueled aromas, hallmarks of Highland Park’s heavy usage of sherry casks for aging. On the palate, the smoke and sweet citrus come together rather explosively. It’s like Dark Origins, but pumped up and concentrated on all fronts, using its slick, quite oily body to showcase notes of roasted nuts, some coffee ground, bacon, and baked beans. That oiliness leads to a biting and almost overwhelming finish, slightly bitter around the edges.

Don’t be afraid of water here, which opens up some chocolate notes, dulls the smoke, and brings the innate nuttiness more fully into focus.

91.8 proof.

B+ / $59 / highlandparkwhisky.com

Review: Bunnahabhain 13 Years Old Marsala Finish

Christopher Null 0 Comments

It’s been years since I’ve encountered anything new from Islay’s Bunnahabhain, but here we have a new 13 year old: That’s 10 years in bourbon casks, and three years in former Marsala wine casks.

There’s beautiful color here, and the nose is sweet and fruity. It’s similar to a heavily sherried whisky, lightly sweet, but with the citrus notes replaced by — and this is a surprise — loads of fresh strawberry, and a hint of milk chocolate. The palate offers plenty of sweetness — this clearly comes from a pretty “wet” set of casks — but the strawberry impact so powerful that it threatens to overwhelm the briny undercarriage, and what minimal smoky peat influence there is.

The finish is long, silky, and voluptuous — it’s hard to go wrong with berries and cream for dessert — and although that threatens to limit this whisky’s complexity, it nonetheless exits the game as a fun crowd-pleaser that’s hard not to like, as well as a significant departure for anything you’ll find out of Islay. Definitely one to try no matter what kind of whisky you’re into.

92.6 proof.

A / $80 / bunnahabhain.com

Review: Virginia Distillery Port Finished Virginia Highland Malt Whisky

Christopher Null 0 Comments

Virginia Distillery — which takes authentic single malt from Scotland and finishes it in unique barrels in Virginia — is back with another release, and like its inaugural release, this one finished in Port wine barrels. (Again, note that this expression differs from that first release and carries a different label.) The first Virginia release to carry a batch label (this one’s #3), the malt is finished in Port barrels from King Family Vineyards, Horton Vineyards, and Virginia Wineworks, for 12 to 26 months depending on the particular barrel.

The deep amber color is enticing, leading into a nose that is salty, a bit sweaty even, with hints of seaweed, roasted grains, and banana bread. The nose is a bit floral at times, much like Virginia’s Cider Barrel Matured release, though there’s no real hint of the raisiny Port notes from the finishing barrel.

There’s more evidence of the Port barrel on the palate, but even here it’s quite restrained, allowing more toasty cereal notes, vanilla-heavy barrel char, citrus peel, and hints of iodine to show themselves more fully. The Port influence becomes clearer as the finish approaches, though it takes on a chocolate character primarily, along with some hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. All told, it does bear significant resemblance to the original Virginia bottling, though here everything seems less well-realized, less mature, and generally a bit undercooked. While it’s still got plenty to recommend it, it simply lacks the magic of some of Virginia’s other releases.

92 proof.

B / $58 / vadistillery.com

Review: Chapter 7 Highland Single Malt Whisky 19 Years Old

Christopher Null 0 Comments

Chapter 7 is a newish independent bottler (established only in 2014) that has released only a couple dozen indie Scotch releases to date. Many of these are distillery-labeled, but this one, among its latest — and newly available in the U.S. as an exclusive for us Yankees — is a 19 year old with unstated provenance other than that it hails from The Highlands of Scotland.

This is my first go-round with Chapter 7, and based on this release they sure seem to know what they’re doing. The nose of this cask strength release is loaded up with sherry-driven citrus, nutty almonds, heather, and nougat, sharp with alcohol as well as oily orange notes. The palate segues into some tropical character, featuring mango notes, ripe banana, and coconut, before building up notes of cocoa powder, sweet white wine, and a touch of floral character. The finish is long, soothing, and gentle, even at full strength, without water.

Deeply complex and loaded with layers and layers of flavor, this is a whisky to seek out — and to savor.

112.4 proof.

A / $180 / chapter7whisky.com

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