In the whisky cupboard ... Lagavulin 16 years old

Lagavulin (pronounced lagga-voolin) is a distillery on the western Scottish island of Islay. The majority of distilleries on Islay produce rich, smoky and complex single malt whiskies and Lagavulin is renowned as giving some of the best examples of these. The distillery is located on the south eastern coast of the island and is very close neighbours with two other well known Islay distilleries - Ardbeg and Laphroaig. Lagavulin was founded in 1816 and currently has a production capacity of just under three million litres per year. They have unusual pear shaped stills and they believe that a combination of these stills, a slightly lower peating level in their malted barley and one of the longest spirit distillation times in Scotland, give Lagavulin its own unique character and quality.

Lagavulin release a very limited core range of three whiskies - a 12 years old cask strength, this 16 years old and a 'Distiller's Edition' (a special release that is finished in specially selected Pedro Ximenez sherry casks). This 16 years old forms part of the 'Classic Malts' series. Diageo, the current owners, have chosen one distillery from within their portfolio to represent each Scottish production region and highlight whiskies that typify the style of each of these six regions. Lagavulin is the 'Classic Malt' representative for Islay.

The colour is a gorgeous golden amber and the nose just blows your mind, making you want to try the whisky. It offers a sumptuous and complex mix of sweet peat smoke (think of dried earth and moss), a hint of woodiness, something meaty (think of old leather) and some dried fruit (imagine sultanas and a bit of candied peel). There is also some vanilla and a burnt, almost antiseptic quality (many people say lapsang souchong tea but it reminded me more of cloves). On the palate, this is creamy, smooth, rounded and full bodied. The initial massive blast of smokiness (cross between thick bonfire smoke with a meaty barbeque) then gives way to other flavours. There is a distinct herbal element (like dried grass or maybe moss again), some sweetness (a bit fruity but mostly vanilla I think), hints of something oily, a refreshing saltiness and a menthol quality. The finish is long and dry in comparison to the sweetness and saltiness elsewhere, with the powerful peaty smokiness (think of wood ash this time) dying away very very slowly, leaving you warm inside.

This is a truly fantastic example of a smoky Islay whisky. It is easy to see why it has such a following of whisky drinkers around the world and why Diageo chose Lagavulin to represent Islay in their 'Classic Malts' series. This 16 years old retails at around £40-45 and can be found in specialist retailers and some larger supermarkets. A true 'try before you die' single malt whisky and an essential addition to any whisky cabinet.

Have just tried ... Laphroaig 10 years old 'Provenance' from Douglas Laing & Co

Laphroaig (pronounced la-froyg) is one of the most famous distilleries in the world. Located on the western island of Islay, the distillery was founded in 1815 and has been the best selling smoky malt worldwide for the last six years. Laphroaig is currently owned by Beam Global, who are one of the world's largest spirits companies, and it is running at full capacity (around 2.5 million litres a year) in order to meet the current demand for smoky single malt whisky.

Laphroaig is one of the peatest smoky whiskies in the world and this is produced by drying the malted barley over a peat fuelled fire for a longer period than at most distilleries - 18 hours. Over this time much of the acrid smoke gets absorbed into the barley grains and this gets carried through the whole distillation process. Prince Charles issued his Royal Warrant to Laphroaig in 1993, as it was one of his favourite whiskies. This means that they can display the Prince of Wales' crest on their iconic green bottles and white labels.

The core range from the distillery consists of two 10 year olds (one of which is cask strength), a 15 years old, a 25 years old and a quarter cask (which is matured in smaller casks). Other limited bottlings are released occasionally but are normally pricy. Laphroaig is popular with independent bottling companies and this one is released by the Glasgow based firm Douglas Laing & Co. It forms part of their 'Provenance' range and is from a single cask. A bottle should cost about £50 from specialist whisky retailers.

The colour is light and and the nose is pungent and full of character. There is an immediate hit of fresh green fruit (imagine apples and pears) that is mixed with a lovely sweet cereal note (think of a digestive biscuit or porridge oats) and powerful peaty smokiness (think of a cross between burning ash and fresh tarmac). On the palate, there is instantly some sugary sweetness (think of honey), followed by that ashy smokiness from the nose. It has a lovely rich feel with the potent peatiness being balanced with soft vanilla. The sweetness is balanced with some bitterness in the form of some cereal grain notes (imagine biting on the bitter husks), a hint of something herbal (think of damp moss) and iodine (a classic Laphroaig characteristic that reminds some people of disinfectant). The finish is long, robust and very enjoyable with the herbal mossy note complimenting the ashy smokiness very well. It burns away in your mouth for ages. This is an excellent dram and one of the best by an independent bottler that I have tried to date.

Have just tried ... Braeval 10 years old 'Old Malt Cask' from Douglas Laing & Co

Braeval (pronounced bray-varl) is a Speyside distillery that many people are unfamiliar with. It is a large, modern facility that was built in 1973 by Chivas Brothers, who are now a subsiduary of the large Pernod Ricard drinks company. The distillery is currently mothballed - a process where the owners cease production but the distillery remains intact and ready to start operating when required - and has been since 2002. Braeval is one of four distilleries located in the famous and picturesque Glen Livet (Glenlivet, Tamnavulin and Tomintoul being the others) and lies at the furthest end of the glen in a remote area called Braes of Glenlivet (you may occasionally find a bottle labelled with this name instead of Braeval).

So why is Braeval so unknown? The main reason is that no single malt whisky is officially released to the public by the owners. When it was operating, 99% of the whisky produced at Braeval (approx. four million litres a year) went towards Pernod Ricard's popular Chivas Regal blended range. The remaining 1% was sold to independent bottling companies and this remains the only way to buy whisky from this distillery. This bottling is released by Glasgow based Douglas Laing & Co. and forms part of their 'Old Malt Cask' range, where they bottle just one cask at a time and at 50% ABV. This one was matured in a large sherry butt, so is one of 761 bottles and should cost around £45 a bottle.

The colour is light and golden with a fragrant nose that is feels fresh and clean. There is vanilla, some cereal grains, dried fruit (especially think of sultanas) and a sweet, rich floral note (this reminded me of honeysuckle flowers). On the palate, there is less freshness and more instant sweetness. It feels thicker in the mouth than the nose suggests and is sugary on the tip of the tongue (think of caramel). A combination of elements battle away to get your attention and creates a bit of an imbalance - some dried fruit (sultanas again), some spice (imagine cinnamon or nutmeg), vanilla, something grassy (think of dried grass or hay), a citrus tang (imagine lemon zest) and just a hint of smokiness (this is a fairly unpleasant acrid type of smokiness that reminded me of burning rubber/screaching tyres!). Some water was added due to the strength with the nose becoming more floral (think of a floral perfume) and the smokiness becoming more noticeable and more acrid. The finish is fairly light and pleasant enough with sweet vanilla and some zingy citrus notes. Unfortunately, the taste of that burning rubber spoils everything afterwards.

Have just tried ... Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist

Ardbeg is a distillery on the western Scottish island of Islay. They produce some of the world’s peatiest and smokiest whiskies at the distillery and the island itself is the home of this style of whisky. The first record of a distillery on the current site was in 1794, although the official Ardbeg founding date is 1815. The distillery is currently owned by Moet Hennessey and despite its relatively small capacity (only one million litres per year), Ardbeg has an extensive core range that is complimented with regular limited release bottlings. Ardbeg’s whiskies have a worldwide cult following and boasts an interactive distillery website that is second to none. Take a look at www.arbeg.com.

The Airigh Nam Beist (pronounced arrig-nam-bay-schst) is an expression of Ardbeg that is released at 16 years of age. The name comes from the Gaelic for ‘valley of the beast’ and refers to an ancient story of a monster that lived in the small Loch Airigh halfway down the valley and used to regularly terrorise local villagers. A stream runs from Loch Airigh and passes next to Ardbeg distillery and then out to sea.

The colour is golden amber with a dark earthy brown tinge to it. The nose gives an immediate hit of rich peaty smoke that turns quite meaty (imagine barbeque smoke and leather). Other elements that come through are gorgeous sweet grains, vanilla, something spicy (think of ginger) and some dried grasses (almost like burning grass or hay). On the palate, this is rich and robust yet rounded. It feels almost oily in the mouth with the earthy, meaty peat smoke having a warm peppery edge to it. The meatiness become very bacon-like, especially with water. The other characteristics from the nose are all present with the sweet barley and vanilla particularly prominent. They are joined by a nutty quality (think of toasted nuts or seeds) and an interesting citrus tang (imagine limes). The finish is complex and very long with the smokiness burning away for ages, complimented by the refreshing zingy citrus note.

Airigh Nam Beist will be replaced shortly in Ardbeg’s core range with a younger cask strength whisky called Corryvreckan. This is a shame as it is a very good example of a smoky whisky that has won lots of awards around the world. It is worth trying a dram or buying a bottle before it disappears and stocks should still be available from specialist whisky retailers for the next couple of months. The cost should be around £50 a bottle.

Have just tried ... St. Magdalene 1982 'Berry's Own Selection'

St. Magdalene is a Lowland distillery has been closed since 1983. Despite closing almost 26 years ago, the distillery buildings are still standing and have been sympathetically renovated into apartments. The distillery originally opened in 1795 in the town of Linlithgow, which lies between Edinburgh and Stirling and occasionally whisky distilled at St. Magdalene is also released under the name of 'Linlithgow'. It was one of Scotland's oldest distilleries until its closure. St. Magdalene was regarded as having one of the most perfect locations in Scotland for both whisky production and transportation links, being situated very close to some of the main barley growing areas, the main Edinburgh to Stirling road and the Union canal.

St. Magdalene and Linlithgow whiskies are now extremely rare and are running out, so are highly sought after by drinkers and collectors alike. The majority of the remaining dwindling stock is owned by drinks giant Diageo, who occasionally release special bottlings. The rest of the stock is held by independent bottling companies, who carefully select when to release it. This one is released by Berry Brothers & Rudd, the famous London wine and spirits merchant, and forms part of their 'Berry's Own Selection' whisky range. It is 25 years of age, having been distilled in 1982 and bottled in 2007.

The colour is light and lemon yellow with a delicious nose that entices you to want to try it. There is a lovely sweetness that reminded me of a combination of vanilla and caramel (think of that combination as an ice cream and you will be close). Under this sweetness are lots of fresh aromas - some fresh fruit (imagine shiny green apples and cantaloupe melon) and freshly mown grass. On the palate, that sugary sweetness hits first and is then joined by the vanilla, fruit and grassy notes from the nose. The vanilla is more oaky (think of a waxy furniture polish) and there is also a refreshing zingy citrus note (imagine fresh lemon juice). Interestingly, there is just the faintest hint of peat smoke in the background, which is an ususual characteristic to find in a Lowland whisky. The finish is quite dry and grassy (more dried grass or hay this time), with the hint of peat and the vanilla oak coming through. It is long for something that is so light.

This is a superb whisky, that is light and refreshing yet highly complex. It just has to be tried to be believed. This Berry Brothers bottling is available in selected whisky retailers only for around £80 a bottle, although Royal Mile Whiskies currently have it for a MEGA BARGAIN price of £59.95! This would be a great opportunity to try St. Magdalene whisky before it finally runs out.

Have just tried ... Pikesville Straight Rye

Pikesville is a brand of American straight rye whiskey that is produced at the Heaven Hill distillery. Heaven Hill is located in Bardstown, which is in the famous whiskey producing state of Kentucky. The distillery was originally founded in 1890 but was forced to close during the Prohibition period between 1920-1933. It was re-opened in 1934 by five brothers from the Shapira family, whose decendents still run the distillery today.

Heaven Hill takes its name from the Heavenhill family, who were the former owners of the farmland on which the distillery stands. They produce a range of whiskies using different traditional recipes (well known ones include Elijah Craig, Evan Williams and Rittenhouse), as well as gin and brandy. This help to make Heaven Hill the largest independent family owned distillery in America and the seventh largest in America overall.

Heaven Hill is one of the few distilleries that still produce rye whisky. Rye is seen as one of the most traditional styles of American whiskey, but was killed off by Prohibition. Its roots lie in the north eastern states of Maryland and Pennsylvania, with the recipe for Pikesville originating from Maryland. By law rye whiskey must contain a minimum of 51% rye grains in the mash and to be labelled as 'straight rye', this percentage must be a minimum of 65%. The rest of the mash can contain any other type of grains (such as corn, maize, barley or wheat) in any combination, with each recipe having different traditional combinations that give different flavours.

The colour is a rich golden brown (think of caramel or burnt sugar) and the nose is interesting. It has an initial slightly bitter sharpness, which may not be to everyones taste, but then a lovely sweetness comes through. This is very grainy in quality and is accompanied by loads of vanilla, coconut and warm spices (imagine ginger and nutmeg). On the palate, this is full bodied and has a great creamy feeling in the mouth. The sweet vanilla, coconut and grains are present, as are the warm spices. These are joined by an enjoyable bitter peppery quality (think of peppercorns or maybe a hint of red chilli) and some fruitiness (imagine sultanas). The finish is long and smooth with the slightly bitter rye grains rounding off the overall sweetness well.

Pikesville has a small production run each year and is hard to find as a result. However, it is worth searching out as it is very good and should cost the bargain price of £15-20. It is also becoming more popular in bars, as it lends itself to mixing well in cocktails, so it is definately worth trying some that way if you cannot find a bottle to buy. A very good whiskey.

Have just tried ... Caol Ila 28 years old 'Old & Rare' from Douglas Laing & Co

Caol Ila produces some of the peatiest whiskies in Scotland and is located on the craggy north eastern coast of the island of Islay – the home of the world’s smoky whisky production. It is the largest distillery on the island yet remains relatively unknown to the wider audience. The capacity of Caol Ila is 3.5 million litres a year and much of this goes towards the popular Johnnie Walker range of blended scotch whiskies. The percentage of whisky released as single malt is increasing as the current owners, drinks giant Diageo, look to expand the core range to meet the world’s thirst for smoky whisky.

Caol Ila means ‘Sound of Islay’ in Gaelic. The ‘Sound of Islay’ is the name of the narrow, fast flowing stretch of water that separates Islay from the neighbouring island of Jura. The core range currently includes a 12 and an 18 years old, a cask strength version and a more limited ‘Distiller’s Edition’. Other very limited bottlings are occasionally released, including an unpeated version, and Caol Ila is extremely popular with the independent bottling companies. This bottle is released by Glasgow based company Douglas Laing & Co. in their ‘Old & Rare’ range. This range contains whiskies from all over Scotland and they are generally over 25 years of age, with some from closed distilleries.

This whisky is released as a 28 years old and is from a single cask, resulting in just 261 bottles being available. The colour is golden and the nose is very tempting. The initial impression is that it is quite light and fresh for something of this age, with some pleasant sweetness (think of vanilla and cereal grains) and some peaty smokiness (imagine damp earth and moss). On the palate, this has much more complexity. It feels light again but has more sweetness (that vanilla and cereals again) and more peatiness (that damp earth and moss but with more sulphury coal smoke). Added to these are a zingy citrus note (think of lemon zest), some tropical fruit (especially mango and pineapple - sounds odd I know!) and something bitter and herbal (imagine iodine). It is bottled at 54.2% ABV, so we tried it with water and it became lighter, less smoky but sweeter and more herbal (imagine dried grasses). The finish is long and enjoyable with lots of sweet earthy smoke and a slight antiseptic quality (this characteristic is common in some of the heavily peated Islay whiskies).

This Caol Ila is a lovely example of a complex yet rounded older smoky whisky. It has a refreshing lightness and finesse that some of the younger Islay single malts can lack. The only way to get older versions of Caol Ila is through independent bottling companies such as Douglas Laing & Co. and they can be found in specialist whisky retailers. A very good whisky that will cost around £175 a bottle.

Explain about ... Whisky cask types and sizes

When you buy a bottle of whisky it may state the type of cask or barrel that has been used during maturation on the label. This is especially likely on an independent bottling company’s label. But what does the type and size of the cask really tell us? The most basic thing to remember is that the smaller the cask, the more contact the whisky inside has with the wood. It can be very confusing if you are not sure of the terms, so we have compiled a quick guide to the ten main types of cask used within the whisky industry, starting with the largest.

Gorda (capacity 700 litres)
A huge barrel used originally in the American whiskey industry. Made from American oak, they are occasionally used for maturing whisky but mostly for the marrying of different whiskies for blended or vatted whisky production.

Madeira Drum (650 litres)
A short, fat, dumpy barrel with a very wide diameter, made from very thick staves of French oak. As the name suggests, these drums are used in the Madeira wine industry and are occasionally used for finishing some whiskies.

Port Pipe (650 litres)
This is a tall, thin barrel made from thick staves of European oak. It looks like a regular barrel that has been stretched from each end. They are used to mature Port wine and are used in the whisky industry for finishing.

Butt (500 litres)
A tall, narrow cask made from thick staves of European oak and they are widely used throughout the sherry industry in Spain. Butts are the most common type of sherry casks used by the whisky industry.

Puncheon (500 litres)
There are two styles of puncheon cask. The most common is the ‘machine puncheon’, which is short, fat and made from thick staves of American oak. The second is the ‘sherry shape puncheon’, which is more elongated and made with thinner staves of Spanish oak. They are used in the rum and sherry industries respectively and are mostly used to finish whisky.

Barrique (300 litres)
These are the casks that are widely used throughout the wine industry. They differ from many other types of casks or barrels as they are bound with wood strips rather than the regular metal hoops. Used to give whisky a ‘wine cask finish’.

Hogshead (225 litres)
The word hogshead derives from the 15th century English term ‘hogges hede’, which referred to a unit of measurement equivalent to 63 gallons. Now made from American white oak, hogsheads are widely used for maturing bourbon and then sent to Scotland and Ireland. They are one of the most common types of cask used for maturing whisky.

ASB (200 litres)
The ASB (American Standard Barrel) is derived from the hogshead with the capacity rounded down to 200 litres for modern ease of use. Made from American white oak, they are widely used in the bourbon industry and then are very commonly used in Scottish and Irish whisky maturation. If you have a bourbon cask matured whisky, it will almost certainly have been matured in a hogshead or ASB.

Quarter Cask (50 litres)
A cask made to be a quarter of the size of an ASB, while remaining in proportion. Highly reactive with spirits as there is so much contact between the spirit and the wood. Used to give whisky flavour quickly. Also known as a ‘firkin’ by brewers.

Blood tub (40 litres)
A small cask used mostly in brewing beer, but very occasionally used by distilleries to mature special runs of whisky. They have an elongated oval shape that was designed to make them easy to carry on horseback.

Have just tried ... Bunnahabhain 18 years old

Bunnahabhain (pronounced bunna-ha-ven) is located in the northern part of Islay, an island which lies off the west coast of Scotland. The distillery produces the lightest of the all the Islay single malt whiskies with extremely low levels of peat influence compared to most of the other distilleries on the island. Islay is famous for it smoky and peaty whisky and Bunnahabhain the black sheep of the family. Bruichladdich is the only other Islay distillery that produces the majority of its single malt whisky in a non peated style. Bunnahabhain was founded in 1881 and has endured a turbulent history and a number of closures and part closures. The most recent of these was between 1999 and 2002 when it was closed for the summer months due to poor availability at its local water source.

The current owners are Burn Stewart Distillers and the distillery produces 2.5 million litres per year. Much of this goes towards the popular Black Bottle blend, which contains whisky from seven of Islay’s eight working distilleries but has Bunnahabhain as its base. The core range of single malts has three whiskies - a 12 years old, this 18 years old and a 25 years old. Bunnahabhain is a favourite amongst the independent bottling companies and through these you can occasionally also pick up some peaty expressions from the distillery.

The colour is a golden burnt amber with a nose that needs a couple of minutes to open up fully. To begin with it seems quite flat and one dimensional but becomes rich with a lovely sweetness (imagine a combination of dried fruits, especially raisins, and caramel) and an interesting saltiness (think of brine or seawater). In the mouth this feels creamy with a distinct buttery quality. It is rich yet fresh with a mixture of the fruit, brine and caramel elements from the nose and some sweet (almost sugary) cereal grains, a spicy note (think of nutmeg) and a hint of pleasant bitter woodiness (sounds odd but imagine waxy furniture polish). The finish lingers on and on and is much drier, woodier and saltier than the nose or palate.

This Bunnahabhain 18 years old is only released in 1500 bottle batches so is harder to find than the 12 years old. It is a nice rich and fruity whisky with the interesting salty twist. If you can find a bottle, it should cost around £50 and is pretty good value for that price.

Have just tried ... Black Bottle

Black Bottle is a blended scotch whisky. It is unique as it contains single malt whiskies from seven out of the eight distilleries on the famous whisky producing island of Islay. These are combined with a number of grain whiskies to produce the blend. Islay is famous for its smoky, peaty whiskies and can be found off the south western coast of mainland Scotland. The seven distilleries included in Black Bottle are Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Lagavulin and Laphroaig. The exception is the new distillery Kilchoman which is small and has only been in production for a couple of years.

The brand is currently owned by Burn Stewart Distillers and the blending of Black Bottle is based at Bunnahabhain (pronounced bunna-ha-ven), its only distillery on Islay. It was first blended in 1879 by a company called Gordon Graham & Co (whose name still appears on the bottle and cap) and got its name as it was originally filled in to bottles made from black German glass. This was changed to the green bottle in 1914, due to the outbreak of the First World War and the boycotting by many companies of German products.

The colour is light and golden with an intriguing nose. It feels fresh with some dried fruit (think of sultanas), sweet vanilla, some cereal grain notes and a powerful whiff of peaty smokiness (imagine damp, freshly dug soil). On the palate, this is again light and refreshing with an interesting mixture of three main elements - sugary caramel immediately on the tongue then earthy smoke and gorgeous vanilla. Other notes that come through are some further sweetness (think of honey) and a strange hint of spice (reminding me of cloves). The finish is long with a herbal grassy note (think of dried grasses) joining the sweet cereals and vanilla, with the smokiness burning away and fading gradually.

Black Bottle is an extremely well rounded and enjoyable whisky. It is smoky but not a smoky as expected, considering a number of the world's smokiest whiskies are included in the blend. The balance between the non smoky single malts, the grain whiskies and the smoky ones is very good and gives a surprisingly light refreshing feel at all stages of tasting. An excellent dram, especially considering it only costs around £15 a bottle, and one of the best smoky blends that I have tried to date.