The OCUK Whisky (and Whiskey) review thread

ik9000 said:
Interesting re triple distilled. There aren't many Scottish single malts that are iirc. The only other one I can think of is auchentoshan
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Auchentoshan are the only ones that do it for their entire range as far as I can recall. There are some that do it for specific releases, like Benromach and the Glasgow distillery.

I'm pretty sure Rosebank used to be all triple distiled before it closed down, I don't know if they will be doing that again when it reopens, but I expect they will if they want to keep the original style as much as possible.
 
Roadrunner_668 said:
what are the benefits of triple distilling ?
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The third distillation increases the ABV, but also removes a lot of the fats, esters, and proteins meaning a lighter, smoother spirit, which is also less flavourful.

Springbank actually do triple distillation for Hazelburn, and 2.5 times distillation for Springbank. Mortlach also claim theirs is 2.81 times distilled.
 
By less flavourful I would say less interesting. Smoother and simpler yes and less interesting for it. A bit like taking herbs and spices out of a sauce. There are places for it but you wouldn't want it like that all the time
 
Anyone tried Laphroaig PX? It's the 1L travel exclusive, now making its way to online places.

I absolutely adore Lagavulin 16 Distiller's Edition which is also PX cask finished, and am rather fond of the Laphroaig Quarter Cask...wondering if this might be a good fit.
 
it's ok, but I only had a small sample of it a while back so can't give you any particular details. Mrs ik9000 is much more into the astringent peats than me and she really enjoyed it so if that's your thing it's no turkey. The 10 and quarter cask are also pleasant and I have both of those in stock (well 1/3-1/4 of a bottle remains of both) but I don't have any LPX to hand to give a direct comparison sry.
 
ik9000 said:
it's ok, but I only had a small sample of it a while back so can't give you any particular details. Mrs ik9000 is much more into the astringent peats than me and she really enjoyed it so if that's your thing it's no turkey. The 10 and quarter cask are also pleasant and I have both of those in stock (well 1/3-1/4 of a bottle remains of both) but I don't have any LPX to hand to give a direct comparison sry.
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Much appreciated, thank you. I hadn't thought of hunting for a sample of it, so I'll do so - cheers!
 
Illgresi said:
If you want to try a triple distilled Scotch I would highly suggest choosing Hazelburn over Auchentoshan.
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Thank you, though I'm only hunting for sherried peatys at the moment. And have no fear - it'll be a long while before I buy another Auch! Also, triple distilling doesn't really sound like my sort of thing. Be interested to try it someday though.
 
hughtrimble said:
Thank you, though I'm only hunting for sherried peatys at the moment. And have no fear - it'll be a long while before I buy another Auch! Also, triple distilling doesn't really sound like my sort of thing. Be interested to try it someday though.
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If you ever get the chance then the lagavullin 26yo sherry cask and the port Ellen 30yo sherry offerings are amazing but sadly cost £££ and ££££ respectively so not your everyday thing (at least not for me on my limited budget). It's the premium limited tasting tour offerings etc you will need to keep an eye out for.
 
hughtrimble said:
Much appreciated, thank you. I hadn't thought of hunting for a sample of it, so I'll do so - cheers!
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Master of malt and/or the whisky exchange usually allow you to order samples. It's a good way to get your shortlist side-by-side. My top tip is for any big purchases get two or even three samples of the thing and have them at different times and after different foods etc as I find my taste notes can be comedically different as a result! I did one tasting at home and wrote my notes then hosted a tasting with the same whiskies in the office and was picking out completely different things.
 
ik9000 said:
If you ever get the chance then the lagavullin 26yo sherry cask and the port Ellen 30yo sherry offerings are amazing but sadly cost £££ and ££££ respectively so not your everyday thing (at least not for me on my limited budget). It's the premium limited tasting tour offerings etc you will need to keep an eye out for.
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Hindsight! I was on Islay last year and did the standard tasting - that was because I was convinced I vehemently disliked Lagavulin...that tasting brought me round to realise that their stuff is absolutely cracking. I'm 'on' various Islays this evening in fact - started with an Octomore 11.2, then fancied something sherried so went with a Bunnahabhain 16yr PX Noe, and then went mainland by finishing on a Glendronach 21! Gosh, whisky is such an incredibly diverse liquid.

ik9000 said:
Master of malt and/or the whisky exchange usually allow you to order samples. It's a good way to get your shortlist side-by-side. My top tip is for any big purchases get two or even three samples of the thing and have them at different times and after different foods etc as I find my taste notes can be comedically different as a result! I did one tasting at home and wrote my notes then hosted a tasting with the same whiskies in the office and was picking out completely different things.
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Yes good shout on their sample ordering - I've had a look for the Laphroaig PX on those two, but no samples discovered yet.

Tasting is fascinating isn't it; the changeability of the stuff is what makes it so very interesting to try out at different times and in different settings.
 
Illgresi said:
The third distillation increases the ABV, but also removes a lot of the fats, esters, and proteins meaning a lighter, smoother spirit, which is also less flavourful.

Springbank actually do triple distillation for Hazelburn, and 2.5 times distillation for Springbank. Mortlach also claim theirs is 2.81 times distilled.
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i thought that would be the case but i thought that reducing flavour and increasing the ABV wouldn't be in the interest of a distillery trying to make a nice to drink whiskey
 
Roadrunner_668 said:
i thought that would be the case but i thought that reducing flavour and increasing the ABV wouldn't be in the interest of a distillery trying to make a nice to drink whiskey
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I'm not sure I would say that triple distilation equates to less flavour, rather that the flavours it does have are more constrained within a certain range (ie fruity). And the higher abv gives them more flexibility when it comes to diluting the new make before it gets casked, which can have a big impact in the final products flavour. I'm not sure I explained that very well, but hopefully you get the gist of it.

Part of the image problem triple distilled scotch has is that the only one most people are aware of is Auchentoshan, and to be frank their owners are bloody awful when it comes to what they put out. It's far too often 40% abv, chill-filtered to within an inch of its life and that inch is drowned in caramel colouring. Needless to say I am not a fan of Beam Suntory, they own my 2 least favourite distilleries in Auchentoshan and Bowmore. Ardmore isn't great either, although at least laphroaig has a couple of decent expressions. Independent bottlers of Auchentoshan and Bowmore show that the whisky itself isn't naturally bad, as there are some great IB versions, it's just how they are made to put it out by those in charge. To be honest I actually feel a bit sorry for the people that work at those distilleries, knowing they are capable of making some great whisky, but being stopped from putting it out as good as it can be by the money people.

Er, went a bit off topic there. Rant over!
 
Lupis said:
I'm not sure I would say that triple distilation equates to less flavour, rather that the flavours it does have are more constrained within a certain range (ie fruity). And the higher abv gives them more flexibility when it comes to diluting the new make before it gets casked, which can have a big impact in the final products flavour. I'm not sure I explained that very well, but hopefully you get the gist of it.

Part of the image problem triple distilled scotch has is that the only one most people are aware of is Auchentoshan, and to be frank their owners are bloody awful when it comes to what they put out. It's far too often 40% abv, chill-filtered to within an inch of its life and that inch is drowned in caramel colouring. Needless to say I am not a fan of Beam Suntory, they own my 2 least favourite distilleries in Auchentoshan and Bowmore. Ardmore isn't great either, although at least laphroaig has a couple of decent expressions. Independent bottlers of Auchentoshan and Bowmore show that the whisky itself isn't naturally bad, as there are some great IB versions, it's just how they are made to put it out by those in charge. To be honest I actually feel a bit sorry for the people that work at those distilleries, knowing they are capable of making some great whisky, but being stopped from putting it out as good as it can be by the money people.

Er, went a bit off topic there. Rant over!
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Rant welcome, it's very much on-topic after all. I didn't realise Ardmore is also B-S. Interesting...
 
Lupis said:
I'm not sure I would say that triple distilation equates to less flavour, rather that the flavours it does have are more constrained within a certain range (ie fruity). And the higher abv gives them more flexibility when it comes to diluting the new make before it gets casked, which can have a big impact in the final products flavour. I'm not sure I explained that very well, but hopefully you get the gist of it.
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Agreed, triple distillation absolutely cuts down the range of flavours available; all the heavy flavours, vegetal, funky notes. I've never heard of a triple distilled, peated whisky, but I would imagine the 3rd distillation would lose a lot of the phenols.

That said, something like the annual (bi-annual?) releases of Hazelburn Oloroso Cask editions show how the "blank canvas" of triple distillation can really allow the cask to shine through.

Part of the image problem triple distilled scotch has is that the only one most people are aware of is Auchentoshan, and to be frank their owners are bloody awful when it comes to what they put out. It's far too often 40% abv, chill-filtered to within an inch of its life and that inch is drowned in caramel colouring. Needless to say I am not a fan of Beam Suntory, they own my 2 least favourite distilleries in Auchentoshan and Bowmore. Ardmore isn't great either, although at least laphroaig has a couple of decent expressions. Independent bottlers of Auchentoshan and Bowmore show that the whisky itself isn't naturally bad, as there are some great IB versions, it's just how they are made to put it out by those in charge. To be honest I actually feel a bit sorry for the people that work at those distilleries, knowing they are capable of making some great whisky, but being stopped from putting it out as good as it can be by the money people.

Er, went a bit off topic there. Rant over!
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I share your aversion to Beam Suntory. It's a real shame as they have some cracking potential within their distilleries. Only way to make them change is for people to stop buying it however, but most folk aren't educated enough to know what they are buying.

ik9000 said:
Rant welcome, it's very much on-topic after all. I didn't realise Ardmore is also B-S. Interesting...
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They also have Glen Garioch in addition to the 4 above. Thankfully Glen Garioch seems to have escaped the money grab so far.
 
Giving this one a snifter after it arrived today. First impression is...the Quarter Cask from Laphroaig is astonishing value given this Lore is double/triple the cost of it!

The direct comparison with the QC will need to wait until the weekend though, but from memory, I'm struggling to find noticeable differences. Maybe slightly more earthy than QC and very, very slightly less of the sweeter, vanilla notes. Blind comparison (with duplicates) would be interesting.

PXL-20210119-162516625-MP.jpg
 
Illgresi said:
Agreed, triple distillation absolutely cuts down the range of flavours available; all the heavy flavours, vegetal, funky notes. I've never heard of a triple distilled, peated whisky, but I would imagine the 3rd distillation would lose a lot of the phenols.

That said, something like the annual (bi-annual?) releases of Hazelburn Oloroso Cask editions show how the "blank canvas" of triple distillation can really allow the cask to shine through.



I share your aversion to Beam Suntory. It's a real shame as they have some cracking potential within their distilleries. Only way to make them change is for people to stop buying it however, but most folk aren't educated enough to know what they are buying.



They also have Glen Garioch in addition to the 4 above. Thankfully Glen Garioch seems to have escaped the money grab so far.
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Yeah, off the top of my head I can't think of any peated triple distilled whiskies, although there could be some out there. Possibly some Irish Whiskey? Having said that, because of the way PPM is rated they could still claim it has a higher PPM count than Octomore even if all the phenols are stripped out in the distillation if they start with heavily peated barley. It would be rather pointless though.

I'll admit I haven't tried Glen Garioch. I avoided it because of my experiences with its stable mates. Any good ones?
 
hughtrimble said:
Giving this one a snifter after it arrived today. First impression is...the Quarter Cask from Laphroaig is astonishing value given this Lore is double/triple the cost of it!

The direct comparison with the QC will need to wait until the weekend though, but from memory, I'm struggling to find noticeable differences. Maybe slightly more earthy than QC and very, very slightly less of the sweeter, vanilla notes. Blind comparison (with duplicates) would be interesting.
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I find the Lore to be much sweeter and fruitier with less peat and iodine than the QC. Overall it just has a much better balance of flavours for me, where the QC is more of a one trick pony. Admittedly it is a pretty good trick.
 
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