Crisp fresh air, dead orange leaves, smoke in the chimney.  It’s whisky season.

On Saturday night our upstairs neighbors had a great housewarming bbq party, transforming the formerly underused backyard into a food and fun corral, complete with spare tire side tables and the like. Dr. Sally Friar, chiropractor to at least 1/2 of our home’s inhabitants, brought along this fine little bottle of malt- Aberfeldy 12 yo. A brief google search yields the fact that this distillery is owned by the Dewars co., and has been used as a foundation malt for their massively popular white label blend for years. The single malt embodies the best of white label, sans the gritty / sweetness / sickly smokiness of the blend. This 12 YO is a smooth operator in a highlands style- buttery, soft and clean. A distinct cherry undertone was noted by two resident bloodhound / supertasters. Having enjoyed these drams informally, in the swing of things as it were, I have no detailed impressions to relay regarding nose / palate / finish, etc. What was obvious, however, is that this is a very “people friendly” whisky- carrying that sort of wheaty magnetism that causes similar bottles, such as the dalwhinnie 15 yo, to disappear very quickly. In fact, it didn’t take our little cadre of conversationalists very long to plumb the very depths of this bottle. There is a slight lingering highland chocolatiness worth noting. Most importantly, though, this fine flow of spirits represents a classic gesture of friendship and hosptitality from our esteemed Dr. Friar, which will not be soon forgotten. Thanks Sally! Look forward to seeing you at the next installment of the Laga Lounge.

The first of three bottles drained at the recent drinking event was an 8 year old single malt from the Glen Rothes distillery, bottled at 43% abv by Gordon & McPhail’s. The selection of this bottle was based mostly on economy- we wanted an affordable malt that would set the table for the older, costlier drams to follow (Lagavulin 12 yo cask strength, I’m talking to you). As it turned out, this is much more than just a cheapie in the now rare category of single malts under $35.

With a slighly rusty color and texture, this dram was a surprise starter with lots of character and depth for an “entry level” malt. As with all of the GM bottlings I’ve sampled, it was well balanced and relatively dry. A bit of something herbal on the nose, and a smooth, clean finish was all to the good. To be honest, there wasn’t anything to dislike about this dram- a good bottle to keep the cabinet well stocked with an accessible whiskey yet with enough unique “terroir” to raise it above the level on any blend (that means you Johnny Black) and most similarly priced single malts. That is, if memory serves correctly- it has been over a week since tasting it, and my liberal attitude towards single malts (they are all good) may cloud the critical thinking a bit. Regardless of that, this bottle has also been well received by the professional scotch cognoscenti- check out THIS REVIEW for more background on the bottling process and another opinion of how the whiskey tastes.

What did you think?

Where to begin.  Well,  The Balvenie.  Banffshire, Speyside, Scotland.  The 12 year DoubleWood: aged in whiskey casks, finished in sherry casks.  In tandem with Macallan 12, this is the scotch that started it all for me over a decade ago.

As with most large houses, the Balvenie has great clarity due to its filtration; it sits nicely in one’s glass with decent viscosity and a light- to medium-amber hue.  (This is not your pappy’s diesel oil Lagavulin.)  The nose is nicely balanced — not too hot as single malts go, but definitely 43% by volume — redolent of raw honey, honeysuckle, vanilla, with touches of spiced apple.  Not cloying, but the scent lingers and brings you back for more.  On the palate, the dram coats the tongue softly, and fills the mouth with flavors of more honey and vanilla, with a pronounced sweetness and some charred oak tones.  The finish is where the sherry aspect is most evident; the edges are all rounded out and (dare I say it) a bit flabby.

Nothing too dramatic here…a damn solid dram, just not all that complex and interesting.  Now move along.

It’s an interesting exercise revisiting this scotch; my tastes have definitely evolved since the Balvenie 12 first whet my appetite for single malt.  This is not a bad dram, by any stretch — as noted, it’s solid juice from a respected house.  To the extent that I am underwhelmed, though, perhaps it’s just that I am overly comfortable with it, to the point that I want to try something new and different.  I suppose it’s that I wish this glass were somehow less approachable and more challenging, but I realize as I write that it is precisely this approachability that drew me into the world of single malts a decade ago in the first instance.

This is where the bottle turns to me and says witheringly, “You just take me for granted.”  And it’s probably right.  I’ll have another.

-digglesworth p. funkenstick

A dram here, a dram there.  Visit this bleogh for (ir)regular updates on our impressions of various sorts of single malt Scotch whisky.  We promise nothing fancy or pretentious here, just descriptions, impressions and ramblings on Scotland’s finest exports jotted down by a couple of swarthy fellas who enjoy the occasional distilled beverage.

– jeremyearlmchugh & digglesworth