Lassie's top 12 countdown of 2016 - Number 5, well worth the hype?!

After seeing Rogue One last week, I have to admit I wasn't overly impressed. Cue diving into the camera in slow motion while massive explosions go on, cue the sappy heart string music when Jyn's father dies in her arms. Well, at least she got 10 seconds with him after not seeing him in 16 years. Bla bla bla... Hollywood has ruined so many movies for me these last few years.

Many whisky enthusiasts will tell you that Marketing bullshit was likely just as rampant in 2016. In some cases I would say they were well justified so when Diageo came out with Lagavulin 8 for the 200th anniversary of the distillery, I'm sure a few people rolled their eyes as the marketing team gushed how Alfred Barnard had enjoyed an "exceptional 8 year old" back in 1880 something or other. Of course, others immediately started to complain about the price as well. Me, well... I'm about trying it at least and then making my decision on whether or not what is inside the bottle is worth the money. But, that's me ;)

I landed in London on April 22nd and went directly to my "big brother" Dave's house. After a short nap, a huge feast thanks to Kiat (MY GOD THAT WOMAN CAN COOK!?!), we settled in for a few drams, a proper catch up and a game plan for the next couple of days. When Dave asked what whiskies I wanted to ensure I bring home, first on my list to try and then buy if I liked it was the Lagavulin 8. Try and buy I DID! I didn't open it until June, after I got home where we brought it down to the boat. It was gone by August 1st. IT IS... that good. I want you to also consider the fact that we don't usually drink peated whiskies in the summer either.

Lagavulin 8 year old, 200th anniversary edition bottled at 48% ABV. 

Colour: Barely there, wisp of yellow

Nose: Delicate but the style of Lagavulin is there. More soft on the vanilla and hardly any cereal notes. The peat is not overly aggressive (that was my fear). After it sits in the glass for a few minutes, unripened pears or bananas. There's a bit of "green" in there but it's not unpleasant.

Palate: Alive! This is where the peat comes in. It's organic though, not overly smoky. It reminds me of a wet forest - damp earth and moss. A bit more time in the glass and it does become a bit more shortbread "cooky'ish".  Very nice, oily/buttery.

Finish: Eucalyptus, gingery with smoky overtones. Sweet, peat reek!  Lovely.

OF COURSE WITH LOBSTER!!

We made sure to share this with as many friends as we could over the 2 months we drank it and when it finally made its way to Canada in November, there was a lineup to get a bottle. Luckily, we got ours and it's now safely sitting in the collection. My only regret: Not getting 2, because here in my province it's already all gone....


Highly recommend getting a bottle of this if you haven't already. It may be Lagavulin 16's little brother but my goodness how I wish they would consider keeping this one in their regular line up because this is another Lagavulin done right.


Cheers,

Lassie 

Day 23 - And what should appear but another Samaroli that I hold dear!

Day 23 and my alarm goes off as it usually does on a Friday, however, I’m not getting up to go to work. I am on vacation. So what, pray tell, is the Lassie up so early for?

My lovely husband and I are driving to Boston today (7 hour drive) to go to a New England Patriots game on Christmas Eve. Now, some of you might think that sounds a little crazy right before the big day but honestly, I am not a huge fan of Christmas to begin with so when Graham surprised me with this little trip, well… this Lassie was overjoyed because he knows how much I struggle this time of year. This is exactly the perfect gift for me. Thank you Graham…

So the adventure began early enough where I was running around the house, packing Patriots gear, checking weather reports, getting the animals ready to go stay at “nanny & grampy’s” and packing up a care package for my dear friend Bob in New Hampshire. Car packed by 8:30, a few last minute items to take care of and then run down the stairs to open #23 and #24 (I am not cheating, I won’t be home tomorrow!!) I was stunned to see another Samaroli in my advent calendar, this is really going to be a great trip indeed!!! I won’t reveal what day 24 was, but also excited about that one.

We were on the road by 10:30 am.  Passports? Check! Patriots’ tickets? Check! Whisky & glassware? Check! And…most importantly: Patriots scarf, hat, long johns and jersey CHECK!! We have other things that we need like warm clothes, podcasts downloaded (Hey Mark Gillespie), directions to our hotel and a last minute surprise whisky tasting with our friend Darren McInnis from the North Shore Whisky Club later tonight.

After crossing into the United States through the New Brunswick/Maine border, we listened to a podcast, ate some lunch, talked while Graham drove. It was a sunny and somewhat mild afternoon. The sun glistened on the trees and we both sat in silence, simply mesmerized by the beauty of the scenery around us. It’s rustic, majestic and lovely. We drove through Maine, New Hampshire and arrived in Mansfield to meet our friend Darren at the Norfolk Wine & Spirits where @CachacaDave (Dave Catania) was pouring some Amrut Indian whiskies. 

Meeting the legendary Bikram Singh that I had heard so much about was fantastic. He did not disappoint! If ever you are in the Boston area, a trip to his shop is well worth the effort. Rare, interesting and many "off the beat and path" whiskies from all over the world, including SAMAROLI!!! Thank you Darren for this gem of a find!

Now, speaking of Samaroli, back to my day 23 dram:

Samaroli Peaty Blended Whisky 20 year old, 45% ABV. Refill sherry butt Cask #54.

Colour: Pink gold!

Nose: Another smoky whisky. The peat is a bit more predominant on this one for me. Reminds me of wet dark earth. Not overly sweet on the nose.

Palate: Thick, viscous and again peaty goodness. A bit of creamy lemon on the backdrop. It's a lovely "aged" peated whisky.

Finish: Long lingering and quite satisfying. This could easily be a dram that Graham would love after a cold dog walk in January. 

Another triumph for a Samaroli. I cannot tell you how impressive these are. I'll be talking to Jonathan to see if this is one of the bottle that will be available. 

Check out what he thought at: www.singlemalting.com

As for this Lassie, day 23 was simply phenomenal. I love the #whiskyfabric and can't wait to tell you what is in store for tomorrow.

Cheers lovely people!!

Lassie

   

Day 18 - Another peated whisky perfect for the day at hand

Yesterday we were supposed to get about 2-5cm of snow, but low and behold the storm must have been slightly off-track and we got 15-20cm instead. We are used that part so we weren't overly worried until we woke up this morning to freezing rain that quickly turned into heavy rain. So we've gone from -36C to 11C in less than 48 hours. Many people had pipes freeze, basements start to flood and the streets were a terrible mess as well. It was a good day to just stay home, put in an old movie and relax on the couch.

About half way through the movie, we paused so that Graham could get a ham ready for the oven (YUM) and I, well I went to my advent calendar. Yup, it was that kind of lazy day... I poked through the little door and pulled out Croftengea 11 year old by AD Rattray. "Wait a second?" I thought, "didn't we already have one of these in the advent calendar?" Sure enough on day 9 we did try a different independent bottling from Single Cask Nation. Oh Jonathan, you sly dog you, what a great idea. I wish I had kept some from that day to do a head to head against this one. 

As I rounded the stairs, Graham was just putting on the finishing touches to supper and I put the little bottle in front of him. He smiled as he unscrewed the cap and took a little sip. Oh, that's the perfect dram for this afternoon he said as he handed me back the bottle. I immediately went to get a Glencairn and poured myself a healthy dram. I sat myself down in the big armchair and wrapped myself in my fleecy blanket. 

AD Rattray Loch Lomond Croftengea 11 year old, 58.9% ABV, Sherry cask #321.

Colour: Light yellow, really light!

Nose: This is really meaty. Smells like a T-bone steak cooking on a charcoal fire BBQ. It's huge and quite bold!

Palate: This is just a bit too high test for me as all I taste is burning. I added a little water and it rounded out one of my favourite desserts: A Tortuga rum cake. It's dark, sweet and rich. Hints of molasses, demerera sugar and Caribbean influence.

Finish: Exhaling a cigar. Smoky, slightly ashy even but a with pink grapefruit pith after taste.

I went back and read my notes from day 9 and they were somewhat similar in nature. 

This leads me to believe that the house profile of the whisky is obviously coming through on both samples. That's a good thing in my opinion. Graham was right. This damp, cold and lazy Sunday needed a dram that would warm me to the bone and envelope me in sweet smoky goodness. This is exactly what day 18 did. There was only one small downside. I enjoyed the dram so much, I didn't save any for Graham. Oooops... sorry love!?

Take a peak at Jonathan's review by clicking here:

www.singlemalting.com

Moving on to day 19... I look forward to tomorrow's delight with excitement and a bit of sadness. Only 7 more whiskies left but I have a sneaking suspicion Day 25 will make up for it.  Stay tuned, I know I will...

Cheers,

Lassie

Day 11, peat, Peat, PEEEEEAT!

It's been starting to get a bit colder here in Eastern Canada and honestly I wasn't paying attention too much to the rest of the world from a weather perspective. I was advised that western Canada, particularly Alberta was under a cold snap. That means the temperature dipping down into the -30's Celsius. So when Jonathan offered to hold a live tasting by fire side, my emphatic answer was: YES!!! I'M IN.

Had I known that today's dram was called Kiln Embers, I may have begged Jonathan to wait until we got to this one instead. As mentioned on day 2, Wemyss Malts is easily one of my top 3 independent bottlers. They always have some really interesting drams and I have several bottles in my personal collection. This morning, that's what I discovered behind door 11... A dram I had seen and heard many people talking about earlier this year. They already have a peated expression on the market called Peat Chimney, which many people including myself really enjoy. So, I was perplexed to see a second peated expression being released and even more curious to get to try it for myself. Once again I tip my hat to Jonathan for getting this one for the advent calendar.

Today, unfortunately was a super busy day. It's that time of year and we have many commitments to visit with friends, attend parties, etc.. My goal was to get up around 7:00am and get as much done before our noon destination. That... didn't happen and I spent most of the day running behind. My poor little advent calendar sat silently in the basement, I'm sure thinking to itself that I had abandoned it. hehehe

When we finally did get home many hours later, I got into my pj's and I aimed for my lovely and very comfortable arm chair. I snuggled in with a warm blanket and prepared myself for my treat! Once poured I began to nose it immediately. I can see why they chose to call this one Kiln Embers. I am transported back to the Port Ellen Maltings on Islay.  It's not a smell you can ever forget!

This is another dram I could easily find myself lost in for hours if I let myself. So, after a long day I decided I would do just that. 

Wemyss Malts Kiln Embers, 46% ABV blended malt

Colour: Lovely 14K gold, plain and simple

Nose: A fireplace just as you get the fire started. Ashy, smoky goodness. Then grapefruit!

Palate: Not complicated, but bold. Lovely mouth feel. Smoky goodness followed by a salted caramel component. Lovely indeed. 

Finish:  Doesn't stick around, but it's warming and quite satisfying.

Overall this is a fabulous dram that will satisfy the most picky of "peatheads". I recall when Peat Chimney came out I thought it was good but now I will add that Peat Chimney has a big brother and he's a bit more mature!

Don't forget to check out Jonathan's take on this dram:

http://www.singlemalting.com/scotch-whisky-advent-calendar-3rd-edition-day-11-blog-145-wemyss-malts-kiln-embers-limited-edition/

I do hope full bottles are available, because I just found my 2nd favourite dram of the calendar, so far...

here's to a lovely week and another that's ready to start. Number 12, I'm ready for you!!

cheers,

Lassie

RRRRRRRRRRusted! Time for a long overdue blind tasting

I looked at the date this morning and saw it was Sunday September 25th. Not only had fall officially arrived, I realized I hadn't posted one... single... piece... all summer. Nothing for almost 4 months. Do I go into details and tell y'all why...  Nah, most of you probably already know. It's been a super hectic, crazy and sometimes very stressful summer. Stress usually = Not drinking whisky. Sad situation really to look at my most favourite spirit in the world only to have my instinct tell me -> Probably not a good idea right now. Thankfully, I always trust my instinct.

So then there's the next step: Errrrr, what do I write about after such a long hiatus. It was an immediate and easy decision: BLIND TASTING time!!!  There is no doubt that my nose/palate need to get whipped back into shape. I went to the sample shelf which only reinforced how long it's been since I truly stuck my nose in a whisky. Shelf is plentiful of many lovely samples from all over the word but man... I've never seen so much dust. I spent the next hour (yup 60 minutes) reacquainting myself and cleaning them. It was a bit like opening presents on Christmas morning as I found some really lovely gems I had completely forgotten about. On the bottom shelf, way in the back I found three non-descriptive bottles that I carefully wiped and didn't recognize. Bottle 1, 2 and 3...  same hand writing, no names/words. Hmmmm...  Picked up my whisky book to see what I had written, if anything about these (I usually am pretty good at writing things down, errrr somewhere?!) And sure enough, there it was... Samples received from Raj Sabharwal (@Whiskyraj)!  Hot diggity dog, what a fabulous way to come out of hiatus, if I do say so myself.

By lunch time (Yes.. I waited!! hehe), I was ready. Dinning room table, glassware, pen/paper, water and WHISKY! What a lovely feeling to have my thinking cap back on and nosing. I can feel the cogs of my olfactory memory wheel trying desperately to break free of their idle slumber. 

Sample 1: Colour, so delicate it reminded me of a sauvignon blanc. (Oh man I am rusty, I'm comparing my whisky to wines?!) Nose: Green grapes, clean and fruity sweet. (errr still on the wines it seems?!) Palate: Oh, yeah there it is... Crisp, fresh fruit like slightly unripened pears or green apples. Refreshing yet tart. (Wait.. Am I drinking wine!? Oh man my poor senses are way out of whack?)

At this point I decided to walk away for a few minutes and try again a bit later. Back again and albeit a bit more muted. The aromas and flavours are still the same. This is a very subtle and delicate whisky that isn't aggressive in nature and really makes you work to find and appreciate what is in the glass. Another sip, and now with a bit of time this has turned into a very luscious and tart lemon meringue pie. Creamy,  lemon with the airy sweetness of the meringue. Finish: This is cask strength and you can tell, it's long lingering and warms the belly on impact. Hmmm, a touch of mint at the very end?


From start to finish, this is quite an enjoyable dram. If I had to guess I would say this is above 50% ABV, a scotch and it's possibly a lowland or speyside.  Maybe?!

Whatever it is, I do love it. It's an easy sipping whisky that is not only enjoyable but really seemed to awaken my somewhat dormant senses. 




RAJ's REVEAL: Blackadder Drop of the Irish Single Malt Cask Strength, 58.9% ABV

Sample 2: The colour of a red ale (oh oh... now I'm comparing these to beer!?) Prunes... rich dark fruits. Dark brown sugar, almost bordering on molasses. Palate: More high strength stuff! Burnt sugar'ish, bitter and very drying. Finish: Leaves a strange aftertaste and lots of burning. Added a fair dollop of water. Calms the burning but brings in a waxy component.  Still has a very unique aftertaste that I can't quite pin down. My first instinct is to say new wood "sap"...  It's a combination of sour, bitter and resinous.  

This sample is a bit perplexing, it started out quite lovely on the nose but then went down hill quickly. Water didn't help it. Makes me wonder if this was finished in a slightly different type of cask? I would say also cask strength, likely not from Scotland (again relying on instinct) and I would dare say somewhat "middle age'ish" and finished in something other than ex-bourbon or ex oloroso...  Something "different"...  

Feeling the blood rushing through the veins now... or maybe that's just the effect of the whisky kicking in? Moving on!




RAJ's REVEAL: Amrut Portonova Single Malt Cask Strength, aged in first fill Port pipes. 61.2% ABV

Sample 3: Well, you know it's a good sign when you see black bits of char in the sample. Mouth already watering. Raj is the master of surprises when it comes to samples, so I'm really looking forward to this one. 

Colour: Old gold. Shines like a turn of the century wedding band. (Weddings?! Hmmm, quite a few of those coming up very shortly...) Nose: Good old fashion organic and earthy peat. It's like standing in the peat bog on Islay with my friends Ansgar & Thomas! Backdrop of honeyed vanilla and creamy butterscotch. (Finally the whisky descriptors are coming back to me now, thank goodness)... Palate: As to be expected, sweet, subtle with an "exhale of peat smoke" that is not only sublime but quite delectable. Finish: Long... lingering delicious flavours of wet moss. 

This one is an old and sophisticated Islay, also at cask strength. Likely a straight ex-bourbon, or 2nd fill ex-bourbon. It's the truest form of the spirit as it's meant to be enjoyed. The peat is not aggressive. The dram is well balanced and very drinkable without water. But, it is cask strength so like the other two I did add a bit of water. Opened it up just a tad, more notes of a smokier backdrop, the citrus notes appear but the whisky doesn't fall apart.  


RAJ's REVEAL: Blackadder Raw Cask, Amrut Peated Sherry Cask, Cask Strength 62.3% ABV

So, I would have to say that in order of preference for me, on a cold but sunny September afternoon I really loved sample 3 the best. I would buy this, whatever it is and I think my friend Peter Clark and I would continue to enjoy this on the cold fall evenings to come. Sample 1 came in 2nd place because again it was very enjoyable,  slightly unique and a nicely balanced dram that wasn't overly complicated but a nice sipping whisky. And... last, number 2. Alas this one did not speak to me, it started out strong with a lovely nose but then dove into the pits of "there's something weird about this whisky" and I simply didn't enjoy it as much as the other two.

 Raj, I want to thank you for always pushing my boundaries as a whisky enthusiast. It goes to show how dedicated you are because you have the belief that sampling blind can always lead to wonderful surprises and an appreciation for the journey it takes you on vs the end result. So now what? Well, now we hope that Raj is kind enough to tell me what exactly I was sampling, otherwise these will simply remain a mystery. If I do find out, I'll update below.  If I don't, well... I can at least be thankful for the experience and finding three unique and very interesting samples to come back to blogging about.  Raising a bit more of sample 3, thanks again Raj, you are a good friend and passionate whisky ambassador!


Sincerely,

The "back in action" nosing/tasting/blogging Lassie


SHE'S BACCCCCCCCKKKKKK!   ;)

Lassie's top 10 memorable drams for 2015 - #4 The redemption dram

Relaxing in our wellies!!

If you've been following my adventures all year you know that I spent 10 magical days on Islay. I went to every single distillery, sometimes twice. I was warned by several people that Feis Ile is not for the faint of heart. If you hate crowds, don't go. If you hate standing in line for anything, don't go and especially if you hate being surrounded by BFK's (big feeling knobs) -> DON'T GO!!!! But, I went anyway because it's my firm belief you are only supposed to get one kick at this can we call life and I'm going to dent the shit out of mine with every opportunity that is presented.

Many people who have gone to Islay for years will also tell you that Feis Ile has somewhat ruined the quiet, laid back attitude about the island and its whiskies. Going to Feis Ile involves planning your accommodations and reservations up to one year in advance. It also means getting online at the wee hours of the day in some cases to try and get tickets for some of the events the distilleries will be holding. 

Another thing that has completely ruined Feis Ile for many people is the ridiculous length some people will go to buy the exclusive festival distillery bottlings and of course the outrageous prices. Case in point: Bowmore released a 26 year old vintage 1988 with only 248 bottles available for £350. People camped overnight in the rain to get a bottle... and then the very next day, many could be found on auction sites for double the price. Greed... ruins everything eventually. 

But I'm not here to judge. If that's what some people want to do more power to them, as I've stated many times before it's not about the money and it's not even about the whiskies sometimes.

Case in point. Laphroaig day ended up being a complete shit show for Graham and me. It started well enough but then quickly went from having someone almost throw up in the back of our rental, to being lost and late for the one event we had booked, to not getting any food or seeing anything else that day because it was all over and done with by the time we came out of our event. It was rather disappointing indeed. 

So... not being deterred we went back with Thomas and Ansgar Speller after Feis Ile was completely done and that's when we were redeemed. The four of us had the most glorious day hiking around those parts of the distillery, tasting whiskies, finding our Friends of Laphroaig (FoL) plots and having the day we were meant to have but in a much more quiet, relaxed and fun environment. We were back on Islay time and it was fabulous.  

The biggest dilemma Graham and I often have when we travel is not only how much to bring back but what. Although I did try many of the Feis bottlings we were very particular about the ones we did bring home (we didn't get that Bowmore, btw... hehe) I tried the Laphroaig Feis offering twice while we were on the island and both times Graham said: "want to buy this one?" and all I could say was "Meh".... It's not that it wasn't a good whisky it just didn't speak to me like some of the others had.

So, after we were pretty much done our afternoon at Laphroaig we returned our wellies and went to the shop for one last chance to buy the Feis bottling. The kind person behind the counter watched me intently and asked me what I didn't like about it. I explained it simply wasn't grabbing my attention. He smiled a devilish grin and pulled out dram #4...  

After my first sip I looked over at Graham and he smiled. Yes!!!! -> it screamed, Take me home woman! No words were spoken as he knew I had found the one coming back with us to Canada. 
Unfortunately this is no longer available for purchase so I feel even more lucky to have tried and purchased it which is really too bad because I think this is one of the best Laphroaig's I've tasted in a long time. I should have bought two!!!

Dram #4 - Laphroaig 10, Cask Strength Batch 007, 56.3% ABV

Nose: Meaty smoke! A picture of a smokey BBQ pulled pork sandwich popped into my head. Once that settles the backdrop of the beach & bonfire appeared followed by baking spices. 

Palate: PEAT!! Probably one of the peatiest whiskies I recall in years. Clean sweet citrus explosion, a bit phenolic/carbolic. 

Finish: Long lingering warm, spicy and with the antiseptic feel of the phenols. WARMS THE BELLY!

This is peat, peat peat all the way... We loved it so much we opened it less than two weeks after we were home: June 18th. Last drams were shared with my ladies' whisky posse on October 19th which is probably one of the fastest bottle drains I can recall!? 

In passing, my friend Donna (she's holding the bottle in the photo) HATED peated whiskies 5 years ago. Not only did she taste this one, she loved it so much she had 3 drams. I had to send her husband John a photo as proof we've completely converted her ;)

Cheers from the ladies posse and thank you Laphroaig for this really great Islay time dram!

Lassie