Croftengea 10 2006 Jack Wieber Old Train Line

Thanks to scotchguy.to for bringing this whisky to the Toronto Whisky Society annual general meeting.

I know what you’re thinking: “Croftengea? Isn’t that the supercontinent? Or did he just sneeze? Does he write down sneezes now? Has he lost it and is reviewing sneezing?”

All of that is false, and you’re a jerk, dear reader. Loch Lomond is up again here. In the ever-growing line of whiskies that closely resemble The Black Goat of the Woods, ever producing and spreading in many forms.

Unlike this ancient horror, it’s whisky and that’s not a crazy parasite that spreads and seemingly brings us closer to oblivion. If you’re wondering, that is, in fact, the GOP, not Loch Lomond.

Croftengea is the peated malt. Sorry, it’s the most peated malt they make, typically for blending, though for a brief period in 2004 as it’s own single malt.

Which means when I saw Croftengea 10 2006 Jack Wieber Old Train Line I immediately decided that it was going to be one of two whiskies I had. Because this is the first Croftengea I’ve seen, let alone put in my face hole.

So let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Price: N/A

Region: Highland

Cask # 0207

Distilled: 2006

Number of bottles: 344

Abv: 50.3%

Colour: 5Y 9/1

Nose: Malted chocolate, smokey alcohol with vegetal noted, anise

Immediate chocolate and smokey booze. It’s like those chocolates you get with booze in them. The ones from the neighbour with the windowless van. Yeah, like that, but with smoke and less ether.

Some nice spice with water, never really evolves from chocolate and smokey booze.

Taste: Chocolate, beets, pear, pineapple

More chocolate, and mixed with a Shrutte standard from the farm, beets. Yes chocolate covered beets. Something we all should have.

Fruit brings more to the table today. Starts even getting tropical.

Finish: Cayenne, cocoa, pear, cocoa, cactus chips

Oh hey the finish is where this woke up and gave us left fat (cocoa instead of chocolate) and lots of spice (cactus chips and cayenne). Damn it’s a spicy finish. I may have to break out my 80s references for this one.

Probably not.

Conclusion: All in all my first Croftengea explains why this is made for blends and why we’re not seeing many more. This was direct and to the point. Want chocolate? Want smoke? Want earth? We have that.

Heck we’ll even throw in some spice as an added bonus. We’ll even amp it up.

Nice enough, and I’m going to say this is unique. If you love earth, heat, and chocolate and really have been told to stop making mole sauce, then you’ve got yourself a daily drinker. Otherwise I’m going to pass on this.

75/100

Scotch review #1045, Highland review #176, Whisky Network review #1631