Penny for Your Thoughts - BenRiach 18 Albariza, Kilchoman 10th Anniversary
- Oct 10, 2017
- 3 min read
We took advantage of our time in London to order two samples from Master of Malt. The short story is that Master of Malt, a UK-based company, has an incredible selection of 1 oz samples of whiskey on its website, most reasonably priced under $10, so significantly less than you'd pay in a bar for the same drink. The problem with ordering these samples is that those of us in the U.S. get killed on shipping costs, which can be more than the cost of the samples when only ordering a few. (Incidentally, while playing around with the website, I found the sweet spot to be right around 21 samples, which costs $40 or so to ship. So if you're in the mood to try a ton of whiskies to figure out what you like, you could do worse than getting a big set of samples from those guys.) We tried to find some whiskies that are no longer available or hard to find in the States.
BenRiach 18 Albariza (46% ABV) - The unusual name is the first thing that stands out in this scotch. Albariza is the soil found in the Andalusia region, and the name refers to the fact that this is a peated single malt aged in Pedro Ximenez casks (PX sherry being a major product of Spain, although some sites suggest Andalusia's not actually a big producer of PX). My immediate thought was to compare this to Lagavulin Distillers Edition, which is aged for approximately 17 years, including a final year in sherry casks, and is bottled at a similar ABV. Compared to that incredible whisky, BenRiach 18 falls slightly short, but that's no discredit to it. The nose is first-rate, with scents of fruit and berry jam, including raspberries, cranberries, and grape. The intense fruitiness and richness comes from the PX casks, and is expressed here more strongly than in Lagavulin Distillers Edition. The peat is faint on the nose, and not particularly smoky. I could taste this scotch all day, as those compote notes combine with a warming, smoky peat. That smoke is rare in peated Highland single malts, particularly given the lengthy aging, so this whisky must have been heavily peated at the outset. The finish is more in the classic sherried scotch mold of Auchentoshan Three Wood (think craisins), but with more balance from the spice and slightly bitter, savory flavors characteristic of a peated whisky. At $125 or so, it was not cheap when it was available, but this may be one of the best examples of the peated Highland/Speyside style that I've tried. A-
Kilchoman 10th Anniversary (58.2%) - A cask-strength version of Kilchoman, the best young distillery in Scotland, released to commemorate the distillery's 1oth birthday, and including some liquid from the very first cask ever laid there (i.e., Cask No. 001)? Sign me up, right? I was stunned to find that I did not enjoy this single malt all that much. There was nothing wrong with it, per se, but I expected much more complexity in a special celebratory release. It tastes like the slightly too bitter smoke that characterizes Caol Ila 12 to me, but dialed up to 11, and then stripped of some of the sweeter notes that balance out that single malt. My note for the nose was "cigarette smoke and ashtray." It is really smoky, I don't know how else to put it. There isn't the typical Islay magic, where that smoke swirls together with a little iodine, sea breeze, medicinal flavors, and savory, almost meaty qualities in a delicious fusion of unexpected flavors. This is like chain-smoking ten cigarettes, two cigarettes at a time. In contrast to the scent, this whisky's surprisingly easy sipping, particularly for the proof. Again, however, I'm disappointed by the simplicity: mild lemon or citrus zest and malt were it for me before that smoke wiped everything else out. This whisky is all smoke, but no fire -- at least it doesn't have much burn on the finish. When it was available, I believe this scotch sold for $125 or more, and I would not have considered that money well spent. That's not something I thought I'd ever have to say about Kilchoman. C+
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