Emerald Gold - The Whisky Exchange's Midleton Single Cask

With the weather turning a little colder this week, I've opted to stay in, reorganise a few things in our office drinks cabinet and nail down a few of the excellent samples that have recently turned up here.

And what better way than to shift any persistent chills than with a brace of new Port Askaigs from our friends at Speciality Drinks.

We first featured this bespoke Islay brand a few years back and the 17yo really got our clappers rattling. Classic blasts of salty, sooty peat smoke and a sweet creamy undertone seem to characterise where these bottlings are heading, despite the absence of any mention of the actual contents (we'd hazard a guess at Caol Ila, but could be wildly out)

But before these, (stay tuned for later this week) a special treat is in order. The chaps also included a sample of a very special Irish whiskey, exclusive to Speciality Drinks...and it's an absolute triumph.

The Midleton distillery is perhaps the largest distillery i've ever seen, providing whiskey for not only Jameson, but Red Breast, Green Spot, Powers and a plethora of other well known Irish whiskey brands - as well as a fine line in exclusive bottlings under the Midleton banner.  Speciality have secured a single cask, distilled in 1991 and are releasing it a 54.1%.  Are we excited by what we've just poured into the glass? Tobesuretobesuretobesure!!!

Speciality Drinks - Midleton  - Single Cask Irish Whiskey - Distilled November 1991 - Bottled October 2012 -  54.1% 

Nose: Quite simply, an absolute symphony of tropical aromas: Fresh mango, passion fruit, white peach, papaya, kiwi fruit and dried apricot lead first, then it's off into white chocolate, freshly picked mint leaves, swathes of vanilla, a hint of redcurrant and some woody, cedar/cigarbox notes.  About as perfect a nose as i've ever experienced in an Irish whiskey. 

Palate: The strength is there at first, but it doesn't get in the way of a continuation of the fresh fruit:  more ripe peaches, a touch of pineapple, creamy vanilla, stewed apple with a dusting of anise and cinnamon.  The flavours hit in waves; first very fresh, then juicy, then creamy. One criticism unfairly levelled at Irish whiskey is that it perhaps lacks a certain amount of complexity or richness when compared to a similarly aged single malt from Scotland. After a few sips of this all I can say is bollocks to that.  It's simply sensational. 

Finish: As the fruits die away, a distinct pepperiness develops, alongside the creamy notes and perhaps even a touch of dried ginger.  

Overall:  Contender for the best Irish whiskey i've ever tasted?  Without a doubt.  The slight downside here is that it costs a considerable sum - £235. But for a 20 year old whisk(e)y of this calibre, I can think of a number of similarly priced alternatives (Scotch, Japanese or American) that wouldn't even start to scrape the surface of how unique this is.  

If this is too rich for you, fret not.  Midleton's Barry Crockett Legacy will set you back £100 less than this and a bottle of RedBreast 15 year old delivers similar flavours in spades and will cost you £67. 

According to the bean counters and statisticians, Irish whiskey is the fastest growing dark spirit in the world right now.  Hard to argue with that when you have flavours as triumphant as these. 

18 Under 30 Part 17: Compass Box Asyla

Will someone turn the (Christmas) lights off when they leave?  

It seems that now all of us have survived the so-called Mayan Apocalypse, festive relief has truly set in across the globe and most of us decided to skip off work today, in search of a few last Christmas bargains they can get their hands on before settling back into a week of pure indulgence.

That is certainly the case for the Caskstrength office anyway -  Harrison, decided to clock off last Friday (Bah, Humbug indeed)  and headed for Scotland (alright for some, eh) whilst I ably manned the phones and the company Visa card -  keenly perusing the internet for whisky porn bargains.

And as part of our ongoing 18 Under £30 series, I've sought out another cracker, this time from our pals at Compass Box.

John Glaser and his team have, for over a decade, been putting together some excellent blended whiskies, including sublime grains and essential malt-based bottlings - all under the maxim, 'Above All, Share & Enjoy', which is a sentiment we wholeheartedly second.




So if you fancy something a little bit different over Christmas, remember the versatility of a quality blend: straight up, over ice, with sparkling water or as part of a cocktail, bottlings like Great King Street (£23.99) and the richer, more complex Spice Tree (£37.32) will serve you very well indeed.  However, our 18 Under 30 wouldn't be complete without this little offer: Compass Box Asyla for under £30!

Compass Box - Asyla - Blended Scotch Whisky - 40% 70cl

Nose: Some seriously fruity notes of fresh orchard fruit (red apples, plums) wrestle with some distinct melon freshness, a blast of sweet grain and a waft of subtle smoke.  

Palate: Sweet at first, with plum jam, some sliced apple, sweetened breakfast cereal, vanilla notes and again just a wisp of smoke.  Balanced, yet bold enough to punch through in a long drink or cocktail.

Finish: Lingering notes of vanilla and a little liquorice/anise spice, alongside some malty bread.

Overall:  One of the core Compass Box range and easy to see why - Asyla is well blended, stupidly easy to drink and as we mentioned above, extremely versatile.   Blending at its best. 

Compass Box Asyla is available for under £30 here and here.

18 Under 30 Part 8: Ramos Pinto 20 Year Old Tawny Port

Hands up then. Honestly, how many folks out there regularly buy either port or sherry?  One, two, three, four... any more??  The sad fact is that as wonderfully scrumptious as they are, those few of you with their hands up are very much in a minority.  Outside of the festive season, port is rarely seen in anyone's glasses, save for a few ruddy old chaps reclining in wood panelled drawing rooms, after a long, coma-inducing three hour lunch.  And as much as we love gastronomy, something is quite remiss here. 

Similarly, the large proportion of port is bought from supermarket chains in the run up to Christmas to be enjoyed alongside the Christmas pudding and obligatory truckle of ripe Stilton cheese. Nothing wrong with this, but when the damn thing has been left in a steaming hot kitchen for the day, it's never at its best...

Oh the injustice! Or something like that, we snigger.  Seriously, we're not that precious about how, when, or indeed why people buy port, we're just thankful that they do, because we bloody love the stuff and Christmas gives us yet another reason to pick up a couple of unusual bottles, offered at bargain prices.  

To give the supermarket chains their credit, the first shelves worth scouring for interesting bottles of port are the big boys.  Sainsburys, Aldi and Tesco have all recently stocked more than their fair share of fruity, fortified bang-for-buck blockbusters:  Tawny port aged in oak, Late Bottled Vintage, single quinta bottlings and crusted port -  one of our biggest discoveries in the past several years for its layers of complexity at a price that doesn't require a platinum Amex.   

However this edition of 18 under 30 focuses on a rather spectacular wine from a certain port house which we visited several years ago and totally fell in love with: Ramos Pinto. 

Ramos Pinto is one of Portugal’s most highly regarded names in the production of port.  Founded in 1880, RP's vintage bottlings carefully blend together wines made from Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca grapes and are then aged for minimum 18 months in oak or chestnut casks.  Alongside their exceptional wines, their artistic bent is very much stuck in the 1920's, which pleases us greatly, as signified by this little gem to the left. But it is the winery's tawny ports that have impressed us the most: oaky, rich and exceptionally balanced they veer effortlessly between ripe red fruit, citrus zest and spicier dried fruit.  

Perfect for a festive tipple then? Oh yes, but given a little time in the fridge, (which we'd urge you to try with any tawny port - especially this Christmas) they're also perfect fare for a long lazy summer afternoon in a hammock, watching your neighbour trying in vain to light his barbecue.  

Anyway, back to the subzero December temperatures, tinsel and festivity.  This Christmas, if you discover just one new drink... make it a tawny port.  It's the gift that keeps on giving... 

Ramos Pinto -  Tawny Port - 20 Years Old - 19.5% 50cl

Nose: Hints of plum, honey and warming spices all mix together with a delicate vanilla note on the first nosing. The oak is very well behaved and in return for your patience, you'll find a continued spiciness, mixed with some orange zest, a little fragrant pipe tobacco and blackberries propping up the rest of the glass. 

Palate: Exceptionally smooth, but with just the faintest note of dryness, your mouth is treated to candied dried fruits, ripe figs, plum jam, some tannic tea notes and and a really pleasant oakiness.  After you've guzzled down the first glass, the second will bring you more honeyed sweetness, ripe vanilla and a very well rounded dried fruit note.  Sensational stuff. 

Finish: Incredibly long, with more dried fruits, cereal and hazelnuts.  All in all, an excellent tawny, which has really benefited from a long, woody maturation.  Everything you'd expect (or indeed- hope for) is in there, alongside so much more.  

Ramos Pinto 20 year old tawny is available for £29.95 at The Whisky Exchange

Stay tuned, as we visit some exquisite sherries in our next round of 18 Under 30!

Now That's What I Call Maturation... Volume One!

Here at Caskstrength, we love new whisky related-stuff.  The moment we saw a fully operational three litre copper pot still for sale by the side of the road in rural Portugal, we knew we had to have it.  As you may recall, we had a crack at using it (well someone resembling us anyway) and the results were really rather impressive...well, to us anyway.  The point we're trying to make here is that whether or not the spirit which ran from our little gem is deemed to be any good, we had a fantastic time understanding the principles of distillation (albeit on a micro scale) and it only served to highlight how hard the art of the commercial distiller is.

Recently we took the opportunity to explore another key aspect of the whisky making process, from a micro scale - this time in the shape of a brilliantly novel kit, retailed by a US craft distiller.  The Copper Fox distillery, neatly situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia (hang on, this is the opening line of a wonderful song, is it not?) have, under the tenacious eye of owner Rick Wasmund, been bottling some really interesting expressions - from a spanking single malt, the barley smoked using apple and cherry wood, through to a rye whiskey, with a wonderfully malty spicy character.    One of their latest endeavours is to bring the art of maturation straight out of their Virginia warehouses and into the homes of every would-be distiller/whisky enthusiast interested in the effects of wood on a new make spirit.  The bottom line here isn't to achieve perfection, but to have a bit of fun, play around and experiment.

Wasmund's Mature Your Own Whisky Kit (WMYOW) is now available in Europe for the first time (retailing at £120 from The Whisky Exchange and at its heart comes a miniature two litre charred American oak cask and two 75cl bottles of either the single malt new make spirit or, if you're so inclined, the same quantity of the rye new make.  Both new makes roll in at 62% and the cask is, according to Wasmund, 'of a medium char style'.

Well, we couldn't resist, so now the Caskstrength office has now become a little test haven for maturation.  Speyside dunnage-style it certainly isn't, that's for sure - and i'm pretty sure the view from our windows in Exmouth Market is of the local Post Office sorting office, not the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We plumped for the rye option and set to work ensuring the cask was going to be watertight, by first filling it with room temperature water, then spraying the outer surfaces regularly.  After a day, our little wooden beast was ready to go and we marked 'M Day' as Saturday 20st October.   We'll be monitoring the spirit regularly over the next few months, but by way of a first update one week after filling, the news is interesting.  

Wasmund's rye new make is very fruity, with some spiced notes, a hint of smoke (freshly cut green apples) and some fine citrus notes. As a control, we kept a small sample back to reference throughout the maturation experiment.  After a week in the warehouse with an occasional gentle rolling of the cask when we could remember, the spirit has already begun to evolve.  Gone is the initial fruity apple note, replaced with a lightly peppered meat, lots of charcoal and freshly sawn oak.  It is still youthful, immature and vibrant, but as expected, creeping in are the beginnings of what we were hoping to see.  The cask is clearly going to give this a lot of character in a short space of time, including colour, as you can see, taking on an initial light gold note.

One week, eh... If this was Scotland, that wouldn't even register on the maturation map yet.  In actual fact, it bodes well for our plans to re-use this cask for future experiments.  Because of its obvious dominance, putting something in as easily overpowered as a Scotch single malt would perhaps be foolish, without seasoning it prior to filling and this has thrown up all manner of possibilities - sherry, port, wine, peated whisky, rum, vermouth, cola?? who knows, but in any rate, the next few months will be a hugely fun-filled experience.

We'll be putting up regular updates on the rye on our Facebook page, including interim pics to show you the colour and tasting notes.  It's also been suggested that we could have some fun 'manipulating' the spirit to get more from the cask. Hmmm. Next week, Caskstrength are taking a jaunt across the Pyrenees in a very tasty Maserati GranTurismo, so perhaps I should sling the cask in the boot, for a little 'alpine agitation'? Or should we take a leaf from the Tuthilltown distillery and blast bass-heavy music through the cask? The sky's the limit here.

Hello... here comes the ultimate Maturation Playlist -  or if you like... Now That's What I call Maturation -  Volume One!! Watch this space...

Hot on the heels of this superb kit comes another equally interesting version from our chums at Master Of Malt.  The MOM MYOW kit (£99) includes a one litre kit and new make spirit made from malted barley. We'd love to see whether the results are similar to the rye kit we have.  If you decide to get either of these, please feel free to share the results with us -  we're pretty sure that no two whiskies will turn out the same.

Trick me once...

As is becoming tradition across the web, April Fools Day saw a plethora of creative and interesting press releases and postings. Not that we here at caskstrength.net would ever get involved in anything like that...

So here is a little round up of things we've seen that made us chuckle. If we've missed stuff, add a comment with links etc as we'd love to see more!

Highland Park Press Release:

HIGHLAND PARK TO UNVEIL ANTARCTIC DISTILLERY

Orkney-based Highland Park, Scotland’s northernmost distillery, has announced plans to open a distillery in the South Orkney Islands, Antarctica, creating the southernmost Scotch whisky distillery in the world.

The South Orkney Islands have been part of the British Antarctic Territory since 1962 and because of its British ownership the Scotch Whisky Association has agreed to allow the whisky to be labelled ‘Scotch Whisky’.

Gavin Hewitt, Chief Executive of The Scotch Whisky Association, said: “The team at Highland Park are so passionate about creating a distillery on the British Antarctic islands, we simply couldn’t resist giving them the seal of approval. The Orcadians seem to thrive in extreme weather conditions and I’m sure they will have many adventures in the Antarctic. In the meantime, we’ll continue to enjoy whisky from northern latitudes.”

Gerry Tosh, Highland Park Head of Brand Education, has travelled the world but this is by far the most remote location he has visited. Gerry comments: “I am just back from my second trip to the South Orkney Islands and still amazed by the rough elements and extreme weather conditions with gales reaching 120 miles per hour – just like Orkney!

“The islands are ice-locked from April to November so you can only travel there three months of the year. During my first visit in early December 2008 I spent weeks searching for the perfect spot to set up the distillery.

“In high summer there is no shortage of water in the area and we are currently analysing its suitability. Some treatment may be required to remove fish detritus. However, barley will be shipped in from our sister distillery Tamdhu and Distillery Manager Russell Anderson will bring a quantity of yeast with him as hand luggage. I’m hoping Still Maker Richard Forsyth can join me on my next trip to plan the plant.”

The South Orkney Islands are located at almost the same latitude south as the Scottish based Orkney Islands are north (60°S vs 59°N), although it is not known if this was a factor behind the naming of the islands.

With a similar climate to Orkney, the Antarctic islands are generally wet and windy, however much colder than the Scottish islands. Summers are short and cold (December to March) with average temperatures reaching 2°C which can fall to -39°C in winter months.

The distillery will be based on Coronation Island, the largest of the four islands that make up the South Orkneys, and named after the coronation of King George IV in 1821. Initial forecasts propose that the new distillery will produce 200,000 litres of alcohol per year.

Highland Park is currently working out relocation packages for key workers. Workers will also undertake emergency survival training, including sourcing local foods from marine life as well as being provided with thermal clothing specially made for extreme weather conditions.

After growing up on the Orkney Islands and hardened by its strong elements, Distillery Manager, Russell Anderson, is not fazed by temporarily moving to South Orkney Islands to impart the 210 year long Orcadian whisky-making tradition. Once up and running, Russell will pass on the Distillery Manager role to the Deputy Manager, as part of a career development programme at the new distillery on the Antarctic islands.

Gerry Tosh, Highland Park Head of Brand Education, comments: “At Highland Park we are extremely excited about this project. It allows us to take Scotch whisky to a new level, adopting our skills to colder conditions, and developing a true taste of Antarctica. Some whisky enthusiasts enjoy Highland Park with ice and this will be the ultimate expression to be enjoyed on the rocks."

Due for completion next year, the southernmost Scotch whisky distillery can legally enjoy its first dram in 2013, when the spirit will reach the age of three years maturation in oak casks. The cold climate on South Orkney Islands will mean a longer maturation period is needed so the spirit will be filled into small 30 litre casks to increase the interaction of spirit and wood. Following sampling at three years, the spirit will be left to sleep and shiver for another 12 years to achieve peak perfection.

Highland Park’s Distillery Manager, Russell Anderson, comments: “At our distillery on Orkney we have a lot of geese and use them as 'guard dogs' due to the fact that they are very noisy at signs of intruders. To maintain security at our distillery on Coronation Island, I suppose we could use either penguins or elephant seals to provide the early warning system as apparently they too are very noisy when disturbed.”

To continue Highland Park’s trademark balance of aromatic peat and heather honey sweetness, malted barley will be shipped from the Highland Park distillery on Orkney. This will be combined with the South Orkney Islands extreme elements, creating a mild salty aftertaste – the result of aging in a cold sea sprayed climate.

There are currently no plans to offer guided tours for visitors at the distillery.

Bruichladdich Press Release:

New Cask Finish

A hebridean distiller has been inspired by Scotland’s other national drink for maturing its whisky.

Buckfast is a 15% fortified wine made by Benedictine monks and known affectionately as ‘electric soup’, ‘old buckie’ and ‘commotion lotion’ due to its low price per unit of alcohol.

Bruichladdich distillery is to experiment using some of these casks for maturing Islay single malt whisky

The iconic tonic was the favoured tipple of Rab C Nesbitt, the celebrated Scottish sitcom character based on an angry, alcoholic, street philosopher from Glasgow’s Govan area.

Scotland’s Lanarkshire area, which includes the City of Glasgow, is claimed to be the largest market in the world for the popular drink accounting for 11% of sales.

The cask choice, in honour of a new series of Rab to be shown early 2010, was inspired by Joshua Cheyne, a Glasgow resident with a keen interest in Scotland’s drink culture.

Scotland's Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson launched a campaign to ban the drink, a vanilla rich, red wine based tonic drink based on an 1880 French Benedictine recipe.

Edinburgh Whisky Blog:

God bless 'em.... the top lads over at EWB did what we very nearly did and took the Bruichladdich press release seriously. I mean, it was a good 'un... you could see it being done! Special points go to Mark and the team at Bruichladdich for that one! However, Lucas and Chris got their own back with an excellent posting about the 2010 Whisky Bible, which can be found here.

Whiskyfun.com:

Serge is always good value for an April Fool, and this year was no exception. Following on from the releases of Octomore and Supernova, Serge found a bottle of Kiss Of Death, an ultra peated number that comes in a bottle that looks like a Damien Hirst piece of art. This was all preceded by an article about the Scottish Parliament and biofule!

Whiskystuff Blog:

A lovely little piece here about a "Blended Single Malt Whisky" for £50,000. I'd very much like to meet the Brand Ambassador, one "Tabitha Tittyworth-Rojer" whose Father, I assume, could keep me in Ardbeg Single Casks for the rest of my life...!

Dr.Whisky:

Sam sees what I am doing with the aforementioned Mr. Tittyworth-Rojer and, using his considerable charm, tries to wheedle his way in to a wealthy, old, female New Yorker's will once he discovers she owns the worlds most expensive bottle of whisky. Good luck, Sam! Let me know what else is in her drawers...!

The Whisky Exchange Blog:

Tim opted not to write one this year but instead took his entire whisky allowance down to the local turf accountant and, in a feat that made us laugh the hardest of all, put it on Liverpool FC to win the Premier League! Ha ha ha ha ha ha...

A Few Frugal Fermented Flutters for some Fabulous Festive Fulfilment...(try saying that after several large drams)

The Christmas shopping frenzy is undoubtedly one of the low points in anyone's festive calender- pushing, shoving, fighting for the last, over-priced thing on the shelf, it kind of reminds us of trying to get one of the Festival bottlings at this years Feis Ile.

But fear not...help is at hand. If you were considering buying your loved one a tasty Scottish tipple for their stocking we've been perusing the December bargains at the various supermarkets and booze emporiums, so you don't have to!

Here is a round up of the offers we encountered on a recent shopping trip, with helpful links to their online shops:

Asda, while stocks last:

• Glenmorangie Original- £19.50
• Highland Park 12 year old- £20.50
• Ardbeg 10 year old- £22
• Glenfiddich 12 year old - £20

4 great buys here, with a good £5-6 slashed off the price. They all represent great entry level whiskies for someone taking their first steps in the world of single malts or are just damn good additions to the cabinet for anyone who has tried them before and needs to stock up before the merriment starts.

Waitrose:

• Lagavulin 16 year old- £33.99
• Laphroaig 10 year old - £19.99
• Talisker 15 year old Distillers Edition - £34

Another fabulous haul here. The Lagavulin 16 year old is certainly one of Caskstrength's 'house whiskies' which we simply can't do with out and at £33.99 it's a great time to stock up.
Also special mention to the Talisker- an amazing price of £34, for this Distillers Edition, matured in bourbon oak then transferred to amoroso sherry casks to finish its maturation. Easily the cheapest we've seen it and another great way to enjoy a Tali'...

Sainsburys:

• Dalwhinnie 15 year old- £22.99
• Glenfiddich 18 year old - £30.99
• Glenlivet 12 year old - £19.99

Again, a good £5-6 off most things here. The Glenfiddich 18 year old is a brilliant dram- and at £30.99 is a lovely step up from the 12 year old at a very reasonable cost.

Whisky Exchange:
With so much to choose from, it's hard not to go mad and buy all your friends quality spirits from The Whisky Exchange. We think the following represent their best Christmas buys:

• 'Single Malts Of Scotland' Aultmore 1992 15 year old - £29.25 + a free tasting glass!
• Glenfarclas 15 year old -£ 36.49 + 2 GF tasting glasses
• Glenlivet Nadurra - £37.49
• Laphroaig Quarter Cask £21.99
• Caol Ila Cask Strength (distillery bottling) £31.99

Quarter Cask for 22 quid? dive in now! this is an excellent example of peated perfection that no Islay fan should miss. Most of these have bottles have between £3 and £6 off, so are definitely worth checking out. Also the SMoS range of bottlings, exclusive to the Whisky Exchange are a fabulous way to try genuinely rare and quality casks for 'credit crunch' prices. (Apologies, I had vowed never to use that damn phrase!) The shop is based in Vinopolis nearest tube London Bridge and next to Borough Market, so you can always buy a hand-reared Ostrich burger on the way out!

Oddbins:

• Benromach Traditional - £18.99
• Auchentoshan 3 Wood - £36.99 (buy 2 and save £10)
• Aberlour a'Bunadh - £35.99 (buy 2 and save £10)
• Clynelish 14 year old - £27.99 (buy 2 and save £10)

Some interesting options here- The Aberlour a'Bunadh is a great big sherried monster that dram fans either love or hate. At this price, it might be worth taking the 'Marmite Challenge' to find out what side you and your loved ones fall! Also very good savings on the Benromach Traditional- the first whisky produced after the distilleries re-opening in 2004.

So there you have it- may all your Christmas dreams come true... if they don't... well at least you got some cracking whiskies for peanuts.

Slainte!

Blasda. You can't peat it.

What a weekend. Mid-October and the weather is fantastic. Highs in London of 21 degrees centigrade. Mother Nature is inviting you down the park to play Frisbee and drink Pimms. In October. Let's just confirm here; October. The 10th month in the Gregorian calendar, just TEN WEEKS away from Christmas and I'm in shorts. Could things get any stranger? Well. Yes. They could. Because this month sees the release of Blasda, Ardbeg's "lightly peated" whisky. So, last night a few folk gathered together at an intimate do in the Whisky Exchange shop at Vinopolis, London Bridge where Ardbeg's Distillery Manager Mickey Heads took us on a journey from the new, lightly peated Blasda through to the Ten Year Old, the Uigeadail, Single Cask bottling (cask 1375 from 1974) and finally 2 strange drams, direct from the warehouse. We have previously done notes for the Ten and cask 1375 and there will be tasting notes up later for the Ugi and the two cask samples, but for now let's kick off with the much anticipated Blasda:

Ardbeg Blasda - NAS - 40% - 70cl

What we learnt about this bottling last night was that this batch contains 35% 1st fill and 65% 2nd refill bourbon casks. Let's get our nose into it, then:

N- light peat (no surprise there), grapefruit juice (Echinacea), light mint, vanilla pods, cucumber, waft of smoke. This was the first dram of the evening, and when returning to it having gone through the Ten, Ugi and some single cask stuff you really smell the youthful, light nature of it. It becomes more like silver Tequila (Silver Patron) and, if you are used to big, heavy Ardbeg noses it is something really quite different (even from young Ardbegs such as the Very Young). Is this a bad thing? That is for you to decide.

P- Here we go then. Now for the "money shot". How is this going to go down on the palate? And... it is in the mouth... its gone! Hang on. No it hasn't. It is still there. But it just gives up. It enters like an elderly Morris dancer on a light and breezy summers day into a country pub. Fresh, crisp white clothing, some light bells ringing and lots of colourful ribbon waving, there is a hint of the gentle vanilla pipe tobacco which their friend had been smoking about an hour before. However, once the action starts they can only keep up with the dance for a matter of moments before their knees give way and their back goes. Not enough strength to see it through to the end. And that is the main problem with the Blasda. For all the light hints of Real / Traditional Lemonade, freshly cut grass, peat and minted green peas, there is just not enough strength to carry this through. 46% vol would have been much more helpful for the palate.

F- The finish is pleasant with touches of red chillies and vanilla ice cream (mr whippy style). Then it is all over.

O- So, what do we make of this curious release from a distillery that has worked so hard to build a brand of its smokey and meaty whiskies. Well, Blasda is not a bad whisky. But its just so far away from "Ardbeg". This is the ideal supermarket Ardbeg. Maybe it should be renamed "(bl)ASDA"! It is a good introduction to peat. A gentile take off into a world that most people find difficult to get into. It is, as someone on our table commented, an Ardbeg with stabilisers on.

Pictures from the night on The Whisky Exchange blog here:

http://blog.thewhiskyexchange.com/?page_id=297