Ah the mighty blended whisky. Makes up about 90% of all the whisky consumed in the world today and it is due to it’s global appeal that many of the single malts we know today have survived the ups and downs that effect whisky consumption from time to time. It’s simple economics really, as we find ourselves again in a double dip or is that double-double dip recession, not everyone has the readies at hand to be buying the latest single malt release, or have a selection at home to tap into from time to time. The blend is there, as it always has been, to bring whisky at a price point that most can afford and with as much variation in character within the category, if not more than the single malt, there is something for all. Of course not all are created with entry level price points, some “deluxe” blends compete pound for pound with an 18 year old single malt and some considerably more. But you can at least begin at the less wallet busting examples and happily dram the time away. I’ve got a few favourites that I always have in the cupboard, the every day tipples that hit the spot such as Wemyss, Cutty Sark, Grants and Tweeddale but I might have to make room for yet another – Banknote.
Banknote is a blend from independent bottler A.D. Rattray which, like their Stronachie brand, has been “resurrected” and is doing well in foreign markets. It hasn’t really seen much light in the UK yet but I am sure that will change. The basics of it are that it’s a 5 year old blend with the emphasis on a sherry character made up of a 40%/60% malt/grain mix and released at 43% ABV. I like the fact that they state clearly the age, it might be a brave move but I think the UK consumer is coming to terms with the fact that age is not everything.
Banknote Blended Scotch Whisky
5 years old
43% ABV
RRP £21
Appearance: Deep straw with rose gold
Nose: A tight, sherry heavy nose with jarred apple sauce, high robust grain notes with spikes of peat, driftwood, newly varnished wood and quince jelly. Rich vanilla, almost fudge like with a caramel sauce overtone.
Palate: Oily and rich to the fore bolstered with very soft peat smoke followed closely by prickly sherry influenced spices. Orchard fruits bring a sweetness mid palate before becoming nutty (Brazil) with a light linseed oil.
Finish: Grippy and almost tannic on the finish as the nutty element fades leaving earthy spices and distant peat.
Summary: Certainly a richer style of blend and definitely a healthy amount of youthful grain in there but it all holds together rather well indeed. After the initial sherry hit, it settles to a fruity, gently spicy all rounder which I think will appeal to most.
Don’t be a single malt snob about it.
Tags: Scotch, whisky, tasting, whiskey, Scotland, malt, single, 18, Tweeddale, Grants, Blended, Grain, Old, dram, Wemyss, Cutty, Sark, New, blend, America, release, notes, review, best, UK, taste, global, age, rare, supermarket, happy, price, fine, expression, favourite, Stronachie, five, 5, easy, Banknote, A D Rattray, range, low, budget, market
I don’t know about your day-to-day job, but in most industries I’ve worked in there always tends to be an underlying rivalry between competitors within the same category of work. By their very definition, the “competition” is to be better, faster, higher more productive etc. However, having worked in the whisky industry for many years now, I can safely say that there is something a little different about it. Sure, amongst the big brands of Pernod-Ricard and Diageo there is no love lost when trying to gain market share but step it down a notch or two and you will find that most industry individuals get along really well and are happy to promote each others good work. This review centres around two such people.
Neil Ridley and Joel Harrison are two guys I met a few years back who do kind of the same thing I do. They host tastings, have a whisky blog, do a bit of writing for various well know publications and Neil recently released a book (I’ve not managed to get my hands on a copy yet, but I hear it’s rather good fun) and the guys also do consultancy. And on top of all this, they a bloody nice chaps- How do they find the time?
One of their more recent projects was to release their own whisky bottles under the label “Cask Strength and Carry On”, one for every letter of the alphabet. They started with “A” as you would, Arran, then “B” was BenRiach and now to the third release “C” Cutty Sark. Being the creative types ( both are ex-A&R men from the music industry) they like to have a little fun when releasing a whisky. Not your standard tasting round a table, oh no, there has to be a little tongue in cheek about it. Sadly I missed the meeting at an underground station, the subsequent handing out of travel cards, the few stops on the underground with sea shanties and whisky tales relating to each station, the bright “Cutty” yellow bags and the bespoke newspaper created just for the launch but Neil kindly gave me all the props along with a sample when we last met. Of course, even skilled men such as these two need a little guidance from time to time and blending whisky aint all about throwing one in after the other so they enlisted the help of Kirsteen Campbell who happens to be the Master Blender for Cutty Sark so not a bad choice really when you think about it.
The release happens to coincide with the brands 90th anniversary and as such has been bottled at 51.4% (90 UK proof). It is limited to just 500 bottles and the first 100 sold will get the commemorative bag and newspaper to go along with it. The guys have kept the blend in line with Cutty Sark’s original character, which was on the lighter side of blended whisky which was uncommon at the time of its launch in 1923, but added a little smoke to bring something a little different to the party.
Cask Strength and Carry on – “C” Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whisky
51.5% abv
Limited run of 500 bottles
RRP £34.95 exclusive to Master of Malt
Appearance: Pale white gold
Nose: Buttered digestive, lemon rind and brazil nut oil to the prow. A sweetness of stem ginger can be found mid deck with hints of camomile and tarry rope towards the stern.
Palate: Even at its undiluted strength there is malty creaminess to be found, a dry spice of powdered ginger and faint nutmeg with ash over cooked pear. The adition of some water developed a more floral, perfumed palate.
Finish: Drying pepper develops to a more woody element with a hint of lapsang tea tannin. Water created a slightly carbolic soap tang at the end which I didn’t appreciate- best drunk neat I say.
Summary: I’m a fan of Cutty Sark in general and I think what the boys have created here is very good indeed. It’s not going to be to everyone’s taste, but then which whisky is? Perhaps some might find it too youthful and light but I think if you know the standard release (and like it) then the additional hint of background smoke helps develop this whisky into an interesting and enjoyable dram. Here’s looking forward to “D” and of course “Z”.
In comparison, I reviewed the standard Cutty Sark release here.
Tags: 90, arran, Beriach, Blended, blender, blog, buy, Campbell, Carry, Cask, cCutty, distill, distillery, exclusive, harrison, joel, Kirsteen, limited, London, malt, master, Neil, Newspapre, notes, On, peat, release, review, Ridley, sample, Sark, Scotch, Scotland, strength, tasting, underground, whiskey, whisky
Master of Malt have long been pals of Dramatic Whisky and I’d like to think it’s because our two companies have the same outlook on the world of whisky- keep it fun. I would say that we both bring a youthfulness to whisky, but my graying hair might be evidence that I’m simply hoping to be included in that category!
Something thing they do which I think is ace is ‘Drinks by the dram’ which allows anyone to purchase miniatures of just about anything they stock. Of course, you have to pay accordingly and a 3cl sample starts at under £4 up to the current £209 for 3cl of Glenfarclas 1953. Fortunately enough they sent me a sample of that last one. See, I told you we were pals. 
This is a huge help to those who wish to try a broader range of whisky without forking out to do so.
They also have a new range of their own bottling under the name ‘That Boutique-y Whisky Company’ and yes, the “y” is hyphenated. Under this label the guys bottle single malts, grains and blends from a variety of renowned distilleries, each limited release 50cl bottle is adorned with various sketches and comic book illustrations which will no doubt help the already growing cult status of these drams. The range already has quite a number of releases in the range and when they offered to send me some samples, the ‘Drinks by the Dram’ creation came in handy. I have 18 samples to get through! so I am doing this in parts, this being part one. Selecting the first five was no easy task, but sticking to things such as Bunnahabhain and Deanston which I recently reviewed and Clynelish as another favourite plus Springbank and Braes O’ Glenlivet to round out a fine line-up. And I thought I would start with the lighter styles so the choices of my first five samples (part 1) are as follows:
Clynelish- Batch 1
So what’s the label all about: Clynelish was built after Brora closed and whilst it is a superb whisky, it is seen by purist (or should that be purrists) in this case as never quite being up to ‘scratch’.
48.6% abv 
197 Bottles RRP: £54.95 50cl
Appearance: Pale straw with white gold
Nose: Rattan fruit basket filed with tangerines, melon and peaches. Not immediately typical of Clynelish, less waxy but still has a coastal “freshness” holding the fruit down. Light spice on the nose, earthy vanilla pod and a bit of waxed church candle towards the end.
Palate: More of the expected waxy, creamy mouth-feel with stem ginger and vanilla before a hint of cardamom and cinnamon spice dusted over red berries mid palate. Faint salty element licks around the mouth bringing the earthy notes back to the fore.
Finish: Lingering citrus peel with a waxed edge. Earthy tones dry out the very long finish.
Summary: At first, not immediately recognisable as a Clynelish, them it bursts through with jubilant energy. Very good dram indeed.
Springbank- Batch 1
So what’s the label all about: Those cheeky chaps (bet they hate that tag) from Cask Strength, Neil and Joel twisting and shouting, trying to squeeze every last particle from a grain mill.
54.6% abv
274 bottle release RRP: Sold Out
Appearance: Light Honey, rose gold
Nose: A sweet peat reek to begin, underlined with coal embers, brown paper, slices of start fruit and a hint of baby sick. Came back to this 20 minutes later and yup, still baby sick in there somewhere.
Palate: Light sweet peat smoke and a mineral iodine flare before charred cedar wood dries out the palate allowing the white fleshed fruits to emerge.
Finish: Turns slightly oily to the finish, with the white fruits flowing on for some time.
Summary: Once you have a note stuck in your head, like a bad song, it’s tricky to get rid of it and butyric acid is a tough tune for any spirit to hum (of). I just could get the nose to match up to the tasty palate and it stopped the enjoyment right there.
Bunnahabhain- Batch 1
So what’s the label all about: A picture tells a thousand words- well almost. Here we see an elevated depiction of the Bunnahabhain distillery itself with everything from rally cars to shark infested waters.
46.1% abv
233 bottles released RRP: £51.95 50cl
Appearance: Pale yellow straw
Nose: Parma ham fat with white pepper over a piece of driftwood. Almost akin to reposado tequila, a definite vegetal nose with busts of coastal sea air. Samphire, turning to damp hay and deeper farmyard notes with a floral lift of violets at the end.
Palate: Creamy mouth-feel with liquorice root, milk bottle chews and vanilla before the salt washes through to leave chestnuts and buttery elements and peat water. Touches of ginger root and kippers keep the complex palate lively.
Finish: Dry spiced palate with tight tannin feel, lingering peat residue.
Summary: Being a fan of Bunnahabhain I was keen to get into this one and it didn’t disappoint. Complex, ever-changing and almost a challenge to the palate but in such an interesting way. Superb.
Deanston – Batch 1
So what’s the label all about: Deanston used to be a cotton mill before it was turned into a distillery in the mid 60′s, so it’s fairly ‘new” it whisky terms. According to MoM, hippies were around in the 60′s also although I doubt many made it to the banks of the river Teith.
50.8% abv
218 Bottle release RRP £46.95 50cl
Appearance: Bright gold
Nose: Sweet apple sauce with perfumed vanilla and fresh ginger shavings. The up front nose calms to reveal quince, grape and yellow sultanas with a good beechwood background.
Palate: Rich, creamy vanilla to the fore with lighter ginger spice close behind. Over-ripe banana with flaked almonds and a leafy element towards the end.
Finish: Dries with good malty grip and clean spice.
Summary: Quite close to the Deanston 12 in character, but seems to have the volume turned up a touch. Good example of this new kid on the block.
Braes o’ Glenlivet – Batch 1
So what’s the label all about: The inspiration for the label was the fact that it was Braes o’ Glenlivet that drew the Master of Malt trio Ben, Tom and Justin into the wonderful world of whisky in the first place.
47.2% abv
210 Bottle release RRP: £51.95 50cl
Appearance: Light straw, white gold.
Nose: Red berries mixed with poster paint, almond and lead pipe. Lets just say there is a lot going on in here. Varnished wood, bread and butter pudding, tinned pears and cherries.
Palate: Rich and buttery, again hints of bread and butter pudding spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon. Brazil nut and cherry bakewells.
Finish: Long and creamy, the bakewell lingers on.
Summary: A huge complex whisky, seemingly light at first but continues to develop and twist. A lot of fun and a great whisky.
So that is Part 1 done, as you will see the above limited releases are already selling out and I suspect this will always be the case. A great idea, executed with style and a good dollop of humour. Wish the rest of the industry could loosen up a bit like this.
Tags: 3cl, barley, Batch, ben, blend, Blended, blog, bottle, boutique, boutique-y, Box, braes, brand, brora, Bunnahabhain, by, Cask, cat, Clynelish, comic, company, cool, copper, cost, cotton, cute, dead, Deanston, design, dinky, distillery, dram, drinks, evian, expensive, fun, Glass, Glenfarclas, Glenlivet, handy, harrison, held, help, hippy, image, joel, label, limited, malt, master, mill, miniature, Neil, New, notes, of, Old, own, post, price, release, retro, review, Ridley, sample, samples, Scotch, Scotland, seal, select, sent, single, Springbank, still, strength, tasting, Teith, the, top, van, vintage, wax, whiskey, whisky
Strathisla distillery in the speyside town of Keith is often referred to as the prettiest distillery in Scotland, of course, that’s a very difficult thing to prove as so many distilleries lie in beautiful parts of Scotland, many with their own individuality and stunning backdrop. But one thing you can say about Strathisla is that it has the longest continual production of any distillery.
Opening in 1789 in the former farmstead it was then known as Milltown, changing its name to Strathisla in the early 1950′s when Chivas Brothers bought it over. Chivas has long cherished the Strathisla character as a main component in its Regal blend. In fact, you don’t see a huge amount of Strathisla on the market as most of its annual production goes straight to the blend so it was nice to see that the brand has been given a face-lift, an indicator perhaps that some more of the single malt will be coming to the market at some point soon. I did take a trip up there quite recently, and not only is the location quite beautiful but the charm of the actual distillery is wonderful. As it was originally a farmstead, the stills have been built within existing barns and have been creatively intertwined with the roof rafters in order to get maximum height without making the presence of the distillery know. Remember, very few distilleries in the late 1700′s were actually legal so keeping your position a secret from the excise man was key.
So whilst the outside of the distillery is sure to remain untouched by modern design, the bottle has certainly seen a huge change. Gone is the etched front elevation of the distillery 
and its angular, tall brown glass, instead a more squat vessel of clear glass, sharp typeface and a splodge of cerise pink has been introduced. At first glance, the distillery name stands out much clearer, as does the 12-year-old age statement and whilst surrounded by its carton, it’s the fresh white box with bright pink disc atop that will catch the eye from a distance on the shop shelf. Simple, clean design with a few hooks thrown in. I suppose Strathisla has, due to its relative rarity, always stood out for “those who know” as the old design was easy to spot if you knew what you were looking for so again, the redesign perhaps indicates Strathisla is looking for a much bigger, new market of whisky drinkers. The liquid inside certainly wont disappoint those who try it for the first time. Unfortunately, despite having had many bottles of Strathisla pass through the office, I don’t have any notes on the original whisky. Not normally an issue when a bottle gets a facelift, but not only has the label changed, but also the strength which now reduced to 40% abv where as the previous release was 43%.
Strathisla Single Malt Scotch Whisky
12 years old
40% abv
RRP £29
Appearance: Rose gold.
Nose: immediately fruity with warm vanilla drenched over cooked pear slices and candied peel. some juicy california sultanas in there also. Heather honey, light toffee coated pecan nut with warm eucalyptus leaf, seasoned oak and suede.
Palate: Full and creamy with vanilla at the fore. Spices emerge mid palate, laced through honey sweetness and a hint of clean mineral edge that becomes a touch like sulphur. Orange oil and pithy peel bring the fruitiness back.
Finish: Cocoa nib and polished leather on the end of the palate, well-balanced between sweet fruit and dry woody notes.
Summary: The reason that this malt is so praised for blends is quite clear, bursting with character as it is. The balance of sweet fruit, rich vanilla and dry oak notes is perfect. The overall profile of this malt would easily stand up against other examples of more maturity. New or old bottle, who cares. Just get some.
And for those of you interested in where the ispiration for the title of this blog came from- click here.
Tags: 12, blend, Blended, botlle, brother, chivas, design, distillery, dram, duty, farm, fur, graphic, help, illegal, isla, keith, Longest, malt, most, New, notes, Old, oldest, percet, pink, pretty, prize, psychedelic, re, regal, review, Royal, Scotch, Scotland, single, spirit, Strath, Strathisla, Strathislay, taste, tasting, whiskey, whisky, year
With a weekend behind me I would rather forget, having been to one end of the country and back again in a day, to then arrive back in London on a time schedule which would leave even those with teleportation abilities wondering how they were to fit everything in, it was a pleasure to make (if a tad late) my final appointment of the day. The calm, tranquil setting of the Pickering room, deep in the basement of No.3 St James street at Berry Bros & Rudd, being filed with familiar faces such as Neil and Joel of Cask Strength, Marcin from No.1 Drinks, SMWS boys, Billy, Alwyn and Kirtsy, certainly helped remove the stress of the proceeding days and hours. It’s a rather amazing building, steeped with history at every turn that I have had the fortunate luck of hearing over many years and it never fails to entertain me each time I visit. Thankfully, its normally with a glass of something rather special in my hand and this time was no exception.
The reason we were gathered was to hear the ever entertaining Doug McIvor, Master of Cask Selection, talk us through the latest release in the Blue Hanger range. Blue Hanger is a collection of blended malt (vattings for those who remember the term) whiskies of exceptional quality named after William ‘Blue’ Hanger, a loyal customer at Berry Bros. & Rudd know for his expensive blue clothes. The releases originally came to the diplomatic market in 1932 but had faded into history, until being revived in 2003 by Doug. The first release was a sublime marriage of Glenlivet and Glen Grant casks which produced just 723 bottles from a total of 4 hogsheads. Unsurprisingly, it sold out almost immediately upon its release as has been the fate of every subsequent release in the Blue Hanger range. Creation of a new addition only takes place when Doug feels they have secured the right casks in the best condition and can create a complimentary expression addition to the range.
There is always a nod to the original style which was heavy on the sherry cask although Release no. 6 did surprise a few of us with its more smokey character- but then, after winning Best Scotch Blended Malt in the World in 2008 & 2012 – it clearly was a pleasant surprise. With Doug now working on the 7th release of Blue Hanger, we were offered samples of releases 2, 4, 6 & 7 plus a couple of little single cask tipples just for fun – and a 1974 Glen Grant single cask IS a lot of fun. You will have to forgive me for not popping any tasting notes below on that particular whisky- sometimes you have to just put the pen down and enjoy something as rare as this, giving it some respect rather than trying to analyze it. After all, the pleasure is in the drinking.
Blue Hanger 2nd Release 25year old Blended Single Malt
723 bottles, 45.6% ABV, Non-chill filtered
4 hogshead of Glenlivet 1974, 1 sherry butt of Glenlivet 1974, 2 hogsheads of Glen Grant 1974
Appearance- Warm gold with hints of rose
Nose- Tropical fruit salad with apricot and crushed nuts. Buttery with slight rancio notes and light orange zest emerged before turning more towards floral lavender, hay, nubuck leather and kirsch.
Palate- Much of what was to be discovered on the nose with additional chewy cinnamon, coffee/cocoa nib, cherry wood and spices of nutmeg and clove.
Blue Hanger 4th Release Blended single Malt
3256 Bottles, 45.6% ABV, Non Chill Filtered
2 hogheads of Mortlach 1992, 1 sherry butt of Mortlach 1991, 1 sherry butt of Glen Elgin 1991, 2 sherry butts from Glenlivet 1974, ’75, 1 hogshead of Glenlivet 1976
Appearance- Golden Hay
Nose- Brazil nut and new plasticine with charred nut shells and a floral element which turns mineral before light clementine noted emerge. Struck match and the side of a Swan Vesta strike pad come to the front but seem to unite the other elements.
Palate- A gentle palate of warm spice, light honey and butter with cardamom and dry, toasty wood. Orange peel and dried apricots bring a welcome fruity center to the whisky.
Blue Hanger 6th Release Blended Single Malt
2223 bottles, 45.6% ABV Non Chill Filtered
Sherry butt of Glenrothes 1990
Sherry Butt of Bunnahabhain 1990
Hogshead of Bowmore 1980
Hogshead of Bowmore 1987
Appearance- Warm bronze with rose gold
Nose- Chocolate covered Brazil nut, linseed oil and liquorice root all wrapped in seaside aromas with drifts of dying embers. Brandy butter, flamed orange peel, ginger root and hay compete this most complex of noses.
Palate- Chewy indeed and as indicated from the nose, a lot going on but thankfully in harmony. Salty bar-b-que with pancetta strips, gingerbread, peat smoke and cinnamon spiced chestnuts all playing there part in bringing this wonderful marriage of sherry influenced peat smoke together.
Summary- If the outstanding quality of these exceptional cask, expertly married together to create delicious whisky was not enough to tempt you- try the fact that this latest release is only £66.81 RRP! don’t expect it to hanger round forever ! If this is a little rich for your pocket, then you wont go far wrong with Berry’s other blended option- Cutty Sark
Tags: bery, Blended, blender, blue, Bowmore, Bros, Bunnahabhain, Cask, cellar, chill, collection, Cutty, dram, Elgin, filtered, fine, Glen, Glenlivet, Glenrothes, grant, hanger, history, Japanese, London, malt, Marcin, master, merchant, Motrlach, non, notes, Old, oldest, rare, release, review, Ridley, Rudd, Sark, Scotch, select, selection, shop, single, SMWS, strength, tasting, vat, vatted, whisky, wine
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
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: 25, Abbot, American, Balvenie, Batch, best, Billy, blend, Blended, Brian, Cask, Clynelish, department, distillery, dram, Ducrocq, european, exclusive, flavour, french, Girvan, glnfiddich, Grain, grant, Grants, Kinsman, Ladyburn, Ludo, malt, notes, Old, premium, quality, retail, review, Scotch, Scotland, Scottish, Selfridges, Sherry, shop, single, son, spirit, store, tasting, travel, whiskey, whisky, william, year
Take a glance around a supermarket spirit shelf in any good sized town and you will be faced with quite a selection of whisky including offerings from outside the UK. In fact, as Gin, tequila and other spirits have seen a massive rise in popularity and therfore shelf space which has fortunately been driven by the 
consumers “thirst for knowledge” we see a general increase across the categories. Go back just fifteen years and your choice of gin would be perhaps three in total with 100% agave tequila almost unheard of in anything other than top London destinations. Today you can buy some of the best tequila and boutique gins from distillers such as Sipsmith and Chase from your local supermarket whilst stocking up on dragon fruit and edemame. Consumers are understanding these categories more and seeking out the more unusual offerings, but only after careful research gleaned from every available source. Consumers have all the information they require to hand from the enthusiastic bloggers post reviewing the latest releases, lifestyle magazines that scratch the surface a little deeper to tell the reader not only what to drink- but where and how to order (and what to ware whilst ordering!) to experience events such as the hugely popular GandTeatime and Dont-shoot-tequila which offers educational tasting events across the categories all across the UK (just like us at Dramatic Whisky). Yet there is still a need for an element of trust when a bartender or shop assistant is recommending a product which is only gained if the right knowledge is shown.
Whisky has always help a fair proportion of the shelf space- mostly due to the range of blended whisky that has always been available, but the current success of more premium spirits has undoubtedly lent a helping hand for whisky and in particular single malt. Blends have always outshone single malt, contributing to about 90% of all global whisky consumed, and not only the standards blends but as we see premium blends such as Black Grouse and Johnnie Walker Gold Reserve start to jump over the sales targets set- although some premium blends are beginning to tag themselves with prices around that of a 10 or 15 year old single malt, the choice for the consumer is at an all time high. There is without doubt, an opportunity to up-sell in a recession stuck country such as our- people may be going out less and certainly watching what they are spending their money on, but when they do venture out its value for money and an experience they seek no matter what their status or budget, And as staying at home becomes more common place, people are choosing more premium products to recreate a “better than normal” experience at home. Unfortunately, far too often the UK hospitality sector and the high street retailer are seriously lacking the skills to deliver the right service or information, failing to capitalise altogether.
A few years back, when I managed The Lobby Bar at One Aldwych, London hit a tough time for tourism as 9/11 was a recent happening. Most of the five start establishments had slashed room prices as occupancy dropped to an all time low with some of the grandest of London’s establishments only reaching 20%. One Aldwych stuck to her guns, kept rates as standard but didn’t lay off a single member of staff. I witnessed this risky approach in action one evening as the then time C.E.O. of a certain orange budget airline, who was a regular, asked the owner directly why he was paying the rate he was when he could pop over the road to another five star and stay there for a third of the price. My boss’s response will stick with we forever- “Would you like me to arrange for our luggage porter to take your bags over because they have had to let theirs go”. Basically, if you can still offer value for money and deliver the perfect guest experience every time, you can maintain your price when all around you are loosing theirs.
Emerging markets outside the UK such as India, Russia and China have certainly helped boost the numbers in terms of whisky exports and sales over the last coupe of years and no doubt will continue to do so for some time, but surely we need to support the foundations in the UK to ensue we are not left behind- and here is where the problem lies.
To most people, a bottle of single malt is a pricey investment when buying at the supermarket as many still choose by age and with age, rightly so in many cases, comes a hefty price-tag. The consumer is left with a bewildering choice with little guidance other than the marketing departments best attempt to stand out from the crowd with a well crafted introduction to the whisky on the label- few though, actually tell the customer what the whisky actually tastes like. I’ve tried to ask members of staff for help, and even in large high street retailers, unfortunately the response is rather laughable.
Pubs in the UK don’t fare much better in my view. Most stock whisky, a blend at least, or have a carefully selected range which unfortunately is selected for them by the brand manager and therefore the bar staff think the job is done. They don’t need to actually learn about the range, it has “something to cover all palates” as the rep told them. Now of course this is not always the case- there are venues out there who do take care and consideration over the stock they invest in and support the choices with good staff training ensuring they can sell through the range and keep customer satisfaction at a peak. After all, with whisky on such a rise, there is great profits to be made on a large dram of liquid gold.
But the above is a minority, too few and far between a dram to bother seeking out. Even in my home country of Scotland I am shocked to find such a lack of knowledge and enthusiasm for our national drink which you would think would be the first place to start. Yet sadly, it is venues such as these, which are filled on a daily basis with customers who are interested in trying something different, moving up from a blend to a premium blend or a single malt, who would gladly spend that little bit extra if only the bar staff had the training and knowledge to deliver trust to the customer that they knew what they were offering and could recommend well.
In reality the local pub actually has it quite easy as they should know the clients well and therefore have the opportunity to sell a single measure of a new whisky, allowing them to try something without investing in an entire bottle from the supermarket. So why does this not happen more often? It seems to me that venue owners are as much to blame being fearful to invest in whisky. Yet the numbers are clear, whisky is on the rise. From the entry level blend through its premium big brother on onto the guidy heights of superstar single malt. You don’t have to be brave to bath in its glory- just clever and understand that with a little investment in training staff or even further – inviting the customer to partake in tasting events such as Dramatic Whisky, then whisky sales across the bar will increase. What I fear is that venue owners, upon hearing the good news about the growth in the category will simply grab an extra couple of “on offer” brands when next at the wholesaler and hope they chose well enough. Its not as if the tools are not out there on offer either. Every whisky brand manager will happily spend an afternoon at your venue training staff on the virtues of their brand. Or you can bring us in.
Try my little technique to work out if a bar knows its whisky- scan the back bar of whisky, find something you know well then think of an alternative but similar brand. Tell the bartender you want a whisky and normally drink the brand you are thinking of, then ask for a recommendation of something similar. Hopefully the bartender will offer you the brand you picked out but trust me on this- it works maybe 2-3 times out of 10. In fact, I have said at times I normally drink Glenlivet 12 in the hope they will offer me the Glenfiddich 12 but I have in the past been offered Laphroaig as a substitute because “Its really popular”. Eh, HELLO? Great news for the brand manager of Laphroaig, but I’m one unhappy customer if I don’t like Islay whisky and I’m afraid that all important confidence i was hoping to attain as a customer has just left the building.
Recently I was asked to consult at the bar for a two michelin star restaurant- a very well respected establishment with a great reputation. Apparently the whisky shelf was a little tired and they had asked that I come in to help revive things a little. I visited the venue and yes, it was clear not much love had been placed there with Jack Daniel’s the only American choice on offer and the usual suspects making up the numbers. However, being a French restaurant the Armagnac and Cognac range was outstanding but on closer inspection it turned out that they didn’t actually sell much of any of it. My plane was set out in three parts:
Train the staff on the current stock of whisky- highlighting “duplicate” styles and training them on how to push the up sell to these to clear the shelf of them.
Introduce replacement stock, again with another training session to ensue the staff had the correct tools to not only continue to sell the existing range but also the new additions
Return to the venue in 3 months for a refresher training course and to analyse how the sales have been.
Two page proposal, all aimed towards increasing whisky sales and maintaining a healthy GP, fee set low as it would be a fun project with a great bit of kudos attached. Result was a “Thanks but no thanks, we will leave it as it is”. I checked the proposal again and I hadn’t put too much in there for them to carry the project through themselves, the fee was below market value considering the gains from the end result and yet no, even a restaurant with a per head spend in excess of £100 could not see the value in whisky.
What ever happen to the “Auld Alliance“? Somethings will never change.
Tags: 9/11, Aldwych, Alliance, Armagnac, Auld, back, bad, Bar, bartender, best, Black, blend, Blended, blue, bourbon, Box, Cask, China, cognac, Daniels, diageo, distillery, dram, dramatic, easyjet, educate, education, France, french, gain, Gin, Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, gold, GP, Grouse, hospitality, India, islay, Jack, Johnnie, label, Laphroaig, learn, lifestyle, Lobby, London, magazine, malt, maxxium, Michelin, One, premium, pub, rant, Reserve, respond, restaurant, revenue, Russia, sales, Savoy, school, Scotland, shoot, single, Sipsmith, staff, star, supermarket, superstar, Tea, teach, tequila, training, venue, waitrose, Walker, whiskey, whisky, world
Normally my postman curses me because none of my parcels fit through the letterbox, those being well protected bottles of whisky to review. I doubt he was any less impressed when he attempted to deliver my latest acquisition but i’m sure he knew this time it wasn’t a bottle as the parcel contained a fabulous book from those lovely people at Cutty Sark. The title of the book was Travel Photographer of the Year and is a superb collection of images based around various categories of travel photography.
Cutty Sark are one of the main sponsors and in particular of the award for Spirit of Adventure photographer of the year which went to Franco Banfi. Franco is renowned for environmental, wildlife and most famously underwater photography the latter winning this this year’s award. UK photographer Martin Hartley took the runner up prize with his images shot during the Catlin Arctic Survey in Canada.
The book, which contains the best images from the 2010 and 2011 awards including the winners’, is a fascinating pictorial map capturing the everyday, the sublime, the familiar and the other worldly. Find out more about Travel Photography of the Year and purchase the book for yourself.
Of course, there was a bottle of whisky along with the book and it made a welcome companion whilst losing a few hours within the pages but it almost sent me on my own little adventure. I wanted to find a little more and the reason for the link to The Spirit of Adventure.
We take many of the whisky brands on the market for granted, forgetting the heritage and provenance behind them as new brands emerge with tentative links to the past to create an interesting back story. Cutty Sark is a little different. In 1923, the partners of Berry Bros. & Rudd in London were discussing, amongst many other things, the opportunity to create a new type of blended Scotch with a lighter style to appeal to their wine based clientele. At the time, most blended Scotch was of a rich and heavy style giving the new Berry Bros. & Rudd blend a unique selling point with its light, pale style. Of course, they needed to call this new whisky something and looked to current affairs for inspiration. The world’s fastest tea clipper, the Cutty Sark was very much in the news and following a suggestion from Scottish artist James McBey Berry Bros. decided this would be an appropriate symbol perhaps representing both the strength and ground breaking qualities of this fresh new blend. The whisky was launched to great applause and instantly became a success.
Cutty Sark is based around a core of grain from North British and select malts such as Glenrothes, Macallan, Highland Park, Bunnahabhain, Tamdhu and Glengoyne. Despite these weighty players, and many others which you wouldn’t instantly think of producing light spirit, Cutty remains light and filled with fruity character and was clearly a revelation and rather adventurous advance in the blended scotch market at the time of its launch.
I’m rather ashamed to say that It had been many years since I last held a bottle of Cutty in my hands. The first notable thing for me was the new slender, almost feminine pale green bottle and that unmissable yellow label which is rather smaller than previous but still stands out. I couldn’t wait to crack it open and get the review under way.
Appearance: Pale straw, with white gold
Nose: Immediately oily malt with citrus fruits and buttery macadamia nut. Hessian drizzled with pale honey and white grapefruit zest. A handful of green hay mixed with crisp autumnal leaf.
Palate: Orange barley sweets, light golden syrup and a bite of fruit and nut mixture. Lots of lovely citrus elements (Seville orange marmalade and roses lime marmalade ) mingle with the slightest hint of roasted chestnuts in the background.
Finish: A delightful finish of lingering citrus, toasted vanilla, delicate malt sweetness and a hint of drying nuttiness.
Summary: I am a big fan of both Highland Park and The Glenrothes so it will come as no surprise that I find this whisky rather delicious and if, like me, its been some time since you tried some Cutty Sark then I suggest you change that situation immediately and have a wee adventure of your own.
Tags: 2010, 2011, 2012, adventure, amazon, Arctic, award, awarded, Barfi, berry ros, blend, Blended, book, British, Bunnahabhain, camera, Canada, Cask, Catlin, Cutty, Edrington, environment, explorer, Franco, Glengoyne, Glenrothes, Hartley, Highland, image, james, Macallan, malt, Martin, maxxium, McBey, North, Park, photographer, photography, postman, Rudd, Sark, Scotch, single, spirit, Survey, Tamdhu, underwater, whiskey, whisky, world, year
Its always a pleasure to have a new whisky arrive in the postbox for review, and especially welcome is a Wemyss sample as I have long been a fan and this particular sample of their premium blend was stellar as always.
However…
I love whisky, and love trying new whisky especially. But it has to be said that I am not such a fond lover of tradition where whisky packaging is concerned. All too often we are faced with new labels, expressions and releases that attempt to whisk us off to a mist covered moor somewhere in the corner of the marketing director’s mind. Perhaps a red stag wanders across our view or even better- a lone piper sounding out the wails from illicit pipes.
I’ve always been a huge fan of Wemyss whisky, and not just because of the quality of the spirit but because of the forward thinking packaging which has, until this release, been modern and interesting. I was first drawn to the bottles whilst browsing the shelves of a whisky retailer and immediately the clean lines, simple but stylish bottles and fun, informative names such as “Peat Chimney” and “The Hive” drew me closer. What a breath of fresh air through the dusty warehouses of Scotch and a well received whisky when presented at Dramatic Whisky tasting events- people always comment on the packaging and the approachable, descriptive titles.
Unfortunately, I cant say the same about this new release. Whist stylish and premium looking, for me it has fallen foul of the traditional route. I would even go as far as to say it looks like a bottle of liqueur rather than whisky. Granted, its a great story behind the label – Lord Elcho, eldest son of the 5th Earl of Wemyss, was a strong supporter of the Jacobite uprising of 1745. This sophistocated, well travelled scholar, defeated on the battlefield of Culloden, was exiled to France never to return to Scotland. It is a shame that Wemyss have not remained true to his rebellious spirit and stayed with their usual packaging style which for me, like Lord Elcho embodies a forward thinking Scotland.
Fortunately, the container may be more alined to a shortbread tin than I would have liked, but the contents are well worth looking beyond the label for. “A noble whisky with a noble heritage”
Wemyss “Lord Elcho” Premium 15 year old Blended Scotch
40% abv
SRP £49.99
Appearance: Rose gold with olive oil
Nose: Initial whiffs of light sulphur give way to sweet liquorice root and cedarwood. Delicate spice of mace and liquorice mix well with honey and clover flower. With time, it opens to rounded buttery notes of macadamia nut and the merest hint of rubber tyre marks across teak decking.
Palate: Full and sweet at first with the spice coming through mid palate only slightly ahead of rounded buttery sweetness and grilled peaches with vanilla cream on the side. Sweet and spice blend well in the mouth with the ever-present drift of earthy embers maintaining a characterful balance.
Finish: Lingering bonfire embers and spiced wood remain.
In summary, this is another great addition to the Wemyss range and a quality blend showcasing careful selection and marriage. A whisky to easily stand up against similarly priced premium blended whisky.
Tags: 1745, Blended, Chimney, culloden, dram, Elcho, Fife, France, Hive, jacobite, label, Lord, malt, mist, moor, peat, piper, rebelion, review, Scotch, Scotland, shortbread, single, stag, tin, Wemyss, whiskey, whisky
