Bruichladdich Black Art 4

Spirit Name: Spirit Type:	Bruichladdich Black Art 4 Single malt whisky
Score:	95/100
ABV:	49.2%
Region:	Islay, Scotland
Body:	Medium-full
Intensity:	Medium-high
Texture:	Smooth
Balance:	Superb
Best served: Cask:	Neat, with water  American and French Oak
Theme(s):	(N) Citrus, buttery barley, hazelnut, chocolate, toasted coconut, vanilla, polished mahogany, drying wine (T) Powerful, assertive and bold, almond noughat, glazed cherries, chocolate, mild smoke, salt, Asian spices (F) sizzling sweet and sour, chilies, smoke, salt, apricot danish, cinnamon
Thoughts:	Black Art 4 is the fourth release of Bruichladdich's popular "Black Art", which is comprised of whisky from a selection of casks that are kept a closely guarded secret. The only information released about this mysterious whisky is that it was distilled in 1990, aged for 23 years during which American and French Oak casks are used and bottled at 49.2% alcohol volume. All other information appears to be suppressed, just like the recipe for the Big Mac sauce, the Colonel's herbs and spices or what on Earth my girlfriend wants for Valentine's day!  Bruichladdich is a distillery located on the island of Isay in Scotland, where hundreds of years ago the island natives learned the art of distilling from Irish monks.Over the next hundred years demand for whisky gradually expanded, and to service this demand Bruichladdich was founded in 1881. It closed in 1994, and aging stocks of whisky were left to do what they do best - absorb phenolic compounds from the oak. The distillery was subsequently purchased by private investors and re-opened in 2001. Jim McEwan was signed on as Master Distiller and the team has been keeping a lot of people very happy ever since. This history therefore explains how the distillery, having re-opened in 2001, can offer whisky that was distilled in 1990.   Bruichladdich state that 'Black Art is Master Distiller Jim McEwan's personal voyage into the heart of Bruichladdich' and that he worked 'with the very finest American and French oak to explore that most esoteric relationship between spirit and wood'. That relationship between spirit and wood is probably the most important aspect of whisky making, because the oak either imparts flavour compounds into the spirit or alters those existing compounds. New make spirit is not as interesting as an aged whisky, because it needs to draw out flavour and have its own flavours altered by being aged in the wood and exposed to oxygen. The Black Art 4, in my opinion, is a great example of the complex aromas and flavours that oak can impart into a whisky beyond the usual suspects - sherry, bourbon, vanilla... WOOD! To get even more out of the experience I highly recommend you read Whisky Chemistry. Black Art 4 offers some very fascinating twists and turns, and very complex flavours which are not overly oak dominated. This explains Jim's quest to seek balance between spirit and wood. What I love about Black Art 4 is that despite its age of 23 years the barley still shines within subtle nuances of wood driven character and on the palate the complex sweetness morphs without warning into a smoky haze of salt and bristling Asian spices - a very interesting and unique twist! I think the team at Bruichladdich have done a superb job.
Tasting notes:	Nose: Burnt citrus peel (orange and lime in particular) accompany buttery barley and bitter hazelnut which develops more sweetness and into Nutella, dark chocolate cherry ripe and toasted coconut with deep vanilla notes softening the bite of drying polished mahogany. There is a wine theme in this bouquet, quite dry with oak driven sugars providing balance. Water softens the burnt citrus peel into orange cake and seems to release more lemon and dill aromas.  Taste: This whisky has a great mouth-coating texture, and it coats every crevice of the palate. It is powerful, assertive bold and sweet. Almond nougat develops first with licorice, glazed cherries and chocolate, but then the sweetness gradually recedes at mid-palate into a smoky haze of fresh salt and oriental spices. This is where it gets really interesting.  Finish: The haze of salt and oriental spices then resembles a sizzling sweet and sour hot plate with chilies. The smoke, which began to develop on the palate, is now more noticeable. The finish therefore offers mild smoke and spice with salt and a moderating sweetness of an apricot danish with cinnamon.
Likes:	Complex, interesting, innovative, salt notes within sweetness - a real charmer
Dislikes:	Did not strike me as well balanced as the Octomore 6.1 for example.
Price:	£180 (UK)

Bruichladdich Octomore 6.1

A sample of Octomore 6.1 sitting on an American Oak cask

Spirit Name: Spirit Type:	Bruichladdich Octomore 6.1 Single malt whisky
Score:	97/100
ABV:	57%
Region:	Islay, Scotland
Body:	Medium-full
Intensity:	Medium-high
Texture:	Slightly viscous
Balance:	Near perfect
Best served: Cask:	Neat Bourbon
Theme(s):	Peat, bourbon cask sweetness, vanilla, chocolate, dried fruit, salty cheese, meaty, peppers, creaminess, brie
Thoughts:	Octomore 6.1 is the latest release of Bruichladdich whisky that is made from the most heavily peated barley in the world, and apparently weights in at an official 167ppm. On paper this heavy weight certainly sounds like an aggressive one dimensional slugger that has been torn down by peat, but the nose and palate tell a different story. A sniff and taste of Octomore 6.1 reveals a superbly well balanced and complex whisky that has the signature punch of peat, but in its arsenal of ducks and weaves it offers something completely different (just had a flash back to Monty Python!).  Octomore 6.1 offers so much more than peat. It provokes wonder at the way the most heavily peated whisky in the world bottled at 57% and aged only 5 years can be so well balanced and complex! Bruichladdich pride themselves on being progressive, and the Octmore 6.1 is a fine example that a young peated whisky can be just as good (if not better) than a whisky two, five and even ten times its age. What I especially love about this whisky is its impeccable balance and distinctive sweet quality unhindered by heavy maritime or medicinal notes often seen in other expressions from Islay - the bourbon cask influence of vanilla, sweet dried fruit and mild dusty chocolate shines and counteracts the storm of dense peat, salt and vinegary peppers that emerge with undercurrents of cured meat and the most curious but delightful cheese notes.   This is a beautifully integrated whisky that offers so much more than peat smoke. The peat merely orchestrates an incredibly complex show.
Tasting notes:	Nose: The peat, interlaced with hints of sea spray, faint betadine, hot peppers, barley and dashes of brown vinegar, is softened by sweet vanilla pod seasoned malt loaf, dark fruit cake (with dried figs, raisin and apricot), honeyed oats, the mild flicker of stout and the caramel infused chocolate of a Mars bar. The fresh aroma of a recently emptied oyster shell sitting on crushed ice also flickers with salty cheese (Pecorino Romano, feta and blue cheese come to mind). There is something about the way the peat and sea salt work with the creamy vanilla undertones and bourbon rich foundation to create what resembles a crumbly and creamy blue vein with salty feta (which, incidentally, can be made with sea salt) over a fruit rich bread. Just imagine that by the sea and you have, in my opinion, something descriptive of the smell of the Octomore 6.1.   Taste: The bouquet deceptively promised complexity, softness and finesse, but as this whisky hits the palate it bursts into a raging storm of peat and sea salted sweet vinegar peppers with big chunks of cubed prosciutto. At mid-palate the storm suddenly calms, allowing the flicker of barley and dusty dark chocolate covered dates to add sweetness with dried fig and fresh musky unsweetened vanilla pod.  Finish: Drying, the bourbon cask sweetness and cured meat saltiness gradually intensify and then fade with the dying peat, leaving the aftertaste of blue cheese and brie skin.
Likes:	Very complex, extremely interesting, well balanced
Price:	£90 (UK), $230 (Aus)

Laphroaig PX Cask

Spirit Name: Spirit Type:	Laphroaig PX Cask Single malt
Score:	92/100
ABV:	48%
Region:	Islay, Scotland
Body:	Full and intensely flavoured
Intensity:	Medium-high
Texture:	Medium-oily
Balance:	Superb
Best served: Cask:	Neat, with water  American oak ex bourbon, finished in Pedro Ximenez cask
Theme(s):	Sea, salt, almonds, cherries, dark chocolate, coffee confectionery, betadine, peat, charcoal barbecue, vanilla, ashy cigar smoke
Tasting notes:	Laphroaig PX Cask is a travel retail exclusive. On my recent trip to Bali my usual perusal through the duty free shelves was, for once, a hassle-free experience. The bottle of Laphroaig PX Cask caught my eye as I rushed to board my flight so I paid for it as quickly as I snatched it from the shelf and I was then on my merry way to Bali. There were a few other tempting whiskies available, but this particular expression from Laphroaig sounded absolutely delicious - what could complement New Years Eve fireworks and a once yearly celebratory cigar by the Balinese coast better than a bottle of Laphroaig finished in Pedro Ximenez? Laphroaig have adopted an interesting approach to some of their expressions, and the PX Cask follows a similar thread. The Laphroaig Quarter Cask and Triple Wood are closely related to the PX Cask because all three expressions have been matured in barrels that have previously held bourbon and have undergone a second maturation in quarter casks. The Quarter Cask of the Laphroaig range is then bottled after this maturation in ex-bourbon barrels but the Triple Wood and the PX Cask of the range undergo a third maturation in sherry casks. While the Triple Wood expression has a third maturation in Oloroso sherry casks, the distinctive feature of the PX Cask expression is that it has undergone a third maturation in large European oak casks that originally contained Pedro Ximenez sherry. Pedro Ximenez is a white grape that is used to produce dessert wines and sweet sherry. Without getting too much into discussion of the different types of sherry, Pedro Ximenez sherry therefore tends to have a much higher sugar content (and be a lot sweeter) than Oloroso sherry. This means that the Laphroaig PX Cask offers a unique twist on the Quarter Cask and a different angle than the Triple Wood.   Nose: Rich vanilla ice cream slowly melts over black cherry and almond pie as fresh pineapple and papaya soften the unertones of peat, salty sea air and medicinal burts of betadine soaked cotton bandages. This is classic Islay whisky, with a rich bourbon influence and interesting PX twist. Taste:  Thick dark chocolate with scorched almonds accompanies a more gentle mocha as sweet raisins balance against undercurrants of sea salt and peat. After the whisky is swallowed the palate swells with the taste of the sea for a brief moment. The briny fog then thins into a haze of cigar smoke and a beachside charcoal barbecue as creamy vanilla and sweet sugary cherry liqueur progressively develop into the finish. Finish: Peat lingers with the gradually intensifying haze of alcohol preserved cherries as buttery dark chocolate is accompanied by sweet coffee flavoured confectionery and the aftertaste of an ocean oyster.
Price:	$89 (Aus, duty free)

Ardbeg Uigeadail

Spirit Name: Spirit Type:	Ardbeg Uigeadail Single malt
Score:	93/100
ABV:	54.2%
Region:	Islay, Scotland
Body:	Medium-full
Intensity:	Medium-high
Texture:	Average
Balance:	Superb
Best served:	Neat, splash of water
Theme(s):	Big smoky peat, sharp medicinal notes, chocolate, rich vanilla custard and fudge, sultana, syrup, sherry
Thoughts:	Ardbeg Uigeadail is an Islay whisky that packs a punch - releasing big coastal peat notes balanced by sweetness and rich dense vanillas and fruit. This is beautiful Islay whisky, with a sharpness that pierces the nostrils and ignite the palate into light flames. Highly recommended for people who enjoy peat and at near cask strength! There are big juicy vanilla notes that counteract that peat and the sharp medicinal notes.
Tasting notes:	Nose : Powerful peat interlaced with luscious vanilla cake notes and lashings of medicinal notes (betadine) that seem to interact with a cherry sweetness as it carries shimmers of Dr Pepper mixed with chocolate rum cake, Snickers bar with caramel and mineral salts. The vanillas and chocolate notes soften the peat, but those medicinal notes sting the nostrils with nail varnish that is reduced only when a splash of water is added. Taste: Powerful on the palate, the peat comes rushing in with the burn of betadine smoothed by layers of chocolate, vanilla custard, sand and the sweet glow of sultana, golden syrup and sherry.   Finish: With a vegetal and coastal finish, the sweetness gradually recedes and allows the peat, iodine and medicinal notes to shine with oak and the evaporating alcohol  vapours.
Price:	$130 (Aus)

Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old (brown bottle)

Spirit Name: Spirit Type:	Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old (brown bottle) Single malt
Score:	88/100
ABV:	46.3%
Region:	Islay, Scotland
Body:	Medium
Intensity:	Medium
Texture:	Silky
Balance:	Superb
Best served:	Neat
Theme(s):	Herbecaous and grassy peat melds with soft fruit, honeycomb, chocolate and nuts
Summary:	This Bunnahabhain 12 year old is the perfect example of an Islay malt that melds peat into the character rather than being dominated by it - a perfect example also of batch variation because other 12 year old expressions from this distillery have on previous occasions left me flowing peat out of my ears. This is hugely enjoyable, but also strangely unique in some ways with peat that melds rather than dominates - reflecting that perhaps Bunnahabhain are steering in a different direction, away from the contents that once filled its older style green bottles (I like the new "smoked oak glass" bottles, much more snazzy!). The new 12 year old may disappoint lover's of the Bunnhabhain of old, or it may be a refreshing change. You'll need to decide.
Blind tasting notes:	Nose: Pungent, imagine crisp sliced granny smith apples sitting on a freshly varnished wooden table as a mild breeze brings peat and grass. Those vapours of varnish whip the nose, and cut through the more complex layers of fruit that now develop in the glass – crushed green grapes, pomegranate, watermelon and, here’s an old memory, prickly pear! Occasionally, shimmers of vanilla fudge creaminess calm the sharp vapours with notes of chocolate coated nuts (M n M’s come to mind), fresh fig, raisins, mint crisps, honeycomb (crunchie bars come to mind) and almond nougat (next time you visit an Italian grocer, ask for torrone and you’ll see what I mean… go on be cheeky, its almost Christmas). The sharp varnish notes fade as the whisky rests in the glass, which means all the lovely character is only interrupted by a permeating cereal note which glows of barley and crisp golden rice. Taste: Breathtaking – immediately, there is a soft fruity sweetness that is quickly swept away by a cask driven dryness and lashings of beautiful barley that soften into a fleshy wine themed finish. Sweet fruit (semi-dried moscato grapes, fresh ripe fig, cantaloupe) glow brightly with honeycomb, but upon swallowing comes a surge of cask driven dryness (cocoa, wood) that is softened by fleshy grape and the whip of barley. The peat is mild, interlaced within the bright character of fruit, nuts and cask driven sugars. There is some apple hiding away there too. Finish: Fleshy grape and winy notes emerge with the soft peat that has a herbaceous twist. Would I have another dram? Yes. Would I buy a bottle? Yes.
Likes:	Highly complex, peat melds with the other character rather than dominating
Warning:	With a new bottles has come a new style it seems, with peat now taking a back seat rather than a dominating role. This is a refreshing twist which uses peat in a very interesting way, but be warned that the peat in this dram does not leap out as it did in previous bottlings
Price:	$90 (Aus)

Ardbeg Corryvreckan ★

Spirit Name: Spirit Type:	Ardbeg Corryvreckan Single malt
Score:	95/100
ABV:	57.1%
Region:	Islay, Scotland
Body:	Medium-full
Intensity:	Velvet hammer
Texture:	Medium-creamy
Balance:	Neat perfect
Best served:	Neat Whisky Exchange  Dan Murphy's
Theme(s):	Peat, mixed berries, tar ropes, medicinal notes, cotton bandages, dark chocolate, glazed cherries, salt, fudge, vanilla, custard, salted caramel, mild spice
Summary:	Burning embers of peat swirl in a perfect storm that unleashes a fiery burst peat smoothed by luscious layers of vanilla and fruit as a distinct saltiness intensifies to the finish. The Corryvreckan offers near perfect balance that allows all the different elements to ignite and shine on the palate - peat, brine, salt, medicinal notes, fruit, vanilla.
Tasting notes:	The Ardbeg Corryvreckan is named after a whirlpool that sits to the north of Islay in Scotland - great name for a whisky that twirls on the palate with ferocity, and yet retains a blunt smash of super smoothness that allows all the different flavours to shine.  Nose: Sweet red berries shine through the smoke rising from burning embers of peat that are smoothed by dense vanilla fudge and caramel filled chocolate. The nose on this whisky is gentle and calm, with the occasional breeze of character swirling in the glass - a swirl of diverse character that startles the senses with something new each time. A saltiness develops as the whisky rests in the glass, mineral like, and it compliments the sweet fruit and fudge beautifully as it takes on the aroma of salted caramel with medicinal notes and cotton bandages in the background. Those medicinal notes then develop into tar ropes, dense and rich.   Taste: The gentle swirls of character on the nose suddenly build in intensity, as a storm brews - the peat and salt ignite on the palate as torrents of chocolate and glazed cherries smash against the current of vanilla and salt. Those salty mineral notes intensify into the bite of a cube of prosciutto with hot sprices as band aids and betadine develop within the layers of vanilla and smoky peat. This whisky offers everything that an Islay lover could want in a whisky, and more, with a big burst of saltiness.  Finish: The ashy taste of a dying cigar glows on the palate with soft notes of custard and mixed berries, as a cured meat saltiness builds in intensity with mixed spices and anise seed and then recedes like a gentle tide going out to sea.
Likes:	Massive layers of complexity within a ferocious and yet super smoother exterior
Price:	$145 (Aus), £66 (UK)

Laphroaig Triple Wood ★

Spirit Name: Spirit Type:	Laphroaig Triple Wood Single Malt
Score:	95/100
ABV:	48%
Region:	Islay, Scotland
Body:	Medium
Intensity:	Medium-high
Texture:	Medium-oily
Balance:	Heavenly
Best served:	Neat
Summary:	Burning embers of peat crackle within the luscious cherry infused custard as waves of complex medicinal and maritime notes add an earthy and vegetal saltiness (without the pungent beach theme) that is moderated by glazed candied stone fruit, light vanilla and the peppery bite of cured meat and the tang of Worcestershire sauce.
Tasting notes:	The Laphroaig Triple Wood rests in the glass, the winds are gentle and the character is at first unremarkable. Then the winds gather speed, and the character begins to swirl, unleashing one of the most complex whiskies I have tasted. Give this beauty a chance, unpack it carefully, and sip it slowly.  The Laphroaig Triple Wood is prepared just like the standard Quarter Cask expression, but with a lovely twist: it is "finished" in sherry casks. It is called "triple wood" because the first maturation is in American oak ex-bourbon barrels, the second is in quarter casks (also American oak) and the third is in large European oak Oloroso sherry casks. To read more about the benefits of quarter casks, please see my review on Laphroaig Quarter Cask. The Distillery Manager at Laphroaig explains a lot more about the Triple Wood in the below video.  Nose: Possibly one of the most complex bouquets I have encountered in a whisky, the Laphroaig Triple Wood offers vanilla and American Oak that is smoothed and balanced by the sherry cask influence to create an immediate burst of aromatic cherry infused custard. The sherry cask and bourbon cask struggle for dominance, and in this respect it is more subdued than the Laphroaig Quarter Cask because there is no dominant surge of vanilla. This leaves me with quite a conundrum... which do I prefer? The Triple Wood is more complex than the Quarter Cask, with the spray of medicinal (betadine soaked cotton bandages) and maritime (the salty spray of the sea and rock salt notes, though no overly pungent beach theme) notes that bring a saltiness and brininess that acts as a counterweight to the sherry. Strangely, despite being finished in a sherry cask this whisky allows the typical maritime and ocean Islay notes to shine through the haze and fog of peat and oak. The Quarter Cask is more energetic than the Triple Wood, with a lovely rich explosion of American Oak and vanilla that enlivens the whisky. Each whisky therefore has its place, and both are spectacular in their own way. If I had to choose, I would lean towards the Triple Wood only because there seems to be lots to explore and unpack with that whisky including the maritime notes.  The peat is rough yet elegant, pounding yet graceful. The sweet cherry becomes glazed, adding a sweetness as vanilla and caramel notes rise from the ashy peat with peppery chorizo or salumi and oysters. This is sensational whisky!  Taste: Intense, oily and delicious. This whisky hits the palate with a surge of oak, as the sherry cask influence clearly takes a leading role. The crackling embers of peat burn on the palate with the sweet glazed and candied stone fruit, but the picante fire resembles the anise seed and spice (pepper, sweet paprika) infused home made salumi made in Neapolitan households around the world (possibly, hot chorizo may be similar, and this moves from the nose to the palate in spectacular form). There is a tang, almost like Worcestershire sauce (fitting, with the oyster theme and cured meat, you might get Oysters Kirkpatrick) but without the oyster and the slight hint of cardamon. That cardamon is interesting, but it also delivers hints of vegetation along the beach but without the beach or pungent maritime theme. Spectacularly complex.  Finish: The peat and gooey red cherry jam coats the palate, radiating with the glow of woody chocolate and oak as the salty cured meat rests and slowly vanishes. After ten minutes a curious medicinal taste flickers like a dying torch, then dies.
Likes:	Complex notes with beautiful bourbon and sherry cask influence that do not hide the medicinal and maritime notes we love in Islay! The maritime notes are not intense, and do not bring the pungent beach theme. Mind blowing complexity. Give this a chance and be patient.
Dislikes: Colour:	This whisky may take a while to unpack. It does not strike the nose as quickly as the Quarter Cask for example.
Price:	$110 (Aus)

Laphroaig Quarter Cask ★

Spirit Name: Spirit Type:	Laphroaig Quarter Cask Scotch, single malt
Score:	94/100
ABV:	48%
Region:	Islay, Scotland
Body:	Medium
Intensity:	Medium-high
Texture:	Medium
Balance:	Heavenly
Best served:	Neat
Theme(s):	The Laphroaig Quarter Cask is the Isle of Islay in a glass, with gusts of Atlantic sea winds carrying exotic fruity and vegetal aromas that counteract the fiery "picante" character and peat as the silky vanilla infused American oak calms the assault of medicinal, iodine and maritime notes that tend to strangle the balance in many Islay expressions.
Tasting notes:	Young whisky can be spectacular, and the epitome of young whisky at its finest is the Laphroaig Quarter Cask - a whisky that is aged for 5 years in American oak and then finished in quarter casks for seven months. That is barely 6 years old, but this young Scotch whisky boasts a fire and complexity that makes me want to leap out from my chair and hug a nearby oak tree that sits in a park near the beach.  Laphroaig has been producing whisky for centuries, and many aspects of whisky making has changed, including the use of the quarter cask. This expression is the product of costly experimentation that sought to produce whisky the way it used to be made during times whisky was transported on horseback using small oak barrels. After some trial and error, including noting that the quarter casks were more aggressive than expected, Laphrooag have crafted a magical whisky that is turbocharged Islay perfection in a glass with a heavy American Oak influence.  Quarter casks have a two main benefits for whisky maturation that can enhance a young whisky:  Increased interaction with the oak: Quarter casks allow the spirit to interact with the oak more than regular sized casks because there is more contact between the oak and the spirit, and this means that the spirit can draw out more of the lovely phenolic compounds in the oak and the previous contents of those American oak casks.  Increased interaction with the air: The use of quarter casks does not just mean that there is more contact between the oak and the spirit. Because the quarter casks "breathe" just like regular casks, the increased surface contact means that the spirit can soak up more of the Atlantic sea air that blasts the storing warehouse at Laphroaig, which, apparently, sits only a stone's throw away from the shore.  Having tasted the Laphroag Quarter Cask, it is clear that a lot of care and skill has gone into crafting this impeccable whisky.  Nose: The burning peat is softened by the coconut crusted lamington that released sponge, mild dusted dark chocolate and the aroma of vanilla. The sweetness is spearheaded by a surge of vanilla that rekindles memories of tropical fruit compote infused with a vanilla bean pod. This is very similar to nosing a half melted vanilla ice cream layered with a smoky Islay whisky and served in a wooden bowl. The barley also shines through the peat and sweetness with a distinct nutty earthiness and the bitter aroma of witlof leaves that are wilted under some oil. The American oak influence is certainly obvious! Taste: The surge of peat is interlaced with a spice attack of oil preserved sweet red peppers that ignite the palate with a burst of "picante" heat. The heat is then mellowed by the creamy oak influence that brings a piercing oakiness as a short firestorm of peat and wood spices electrify the taste buds with the medicinal burn of betadine doused with cream soda.  Finish: The finish is pure Islay without an over the top beach theme, with smoky peat laden medicinal notes evapourating into a haze of betadine soaked band aids as the bitter witlof leaves and rubbing alcohol are counterbalanced by the fruity sweetness and big American oak notes.
Likes:	This is a seriously complex whisky with a heavy American oak influence that smooths some of the over the top Islay themes dominating the market, but at the same time complimenting a firestorm of peat laden magic! Superb work from Laphroag.
Dislikes:	The vanillas in the oak tend to dominate the nose a little too much, cloaking some of the other lovely Islay notes.
Price:	$89.90 (Aus), £37.15 (UK)