Laphroaig 18

Laphroaig 18

A review by Tommy Byrne

Overall rating: 9,2/10 (Single Malt notation)

I was looking at the extensive whisky list at this pub called Whiski on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh on a cold and dark November evening and I said to myself: “Tommy, you deserve a treat!”  Laphroaig Quarter Cask being my favorite almost affordable dram, I always wanted to try the 18 years old expression of this Islay peaty nectar, so I decided that while in Scotland the timing couldn’t be better.

Laphroaig 18 is quite pale for a whisky arriving to adulthood, but we know that unlike neighbour Lagavulin, no caramel is used to disguise its aging process. The first thing that came to mind after a few seconds of flirting with my nose was: Laphroaig with sherry and Posh Laphroaig! The aromas are not hitting the nostrils with a big punch like its younger expressions, wood being especially less dominant.  After a sip, we rapidly understand that we’re drinking a great Laphroaig with an extra touch. It’s rich and has a good texture. It has a bond fire smoke very similar to Caol Ila and Lagavulin.  Toffee is also present in the palate. The finish is long and pleasant, the bond fire stays for a while in the mouth. 

Generally speaking, I would say that Laproaig 18 is definitely more smoky than phenolic. It brings something else to the usual Laphroaig experience with the 10 years old, Select and Quarter Cask expressions, while being absolutely honest to its origins.  I highly recommend this whisky to anyone who can double its dram budget once in a while.  People who swears on Lagavulin 16 will find in this bottle a friendier Laphroaig than the one they are used to.      

Suntory Yamazaki 12 years old

Review to come soon!

Macallan 12 Fine Oak

Macallan 12 Fine Oak

A review by Tommy Byrne

Overall rating: 8/10 (Single Malt notation)

Macallan is one of the most famous distilleries in the world.  It is predominantly known for its special maturation process involving sherry casks. Even if Macallan has an extensive fan base, they keep aiming at new markets with many new ranges of products.  Macallan 12 years old Fine Oak, is part of that new range of 8 whiskies called Fine Oak, where bourbon, American and European oak casks are vatted together. It could not find any information backing this, but I believe this wide range is aimed, in my own opinion, at a younger and less experimented crowd.    

Macallan 12 Fine Oak is a pale gold whisky that takes quite a while to open up. At first I couldn’t find anything really complex and interesting in the nose, aside for the obvious oak and cereals, but after 10 minutes, it started to develop delicate sweet hints of honey and vanilla. The palate is dry, but quite soft with the same features than its nose. Some toffee and older wood casks are revealing themselves after a while.  The finish a little bit short, but not unpleasant at all.

Unlike the traditional Macallan sherry cask whiskies, the Fine Oak range, or at least its 12 years olds expression, is putting a greater emphasis on American oak and bourbon casks.  There are very little spices in that whisky, it hard to find any components of its sherry casks.   I seriously doubt any malt heads to drink this whisky on a regular basis, I see it more a whisky to offer as a gift to a novice drinker.  Overall, it’s a good whisky to start the apéro, but it’s too weak to follow a meal and act as a digestive.

Glenmorangie The Original

Glenmorangie The Original

A review by Tommy Byrne

Overall rating: 8,5/10

In the past 10 years, I have had a love/hate relationship with Glenmorangie The Original. Even if it’s the whisky that hooked me up to single malts in 2003, I abandoned it when I fell in love with Islay malts in 2010. It took me 3 years to reopen that Highlands golden bottle and since then we have started to flirt again. Being the top selling single malt brand in Scotland and the second in the world, after Glenfiddich, thanks to its acquisition by the LVMH group, Glenmorangie is a wonderful whisky not only for new malt head, but also for connoisseurs.  

This first 10 years old expression of the Glenmorangie range as a nice pale gold colour, but it’s a wee bit too dark for assuming it hasn’t been tainted with the magic touch of e150. On one side, the nose is sweet with hints of pears and peaches, brioche, cinnamon and some bubble-gum.  On the other side, it’s lightly smoked with a touch of toffee, vanilla and oak. Having been aged in white American oak and bourbon casks, the palate is very close to sour mash bourbon with notes of cereals, light smoke and oak.  It has a sour and bitter medium finish.

I was very surprised by this whisky; it was nothing as I expected and as I remembered. By having the highest stills in Scotland, Glenmorangie has to reputation of producing very light whiskies. For some reasons, I was expecting something like a sharper and rougher Speyside malt. Lke Glenfiddich 12, Glenmorangie The Original is a great whisky to get acquainted with single malts. The many extra matured versions of this whisky are great for experiencing various types of cask finishing, such as sherry, port and sauternes.  

Clynelish 14 years old

Clynelish 14 years old

A review by Tommy Byrne

Overall rating: 8/10 (Single Malt notation)

Clynelish is to Johnnie Walker’s Gold Label what Ardmore is to Teachers Highland Cream.  Both Highlands distilleries produce a lot of whisky, but bottles only around 5% of its production under its own name. Clynelish is present is most Johnny Walker Labels, but it is the main malt used blending the Gold Label.

Colour wise, Clyneslish 14 years old has a golden coat. This whisky is all about its nose, very close to a cognac. It’s very creamy, floral and delicate with subtle hints of a fruit market (and or basket!), vanilla, lemon ice tea and some smokiness. Very dry and oaky, the palate doesn’t follow up to the nose aside from the obvious bourbon cask. This is sad, but at least the finish is strong and persistent.

After nosing the whisky, while knowing what we know about its main use, I automatically made a strong sensorial connection between Clynelish and Johnnie Walker Gold Label.  It’s the almost exact same creamy delicate smoothness, but after tasting it, I understood why it’s usually blended with grain whisky. The palate of the two whiskies is very different. Even if apparently there’s a certain amount of people devoted to Clynelish arguing its masterful craftsmanship, I would only recommend this whisky to make the fun comparison with its Johnnie Walker’s cousin.   

Buchanan's 12 De Luxe

Buchanan's 12 De Luxe

A review by Tommy Byrne

Overall rating: 8,2/10 (Blended whisky notation)

It’s interesting to see how segmented blended whisky brands are.  A top selling European brand such as J&B is very little known in Latin America, while a top selling brand in Latin America, like Buchanan's, is hardly recognized in Europe and in the rest of the world.  I was absolutely amazed about the huge fad surrounding Buchanan’s blended whiskies when I moved to Mexico.  With ambassadors such as Sting, Elton John, Bon Jovi and many Latin artists, their promotional campaigns reaches a huge number of consumers.   I had never heard about this brand in Canada or in Europe, but I soon realized that in the Latin America upper classes (mainly Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela), Buchanan 12, 18, 21 or Red Seal is the posh drink of choice…with lots of ice and mineral water!  No comments!

Buchanan's 12, also called the De Luxe version, is a gold/light amber whisky.  At first, it has a sharp and floral nose with hints of green apple and pineapple. After opening up, it develops a smooth nose with notes of white chocolate, nutmeg, light caramel and toffee.  The palate is amazingly smooth, some oak, cereals and leather are the most recognizable notes Not much going on there, but I guess that’s exactly the point. It has a short to medium finish.

This 12 years old expression of Buchanan's is probably the best blend in its own category; smoother than the Johnnie Walker Black Label and way more refined than the vulgar Chivas Regal 12.  On the down side, I believe it is way overpriced for a product with no or very little personality. Glenfiddich 12 is probably the best alternative for a better experience at the same price.  To my own experience, this blended whisky is bought not for its actual intrinsic qualities, but rather for the statement it is making in its top markets.   

Glenfiddich 18 years old

Glenfiddich 18 years old

A review by Tommy Byrne

Overall rating: 8,8/10

Glenfiddich is the top selling single malt brand in the world. Even in remote areas of the globe, there is a good chance to find their start of the line green bottle. This means that it’s an industrial product, but also means it’s decently priced.  When so many single malts are overpriced these days, Glenfiddich stays an excellent value for money.  Having said so, today’s review is about the Glenfiddich 18 years, which is not so cheap.  Putting “ancient” after 18 years olds is a wee bit pompous, but I suppose the marketing department had its reasons.  

18 years in various casks, notably sherry casks in the end of the maturation process, gives a nice amber/copper colour to the final product. The nose is smooth and fresh with notes of pineapple, honey, vanilla, nutmeg and lemon zest.  It is also toasty and floral, nothing very complex, but very nice overall.  The palate is smooth, sweet and malty with notes of fruit cake, toffee and also vegetal with some cauliflower and celery. It has not an extravagant finish; it’s rather smooth and delicate.

I was very pleased with this whisky. Glenfiddich 18 may not have all the subtleties of the 15 years old Solera version, but it is a great product. What I like in general about this brand is the choice that it offers to the consumers.  Usually, every common liquor stores sells the 12, 15 and 18 years old versions and many speciality stores offers older bottles.  This gives single malts apprentices the chance to learn more about whisky maturation process in its many steps and always at a decent price.  I am pretty sure that there is no specific whisky drinker niche for the 18 years old bottle, but it is probably the safest choice for a very nice present to give to someone who likes whisky.