ralfy review 1035 - Breath of the Highlands 12yo @52.7%vol: (Adelphi)

/ ralfy . This is my Patreon channel, for videos released 24 hours early and with an extra weekly 'Update' video. Every month there is also a 'BothyLive' 90 minute live-stream from the bothy with a Q&A.
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[@michaelwood3203]

Adding in to create a blend is so worthwhile . My cheap Prohibition becomes very interesting by adding perhaps 3 mg of Madeira and 3 mg water. An experiment with an amazingly good outcome.

[@robfut9954]

Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition? I loved that stuff but can’t find it anymore, if you can you may want to to stock up…

[@jacobyngwe6213]

Will start to thank you Ralfy as you have learnt an old Swedish geezar as me to use water in my whisky after long resisting. Anyhow my all time favorite whisky place i Islay but I have always there struggled with Bowmore. Resently did find an 11 year indi bottling from Bowmore, 59%, no coloring or other shit, 4ml water and I´m in absoluty heaven! Wow😇

[@terrortower666]

Top review this Ralfy! It’s important to cover that not every single indie bottle is a stunner. I’ve had a couple that have been quite difficult to access in terms of smell and taste, as well as some very mediocre bottles. This is a thing to be aware of, and a reason to always check out reviews before buying a bottle. Cheers!

[@i_DONT_get_IT]

Malt mention: hello you malt meaning meandering marshmallow members!

[@ralfydotcom]

. . . now on the M-mention List, thanks !

[@yusufsayed1583]

Good Afternoon 😊 Awesome Review👌🏽 Thanks For Sharing 👏🏼 Enjoy Your Pour🥃 Have a Fabulous Day & Cheers 🍻 From South Africa 🇿🇦

[@Mylatestdram]

78/100 as a mark. It wouldn't happen to that kind of bottles a few years ago. But with the price pressure, it has to be done sometimes. Too hot for sherrymatured stuff right now. I spoil myself for birthday with an Indri Single Cask (Bourbon). Hope its any good, never had Indri. I hope for a tropical fruit burst!

[@wayneneher6362]

Sir, you most definitely ARE an expert. Don't sell yourself short.

[@stevebloomer2920]

I have the 55.2% version of the BotH which I bought on sale, having liked versions of the Breath of the Isles. What Ralfy says about the 52.7 goes for mine about letting it rest, though mine seems less tannic and less sour. I may have more tolerance for aggressively sherry casked whisky but certainly there is no way to even guess which distillery or even region it's from. Mind you if you look at the colour and like sherried whiskies, you might not care.

[@user-iw4ej2is8y]

Great suggestion. Thanks!

[@richardjarratt4921]

Hi ralfy could you do a special on specific cask usage. eg how the casks are primed.does anybody use barrels that have actually held sherry, wine etc

[@nealbruce5914]

While I understand the unique signature of this expression, it doesn’t seem enjoyable even for an experienced Malt mate. Making this more palatable is a wonderful technique and I have learned your lessons well and have done so many times as per your instructions. At the price of Whisky especially in the States and Canada, I do not see the true draw to spend on this one in particular. Still a wonderful and very interesting review and lesson! Thank you as always! Neal

[@kellyj5389]

Pass. Can’t do it. 78. I trust you.

[@alexk3088]

Thank you, Ralfy! I'll just say that even though I can still enjoy some of the official bottlings out there, they hold little interest to me. I might buy some, when on clearance. But over the years I've really experienced the most enjoyment with these "unsettled angry malts". If the whisky is instantly likable, comfortable, tasty and "smooth", it will most likely become boring by the end of the session. If the whisky is untamed, while being honest, then there is potential for new sensations. I have a few opened indy bottles like that, which initially disappointed me, only to present engaging tasting sessions later. Those who judge a malt only by how quaffable it is, IMHO, are missing out on the true nature of the hobby.

[@greatestytcommentator]

Any plans to review Wireworks Malts yet?

[@farshadp6114]

Greetings Mr Ralfy and thank you for another informative review. You said that this must be matured in bugger sherry cask, which has less contact, but you also said it is very cask dominant. It confused me a bit. Is that because of 12 years maturation ? Or did I get it wrong ? I have a Tomatin cask strength sherry which by your description of this single malt, I think they are very similar. Tomatin is very sour and needs a lot of water to tame it to be more palatable.

[@garynapolitano1270]

I find it difficult to locate most of these Independent Bottlings. I Love my Ardnamarki AD !

[@wavehuntersjapan]

Just hunted down a Johnnie Walker green label “extra special” (ooooh..lol)15 year old pure malt (blended)Scotch Whisky….pre 1999 as Walking Man is walking right to left (changed left to right 1999 I believe)….£50…..

[@wavehuntersjapan]

One litre too, so a resonable deal for a 1990s JW green label at its peak.

[@robfut9954]

Buy that all day every day, and don’t drink it fast. Store small samples of it as well

[@wavehuntersjapan]

@@robfut9954 Found another one for £45….hmmmm, what to do ?

[@wavehuntersjapan]

@@robfut9954 Dammit, went back literally just now and bought it ! Two bottles now :)

[@robfut9954]

@@wavehuntersjapan good choice, there will come a time when you can find these at all. Now just be sure to store them well and enjoy them slowly. Congrats on your find!

[@albertmiller3082]

If the cask is so old, and a big sour note that speaks to a lengthy inactivity somewhere along the way; how can the malt be so dark? If no e150 was added, the barrel wood almost seems to have held cola syrup before the single malt was aged in it. 🤔

[@user-no6xe6vs6q]

Breath of the Highlands 2007 Aged 12 Years Adelphi @ 52.7% abv is Sold Out at Royal Mile Whiskies♠️♥️♣️♦️

[@keithmelvin-uk7vu]

Interesting review Ralfy..... I had the same disappointment in a parallell way with both the first widespread Port Finish , Glen Morangie, and then more recently the Bourbon cask finished Auchentoshan ( which IIRC was a NASty I should have know better to avoid) ...The port wine was astingent and a little dry, colour was even a little off putting and it didnt do much for Glen Morangie of which I am not a fan anyway. Looks like Adelphi have gone for casks with good colour and maybe not payed too much attention to the blended result. This perhaps reflects the marketing men having taken over with " breath of" branding, thus taking appearance over content. I am not a big fan of this at all as it takes away from the skill, heritage and massive knowledge that distilleries own master blenders and distillers have which are maybe not as transferable to these independents as they go shopping, or maybe they just don't employ masters craftsfolk !!

[@CharlesOffdensen]

Are there any real sherry casks used to mature whisky? The casks used to mature sherry are all very, very old, some even hundreds of years old. They don't want any active casks for sherry. How can you use something like that for whisky? I thought all of the whisky sherry casks were seasoned. It's just that most producers of whisky won't tell you that.

[@adamminneapolis4294]

The Whisky Cellar bottled an 11 Year old Blair Athol a couple years back, finished in a 125 year old Sherry barrel. Was incredible. But yes, when I see Sherry Cask (either finished or fully matured) these days, I tend to assume it's seasoned only.

[@alexk3088]

I am also curious about this! There are probably occasional "one off" bottlings out there. I imagine a true well used solera sherry cask would impart very little and would lend a "spirit forward" malt vs. modern seasoned casks often resulting in raisiny "sherry monsters". I do enjoy those, but I like tasting the spirit character too. I am thinking this: aging in ex-wine barrels started out of necessity and thrift - a person might have a barrel of sherry or port in their cellar and after the wine ran out, the barrel was put to use - filled with malt distillate. So those were "shipping barrels", not the solera barrels. Wine is not shipped in barrels anymore, at least not predominantly, so seasoned casks are a way to re-create those transport barrels. Just a guess, though. I am not that familiar with modern wine industry. In my mind this also highlights the value of ex-bourbon casks. They may vary in quality, but they tend to be "real" - a necessary byproduct of the bourbon production. What I'd like to experience is a comparison - single malt aged in ex-bourbon casks after aging a 4-6 year mainstream bourbon vs. malt aged in a cask that held something like Elijah Craig or Pappy for 18 years, and would presumably be far less active and assertive. I suspect that the "mainstream" barrels should impart more character to single malt than those "premium" casks, assuming they are not substandard.

[@MarkHanson-du3qs]

yes, the dutch whisky millstone uses the really old solera sherry casks.

[@CharlesOffdensen]

@@adamminneapolis4294 I am interested to know how did it taste? Like @alexk3088 said, a real solera cask should have way less impact (if any) on the whisky.

[@fotografi4fun]

I’m pretty sure that Port Charlotte is a 7 year old 😉

[@duncs3850]

Not an expert 😂😂