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Iceberg Gin

Price

$11.66/375ML

Bought at

Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (Halifax)

I am not and never have been a fan of Gin; as a rule, I find its taste reminiscent of lower range aftershave on a hot day. About once a year, however, driven, perhaps by a taste for novelty, perhaps by the call of London's East-end, I feel compelled to buy a half-bottle of the stuff to see if my tastes have changed, which they usually haven't. This time around, the recipient of my adventurousness was Iceberg Gin, new companion to Iceberg Vodka, a fine, if atypical, vodka, reviewed elsewhere in these pages. Such close companions are they, that they share the same bottle design, save for the labels and the different colours of the contents. At first sip, I was pleasantly surprised to find the taste of botanicals much lighter than is usual with some of the big names which we all know and, sometimes, love. This makes Iceberg the most drinkable Gin I have yet encountered. I will unfortunately not go into details as to what it tastes like, because all Gins more or less taste the same to me, as, I am sure, Scotch all taste the same to some, but I will go on to say that this was fairly pleasant and painless. The only thing to mar my temporary honeymoon in Gin Lane was the creeping sweetness Iceberg displayed after a few glasses, which can make a man devilishly thirsty for, incredible but true, water! One question remains, and it is that of whether they use their Vodka as a base for the gin infusion: unfortunately, the botanical taste was still too strong for me to tell with certainty, though the sweetness and some of the nose characteristics would lead me to a non-commital yes. This would probably not be a great mixer, given its milder taste, but it could be a great alternative to those, like me, who find the Tankarays, Bombays and other AYs a little too herbaceous for their palate.

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Dalvenie

Price

UNKNOWN/750ML

Bought at

S.A.Q (Montreal)

This bottle came to me as a belated birthday present from my mother upon my recent visit to Montreal. As it is now nearing extinction, I will set down my thoughts regarding the content. The smell is light and airy, reminding one of a sweet ocean breeze, when smelt a few miles inland: light notes of malt, grains, damp sand, seaweed and woodfire combining to lend it a magic perfume. The taste is at first very pungent with malt, sweetened by a drop of honey, and deepened by an extremely slight hint of charcoal, something quite unusual at this point of a tasting. So far, this is a wonderful experience;, sadly, upon reaching mid-palate, where most Whiskies open up, this fellow just gives you more malt, some greens, and maybe a touch of the complexity found in the smell. Even the finish is pretty much the same, with some oakenness thrown in. The over-all effect is nice, but not impressive: rather more like a naive country girl with bloom in her cheeks than a ravishing nymph. However, I should state that Whiskies which are lighter have more difficulty finding favour with me, probably because my coarse palate cannot appreciate all their subtleties: someone with finer tastes, or with a leaning to lighter malts might find this Whisky marvelous, where it leaves me unimpressed. For all my criticisms, this remains a very well crafted drink. Since age tends to lighten Whisky, I wonder whether I might not appreciate a slightly younger version more.

Dalvenie seems to be little known, at least if google is to be trusted, as one will get many other results before it shows up. It also is only one letter away from Balvenie, another Highland Whisky, which I have had the immense pleasure to review in these pages almost a year ago, probably an unfortunate thing for a malt trying to make it on the side tables of the world.

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Bowmore (17 years)

Price

$71.75

Bought at

Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (Halifax)

For my birthday before last, almost fifteen months ago now, my dear one encouraged me to treat myself by spending rather more than I would have and buying a bottle of this. I am quite a fan of the twelve-year-old Bowmore, though I have not yet reviewed it here, but do not buy it very often, as it tends to be just that extra ten dollars more than my budget allows, so it definitely was a treat. Somehow, I have managed to keep a drop of this for future review and always deferred the review, even through a change of apartment and a few changes of lifestyle (incidentally, fifteen months is the longest a bottle has ever survived in my vicinity, which must be ascribed to my awe for this particular drink). But, here I am now, about to open the bottle and write down my thoughts on the little it still contains. Though I have not reviewed the twelve-year-old counterpart, I will make reference to some of its characteristics where I deem it necessary or helpful.

At first sniff, this Whisky exudes an ocean, or, maybe more accurately, a beach smell, full with salt and wind, foam and rock, but also with a whiff or earth and conifers to remind us of the forest nearby. Underlying all this, is a mild sweetness, that, perhaps, of an apple orchard not very far inland, and, overlaying it, is the delicate smoke of peat fires striving to drive the damp from clustered houses. Then, on the heels of the visions the smell evoked comes the taste… The start is quite amazing for an Islay, even more so if one has experienced the bigness of this Whisky's younger sibling: it is pleasantly malty, though less pungent than a Speyside might be, with nice touches of fruits (mostly the apples of the smell) and vanilla. After that first impression, the mouthful comes to the blossoming point (mid-palate) and these initial delicate flavours are replaced by something much bigger, clamouring of the sea in motion: the taste is strong and keen enough to carry one straight to the shore in a slight drizzle to listen to the crashing waves and taste the salt on one's lips. After this climax, the taste recedes into a graceful finish of peat which, though it makes its presence sternly felt, is in no way overwhelming; it is at this point that oak gently pokes its nose out for a seat by the fire, accompanied by the spectre of the earlier malt, to haunt the palate for a minute longer before slowly fading away. What more can I say but that it is Beauty in a bottle?

The younger Bowmore as its points; it is wild and lusty with peat, oak and other straightforward tastes, this is quite different, full of lightness and subtlety, and one should not expect to know the one because he knows the other, though both are beyond excellent. If you are a lover of older Islays and subtle, complex tastes, you simply must try this.

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Lagavulin Distiller's Edition (16 years)

Price

UNKNOWN/1L

Bought at

UNKNOWN (France)

My father gave me a bottle of this at a little reunion upon a conjoint visit to Montreal, I from Halifax, and he from France. I was thrilled, as this was one of the last Islays (there are only six in all, if memory serves right) I had not tasted. The smell is nice and light-hearted, with rather less peat and more sweetness than one is used to in Islay malts: it is reminiscent of a time where one might have sat by the kitchen fire whilst cherry preserves were being made. Upon hitting the tongue, the taste is quite mild and light, leaning far more towards the malty and floral than the peaty, with an airy elegance which is quite appealing and certainly uncommon in Islays. The peat kicks in at mid-palate, the taste becoming quite big and far darker with overtones of charred wood and chocolate, creating a wonderful contrast to the aforementioned lightness. Throughout, the sherry finish is quite obvious: in the first place, in gives a sweet, fruity nose to the first, lighter phase, in the second, it imparts a fairly long sweetish finish, which is my least favourite feature of this drink. Don't get me wrong, I like this Whisky and am sad to see the bottle die, but, at the same time, I can't help feeling that the sherry finish impairs rather than enhances it, and am curious to see what plain, twelve year-old Lagavulin might be like. I would deem it an excellent choice for those seeking an introductory Islay, or for those with more sensitive palates, though my father's violent expostulations upon tasting it that he by far prefered wine leads me to think that others might harbour a somewhat different opinion.

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Old Malt Cask (23 years)

Price

Paid Approx. $40/750ML

Bought at

Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (Halifax)

In March, right around my birthday, the NSLC decided to offer me a huge present by ridding itself of its holidays specials to make place for its summer specials, sometimes offering astounding price cuts. This allowed me to buy not one, but two special bottles for the price one usually pays for one of the more affordable single malts reviewed in these pages. This is one of the two, the other should be reviewed shortly. Since I am a Highland Park fan, though you wouldn't think so, if you knew how seldom I drink it (it's not exactly cheap), I could not pass the opportunity to taste this old malt issued from the same distillery which produces it.

The smell is fragrant with sweet herbs and spices, thyme and fennel, to name a few, as well as wet grass and green apples. A smoky character rounds out the smell and balances out what could become too sweet. It's fresh and has a zest to it, though the higher alcohol content (50%) makes it difficult to smell it for long stretches. Taste-wise it is a surprisingly straightforward Whisky. The taste is malty, nutty and creamy, very rich, with some smoky overlays to further deepen that impression. There is a whiff of cherries mid-palate, as well as a slight, sweet finish of berries, crowned with a light, smoky bitterness at the very end. On the whole, this is a good Whisky, but fairly one-dimensional. I would not want to give the impression that it is bad, because it isn't, but it is, to me, lacking in depth and complexity. This is the first time I taste such an old Whisky and I had expected more surprises; now, though, I wonder whether it has not perhaps gone over the hill and into its decline and wish I could taste a slightly younger version. So, in short, a highly drinkable Whisky, but nothing I would pay extra for. The other Whisky which I bought at an absurdly low price and will review next, though younger, is by far more remarkable. Stay tuned...

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