The Malt Cask

Ever hear of Féis Ile? It is a bit like Mecca for peat-heads. It is a whisky festival which takes place every year in May on Islay. Each day of the week sees a distillery opening its doors to thousands of peat enthusiasts, with music, food and of course a lot of whisky. It is also the opportunity for distilleries to release festival-exclusive bottles which tend to disappear off the shelves at the speed of light. However, how many of these bottles get opened? I'd say certainly not the majority. These bottles are generally 'limited' to 'very limited' releases which are only available from the distillery during the festival so it attracts many investors and flippers (people who buy to sell straight away) who buy these with only one hope: a good return on investment, short or long term. I went to Islay a few years ago and loved the peace and quiet of it. I would be interested in being there during Féis Ile, but it is bound to be a completely different experience, and I

Quick review of an Irish whiskey today with a sample sent to me by the Teeling distillery of their Single Malt Whiskey. Distillery : Teeling Bottler : Distillery Age : NAS Distilled : n/a Bottled : n/a Cask : mix of ex- sherry, port, Madeira, white burgundy and Cabernet Sauvignon Abv : 46% Unchillfiltered : Yes Natural Colour : Not mentioned Nb of bottles : n/a Extra : Double Gold award at the San Francisco World Spirits competition 2020 Nose : Fresh at first with green apples and pears, lemon, peach and coconut before toffee, milk chocolate digestive biscuits and creamy fudge notes appear. Palate : The Palate is richer than the nose, fruity, malty with some spicy notes. Caramel, vanilla, digestive biscuits, milk chocolate, nutty, a touch of pepper, grapefruit, dried fruit (raisins), apple, melon and ginger. Finish : Malty, spicy, with ginger, pear, spiced stewed plums, white wine and hints of oak. With water : I get more sweetness on the nose, the palate becomes creamier and there is

I don't know about you but with the lockdown I seem to have slightly changed my drinking habits as far as whisky in concerned. Yes, I have probably enjoyed a little more than I would have otherwise but also I have attended more online tastings both with friends or brand ambassadors. This means that even if I have bought a few new bottles, I have also purchased and received lots of samples. Samples are great to get a glimpse into a whisky but I feel a bottle is the only way to truly enjoy (or not) its content. And checking out the article I released lately, most of them have been based on samples so I thought it was time for me to go back to a full bottle, So today, we are heading back to Islay with a bottle I bought last year: Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2019. Kilchoman is no longer the youngest distillery on the island, that;s now Ardnahoe, but have opened its doors in 2005, it is still fairly young! That doesn't mean to say their range is limited and since 2015 and their 10th anniver