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Canadian in India and Germany exploring the world of whiskies

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An unexpected tasting – Drinks by the Drams 2022 Whisky Advent Calendar

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I absolutely LOVE sharing the joy of whisky exploration with others. A dram shared is a dram enjoyed. I also delight in helping folks discover something new. If I know what you have tried and liked, then chances are I can recommend something along those lines that takes one deeper into the world of whiskies.

Which is why an unexpected tasting last year was such a pleasure. It was a special treat – a complete surprise! An advent calendar with 24 minis was brought to a work offsite, where I found myself given an opportunity to introduce whiskies never before tried. It was an Advent Calendar from Drinks by the Drams – tracked down by some clever sleuthing by a colleague.

So what did we do? As only a couple colleagues that evening were whisky drinkers, I asked about preferred spirits. Using that as a bridge, I attempted to match inclinations and personalities with whisky profiles. Our evening covered drams from France, Ireland, Sweden, and Scotland… from standards to single cask to a blend of 14 countries!

What follows are simply light impressions of the different drams we sampled. What lasts are the memories of a moment well spent in fellowship over a dram or two.

Brenne Cuvée Spéciale French Single Malt Whisky

For our Italian colleague with a French heart, the obvious choice was the French whisky matured in Cognac casks. On the nose she found it light and fruity with honey, I described it as ‘bubblegum’, with more honey on the palate. There was a perfume – like a field of lavender. A lovely stylish dram for a singular woman.

Grace O’Malley Blended Irish Whiskey

Like many Irish whiskies, this was an amiable dram. On the nose, fresh citrus, and caramel with a nice honey sweetness, on the palate it was just as friendly with a spring-like quality and almonds on the finish. You may ask – who was Grace O’Malley? She was an Irish pirate queen – a charismatic leader from the nobility of County Mayo – whose story was the inspiration for a trio of gents (One Irish, two German) to create this brand. It will be interesting to see what these folks put out with their own liquid.

The Glenrothes 12 Year Old – Soleo Collection

For one, I thought perhaps a sherry dram might suit? I feared this may be a bit powerful – it was either going to be a hit or miss! She found it quite Christmasy, with some chocolate, and quite “warming”… and whilst not a whisky “convert”, found the experience interesting.

Aerolite Lyndsay 10 Year Old – The Character of Islay Whisky Company

For the one colleague who has a fancy for Islay whiskies, I suggested this Islay. He described it as a “summer breeze” yet also peaty. And on the palate? Sweet caramel, smooth with smoke. I wasn’t familiar specifically with this whisky – however, I later learned later it is an anagram – Aerolite Lyndsay is literally just ‘Ten Year Islay”! So the mystery continues…

Mackmyra Björksav

Distinctly different from the clean Scandi style I’ve come to expect from Mackmyra. This one stood out as a clear favorite. On the nose, it was nutty, with fresh pine, forest, earthy, and sweet. Whereas on the palate it was warming, with a nice substance, more interesting the more time it spent in a glass. The name comes from “birch sap”, heralding the return to spring – quite apt. Pity there was only the wee dram!

World Whisky Blend from That Boutique-y Whisky Co

We also opened the World Whisky Blend from That Boutique-y Whisky Co – a delightful dram with a nice spice, herbal, a bit of eucalyptus and so much more! I was happy to have an opportunity to revisit this a few months later in Mumbai along with other TBWC expressions.

What else did the advent calendar have? Lots of other interesting drams which we divided up amongst all of us. Over the years, I’ve had a chance to try either the expressions or related ones of many in the Advent Calendar…

What about other Advent Calendar experiences? There have been a few…

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A dash of Islay – Bunnahabhain 10 year + Staoisha 5 year

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My explorations from a 2019 Whisky advent calendar are picking up pace! Each dram from this calendar was from a single cask, each unique, one-of-a-kind. This time I picked a pair of Bunnahabhains from Islay.

I decided to begin with the Bunnahabhain 10 year – anticipating that it would be without peat followed by the Staoisha 5 year. Named after Loch Staoisha on the Isle of Islay, when bottled as Staoisha, it is a signal that there is peat added to the mix.

Bunnahabhain 10 Year Old 2008 (cask 12663) 48% (Clan Denny, Douglas Laing)

  • Nose – That typically sweet, sour, and saline quality that greets you with most Bunnas! Alongside the fresh sea breeze comes sweet cake, a drizzle of honey, and a faintly nutty undertone with vanilla
  • Palate – Gentle and approachable, light spice joins tinned pineapples and more of that salt – quite pronounced
  • Finish – Continues with the sweet, spicy, and salty character…

A promising start and time to shift to the next expression…

Staoisha 5 Year Old 2013 (cask 940) 59.3% (The Single Cask) 258 Bottles

  • Nose – Now there is the peat! Smokey, fruity – especially the pineapple – which transforms from tinned to grilled – yum! Some bananas there too, opening into a medley of stewed fruits. Return to the nose again to discover that peat, sweet, with cinnamon, and spice. Also with a health dash of salt. Lovely!
  • Palate – Initially a mild bonfire of spice and peat that swiftly gentled. It was delicious – like warm sweet bread.
  • Finish – Cinnamon spice

There is no mistaking the peat in this one. It was really rather fabulous – a warm embrace.

I’m no stranger to this distillery… here is a sampling of other Bunnahabhain‘s sampled over the years…. many of which have age statements:

And a few more “modern” expressions without an age statement:

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More Minis – Nc’Nean, Tipperary, Gulliver’s 47

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Continuing my wee whisky mini explorations, I turned to a combination of two different sets… mixing up countries and styles!

For Nc’Nean, this mini came after I’d already purchased a full bottle with thoughts to bring it back to Mumbai for the Whisky Ladies. I knew it would be young but had been impressed with meeting the women leading the way with this fresh new independent distillery – committed to sustainable production, carbon-neutral, using recycled glass for the bottles, and most importantly passionate about crafting a fine dram in harmony with our planet.

Nc’Nean Single Scottish Malt Batch 7, 46%

  • Colour – Light gold
  • Nose – How delightfully fresh, fresh barley, light orange citrus
  • Palate – Initially prickly then gentled, quite young and active, some ginger, tinned pineapple, honey sweetness with something a bit rustic, tannins belying a wine cask influence? If yes, it was subtle and balanced
  • Finish – Waxy, a touch bitter like roasted nuts, light spice, a touch of orange oil

The challenge with tasting minis is that sometimes it simply isn’t enough! I was glad that I have a bottle to explore another time at leisure with friends.

I then shifted gears from Scotland to the Emerald Isles…

Tipperary 8 year Red Wine Cask Finish, Cask RC00117, 59.5%

  • Colour – What colour! A bright ruby
  • Nose – Bold blackberries, spice
  • Palate – Brash, a bit harsh and spicy, with some strong oak undertones, tannins and juicy red berries, like chewy red gummy bears
  • Finish – Sweet and tart at the same time, oak spice chasing

If Nc’Nean had a subtle hand, here there was no mistaking the use of a red wine cask with the Tipperary. So heavy, I wondered if it could have been finished in a decidedly “wet” cask leaving some wine behind? There is nothing shy about this whisky!

Whilst the Irish distillery is undisclosed, the folks at Tipperary have started their own distillery and in time will be putting out their own whisky. In the interim, this bottling of another is retailing for Eur 68.

And then on to a third country – England – with a lightly peated dram from The English Whisky Company:

Gulliver’s 47 Single English Malt 47%

  • Colour – Pale white gold, nearly translucent
  • Nose – Fresh sea breeze and smoke, angel food cake, citrus, layers of soft peat
  • Palate – Delightful! Gentle sweet peat, apples, buttery, lovely malty, most
  • Finish – Sweet tobacco leaf, lingering cinnamon

I really enjoyed this one – rolling around the palate – the peat was subtle yet satisfying. A rather nice dram.

What more do we know? It was aged in bourbon casks from Jim Bean, with the brand inspired by Samuel Gulliver an explorer who brought wines, spirits and liqueurs from around the world back to 18th century Britain. You can find this for Eur 60.

What fun to mix and match tasting from two new distilleries and one brand with a distillery to be!

From time to time, you can also find other whisky-related updates and activities on:

Kirsch Scotch Whisky Adventskalender 2022

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In the spring of 2023 I was preparing for a trip back to India. Part of my preparations was to pick up a set of whiskies for our Whisky Ladies – more specifically That Boutique-y Whisky Company: World Whisky Blend, Cotswolds, Macduff, English Whisky Co. We rather enjoyed that exploration!

Along with it I also picked up another tasting set – Roggen (aka Rye) Revolution with whiskies from Denmark: Stauning Rye & El Clásico, Finland: Kyrö Malt Rye & Wood Smoke Rye, Germany: Stork Club Straight Rye & Full Proof Rye

Yet the ultimate was a rather remarkable set of 24 miniatures from Kirsh. As I still have a few minis from my 2019 Drinks by the Drams – Single Cask Advent Calendar, it will likely be a long time before I get around to tackling this set – however it is there ready and waiting to be explored.

Kirsh Scotch Whisky Advent Kalendar 2022 

  1. Sherry Blended Malt 44.2% (Berry Bro’s)
  2. Black Bull Peated Edition 50% – Also received as a “bonus” dram
  3. Inchgower 13 years (18 Feb 2008/29 June 2021) Cask No S801500/S801502 46% (Signature)
  4. The Spaniard 43% (Compass Box) – Previously tasted in 2018
  5. Glasgow 1770 Peated 46%
  6. Glen Spey Dimensions 11 years 54.8% (Duncan Taylor)
  7. Edradour 10 year 40%
  8. Glencadam American Oak Reserve 40%
  9. Ballechin 15 year SBCS 59.4% (Germany exclusive)
  10. Nc’Nean Organic 46% – Tried with another mini set
  11. Unnamed Speyside 12 year (23 Feb 2009 / 29 Nov 2021) Cask DRU 17/A197 #6 46% (Signature)
  12. Raasay 46.4%
  13. Speyside Blended Malt 44.2% (Berry Bro’s & Rudd) – A teasing taste at London’s Whisky Show 2022
  14. Benrinnes 9 year (30 June 2021 / 4 Juen 2021) Refill Butt 307210, 46% (Signature)
  15. Caol Ila 10 year Reserve Cask Parcel No. 7 48% (Single Malts of Scotland) Angel’s share 13.3%, selected by Oliver Chilton
  16. Pulteney 12 year (27 May 2008 / 27 April 2021) Sherry Finish (33 months) Cask No 16, 56.6% (Signatory)
  17. Artist Blend 43% (Compass Box) – Curious it it’s more like the Glasgow or Great King Street or Experimental expressions?
  18. GlenAllachie 15 year 46% – Tasted as part of a special online tasting with Juliette 
  19. Askaig 8 year 45.8% – Let’s see how it compares with earlier expressions
  20. Glen Moray Small Batch 12 year (2021) 46% (Berry Bros & Rudd)
  21. Ben Nevis 7 year (17 Oct 2013 / 6 Aug 2021) Hogshead Cask No 420 + 425 46% (Signatory)
  22. Glencadam Reserva Adnalucia 46%
  23. Old Ballantruan Speyside Glenlivet ‘The Peated’ 50%
  24. GlenAllachie (2009) Cuvee Cask Finish 55.9%

Curious to know more? Me too! However, don’t be surprised if I take a year or more to crack open and share tasting notes.

PS – I purchased this for 76.75 plus shipping.

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A pair of single casks – Glen Spey and GlenAllachie

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A few years ago, I enthusiastically purchased a Whisky advent calendar – all single casks, each unique. This was my special “welcome to Germany” gift. Slowly but surely over the years, I’ve opened a couple more, typically a pair at a time.

After a bit of a break, it was high time to crack open a few more… this time a pair from Speyside…

Glen Spey 21 Year Old (Jan 1997/Nov 2018) cask 12952, 51.1% (Douglas Laing Xtra Old Particular), 256 bottles

  • Nose – Waxy, coconut oil, raw banana peels, barley mash, light spice… after some time, a hint of salty toffee
  • Palate – Started off with a real spicy chili kick, a bit sweet and sour
  • Finish – Bitter with the spice lingering, tapering into sweetness
  • Water – Brings out a spicy fruity mix – jackfruit

Not sure what I was expecting, however, the more I sipped, the more I enjoyed it.

Douglas Laing tasting notes:

The nose is sweet and lively with chocolate covered coconut, juicy barley and gentle spice. The palate reveals layer on layer of vanilla alongside creamy toffee and warm sponge cake, and the long finish has a mellow oak quality, with marshmallows and caramelised sugar.

Remarkably, Master of Malt still has it in stock – for a ‘mere’ Eur 220!

GlenAllachie 13 year (25 Oct 2005 / 13 Jun 2019), Cask 901062, 65.1% (Lady of the Glen) 368 bottles

  • Nose – Such a bouquet! Fruity, floral, then creamy, nutty, malty, yummy! Reminded me of juicy fruit gum! Then shifted into old over-ripe fruits, mascarpone
  • Palate – Resinous, herbal, then chocolaty, nutty, buttery, stewed fruits
  • Finish – Long, strong with a bit of nutty bitterness
  • Water – Definitely add! Brightens and lightens without losing the spike kick

What a character! There is something also a bit different about this one. I’m not sure if it was the Marsala finish or something else, but it’s tough to pin down… and that’s what makes it fun.

What more do we know? It was matured in a single bourbon hogshead and then finished in Marsala Wine Butt from Sicily.

The folks at Master of Malt had this to say:

  • Nose: Floral malt, vanilla biscuits, and milk chocolate Maltesars, with caramelized nuts.
  • Palate: Apricot jam on fresh toast with lots of melted butter, vanilla cream, and nougat.
  • Finish: Dried fruit, namely more apricot, with toasted walnut and vanilla pod.

Would I agree? Certainly!

Once upon a time, this whisky retailed for Eur 96, however suspect you won’t find it so easily now.

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Paris Whisky Live 2022 – Arlett

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After spending some time wandering around the Scotland section and a stop by India too…. we happily returned to close our day at Paris Whisky Live in the French section. Distillerie Tessendier As the story goes, the Tessendier family has been distilling for generations. Their latest project is a “vintage-styled” whisky brand that pays tribute to the 1950s and more specifically the matriarch – Arlett – mother of Jérôme and Lilian.

This was my last stop at the festival, so hope I can both be forgiven for the limited notes and delay in sharing impressions. 

First off – the bottles themselves are works of art and the colour remarkable too! As for the liquid gold? 

Arlett Single Malt 45% 

  • Nose – Started off with sour cream, then sweetened, young yet promising, yummy pastries
  • Palate – Lots of baked goods, apple sauce
  • Finish – Tobacco and leather with a touch of oak, very round finish
  • Water – Creamy oats 

Matured for a mere three years, we overall found it delicate, layered with real promise.

Arlett Mizanura 48% 

  • Nose – Resin, woody, caramel apples
  • Palate – Nice spice, peppery, more apples
  • Finish – Lovely and sweet
  • Water – Creamy soft brie cheese

A clear shift from the dessert-like core expression – this was also fruity yet with some savory elements too.

Arlett Tourbe 43% 

  • Nose – Smoky then mild peat
  • Palate – Charcoal and soft wood
  • Finish – Cinnamon

Their last was a peat expression – using Scottish peat. Here we thought it would be the kind of dram to end your evening… and with that we ended our evening and fabulous whisky weekend!

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Paris Whisky Live 2022 – Lagg Masterclass

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I’ve made no secret of my love affair with Arran whiskies – cemented by time spent on the Island visiting both the Lochranza and Lagg Distillery. So at Paris Whisky Live, I jumped on the opportunity to explore further…

Our guide was Mariella Romano, who joined the group in 2019, and the focus of the Masterclass was to introduce the new expressions from their Lowland Lagg Distillery.

So what did we try? A trio of 1st releases with:

  • Batch 1 – Lagg 3 year 1st Fill Bourbon Cask (Summer 2023) 50%
  • Batch 2 – Lagg 3 year (30 month ex-Bourbon, 6 months Olorosso) 2023 50%
  • Batch 3 – Lagg 3 year (30 month ex-Bourbon, 6 months Roja Red) 2023 50%

We began with the Lagg 3 year 1st Fill Bourbon Cask (Summer 2023) 50% 50 PPM

  • Nose – Herbal notes to start, young, fresh mash, clean and sweet with a grassy rather than medicinal peat, a hint of heather and puff of smoke
  • Palate – Very promising, creamy with a citrus zest
  • Finish – Nicely lingers, more so than I had expected from such a young dram

What we tried was literally bottled the week before! It then officially launched in France on Oct 1, 2022 (after Paris Whisky Live!) as an inaugural limited summer release. Mariella shared that they see their peat as more “Aberdeen west coast style”, gentler than the robust peat monsters some Islay distilleries produce.

She also shared how the idea for Lagg’s full focus on peat began with their experiemnt’s with their Lochranza distillery peat expressions – like Machrie Moor and their Cask Strength. Since deciding to set-up the Lagg distillery, they have stopped producing any new peat expressions at Lochranza.

Next up was the Lagg 3 year – 30 month ex-Bourbon, 6 month Olorosso finish (2023) 50% also 50 PPM.

  • Nose – Mmmmm a chocolaty sweet peat, richer than the 1st dram with loads of dark fruit sherry notes, raisins and sweet spices
  • Palate – Very smooth – the sherry finish works wonderfully with the peat
  • Finish – A lovely cinnamon finish

Delicious! In this case, it was initially matured in bourbon casks before being finished for an additional six months in 55 liter ex-Oloroso sherry casks for 6 months. Mariella also mentioned how they used Concerto barley and peat from the North East of Scotland.

She then shared a virtual tour of the new Lagg distiellery (after some small technical hiccups!). While many interesting stories were shared, one element was the contrast between the “mountain” pure water at Lochranza distillery and Lagg distillery’s use of a borehole with distinctly different taste. Another is how important it is to have the significantly expanded space for cask storage at the new facility.

Mariella also shared that while Lochranza (Arran) whiskies are sweet and easy drinking, the intent for Lagg is not just peat but also a deliberately ‘harsher’ quality.

And with that we moved on to the last whisky, closing with Lagg 3 year – 30 month ex-Bourbon, 6 months Rioja Red 2023 50%:

  • Nose – Dry nutty element, sweet cinnamon, a bit herbal
  • Palate – Curious character – some minerals? Also a bit fruity – mostly dark berries, some oak
  • Finish – Wine followed by a cinnamon finish like the Olorosso

The peat in this was quite subtle – and the ex-Rioja red wine Firkan was a bit curious – particularly on the palate. I wish I had tried this with a bit of water, as have a feeling this one needs to open up a bit to reveal its full character.

It was terrific to have a chance to explore these early Lagg expressions. I’m curious to see how they evolve in the coming years.

In the meantime, I remain a complete fan of Lagg’s big sister Lochranza:

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St Kilian Berry Metal Cocktail – with peat??

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Sometimes you are just in the mood for a refreshing cocktail – especially on a warm summer evening! However, using an intensely peaty berry-infused liquor isn’t intuitively the “go-to” standard base…

However, that’s exactly the kind of experimentation you can expect from the folks over at St Kilian. So when we saw the cocktail suggestion for St Kilian Grave Digger – Berry Metal 40% Liqueur, we had to try it!

It came to us as #8 in a recent St Kilian tasting set – part of their December 2022 launch of some new expressions. On its own, the Berry Metal liqueur is an incredibly potent burst of berry “wow!” with a peaty kick.

So then we simply had to try it in a cocktail. They provided a recommended recipe – something they called a St Killian Berry Tonic. It is simple and straightforward, and most importantly, we just so happened to have everything needed.

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Deconstructing the St Kilian Signature Edition ‘Thirteen’!

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A Single Malt simply means malts from the same distillery. Unless it is specifically designated as a “Single Cask”, it could mean wildly different types of casks used in order to achieve the desired outcome.

In the case of St Kilian’s Thirteen Signature Edition, it is a mix of five different virgin casks – put differently, these are all “fresh” casks that never held any other liquid like Bourbon or Sherry before being used to mature the whisky. Master Blender Mario Rudolf chose Palatinate and Hungarian oak combined with “unique” woods like wild robinia (mock acacia), chestnut, and cherry. The oldest whisky was approx 6 years and the youngest 3 years. All used Scottish peat smoke malt with 54 ppm – hence this falls into St Kilian’s peated range.

In Scotland, there are regulations that stipulate that only Oak wood may be used, however, the rules are considerably more relaxed in countries like the USA, Ireland, or Germany. This enables considerable experimentation – from apple wood chips to chestnut! This expression clearly falls into the “experimental” category!

So how did we go about exploring this tasting set? We began by calibrating our palates – cracking open the delicious Classic “Mild & Fruity” 46% (the lone black bottle ie unpeated whisky) before shifting to peat with the balanced Peaty “Rich & Smoky” 46%. It was a perfect way to start!

We then tasted the ‘Thirteen’ to get a feel for the combination before going step by step through each component and then revisiting the ‘Thirteen’ again. What a super cool concept – sharing transparently the five different elements that go into creating the Signature Thirteen expression.

So let’s take you on our tasting journey…

Signature Edition ‘Thirteen’ (2016/18/19 – 2022) 53.9%

  • Nose – Yummy! We were immediately greeted by maple glazed smoked bacon, a campfire with fatty bacon, charred peppers, cherries, a hint of wood
  • Palate – Quite a contrast – cinnamon bark, bittersweet, light ginger, some peppers, oak, mild peat, and overall quite dry
  • Finish – A spice burn, slightly ashy
  • Water – Makes a big difference – brings out the fruit and cream, shifting from dry to juicy.

Overall we found the nose really quite wonderful, with the palate having a curious yet interesting character. This is no “easy” dram but certainly one to experience!

32% of Thirteen: Virgin Hungarian Oak (2016 – 2022) 61.3% Ungarischer Eiche

We began with the largest component – virgin Quercus Petraea aka Hungarian Oak.

On the nose, it had a fresh and clean approach – like shaved wood that then deepened into a nutty aroma – particularly Brazil nuts. As for the taste? Warm and really quite fabulous, joined by a prickly spice. Surprisingly smooth and mature for a mere 6-year-old – and that too at cask strength!

We speculated that this may also be a base for their Peated Rich & Smoky – at least we found elements of what we enjoy in that blend also in it. What a promising start!

27% of Thirteen: Virgin Chestnut/Kastanie (2019 – 2022) 53.4%

We moved on to Chestnut – a wood that outside of Scotland, some whisky distilleries are increasingly exploring as an alternative to Oak – at least for some time. I’ve tried several experiments from Sweden’s Agitator to Ireland’s Method & Madness to Germany’s Aureum.

We found it more subtle than anticipated. On the nose, it was like new fresh chestnuts before roasting – green and unripe – fragrant with a hint of fruit and only the lightest touch of sweet peat. Whereas on the palate? Quite interesting, with a substantive texture with a light spice spike at the back. Then it finished with herbal elements with a touch of bitterness.

Overall we found this one quite mild with a smooth warmth that lingers. Rather nice!

27% of Thirteen: Virgin Wild Robinia / Wilde Robine (2019 – 2022) 61.8% 

We moved on to a wood called “Wild Robinia” – an Eastern European timber, considered a “mock Acacia” – a tropical timber, native to Africa, Australia, and South America.

We had no idea what to expect, however, suffice to say, this one was VERY different and hard to describe. The aroma was a bit elusive whereas the palate? Hmmm…. It was strong, forceful with an “in your face” harshness, heavy bitter roasted nuts. Curiously, it reminded us a bit of a strawberry stomach medicine.

Though we had only 2cl between the two of us, we found this one definitely needed a dash of water. Certainly helps… however overall this one wasn’t for us – at least as a stand-alone.

We struggled to understand why to add something so brash as the Wilde Robine into the mix… until we finished tasting all five elements and revisited the Thirteen.

11% of Thirteen: Virgin Palatinate Oak / Pfälzer Eiche (2018 – 2022) 60.6% 

We then moved on to a more traditional wood – Oak – more specifically Palatinate Oak from SouthWestern Germany.

Ahh… nice! Back to more traditional aromas – mild and fruity like a fruit stew. On the palate, we found sweet spices, warm with a mild almost “numbing” astringency on the finish.

This was a return to more familiar territory. And whilst it was a smaller portion of the Thirteen, we thought perhaps it added some of the fruit!

3% of Thirteen: Virgin Cherry/Kirsche (2018 – 2022) 61.7% 

We closed our “deconstruction” exploration with Cherry wood. St Kilian has some company experimenting with this wood – both Teeling and Woodford Reserve have expressions that are partly finished in Cherry. Reputed to be more porous than oak leading to intense flavours.

So what did we find?

Woooaaah! Smells like Cherry wood, freshly chopped, green, carnation flower, dank, musty… and on the palate? Varnish, so dry it made one almost “pucker up!”, more of that carnation, green and unripe fruits, wood polish, bitter cherry cough syrup\. Followed by a smokey finish.

On its own, this wouldn’t work but we could see how this whisky would add an interesting counterpart.

100% Signature Edition ‘Thirteen’ (2016/18/19 – 2022) 53.9% Revisited

We reflected on each of the five elements. On their own, we could see real promise in both the Hungarian and Palatinate Oaks and also the Chestnut… On its own the WIld Robinia didn’t work, however, with the revisit, we could understand how it added depth to the character. Similarly, the cherry solo would be too intense however with just a touch, that distinctive aroma augments rather than detracts.

Clearly, this is an example where the sum is greater than its parts! What a fabulous experience to have an opportunity to deconstruct the St Kilian Signature Edition Thirteen!

SINGLE MALT WHISKEY THIRTEEN FACE 1

Here is what the folks at St Kilian have to say:

The special thing about the smoky Signature Edition THIRTEEN is its unusual composition. Because it is a composition of five different wood species. Thus, in addition to Palatinate and Hungarian oak, unique woods such as wild robinia (false acacia), chestnut and cherry were used. Distillates from 2016, 2018 and 2019, made from 54 ppm Scottish peat smoke malt, matured in the five virgin-fresh wood barrels to create a full-bodied, color-intensive single malt with a strong character.

And their official tasting notes:

  • Appearance – Amber
  • Aroma – Intense fruit notes of ripe cherries and apricots harmonize with creamy vanilla, fine peat smoke and a juicy BBQ note, complemented by aromatic wood tones and spicy oak.
  • Taste – Juicy apricots, red cherries and sweet vanilla cream combine with warming notes of wood, finely spicy oak, white pepper and a hint of ginger, subtly wrapped in aromatic peat smoke.
  • Finish – The creamy, spicy blend of dark fruit jam and fine tannins has a pleasantly long lingering finish with warming peat smoke, subtle dry ash notes and a hint of cocoa.

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Gordon + MacPhail Discovery: Caol Ila 13 year 43% 

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Amongst the Islay distilleries, Caol Ila is generally known to be one of the lighter whiskies – both in terms of its peat and colour as they typically stick with ex-bourbon barrels for maturing. This leads to generally quite an approachable balanced peat dram. And for all those folks who love the light peat in Jonny Walker? Caol Ila is likely responsible!

All of this made it a perfect choice for our final whisky in our evening exploring different dimensions of single malts. I already sampled this particular Gordon & MacPhail Discovery series expression at Paris Whisky Live. It was just a teasing taste, yet enough to be confident in adding it as the “peat” element in our 1st Nurnberg International Whisky Tasting evening.

So what did we think?

Caol Ila 13 year 43% 

  • Colour – Old gold (0.6)
  • Nose – Initially greeted by wet wood and embers, then warmed into smoked pork belly, maple bacon, and cured sweetmeats. After some time, the fruit came more to the fore with glazed banana, roasted pineapple, sweet grass
  • Palate – Smoked meat, soft, gentle peat, fruity
  • Finish – Long sweet cinnamon and lightly smoky
  • Water – Personal choice – for some, this helps open up the whisky to enhance the fruitiness, for others, it was not needed at all!

We had a few peat skeptics in the room… many of whom were pleasantly surprised at the subtle sweet peat and balance of this whisky – cured meats glazed with fruit were much more approachable than some “in your face” bold peat “bonfire” and “iodine” whiskies!

For those of us familiar with the distillery – it is what we have come to expect – a balanced peat, the kind of dram that invites you to slow down, curl up into a comfy chair, put on some good music, and just relax, slowly sipping and savouring.

What do the good folks over at Gordon & Macphail have to say about this expression?

Sweet vanilla and dry cured meat aromas. Peat smoke umdertones are complemented by banana and apricot.

Ripe banana, kiwi and vibrant hints of fresh citrus, leading to a long, sweet and smoky finish.

With this peat expression, we closed our inaugural tasting session in which we explored the impact of cask (ex-bourbon and ex-sherry) and peat in the Gordon & Macphail Discovery series!

Our evening explored a quartet from Gordon & Macphail’s Discovery series.

Around the room, we had slightly different preferences – however if you pushed me to rank, I would probably put the Miltonduff 1st, followed by the Aultmore, then this Caol Ila, finishing with the Glenrothes.

What additional Caol Ila tastings over the years? There have been a few – mostly from independent bottlers:

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