LAPHROAIG 1990 - THE PERFECT DRAM

As a warm up for a tasting I'm doing this coming Saturday, January 11th, I'll be reviewing a Laphroaig... and the upcoming tasting, you ask?

Laphroaig Càirdeas 2008-2013.... A report will, of course, be on this website a little later.

Laphroaig is one the distilleries that uses stainless steel washback for fermentation. There are of course more out there, on Islay there's Kilchoman and elsewhere Glenfarclas and BenRiach distilleries, but also Pulteney and Scapa also springs to mind, both having corten and stainless steel washbacks.

So does fermentation on stainless or corten steel washbacks produce a different wash than wooden washbacks? More and more goes towards it being inconclusive. Some would argue wooden washbacks holds natural bacteria that adds more flavour during the fermentation process and some argue that wooden washbacks are only in use as they are the traditional vessel used for fermentation. Other arguments against wood is that they're difficult to clean and likely to leak/crack if not maintained properly. The only 'proper' argument against stainless steel washbacks is the one of the natural bacteria, but its never AFAIK been proved.... but still we all like those wooden ones, right? Looks more pretty when you visit ;-) (some argument, LOL ;-) )

You just have to make up your own mind :-)

Now onto the review... this time a mature Laphroaig, bottled by German cult bottler 'The Whisky Agency'. This one is done in their sub-series 'The Perfect Dram'.

Stainless steel washback at Laphroaig, behind that the stainless steel mashtun, May 5th 2011 © The Malt Desk

Laphroaig 1990 20yo, 56,3%, ex-bourbon cask, 237 bottles, The Perfect Dram with Bresser & Timmer

Colour is full straw

Nose:
Very sweet on vanilla, sweet peat too with a very mellow edge of seaweed and all things seashore... even hints of warm apple and cold smoky danish charcuterie. Not very expressive, but the things that are there are nice...

Taste:
Hello! :-O What this one lacked on the nose it makes up for on the palate. Very smoky! and a malt creamy edge -  almost honey creamy. more vanilla, citrus, peat bog and burned leaves, salty and seaweedy. I can imagine this would be what a cigarette rolled with dry seaweed, seaside moss and peat would taste like!

This is very nice - and the complete opposite of the sometime young brutish Laphroaigs we see out there...  but we love those too, don't we? ;-)

88/100!

LOCHSIDE 1981 - THE NECTAR OF DAILY DRAMS

This is the first Lochside I'll be reviewing here, but not the first I've tasted.

Earlier I've tried some from G&M, Cadenhead and Berry Bros - and all have been from decent to very, very good! That is, if you like the style. A style that, if mid-aged (12-18) its carries a very light dusty fruity style. This of course is also still evident in the older version I'm about to review below, but that one also carries so much more.

Lochside Distillery was located in the east coast town of Montrose, just over ½ mile (1 km) from the North Sea coast. The distillery produced both malt and grain whisky and last year Aldephi released a couple of stellar married at birth-bottlings (single blends) from the distillery. Venerable bottlings, as they were distilled in 1965 but have stood the test of time beautifully!

Sadly the distillery is now closed (2005), as is Glenesk just a couple of miles north of Montrose.
The site was demolished to first make way for a gardening centre, but now a Lidl supermarket seems to be on the site (atleast according to google street view) and the remaining area around there now being fairly new build residential homes.

This particular bottling, a Lochside malt (just to clarify) is split between 2 cult bottlers, Belgian 'Daily Drams' and and German 'The Whisky Agency' - both seemingly pretty high up in the bottler food chain if you take look the reviews of what they've bottled so far...

Lochside 1981/2010 29yo 48,6%, Ex-bourbon cask, Split bottling - Daily Dram (The Nectar) / The Whisky Agency

Colour is pale gold

Nose:
Vanilla and oranges and loads of tropical fruit - pineapple, coconut, mango, apricot - almost a Pina Colada. In the background some of that above mentioned faint musty notes, ginger and plain oak. Also some wet cardboard and with time getting a quite dusty dirty road.

Taste:
Ginger and pineapple again. Then a sudden drop in taste only to recover beautifully with a rush of mango and peach and a hint of perfume as in high quality aftershave. Literally 2 drops of water gives it a more peppery edge and releases some lovely dough notes as well. I actually prefer it with 2 drops of water as it balances out the very sweet edge with some spice.

A great Lochside! I highly recommend this one, if you can find it, though that will probably have to be in an auction somewhere.

Thanks to GNJ for the sample!

90/100!

THE WHISKY AGENCY - SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALT 1995

German cult bottler 'The Whisky Agency' is one of the highest rated smaller indie bottlers around. They're know for their sometimes very pretty label featuring everything from sharks to insects and their pretty consistant high quality of their bottlings.

This time, though, I'll be trying an undisclosed malt from them. The distillery name from which this malt comes from, ends on 'clas' - won't take up much of your malt mind capacity to find its origins from that, will it? ;-)

Speyside Single Malt 1995/2012 17yo 46%, refill sherry, 409 bottles, The Whisky Agency in joint bottling with Bresser & Timmer, NL

White wine in colour

Nose:
Oils, green apples, heavy citrus and flowery notes and sweet white wine


Taste:
Loads of fruit, freshly cut melon, some spices - then turning heavier into a more boiled fruit style. Finish is drying like a fino sherry and the comes out on top with a bit cereal and malt on the end.

86/100! ... incredible nose on this one!

NORTH BRITISH - THE WHISKY AGENCY

North British 1962/2010, 48yo, 47,9%, Hogshead, 146 bottles 'The Perfect Dram'
Nose:
Lighty spiced in beautiful measures for an old grain - not at all overpowering - very nicely balanced

Taste:
Not your average heavy sweet tasting grain whisky, more laid back in both arrival/palate and finished. Mouthfilling, medium long, all spice from the cake cabinet, a beautiful grain whisky with a medium/long finish

86/100! (tasted 05-11-2011)

BUNNAHABHAIN 1965 - THE WHISKY AGENCY

Bunnahabhain 1965 40yo 40% 195 bottles from a refill hogshead 'The Whisky Agency - Private stock'

Nose:
Big malty nose, Honey sweetness, vanilla cake cream

Taste:
Ale'ed as most old Bunnas, light oak infusion, seriously complex whisky, old candystore style, little musty, earthen floors/old cellar, Looong finish, a whisky that just keeps on going and your jaws chewing.

A Bunna that wins with time, leave the bottle open a few days before dramming!

90/100! (tasted 05-11-2011)