When was the last time you heard someone say “Oh, I stay away from peated whisky as I’m not a fan”. I hear it in a regular basis as guests at Dramatic Whisky events come to grips with the various styles of drams on offer. But more often than not that statement is followed by “especially Islay“. Now, it’s this last part that sends me into a mini meltdown and it is truly the fault of the whisky industry from the past. Regions were to a point, a quick way of introducing people to various styles of whisky, but this lingering categorisation only serves to restrict the consumers choices rather than aid them. I wrote a bit about them here which goes into a bit more detail but basically, if you choose your whisky only by region, you’ll miss out on some gems in the whisky world which brings me neatly onto Bunnahabhain.
Bunnahabain, pronounced “Boona-haa-ven” and meaning ‘stream foot” or ‘mouth of the river’ with its location at the end of the Margadale river from where the distillery draws its water from, is located on the north-east part of the island rather isolated in comparison to the other distilleries on Islay. Since 1881 the distillery has been producing whisky and whilst it was true that at that point the whisky would have been peated, today it is one of only two distilleries on Isaly that does not have peated whisky as its “core release” the other being Bruichladdich. With its own floor maltings ceasing in 1963 its safe to say the change probably came some time around then.
So what of the whisky today? The most easily accessible are the 12, 18 and 25 year old whiskies with Toiteach as the limited edition “peated” style all at the higher abv of 46.3% and non chill-filtered, a move in recent times across the board from current owners Burn Stewart Distillers and welcomed by Bunnahabhain fans. I also had the good fortune to review the recent 40 year old release which was a stunning dram indeed. Bunnahabhain has always been a whisky I would opt for if I saw it on a back bar somewhere as its coastal style and soft character is just what I look for in my malts.
Bunnahabhain 12 year old Single Malt Whisky
Ex Bourbon Cask
46.3% ABV
Non Chill FIltered
RRP £30
Appearance: Pale white gold
Nose: If ever a whisky had an aroma of its origins, this is it. Fresh sea air on a Scottish pebble beach. Samphire over driftwood and lifts of fresh ginger.
Palate: Chewy and rich with fresh ginger creams, malty mid palate and salted caramel. Warming yet still fresh notes of the sea.
Finish: Ginger and vanilla spice linger with a hint of earthy mocha.
Bunnahabhain 18 year old Single Malt Whisky
Ex Sherry Cask
46.3% abv
Non Chill Filtered
RRP £55
Appearance: Polished bronze
Nose:The DNA of the seaside emerges first, salty air, tarry ropes wrapped in leather with bold sherry character. Date and fig loaf sprinkled with nutmeg and an espresso on the side.
Palate: Big on the sherry influence, spiced with mace, leather and hints of pipe tobacco and roasted brazil nut. There is still the core message of salted sweetness blended through this bold palate.
Finish: Waves of salty almonds washed down with sherry and a bundle of earthy spices behind.
Bunnahabhain 25 year old Single Malt Whisky
Ex Sherry cask
46.3%
Non Chill Filtered
RRP £200
Appearance: Deep bronze
Nose: Sweet leather and cherry wood polished with linseed oil. Rich spices, old velvet, driftwood and tarry rope - the nose twists and turns around the central elements.
Palate: Bursting with rich deep sherry soaked dark fruits, mixed spice and Demerara sugar. It seems spiky at first, but is instantly calmed by a creamy vanilla element, smooths out and relaxes leaving behind a trail of deliciousness.
Finish: Incredibly long, old leather, slight tannin grip and a hint of over roasted chestnut almost charred.
Bunnahabhain Toiteach Single Malt Whisky
Ex Bourbon Cask
46%
Non chill filtered
RRP £50
Appearance: Pale straw
Nose: Immediate peat smoke but with an unmistakable coastal character. Sweet salty air and drifts of dry citrus peel (tangerine) in the background. Old fish and chips wrapper with a bit of honey, vanilla and samphire all in there.
Palate: A sweet smoke, rich and playful on the palate, parma ham and smoked figs with a slightly medicinal citrus edge somewhere between menthol and lime.
Finish: unsurprisingley it’s the sweeter side of the peat smoke that lingers, turning slightly salty at the end.
Summary: A fine line-up indeed with just about everythign you could ask for. The style is eveident throughout the range despite the change of cask, that coastal element shines and helps maintain the Bunnahabhain message.
Tags: 12, 18, 25, 40, American, barley, bottle, bourbon, brine, Bunnahabhain, burn, Cask, chill, coast, coastal, distillery, eighteen, ellen, filter, filtered, five, floor, foot, forty, hold, island, islay, mainland, malt, margadlae, mature, mouth, New, notes, Old, peat, Peated, perfect, Port, release, rest, review, river, salt, sand, Scotch, Scotland, seaside, Sherry, single, smoke, smokey, tasting, toiteach, twelve, twenty, wait, whiskey, whisky
It’s been a busy time for Dramatic Whisky and aside from all the tasting events and filing, the samples and invitations to new launches have been flowing through. Most notable is the fact that we have been really spoiled by the quality. Grants 25, Bunnahabhain 40, Balvenie Liberated Casks, Wemyss Single Cask Aultmore to name just a few and the most recent, the Balblair 1969 vintage. I have had the pleasure of visiting Balblair distillery and sampling the core expressions if the 2002, 1975 and a sneak preview of the 1969 vintage here. There was also a recent travel retail release of the ’96. But it was the official release of the 1969 bottle (our sample at the distillery was from a single cask!) that found me at the Soho Whisky Club earlier this week and is some rather fine company.
The distillery manager, John MacDonald was there to guide us through the tasting, and hanging on his every word were whisky writers, bloggers and retailers such as Neil and Joel from Cask Strength, Billy from The Whisky Exchange, Becky from The Spirits Business, Laura from Imbibe Magazine, Ian who wrote 101 whiskies to try before you die, Olly from Just Drinks and the list goes on.
As I said we began with the fresh and lively 2002, moving to the richer 97 then to the 89 which all revealed an incredible change in character, before the 1975 vintage which was a heady combination of all elements found in the previous vintages and beautifully balanced. Finally, the 1969 vintage.
Balblair vintage 1969 single malt scotch whisky
Distilled 1969 bottled 2012 (43 years old)
A marriage of only 6 casks 41.4% abv
Non chill filtered, natural colour
2nd fill American oak hogshead cask
RRP: £2,500
Appearance: Honey gold with warm amber
Nose: Orange blossom honey, wax candle and denta-stix. Warm brioche with baked apple, soft toffee sauce over tropical fruits of banana and pineapple with hints of cider, leather and mint.
Palate: Big rounded warm spices take hold, calmed with a touch of menthol (eucalyptus oil) struck match, red berry compote and liquorice root. Ample vanilla to round out the oak, not allowing it to overpower but compliment instead. Toffee apples dusted with cinnamon and caramel wafers complete the palate.
Finish: Complex, generous and lingering. The balanced honey/spice keeps delivering more and more.
Summary: An outstanding whisky which shows just how well this brand lasts. It is unusual to find a brand how simple relies on the age of its whiskies to make up its core expressions rather than playing around with various types of wood maturation and marriages. As a consumer, Blablair is a great choice. Get stuck into the current vinategs and start your journey towards the superb 1969. Best of all, you have a bit of time as the Balblair 1969 will be launched in the USA this year at $3500, then released in 2013 in other focus markets including the UK, France, Russia and South East Asia. Enough time to save up also!
Tags: 101, 1969, 1975, 2002, 40, alcohol, America, American, Aultmore, Balblair, Balvenie, before, blog, bottled, Bunnahabhain, Business, buxton, Cask, Club, die, distilled, distillery, dram, drinks, exchange, first, fresh, fruit, Grants, hand, imbibe, journalist, just, London, looy, luanch, magazine, malt, members, notes, oak, release, retail, review, Scotch, Scotland, Scottish, select, selected, single, Soho, spirits, strength, tasting, travel, tropical, try, vintage, warehouse, Wemyss, whiskies, whisky, wkiskey, Years
You know that feeling of panic that sets in when you loose something like a set of keys and you are on a tight schedule, slapping pockets, turning over sofa cushions in a frantic attempt to discover their hiding place. Horrid isn’t it, but when you eventually find them the rush of relief is great. Or when you remember about a possession you haven’t seen in a while, you know you have it, but its just not been in your life and when you do stumble across it again, its welcomed back and put to good use.
So imagine if you happened to stumble across a cask of 40 year old whisky that you didn’t realise you had. Just how would that feel? Well, you could ask Ian MacMillan, Master Distiller at Bunnahabhain because thats exactly what happened to him when he found some ‘Turney’ casks, which were filled with Bunnahabhain whisky over 40 years ago by Glasgow wine merchants J G Turney. I suppose its difficult to imagine how you ‘forget’ a few casks, but as Bunnahabhain store around 21,000 casks at the distilleries warehouse on Islay, (some of which will make its way into the superb Black Bottle blend) it becomes a bit easier to understand.
Bunnahabhain has long been a favourite of mine and I have used a number of bottles including the duty free releases of Darach Ur in my Dramatic Whisky events to show people that not all whisky from Islay is peated as is the popular misconception about whisky regions. Therefore, I was more than delighted to reciev a sample of the newly discovered 40 year old Bunnahabhain which was accompanied by a illustration from the label created by Iain McIntoshScots illustrator, which depicts the journey this rested malt has undergone.
Bunnhabhain Single Malt Scotch Whisky
40 Years Old
Limited release of 750 bottles
ABV 41.7% vol. Un-chillfiltered
RRP: £1999
Appearance: Burnished copper with rose gold
Nose: Candied orange, vanilla wax cande, nougat and heather honey. Light earthy spice, ginger bread and balsa wood all very well integrated and still lively. Waxed leather saddle with lavender and violets round off the nose.
Palate: Orange oil with a mineral note, almost diesel like before rounded malt and ginger spice open the palate up allowing deeper vanilla and earthy spice to grip hold. Seems to sit on top of your tongue for a while before sinking in. Very little wood element which is surprising considering the age.
Finish: Clean yet spicy, again almost a mineral/fuel-like dryness before light oak and vanilla linger.
Summary: Certainly lively for its age and and unsurprisingly complex but its this assertive spice that perhaps shows the greatest departure from the classic Bunnahabhain style. Its heading towards a dryer style of whisky, perhaps held together with the waxy element before becoming too oaky.
Right, I’m off to search down the back of the sofa for my keys again.
Tags: 40, aged, biggest, Black, blend, Blended, bottle, bottled, Bunnahabhain, buy, Cask, cost, Darach Ur, distiller, dram, drink, duty, expensive, found, free, Glasgow, hand, hardest, iain, Ian, ice, illustrator, island, islay, keys, latest, limited, lost, MacMillan, malt, master, McIntosh, Old, oldest, peat, Peated, price, rare, regions, release, released, rest, review, reviewed, Scotch, Scotland, Scottish, sinlge, source, tasting, warehouse, water, whiskey, whisky, Years
When I was a kid, a friend of mine tried to be all clever and tell me that when you fly in a plane, the reason it seems like you are not going very fast is that our brains have not developed quickly enough to deal with flying, and as the outside world whizzes past the window, our brain has to slow it down to help us take it in. I think he ended up working on the shop floor for Tesco?
Clearly, he was and idiot. However, us humans do tend to have a bit of a problem trying to deal with vast amounts of time and even something not so vast, like a 50 year career and all it has brought. The world was a very different place just 50 years ago and it seems technology has flourished in the last few decades alone and bringing to us some of the greatest inventions such as television, the computer, air travel, space travel and double cask maturation. Ok, that last one might not actually make it into the top 10 greatest inventions of the 20th Century, but its up there in my book.
David Stewart, Master Distiler at The Balvenie was the pioneering distiller who, only in the 1980′s brought the whisky world “Double Maturation” a process of allowing whiskies to mature in one oak cask then transferred to another to complete the whiskies final characteristic. It began with The Balvenie Classic which later in 1993 became the 12 year old Double Wood that is known and loved around the world today. Using American ex-Bourbon cask to deliver creamy vanilla and smooth fruit notes and an ex-sherry cask which delivers richness and spice together creating the characteristic heather honey aroma and taste that The Balvenie is famed for. As ever, those guys at The Balvenie are tight lipped about the exact amount of time the whisky spends in each cask, but from my experience with sherry finish whisky, it doesn’t actually take too long (less than a year) to draw those wonderful spicy notes out of the cask.
David celebrated his 50th year with the company making him the longest serving distiller in the whisky world in September and to mark this momentous occasion David chose to release a rather special 50 yr old Balvenie- sadly, at £20,000 a bottle this review is not about that particular dram! (I think my sample got lost in the post guys)
However, it is about the newest kid on the Balvenie block namely The Balvenie 17 year old Double Wood. It is nice to see that within the range of The Balvenie there is now a linear whisky, and by that I mean an opportunity for the consumer to taste how a whisky develops over time. Far too often whisky ranges are peppered with separate expressions and it can be a little confusing for the consumer. Even The Balvenie has a similar set up with 12 year Double Wood which as mentioned is Ex-bourbon/ex-sherry, 12 year Signature which is both refill and first fill bourbon and then ex-sherry and then the 15 Single Barrel which, as the name may suggest, is just ex-bourbon. Of course, The Balvenie also have many limited releases such as the Tun 1401 and Liberated Casks and 40 year old. With this in mind, this new release has me very excited indeed.
The Balvenie 17 year old Double Wood
Ex-Bourbon cask, Ex-Sherry Cask
43% abv
RRP: £75 from 1st November 2012
Appearance: Burnished copper and warm gold
Nose: Immediately rich and fruity with a heady mix of honey, golden syrup and vanilla cream through candied orange peel and brazil nut. There are ripe conference pears dipped in caramel and well as a warming oak note helping to pin down the abundant fruits. Blueberry muffin with ice caramel latte on the side.
Palate: Rounded, rich and juicy. Classic Balvenie honey element which is dried out, quicker than you find in the 12 year old, by nutmeg and a hints of cocoa nib. Spices prevail mid palate with deliciously delicate clove, mace and cinnamon all seemingly mixed in cloudy cider. Complex it certainly is and very rewarding it certainly has more of a mature statement to make over its younger sibling.
Finish: Loads of spice going on here- wave after wave of earthy rich notes yet still able to wrap a trace of honey through there. Strangely I picked up merest hint of chilli oil which seemed to linger on the palate for quite some time in a very welcoming way.
Summary: Certain to be as big a hit as the 12 year old this clever expression has retained all that is good and great about The Balvenie and addd an extra element in the way of maturint. However, don’t be fooled into thinking this has become just another smoothed out whisky with less of a character in its own right, far from it, the 17 year old seems to have developed a kick of spice and heat which really makes you take notice.
Tags: 12, 1401, 15, 17 years, 30, 40, 50, airflight, American, Balvenie, barrel, blog, bourbon, Cask, character, computer, David, doublewood, doublw, dram, ex, expensive, experiment, happy, help, honey, invented, inventions, liberated, malt, maturation, mature, oak, Old, Peated, pefect, plane, region, review, Scotch, Scotland, scots, Sherry, single, sold, Speyside, Stewart, style, tasting, television, tesco, trail, tun, tv, whiskey, whisky, wood, year
There have been quite a few events taking place over the past month or so as new whiskies launch and old ones are revisited, but what is interesting is the format in which these are happening.
The Whisky Wire have started a rather cool online tasting using twitter where samples are sent out to the usual whisky writers and bloggers to be tasting and discussed across the twittesphere. The good thing with this is that even if you are unlucky enough not to have a dram in front of you at the time, you can easily imagine it from the great descriptive tweets following one after the other.
Other tastings are looking at deconstructing the whisky. The first in October was with the Grants 25 yr old- and all 25 component parts were on show/sampled. I unfortunately missed it as I was conducting my own tasting that evening. Poor time management on my part! And then later that month Balvenie held a deconstruction of the famous Tun 1401 which is made up of a number of rare and old whiskies hand married into a large tun of about two thousand litres. All the component whiskies were there to taste, again an event I sadly missed out on! There is a pattern forming here that I am none too happy about!
But at last, this week I could make it along to a rather special launch – The Balvenie 40 yr old.
Held in the cavernous surroundings of the Victoria and Albert museum, it had to be a good whisky to hold the attention with all the wonderous exhibits in close proximity. And indeed it was.
Old whisky, is not always good whisky that’s for sure - leave a whisky too long in the cask and wood typically spoils the party and becomes too overpowering, smothering the more delicate fruit notes that have taken so long to show themselves. It is a tricky balance to achieve, and take a great deal of warehouse management to reach a great age in great condition.
The 40 yr old we tasted was one of only 150 bottles worldwide and of only two in the UK so it was quite a privilege to be amongst the select few to first try it outside of the distillery.
Balvenie has always been about craftmanship and time, and the wooden presentation box made by a father and son team further exemplifies this nod to traditional ways. But at £2,500 a bottle, the price is anything but traditional!
I had some chocolates left over from a tasting I had conducted earlier and decided to hand them out. It just so happens they were Paul A Young chocolates which went down so well with the selection of other Balvenie available to taste.
My notes for the Balvenie 40 were a little scribbled, which is a shame because I doubt I will geta chance to sample it again, but below is what I could decipher from the scroll.
The use of age whisky in 3 sherry butts and 3 american hogsheads with about 2/3 sherry used in the marriage gives a wonderfully rich yet balance whisky.
48.5%
An appearance of rich gold and dark honey
The nose is immediately warm and honeyed with light clove, cedar wood, Apple blossom and vanilla fudge. It is surprisingly fruity considering its age and opens further to reveal linseed oil, marzipan and raisins. Great depth or aroma yet never too overpowering. There was a light astringent note I thought mimicked tea-tree oil which kept drifting across the nose is a pleasant way of course!
The first sip of this aged wonder brings citrus, spice, dry fruit such as apricot and raisin again with a more drying element of cedar wood to follow.
The lengthy finish turns dryer still but does not become woody as one might expect, rather remaining rich with coffee notes and light spice.
With a week ahead of more launches and other whisky events, I am sure this little beauty will remain fresh in my mind for some time to come as it is going to take a lot of beating.
Tags: 25, 40, Albert, Balvenie, Grants, malt, Paul A Young, single, Victoria, whiskey, whisky, Whisky Tastings London
