On June 2nd 1953, Elizabeth II was crowed Queen of the United Kingdom (as well as a few other places that came along with the job role) and 20 million people tuned in to watch the ceremony, the first of it’s kind to be televised. The figures are quite staggering as that is 56% of the UK population at the time, with another 11 million tuning in to the radio. A celebration, assisted with a free tin of Cadbury’s chocolate for every schoolchild, that brought a nation to standstill. An so, 60 years on, with Her Majesty still happily and gloriously reigning over us, we turn to celebrate again this outstanding call of duty.
I must admit, I’m not much of a royalist in any shape or form so I’m not sure I will be reaching for a mini union flag to manically wave at the telly as Sir Cliff belts out some oldies, but I’d probably reach for The Macallan celebratory release if I had the opportunity.
The Macallan sent to me samples of their celebration dram and it was an interesting set up in the fact that there were two bottles. Each bottle has been created to represent the beginning and current era of the Queens reign. Not only does the liquid differ, but each bottle will have a different image of the Queen, the brainchild of art director David Holmes. The first, an American cask release, is adorned by a Cecil Beaton portrait from the time of her coronation. The second, a European oak release, has a Julian Caulder photograph taken in 2004. Both whiskies are said to perfectly represent the Queen at each moment. The vibrant and characterful first release and the mature, and perhaps somewhat mellowed, second release. Let’s hope the palate doesn’t come across tired and flabby or head will roll!
Presented in a suitably regal box and limited to just 1953 sets this is undoubtedly an instant sell out. This of course will mean that many a Macallan fan and collector will be hoping to keep hold of this rather longer than the tin of Cadbury coronation chocolates that were given out 1953. Although sadly I fear that unlike the chocolates, most of this whisky will never actually be tasted.
The Macallan Coronation Bottling
Cecil Beaton Edition
No age statement
58.1 % abv
35cl
Appearance: Warm golden corn
Nose: Vibrant fruit to start then interestingly drops the high notes and dives headlong into a sea of sweetness. Suddenly we have a very different dram in the glass. Marzipan, sweet bread dough, banana loaf and plump California raisins jostle for attention with an earthy note of glaziers putty underpinning the whole affair. A delicious big almond croissant sits amongst vanilla custard tart and a drift of marmalade of buttered rye bread.
Palate: Thick, sweet and almost perfumed to begin, the higher ABV certainly thumps through the creamy vanilla-laden start. Frangipani tart adds a delicate floral start along with creamed corn to help ground the overall experience. Bursts of cinnamon and vanilla pop through towards the end. Water helped to calm the perfumed element but aided the amplification of the sweet floral side.
Finish: Lingering sweet spices go on and on.
The Macallan Coronation Bottling
Julian Calder Edition
No age statement
55.7 % abv
35cl
Appearance: London brick red with burnt ochre.
Nose: If the colour of this whisky made you think deep thoughts, then the nose confirms it. Dusty fruits, plum, pear tatin and old leather bound books begin this journey with sweet pipe tobacco, cough mixture and kirsch making up the mid part. The rich, leathery sweetness calms to reveal game pie with cranberries and a handful of mixed nuts. Its a deeply intense whisky with bags of character and obvious age within something so complex yet immensely approachable.
Palate: A bold and big start with a slap on the tongue of spice and heat. This is at first challenging then gives way allowing the complex palate to roll out slowly. Red fruits, but almost rum soaked, of cranberry, plum and cherry. Tobacco again, this time less sweet, more of an astringent edge which helps bind the spices of mace and nutmeg to the fruit. Liquorice root dries out the sweet whist a hint of thyme cools down the spice leaving a perfectly balanced umami effect. This is as good as it gets, and I love it.
Finish: Where to begin? I’ll still be tasting this with my morning coffee.
Summary: There will undoubtedly be a plethora of releases for this special occasion and it will all come down to your thought process. If you are going to watch the celebrations, you will not go wrong settling down with these two splendid liquids and a giant bar of Cadbury’s. I found both exciting and rewarding certainly a triumph of Macallan to have created to very different whiskies with an underlying Macallan DNA.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Recently I stumbled upon an article about “The worlds most luxurious whisky” which turned out to be a decanter covered in precious stones retailing for $6.2 million. I was obviously intrigued by this and started to look a bit further into the idea behind the “Isabella’s Islay Malt” . Sadly, I wish I had never started.
Firstly, the website itself looked like it has been created by someone who has a good understanding of Microsoft paint, but little else. The “original” decanter, more at home in a rap video than a stately home, is simply awful and if one wasn’t enough, there is a “special edition” for those who won’t warm to their whisky with so many “rocks”.
But it is the page on the whisky itself that had me grabbing for my laptop.
For a serious whisky collector, knowledge and provenance is key but this offering seems to have forgotten that there is any need for the whisky at all. Here is the actual copy of the tasting notes from the website:
For the whisky aficionado the tasting notes for our whisky are;
Nose: Sweet, fruit, light peat with some candy & eucalyptus.
Taste: Sweet, floral, fruity and peat.
Palate: Smoke, bacon, fruits.
Finish: Eucalyptus and peat.
Now, can someone please explain where taste and palate differ as they are not referring to mouth-feel here? These are the notes I would expect from the back of a bottle of standard supermarket offerings- in fact, most are far better written. This is being touted as “A truly stunning piece and the most luxurious alcoholic beverage in the world today.”
Anyone, never mind an aficionado, may be forgiven for expecting a little more effort in the description of the decanters contents, but then again they probably don’t expect that anyone every actually open the stopper and that’s my point. Why bother putting a whisky in it at all? It’s just another example of riding the tailcoats of the current rise in popularity of whisky and quite frankly I think that’s a bit of a poor show. Decanters are not a good place to store a spirit of any type anyway unless you will be drinking the entire contents in under a year (ABV taken into consideration) and especially when the pouring of a whisky from bottle to decanter only assists in the introduction of even more oxygen to the liquid, increasing the chance of spoiling the contents more rapidly. Clearly the whisky is an afterthought as there is not even an explanation to the name, although I do have an idea about a certain Isabella who was involved with an Islay distillery.
If you have a spare 6.2 million kicking around, drop me a line. I’ll source a great whisky and we can roll an old Irn-Bru bottle in Swarovski crystals and have a great night on one the change.
By the way- from what I can tell, the whisky is from Bowmore. At time of going to press, I have not been sent a sample.
UPDATE: so my pals at Master of Malt saw the above and having a similar viewpoint wrote about a £29 million pound bottle (rather annoyingly, in a far more amusing way )
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.
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.
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.
headlong into a sea of sweetness. Suddenly we have a very different dram in the glass. Marzipan, sweet bread dough, banana loaf and plump California raisins jostle for attention with an earthy note of glaziers putty underpinning the whole affair. A delicious big almond croissant sits amongst vanilla custard tart and a drift of marmalade of buttered rye bread.
Nose: If the colour of this whisky made you think deep thoughts, then the nose confirms it. Dusty fruits, plum, pear tatin and old leather bound books begin this journey with sweet pipe tobacco, cough mixture and kirsch making up the mid part. The rich, leathery sweetness calms to reveal game pie with cranberries and a handful of mixed nuts. Its a deeply intense whisky with bags of character and obvious age within something so complex yet immensely approachable.
This is a huge help to those who wish to try a broader range of whisky without forking out to do so.
