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.
I was never very aware of a Fathers Day celebration when I was younger, despite the fact it was around. Beginning in America in 1910 it never really took off, certainly not in the UK until the mid 70′s. This left me faced with the problem of getting my dad a gift twice a year- birthdays and Christmas. Not much of a problem really, as the default was inevitably chocolates (giant Toblerone to be exact) socks and a tie. He wasn’t much of a drinker, so it tended to stop there.
In general I think buying a gift for a man is pretty straight forward as gadgets, books on gadgets or DVDs are all pretty safe bets, but one particular category most seem to find tricky is when it comes to buying whisky.
If you are a non-whisky drinker, the thought of standing faced with row upon row of golden to dark brown liquids with unpronounceable names or frankly unfathomable descriptions of the contents can be a daunting one. Now if you happen to be trying to make your choice in one of any number of supermarkets rather than a specialist store, good luck finding someone who can advise you on the right choice. In fact, good luck finding someone who even drinks it.
A little preparation is the key to creating a smile on the face of your chosen recipient.
What do they normally drink?
This is the easiest one. Open up the drinks cabinet, take a peak and if there is a selection inside then note them down. Stick to the single malts as most whisky drinkers will have a couple of blends in there to have as an “every day drop” but will treasure a single malt more although, some premium blends such as Wemyss or Compass Box are amongst the exceptions to that rule. Most brands will have a selection of expressions or limited releases to choose from, so once you know the brand it’s quite easy to find a special version that dad might like that wont cost an arm and a leg. Keep an eye out for words on the label such as “Distillery or Managers release”.
Style over region
Whisky regions in Scotland are nothing short of misleading and confusing and so are not always the best indicator of what kind of whisky you will find inside the bottle. Don’t think that just because it says Islay on the label it will be pleated (smokey) and not all Speyside whiskies are light and fruity. Bunnahabhain, is an Islay distillery which isn’t a smokey malt. Similarly Smokey whisky like Ardmore can be found in the highlands. Best then to go for a style of whisky rather than a region.
Colour me bad
Ok, it’s not a hard and fast rule, but if most of your dad’s cabinet is stocked with gold coloured whisky, there is a chance he likes those which have been matured in American ex-bourbon cask (white oak) in which about 70% of whisky is matured. These whiskies typically have white fleshed fruit (think apple, pear, quince) aromas and flavour rather than those liquids matured in ex-sherry cask (European oak) which tends to give a deep amber colour and a spicy profile to the resting spirit. You can find some bourbon cask examples in my recommendations at the end of this article. Good sherry cask examples come from Glengoyne and Glenfarclass or Glenrothes.
Passport Control
If you are sure you understand what they like then why not try a similar style to their normal tipple from outside Scotland. Chichibu distillery from Japan is wonderfully light and fruity whilst Paul John from India gives rich spicy smoothness from its fast maturation in the Goan heat. Balcones Texan Whisky is big and bold but has all the finesse of a well made scotch with age or the English Whisky Company which might be young, but its creative use of varied casks has given birth to some outstanding examples which many whisky experts have lauded so its bound to excite even the most experienced of dram lovers.
Ageist
Older ain’t always best! There is normally a different type of maturation (ageing process) in a range of Scotch from the same company which means an 18 year old isn’t just six years older than a 12 year old. They could have very different flavour profiles and may not suit the palate of the intended.
I’m a big fan of Glenfiddich 15 year old and would choose it most times over the 18 year old.
Something special
It’s great if you have the budget to get something very rare and limited. Online is the best place to search with retailers such as Master of Malt or The Whisky Exchange and they don’t always cost the earth but make sure the recipient know it’s for drinking! Collectible whiskies are not always the ideal gift for someone as they tend to have a theme to their collection so it’s best best leave it to them.
It’s got your name on
Companies like Master of Malt will customise a bottle label on it to include your fathers name. It’s a great value for money service but you still have to know which bottle you want to use. See above!
Birth year
This is a tricky one. Assuming your over 18 there is a good chance your father was born a few years ago making it tricky to find a bottle from the year he was born. You can find bottles which were distilled in a certain year, and bottled shortly after. Therefore, the contents of the bottle may only be 10-12 years old but from 1960 say. Trust me when I say this might be still an expensive purchase, but a lot cheaper than trying to source a 53 year old dram!
Among friends
If the budget allows, why not think about the Scotch Malt Whisky Society membership? The SMWS allows access to single cask, cask strength bottles from all the distilleries in Scotland (and many more further afield).
My choices and recommendations
Highland park 18- Produced on Orkney, this island malt has won numerous awards including Worlds Best Single Malt. Although its American white oak, the oak has been seasoned with sherry so that it’s pale colour belies it’s spicy nature. It’s delicate with peat smoke, bags of marmalade type fruits but without the typical TCP or medicinal smokey nose often associated with west coast Islay whisky. If they like BBQ’s, try this. RRP £60
Bunnahabhain 12- American cask. An Islay whisky with a difference, peat free malt makes for a light, seaside dram with an almost refreshing salty caramel character. One of our personal favourites and always in the cabinet it’s along a similar style to Balblair or Scapa. RRP £33
Glenfiddich 15 – With its unique ‘Solera’ maturation system and the use of three casks, giving spice from the sherry, white fruits from the refill bourbon cask and vanilla and coconut from the brand new American oak cask. This expression stands out from the other Glenfiddich offerings This is a great whisky with a dryer spice than the rest of the family. On the light side but still fruity and hints of honey. RRP £32
Ardbeg Ugeadail – A marriage of bourbon and sherry casks this is a powerful smokey whisky at a higher ABV delivers a rounded palate which is well integrated. If they like peat, and in particular Islay peat than grab this as it is worth every penny. Similar to Laphoaig, Lagavulin and Caol Ila. RRP £50
Old Pultney 17 – Predominantly American cask. The 21 year old may have won best in the world, but the 17 is my go-to dram. Warm and rounded with a slightly salty coastal edge it satisfies most palates and is a perfect accompaniment to those chocolates salted caramels you bought dad. RRP £52
AnCnoc 12 – Approx 70% American cask with 30% sherry cask. Sweet and honeyed, this rather lesser known single malt has a great character and it’s an easy drinker making it a real crowd pleaser. Will suit most people and as its not so well know it will make you look like you know a bit about whisky. Similar to Balvenie doublewood. RRP £31
Glengoyne 15 – For a full on ex-sherry cask matured blast of spicy rich leather and deep dark fruits you wont go far wrong with this example. With lots of lovely spices and warming notes, its the perfect dram to sit back and relax with once all the socks and ties have been unwrapped. RRP £45
Monkey Shoulder – A blended malt with bags of character, offers incredible value for money and if you find out where it got its name from, it makes an interesting tale to tell when you hand it over. RRP £27
Tweedale – A real unknown and well worth seeking out for that special gift. A historic (found in an original journal) blend of single cask whiskies it is big and bold with ooodles of pleasure. Reborn and already making waves, this is a great dram to savour. RRP £37
Balvenie 12 Single Barrel – The 12 Double Wood is perhaps far better known, but this lighter expression drawn from a single American wood barrel is a unique snapshot from this craft distillery. Without any sherry cask influence, it’s a lighter, dryer style than its siblings with bags of vanilla and lingering fruit. RRP £44
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.
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.
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 )
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.
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.
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.
