Single Malt

Lagavulin 12-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky (2016) Review

Ah, Lagavulin 12-year-old.  One of my favorite Islay distilleries.  This 2016 edition marks its 14th appearance in Diageo’s Special Releases series.  It bottling has matured in refill American oak hogsheads for at least 12 years, and has been bottled at 57.7% abv.  Lagavulin 12 year retails for about $135.  The 2015 release of Lagavulin 12 year was big and powerful, and this one continues the trend.

This particular release finds lemon custard, freshly baked bread, and seaweed on the nose. Oh yeah, did I mention the signature Lagavulin campfire smoke? It’s here in spades. The palate closely follows the nose for the most part. The smoke builds as waves of toffee, vanilla pudding and lemon rind add a nice counterbalance. Hints of fresh basil and seaweed appear mid-palate. The finish is long and warming, with sweet smoke and oak spice. 

 A mighty Lagavulin! 8/10

Thanks to Diageo for the sample.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mannochmore 25-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky Review

Kicking off my series dedicated to Diageo’s 2016 Special Releases is Mannochmore 25-year-old.  It’s pretty rare to see a Mannochmore single malt bottling, as most of the whisky produced at the Speyside distillery goes to blends.  This release is a blend of whiskies distilled in 1990 and matured in first fill ex-bourbon casks, new American oak barrels, and new and ex-bodega European oak butts.  Mannochmore 25 is bottled at a cask strength of 53.4% abv and retails for $400.

This quarter century old whisky is quite lovely. Sherry oak and orange zest parade on the aromatic nose, as hints of toasted malt and ripe apricots appear in the background. The palate is rich and dense with dried fruit, orange marmalade, toffee and spice at first. A touch of airtime reveals some wood sap and licorice. The finish is a touch dry, with some sweet oak tannins and concentrated fruit juice. A slightly offputting bitter note appears soon after. 

 Overall, Mannochmore 25 is a rich, decadent malt worth exploring. Quite lovely. 8.5/10

Thanks to Diageo for the sample.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Glenmorangie Bacalta Whisky Review

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Image courtesy: Glenmorangie

I love experimentation in the whisky world.  Sure, the end result may not necessarily please, but the the fact that whisky makers are playing around excites me.  For quite some time now, Glenmorangie has developed a reputation for bringing some fantastic wine cask-finished whiskies to market.  In my book, Dr. Bill Lumsden is a top innovator when it comes to cask management.  The man can do some magical things with different types of casks.  The distillery’s standard lineup alone feature whiskies finished in sherry casks, port casks, and Sauternes casks.  Then take a look at Glenmorangie’s annual Private Edition releases.  They usually (but not always) feature a secondary maturation in a wine cask.  The 2017 addition to the Private Edition lineup is Bacalta.

Bacalta (Gaelic for ‘baked’) starts life off in ex-bourbon casks.  It then matures for a short undisclosed period in custom ex-Malmsey Madeira wine casks.  Malmsey wine is considered to be the sweetest of Madeira wines.  These casks are seasoned with Malmsey wine and baked outdoors in the sun for two years.  The wine was emptied and the casks shipped to Scotland, where they were filled with already matured Glenmorangie whisky.  The resulting whisky is bottled at 46% abv and is non-chill filtered.

I had the pleasure of tasting Bacalta the week before its worldwide launch at a local Glenmorangie tasting.  Though my palate was a bit exhausted after trying the entire Glenmorangie lineup before, my first impressions of Bacalta were positive.  I found it richly sweet, but not cloying.  It was also very fruity.  I’ve since spent more time with the whisky.  My first impression was correct.

The nose has hints of ripe peaches, marzipan, vanilla and some spice.  Dried apricots and berries add a fruitiness to a creamy custard base.  Ginger liqueur, honey, and crisp lemon zest are showcased on the mid-palate.  The medium finish features caramel chews, light wine, and fresh mint.

To me, this is the definition of a dessert whisky.  It’s quite lovely.  The Madeira wine cask finish plays really well with the light style, bourbon cask-matured whisky that comes out of the Glenmorangie distillery.  Very well done, and very much recommended!  9/10

Thanks to Glenmorangie for the sample.  As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.