Malt Mission 2011 #405

St. Isidore
Blended Scotch Whisky
41.4% abv
£50


I am sure if you are reading this then you are likely familiar with the back story, but...


Master of Malt, clever 21st century spirits merchants and genuinely lovely people, came up with the idea to get a group of bloggers to take part in creating a blended whisky. Simple as that, really. And thus the work-in-progress formerly known as THE BLOGGERS BLEND was born. 


Read Jason's backstory HERE.


TASTING NOTES:


Complex, deep and fruity with wood, wood smoke, and all the promise of the industrial revolution. 


Wow. Thick. Hearty. Real vanilla, spice and fruit again all swoddled in a blanket of fragrant wood smoke, finishing with a toasty, buttery and popcorn-y character and a resurgence of fruit, now more dried or even burnt. Lovely. 


SUMMARY:


Chewy and hearty with an Islay heart, not unlike a bowl of coal soup. While admittedly not the most elegant drop on the block, this beauty matches the complexity of some of the world's favourite malts, most premium blends, and reminds of the old-school blending stylings of mid-20th century Johnnie Walker Black and White Horse all for a fraction of the cost. What's more is that in the spirit of Christmas, all proceeds go to cover MoM's admirable investment in such a brilliant project. 


Think you could have done better? Now you can try to prove it. Master of Malt have assembled a Home Blending Kit fit for exactly what it says on the tin. 

Malt Mission #401

Malt Mission #402
Malt Mission #403
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Malt Mission 2011 #403

Johnnie Walker Swing
Blended Scotch Whisky
43% abv
£70

Another blend to start off the 400s on the malt mission.

Originally introduced as the iconic Johnnie Walker range's premium export brand, Johnnie Walker 'Swing' or 'Celebrity' was introduced way back in 1932 and was Alexander Walker II's last blend. Although this whisky was apparently made available in the UK from 1982, it isn't a whisky we see much of on these shores. In fact, the world renowned Red Label is at least as absent from the home market having left the UK in 1977 following DCLs need to comply with EEC competition rules.

I look forward to an email from Dr. Morgan correcting at least half of the above. Thank you in advance.

For all Johnnie Walker had on the mission, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Coal smoke and candied lemon, green herbal (Glenlossie?) and tangerine (Glen Elgin?) notes with a hint of sulphury sherry adding a welcome weight.

Great texture, big and bold with vegetable sweetness from quality aged grain, vanilla and orange before turning drying with clay, treacly for balance, and arriving at a lasting smoky finish.

SUMMARY:

Jim Murray called it "a different breed to the other Walker blends" in Classic Blended Scotch (1999) but to my mouth twelve years later, this is a very JW house style blend, with a bit of swagger and umph at its heart.

Malt Mission #401
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Malt Mission 2011 #402

Scotch Blue

Blended Scotch Whisky

40% abv

??? WON

Scotch Blue calls itself "the #1 selling blended Scotch whisky in Korea" (it isn't) and was launched in 1997 by drinks giant Lotte Chilsung. It has 17 and 21yo versions very much targeting the more premium Ballantines expressions and local market leader, Windsor 17.

Scotch whisky was the biggest South Korean import from the UK in 2010 with the local brands dominating the market: Diageo's Windsor, Pernod's Imperial Classic and Lotte's Scotch Blue. As expected, Macallan and Glenfiddich dominate the malts but what is most fascinating for me is that Scotch Whisky as a category accounts for more than 90% of the spirits market in S. Korea.

When the South Korean government changed their tax policy on imported alcohol earlier this year, the whisky industry, especially those looking for an opportunity for malts to expand, had a party in their pants. Said Whisky Magazine's Rob Allanson, "South Korea is already the sixth largest export market in the world for Scotch by value and the ninth by volume, so we see this as having a fairly significant benefit to the whisky industry."

TASTING NOTES:

Waxy and buttery the way only PET packed whisky can be. Grape juice sweetness and pleather Michael Jackson Beat It-era jackets. Sweet, simple, and welcoming.

Buttery again, rounded. Garibaldi biscuits, raisin sweetness offset by a lemony zest. Chewy and perfectly quaffable.

SUMMARY:

Shocked. Utterly shocked. Probably lovely with tons of ice.

Malt Mission #401
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Malt Mission 2011 #401

Great King Street
Compass Box Whisky Co.
Blended Scotch Whisky
43% abv

£25

Blended whisky is the main volume driver of the scotch whisky industry but still carries a stigma that has proven challenging to shake. The history of blended whisky is the history of the Scotch whisky industry as a whole (see my Bullocks to Blends post from 2008) and for over a century some of these whiskies have been the strongest brands in the world. 

For ten years, John Glaser has been insisting that it is time for the world to take a fresh look at this style, "and that is why we have created Great King Street." The bottle clearly states a few keynotes of their malty manifesto in a Georgian press-style look and feel with terms like "artist", "non-chill filtered" and "natural colour" all making an appearance. The tube quotes Aeneas MacDonald's assessment of the styles of whiskies that appeal by geography, pointing to the central role for blended whiskies on a global level 80 years ago. 

The ambitious ideology is laid out on the website: "More than just a new brand, Great King Street is a mission, a mission dedicated to reviving interest in one style of whisky only: Blended Scotch Whisky. This is the style of Scotch whisky that combines flavourful single malt whiskies with delicate, elegant single grain whiskies."

From the press release, "This is more than a brand; it’s a mission. A mission to get people – all people - to take a fresh look at Blended Scotch; to join in the Rebirth of the Blend: in how Blends are made, how they are viewed, how they are consumed.” – John Glaser, Whiskymaker

So the tube tells us Great King Street is "The rebirth of the blend." Ambitious. Today, blended whisky is a price-driven category in most markets globally, as Compass Box is no doubt aware. So if they see a "rebirth", the labour is due to be a very long a drawn out process for John and his Compass Box team. TAKE THE EPIDURAL!

For all Compass Box had on the mission, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Fresh pastry, juniper and lemon. Youthful and assertive.

Spirity, tart apples, and pencil shavings. There is a mineral note throughout with a gristy, malty, new-make-y zing. 

SUMMARY:

Meh.

I hate that this is happening. I tasted and tasted again over several days (hard work, yes), but I do not share the exaggerated enthusiasm for this whisky that so many of my friends and peers have shown. It isn't just that the flavour of Great King Street falls flat for me, its also the "house" context; every previous release from Compass Box I have really liked or even, on a few occasions, absolutely LOVED.

What makes it especially hard is that I deeply respect all that CB has done for whisky blending as a esoteric category within an esoteric category, building consumer understanding of the idea that blends are NOT poor cousins to malts, older isn't better, dark colour is not a sign of quality, etc. And it's why the literature around this release puzzles me so greatly. By propagating the myth that high malt content equals higher quality blended whisky not only does it seem that they undermine their mission to have respect reborn for the blend, but it seems to go against what I think CB has been about for a decade. 

And if this is for mixing into cocktails, how does it rejuvenate the blend? Could gin or vodka do the job? If it is for rocks, then I also don't get it as for me it gets even more gin-like with juniper and spice essences of enhanced grain spirit and less like whisky with ice. Have not yet tried as highball (with soda water).

Finally, at £50 a litre, I would go home with a bottle of Johnnie Black and a Grouse. Or Black Bottle. Or Grant's. Or, indeed, Compass Box Asyla.

Malt Mission #400

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Malt Mission 2011 #400

Johnnie Walker 15yo, Kilmarnock 400

Blended Scotch Whisky

43% abv

£800

Labelled as "Old Scotch Whisky" with a 15yo age statement, this extremely rare drop from the house that Johnnie built is perfectly suited to mark this whisky blog's landmark tasting #400. This whole journey began with Johnnie Walker Black Label over four years ago, alone at a desk/dining table in a cozy flat in North London.

Today the journey continues in ways I would never have imagined. I am back in London, but living in the opposite corner. I have two wee girls, who think nothing of daddy sticking his nose weird shaped glasses. I am one of the lucky few who gets to do work with something I love, with people I am passionate about, I get to say that what I do is who I am, and I am am very grateful to many, many people. I have never stopped being thankful, and a few lists can be found in the annals of this whisky blog. HERE and HERE are just two examples. The list has grown a great deal since then, and continues to grow. THANK YOU!

This bottling has a gold label, but is just 15 years old as opposed to the standard current gold release which is 18 years old. The Johnnie Walker hierarchy goes Red, Black, Green (malt), Gold, Blue, George V, The John Walker, Life, The Universe, and Everything.

For all Johnnie Walker enjoyed on the malt mission, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Lures you in deep, sweet tobacco, stewed apples and honey, with a delicate floral prefumerie blowing across the surface.

On the palate the liquid skirts across the tongue, communicating quaffability with rich flavours of more tobacco, mellow and sweet smoke, vanilla wafers, plums, marmalade, and a touch of cardboardy woodiness to close.

SUMMARY:

Rare juice, but demands persistent sipping and refilling, and sipping again. Very much in the Walker house style, with an added spray of lavender perfume to distinguish it from some of its housemates. Big thanks to DM for sharing.

Malt Mission #396
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Malt Mission #399

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The Master of Malt Bloggers Blend

In the 21th century, where having a whisky blog can get you friends in 7 continents, samples in the post, interviewed for "real" publications, on a judging panel, or even lead to a job in the whisky industry (!), you wouldn't be on crack if you decided to start one yourself. And I can observe that the world wide whisk-e-verse has exploded since I began in 2006, when Dr. Whisky had only 4 English language "blogs" to link to and NONE that offered what I thought I could share: a dram a day, distillery descriptions, stories from books I had trawled, distilleries I had visited, and people I had met, an international persepctive, irrational and heated opinions, and of course some colourful tasting notes. Today, after some deletion and MANY additions, there are nearly 25 times as many links on my "Get informed by others" sidebar as there was when this Malt Mission began January 1, 2007. Of course, all of the others involved in this project are listed among many other amazing online resources. The world of whisky is the warmest community I am fortunate to be part of outside of a Saturday morning in bed with my wife and daughter, and if you are reading this, I raise a glass to you for loving Scotland's greatest gift to the world.

As a very 21st century retailer, Master of Malt invited 10 leading blogs to participate in creating their own blends by sending them kits of the constituent liquids, beakers, pipettes, and an excel doc for recording recipes.

Recipes were submitted, blends assembled to spec and then offered up as a sample pack on the MoM website for £30. With the purchase, of course, came the responsibility to vote on your favourites by assigning them 1st place to 10th place. The kits are now completely sold out.

In creating my recipe, I trialled 10 vattings and let them marry for many days in bottle before re-sampling and deciding which one to submit. And it was a hard decision! Depending on the percentages of each part (highland, grain, old grain, old highland, etc.), the value/cost of the liquid would change, so we each had to weigh between whether to make a blend built around desired cost or to make a blend based on taste. Somewhere in between? When deciding which to submit I was torn. Do I go with the cheap and cheerful blend? The expensive one? The quaffable one? The smoky demon? The sweet grainy one? The one I could spread on toast?

Likewise, selecting a favourite of all the submitted blends was a real challenge and a reminder of how with the flavour palate a commercial blender has at their disposal, the room for variation, and indeed, error, is vast. So creating a good, consistent blend is a skill for which I continue to have the utmost respect and that art and skill is, after all, what allows the whisky world to be what it is today.

Others involved have reported their experiences (Whisky For Everyone for example). Did you buy one? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the whole thing.

Whatever the result, all the blends were highly drinkable with a few being truly stellar, and while each blender deserves kudos, the good people at Master of Malt deserve respect for not just dreaming up, but for actually executing such a project. Nice work, and until the results are announced and I press "confirm order", cheers!

Malt Mission 2010 #391

Danny Boy
Blended Irish Whiskey
40% abv
£20
$24.99 (USD)

My years in the US taught me many things, but in the world of whiskey it was a true eye-opener to see the sheer volume of Irish whiskey that America throws down its throat. From only four distilleries operating in Ireland (Bushmills, Cooley, Midleton/Jameson, and the recently re-opened Kilbeggan distillery), at least ten times as many labels are currently out there in the market.

This is just one of many brands one finds on the shelves and in this case, it comes from Cooley distillery, makers of Kilbeggan, Tyrconnel, Locke's, and Connemara whiskies.

This growing segment of the world of whisk(e)y has, to date, received only a small fraction of the ink spilled on its Scottish cousins even though as little as a century ago it outperformed Scotch globally. Back in 1994, Jim Murray wrote The Irish Whiskey Almanac, and a few years later Classic Irish Whiskey but since then the topic has generally been relegated to a chapter in books covering Scotch AND Irish whiskies or world whiskies, like Murray's own World Whiskey Guide (2002).

While the world wide intraweave has literally over one hundred English language Scotch whisky blogs, there are currently only a handful of dedicated Irish ones. The folks at Irish Whiskey Chaser provide a useful links page for the Irish whisky drinker/researcher.

The future seems bright for Irish whiskey. With annually increasing sales as a category, increasing variety of flavour (pot still grain, pot still malt, column still, peated, wine casks, etc.) and with apparent reinvestment from all corners of the industry, not least of all William Grant & Sons purchase of Tullamore Dew with an apparent clear intent on building a distillery in Ireland, Irish whiskey is on a path to regain a good chunk of what it lost back in the 1920s.

Goodness knows they could use it right now. So go grab a bottle of Irish. In fact, while you're at it grab some sherry; they say Spain could be next.

Tasting in "the valley hushed and white with snow"...

TASTING NOTES:

Pencil shavings and sweet, vanilla-accented spirit.

Toasty and nutty oak impressions, new make grain sweetness, and some sweet strawberry jam in there, too.

SUMMARY:

Really, very much as expected. Young, simple, innoffensive verging on bland but entirely enjoyable whiskey. The website tells us the whiskey is "just like the famous and much loved melody." Perhaps... if sung by your half passed-out uncle.

Malt Mission #390
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Malt Mission 2010 #390

The John Walker

Blended Scotch Whisky

43% abv

£2000

Watched a great piece on Bloomberg late last night, as the wee'un refused to pass out before 1am, about the creation and rise of Google. The relevance of this relates directly to this post as my engagement with this whisky called attention to the complete superiority of Google as a search engine.

Using Google to search "The John Walker" the top results related to the whisky and also brought up relevant images and video. Bing apparently hates whisky and the first TEN results had only to do with the (amazing) Walker Brothers, some English jewleller, and a German Studies professor at Birkbeck. The videos and images were equally unrelated. Sure, sticking " " around the term, like we used to do back in 2002, got me the results I wanted, but c'mon.

If "don't be evil" really had any meaning they would spend more time (and money) creating ways to share information OTHER than personal information with advertisers and researchers and thinkers and hackers (like Wikipedia, which incidentally NEEDS your support) But Bing just confused me and got me downloading new music and online lectures.

Moving on, as I have nothing too clever to say as I lie here quietly typing between a sleeping wife and a sleeping baby...

In a conversation with friends and whisky lovers the other night, the idea emerged of whether companies could release their fancy-bottle whiskies alongside plain package versions with the appropriate price difference. The topic is relevant in the case of this beautiful £2000 bottle, which, in the press release, spends nearly every word in and around describing the luxury, workmanship and eleven layers of lacquer with only two lines relating to the liquid itself.

That being said, and perfume bottle comparisons aside, I think the pack is beautiful. Disctinctively Johnnie, bold, confident and stylish. Would I buy it? No. Would I drink it? Oh hell yes.

The John Walker was created out of a desire to have a "top shelf" Johnnie Walker along the lines of Louis XIII from Remy Martin, Ambassador Jonathan Driver informed us at the Coburg Bar in London. With such an aim, the liquid had to be gold and Jim Beveridge, Master Blender of Johnnie Walker, was given the enviable task to "go away and make a technically brilliant blend."

Pulling from grain distilleries like Cambus, malts like Cardhu, Glen Albyn, and Talisker, the whisky uses the full stable of whiskies available to a Diageo nose. It isn't made up of a bunch of old whiskies, or just rare closed ones, rather it is a wide spread of styles and ages to create something different and exquisite. Jonathan spoke of "breaking conventions by knowing traditions", and there is no doubt that the nose behind it all has the chops for the task. And really, that is what blending is all about.

TASTING NOTES:

Accumulative, growing and developing with each whiff, floral, fresh and outdoorsy with chamomile and sweet grass, coffee, brown sugar, complex and alluring. Citrus and smoke appear, with more aromatic sweetness. Something new with each nosing.

Licorice, honey, more chamomile and coffee, mocha, a distinctly resiny character balanced by a beautiful melon freshness. Elegant and layered with richness.

SUMMARY:

As cynical as a whisky geek can tend to be, this was really quite wonderful and I can only hope that the folks shelling out the dough for this stuff appreciate the provenance, the history, the quality casks and the blending skill that went into making it. To make up for those who don't, I seriously advise those who DO give a shit to find a drop of this and taste it. It is a remarkable blend.

Malt Misson #386
Malt Mission #387
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Malt Mission 2010 #389

Johnnie Walker Blue Label
King George V
Blended Scotch Whisky
43% abv
£360
$480 (USD)

The last malt mission was posted at the height of another season altogether; tonight I have traded shorts and sandals for a thick wool jumper and cozy slippers to compose two posts from my wee cottage in the Scottish Highlands. Yes, I am back on the island to stay.

And I couldn't be happier. Arrived on the day of the incredible Whisky Show, reconnected with friends, spent days relishing each sip of the perfectly tempered cask ales I missed so much, and was fortunate enough to be invited to enjoy a few drops of (arguably) the world's finest blended scotch whiskies at the Coburg Bar at the Connaught in London.

In a quiet, candlelit corner of the bar, Ambassador Jonathan Driver shared the liquid histories of three different Johnnie Walkers: Blue, King George V, and The John Walker (Malt Mission #390). The intimate setting and warm environment was ideal for careful dramming and Jonathan's knowledge, sincerity and charm resonated with each small group lucky enough to join him.

He explained that this whisky was inspired by the desire to have a "late night" alternative to Johnnie Walker Blue, to create something flavourwise that was more luxurious than robust. The press release informs us that the whisky was created to celebrate the first Royal Warrant granted to John Walker and Sons Ltd to supply Scotch whisky to the British Royal Household in 1934 and also says some rubbish about luxury and how the whisky is geared for "power players."

Jonathan was not afraid to discuss the liquid in depth, not that we gave him any choice. It emerged that this whisky was created from rare stock from nine of the Scottish distilleries that operated during the days of Johnnie Walker himself, including the much loved, but lost distillery, Port Ellen. These same facts also mean, we were told, that KGV will only be able to maintain its recipe for 6-7 years.

For more on the House of Walker and for all Johnnie Walker had on the mission, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Fruit-forward with grapes, candy orange, raisins and banana chips. Solid woody impressions, and then the expected, deep and tarry smoke delivered gently. Overall restrained, tight and bright, and politely asking for a drop of water.

Wood and oak-extractives on the palate, vanilla, tannins, all rather intense and hitting my palate with pins and needles. Again, water needed.

SUMMARY:

A very rich drop with woody whisky in the mix and a muddy road of peat through its core, I was given the impression that this whisky was, perhaps, blended to be enjoyed with ice. A shame, some may say, but in this case a mute will not hurt the instrument, it will just gently restrain the timbre while leaving the melody itself sufficiently expressive.

Malt Misson #386
Malt Mission #387
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Malt Mission 2009 #351

Islay Mist
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£16
$22 (USD)

Here begins a string of Islay whiskies to be tasted here on the malt mission and as "good cheap whisky" (and variations) is currently the most popular search bringing folks to Dr. Whisky, I figured I would start with a good, cheap whisky.

I sat at my laptop for a stretch of time this afternoon just looking over blogs and e-publications' responses to whisky events and/or tastings I have done for work in the past few months. Thank you all for you kind words and support of our family company.

Then, as I sat at a friend's book reading thinking, "I am laughing, I am feeling his words, I understand what he is saying", it occurred to me that as genius as I thought his short story was, I will not remember it accurately nor will I ever really KNOW what he was saying.

This impasse, I thought, is similar to that which lies between me presenting a Scotch 101/5-dram tasting and some blogger/writer/journalist/podcaster/chef attendee later responding to it with lines like "the peatiest barrels are the sherry ones" and "Japanese Scotch is increasingly popular." I did not directly convey these fallacies but I have no doubt that the attendee heard them.

Then I thought, if I feel this communication breakdown THERE then it must exist HERE, between what I have been taught/told/shown/tasted and what I know/think/observe/opine.

So a few minutes ago I pointed and clicked through a few whisky websites in my browser and realised/reaffirmed/noted that all these representations are spoiled by our pea-brained human influence that 100 Ian Buxtons, a vibrant Whiskypedia, and a reborn Michael Jackson could never remedy.

And then, just two seconds ago I sipped a single cask Bunnahabhain (thank you, BK) and thought of .... nothing

And I understood.

Islay Mist from MacDuff International is comprised of Laphroaig, some Speyside and Highland malts whiskies, along with some grain whisky. I used to buy a lot of this when I lived in Edinburgh.

TASTING NOTES:

Seaweed and key lime pie. Shortbread, shaving cream, and salt water. Good grain presence, too, adding backbone.

Malty, smoky, salty like black olives, luscious vanilla sweetness pressed hard against peat smoke.

SUMMARY:

Could drink this in large, satisfying sips. Very well constructed. The good malt presence adds a chewiness and depth that along with the clear medicinal Islay influence makes this a really satisfying dram with a distinct peaty tang. Great value for that Islay urge.

Malt Mission #350

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Malt Mission 2009 #346

Grant's 12yo
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£15
$24 (USD)

WhiskyLIVE NYC is tonight (Monday March 30, 2009) at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers (23rd at the Hudson River). See you there?

Another blend from the Grant family and the industry's longest serving and most highly awarded Master Blender, David Stewart. Most recently he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from Whisky Magazine's Icons of Whisky 2009 for his 46 years with family distillers William Grant and Sons, where he was responsible for leading the team that won three consecutive Distiller of the Year awards for his work with Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, and Grant's blended whiskies.

An apprentice at the distillery for twelve (12!) years, David has always taken his responsibility very seriously, but that has never hindered his creativity. Always the innovator, David is a pioneer being the first to mature a whisky in two successive woods (essentially commericalising 'finishing') with The Balvenie Classic and its contemporary version, The Balevnie 12yo DoubleWood, using the Solera vatting system for Glenfiddich 15yo, and for using rum casks to mature single malt (Glenfiddich 21yo and The Balvenie 17yo Rum Cask). Now, Brian Kinsman(see pic, the guy on the left), David's apprenctice of nearly a decade, prepares to take the reigns, but there are no signs that David is in a rush to go anywhere and will certainly have his modest and talented hands at work with William Grant & Sons for many years to come.

The Grant's website says that this bottling is finished in "virgin bourbon casks" which is confusing because a virgin cask would imply that it was "new wood" and a bourbon cask would imply that it already held bourbon. So, what's going on? Whatever the story, this whisky won a World Whisky Award for Best Blended Whisky (12yo and under) last year and is part of the line that has undergone a slick repack/redesign without losing any of the trademark design features (crest label, "Stand Fast", or bottle shape)

Challenging to get pricing in pounds sterling or US dollars because this puppy is not sold in either market. Yet.

For all Grant's had on the mission and for more blend history, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Grainy and sweet, big vanilla, almond butter, and stewed carrots. Pistachio nuts, salt, and honey mix in an unresolved union.

Wow, quite smoky and nutty off the top. Sherry sweetness makes a brief appearance with some plums and raisins and then oak and smoke round off the experience. Great movement. Long and smoky finish.

SUMMARY:

A whisky for drinking rather than nosing. And boy, did I not expect the smoke on the palate. But I was quite pleased by it and need to try this on the rocks. Tonight maybe? Okay.

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Malt Mission 2009 #335

Crazy Glen 1976
Highland (Blended) Malt Scotch Whisky
43% abv
$¢£ PRICE UNKNOWN

The bottle has a fantastic image of a wild-eyed horse and proudly states "Over 5 Years Old". Ah, what a surefire promise of quality.

Crazy Glen was featured in our crazy whisky bar at our crazy Canadian Norwegian Jewish Scottish Burns Night Wedding in London last month and was one of the few bottles completely drained (and, from what I understand, dumped into a trashcan in Hyde Park) by the end of the night. There can be no better whisky review than that, really. Nonetheless...

TASTING NOTES:

Waxy and full of apricot sweetness, and some leather. Clementines and shortbread, vanilla, apples, and still some leathery element. Shockingly complex and very pleasant.

Big wave of vanilla and lemons, buttery oak and a touch of smoke. Finish offers the first hints that the bottle might have been sitting around for over nearly 30 years with plastic or a dusty wrapping-paper drawer smell. Still, very full-flavoured and satisfying.

SUMMARY:

Overall, a crazy surprise that I am only too glad I managed to win at www.whiskyauction.com almost two years ago. An old-school, highland style whisky rarely found these days, especially at such a ripe young age. Perhaps whisky DOES mature in the bottle as a recent article in Malt Advocate First Quarter 2009 suggests...

Malt Mission #331
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Malt Mission 2009 #333

Ballantine's 17yo
Blended Scotch Whisky
43% abv
£45
$100 (USD)

Happy Ballantine's Day!

Have received some very sweet emails of encouragement in Dr. Whisky's absence (hasn't been a post here since Jan 19!), so I thank you all. I promise to try some interesting drops in the coming days and share them with you and hope it makes up for my lack of consistent posting.

So I come back with a bottle poured at our wedding whisky bar, a blend from a company that has re-focused their approach to market in the wake of diminishing sales in recent years. I have posted in the past about how much I enjoy this family of blends and wish them the best of luck in the complicated blended whisky market that single malt nerdom and a splash of economic downturn has created. Since the late fifties when this whisky was #1 in the USA, Ballantine's has slipped position and focused more in Europe and the Far East. It has always been held in high regard by the Dr., especially at mature ages.

For all Ballantine's had on the mission, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Fresh and appetising. Red plums and apples, vanilla and white wine. Chestnuts over a mineral note, salt and a touch of soot.

Starts with a gentle puff of smoke followed by a rich and creamy mid-palate with raspberries and vanilla yogurt. Spices emerge and each sip becomes a wondefully well-integrated mouthful of whisky happiness. Really hitting the spot for me today.

SUMMARY:

With a touch of alcohol prickle in the nose, time in the glass or a generous cut of water really opens this puppy up where a fresh fruitiness intermingles with earthy coastal elements. The palate only delivers more of the latter in the lead with a creamy baked fruit complexity making this blend so enjoyable. Cinnamon and burnt sugar add a dessert element that gives final evidence of the quality of blending at the world's #3 blending house.

Malt Mission #331
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Malt Mission 2008 #325

Grant's 18yo
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£ $ ? can't find a price

The last in a series of blended whiskies I have been running on Dr. Whisky and I have been reassured that blends do not deserve the bad reputation they currently have. Folks who know Dr. Whisky know that he loves blends, their flavour, diversity, and history. Sure, the hundreds of 3 year old no age statement blends branded as Clan ____ and Glen _____ and Royal _____ have tarnished this reputation, but I hope the past few posts have redeemed the category for readers. A blend is often bad, but that is not the nature of the beast. It cannot be said that blends are worse than single malts. As I have said before, the best whiskies I have tried have probably been single malts, but the WORST whiskies I have tried had definitely been single malts. This Grant's Rare Old 18yo is finished in port casks, sort of a marrying period for the blend.

When Pattison's blending house went bankrupt in 1898 it brought down many distilleries and distilling companies with it. The "Pattison Crash" as it came to be known (see THIS for all Dr. Whisky posts that mention this monumental moment in whisky history) left many expecting the end of the whisky industry. William Grant saw an opportunity. He had built to distilleries at that point, Glenfiddich ain 1887 and Balvenie in 1892, and by the end of the century has had started his own blending house and grew into exporting with the help of his son and son-in-law, John and Charles. Charles, famously determined, made his first sale after 181 calls; his second after his 503rd. Meanwhile, John began exporting to The Hudson Bay Company of Canada. Today, Grant's blended whisky is sold in over 180 countries but this particular marque is really hard to find. Unfortunately.

For more info on William Grant and Sons and their whiskies enjoyed thus far on the mission, click HERE.

Thanks to the WG&S folks for getting this for me and to JB for travelling to the US with it.

TASTING NOTES:

Grain whisky leads with a sweet breadiness, vanilla wafers, and a deep and provocative oakiness. The malt whiskies are heavy, oily, salty, very Highland in style (Scapa, Dalmore, Clynelish, even Cragganmore from Speyside) and some papaya or tropical fruitiness that lifts the malt density. Meringue, bubblegum, suntan lotion, damp cutting boards, metal like guitar strings, toffee, lime... the aroma is among the most complex I have encountered.

Whoa, different direction. Malt leads with more of an Islay oiliness now, smoke and tar, prunes, woody and aged. Chewy and full, like decadent chocolate brownies, slightly savage and satisfying like grabbing the ass of someone you love and have longed for. Incredibly long oaky finish with heavy grain notes like rye bread, tobacco smoke, and the freshness of cedar. Flavours linger. And linger.

SUMMARY:

Years ago, Dave Broom wrote the following words about this dram, "So thick and honeyed you could paint it on your lover's body." Brilliant note, and not wholly inaccurate. This is a delicious drop rich with complexity and, as DB implies, sensually smooth.

Avoid ice. I feel the need to say this as the few countries lucky enough to have this bottling in their markets probably drink all Scotch on the rocks or in mizuwari. AVOID ICE. This is blending that should be celebrated and appreciated as a constant reminder that this incredible art, this incalculable skill, is what initially brought the world of whisky to a world of whisky drinkers. We are still here, if you'll have us... we bow in your presence.

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Malt Mission 2008 #324

Buchanan's 18yo
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
$80 (USD)

Usually the question is "how much is this whisky?" or "how much is that whisky here?", but in the case of Buchanan's 18yo, the question in my experience has been "WHERE is this whisky?" Upon moving from the UK to America I learned that on the back of the latin population's love of Buchanan's in many of their home countries in South America, we get the good fortune of its presence in the USA. And the people rejoiced.

For more on James Buchanan and to see all whiskies in this family of blends had on the mission, click HERE. Now if I could just get my hands on some of that Red Seal.

TASTING NOTES:

Sweet and fleshy like a baby's skin. Lots of tropical fruit like mangos and an aromatic earthiness that is sweet like tobacco but dirty like mud. Creamy, evocative and provocative.

Luscious and creamy, peat and burnt sugar, toast and honey, bananas, stewed carrots, and brown rice. Wonderful balance and very hard to resist refilling the glass.

SUMMARY:

A perfectly round ball of flavour that is neither too much this nor too much that but ticks all boxes of sweet, sour, salty, and smoky. Upon reflection, my favourite element is the outright lack of overt oakiness until way late in the finish when old perfumy grandfather clock woodiness makes an appearance.

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Malt Mission 2008 #323

Johnnie Walker Gold 18yo
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£52.99
$99.95(CAD)
$75 (USD)

The last of the Johnnie Walker colour hierarchy for me to taste formally on the mission. I promise the delay was not intentional as I had plenty of opportunities to drink the stuff (and man, did I), but not until very recently did I have the chance to taste it in the controlled environment of Dr. Whisky's lab in the controlled method of the Malt Mission.

I do find it hilarious to see new (and old, for that matter) whisky websites tasting and rating whiskies they tried at a distillery, or outside at Feis Isle, after 3 glasses of wine at their uncle's place for dinner, or after 15 other malts at DrunkFEST Chicago, or... Not exactly fair, nor representative of the true flavours of the whisky. Sure, no matter how or when you drink the stuff your impressions will be wholly subjective and by no means absolute (hate to disappoint some of you aspiring MJs and misguided JMs), but at least attempt to have some semblance of control otherwise your authority is nullified immediately and your notes are of no use to anyone but yourself. Maltsterbating, I suppose. By this I mean that WHEN and IN WHAT TYPE OF GLASS are probably the only elements of tasting, of being impressed upon by a malt whisky, that you can control. Without some consistency in the tasting ritual, ESPECIALLY if you are going to have the arrogance to criticise and rate and give scores, you are doing nothing more than jerking off into the toilet. Useless.

Some surfing alerted me to the presence of much misinformation about Johnnie Walker Gold so let me verify that this is a BLENDED whisky: it is made up of 15 or more single malt whiskies mixed with grain whiskies. This does not make it "better" or "worse", it is just different than a single malt or a blended malt whisky. Although the Walker's were grocers in Kilmarnock from 1820, it was in the 1850s that they became whisky blenders and today the name Johnny Walker is synonomous with quality blended Scotch whisky.

For more info and for all Johnnie Walker's had on the mission, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Spicy, sweet, winey, and smoky. Red grapes and orange oil, honey and malt, some licorice and stewed cloves. Lots going on in a really co-dependent style.

Soft but full flavours flow across the tongue with sweet smokiness, honey, and some mango and papaya. Gentle but immensely rich.

SUMMARY:

Talisker elements of smoke, salt and pepper, creamy and honeyed elements of Clynelish, with plenty of speyside fruitiness like Linkwood and/or Glen Elgin. Really delicious, harmonious, and classy blending.

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Malt Mission 2008 #322

Cutty Sark 15yo
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£30
$71.35 (CAD)

Like many age statement blends, Cutty Sark 15 year old is a whisky that certainly has a higher profile and availability in certain niche markets than in others. Whisky nerds like Maltakias have probably seen this ad before.

For more history on the brand and to see all Cutty Sarks had on the Malt Mission, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Incredibly apple-y. Apple crisp, brown sugar, cinnamon. Creamy, sweet, and spicy.

Super smooth, pleasant and juicy with apples, dry white wine, and maple syrup. Sticky with oak and generally juicy sweet.

SUMMARY:

Yum! An absolutely delicious Speyside-style blend with only the faintest smoke to whisk through the orchards of flavour.

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Malt Mission 2008 #321

Black and White
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£15
$24 (USD)
$27.95 (CAD)

Been a while since Dr. Whisky has had a blended whisky week here on the mission, so let's start one now. Absurd that I keep measuring in weeks of five malt missions considering I have rarely posted more than twice per week since June 2008. Whatever. The formula works.

In the mid 1880s, James Buchanan started a London blending business selling whisky in distinctive black bottles with white labels. The official name was The Buchanan Blend of Fine Old Scotch Whiskies and was eventually popularised by the name his customers had given it, Black & White. The brand name Black & White was registered in 1905 and the famous coupling of a white west highland terrier and black Scottish terrier began being used to advertise the product. Over the next decade the blend found its way into homes, bars, clubs, and theatres and became the exclusive supplier to the House of Commons.

Buchanan built Glentauchers distillery (with W.P. Lowrie) to ensure a supply of good malt for the blend. Dalwhinnie has traditionally been a constituent part over the years as well and Buchanan at oen time owned now closed distilleries Convalmore and Port Ellen. The brand joined with Dewars before joining with John Walker and Sons and then Distillers Company Limited (DCL), a partnership known at the time as "The Big Amalgamation."

Today, Black and White still sells well in mainly export markets (although it was recently reintroduced to the UK market) and is affectionately remembered for its clever adverts and marketing items, most of which are highly treasured by collectors. The LCBO website indicates "PRODUCT DISCONTINUED". With this old reliable blend gone from LCBO shelves, I wonder what Companion of the Quaich-er Michael Riley will put in its place? So much for CanCon, too... James Buchanan was born in Ontario in 1849.

TASTING NOTES:

Soft and vanilla-ed like ice cream, the kind where "cream" actually appears in the ingredients. Unripe kiwis, light citrus, and a little celery salt.

Immediately sweet, and slightly smoky, salty even, then a bit souring, some pepper and oak.

SUMMARY:

Definitive standard blend. Predominantly sweet without much else to compete. Balanced, simple, and generally innoffensive.

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Malt Mission 2008 #316

Compass Box Asyla
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£24.99
$40 (USD)

This is the first and only blended whisky from whisky creator and all-round admirable guy John Glaser and Compass Box. It also marks the last marque in his range that has not yet been on the mission (if we include the Cantos as a single "expression"). Oh damn... execpt for Orangerie... which I see has just been re-released!!! Woo hoo!

The name Asyla is beautiful and evokes the problematic notion of finding refuge in a bottle, perhaps inappropriate to some, but for others an idea that resonates with the definition of institutions "for the protection or relief of some class of destitute, unfortunate, or afflicted persons." Anyone feel a little unfortunate these days? Smile! Life is wonderful SO FIND THE WONDER!!! I promise it is there in the company of your friends and family, the smiles of the children around you, in your own resourcefulness and creativity, and, yes, in delicious and beautifully crafted scotch whisky, in spite of what some haphazardly composed "satircal prose" might tell you.

This whisky is made up of single malts (Linkwood, Glen Elgin, Teaninich) and grain whisky (Cameron Bridge) 100% matured in first fill (ex-bourbon) American oak barrels. Awards have been draped upon this whisky since its inception.

For all Compass Box had on the Malt Mission, click HERE.

with Ran and Matt.

TASTING NOTES:

Baked goods, light and clean, wood treatment/laquer, orange furniture polish thing that mums use. "A little bit grassy"-MH, "yeah, hay"-Ran.

Much fuller on palate than nose, but soft. Malty with some citrus. Hazelnuts, All-Bran. "Quite a nice, smooth aftertaste."-RM

SUMMARY:

Grows on you, "more than it ever seems it will be." Tight bordering on flat, but quite full and smooth, rich and sweet. Good hillwalking summer dram and the front line redeemer of a whole category of scotch whisky.

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Malt Mission 2008 #296

Robbie Dhu 12 yo
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£ no idea $

As we approach the landmark of Malt Mission #300, we also get closer to a big change in our lives. More on that tomorrow.

Named after the water source of Glenfiddich distillery, this blended whisky is not often seen anymore. As far as I am aware this is a discontinued blend from William Grant and Sons although it is still available in some Latin markets (South American, Spain).

TASTING NOTES:

Soft and floral with some chewy, dense vanilla and a touch of smoke.

Malty, smoky, sweet and vegetal like potatoes and cooked turnips. Turns drier and more salty but overall very soft and easy. Dry, oaky finish.

SUMMARY:

Great blend of characteristics from across the wide world of whisky, all well-bound together.

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