Weekend Brief Oct. 2024: Annandale, Bruichladdich, Glenrothes, and Lagavulin
Whisky needs no excuse to be shared, but what better reason to have a tasting with friends than the arrival of a few new bottles of whisky? This small bottle share/tasting celebrated the arrival of several bottles of Rhinns, a lightly peated and uncommon product from Bruichladdich— reviews of those to follow once I get a chance to taste them again. Many drams were poured that evening and the four that follow were enjoyed at the outset when I had my wits about me and felt like jotting down some notes— a few I revisited later during a blind tasting.
Whisky Details: Annandale 6 Year (2015), The Whisky Barrel Cask TWB1028
Nose: A big and heady peat and cask combination; coming to it blind the peat stood out even more with charred wood, earth, and meaty smoked bacon; a malty sweetness poked through with slightly burned biscuits and gooey cinnamon rolls; a touch funky at times, rather like a wet dog, though blind it was more traditional rubber with a touch of nuttiness.
Palate: Medium-bodied, sweet and spicy with cinnamon and cherry candies; an oily and slightly acrid smoke carried on toward old tires, dusty earth, and a touch of olive brine.
Finish: Long and ashy with cinnamon candies and a touch of licorice.
Score: 6-7 (79)
Mental Image: Fire Department Bake Sale
Narrative & Notes: A new distillery for me! For the past few decades not much of anyone has produced peated malt in the Lowlands. Ailsa Bay, the malt distillery set up inside of the larger Girvan grain distillery in 2007, first began producing peated malt, but it has now been joined by a few others including Glasgow Distillery and Annandale.
This made for a lovely introduction to the distillery with the combination of peat and sherry showcasing quite a bit of what you expect to find and just a touch of cask funk. It reminded quite a bit of Ardnamurchan and during a blind tasting that is what I guessed it was. I do not think it is quite at the same level, but it is not far off either. An impressive start!
Whisky Details: Bruichladdich 12 Year (2011) Micro-Provenance Cask 0300
Nose: Lactic and fruity in that classical Bruichladdich manner with funky some malt and strong wine cask influence— cream cheese and cherries, candied fruits and sugar cookies.
Palate: Medium-bodied with juicy Fruit Gusher candies, jammy fruits, strawberry soda and Fizzer candies, slightly acrid toward the end.
Finish: Long and lingering with dried fruits, baking spices, and a touch of anise.
Score: 7-8 (85)
Mental Image: Cheesecake Tasting
Narrative & Notes: This was loaded with classic distillery notes and the distinctive profile of Bruichladdich. The combination of wine cask and Laddie’s lactic funk, which can sometimes go off the rails into unpleasant places, worked very well here. Sometimes unusual notes only need to right pairing to really come through as something pleasant.
Overall, this was not the most complex beast, but everything was well-composed and balanced. A crushable whisky— the kind that might disappear quicker than you expect.
Whisky Details: Glenrothes 14 Year (2001), SMWS 30.87 “A Skinny dipping dram”
Nose: Twizzlers took shape out of strawberry and licorice while a vegetal quality lurked in the background; red rooibos tea with a hint of hibiscus, straw, wheat chaff, and mellow cola notes.
Palate: Medium-bodied with fruity candies and plant fibers; strawberries and cherries with a touch licorice, cola, hibiscus syrup— more tropical with time; starched bath towels and straw, a touch of char; plastic and sulfur lingered in the background.
Finish: Medium-length with wood and dried fruits; strawberry soda with a touch of cola.
Score: 7 (81)
Mental Image: Movie Theater Snacks
Narrative & Notes: I was told that this Glenrothes was a bit of a funky little beast. It was and it wasn’t as the the more eccentric elements of the cask were far enough in the background that I struggled to imagine why this bottle fell so squarely in the “hate it, or love it” realm. It was fairly straightforward with loads of artificial fruits and cola— a sort of candy meal one might have had at the movie theater when such things were affordable, and I was less concerned about my sugar intake. I lack the same sweet tooth I once sported and it was a good thing that while the whisky gestured toward candied flavors, it was not terribly saccharine.
Overall, a lovely whisky in which the refill port pipe struck a fair balance against the generally unassuming Glenrothes malt.
Whisky Details: Lagavulin Distillery Exclusive 2017, 54.1%
Nose: Classic maritime and roadwork notes brought salt and creosote into conversation with greasy shop rags, dirty motor pool concrete floors, and a touch of tropical fruits— mountain apples, also known as java apples in some places.
Palate: Medium-bodied, sweet grill smoke, grilled oysters, and hot pavement; more caramelized sugars with creosote developed further in; dark chocolate and charred driftwood provided a richness at the back.
Finish: Medium to long with a bright maritime brine and old campfire ash.
Score: 7 (84)
Mental Image: Beach Road Repavement
Narrative & Notes: Solid fare; this was a delicious variation on the general flavor profile of the 12 Year Special Release. Or, it was, as the past few years the Lagavulin special releases have shifted away from refill casks and used various spirit and new oak cask finishes. If anything, this was a touch reminiscent of Laphroaig at times with the maritime and acrid asphalt qualities, though it lacked the herbal, pine, or medicinal punch of a young Laphraoig.
Overall, lovely stuff— I wish Lavagulin like this were easier to come by.
