Spirit review: Armagnac dartigalongue 1986 bottled @48%

Spirit review: Armagnac dartigalongue 1986 bottled @48%

-5th and last....sadly

Colour: Dark gold, reddish copper notes, light bodied.

Nose: plums, peaches, apricots, cherries, all mixes in a cake, touches of raw sugar, a bit harsher than the 1976.

Mouth: depths of fruits yet again, wet rocks, vanilla, light woody notes, but remains onto comfit fruits, leather, more fruits and so complex.

Finish: right on more fruit cake batter, oily, long fruity notes. very long and on the fruit.

A for the price. 126$ is great in terms of price for such a good product and from a small-scale operation.
A for presentation.
A- for the taste. Very nice yet remains a bit below the L-P and 1976.

Spirit review: Armagnac dartigalongue 1976 bottled @ 45%

Spirit review: Armagnac dartigalongue 1976 bottled @ 45%

-4th one oh and an awesome one.

Colour: deep copper tones, caramel liquor.

Nose: another dimension of fruits......leather, so dense and thick, vanilla, basin of fruits, yet remains very fresh and very settled. Aged very well and expressed a full maturity.

Mouth: I'd say ''rabbit hole'' depths of thick juicy comfit fruits. very oily, vanilla bourbon, macerated cool fruits, candied fruit paste,hints of mineral notes, cherries.

Finish: long and goes on and no, sticky fruit. It's like you can't really come back up from all this complexity of comfit fruits. It just stays.

A for the price. Considering its age (38), 162$ is more than decent. I would buy it anytime if I could.
A+ for the taste. Totally awesome. So rich and complex it will convert anyone to Armagnac.
A for presentation.

Spirit review: Armagnac dartigalongue Louis-Philippe (1974-1976) bottled @ 42%

Spirit review: Armagnac dartigalongue Louis-Philippe (1974-1976) bottled @ 42%

-3rd dartigalongue
-bott. in 2008

Colour: intense red, mahogany, long legs, medium bodied.

Nose: Moss, thick comfit fruits, mineral notes, very fresh, white pepper, very settled, thick sweet citrus notes, soft fruit paste.

Mouth: thick fruits, sweet and long, black fruits, very dense, covers the mouth with fruit perfume and essences, so fresh and balanced, hints of leather, hot, more fruit re-fluxes. Fantastic.

Finish: more and more fruits, very long sweet comfit fruit finish. Such a good Armagnac. I mean, XO Cognac cant compete vs. this one.

B+ for the price. 157$ starts to be a  bit pricey. But if money is not an issue, do buy.
A+ for the taste. So good, thick and dense.
A for presentation. Again elegant and clean.

Spirit review: Armagnac dartigalongue 25 years old bottled @ 40%

Spirit review: Armagnac dartigalongue 25 years old bottled @ 40%

-2nd dartigalongue

Colour: deep mahogany, long legs, oily

Nose: very fruity sugary, hot caramel, fruit cake, marmalade, comfit fruits, yellow fruits, pears, peaches, very fragrant, lots of fruits notes. Very hard to point everything down.

Mouth: strong arrival, tons of fruits, more cherries, thick fruit cake, wild red fruits, dark berries, so complex and fruity.

Finish: more fruits, lingering fruit paste, and mineral notes. Exquisite.

A for the price. 103$ is great considering its age and taste.
A for presentation. Truthful to its rustic origins.
A for the taste. So complex and fruity, so enjoyable. A definite ''wow'' factor here.

Spirit review: Armagnac Dartigalongue 1995

Spirit review: Armagnac Dartigalongue 1995

Colour: dark gold, reddish notes, greasy long legs, full bodied.

Nose: lots of comfit fruits, mineral notes, fresh pears, more complex fresh fruits, broken sugar notes, hot but not harsh, hints of leather notes, candied fruits.

Mouth: Mineral, fresh hot fruits, peppery notes, white pepper, very light, fading leather, cherry, orange peel, lots of red fruits, lots of very complex small red fruits.

Finish: light wood notes, long fruits peep, mineral notes. Long finish

B+ for the taste. Good, yet was expecting more from this vintage Armagnac.
A- for the price. for 94$ it's pretty good. I mean, it was bottled in 2014.
A for presentation. Nice elegant bottling.

The Next reviews...Armagnacs

Whisky review: Bunnahabhain 18 years old bottled @ 46.3%

Whisky review: Bunnahabhain 18 years old bottled @ 46.3%

Colour: dark gold, oily, full bodied

Nose: hand lotion, sugar, thick caramel, fruits, very fresh.

Mouth: depths of caramel, burnt grain, herbal notes, very light for 18 years old, touches of spices, salt, more caramel.

Finish: light and sugary notes, sticky herbal notes.

C- for the price. 160$ which is double the price of the 12. Yes Bun is somewhat rare but still..Plus I believe the 12 is better in terms of taste.
B for the taste. It's good but not great. I think this goes from 12 to 25.
B for the presentation. Classic black bottling.

Whisky review: Glendronach 18 years old Bottled @ 46%

Whisky review: Glendronach 18 years old Bottled @ 46%

Colour: red hints, light sherry notes, light bodied, small particles inside.

Nose: Mineral, thick caramel, lots of sugars, spices, mouth watering mineral notes.

Mouth: touches of Port, sherry, spices, caramel, light bodied, juicy, comes of a bit robust near the end, more sugars, peppers.

Finish: spices, sherry notes, light wood.

B for the price. 148$ is....bah...a bit too much.Not sure I would buy this at all.
B+ for presentation. Nice bottling.
B for the taste. It was ok, but again no wow factor to it. 

Whisky review: Benriach 16 years old Sauternes finish bottled @ 46%

Whisky review: Benriach 16 years old Sauternes finish bottled @ 46%

Colour: Crisp gold, oily, thick bodied, long legs

Nose: freshness, sweet white wine, yellow fruits, vanilla touches, cherries, fruits from wine

Mouth: dry white wine, grapes, yellow fruits, sweet sourness, vegetal notes, very juicy, nice sauternes finish, yet far from Arran.

Finish: vegetal notes, white wine notes, apple juice.

B for the price. 105$ is ''ok'' for this. But barely.
B for the price its just ok. The taste is nice, but I wouldnt pay 100$ for it.
B+ for the presentation. The colourful label of the Benriach are always nice.

Whisky review: Glengoyne 18 years old bottled @ 43%

Whisky review: Glengoyne 18 years old bottled @ 43%

Colour: Bright gold, long legs, medium bodied

Nose: light sherry, caramel, spices, broken raw sugar, nice highlander.

Mouth: light watery even, all stuck, rancid, acidic, rice winegar, old cheese, sugar notes, classical highland spices. But something is so off here.

Finish: sour apples, acidic, very unsettled.

E for the price. 200$ ? Really? Get the 17 for 100$. like...100$ more for 1 year....please.
E taste wise, it's a fail. So sad. Glengoyne usually gives good products.
A- for the presentation. I like the new label.

Whisky review: Blackbull 12 years old blended whisky bottled @ 50%

Whisky review: Blackbull 12 years old blended whisky bottled @ 50%

-50% grain, 50% malt
-50% ABV so..yeah

Colour: Very dark, dark gold, reddish, light bodied

Nose: highland sweet and spices, ''robust'', unbalanced, gainy, a bit off, something not fresh about this one.

Mouth: Rough entry, sugar notes, ethery, harsh, sweet notes, spices, light caramel, no distinctive character. Tries to be Highland but fails.

Finish: Acidic sour notes, light spices. flat.

E for the price. 88$ (SAQ) hell no. 35-40$ ok. Sorry, but no thank you.
D for the taste. Cruel joke for highland malts. It's just bad. Avoid.
D for presentation. Blackbull sounds more like a Calgary Rye or a US bourbon....

Whisky review: Isle of Jura 21 years old. Bottled @ 44%

Whisky review: Isle of Jura 21 years old. Bottled @ 44%

-Yet another Jura.
-Bottled over 40%

Colour: dark gold, oily, long legs

Nose: flower, light oil, sweet, fresh notes, spices, light coastal notes, salted notes, marmalade.

Mouth: salted notes, medicinal oil, light spices, peppery notes, light, eucalyptus, spicy, sweet, light caramel, toasted wood. Very juicy and light for a 21 years old.

Finish: spices, sweet notes, short.

B+ for the price. Again 150$ for 21 years is nice. The problem here lies in the liquid itself.
B+ for the presentation. Love the shape of the bottle. Overdone weird ''window'' box.
B for the taste. It's ok but, not as good as the Superstition.

Whisky: Tobermory 15 years old bottled @ 46.3%

Whisky: Tobermory 15 years old bottled @ 46.3%

-3rd Tobermory if I recall.

Colour: thick gold, medium bodied, oily with long legs.

Nose: thick vegetal notes, mineral, wet rocks, salt water, hints of rubber, nice fruit juice, straw, candies, fizzy mineral notes. Very Tobermorish indeed.

Mouth: Spicy, lots of mineral notes, thick vegetal notes, fruits, wet straw, hints of salt. Classic tobermory. A little rubbery-smoky notes, but very distant.

Finish: touches of caramel, mineral notes, sweet touches.

E for the price. 165$ is not justified when the 10 is simply over 60$.
B for the taste. I much prefer the original 10, more straightforward.
A-. for the presentation. Nothing overdone, light and clear.

Whisky review: Dalmore The King Alexander III NAS bottled @40%

Whisky review: Dalmore The King Alexander III NAS bottled @40%

-Another Dalmore!
-Sadly it's a NAS....
-Even more sad, it is so overpriced.
-Blend of whiskies aged up to 25 years old
-4 different finishes.

Colour:  Dark coppery tones, reddish, light bodied, very light.

Nose: Ether, unsettled, vegetal notes, light caramel, young and spirity, hints of red wine, sweet wine, very light, almost flimsy.

Mouth: very light, chili, light fruity, sweet juice, herbal notes, fainted caramel, wines notes, but nothing comes forward, nothing impressive.

Finish: Quick to disintegrate, mineral notes, flat.

C for the taste. Sad whisky.
D+ for presentation. Clean and elegant bottle but well overdone packaging. Total waste.
E for the price. 240$, total joke. Get the 12 or better yet maybe avoid Dalmore for a while.

Whisky review: Glenfarclas 21 years old bottled @43%

Whisky review: Glenfarclas 21 years old bottled @43%

Colour: nice pale gold, medium bodied with long legs.

Nose: Malty, peaches, dry grapes, hints of vegetal notes, light fruity notes, very settled, salt, spices, raw sugar notes. Nice yet not very impressive for a 21 years old.

Mouth: light, juicy, spices, white pepper notes, very fragrant, hot, light caramel,

Finish: Shy spices, wet carton, caramel....short.

A- for the price. For 131$ it's quite reasonable considering its age.
C for taste. Again, for a 21 years old, it lacks a certain ''wow'' factor. It's a sad whisky considering its age.
B- for the presentation. Yes it is simple and clean yet, they should try to redo the label...not attractive at all.

Spirit review: Arcane 12 years Old Mauritian Rum bottled @40%

Spirit review: Arcane 12 years Old Mauritian Rum bottled @40%

Colour: bright reddish-brownish gold. relatively light bodied.

Nose: exotic fruits perfumery....so intense and fragrant.Mangoes, pineapples, pine, fresh, depths of exotic fruits, some mineral notes, bananas, crushed cane, oily. Simply put an incredible nose.

Taste: So fragrant, explosion of hot cane sugar, pineapple, lots of yellow fruits, bananas, light and fresh. Almost gives the feeling you are drinking fruit essence (in a good way)

Finish: medium, fruity, fragrant. Very nice indeed.

A- for the price. At 50,25(SAQ), it is not bad at all. However compared to other 12 years old, it's a bit more expensive.
A+ for the presentation. Mysterious yet not pretentious bottling.
A+ for the taste. Quite impressive for a rum. Highly recommended.