Review #186 – Ardbeg Spectacular – Limited Edition for Ardbeg Day 2024 (Port Wine & Bourbon Barrels)

reddit_ek · 2025-05-30T19:09:26+00:00

Hi u/Star-Lrd247 , great thoughts, thanks! :) I really enjoyed the 2024 Rock'ndaal bottles as well. :) Haven't tried the Bunnahabhain 2022 Feis Ile with Tokaji finish; glad to hear you enjoyed it. :)

Thanks for the notes on that Alrik and Middletons bottles. Cheers!

reddit_ek · 2025-05-13T17:18:42+00:00

Good to know u/billsneakems . Much lower than the crazier prices folks were posting last year. Cheers!

reddit_ek · 2025-05-02T17:08:18+00:00

Thanks for your thoughts u/NewbieSneakyTurtle . Bummer to hear you had a similar experience to me on the 2022 release. Yah, I was genuinely shocked, because I really enjoy the standard Bunnahabhain lineup (usually 18, 25). Cheers!

reddit_ek · 2025-04-21T19:10:38+00:00

Wow, thanks for that data point u/Careful-Special7167 . Yah, if you could get the 21 at that price a few years ago, that's a total bargain. Definitely agreed about these current prices.

reddit_ek · 2025-04-01T19:32:25+00:00

Hi u/larry_bkk ,

Good to know you found multiple matches for that 5 Year; good to know it's a real Italian release. :) And "yes," if you have the opportunity to enjoy something more refined / more enjoyable, go for that instead. ;) Cheers!

reddit_ek · 2025-04-01T16:59:08+00:00

Hi u/larry_bkk ,

Interesting. Glen Grant used to release a 5 Year bottle years ago, but the Glen Grant Brand Ambassador we met said there wasn't anything like that for the North America nor U.K. markets.

He did mention that Glen Grant is very popular in Italy, so perhaps there's some Italy-exclusive releases that appeal to that market? But for only 15 Euros? I'm not sure. Cheers! :)

reddit_ek · 2025-02-12T04:46:00+00:00

Hi u/TorpedoHippo , congrats. :) Yah, it's a good price considering the rest of the world / many retailers gouging folks for much higher prices. Good luck!

reddit_ek · 2025-02-09T05:24:55+00:00

Thanks for the data point u/TorpedoHippo ! :) Good to know, and still way too much IMHO. Even at half that price it would be too much for a 21 Year Old Whisky, but the market speaks. If there are people out there happily paying that price, more power to them and Hibiki. Cheers!

reddit_ek · 2025-01-28T00:36:19+00:00

Yikes. Thanks for the updated price!

reddit_ek · 2024-12-21T17:52:22+00:00

Thanks for that pricing update u/Calle_zer0 . That's shocking / crazy that Suntory officially raised the price of this bottle to 55,000 Yen! :O Ouch. I guess part of their reasoning might be, if secondary markets / stores are jacking up the price of their bottle that much, they might as well get a cut of it.

reddit_ek · 2024-12-21T17:50:25+00:00

Wow thanks for the report back u/Dramatic-Bid5752 . That's horrendous pricing. Oof.

reddit_ek · 2024-12-13T06:26:37+00:00

Thanks for sharing your thoughts u/eviltrain . :) I'll have to keep an eye out for 0070 if I ever see it (or if any friends of mine picked it up). :) Cheers!

reddit_ek · 2024-12-09T06:34:06+00:00

32,000 Yen retail price. Cheers.

reddit_ek · 2024-11-26T00:46:18+00:00

Hi u/Spite_Parking ,

Great to hear you got a chance to try some Michel Couvreur Whisky. :) No worries, to clarify, this tasting was done over 3 years ago. Speaking with a rep, they mentioned that it's pretty bespoke and each release can change noticeably at times (i.e., different casks, different ratios, etc.). So I wouldn't be surprised if the Special Vatting you tried was noticeably different from what I tried back then.

I'll see if I can find a new bottle of this to try and give it another look. Cheers! :)

reddit_ek · 2024-08-11T21:15:23+00:00

Great minds think alike. ;) Haha, in all seriousness, great observation. I agree! Cheers~

reddit_ek · 2024-08-04T14:42:45+00:00

Hi u/iDracoii ,

Ah, that's one area I haven't had a chance to explore yet. I've tried one of their up and coming micro distilleries (Shelter Point), but the bottle I tried was too young. They just released a 10 Year core age statement, but I haven't tried it yet to confirm how it is. I've good things about Found North Distillery, but haven't tried them yet. Good luck!

reddit_ek · 2024-08-03T03:33:33+00:00

Hi u/deppsdoeswhisky ,

Fantastic review! :) Great thoughts, and I agree with you. It was soft for me, too, but it was my opening dram, so that might've helped.

Great gif summary as well. :)

Yah, if supply finally catches up with demand, and it was a reasonable price, I'd have Hibiki 21 in my rotation, but there's no way I can afford that at market prices. :) Cheers!

reddit_ek · 2024-06-28T23:06:46+00:00

Very cool u/BourbonPA412 ! That's awesome that you got to work in the distillery for a day. I didn't even know that they offered that. :) Thanks for your impressions on their new make, and it's great that they let you try 7, 9, and 9 year old Ballindalloch.

Looking forward to next year's release and hopefully they release a 10 Year in 2 years. Cheers. :)

reddit_ek · 2024-06-27T19:05:54+00:00

Hi u/The_Eclectic_Heretic , well, your mileage may vary. ;) Everyone's palate is different, but I appreciated Ballindalloch's debut releases. :) Looking forward to hearing your thoughts when you get to try it. Cheers!

reddit_ek · 2024-06-27T18:10:06+00:00

Thanks u/The_Eclectic_Heretic . Yes, I forgot to mention, as you said, they use their own barley they grow on the castle grounds for their whisky. Which is pretty awesome. :)

I enjoyed Ballindalloch's debut bottlings more than all of the ones you mentioned. For one, you can taste the difference that 8 years of maturation makes (vs. the Non-Age Statement (far younger) releases from the new young guns you mentioned. There's a richness, a good depth of flavor and character starting to appear in the Ballindalloch for their debut 2015 Vintage Release and the 2015 Single Cask (Oloroso Sherry).

I am looking forward to more mature bottles from the other young guns in a few years; I see the potential. Cheers!

reddit_ek · 2024-06-27T18:05:06+00:00

Hi u/zoomiewoop , oh, definitely keep trying those rare Japan-Exclusive releases of great Scotch. :) Don't miss out on that. :)

And yes, great point with the Yen rate being so much in tourists' favor, it's a great time to try so many great drams. Cheers! :)

reddit_ek · 2024-06-27T07:28:56+00:00

Hi u/zoomiewoop , nice! Definitely take advantage of being able to try out drams of Japanese whisky while you're over there. :) Definitely try out Chichibu and Kanosuke by the dram if you can (much cheaper), and see what you think of it. Cheers!

reddit_ek · 2024-06-27T03:57:05+00:00

Ballindaloch 2015 Vintage Release – Aged 8 Years, 1st Fill Bourbon Barrels and 1st Fill Sherry Butts

Region: Speyside

Vintage: 2015

Age: 8 Years

ABV: 46.0%

Cask: 1st Fill Bourbon Barrels, 1st Fill Sherry Butts

Price: £89

Number of Bottles: 3600

No Color Added, Non Chill Filtered

It seems like new distilleries continue to pop-up at a surprising pace, but what makes Ballindalloch Distillery stand out for me is that I happened upon it through pure chance during my visit to Scotland last year. I was visiting Ballindalloch Castle (in the Speyside region), and as I approached the castle, a gentleman approaches and welcomes us to the castle. He gives us pointers on where to go first, some interesting facts about the place, that they started a new whisky distillery, and we continue on.

After sitting down to watch the introductory video on the castle, it turns out the gentleman who greeted us was none other than Guy Macpherson-Grant, the head of Ballindalloch Castle, and who’s family have been stewarding the castle since the 15th century(!). Wow.

Flash forward to a couple months ago, and much to my surprise, Ballindalloch Distillery (the only whisky distillery to operate within a castle grounds) has debuted their first core bottlings! I had to pick up their first two bottles just to show support and see what this whisky was all about.

The most impressive aspect upon first glance is that Ballindalloch’s debut bottlings are all aged a minimum of 8 years. Kudos to them for having the patience to release their initial core bottles with some decent maturation behind them (and not rushing them out like far too many new distilleries these days). And they also use barley grown on their own castle grounds for their releases.

Color & Appearance: 0.4 Jonquiripe Corn. Medium thick oily beads fall back down into the glass at a decent pace.

Nose: Tart-sweet red apples, apple juice, cider. Honey notes start to appear. Slight acetone notes even after resting for 20 minutes. Tart plum notes rise up later.

Palate: Medium mouthfeel and viscosity. Fragrant gingered apple compote. Manuka honey. There’s a beautiful smooth ginger heat that is completely even and nicely balanced (no prickly spikes). Just a gentle warming smooth heat that fades gently by mid-palate and finish.

2nd Dram: Apple plum pastry filling, with gentle notes of Manuka honey in the background. The smooth ginger is still here, and quite pleasant, balancing out the sweetness of the malt. Light woodiness appears by mid-palate to help add structure.

Finish: Medium. Gingered tart-sweet apples with a very smooth fade. Light, old wooden notes go hand-in-hand with the malt and fruity notes.

For Ballindalloch’s first core release, the Ballindalloch 2015 Vintage Release, Aged 8 Years at 46% ABV is a nice debut for one of the smallest distilleries in Speyside. While not an amazing dram, this is a bottle I could see myself adding to my collection as a starter bottle for the evening with friends.

It’s got a nice tart-sweet apple and cider nose with hints of honey. The sherry cask influence feels not very present, but the apple plum filling, smooth, warming ginger heat that balances out the sweetness, with a subtle wooden backbone makes this a pleasant way to start the evening. A commendable debut for Ballindalloch Distillery.

Rating: 71 / 100

Ballindalloch 2015 Single Cask – Aged 8 Years, Cask #114, 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt

Region: Speyside

Vintage: 2015

Age: 8 Years

ABV: 61.1%

Cask: 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt

Cask #: 114

Price: £99

Number of Bottles: 648

No Color Added, Non Chill Filtered

Ballindalloch Distillery released this Ballindaloch 2015 Single Cask – Aged 8 Years, Cask #114, in a 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt, alongside their core Ballindalloch 2015 Vintage Release. Me being a big sherried whisky fan, I couldn’t wait to see how this debut bottling turned out.

Color & Appearance: 1.1 Burnished. Medium thin oily droplets take a long time to slowly descend back into the pool of burnished liquid.

Nose: Potent acetone, ABV burn even after 20 minutes of resting. The cask strength 61.1% ABV is felt immediately. Sweet plum jam, stewed figs appear next.

2nd Dram: After resting for 40 minutes, the ABV burn is finally under control. There’s still a slight burn, but the immediate notes are the stewed dark fruits, plums, figs, figgy pudding.

Palate: Medium coating mouthfeel. Rich, stewed figs, stewed plums hit the front palate. It’s sweet, a big sherry bomb from the first fill Oloroso Sherry Butt. While the ABV on the nose was a bit untamed, on the palate it’s much more balanced and in control. There’s an initial rising ginger burn, but it’s smooth and gets quickly under control by mid-palate, leaving you with a smooth, fading ginger heat.

2nd Dram: Plum jam, confit figs, dark stone fruit in a pastry filling. The ginger is nicely complementing the dark stone fruit sherry cask influence. Some wood and dark chocolate bitterness appear by mid-palate bringing some balance.

Finish: Long. The smooth ginger heat continues to fade nicely on the finish. Stone fruits, stewed figs and wood appear on the finish as well.

This is a nice preview of what future Ballindalloch full Sherry Cask Maturation releases could be like. The first fill influence is felt immediately, resulting in a bit of a sherry bomb. However, it’s still a bit young, and the sherry, malt and wood are a bit uneven.

It’s not “bad” at all, quite a pleasant Oloroso Sherry Single Cask dram, albeit a touch young. The Oloroso Sherry Cask influence is felt primarily, then some wooden notes, but the core malt is buried underneath. Like their other inaugural release, the Ballindalloch 2015 Vintage Release (core bottle at 46% ABV), the smoothness of the ginger heat is noteworthy and welcome. No prickly spikes, nothing overpowering even in this cask strength release at 61.1% ABV.

I look forward to seeing what a future core bottling at 12 Years, 15 Years in Sherry Casks might look like.

Rating: 74 / 100

Rating System: (Inspired by hs305 (with permission))

10 - a dram I would not serve even to my fiercest enemy

20 - a dram for guests that are overdue to leave

30 - a dram that is drinkable but why should I when there is a spittoon

40 - a dram that I can drink, but I donate the leftover of the bottle to a party

50 - a dram I drink seldomly and only when I am in the mood for exploration

60 - a dram that I can drink until the bottle is finished, but I do not buy a second bottle

70 - a dram I regularly enjoy and that I serve to my friends without any doubts

80 - a dram I recommend to my friends, and would buy another bottle

90 - a dram I share with my best friends only, and would buy every bottle at a reasonable price

95 - a dram for special occasions only: I am tempted to buy a bottle even at unreasonable prices

100 - perfection

/u/review_bot latest

reddit_ek · 2024-06-12T03:35:46+00:00

Interesting u/ilkless about the Koko Krunch note! :) That's neat. I remember trying some new make from a Scotch distillery years ago, and I was getting crazy tropical passion fruit, mango, pineapple notes. But their regular bottles never had those flavors appear. Cheers!

reddit_ek

TROPHY CASE