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Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2010 Review

Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2010 – Distillery: Bruichladdich. Region: Islay. ABV: 50%. No age statement. Price: $60-65.

When I realized my whisky cabinet was in a rare Bruichladdich-free state, I jumped on this new (to California) Islay Barley release to fix that.

It’s a 2010 vintage from Bruichladdich’s Islay Barley series, bottled in 2017. The series is meant to be a prime expression of the Islay distillery’s focus on provenance: the idea that a whisky can and should express the region it comes from–down to the farm where the barley is grown.

Many distillers source barley from all around the UK–and even beyond. Bruichladdich bucks this trend. This release is made with unpeated malt from eight clearly identified Islay family farms. (For those keeping score at home, they are Coull, Cruach, Dunlossit, Island, Mulindry, Rockside, Starchmill, and Sunderland.) The whisky was aged ex-bourbon casks and French wine casks for an undisclosed period (presumably 7 years).

Nose: super bright golden malt. Rice pudding dusted with cinnamon. Green banana, grilled pineapple. Touch of musty dry white wine cask, then white chocolate.

The palate is youthful but with admirable complexity. Fresh, grassy, coastal. Toasted rice in soy sauce. Smoky barrel char late on. The finish is long and peppery with lemon rind.

Very well made–an automatic daily dram for me. Bruichladdich, I’m glad to have you back.

Cheers, friends! – BO

Buy Bruichladdich whisky online at Mash + Grape

Barrell Whiskey Infinite Barrel & Bourbon Batch 15 Reviews

Barrell Whiskey Infinite Barrel – Producer: Barrell Craft Spirits. ABV: 59.65%. No age statement. Price: $70-80.

Barrell Bourbon Batch 15 – Producer: Barrell Craft Spirits. ABV: 58.3%. Age: 5 years. Price: $70-80.

Every new Barrell Craft Spirits release is a cause for celebration around here. When it’s two at once, I have to pinch myself.

The company’s early single barrel releases showed founder Joe Beatrice‘s selection skills. These two latest releases show his blending prowess.

First, the Barrell Whiskey Infinite Barrel. It’s the inaugural release of what Joe calls the Infinite Barrel project, in which portions of previous Barrell releases (and a few wildcards) are blended into an ever-changing whole and periodically bottled.

barrell whiskey infinite barrel

This February 12, 2018 release has eight components, with everything from bourbon to Curacao-finished rye to Irish whiskey to single malt. It’s a hefty 59.65% ABV, and it’s really special. The nose is woody and pleasantly musty at first. Then come whiffs of ground ginger, candied grapefruit, mandarin peel, and Spanish peanuts. The palate is brighter than expected, with baking cocoa, espresso, cane sugar, and more ginger. The finish brings molasses and just the right hit of bitter birch bark.

Bewitching. And it’s going to be fascinating to see how it evolves in future releases.

Next is the Barrell Bourbon Batch 15, a blend of 9.5- to 11-year old bourbons from Tennessee and Kentucky, bottled at 53.8% ABV.

barrell bourbon batch 15

The nose is on the sweeter side, with green apple, cinnamon red hots, strong spice, and woodsy pine. The palate has dark sweets, cherry cola, a touch of varnish, and tons more spice. The restrained but satisfying finish follows the nose and palate. A great summer bourbon.

Keep the hits coming, Joe–and cheers, friends! – BO

The company graciously provided a sample for review. As always, our opinions are 100% our own.

Buy Barrell Craft Spirits online at Mash + Grape

Glenmorangie Tarlogan Review

Glenmorangie Tarlogan – Distiller: Glenmorangie. Region: Highlands. ABV: 43%. No age statement. Price: $110.

And just like that, we’re into December. A month of joy, togetherness, and the first McDram family trip to Scotland. And it couldn’t come any sooner, as I’m down to the last dregs of my favorite whisky of 2017, the Glenmorangie Tarlogan.

Initially launched as part of the distillery’s travel retail market (which means I can only get it while traveling in that neck of the woods), the Glenmorangie Tarlogan is matured in a combination of virgin oak and ex-bourbon casks.

Given that it’s a no-age-statement whisky and bottled at only 43% ABV, skepticism at the high price tag is understandable. And to be honest, there are moments when I question my whisky judgment. But when I saw Brendan McCarron, GlenMo’s head of maturing whisky stocks, this past summer, he said his own favorite GlenMo of the year was the Tarlogan. When Dr. Bill’s heir apparent gives it that kind of stamp, I know I’m on to something.

To paraphrase the Sex Pistols, never mind the bollocks, here comes the review. There’s a lovely, creamy vanilla full on the nose, but so much more. A delicate caramel slow tangoes with honied almonds and a bit of marzipan. It’s the rare nose that has me dying to dive in.

The palate has chocolate and honey, which brings to mind the best Cadbury bars. There’s also spice and a peppery nutmeg, along with splashes of cinnamon.

Then there’s the finish. Dark cherry gelato, rich walnuts, and a lovely buttery caramel. I mean, thank the whisky gods I’m going back to the old country soon, because I can still taste the remnants.

I’m not usually one to pay more than a Ben Franklin for a whisky, but in a few weeks, I’ll gladly hand over the cash for another bottle of this gem. Happy Christmas, and cheers, friends! – TM

Old Pulteney Navigator Review

Old Pulteney Navigator – Distiller: Old Pulteney. Region: Highlands. ABV: 46%.  No age statement. Price: $45-50.

I have emotional responses to certain whiskies that go deep. I can’t have a dram of the Lagavulin 16 and not remember the night before we had to put our Yellow Lab down. I see Macallan and I flash back to my wedding, where Mrs. McDram’s father had stashed bottles of the Macallan 10 all around the reception room. And there’s been one on my mind a great deal as we prepare to take our kids to Scotland for the first time.

In 2002, I was in Edinburgh on a rainy, wind-torn day. I’d climbed all over Arthur’s Seat. I descended into the encroaching dark, soaked, knowing that I’d feel my exertions the next day and that I needed a good dram to start the recovery process. I hauled myself into the White Lion and asked for a whisky. The bartender pulled out a bottle of Old Pulteney and poured a healthy dram. It’s been love ever since.

The Old Pulteney is a Highland malt from the remote town of Wick. In the distillery’s earliest days, the town was inaccessible by land, and the barley had to be brought in by sea. The “Maritime Malt” still retains that characteristic hint of brine. I’m always thrilled to see what the distillery will next create.

Welcome the Old Pulteney Navigator, the distillery’s latest core expression. It’s matured primarily in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, but also incorporates first-fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks. It’s non-chill filtered and bottled at 46% ABV.

The nose recalls a Midwestern fall harvest. Honeycrisp apple, pear, and the tang of a good breeze off Lake Michigan. Very slight Cadbury chocolate on the back. The apple in the palate shifts from fresh to caramelized, atop a roasted pork loin. Very faint pine swirls around a more pronounced dark chocolate, along with tufts of oak and sherry fruits. The finish lingers, bringing the apple-pear-chocolate combination back in full for a lovely encore.

Too soon to tell whether this will be my favorite OP, but it’s absolutely in the conversation. What OP expressions do you all enjoy, and if you’ve tried the Navigator, where do you rank it? – TM

A company representative graciously provided a sample for review. As always, our opinions are 100% our own.

Compass Box Asyla Review

Compass Box Asyla. Producer – Compass Box. Distillers: Cameronbridge, Glen Elgin, Linkwood, Teaninich. ABV: 40%. No age statement. Blend: 50% malt, 50% grain. Price: $60.

Friends, you all know of my love for the end-of-bin sales. The treasures unearthed there find a comfortable, if often short-lived, life on the shelves of Castle McDram.

So when I saw Compass Box’s Asyla at a roughly a third off, I grabbed it and ran. After paying for it, of course. I’m a huge Compass Box fan and I was really looking forward to this one. A 50-50 malt-grain blend, containing a heavy proportion of Linkwood and Teaninich malt aged in first-fill ex-bourbon casks? I mean, hell, count me in.

But this one left me empty. The slightly acrid nose has pear, mulch, malt, and vanilla. The palate is sadly underwhelming. Bananas slap flaccidly at the malt, which paws lazily around the pear and fainting lime. There is barely a finish to speak of, more a disappointing drift of thin, weak flavors that echo the palate.

Don’t judge Compass Box by this one, though. This is a rare misfire in a mostly stunning lineup. Their Peat Monster and Great King Street are knockouts, and Baldo counts the 2015 Compass Box Flaming Heart as one of his top drams of all time.

All in all, the Compass Box Asyla only served to reinforce my belief that if you don’t try a producer’s less successful attempts, you’ll never know what’s truly sublime. Here’s to better days and better drinks ahead, friends! – TM

Sunshine Reserve American Whiskey Review

Sunshine Reserve American Whiskey – Producer: Manhattan Moonshine Company. ABV: 42.5%. No age statement. Grain bill: mostly oats, with smaller proportions of rye, smelt, and malted barley (exact proportions undisclosed). Price: $50.

Nearly two years and many reviews ago, I had the chance to enjoy the Manhattan Moonshine, a lovely white whiskey from upstate New York. I loved it and said so and figured I wouldn’t hear from company co-founder Will Kehler again.

Well, color me thrilled to be wrong. The Manhattan Moonshine Company has now come out with the Sunshine Reserve American Whiskey. And it’s a real beaut.

It uses the moonshine as a base–note the unusual grain bill, oat-based and corn-free–and ages it for an undisclosed period primarily in convection-baked oak, rather than charred. The company also says it ages the whiskey at an unusually low proof for a lighter, sweeter profile and less dark wood notes. (The details aren’t disclosed.)

On to the tasting. There’s calf leather and pipe tobacco on the nose, along with Gala apple and bacon. The palate is supple and rich and delightful, with baking spice, hickory, and burnt ends from BBQ. The finish is quite abrupt–perhaps at a slightly elevated ABV it would last longer.

I really enjoyed this one and I can’t wait to see what Manhattan Moonshine/Sunshine Reserve does next. In the meantime, if your local doesn’t have Sunshine Reserve, they sell online at shinereserve.com.

Cheers, friends! – TM

The producer graciously provided a sample for review. As always, our opinions are 100% our own.