Lagavulin Limited Edition 8 yo
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 8 years
48% abv
200th Anniversary edition (1816 to 2016)
(tasting note from Oct 24, 2020)

Lagavulin is one of the “big three” Islay distilleries. I personally have only had this Lagavulin bottle on my shelf. The standard Lagavulin 16 will appear one day, but begrudgingly, as the price puts it into the very rare purchase territory. I scooped this gem on a yellow tag, regular $100, on for $80. This particular bottle, I purchased (and opened) a year ago! It is almost gone, but a solid 2-4 drams still in the bottle.

This Limited Edition bottling is to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the distillery (1816 – 2016). The age (8 year old) is a nod to “the great whisky writer Alfred Barnard”, who visited the distillery in 1886. He made mention of an 8 year old Lagavulin, which he described as “exceptionally fine”.

Color
Very light, like a fine white wine, a hint of yellow gold.

Nose
My goodness, smoke. Smoke before I even get close to the glass! As soon as the bottle is opened, it seems like smoke fills the room.

The smoke thins out and reveals a lovely earthy tone. Wine sweetened clay pots. A strong, rich aroma, swaddled in smoke and earthy peat. Hints of raisin, prune.

Now a strident acidity – citrus, lemon peel. The smoke returns, washing away the subtle notes like a gentle lapping tide, smoothing the sandy beach. Then earth, giving way to the gentle fruits again. Dried wooden barrels come in after a few moments. Lots of interesting sweet notes with a deep nose, with a returning tickle of smoke and peat often.

Changing, but never weakening. Strong, rich, bold. An excellent way to spend a half hour!

Palate
Initially strong of spirit, and of smoke. Gently bursting fruit quickly follows. A slightly peaty, ashy finish quickly comes on.

Subsequent sips bring lovely sweet fruits, held up on a bed of smoke. The spirit is much tamed and the nose experience is more evident on the palate now.

Finish
Cigar like, ashy, mossy. Some faint lingering fruit sweetness. Oily mouthfeel.

The sip fades gently to smoke and ash and sweetness, like rain slowly melting down a window.

Final Thoughts
One of my favorite whiskies to be sure. This is an excellent smoky, vegetal, fruity whisky, with a changing experience over the course of the dram. It is strong, rich, and grabs your attention right out of the gate, and holds it all the way to the finish.

I continue to be amazed by the striking similarities and differences between the Islay whiskies. Ardbeg and Laphroaig with their own character, and with this taste of Lagavulin, I feel another similar, yet distinct identity. While I have tasted the Lagavulin 16 in restaurants, I have not had the time to sit and appreciate it. I am looking forward to experiencing that core expression from this distillery.

Johnnie Walker is the most widely distributed brand of blended whisky in the world, and the Black Label is one of the world’s best selling Scotch whiskies. Coming in locally at just under the $60 mark, for me it hovers between the mid-range good value price ($55 – $65) and the what I consider the largely ‘excellent whisky’ price ($70-$90+). We’ve often talked about what a great value it is for the shelf, I needed to spend an evening with this stalwart and discover my true feelings!

Nose
Initially smoke, followed quickly by dark fruits – fig, raisin, very pleasant and sweet. There is a definite oakiness, all of those barrel notes in there. Spicy, delightful.

I also get dry hay, and straw. It mixes nicely with the fruit – I picture a basket of dry straw with ripening figs nestled in it.

Smoke recedes with time, but it still can be found when sought after.

After some time in the glass, a vanilla custard appears. Creme Brulee. No pastry notes, just a nice vanilla custard. I can seek out many of these notes and find them. They don’t always come forward to show themselves though.

Palate
Rich and full. Sweetness, dark fruits, some serious vanilla undertones. Smooth and easy on the tongue. Every now and then I sense a bite of spirit, but it is fleeting. Nothing terribly strong actually – all the notes are nice, smooth, but mid strength. Well blended perhaps?

Finish
The sweet dark fruits fade away, and there is a bit of lingering smoke perhaps. Definitely a vanilla barrel and spice finish, as the sweetness of the sip departs.

Final Thoughts
I was happy to take the time with a dram of this shelf standard – for me it swings between middling and marvelous, from dram to dram. Taking the time with it, I was struck by the nose, a really nice multilevel experience. The taste didn’t seem to evolve much, and was overall mid-range in power (not muddled or weak, just not a strong impression in any one thing).

I may have been influenced by other reviews that state “look for smoke, there’s smoke. Look for fruit, there’s fruit. Look for vanilla, there’s vanilla”. I would agree with that on the nose for sure. But the palate and finish were fairly consistent, and not particularly dynamic.

A neat association I have with JW Black is the show “The Deuce”, set in the 70’s and 80’s, New York criminals and cops, lots of bars. Every time the cops would come in to hassle or visit the bars, it was “Whisky. And not that cheap stuff – top shelf”. And out comes the JW Black, every time.

I’m not entirely sold on the value for this one. At just under $60, I’m trying to think of whiskies I enjoy more. Haven’t come up with any yet (except some sweet yellow tags!) so maybe this is best in show for this price range. I’m probably a bit inclined to creep into the $70 tier for some whiskies I enjoy a fair bit more. And as a regular sipper, the price makes it a non-starter against bargains like Cutty Sark, JP Wiser TBR, and Teachers Highland Cream.

Deerstalker Limited Release
Speyside Single Malt scotch whisky
Age: 20 years 1 month
Distilled: 8 Dec 1994
Bottled: 7 Jan 2015
Distillery: Braeval
Cask number: 159164
Bottle number: 34 of 276
Matured in ex-bourbon barrel
Unchill filtered, natural colour
48% abv
(tasting note from Oct 8, 2020)

As best as I have been able to determine, Deerstalker is a bottler – they will buy casks of whisky from various distillers and either further age them, or move them to different casks and further age/evolve them. I haven’t figured out if they do their own distilling, but these Limited Release series definitely seem to be sourced from other distilleries. I see Speyside (this one), Lowlands, Highlands, etc. Various age statements as well (10, 12, 15, 20, etc). I picked this one up on a yellow tag impulse (I’m such a sucker for these! I only see $ saved, not $ spent!)

The box text simply states:
“Color – Light Amber
Nose – clean, malty notes
Taste – Spicy – good combination of oakiness and almonds
Finish – Well balanced with a beautiful sweetness“

Color
The pour is nice to look at. It is light, has a golden straw-like appearance. Pretty.

Nose
Right out of the gate, it is strong. There are stringent, alcohol notes. There could be an overall fruity scent in there, hard to tell.

Then the barrel comes in strong now. Big strong wooden staves, pushing that sawdust, straw, barrel to the fore. Am I getting any fruit, really? Straw and sawdust/barrel, mostly.

On a gentle approach to the nose, there are very faint sweet and lightly floral notes. Very hard to pick up.

Air seems to gentle the barrel. Peach, lightly pastry perhaps. Caramel. All the notes are so faint, so subtle.

After a sip, clean and malty like the box says. The sweet fruit and light pastry brushes the edges now and then, very fleeting.

Palate
Strong, burn. Fiery. Some sweetness, spicy oak. Maybe summer fruits.

Once the burn passes, there are echoes of the nose, but honestly feels more like a spirit-heavy liquor.

Finish
Burn slowly fades, some faint sweetness lingers.

Final Thoughts
Overall, nothing really here for me. I don’t feel like there are hidden gems in here, it comes across as light in flavour, strongly alcoholic. I don’t get any hints of wonder, just faint echoes of other whiskies I’ve enjoyed more. The alcohol is strong, and isn’t masked by any big flavours or interesting notes. Harsh undertone to all parts of the experience. For me this was definitely a miss on the Yellow Tag lottery.

Poit Dhubh 21yo (“Potch Ghoo”)
43% abv
Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
“Connoisseurs Gaelic Whisky”
(tasting note from Oct 1, 2020)

Pronounced “Potch Ghoo” (black pot) – a Gaelic term for an illicit still. The Poit Dhubh 21yo bottle text promises aromas of vanilla, oak and peat. Unchillfiltered, but colored. Some reviews feel that Islay and Skye hold some sway in this whisky – if true, it promises to be a fine dram.

Colour
On first pour, the color is notably dark. It looks rich and decadent.

Nose
Smoke and bits of subtle peat on the first nose. A deep nosing gives bits of musty, earthy notes. A slow approach to the nose is floral, vanilla, some sweetness. Berries eventually come to the fore – strawberries, raspberries. There is strong field freshness here – slightly sun dried grass. The smoke and peat return, lightly.

After a sip, the nose is mostly peat and smoke. Dried, smoked earth packed into an oaken barrel. However, always able to pull back and pick out the berries that were grown in that earth.

A wonderfully evolving, delicate nose. It demands some attention, and is delightful.

Palate
First sip is all sweet, smooth, rich and buttery. Mostly sweet fruity richness, with some peat, some smoke. Full, rich mouthfeel.

Second sip, much stronger with peat. Sweet still, with a sherry cask character, vanilla, sweetness. Again that rich, full mouthfeel, perhaps a bit of a burn.

Finish
The sweetness of the sip starts to fade, with peat and smoke slowly taking over the finish. But a layer of sweetness clings to the mouth. It is a long, lingering finish. Very pleasant. Mostly sweet and fruity as the smoke recedes. Hints of salty finish at the very end of the dram.

Final Thoughts
Overall, this was a real delight. I loved the evolving nose – always a treat and I enjoy taking long minutes to discover the story. The peat and smoke are indeed subtle compared to the Islay standards, but they add a nice counterpoint to the rich sweetness. There is a consistently rich, buttery, almost decadent feel to the dram.