Kilchoman Machir Bay 2014

I think it's quite fitting that the first Islay in Master of Malt's Whisky Advent Calendar appears on the first night of Chanukah. Earlier tonight, we had our first night's candles burning on three different Chanukiahs. Nothing gets me in the mood for an Islay like naked flame!

Released in early 2014 you might need to search behind the couch cushions to find a bottle of this third release of Machir Bay. Comprised of first fill bourbon matured five and six year old stock the entire batch was married in oloroso sherry wood for four weeks before being bottled at 46% alc.

Behind window #6: Kilchoman Machir Bay 2014, 46% alc., £33/$50

C: Light straw

N: Peaty (obviously) with some banana notes when you hold it on the tongue before a big coal dust blast and a fresh coastal breeze replace the fruity notes

P: Leads with the coal dust (from the nose) with a touch of sugary sweetness around the edges

F: Plenty long with a pleasing sweetness but also a peaty ashiness and ground grey pepper

In conclusion: A very solid Kilchoman release and a solid wee drinker but there's very little to suggest any sherry finishing. The slightest suggestion of sherry could have added a dimension that presents Kilchoman in the very best light. To date, my favorite release of Kilchoman remains their Spring 2010 which was the first to feature any sherry.

Sincere thanks to Master of Malt's Drinks by the Dram for the sample.

The Dalmore 15 Year Old

The Dalmore 15 Year Old is comprised of stock matured in three different types of sherry cask: Matusalem (combination of Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherries), Apostoles (Palo Cortado that spent some time in ex-Pedro Ximenez casks), and Amoroso (medium dry sherry). That's quite a lineup and speaks to just how seriously The Dalmore takes its sherry maturation program. The downside, of course, is that The Dalmore is still a proponent of chill filtering, color addition, and low strength bottling.

Behind window #5: The Dalmore 15 Year Old, 40% alc., £43/$65

C: Caramel

N: Wholewheat toast smeared with orange marmalade, high cocoa-content dark chocolate with crystallized orange peel, peanut brittle, garam masala, and then filtered coffee in the background

P: Flat across the palate (damn you 40% alc.!), porridge with maple syrup, more filtered coffee, more dark chocolate with orange peel, cardamom, and a little cinnamon

F: Short to moderate (see previous parenthetical comment), drying spice, bitter chocolate, coffee, and just a hint of chicory

In conclusion: While a perfectly enjoyable dram it could be so much more. Why take great stocks of sherry matured spirit and bottle them at such a low strength? Why chill filter away the original character? And why add color in order to tell a story that isn't true? Truth be told, there's a plethora of better sherried whiskies on the market that are worth your attention and  hard earned cash.

Sincere thanks to Master of Malt's Drinks by the Dram for the sample.

Elijah Craig, Small Batch 12 Year Old

Lo and behold, just as I'm thinking about getting more bourbon notes on to my rebooted blog Day 4 of the Whisky Advent Calendar delivers unto me an Elijah Craig, Small Batch 12 Year Old. I have a bottle of this in my own collection so I might have to explore batch differences a little later.

If, like me, you're more familiar with Scotch naming (it's the distillery front and center and then a brand name or age statement) and wonder how brand names connect to distilleries in the US I found the image below incredibly helpful (click on it to bigify):

So, as you can see, Elijah Craig hails from the Heaven Hill distillery in Kentucky and is a bourbon whiskey made according to their rye mash bill. By law, American bourbon must be made from a mash bill that's at least 51% corn. In this case, we're dealing with 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. While providing some flavor the malted barley is used for its diastatic power (its enzymatic activity is such that it can do much of the heavy lifting in converting starch to fermentable sugars).

Behind window #4: Elijah Craig, Small Batch 12 Year Old, 47% alc., £27/$41 (<$30 in the US)

C: Deep bronze

N: Big burst of corn sweetness with beautiful woody vanilla and just a hint of herbaceous dill (from the rye) around the edges

P:Good texture, rye spice leads the way with sweeter corn behind that, more dill presence than on the nose followed by aniseed, vanilla, leather, and wood resin

F: Long and spicy with lingering sweetness for balance, some pepper, dark cherry and abundant vanilla 

In conclusion: With bourbon, what you get on the nose tends to be what you get on the palate and into the finish. Which is fine. Sometimes, however, you go on a bit of a journey with different notes rising and falling as you move through the layers. Here, the big burst of corn on the nose subsides on the palate allowing that hint of rye on the nose to come to the fore on the palate. A damn fine whiskey!

If you'd like to read a damn fine book that cuts to the chase about bourbon I highly recommend Fred Minnick's Bourbon Curious that was published this year. (I'm hoping to get a review on the blog sometime in the not-too-distant future.)

Sincere thanks to Master of Malt's Drinks by the Dram for the sample.

Compass Box, Great King Street Glasgow Blend

I waxed lyrical about Compass Box and John Glaser in this morning's Artist Blend review so let me just say I was very excited to see Glasgow Blend follow Artist's Blend in the Great King Street line. Having frequented Glasgow plenty in my youth and early college days I always thoroughly enjoyed the Wellington statue with the traffic cone on his head (out front of the Gallery of Modern Art -- well worth a visit in it's own right and completely free). Now I live in Virginia and having a wee bit of Glasgow on my shelf is quite lovely.

Great King St Glasgow Blend is one third grain whisky and two thirds malt whisky. The malt whisky components hail from the Highlands, Speyside, and Islay (I was reliably informed that this is Laphroaig and comprises 20-30% of all the liquid in the bottle). Maturation comes from first fill bourbon and sherry casks with additional refill bourbon casks and a bit of french oak finishing (just like Artist's Blend).

Compass Box, Great King Street Glasgow Blend, 43% alc., £30/$45

C: Pale gold

N: Oh, yes, that's the stuff! Delightfully peaty at first whiff with a very quiet fruitiness around the edges, hints of vanilla and white pepper, too

P: Peat forward on the tongue with decent texture for a lower strength whisky, warm salted cashews and poached pears come through after the peat softens

F: Moderate length with lingering peat, ground grey pepper and oak

In conclusion: Come for the peat, stay for the peat, get the fire crackling next to you and really enjoy that peat. Oh, and be sure to include Nick Offerman in the fun.

Compass Box, Great King Street Artist's Blend

I've long been a fan of both John Glaser and Compass Box. They make smart decisions, blend wonderful whiskies, and tell interesting stories. And they get right up the nose of the Scotch Whisky Association. What's not to love?

This first release in Compass Box's Great King Street line (there's now a Glasgow Blend) is intended for both whisky connoisseurs and those who may be dipping their toe in the whisky loch for the very first time. The blend is comprised of Lowland, Northern Highland, and Speyside whiskies with a combination of first fill bourbon and sherry maturation with some new French oak finishing. Full details can be found here.

Behind window #3: Compass Box, Great King Street Artist's Blend, 43% alc., £28/$42

C: Reflective straw

N: Light and fresh (pears, green apples, vanilla) with a cereal thread running through it

P: More cereal up front with a subtle nutty component (ground cashews), then a little spice on the back (nutmeg)

F: Moderate and sweet, lingering pears and apples, then a ground pepper spiciness begins to creep in

In conclusion: Such a delightful wee dram. Artfully crafted, this is a perfect intro whisky for those who claim to not like the stuff. It's an ideal breakfast whisky, too (if you're into that kind of thing).

Sincere thanks to Master of Malt's Drinks by the Dram for the sample.