Category Archives: Samaroli

SCOTCH WHISKY ADVENT CALENDAR DRAM # 25 – THE FINAL DRAM – SAMAROLI’S 30YO LINKWOOD, CASK # 5297

 

Region – Speyside – ABV -45%

Day 25 here. Merry Christmas to all that enjoy this holiday.

For me, I’ll enjoy Chinese Food and a Movie on this joyful day.

Silliness aside, we’ve got a 30yo Linkwood in ye old whisky glass. Time to discover the penultimate whisky!

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 2015

On the nose — Deviled eggs (heavy on the paprika) in a walk-in humidor. Let’ me elaborate on the deviled eggs: what I am enjoying here is a rich creaminess with a fair amount of paprika to cover up the overall egginess of the savory snack. So, this is a note I quite like.

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 2015Well oiled elevator shoes, subtle cologne and old Topps baseball cards (sans the brittle chewing gum stick).


In the mouth
— Lived in study, more oiled leather, yellow label chartreuse, white pepper, a velvet Elvis picture that’s been sitting in your attic for 30 years, linseed oil and lanolin, wood panel walled finished basement with every board game you can think of.

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 2015The year 1977.

Great mouthfeel.

Finish — Herbaceous and long finish with slight pepper.

In sum — A totally unique whisky and wonderful way to end the calendar. To be honest, I thought I would not like the last whisky given the very VERY pale color of it. However, it was totally delicious and brought me back to a more innocent time in my life.

I hope you enjoyed the holiday that is most special to you!  Cheers!

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar dram # 16 – Samaroli BenRiach 19yo, Cask 45763

 

Region – Speyside – ABV – 43%

When I started writing this post it was 1 day, 14 hours, 57 minutes, 33 seconds until Star Wars.

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 2015

On the nose — Red wax cherry lips, grape soda (even getting a sting in the nose like you would if you were to sniff a fizzy soda pop), fruity soaps (focus on the fruity and less on the soap), lipstick. Hints of stone fruits but they’re all a bit too overripe/overly sweet.

Normally I like perfumey, floral whisky but I’m not sure about this one. Time to taste.

In the mouth –Heavy malt character, decent mouthfeel, all followed with notes of cherry chews, lipstick (again), grandma’s perfume, a little cedar wood, more grape soda.

A little jalapeño jam on white bread.

Finish — Long and floral.

In sum — I’ve not met a BenRiach I haven’t loved until now. This one was not up my alley, I have to say. I hope that this whisky does not reflect what my experience of Star Wars Episode VII will be.

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar dram # 14 – “2008 Samaroli” by Samaroli, 7yo blended malt whisky

 

Blend of Glenallachie, Glentauchers, and Macduff – 43% ABV

Thanks again to Dr. Matt Lurin for his review of the Single Cask Nation Undisclosed Islay 7yo.  His review reminded me just why we selected that cask. Pow! It was a cracker!

From:

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 2015

We go to:

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 2015

Please don’t take this as an insult to the whisky. Quite the contrary. If anything, these two images simply illustrate the style of each whisky. This Samaroli is soft, gentle and at total comfort to spend with.

You’ll see:

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 2015On the nose — Peppermint and chamomile tea, cured olive brine, and clean pool water. Ribbon candies, lemon water and cereal boxes (the paperboard itself).   A little bit of pear and quince (the fruit, not the jam).

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 2015In the mouth — Like drinking the song “Easy Like Sunday Morning.” Soft, sweet, floral, a bit peppery but all in all, oh so easy! Still more peppermint and now white tea. Medium oily mouth feel. Yellow cake, less the sugary sweetness.  Wild flowers, green peppercorns.

Finish — Long, heathery, wonderful.

In sum — As with the other Samarolis I’ve tasted since the start of this calendar, this is soft and beautiful. You drink this for a completely different reason than yesterday’s Single Cask Nation selection. This is to relax with. Open it up and relax!

Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar dram # 3 – Samaroli Glentauchers & BenRiach, 19yo

 

Blended malt Scotch whisky – 43% ABV

SCOTCH WHISKY ADVENT CALENDARMy dirty little not-so-secret secret is that of all the independent bottlers out there, Samaroli is my favorite (albeit a bit on the expensive side here in the US).  Everything they do is quite intentional, and as an independent bottler myself, I find them to be inspiring.

When I saw this blended malt bottled at 43% I was intrigued to say the least.  Usually, I’m am turned right off at 43%, especially when it comes to independently bottled whiskies. However, this is Samaroli. I love them.  Plus, the combination of Glentauchers & BenRiach is quite intriguing.

The age is listed at 19 years old which will be the youngest whisky in the mix. I am not sure which one is 19 years old, and how old the other malt is.

Let’s just dive right in:

On the nose — Oh, wow. Ok. So, how do I jam my nose event further into the glass? Seriously, this one, dram # 3 in the Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar, has the best nose yet. I’m not sure where to begin. (at the beginning maybe?) Sweet diluted honey, baklava, gobs and gobs of malt, a fresh spring morning, rain on sarsaparilla leaves, a clear spring, honeycomb. Oak is present for sure and it gives you that “I’m an older whisky” note.  Sweet chamomile tea. Lovely, simply elegant and loverly.

In the mouth — The mouth is an exact replica of what I go on the nose with the addition of spice on the side of the tongue. I will say, the entry was a bit weak and would likely benefit from being 46%…

Finish — The finish is where it’s at. The building of spice combined with the honey and oak make for a great and lengthy crescendo.

In sum — If the ABV were slightly higher, this one could have qualified for being in my top ten drams of 2015. It was that good. ‘Nuff said.