So on June 1st, it’s once again Ardbeg Day known as “Ardbog Day” this year, when the world prepares itself for some shooglin and dramming (that’s dancing and drinking) with “Embassies” across the world springing up to host the Ardbog Day release. Last years offering was reviewed by me here, this year it’s called Ardbog and I’ve already dug it.
Ardbog Day is best experienced at the distillery itself where they really throw quite a party (as well as some peat). There are numerous additional tastings and tours to join but for the more active among you, why not try one of the many other shenanigans on offer- such as The Peat and Spade Race, The Ardbeg Wheelbarrow Race, The Peat Sack Race, Boggy Welly Tossing, Dribbling Ardbog style, Bog of WarNot to name just a few. If Islay is just a bit too far from home, check out where your nearest Embassy is and join them for a dram or two. If you are in London, then sign up for the Ardbog Day March and get your hands dirty with whatever they have planned. I’ve heard sheep walking over a Thames bridge, but my source is unreliable at best.
Anyway, enough about the party, what about the whisky?
Ardbog is a 10 year old single malt which is a combination of spirit matured in both Ex-Bourbon American oak and Ex-Manzanilla Sherry butt.
Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Distillation and Whisky Creation said about Ardbog “At its heart our hallmark smoky yet fruity and floral spirit has been matured in Spanish ex-Manzanilla sherry casks for ten years, which has then been wrapped with traditional Ardbeg of the same age that is matured in American ex-bourbon oak casks. The Manzanilla maturation weaves salty flavours through the whisky which is then balanced with the maple syrup creaminess of the first-fill ex-bourbon casks.”
Ardbeg Ardbog Single Malt Whisky
10 year old
52.1% ABV
Non-Chill Filtered
Release date: 1 June 2013
RRP £79.99
Appearance: Rose gold with polished bronze
Nose: An inviting nose, rich and complex with both soft floral and deep earthy notes. Honeycomb with dark chocolate deepens to liquorice root dipped in caramel. Freshly dug peat combines with gentle smoke and a hint of carbolic soap creating an earthy tone with a savory edge like pata negra ham. To the end, and with a splash of water, its cider apples rolled in ash.
Palate: Creamy and full, the rich palate delivers much of the notes from the nose, swirling and drifting between sweet flowers into earthy herbaceous tones. Mid palate is hit with a salty, brine like twist wrapped in gentle peat smoke and prickly spice. Cinder toffee, clove, salted almonds and a side of grilled artichoke in peppered olive oil. Quite a mouthful!
Finish: An oily finish, lingering peat smoke and a constant sweet/savory battle in the mouth
Summary: I was quite taken aback by this one, softer than expected and a fabulous mixture of twisting sensations. Nothing really takes over, everything seems to harmonize so well. This is nothing like the standard 10 year old Ardbeg, it’s much more refined, rounded and complex.
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.
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
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’ve never been very good at studying, never really been much of a reader hence most of my blogs are short and to the point. I get easily distracted and mostly end up SQUIRREL…
Anyway, I find the best way for me to learn about most things is to experience it first hand and absorb the entire subject, breathe in the history and knowledge, something tangible that will leave a lasting impression. This was a stumbling block at the age of 5 when I wanted to learn about space travel and astronauts. Fortunately, having chosen a career in the whisky industry it is a little easier for me to learn about my eventual calling. I have had the opportunity to not only visit many of the distilleries in Scotland and further afield, but work at them also, really getting under the skin of it all.
Now you can have the chance of a similar experience courtesy of Glen Garioch (it’s pronounce Gee-ree) by entering their fabulously exciting competition here. If you need a little help finding the answer to the question, then take a peek at my post about my visit to the distillery, it might help. I’ve also reviewed the 12 year old, Founders Reserve and 1995 vintage releases which I love so take a moment to drool over the notes before having the chance to sample them for yourself.
This great opportunity includes a VIP tour of the distillery, a private tasting held by Rachel Barrie- Master Blender, salmon fishing, carefully guided by local experts and panning for gold at a secret location precious few will ever see. Runners up will receive their own very special Limited Edition Small Batch Release of Glen Garioch Single Malt Whisky.
Entries close midnight June 3rd 2013.
Are you still reading this? I’d expect you to be on the competition page by now.
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.
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
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.
I have quite a few friends from South Africa, lovely people they are too. I’ve never been, which I know is something that should be redressed. The food, the scenery, the wildlife are all, according to the opinions of the aforementioned friends, set apart from anything else on the planet. As if that was not reason enough to visit they also make whisky.
As a kid of the 70′s and growing up watching the Lethal Weapon films, plus having a crush on Patsy Kensit most of my formative years, meant that I thought everyone from S.A spoke with her accent. However, thankfully having spent enough time now with real South Africans I know how they sound. And now I know what the whisky tastes like too. Thankfully there is nothing fake about those either.
Three Ships blended whisky and Bain’s Cape Mountain single grain whisky are both made at the James Sedgwick distillery which was established in 1886 in the town of Wellington, north-east of Cape Town and near the Paarl wine making region. Far from the image of a dry land, this location is rich with flora and fauna, mountain valleys and cool spring water which are handy when it comes to making whisky.
First up is the Bains Cape Mountain single grain whisky- in fact, it’s South Africa’s first single grain whisky and winner of a number of awards already. Column distilled rather than copper pot, the new make spirit reaches 94.3% abv before being cut back to around 65% before filling into ex-bourbon cask. Bain’s is “double matured” which means it rests in first-fill casks for a period before being transferred again into another set of first-fill bourbon casks effectively refreshing the casks mid way through.
Nose: Deep dark sinned fruits in a sweet vanilla fudge are immediate followed by rum and raisin ice-cream. The vanilla element continues and becomes custard cream biscuits before lighter floral notes of carnations around Asian pear and apple crumble.
Palate: Rich as expected, with warm spices and vanilla fudge. Nutmeg, cinnamon and a hint of mace linger before cedar wood emerges to dry the palate and maintain balance before it becomes over-sweet.
Finish: Forrest fruits and leather with spice and a touch of coffee liqueur on the end.
Summary: A really well structured whisky delivering all that is promised on the nose to the palate. Good value for money and for what it’s worth, I love the weighty bottle design.
Three Ships 5-year-old whisky is a blend of grain and malt whiskies from South African and Scotland. There is also a 10-yr-old which is actually a single malt.
Three Ships South African blended whisky
5 years old
43% abv
RRP R110 (That’s about £8 but try finding a bottle for sale in the UK)
Appearance: Old copper with burnt ochre.
Nose: Opens with an almost menthol cool edge before turning humbug like. Lighter fruits notes (strawberry milkshake and opal fruits) are quickly swamped by heavier notes of coal and cough medicine. Hickory wood plays its part as the nose turns slightly ashy with cherry, neoprene and hessian cloth.
Palate: Initially sweet with a sherry heavy influence whilst managing to maintain a malty, creamy texture. There is good vanilla and oak structure helping to deliver a round, pleasant palate.
Finish: The sherry is still apparent bringing with it stewed dark fruits and dry liquorice root. From its sweet beginnings it has become dry and spiced.
Summary: An appealing whisky to those who like the lighter side of a sherried dram. Not easy to find at all in the UK, but worth seeking out.
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’.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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%.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It will come as no surprise to those who follow my ramblings or indeed most of the whisky press to find that the whisky industry is changing. There, I said it and I don’t care. It’s getting younger and I don’t mean we are seeing more teenagers replace a bottle of MD 20/20 with the latest single cask but the spirit itself is reaching our glasses with less age, and it’s a good thing.
There are two main reasons for this, firstly demand is at such a peak that aged stock is being squeezed out of every distilleries warehousing and if you happen to have an age statement on your label, then you are stuck with only putting stock of that age (or greater) in your bottle. Simple way around this is of course to remove the age statement and release your brand under a catchy name with a back story about flavour rather than age such as Talisker Storm or Macallan Gold. As long as you haven’t messed around with the original character of the spirit, I think this is a fine idea and also shows the consumer is starting to understand that oldest does not always mean best.
Secondly, there are a lot of new distilleries out there, just releasing their product to the market and do not have the luxury vast stock with good age to drawn from but still need to make a bob or two in the meantime. We saw this with The English Whisky Co and their “Chapter releases” which cleverly gave the consumer the opportunity to sample the spirit as it aged towards the magical 3 years and 1 day before it could be called whisky. This helped not only establish the distillery but create a following which turned this new venture into almost cult status which continues today. I reviewed the Private Cellar selection previously which has some creative finishes. On the flip side, Glenglassaugh distillery had a very different problem which lead to them releasing new make spirit. As a mothballed distillery reopened, all they had available to them was very old stock. Not ideal to release your first malt after many years and slam a £300 price tag on it. So it was new make to the rescue again, this time under the name “The spirit that blushes to say its name” thankfully re-branded and still available from the distillery such as its popularity.
But it was whilst chatting with the guys from Glen Moray distillery as they introduced to me the new peated spirit release that I became rather curious. Glen Moray is not a new distillery and has plenty stock, so to venture down the road of underage whisky shows keenness to develop and innovate, not just stick with what you know. The distillery, in the town of Elgin on the banks of the Moray Firth has been in production since 1897 although it was a brewery prior to a distillery so alcohol of one form or another has been associated with the site for longer.
Presented in a square 20cl bottle and sealed with a white wax dipped top the pale product with designed font is certainly a far cry from the design of the traditional Glen Moray releases and again shows that this is something that a lot of time and effort has gone into. It’s the first time the distillery have chosen to release a peated spirit and I liked the look of it a lot, but how did it taste?
Nose: A balanced nose of soft smouldering highland peat and fresher coastal/mineral notes which develops sweet lime citrus and fresh-cut straw. The above all seem to draw together to create a farmyard note. With water, deeper notes of fresh leather and artists oil paint are added.
Palate: Bursting sweet heat (that will be the 60.6%) rich vanilla and sweet peat smoke with just enough salty edge to cleanse the palate before becoming too overpowering. With water, the heat clams to allow the sweetness of red berry, lime marmalade and mocha coffee. The ever-present vanilla holds it all together with the peat smoke really adding to this young but elegant spirit.
Finish: Vanilla syrup mocha coffee and a white chocolate and cranberry muffin (slightly charred) on the side.
Summary: Approaching young spirit is always usually a challenge as it can be tough to see through the energetic alcohol and get to the core of what the spirit is trying to say, but this was a delight. Rich, rounded and delivered a great character. I’m not entirely sure what Glen Moray have planned for this, but it’s spot on as it is with a clear indication that it will only get better with age. But let’s hope they always keep this younger expression available.
This is a huge help to those who wish to try a broader range of whisky without forking out to do so.
