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Glenfarclas Family Casks 1977
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
59% abv
£210
$565(CAD)
Ah, 1977. The Clash released their debut album, Star Wars opened in cinemas, Jimmy Carter became 39th President of the United States, the Toronto Blue Jays played their first-ever baseball game, and I had my first birthday.
Glenfarclas distillery has been in the hands of a single family for six generations. You will see their pics to the right over the next few days travelling back in time along with our drams. It effectively went John, George, George, George, John(above right), and George(below right) since June 8, 1865.
One of 582 bottles from a refill sherry butt. For all Glenfarclas had on the mission click HERE and for other vintages from the Family Casks click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:Soft, buttery nose. Very appetising. Muscat. Honey, bananas, golden raisins with a creamy vanilla-oaky depth.
Gentle entry that perks up (with the help of the abv%) with grape skins and fresh tobacco. Malty, with edam cheese, chocolate covered raisins, and an oaky finish that is not drying but actually quite juicy.
SUMMARY:
The nose is a delight, not overly complex, takes its time to show its inner secrets, showing good age with some scrumptious characteristics. Great range from low to high flavours, if that makes any sense... it is full in the nose. Great depth in the mouth, too, with well-bound flavours and all the charms of age without any interference from overpowering sherry (or bourbon). Another odd expression of Glenfarclas, but I suppose that is the fun of single casks.
Malt Mission #186
Malt Mission #187
Malt Mission #189
Malt Mission #190
Malt Mission HOME
Glenfarclas Family Casks 1983
Speside Single Malt Whisky
56% abv
£199
$499(CAD)
The Family Cask range from Glenfarclas is wholly unique and there is no other known collection of old and rare whiskies that covers 43 consecutive years from a single distillery. The series surpasses Macallan's Fine and Rare collection which has more and older(1926) bottlings and 25 consecutive vintages, as well as Gordon & Macphail's Glen Grant Vintages (1948-1968).
All of The Family Casks from Glenfarclas have been bottled at cask strength, a practice that most connoisseurs appreciate and one that Glenfarclas helped pioneer in the marketplace when they were the first distilling company to introduce a cask strength whisky to their core range back in 1968 with Glenfarclas 105 (tasted way back at Malt Mission #46).
This vintage is one of just 302 bottles from a refill hogshead. For all Glenfarclas had on the mission click HERE and for other vintages from the Family Casks click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Bittersweet from the start, with a fairly strong alcohol presence, too. Warming, with buttery and oaky aromas. Some baked goods and small bitter berries. Almonds, hot chocolate powder, and bread. Water really sweetens things up offering more exotic fruit, cocoa, and a slight meatiness.
Mouth-filling vanilla initially, then lemon cake, decimated coconut. Very nutty. Water reduces the explosive impact which could be a positive or a negative, depending on your mood. It becomes creamier, more spread-able, and the flavours appear to be more bound together. Long lingering flavours of oak, tea biscuits, with shorter impressions of pasta and crepes, and even sweeter baked goods with water.
SUMMARY:
Tasty, distinctive, and unusual. More complexity and flavour development than the initial nosing might suggest. Stands up to a lot of water. An odd member of the Glenfarclas family, not a George or a John... maybe a Simon? Overall, an odd Glenfarclas, and one for the curious-minded.
Malt Mission #186
Malt Mission #188
Malt Mission #189
Malt Mission #190
Malt Mission HOME
Glenfarclas Family Casks 1992
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
55.5% abv
£125
$275(CAD)
Totally missed Alcohol Awareness Week (Scotland) last week, October 21-27. The Scotch Whisky Association, Diageo, and many major liquor companies took part while Dr. Whisky remained oblivious. So today my prescription is "be a responsible drinker"; know what health experts think about your drinking habits and please don't drink to get happy. Drink for the social or hedonistic reasons, drink for the flavour experience(s), drink for cultural or religious practice. Drink in moderation. And drink water.
While there can be no doubt that alcohol causes harm in this country, not all liquor sectors can be punished equally at budget time. It cannot be ignored that in 2007 it has been 10 years without a tax hike on spirits in the UK. Scottish whisky has seen a boom in recent years and is showing healthy growth. Naturally, this growth has been largely due to a degree of stagnation in taxation and rather than firing people and closing distilleries, companies are actually hiring more people and building new sites.
We are nervous that if we can't all work to curb binge drinking and promote responsible relationships with alcohol that the tax and duty on spirits, and whisky in particular, will rise and could lead to economic hardships in certain areas of Scotland where the whisky industry plays a very large part in the health of local economies. Taxation is not the only, nor the most efficient, tool for reducing excessive consumption. I believe education can help cure a lot of these problems, and 24h drinking certainly doesn't help send either the right message or cause the right effect. More controls should be put in place in the clubs and bars of the UK. You cannot convince me that a couple of mates tasting the new Glengoyne Burnfoot at their flat in Dundee is more harmful to society than "drink all 8 shots and get a t-shirt" type offers or "2-4-1 alcopops or ciders." Respect your drink and your drink will respect you.
Right, onto our Malt Mission. The threads of many-a-whisky-forum have been buzzing with news and views surrounding the release of Glenfarclas' Family Casks (See THIS, THIS, or THIS). Glenfarclas has released a series of 43 vintages from 1952 to 1994 that they are calling Family Casks and the bottles can be bought individually or as a set. It seems they will be available in Ontario through John Hanna and Sons and in some other select markets around the world where importers have the determination to get some.
Glenfarclas has been distilled on the Recherlich Farm in Ballindalloch by six generations of the Grant family. For more distillery information and to see all Glenfarclas had on the mission click HERE. This particular vintage is from a sherry butt and is one of 669 bottles.
I was honoured to have been invited to the launch of these beauties in September and gutted that I could not attend as I was going to be out of the country. But I was delighted to receive samples from a few casks from Robert Ransom and I express my thanks for both the initial invite and the subsequent drops by post. We will be traveling back in time with Glenfarclas this whole week.
Tasted with MH (who started high school in 1992). His notes appear in quotes.
TASTING NOTES:
Bran flakes, "definitely breakfast cereal, but more like LIDL malt cruchies, to me." Some table polish, orange scented, "the stuff Grandma uses around the house". Perfumy, Flowers by Kenzo. Water brings the chemical polish out even more.
Sweet and dry, honey, a touch of salt, and mealy apples. Green veg, celery. Toasty sherry finish. "A bit nutty at the end, too." Water should be used very carefully, if at all. It brings out a slight marzipan flavour. "For me, the water hurt the nose but I like the taste better now." Honey, slice of orange, and plastic.
SUMMARY:
Matt wasn't sure if tasting first thing in the morning was the best way to evaluate cuz his morning mouth seemed to defend against the abv. In any event, we found this pretty simple and straightforward, and Matt felt the polish aromas really interfered with his experience. This expression has the perfumy elements of Glenfarclas, the polished wood tables, etc., but the standard 15yo has a fuller, rounder flavour to offer.
Malt Mission #185
Malt Mission #187
Malt Mission #188
Malt Mission #189
Malt Mission #190
Malt Mission HOME
Bunnahabhain 1979 27yo
The Single Malts of Scotland
Islay Single Malt Whisky
46% abv
£55
Fifteen drams to the landmark Malt Mission #200. I still laugh when I look at older posts and remember how excited I was when I thought we would see Malt Mission #30. Thanks for helping me keep this going. And thanks for reading.
It's Friday. As of late last night I have three sets of mates in town. I have written about Bunnahabhain before and have nothing new to say today... well, there's always something. I am not sure if I have said this before but Bunnahabhain (the name of the town that sprung up around the distillery) means 'mouth of the river' but the distillery sources its (hard) water from Margadale spring.
For past posts and more info on Bunnahabhain see THIS. Other bottlings from The Single Malts of Scotland can be seen HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Woody, oaky, even cedary. Oily undertones. Halloween candies, the caramel ones, perfect for late October. Fruit flavoured bubblegums. Quite restrained and not overly expressive. When I add water the aromas become more metholic with more synthetic sweetness.
Yummy mix of sweet and savoury erupts with energy, and is quite sexy overall. Fruit cup and Yorkshire pudding. Pepper, mint, and even wisps of peat. Lingering flavours of oatmeal raisin cookies, butter, and coal.
SUMMARY:
An oddball, but deliciously drinkable. And what a price for the age! But I do wish it would DO more. It seems to strike a few tasty notes and resonate, but without much flavour movement. Always fun to dig out some peatiness in a Bunnahabhain, too.
Malt Mission #181
Malt Mission #182
Malt Mission #183
Malt Mission #184
Malt Mission HOME
Bowmore 1985 21yo
The Single Malts of Scotland
Islay Single Malt Whisky
59% abv
£60
We have had a few drops from The Single Malts of Scotland on the mission (others can be seen here) and I am always interested to see what other treasures (or turds) Sukhinder and the team at Speciality Drinks/The Whisky Exchange have gotten their hands on. The Single Malts of Scotland range is seemingly ever expanding and the good news is I have a few more of their products lined up in the run-up to Malt Mission #200 and beyond. Good news for me, I suppose.
Bowmore is one of those distilleries that I have heard equal amounts of people commend and condemn. This sort of polarity of opinion is something I absolutely love about Scotch whisky. Sure, it's not for everyone, but also every one is not for everyone. What an incredibly diverse spirit.
After tasting two offerings from Bruichladdich this week, here is a distillery that actually condensed their standard line of releases. After a thorough review of their products and how they are sold, Bowmore redesigned their packaging in 2007 and actually reduced the number or expressions in their range. One thing their research showed them was that although Bowmore did brilliantly at Duty Free, they were suffering on bar shelves. The redesign of their packaging attempted to remedy this by eliminating the loops and swirls on the label and making the text for 'BOWMORE' clearer and more pronounced.
For more distillery info, or to see other Bowmores had on the mission, click HERE. Tasted with MC visiting from Canada. His impressions appear in quotes.
TASTING NOTES:
First nosing actually gets my tummy grumbling. Honey and butter on toast. Estery (crabapples and hard pears) and phenolic(sea salt, bacon, and smoke), with Bowmore smells of cleaning agents, this time countertop sprays. Chips n' vinegar, lime. Some smells of the forest, trees, oak, pine. "Mmm... I like nose."
Energetic and quite smoky. Again with the cleaning agents and medicinal notes so common to Bowmore. Peat and barley drive the flavours with some sweet honey and vanilla notes interwoven with other sweets, licorice, toffee, etc. "I want to say chicken, but it doesn't actually taste like chicken." You mean the salt and pepper, KFC type flavour, or... "No, it is more the way it FEELS. You know how chicken is flavourful but not heavy? Doesn't really make any sense. Don't write any of this. Stop typing!" Long perfumy finish with some sweetness, peat, ash, and medicinal creams. "Not a strong aftertaste but it's persistent, it really lingers."
SUMMARY:
"I like this whisky, there is a brief moment where it is bitter, not unpleasant, but, I dunno. I still like it."
21 years and 59% abv? Amazing to have remained so high AND to still be so pleasant on the nose and palate considering the high abv. Unique and unusual but has matured well and flavours all compliment eachother in a pretty pleasant balance. Price-wise, this beats the (old) propietary 21yo by about £100. Great whisky for turning-back-the-clock season.
Malt Mission #181
Malt Mission #182
Malt Mission #183
Malt Mission #185
Malt Mission HOME
Bruichladdich PC6 (Port Charlotte)Cuairt BeathaIslay Single Malt Whisky
61.6%
£58
This is the second release in this highly collectible Port Charlotte Evolution series from Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte or PC6, and is finsihed in Madeira casks. We had its younger sibling yesterday and this one is already on fricking eBay. The makers have even decided to release 6 different collectible tins! Clever? Yes. Annoying? To some. But it's equally shitty that consumers are buying cases and unloading them on auction sites. That is terribly lame. What ever happened to DRINKING the stuff?
And it's £60?!? That is half the price of the new and unanimously worshipped Lagavulin 21. What is happening in the world of whisky? Consumers are more educated and taking more active roles in their understanding and appreciation of whisky than possibly ever before: more books are available/websites/blogs/active fora, tourism to distilleries is up, there are more Whisky fairs, etc. than ever before, more expressions from more distilleries, more more more. This can only be a positive, no? No.
Do new drinkers of Scotch whisky find the seemingly endless string of releases confusing and even intimidating? Yes. Do regular drinkers of Scotch whisky find the seemingly endless string of new packaging and new releases from distilleries a bit much at times? Certainly. And do new AND regular drinkers of Scotch whisky feel a little alienated by price? Yes. Without a doubt. Is whisky a drink or a status symbol(ask Mr. Chavez)? These are not general hypotheses from a disgruntled whisky lover. These are observations of expressed opinions of customers from Sweden to Saskatoon, from the front line of the whisky industry.
Pricing is working in two ways as we approach 2008: what I would call premiumisaturation and juvenile kitsch. We have new premium products from Chivas (Longmorn 16, Chivas 25, Glenlivet 25), dozens of vintages from dozens of distilleries, and new posh packaging with matching new price points. The entry-level Longmorn is now £50. Does a whisky have to be £50 to be good? No no no. Warehouses are being rummaged for old vintages and new 25year-olds are being launched here and there. All this while we keep hearing about a shortage of aged stocks..."So let's turn them onto young whisky!" says marketing Mel/Melissa.
We have the successes of Adbeg Very Young, Still Young, and Almost There. Are we going to see Teeny Weeny Ardbeg or Ardbeg Neil Young? We have painfully young small runs of Bruichladdich (Port Charlotte, Lochindaal, and more to come, no doubt), Springbank (Hazelburn) and Edradour (Ballechin) available for <£60 a bottle. Are we going to be buying new make 'single still' Strathisla or Buckets o' Bunnahabhain soon? And it goes on and on until consumers are bored with cute ideas and immaturity... and then where are we? Whisky Loch? Or maybe we'll all be drinking bourbon. Or rum. Sure, the justification I have heard for higher prices on these collectibles is to deter or at least control the profit an individual might make in the reselling of these items in auction, etc, yet they still sell cases to single buyers. Why should anyone make money save the distillery on their COLLECT ALL SIX TINS campaign? !!!!!!! ?
I am only attempting to express a growing concern among whisky consumers that the flamboyant packaging, marketing, and media-attracting actions of a minority of the whisky industry could undermine the craft of the majority, sacrificing all the successes of recent years and assisting in the devaluing of the whisky sector. No matter how honourable one's intentions, inadvertently creating a lack of trust in any one sector of an industry can seriously damage the integrity of the perception of the sector as a whole. It takes years to earn credibility and seconds to lose it. I seriously believe that some of this whisky excitement needs to be tamed before the only customers left in the wonderful world of whisky are stamp collectors and old men and the distillers decide they need to close more Broras, Port Ellens, and Glen Mhors... which, of course, would be back where we started.
Bah! Semi-incoherent rant over. Let's drink this... this... this instigator! Big thanks to the gent who bought a bottle and opened it on the spot for us all to try. His impressions appear in quotes.
TASTING NOTES:
Lots of new make charm: oats, soft perfumy notes, smoke. A touch of spice. Water makes things more coastal and a touch of iodine, seaweed, or even maijuana weed, appear.
Prunes, salt, smoke a fruit. "Dried fruit, not the the point of Christmas pudding, but tasty. I am a massive fan of young whiskies." Buttery, sugary, crepes, the crispy, nearly-burnt bits in the finish. Salt stays on my lips for a very long time.
SUMMARY:
Scary how misleading the abv% was. Sure, it needed water, but no one guessed it was as high as 61.6%. Very approachable, but you have to a) like your peat and b) like 'em young. With time, this could be a real cracking drop, it is just that for me it needs more time in oak to build complexity and lose some of the pear-drop new make character.
Malt Mission #181
Malt Mission #182
Malt Mission #184
Malt Mission #185
Malt Mission HOME
Bruichladdich PC5 (Port Charlotte)
Islay Single Malt Whisky
63.5%
£58*
The folks at Bruichladdich distillery call the Port Charlotte (PC) Evolution series "the re-awakening of the long-lost soul of an extinct distillery." The original Port Charlotte (Lochindaal) distillery and closed in 1929 in the wake of American prohibition and company changes in Scotland. You still can, and I have, sleep in part of the remnants of the distillery as it is occupied by a Youth Hostel. Or you can park your car in part of an old warehouse.
Ruraidh Macleod is the last man alive to have tasted the original Port Charlotte. "It was very, very peaty; but it was as smooth as velvet." Bottled at 63.5%, this stuff was filled to cask at 71%, the result of what Jim McEwan had called 'trickle-distillation', ie. running the stills slowly.
This is also the first spirit to be produced by the current owners who took over the distillery in 2000 and began production in 2001. Released almost exactly a year ago, the original run was over-subscribed by 400% and began yet another series of highly collectible bottlings. But how is the stuff in the bottle? Thanks for the sample, Colin.
For more distillery information and to see other drops of Bruichladdich had on the mission click HERE.
* - the quoted price is dated and if you were to find a bottle of this stuff for sale today I am sure it would have a price tag above that initial one. Crazy whisky collectors, screwing everything up for us whisky drinkers.
TASTING NOTES:
Dairy first impressions (appropriate as the remnants of the distillery were used as the Islay Creamery until 1990s) Clotted cream, salted butter, and brie. Yogurt based curry, even. Creme de cassis, lemonade(Sprite, 7up) honeydew and peat smoke throughout. With water it becomes even more lemony (synthetic), the smoke gets more industrial, petrolic, a warm running engine.
Hot (it is 63.5%, after all). Big smoky impact, very much like Lahroaig, but the array of flavours is quite different. Still dairy with buttered toast, lots of pepper, and then very drying like (properly) brewed tea. With water it is more mineral, earthy, and biscuity. Grape skins and smoke in the dry finish. Peat smoke lingers.
SUMMARY:
Pretty impressive actually, if young. And not for those repelled by peat. This is the kind of juvenile spirit that can get folks pretty excited for the future. Let's hope that future is more affordable than £60 a go. (Check out Sku's impressions... and if you have a look around, be prepared to get hungry)
Malt Mission #181
Malt Mission #183
Malt Mission #184
Malt Mission #185
Malt Mission HOME
Macleod's Islay 8yo
Islay Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£19
Another Monday here on the mission and another Islay-themed week in store for us. Down a pint of water cuz here we go.
Although not every distillery on Islay produces a peated spirit, you can expect this whisky to introduce all the stereotypical peaty, smokey, and medicinal elements found in the most distinctive Islay malts. This range of bottlings from Ian Macleod Distillers is specifically designed to introduce 5 different styles of whisky to new malt drinkers and those who would have a hard time justifying spending over £20 on a bottle of booze. They are each given regional designations: Lowland, Highland, Island, Speyside and Islay.
Frig, words are coming out like square shits today.
Armin Grewe, a man passionate about Islay culture, history, and of course whisky, has been fortunate enough to spend the past week on the island off the west coast of Scotland. See his site HERE.
It is Monday and I am terribly uninspired. Sorry. Let's taste.
TASTING NOTES:
The heart of this is nutty and fudgy, but the accents are all over the place: soft smokiness, salted butter, dry washing-up sponge, chips and vinegar, licorice root, leather wallet, and the spice of caraway seeds.
Spicy and savoury with the nuttiness of grains, rye, barley, Danish or German rye bread. High fibre whisky. Black pepper. Mineral, like the taste of some multi vitamins, Maldon sea salt, or sand (yes, I remember the taste of eating the stuff as a child). Finish is moderately peaty with the tang of malt vinegar and salt, and the warmth of melted butter.
SUMMARY:
Very pleasant drinking whisky with enough flavour to distinguish it from the other regional expressions in this range and to satisfy both new and experienced whisky drinkers. A very restrained expression under the Islay banner, but a good ambassador for the regional style as it creates its own middle ground between Ardbeg and Bunnahabhain. Geographically, that puts us somwhere in the middle of the island, but I am not going to guess what this mystery malt is. You can play that game yourselves.
Malt Mission #180
Malt Mission #182
Malt Mission #183
Malt Mission #184Malt Mission #185
Malt Mission HOME
Laphroaig 25 yo
Islay Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£140
It's Friday and the first of two Islay-themed weeks here on the mission are done. See you Monday.
A vatting of Laphroaig matured in its usual ex-bourbon casks AND some ex-Oloroso sherry casks, this Laphroaig 25yo is a new release that stirred up a good deal of excitement among whisky fans when rumours of its imminent arrival began early last summer. Unfortunately, I think it's reception suffered a bit from the build-up. Phrases like "weak", "not much happening" have been used to describe this whisky.
People, please don't take any one person's opinion as gospel, even those who name their works after holy books. Use tasting notes as guides, not final words. Your whisky journey is YOUR whisky journey.
That being said here are my reactions to this whisky. For more distillery info or to see other Laphroaigs had on the mission click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Elegant bourbon sweetness with age apparent. Marzipan and menthol. Tins of tropical fruits, pears, berries and churned butter creaminess. Partsy. Toffee. Some sea brininess and some prawn/shrimp. Smoke lingers below, acting like a mattress for the other flavours to jump on. Boing!
Custard and wood fires. Spicy apple, horse feed, chicken-flavour crisps, big vanillas as a part of a slowly drying oakiness. Candied finish that will surprise Laphroaig drinkers with oak and a dribble of iodine.
SUMMARY:
Could benefit from an abv% boost, especially on the palate but it is almost unreal how generous it is on the nose. I sat with this for along long time and the nose was constantly provocative. Ever-giving whisky that unfortunately under-performs slightly on the palate. Pleasant, unusual and unique finish for a Laphroaig.
As Alaric from Royal Mile Whiskies writes, "Very complex this, but one has to take one's time to get at the Laphroaig; it's there, waiting for you." And as Tim from The Whisky Exchange writes, "A very mellow, restrained expression [...] A malt to unwind with." One more from Dominic Roskrow(Whisky Mag, etc.), "It doesn't disappoint but it will surprise." Have a good weekend...
Malt Mission #176
Malt Mission #177
Malt Mission #178
Malt Mission #179
Malt Mission HOME
Laphroaig 10yo Original Cask Strength
Islay Single Malt Whisky
55.7% abv
£35
Bakers, whisky drinkers, baked whisky drinkers, check THIS out. Also, I just acquired www.drwhisky.com and .co.uk, and was delighted to meet my new e-neighbour(?), www.drywhisky.com
Anyways, today we'll be having Laphroaig Cask Strength. This whisky was awarded Best Single Malt Whisky in the World by Whisky Magazine in 2005.
As many of you know, the regular strength 10yo has been discontinued in some markets, in particular in Canada where folks have been active on forums and in emails to me (and others, I am sure) asking, "why?!" I have addressed the question in past posts but here is an email from John Campbell to the Canadian Friends of Laphroaig.
Dear Friends,
Hoping that you are all well and like us over on Islay, enjoying some autumn sunshine.
For some time now, a number of you have been writing to us and asking about Laphroaig in Canada; therefore, I thought I should let you know the latest news. Unfortunately due to supply we have had to withdraw Laphroaig 10 year old from Canada - we simply do not have enough.
I'm very pleased to say though that the first shipments of our Award Winning Laphroaig Quarter Cask are on their way to liquor stores near you. Laphroaig Quarter Cask, is perhaps our most authentic Laphroaig, with production methods familiar from two hundred years ago. It's indeed an award winner, taking the gold medal at the 2007 San Francisco Wine and Spirits Competition and has a full bodied, complex, smoky and slightly sweeter palate than Laphroaig 10 year. Laphroaig Quarter Cask is created from a range of ages, up to 10 years of age and is a new expression, which we are able to supply to Canada as a replacement for the 10 year old. Suffice to say, we are all proud of it here in Islay; it seems to be going down well over in this neck of the woods!
If you would like to know more about Quarter Cask, please go http://www.laphroaig.com/whiskies/quarter_cask/ Be sure to welcome this bit of Islay genius into your homes.
Slainthe,
John Campbell
Laphroaig Distillery Manager
Okay. So there we go, a personal note of apology... no explanation... no, advertising for Quarter Cask. Why!? Quarter Cask is great, critics and drinkers love it. Shhh. Stay on topic! Tell us WHY there is not enough Laphroaig 10yo for Canada.
The fact is that this 'explanation' is highly unsatisfactory to many folks, it really is. This is not my opinion, it is the opinion of many others openly expressed all over the web (and in a Whisky Mag letter to the editor this month) with varying degrees of anger. Just look at any whisky forum online, THIS or THIS? And it is not just Canucks who have an opinion, whisky nerds with all colours of passports are weighing in.
Most whisky enthusiasts are aware of the big push for expansion in emerging markets of China, India, Russia, etc(read more HERE, HERE or go look it up yourself). It is even news beyond the pages of whisky nerd fora, websites, blogs, and magazines, to my knowledge it has been announced in the British mainstream media on at least a few occasions. To have a loyal customer base completely aware that they are being abandoned for new customers makes any explanation difficult to accept, but to say "we don't have enough" is only half of the truth, or more accurately, only half of the sentence; "we don't have enough FOR YOU"
To be fair, this is also partly a problem with the LCBO, BC Liquor, etc. These provincial monopolies have one product call per year and have a minimum volume (for standard stock). The biggest obstacle to getting the drams Ontarians want is not Beam Global but the LCBO itself. But this controversy has both parties wrapped up in blame and if you can't be honest with your loyal existing customers, what kind of misrepresentations are being practiced to earn new ones?!?
I welcome anyone's response to this issue. I am done talking about it. I live in a free country (for now)...
For more distillery info or to see other Laphroaigs had on the mission click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Soft and sweet for the abv%. Sherry impressions via faint sulphur, but it is seaweed, drying on a beach. Rubber boots. Chocolate eclairs, cheddar cheese, grapefruit. Then the stuff I most often find in Laphroaig: antiseptic creams, hay, and horse manure.
Great warmth. Flavours spread like warm water in a cold tub. Oak and smoke arrive first. Sweet honeyed peat, minty white antiseptic cream, gentle heat. Shortbread. Red licorice Nibs. Late soapiness(or more antispetic?), with lingering toffee or fudge all wrapped up in peat smoke.
SUMMARY:
Quite big, yes, but certainly less offensive than the stereotype, and full of complexity. Crazy mix of flavours, like a smoky cirtus PrepH fudge. Ew. Sorry. Laphroaig for folks who love Laphroaig. Be warned that water brings out lovely oaky, smoky, and biscuit flavours but kills the palate eruption effect... for me.
Malt Mission #176
Malt Mission #177
Malt Mission #178
Malt Mission #180
Malt Mission HOME
Laphroaig 10yo
Islay Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£25
An absolutely classic malt whisky, and it only took 177 Malt Missions to get to it! I have said it before and I will say it again: it is a wide and wonderful whisky world out there and the only way to explore it is one dram at a time.
This is the stuff that can polarise whisky drinkers. I have held tastings where both men and women absolutely LOVE the stuff, whether new to malt whisky or not. I have also met folks who spend thousands of pounds a year on whisky and swear they would never touch this stuff. Amazing. Interesting. Crazy. So memorable is Laphroaig that it is famously mispronounced in over 100 different countries with both joy and disdain. Certainly not for everyone.
Prince Charles loves the stuff and many thought he had already had a few when he overshot the runway on a visit to the distillery on Islay in 1994. It was the first (Scottish) whisky I had on Scottish shores over 5 years ago and the only one to be legally imported into the US during prohibition. We will be having 3 Laphroaigs this week on the mission starting, where it must, with the 10 year old.
Sad, too, cuz the 10yo brings up a whole issue I don't want to get into today, but in Canada this product has been discontinued leaving many loyal customers without their drop of choice. I will probably rant on this issue a bit tomorrow.
For more distillery info and to see other Laphroaig's tasted on the mission, click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
A peaty medicinal veil, but you can sense more behind it. Oil paints, prawn crackers, cakey sweetness, seaweed and horse stables. Melon and ash, bubblegum sweetness and iodine.
Malty, and yes, peaty. Great oily feel and taste. Licorice root, sand, walking along a beach. Weighty, if that makes sense. Long finish of creamy vanilla wrapped up in dry horse shit, oak and smoke.
SUMMARY:
Ho ho ho, Green Giant. Big and bold, but elegant in its balance and mouthfeel. Outdoorsy and rural, with all the medicinal and peaty notes upon which it has earned its reputation. Not something I could drink everyday, but when you have that craving, only one dram will cure it. A must-have on the shelf.
Malt Mission #176
Malt Mission #177
Malt Mission #179
Malt Mission #180
Malt Mission HOME
Glenfiddich 12yo, Caoran Reserve
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£28
I have been reading Robin Laing's new book The Whisky River and although I am not finished, I recommend it highly. Like Andrew Jefford's excellent "Peat Smoke and Spirit" (which I have quoted and praised before) that tells the stories of Islay whisky heritage as the author takes us on a journey around the island, "The Whisky River" tells of author, musician, and whisky-lover Robin Laing's adventures in Speyside, Scotland's undisputed heart of malt whisky production. Robin's journey through the distilleries (and more) that decorate the Bens and Glens of the Scottish highlands around the river Spey is told with such care for language and subject that reading it's inspired pages can be, well, inspiring. Interspersed with poetry and song, the book is the work of a man who can accurately and affectionately be called The Whisky Bard. I think there is as much to enjoy about it for the whisky nerd as the whisky newbie. Put this on your Christmas whisky (related) wish-list.
So we are starting two islay-themed weeks with two islay-themed whiskies yesterday and today. This stuff is from Glenfiddich in Dufftown, the 'capital' of Speyside, but finished in casks that once held Islay whiskies. Robin writes that this expression brings "a peatiness that might once have been more evident in the character of Glenfiddich [...] in the days when peat was the fuel throughout Speyside, or during the Second World War when coal was difficult to get."
Welcoming over 80,000 visitors per year, Glenfiddich was the first distillery to open a visitor centre and one of the last to still offer a standard tour free of charge. All Glenfiddichs had on the mission can be read HERE.
Tasted over breakfast with JM and his mother, Michelle.
TASTING NOTES:
Tree fruits, vanilla, oak and malt. Very Glenfiddich at the heart... but around the edges bung cloth, damp towels or wine cellars can be detected. There are hints at more as it is initially quite closed and pretty challenging. Water brings out new aromas of sweet smoke and rounds out the initial vanilla and pear smells.
Starts quite sweet in the mouth, dates and oats. There are also waves of musty smoke that intermingle with almonds and compost. Strange that is it simultaneously juicy and dry. Earthy finish that is just long enough to let you digest the experience and short enough to get you reaching for another sip.
SUMMARY:
Very enjoyable flavour ride. Although there is nothing wrong with the standard 12yo, it is safe to say that it is just simple, good, clean Speyside whisky. This stuff goes one step beyond adding a dimension that turns an any-time-of-day dram into evening romantic. Nice stuff.
Malt Mission #176
Malt Mission #178
Malt Mission #179
Malt Mission #180
Malt Mission HOME
The Black Grouse
Blended Scotch Whisky
40%
£20*
In the Spring of 2005, Famous Grouse Innovation and Development Manager Helen Potter was workshopping in Sweden when the idea of a peated, Islay-style version of the world-renowned blend was first realised. Interviewed by Mark Gillespie in the excellent Whisky Cast (Episode 106), Potter explained the inspiration behind the new expression from Edrington Group's flagship blend.
She said her research showed that new and younger drinkers were skipping blends, the traditional entry-point into the wide world of whisky, and, instead, moving straight to strongly flavour malts, ie. sherried beasts and, in particular, Islay malts. This blend hopes to appeal to those drinkers with an emphasis on added drinkability while being a little gentler on their wallets. In general, minimal marketing speak. We like.
Famous Grouse is the number #1 selling blend in Scotland... and in Sweden. Sweden has a pretty sophisticated whisky market, are generally big spenders, and 30% of all malt sold in Sweden is from Islay so it can safely be said that their tastes are, by and large, for the peated side of things. Liquor is controlled and sold through a state-run organisation called the Systembolaget (like Vinmonoplet in Norway, LCBO in Ontario, etc.). Advertising controls of alcohol in Sweden force companies to rely on making news to stimulate interest and this gradual pilot-ing of the product have achieved that goal in Sweden where the Black Grouse has been sold since being launched in April, 2007.
Before Christmas the rest of Scandinavia and selected European markets should be able to get their hands on a bottle. Folks in other countries will have to wait... if the stuff comes at all. And who knows if we want it!? Lets taste and find out.
All Famous Grouse had on the mission can be read HERE.
* - as this product is not available in UK, the price is based on RRP in Sweden.
TASTING NOTES:
Posh, sweet nose of fresh crumpets, cream, peach and strawberry jams. Stones, minerals like decomposing matter, ie. peat, and a touch of smoke. Very well behaved aromas of fresh apple, black pepper, and ice cream sandwiches.
Chewy sweetness, cereal grains, and a soft growth of peat and smoke. With water, this mineral smokiness is more pronounced. Gently drying with a disappearance of flavour.
SUMMARY:
In the interview cited above, Helen Potter described this whisky as "smoke in the nose, smoke on the palate, smoke in the finish." For me, the smoke was so faint in any stage of the tasting of this dram that to use it as a descriptor seems inaccurate. I get peat, and earthy matter appears in the mouth, but if we go into this expecting a smoky whisky, we will be sadly disappointed. None of this is to say that this drop is not enjoyable, though; it is a solid blended whisky. The nose is really appetising and becomes a spiced-up version of the standard Grouse with pepper, the aromas of tree bark and (faint) peat. The palate gives the most smoke, but it is still just a whisper in the full conversation of the whisky. A bit of a non-event between the palate and the finish, like a standard blend should be, encouraging healthy(sic) sips in quick succession.
Malt Mission #175
Malt Mission #177
Malt Mission #178
Malt Mission #179
Malt Mission #180
Malt Mission HOME
Royal Lochnagar 30yo
Rare Malts, 1974-2004
56.2% abv
£80
$274.95(CAD)
Another week down and another dram closer to that Malt Mission #200 landmark. Thanks for reading.
James Robertson may have been a popular kid in school, but when he grew up and got a license to distill whisky in a valley around the River Dee renowned for illicit stills and 'moonshine' production, his popularity went up in smoke... so to speak. His first distillery, Glen Feardan was built in 1823 and mysteriously burnt down three years later. His second, Lochnagar, suffered the same fate in 1841. Understandably, he abandoned the distilling business.
In 1845, John Begg picked up the Lochnagar story and built New Lochnagar. In 1848 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert spent time in the area at Balmoral castle, which they bought in 1852. The Queen quite liked the whisky of her new neighbour and offered the distillery a Royal warrant.
Lochnagar is one of the three distilleries allowed to use the word 'Royal' in its name. Can you name the other two?* Royal Lochnagar was the first distillery I visited in Scotland. 12,000 others do the same each year.
TASTING NOTES:
Sherry oak, sour milk, punchy and pungent. Crabapples, sulphur, peach and cheesecake. More of the sour elements with water and a bit of melon rind.
Sweetgrass, snowpeas, spice, sherry. Neal's Yard Dairy, sweetened with freshness of spring. Sulphur, walnuts, and long sweet sherry. Water mutes the already subtle tones of this one.
SUMMARY:
It's a funny one. Shy. Sour and quietly angry. A refresher, I suppose it would go well with Earl Grey tea at 4pm. One for completists and explorers.
*(Royal Brackla and Glenury Royal)
Malt Mission #171
Malt Mission #172
Malt Mission #173
Malt Mission #174
Malt Mission HOME
Laphroaig 27 yo
Islay Single Malt Whisky
57.6% abv
£500
Vatted from five Oloroso sherry casks filled with Laphroaig in 1980 and yielding 972 bottles to be released in the US, UK, and World Duty Free, this new Laphroaig with the sharp black label has a lot of whisky lovers rubbing their hands (and genie lamps) with anticipation.
Sharp but simple packaging, no gold plating or walnut box, and I have checked and Robert Hicks' signature isn't fetching big bucks on eBay... "so, what's with the huge price tag?", you ask.
We need to remember two things: (1) sherry casks don't come cheap and Laphroaig matures almost all of their stock (and many would say Laphroaig matures best) in American ex-bourbon oak casks, so we are tasting something here that could undoubtedly has only a handful of siblings. 5 oloroso casks of one vintage went into this bottling and one imagines that was a big percentage of the total sherry casks filled in 1980 by Laphroaig. (2) Owners Beam Global have obviously been working with a new marketing plan with their Scotch whiskies and they have added new(and welcome) extensions to a Laphroaig line that has been the same for decades. They have brought us Quarter Cask, a new 25yo, and this 27yo. Let's hope they don't decide it wise to 'update' the packaging.
Point is that this stuff is rare and fetching what the folks at Beam Global figure it is worth. If you love Laphroaig (and are stinking rich), this is something you will go to great lengths to get your hands on. And if you love Laphroaig and are a loyal customer and have been for years and have just lost your 10yo or Cask Strength in your market, then tough shit. Sure, Laphroaig may have lost their £25 x 4 times a year customer, but they don't need you if they can sell 1000 of these puppies. This isn't me ranting, this is the new message that folks are hearing. Let's hope it is temporary.
But, frig, that Quarter Cask is tasty. I guess we should be grateful and thank our lucky stars... and pray for a money tree. We will be having a few more Laphroaigs next week.
TASTING NOTES:
Big old nose with smoke and heavy sherry. Tarry, like roadwork. Syrupy, like a glass that was once filled with Coca-Cola and has all evaporated leaving that gummy residue. Melted chocolate, grape Jello, apples, calvados? With time a minty fudginess comes through with (unsoiled) kitty litter, maple syrup and charred oak.
A big impact and viscous, like a whisky reduction. Cold to the tongue somehow, musty. Sherry, chlorine, blood, pipe smoke, plums, cloves, and a late kiss of sexy smoke. Ever developing and drying through the finish with roots of licorice and ginger, spice and smoke.
SUMMARY:
Holy crap. Big monster of a whisky with bucketloads of character and immense chewiness leaving much to mull over. Sherry and peat and more, although certainly not for everyone... but they already made that clear with the price tag, I suppose. A whisky to sip while making a big decision, like whether to sell the house in the Alps or the Penthouse in NYC. Or how to take out a loan to buy another bottle.
Malt Mission #171
Malt Mission #172
Malt Mission #173
Malt Mission #175
Malt Mission HOME
Caol Ila 1991, 16yo
The Single Malts of Scotland
Islay Single Malt Whisky
57.9% abv
£40
Another release from The Single Malts of Scotland, the indie bottling label of The Whisky Exchange/Speciality Drinks. It appears that the label is working on becoming a brand in its own right, entering spirits competitions, appearing in Whisky Mag's tastings pages, introducing several batches of releases per year, and expanding its availability beyond their own shops both online and at their London Bridge location. With simple labelling, no cartons, and no cash wasted on marketing, the releases from these guys are always good, if not great, value (remember Malt Mission #150?)
In 2006, Caol Ila joined the extended Classic Malts range from Diageo and we consumers got a extended line totalling SIX (6) official bottlings from the distillery, including a Distiller's Edition (finished in dark moscatel casks) and an 8yo 'unpeated' expression(note: this does NOT mean it is not peaty). The normal phenol level (peatiness, measured in parts per million) is 12-14ppm. For context, Ardbeg is about 24-26ppm and Glenmorangie about 2ppm.
Today all of Caol Ila's spirit is tankered off Islay and filled to cask at Blackgrange(Cambus) or Menstrie(Carsebridge) on the mainland where it will mature. Where did this puppy mature?
For all SMS bottlings had on the mission, click HERE. For all Caol Ilas, click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Luscious, weighty nose, full of toffee sweetness, citrus, wet hay and freshly dry cleaned shirts. Smoker's fingers, scotch broth, and Chinatown at night (vinegar and white pepper, roast pork, fresh fish, and cleaning products). With water there is a bubblegum sweetness, almost spearminty, and more scented all-purpose cleaners.
Viscous in the mouth (scotch broth again?), pleasantly oily, with absolutely enormous peat and smoke. Nutty and fruity, maybe macadamia and papaya, with the starchy sweetness of fresh cut potatoes. With water there are cashews, credit card plastic, and an earthy peatiness. Slightly drying with smoke and more smoke through the finish. Minutes later I can still taste it and there are coastal elements of sea salt, peat, wet stone, and fish.
SUMMARY:
Well, good morning, sunshine. Pow! Big, oily, smoky whisky with sweetness and other characteristics to work their magic as well. Water can be used like an EQ with this whisky, adjusting the different frequencies: bringing the sea closer, making the lemon more pronounced, drawing out the sweetness, etc. Islay lovers will find much to enjoy here and peat freaks will relish this stuff straight out of the bottle. Impressive stuff that doesn't mess about.
Malt Mission #171
Malt Mission #172
Malt Mission #174
Malt Mission #175
Malt Mission HOME
Old Pulteney 1990
Gordon and Macphail Cask Strength
Cask 5470, 15/10/1990 - 21/4/2005
Single Cask Highland Single Malt Whisky
58.8% abv
£52
Ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Whisky was clicked for the 100,000th time yesterday. If you are the reader from Tampere, Finland who poked around Dr. Whisky yesterday at around 7:40am GMT, then I have pretty cool a prize for you as visitor 100,000. Everyone else, if I don't hear from him/her by Friday it will be first come first served for the goodies. Please be in touch (contact info through pic on left). And again, thanks to all of you for reading, sharing, linking, emailing, etc.
In his 1967 "The Whiskies of Scotland", Professor Emiritus at University of London Dr. R.J.S. McDowell wrote, "It is to me quite surprising that such a good whisky could be made in this grim, windswept fishing town on the North Sea. Caithness is indeed a bare country and needs a good whisky to warm it up." Having tasted this before (and stashed a few bottles myself) I can say that wherever you are as winter approaches in the Northern hemisphere, if you need something to warm you up grab a blanket or make a fire... and keep this whisky nearby should wool and wood combustion fail you.
Back in McDowell's drinking days, Old Pulteney was only available in the Highlands, particularly around Wick, but also through Gordon & Macphail. James Gordon and John Macphail began bottling whiskies as single malts in an age when blends dominated the whisky world, mainly in the Highlands of Scotland, out of their shop in Elgin in 1985. By 1914, they were exporting abroad. After over 100 years as independent bottlers, Gordon & Macphail has one of the most envied supplies of maturing stock and a list of past releases that make up some of the worlds most collectible bottles. More on G&M's history HERE.
Time to revisit this sherry monster. Other Old Pulteneys had on the mission can be read HERE.I will include some notes on this whisky I took from folks at a tasting I held.
TASTING NOTES:
Walnut and honey sweetness, marmite and furniture cleaner.SHERRY. Chocolate and maraschino cherries. There is a floral sweetness, too, like roses, and some fishing gear/rubber trousers. "Smells like my grandmother's breath at Christmas."
Spicy like ginger, sweet and sour. SHERRY. Leather shoes, rubber soles and toffee. Vinyl, old records, rum, buttery/dairy sourness, bittersweet and pretty drinkable for the abv%.
"What the fuck is this?"
"(Odd face) So not right."
Finish is smoky with Honey Nut Cheerios, SHERRY, a little mintiness, and more marmite.
SUMMARY:
SHERRY. I am not a sherry freak, but something about this lights my fire... Not an everyday dram by any means, very moody and heavy, but it has depth and a gentle creaminess unexpected after so much oloroso influence and at such a high abv%. I don't think this same treatment would work with every whisky, or even with every cask of this distillery's make, but this one does... for me. The quotes above indicate the other extreme. Like marmite, its a love or hate thing.
Malt Mission #171
Malt Mission #173
Malt Mission #174
Malt Mission #175
Malt Mission HOME
Bruichladdich "Full Stength" 1989, 13yo
Islay Single Malt Whisky
57.1% abv
£40
Thirty drops until Malt Mission #200 and I looking at what is lined up on my shelf, I am excited taste my way to that landmark. Then I'll get Morgan Spurlock's team of doctors to check me out. Thanks for reading! We'll start the 30-dram countdown with a cask strength-themed week.
Bruichladdich is one of the twenty Scottish distilleries owned by one of the fifteen independent distilling companies. In the hands of its current owners, the distillery is on the cutting edge of innovation with a seemingly never-ending line of limited releases of varied expressions, wine finishes, filling strengths, different strains of barley and peat levels. The distillery is set in a lovely location on Loch Indaal on Islay and a favorite of whisky tourists.
In the most recent edition of her incredible book "The Scottish Whisky Distilleries", Misako Udo tells us that when Bruichladdich's Managing Director Mark Reynier received an email asking him to fix one of the web cams operating at the distillery, it came to the distiller's attention that the US Threat Reduction Agency had been monitoring them. The watchdog believed that the production of chemical weapons was one small step away from distilling whisky and the new owners' strange techniques and experiments caught their suspicion.
There has been a second edition of the Full Strength series. This is the first. All Bruichladdichs had on the mission can be read HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Energetic and compact. Mustiness deep in the stacks at a library, immense honey and zest of lemons, some pepper and an array of tree fruits: apples, nectarines, plums.
Irish Cream ice cream, melted honey in weak tea, a buttery element, too. Warm effects, but kept lively with fresh fruit (lemon and melon) impressions as well. The finish brings a welcome simplification of flavours with oak and a touch of marzipan slowly fading.
SUMMARY:
The nose exposes the high abv%, but the taste is gentle and warming but quite a concentrated spirit; not too complex but clean and well constructed with many pleasant flavours to be enjoyed sip after sip.
Malt Mission #170
Malt Mission #172
Malt Mission #173
Malt Mission #174
Malt Mission #175
Malt Mission HOME
Glengoyne 1972
Highland Single Malt Whisky
46% abv
£275
Glengoyne has released quite a few fancy bottlings since Ian Macleod Distillers acquired the distillery in 2003, and this one is no exception. It comes in a gold safe, upright fish tank, chipmunk/squirrel/mouse trap-type of container complete with a lock, keys, and a velvet pouch to hold them. The label is gold and the whisky in the bottle radiates in the precious metal of its surroundings.
I cherish every time I get the opportunity to drink a whisky that is older than me and unfortunately, I can't help but notice that these opportunities come less and less often. It is probably part of the reason why the traditional market for scotch whisky is older folks cuz at least they appreciate 10, 12, 21, 30 years of maturation. Like I said back at Malt Mission #145 the integral role maturation and age plays in scotch whisky could lead one to believe "that people shouldn't be allowed to drink whisky older than themselves because they simply won't have the perspective to appreciate it. Does a 21 year old really understand what 30 years feels like? I do still find it such a romantic feature of scotch malt whisky that it can condense time in a glass, bringing decades [and in some cases] generations of family together. Gotta respect that."
From tragedies like Bloody Sunday in Derry, Northern Ireland, the Black September group plane hijacking and the Munich Olympic Games hostage crisis, to the beginning of footwear and video game empires(Nike sold their first shoe and Atari released PONG), to unprecedented national pride in sport as Canada beat Russia in the Summit Series, here's to 1972. In the whisky experience, it can be true that "All ages are contemporaneous" (Ezra Pound). Time travel in a glass. Magic.
Big thanks to Iain and Alison for sharing the sample. For more distillery info and stuff, see the other Glengoyne's we've had on the mission HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Light and heavy, sweet and bitter, great display of balance right off the top. Malt and peach and pineapple and oak. Banana foamies. Fruit compote with fresh cream. Wooden spoons.
Slippery in the mouth with all the fruitiness of the nose controlled against oak and spice, as well as a touch of what I would swear was smoke. Grapefruit, fennel toothpaste, vanilla sauce and blueberries. Grist and oak, nutty and candied through the medium-long finish.
SUMMARY:
Impeccable balance and charm, and a wonderful exhibit of successful maturation. Older doesn't always mean better. 35 years old and not in the least bit tired. No indication that this is the product of one cask... is it? Great gift from the wealthy to the fortunate (and in some cases they might be the same person). In a different league in terms of style (neither better nor worse) from the 17 or 21yo, this release shows another, and equally enjoyable, side to the Glengoyne style.
Malt Mission #166
Malt Mission #167
Malt Mission #168
Malt Mission #169
Malt Mission HOME
Glenmorangie Margaux Cask Finish, 1987
Highland Single Malt Whisky
46% abv
£190
$550(USD)
Only 3,551 to 3,588 (conflicting info) of these babies were released around this time last year. Distillate from 1987 was filled into ex-bourbon casks and in 2004 the whisky was transfered into 10 ex-Margaux wine casks for two additional years of maturation / finishing / wood management / ACE-ing... whatever.
Everyone seems to have their own term for this process. Why? I imagine it is partly a well-intentioned attempt to clarify just what the process is, but this has not been the effect, I can assure you. I also imagine this is because distillers recognise that a certain stigma had built around the term 'finish' and wanted to reclaim the process in their own terms. What has happened is a further confusion of consumers. The most common question I receive when running whisky tastings, working in whisky shops, or answering emails of friends and readers is, "What is this finish business all about?" Everyone's natural instinct is suspicion. Our natural aversion to feeling like we are being taken advantage of or that we are being subjected to a marketing 'trick' has turned many people away from whiskies that have been finished, undergone secondary maturation, been ACE-ed, etc. I have tried on several occasions on this blog, as well as at tastings and on the floor in various retail capacities, to dispel this myth as much as is realistic and/or honest.
At Bruichladdich, they call the process ACE-ing, "additional cask enhancement". At some other distilleries they simply call it secondary maturation. Glenmorangie and others have called it 'wood finishing.' I received an email from Billy Walker, a 30-year veteran in the whisky industry, former MD of Burn Stewart Distillers, and current Master Blender and MD of BenRiach Distillery Co. Ltd. He had a few things to add about his company's wood management (I tried three of their tasty new finishes HERE). He writes,
"As always, it was interesting to read your take on 'finishes': at BenRiach our preference is to call this 'wood management'.
'Finishes' will fulfill the Distiller's objective only if the malt whisky which is chosen is of the highest quality. At BenRiach we have used a number of different cask styles to determine how The BenRiach interacts with various cask styles and during the process we have audited the progress of these casks on a monthly basis. This has given us a comprehensive insight into the 'wood management' of these various styles of oak cask.
Our objective at BenRiach is to take top quality whisky (12 - 15 years)and craft bespoke expressions with an extended flavour profile landscape: our motivation is driven solely by the pursuit of excellence: and 'unlocking the secrets' to our growing fan base."
This sentiment is not uncommon. So please don't be afraid of finishes. Most distillers who have pursued the technique of finishing do so to explore the flavour possibilities in pursuit of better and better single malt whiskies.
So that is enough from me this week about "finishing", the term I will use for this process from now on for the benefit of clarity. If folks in the industry want to confuse consumers, that is their business. In my little corner of the whisky web, I hope to clarify things for consumers. The wide world of whisky can be intimidating enough without constant semantic disagreement and debate (vatted, blended, pure; ACE, wood management, secondary maturation, wood finishing, etc.)
I was lucky enough to attend the launch of this product in the UK, Spetember 20, 2006. The original retail price for the 800 allocated bottles for the UK was £220, but this has obviously been lowered by whisky retailers as it was quickly realised that although rare, 18 years old, and of relation to a posh wine, the price tag was scaring off too many potential customers. Chateau Margaux is one of the most famous and highly regarded of all Bordeaux chateaux. Each bottle is presented in a "comtemporary display case, seated on a black plinth, hand numbered and signed by Dr Bill Lumsden." The folks at Royal Mile Whiskies, in all their wit, have written on their website, "the packaging will appeal to diamond thieves."
For more distillery info and other Glenmorangies had on the mission, click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Big snowballs of flavour, but it slowly melts into its component parts. Fruits, both real and candied, tangerines, peaches, lemons and pineapple juice. Baked goods, both from the oven and from backstage at a Rolling Stones concert, coffee cake, butter tarts, quality tobacco and damp marijuana. Lots of childhood homemade ice cream sundae supplies: hot fudge, marshmallow spread, chocolate and nuts. Wonderfully appetising.
Big impact of succulent wine notes, tobacco again, raisins and pepper. Crazy and unusual mouthfeel, effervescent, stimulating, very enjoyable. Spice and rye bread, berries and cream. Water helps unlock this beauty's secrets. Herbal-homeopathic-remedies, citrus, and dry oak through the finish. Long lingering oak.
SUMMARY:
Big (again), inspiring dram; I couldn't write fast enough. Big flavours, great depth and supple mouthfeel. Fruit, vanilla and pepper mark the Glenmorangie style and the wine, sweets, and toasty sherry-style notes from the Margaux are an outstanding accompaniment. Evidence that Margaux and light, elegant whiskies go well (Isle of Arran have since released a Margaux finish). Deep wallet? Buy one before they are gone. You can drink the bottle and put your favourite teddy bear in the container. The rest of us look forward to being invited over for a dram.
Malt Mission #166
Malt Mission #167
Malt Mission #168
Malt Mission #170
Malt Mission HOME
