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Sheep Dip
Blended Malt/Vatted Malt/Pure Malt Scotch Whisky
The Spencerfield Spirit Company
40% abv
£23
$35.15(CAD)
$36(USD)
VOTE FOR SHEEP DIP IN THE 2007 DRAMMIES!!!
The term 'sheep dip' refers to a insecticide and fungicide that farmers use to protect their sheep from infestation. It was also a nickname for bootlegged whisky that, when discovered by customs and excisemen, the farmers would say is sheep dip and thus avoid penalty. A real case of pulling the wool over the taxman's eyes.
Richard Paterson currently of Whyte and Mackay and The Dalmore, created the Sheep Dip “vatting” by marrying together several single malt whiskies. The whiskies are aged between eight and twelve years.
TASTING NOTES:
Delicate and sweet. Grain alcohol. Coal? Woody from the get-go, but outdoorsy. Good sherry character. Fresh fruits, green grapes, cantaloupe. Some raw almond or pecan. Farmy. Hay. Soil. Fresh lick of paint on the paddock fence.
Soft entry in the mouth, then fudge and pecan pie. Butter and sugar. Vanilla and Toffee. Takes an oaky turn with some pepper and smoke towards the end, but mainly rich with buttery baked goods and toffee.
SUMMARY:
Don't be put off by the package, it doesnt say Sheep Shit. This is actually very pleasant dramming whisky. For those of us who can't/don't like spending too much for our whisky, you will find this great value (and the LCBO actually has a pretty good price on it.) I will say that it is a touch sweet with toffee and such, so if that is not your thing, be warned. But I find it nowhere near as bad as this guy does. While I personally prefer the old label, I can completely understand why they would feel the need to modernise the image a touch.
VOTE FOR SHEEP DIP IN THE 2007 DRAMMIES!!!
Malt Mission #70
Malt Mission #72
Malt Mission #73
Malt Mission #74
Malt Mission #75
Malt Mission HOME
Ardbeg 1975
Single Cask Single Malt Whisky
Sherry cask #1375
54.2% abv
£399
What a way to celebrate the end of week 14(!!!), my 70th Malt Mission. Who the heck knew this would still be going? Many thanks to all of you for reading, linking, sharing, etc.
Ardbeg has really become a whisky for collectors and don't you try to deny it. No one who buys a bottle of the new Almost There buys just one. Same goes(went?) for the Very Young and Still Young. In fact, those things go for silly amounts of money some places online RIGHT NOW. Friends were just on Islay and said a German guy came in to the Ardbeg shop at the end of their tour, and with stereotypical efficiency beelined for what bottles he wanted and went straight to the cash register. Just have a look at this
I am not saying there is anything wrong with this phenomenon, it is just interesting, isn't it? I mean, it basically means that every time you have some drop of Ardbeg, out of that bottle of 17yo you have or out of a cask at the distillery, someone somewhere is jealous... or willing to pay you for the privilege. I think that's weird. But cool.
Anyways, this is the "first treat" to be released from Ardbeg's Single Cask range in 2007, and the big butt #1375 from 1975 yielded 522 bottles of tasty nectar. More Ardbeg info HERE.
A huge thanks to Colin at the Vinopolis shop of The Whisky Exchange for sharing a drop(take-away, no less) of this beauty.
TASTING NOTES:
Maple, lemon juice, and shrimp/prawns all manage to say 'hello' before you get hit with smoke from a wood fire. A little bit of aloe or odour-free soap, with some Ardbeg sulphury flatulence beneath. The character of the nose is amazing; the scents seem to spiral at you with each nosing, like pipe smoke (or how about here or here). Heheheee. Very sexy.
A split second of sweet hard apples and honey before a wave of wood smoke and then a cloud of peat. Big delivery. Gentle sherry character comes through with some spice and berries. Baked goods, prunes, lime and toasted sesame seeds. Like a long flowing dress, the finish doesn't start, as such; the same fabric just folds gently to the floor. Another metaphor? Sure. An organ-like finish, it just holds the chord already made as it echoes through the cathedral(of my mouth).
SUMMARY:
Ardbeg through and through. Rich and sexy, and even a bit tart and lively for a 30 year old whisky. Not overpowered by anything but lots of smoke and just enough sherry character to add that dried fruit dimension. Great stuff, and you pay for it.
Malt Mission #66
Malt Mission #67
Malt Mission #68
Malt Mission #69
Malt Mission HOME
Longmorn 16 yo
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
48% abv
£50
The good people of Chivas Brothers have been kind enough to send me this sample (thank you Neil Macdonald and Sherraine Leung). It is a highly anticipated new release that was officially announced at the beginning of March.
Longmorn was founded in 1894 and means "Place of the Holy Man". There is a belief that the site of the Longmorn distillery was home to an ancient chapel. In 1919, Masataka Taketsuru visited as a student and later founded Nikka Whisky Co., building his first distillery, Yoichi on Hokkaido, Japan, using Longmorn as a model in 1934. Longmorn became part of Seagrams of Canada in 1978 and they switched the coal-fired stills to steam, switched the water source, and replaced the wooden washbacks with stainless steel. Pernod Ricard bought part of Seagrams and took over the Chivas Group in 2001. Known (among those who have even heard of the stuff) for producing rich, massive whisky (try the Gordon & Macphail Longmorn 25yo... you can spread it on toast!), Longmorn has quite a reputation among people in the whisky industry and passionate whisky drinkers. Longmorn is referred to as 'the second choice of all master blenders.'
The launch of Longmorn 16 is part of Chivas Brothers' premiumisation strategy. "Longmorn's positioning at the super-premium end of the malt market, places it in a category that is experiencing strong growth of 17.5%"
Super-premium, design synergy, price points, sector growth, etc... not exactly romantic words to move whisky bottles and inspire whisky drinkers. Like describing one's child as "effecient, showing good growth potential, reliable on deliverables, micro investment; solid return," etc.
Let's drink and leave that crap in the boardroom.
TASTING NOTES:
Jamaican sweets, fried plantain, honey, wedding cake, avocado. Fruits picked too early, unripe strawberries, wild blueberries, hard peaches or nectarines. Really develops in the glass and is startlingly welcoming to deep whiffs despite the %abv. Mocha java. Musty summer house after a winter of neglect. Sweet oak, some leather, menthol.
Very alive in the mouth, first friendly and buttery, then effervescent, then almost bitter or puckering. Awakening my mouth from cheek to cheek. Chilli spiciness. Green, young trees being torn apart, pinecones. Water dulls this effect, but it is one of intrinsic flavour, not alcohol level. Once these impressions leave, it is creamy and sweet. Still in the tropical realm like the nose, now mangoes and green/unripe bananas. Ginger biscuits, heaps of oak and wood tickling the whole mouth. Medium-long finish of dried fruits and spices, figs and cinnamon, some vanilla and oats, and still has that green feeling, now of a felled sapling.
SUMMARY:
Captures a whole realm of flavours from water, coal-fired distillation, different malt, different types of oak, and time. This is certainly a unique dram. It has a gorgeous provocative nose. It is very lively in the mouth, but the leading flavours walk a fine line between fresh assertiveness and tree-sap, rubbing alcohol, or tabasco sauce.
The promotional literature reads "praise has been heaped on this whisky from the moment it was first produced, yet it remains unknown to most malt whisky consumers." I worry that at the current price point, AND as the only official Longmorn release, this great whisky will remain "Speyside's secret", "an unsung hero of malt".
Additionally, I worry that the packaging is quite excessive in an age of ecological awareness and responsibility, and for a whisky that is not going to just sit in a box on the shelf, but, rather, be consumed(it is not a collector's item), such packaging is ultimately wasteful. For example, will the leather bottom of the bottle or the metal/tin neck ornament make it unacceptable for recycling?
Malt Mission #66
Malt Mission #67
Malt Mission #68
Malt Mission #70
Malt Mission HOME
Balblair 16 yo
Highland Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£25*
$55(USD)*
Balblair is the fourth oldest distillery still in operation (after Glenturret, Bowmore, and Strathisla) and was built by John Ross in 1790. The present buildings are quite adorable and date from the 1870s. Hiram Walker bought the distillery in 1970 and it became a key malt in Ballantine's blends.
After surviving years in the 1990's under threat of mothballing, Inver House Distillers added Balblair to their interesting stable of distilleries in 1996. Since 2000 they have released a great line-up of standard bottlings as well as a few stellar premium examples (the 38yr old being one of the greatest whiskies I have ever had the pleasure of drinking).
This is a bottling that has been discontinued to be replaced by a series of vintages you may have already seen at your favourite retailer or in Whisky Magazine this month. Let's taste this disappearing beauty.
TASTING NOTES:
Sweaty, salty, and summery; beach volleyball. Honey and hazelnuts, wine and walnuts, apple and almonds; Haroseth(or Charoset). Floral. Raisins. Bubblegum. A subtle, slightly sour, organic or earthy peatiness. Complex but approachable. "Friendly and familiar" - My Mom
Very deep. Scoops of vanilla yoghurt, maybe ice cream, and raisins. Cocoa. Whispers of fresh citrus, lemongrass, galangal; lots from the oak, sherry, cedar. Toffee pudding. Almost overwhelming in density of flavour. Develops beautifully in the glass.
SUMMARY:
A whisky that is very ALIVE. So exciting and was great value (I used it in one of my pre-Malt Mission posts), it is sad to lose it. Great outdoors sunset dram to sit in silence with loved ones and slowly milk each serving. "I would love to drink that outdoors. Romantic. Not for medicinal purposes."- My Mom.
* - Prices are old list prices. Sadly, the product has been discontinued and, when found, this bottle will likely sell for more than this price.
Malt Mission #66
Malt Mission #67
Malt Mission #69
Malt Mission #70
Malt Mission HOME
Scapa 12 yo
Island Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£40*
60(USD)*
This is one of the two distilleries on the northern Orkney Islands. There are 70 islands that fall under that title and 17 are inhabited. On what the locals call 'the mainland' one finds Highland Park and, just down the road, Scapa.
In 2003, it seemed that Scapa's days were numbered. It is really with gratitude to neighboring Highland Park and crew that Scapa has stocks from the years between 1994 and 2004. They used to come to the run-down distillery and fire up the stills for a few weeks each year.
Orkney and Scapa Flow have a rich history from Viking rule in the 11th century to the world wars.
This has been replaced by the new standard release Scapa 14 year old which won the 2005 Bottling of the Year from Loch Fyne Whisky in Inverary, Scotland.
TASTING NOTES:
Salty and sweet. Fresh and outdoorsy, spring, hay or cut grass. Smells of a distillery, or a bakery in a distillery; Bailey's and shortbread. With time, sherry and toasted oak characteristics emerge.
Malty and sweetened with vanilla and powdered sugar. Quick and fleeting peat presence. Jam and bread, jelly donuts. Great development into a rich, green sort of oakiness that makes me lick my lips and suck the roof of my mouth. This only increases with time in the glass as more sherry and toastiness make their presence felt. Some white pepper and just a trickle of smoke as the finish fades... slowly.
SUMMARY:
I have always loved this whisky, good honest malt character, good complexity and balance, and great value. When I first got the whisky bug, this distillery had no guarantee of a future so when Chivas Brothers/Pernod Ricard reinvested in 2004, got the stills up and running, and released the 14yo, I can admit to being a happy man. But I did need to scurry and buy a few 12s before they disappeared. Sad that one has to nurse every last drop of this discontinued bottling, but the Scapa 14 is also stellar, and with the intermittent production over the last 13 years it serves as a good reminder of the fact that the age statement on any given whisky indicates the age of the youngest whisky in the bottle. So the good news is that the immediate future looks secure for Scapa.
* - prices listed may vary as this is a discontinued bottling and is no longer widely available. When it was around in OddBins, for example, it sold for around £24, and $50 at the LCBO.
Malt Mission #66
Malt Mission #68
Malt Mission #69
Malt Mission #70
Malt Mission HOME
Ballantine's Finest
Blended Scotch Whisky
43% abv
£20
$23.65(CAD)
$17(USD)
Ballantines has a great history in Edinburgh. George Ballantine set up a grocery in the Cowgate. He dealt in whisky (not blended) as well as tea, wine, produce, etc. For those of you who know Edinburgh, it is interesting to note that his business quite literally moved up-market, moving shop from the Cowgate up to Candlemaker Row, and then up to South Bridge.
By 1922, the Ballantine family sold their interests in the company and the blend reached new heights. Greatly benefiting from smuggling via Nassau or Canada during prohibition, Hiram Walker-Gooderham and Worts of Canada bought the blend and to ensure supplies for the future, invested in whisky distilleries in Scotland. They were very short on supplies, especially of Scottish grain whisky. Could this be the era when Canadian whisky companies lobbied the government to introduce laws requiring the addition of a percentage of domestic spirits to Scottish ones (see Malt Mission #59 and #60) ?
Hiram Walker founded Dumbarton Grain Distillery in 1938, one of the largest distilleries in Scotland and, for a time, the largest grain distillery. The distillery is said to have used a rather unorthodox security force, "The Scotch Watch". Formed in 1959 by Tom Scott, originally it consisted of five geese plus a gander(named Mr Ballantine) and by 2001 the flock had grown to about 100 birds. Most of them were Chinese geese, but the regiment also counts a few European geese among its ranks of excellent guards.
An absolute testament to blender's craft, in an age when the trend is towards fewer constituent parts in blends, Ballantine's Finest is said to include at least 57 malts. The main malts in Ballantine's are Glenburgie and Miltonduff, but it is said to include or have included Ardbeg, Balblair, Balmenach, Glencadam, Glentauchers, Inverleven, Imperial, Laphroaig, Old Pultney, Scapa, and Tormore. The grain used to be Dumbarton(closed in 2002). I am not certain from where the grain component is coming today.
For an informative piece on Ballantine's, see Gavin D. Smith & Tom Cannavan's Whisky Pages
TASTING NOTES:
Nose impressions are light and airy but with denisty of peach, oats, and floral/perfumy aromas. Vanilla, peaches and cream or maple and brown sugar flavoured instant oatmeal. Overall, a very malty nose with little hint of oak or smoke. Clean and appetising, if not a bit too sweet.
Sour first impression. Syrupy sweetness with none of the fruity impressions at which the nose hinted. Raw corn. Has an almost mentholic or medicinal quality. Grainy and oaty. Dry finish of oat cakes and stilton.
SUMMARY:
I am tasting from a miniature and have a feeling that, based on the almost rotten sour notes that lead on the palate, I may have a bum bottle. Apologies. I will try this again at a later date to verify one way or the other.Malt Mission #65
Malt Mission #67
Malt Mission #68
Malt Mission #69
Malt Mission #70
Malt Mission HOME
Blair Atholl 12yo (1994-2006)
Single Malt Whisky
McGibbon’s Provenance
Sherry Butt 2864
46% abv
£35
Another week gone. I can't believe this Malt Mission is still going!!! Thanks for reading, commenting, linking, and sharing samples.
I tasted this beauty (again) at Ran's flat one morning in Edinburgh last weekend while he snored in bed wearing an eye-mask.
This is the bottling selected by the Edinburgh University Water of Life Society on 20th April 2006, back when we were President and First Lady. In 2005 and 2006, Susan from Douglas Laing came to offer us casks to taste and choose a bottle to put our names to, ie. "Selected by the Edin Uni WOLS under guidance of committee members, etc." It was sold exclusively through The Whisky Shop. These were always great tastings and Susan was a stellar host. The first year we chose a cracking Clynelish 15yo and last year selected this buttery gem from an underappreciated-as-a-single-malt distillery.
For more on Blair Athol distillery see Malt Mission #42
TASTING NOTES:
Assertive oak and sherry, a confident nose. Fudge and lime. Great mix. Dairy Milk Fruit&Nut. Some damp shower towel (or that could be the laundry in the corner of Ran's room)
Mmm, chewy. Buttery. Croissants, or the taste of the smell of croissants. Arrowroot cookies, toast with butter and orange marmalade. Short oaky finish that is drying to its close.
SUMMARY:
Very tasty stuff, rich with butter and freshness. Great consistency between nose and palate which is something I appreciate. Good sherry character without overpowering the baked-goods flavour of the malt. Finish is a little short, if I had to find one criticism. Great stuff, tho.
Malt Mission #61
Malt Mission #62
Malt Mission #63
Malt Mission #64
Malt Mission HOME
Highland Park 15 yo (1990)
Island Single Malt
The Alchemist (Gordon Wright)
46% abv
£37
We will end the Edinburgh-themed week with two other drops I was allowed to enjoy while in Edinbugh. This one I tried at Matt and Mariah's flat in Leith after Malt Mission 61. Big thanks guys. And yummy mashed potatoes!!!
This is an Achemist bottling from Gordon Wright who used to work at the distillery his family owns, Springbank, as well as being a co-founder of the reborn Bruichladdich distillery. He is a passionate man when it comes to whisky, but his Alchemist label brings attention to other spirits, calvados, and armagnac (so far). He is, I gather, quite involved in the The Whisky School, the very website/organisation that held a video competition (we entered this video) with a desirable prize and never, to my knowledge awarded any contributor. Further, my emails about this have gone unanswered. Weak.
If you want more info about Highland Park please see these posts.
Written on the side of the bottle is the following, "I created Alchemist to bring together the world's most carefully crafted aged spirits. The selection of this fine example was made with expertise born of many years in Single Malt Scotch Whisky, firstly at my family's distillery-Springbank- and latterly at Bruichladdich. You will value its magical properties and purity." Despite the awkward second sentence, we venture to see if the third is true.
Matt's impressions are in quotes.
TASTING NOTES:
"Fresh sea air, then thickening with leather and pepper," or peppery leather like beef jerky... without the beef? Ice cubes, some kind of candy, fake fruit essence, "Malibu rum and pineapple." Floral, like the heathery stuff on Arthur's Seat. Raw almonds.
"That's amazing."
Did you just say that?
"Yeah, I really enjoy that."
Great movement between bourbony oak, truffles and earth to the synthetic fruits and tropical sun creams/suntan lotion, ending with dry oak, "a little bit of nuttiness," and dust in a cold basement.
SUMMARY:
Revisted after some time, "more malt. fruit becomes less tropical, more citrus-y". Clouds immediately in the glass so you know all the tasty oils are in there waiting to be enjoyed. Overall, we quite enjoyed this Highland Park, but figure it would take more than one dram to notice its "magical properties"
Malt Mission #61
Malt Mission #62
Malt Mission #63
Malt Mission #65
Malt Mission HOME
Cutty Sark 12yo
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£28
I love a keener, so thanks for giving me a hard time ANONYMOUS. I encourage comments, but that doesnt mean I will always post them!
It was pointed out in a comment that my statement that Berry Bros & Rudd had been at the same storefront since 1698 was inaccurate (Malt Mission #61). So let me clarify for the other nerdy fact-checkers out there (feel no shame, I am also one, and EVERYONE gets like this about crap they are interested in):
Widow Bourne opened a grocers shop where coffee was ground, hence the coffee mill image on the shop sign, in 1699. In 1731, the business was taken over by William Pickering. His descendents, the brothers Berry painted their name above the shop in 1810. A century later Hugh Rudd, a wine expert, joined the company and became a junior partner after the Great War and it was Rudd who had direct involvement in the development of Cutty Sark whisky.
Noting that Canadian whisky seemed to be finding success in America in spite of that 'noble' experiment, prohibition, Rudd, Francis and Walter Berry decided to create a light coloured, caramel-free, lightly flavoured grain and speyside themed blend. With the help of Captain William McCoy in the Bahamas, Cutty Sark literally became the real McCoy.
The whiskies in this blend are AT LEAST 12 years old, and in fact, most are 14 and 15. I tasted this before dinner at the City Cafe over a game of pool. We were waiting for Kebab Mehal take away, and as amazing as the food is, the waiting game can kill a stronger man than I. Enter Cutty Sark 12yo.
TASTING NOTES:
Firm grain, but a laid back nose overall. Salt, cocoa, and cinnamon. Some jelly beans.
Again, grain leads, tasting of apple pie and vanilla ice cream, then some gentle waves into tropical fruits and the sea and then tightening up to a dry, grainy/woody(sauna? cedar?) finish.
SUMMARY:
Easy. Gentle. With character, but nothing obtrusive. A very good summer dram.
Malt Mission #61
Malt Mission #62
Malt Mission #64
Malt Mission #65
Malt Mission HOME
Edinburgh University Water of Life Society
Independent Bottlers Meeting
Teviot Dining Room, Bristo Square, Edinburgh
April 16, 2007
Ended our Edinburgh visit appropriately by attending a meeting of the whisky club Kristin and I used to be involved with(first as poet laureate, then president) when we lived in Edinburgh. In fact, it was the society that got us involved with eachother in the first place. Ah, whisky; bringing people together for over 200 years...
The theme of the meeting was Independent Bottlings and we had a few interesting ones to try. Here are impressions of three of them. Notes in quotes are not my own and, where possible, I have attributed them to their sources.
Littlemill 1990, 16yo
Signatory Vintage
Single Malt Whisky
43% abv
£27.95
Littlemill was a lowland whisky, although it sourced its water in the highlands. The distillery closed in 1984, opened briefly 1989-1992, suffered a fire started by youngsters in 2004, and today all but two towers have been demolished. It was the oldest Scottish distillery in production having been founded by George Buchanan in the 1750s, but obviously lost that position when it closed in 1992. The 8yo bottling you can sometimes find is still bottled by Loch Lomond, but the contents are in fact 14-15 years old.
TASTING NOTES:
Soft. Light and sweet with old spice or someone's dad's deodorant. Chinese 5-spice.
"Wet cardboard" -Leo, "Tequila" -Dan, "Cinnamon" -Joe, "Butterscotch" -Nikki
"Old wood in an antique furniture shop" - Lorna
Watery, melony, then mildew flavours, dissonant notes that really sour towards the finish. Like decomposition in the mouth."Damp clothes that were mud-soaked and now have air-dried." -Ran
"Chemical used to treat cow hides" -Jamal
"Rotten pineapple" -Leo
"Honeydew" -Joe
SUMMARY:
"The nose is misleading and the aftertaste is awful." -Judith
"Walking into a house full of mold. Possibly the worst whisky I have ever had" -Kristin
To be fair, I must note here that we warmed up with the smooth Irish Kilbeggan whisky, after which many malts would suffer. This was interesting, but certainly not something I would reach for.
Tormore 1993, 13yo 
Douglas Laing, Old Malt Cask
Single Malt Whisky
50% abv
£30
After the Second World war, the whisky industry saw new growth for the first time in over 30 years; closed distilleries reopened and new ones were built. Three new distilleries were built after the war before Tormore in 1960, and only Tormore still survives intact and in full production. The distillery was built to supply malt for Long John blends. Today it is most commonly found in Ballantine's blends, and quite rare as a single malt.
TASTING NOTES:
Fresh, unripe tree fruit; pears or russet apples. Sweet coconut like Jon, Mark and Robbo's Smooth Sweeter One. Creme brullée.
"Linseed oil" -Dan, "Hot sick and flambéed cherries" -Joe
Firm mouthfeel that tastes bready and slightly seedy or oily, like sesame seed bagels. Mild pickle saltiness beneath.
SUMMARY:
Exciting sip after sip, new flavours abound, constantly developing but not ever blowing anyone away. Solid stuff.
"Weird bourbon cask. Too much woody... um... nutty rich... cinnamony" -Leo
Clynelish 1993, 13yo
Gordon and Macphail Connoisseurs Choice
Single Malt Whisky
43% abv
£30
One of my favourite distilleries, references to Clynelish can be found here and at Malt Mission 23
TASTING NOTES:
Blueberries and apricots, shortbread, salty, and a whiff of peat.
"Sausage" -Leo
"Coconut" -Simeon
"It's making me tipsy" -Lorna
Dark and gloomy. Meaty and clean. Halal butcher. Oranges.
"Pork fat", "tobacco", "dirty old dirty old old dirty."
"Virgin pine palate/skid on the palate" -Simeon
SUMMARY:
Friday night in watching horror movies. Dark and scary, exciting and tense, but no surprises. My favorite of the night, but the Kilbeggan warm-up dram was the overall winner with the group. I regret not taking notes on that one. Oh well. A good night was had. Thanks, guys.
Malt Mission #61
Malt Mission #63
Malt Mission #64Malt Mission #65
Malt Mission HOME
Cutty Sark
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£14
$23.15(CAD) *
$20(USD)
Spent the weekend in Edinburgh and had an absolutely brilliant time. This was a dram tasted with Matt Harsh at his flat in Leith, Scotland. His notes are in quotes. We had a few drams before the lovely food Mariah was preparing made our noses forget about whisky and be lured to the kitchen. More of what we tasted will be posted later this week.
London’s wine and spirit merchants Berry Bros & Rudd have been at the
same storefront since 1698. They've been blending whiskies since 1923 with a goal of including whiskies of high quality and natural light colour. James McBey designed the label still used today and Christened the malt, after the speedy clipper portrayed on every bottle, Cutty Sark. During prohibition in the United States, (when drinkers drank to drink and get drunk, not collect or nose and taste and all that crap) Cutty Sark established itself a loyal following and eventually became the first whisky to sell over 1million cases in the USA. It continues to do well in North America, Japan and Europe, with export sales of over 2 million cases.
Said to include, or have included at one time or another, Glenrothes, Tamdhu, Macallan, Bunnahabhain, Glenlassaugh, Glengoyne, and Highland Park and grain whisky from Invergordon and North British.
TASTING NOTES:
Sweet vanilla grains, blueberry yogurt, melting butter in a pan. "So much butterscotch and vanilla, it's nuts[...] But right under there is that, y'know, like malt. Just malt"
Watery texture, dry, metallic coppery taste. "Honey. Not rich. Like some cheap drop out of a flask. But pleasant." Nothing offensive, but very little of note.
SUMMARY:
Unusual complexion for a blend, the grains act as the body and the malts are what dance on top. "The malts warm the top and the grains smack you right underneath it". We preferred the nose. Yet more evidence that blenders are guided by their noses rather than palates.
* - LCBO website says this has been discontinued.
Malt Mission #60
Malt Mission #62
Malt Mission #63
Malt Mission #64
Malt Mission #65
Malt Mission HOME
Linkwood 10yo
Premium Bottlers
46% abv
$68 (CAD)
(The Premium Bottlers story continued from yesterday)
Barry Bernstein explains the mandatory blending with domestic spirits regulation. "The 1% rule is mandated by the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act (IILA). It is a little confusing, but it essentially says that only provincial liquor authorities can import liquor, however there are certain exceptions. A holder of a federal Excise Spirits License (such as Premium Bottlers) can import bulk alcohol to bottle from certain countries like USA, Mexico, Costa Rica and Chile. We can also import bulk alcohol from other places, but ONLY for the purposes of blending. The policy of the Canada Revenue Agency, the federal agency that administers our license, is that the addition of 1% domestic spirits is sufficient to satisfy the law. We have chosen to add 1% Canadian Malt Whisky (from an unnamed source!) that has been aged at least as long as the Scotch so that our product is still 100% Malt Whisky."
So, they learned that they would need to add 1% domestic spirit to their Scottish bottlings. Since they accepted that the law was not going to be changed any time soon, they sought an aged Canadian single malt whisky (barley spirit) and added 5 drops (1%) to every bottle of their single cask Scottish whisky. Experiments showed that the difference was completely unnoticeable. But the product cannot be called a single malt whisky, but rather a "pure" or "vatted" malt whisky. One problem solved, but the struggle was by no means over. They still needed their Federal and Provincial licenses.
After weeks of being passed around through phone and email from one bureaucrat to another, they learned that they needed a physical place of business before they could apply for their licenses. So they took yet another leap of faith, however this time it was an economic one. Without any licenses, any products, or any source of revenue, they leased an industrial unit north of Toronto. They have been paying rent there since September 2005.
They applied for and received their Excise Warehouse license and Excise Spirits License. They could now legally import spirits in to Canada. However they still could not sell a drop.
They applied for their Provincial licenses (each Province has a different license with different criteria and fees) and learned about product testing that was mandatory in certain provinces. They debated their label style and design and met legal criteria of font, sizing, information inclusion, etc. They secured cork-stopped bottles, a feature all whisky lovers appreciate.
When they could finally focus on sourcing, they discovered a few challenges with the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). The SWA wanted to approve Premium Bottlers labels to ensure it met their guidelines, which is quite fair, but this added another few weeks to the whole process.
Other obstacles continue to present themselves, from getting notices from freight companies abroad and Canada Customs when their casks are refused at port "not allowed to import alcohol-only the LCBO can do that", to missing the ONE LCBO product call per year, but the dream is finally a reality. After $100,000 of personal investment, countless hours of research, negotiation, and stress, the first independent bottlers of malt whisky in Canada have products available.
Praise the Barrys!!! They are pioneers, passionate and ballsy, breaking the ice so that future whisky lovers don't have to wish they lived in a free country.
"Freedom and Whisky gang thegither" - Robbie Burns
PREMIUM BOTTLERS products are currently available in Alberta, will soon be in BC, and will be in Ontario by October. They never add colouring nor chill filter, and bottle at 46% abv.
LINK, Cask 1012
TASTING NOTES:
Divided nose, meatiness and maltiness. Horse barn and concrete, like getting off the streetcar at Exhibition Place in Toronto. Gouda cheese, white grapes, fax paper. Touch of smoke.
Pleasantly slick mouthfeel, not oily but slightly thick. Flavours of red plum skin, taste of the smell of vegetable oil, coriander seeds, Danish or German rye bread, and a little hot, stimulating the tongue like mint gum.
SUMMARY:
A slightly unusual sherry cask Linkwood, in my experience, but that is what makes single cask whisky so much fun! A perky whisky that could replace the late afternoon cup of tea as a pick-me-up. Not for me, of course. I would NEVER drink whisky in the afternoon...
Malt Mission #56
Malt Mission #57
Malt Mission #58
Malt Mission #59
Malt Mission HOME
Scapa 10yo
Premium Bottlers
SCAP101 and SCAP102
46% abv
$67(CAD)
During one of the stretches of our North American Adventure when we were in Toronto, we had the privilege to meet two very passionate, if not totally crazy, whisky enthusiasts who have taken great risks and faced great challenges to be the first independent bottlers of Scotch whisky in Canada. They undertook this mission to address the lack of availability of independent single cask bottlings in Canada, and specifically at the LCBO. In turns fascinating and frustrating, their efforts are worth celebrating, and their story may take two days to tell...
Every resident in a state, province, or country that has a liquor monopoly has, at one time or another, fantasised about getting their hands on the glorious bounty they realised was available on their travels to Chile or Australia for wine, Eastern Europe and Russia for vodka, and Scotland for the glorious water of life, whisky. The reality is that if we all lived in a vacuum, without the internet or air travel, we would all be quite content with the limited lines of products available to us in the provinces of Ontario or British Columbia, the states of Washington or Pennsylvania, or the countries of Norway or Sweden, to name just a few examples of government-run liquor monopolies. But to visit Scotland just once and realise that the LCBO, for example, carries less than 5% of the 2500 different brands of Scottish whisky will invariably leave one eternally unsatisfied by a visit to the liquor store back home.
Now, while we have all thought about doing something about this, Barry Stein and Barry Bernstein have actually been determined (and brave) enough to take matters into their own hands. Neither Barry had any experience in the liquor industry but were united by a passion for Scottish whisky.
When they began their journey in 2004, they knew there would be legal challenges ahead, but they could never have imagined just how many obstacles would emerge in the quest to import and bottle spirits in Ontario. In Ontario, only the Liquor Control Board of Ontario(LCBO) can import and sell booze. If the Barrys wanted to sell to the LCBO they would need to be set up as agents of foreign suppliers, have their products purchased by the LCBO, and imported by the LCBO. This was not what they wanted to do; they wanted to source their own casks of single malt whisky and to be the primary suppliers of the stuff. Thus began a self-guided study of the Provincial and Federal Acts surrounding sale and import of alcohol in Canada. After months of research and conversations with bureaucrats they found out that they could import bulk spirits if they obtained a Federal Excise Distilling and Bonded Warehouse license, but they would first need to form a company, so in February 2005 Premium Bottlers, Inc. was born... on paper.
Their research also informed them that the federal regulations in the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act and the Food and Drug Act mandate that imported Scotch Whisky be blended with domestic spirits before packaging(!). This was obviously going to be a potential problem as their intention was to bottle SINGLE MALT whisky, so more research was needed.
(continued tomorrow...)
SCAP101
TASTING NOTES:
Sweet and perfumy. Plastic fruit basket, or fruit scented body lotion on a woman's neck. Warming vanilla like a hot beverage. Dry oakiness. Very appetising, pre-dinner malt.
Palate much deeper than the light perfumy features of the nose would suggest. Fleshy, carob, milk, Grape-nuts. Lemon zestiness.
SUMMARY:
A lively and enjoyable whisky with lots of distillery character from the unjustifiably overlooked Scapa. Water let out a lot more oak and wood characteristics. Tasty stuff.
SCAP102
TASTING NOTES:
Immediately creamy-effect in the nose, drying with oak in the back, and a flurry of impressions in between. Plain yoghurt, dry breakfast cereal, oil paints, apple juice, green peppers... Busy; I could go on.
Straight forward and confident (more like its nose than the 101): French toast, malted barley, citrus and raw vegetables. Slightly sour. Eggy, warming, and mouth coating in oak on the finish.
SUMMARY:
Great how Premium Bottlers have managed to find (and chosen to bottle) two very different Scapas. Not sure which one I prefer, tho. It is certainly a mood thing. This cask tastes older. The 101 has a new-make assertiveness, rich barley sweetness that is deeply appetising, and the 102 has more vegetables, green malt, and oak after the bourbon has all been sucked out. Overall, two excellent examples of Scapa from real pioneers in the independent bottling world.
Malt Mission #56
Malt Mission #57
Malt Mission #58
Malt Mission #60
Malt Mission HOME
Whyte & Mackay 12yo Premium Reserve
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£18
An admirer since I first met this blend, I have mentioned this whisky before, tasted it's bastard cousin in these malt missions, and during our North American Adventures I was able to try some from the bottom of a bottle I gave a friend last year.
This whisky won Gold medals at the International Wine and Spirit Competition both in 2002 and 2004.
TASTING NOTES:
Rich nose with chocolate and strawberries, red grapes, sherry and orange, some faint smokiness with fresh lime on top. Characteristics of grain whisky sit dead in the centre of these impressions allowing the malt notes to venture off in either direction.
Soft and creamy mouthfeel, smoke and sherry, immense earthiness like sitting outside at a farm after a heavy rain. Smoke, hot chocolate, and sherry linger for some time.
SUMMARY:
A blend that would be a challenge to pinpoint in a blind tasting. Great scope of flavours, with an emphasis on sherry matured malt. The rich malts are so firm and satisfying, the finish so full of smoke and sherry that I have simply never tasted better value for money in a blend. I have recommended this for over a year and if you can find a bottle, BUY ONE!!! (again, be warned; the 12yo MASTERS RESERVE is NOT the same thing)
Malt Mission #56
Malt Mission #57
Malt Mission #59
Malt Mission #60
Malt Mission HOME
Milroy's of Soho Auchentoshan 1990, 16yo
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
46% abv
£35
One of the three lowland distilleries to survive into the 21st century, Auchentoshan is a beautiful old distillery located near the Clyde west of Glasgow that sources its water from what would technically be classified as the Highlands and was seriously bombed during World War II. Auchentoshan is Scotland's only distillery to use one wash, one intermediate and one spirit still to triple distill the spirit. The resulting abv is 82%.
This is a single cask bottling from the reputable Milroy's of Soho and was discovered on our living room table upon our return from our North American Adventures. Our good friends Jonathan Seet and Michelle Buckley stayed here while we were away and left us several lovely thank-you treats, including this bottle. So let's taste it.
TASTING NOTES:
Light, but pleasingly dense nose. Carob and fresh tea leaves. Cherry pie, pickled ginger, oak and wet hay.
Raw meat, sour cream, warm butter, cooked broccoli, eventually turning to vanilla, pumpkin pie, and licorice allsorts.
SUMMARY:
Very deep dram from a region from which most people expect light, simple whiskies. I found the initial flavours initially off-putting, but upon revisiting the dram, the chewiness really endeared them to me. There is an alternating balance between oak and candied sweetness in the finish that can satisfy a palate for minutes.
Malt Mission #56
Malt Mission #58
Malt Mission #59
Malt Mission #60
Malt Mission HOME
Cask Strength Whisky Tasting (and Morwenna's Birthday)
Saturday March 31
Ian Brooks' place
Toronto
7.30pm - late
Hosted a whisky tasting on Saturday, as we try to do every time we are here in Toronto. A good time was had by all and not a drop went unappreciated. Very happy that so many people were able to come and that everyone had a good time, including the birthday girl and her family. I have received many emails of thanks, and we thank all of you for coming and taking part in the magic of communal spirit consumption.
I should note that there are no professional whisky drinkers in the group, a few aspiring nerds, and a few guests who took some time to warm up to whisky. This is a welcome challenge to Kristin and I and I think it is safe to say that we can now add a few more names to the growing list of converts in our whiskevangelism. I also like to note that despite what marketers tell us in the whisky industry, the room was evenly split between guys and dolls. AND, most importantly, more women liked what we are told are "manly" Islay whiskies than men. Give 'er!
The tasting notes of each expression were noted on a pad of yellow legal paper that went around the room. I thank all the contributors and apologise if I do not use every note. I will credit the notes where credit is due.
Kilchoman New Spirit (50ml)
Islay
63.5%
abv £5
This is new-make barley spirit, something that most people never get to try and it is absolutely fantastic that Kilchoman has decided to release new spirit. Legally, it cannot be called 'whisky' until it has aged in cask for 3 years. This is the way whisky would have been consumed 200 years ago, with no time wasted on aging, just drinking it right off the still.
Kilchoman is a new distillery and has been distilling whisky for just under two years (began in June 2005). The distillery is one of the few that will be able to claim that every step of the whisky making process is taken on site and it is the first new Islay distillery in 124 years.
TASTING NOTES
Salty fish water, dates-in-boiled-oats kind of sweetness, pear flavoured water, pissed-out fire.
"Tastes like a young Laphroaig" - Kristin Cavoukian
"Peardrops? Bollocks!!!" Jordan
SUMMARY
Everyone was very impressed with just how drinkable this stuff was in spite of its strength, but were also surprised by the softness of flavours, a gentle sweetness unexpected by most, from 'immature' spirit. Everyone loved the smokiness. We all look forward to great things from this new distillery.
Chivas Regal 12yo (1750ml) 
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
$90.65(CAD)
In 1836 James Chivas became a partner in an Aberdeen-based grocer and wine merchant and in 1857 Chivas Brothers was born. Chivas Regal was their flagship blend from the 1890s and was finding great success on North American shores. In Canada the brand earned much admiration from whisky distillers and in 1949 Seagram's bought the family of blends. The company subsequently acquired old and built new distilleries in the 20th century.
The blend is said to contain a high malt content of 40%, mainly made up of Speyside malts (Glenlivet, Longmorn, and Strathisla and for sure, and maybe Allt-a-Bhainne, Benriach, Braeval, Caperdonich, Glen Grant and Glen Keith)
The CoolBrands Council (!) named Chivas the UK's coolest whisky brand(2006).
TASTING NOTES:
Vanilla, cut grass, sweet and malty. Applesauce. Mango lassie.
"First time having it and I am pleasantly surprised. The box always gave me the impression that the whisky would taste like dust and 'English Leather', but it doesn't!" - Matthew Cowley
Many commented how it tasted really light later in the night, but this was no doubt because by that point we had already enjoyed 4 cask-strength whiskies.
SUMMARY:
A surprise to many who had stigmatized this whisky in their minds, Chivas Regal proved to be satisfying and widely appealing, although it was the last whisky bottle to be emptied on the night. Mind you, this could be because we had a 1.75L bottle...
North British 1991 (14yo) 
Signatory Cask Strength Grain Whisky
53.3% abv
£33
It is not often that one gets to taste new make spirit and single cask grain whisky on the same night. Adding to the experience is the fact that this particular grain was aged in Californian ex-sherry casks; extremely unusual.
This distillery provides grain for many of the biggest blends(Vat 69, Dewar's, Chivas, Famous Grouse, Isle of Skye, and more), and produces 1.25 million litres a week(!). One of seven remaining grain distilleries in Scotland, and the only one left in Edinburgh.
TASTING NOTES
Honey ice cream, sour grapes, dying flowers, sulphur and sewage.
Forget who said these, "sauna", "library dust", "dirt, earth", "sucking on a tree branch"
"Blood flavoured liquorice" - Brian Kobayakawa
"It makes me feel like I'm going to grow a big funnel/smokestack out of the front of my face--out of which I'll spew fluffy clouds" - Jessie Perlitz
"Matches dropped into a grainfield sparking a grassfire" - Jenn Gaudette
SUMMARY
The "off-notes" (namely sewage and matches) polarized the room. Absolutely loved by many, enjoyed by most, and hated by very few. A highly unusual whisky that was infinitely interesting. Very memorable, and a gorgeous bottle that was highly coveted by the tasters.
Glenmorangie Traditional (100 proof) 
Highland Single Malt Whisky
57.2% abv
£45
Glenmorangie is the best selling whisky in the UK and is pronounced, contrary to the belief of some cocky tourists I met in Scotland two years ago, "glen-moren-jee". Not that I was nit-picking, but they were just so obnoxiously pretentious and I insist on knocking the wind out of anyone who propagates the myth of snobbery that surrounds whisky enjoyment.
Glenmorangie is very proud to boast the tallest stills in the industry measuring in at 5.1m. They can also claim responsibility for the various wood finishes as they pioneered the resurgence of the method in recent years. In fact, the wood management at Glenmorangie is among the most strict in the whole whisky world and is the product of 20 years of ongoing research into slow growing trees and techniques of air drying the oak of particular trees from particular parts of the US, used for particular bourbons before being used to mature the spicy, vanilla rich whisky that we all know as Glenmorangie.
TASTING NOTES
Fresh mint, fennel, vanilla pods, rooibos tea. An effervescent mouthfeel that becomes nicely oily with synthetic orange flavour and white pepper.
"Coating of fur on the tongue." - anon.
"High octane version of the standard 10yo" - Jordan
"Aerosol hairpspray from 1972" - Allison B
"I just really like it" - Brian Kobayakawa, Jillian Rogin
SUMMARY
Dram of the night for many folks, myself included, this is powerful but elegant stuff with great balance of wood and whisky character. Water adds to the flavour experience and increases the beauty of the mouthfeel. Dig it.
Aberlour A'bunadh, Batch 17 
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
60.2%
£32
Taking it's name from the Gaelic for 'the origin', A'bunadh is a batch released whisky that is a vatting of different ages of exclusively oloroso sherry cask matured Aberlour whisky. When we visited the distillery a couple of years ago, we were told that the inspiration for this expression of Aberlour came from a bottle that was discovered in the walls of one of the distllery buildings. It was tested and it was decided to try and create a similar style of Aberlour, traditional and from an era when most distilleries were exclusively aging in sherry casks, and bottle it in an old-style apothecary bottle with a wood stopper and wax seal. This series has been a great success and is currently on Batch 18.
Founded in 1879 by James Fleming, a fire in 1898 destroyed most of the distillery. It was insured and rebuilt at an incredible cost. But it was worth it as the place is still stunningly gorgeous. The distillery remained water powered (it is located at a meeting point of the Lour and Spey rivers) until 1960 and was purchased by its current owners, Pernod Ricard(Chivas whisky family) in 1974.
TASTING NOTES
Fire. Rich with cloves, cocoa, and loads of oloroso sherry. Hot. I need water.
"All I can say is smoooooooth. yum yum." - Joanna White
"Chocolatey, nougat-y, dessert-y smooch" - anon.
"Tasty, a dark cave with a monster lurking inside" - Chuck Erlichman
"Not unlike drinking a brick." - Zack
"Not so subtle." - Jill R.
"It burns. Olive and chocolate. and burn." - Brian K.
SUMMARY
Another that was hit and miss. A whisky that benefits from being 4th in a tasting. Still too spirit-hot to many, but undeniably full of rich sherry and all the good stuff that comes with it. Another cool bottle, to boot.
Bowmore 7yo
SMWS 3.123 "jowl-shaking"
Single Cask Single Malt Whisky
61.6% abv
Always good to end a tasting with something fiery and smoky, and this little beast from Bowmore certainly lived up to those expectations.
Kristin and I used to be on the SMWS tasting panel that considers the whiskies from individual casks in an attempt to determine which ones are good enough to be bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. We learned a great deal from the experienced noses at the table and are very grateful to have had the opportunity to take part. Young Bowmores have been very popular in recent years at the society and with independent bottlers. See Malt Mission 18 or Malt Mission 4 for more information on Bowmore and notes on other expressions of this whisky.
TASTING NOTES
"Burning love... and plastic and war and turpenitine" - Zack
"This is the one... send the rest back. ISLAY FOREVER" - Kristin C.
"Ashtray mouth; if you have a need for it, this is where you get it." Allison
"Smokey, peaty, with a hint of maple and A535"
SUMMARY
Smokeheads loved this treat, but they were easy to convince. It is the rest of the room that found something to like in it that was most impressive. Slightly antiseptic in its numbing affect. But lots of character for such a young'n. bowMORE.
OVERALL SUMMARY:
Much fun. Thanks again, all.
Most abstract note:
"LIKE FIREWORKS WITH THE DOPPLER EFFECT"
runners up: "Not unlike drinking a brick", "Rip yer bitch-pants off"
Most Canadian note/comment:
"A HINT OF MAPLE AND A535"
runner up "No, I've got a couple beer"
North American Adventure #1
North American Adventure #2
North American Adventure #3
North American Adventure #4
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