Review 206: Highland Park Loki 15 Year

Review 206

3/14/14

Highland Park Loki 15 Year: 48.7% abv

Background: This is a pretty special review for the KCM crew here. This is the first time we’re reviewing a truly limited edition bottling, albeit this is limited edition in the sense that there was a bottle of whisky that came before it and one that’ll come after it, and they’ll be presented the same, but they’ll be different…somehow. So you might call this a “vintage release without the vintage”. Highland Park Loki is part of their Valhalla collection. The whisky is at least 15 Years old, and bottled at almost 49%, which is a nice thing considering how much you pay for the whisky. Highland Park spends their time telling you about Loki in Norse mythology and how it relates to the whisky, but I’m not going to do that. What I’ll do is tell you how this is a 15 Year whisky at $275 a bottle. Obviously you’ll be wondering, why would I pay that kind of money for such a young whisky?

Straight

Nose: The Highland Park Loki starts off in the nose with a battle between a huge fruitiness and a coastal saltiness. The fruitiness is consistent of HP classic orange marmalade, citrus, green grapes, blueberry, dark cherry and other tropical fruits like bananas. There is a complex oak and malt, coupled with creamy vanilla and custard. This whisky also brings out spicy notes of chai tea, clove and allspice. The whisky also has a profound, deep floral smell to it. In additional, cinnamon apple contributes to a smell of both spiciness and sweet fruitiness. There is a very green, earthly aroma that presents itself in the nose as well. It is almost a mossy type aroma that comes through.

                           

Arrival: There is a lot of malt in the arrival, along with a tart cherry sweetness. Plenty of oak can be found in the arrival, along with a substantial amount of spiciness. The whisky is pretty coastal in the arrival, with a slight amount of saltiness and tropical fruits as well. There is a lot of spiciness in the arrival, with mild black pepper, cinnamon, allspice, and gingerbread coming through.

Body: The body is very strongly herbal, with a  large amount of cilantro and mint coming through, along with an earthy presence as well. There is a strong maltiness, along with green apple, lime citrus, green melon, and body.

Finish: The finish contains the same amount of herbal presence as the rest of the whisky, including the mint and cilantro seen before. There is a lot more of an herbal quality to the finish than in the body. There is also a leathery quality to the whisky in the finish, that would be associated with a much older whisky. The finish is absolutely medicinal, and contains a bitter green tea flavor as well. There is a small amount of malt that fades off with the finish.

With Water

Nose: The herbal and citrus notes are very dominant after adding water. The whisky starts off with a much more potent nose. There is a change of balance, as some of the vanilla sweetness gets lost, and is replaced with an increase in bitter floral notes and coastal saltiness. There is a little bit of graham cracker in the nose as well now.

Arrival: The arrival stills contains some beautiful spiciness, along with some maltiness and herbal notes. The arrival is more mild than before.

Body: The body becomes intensely more herbal than before adding water, with bold flavors. There is also more maltiness, with the sweetness from the whisky becoming more dormant. There is a vanilla wafer flavor that comes through in the body as well now. There is a good amount of woodiness in the body, that bleeds into the finish.

Finish:  The finish is woody, with some old notes of leather and wood polish. It still is hugely herbal. There is a high dominance of woodiness in the finish that seems more prevalent than before adding water.

Final Comments: Wow…this is a whisky which raises the bar. This is complex, balanced, unique, and all around a beautiful statement by Highland Park. The KCM crew believes this whisky has some older whiskies in it by its taste profile, and it contributes to a more mature, complex flavor than you would expect from a 15 Year.  Now, let’s be clear. I’m not going to spend the next few minutes telling you about how this whisky is worth $275, because it really isn’t. The reason it isn’t is because for $200 less you could buy something of marginally worse quality and still have an undoubtedly fantastic whisky. So this bottle is for people who have the money to spend; and if you do, this HP will not disappoint. If you were going to buy a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, this would be a better alternative and you wouldn’t look like an ass.

 

Why you’d buy it: You have a lot of money and want something you can appreciate and use to decorate your mantle.

                                                                                                          

Why you wouldn’t: You’re like most people and don’t want to spend almost $300 on a consumable bottle of liquid that actually does more to dehydrate you than offer sustenance.

Score:  10/10

Review 202: Glendronach 15 Year Revival

Review 202

1/25/14

Glendronach 15 Year Revival: 46% abv

Background: This whisky just recently made it into Michigan. At a good price and a good presentation, KCM is more than excited to have this whisky in Michigan. Earlier last year, we reviewed Glendronach 12 Year (Review # 162, 5/25/13), and found it to be a decent alternative at a reasonable price. The 12 Year, as a reminder, is aged with PX and Oloroso sherry casks. The 15 Year, at 46%, is aged in Oloroso sherry casks exclusively. As a result, this is one of the darkest looking whiskies we’ve ever reviewed, but it is natural color. This whisky is rather pricy, so the question is: does this compete well with the other sherry Scotches we can buy on the shelf today, like Aberlour, Balvenie, and Macallan?  Let’s find out.

Straight

Nose: This whisky starts off with an unsurprising portion of sherry prominence and a healthy portion of raison smell, which is rich and flavorful right off of the bat. Contributing to the sweetness is a rich smell of vanilla and caramel, with a dry cocoa in the back. There is some woodiness in it, close to oak and catalpa. To add contrast, some floral aromas add overtones of bitterness to the nose. There is a little bit of rich cherry and apple flavor in the nose, with a subtlety of malt and wheat graininess helping contributing to the aroma. There is some sweet marmalade that accentuates the sweetness of the nose. There is a mild saltiness in the whisky, but it certainly doesn’t present itself as overly dominant. An additional spiciness of clove and cinnamon are noticeable. Finally, a small hint of earthiness is present in smell.            

Arrival: The arrival starts off with a really syrupy mouthfeel, a thick sherry taste, with a hot spiciness. There are rich fruits of apple and raisons, along with hot cinnamon and clove. There is a big presence of maple and molasses on the arrival. There is also a confectionary sweetness in the arrival, almost like cookie dough.

Body: The body is where the spiciness kicks into overdrive. There is a note of apple and sweet sherry, with tart huckleberry adding to the thickness. There is a lot of earthiness and greenness in the body. There is a taste of Angostura Bitters in the body.

Finish: The finish provides a blast of sherry after it resides from the body. There is a large amount of spiciness in the finish, with cinnamon, gingerbread and clove most prevalent. There is a very malty presence here in the finish. A fresh mintiness is noticeable as the whisky fades down. There is a surprising vegetal quality in the finish. The barrel really comes out in this whisky.

With Water

Nose: There is a lot more oakiness in the whisky from before. The spiciness is getting a lot bigger here than before, with clove being the distinguishing smell. A slightly more vegetal note is coming through, with a little bit of burning tobacco on the nose as well. In addition, there is a note of brown sugar available.

Arrival: The arrival is much more grain forward than before, with the maltiness being more forward than before. The spice is in perfect play with the sweetness, with the sherry being in perfect proportion.

Body: The body lends itself to a good blend of grain, spiciness, and sherry. This has a lot going on, and is in perfect distribution.

Finish: The finish is a perfect blend of different flavors, dialing in the medley of spiciness, grain, sherry and saltiness. This whole thing has become much more balanced. The dry spiciness is what tends to last through the finish the most.

Final Comments: This is absolutely what it should be. This is a beautiful blend of spiciness, maltiness, and the fantastic sherry flavor that contribute to a perfect balance. When you first see this spirit, you might be wary that this will be overly sweet and syrupy up front, but it is absolutely not that at all. This is one of the finest examples of sherried Scotch we have yet to try (there are still plenty to be tried, mind you). The complexity is there, and with just a little bit of water, it was hard for us to even focus on tasting notes. My recommendation is if you get a chance to try this Scotch, don’t hesitate. It is worth the money, and we will be trying to make this last.

 

Why you’d buy it: You don’t like the color green.

                                                                                                          

Why you wouldn’t: You don’t like sherried Scotch, and therefore you’re probably a bad person.

Score: 9.75 /10

Review 195: Tomatin 15 Year

Review 195

12/22/13

Tomatin 15 Year: 43% abv

Background: So yesterday, we reviewed the 12 Year old Tomatin. We first started speaking positively about the way Tomatin is bottling their whiskies, and ended on a strongly negative note about the whisky itself. It should be said although certain whiskies are bad, that does not mean we are against the company. That being said, even if we support a company from a theoretical standpoint, that doesn’t mean we will create artificial praise for it. This 15 Year, bottled at the same proof, is similar to the 12 Year. That being said, it is aged in “Traditional” Scotch whisky casks, which I can only assume means bourbon refill casks. We hope to get better results out of this whisky than we did the 12 Year.

Straight

Nose: Immediately, the same raw barley smell comes out of the nose as in the 12 Year. Fortunately, this doesn’t over-dominate the nose. As the whisky opens up, a nice blend of fresh citrus and floral notes are in the aroma. There is also some vanilla-dominant notes, and some crisp malt that is more akin to an anCnoc or Glengoyne than anything else. This is, in my opinion, a better aroma than the raw barley smell. This is definitely still Tomatin though, with a nose containing fresh green apple and lemon zest. A more seasoned oak flavor comes out here, which is promising. There is a slightly Champagne-like smell, with soft herbal and green notes layering into the nose. Overall, it seems like an improvement over the 12 Year.

Arrival: Fresh spiciness greets the arrival. There is still a definite sense of raw grain, and that comes out more in the body. Even still, there is more maturity, more balance, and more spiciness here than in the 12. Slight notes of honey and vanilla come through in the arrival.

Body: The body of this whisky takes on the bulk of the raw grain flavor, while still showing off some amount of spiciness and citrus. This is still the weakest part of the whisky, but at least it gives off a little bit of oakiness.

Finish: The finish is very similar to a softer Glenlivet. I am not a fan of Glenlivet, but there is a fantastic fruit-like freshness in the finish, blending green grapes, green apples, succulent citrus, and some soft herbal notes to get a similar effect without the overbearing sense of artificial fruit sweetness. There is some black pepper and nutmeg in the finish. An intense greenness still shows a prominence as the rest of the flavors mellow out in this whisky. Cloves are a dominant part of the finish. 

Final Comments: This is definitely a step up from the 12 Year. This could be possibly explained by the choice of cask. Tomatin still has a distinctive taste, as we are beginning to understand, that doesn’t really appeal to us. Although we have yet to try the 18 Year, the 12 and 15 lack the same complexity as other whiskies in their price ranges. The quality of casks still appears to be the obvious answer here. All of this being said, the 15 Year is light years ahead of the 12.

Why you’d buy it: There still really isn’t an obvious reason. Brand loyalty maybe?

Why you wouldn’t: Between Glenlivet (never thought I’d say that), Glengoyne, and anCnoc, this doesn’t offer anything better.

Score: 6.25/10

Review 85: Glenfiddich 15 Yr Distillery Edition

Review 85

7/22/12

Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Distillery Edition: 51% abv

Before we move onto the 18 Year Old, we want to take a visit to a different version of the 15 year old Scotch. This one is only slightly different, being ONLY 11% more alcohol than the regular. Oh, and instead of using three different types of casks, this one uses two casks: American and European oak. Its always important to understand what high proof alcohols really mean. One last thing to note about this whiskey. This one is non-chill filtered, which means it has not been sent through a filter to get rid the haze in the color. We like this kind of thing because chill filtration is said to hinder some of the flavor. Does all this really make a difference, or are we just speaking mumbo jumbo about this stuff? Let’s take a look. 

The nose is huge in flavor, but if you’re not careful, it can burn quite a bit as well. It has nice, dark, rich flavors of caramel, vanilla, malt, oak, chocolate, hazelnut, and molasses. You will get some sweeter, but tart notes of green apple, and cherry, and even so much as a delicate smokiness once you dig into it more. There is still some light sherry that we can normally find in Glenfiddich. The nose will either repulse you or excite you, but I urge you not to let the potency of the aroma scare you off. You’re close to the taste by now, so don’t give up! 

The taste is dry, and most of the burn will hit you in the arrival. This Scotch is definitely malty, and grainy. Barley and wheat are large contenders in the battle for your attention, but don’t let that take all of your focus. Caramel, vanilla, sherry, honey, and oak all give some flavor to this malt, as well as some spicy cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. We even noted baked red apple in the flavor. Don’t worry, I’m drooling just thinking about it myself. This Scotch, being at 51% can take some water, so don’t be too shy with it. This helps mellow the flavor out a bit, as well as bringing out earthier tones. The taste is spicy with a huge presence in the arrival. It swells at the end of the body. The finish is medium-long, and prominent while it lasts. This is where the sherry really comes to light, showing nice sweetness. There is maltiness and cinnamon in the finish, along with fruity notes of honeydew, strawberry pear, and cherry. Some fresh mint exists in the finish, but there’s a more prominent saltiness which competes with the sweet malt flavor. 

With time and water, this Scotch will open up and become sweeter. It takes water well and depicts a great flavor profile. This is very enjoyable, and well made Scotch, and does better by night and day than the regular production level Glenfiddichs. Highly recommended. 

Score: 9.0/10

Review 83: Glenfiddich 15 Yr

Review 83

7/18/12

Glenfiddich 15 Year Old: 40% abv

The next Glenfiddich in our Glenfiddich series, and this time we’ll start talking about how to pronounce Glenfiddich. If you’re saying it like it looks, with a “ch”, you’re saying it wrong. Glenfiddich is pronounced “Glenfiddick”, so now you know. But this is going to be a review of lessons, because there are several things we have never talked about. Let’s start with the oak barrels. The oak used in the production of this whiskey is a combination of sherry oak, bourbon, and new oak. This creates a lot of blends of flavors. 

Secondly, let’s talk about Solera vats. No, Microsoft Word, it isn’t a spelling error. Solera systems are where whiskey gets put in the top while whiskey is pulled out of the bottom of the vat, so there is a constant filter of whiskey, and there’s always a refreshed mix of whiskey in the vat. What does that mean for the taste? We really don’t know. And it really doesn’t matter, because we’re here to figure that out anyway. That’s our Glenfiddich lesson for the day. 

Onto the nose: We get a fruity collage in this whiskey, with red wine, cranberry, maraschino cherries, raspberries and raisons, not to be displaced by the standards of caramel, vanilla, molasses, and maltiness. The nose also contains some powdered sugar to add to the sweetness, but a contrast of lemon that flips the coin in flavor. I’m actually cheating and previewing the 18 Year Old as we speak...Don’t tell. The taste is something else entirely...but not really. Malt is a prevalent part of this whiskey, followed by molasses, barley, saltiness, and caramel. We actually noted a slight peatiness, although it’s only very subtle. There is also cinnamon heat and a tiny bourbon influence in the taste. Overall, it isn’t the most complex Scotch we’ve ever experienced in taste. It is rather dry though. Hell, this might be a shorter review than I thought. The finish is dry, with some major lemon tartness to start, followed by some cherry and lime to boot. The citrus and tart notes get more potent with the addition of water, but you’ll also find some sherry, cinnamon, caramel, butterscotch, salt, and even a slight vegetal quality to the whiskey on the finish. 

We even went so far as to notice slight orange to it. To be honest, this doesn’t take leaps and bounds above the 12 Year Old, but it does make some strides. It might be an “optimistic” score for this one, but we decided this was the most appropriate. 

Score: 9.0/10