BenRiach 10 year

   It doesn’t have to be a big name distillery to produce big name single-malts. While ultimately it all boils down to flavor within which I would also include quality, innovation, inspiration, and tradition, personal taste also plays a factor. But! One must always keep in mind that one’s favorite single may not be anothers which is in no way relevant to the quality of that single-malt. During my tenure at a local liquor store, I slowly and quietly fell in love with single-malts and Scotland through the words of Michael Jackson and other great whisky chasers. During my tutilage, there was a nondescript bottle of BenRiach 10 year which beckoned in soft persistance. Suffice to say, I am right here right now because resistance is futile and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The distillery itself, BenRiach, has been around since the turn of the 19th century – 1898 to be exact. Just as Scotland has ridden the highs and lows of the whisky booms and busts, so too has BenRiach thus it pleases me to no end to pronounce this distillery quite alive and well. Amidst her many ownerships, the last of which being the behemoth Chivas Brothers, BenRiach now rests amidst the tender cares of three private individuals where she has flourished and continues to thrive.
I can’t say for sure, but I am fairly certain that the bottle which won my heart not so long ago was a prior release under Chivas ownership since I don’t see her anywhere on the new BenRiach website. And so, without further ado and a nod to my Lovely, it’s dram time.

Color: gold and straw with a clear brilliance marked by a medium depth bordered in ambers.

Nose: honeycomb, wood (raw oak), vanilla, saffron. Dew-dropped green grass amidst fields of wild flowers with waves of golden grains upon the horizon. Tickle of heat in the back which leads into a cooled honey glaze. Fruitcake esters in the middle – candied maraschino and pineapple. White bread crusts.

Body: light in front, full and sticky in the middle which features predominantly atop the tongue, and dry in the finish. Medium to medium-light weight. Delicate along the edges.

Palate: tickles in the back of spice, oak, and orange peel. Warm honeycomb sweetness finishes with oak in the back where gentle leather whispers. Candied pineapples underneath. Honeyed bread crust. Apple skins. Flavor dominates in the middle.

Finish: long and dry on top of the tongue with vanilla and saffron. Rawness of oak and orange skins.

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

Auchentoshan Classic

   My first experience with the single malts from Auchentoshan was a few years back with my old buddy, Chris, who had acquired a most delicious bottle of Auchentoshan 20+ year. It's been too long since I savored her luxuriously amber depths ripe with plummy and stone fruits to remember all the details, but her memory has lingered long and warmly. I find it quite appropriate that I am back in her embrace not with a particular age statement but with one of their newer bottlings from a recently revamped selection of differing quality single-malts.
For those not familiar with this oft under-appreciated distillery, she stretches back as far as 1823. What was once a popular method of distillation is now uniquely singular to the Lowland whisky of Auchentoshan: triple distillation. Anyone familiar with Irish whiskey knows of this distillation method but for Scotland tis an unusual and unique hold-over from times past. While all other Scottish single-malts double distill, Auchentoshan triple distills. Some could argue for a better product or lesser, but I think of her as simply different and different is neither less nor more but simply a beautiful sum of her differing parts for a truly unique tasting experience steeped in tradition and history.
The Classic is a fresh young spirit aged in bourbon oak casks and trust you me, she was all that much more tasteful for it. There is merit and truth in vintage single-malts, but as we explore and understand more about whisky, a young spirit in deft hands can be just as meritous and passionate as her older, matured brothers and sisters. As I prepare to delve deeper into her spiritous depths, Cheers! to my lovely for choosing this bottle for my next Dramventure.

Color: on the lighter side of honey with her colors thinning along the edges of her glassy vessel. swirls with a solid sticky layer of tears which linger nicely.

Nose: light, delicate, elegant, and seductive. gentle honey, hay, and straw notes. sticky sweet with a hint of orange in the honey with the comb adding earthy crispness. subtle vanilla which reminds me of the soft crumbly vanilla cookies of cookie tin yore. fresh young morning dew drops - like waking up to a clear sunrise on a slightly crisp yet sunny spring day. silken. sugared lemon drops which leads into lemon poppy seed cake. freshly cut oak lingers in the back with a tickle of sweet heat and spice.

Body: clean and light with sticky lips and sticky cheeks. dries top of tongue - slightly brash but not detrimentally so, coming across as raw white oak planks.

Palate: sweetness of real honeycomb on the tip of my tongue leads into orange honey then lemon peel and white oak. peppery and spicy in the back, seductively so. dryness of white oak in the middle and underneath while vanilla mingles with the honeycomb. each quaff solidly grabs middle of my throat. thin but in an elegant posh silken way. a bold middle explodes with all flavors, then disperses slowly, each flavor seeping into my body both alone and together.

Finish: long, dry and sweet. white oak. whole black peppercorn. vanilla in breath. lemon peel back of tongue, grabbing my attention with each swallow. maintains a refreshing dew-dropped spring morning. mint drifts by upon a gentle breeze.

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

Bowmore Darkest *Sherry Casked*

  What I have before me today is an older bottling of Darkest from Bowmore of the island of Islay, Scotland. Judging by their website, the newer expressions of Darkest are 15 years. My bottle doesn't have an age statement per say so some further research will reveal whether her unspoken age is 15...or not. I originally purchased the bottle from my previous place of work, Great Spirits, where for three years she gazed at me and me back at her until I could resist her siren's call no more.
I am glad I finally chose the path of least resistance to Bowmore savoring bliss. Not necessarily the peatiest or saltiest example to start with, she nonetheless wore her sherry robes in glorious sophistication. Adding to her overall unique maritime charm is the active use of her own maltings, something which very few scotch distilleries do anymore.
In my virgin venture into sherry casked single-malts, I realized a horrendous deficiency in my tasting palate: sherry. Oloroso, Amontillado, Fino and beyond, these eyes, nose, lips, tongue, and body haven't yet explored this arena of sensory indulgence. Obviously an immediate resolution is in the works where sherry bottles of all varieties, origins, and stories will soon grace my liquor cabinet.
In the meantime though, I shall proffer my burgundian impressions of this fine single-malt. As my second review and much like my first and many more to come, she was chosen by my lovely.

Color: polished burgundy. deep rich woods steeped in time; like a gentleman's club of yore.

Nose: apples. sweet polished woods of luxurious high society designs. oil and polish, orange infused. black cherries juicy and divine. gentle pervasive essence of leaves changing color, a chill in the air, and winter creeping in. sticky. stewed spiced fruits; cherry, apples, plums, apricots.

Body: swirls with a long lingering oily layer. sticky then long and dry. clean.

Palate: sweet with silken stickiness up front and through the middle. dryness of sherry, wood, and spice take over the end and linger long. apple skins and spice mingle warmly with the wood. cherries and grapes sweetly stewed and spiced. brings to mind relaxing in front of a winter fireplace. fallen leaves of varied autumnal colors. maple melted apricots and apples.

Finish: long lingering dry and warm. a salty breeze settles in long after each quaff has passed. spices tickles amidst the dryness.

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)

Highland Park 12 year

  I have been looking forward to tasting the 12 year Highland Park single-malt since I brought her home. Ironically, my first Highland Park was the 15 year but that was long ago. A revisit is in order but seeing as the 12 year expression is a timeless classic, I can't imagine a better first for A Dram A Day, chosen especially by my lovely.
My bottle is an older bottling in the sense that it is the old round bottle design; the new bottle design is more of an oval shape and the label has a sleek new modern appearance. To clarify though, single-malts do not change/mature once bottled, but the stock mine came from may be different than the stock a new bottle of 12 year came from. Maybe.
Either way, a classy and classic single, I'd recommend Highland Park for both the novice and the aficionado alike.

Color: golds and coppers.

Nose: honeyed heather. forceful and big. embers and cinders, still glowing. orange marmalade. pepper. cinnamon apples. marzipan.

Body: decent tears. mouthcoating. sweet and sticky in the middle. lasting.

Palate: honeycomb. spice in the back. red hot woods and glowing embers. sticky orange marmalade. straw and dry grass in the back. heather. spice tickles. marzipan. apple cobbler.

Finish: long and sticky. honeycomb. flambeed orange marmalade.

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)