DuckDrams

pour from 5cl sample bottle blind tasting

⚡Experience

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Earthy and peaty aromas, mixed with citrus and stone fruit. There’s pebble, salty sea breeze, yeasty and sour winey notes, herbs and pine wood.

Very spicy on the palate; boozy and almost raw. Tempers somewhat with water. Incredibly dry. Vegetal peat at the fore flavourwise, also damp earth, tobacco, and banana chip, vanilla.

The finish leaves a pleasant bourbon and tobacco.

💡Thoughts

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Before reveal:

I really like the style and intensity of peat here. It more peaty than smoky in character. Unfortunately, the rawness is too much. It almost reminds me of that time I steeped tobacco leaf in a whisky! So what could it be? I don’t remember what heavily peated stuff I have lying around except for Port Askaig 17, and that I’d expect to be a lot mellower. Alcohol feels like 50% with the spiciness, but I think it’s a 43% or 46%. Cask mainly bourbon, no exotic finish. Islay, duh. Young.

After reveal:

Ah – It’s the “Into the Bleak”. I though that’s probably it, but then I convinced myself that this sample was still parked at the Simple Sample online shop. So it’s supposedly a teaspooned Bowmore. The sherry finish isn’t very strong here, but that’s no shame.

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2cl sample bottle

⚡Experience

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The main impression is freshness: from fruits (loads of green apple, pear, yellow stone fruits), minerality (crispy white wine, sea spray); countered by woodsy notes (oak, tree resin, toastiness, vanilla) and light smoke (smoked ham). A hint of lavender, tiger balm and iodine. Overall an “old oak juice” kind of nose.

Palate is mouth-coating, intense, and savoury. Concentrated dried tropical fruits, hard cheese, and a dollop of peat; more subtle tobacco in the development. Juicy oak.

Satisfying finish.

💡Thoughts

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Wow, so with 90.64 at 75 votes, this is one of the highest-rated drams I’ve had probably, with many claims that it’s Laphroaig (good thing I read this only after writing the review). It is a great one indeed, with many of the aspects I really enjoy in “old oak juice” from Speyside and Lowlands, but with a favourable touch of peat and funk. Not very complex, or surprising, just solidly enjoyable. €200 would be fully reasonable for the experience. But at over double that, it’s just a no go for anyone but the most religious (or wealthy) fan of the style.

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2cl sample bottle

⚡Experience

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Nuts and dried fruits (walnuts, golden sultanas), baked goods (brioche bread, apple cake with cinnamon) and smokiness and funk (burning wood, smoked bacon, grilled fish, glue). A floral theme develops with time (violets) and a more exotic streak of kaffir lime and perhaps incense sticks. And, yes, I believe the cognac finish is discernible, but would not have guessed it blindly.

A very briney palate, bringing pickles, salted nut and dried fruit mix, particularly mango, and, after some seconds, rich and fruit tobacco. Very chewey, with woody and resinous feel. Consistent finish.

💡Thoughts

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Hint of small bottle effect here, but covered to a degree by the intensity of the dram. It’s a multi-faceted dram, tasty indeed, that (beside the small bottle effect) has no particular flaw, but somehow doesn’t congeal into an awe-inspiring vision.

According to the backside label, distillates from Bowmore and Laphroaig were married in refill bourbon for over 30 years. Then a three year finish in cognac cask. I wonder why that was deemed necessary?

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