Whisky Whiskey is a video podcast about my exploration of Whisky in all of its forms.
Whilst I’d discess Caol Ila in the past it was in the context of speculation of their contract distilling Smokehead Whiskies, and as a key part of many Johnnie Walker blends, including the Black Label. Today I’m going to review their 12 Year Single Malt to see how it stands…on it’s own two feet…
With John Chidgey.
The final of the Alchemical Series is the Fire, so named in part due to its colour and also in part due to its being finished in an ex-Islay Peated Cask. Being a growing fan of strongly Peated Whiskies at the moment, how does a Peaty-Amber-Lane Whisky taste? Finally I wrap up my thoughts on the Alchemical Series and rank them.
With John Chidgey.
The Earth offering is matured in ex-Apera and finished in ex-Oloroso Sherry casks and the result is, well, an Earthy, Rich Sherry bomb. Just my kinda dram but how does it stack up against the others in the series…then again, how does it stand up against some of my favourite Sherry Bomb Scotch Whiskies? I have to admit, this one, blew, me, away…
With John Chidgey.
At the half-way mark through the Alchemical Series we’ve reached the Air, which was so described becuase of how it tastes…which is quite light. This one caught me by surprise about how dangerously easy it was to drink, but how does it compare to the others so far?
With John Chidgey.
Having just reviewed the Amber Lane Water, we move on to the unusually named Quintessence that is an alternative word for the more often-used word Aether. Whatever you call it, this was rapid-proofed rather than slow-proofed and the differences between this and the Water are striking. We also discuss how Amber Lane as a Distillery manage their water supply and of course, review the Whisky.
With John Chidgey.
The Alchemical Series was released by Amber Lane in October 2024 with five offerings, each named after an element of ancient Science. Each has a different twist on cask finishing and fast or slow proofing and the results vary considerably. We start this off with the Water and see for ourselves how slow-proofing has impacted this dram. It’s not what you’d expect…
With John Chidgey.