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Cambus 31yo
Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Cadenhead's Authentic Collection
53.2% abv
£price unknown$
Tasted this at the same pub as Malt Mission #272 and I want to talk about Cadenheads cuz they deserve it, or Cambus cuz it is a closed grain distillery, but I have to stay topical while I can.
Blended whisky, Blended Malt, Single Malt, Blended Grain, Single Grain; these are the new terms that will define all types of Scotch whisky as proposed by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).
Although folks have been disputing the wisdom of this decision (I have linked other views in past posts, but see THIS recent article...note: the pic in article is NOT Mark Reynier), it must be accepted that this is a decision made by a group of people that represent many different companies (William Grant and Sons, Pernod Ricard, Inver House Distillers, Burn Stewart, Edrington Group, Ian Macleod Distillers, Diageo, etc.) representing over 97% of Scotch whisky concerns. But what of the protesters, independent craftspeople on the sidelines who are not SWA members? I am talking about Spencerfield Whisky Co., Compass Box and Bruchladdich. Of course they are angry about being instructed what to do by what they see as the big corporate arms of the industry. And despite their personal interest in the issue, don't they have a point in questioning the motives of the SWA, or at least a right to protest?
Whisky is an product of discovery and exploration. There will always be customers that have questions in spite of labelling. That is the nature of this product and the customer's malt mission in the exploration of this varied and exciting drink will always unveil new unknowns, new mysteries. This is why excellent shops like Royal Mile Whiskies (rapidly becoming Royal Mile Rums), The Whisky Exchange, Loch Fyne Whiskies, Whisky Castle, etc., are so vital to the nurturing of the malt explorer. Real relationships of information exchange at such shops, and at this website if you don't mind me saying so, assist thousands on their roads of dram discovery.
BUT, these new terms are not being proposed for the benefit of these whisky buyers. Do those people really not know what vatted means? The new classification system is geared towards those with little interest in travelling too far into the world of whisky but who are affluent or part of an emerging middle class with a desire to spend money on luxury goods from brands they recognise: Chivas, Johnnie Walker, Glenfiddich, etc. But these terms will not clarify anything. If I do not speak English and learn that the English word "Blended" means Johnnie Walker Red, then it will be hard to justify spending more shekels on Johnnie Walker Green when it too is "blended". There are other examples but time, research and patience is tight.
A rose is a rose is a rose. Conflating terms like this is stupid, a waste of PR juice and legal fees. But what does my opinion matter? What does YOUR opinion matter? What do Glaser or Reynier's opinions matter?
TASTING NOTES:
Corn and rum, and orange creamsicles. Creamy with coconut and lime. Very tropical stuff and immensely whiffable at strength.
Soft and creamy both in texture and flavour-wise. Lots of sweet oak and then beachy like jojoba, tanning lotion and suncream. Buttery corn and some kind of sweet that I had in the US when I was a kid visiting my Grandmother in Florida but I cannot remember what it was called. Useless tasting note... sorry.
SUMMARY:
A whisky that would justify being served with an umbrella. A real treat that would trick a few folks if tasted blind. Grain whisky in good oak can yield really incredible whiskies and, when matched with the appropriate malts, can become the stuff of legend. Not that there are many examples of this. But there could be. If every company wasn't busy selling off all their mature stocks, crafstmanship could yield a few absolute stunners. Unfortunately it seems the only folks who will be able to do that in the future are Compass Box and in that the big boys have lost out. Big time. Give us another 1964 Girvan! Carsebridge? North British?
Malt Mission #271
Malt Mission #272
Malt Mission #273
Malt Mission #274
Malt Mission HOME
Hedonism Maximus
Compass Box Whisky Comany
pour La Maison du Whisky
Grain Whisky
50.1%
£120
Today we'll try another whisky to be effected by the new terms being put forth by the SWA to protect scotch whisky on the global market. Kevin Erskine and The Scotch Blog have been addressing this story in recent days (see yesterday's post HERE) and Dr. Whisky had a few things to say at the beginning of this "week" on the Malt Mission (HERE).
This is whisky that may have once been referred to as a vatted grain whisky, ie. a whisky that is made up of grain whisky (whisky made in column/coffey/continuous stills out of wheat and/or maize and/or barley) from more than one distillery, in this case a 1965 Invergordon(42yo) and a 1979 Cameron Bridge(29yo). This type of whisky will be called BLENDED GRAIN WHISKY (as opposed to SINGLE GRAIN WHISKY) in the future.
Created for the 2007 Whisky LIVE Paris, this whisky is made up of two cracking old grain whiskies from first-fill bourbon barrels. The label is easily one of the most beautiful the whisky world has seen since 1853 when its inspiration, Ushers Old Vatted Glenlivet(see pic to the right), became the very first 'brand' in the world of Scotch whisky. Stunning, I think. Here's hoping the appearance matches the flavour.
TASTING NOTES:
Very fresh, toasty and tropical, orange fruits and synthetic orange(TANG, SunnyD, etc.). Lightly mentholic, some cinnamon spice and vanilla. Some middle eastern sweets too, honey, pastry, dates and nuts. Terribly appetising... if you're into this sort of thing.
Gorgeous oaky creaminess, soft and fruity. Grains and oak in great balance. Very rich with raisins and cloves with a long finish that is sweet but juicy and less oaky than might be expected after so much time in cask. Rum-esque. Sexy, sophisticated and succulent.
SUMMARY:
A 42 year old Invergordon and a 29yo Carsebridge make this 31 year old very happy... and then sad to remember that (I think) all 300ish bottles of the stuff have been sold out. An absolute stunner from a company that for years has been singing the praises of grain whisky as more than just buffer to malts in blended whiskies. Sure it's not for everyone, but those who like it will like it a lot. Find one and buy two.
Malt Mission #271
Malt Mission #272
Malt Mission #273
Malt Mission #275
Malt Mission HOME
Greenore 8yo
Single Grain Irish Whiskey
40% abv
£25
Distilled at Cooley, Ireland's only independently Irish-owned distillery, Greenore is a grain whiskey of the highest quality. Over a decade after his academic studies into the decline of Irish whiskey, ambitious Irish entrepreneur John Teeling (and other investors) bought and converted a site on the east coast of Ireland into two of the most critically acclaimed Irish distilleries operating today. Other treats from Cooley that we've enjoyed thus far on the mission can be seen HERE. See their site for more.
Irish whiskey has a reputation for being lighter and "smoother" than Scottish whisky. This is partly because of the method of distillation that typically sees the Irish distill their spirits thrice while the Scots (with a few exceptions) distill only twice. It also is because Irish whiskey does not use peat to the same degree that Scotch whisky producers do. Cooley tosses out both of these Irish "laws" using peat (Connemara) and not (always) triple distilling.
Greenore 8 year old is matured in 100% first fill ex-bourbon casks. The best casks of maturing grains are selected to become constituents in the Greenore. The rest is destined for blended whisky. This results in a limited batch of 5000 bottles with a 15 and 18yo expected over the next few years. This limited expression 8yo has already sold out in most places. Jack Teeling informs me that the 15yo will be launched in April 2008.
Greenore 8yo won gold medal at the 2004 International Wine and Spirits Competition and has been enjoyed by yours truly on a sunny Sunday afternoon or two.
TASTING NOTES:
Sweet, appetising and organic nose. Sweet with vanilla, dried banana chips, and coconut oil. Bourbon-y sweetness that gets the mouth wet in anticipation. Organic like fresh corn, green tomatoes, chlorophyll.
Mmm, buttery and fruity. Toasty. Caramel. Almonds with a twist of watery lemonade. Honeyed finish with a tinge of those organic notes found on the nose.
SUMMARY:
Superficial stuff first, I like the bottle design (like the Arran Anniversary shape) and the cork is fat and tight giving a nice loud sssquuueeepft when you open it. This is a light, fresh, and invigorating whisky that is perfect for a summer day. Very bourbon-y without any of the harder tannins but might be a bit sweet and cloying for some people or even for some moods. Could do well in a cocktail in place of bourbon, or even rum. Yet more evidence that great things can come from the world of grain whisk(e)y.
Malt Mission #236
Malt Mission #238
Malt Mission #239
Malt Mission #240
Malt Mission HOME
Compass Box Hedonism
Limited Release #H25 MMVI
43% abv
£40
What an amazing weekend! Good weather, good friends, great times, Sens beat the Ducks, and while I was ignored in Whisky Magazine's piece on blogs (issue 64, p.30), Dr. Whisky was featured in the Sunday Post(Scotland).
So I am very exited to announce week TWENTY of this Malt Mission. I wonder if I will ever stop celebrating the start of each new week... I guess it is just that I had no idea that this would last beyond around 30 whiskies. To celebrate I will be tasting whiskies I love (that we haven't already had), or at least ones from distilleries/producers that I hold close to my heart.
We will start with a new(ish) release from Compass Box. This is part of the limited release series they launched in late 2006, the idea being to release special or unique small-batch or single cask bottlings on a theme, most of which cannot be repeated or produced on a large scale. Sweet new look, too.
Hedonism is a 100% grain whisky, like the first whisky of the same name, introduced by Compass Box back in 2000. Because of the nature of the rarity of the component parts that make up Hedonism, it has become a part of this limited release range as sourcing the aged grains happens on a very small scale. The coding for the Limited Release # works for all in the range, with the first letter being the first letter of the expression ("H" in this case), the number being the age of the oldest whisky in the batch (unusual, but cool, and in this case "25"), and the Roman numerals indicate the bottling year ("MMVI", 2006)
I tasted an older Hedonism release at Malt Mission #74, and all Compass Box appearances in this Malt Mission can be found HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
With faint whiffs, this is full of Oil of Olay-type face creams. With deeper nosing there is vanilla, jojoba suncreams, some herbal liquor elements, and green strawberries. delve too deep and the nose prickles.
Sexy, silky entry in the mouth, with bourbon creaminess, sweet toffee and cocoa cake batter, pistachio and stracciatella gelati, with a slightly peppery, even smoky(?) finish.
SUMMARY:
Surprisingly quite different to the old(er) Hedonism expression. While I would personally spend the few quid more for the old Hedonism(if I can still find it!), the prospect of subtle variations on a theme (100% grain) within this limited release series demands a loyal following. Lead the way.
Malt Mission #95
Malt Mission #97
Malt Mission #98
Malt Mission #99
Malt Mission #100
Malt Mission HOME
Compass Box Hedonism
Vatted Grain Scotch Whisky
43% abv
£44
This is the first release Compass Box unleashed on the world back in 2000. In his experience at Johnnie Walker, John Glaser learned that grain whiskies had an unfair stigma about them and he was determined to remedy that unfair situation.
John believes that grain whiskies (matured in the right casks) are some of the most delicious whiskies in world. To prove his point to two doubters, John gave me and Kristin a 25yo Carsebridge, and zowie! Touchée!
What he created was completely original, unlike anything else on the market, a vatted whisky made up entirely of whiskies from grain distilleries(ie. Vatted Grain), and Compass Box has not yet ceased to be utterly innovative. The distilleries used for Hedonism include Cambus, closed since 1990, and Cameronbridge.
This is no longer an easy-to-find bottling. The current release, and all future releases, of Hedonism will be smaller, limited edition runs because, naturally, sourcing the style or quality of whisky John needs is not always easy nor guaranteed. The first of these can be seen at Malt Mission #96
Other Compass Box whiskies tried in this Malt Mission HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Warming grain whisky characteristics; vanilla, cream, rum and raisin. Bubblegum. Glossy paper. Meringue. Envelope seals. Some fruits, kiwi, lemon or etrog. Firm in delivery and sweetens beautifully with time in the glass. Mouthwatering, in the right mood.
Sexy, chewy and lively with flavours on the sweeter side of life. Light, even minty, calm then calamitous, then freshness followed by echoes of quality vanilla ice cream... Brown sugar and butter, coffee, carob, corn on the cob, Skor/Daim bars. Rum balls. What a ride, but certainly not for everyone. I know many people pursue salt, ash, sulphur, and peat in every dram. Well, brother, you're looking in the wrong place.
SUMMARY:
Beautifully constructed whisky, you can actually feel and taste the different ages at work with each sip. Hedonistic indeed. John Stuart Mill would be delighted at this simple pleasure.
Malt Mission #71
Malt Mission #72
Malt Mission #73
Malt Mission #75
Malt Mission HOME
