#BTC64 #BlindDrams Tasting Notes

These are my tasting notes and results from the Blind Tasting Consortium's 64th #BlindDrams evening.

These drams were picked by Patrick @whiskypatrick

His theme was Ileach, all the drams were from Islay!

He gave us a lot of information about Islay and peat during the tasting:

Ileach means "Man of Islay" in Gaelic, and as many of you already guessed tonights's theme is whisky from Islay, specifically peated whisky.

So why is peated whisky linked with Islay? Whisky needs heat for malting, mashing and distillation, and Islay has few trees. Burning wood is not economically viable, but peat burns well and has been used as heating and cooking fuel on Islay for centuries before coal arrived. Peat starts as small plants in bogs or moors; as they die and decompose they get compressed and pushed deeper, growing at 1mm per year. It takes thousands of years to get to a useful (cuttable) depth and is 80% water when first cut, taking 4-5 weeks to dry out. 

Peat releases a class of cyclic aromatic compounds called Phenols when burnt. When used to dry barley after malting the oily phenols stick to the surface of the moist barley.

The main Phenols for whisky flavour are Phenol, Cresol, Xylenol, and Guaiacol. There are many other aromatics, but not all are Phenols. Some don’t have any effect on flavour but may affect the volatility (and nose and palate) of some of the other flavour chemicals.

Phenols are naturally occurring compounds.

Cresol: medicinal, found in coal tar and creosote

Eugenol: cloves and cinnamon

Guaiacol: wood smoke

Phenol (aka carbolic acid, phenolic acid or benzenol): carbolic and antiseptic flavours

Xylenol: coal tar 

The human nose can detect 1ppm of most Phenols, but it's more sensitive to some. From an evolutionary perspective, it's an advantage to be able to detect wood smoke, so we're genetically more sensitive to Guaiacol than some of the other phenols. It's not only the drying of malted barley that contributes phenols to whisky; maturation can also add phenols. For example, guaiacols can be created from lignin (polymer found in wood) breaking down during maturation, adding a smoky flavour.

Eugenols can also be extracted from oak during maturation, giving a spicy and  bitter flavour (clove, cinnamon). The main influences on phenol extraction are 1) oak species, 2) toasting/char level and 3) maturation time.

Distillation and maturation has a large influence over Phenols in the final product. Phenols are big molecules with a high boiling-point, and only released as vapour towards the end of the distillation cycle. The capture of Phenols in new make depends on the cut point set by the distiller; the wider the cut, the more gets through into the new make. If we compare Caol Ila and Lagavulin, both distilleries use the same malted barley peated to @40ppm. But Caol Ila seems less smoky, and has a different nose and palate to Lagavulin.

The differences in fermentation time, still shape, fill level, speed of distillation and cut points contribute to the overall differences in flavour and specifically to the different phenol mix in the final product. 

Many phenols are left behind in feints and never make it through to the spirit, e.g. Laphroaig typically uses barley peated to 40ppm, but only 25ppm comes through into the new make. After 10 years of aging, this drops to about 10ppm. 

Phenols in new make are only partially oxidised, but in the barrel they become more fully oxidised over time into more complex aromatic compounds. For example, Laphroaig is known for becoming more tropical and fruity as it matures. Distillers specify malt at a specific level of phenols, measured in phenolic parts per million (ppm), measured by UV spectroscopy or High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).  Barley peated to 40ppm would consist of 40 parts per million (0.004%) of phenols. 

So, how do the Islay distilleries spec their malted barley in terms of peatiness?

Bunnahabhain: 2 PPM

Bruichladdich: 3 PPM

Bowmore: 20 PPM

Lagavulin: 35 PPM

Port Charlotte (Bruichladdich): 40 PPM

Laphroaig: 40 PPM

Ardbeg: 50 PPM

Octomore (Bruichladdich): 80+ PPM 

And for comparison, some non-Islay distilleries:

Glenfarclas: 3 PPM

Springbank: 8 PPM

Benromach: 8 PPM

Highland Park: 20 PPM

Talisker: 25 PPM

Ledaig: 35 PPM

Longrow: 55 PPM

Waterford (Woodbrook): 74 PPM

Here are my tasting notes:

Dram 1

Appearance: Pale gold in the Glencairn, swirls cling as a thin line, take an age to bead up and fall as slow thin legs.

Nose: gentle smoke, salinity and lemon zest. Some tropical fruit and bonfire ash.

Palate: thick sweet juicy arrival, lemon bonbons, marzipan, beach pebbles and tropical fruit. Dry and ashy. A lovely sour grapefruit note left on the tongue as the liquid disappears.

Finish: lingering dry salted lemons.

I’m thinking a 10yo 52% ABV ex-bourbon Caol Ila? Scores a 2

Dram 2

Appearance: orangey gold in the Glencairn, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up slowly and fall as slow thin legs.

Nose: fresh sawn oak, beach fire ash, orange zest and a little dried fruit. Some milk chocolate and some Christmas spices.

Palate: thick juicy mouth coating arrival, berries and cherries, tropical fruit, very drying. There’s some toffee and ashy smoke here too. Tinned fruit juice gives some sweetness before the liquid leaves a spicy zing on the tongue as it disappears.

Finish: lingering dry spice, cola cubes and lemon zest.

I’m thinking a 55% wine cask finished  Ardnahoe? Scores a 3

Dram 3

Appearance: light gold in the Glencairn, swirls cling as a thin line, form tiny beads and fall as slow thin legs.

Nose: very closed: bonfire smoke, tropical fruit and citrus zest. 

Palate: sweet mouth coating arrival, immediately drying. There’s honey, lemon zest, some salinity and a bite of peppery spice. 

Finish: lingering lemon zest and dry peppery spice.

I’m thinking a 55% ex bourbon Laphroaig? Scores a 2

Dram 4

Appearance: light gold in the Glencairn, swirls cling as a thin line, form tiny beads and fall as slow thin legs.

Nose: gentle smoke, some citrus zest, vanilla, gingerbread and salinity. There’s some dunnage funk and a little fresh cut grass.

Palate: thick juicy arrival, lemon meringue pie, runny honey and dry oaky spice. It’s a little ashy and drying. A little of the gingerbread from the nose before lingering spice as the liquid disappears.

Finish: lingering ash smoke, oaky spice and a little lemon zest.

I’m thinking a 50% ex-bourbon Caol Ila? Scores a 4

Dram 5

Appearance: light gold in the Glencairn, swirls cling as a thin line, form tiny beads and fall as slow thin legs.

Nose: Bacon Frazzles! Dry ashy smoke, a little lemon zest and some marzipan. A little damp earth and some medicinal hints.

Palate: Sweet juicy arrival, honey, lemon juice and a hit of peppery spice. The ABV has gone up on this one. Some tropical fruit hints of dried pineapple and kiwi and a little salinity. Where has the smoke gone?

Finish: lingering peppery spice, lemon zest and a little pineapple.

I’m thinking a 60% 10yo Caol Ila? Scores a 4

The drams were: 

Dram 1 was Lagavulin 8yo 

 

Dram 2 was Laphroaig 10yo CS Batch 17 

 

Dram 3 was Ardbeg Ten CS Committee Exclusive 

 

Dram 4 was Port Charlotte 2014 Islay Barley 

 

Dram 5 was Octomore Edition 16.3 / 189.5 PPM

The overall scores from our 28 members were:

More information about the Blind Tasting Consortium and the scores for all of our tastings can be found here!