This article was first published in the Hundred-Bottle APP.
's pursuit of whiskey flavor is sometimes like a road of no return. The more wine you drink, the harder it is to satisfy those regular wine styles that are over 40 degrees. It’s not because I drank my mouth badly, but after enduring the burning and stimulation brought by high alcohol, the experience of the rich flavor brings to the taste buds is really inexhaustible.
Today I will introduce you to 6 high-alcohol whiskeys that I personally like and are unique. If you already have some experience in drinking whiskey and want to further experience the beauty of whiskey, you can try these wines.
This time I didn’t choose Ardbeg Uganda, Talisker 57° and other wine styles that whiskey lovers like, because they are so well-known to everyone. We have a little unpopular this time, and the rankings are from high to low.
1. Springbank Genting 12-year barrel strong
Cask Strength barrel strong literally means that the whiskey in oak barrel is bottled directly without dilution, but the Scotch whiskey method does not have any regulations on whiskey barrel strong whiskey, which actually gives the distillery a lot of room to operate.
Speaking of barrel strong whiskey, we must mention a magical wine recognized by whiskey enthusiasts all over the world: Genting's 12-year barrel strong. There are two batches of this wine every year, each batch is made of Sherry barrels and Bourbon barrels, which are made of raw wine, . However, the ratio is different, and the alcohol content is around 55%.
I have compared batches 15th and 16th. The 12-year barrel of Genting in different batches is strong, and the style is the same. You can feel the rich sweet cream, cheese, comb cakes, lime and sea breeze. It is usually called "Genting fragrance" by me. It’s just that the expression of flavors in different batches is somewhat different. For example, the aroma of Batch 15 is more direct and unrestrained, while the flavor of Sherry barrel in the aroma of Batch 16 is more obvious. However, the aftertaste is clearly felt the sweet and sour and sour soup, which makes people have to admire the layering of 12CS.
"scented" full of wine fragrance, the strong wine power like a storm, sweet and long aftertaste. Genting has a 12-year barrel strength, and it only takes less than 10ml to satisfy all the taste buds’ expectations for whiskey.
Personal rating: 91
2. Scotton Grand Oud 2018 SR
Diageo's Special Release series in 2018, the most eye-catching one is Talisker 8 years. There is also an excellent barrel strong whiskey in the same series that has been ignored, that is The Singleton Glen Ord 14 years CS.
This wine is very interesting. The winery used a total of five oak barrels to mature this whiskey. The original wine was first aged in the refilled bourbon barrel and the refilled bodega Shirley barrel, and then moved into the refilled Pedro Ximenez Shirley barrel and the Moscatel Muscat wine barrel, and finally merged in the European oak puncheon barrel.
In my personal experience, if you use barrels in such a complex way, there is usually too much wood flavor and tannin in the wine. If we observe carefully, we will find that this wine was distilled in 2002 and bottled in 2018. In theory, its minimum wine age should be 15 years, but the wine label is marked 14 years. I personally guess that it should have been stored in non-wooden containers for a period of time, with the purpose of stabilizing the wine.
This Glen Ord has a strong alcohol content of 57.6% in 2014. Its smells a little blocked. As the cup wakes up, it gradually reveals the sweet fragrance of oranges and various white desserts. The layering feels very good. The smell of white stubble can still be felt.
Its taste is very exciting. Its entrance has a high sweetness and strong impact, like a candy bomb detonating on the tongue. After the mouth is drained by alcohol, all kinds of exquisite, delicate and beautiful sweetness bring a wonderful experience to the taste.
Personal score: 89
3. Laphroaig 10-year barrel strong
If you are a peat whiskey enthusiast, then there is a barrel strong whiskey that you must not miss, that is laphroaig 10-year barrel strong
If you are a peat whiskey enthusiast, then there is a barrel strong whiskey that you must not miss, that is laphroaig 10-year barrel strong.
never fills the bourbon barrel again, after 10 years of barrel aging, undiluted raw wine, high alcohol content supports the rich flavor, and the pure wine brought by the laphroaig still is shown in its original flavor.
I have tried the first generation of green label "straight from the wood" before 1998, the small red label "original cask strength" before 2008, and the new version of green label in 2019. Each version expresses the craftsmanship and flavor of the time to the fullest.
10 barrel strong annual new version is quite approachable, with the alcohol content of the 2019 version of 58.6%. It has a very strong sense of smelling fragrance. Although the white wood smell is a bit eye-catching, it maintains coordination overall. The taste is gorgeous, strong, and it declares personality without mercy. Compared with the earlier version, this new version of 2019 seems simpler overall, but the style expression is stronger.
If you want to try the purest laphroaig, 10-year barrel strength is the best choice.
Personal score: 2019 version 88
4. Cladach mix malt whiskey
Diageo 2018 special release series, there is a more special NAS mix malt whiskey, which is "coastline" in the Gaelic language. The base wine comes from six coastal wineries under Diageo, including Caol Ila, Clynelish, Lagavulin, Oban, Inchgower, and Talisker. The oak barrels used include: initially filled with bourbon barrels, then American oak pig head barrels, and then European oak barrels, with an alcohol content of 57.1%, and strong barrels.
Diageo said the wine "captures the style characteristics of the Scottish coastline winery", and I think Cladach deserves its name. While maintaining a good sense of coordination, this wine fully expresses the beauty of the original wine. The smell of smell is very layered, and the aroma of wine gradually changes very pleasantly as it comes into contact with the air. The taste is very gorgeous, and it has a strong aftertaste and has a long and varied taste. The wood tastes a bit heavy, which is a flaw and the taste is not delicate, which should be because the base wine is relatively young.
Compared with the messy SR's Collectivum "Whiskey Collection" in 2017, Cladach demonstrates the excellent quality of the base wine and the excellent blending level. In the trend of blending malt whiskey, Diageo has shown off his "muscle".
Personal rating: 88
5. Ben Normank 10 Years 100° Proof
I personally think Benromach 10 Years is the best entry-level peat whiskey, and the high alcohol content 10 Years 100° Proof is also one of my favorite barrel strong whiskeys.
is the same as in the ordinary 10 years. 100° Proof has 80% filled with bourbon barrels in the first 9 years, 20% filled with Shirley barrels in the first year, and the Spanish Shirley barrels in the first year, with an alcohol content of 57%. The scent and texture of
100° Proof both show more of the flavor of Sherry bucket, soft smoky and marine flavor, paired with the dark berries of Sherry bucket, the sweet and richness of caramel and dark chocolate, presented in a strong style.
Benromach 10 years 100° Proof Compared with ordinary 10 years, the raw materials, distillers, barrel types and ages used to aged wine barrels are almost the same. The biggest difference is alcohol content. If you want to feel the impact of alcohol content on the taste of whiskey, this should be considered a relatively ideal comparison sample.
Personal rating: 87
6. Granger "Jie Ao"
Glenmorangie The 10th edition of the private collection series "Allta" launched in 2019 is a very unique whiskey. The yeast of this wine is domesticated with wild yeast from wheat fields near the distillery.
Scotch Whisky Law stipulates that only yeast fermentation of saccharified wort is allowed, but there is no yeast variety specified. Granger was the first to make a fuss about yeast varieties. We have to admire Professor Bill Liang Sidun’s creativity. At least it gave us a chance to experience what changes the special variety of yeast will bring to the whiskey flavor.
Allta is matured using refilling bourbon barrels, NAS (it is said to be around 8 years old), with an alcohol content of 51.2%.
Although I am not sure how much yeast has to do with this wine, it must be admitted that this is a single malt whiskey with exquisite blending.The sourness and oak barrel smell in the fragrance are very good at highlighting the aroma of malt, the changes in the taste, and the classic "Granger" flavor expression in the ending rhyme, all of which show the exquisite and delicate body design.
Although the taste is thinner than smelling, the overall performance is very comfortable and pleasant.
Personal rating: 86
Different alcohol contents show the biggest difference in flavor, which is the density of the flavor substances. I think it is more appropriate to describe this feeling by density. The higher density flavor substances bring a stronger and more prominent personality. Therefore, high-alcohol whiskey is the only way to pursue the ultimate flavor.
