Malt Mission 2008 #224

Chivas Regal 21 yo Royal Salute
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£85
$168.75(CAD)
$160 (USD)*

Dubbed by the marketing brains "the ultimate gift to powerful people", Chivas' Royal Salute was (apparently) originally blended from personally selected whiskies by Sam Bronfman (Seagrams, who took over Chivas in 1949). This whisky was first created to honour Queen Elizabeth II on her Corontation in 1953. The expression comes in three differently coloured Wade flagons chosen to represent the colours of the Coronation crown: sapphire, ruby, and emerald. It also comes complete with a velvety bag thing with a fancy rope enclosure ready to be used to hold your Scrabble pieces.

This whisky was awarded "Best Blended Scotch Whisky 2003" and received a gold medal at the 2005 and 2006 International Wine and Spirits Competition. This whisky also won "Best of the Best" Scottish Blended Whisky 2005 by Whisky Magazine. Royal Salute has other expressions as well as the 21yo: 100 Cask Selecion and 38yo 'Stone of Destiny'.

Many folks, professional and amateur critics, have said that this whisky goes well with a fine cigar. Could just be the stale, decades-old association of old, premium whiskies matching with tobacco, but it might be worth heading over to Cigar Jack's Cigar Blog to see what stogie would be well-suited to accompany this dram.

In his write up of Seagrams and Chivas in The Whiskies of Scotland, Dr. R.J.S. McDowall quotes a Scottish Divine, writing, "Whisky is one of the best of God's creatures. It is only the abuse of it by man which is evil." At this price it would be hard to abuse, but I think the point is a good one.

* - please remember that in America the prices can vary incredibly. I think they call that FREEDOM.

TASTING NOTES:

Wonderfully complex flavour arrays working on different levels, but soft, fruity, dense, and utterly approachable. Berries, apricots, dried apples, and the sweetness of grains. Barley and rye. Perfumy, grassy. Some mulled wine spice, brazil nuts, almonds and vanilla.

Bright and peppery to start, turning toasty, creamy, and even smoky. Fresh ginger, parsley sprigs, then maple, cinnamon, cloves, apricots again, toasty oakiness, sherry, and gentle breaths of smoke. Long finish that feels weighty, heavy with nut oil and cream, but lifted by the fresh grassiness, fruit, and fragrant smoke.

SUMMARY:

There is a real "old-school scotch" flavour about this, and it is not just the velvet bag and ceramic flagon. I don't use the term 'scotch' very often because to me, 'scotch' is the Chivas or Ballantine's you steal from dad's/uncle's/grandpa's/neighour's booze shelf when you are young and drink it cuz it is strong and makes you feel different, without any regard for the subtle flavour complexities. Silly bag, bottle and all. But this stuff is a delight; soft, complex, incredibly well-integrated flavours, classy and classic. Wintery, fireside ready, and diverse enough to speak to you in any mood. Luxurious. Dense. Wonderful.

Malt Mission #221
Malt Mission #222
Malt Mission #223
Malt Mission #225

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Malt Mission 2007 #100

Ardbeg 1972/2000, 28yo
Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask
Islay Single Malt Whisky
50% abv
price unknown, my guess is £300

While I am delighted to celebrate Malt Mission #100, I am also pretty pissed off. This morning I wrote a bit of this post, tasted the dram and wrote down impressions. I was going to write a bit more now and post it only to find the original saved post was gone. Argh. To be honest, I am surprised it took this long for something like this to happen. The only other thing I am surprised hasn't happened yet is to spill a dram all over my laptop. Fingers crossed that won't happen until at least MM500.

The good news is that I have about 5ml left in the wee sampler bottle and get to try again. I will be relying somewhat on memory from this morning.

So here we are, Malt Mission 100. Sure, it may not be much to the Malt Maniacs or to Taylor Smisson (of the now discontinued Malt Drinker's Diary), or other crazy whisky nerds out there, but I am happy. I mean, I like Star Trek, but to tell you what stardate Picard lost his father, what a soliton wave is, or to send you a wedding invitation in Klingon is WAY beyond me. This blog has, from the beginning with Johnnie Walker Black, been about sharing information about Scottish whisky in an inclusive, fun, and informative way. I hope it succeeds at that, and continues to do so. My liver feels great.

Over the weekend and next week, as a part of the official centenary celebration, I will share some of the funny searches that have led folks to the blog, I will attempt to make list of my Top Pics(so far), and will dole out the thank-yous that so many of you deserve for forwarding the page to others, posting links on websites, sharing drams, reading and commenting.

Speaking of sharing drams, a big thanks to Michael Hopert sharing a drop of this little gem from his own collection. Prost! Let's taste (again).

This is one of just 222 bottles from this particular cask. It is from the last year of distillation at Ardbeg before being handed over to the Ardbeg Distillery Trust, the first stage of the eventual Hiram Walker take over of the distillery, and one of the last years of 'old, peaty' Ardbeg, when the whisky was still made from barley malted in Ardbeg's own maltings.

For more Ardbeg info see Malt Missions 15, 20, and 70

TASTING NOTES:

Concentrated, immediately rich and sexy. Starburst or Opal Fruits off the top over piles of peat. Leaf fires. Thick and hearty. Gummy. Juicy Fruit sweetness, Thai lime freshness with a meaty heart. Deep fried cinnamon dough. Bloody appetising.

The power potential can be felt immediately in the mouth. So controlled. Amazing. Like a sprinter in ready position, you can feel the liquid's excitement at what it is about to show you. Bursts into a smoked salmon cream spread, more of that synthetic fruit sweetness with a full breath of dried fruits and toasty oak. The organic, mineral, dirty Ardbeg characteristics are also all present. Yard fires in the autumn. Exhale smoke and stone.

SUMMARY:

Even if I tried (and I'm trying!) to get down everything this whisky is doing, I would be doomed to failure. This is a beautiful whisky, full of character. A dram to visit and revisit. It engages you in a sensory conversation that only a fool would rush. With this beauty you would easily spend a beautiful, memorable night, and you wouldn't hesitate to call in the morning.

After I had it this morning, I could still taste the stony peat up to 4 hours later.

MM100 celebrations

Malt Mission #96
Malt Mission #97
Malt Mission #98
Malt Mission #99

Malt Mission HOME

Malt Mission 2007 #99

Glengoyne 21 yo
Single Malt Whisky
43% abv
£70*
$100(USD)*

Had to have a Glengoyne in this run-up to Malt Mission 100. Great people, adorable distillery, fantastic whiskies. Always. These factors mixed with proximity to Glasgow makes this a must-visit distillery.

The current Glengoyne marketing lines are, "The Real taste of Malt" and/or, "The Authentic taste of Malt Whisky untainted by Peat Smoke." Glengoyne does not use peat to dry their malted barley, and practices unusually slow distillation. These are just two of the special touches that make Glengoyne such a unique whisky. For more see Malt Missions 5 and 50.

This expression is matured in specially selected first fill European oak sherry casks, and Robbie Hughes, the distillery manager took great care to ensure the right casks were used and that the new 21yo would fit in as the pinnacle of the Glengoyne core range. The packaging has been changed, following the updated 10 and 17 tubes, to reflect the premium nature of the new 21 yo.

Thanks to Iain Weir for sending me a sample of this release.

*- this is the price of the new 100% sherry cask release. The old 21yo can still be found for around £60.

TASTING NOTES:

Bearhugs of warming sherry, apples and honey, cocoa dust, dry oakiness, with a wet, doughy and sweet maltiness throughout... like horse treats/sweet feed.

Much brighter than I expected, fruity and even tart off the top, then erupts with body, rich dry toasty oak then sherry and spices that stick around for ages. Ginger biscuits, licorice root, and crisp apples can be found along the ride. In no hurry to finish.

SUMMARY:

For me, the obvious parallel to this is the Macallan 18yo, 100% sherry casks, golden promise barley, similar price point. The reality is that the average wo/man who walks into a shop and grabs a Macallan cuz they want a Macallan, may never have heard of Glengoyne. Well, hear ye, hear ye; If you are already a Macallan drinker, then you must try Glengoyne. Macallan will still be there in the morning, should you not be glenblown away. Variety is the spice of (whisky) life.

The flavour development is very much consistent with the Glengoyne style in the shifting of dimensions from oak influence to malt influence and back again, and it is great that they have managed to capture the best of that again. For me, some of the buttery malt taste that makes younger expressions so sumptuous is lost to some of the more powerful dry sherry notes. And I mean powerful and dry. Mood malt. As it is, I personally struggle financially to keep a bottle of Glengoyne 17yo on my shelf, but if I could, this beauty would find its way up there as well. Sure it wouldnt disappear at the same rate, but it certainly deserves a chance. Hearty, heart-warming, uplifting, outstanding.

Malt Mission #96
Malt Mission #97
Malt Mission #98
Malt Mission #100

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Malt Mission 2007 #98

Bowmore 17 yo
Islay Single Malt
Whisky 43% abv
£40*
$60(USD)*

Built ten years after the famous round church that sits atop a small hill in the capital of islay, Bowmore the distillery has been a major part of Bowmore the town since 1779. The local townfolk have been known to wander into the stillhouse to warm themselves on some of those bone-chilling winter days that Bowmore can have. If Percy or others at the distillery know you're coming, they just may have your national flag flying on the third flagpole beside the Scotland and United Kingdom flags. Be sure to pronounce it "bo- MORE" to keep your hosts happy. BowMORE is at the forefront with practical innovations that benefit the distillery and the community. Its heat recycling system has significantly reduced their reliance on peat. The "waste heat" is used to heat the village's swimming pool, which is located adjacent to the distillery complex.

More on the distillery, and other Bowmore appearances in the mission can be found HERE.

For over 200 years Bowmore has attracted the respect of those lucky enough to taste what it produces. In his Spirit Journal, F. Paul Pacult wrote "that Bowmore might just be Scotland's foremost malt distillery at this time"(2003), and in his book, Raw Spirit, Ian Banks writes , "If you can't find a Bowmore to fall in love with, you may have to consider very seriously the possibility that you're wasting your money drinking whisky at all." With a wide range of releases, and a whole new line to familiarize yourselves with, there is bound to be a Bowmore that you'll dig.

This 17 year old is a piece of history as the old range has been replaced with the new core range. It will be missed by many, myself included, but it is comforting to know that the new Bowmore 18yo, effectively the 17's replacement (although at quite a price jump), won Double Gold AND Best in Show at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2007.

*- price is subject to change with diminishing availabilty. The new Bowmore 18 comes in at £50 is or $85(USD)

TASTING NOTES:

Soft peat allows fruit and such to lead aroma-wise with some salty, Islay character in there, too. Together it becomes like I have always described this whisky; standing next to a sweaty man on a packed tube/train. Very juicy and sweet while salty and spicy (onions? curry?) and musky.

Medicinal cream, like a butter coated tylenol/paracetamol. A tight package, moving from chocolate-y sherry notes to medicinal and dairy ones right off the top, but remaining an impressive package of exotic fruits and peat for at least half a minute. Some greenness emerges late with a finale of soft smoke.

SUMMARY:

Big Islay, but somehow delicate. Great mix of the 'dirty', phenolic aspects that make Islay famous and the less celebrated ones of chocolate, lively fruit and spice. Perfectly balanced Islay malt whisky. Dearly dearted, indeed.

Malt Mission #96
Malt Mission #97
Malt Mission #99
Malt Mission #100

Malt Mission HOME

Malt Mission 2007 #97

Clynelish 11yo
Straight from the Cask, FYOB (Fill your own bottle)
at The Whisky Exchange, Vinopolis
58.9% abv
£30 (50cl)

Saw the new "Every Year Counts" Glenfiddich ads on telly last night... several times in a 1hr long program. They are part of a £23 million global communications campaign. It was actually a pretty good advert depicting various scenarios intended to parallel the distiller's heritage with those life possibilities that can often take years to realise; learning to play a musical instrument, to tango, to fall in love, etc. It is viewable here. Now onto the REAL daily dram [a playful stab at the mention of THIS blog in a Whisky Mag (issue 64) piece that snubbed the daily efforts of yours truly. Daily? 2 posts in 2007. Dram? pah!].

I have said it before and I stand by it, I have never had a bad Clynelish. Sure, some have been better than others, but I have never had a bad one. This was one of the best.

Moved from its original maturing vessel to a quarter cask in the first half of 2006, this Clynelish sat in Vinopolis for several months, selling half litres at a steady pace. In that time, however, the smaller storage cask was able to impart some wonderful oaky depth to the whisky. It was the second last cask to dry up, but it was up against tough competition as Sukhinder Singh (pictured) manages to source some pretty incredible malts for the Fill-Your-Own-Bottle-Straight-From-the-Cask stuff. There was an amazing Longmorn, a ballsy Caol Ila, an impressive anonymous bourbon, and a sensational Pampero Rum. The new line on cask at the shop is equally, if not more impressive: A young, sherried Ardbeg, dubbed "Quite Young"(ha ha), a bright gem from closed distillery Rosebank, a sherried beast from Speysider Aultmore, and another sensational bourbon cask from Clynelish.

For more Clynelish info, see Malt Mission #23

TASTING NOTES:

Corn, fresh figs, salt, mold on bread. Rich sweetness. Honey, Tiger-tail ice cream(an apparently very Canadian flavour, orange with licorice swirls). Some sherry and match sulphur.

Peppery, English mustard start, then it becomes more subdued; bread with prune jam, a stream of hot honey, salty fruitiness, like prosciutto and melon or ham and peach, or for Kosher and Halal palates, think prune-stuffed olives. Amazing how fresh it all tastes, scratch and sniff Willy Wonka Whisky.

SUMMARY:

When I worked at The Whisky Exchange @ Vinopolis (London Bridge) I looked forward to treating myself to a drop of this vanishing beauty when possible. I sold many bottles of the stuff, especially when I was craving a sip, specifically because I could speak so passionately about it. I am sad that these are the final drops of this particular expression, but am grateful for Colin at TWE for letting me taste the last remains. Always looking for another Clynelish to try...

Malt Mission #96
Malt Mission #98
Malt Mission #99
Malt Mission #100

Malt Mission HOME

Malt Mission 2007 #96

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

Malt Mission 2007 #95

Dewar's Signature
Blended Scotch Whisky
43% abv
£180
$200(USD)

Another week, another 5 drams. Thanks again for reading.
Next week will be week 20 (TWENTY!!!)
And will bring us up to Malt Mission 100 (ONE HUNDERED!!!)
So we hope to have a few fun surprises to commemorate(SURPRISES!).

To wind off this week, I am tasting Dewar's super-hyper-ultra premium expression of their world famous blended whisky. Other Dewar's HERE.

This is effectively Dewars' response to Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Chivas' Royal Salute, Cutty Sark 25yo, etc. Jim Murray called it "an outstanding addition to the highest echelons of blended Scotch."

Tom Aitken, the 6th Master Blender in Dewar's history, created this blend out of very mature Aberfledy (27yo) as well as old and rare whisky from all over Scotland. Not since the advertising campaigns of Tommy Dewar, with calls to be a 'Dewar's Man', has the company used age or exclusivity to pursue the 'upper crust' of the market. With the introduction of the 12yo in 2002, the 18, and this Signature, all that changed.

In the UK, Dewar's Signature comes in as the most expensive of the immediate competitors (JWBlue, Royal Salute, Cutty 25). In the US, it is price pointed to be in-line with Johnnie Walker Blue ($200). Before you email me, YES, it can be found cheaper. That is called 'freedom'.

Big thanks to Michael and Royal Mile Whiskies for sharing a few drops.

TASTING NOTES:

Fresh and fruity off the start, soft and sweet with lots of honey and berries. Chocolate and cream. Some aged grain whisky, corn and some sweet smoke. Earl Grey tea. Satsuma tangerine Body Shop soap. Like with the Dewars 18, one can sense the growth of the malt flavours in the glass.

Gentle, but active. Christmas-y spices and apricots. A bit of baby powder. French toast/eggy bread. Burst of dry sherry that comes and then goes, firesmoke, and then some pine or sappy oak. Flavours linger through the finish, but in a subdued manner, with the more aged malts making their presence known.

SUMMARY:

As above, time really lets this dram open up, and is needed to fully appreciate the depth. Nose just keeps on giving, but the ride on the palate is a bit short. Seems quite expensive for what it offers flavour-wise, but certainly not disappointing. The bottle is pretty cool, too, especially the deceptively heavy stopper.

Malt Mission #91
Malt Mission #92
Malt Mission #93
Malt Mission #94

Malt Mission HOME

Malt Mission 2007 #94

Dewar's 18yo Founders Reserve
Blended Scotch Whisky
43%
£54

In 2006, Bacardi, owners of Dewar's, launched an advertising campaign using "Dewarisms", because, after all, "If you don't advertise, you fossilize". These were lines uttered from the mouth of the irrepressible Tommy Dewar (1864-1930) and the aim was to reverse the stagnation of sales of Dewar's in the US (the blends' biggest market).

"It's a wicked world-- that's why nobody wants to leave it"

"Life is full of trials, with an occasional conviction"

"Don't question your wife's judgment. Look who she married."

See the "Dewarisms" link above for more visual examples.

Other Dewar's HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Succulent grain hook with very sweet malt below and a layer of thin smoke between. The malt is a bit shy, but eventually comes to the front offering some trail mix and more peaty smoke. Seeds(caraway, sunflower, flax) and margarine also appear. Rich and enriching.

Big in the mouth and so soft upon swallowing. Beautifully integrated flavours of citrus and chocolate-coated oaty biscuits, a touch of pepper. A real package that is best enjoyed in full-on swills. Again, mighty in the mouth physically and flavour-wise, but goes down like skin on skin. Waves of toffeed smoke waft up and the finish is refreshing with plenty of oak and a twinge of kiwi or green grapes.

SUMMARY:

Time in the glass really changes this one, a decanting whisky? Not a practice I regularly endorse with whiskies, but could be beneficial in this case. Either way, a very satisfying dram with an array of flavours that blow on your neck rather than stab you in the back.

Malt Mission #91
Malt Mission #92
Malt Mission #93
Malt Mission #95

Malt Mission HOME

Malt Mission 2007 #93

Dewar's 12 yo Special Reserve
Blended Scotch Whisky
43% abv
£24
$40.45(CAD)
$30(USD)

If James Buchanan was a marketing gentleman back in the 19th century, Tommy Dewar was a marketing maverick. He innovated the style of using romantic Scottish images of tartans and bagpipes in the marketing of their blends. Dewar's was the first whisky to be advertised by an electric sign, a giant kilted Scotsman raising a dram positioned at the south side of the Thames at Waterloo bridge. It was the largest of its day. Like Buchanan, he also took to thoroughbred breeding and horse racing and became one of the first people to own a motorcar. Additionally, he created one of the first ever commercials, a cinema advertisement, 'moving pictures' that had a Scotsman doing a jig with the words, "Dewar's--Its Scotch". More on advertisting tomorrow.

In 1915 John Dewar and James Buchanan became partners and it made perfect sense: Tommy Dewar and Jimmy Buchanan had been working in parallel for so many years, with such great energy, to promote not only their brands, but to build the social acceptability of Scotch whisky and blends in particular.

More on Dewars at the Whisky Pages. And other Dewar's tasted in the mission, HERE.

This is a blend I have been lucky enough to try once or twice because at UK duty free stores they sell two 1L bottles for £30.

TASTING NOTES:

Fruity and vibrant with grainy sweetness, wheatabix, sugary breakfast cereal, apples and pears, some kind of cleaning agent or varnish. A little smoke comes out with time as well as some citrus.

A chocolate and coffee start that opens up to firm, oaky grain in balance against toasty(smoky?) malt and sherry. The finish is glassy, a little salty, and not well bound, if you know what I mean; flavours are distinct and separate, esp some of the flatter grains.

SUMMARY:

Overall, a completely pleasant blend, and 2 x 1L bottles for £30 at UK Duty Free is worth every penny. One ice cube or something just might help by silencing the some of the more dull grains and allow the hearty cereal notes and cask toastiness to rise above.

Malt Mission #91
Malt Mission #92
Malt Mission #94
Malt Mission #95

Malt Mission HOME

Malt Mission 2007 #92

Dewar's White Label
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£13.50
$23.15(CAD)
$20(USD)

The first in a string of Dewar's blends we are going to have this week (other Dewar's HERE).

John Dewar established his wine and spirit business in 1846 and by the 60’s
began selling his own blended whiskies in branded bottles rather than jars or small casks. The salesman skills of his son, Tommy, led Dewar’s White Label to huge success in London and the international market by the 1890s. In 1892, he began a two year world tour in which he would enlist 32 agents in 26 countries. More on this tomorrow.

Check out THIS video about the Dewars Wall Ads in NYC.

Dewar's is #5 in the world in terms of sales, #1 in the US, and more of an oddity in the UK, moving around 4 million cases per year worldwide.

Malts included at one time or another: Aberfledy, Aultmore, Benrinnes, Craigallachie, Glen Ord, and Royal Brackla

TASTING NOTES:

Bright with youth. Pepper, gravy, chilli powder, taco spice. Green chillies. But that's the good news. After this comes an organic acid smell, a touch of vinegar. Some fresh cookies or sponge cake saves the day late in the game.

Nice plum pudding start that turns into bar floor after a busy Saturday night: boozy and barfy. Some toffee emerges creating a bittersweet balance. Surprisingly long finish.

SUMMARY:

Pow. Not subtle, but good, distinct separation of malt and grain, toasty toffee and vanilla. Real spirit caramel presence, E150. Not awful.

Malt Mission #91
Malt Mission #93
Malt Mission #94
Malt Mission #95

Malt Mission HOME

Malt Mission 2007 #91

Aberfeldy 12 yo
Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£26
$40(USD)

It seems we are gonna make it to 100 in this Malt Mission. Still blows my mind. And even though it is a Bank holiday Monday here (long weekend), there ain't no rest for the mission.

This week we'll be drinking our way through the Dewar's range of blends and start with the heart of the range, Aberfeldy (Other Dewar's HERE). In 1896, the Dewar family decided to build Aberfeldy to guarantee a supply of a good blending malt whisky to be used in Dewar's White Label.

Distillation began in 1898 (a tough time for the whisky industry), but apart from short closures during wartime, Aberfeldy has been in continuous production ever since. In 1998, Dewar's and Aberfeldy became a part of the Bacardi company in what was one of the most expensive purchases in whisky history. It included Bombay Sapphire and 4 other malt distilleries. In 2000, they built the Dewar's World of Whisky "exhibition and interactive centre" at the distillery near Perth, Scotland. It receives 40,000 visitors a year.

Tasted with Colin Harvey at The Whisky Exchange at Vinopolis. His notes appear in quotes.

TASTING NOTES:

Perfumy aromas, fragrant with apple skins and fudge. Freshly baked goods in a flat full of flowers. Bourbony creamininess, toffee. "Green wood. Bracken, stubble burning. Butterscotch."

Instantly sweet, fudge and oak again. Sappy or waxy. There is a mint gum element, cinnamon. "Green-ness, not quite sappy, but succulent."

SUMMARY:

Completely pleasant nose, spicy, creamy and inviting. But on the palate, it all sort of falls flat, like cold tea. Michael Jackson has called this malt 'lively', but we found nothing of the sort. That being said, we found nothing unpleasant about the stuff. Colin summarised with "not doing much for me."

Malt Mission #90
Malt Mission #92
Malt Mission #93
Malt Mission #94
Malt Mission #95

Malt Mission HOME

Malt Mission 2007 #89

Isle of Jura Superstition
Single Malt Whisky
45% abv
£27
$45(USD)

It is hard to keep your eyes off Jura's paps... the mountains so named because of their resemblance to a pair of breasts. And if it weren't for these two beauties, the climate on Jura would perhaps not be so unique. Inspired by the tall peaks, Jura's 17-foot tall stills produce a spirit as pure as the water that runs down the sides of each of these shapely paps.

Closed from 1908 unil 1963, Isle of Jura distillery produces a spirit that is not necessarily what one would expect from an Island malt. The island is covered with peat bogs, but since re-opening in 1963, the make produced here has been largely unpeated. In recent years this has changed, in part to supply some smoke to the Whyte & Mackay blended whiskies. Some of this peated Jura has found its way into independent releases. More has been used to make up a small component of this vatted expression: young peated Jura(30%) and older unpeated sherried Jura (70%).

The distillery has always taken great effort to exist, and its perseverance is part luck and part practicality. At one time all the barley had to be lugged from the pier to the distillery and today all incoming materials, outgoing waste and finished products need to travel by sea twice. It is thus remarkable that such a place has a distillery as we know the board room can be an unfair place to distilleries who don't make much sense on paper. Once employing a quarter of the male work force of Jura, advances in technology have assisted the financial viability of the distillery. But still, it could be argued that Isle of Jura distillery only exists to this day (post-1993) because it manages to meet the malt-style requirements of Whyte & Mackay's Master Blender, Richard Paterson. More info back at Malt Mission #39.

Hate the deer hunting 'game' on the website.

TASTING NOTES:

Brown sauce with gammon and chips, followed by sweet sherry. Some hot empty-oven aroma, peaches and nuts. Tropical fruit drink and smoke.

Incredibly soft, very reminiscent of the Whyte & Mackay 12 Premium Reserve (Malt Mission #58) impact. Sherry and smoke. Brioche. Some of that Jura pine and honey. Finish gets surprisingly astringent in the cheeks with flavours of hot chocolate, smoke and a touch of salt.

SUMMARY:

Many people I have known or worked with cringe when you say the name Jura, while others sing its praises. Ignoring the geographical and economic constraints the distillery faces and yet still perserveres(let's hope this doesnt change under Vijay Mallya and UB), for me, Superstition fulfills the classic equation of Character + Drinkability + good value = Nice one. Also feels good to support the economics of a whole Island with every purchase. Be a hero. Buy a Jura.

Malt Mission #86
Malt Mission #87
Malt Mission #88
Malt Mission #90

Malt Mission HOME

Malt Mission 2007 #88

Jon, Mark and Robbo's
The Smoky, Peaty One
Vatted Malt Whisky
40% abv
£17.50
$29(USD)

A good malt to follow yesterday's Peat Monster post.

The last of the Easy Drinking Whisky Co. releases that I have not yet had in this Malt Mission, this breakfast malt blog, what a friend yesterday called 'Dr. Whisky's Casebook'. And now that Jon, Mark and Robbo are officially done in all markets save the US (as I reported in Malt Mission 76 and on The Scotch Blog), I can say with some certainty that it will be the last JMR product to appear in these pages.

Boo hoo indeed. And I mean it. I was defending their stuff over a dram of Rich Spicy at the Rake in Borough Market just two nights ago in front of three lovely but opinionated whisky industry folks.

For other JMR info, please see past posts...(HERE)

To achieve the smoky peaty effect, this bottling includes Islay malts Caol Ila, Bunnahabhain and Laphroaig, Ledaig(leh-chek) from Mull, and Highland Park from Orkney.

TASTING NOTES:

Some maple, sour milk, raisin bran, bag of mixed nuts and dried fruits. Lots of rich maltiness with some peat, but not very smoky.

Soft, with some sherry toastiness, late development of a tiny touch of smoke and more peat, but extremely well integrated; really more like the background music to the rich malt and Spanish oak. Again peat taste, but not very much smoke.

SUMMARY:

Good Gord that is drinkable stuff. So gentle while holding a lot of rich characteristics. Nothing out of place, except prehaps for a bit of 'fun'. Safe, satisfying whisky at a great price. Too bad finding it is only going to get more and more difficult...

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Malt Mission 2007 #87

Compass Box Peat Monster
Malt Scotch Whisky
46% abv
£30

$69.95(CAD)

$50(USD)

Essentially equal parts Caol Ila and peated Ardmore, The Peat Monster is one of Compass Box's most widely available and best selling expressions.

Except for Asyla, it is the last one of their standard releases that I have not yet tried in this malt mission (others HERE). I got a chance to try it at a tasting event last night with John Glaser and Gregg Glass at the Whisky Exchange in Vinopolis.

TASTING NOTES:

Cigarette smoking through a meal of scrambled eggs, scallops, and strawberry cheescake. Pears, a bag of marijuana, cinnamon.

Sea salt, kelp, lemon cheesecake, a cloud of peat, peaches or nectarines, firesmoke.

SUMMARY:

Amazing balance from start to finish. Peat and iodine to fruit baskets then burning leaves or wood outdoors. Distinct compartments of flavour that harmonise masterfully, if all a bit too consonant, major thirds and fifths. Monstrous? Cookie monster, maybe.

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Malt Mission 2007 #86

J & B Rare

Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£14
$23.65(CAD)

With visiting mates Jed and Beth back off home to Canada, this morning calls for a J&B in their honour. What a way to start week whatever in this malt mission. And I am off to work in 15 mins. Will edit later...

In 1831 Albert Brooks bought Giacomo Justerini’s(est. 1749) London wineshop and renamed it Justerini & Brooks. Their ‘club’ blend was successful locally, but after created J&B with the American market in mind, their international success began. Immediately after prohibition in the U.S.A., J&B was introduced and pushed in New York and by the 1960s had become the leading brand of scotch whisky in the US. They built Auchroisk distillery in 1960s. The company was convinced that the lighter style whiskies with little or no Islay influence appealed widely, and with annual sales of 6 million cases annually, today it is the second biggest seller in the world of whisky. They emphasize the “party” attitude in their marketing and ad campaigns choosing to target the party culture over the connoisseur culture. Their new “-6” was a mystery to me and I wonder how it sells, to whom, etc. (NB. it has been discontinued)
In Spain you can get a 15yo J & B and it is really great.

This is the bottle of booze Kurt Russell's character, McReady, carries around in John Carpenter's The Thing.

Does or has included single malts Auchroisk, Benrinnes, Glen Spey, Knockando, Strathmill, and Tamdhu.

TASTING NOTES:

The crumble top of an apple crumble, brown sugar, oats. Granola bars. Light fruitiness. Peach.

Very soft flavours in the mouth with a firm grain crispiness. The flavours are quite silent until after swallowing when some oak and spice emerge against the vanilla grains.

SUMMARY:

Soft and crisp, balaced sweet and dry oak, nothing too intrusive (or memorable). This is blended whisky designed perfectly for throwing on your optic and pumping til it's dry. Not that I would ever think of doing that...

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Malt Mission 2007 #85

Ballechin Burgundy Matured (Edradour)
Highland Single Malt Whisky
46% abv
£57

This is real farm whisky. Young spirit, barley fired with local peat, aged in whatever cask someone could get their hands on, at Edradour, a small southern highland farm distillery.

The name is taken from another Perhshire farm distillery that closed back in 1927. Ballechin is an experimental malt made from heavily peated Edradour. This particular batch has been matured in ex-Burgundy casks and is part of a release of just 6000 bottles. There will be 'progress report' releases as the peated spirit ages in the various different casks Andrew Symington decided to use.

More on Ballechin HERE and more on Edradour at Malt Mission #43

TASTING NOTES:

Smoked gouda, chicory, rotting grapes, some sweet and sour malt. "Smells good" -Jed

Vegetable sweetness initially, with an emerging wave of smoke and wine characteristics. Swallows sweet and with rich dates and prune tastes. Drying oak, soup broth, campfire smoke on an autumn wool sweater/jumper. Long, lingering combo of flavours.

SUMMARY:

I am not really a peat or smoke guy, but I actually really dig this whisky. Lots of rich wine sweetness beneath a fiery smoke that floats and flavours the meats and cheeses in the malt. Bloody expensive, though.

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Malt Mission 2007 #84

Linie Aquavit
Løiten Brænderis Destillation
41.5% abv
429.90 Kr
£35

Gratulerer med dagen! Today is Norweigian Constitution Day, a big deal in this family, a HUGE thing with Norwegians around the world, and a great party for those of us lucky enough to take part. To commemorate, we will taste aquavit today.

Distilled with potato or grains, Aquavit is a Scandanavian spirit often infused with herbs and seeds, and is available in many different forms that vary in flavour and colour, depending on time spent in oak casks.

This is the biggest brand of Aquavit in Norway and is matured in sherry casks as it travels by sea over the equator twice, hence the name Linie, or 'line', Aquavit. Between 1919 and 1926 it was unavailable to buy, and could only be obtained through prescription from your doctor.

The gaelic root of the term 'whisky' is uisge beatha, which means the same thing as eau de vie and aquavit, the water of life. Let's drink this water and hope for happy lives.

Happy Norway Day!!!

TASTING NOTES:

Salt, caraway seeds, cheddar cheese, young spirit and some mint.

Soft with vanilla off the top and some sherry oak character, slightly medicinal, toothpasty, and very warming with spice and baked potatoes.

SUMMARY:

Off-putting at first for some, but really quite appetising. Would certainly match well with certain festive foods. The taste was quite gentle and rich and wholly palatable. Despite the bad reputation this stuff tends to have, I have had some whiskies in this malt mission that were worse. And over an evening (or day) the stuff gets better and better.

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Malt Mission 2007 #83

Benromach Sassicaia Wood Finish
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
45% abv
£28

Benromach distillery was built in 1898 in Forres, near the mouth of the river Findhorn. Very difficult to find as a single until Gordon & Macphail bought the distillery in 1993. It is only since 2004 that the current owners have been releasing official bottlings and they have been anything but disappointing.

Things of note about this, the smallest working Speyside distillery:
-Malt is peated to 12ppm
-fermentation is unusually long (115 hours)
-stills are heated by steam plates
-spirit receivers are made of wood

The core range includes Benromach Traditional, 18 yo old, 21 year old, 25 year old, cask strength 1980, vintages 1968 and 69, Port Wood finish, Tokaji finish, and the first fully certified organic single malt, Benromach Organic. The later bottling has been so popular that keeping up with demand has been a real challenge.

This malt is just 5 years old and finished for an additional 27 months in casks that previously held Sassicaia wine. Sassicaia is a super-Tuscan wine, which, in my non-wine educated mind, means it is fancy. It is apparently quite expensive and sourcing the cask could not have been an easy task. More here on Sassicaia.

TASTING NOTES:

Jammy vanilla french toast. Berries and malt, oats. Lively with youthful vitality. Distinct smoky waves over the fruitiness.

Peppery and fruity, marmalade, cooked fennel, sweet and satisfying in the mouth. Moves from deep, very ALIVE flavours, to a slightly drying finish decorated with wood smoke.

SUMMARY:

This whisky taught visiting friend Beth the distinction between 'smoky' and 'peaty'. A finish that is interesting and unique without ever silencing the presence of the malt whisky, just accenting it. Clever use of young spirit and posh wine casks = good value.

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Malt Mission 2007 #82

Bushmills Malt 10yo
Single Malt Irish Whisky
40% abv
£24
40.85(CAD)
$35(USD)

The first Irish I have had in this Malt Mission.

Like Scottish distilleries Auchentoshan and Hazelburn, Bushmills in Ireland is made from two different kinds of malts, one unpeated and one slightly peated, and is triple distilled in the traditional Irish way. Only 16 miles west of Islay, Bushmills insists it is the oldest distillery in the world. True? Not true? Don't really care right now.

It is the largest distillery in Ireland and, in addition to this 10 year old, produces a 16 year old Triple Wood and a 21 year old, as well as blends Black Bush, 1608, and Original.

This dram is raised to commemorate the anniversary of the passing of an inviting, inspiring, and impossibly hilarious Ed Musial.

TASTING NOTES:

Corn syrup, Sprite or 7-Up, wine spritzer. Sour apples, goat's cheese, some spice. Not overly inviting.

Hot on the tongue. Raw corn, burnt toffee, old moldy/mouldy wood. Bran. Green apples, brown sugar and oak.

SUMMARY:

None of us really understand... why? Could be our mood. But Jed still managed to down three drams while Beth and I sat reluctantly drinking our first. Either way, God bless you, Ed. Cheers, Slainthe, and know you are loved.

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Malt Mission 2007 #81

OddBins Wine Fair
Business Design Centre, Islington
May 12-13, 2007
£20

Welcome to week 17, and what a week it was! Last week I broke the story of the (unfortunate) discontinuing of Jon, Mark and Robbo in most markets on the Scotch Blog, and just in time, too; official word emerged from the company only a few days later. Additionally, Dr. Whisky made the news in Episode 91 of Mark Gillespie's amazing Whisky Cast. Thanks again to Kevin and Mark, and if you don't read and listen to them yet, you really ought to.

Have mates in town and spent the day with them yesterday at the OddBins Wine and Spirits Fair. I attended this fair twice when I lived in Edinburgh and have always loved this event. For my money and time, it beats most of the other specialty wine and spirits shows for a few key reasons: Fewer pompous whisky or wine know-it-alls, even though there are many knowledgeable people, they just don't have the attitude. There is great variety on offer to taste from Armagnac to Zinfandel. In terms of whisky, at this event the independents get their due chance to make an impact on those new to whisky (Bruichladdich, Benromach, Compass Box). And finally, as any fair (WhiskyLive) is a marketing write-off for the exhibitors involved and thus shouldn't be used as a cash cow, the super value £20 tickets to the OddBins Wine&Spirits Fair all goes to charity. Terrific.

We attended a Bruichladdich Masterclass with Donald MacLellan and 'special guest' Gregg Glass(Compass Box). Given the throrough workout our palates received throughout the day, these notes are NOT intended to be final or even (necessarily) accurate. But we did learn a few interesting things about the distillery and about casks:

Bruichladich was bought for £6,500,000, 6million of which was just for the matured/maturing stock.
Casks aren't made to yield flavour, or rather, are not specifically designed with that in mind, rather, they are made to be sealed and hold their contents.
Additionally, today, around 95% of new fillings are going into bourbon casks, and the % of sherry casks is diminishing annually. Both of these facts demand discussion, but perhaps that is for another post.

Bruichladdich 12yo, Second Edition
Bright, light flavours. White wine, gorse, hops, honey. Bourbon-y
Peppery effect in the mouth, vanilla, roobios tea, red plums

Bruichladdich 13yo, Reciato Cask
Cherries, red grapes, oats, cocoa and peanuts.
Hard character, with an organic souring note off the top. Unripened fruit, bitter. Stereotype whisky to the uninitiated. Not for whisky newbies.

Bruichladdich 15yo, Second Edition (1st tasted in Malt Mission #29)
Peaches, prunes, sweet potato, red peppers. Hot in the nose, significant prickle.
Rich in the mouth, chewy, mustard seeds, chewing tobacco, peach pie. Again, pretty hot.

We also tried we samples of all(?) the different makes Bruichladdich produces. It was fascinating and, surprisingly, many were VERY drinkable and flavourful. PX4 had tons of flavour and could be consumed comfortably in tiny sucking sprays, if you know what I mean; like drinking hot tea.

More from (earlier in) the fair tomorrow.

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