Islay

Bowmore Devil’s Cask III Single Malt Scotch Review


I picked up a bottle of Bowmore Devil’s Cask III on the recommendation of friend and fellow whisky enthusiast Kurt Maitland, who regularly contributes to Whiskeyreviewer.com as Deputy Editor.  In fact, you can read his review of this whisky here.   

Bowmore Devil’s Cask III is the third release in the Devil’s Cask series.  The first two were aged ten years in first fill sherry casks.  This third edition carries no age statement.  However, it does mention the whiskies inside the bottle were aged in first fill Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks, hence the “double the devil” moniker.  I’d love to think the maturation in sherry casks is the sole reason for this deep ruby color, but the label doesn’t state whether this is natural color or not.  The good news is there is no chill filtering and we have cask-strength bottling.  56.7% abv to be exact.  The pricing situation is strange.  In the U.S., Bowmore Devil’s Cask III is available for about $85-$90.  Across the pond the price jumps up considerably.

A peated Islay whisky matured solely in sherry casks?  Yes please.

The nose is an intricate dance of sherried fruit and peated malt. Brine, blood orange and a touch of vanilla add to the complexity.  There’s lots going on here, but it doesn’t feel busy.  Bowmore’s signature peat coats your tongue after an initial sting of alcohol.  Both stewed red fruits and rich dried fruits emerge from behind a light layer of ashy smoke and vanilla.  Towards the back palate, freshly squeezed orange juice provides a touch of brightness.  The smoke slightly intensifies in the long finish, along with remnants of mulled red wine.

What an outstanding whisky!  It’s rich, but maintains a level of vibrancy.  The peat smoke and sherry cask influence never overpower one another and maintain a beautiful balance.  Thanks to Bowmore for bottling this one at cask strength and not watering it down.  Fantastic stuff.

9/10

Laphroaig Lore Single Malt Scotch Review

Laphroaig Lore

A new permanent Laphroaig expression?  That’s an exciting idea, although I hope this whisky is worthy of an addition to the distillery’s core lineup.  The basic idea behind this release is to honor the skills and traditions Laphroaig distillers have passed on generation to generation.  In other words, they’re referring to the use and blending of different types of barrels.

Laphroaig Lore is made up of variety of barrels:

  • First-fill ex-bourbon casks followed by a second maturation in virgin European oak casks
  • First-fill ex-Oloroso sherry butts
  • First-fill and refill quarter casks
  • Refill ex-Laphroaig stock (casks that previously matured Laphroaig)

Although Laphroaig Lore carries no age statement, Distillery Manager John Campbell says he used whiskies aged between 7 and 21 years to craft this blend.  It’s being called “the richest of the rich.”  Let’s check out the liquid.

The nose on Laphroaig Lore is heavy with grilled pineapple, spiced mango and a crisp bonfire upfront, and notes of salted dark chocolate, vanilla, orange peel and licorice just past that.  A blast of peat starts things off on the palate alongside fresh orange juice.  This quickly develops into creamy malt, spicy cinnamon, toffee, brine, seaweed and sherried fruit notes.  The ashy smoke in this whisky slowly increases as you approach the slightly dry finish.  Oddly it isn’t as long as I’d expect from Laphroaig, but then again there are quarter cask-matured whiskies here. All that wood contact may have added drying tannins.  A bit of smoke and sweet malt are left lingering.

I’m a sucker for peated sherried whiskies, and this one fits the bill, if only a bit.  That smoky fruit flavor combination is killer stuff.  Adding to the complexity is that spiciness provided by those quarter casks.  Those first-fill sherry butts do give this whisky a richness not normally found some of their expressions, but there is a crispness that cuts right through.  This is a really nice expression of Laphroaig.  I’m glad this is a permanent addition to their core lineup and not a limited edition, one-time release.

9/10
(Note: A review sample was provided by this company behind this whisky free of charge.  The opinions written are my own.)

And Then There Was Kilchoman
Cask No. 1 in the warehouse at Kilchoman Distillery. Photo courtesy of Kilchoman.

Cask No. 1 in the warehouse at Kilchoman Distillery. Photo courtesy of Kilchoman.

The Kilchoman distillery is the new kid on the Islay block.  Built in 2005, it’s the first distillery built on the Scottish island in over 120 years.  Their first distillate was barreled later that year.

One interesting thing about Kilchoman is that it’s built on a farm, and grows about a third of its own barley.  The rest comes from Islay’s Port Ellen Maltings.  Their website (see link at bottom of this post) lists so much information about the distillation process it will leave a smile on every whisky enthusiast.

Kilchoman whiskies feature no chill-filtering and natural color.  Since the distillery was founded in 2005, clearly none of their whisky is older than 10 years old.  In fact, most are between 3 (the minimum aging to be called Scotch whisky) and 7 years old.

Machir Bay

Photo courtesy of Kilchoman

Photo courtesy of Kilchoman

Named after a beach close to the distillery, Machir Bay is Kilchoman’s core expression.  It’s aged in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks, which is unusual as most of Kilchoman’s whiskies are aged in bourbon casks.  Machir Bay is bottled at 92 proof.

Right off the bat, there’s some fat peaty smoke.  But there’s much more to the nose.  Bold tropical fruit and honey add sweetness, while the bourbon barrel maturation give a bit of vanilla and spice.  All the aromas carry over to the palate.  Bright citrus, smoked fruit and a candy-sweet toffee are the big flavors here, and they work together beautifully.  The finish is a bit on the hot side, probably due to the whisky’s youngish age (there’s no age statement on this whisky).  That continuing theme of sweet smoky fruit continues through the long finish.

I have a soft spot for peated whiskies that are fully or partially matured in ex-sherry casks.  There’s something about that smoked fruit note I enjoy.  Machir Bay is a fantastically rich, sweet and smoky release from Kilchoman.  Recommended!

8/10

100% Islay 5th Edition

Photo courtesy of Kilchoman

Photo courtesy of Kilchoman

Everything about this whisky is Islay.  The barley is grown and malted on Islay.  The water is from Islay.  It’s distilled and aged in Islay.  You get the picture.  This Kilchoman expression is bottled at a hearty 100 proof.  The company’s website states the peat levels here are lower than their other expressions.

Kilchoman 100% Islay is sharper, crisper and overall lighter than Machir Bay.  The nose is all lemon peel and barley grain, with an undertone of smoke.  It’s not a heavy smoke.  Rather, it’s light and helps carry the bright citrus forward.  I also get just a little sweet fruit in the background.  The entry doesn’t have the initial hit of alcohol I expected for a 100 proof whisky.  Instead, the burn slowly develops as Lemonhead candy, grain and light peat in the form of grass quickly become the dominant flavors.  I detect some vanilla towards the end of the mid-palate.  The finish is a little hot, but leaves behind a sweet grain note.

I appreciate what Kilchoman was going for here, but I’m not a huge fan.  It feels a bit too young for my own taste.  That doesn’t mean it’s a bad whisky.  I think it’s the beginning of what could be an outstanding release in a few years.

7.5/10
(Note: Review samples were provided by Impex Beverages.)