Yay! It's The 18 Under 30 Club... Part One: Batemans Vintage Ale

December sort of rocks, doesn't it. Less than a month away to Christmas, most of us are mentally unwinding towards the end of the year- especially to what festivities await.  Visiting a drinks retailer at this time of the year throws up a bewildering array of choices on what to buy as gifts, but also what to buy for the staple festive drams to keep one warm and more importantly, blissfully contented when you're staying at the in-laws for a week.

So we've decided to scour the shelves for the best 18 buys this year, with one rationale -  that each release has to be under £30.  Consider it Club 18 Under 30, but with fewer TOWIE'esque fake tans, deck shoes and appalling luminous, happy hour style drinks.  Almost.

Our first in the series is a little controversial. It is easily the cheapest of all our festive suggestions and, in some way is the oldest of the bunch.

The story behind Batemans Limited Edition 2012 Vintage Ale is an interesting one.  When the Bateman's brewery in Wainfleet near Skegness decided to stop brewing their barley wine back in 1976, the owner George Bateman decided to keep back the last four cases, intending to open them on his son's 21st birthday, which was four years away.  But the brew lay forgotten in the cellars until recently, when one of the bottles happened to explode, alerting the cellar master to the hidden treasure trove.  Fearing the contents would be totally ruined, George's son Stuart- now 50 years old was delighted to find that the beer was totally intact, albeit rounded, mature and completely unique.

This prompted Bateman to endeavour to recreate the style of the ale, using original brewing records and techniques.  It was then aged for 7 months in oak casks to retain the unique characteristics of a vintage ale.

So ok, technically, it's not 35 years old, but it is as near as dammit a recreation of something born out of exceptional circumstances.  The ale is available from Aldi, a supermarket chain, who are now emerging as real players in the luxury drinks market.  Last year, they impressed us with their ridiculously under-priced 40 year old Glenbridge single malt and a quick glance at their latest offers shows an array of wines and spirits which you'd usually find in a very specialist shop.  So how does their latest proposition hold up?... let's find out.

Batemans - Limited Edition 2012 Vintage Ale - 7.5% - 50cl - £3.29

Nose:  Incredibly malty, with rich malt extract notes, some meaty caramelised roast beef, chocolate malt and dried fruits.  Given time in the glass, the beer has distinct notes of port, some woody spice (anise) and dates.  Superb and definitely festive.

Palate: More malt extract on the first sip, with sweet ruby port and distinctly spiced/sherry oak notes.  It is heavy, but balanced out with some cleaner maltiness and a little aromatic bitterness on the back palate. 

Finish:  Lingering notes of sweet malt and spice.

Overall:  Well, this really is one hell of a beer.  It won't appeal to those in search of a refreshing Christmas pint during the festive edition of Total Wipeout, but it is exactly the sort of thing that will pair nicely with a second helping of Christmas pudding, a leather club chair and a James Bond Anthology DVD.   If you can, grab yourself a case of this -  and then maybe stick a couple away to forget about. Who knows -  you may end up with as much of a surprise as George Bateman...

Diageo Special Releases - A Few Surprises?

Blimey, it doesn't seem that long ago since we were bringing you news and tasting notes on the last batch of these annual whiskies bought together by Diageo.  This time around, the company had taken over The Deck, an installation, which is part of the National Theatre, with impressive views across the Thames.

One previous criticism of these annual events is the fast pace of them -  just an hour and thirty minutes to try all eight whiskies, which, when you're dealing with releases of this magnitude really doesn't do them justice. This year, as the night closed in and the thames-side buildings started to light up, it was nice to sit down and really get to the bottom of these extraordinary whiskies properly...and this year, there were a LOT of surprises.

The whole collection, as with previous years, has a core of releases - namely the big guns of Brora, Port Ellen and Talisker, flanked by Caol Ila and a younger Lagavulin.  This year, they were also joined by a 21 year old Lagavulin, a 25 year old Dalwhinnie and a 30 year old Auchroisk -  with all eyes (and palates) feverish in anticipation of the Port Ellen and the older Laga.  With a huge buzz on both whiskies (A: because of the previously highly regarded Lagavulin 21yo release and  B: the high price of the Port Ellen (£600) ) it was no surprise that both tables where the whiskies were being poured were three-deep with writers and journos trying to grab a first taste.

To be honest, last year's Port Ellen 11th official release was one of the best whiskies we've ever tasted -  balanced, effortlessly complex and lacking any overly dry notes -  could the same be said about this one - the 12th? Hmmm.

Port Ellen - 12th Release - 32 year Old - 52.5% 2,964 bottles  - 1979 - RRP £600

Nose: Extremely coastal on the first nosing. Crab pots, old trawler rope and iodine, blend into some subtle vanilla, wet hay and a very light smoke -  off the bat, you'd be hard pressed to think this was a Port Ellen. The nose is very closed to begin with, giving up only hints of what is potentially on offer. With water, fresh cherries, more vanilla, some orange blossom and a touch of blackberry cordial.  

Palate: This is where the whisky falls down unfortunately. Initially, very dry and woody, with a sooty hit and blast of brine. The smoke starts to emerge, but where are all the wonderful chamois/jammy notes of old?  With water, the fruit starts to creep out of its shell, but it needs coaxing gently.  

Finish: Very dry and woody. 

Overall:  Not the best Port Ellen Special Release, that's for sure.  I was about to write this off as a bit of a duffer, until our good friend Stuart Robson from Connosr/Whisky Marketplace handed me his glass, which he'd been nursing for a good 20 minutes and bang- there were the classic notes -  tangerines, chamois leather and creamy vanilla/fondant.  The bottom line is that this isn't a duff whisky, by any stretch of the imagination, but compared to previous releases, it is a challenge. It doesn't deliver straight away and when it does deliver, the qualities are only a shadow of last year's release.  Not one on my list of essential purchases. 

Next up: Talisker's oldest ever release.  Would this one be heading in the same direction as the PE? Hope not.

Talisker- 35 Year Old - 54.6% - 3,090 bottles - American & European refill casks - 1977- RRP £525

Nose: Pure Talisker, straight out the blocks, but with some additional wisdom. Burnt bonfire, spiced apple, red chilli, a big woody note, copper coins and some cherry sherbet, all swaddled in some gloriously sweet, nutty smoke.  with a dash of water, a malty side develops (like Weetabix), with a more pronounced fruit note developing.

Palate: Smoky malt, some additional smoked meat, with sweet fragrant smoke, cherryade, fresh cream and vanilla.  Not at all tarred with the rigours of age, like the Port Ellen. With water, some egg custard notes emerge, spiced apple and soft peat, alongside more bonfire smoke and vanilla pipe tobacco. Complex and majestic.  

Finish: Drying wood notes, but with some lovely lingering smoke notes.

Overall:  Well, that's a relief.  This aged Talisker squarely knocks the Port Ellen off the perch as the dram to die for and is quite possibly one of the best Special Release Taliskers so far.  It begins to show its age with the woody notes on the finish, but is just the right side of wisdom vs senility. 

Following on from this elderly man of the sea, we segue neatly into the Brora.  

Brora - Special Release -  35 Years Old - 1976/1977 refill American Oak - 48.1% - 1,566 bottles £400

Nose: Wow! It's a Super-Clynelish!!  a very waxy entry, with bags of fresh fruit, perfume, citrus notes and vanilla custard. The wax is like a mature heather honey, sweet, rich and unctuous.  With water, the floral notes develop with fruit gums, a touch or fresh mint and a dusty, leathery note.  Aged, but quite, quite lovely. 

Palate: Subtle and engaging, with more waxy honey, some citrus blossom, a touch of wet hay and a soft peat.  Water brings out more of the fruit, the waxy honey getting more complex.  

Finish: Dry floral notes, with a touch of oakiness and a lingering smoke right on the back palate.

Overall:  Another excellent Brora release. Despite its age, this has defied descending into a woody abyss and the classic wax and fruit combo ensure there's plenty of life and complexity left in this.  Superb.  Compared to to the pricing of the Port Ellen and the Talisker, this is also looking like a bit of a bargain too. 

A quick whizz around the other tables gives us an over view on both the Lagavulins (we reviewed the 21yo fully here) and bloody excellent it is too, with smoky malt, classic Laga carbolic notes, alongside some drying sherry wood (£350) When you have a bench mark as good as the 16yo, it's tough to really shine and this 21yo manages to keep the doubters at bay. The 12yo (£71) continues very much in the rich vein of the previous year's releases, with a more vivid nose of raw peat, spirit, zesty limes and carbolic soap.  

Over on the Caol Ila table, the addition of sherry casks has changed the direction of the annual 'unpeated'  version of this Islay classic, now 14 years old. (£66)  Gone are the candy floss and lemon sherbets, replaced by a dryer wood note, some butterscotch, spiced apple and hot buttered toast.  Tasty, but I can't help but miss the Victorian sweetshop explosion of the previous years. 

The Dalwhinnie (25 years old, £185) rolls into town, full of dried ginger, vanilla, mint humbugs and a surprisingly big hit of clove, no doubt developing from the rejuvenated casks used in its maturation.  

The final whisky is a bit of a curved ball, but in all honesty, it's the best Special Release this year and a refreshing change from the obvious contenders such as the (disappointing) Port Ellen and the (excellent) Brora and Talisker.   Roll up your sleeves and get stuck into the Auchroisk... you'll not be disappointed...

Auchroisk - 30 Years Old - 1982 - American & European oak -  54.7% - 2,976 bottles - RRP £230

Nose: This absolutely sings, straight from the first nosing.  Water melon, candied peel, sweet tea, a slight emulsion note, spicy sherry oak and a hint of charred vanilla / coconut.  Open, direct and expressive. 

Palate: More sweetness, with candied cherries, a burst of fresh vanilla pods, mango, some PX style spiciness and a touch of drying American oak.  This is the sort of whisky that keeps evolving, first from the fresh fruit and sweetness, then into spicy, woody notes.  With water, the fruit gets more perfumed and a hint of creaminess develops, alongside orange zest, milky coffee and chewy toffee. 

Finish:  More of the lingering coffee and tropical fruit notes.

Overall:  What a welcome surprise.  This is a superb release, full of complex layers of fruit, spice and creaminess.  Whilst it won't come top on the diehard Islay/peat fans lists (which is a shame, as it kicks the arse of the Port Ellen, the Lagavulin and possibly even the Talisker) for those in search of something different, you'll be well rewarded here... and at £230, you could almost buy three bottles for the price of one Port Ellen.  Think about it. 

The Wemyss Medal Table

Ok, so we're one day off now, weather looks great, Boris has just given a suitably rousing, but slightly xenophobic speech at Hyde Park and we got the first gob-smacking, hum-dinging mistake out the way with the Korean flag f**k up.  Having been down to see the Olympic torch relay hit my manor on Tuesday, to witness the reaction it got from the usually cynical South Londoners, I think the Olympics and Team GB are going to be a huge success.

But what to drink?

Is there a gold, silver and bronze line up of booze out there, to enjoy in times of triumph - and perhaps a commiseration dram to lift one's spirits when diving sensation Tom Daley comes 6th, due to suffering fatigue from all his pre-Olympics media commitments.

Of course it is completely subjective, but here at Caskstrength, we've worked out a little drinking game to mirror the actual games themselves.

In-keeping with the actual medals table, we'll be trying to consume beverages produced by the top ten medal winning nations during the next two weeks.  Now as you will see below, this immediately presents us with a continent-sized problem.  Looking at the huge success of China in the 2008 Beijing games, I think we'll mostly be drinking shochu for a fortnight.  However, we've come up with a strategy to combat this, due to the lack of  readily available domestic Chinese spirit in the Caskstrength office. As whisky is now hugely popular in China, and often consumed with green tea, we'll use this as our oriental caveat. 


So Russia...erm...vodka?


 And South Korea?... Oh forget it. What a bloody stupid idea this was.

Joking aside, we will be bringing you whiskies from a few international nations over the Olympic period and, when we can be bothered, a fun, national-themed cocktail too.  Tonight though, we'll start with our first offering in the shape of a trio of excellent new releases from indie bottlers, Wemyss (or to apply the ludicrous-Olympics-theme-we've-mistakenly-saddled-ourselves- with, 'Team GB')

We last featured a batch of their interestingly titled releases last year and in that time, the world seems to have gone a little bit gaga for their flavoursome offerings.  This current batch is in keeping with the creative naming policy, working on dessert themes.  So seeing as my supper of tuna and lime fishcakes, steamed anya potatoes and peas has now gone down, I might as well prepare for afters...

Wemyss - Campbeltown -  Glen Scotia - 1991 - 'Strawberry Ganache' - 46%

Nose: Waxy notes, dark honey, malt extract, floor polish, honey comb and dark chocolate. It's very rich, malty and heavy- more Black Forest Gateau, than a ganache.  

Palate:  A lovely silky, oily mouthfeel, giving notes of woody sherry, cinnamon bark, black treacle and tobacco.  Given a bit of time, mint humbugs and rum-soaked raisins coat the whole of the mouth.  

Finish: Lengthy, malty, bittersweet and heavyweight. In fact, as heavy as an olympic medal, no doubt.  

Overall: If this were a medal, colour wise, it has to be bronze, but don't let the colour influence your decision- this is a top step of the podium whisky. Superb.

                                     

Wemyss -  Highland -  Clynelish - 1997 - 'Fresh Fruit Sorbet' - 46%  

Nose: Wow, now we've finished our ganache (or gateau) it's on to a palate cleansing fruit salad and what a bowl of loveliness we have here.  Papaya, blood orange, fresh strawberry, lavender, parma violet, fruit sherbet and freshly cut red apple.  There's also a waft of cedarwood if you dig deep enough.

Palate: Quite hot, but then an explosion of fruitiness on the tongue, tinned peaches and cream, mango, raspberries, more sherbet (citrus this time) and American original chewing gum (think Hubba Bubba or Bazooka Joes)

Finish: The fruit notes linger, with a touch of green apple peel, giving way to some lighter liquorice spiciness. Not hugely lengthy, but pleasant and very summery. 

Overall:  Unusually fruity for a Clynelish, lacking some of the waxy notes one would ordinarily expect, but making up for the absence with that stonking fruit bowl effect. Golden in colour, but perhaps running a close second or silver to the Glen Scotia. 

Our final contestant is the youngest of the trio, coming from the Lowlands.  Will it be Usain Bolt on a good day... or a 2012 Daley Thompson comeback?  Let's find out.

Wemyss - Lowland - Auchentoshan - 1998 -  'Lemon Sorbet' - 46%

Nose: Unusual at first, sappy pine freshness, pea shoots and clean linen all spring to attention off the bat.  Given time, some pencil shavings, followed by a touch of basil start to develop. It's hard to pin this one down and it is a little closed.  A drop of water brings out some more mineral-like notes and some cherry sherbet.

Palate: Sweet, with a touch of vanilla, more cherry sherbet but quite short in the character department, compared to the other two. A touch of pepper rounds out the experience.

Finish: Short, with notes of vanilla again.

Overall: The weakest of the three releases, this has moments where it tries to grab your attention, but is just a little too polite, compared to the might of the Glen Scotia and the fruity charm of the Clynelish.  

To stick with the Olympic theme (sorry) the Auchentoshan is probably a little way off being selected for Team GB, needing more time to find its feet, whereas the Glen Scotia is the already experienced  gold medal shoe-in Sir Chris Hoy and the Clynelish a confident, talented and very feminine Jessica Ennis. 

Promise i'll stop now.  Let's hope the lighting of the opening ceremony Olympic flame goes more smoothly than this shocking fire lighting attempt:

Competition Time - Win Exclusive Tickets to the Irish Open, Courtesy of Bushmills

Well folks, it's competition time for you and this time we have an absolute cracker.  Caskstrength have teamed up with Bushmills for an exclusive competition to win tickets to this years Irish Open Golf tournament.  

Bushmills Irish Whiskey are the official sponsor of the 2012 Irish Open, taking place at Royal Portrush Golf Club from 28^th June to 1^st July.

The Old Bushmills Distillery and Royal Portrush Golf Club are two icons of the North Coast of Ireland. Just four miles apart, both are known and loved around the world, both are award winners and both represent the very best of what the region has to offer.

To celebrate its sponsorship, Bushmills is offering Caskstrength readers the chance to win a VIP trip to the Irish Open on Friday 29th June, as well as a private tour of what is the unofficial 19^th hole at the tournament - the Old Bushmills Distillery.  

The prize includes two tickets to the Irish Open on Friday 29^th June, flights for the winners to and from Northern Ireland, luxury hotel accommodation, transfers to the Irish Open and a tour of the Old Bushmills Distillery for the winners. What's not to like about this!

To enter, just answer this simple question below: 

In what year was the Bushmills area granted its licence to distil?

A: 1607, B: 1608, C: 1609?

Email your name, your age, contact details and location and your answer A, B or C to BushmillsGolf@caskstrength.net with the subject line 'Bushmills Golf'.

Good Luck!

Some important stuff- Bushmills have asked to remind you to enjoy Bushmills sensibly, drinkaware.co.uk for the facts.  Over 18’s only, terms and conditions apply. Full terms and conditions can be found here Closing date is 11:59pm on Saturday 23^rd June, 2012 One entry per person

A Brace of New Taliskers

Well then. After our monumental trip to Islay, it felt only right to lay off whisky for a few days and let the collective Caskstrength metabolism recover from all the remarkable drams we tried, as well as the equally remarkable Glen Gusset, which is currently residing in a small wooden vessel in a secret location. 


But on returning to London, it seemed the whisky world had carried on valiantly in our absence - samples of a brand new Cutty Sark (Storm) had arrived, alongside the new Irish whiskey, Yellow Spot (stay tuned for a full review) But our eye was immediately drawn to a package marked Talisker.  Hmmm. what could be inside we wondered.  Rumours of a new Talisker have been doing the rounds, so we eagerly opened the packaging and found that not only was there one new release, but two... perhaps a third around the corner too?  who knows...


Anyway, the two whiskies in our sample pack will be well known to most Talisker fans already, only they've now been made full 'family members', rather than just part of the Diageo special release programme.   


According to the press release,  'Talisker 25 year old and Talisker 30 year old will be available on a regular basis within the Talisker range - although necessarily in limited editions, and bottled at the traditional Talisker strength of 45.8% ABV.'Here's our thoughts on these, the first of the brand new formulations:

Talisker - 25 years Old -  45.8% - 2012 Edition

Nose: Soft fruit crumble, (raspberries and strawberries) cotton bandages, floral candle wax, hot fudge sauce and a little zing of liquorice and soft peat smoke. With water the wax notes become more prominent. Classic Talisker, but with a softer, more comforting underbelly.  

Palate: That equally classic Talisker pepper note is there, but not as spiky as the ten year old.  It subsides into golden syrup, a blast of spices (more liquorice and anise) some creamy milk chocolate and something waxy, silky and mouth coating.  With water a malty note comes to the fore, alongside some dairy fudge (or Tablet) and fresh raspberries.  Superb.


Finish:  the rasps seem to linger, alongside a little dusting of black pepper.


Overall: Of all the Talisker's we've tried, this age seems to perfectly characterise a great whisky maturing gracefully. The ten year old is still the benchmark and alongside the 18 year old, forms the bedrock of flavours that this bottling sits perfectly aloft.  We for one are delighted that there's going to be a regular supply of this for the future, not just on specialist allocation. 

Next up:  30 years old:

                                            Talisker - 30 Years Old - 45.8% - 2012 Edition


Nose: Fruitier than the 25 year old and perhaps a touch more floral, with notes of the scented candle wax, stewed rhubarb and baked sweet pastry.  With water, a return to the spices of the 25 year old, but with a little added oomph...


Palate: Slightly more abrasive than the 25 year old, but with more immediate notes of lemon zest, cracked black pepper, sliced green apples and the soft peat smoke you'd expect in a dram of aged Talisker. With water, some medicinal throat lozenges emerge. 


Finish:   The medicinal lozenge notes linger, alongside some creamy undertones.


Overall:  Very similar to the 25 year old, but if we're honest, I think the younger brother just nicks it in terms of being the most impressive.  
 

Islay Odyssey - Day Two: No Joel, This Isn't The Bar We're Looking For - It's The Job Centre

Well here we are well rested and safely ensconced on Islay. Despite the long drive up, there really is no other way to travel over to this glorious isle. Our previous Campbeltown adventure culminated in us already being weighed down with no less than TEN purchases so the car made a reassuring, yet slightly alarming clatter as we pulled away from the Port Askaig ferry terminal to the strains of our 'Now That's What I Call Islay' -  Volume 4. Fresh in our memory was the superb discovery of the Ardshiel Hotel in Campbeltown, home to a great newly refurbished whisky bar with around 1000 bottles of single malt.
Richard Paterson had recently been in to do a tasting and the owners were thrilled that the bar is gathering a real buzz about it.  We elected to have dinner there accompanied by a tasting flight of local drams selected by the bartender Neil MacKinnon.  And what a flight.  Starting with a highly surprising Glengyle Work In Progress 3 (aged around six years old and already packing a rich flavour and plenty of promise for the next few years) we then enjoyed a rich, syrupy and sweet Glen Scotia 12 year old (which paired well with a home made steak pie). To finish, a Springbank 10 year old rounded out what highlights a vibrant and very distinct region of whisky making, which if you haven't already, should be visited at your earliest convenience.

Pulling in to Port Askaig, we were very much now on a mission. With the new (when does it stop being ‘new’) CalMac ferry ‘Finlaggan’ in our rear-view mirror, the full force of the ‘Japanese Mercedes’ powered us down the road to our first port of call, Lagavulin Distillery.

Greeted by the always affable distillery manager Georgie Crawford, we were booked on to the grandly named ‘Ultimate Islay Tour’ which promised unique access to the three Daigeo-owned sites on the island: Lagavulin, the Port Ellen Maltings and Caol Ila Distillery-  All for the princely sum of £240. That might seem like a lot of money, and it is, but included in the price is transport around the island, a picnic lunch (more on that later), plenty of rare and hard-to-find whisky and both the now-sold-out (and already on eBay *sigh*) Lagavulin Feis Ile bottling and the sister Feis Ile release from Caol Ila, hosted by Classic Malts Ambassador Donald Colville.


The tour was designed to show previously off-limits areas around the facilities and our first treat was a trip up the stairs to the long since abandoned Lagavulin malting floors, which lay untouched since the 1970's. The old malt bins and bits of machinery were still there, giving us an idea of how far this now powerhouse-of-a-distillery had come in the last 40 years.   The view from the stone staircase over the bay was probably worth the entry price alone.  Georgie then escorted us to the dunnage warehouses and regaled us with stories of the distillery in the 70's, showing us some rather exciting casks in the process, including the one below:

The story goes that Iain McArthur discovered cask 12162 in the warehouse and remembered it as a significant vessel from his time working at Port Ellen. In fact, it was known as the 'remnant cask', where it was used to store the remaining liquid from every single Port Ellen spirit run from 1967-1983!  So a pretty significant and historical piece of wood indeed.

The cask now holds a ten year old Lagavulin from 2002, which Georgie drew some samples of for us to try. Clearly the cask was chosen back in the day for its neutrality and the Lagavulin retains a lot of its spirit character, alongside some wonderful cream soda notes. Our next dram was a 1966 Lagavulin from cask 552 (which we tried during a previous Feis Ile trip) and the setting for the tasting was the wonderful Lagavulin castle ruins, the fresh sea air making the dram taste even better in our opinion.

After our hit of history from Ms Crawford, we were to head to one of the newer sites on the island, Port Ellen Maltings. Built at the end of the 1970’s / start of the 1980’s, the Port Ellen Maltings worked alongside the now much loved and dearly departed Port Ellen distillery for three years before the spirit-producing side was decommissioned in 1983.  Now a huge factory churning out malt for several of the island's distilleries, we were to be given a tour by (the brilliantly named) Ramsay Borthwick, who had taken over as the maltings manager just a week before, having previously been site operations manager at Talisker.

Reinstalled at the site is the old wooden marrying vessel from Port Ellen distillery, in which every single drop of Port Ellen was stored before being siphoned off for filling. The tap (seen in the picture on the right) has had pretty much every drop of PE ever made pass through it at some stage. Nice.

Onwards and upwards the tour progressed with Ramsay doing a fantastic job of explaining a very complex and highly scientific malting process, through the medium of 'chocolate'. (The outer layer of the chocolate bar being the barley husk and the squares inside the starch molecules) What’s not to like about that?! All in, this one of the most comprehensive tours of maltings I have been on and to say I learnt a lot would be an understatement. It almost required a mini-graduation ceremony at the conclusion of the tour. *applause*

From Port Ellen, we were bundled in to our people carriers and carted off to the peat bogs to meet the legend that is Iain McArthur. After a picnic lunch of rolls made from the grist (flour) at Lagavulin (ergo, giving a sweet and smoky nature to the fresh bread) filled with either locally smoked salmon / smoked venison, it was our turn to have a go at digging out some peat, all aided by a dram of Caol Ila 12 years old, unpeated.

As usual, Neil turned up in totally inappropriate footwear, stomping across the boggy ground in a what can only be described as a pair of plimsolls while everyone else around donned some form of Northface-esque foot attire. Watching him attempt to cut peat in such a get-up almost made the entire trip worthwhile...

Having suitably refreshed ourselves with rolls and drams, it was time to head onwards to the north of the island and up to Caol Ila, stopping firstly for a wee dram at their water source.

Climbing up to the (pretty depleted) loch, we were greeted by Caol Ila distillery manager Billy Stitchell with a rather odd looking decanter, something he’d grabbed from his office before coming out to meet us. It turned out to be the Caol Ila Flora & Fauna series bottling, a rather tasty 15 year old offering:

Caol Ila - 15 Year Old -  Flora & Fauna Series -  43%

Nose: Wow, this is highly unexpected.  Not at all like the modern era Caol Ila bottlings we're used to and perhaps more like Rosebank, if it happened to be lightly peated, or a younger Port Ellen.  Swirls of tropical fruit, mangos, sweet vanilla, butter, coconut and soft medicinal peat and chamois leather note. Absolutely superb. 

Palate:  The fruit continues on the palate, with some lighter notes of stewed plums, green apples and lemon zest, all underpinned with a delicate waft of peat.

Finish:  Lingering notes of syrup and apple.

Overall: Undoubtedly one of the finest Caol Ila's we've tried. Subtle, gentle, yet complex, this bottling is almost like a greatest hits of single malts.  

Having supped our dram while gazing out at where the water to make this fantastic whisky originally came from, we made our way down to the final destination for the day, Caol Ila distillery itself.

Arriving, we were treated to a tour of the distilleries newly expanded operations, with two huge new washbacks and one massive new mash tun, all aiding the increased production at this site which in-turn, will service the increased demand for whisky across the globe.

Ending up at the top of the distillery, (literally on the roof) it was time to try what we thought would be the last dram of the day (but boy, were we mistaken), the Caol Ila Feis Ile 2012 bottling:

Caol Ila – Feis Ile 2012 – Filled: 15/01/2001 – cask no 300897 – 60.4% abv – 70cl (around 620 bottles)

Nose: A huge hit of the classic coal dust smoke, followed by rich runny honey, some mint jelly, hot sand after rainfall and some red berries. With water the spiced fruit notes increase and the whisky takes on aromas of mincemeat.  

Palate: Hot and smoky, this gives off wafts of bacon frazzle crisps, meaty overtones of smoked haggis and sweet cure bacon. With water, the sherried nature of this comes to life with more vibrancy and colour to the palate. Really takes water well.

Finish: Long, lingering and smoky.

Overall: We both agreed that this is the best Caol Ila Feis Ile bottling to date with an excellent balance -  powerful, yet complex.

But- oh no... As everyone turned to leave, the sight of another three whiskies in Billy's office took us all by surprise.  The sound of jaws dropping could be heard as far away as the Islay Woollen Mill. Alongside the 2012 Lagavulin Feis Ile bottling sat  two final drams and perhaps the pinnacle of Islay whiskies in our humble opinion- Port Ellen annual release No.1 (which we reviewed last year and tasted equally as exquisite stood on the rooftop at Caol Ila) and the official bottling of Lagavulin 30 year old.  

Breathe deeply caskstrength...

Lagavulin - 2012 Feis Ile Release - 1998 - Cask 1716 - 55.1% 

Nose: Raspberry ripple ice cream, apple strudel and icing sugar.  Sweet, with the classic cream soda and carbolic soap underneath.

Palate: Vanilla notes, green apple, some chopped hazelnuts and a big hit of medicinal smoke.  Lighter than the 16yo, but slightly more complex than the 12yo.  

Finish: Lingering orchard fruit and a sooty peat smoke.

Overall:  We were divided over whether this was better than the Caol Ila, with Joel preferring it, but Neil feeling the spiciness and fruit of the Caol Ila tipped the balance in its favour.

Lagavulin - 30 years Old - Distilled 1976 -  52.6%

Nose: Candied fruit, tinned peaches, chamois leather, lemon meringue pie, lavender and a hint of Parma Violets.  The smoke is restrained, gentle and super subtle, with just a caressing waft of the classic Lagavulin carbolic soap. Truly astonishing.

Palate: This is where it gets really serious. Coconut, more lavender, light vanilla stewed fruit (rhubarb, strawberry and raspberries) with an underpinning of American oak-influenced creaminess, this whisky just screams - no sorry - whispers perfection. The balance is extraordinary. 

Finish:  The fruit notes give way to more of the light peat and a touch of creamy maltiness for an extremely long finish indeed.

Overall: No doubt, the finest Lagavulin ever bottled.  This is one of those whiskies that demands the time, the company, the setting and your full attention and delivers more than you could ever hope for.  

Despite the relatively high face value of this tasting, if you break down the actual value and quality of the whisky tasted, the two festival bottlings, the unprecedented access to previously off-limits distillery areas and, more than anything, the time spent with the likes of Georgie, Billy, Ian and Ramsay for pretty much a whole day, this is undoubtedly cheaper than the sum of the parts if they were offered individually. As a result, it is one of the best tastings the festival has surely offered thus far.  Lord knows what they're planning for 2013. 

Irish Eyes

Well, it's been a few weeks since we were there, but our thoughts are still very much on the fun we had in Dublin just before St Patrick's Day. As with last years festivities, we were both on hand during the Jameson Global Broadcast to offer a vaguely English take on Irish whiskey for the assembled DJ's who travelled from across America, Scandinavia, South America and for the first time, India!

However, before the event kicked off, Jameson threw one of their famed Cult Cinema nights to entertain the DJs and this year, the theme was The Blues Brothers. Arriving at a huge warehouse, made to look like the Chicago State Penitentiary, the guests were herded in by surly looking prison guards (and not so surly, as you'll see from these pictures).

Canteen food was served, whilst the legendary film played out on a huge screen, diners flanked by guards with guns. It gave the whole film a new dimension of realism. Then, just when we weren't expecting it- James Brown arrived on stage! (Obviously not THE James Brown but a pretty accurate reproduction named Buck from Texas). From here on in, people were dancing on tables, Jameson cocktails in hand and the strains of Everybody Needs Somebody are probably still echoing around the warehouse today- all in all a superb night!

It was great catching up with our old friend Henry, the John Peel of Boston, proudly residing over the airwaves of WFNX in Boston. Henry knows a few things or two about music (he was probably the first person in America to play U2, Adele and Mumford & Sons) so we had a good catch up about his tips for the future and his choice of St Patrick's Day soundtrack, which you can see below:

Next on the Caskstrength interview trail was a newcomer to the Jameson Global Broadcast- Michelle Patrao from Radio Indigo in Mumbai. Despite the rain, Michelle had some big plans for larging it Dublin style on St Patrick's day.

After meeting so many fantastic people from across the globe, we relaxed with measure of Jameson to discuss the merits of Irish whiskey with Liam Donegan, one of Jameson Distillers, who treated us to this excellent bottling:

Jameson - Select Reserve - Black Barrel - 40% abv

Nose: Obviously Irish, obviously Jameson but this whiskey has come from oak casks which have been heavily charred, giving the nose more punch than normal for a triple distilled offering. Some spices, reduced sugars and red fruit jams are apparent.

Palate: The palate delivers what the nose promises, with the rich red fruits (reduced with sugar in pan) being backed with some creamy notes, toasted wholemeal bread and slowly melting butter.

Finish: Smooth and rich, this whiskey really is a level above.

Overall: Seems as rare as hens teeth, but if you get a chance, grab a taste. Well worth it.

Next on the list was a meeting with Paul Daly. Artist, cocktail bar owner and designer of the new limited release St Patricks Day bottling of Jameson Original, five bottles of which we gave away in our competition in February, it was fantastic to hear from this Hoxton Sq based creative about his Irish background and how he was influecned to create the unique bottling he did, drawing mainly on the concept of updating the classic imagery from the Irish book of Kells.

The Global Broadcast really brings home that on a day like St Patrick's Day, no matter where you are, get the right group of people together in a room and the fun will start to kick off... and clearly, a few drams of Jameson may help to lubricate the whole thing, just to be sure.

Come Fly With Us!!

'This is Captain Ridley speaking. We're currently cruising around 40,000 ft on Flight W.H.1.5.K.Y and there's no sign of any turbulence whatsoever. So sit back relax and enjoy the compliments of our fully stocked whisky bar- there's a few fabulous flights of cracking drams to choose from...'

No we haven't gone barking mad due to decompression sickness or over indulging on salty in-flight snacks, we simply wanted to invite you to a rather fun masterclass tasting we're hosting at this year's Whisky Live London on Friday 23rd March.

Both Joel and I will be your whisky pilots, taking the assembled Club Class ticket holders through SIX exceptional drams, that are only available as Travel Retail Exclusives. The 'Flight' features some sought after bottlings of old, as well as a host of brand new releases, which have only just been launched in airports across the globe, so promises to be a very smooth journey indeed!

Something from the trolley?

Not only will you be receiving a special commemorative whisky tasting passport on check in, but we've taken the liberty of hiring a highly attentive, glamourous air stewardess to serve your drams throughout the flight. There will also be a few surprises in store and perhaps even a little 'in flight entertainment'.

There are just twenty places available for the tasting which will be leaving promptly at 8.15pm on Friday 23rd March so consider it like travelling via a whisky fuelled private jet! Tickets are just £15 each for the tasting, so for booking or further information, visit www.whiskylive.com

Whisky Live - The Honourable Artillery Company, Armoury House, City Road, London, EC1Y 2BQ

We'll be doing a little competition to win other Whisky Live goodies later this week, so stay tuned... and until then - have a safe flight, with Caskstrength Airways....