Laphroaig 10yo 2000-2010 59.1% Whisky-Doris

Only 157 bottles from this bourbon hogshead, does that imply it's coming from a shared cask? Maybe, maybe not, hard to know as it lacks a cask number, or reference as some call it. I've earlier given much praise to german bottler Whisky-Doris, as though being a smaller IB seem to source great whisky and sell it at very fair prices. I've had many 1998 Laphroaigs, but this is just my second or third 2000, more modern, more fun? The color is white wine. It smells hay, turmeric, ginger, salt, ketchup, sweet vinegar, salmi, an utmost mild and gentle Laphroaig at this strength. How weird... The taste is wheat, leather, peat smoke, spices like cinnamon and cloves, drying, not much influence from either peat nor cask. I rarely justify adding water to young peated whisky, but this time I will. With water. Now it turns more fruity, some vanilla and apple cores, but still its quite dominated by this dry leather/hay sensation. The finish is cardboard and peppercorns.

A Laphroaig with non/little peat is no Laphroaig: 4



Next tasting: Caol Ila Distillery

Glen Mhor 20yo 1977-1997 58.3% Dun Eideann cask#1557 btl.125

A high strength twenty-year old from Inverness, I guess there will be less and less of those in years to come, if any. Glen Mhor, Millburn and Glen Albyn, not many people miss these, but I believe there was magic made in Inverness, it just disappeared when they added water to dilute the spirit. The color on this one is dark golden. It smells spirity, sawdust, chalk, raw onions, oaky, paraffin, roasted nutmeg, really a peculiar one. The initial sweetness of bananas and vanilla only lasted a couple of minutes, and now its ridden with weird notes. But, let me emphasize this, it's not bad in any way! The taste is peppery, corn starch, vanilla, maize, rice vinegar, juniper berries, wheat flour. Initially it doesn't strike me as a lost treasure. Let's add some water. Now it turns sweeter, some coal and gun powder, a really strange one, dry gin and rubber is what I'm getting. The finish is peppery, burnt, a bit of rubber, quite ordinary.



Next tasting: Laphroaig Distillery

Bowmore 11yo 1979-1990 58.4% Cadenhead's

I wonder if I haven't already tried this a couple years back. Anyway, lets have another swing at the sometimes overlooked Bowmore Distillery. This one must be more in the likes of the whisky they will produce in years to come? Young and at CS. I certainly hope the 12yo will remain. The color is golden. Not golden like that shiny adjusted golden. More like the grey-ish golden on old cutlery. It smells rather restrained, some peanut butter and peat. Caramel, banana syrup, shortbread, molasses, green bell peppers, honey, butter, fried banana. This smells0 strangely sweet, yet perfectly rich and honeyed. No peat or coastal notes at all. The taste is pungent, sweet chili sauce, mango, melons, sugar and pepper, barbecue hot sauce, dried red peppers, how weird can a Bowmore get. I'd guess this was some kind of strange south-american spirit. Sugared Cachaca or something. I can't wrap my head around it, lets add some water. Now it turns even sweeter, with some rubber, some shoe wax and even burnt sugar. A strange one indeed.

The more I had the less I wanted, I believe there were some strange Bowmores: 3.5



Next tasting: Glen Mhor Distillery

Laphroaig 10yo 1998-2009 60.4% John Milroy cask#700212

According to John Milroy, there should be a taste of ripe bananas in this young Laphroaig. I made a mistake by reading the label before tasting, which I usually don't. It's another young 1998 Laphroaig, just can't get enough of them. It smells vanilla, peat, sharp in a way, lime zest and eucalyptus, rubber. It's not as clean as I often find these young Laphroaigs, less coastal peat, less medicinal, more spirity, and heavy hints of lemon and other citric notes. The taste is peaty, peppery, vanilla, lavender, strong peppery notes, but not much terroir here. It's a fresh and zesty young spirit, but no bananas. Lets add a drop of water. Now it turns a bit saltier, meaty, savory, soy sauce, quite a difference. The spirity notes as well and the peat takes a step back now. To be honest, it has a bit of sherried Bowmore going on now. The finish is long on white pepper and tar, some heather and salt, smoked bacon. 

Rarely do I find water to improve a peatmonster in this manner: 8

Next tasting: Bowmore Distillery

Laphroaig 12yo 1998-2011 57.2% James MacArthur's Old Masters cask#700233

A young Laphroaig from a bourbon barrel, that sounds good in my ears. What? Bottled at cask strength as well? And bottled by James MacArthur's you say? Now that my expectations have gone through the roof, I will pour myself a glass and try to be as objective as possible. The color is light golden. It smells medicinal, tarry, camphor, peat smoke, burnt rubber, ashes, well living up to my expectations. Classic Laphroaig style! The taste is tarry, iodine, peat smoke upon peat smoke and even more peat smoke. For Laphroaig purists. The finish is long on vanilla, peat and black pepper.

After this you will taste little but peat for the next hours: 7

Next tasting: More Laphroaig

Beam's Choice NAS 45% Jim Beam

According to the often reliable www.wikipedia.com, the Beam's Choice is usually bottled at 40%abv, or 80 proof if you like. This one is bottled at 90 proof, which makes for 45%abv. And not only that, it's also charcoal filtered. That's carbon filtering, isn't it? Must read up on stuff, really, but lets rather taste Whiskey. According to wikipedia this should also be bottled at 5yo, but the label states no age, so the plot maybe thickening, who knows? The color is nutty golden. It smells of shortbread, cupcakes, sugar, molasses, cognac, syrup, stewed onions, caramel, almost sickeningly sweet. Goes on with butterscotch and fried bananas. Some perfumy notes as well. The taste is peppery, ashes, sooth, burnt wood, black pepper, burnt rubber. All this aside, I find it slightly better than the original. The finish is short, on vanilla and sugar.

Well, certainly not boring: 3



Next tasting: Laphroaig Distillery

Strathconon 12yo 40% Blended Malt James Buchanan Co.

Buchanan's are now bottled under Diageo, and I think Strathconon is no longer being produced. The reason I'm having a go at it is, when I first started searching for malt distilleries online, I found many referencing Strathconon as a single malt whisky, which it is not. But I believe many people aquired it believing it was such. One might get that idea looking at this bottle. Okay, as did I (the shame, oh the shame...). Time to finally taste it. The color is golden, though a bit paler than most adjusted whiskies, so it might be natural color, after all, it is 12 years old. It smells sweet malt, malt syrup, white wine vinegar, shag, nutty, old attic, sweet mint, honey, develops nicely in the glass. The taste is rather starchy, potato starch and yeast, spirity, quite plain and natural, hard to pin down any of the distilleries in this blend. I'm akin to say its got a bit of Edradour or Dalwhinnie going on, but I could be very wrong. With added water I find it sweeter, with more malt and corn starch character. The finish is short and a bit on the lighter side, some peppery note and a bit of burnt clay (try licking it).

The nose alone was a positive experience, while the palate gave me very little: 3.5



Next tasting: Beam's Choice