Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Ireland vs >Scotland< ; anCnoc, Speyburn, Old Pulteney, and a sneaky Vatted Barrell

Part 2 of the VS series… This time with some scotch

anCnoc 12; 43%
Ah so many Knock-Knock jokes in zoom chat about it. Orchard fruits; apples, peaches and green pears on the nose. Clear indicators of bourbon cask maturation. The palate is a malty beast, starts with fruits, goes almost minty and then tropical fruits come in. Drinks little hotter than it actually is, which is good since it’s reasonably low proof. The aftertaste is kinda my least favorite of this, with drying pepper that goes slightly bitter with dry (and cheap) pencil shavings and some astringent notes. It’s got some notes for me that are unpleasantly familiar. Maybe because it’s somewhat salty instead of sweet, it tastes like i rinsed my mouth with salty water? Starts sweet and malty and finished bitter and slightly salty. Definitely an interesting profile that I’d like to explore later but will not be buying a bottle. A sample is enough. A much older bottling could be *very* interesting though. Value: At $50 it’s about what the average pricing is for a 12 year old scotch is, not wallet-breaking for sure.
Score: B-

Speyburn 15, 46%
Another sample… This time something sherried seems like. Nose is light sherry notes with alcohol-forward balance, surprisingly shy as it takes me effort to get any significant notes out of the glass initially. Thankfully it seems to be opening up with time a bit. Seems like Oloroso varnish and toasted wood, orange oil. Palate got toasted nuts, more orange oils, some sherry sweetness and gentle spice. Aftertaste continues with warming gentle spiced orange theme of the experience though it fades rather quickly into a leftover tingle. Overall, not bat at all and certainly up my alley on flavor profiles. Can easily compete with Alexander Murray Costco bottlings at the proof and price and just pleasing all around. It does lack a distinct interesting character that a lot of single casks can bring, but there’s not a lot of things to ding on here. Value: At $70 this is yet again around median space where a 15 year old single malt should be…
Score: B+

Old Pulteney 18, 46%
An original distillery bottling from another Hotaling-imported brand. Technically, wasn’t part of the sample set, but why not I already have it. Thanks, Mike for the sample! Seems like bourbon-casked, intensely fruity with peaches and apples, quite strong on the alcohol and that makes it rather perfume-forward. With time this opens up a becomes softer and more flowery. The palate is cereal grains, some citrus zest, bourbon spices and vanilla malt. Medium length, warming, sweet and tingling aftertaste rounds it off. Enjoyable, inoffensive and unremarkable are the best ways I’d describe this. I would absolutely drink it, and it’s actually a solid way-above-average daily pour, it’s super smooth and drinkable but it’s also highly generic. From proof to palate there’s nothing to really make it stand out for me in the myriad others out there. Value: Total wine lists this at $135. Not really a deal in my mind vs plenty of independent ex-bourbon bottles.
Score: B-

Old Pulteney Huddart, 46%
A NAS limited annual release from Old Pulteney distillery aged in peated casks, because why not, right? Value: Well, it’s got a peat note alright. Nose is mostly typical of Old Pulteney with orchard fruit, bourbon spices and peaches, now with a bit of iodine and a tiny smoke note drifting up. Surprisingly sweet palate vs the nose which is very restrained comparably. The aftertaste got some smoke and brininess floating up with toasted bagels and a little bit of coffee. Interesting and rather fun to drink, with peat being an enhancer vs a dominant note. Overall: I like it, yes it’s peated but it starts as almost as something salty, the palate is actually sweet, and aftertaste is yet again salty. This is a rollercoaster ride. Not too complex this is another daily drinker for those that enjoy a little bit of intrigue tinged with smoke. This is circa $70, I’d say an OK on valuation being a NAS but it’s competing with 12 year olds here.
Score: B+

Barrell, American Vatted Malt, 59.11%
An August 3rd, 2021 release, one of 2239 bottles. This Vatted (aka Blended) American Malt. Aged between 3.5 and 10 years and sourced from NY, TX, IN, NM, WA & AZ. This is going to be a kitchen sink of flavor isn’t it? A note that the original super limited run of this had peated malt in the blend. This batch is unpeated… But not guaranteed to stay unpeated. Toasted wood, anise seed, cloves, nutmeg and vanilla nose. The palate is spicy with similar flavors from the nose, with some mint and dill taking a lead followed by sweet sweet malt. The aftertaste is numbing, peppery, rich with more banana and vanilla flavors. Overall, I’m torn. It’s primarily youn malt that’s relying on cacophony of flavors to overwhelm drinker’s palate, but after I work through all the noise (and there’s a lot of noise here) there’s not much secondary complexity underneath. I really want to like it but it’s so different and all over the place from just about anything else I’m finding it hard even placing it on the literal shelf. It’s certainly isn’t a bourbon and definitely not a scotch but a unique thing on it’s own. Well worth a try at the bar, I would caution buying a bottle as this is definitely not for everyone. Price: This was $89 and I’d wager is a worthwhile experiment, considering there are not too many american malts out there, and even less blended american malts, though I’d still mark it a whim purchase. If it was anywhere past $99 I’d definitely would have passed on it. It does take water reasonably well, becoming slightly woodier and losing some of the dill intensity thankfully. Few drops of water are to be considered on this one.
Score: B-

Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown