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Were you waiting a new rant about a new peat-and-wine combo? No? Who cares, here it is! This time I’m going to dive into an indie Ledaig, distilled in 2008 and bottled in 2018 by The Old Friends. Will the superbe marine/salty+malty character of the Ledaig survive the trial of a 10-year-long maturation in a French red wine cask? Nose: It’s full of heavy and acrid smoke, coated of a mystifying winey sweetness. The alcohol comes up strong, and the need to add water at this point is even stronger than the need to leave the cinema that I felt while watching Suicide Squad. With water, the nose becomes fruitier I think, with peaches and bananas covered by a thick ash blanket. Taste: A powerful, ashy and dark smoke assaults my palate followed by hordes of herbal, acidic, and fruity tastes. Like the walls of Helm’s Deep, where the Rohirrims were hiding from Saruman, my defences are crumbling down. Melon and redcurrant pierce through the big fat smoke, especially after adding some water. It tastes almost like vinegar at times. All in all, very salty, very acidic, very tasty (if you like this profile). Finish: It lingers for some times, and after leaving an big aftertaste of peat smoke mixed with sugar and peaches, fades away into the dark. Overall: I think it’a a surprising and very entertaining malt. Still available in some shops for around 80 euros, which I humbly judge as a good price for a 10yo single cask of Ledaig, nowadays. Of course, you must prepare your nose and palate to face a tremendously powerful foe, a bit like Oberyn Martell before fighting Sir Gregor the Mountain… and I cannot guarantee that the outcome will be very different. For this and other reviews, check out the blog (link in the bio: @asongofwhisky) #whisky #theoldfriends #ledaig #tobermory #winematuration #peatandwine #whiskyandnature #montisibillini #montesibilla #singlecask #asongofwhisky
So I randomly won a trip to visit the newly expanded and refurbished Stauning Whisky @stauningwhisky distillery in Denmark. It was probably the best tour I've ever had at a distillery (it lasted around 6hours in total), and as you see from the pic I enjoyed it... quite a bit. Soon (hopefully) the full article, now just many many thanks to Majbritt, Alex and La Maison du Whisky @maisonduwhisky who made this amazing experience possible! #whisky #distillery #denmark #danishwhisky #stauning #stauningwhisky #asongofwhisky
Soooo some weeks ago something (wink wink) happened in my life. I am soon moving to Guatemala, following my (now) wife to a new adventure in a whole other continent. To celebrate this event, I decided to open one of the samples I had been looking for the most in my humble collection: a 39-year-old @bunnahabhain distilled in 1976, and then bottled in 2016 by @wmcadenheads and aged in 3 sherry butts. The liquid in this little guy is about 10 years older than me, and it's the oldest Bunna I've had the pleasure to try. If not amazing and mesmerising, I found it very, very, very nice. I mean, it might be that my expectations were too high, but after a super nose, fat, complex, and deep, I felt like the palate felt was a tad too thin. Still, I'm so happy I had the chance to taste it. Bunnalove is forever! For a complete review, as usual, check out the blog (link in the bio: @asongofwhisky) #bunnahabhain #cadenhead #whisky #whiskyandlove #bunnalove #oldwhisky #whiskysample #whiskygram #independentbottler #asongofwhisky
@kilkerransinglemalt 12 Y.O.: YODA APPROVED! #kilkerran12 #glengyle #kilkerran #yoda #starwars #costume #asongofwhisky
Talking about a well-balanced whisky... Ok, I know. I'm super lazy and I took this pic in summer but I'm reviewing it only now, 3 full months later... Well, there are a lot of things going on right now in my life and I have to admit that I had to slow down a bit with the blog... But here I am, re-tasting this Orkney single malt bottled by @chorltonwhisky after only 9 years spent in a bourbon hogshead. I have to mention the beauty of the label, simple, informative, and with such a nice panting printed on it. I simply ove this design, and I hope I do feel the same about the juice inside the bottle! Well, how to put it... it's simply and trivially super tasty. It was also quite cheap when I bought it (under 60 euros), which for the quality of this malt it's a steal, for me. I'd say it gets a solid 88/100 in my book, and it's one of the nicest and freshest surprises I found this year. It's simply so good, i'd drink tons of it. Well, maybe not literally tons of it, but I think you got the message. Full review on the blog (link in the bio:@asongofwhisky)! #whisky #asongofwhisky #chorltonwhisky #orkney #whiskywednesday #singlecask #highlandpark #slackline #whiskyparis #montsouris #balance
When I see a whisky matured in a wine cask, I find myself in a situation similar to when I hear that a new Star Wars movie is coming out. It could be amazing and satisfying, and I'm soooo curious about it. It could also be an utter, unspeakable disaster, and I'm soooo scared about it! This one is a Craigellachie, distilled in 2007 and bottled in 2019 by the German indie bottler The Old Friends. It seems to like to live dangerously, as it fully spent its 11 years of maturation in an Amarone wine cask. Let's see what I wrote about it... Nose: Ugh, veeeeery sweet, and my fears about the wine maturation start taking the nightmarish form of an old Luke Skywalker milking weird aliens on a very remote planet. Chocolate drops, strawberry... but just when I start feeling that this is some kind of... winesky, I notice a fresh note of mint that gives me a New Hope. With water this fresh side becomes more prominent, and I even get something mineral out of it. It's still very sweet though, and reminding me of a sweet fortified wine. Taste: The alcohol, despite the high percentage, is very well integrated. Here too it reminds me of some sweet wine, a kind of "passito", maybe. Oh, and I learn now that the English word for it is "straw wine", good to know... But despite all of this wine madness it's good, very good. Peach, mint again, goji berries. With water is still oily and somewhat... rubbery? It's for sure entertaining. Finish: The alcohol dominates at first, but a powerful aftertaste of mint and sugar saves the day. Overall: It's just not completely my thing, but the quality is undoubtably there. To me the cask influence on the distillate is a tad too strong and I'm not quite sure I would buy a whole bottle. Nevertheless it is surely an interesting dram and I can imagine that other people could seriously fall in love with it. I definitely recommend you to give it a try! Check out the blog for more weird reviews! Link in the bio: @asongofwhisky #whisky #craigellachie #theoldfriends #winematuration #amaronecask #singlecask #whiskysamples #whiskygram #lanzotorinese #pontedeldiavolo #devilsbridge #whiskyporn #whiskysample #asongofwhisky
My quest for the wine-and-smoke perfection takes me today to a real pearl. I completely forgot who gave me this sample (or even if I bought it)… so if you exist, oh mysterious donor, please let me know and I’ll give you a very well deserved shout-out! This one is a @bowmore, hand-filled at the distillery back in 2014, after having spent around 16 years in a Bordeaux wine barrique cask (first fill). Sounds good, right? Let’s see if it tastes good, too! Nose: Very sweet, with a light, sweet, creamy smoke coming through. Mmh, I find quite soon something acidic, a smell that is quite well integrated, though. Something floral, like the smell of some small, delicate violets flowering in a burned down, post-apocalyptic desert. I’ve let it breath a while in the glass, and now it reveals its full Bowmority. Majestic and full, with some mighty cherry smoke. With water the wine-y side takes the lead for a bit, but after a while it’s that sweet smoke that steals the scene, enhanced and supported by some amazing cooked apples. Taste: Chewy, sweet, sour, heavy. The smoke, instead, is light but still very much there. It’s a big, heavy hitter, this one, even though Bowmore’s elegance is still there. You know, buried under three tons of smoky, sweet, layers of smoldering oranges. It’s pretty entertaining, seriously, and at a blind tasting I would have probably never guessed that this one was a Bowmore – but then again, I famously suck at blind tastings. With water it’s the smoke that becomes the star, introducing a train of fruits (clementines, mandarins) coming through. Finish: Not too long, very clean though! And that smoke wrapping some cherries is just on point. Overall: I mean… it’s just super good, even though it lacks some gravitas to belong to Whisky Olympus! So, in short: yes, this is really really really good. And also yes, I used an exceptionally pretentious word to pimp my review. Check out the blog for more weird reviews! Link in the bio: @asongofwhisky #whisky #bowmore #bowmoresinglemalt #singlecask #winematuration #whiskyparis #luxembourg #jardinsduluxembourg #whiskyporn #whiskysamples #whiskygram #asongofwhisky
What happens if you put together a wine cask maturation (here we go again) and a monstrously peated malt? Well I don't know, but I want to find out! I decided to immerse myself in a small peat-and-wine exploration, starting with this very tasty, very interesting, but also very challenging Port Charlotte bottled by @bruehler_whiskyhaus under their label "A Dream of Scotland". Nose: Immediately peat smoke, with something reminding me of vinegar. Very sweet, almost too sweet maybe. But there is more to it, something zesty, acidic, like lemon. Lemongrass too, maybe? It's very muscular, but it works. And it works even better with water, as the peat smoke, dry and steady and heavy, intertwines itself with a sweet sweet strawberry. Somehow there is even some shoe polish outta nowhere. Taste: Chewy and dense smoke, very alcoholic. I resist the impulse of immediately adding some water and battle through the over 60% of alcohol, finding also something sweet and acidic, like lemon mixed with cherries. Lemonerries? I better add some water, otherwise I'll keep blabbering nonsense. It becomes salty, and that sweetness has something of a caramelised meat. Still, it keeps being wonderfully (?) acidulous. After a while I almost forget the peat smoke, as I'm trying to focus on all the other things that are going on. Finish: Medium length and, needless to say, acidic. And smoky. But also fruity (kiwi, maybe?), with a salty caramel note that quite surprises me. Overall: Very tasty, very interesting, but also very challenging. I mean, it's definitely not what I would call an "everyday whisky". But then again, maybe you are one of those people whose daily summer read is Wittgenstein's "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus". Or maybe you are a person who likes to eat 4 huge falafel sandwiches everyday. I personally love it once in a while (the falafel, I mean), but you have to take it with moderation. And now I ought to get myself that damn falafel. For this and other reviews, check out my blog (link in the bio: @asongofwhisky) #portcharlotte #whisky #whiskytasting #whiskyporn #whiskyandnature #singlemalt #singlecask #winematuration #peatandwine #rifugiosalvin #cailanzo #asongofwhisk
I recently found this little cave/restaurant/bar a few hundred meters from my apartment here in Paris. I also discovered that you can taste some true little gems in there, like this Highland Park 1999, bottled in 2016 by the @smws_uk. Aged for more than 16 years in a first fill ex-bourbon barrel, in the glass it's like it speaks to all my senses saying... drink me! Nose: Malt and salt, with a very light and soft peat smoke blowing from far away. There is something spicy (the ginger of its name is fooling me into it, maybe?), along with some sweet pineapple and... yeah, I guess I sniff some sweet green tea, and that I am probably very influenced by what I read. Quite some alcohol, but that's fine. Oh, I like it. A lot. With water it becomes more sugary, pungent, full of, well, whisky! Sexy and intense, it's kind of oily, yet fresh and luxurious. More complex than I thought. Taste: The first impression is of malt. It's mouth-drying, solid. Full of tasty wheat-like flavors, but there is much more than that. It's intense, a bit grassy, mineral. And dirty, just how I like it. And it's also fresh, and briny, with that wisp of smoke that deepens the profile. Sexy e fat. With water it becomes less aggressive, and even tastier! It's really a bang, intense and oily and big, yet with a weird elegance in it. Very nice. Fruity to the right point, too (apples and pineapples). Finish: Medium length, pungent, with that green tea and some mint. Something like lemon rind, too. Overall: A majestic Highland Park smelling and tasting like a Highland Park should, without any weird finish or exotic wood maturations. Really really cool. It's a great bottling by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, this one. My only regret is that I'm moving out of Paris soon and that I didn't find this place sooner! Check out the blog for other reviews (link in the bio: @asongofwhisky). #whisky #whisky2019 #whiskyparis #smws #whiskyporn #highlandpark #singlecask #14emearrondissement #whiskybar #lesroquins #instawhisky #asongofwhisky
I enjoy the amazing @kilkerransinglemalt every time I try it, but it tastes even better when you are sharing it with friends. #whisky #whisky2019 #kilkerran12 #kilkerran #glengyle #singlemalt #whiskyporn #instawhisky #wageningen #wageningenbeach #nederrijn #whiskyisforsharing #asongofwhisky

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Recent posts

  • Ledaig 2008 (53.6%, TOF, 2018)
  • Bunnahanhain 1976 (49.4%, CA, 2016)
  • Orkney 2009 (63.1%, Ch, 2018)
  • Caol Ila 2011 (60.2%, WDr, 2018)
  • Craigellachie 2007 (58.8%, TOF, 2019)
  • Interview with the Bottler: Tom Skowronek
  • Bowmore 1998 Hand-Filled (56.9%, OB, 2014)
  • Port Charlotte 2007 (60.4%, ADoS, 2018)
  • Highland Park 1999: 4.222 – Ginger and honey sweet tea (56.2%, SMWS, 2016)
  • Longrow 1998 (55.7%, CA, 2010)

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Ledaig, Tobermory

Ledaig 2008 (53.6%, TOF, 2018)

Were you waiting a new rant about a new peat-and-wine combo? No? Who cares, here it is! This time, I’m … Continue reading Ledaig 2008 (53.6%, TOF, 2018)

Bunnahanhain 1976 (49.4%, CA, 2016)
Bunnahabhain

Bunnahanhain 1976 (49.4%, CA, 2016)

Soooo some weeks ago something (wink wink) happened in my life. I am soon moving to Guatemala, following my (now) … Continue reading Bunnahanhain 1976 (49.4%, CA, 2016)

Orkney 2009 (63.1%, Ch, 2018)
Highland Park, Undisclosed distillery

Orkney 2009 (63.1%, Ch, 2018)

Ok, I know. I’m super lazy and I took this pic in summer but I’m reviewing it only now, 3 … Continue reading Orkney 2009 (63.1%, Ch, 2018)

Caol Ila 2011 (60.2%, WDr, 2018)
Caol Ila

Caol Ila 2011 (60.2%, WDr, 2018)

Today the peat-and-wine whisky of the week (and I missed a couple weeks, I know) is a Caol Ila. Distilled … Continue reading Caol Ila 2011 (60.2%, WDr, 2018)

Craigellachie 2007 (58.8%, TOF, 2019)
Craigellachie

Craigellachie 2007 (58.8%, TOF, 2019)

And here it comes a Craigellachie! The Old Friends is another, relatively new actor in the colourful landscape of the … Continue reading Craigellachie 2007 (58.8%, TOF, 2019)

Interview with the Bottler: Tom Skowronek
Interviews

Interview with the Bottler: Tom Skowronek

A new article in the very much requested and even more awaited “Interview with the Bottler” series! Yes, I am … Continue reading Interview with the Bottler: Tom Skowronek

Bowmore 1998 Hand-Filled (56.9%, OB, 2014)
Bowmore

Bowmore 1998 Hand-Filled (56.9%, OB, 2014)

My quest for the wine-and-smoke perfection takes me today to a real pearl. I completely forgot who gave me this … Continue reading Bowmore 1998 Hand-Filled (56.9%, OB, 2014)

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