If you don’t read this article your life will be the lesser for it.
Very conveniently, the yellow vessel had ‘Ministry of Defence’ and a telephone number stencilled on it, which was of course immediately called. What happened next was to become the stuff of legend. He was connected to the Royal Navy. “I have found your yellow submarine” said John. “We haven’t lost a yellow submarine” said the Navy. Which was an odd response as the evidence to the contrary was overwhelming.
Doug is coming home to Highland Park
No not THAT Highland Park (although he may need some of that Highland Park after his ordeal)
This Highland Park
http://www.highlandpark-alliance.com
Doug goes “road trip” on Thursday with a long-time friend from Denver. He will stop by home first to see his kitties, get his reading glasses, wallet, cell phone, and laptop computer before checking in at Highland Park.
I know that in the past Doug has been fond of whisky and even belongs to a whisky tasting club. Sadly I am quite sure that alcohol is off the menu for him now that he is on dialysis otherwise I would send him a bottle to commemorate his return to Alliance.
Laphroaig is my favorite Scotch distillery. I’ve at least tasted most of their regular line-up (the Triple Wood was one of my favorites up to this point and my review of it can be found here). But, since Scotch is so expensive in the States (and always going up in price) I don’t keep a lot of it stocked in my bar.
I love the level of peat in Laphroaig’s. However, as I’ve begun to try more and more whiskey my tastebuds have evolved. I’ve begun to enjoy the drams from the more delicate side of the Scotch aisle.
I’d heard the Laphoraig 18 was the mellow giant sibling of the Laphroaig 10. So, when I connected with a fellow blogger, Josh, over at A Dram Good Drink, and conducted a sample exchange, I was sure to get a few samples of this fine tipple. Without further adieu I present…
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If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know that I dearly love Bruichladdich Octomore hyper-peated malt whisky. I bought a bottle of the Octomore 6.3 and 7.1 from thewhiskyexchange (could not find locally here in Texas) and ended up buying a second bottle of the 6.3 to hold in reserve. The 7.1 was good, just not 6.3 good. I haven’t found 7.3 online yet, but I will most defiantly be searching for it.
Mark at malt-review.com just reviewed Octomore 7.3 Check it out
As it stands, the Octomore 7.3 is still very good. I liked 6.3 – I like this one a lot more. It’s lost the earthiness and replaced it with more elegance. And it’s the first Octomore I might consider as a more social, sharing, great night dram – as opposed to something more brooding and introverted, which have felt typical for the rest of the range.
I am looking forward to finding me some 7.3 🙂
As much of a fan of smoky, peaty whisky that I am, I realize that smoky whisky may not be for you. For those of you that do not like smoky whisky (or even if you do like it), I encourage to first read my OCTOMORE 6.3 post, followed by my OCTO X Whiskey Review post. I hope you will get a chuckle.
OCTO X
08.8/ 2064 PPM
88% ABV
From the website:
Peated to an exospheric 2064 PPM, eight times that of the previous record holder OCTOMORE 06.3/, this extraordinary dram embodies its Islay origins and carries its phenol count like a Falcon soaring into the sky.
TASTING NOTES
Character
Mind blowing in potency with perfect balance. The texture is like molten gold straight out of the furnace, the taste rich with an intense character that can only be found on Islay and the Atlantic beaches of sunny Florida.
Colour
Vibrant yellow, blinding in its brightness.
Nose
It opens with a roar of ignition, thundering pulsing waves of searing heat driving a scorching hurricane onto the beach and incinerating the wild plants before it. Notes of charred concrete and superheated rebar drift across the nose, followed by an onslaught of smoke as if all of the peat bogs of Scotland were ablaze at once. Ozone and a hint of unburned kerosene dance in perfect harmony with the strong uplifting peatiness of the Islay grown barley. It is literally unlike anything else.
Palate
Heat. Heat and flame and more heat. Heat infused with smoke and heat and more smoke. The lips and tongue are reminded of the sensation of smoking a pipe – an exhaust pipe. As the heat builds it is accompanied by the spontaneous detonation of road flares and flash bangs. It is a taste like no other, a whiskey on fire, uncut, unfiltered, unthrottled. This is scorchery.
Finish
Long and hard. The ears continue to ring long after lips, tongue, and throat have lost the ability to feel pain. It evokes memories of every rocket that ever exploded on the launch pad or during flight. Join us as we look to the past while rocketing into the future.
Mood
The heat and smoke just keep increasing to the point where it is driving you crazy with joy and you want to call the paramedics and tell them what is happening. Relax and keep it to yourself – no one will believe you.
• • •
OCTO X is the result of a unique collaboration between Bruichladdich – the makers of OCTOMORE and SpaceX – the worlds preeminent commercial space launch company. After traditional roasting at Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte distillery, the malt is flown by chartered private jet (flying non-stop zero-G parabolas) to the SpaceX launch facility at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the South Florida East Coast. Here it is lovingly shoveled into the flame trough of the SLC 40 launch pad for a second roasting during the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket.
After launch, the roasted malt is then returned to Islay for additional roasting, fermentation, and distillation. For five long slow years it rests in octuple-charred barrels of American White Oak breathing in the sea air of Islay and mellowing the fires of its birth. It is then “finished” in the reclaimed fuel tanks of a used Falcon 9 first stage.
The name OCTO X pays homage to the Octomore farm from which its barley was produced, the OCTOWEB engine arrangement of the latest generation on Falcon 9 rocket, and of course SpaceX without who’s cooperation this unique dram would not have been possible.
Sláinte
• • •
This is of course a work of pure fiction. Parody. Satire.
As you know I love peated whisky. The smokier the better. The Islay whiskies are the smokiest of all. My whisky cabinet is replete with a variety of Islay whiskies. When I can find it (and afford it) one of my favorites is Bruichladdich OCTOMORE. I am also a big fan of Elon Musk and SpaceX. A quick search of this blog will reveal many posts covering Bruichladdich, OCTOMORE, and SpaceX.
While researching my post on OCTOMORE 06.3/ 258 PPM I ran across a YouTube review of OCTOMORE by someone who clearly did NOT like peated whisky. That got me thinking about writing a review for a fictitious peated whisky that was so clearly over the top that even peat lovers would get a chuckle out of it. OCTO X is this whisky.
This post is a tribute to Bruichladdich and SpaceX, whose forward thinking are propelling us into the 21st century and beyond.
See also OCTOMORE 06.3/ 258 PPM
From: http://www.bruichladdich.com/the-whisky/octomore/063-258-ppm
OCTOMORE
06.3/ 258 PPM
ISLAY BARLEY 2009
64% ABV
FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME WE ARE PROUD TO RELEASE OCTOMORE WHISKY DISTILLED FROM 100% ISLAY BARLEY AND HARVESTED IN 2008 BY FARMER JAMES BROWN AT LORGBA, A SINGLE FIELD ON HIS OCTOMORE FARM.
Peated to a stratospheric 258ppm, the highest ever released in the industry, this extraordinary dram embodies its island origins and carries its phenol count with an effortless grace.
High on the hill above Loch Indaal, Octomore faces the rage of Atlantic weather systems and once housed its own farm distillery, most likely producing a very heavily peated spirit from home-grown barley.
In homage to its origins, this is Octomore of Octomore.
TASTING NOTES
Character
Mesmerising in its potency – with perfect balance. The texture is like warm honey, the taste rich with a depth of character that can only be found on Islay.
Colour
Autumn sunshine – citrine.
Nose
It opens with the call of the sea, the thundering west coast waves driving a gentle mist onto the moorland and tempting the wild plants to release their unique aromas. Notes of myrtle, meadowsweet, mint and heather flowers drift across the nose. Wild thyme and red clover dance in perfect harmony with the strong uplifting peatiness of the Islay grown barley. It’s exhilarating, and seriously dramatic.
Palate
When the heat of the peat fires cool there is a spontaneous detonation of soft red grapes, cherries, Russian toffee, bitter chocolate, maple syrup and mellow oak. It is a taste like no other, a whisky cut loose, unhindered, unchanged. This is sorcery.
Finish
Long and strong, it warms the soul and lifts the heart. It evokes memories of those early years when the sweat of men instilled the spirit with a unique character. Join us as we look to the past, celebrating our Islay DNA while journeying into the future in a never-ending quest for the rainbow’s end.
Mood
The flavours just keep evolving to the point where it is driving you crazy with joy and you just want to tell the world what is happening. Relax and keep it to yourself – it’s not for sharing and when the glass is empty you will feel like the ultimate warrior.
Available from The Whiskey Exchange
Santa, are you reading this?
Not all money spent
Should it be saved? Or perhaps …
Wee dram of whisky
Fingers on two hands
Bo Derek was one of them
A good age for Scotch
To me …
Despite the name of the BBC Travel article below, it is actually mostly a review of my favorite peated single malts from Islay.
Islay (Ī – la)
Bruichladdich (Broo – ik – laddie)
Laphroaig (La – frō – āg)
Lagavulin (La – ga – vū – in)
(True Scotsmen, please correct my pronunciation as needed. I hope I am close.)
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20150511-why-you-should-never-drink-whisky-on-the-rocks
A Critmas present from a very good friend.
The video says it all.
http://www.bruichladdich.com/the-whisky/port-charlotte/scottish-barley
In an alternate reality I would retire to Islay, preferably in or near Port Charlotte.
I like this one too 🙂
Recently, we here at BWG have inadvertently relegated our Ardbeg consumption to their special annual releases (you can read all our Ardbeg reviews here) and seem to have overlooked some of their more regularly available stuff. That has been a mistake… Ardbeg Uigeadail’s nose is like an enchanted forest of flavors. It starts off with a beautifully complex blend of earth, oak, moss, wild blackberries and raspberries and Ardbeg’s typical, ever present, but not overpowering peat smoke. The palate is a fresh, hand-picked bouquet strewn over smoked wood chips. A few drops of water open up the fruity and floral notes, while adding a creamy texture to this smokey mountain of flavors. The finish is smooth and warm with some sharp cracked peppercorn and fading peat smoke. Uigeadail is beautifully complex and balanced. For BWG it’s by far Ardbeg’s best regular offering. Available in store and online at Gates Circle Liquor for $106
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This just appeared in my reader … My favorite distiller …
Bruichladdich, one of BWG’s favorite Scottish distillers recently discontinued their “Laddie 10” flagship bottling and replaced it with The Classic Laddie Scottish Barley. We loved the Laddie 10 (you can read that review here), so we were not happy to learn of its departure – however, we were equally as excited to sample its replacement. This unpeated Bruichladdich pours a deep honey gold, a few shades darker than its predecessor. The nose is classic Bruichladdich, salty and floral with a caramel, banana sweetness. The palate is clean and balanced, with sea salt caramel taffy and a lavender bouquet. It has a nice oily mouth feel which leads into thoroughly warming finish that lasts a good while. A touch of water broadens the palate with more floral notes, while maintaining its salty-sweet bite. There is no age statement on this Laddie bottling and the abv. has been punched up to…
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BRUICHLADDICH
PROGRESSIVE HEBRIDEAN DISTILLERS
OCTOMORE/06.1_167
Touch the image above (you want to touch it) to go to the Bruichladdich OCTOMORE 06.1 SCOTTISH BARLEY webpage.
THE WORLD’S MOST HEAVILY PEATED WHISKY, THIS IS THE SIXTH EDITION OF THE UBER-EXPERIMENTAL CULT OCTOMORE.
Titanic amounts of peat but with a light, delicate complexity and a beguiling finesse. Young, yet eminently mature, it defies us. It remains an enigma. We embrace that.
Here, we pay tribute to its pedigree, to the land from which it came and the raw materials that gave it life: Octomore Scottish Barley.
We believe challenging convention matters.
• • •
I am sequestered in an undisclosed location, dealing with stressful family matters (the Mrs’ side). A bright side to this is that a local wine and spirits store had a bottle of the above mentioned cult elixir. As I have depleted all the home stocks of OCTOMORE, I justified buying another bottle (and got permission from the wife).
Review
There are several fine reviews of this spirit on the web. Google is your friend. As for me, it is the same OCTOMORE that I have come to love. No, not merely love, but obsess over. Stalk.
Yet this OCTOMORE is stronger, spicier, with more bite on the tongue. Bottled at 57% ABV it has a kick that can be mellowed with a drop or two of spring water. Like the OCTOMOREs that preceded it, the high phenol level of 167 PPM does NOT equate to the same smoke level as a Caol Ila, Laphroaig, or Ardbeg. The smoke is subtler, woven through a sweet, young, crisp experience.
Not my favorite OCTOMORE of all time, but like sex or pizza (if you know the old joke), it is still OCTOMORE.
But wait … was it the fact that I was several “wee drams” into the bottle when I began writing? A bit of research and a nagging remembrance uncovered:
https://contrafactual.com/2014/04/10/octomore-06-1-167ppm/
I’ll be damned. This was my second bottle of OCTOMORE/06.1_167. As I said, I (we) finished off both the OCTOMORE/06.1_167 and the OCTOMORE 10. This bottle of 06.1_167 was much cheaper than it was at home location. A good deal. It is interesting to me that on my second bottle it seemed stronger, spicier. Oh well.
Damn good whisky!
Sitting here drinking and smelling my OCTOMORE 06.1 167ppm in a Glencairn Glass.
All of the senses are involved. For a five year old scotch, this stuff is fantastic. Hell fantastic period.
If you LOVE, smoky sweet delicious scotch, you must try OCTOMORE.
OK, yeah I’ve had a few wee drams 😀
Mmmmm, I want some …
Related posts:
https://contrafactual.com/2013/08/01/port-charlotte-heavily-peated-islay-single-malt/
OCTOMORE SCOTTISH BARLEY
http://www.bruichladdich.com/the-whisky/octomore/octomore-06-1-scottish-barley
I just snagged a bottle. The stock photo above is better than anything I could take. Click the photo or the link to go the the official Bruichladdich webpage.
I can tell you that I like it (I had better at almost $200 a bottle). It is not a sweet as the 10 year old OCTOMORE. Although it has twice the peaty/smokey goodness as measured by ppm, it did not strike me as that much smokier. It’s good stuff.
But don’t take my word for it. Watch what the people who make it say about it:
Jim McEwen’s passion for his creation is inspiring.
Related posts:
https://contrafactual.com/2013/08/06/whiskyreview-48-bruichladdich-octomore-5_169-59-5/
https://contrafactual.com/2013/08/06/octomore-10-first-release/
Mmmmm … scotch
Single Malt … and Blended
I couldn’t have done it without you.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
This issue has been fixed in 3.9.1
http://ios.wordpress.org/2014/02/12/wordpress-for-ios-3-9-1-released/
I am happy 🙂
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
After documenting to my own satisfaction … and hopefully to your satisfaction … I need scotch. Smoky not chill filtered, no coloring added, single malt scotch.
Being unable to go back and edit my previous posts puts the kibosh on my ability to tidy up and standardize various grammatical aspects.
I am sad 😦
Mmmmm scotch
Top 10 Observations of an old White Guy on Race Relations in the New Millennium
Number 10
Barrack Obama may be the coolest, hippest, Nobel Prize winningest President the US has ever had, but he is not the blackest. Bill Clinton still holds that title.
(Click on the image above to go to the official web page)
I have it. It was a gift. I have good friends.
After watching dozens of Ralfy videos on YouTube, I decided to be more adventurous in my scotch purchases. My idea was to have a good supply from various distillers at various price points. For reference, my benchmark range for a “good” Single Malt is $40 to $70. This is sipping whisky. Savored first neat, then with a touch of water, then with a bit more water. If you feel the need to mix your scotch with anything else, buy a good blended whisky (a good blended whisky such the standard Famous Grouse is much cheaper and can substitute for Single Malt if you run out). Please don’t waste good Single Malt by adding anything but water (or if you prefer, ice). I drink scotch maybe once a week, maybe less. So a bottle lasts quite a while. With more than one variety you always have options, and you can offer your guests options. If you buy a bottle that you can’t stand, you can still give it away to a less discerning associate (note the word associate, friends don’t give friends bad whisky) or serve it to your guests who want to mix it with something other than water. Having a supply of scotch also fits well with the ATF survival strategy.
I use a Glencairn Glass. Half of the pleasure of a good Single Malt is smell and the Glencairn Glass (the one Ralfy and whiskybitch use) is designed to concentrate the smell. The technical term is nosing. The nose can differentiate millions of different smells, the mouth only four or five different tastes.
There are many good whisky blogs out there and many excellent YouTube video reviews. Take some time to check them out. Window shop your local spirits store, then do your research at home. The world of Single Malt whisky is wide and varied. By the way, scotch by definition comes from Scotland, but there are many other good-to-excellent Single Malt whiskys out there. Trivia note: Scotland, Canada, and Japan call it whisky. USA and Ireland call it whiskey. By law whisky must be three years old, younger than that it is called spirit. Most blended whiskys are a blend of spirit and whiskies.
My current absolute favorite is anything by Bruichladdich (pronounced brew-ik-lahddy or even brook-lahddy). A visit to their website is worth the time. I discovered Bruichladdich as part of my new found spirit of adventure. I tend to prefer the smokier Single Malts, especially the ones from Islay (pronounced eye-lah). I saw a bottle of Bruichladdich PC6 on the shelf and thought “what the hey.” Now keep in mind that PC6 is only six years old. If you ever find a bottle of it, buy it. This six year old Single Malt is as good as any ten year old scotch I have had. The reason is the cut. Bruichladdich uses a very narrow cut to guarantee that only the ethanol makes it to the aging barrels. Lower quality whiskies use a wider cut, this gives them more whiskey to sell, but the quality is poorer. You cannot age away bad spirit. The waste products from the Bruichladdich stills is used to power a generator that provides all of their electricity needs. They even bought a Nissan Leaf … and … made a very limited LEAF bottling.
The PC in PC6 stands for Port Charlotte, which is one of the Bruichladdich brands. It is also the site of a former (and soon to be restarted) distillery. The Port Charlotte brand is peated (smoky), whereas classic Bruichladdich is unpeated. They also make the hyper-peated Octomore, but that is for a later post. Bruichladdich released limited bottlings of Port Charlotte at 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 years of age as PC5, PC6, PC7, PC8, PC9, and PC10. The PC5 was an extremely limited bottling, which sold out immediately. I was able, in the fullness of time, to acquire bottles of PC7 and PC8, in addition to my original PC6. PC9 and PC10 were also very limited bottlings and very expensive if you can find them. Each of the PC series was bottled at cask strength, close to 60% ABV. Sadly the PC6 and PC7 are no more (at least not at Cat-Beard Manor) but I do have an unopened bottle of PC8 stashed away for TEOTWAWKI.
This year the “production” version, Port Charlotte 10, made its way to my local spirits superstore. This is the version that will be readily available for some time. It is bottled at 46% ABV and sells for under $70 per bottle in my area. I like it, whiskybitch loves it …
If you like smoky, peaty scotch, you will love it too!
For the same peaty goodness at a lower price, be sure to check out Port Charlotte The Peat Project. It is a multi-year vatting of the various PC batches. It is available for under $50.
cb
Be seeing you …
This post is for Opinionated Man and any one else who enjoys Single Malt Scotch.
My introduction to Single Malt scotch occurred perhaps twenty plus years ago with Glen Morangie. I found that I would buy one bottle of scotch and nurse it for months before getting (sorry, trying to type around Sir Edmund Hillary, my cat beard) another, different bottle. I then found that I liked the smokier malts from Islay, Laphroaig and Lagavulin. On one of my business trips in the ’90s, I discovered The Macallan. It was my benchmark for Single Malt scotch for many years.
Perhaps four years ago a nice young lady was handing out samples of Famous Grouse at my local spirits superstore. I was a Single Malt snob, but it was a free sample. It was quite good and very reasonably priced. The 12 year old was called a “vatted malt” and I was told it was a blend of The Macallan and Highland Park. I added Famous Grouse to my collection.
The Macallan continued to be my preferred scotch and I also continued to think “older is better.” I noticed that there was a “Cask Strength” Macallan, but it had no age listed. I bought a bottle. Wow, deep red, strong, delicious. I was hooked on Cask Strength Macallan, it was the best scotch I had ever tried. I bought a bottle for a friend on his birthday. The day of his birthday I was researching Cask Strength Macallan and came across a comment that said it was good, but not as good as Aberlour A’bunadh.
I called around and found a store that carried it. I picked up my friend, gave him his bottle and told him we were on a mission. Any scotch that was alleged to be better than Cask Strength Macallan had to be tried. We picked up the A’bunadh and it lived up to its name. It was so delicious that we drank more than we should have, but it was so good (and we got so drunk).
In an earlier post I talked about Ralfy, below is his re-review of Aberlour A’bunadh.
Somethings I have since learned:
Be seeing you …
Ralfy is a perfect example of my philosophy that one is not solely defined by his or her profession. If you love Scotch and you have searched the web for Scotch reviews, you know Ralfy.
Never heard of Ralfy? Go ahead. Google Ralfy. I’ll wait. Too lazy? Sigh.
OK then, click >> here <<
Ralfy may be only one of several whisky bloggers, but to my taste he is the most entertaining and credible. He is certainly one of the most prolific and consistent whisky reviewers in the whisky world. Ralfy is a celebrity. I have enjoyed his many YouTube Whisky Reviews. If Ralfy likes it, I know I will like it.
Where am I going with all this, besides of course directing you to an excellent source of whiskey information (for those of you who love whisky)?
Ralfy is an undertaker.
You can read a 2009 interview with him here.
Author’s Note: I broke my rule about adding links. I hope you enjoyed them.
Contrafactual 