So first off, I'll apologize for my tyrannical rant last round about the LCBO prices. I'm still very unhappy, but I understand that many people don't want or wish to hear this. Instead I'll talk about what I'm good at - that golden elixir known as Whisky. I took a break, during my lunch hour, and a short jaunt over to an LCBO this afternoon to see what was out on early display for this release. I didn't see the two bottles I've mentioned above, but I did come across this:
Onto the release notes! Blackadder makes an appearance this month with the infamous Peat Reek. So named for the smell of burning peat, this is an artisan bottling of an unnamed Islay monster. Kept secret by the distillers, selected casks are pulled at their peak of smokiness and bottled without chill filtration or colour additions. I haven't tried the latest release, but I have tried previous versions. Boy oh boy! This is a knock your socks off blast of phenols and creosols that you won't soon forget. You will also definitely notice the lack of colouring agents in this. It is a bit you and tends to be on the honey wine/straw yellow colour, but this is the spirit's actual colour. Grab a bottle and take it over to a bottle of Johnnie Walker to see the difference (you'll notice the electric marmalade colour rite away). This offers the buyer a small glimpse into the colour of e150a caramel that so many big distilleries use to pull the wool over your eyes. At 46% ABV, it's right in the range that I enjoy drinking, and a steal for you peat freaks at the offered price. It may be a bit out of season (I like this sort of thing in the Winter as a warm up), but for $70 I'd suggest you grab a bottle now. Check [SKU #38455] for the LCBO item number and get some ordered to a location near you!
Last but certainly not least is a Gin this time. Yes, another spirit makes it's debut on the MaltBlog (Guess I should have really re-thought that name). But why gin I hear you ask? Well hold on tight as this is right up a Scotch lovers alley! From Bruichladdich distillery come The Botanist (A plant scientist). It's new make spirit (sort of like single-malt vodka which is delicious in it's own rite), with the addition of the characteristic Juniper berries and other assorted herbs, spices and such. This is a limited edition bottling (15,000 Bottles), that features 31 different botanical ingredients (22 of which are native only to Islay) in a base of the infamous Islay spirit (un-peated of course).I have yet to develop the palate for many Gins (Victoria Gin being my current favorite), so this will be a new foray into another spirit for myself. Tasting notes paint a picture of a clean aroma with hints of pepper on the nose, briny seas, fresh juniper and wildflowers. Lots of bitter elements on the palate, smoke and spice present throughout, hints of lemon zest, pear and pine needles in the finish. If this sounds like a treat for you, find it at your local LCBO [SKU #242610], or get them to order a bottle to your local store. $45
That's all for the time being. Having been so stressed at work lately, I haven't been able to unwind with a dram. Not that I haven't had a few drams, its more that I haven't been able to relax and loose myself in one. I'll try my hardest as I'd really like to produce some more tasting notes so that I'm actually contributing something to the online community.