Blog
Since its inception, High West Distillery has been punching well above its weight. The distillery skyrocketed to success (but with a limited fuel supply). High West’s American Prairie Bourbon, Double Rye, and Rendezvous Rye were blends that boasted stock from MGP, Barton, and other undisclosed distilleries.
Having struck liquid gold, the High West leaned into these whiskies, blending them into releases for years. Then the good stuff started to run out. What do you do when your source of 16 year old rye whiskey dries up?
In this case, High West began blending its own distillate. So how would a special and limited release like A Midwinter Night’s Dram fare with an evolving blending profile?
David Perkins must have received inspiration from on high when he got the idea to build a distillery, of all places, in Utah. Founded by Brigham Young-led Mormon pioneers, Utah hadn’t hosted a legal distillery since before Prohibition. (Although Young himself ran a whiskey distillery in the 1860s)
Upon visiting the Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto, Perkin’s was hooked by the art and science of whisky distillation. As a biochemist, he put a thoughtful plan into action. Inspired by the Old West, he moved his family to Park City, Utah to become a different type of star than those blanketing the town during the Sundance Film Festival.
When you think of Islay, what springs to mind? Plumes of smoke spitting from your Glencairn? A boggy peat monster that twists across the tongue coating your throat in throes of maritime magnificence? For many, Islay and Lagavulin go hand-in-hand. Perhaps the distillery, alongside Laphroaig and Ardbeg, has become more than just a name in whisky, responsible for something larger, a representative of its terroir, a hallmark of the region’s style and the undeniably unique characteristics of its scotch.
Today we take a look at the flagship malt from the entire Islay region and review Lagavulin 16 Year Old Single Malt. Lagavulin 16 has become one of the whisky world’s hottest commodities, with the iconic Islay style transcending that of its Scottish counterparts. While sherry-finished malts remain in vogue as the most palatable and approachable mass-produced whiskies, distillers such as Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Kilchoman and Laphroaig have emerged as the new rebels of scotch whisky, proliferating a style that at face value should not be as popular as it is, and doing so in a way that has forced whisky purists to rethink conventional whisky-making.
Situated on the south coast of Islay, Lagavulin Distillery was founded in 1816 by John Johnston, and has been responsible for crafting some of the world's finest Islay single malt whisky ever since. The Lagavulin distillery's coastal location is an integral part of the whisky's inimitable character, as the rugged coast and peat bogs of Islay give Lagavulin its signature smoky and peaty charisma.
Islay has a special place in the heart of many whisky lovers all over the world. Despite the reputation, peat isn’t the be-all, end-all of Islay whiskies. Bruichladdich is well known for going against the grain with its portfolio of unpeated-yet-delicious drams.
In the early 2000s, the scotch producers wanted to rethink how whisky is made. At the same time, they wanted to clap back at industry whispers of “illegitimate” and “not a true islay.”
Whatever the reasons, Octomore single malt scotch whisky was our reward.
Bruichladdich turned a few heads when the first batch of Octomore was bottled in 2008 peated at 80.5 ppm. For reference, Ardbeg 10 Years Old is typically peated between 50-60ppm.
The next batch of Octomore would rise above 140 ppm. Later releases were cruising past 200 ppm before cresting at 309 ppm with the launch of Octomore 8.3!
At this point, Bruichladdich had proven their worth to peat-chasers. Perhaps it's no surprise that the Octomore signaled the return to a semblance of balance, focusing on “softer smoke.”
Like all -.3s in the series, Octomore 10.3 is distilled from 100% Islay barley. The barley was harvested in 2012 from the Irene Field at the Octomore farm, a stone’s throw from the Bruichladdich distillery.
A special barrel select release from Glenmorangie made in association with ‘The Whisky Club’, the Glenmorangie 12 Year Old Amontillado Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky is the Highland distiller’s first-ever collaboration on a single malt. This particular expression makes use of some of the most unique and finest quality Spanish Sherry casks available, hand selected by Glenmorangie Master Distiller Dr. Bill Lumsden in tandem with the team behind The Whisky Club. For fans of well-made, sherry-forward single malt whisky, the Glenmorangie 12 Year Old Amontillado Cask is a guaranteed hit, easily approachable and an immersive sipping malt.
For collectors, there is a disappointing lack of box, and with this being the first collaboration that Glenmorangie has done with a partner, the collectibility of this particular bottling is undeniable. With that being said, this is a whisky drinker’s malt, and is designed to be enjoyed by connoisseurs of exceptional sherried scotch.
On first impressions, the Glenmorangie 12 Year Old Amontillado Cask has a rich amber hue, suggesting there is a solid degree of sherry influence. The pour itself has good viscosity for a 12-year-old, which is reinforced once we begin to taste, but first the nose and aroma.
