Ledaig 2005 Sherry LMDW Review [From Paris with Love]

Hi everyone,

Today I’ve got another Ledaig, because I love the stuff and seek it out at every opportunity.

This is an exclusive to La Maison du Whisky, probably by way of Signatory’s stock. It was pretty expensive at 120 Euros-ish, when you can just but a Signatory cask strength quite a bit cheaper.

Ledaig 2005 LMDW 56.6%

Colour: Amber

Body: Full

Nose: A lovely cask of course! Meaty, good rubber, dirty peat, black pepper. Very classic 2005 Sherry matured Ledaig. Elegant fruit behind it all.

Taste: lovely arrival, great development. All the classic meaty and dirty Ledaig flavours, grit, soot, peppery meat. Medicinal like that Sherry 1998 Laphroaig from Whisky Exchange.

Finish: Long length. Drier, some oak, with sweetness and gristy smoke fighting it out.

Bottled 2017. So good they're getting boring. Another great cask.

85/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #455

Whisky Network Review #519

Network Average: 74.2

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Balblair 1996 Single Sherry Cask for LMDW [From Paris with Love]

Hi everyone,

I’ve tried a few of the Balblair main range, which is heavily based on Bourbon barrels. It’s a lovely style that really works for it.

This is the opposite. A single Sherry cask that looks like it was first fill. It was bottled this year at 21 years old, exclusively for La Maison du Whisky.

But has the Sherry overwhelmed it?

Balblair 1996 Sherry Single Cask for LMDW 54.6%

Colour: Dark Amber

Body: Full

Nose: Sherry bomb! Cherry lip gloss, cherry chewy sweets, orange fruit pastilles.

Taste: Intense, dry, oak, Sherry, leather, then sweeter notes, cherry, cherry chewy sweets, orange, loads of chewy cherry gums.

Finish: Medium length. More cherry then more cherry.

A proper cherry bomb. Yes, the Sherry has overwhelmed it but that doesn’t mean it’s not delicious, just not too complex.

77/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #454

Whisky Network Review #518

Network Average: 74.2

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Inchmoan 1992 Review [From Paris with Love]

Hi everyone,

Seeing the title you're probably wondering whether this review is going to contain a lot of sexual innuendo around the words 'Inch' and 'Moan' to fill content?

No, because I have real content and I can't think of anything good..

Before talking to someone from Loch Lomond distillery, I thought I knew something about Loch Lomond distillery.

I didn't.

Turns out they don't have Lomond stills (despite the name), they have stills with rectifier columns and the whole thing is a bit more complicated than I first thought. Anyway, what that means is that they can draw of the new make at different strengths to concentrate different flavour compounds.

Apparently for this particular Inchmoan, they tried to channel more the spicy flavours into the spirit rather than the peat (Inchmoan is heavily peated).

That spirit (I think the new make was around 75%ish) was then matured in refill barrels for 24 years, before being finished for 12 months in first full Bourbon barrels.

Did it work out though?

Inchmoan 1992 48.6%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Herbal and minty. What BensWhisky.com would call 'alien peat.' Very subtle tropical fruit with pineapple, dusty but interesting. Peppermint and spearmint, a little salted fish and green peppercorns.

Taste: Dusty, lemon, quite sour, some dry oak, whisky warehouse smell, sour grape, old white wine that's a little overaged, a little salt. Spicy ginger.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Goes then comes back. Tropical then dusty red apple and peppery spice.

Can't say it's not complex, but it's challenging and very hard to score. Obviously great quality.

81/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #453

Whisky Network Review #517

Network Average: 74.2

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Glenlivet 2007 Whisky Live Paris Private Cask Review [From Paris with Love]

Hi everyone,

Remember the other day when Whisky Exchange released a super high strength Glenlivet from Signatory?

Well, not be outdone, Whisky Live Paris (so, really La Maison du Whisky) have done one as well. Except they were outdone, because TWE's was over 67% and this was a measly 66.6.

 

Glenlivet 2007 Whisky Live Paris Private Cask 66.6%

Colour: Amber

Body: Full

Nose: Gets in your nose with the alcohol hit but orange and cherry, Sherry and malt. With water it's better and more floral.

Taste: Pinched, really very tight. Orange, cherry, Sherry and malt. Quite dry. With water it's like a boozy fruit salad.

Finish: Long length. Alcoholic and orange-y.

Yeah, a very alcoholic, Sherried Glenlivet. Not much else to say, it's good but not really balanced.

75/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #452

Whisky Network Review #516

Network Average: 74.2

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Redbreast 12 Cask Strength Review [From Paris with Love]

Hi everyone,

Irish whiskey... I've got a bit of strange relationship with it, as with Bourbon.

I just don't get the balance and complexity that I would from a Scotch. Often the style is too much of this artificial, rubbery fruit juice that everyone else seems to love.

I haven't tried too many yet though, and there is hope coming in the form of many new Irish distilleries.

Redbreast 12 Cask Strength 57.2%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Sweet with some tropical fruit but more gummy bears and chewy fruit sweets. There's an interesting gun smoke note.

Taste: Really intense, gummy bear, some tropical fruit, dry oak, slight rubber and that gun smoke or maybe gun oil? (I went gun shooting in France once)

Finish: Long length. Spicy, tingling, Madeira-y actually, some fresh fruit.

It's not really balanced to be honest, although the gun notes are nice. It's very good whisky, but not perhaps as good as I was expecting.

75/100

Thanks for reading!

Irish Review #15

Whisky Network Review #515

Network Average: 74.2

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Compass Box Phenomenology Review [From Paris with Love]

Hi everyone,

From the guy who brought you No Name, I now present Phenomenonenology. Another new one from CB that will have you puzzling over what the hell is going on in your life.

They said that so many people got so many different things from this that they want to leave the tasting notes and components (List here) out of it for the moment. Does that check out? CB have always claimed to be the champions of transparency and truth but here they are keeping secrets...

Anyway, how's it taste before we pick up our pitchforks.

Compass Box Phenomenology 46%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: A light and fruity one, Clynelish waxy, red apple, subtle spices, nutmeg, cinnamon, beeswax, ceder, expensive wood, wood polish.

Taste: Soft arrival, red apple, waxy, toffee apples, dried apples, lovely development, a little salt. The dried apple note in particular is really very nice, not really had that before.

Finish: Long length. Nutmeg and cinnamon spices come through with more red apple.

Another great one. I'd bet a lot of money on there being older Clynelish in here. Or just a lot of Clynelish in general.

83/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #451

Whisky Network Review #514

Network Average: 74.2

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Compass Box No Name Review [From Paris with Love]

Hi everyone,

Today I've got a whisky you probably didn't know exists. Perhaps it doesn't.

They've called it No Name, which is ironic. Or perhaps it isn't. I mean, is No Name the name of the whisky or does the whisky have no name?

Maybe this whisky doesn't exist at all, or perhaps there's going to be 15,000 bottles of it at around £100/€134.

They tell us that 75.5% comes from Pier road, Islay (google maps it), from a re-charred American standard barrel. 10.6% from Port Askaig, Islay (again, maps), from a refill American standard barrel. 13.4% from Brora on the mainland (that should be an easy one), from a recharred hogshead, and 0.5% is CB's highland malt blend from a heavy toast, French oak hybrid cask. A lot of info there. More puzzles, more questions.

Perhaps we'll find the answers to the questions, perhaps in a few weeks. Then again, maybe we'll never know.

The packaging is amazing, although they've forgone a box for a display case, which I don't like so much.

Dark.

Brooding.

Mysterious.

This is... (Whisper it) No Name...

(mysterious whistling wind noises)

Compass Box No Name 48.9%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: Fantastic meld of old smoke, lime juice (which gives the pier rd, Islay distillery away immediately, even if they hadn't said Pier rd) and amazing sharp grapefruit. Fantastic balance and complexity.

Taste: Sharp amazing citrus, lime and grapefruit, oils glide across the palate. Incredible complexity. Flawless balance. Textbook, really.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Creamy, not as amazing as the taste, but still great of course. Drier with this sooty note.

What a whisky. From my experience, it tastes like that Peir rd distillery is from 1991. I've had a few from the 90's, and the only one with that grapefruit note was 1991. That would be amazing for the price, so I doubt it but anything is possible. Anyway, this is an immediate buy and if I'd have to recommend one whisky you pick up this year so far, it's this. By quite a way.

88/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #450

Whisky Network Review #513

Network Average: 74.2

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?