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Amrut Cask Strength
Indian Single Malt Whisky
63.8% abv (Dec 2006 bottling)
£32
It's been an unusual week, and while it may have started on a sour (tasting) note, it has ended on a sweeter one (although that Safari was sickly sweet). Most of us don't think India when we think whisky, or vice versa, but India consumes bucket-loads of whisky. They drink almost 6 million litres of Scotch whisky a year, but that is nothing compared to the total 570-million they down in total. The SWA would argue that most of the 'whisky' consumed in India is not whisky at all.
So when is whisky not whisky? When it is made from molasses and not grain, say the SWA and the EU. They also believe that India has protectionist domestic tariffs that create fiscal discrimination against Scotch whisky, the major obstacle to Scotch whisky reaching its sales potential in the country of 1Billion people. By contrast, Indian spirits have free access to EU markets... so long as they don't call their molasses-based spirits 'whisky'. It has created a slight trade war in recent years that has been quite exciting to follow. I have no more time to write about it this morning, so read up on it yourselves (if you are interested) HERE, HERE, and wherever else you would like to look.
We had the regular Amrut yesterday. Amrut Cask Strength was launched in 2006 and has already sold out of three batches. Love him or hate him, Jim Murray scored Amrut Cask Strength (1st ed., 62.8%) a 94/100.
TASTING NOTES:
Oily and sweet, but somehow dry, full of booze and good news. Vanilla, coffee cake. Some forest floor, like mushrooms and leaves, with lots of oak, too.
!*#£*&%! Hot and exciting. Sweet and sour, dry and chewy. Malted barley, oat cakes, honey, sugar coated breakfast cereals, and a firm handshake of oak.
SUMMARY:
Big. Big oak, big malt, from a big country. Flavours delivered in burly handshakes and firm fistfuls but balanced and very-well structured. Surprising, and delightfully so.
Malt Mission #201
Malt Mission #202
Malt Mission #203
Malt Mission #204
Malt Mission HOME
Amrut
Indian Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£21
$54.95(CAD)*
NOMINATED in the 2008 DRAMMIES
*Most Under-rated whisky
Vote HERE (before Mar 6, 2009)
According to Indian mythology, when the Gods and the Rakshas/Demons churned out the oceans, a golden pot emerged containing the Elixir of Life, Amrut. Quite appropriately then, Amrut Distilleries produced aqua vitae, uisge beatha, the water of life.
Amrut is a proudly Indian product that has made an impression on the world stage. Made from barley grown in the frontier states of Punjab and Rajasthan in the Northwest of India, malted in Delhi and Jaipur, and distilled in Bangalore, Amrut whisky is young by necessity. The temperatures that the oak-maturing whisky is exposed to are tropical. Additionally, the maturation site in the city of Bangalore is 3000 feet above sea level. Between the altitude and the climate the spirit matures at an accelerated rate AND evaporates frighteningly fast. It is reported that after 3 years, half of the original filling has vanished as "angel's share". Happy, happy Indian angels.
Amrut chooses not to chill-filter their whiskies and have recently released a cask-strength expression in Europe as well. We will try that tomorrow. Bursting onto the whisky scene in Glasgow in 2004, Amrut has been well-received by many drinkers and critics. A friend who works in whisky retail loves to dispense Amrut blind to unsuspecting customers and ALWAYS gets a positive reaction. Let's see how it fares this morning.
* - yes, you can get this at the LCBO.
TASTING NOTES:
Big, vibrant and full of oak and malt. Spice, coca-cola, marzipan, fresh stone fruits, and a dairy element as well.
Fruity and spicy, then sweet and sour with a very pleasant mouthfeel. Oak, some coal, and malt. Paprika, black pepper, honey and almond butter in the finish.
SUMMARY:
Powerful with lots of character it isn't shy to show off. Not elegant but fun and tasty. Its great price and worthiness as a conversation-piece earn it a place on your shelves. Absolutely recommended trying at least once. You can make your own decisions after that.
Malt Mission #201
Malt Mission #202
Malt Mission #203
Malt Mission #205
Malt Mission HOME
Hunter's Choice Finest
Blended Whisky*
40% abv
500-/ KES (£3.95)
No, not that Hunter... at least, I don't think so.
Today we will be trying a third Kenyan 'whisky'. A classy way to start the third century of Malt Missions. Monday and Tuesday's drops were from the London Distillers Group and this one is from KWAL.
I put the word whisky in inverted commas because the producers of this spirit call it "whisky" even though it probably has more in common with rum. I am of the belief that whisky should only refer to spirits made from grains, and I am not the only one. The SWA(Scotch Whisky Association) has gone to great lengths to protect the terms surrounding Scotch Whisky, especially in foreign markets, and they continue to do so.
As the top earner in the food and beverage sector of the UK economy and an enormous tax revenue for the state, the governement takes the issue of protecting the product quite seriously (see THIS or THIS). This whisky protection is welcomed by the industry and the SWA. The next frontier is to get international community to agree on similar legal definitions, but producers of molasses-based spirits sold as 'whisky' in countries in the middle east, China, and
India, may not be so keen to play along. Keep your eyes on news HERE.
Tomorrow we will venture into the world of a genuine single malt whisky from India. For now, let's get this over with...
TASTING NOTES:
Definite grain whisky presence, which I guess is a good sign. Raw sweet potato, tea, baking soda, medicine gelcaps, electronics packaging, airport washrooms.
Toasty with a vegetal element mixed with the bready sweetness of malted granary loaves. Quite grainy with fried plantains, and a bit of apple cider.
SUMMARY:
By far the best... or most whisky-like... of the bunch. Could use a touch of the synthetic sweetness that overloaded the Safari (Malt Mission #201). Whatever game he was after, the Hunter made a reasonably good Choice. Still, worth avoiding if you can afford to, but safe to accept if dining with friends or colleagues in Nairobi.
Malt Mission #201
Malt Mission #202
Malt Mission #204
Malt Mission #205
Malt Mission HOME
Top Secret Whisky
Blended Whisky*
43% abv
440 KES/- (£3.50)
Top Secret, indeed. Over the past two days I have emailed and called the UK and European offices of the London Distillers Company to ask a few questions about their "whisky" only to find that the offices do not exist. I am told by friends and colleagues that this is not suprising: "The company probably only exists on paper in UK," "probably changes hands every two months," "probably a front," and "that's the way business works in Kenya."
Kenya's agricultural production is reasonably diversified and can provide most of their domestic needs. Because most of the land is arid, only 8% of the country is used for crop and feed production while 80% of the population work in agriculture or in the processing of agricultural goods. Although Kenyan coffee might be familiar to many of us, tea is Kenyas' leading agricultural foreign exchange earner. They are the leading black tea producer in Africa and #4 in the world. But you can't make whisky from tea.
In terms of grains, Kenya produces more than 2million tonnes of corn and about 1.5million tonnes of wheat per annum. But sugarcane production more than doubles those figures. I imagine most of this spirit is neutral sugarcane spirit with a small percentage of grain spirit (corn, maize, wheat).
* - the terms 'whisky' or 'whiskey' are not defined in interntaional law, so I canot guarantee that this spirit is made from barley, or even grain, for that matter.
TASTING NOTES: 
Rum spice, some plastic, and nailpolish. Flax seeds, vodka, nylon tents and vanilla fudge. Sweet and slightly spicy like fennel or caraway.
Sugary, waxy, and not completely unpleasant.
SUMMARY:
More expensive than the Safari whisky enjoyed(!?) yesterday, but certainly not worth it if I was counting my Kenyan Shillings month in, month out. I imagine it's the recipe that is Top Secret and it might, although this is a very slight possibility, even contain as much as 10% grain spirit. Although neither toxic nor completely unpleasant, to be handed a glass a told it was whisky would justifiably raise reasonable doubts in the recipient.
Malt Mission #201
Malt Mission #203
Malt Mission #204
Malt Mission #205
Malt Mission HOME
Safari Rare Premium Blend
Blended Whisky*
40% abv
399/- KES (£3)
Yeah. What the hell is this, you ask?
After the first 100 Malt Missions we had a week of 'international whiskies' (MM#101-#105 in June) and I plan to follow the 200 Malt Mission landmark in the same way. This time it may last more than one week. If this blog was a for-profit enterprise it would probably be a bad business decision to look at obscure international malts and blends in the run-up to Christmas. But it is not, so screw it. Keeping things interesting for myself is the only way to continue doing this. Hope you continue to enjoy, too.
This is the flagship whisky from African spirits company London Distillers Limited. Their Kenyan-based distillery pumps out gin, vodka, rum, brandy and whiskies that "meet international standards of quality." Safari Rare is "a distinctive blend of high quality clear neutral spirit with natural malt whiskies aged in oak barrels to give a distinct colour, subtle and light engaging flavour."
From Kenya to my nosing glass here in England, from Mombassa to the Malt Mission, thanks to MH.
* - the terms 'whisky' or 'whiskey' are not defined in interntaional law, so I canot guarantee that this spirit is made from barley, or even grain, for that matter.
TASTING NOTES:
Coconut suntan oil, spent fireworks, petrol. Butterscotch, vanilla ice cream sandwiches, green olives, and styrofoam or even silicone.
Vanilla and butterscotch, maple and waxy like lip balm.
SUMMARY:
Upon first whiff I recoiled with a light gag. Not a good start. There were two streams of aromas: one synthetic butterscotch sauce and the other nailpolish, disinfectant, etc. With some time it became slightly pleasant, or at least 60% of the detectable aromas were tolerable. Taste was like a sugar syrup. Unbelievably sweet. Drinkable... although I spittoon-ed every drop.
Malt Mission #200
Malt Mission #202
Malt Mission #203
Malt Mission #204
Malt Mission #205
Malt Mission HOME
Back in June, after the first 100 Malt Missions, I put together lists of the best whiskies consumed up to that point in different categories (HERE). I want to do the same today, so here are my top whisky picks from the first 200 Malt Missions. Please note I have changed some of the categories from last time.
It must be said that with the price jumps we have witnessed over the past 5 months and with the 10% increases promised to us by the heads of major spirits companies, the best cheap or budget whisky categories become more and more important to more and more people while malts that were in my top picks after 100 Malt Missions may have vanished from the lists below because of these price changes. In fact, the most Googled term that brought folks to the Top Picks after 100 drams was "budget whisky", or something along those lines. So big boys, while premiumisation is the key of the day, please don't forget about us little guys. We'll still be here after the Scandanavians and other Europeans grow tired of overpriced 5,6, and 7 year-old whiskies.
It is so frustrating to be able only to choose among malts I have tasted in the controlled setting of the Malt Mission. I wouldn't want anyone to believe that these are the only whiskies I have enjoyed over the past months. I try to make every malt count, but it's embarassing to be offered a drink at a friends house and ask for a pen and paper, or text notes into your phone, or to ask if you can take some home. Not that I haven't done all three of those things...
I should also add that coming to these top picks was not easy. In fact, the list could differ from day to day. This is part of why I do not score my malts in the mission. I try only to tell the stories of the distilleries, describe the flavour profiles of the whiskies, and leave the rest to you. Nonetheless, here are my choices of the best whiskies. (Note that drops tasted by guests tasters cannot be included in my top picks. Just wouldn't make sense.)
IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES, THE TOP PICS ARE NOT LISTED IN ANY PARTICULAR ORDER or RANKING
It was hard enough to settle on 3 per category.
PLEASE NOTE: this is not based on ALL whiskies, this is based on whiskies I have tried in the first 200 Malt Missions.
Top Three Whiskies I Would Reach For RIGHT NOW
Old Pulteney 12
Clynelish 1972, 34yo Single Malts of ScotlandGlenlivet XXV
Best Budget/Cheap Single Malt Whisky (£20-30)
Talisker 10 Old Pulteney 12
Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Best Budget/Cheap Vatted, Blended, or Undisclosed Malt (£15-25)
The Six Isles
Jon, Mark, Robbo (any)
Sheep Dip
Best Budget/Cheap Blends (£10-20)
Black Bottle
Teachers
Whyte&Mackay 12 Premium Reserve
Best Value Overall
Glenlivet 30 Single Malts of Scotland
Talisker 18Old Pulteney 12
Best Blended Whiskies
Johnnie Walker Black LabelDewar's 18
Cutty Sark 25
Best Blended/Vatted Malt or Grain
Compass Box Oak CrossCompass Box Hedonism (older bottling)
Ardbeg Serendipity
Best Standard Bottling Overall (current releases; ie. no single casks, discontinued, etc.)
Old Pulteney 12
Lagavulin 16
Glengoyne 17
Best Single Cask or Limited Release Bottling
Highland Park 16yo, Single Malts of Scotland
Bunnahabhain 33, 1971, Royal Mile Whiskies
Caol Ila 16yo, Single Malts of Scotland
The Three Most Missed (ie. dearly departed, no longer available/being produced, etc.)
Balblair 16Bowmore 17
Jon, Mark Robbo (any)
Best Overall (irrespective of price, availability, or pride/shame)
Glenfarclas 30
Glengoyne 17
Talisker 18
Hot damn, that was difficult. I feel like I have left out many faves over the past 10 months... oh well. Just reminds me how huge the whisky world is. 200 whiskies? That's nothing! Here's to another 200...
MM200 Celebrations
MM100 Celebrations
Malt Mission HOME
My Christmas Whisky wish?
How about the new Glenfiddich 1976? My vintage!
Anyone?
Anyone?
Although I would feel terrible if someone I knew actually spent that money on me.
How about a sample?
Anyone?
Anyone?
(See my prayers answered HERE)
Still taking a break from the daily Malt Mission in commemoration of hitting the 200 dram landmark, but looking forward to resuming the journey next week.
Today, at the suggestion of friends and a few readers, I am going to try and make a list of Dr. Whisky's Christmas whisky recommendations.
The last two months of the year are the most important for Scotch whisky. November and December account for 40% of annual malt sales and about a third of blended whisky sales. As a result, this is the sweetest time of year for whisky lovers whether shopping for others or for themselves. All the major supermarkets, off-licenses, and specialist whisky shops in the UK have an abundance of money-off deals. Apologies, but this list will have a focus on the UK... cuz i live here... but I will include two of the absolute best mail-order whisky companies as well. Additionally, none of the below is a sales pitch, I am just making recommendations as an independent whisky nerd from the shops, distilleries, and writers I like best.
Additional apologies to those of you in countries, provinces, or states with liquor control boards or in countries where discounting liquor is illegal. You might want to look away now.
Best Christmas Whisky Offers and Sales
(subject to change, but they are accurate as of right now)
The Whisky Exchange (website HERE)
Glenfarclas 25yo £75 (from £84)
Glendronach 33yo £150 (from £185)
Laphroaig Quarter Cask £21 (from £26)
Dewar's 18yo £47.50 (from £54)
Dewar's Signature £120 (from £149)
Royal Mile Whiskies (website HERE)
Auchentoshan Three Wood £30 (from £34)
Macallan Speymalt 1996 Gordon & Macphail £17.50 (from £20.50)
Dalmore 12 £22 (from £26)
Cragganmore 12 £23 (from £27)
Glenfarclas 25 £74 (from £85)
and last chance(?) to buy Longmorn 15 £30 (from £33)
WaitroseJohnnie Walker Black £17.50 (from £20.50)
Aberlour Abunad'h £25 (from £30)
Glenlivet 18yo £27 (from £35)
Clynelish 14yo £23 (from £29)
Highland Park 12yo £20 (from £26)
Sainsbury's
Teachers £9.60 (from £12)
Chivas Regal 12yo £17 (from £20)
Glenfiddich 15yo £24 (from £30)
and if you like Rusty Nails as much as we do, Drambuie is £15.75 (from £19.69). Try your rusty nail with Talisker 10... de-ca-dent.
Tesco
Aberlour 10yo £16.98 (from £21.98)
Dalwhinnie 15yo £20.78 (from £26.99)
Talisker 10yo £20 (from £25.97)
Morrison's
Bailie Nichol Jarvie £12.97 (from £14.97)
Old Pulteney 12yo £18.50 (from £22.50)
Laphroaig 10yo £20.96 (from £ 25)
Readable Christmas Whisky Gifts
The Malt Whisky Yearbook 2008 (£2 off!): recent release of the annual must-have from Ingvar Ronde (with contributions from Charles Maclean, Ian Buxton, David Stirk and others). This is part magazine, part book, part distillery guide, part industry report... Amazing reading with brilliant new additions every year.
Robin Laing's The Whisky River (or HERE): Laing's well-written guide to Willie Nelson... just kidding. This is an intentionally and incidentally poetic guide to the distilleries of Speyside told in a way only Laing can, with song and spirit on every page. A delight to read.
Charlie Maclean's Whisky Tales or Maclean's Miscellany of Whisky (hardback and softcover available): Two books from one of the world's greatest whisky scholars that are absolute fun to read cover to cover. Unique books in the world of whisky lit: no tasting notes or chronological histories... just the best stories and factual tidbits told by a brilliant writer with an obvious passion for his topic.
and, of course, for the real fact nut
Misako Udo's The Scottish Malt Whisky Distilleries(hardback also available): The life, times, still size and phenolic content of every (legal?) malt distillery to have existed in Scotland. Amazing attention to detail with the new addition of brief distillery summaries.
Drinkable Christmas Whisky Gifts
The malts above are all well-suited for Xmas and are just a selection of the various offers at each outlet made by yours truly with Christmas in mind.
A good Christmas whisky should be pleasant to drink for both new and experienced whisky drinkers. An added bonus is if they have some rich, winter-warming spice, dried fruit, etc. (but we all know brandy or port is better at Christmas anyways, hehee...). So here are 5 recommended Christmas Whiskies, irrespective of price, but hopefully there is something for everyone's budget:
Johnnie Walker Black Label (£20... but on offer at Tesco and Waitrose for less)Dalmore 12yo (£26... but £22 at Royal Mile Whiskies)
Glenfarclas 15yo (£34)Chivas Regal 18yo (£40... but on offer at The Whisky Exchange £37.99, or Waitrose for £35)
Royal Salute 21yo (£80... but on offer at World Duty Free if anyone is flying soon)
Hope this post has been of use. It took me a couple of hours and the help of MH to compose. Thanks, buddy.
If you have any Christmas, whisky, Christmas whisky, or other questions, don't be shy... get in touch.
Top picks from past 200 Malt Missions coming tomorrow...
MM200 Celebrations
MM100 Celebrations
Malt Mission HOME
In the UK there are more CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) cameras than there are people in Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Manchester,Liverpool and Bristol COMBINED, almost 10 times as many as there are Doctors and Dentists in the NHS, and a third as many cameras as there are cows (more info?)
And don't you feel safer? Nothing bad ever happens anymore! We all live in a free and democratic society where crime is obsolete, wages just, and opportunities equal.
Of course Big Brother is watching you. Why wouldn't he? Your life is SO interesting, and with all that time free from worrying about crime, you have bought the coolest clothes!!!Anyways...So I have a traffic tracker that tells me (StatCounter) how many folks come to the blog each day. It also keeps data on how they arrived at Dr. Whisky, where in the world they are from, how long they stay, etc. While it has proven interesting to know in what country most readers are based and how many folks come each week, the best thing about having the tracker is seeing what terms folks plug into their search engine of choice before arriving at Dr. Whisky.
There are many occasions where I can see what info the reader is after but am aware that the answer will not be found on my blog. Over the past 100 malts, more and more folks have been emailing me directly with their whisky questions. Hopefully, although not necessarily, this means more of them have been answered. But the real highlight of seeing these search terms is being able to see the weird and wacky ones (unfortunately, there have also been some dirty and/or disturbing ones... my own fault for using a pic called "naked girl"). Here are a few for your entertainment (I did this after 100 Malt Missions too, HERE) :
bassetts wine gums halal? (from Dubai)
drinkable numbing liquid
prickle stimulating balls
caramilk chocolate halal? (from Iran)
kelp cheesecake
value of G
sweaty balls cream
I want to buy a whisky still
Chuck Erlichman library (from New York)
whisky breath gum
with the sheep eyes, and the licorice, guys and dolls
drinking whisky for heart stimulate
silly doctor notes
and
"I don't like whisky"
Also, over the past 5 months I have noticed a great increase in searches for "Dr. Whisky" or "whiskey doctor" or "doctor whisky". I think that is cool, and I have all of you readers and those I thanked yesterday to credit for that phenomenon.
As I can also see the server name of the visitor, I have seen folks at some of the most prestigious universities and research institutions pointing and clicking around the site, hospitals, government ministries and/or military, newspapers, and all the whisky companies big and small.
So of course Big Brother is watching you. It is SO much fun!!!
Top picks from these past 200 drams and Christmas Whisky recomendations (by request) coming by the end of the week.
MM200 Celebrations
MM100 Celebrations
Malt Mission HOME
Yeah, it's been a fun ride and I have enjoyed every moment of it, but like 100 drams ago (Malt Mission 100 celebration posts), there are a lot of folks I need to thank for helping me get to Malt Mission 200... and beyond.
So today, we say THANK YOU(and I let my liver rest):
Thanks to:
Ingvar Ronde and The Scotch Whisky Yearbook 2008
Kevin Erskine (who let me contribute in May and continues to support Dr. Whisky with links and friendly correspondence)Mark Gillespie (who linked and mentioned Dr. Whisky in Whisky Cast episode 91)
Thanks to:
Douglas Blyde at The Daily Wine, Jysmith at A Perspective and A Jeremiad, Darren Turpin's The Genre Files, Armin Grewe (IslayBlog), Johan (WhiskyGrotto), Stephen Rowe (Food & Plastics), Inebrio, Sweasel.com, Mattias (WhiskyBlogg), Discover Whisky, Dave and Thomas, The Avondale Evening Mail, Home of Whisky, Whiskymagazin, The World According to Patrick, Chris Taylor (Taylor & Company) Red Hare (Eclectic Elephant), Will (Nose Palate Finish), Chris Bunting (Nonjatta), Colin Ligertwood (For Peat Sake), Colin Campbell (Whisky Blog), Sku of Sku's Recent Eats, Jay Williams' Aphoristic Subplot, all you nuts at EUWOLS, Naresh at Sound of the Cinema, and any more I am forgetting(sorry), who have all linked to Dr. Whisky.
Thanks to:
EVERYONE who has forwarded links to friends and colleagues via email, etc.
Thanks to:
Morwenna White for putting together and distributing a Dr. Whisky press release for Canadian publications
Kris Gilmartin (author of the article on Dr. Whisky that appeared in the Scottish Sunday Post in June)
Neil Berrie and Arthur Motley at Royal Mile Whiskies
Friends and folks who have helped me taste drams over the past 10 months
Dominic Roskrow, Misako Udo, Ian Buxton, Serge Valentin, Gavin D. Smith, Charlie Maclean, Robin Laing, Annabel Meikle, and Sukhinder and Raj Singh for being so constistently supportive and forthcoming with information
Those who have sent me/helped me source whiskies:
The Whisky Exchange
Royal Mile Whiskies (London and Edinburgh crews)
Alex and Jane at The Spencerfireld Spirit Co.
Lincoln Whisky Shop
Andy Forrester (formerly ofJon, Mark, and Robbo, and Cellar Trends)Barry and Barry at Premium Bottlers
Robert Ransom and George Grant at Glenfarclas
Iain Baxter and Derek Sinclair at Inver House
Neil Macdonald at Chivas Brothers
Billy and Alistair Walker at BenRiach
Ashok Chokalingham at Amrut
William Grant and Sons
Andrew Torrance at Morrison Bowmore
Katy Windsor at The Famous Grouse
Alex Bruce at Adelphi
Lizzie James, Deanna Killackey and Wendy Krone at Beam Global
Richard Paterson, Dave Robertson, and Margaret Nichol at Whyte & Mackay
Iain Weir and Alison Spowart at Glengoyne/Ian Macleod Distillers
John, Gregg, and Robbie at Compass Box Whisky
Nick Tilt, etc. at Speciality Drinks
Marcie Hume who helped me make this video (go watch it! Help us get to 10,000 views!)
Anne Knudsen for finding interesting bottles in her travels in the Far East, Espen Knudsen for challenging me to start this mission and Kristin Knudsen for putting up with it.
and if I have forgotten you or if you feel you deserve a thank you, then THANK YOU.I would also like to use this space to ask those major(Edrington, Suntory, Diageo, etc.) and independent (Gordon & Macphail, Bruichladdich, Douglas Laing, Arran, etc.) companies that lurk on Dr. Whisky, searching these pages each week (I can SEE you), step up and help this blog by sharing or continuing to share press info, samples, etc. As the stats above right indicate (more data available upon request), tens of thousands of people are using this web resource and your products are getting 'free' exposure. I am delighted to continue so long as I can, so please, play a part (contact info). Cheers.
MM100 Celebrations
Malt Mission HOME
