Limited release, Small batch or Single cask releases are on the increase. It’s a good place to start if you want to get into collecting at an affordable level, or want to try something a bit different from your favourite distiller. Limited releases offer intriguing variations on the distillery standard malt. They are usually cask strength, or at least non-chill filtered 43% volume. The distillery, or independent bottler, will use either a single cask or a combination of casks to add a twist the standard malt. By adding or subtracting peated/charred casks, they can add or subtract earthy, smoky notes. Ex-Bourbon casks give a sweeter, vanilla and caramel flavours and are bright and clean with an oaky citrus bite. Sherry casking can range from stewed fruits and chocolate to lighter toffee and buttery caramel with bitter hints of cherry and coffee. They feel softer, more ‘mouth filling’ and the finish is lingering with a more gentle woodiness. Port, Ale, Madeira, Rum, Red and Dessert wine casks can also be used, basically any cask that’s had alcohol in can be reused to add flavour.

You could be cynical and accuse the industry in reacting to the booming secondary collecting market, driven by an expanding on-line retail and auction sites. But whisky has an innate bespoke quality that does lend itself to experimentation and variations on a theme and is therefore perfect for the collector in all of us…’got to catch them all’ mentality.

My basic rule is only buy stuff from the distillery’s you like to drink. Luckily, I like most of them. If you like JD, collect JD editions, there’s plenty of them. Also check for any Whisky Awards the bottle might have won past or present, check reviews, Google it! Another good tip is to look for ‘1 per customer’ allocation on-line, it’s a good indicator something is in short supply, though this doesn’t always mean it’s any good, do your research, takes 5 minutes these days on-line.

I’ve selected a newer release and an older limited edition from Bowmore to review. The more recent, The Devils Cask III and The Laimrig 15 ‘Whisky Shop Exclusive’. Bowmore is very collectable, as are most of the limited release Islay malts.

 

Bowmore The Devils Cask III

Firstly the cost, between £150 and £200, it’s a bit steep for a drinker, especially as the two previous Devils Casks were 50 to 65 quid a pop. This edition is bottled at 56.7% volume and is all Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks for the first time, quality sherry casking and the classic Bowmore saltiness and smoke are promised.

It smells like treacle, do they make salted treacle? If they do it smells like this, with a gentle wood smoke, there’s a lot going on here. Deep reddish amber in colour, it slides down the side of the glass leaving a pleasing streak. I can hardly wait until it hits the bottom before I’m madly swilling it around the glass to release some of the alcohol and let it breath out a little. These bigger cask strength malts need a little time to wake up, I’m not a massive fan of the burn, but it’s funny how sometimes you miss it when it’s gone, always nice to have the option, cask strength gives you this option, super intense and with a drop of water, a smoother and more complex experience.

Intense spicy fruity treacle and smoke, dry sweet woody finish tempered with a delicate saltiness, my bottom lip has gone slightly numb…in a good way?!

So, a drop of water and a quick swill around and straight away it smells sweeter, fruiter and all together more approachable.

Wowers, layers of favour hit your tongue, I can hardy keep up – sweet, salty, sour, bitter and all brought together with umami smokiness. It still has that fruity treacle richness, but less heat now, there’s a lighter toffee smoothness with surprising bursts of sweet citrus that make your mouth water. The finish is classic sherry cask, mouth filling, with cherry and mocha bitterness and that lingering Bowmore woody smokiness to chew on for a while.

From a drinking viewpoint, if you can afford it, you won’t be disappointed if you’re into Islay malts, enjoy the 3 month love affair and buy a couple if you can, it will be gone from retail soon (Master of Malt are already out of stock). Collecting wise, it’s a fair bet. You will be able to buy/sell at auction in the future fairly readily, obv’s the price will increase as more gets drunk/stashed. The Devils Casks 1 is routinely sold at auction from between £160 and £250 a pop, not a bad return on an investment of £50 to £65 made 4 years ago, Cask 2 is between £120 and £180 and was released a couple of years ago at the same retail price as Cask 1. Some website retailers combined customer scores for Cask III are quiet low.  This relates mostly to the price hike compared to the first 2 releases, the whisky is itself really well balance and a treat, so treat yourself, if you get buyers remorse, stick it in the cupboard for a couple of years then sell it, at best, you’ll at least double your money, at worst, I’ll buy it of you at cost.    😉

* Just noticed The Devils Cask III is ‘Malt of the Month’ at The Whisky Exchange – £125!!!

Bowmore 15 Laimrig (Whisky Shop Exclusive)

This Bowmore 15 Laimrig is an exclusive release for The Whisky Shop and has been around for a while, about 3 years. Now available on-line from the usual suspects as well as at The Whisky Shop. This limited release costs between £65 and £80 and is starting to disappear as I believe it has now been discontinued.

Big old cask strength 54.1% volume malt initially matured in ex-bourbon casks then put into Spanish sherry casks to give a more full-bodied malt. Smells a bit like smoky hairspray out of the bottle, don’t panic it’s all good. Very feisty without water, bourbon oak spiciness and tannins that almost stick your tongue to the roof of your month. If you like a whisky that bites back, you’ll enjoy this straight out of the bottle. The more subtle bourbon sweetness gets a bit lost, masked by the intensity of the woodiness and smoke. Add a drop of water and give it a couple of minutes to chill out.

Now complexities are released, stewed fruits richness and coco is allied with a lighter sweetness, vanilla toffee. The finish is sweet and smoky tempered with a mouth watering gentle oaky salty bite. It’s almost easy drinking, but not quiet, 15 years in the cask gives this malt complexity, the tastes change and develop the longer you can stand it leave it in the glass.

As a drinker I think it’s good value, priced about the same as Ardbeg Uigeadail and the Lagavulin Distillers Edition. As a collecting bottle it will not make you thousands, but should at least double its value over 4 to 5 years once present supplies run out, it’s a cracking whisky and collectors/drinkers will always fork out for a good liquid from Bowmore.

It’s all about the finish…