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Master of Malt- That Boutique-y Whisky Company. Part 1

Master of Malt have long been pals of Dramatic Whisky and I’d like to think it’s because our two companies have the same outlook on the world of whisky- keep it fun. I would say that we both bring a youthfulness to whisky, but my graying hair might be evidence that I’m simply hoping to be included in that category!

Something thing they do which I think is ace is ‘Drinks by the dram’ which allows anyone to purchase miniatures of just about anything they stock. Of course, you have to pay accordingly and a 3cl sample starts at under £4 up to the current £209 for 3cl of Glenfarclas 1953. Fortunately enough they sent me a sample of that last one. See, I told you we were pals. This is a huge help to those who wish to try a broader range of whisky without forking out to do so.

They also have a new range of their own bottling under the name ‘That Boutique-y Whisky Company’ and yes, the “y” is hyphenated. Under this label the guys bottle single malts, grains and blends from a variety of renowned distilleries, each limited release 50cl bottle is adorned with various sketches and comic book illustrations which will no doubt help the already growing cult status of these drams. The range already has quite a number of releases in the range and when they offered to send me some samples, the ‘Drinks by the Dram’ creation came in handy. I have 18 samples to get through! so I am doing this in parts, this being part one. Selecting the first five was no easy task, but sticking to things such as Bunnahabhain and Deanston which I recently reviewed and Clynelish as another favourite plus Springbank and Braes O’ Glenlivet to round out a fine line-up. And I thought I would start with the lighter styles so the choices of my first five samples (part 1) are as follows:

Clynelish- Batch 1

So what’s the label all about: Clynelish was built after Brora closed and whilst it is a superb whisky, it is seen by purist (or should that be purrists) in this case as never quite being up to ‘scratch’.

48.6% abv

197 Bottles RRP: £54.95 50cl

Appearance: Pale straw with white gold

Nose: Rattan fruit basket filed with tangerines, melon and peaches. Not immediately typical of Clynelish, less waxy but still has a coastal “freshness” holding the fruit down. Light spice on the nose, earthy vanilla pod and a bit of waxed church candle towards the end.

Palate: More of the expected waxy, creamy mouth-feel with stem ginger and vanilla before a hint of cardamom and cinnamon spice dusted over red berries mid palate. Faint salty element licks around the mouth bringing the earthy notes back to the fore.

Finish: Lingering citrus peel with a waxed edge. Earthy tones dry out the very long finish.

Summary: At first, not immediately recognisable as a Clynelish, them it bursts through with jubilant energy. Very good dram indeed.

Springbank- Batch 1

So what’s the label all about: Those cheeky chaps (bet they hate that tag) from Cask Strength, Neil and Joel twisting and shouting, trying to squeeze every last particle from a grain mill.

54.6% abv

274 bottle release RRP: Sold Out

Appearance: Light Honey, rose gold

Nose: A sweet peat reek to begin, underlined with coal embers, brown paper, slices of start fruit and a hint of baby sick. Came back to this 20 minutes later and yup, still baby sick in there somewhere.

Palate: Light sweet peat smoke and a mineral iodine flare before charred cedar wood dries out the palate allowing the white fleshed fruits to emerge.

Finish: Turns slightly oily to the finish, with the white fruits flowing on for some time.

Summary: Once you have a note stuck in your head, like a bad song, it’s tricky to get rid of it and butyric acid is a tough tune for any spirit to hum (of). I just could get the nose to match up to the tasty palate and it stopped the enjoyment right there.

Bunnahabhain- Batch 1

So what’s the label all about: A picture tells a thousand words- well almost. Here we see an elevated depiction of the Bunnahabhain distillery itself with everything from rally cars to shark infested waters.

46.1% abv

233 bottles released RRP: £51.95 50cl

Appearance: Pale yellow straw

Nose: Parma ham fat with white pepper over a piece of driftwood. Almost akin to reposado tequila, a definite vegetal nose with busts of coastal sea air. Samphire, turning to damp hay and deeper farmyard notes with a floral lift of violets at the end.

Palate: Creamy mouth-feel with liquorice root, milk bottle chews and vanilla before the salt washes through to leave chestnuts and buttery elements and peat water. Touches of ginger root and kippers keep the complex palate lively.

Finish: Dry spiced palate with tight tannin feel, lingering peat residue.

Summary: Being a fan of Bunnahabhain I was keen to get into this one and it didn’t disappoint. Complex, ever-changing and almost a challenge to the palate but in such an interesting way. Superb.

Deanston – Batch 1

So what’s the label all about: Deanston used to be a cotton mill before it was turned into a distillery in the mid 60′s, so it’s fairly ‘new” it whisky terms. According to MoM, hippies were around in the 60′s also although I doubt many made it to the banks of the river Teith.

50.8% abv

218 Bottle release RRP £46.95 50cl

Appearance: Bright gold

Nose: Sweet apple sauce with perfumed vanilla and fresh ginger shavings. The up front nose calms to reveal quince, grape and yellow sultanas with a good beechwood background.

Palate: Rich, creamy vanilla to the fore with lighter ginger spice close behind. Over-ripe banana with flaked almonds and a leafy element towards the end.

Finish: Dries with good malty grip and clean spice.

Summary: Quite close to the Deanston 12 in character, but seems to have the volume turned up a touch. Good example of this new kid on the block.

Braes o’ Glenlivet – Batch 1

So what’s the label all about: The inspiration for the label was the fact that it was Braes o’ Glenlivet that drew the Master of Malt trio Ben, Tom and Justin into the wonderful world of whisky in the first place.

47.2% abv

210 Bottle release RRP: £51.95 50cl

Appearance: Light straw, white gold.

Nose: Red berries mixed with poster paint, almond and lead pipe. Lets just say there is a lot going on in here. Varnished wood, bread and butter pudding, tinned pears and cherries.

Palate: Rich and buttery, again hints of bread and butter pudding spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon. Brazil nut and cherry bakewells.

Finish: Long and creamy, the bakewell lingers on.

Summary: A huge complex whisky, seemingly light at first but continues to develop and twist. A lot of fun and a great whisky.

So that is Part 1 done, as you will see the above limited releases are already selling out and I suspect this will always be the case. A great idea, executed with style and a good dollop of humour. Wish the rest of the industry could loosen up a bit like this.

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Glenmorangie Cask Masters. We decide.

04 Mar

It’s always a bit of a risk allowing someone else to shape the future of things, just look what happens to the X Factor when it goes to public voting! You just never know the outcome.

At least Glenmorangie, with their Cask Masters programme has started of with three exceptional “acts” to choose from – not a Rylan to be seen thank goodness.

I recently attended The Deck at the National Theatre to hear about the launch of this ever so ambitious idea. Dr Bill Lumsden, who oversees the whisky for both Glenmorangie and Ardbeg talked us through three differently finished Glenmorangie whiskies and explained that with the use of the internet, social media and tasting events the public can lodge a vote as to which whisky shall make it to the eventual commercial bottling. But it does not just end there. Not only will the liquid be chosen by the public, but also the bottle, the label, the name and event the market in which to first launch the new release. Brave indeed.

Over the next 18 months, you too can help shape the future of this dram by logging onto www.glenmorangie.com/caskmasters. The final whisky will be released towards the latter part of 2014.

Dr Bill Lumsden explained:

“This is a very bold move for us – for years we have listened to fans of the brand and their views and reactions to the whiskies we have introduced.

“Now it’s their turn to become truly involved and I hope as many whisky aficionados as possible around the world will be able to join in and enjoy each stage of this exciting 18 month journey.

“We have crafted three rare whiskies for fans to choose from and those participating will be able to follow the process and interact online.”

With a few tasting notes already up on the website to help guide along those who may be new to the world of whisky, I thought I would add my own. The three chosen casks we tried at the event are not yet finished, but are close enough to give you an idea of the final character- It was clear that the good Dr had a favourite amongst the three, coughing behind clenched fist a barley audible “C” but the final decision is now out of his hands altogether. Over to us.

Sample “A”

A 15 year old Glenmorangie at 46% ABV rested for 10 years in American ex-Bourbon cask to be transferred to an ex Grand Cru Burgundy cask for the last 5 years and without giving too much away, Dr Lumsden mentioned Cotes de Nuit to help narrow down the general area.

Appearance: Pale gold with warm orange

Nose: fruity to start with a dry-ish mineral note and floral element before turning into what is normally associated with a well aged Point Noir- that typical farmyard smell, mushroom, truffle oil and earthy tones. The nose is lifted with the appearance of orange oil before turning deeper into Kirsh.

Palate: Creamy and rich with spices of mace, vanilla and orange polish on old wood. An autumnal taste helps link it back to the elements found on the nose.

Sample “B”

Again, this sample is around 15 years old, 46% ABV and for its first 9 years, American ex-bourbon cask was its home before being decanted for a further 6 years into an ex Bordeaux cask. This time we were given a bigger hint as to its previous contents- Chateau Montrose no less!

Appearance: Russet apple and bronze.

Nose: Another fruity start but this time it remains. Red fruits and deep citrus, Pencil shavings, Plums and apricot all in attendance with a lighter floral note that seems to drift between honeysuckle and eucalyptus leaf.

Palate: Soft grassy, floral elements and spiced wood, the delicate balance of this whisky tips between the two sides with ease drawing in on the classic Glenmorangie DNA and the borrowed character of a deep mature claret. Dry spice of white pepper comes towards the finish but is accompanied with stone fruits and light cedar wood.

Sample “C”

An increase in age over the previous samples, this 18 year old 46% ABV example has been finished in an ex-Manzanilla cask. We were not given the exact timings with this one.

Appearance: Mid gold with copper.

Nose: Struck match, butter and honeysuckle right at the fore developing a salty olive note as one might expect from the cask. Linseed oil, toffee and orange peel develop later but its all about that light sherry influenced base.

Palate: Immediately sweet, then dries with brine and olive leaf. New-buck leather and suede over cherry wood and walnuts. Its a rather strangely welcoming taste, umami if you like. switching all the time between fruity floral and salt wood. Complex and interesting, a departure from the Glenmorangie style it certainly is and I can see why it has become a stand out for Bill.

Summary: Three outstandingly “unnecessarily well made” whiskies each with something very different to say. For me, sample C was just a little bit too far and I was drawn more toward B with its perfect fruit and floral notes. I liked A also, but not sure if I could settle down each time and not question it over and over again. Of course, my vote will only be one of many and this will certainly keep the interest high as we see this develop over the next 18 months. Just for the record, I voted for B, I did not ever vote for Rylan.

Balblair 1996 Travel Retail release

30 Sep

Ahead of what will no doubt be a very busy week after The Whisky Exchange annual Whisky Show, I thought it best to try to review a few samples that have been sent to me before the pile on my desk becomes either out of date or a task too great for a mere man to tackle. Its been quite an active time of late with a number of brands releasing new expressions and talk of a few more in the near future. All great news for the industry as clearly there is a growing demand and with it a growing audience.

The first new release for review is from Balblair, one of my top rated malts and I recently reviewed a number of fabulous examples from the distillery here. This Travel Retail (duty free to those not in the trade) exclusive, which will replace the current 1995 release, comes in 1 litre bottles and will be available next month after its official launch at Tax Free World Association exhibition in Cannes (October 21-26).

As with all the Balblair range, the ’96 comes without chill filtration and at an ABV of 46% which helps maintain the depth of character, adding complexity to the spirit on both the nose and palate. The 1996 vintage was bottled in 2012 after spending its 16 years of maturation in ex-bourbon cask only.

Balblair Single Malt Whisky (Travel Retail exclusive) Vintage 1996

Non-chill filtered & Natural colouring 46% abv

Ex-Bourbon cask

£49.99 1 litre

Appearance: Pale straw with warm gold

Nose: Light honey with fresh butter undertones, coconut flesh surrounded by fresh summer red fruits, pear and candied lemon peel. A light dusting of nutmeg traces delicately through it all which offers a grounded note to the otherwise zesty fruit.

Palate: Immediately creamy and full in the mouth, bursting with richness and bright spices. Cinnamon takes over the nutmeg now but wave after wave of rich vanilla, orange blossom honey on buttered crumpets with calvados drizzled tarte tatin.

Finish: The spice lingers, but a cleansing citrus note, not too powerful, helps maintain the balance.

In summary, a splendid dram which showcases the maturation of the distillery’s typical releases to perfection. Underneath the rich aromas are all the classic signs of a well produced Balblair spirit and without any tampering, the 1996 will undoubtedly be a hit with frequent travellers. Now where is my passport?

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Posted by dramaticwhisky on September 30, 2012 in Uncategorized

Tags: 16, 1995, 1996, ABV, alcohol, Balblair, best, blog, bourbon, Cannes, Cask, character, chill, complex, Distillers, distillery, dram, dramatic, duty, exchange, filtered, free, Highland, house, inver, malt, non, Old, rated, release, retail, review, Scotch, Scottish, show, single, taste, tasting, top, travel, vanilla, vintage, whiskey, whisky, Years

101 world Whiskies to try before you die- Ian Buxton

15 Jun

I have never been a book lover, not that I have anything against them, I am sure they have their use, but I was never a kid to bury my head in a novel and sit quietly in the corner for hours. Alas, as my mother found out, I was more interested in dismantling the radio alarm clock to make a lazer gun or tying chunks of bread to fishing line and trying (in vain) to catch birds in the back garden. These are just two examples of the manic projects I would give myself that distracted me from books. That’s not to say I don’t have a small collection of the classics which I decided to force myself into reading. Turns out I actually quite like Hunter S Thompson, F Scott Fitzgerald and a number of other novelists who have random single letters in their names.

Books for me are points of reference I choose to dip in and out of when in need of research or ones that have lovely arty pictures of naked women (oops, I mean bikes)..such as Rouleur from Rapha – the most beautiful cycling magazine in the world. Of course I have my fair share of whisky titles upon the shelves. Thing is though, there is only so many times you can read about how big your mash tun is, how many litres your washback holds or the strain of yeast you use. “You make whisky right? Tastes good does it? Brilliant, I will try some thanks.”

The trouble with most whisky books is that they are either aimed at a certain individual who perhaps have a good knowledge of whisky and will lodge that piece of information about the worm tubs somewhere in the back of their mind to recall at an opportune moment with some equally geeky enthusiasts. Or, are so basic and lacking in any real content that they are best used as a door stop or coaster for your dram.

It was with great delight then, when yesterday a copy of Ian Buxton’s new ’101 World Whiskies to try before you die’ dropped on my desk. The nicely sized book (it will fit on your shelf) is the follow up release from Ian’s 101 Whiskies to try before you die which as the titles suggests is, oh you get it!

So why another book? Well, as Ian says in the prologue, the world is changing and the “world” of whiskies is just that – worldly. So this edition has a tiny proportion of scotch and is more concerned about what’s happening outside of Scotland.

On my first flick through I was surprised to see Johnnie Walker Jubilee staring at me. Oh oh, here we go again, another book filled with unobtainable drams and overly priced bottlings….but upon closer inspection the index of the whisky said “Distillery: What do you care, you’re not getting any” Brilliant! I am hooked.

I have always known that Ian and I share a similar view on whisky collecting and limited releases kept high in price or created just for the collectors market- basically we don’t like it. You can read my viewpoint in this earlier post. And he pushes this point home at the beginning of the book.

As I mentioned, the book is a nice size to flick through, the bottles are big and clear on each left hand page for ease of visual indexing and the descriptions are short, punchy and to the point. There are the odd detailed entires scattered here and there about production and maturation, but they certainly do not take centre stage- instead, the book is a fun and lighthearted collection of annectotes peppered with facts. It’s Ian’s blunt, no nonsense approach that helps make this book a welcome addition to my shelf. Oh, and the honesty- for example when reviewing the German whisky Slyrs, Ian happily admits that having not been to the distillery, he looked up all the notes online and says “So, apart from the fact I’ve tried it and you almost certainly haven’t, with a few minutes research you could know as much as I do. No need to bother though, just read the rest of this entry for enlightenment.”. Why can’t more whisky books be like this?

The book is available from Amazon from July 5th but you can pre order it here. And I suggest you do. This is just the kind of reference book I would have loved to write, but given my inability to self-edit my version would surely be filled with profanity. Not sure that would sell so well as I suspect Ian’s will.

Title: 101 World Whiskies to try before you die
Publisher: Hachette Scotland
Available: July 5th
Pre order: Amazon
Price:£12.99
Format: Hardback, ebook
Worth it: hell yeah

2 Comments

Posted by dramaticwhisky on June 15, 2012 in Reviews

Tags: 100, 101, amazon, art, bikes, book, cycling, distilleries, ebook, f Scott Fitzgerald, food & drink, German, hatchet the, hinter s thompson, hunter s thomson, Ian Buxton, jubilee, kindle, lists, magazine, malt, photography, published, publishing, rapha, reference, review, rouleur, single, slyrs, titles, top, top trumps, try before you die, whiskey, whisky, world

Top 10 Women and Whisky

02 May

So, quite often, I find myself thinking about new things to write and more often than not I start something, read it over, decided it’s rubbish and bin it. And of course, I always try to find a new angle to write about, otherwise it bores me. So, during a conversation this morning on twitter with the very talented Katie Antoniou who had posted her list of most admired women after the controversial FHM award to Tulisa Contostavlos for being the hottest woman in the world with which, by the way, neither of us agreed. We swiftly set about putting the wrongs to right. It seems we have quite similar taste in beauty and despite the Megan Foxes of the world and the Giselles, it was pretty straight forward. We think its intelligence and talent that makes “hot”. Just to make it a bit more interesting, I though I would add a whisky to salute the selected few…so here goes in no particular order:

Liv Tyler – A dazzling woman and smart to boot. It would have been easy to start listing connections to The Lord of the Rings or Stealing Beauty but I thought the fact that she is the daughter of legendary rock king Steve Tyler, who no doubt has seen his fair share of bourbon during his career would be better. So, to Liv I raise a glass of Hudson “Baby” bourbon from the small distillery at Tutthilltown, new, exciting and cutting edge it is a perfect accompaniment to Livs otherworldly beauty. A rich and spicy bourbon, first since prohibition to be made in New York. If you need more info, I reviewed it here

Penelope Cruz - Well what can you say about this Spanish firecracker. Never one to keep her Mediteranian passion at bay, this hot and spicy, full on woman surely makes you sit up and take notice. Like a charging bull at a matador, every inch of her is Carne Trémula. So, what to choose? what matches the fire of Penelope? the full on personality and Spanish richness? Well, I choose the Aberlour A’Bunadh.

Full Spanish sherry cask and at cask strength, I reckon it has it all.

Scarlett Johansson- It’s the husky voice, plump lips and classy, sassy attitude that makes Scarlet stand out. You can imagine her out till the small hours, a speakeasy somewhere. Obvious whisky choice was Suntory to follow her Lost in Translation role, but decided to go for something a bit different from the norm, as she definately is. Balvenie 15yr old single cask, , delivering a surprise every time, just like Scarlet.

Kate Winslet -Now, I’ve met Kate, and I can tell you, she can command a room with her looks and personality. A strong woman with a funny, tender side she is quite the complete package. Again, there is an obvious link with the movies, and since its not been too long since the centenary of the Titanic sinking, it simply has to be a glass of single cask, Glenrothes Titanic limited edition. no ice of course!

I recently reviewed this dram and would like to think Kate would find a lot to enjoy in it.

Selma Blair- Associated with a sort of preppy geeky ness in most movies, and shooting to fame with “that kiss” in Cruel Intensions, Selma has only gone and grown up! her last role, in HellBoy II sees her smouldering with sexiness and brimming with confidence. Yet, you still cant help feel that she would be the perfect girl to take home to your parents and get approval. Still an American sweetheart. That’s why I chose the Glenlivet 18 to toast Selma, an all rounder and definitely the whisky which everyone can nod with approval for.

Eva Green- Well HELLO! Here comes trouble. Eva doesn’t smoulder, she is a full on inferno. Careful of those Medusa like eyes for they will turn you to jelly with a single look. Such a chameleon of character, but never quite able to shake off the sense of forbidding and danger, thank goodness! With her goddess like figure and dark sorceress image I can imagine conjuring imagine her sipping a Bowmore Tempest.

Stormy, dark, and mysterious. We salute you Eva.

Maggie Gyllenhaal- Oh Maggie, with those doe eyes and full lips beneath plump cheekbones, you are really spoiling us. It’s the voice also, could lull a tiger to sleep. Yet it’s not all about looks, this girl is razor sharp too, educated, cerebral and non-conformist she was renowned for picking out independent classy films to work in (ok, forget Batman).

So, which dram? Well, got to be independent, little known and as with Maggies surname, tricky to pronounce- BenRiach 18 it is then.

Kelly Brook – Ah Kelly, the English rose. Always smiling, always bubbly and thankfully not ended up part of the stick thin brigade…Kelly has curves like a woman should. She reminds me of a pin-up from the 50′s, when girls didn’t need to get naked to be sexy. OK, so she did playboy,page 3 and topped FHMs hot list, but we can forgive her right?

It also goes without saying that one English rose deserves another so we raise our glass of The English Whisky Chapter 6.

Juliette Lewis – Can you see a pattern forming here? Sultry dark eyed hell raisers? Juliette first caught our attention in Cape Fear, but it is her career since that seems to have suited her style best-Natural Born Killers, Kalifornia for example? plus her rock band Juliette and the Licks isn’t known for love ballads. Could have gone down the bourbon route again, maybe a spicy rye heavy version, but no.

This one was easy. For Juliette, it’s Compass Box Headonism.

Eva Mendes – really? I mean you really need an explanation! Despite her casting and looks, she was born in Miami to Cuban parents. Safe to say her early acting career wasn’t a trail blazer (mostly B movies) but she has become a household name after roles in Training Day and Once upon a time in Mexico.

Staying firmly on the Cuban theme, we opted for the Dalmore Cigar Malt and a fine Partagas no.4 cigar.

So there it is, the Dramatic Whisky list of our top ten women. It’s not complete, and will no doubt change again in a year or two, but at least we now know which bottle to reach for if ever they come round to the DW offices!

Oh, and Sienna, if your reading this, we still love you.

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Tag Archives: top

Master of Malt- That Boutique-y Whisky Company. Part 1

Clynelish- Batch 1

Springbank- Batch 1

Bunnahabhain- Batch 1

Deanston – Batch 1

Braes o’ Glenlivet – Batch 1

Balblair 1996 Travel Retail release

101 world Whiskies to try before you die- Ian Buxton

Top 10 Women and Whisky

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