It was on a typical spring day, the rain in Central London doing it’s best to keep our hopes of summer at bay, that a select few gathered in the basement bar of Central & Co. to taste, for the first time outside the distillery, two whiskies released by the John Distilleries, India. Paul John single malt whisky is produced in Goa and aims to be quite a revelation when coming to the competitive world whisky market. Interestingly, the company have devised a marketing objective which focuses on foreign markets first, to build a brand, then return to India where the domestic market will be eagerly awaiting its arrival. As Pritesh Mody of LFLD Amplified, who is tasked with creating the buzz around the launch into the UK, said “In the 80′s with the boom in city wealth, British people wanted German Cars, French wine and Italian clothes, it’s the same in the Indian market who want the luxurious foreign items rather than home produced.” With India being amongst the largest consumers of whisky in the world, it’s not surprising to find a company aiming for a share.
Pass the erm…whisky?
John Distilleries was established in 1992 and is one of the largest spirit producers in India. Most of the “Indian whisky” produced is actually from molasses rather than grain and is not allowed to be exported as whisky (it is actually rum, blended with a small amount of whisky). However, with many of the brands within their portfolio selling in excess of 1 million cases per month, I doubt John Distilleries are too worried about exports. Paul John single malt is very different.
As master distiller Michael John (no relation) explained, they have used Indian 6-row barley to create the mash for the “Brilliance” and “Edited” releases as well as the previous single cask releases. Double distilled in copper pot still after a 60 hr fermentation period, 20,000 litres at a time before being matured in ex bourbon cask. All very normal then. Michael went further to explain that in 30 degree heat they loose a massive 12% per annum of liquid and alcohol evaporation know as the angels share. Scotland, in contrast, looses on average just 1% and we moan enough about that! With this high heat and rapid maturation, Michael said they will not be able to produce a whisky older than 8 years old (minimum requirement for whisky is 40% abv) but this heat does help increase the flavour development, so there is little need to age anything for that length of time.
Paul John “Brilliance” single malt Indian whisky
Ex bourbon cask
46% abv non chill filtered
Non age statement (was told 4-5yrs)
RRP £38.49
Appearance: Pale rose gold
Nose: Fresh with an immediate coastal familiarity. The youthful nose has structured malt and honey which mingles with a floral overtone all seemingly pinned down by a cork-wood wrapped in banana leaf with a light drizzling of vanilla infused caramel.
Palate: At first quite creamy then quickly develops some good spice of mace and nutmeg mixed in with the honey found in the aroma. There is a tropical fruitiness mid palate which never becomes too prominent, instead being overruled by well structured vanilla and oak.
Finish: Lots of delicious vanilla and a final hint of sea salt caramels.
Paul John “Edited” peated single malt Indian whisky
46% ABV non chill filtered
Ex Bourbon cask
Non age statement (4-5years old)
RRP £42.49
Appearance: Warm rose gold
Nose: For a peated whisky, this is very light indeed. Soft distant peat smoke wrap around the nose of malted barley, pebble beach, quince, cedar and apple blossom. There is a general sweetness with spice turning to liquorice chews all wonderfully enveloped in the smoke from a dying beach bonfire.
Palate: The peat smoke shows itself far more now, but still restrained with a honey type sweetness behind it. Ash and cinnamon emerge in equal amounts which in turn create a salted nut element before returning to the smoke rich palate which we began with.
Finish: Lingering peat smoke with light ash and a sea salt edge.
Summary: If either of these superb examples were placed in front of me at a blind tasting, I would struggle (as I am sure many of my friends in the industry would) to know their origin let alone age. Both are superb examples of well crafted whisky, released with optimum flavour and character. The 46% abv allows you to release a little more softness but I prefer to keep them undiluted. I am sure both of these will be not just a talking point, but an active part in most whisky drinkers cabinets in the not too distant future.
I can see it’s going to be an Indian summer.
Tags: 4, 5, American, Amplified, barley, barrel, beach, best, blind, bourbon, brilliance, central, chill, climate, coast, distillery, dramatic, edited, filtered, Goa, hot, indian, John, light, limited, malt, mature, Mody, New, non, note, oak, paul, peat, Peated, Pritesh, rapid, release, rested, review, sample, Scotch, single, smoke, still, taste, temeperature, traditional, whiskey, whisky, world, Years
In preparation for this Saturdays World Whisky Day event, I have managed to gather quite an interesting line up of whisky from further a field than Scotland and I thought a quick introduction of each might be helpful. I’ve already posted about the South African examples Bain’s and Three Ships, so now it is the turn of the very special Ichiro’s malt, The Floor Malted.
When people talk about whisky, they often ask me about Japanese examples and are rather surprised to hear that Japan has quite a long history of producing whisky. One of the people accredited with being most influential in the Japanese whisky movement was Masataka Taketsuru. Studying and working in Scotland at the beginning of the 20th century, he later created a distillery in Japan in 1934, know as Yochi, part of the Nikka distilling company. Luckily, the Japanese already had extensive knowledge of brewing sake which helped secure a small movement of whisky distilleries across the country. One of these, the Hanyu distillery is linked to the review today.
Hanyu distillery, situated in the town of Chichibu, was established in 1626 by Isouji Akuto and was a sake brewery. Akuto began distilling malt whisky with his son after purchasing a pair of stills from Scotland in the 1980′s but unfortunately at this time demand for single malt whisky was not where it is today and the Hanyu distillery was sold in 2000. Distillation of whisky was not continued by the new owner and the stills were dismantled, the stock sold on. Isouji’s grandson, Ichiro, managed to secure some casks of the old stock and established a new distillery in 2007 on a new site in Chichibu. ‘Ichiro’s Malt – The First’ was, as the name may suggest, the first whisky to be released by the distillery in 2011 (distilled 2008). The distilleries second release, ‘The Floor Malted’ was distilled in 2009 and bottled in 2012.
This particular release has been made using traditional floor malted barley turned not just by hand, but by the hands of the team from the Chichibu distillery at the Crisp’s malting in Norfolk, England, before shipped back to Japan for the fermentation, distillation and eventual maturation process. Matured in American oak barrel and puncheon as well as Mizunara (Japanese) oak for 3 years and released at 50.5% abv, it is said to have ‘mild and soft’ character. Let’s find out.
Ichiro’s Malt – The Floor Malted
Chichibu distillery, Japan
50.5% abv
Bottle 6081/8800
Distilled 2009 Bottled 2012
RRP: £58 but good luck finding it!
Appearance: Pale straw, yellow gold
Nose: Soft and floral with a sweet note of honeysuckle. Deeper elements of vanilla fudge with soft fruits turning almost toward pineapple in the end. There is a good warm cedar structure overall.
Palate: Richer than expected from what the nose promised. Good full creamy texture with sweetish fruit and balanced spice of rolling tobacco and hints of cured leather which became more pronounced and nutty with the addition of water.
Finish: Lingering cedar wood/cigar box spices and nutty vanilla fudge.
Summary: Well worth trying if you can find a bottle as there are very few available. Its a delicate whisky, perhaps more suited to pre-dinner than post to fully appreciate the complex yet light character.
Tags: Akuto, American, Bain's, brewer, brewing, chichibu, company, crisps, Day, distilled, distillery, dram, drinks, england, fermantation, first, floor, hand, Hanyu, history, Ichiro, Japan, Japanese, malt, malting, Marcin, Masataka, mature, millar, Mizunara, Nikka, norfolk, notes, number, oak, Old, One, Puncheon, quercus, review, sake, Scotch, Ships, single, south africa, Suntory, Taketsuru, tasting, Three, tradition, turned, whiskey, whisky, world, Years, yochi
It seems that Talisker fans are really being spoiled at the moment after the recent release of Talisker Storm hot on its heels (or should that be stern) we have Talisker Port Ruighe.
Finding new names for new whisky releases must be a constant battle for the industry but at least there is always Gaelic to fall back on. Port Ruighe is named after the main port on the Isle of Skye, Portree. The town was originally know as Kiltragleann (The Church at the Foot of the Glen) but it is thought than in 1540, after a visit by King James V of Scotland to show his power over the Scottish lairds, it was renamed Portree which in the Gaelic tongue “Portrigh” means “The Kings Port“. This is often contested as some believe that the town’s name is derived from the Gaelic, “Port Ruighe” meaning “slope harbour“. Whatever the originals of the name, we do know for sure that this release has been created “as a tribute to the great Scottish trading-houses such as the Cockburns, Grahams and Symingtons who were instrumental in the creation and global growth of the port wine trade” because the press release told me so. So thats the name, what about the whisky?
Port Ruighe has been created by drawing from stock matured in American oak and European oak refill casks before being “finished” (transferred all together into another cask for a short time to draw final character) in ex-port casks called “pipes”. These final resting casks impart light fruity notes usually of strawberry or cherry to a spirit along with a faint pink hue to the colour. Like Talisker Storm, Port Ruighe has been release without an age statement and at the standard Talisker strength of 45.8% alcohol by volume.
Talisker Port Ruighe Single Malt Scotch Whisky
No Age Statement
45.8% ABV
Port Pipe Finish
RRP TBC (but circa £60)
Appearance: Rose gold with deep orange.
Nose: Deep charred cedar, spent match to the fore with rich sweet plum sponge, spiced orange marmalade, apple blossom honey backing it up to deliver a rounded, full nose of well integrated bold aromas. A creamy edge like milk bottle chews/play-do seems to linger overall whilst the peated element is kept low rather than the main focus.
Palate: Smooth and rich to begin. The complex sweet fruity notes found on the nose immediate apparent in the mouth with orchard fruits of quince, pippin apple, cherry mix before cranberry dryness. Additional sweetness is delivered in the form of honey and earthy spices with a touch of nutty chocolate. Mid palate is brought alive with a tingling mixture of cooling salt and pepper followed with coal tar soap, samphire and charred cinnamon which incredibly manages to deliver classic Talisker flavours even after all that has gone before.
Finish: It’s all about the peat now. Lingering oily seaside smoke delightfully delivered with elegance and panache. Salty, peppery and very much Talisker.
Summary: What is most interesting here is that normally port finished whisky is more about the character the port will deliver as I mentioned at the beginning. More soft red fruit is expected. But here we have a great example of using the development to integrate with a classic whisky without destroying the base “DNA”, far from it. The resulting flavours have, for me created a Talisker expression which is different enough for a fan to seek out on a regular basis without being too “out of the ordinary”. Sweeter, yes, but now overpowering so. Great stuff.
Tags: Scotch, whisky, tasting, Scotland, malt, single, barrel, Cask, finish, Peated, Port, Talisker, Classic, strength, dram, marketing, barley, American, peat, smoke, New, Sherry, bay, bottle, release, notes, review, Isle, fruit, image, age, king, european, diageo, price, different, skye, statement, storm, ruighe, portree, V, name, pipes, charr, strwaberry, newset, april, ship, shipping
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
Last summer I spent a rather pleasant couple of days in the village of Old Meldrum, not far from Aberdeen airpoirt where the Glen Garioch distillery is situated. In fact, if you read that review you will discover that Old Meldum IS the ditillery, such is the design of the village. And it was at this visit that I was fortunate enough to sample some of the last vintages to be made using the original floor maltings before closing them down (and the distillery itself for a short while) at the end of 1995. When the distillery did eventually re-open, sadly the decision had been made to not used the malting floor again and hence a change in style was born. The vintages made available to me whislt on my visit were the 1994, 1991 and 1986 and all wondeful indeed. I knew there was one last release to come though, the final bottling of whisky which had been malted at the distillery, the 1995 vintage and it was this weekend past,at Londons Whisky Live , that I had the chance to sample this little bit of history having missed out on the press release samples last year for some reason.
Glen Garioch 1995 vintage Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Ex-Bourbon Cask
55.3% abv
Non Chill Filtered
Distilled 1995 bottled 2012
RRP £49.95
Appearance: Warm white gold
Nose: Vanilla sugar, varm wine gums and a malt backbone. some good wood structure hidden in there also. With water, a warm cereal note emerges with aple blossom and a hint of carbolic soap under sliced fresh pear.
Palate: Chunky vanilla laden malt with cooked apple and a hint of peat smoke in the background which calms to allow a slightly menthol note.
Finish: Clean and fresh, a good amount of grip and spice with lingering soft peat smoke barley detectable and sweet fruity barley.
Summary: A very different style of Glen Garioch and if you are familair with the more redily available 12 year old and Founders Reserve, this may come as a shock. Gone are the rich red apple skins so prevenlant in those two expmples and in comes some well structured oak and light fruit. I’d struggle to identify this as a Garioch in a blind tasting, but then thats whats great about these releases, they are just different enough to warrant taking the time to seek them out and taste a little bit of the old style of distillery.
Tags: 1995, 2012, 55, Aberdeen, ABV, airport, American, aroma, Auchentoshan, barley, bottled, bourbon, Bowmore, but, Cask, chill, cooper, distilled, Distillers, distillery, dram, ex, filtered, flavour, floor, Garioch, Geery, Glen, high, Japanese, level, limited, link, malt, malted, master, Meldrum, non, nose, notes, oak, outside, peat, Peated, price, purchase, release, review, Scotch, single, smoke, source, Suntory, tasting, village, whiskey, whiskies, whisky, wood
Highland Park has always been a favourite of mine although I am rather spoiled having tasted the 50 Year old last year- but I do really get to grips with its house style and character. So when I was invited last month to the launch of their new “Warrior Series” I was very much looking forward to it.
The six new expressions will be available through Travel Retail and have been created to showcase flavour through different maturation and specifically the increased use of European sherry cask as you move up through the range. Following on from previous travel retail releases, such as Leif Eriksson and Drakkar, comes this new range of six single malts.
Each whisky has been named after a Viking warrior, aligning its strength and intrigue with these heroes of a past time. Orkney has strong ties to Norse and Viking culture with a colourful history and the range is set to tell the story of each of its namesake.
Speaking at the launch, Global Marketing Manager Gerry Tosh said:
“The Warrior Series is a natural progression for Highland Park, both in brand terms and in global travel retail. By continuing the celebration of our rich and distinctive Norse heritage we are able to tell stories which bring the brand and its products to life. To further this evolution, the whisky maker has crafted six individual whiskies which collectively offer drinkers a new style of taste journey, still classically Highland Park from start to finish, but giving them a different and holistic experience.”
The range is to be released in two part, with the latter three expressions due for release in the summer.
Svein- The ultimate Viking chieftain whose exploits lie at the heart of the Orkneyinga Saga and his appetite for adventure and merriment are legendary.
Highland Park Single Malt Whisky- Svein
40% abv No age statement
RRP €40 1 litre Bottle
90% American Oak, 10% European Oak
Appearance: Pale straw with light yellows.
Nose: Fruity and floral, the light character of this whisky is immediate. Redcurrants, woody spices and a light nut oil layer through the nose with some richer smoked citrus elements in the background.
Palate: Charred cedar wood with warm vanilla. Linseed and light spices turning towards dry apricots, orange pith mixed with malt.
Finish: A lingering oil notes helps cling onto the citrus element with light wood/malt.
Einar- Was the Earl of Orkney from 1014. A hard and successful Viking, often venturing on many long voyages, he was relentless in this rule and clearly identifiable by his mighty axe.
Highland Park Single Malt Whisky – Einar
40% abv
No Age Statement
RRP €53 1 Litre Bottle
75% American Oak, 25% European Oak
Appearance: White gold with ripe straw.
Nose: Chestnuts in honey with drifts of light smoke never amounting to more than a rubber note. Tropical peel with pepper and malt.
Palate: Pronounce, grippy dry smoke with creamy oil and ginger. Soft floral notes wrap around the woody vanilla to contain it and balance out the spices.
Finish: The smokey barley hangs around with sweet floral notes drifting through.
Harald- Was an incredible character in the founding of the Orkney earldom, as well as having a major role in the development of Viking history. King of Norway, Harald Fairhair was famed for his army, which was revered across the world at the time.
Highland Park Single Malt Whisky – Harald
40% abv
No Age Statement
RRP €75
50% American Oak, 50% European Oak
Appearance: Warm gold with light yellows.
Nose: A rich nose of integrated smoke with ginger, cedar, chestnuts and red fruit compote. An earthy rubber note lingers in the background, a mix of spice and smoke. Deeper citrus and tropical notes are hard to find but are in there.
Palate: Creamy vanilla, tingling ginger and cinnamon with oily notes and a hint of cocoa. Smoke is more subdues here, covered by the spicier notes derived from the increase in European oak lending more a raised platform for the other flavours to lay over rather than be the dominant force.
Finish: Oily citrus with soft peat smoke and earthy spices.
Summary: It is very interesting to see the change in character through these three whiskies as they change the wood programme and I certainly was most taken by the balanced deeper notes found in the Harald bottle. Highland Park fans certainly wont be disappointed in these three, although perhaps the first two are a little on the lighter side. I also had the opportunity to sample the next three, yet unreleased expressions which increase the European oak further and was very happy with the results, but will keep those notes to myself until the summer.
Tags: 50, age, alcohol, American, army, barrel, Cask, dram, duty, edition, european, expression, flavour, free, Gerry, Highland, launch, limited, malt, mature, notes, Orcadian, Orkney, Orkneyinga, Park, price, rare, rested, retail, review, saga, sample, Scotch, Scotland, series, Sherry, single, taste, tastings, Toash, travel, Viking, warrior, whiskey, whisky, wood
In many of the events held by Dramatic Whisky around the UK we often ask if any of our guests have visited distilleries and most will answer with a handful of Speyside examples, or often the more accessible ones such as Glenkinchie, Dalwhinnie as well as some of the central examples like Auchentoshan and every now and again an Islay will pop up. But rarely does the Talisker distillery get a mention, but when it does, you can see the beam of pride on the face of those who have.
Talisker distillery is sited on the Isle of Skye, part of the cluster of island of the west coast of Scotland know as the Inner Hebrides. It was always a destination you had to make an effort to see, it’s not so much getting to the island, but the drive across the highlands which was taxing. It’s easier to get to now since the building of the bridge although the 500 meter ferry crossing wasn’t too bad really.
Talisker has always been a sought after dram and has many a follower. It’s the younger expression which gains such high applause amongst its fans so when introducing something new, unless those lovely Distillers Editions and those with good age, I think its always best to compare it to the 10y year old.
So first, a quick recap:
Talisker 10 yr old. 45.8% abv RRP £32
Appearance: Rose gold with light straw.
Nose: Fresh brine and sea air before cracked black pepper on mackerel fillets on a beach BBQ. Underlying elements of orchard fruit keeps the smoke and spice in fine check.
Palate: Rich peat smoke takes hold, but again is kept firmly in place by the balanced salty edge. Fresh capsicum, warm nutmeg, ginger and white pepper all seem to roll around in the peat smoke coming to the fore one by one. Complex and always entertaining.
Finish: The lingering malt peat smoke and gentle pepper just keep giving.
The above tasting notes are from 2001
So, onto the newest release which has no age statement (so i’m expecting younger than 10) and is a marriage of selected mature Talisker casks of “rejuvenated” American oak, refill European cask and refill American cask. I’m not quite sure what “rejuvinated’ means in whisky terms? Cracked old casks with a couple of new staves added or some picked up at the garden centre and given a quick rinse out but surly a cask is either fit for purpose or not? Anyway, with refills being used isn’t that technically rejuvenated?
Talisker Storm Single Malt Scotch Whisky RRP £39
No age statement 45.8% abv
Appearance: Rose gold with bright hay.
Nose: Rich notes of tarry rope, flamed orange zest, mace, charred creme brulee, sweet malt and light clove/menthol roll in behind. Manuka honey with a nut oil base all dusted with fresh black pepper corns and a waft of seaside air make up this complex nose.
Palate: Sweet arbroath smokies rolled if peated malt with a lovely salt edge. There is plenty of underlaying fruitiness also with ripe pear, mandarin and a roasted butternut earthyness. The classic peppery element shines throughout with an extra hit of smoke towards the end.
Finish: Malt with balanced pepper, spice and smoke. The sweetness is short lived, as is the underlying fruitiness which tuns it more into the standard 10.
Summary: There is certainly youthfulness on both the nose and the palate, but fortunately it is well placed. It is always going to be hard to see past the value for money that the original Talisker 10 offers and I’m not entirely sure this quite does it. Bigger smoke, slightly sweeter with parts offering more complexity but rather short lived. Talisker fans will of course welcome something different to try but Im unsure if this will be different enough for them to keep coming back to it. One can only assume that as with many brands struggling to find stock for their age statement whisky, we could soon see the 10 Year old disappear from our shelves to be replaced by this. A Storm in a teacup then perhaps?
Tags: 10, American, auchetoshan, bridge, Cask, coast, coastal, dalwhinnie, diageo, distillery, dram, edition, european, ferry, fine, glenkinchie, Hebrides, inner, Isle, malt, New, notes, Old, outer, pepper, rare, refill, regions, release, released, review, reviewed, salt, Scotch, Scotland, sea, single, skye, Talisker, tasting, travel, whiskey, whiskies, whisky, year
Glemorangie have added a new expression to the Private Collection range. The collection, comprising of Sonnalta PX, Finealta and Artien will now be joined by the Ealanta which means “skilled and ingenious” in the Gaelic tongue. Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling and whisky creation at Glenmorangie found this newest experiment shortly after joining the team and carefully watched over it, moving the casks to another location within the warehouse where he felt they might benefit more until their release.
What most unusual about this 19 year old whisky is that it has been fully matured in brand new American oak cask which, having had no previous spirit in which to calm the flavours are typically full of buttery vanilla. Its a brave move as most in the scotch industry will avoid the use of such cask mostly due to the youthful and full force character found within. A few years holding bourbon and it calms, softens and is gentler to the scotch which will eventually fill it to the brim. Of course, there is another reason- cost. New casks are expensive and we (us canny Scots) tend to purchase 2nd hand from the bourbon industry, but of course, this is Glenmorangie- a company renowned for its fine wood selection as it has shown before with releases such as the Quinta Ruban (port finish) so its safe to say I was approaching this one with some delight indeed. If anyone can get this right, its the good doctor.
And oh how right he has!
Leaving it non-chill filtered and with an abv of 46% there is plenty of juicy mouthfeel and a full palate to handle the expected vanilla and new oak abundance. But there is so much more going on.
Glenmorangie Ealanta Single Malt Scotch Whisky
46% ABV
Non Chill Filtered
Virgin American Oak maturation
19 years old
RRP: £69.95
Appearance: Antique gold with bright brass.
Nose: Immediately rich with orange citrus, flamed orange peel and concentrated oils laid over butter, vanilla creme brulee and maple syrup. Lots of stewed fruits rise behind the initial bright citrus, calming everything and allowing the real depth of this whisky to talk. Butterscotch Angel Delight and Cornish clotted cream.
Palate: Its bursting with vanilla and sweet fruity notes, raisin, golden sultanas soaked in light rum. Some dryer wood notes creep in, holding everything in place before turning nutty- Brazil, macadamia and a light toffee sauce coating.
Finish: Its a long lasting playful whisky, tipping between edgy rich citrus, butter and nuts.
Summary: Certainly there is no doubt where this spent the last 19 years, and true to form Dr Lumsden has indeed looked after this well. For those who are already fans of the lighter style of Glenmorangie at its younger age, you might find this a challenge but for all the right reasons you should keep coming back to it.
Tags: American, Atrien, Bill, Cask, chill, collections, collector, distiller, distillery, Dr, dram, ealanta, filtered, Finealta, Glenmorangie, Lumsden, malt, mature, New, notes, oak, perfect, private, Quinta Ruban, review, reviewed, Scotch, Scotland, Scottish, select, selection, single, Sonnalta, taste, tasting, type, Virgin, whiskey, whisky, wood
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: Scotch, Business, whisky, tasting, Scotland, oak, exchange, London, malt, single, distillery, Balvenie, imbibe, Scottish, 40, Grants, Cask, warehouse, strength, just, drinks, dram, fresh, distilled, Wemyss, whiskies, spirits, American, vintage, America, blog, Soho, Club, release, notes, first, review, 101, magazine, Years, select, travel, retail, alcohol, Bunnahabhain, Balblair, 1975, 2002, hand, journalist, fruit, Aultmore, bottled, wkiskey, luanch, buxton, try, before, die, looy, members, selected, 1969, tropical
Last night I was privileged to be part of a very select group that had gathered to witness the launch in the UK market of Grant’s 25 year old blended whisky. The venue was the wine and spirits shop in Selfridges department store London. The store are to have the whisky exclusively until the end of the year.
Brand Ambassador Ludo Ducrocq, a Frenchman with a great passion for whisky and a curious Scottish accent, told us how William Grant began creating his own blend of whisky back in 1887, Christmas day in fact and in 1909 his son-in-law Charles Gordon spent 12 month travelling the world ensuring Grant’s whisky would be a recognised brand in over 30 countries by 1914. no mean feet of logistics in itself at the time. Today, over 54 million cases of Grant’s whisky is sold in over 180 countries and what is equally amazing is that the company is in the hands of the 5th generation of Grant’s family.
In 2009, the 25 year old blend was launched in travel retail to commemorate 100 years since Charles Gordon set out on hie epic sales journey. Brian Kinsman, Master Distiller at William Grant & Sons drew whiskies for 25 selected cask all of which were over 25 years old. In fact, Ludo informed us that Grant’s had only ever blended single malt until 1963, when the Girvan grain distillery was built, with some of the first spirit to run from those stills used in Batch No.1 of which we were about to sample. Batch 2 is currently under production. The unusual thing with blends of this age is that less grain whisky needs to be used as the single malts mellow with time, so does the grain and in Batch 1 there is actually a higher proportion of single malts than grain, eighteen malts to seven grains to be precise.
Now, knowing that there are rare whiskies in a blend is one thing, but picking them out whilst sipping the whisky is a touch harder. Ludo had made life a bit easier for us and had arranged all 25 individual parts of the blend for us to nose and try. This was quite an incredible experience as we moved from one glass to the next, understanding the building blocks, each chosen by Brian for their unique characteristics to carefully construct this fine whisky. The grain, which was approaching 45 years old and had no sign of giving up! Billy Abbot, a fellow whisky reviewer and I were in our own little bit of geek heaven, especially when we found the Clynelish that we both tagged as have been part of the blend. We couldn’t however identify the Ladyburn which was there, a distillery which closed in 1975 and who’s whiskies are extremely rare and sought after but thats probably because I havent actually tried enough Ladyburn to recognise it so easily, and it’s doubtful I ever will. These dearly departed distilleries have left behind only tiny remainders of the gold that once flowed from them. Sadly most remain in the hands of collectors firmly sealed, never to be drunk again.
So, onto the review itself-
Grant’s 25 year old Blended Scotch Whisky
43% abv
Ex-Bourbon/Ex-Sherry Cask
RRP £200 (although Selfridges sell it at a whopping £320!)
Appearance: Burnt Ochre / dark honey
Nose: Vanilla fudge, manuka honey, ripe banana and fruity scented wax candle are first to come alive with deeper notes of toffee sauce, new-buck leather and candied orange peel behind. There is good spice, but it is light such as white pepper and a dusting of cinnamon with a hint of burnt Dundee cake.
Palate: Lightly spicy with creamy toffee sauce again before orange blossom honey and tropical fruit flow in mid palate. Hints of balsa wood and cinnamon with a slightly nutty edge of macadamia. The palate falls a touch short in comparison to the nose.
Finish: LIghtly drying with pepper grip and smooth earthy elements. Lingering tropical fruit.
Summary: Its only when you see the individual elements of a blend as we did this evening that you understand the complex operation that the blenders such as Brian undertake. Some of the samples we tried were not at all something you would enjoy in its own right, yet you can see how certain elements have aided in the construction of the final whisky. Grant’s 25 is an enjoyable and smooth whisky with plenty to sit back and enjoy and certainly makes a welcome addition to the premium blend market and the Grant’s portfolio.
You can read more about Ludo and Grant’s Whisky on his blog.
Tags: Scotch, whisky, tasting, whiskey, Scotland, malt, single, distillery, Balvenie, Scottish, Grants, 25, Blended, Grain, Cask, Clynelish, Old, spirit, dram, American, Sherry, blend, notes, review, shop, best, travel, retail, quality, william, grant, flavour, year, french, european, premium, son, Ludo, Selfridges, department, store, Ladyburn, Brian, Kinsman, Ducrocq, exclusive, Girvan, Batch, Billy, Abbot, glnfiddich
