scotch review

Glenlivet Single Cask Edition Pullman Train Collection Review


The Glenlivet is one of the biggest names when speaking of single malt Scotch whisky.  They’ve been (legally) distilling whisky since 1824.  Close to 200 years.  So it comes as quite a shock that they’ve never released a single cask single malt here in the good ole’ U.S. of A.  That’s being rectified, and in tribute to an important American company.

Started in the 1860s, the Pullman Company was the first railroad car maker to introduce sleeper cars.  Sadly, the company is no longer in existence, but it helped make travel by train a more pleasant experience.   Glenlivet was able to have its single malt sold onboard in little 2 oz miniature bottles. It helped spread the Glenlivet name amongst Pullman travelers.

In a pretty neat marketing move, the Glenlivet is releasing three casks of whisky, each named with a nod to the Pullman Company.  All three single casks are bottled at cask strength and are non-chill filtered.  The SRP is $349.99 for a 750ml.

Photo courtesy of the Glenlivet Distillery.

Photo courtesy of the Glenlivet Distillery.

PULLMAN CLUB CAR

Named after Pullman’s Club Car, this release is 18-years-old and has matured in a sherry butt.  It has the largest bottling of the three casks with 618 bottles available nationwide.  I’m using the term largest in relation to three single cask bottlings, so there is a minuscule amount of this whisky available.  The nose is full of a variety of dried fruit and spiced apples in addition to hints of nutmeg and freshly roasted coffee beans.  There is an intitial syrupy sweetness on entry, which quickly develops big, dominant sweet orange and baking spice notes, followed by honey-roasted nuts.  The finish is long, and leaves behind candied fruits and roasted almonds.  An exquisite and rich expression of The Glenlivet that I hope to see as a more permanent addition to their lineup.  My favorite of the three!  9/10

PULLMAN TWENTIETH CENTURY LIMITED

This one’s aged in a Eurpean Oak Butt for 14 years, providing a mere 588 bottles for the public.  The nose on this bottling is rich with orange blossom honey, sweet roasted malt, vanilla ice cream with a sprinkling of a cinnamon syrup.  Compared to the sherry-cask matured “Pullman Club Car”, this expression comes across as lighter on the palate.  Lighter but spicier, Glenlivet “Twentieth Century Limited” maintains a sweet citrus note with hints of freshly grated ginger, shortbread cookies, and honeyed fruit.  The finish is a touch on the spicy side, leaving behind a sweet wasabi-like note.  A memorable expression from Glenlivet.  8.5/10


PULLMAN WATER LEVEL ROUTE

The smallest release of the three single barrel offerings, The Glenlivet Pullman Water Level Route offers only 321 bottles.  This particular bottling is named after the Pullman line that took passengers between New York City and Chicago via the Great Lakes.  It has aged in an American Oak Hogshead for 14 years.  This whisky comes closest to the Glenlivet style, full of fresh pear, honey, kola nut, and vanilla.  There are flavors of sweet malt, ripe pears and baking spices, with hints of cinnamon liqueur and toffee.  A bit of spice ramps up towards the medium finish.  While not a bad whisky, there isn’t much as much complexity of flavors to be found here compared to the other two expressions.  7.5/10

TheGlenlivet.com
Thanks to Glenlivet for the samples.  As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ardbeg Dark Cove Scotch Whisky Review


I just recently became a fan of Ardbeg.  I instantly fell in love with their 10-year-old expression, and went ga-ga over Uigeadail.  It was the inclusion of sherry cask-matured whiskies in Uigeadail that appealed to my soul.  So, when it was announced that Ardbeg’s Dark Cove was built around dark sherry casks, you can bet it had my attention.

Dark Cove is Ardbeg’s limited release of 2016, hitting shelves on Ardbeg Day in May.  Bottled at 46.5% abv, Ardbeg Dark Cove is limited to 1100 cases.  There was an even more limited Committee Release of Ardbeg Dark Cove that came with a higher 55% abv.

The sherry cask maturation is evident on the smoky nose, with notes of dried citrus fruit, road tar, and salted seaweed.  An initial blast of sweet toffee kicks things off, quickly followed by waves of peat, salted navel oranges, and dark chocolate.  Wisps of rosemary and mulled wine appear, as does a touch of vanilla and barrel char.  This expression of Ardeg is not as smoky as others, but it’s present, and really defines itself towards the back palate and into the finish.  The finish is long, bittersweet and smoky.

Compared to Uigeadail, Dark Cove presents more citrus and fruit, and is generally sweeter.  It’s a really rewarding whisky if you savor it slowly.  Though, Ardbeg fanatics will pick up a bottle regardless of what I type here.  To everybody else, this one comes with a high recommendation.

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

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.)