Malt Mission 2011 #397

Balvenie 8yo
Pure Malt Whisky (Single Malt Whisky)
70 Proof
26 2/3 Fl.oz
£255

From today's perspective, with over 500(!) new single malt expressions launched in 2010 alone, it seems so strange to think that in the whisky boom period of the 1960s only a fraction of 1% was bottled as a single (read Dr. Whisky's blended whisky history). The likes of Macallan and Glenmorangie, leaders in the single malt category today, did not widely release their makes as single malts until 1980 and it took decades of Glen Grant (Italy), Glenlivet (Pullman railway in America) and Glenfiddich (exported as a single from 1963) to set the idea of single malts in the consciousness of the drinking public.

As far as I know, this was the first incarnation of The Balvenie released in small volumes as a single malt. For more distillery info and to see all Balvenies had on the mission, delve into the whisky blog past.

TASTING NOTES:

Fresh and light with a hint of depth and age. Perhaps some liquid older than 8? Chamomile, watered-down honey, hippie teas, damp wood or cardboard in there as well. Sweet white wine. Water releases a sweaty element along with coconut and hazelnut.

Moves from soft and sweet to hard and mineral, but all very weakly. Old bubble gum, baseball card cardboardy taste, coffee cake and walnuts. Ends burnt and toasty.

SUMMARY:

An interesting drop mainly for archival reasons. Although it appears that some bottle "maturation" has effected my sample, I imagine in the 1970s all the best Balvenie was ending up in Grants 12, Best Procurable, Grant's Royal, etc. In short, not something I would open to show "how much better whisky was in the old days." I'll stick with my Balvenie Signature, thank you very much.

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Malt Mission 2010 #374

The Balvenie 17yo Madeira Cask
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
43% abv
£67
$130 (USD)

Dr. Whisky's most recent post attracted a good share of attention. This attention took various forms and lead to variable responses from varied corners of this world wide wondernet. I won't be linking them or summarizing them from here, but thank you, go f yourself, and everything in between.

Not one to shy away from controversy, I thought I would come right back at it with a post featuring a whisky from the distillery I represent as an ambassador here in the USA. Bam! Yes, I have said it before, and I will say it again, I currently work for William Grant and Sons. No secrets. This Scottish, independent, family-owned whisky company (not many can say that!) allows this little blog to continue and have NEVER asked that I say anything about other brands or our own that would be contrary to my right, true, and honest opinion... Yet. God bless 'em.

So if you are new to Dr. Whisky (or think he is a douchebag sellout) please feel free to gloss over this post. You are entitled to "reserve the right to dismiss the opinions of anyone on the payroll of a distiller as being potentially swayed by the facts of their employ"- JC Skinner. Potentially. You might as well add editors and some journalists and authors as well then, Skinner, as paid advertisements, receiving free samples and gifts, being invited to plush dinners and incentive trips could equally lead to swayed opinions... in the spineless.

If you have been around since this whisky blog began, through Dr. Whisky working for others (retailers, indie bottlers, and whisky companies) and noted that he remains as objective and transparent as one can be all things considered, then read on. If you smell BS please call me out on it. I beg you. And I thank you.

Other opinions on The Balvenie 17yo Madeira Cask HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and elswhere, no doubt.
This is the latest in the 17yo series that began back in 2001 with David Stewart's creation of The Balvenie 17yo Islay Cask... a name that incidentally would be illegal today under SWA regulations. Like calling this release "Island Cask" (yup, Madeira is an island). The whole range is now relatively collectible, especially now that David Stewart has gone into semi-retirement, no one knows for how long this series will continue. We've seen the Islay Cask, New Wood, New Oak, Sherry Oak, Rum Cask, and now Madeira Cask, a 17yo Balvenie that has matured in refill American oak casks before being transferred to casks that used to hold Madeira for an additional +/- 4 months*.

Madeira wine is essentially a fortified wine, like port, but from the island of Madeira. For Madeira wine, they actually heat up the wine to replicate the exposure to heat on sea travel that would have traditionally occurred. This exposes the wine to some oxidation and adds nutty, raisiny, and sweet butterscotch-like flavours to the wine.

For all Balvenies had on the malt mission or for more distillery info, click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:

Smells distinctly oaky. Sweet. Touch of nail polish, barley sweetness, and then a recipe for arrowroot cookies: vanilla, flour, honey, butter, and a touch of coconut.

Fruity and sweet on the palate with a strong oakiness. Explodes upon swallowing with dried fruits, toasty notes like aged tobacco or beer nuts, butterscotch, and toffee. Long carmelized finish.

SUMMARY:

When I first tasted this in the summer of 2009, I was initially struck by a youthful, new make-y element on the nose. Those impressions remain. This drop is deceptively fresh and youthful for a 17 year old with barley sugar sweetness and pear drop/estery notes. But on the palate is where this whisky truly delivers. Plums, raisins, tobacco, and all sorts of varieties of burnt sugar and butter (toffee, butterscotch, prailine...) swell in the mouth long after swallowing. The overall impression is of a whisky that is light, but full flavoured, and destined to be an after-dinner treat or a cigar lover's new best friend. One of the best in the 17yo series.

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Malt Mission 2009 #358

Balvenie 17yo Islay Cask
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
43% abv
$£ varies

Okay, not technically an Islay whisky, but as a part of an Islay-themed week here on the Malt Mission I thought I had better get some notes for this drop out there while I can as I am fortunate enough to have a near empty bottle sitting in my living room.

Originally released in 2001, The Balvenie 17yo Islay Cask was the first of a string of 17 year old experiments from Balvenie Malt Master, David Stewart. It would be 4 years before the next in the series was released, just enough time for this drop to generate a sort of cult following and for all available bottles to be snapped up. It wasn't until the 2007 release of The Balvenie 17yo Sherry Cask that interest in the 17yo series from Balvenie really began to simmer again. The polarized responses to 2008's 17yo Rum Cask only continued this interest and with this year's 17yo Madiera Cask (available in September) already receiving whisky-nerd online buzz, I know I better stock our stalls at whisky fairs with a few extra bottles.

This seems a good time to remind folks that I do work for William Grant & Sons, family distillers and owners of The Balvenie. To some readers I am perhaps no longer 'independent,' John Glaser gave me a big drunk hug when I took this position 15 months ago and said "sellout" in my ear, but I have done everything possible (and been allowed by my employer to do everything possible) to keep Dr. Whisky independent and free to express honest opinions of our own and competitors' whiskies. And I feel that I do. But I leave that verdict to you, I just thought it fair to remind you that I work for this whisky company.

That being said, as a whisky lover I have collected all of the Balvenie 17yo variants (before and after I began work with WGS) and have always respected the distillery as one of Speyside's, indeed, Scotland's best. This Islay Cask that Michael Jackson called "a picnic on the cliffs... reminiscent of the days Speysiders were peatier," won me over back in 2004 and is similar in concept to another whisky from William Grant & Sons tasted back at Malt Mission #177.

For more distillery info and to see all Balvenies had on the mission, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Sweet, vegetal, oaky, and intriguing. Yellow plums, fresh corn, soy beans, salted butter, and cigarette filters.

Palate hints more at this drop's heritage with depth of age, creamy oak and luscious honey. Jammy and buttery before bursting with a puff of smoke and confusing the heck out of you. Endless finish of fresh fruits, cooked parsnip sweetness, and chimney smoke all in elegant harmony.

SUMMARY:

Not immensely complex, but a true drinking delight. An experiment that went right, as far as I am concerned. Beautiful whisky whose origin would puzzle even the most experienced malthead as s/he happily drinks the stuff. Yet more evidence of what an intergral part the casks (and their previous occupants) play in the final character of a given whisky. I have had similar Balvenies in the Single Barrel 15yo line that must have been filled into ex-Islay casks. Too bad it is nearly impossible to find this bottling anymore. Casks like this (ex-Islay) are in the system everywhere tho and I look forward to Balvenie, or any other typically unpeated-style distillery, releasing more of these onto the world.

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Malt Mission 2009 #346

Grant's 12yo
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£15
$24 (USD)

WhiskyLIVE NYC is tonight (Monday March 30, 2009) at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers (23rd at the Hudson River). See you there?

Another blend from the Grant family and the industry's longest serving and most highly awarded Master Blender, David Stewart. Most recently he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from Whisky Magazine's Icons of Whisky 2009 for his 46 years with family distillers William Grant and Sons, where he was responsible for leading the team that won three consecutive Distiller of the Year awards for his work with Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, and Grant's blended whiskies.

An apprentice at the distillery for twelve (12!) years, David has always taken his responsibility very seriously, but that has never hindered his creativity. Always the innovator, David is a pioneer being the first to mature a whisky in two successive woods (essentially commericalising 'finishing') with The Balvenie Classic and its contemporary version, The Balevnie 12yo DoubleWood, using the Solera vatting system for Glenfiddich 15yo, and for using rum casks to mature single malt (Glenfiddich 21yo and The Balvenie 17yo Rum Cask). Now, Brian Kinsman(see pic, the guy on the left), David's apprenctice of nearly a decade, prepares to take the reigns, but there are no signs that David is in a rush to go anywhere and will certainly have his modest and talented hands at work with William Grant & Sons for many years to come.

The Grant's website says that this bottling is finished in "virgin bourbon casks" which is confusing because a virgin cask would imply that it was "new wood" and a bourbon cask would imply that it already held bourbon. So, what's going on? Whatever the story, this whisky won a World Whisky Award for Best Blended Whisky (12yo and under) last year and is part of the line that has undergone a slick repack/redesign without losing any of the trademark design features (crest label, "Stand Fast", or bottle shape)

Challenging to get pricing in pounds sterling or US dollars because this puppy is not sold in either market. Yet.

For all Grant's had on the mission and for more blend history, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Grainy and sweet, big vanilla, almond butter, and stewed carrots. Pistachio nuts, salt, and honey mix in an unresolved union.

Wow, quite smoky and nutty off the top. Sherry sweetness makes a brief appearance with some plums and raisins and then oak and smoke round off the experience. Great movement. Long and smoky finish.

SUMMARY:

A whisky for drinking rather than nosing. And boy, did I not expect the smoke on the palate. But I was quite pleased by it and need to try this on the rocks. Tonight maybe? Okay.

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Malt Mission 2009 #334

The Balvenie Rose 16yo
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
53.4% abv
£100

I will follow on the Valentine's theme with a back-to-back post (a year after our friends at Whisky Grotto) partly to make up for the lack of activity on Dr. Whisky as of late, partly cuz the romantic back story suits the theme of the day, but also to get through the backlog of tasting notes I have from treats I have tasted.

The Balvenie Castle sits on a hill above the two distilleries William Grant built in the 19th century, Glenfiddich and The Balvenie. The Balvenie Rose takes its name from a 15th century story that surrounds one of the castle's most storied inhabitants, the Fair Maid of Galloway, Margaret Douglas.

Famously beautiful, Margaret married the Eighth Earl of Douglas, a man eventually thrown out a window to his death. She later wed his brother, the last of the Black Douglas line, who continued his family's rebellion against King James II and eventually found himself defeated, his title, estate, and hot wife taken from him. Margaret had no problem finding someone else to love her in the First Earl of Atholl (John Stewart). And so taken with her beauty was the King that he reinstated her in Balvenie Castle for the annual rent of one red rose.

The Balvenie Rose is much coveted by whisky lovers and was only available at the distillery in very limited amounts: it was selected from four casks from 1991 and finished in port pipes, giving it a rosey pink hue. The whisky has not been coloured, chill-filtered, and was released at cask strength.

For all Balvenie had on the mission, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Strong and sweet, a touch of earth and a busy array of fruits and flowers. A touch of water complicates matters by adding sour notes, fruits like plums and cranberries, and unleashing a spice of caraway seeds and a dairy element like milk.

Berries and bubblegum, spice and oak, hot and excited at bottle strength. Water unravels the tight array of spice revealing grassy elements, corn syrup and winey oak. Patience (and water) allow this puppy to show what it's made of.

SUMMARY:

An unusual Balvenie that surprises most with whom I have shared it. But what it lacks in the characteristic Balvenie-honeyed flavours it makes up for with suprises of fruit and smoke and a kick-ass abv%. Beautiful packaging, in my mind, and a real treat for the scotch hunter, malt advocate, malt maniac, or for those of us on continuing malt missions. Another modest marvel from the modest marvel of the industry himself, The Balvenie Malt Master David Stewart.

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Malt Mission 2008 #325

Grant's 18yo
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£ $ ? can't find a price

The last in a series of blended whiskies I have been running on Dr. Whisky and I have been reassured that blends do not deserve the bad reputation they currently have. Folks who know Dr. Whisky know that he loves blends, their flavour, diversity, and history. Sure, the hundreds of 3 year old no age statement blends branded as Clan ____ and Glen _____ and Royal _____ have tarnished this reputation, but I hope the past few posts have redeemed the category for readers. A blend is often bad, but that is not the nature of the beast. It cannot be said that blends are worse than single malts. As I have said before, the best whiskies I have tried have probably been single malts, but the WORST whiskies I have tried had definitely been single malts. This Grant's Rare Old 18yo is finished in port casks, sort of a marrying period for the blend.

When Pattison's blending house went bankrupt in 1898 it brought down many distilleries and distilling companies with it. The "Pattison Crash" as it came to be known (see THIS for all Dr. Whisky posts that mention this monumental moment in whisky history) left many expecting the end of the whisky industry. William Grant saw an opportunity. He had built to distilleries at that point, Glenfiddich ain 1887 and Balvenie in 1892, and by the end of the century has had started his own blending house and grew into exporting with the help of his son and son-in-law, John and Charles. Charles, famously determined, made his first sale after 181 calls; his second after his 503rd. Meanwhile, John began exporting to The Hudson Bay Company of Canada. Today, Grant's blended whisky is sold in over 180 countries but this particular marque is really hard to find. Unfortunately.

For more info on William Grant and Sons and their whiskies enjoyed thus far on the mission, click HERE.

Thanks to the WG&S folks for getting this for me and to JB for travelling to the US with it.

TASTING NOTES:

Grain whisky leads with a sweet breadiness, vanilla wafers, and a deep and provocative oakiness. The malt whiskies are heavy, oily, salty, very Highland in style (Scapa, Dalmore, Clynelish, even Cragganmore from Speyside) and some papaya or tropical fruitiness that lifts the malt density. Meringue, bubblegum, suntan lotion, damp cutting boards, metal like guitar strings, toffee, lime... the aroma is among the most complex I have encountered.

Whoa, different direction. Malt leads with more of an Islay oiliness now, smoke and tar, prunes, woody and aged. Chewy and full, like decadent chocolate brownies, slightly savage and satisfying like grabbing the ass of someone you love and have longed for. Incredibly long oaky finish with heavy grain notes like rye bread, tobacco smoke, and the freshness of cedar. Flavours linger. And linger.

SUMMARY:

Years ago, Dave Broom wrote the following words about this dram, "So thick and honeyed you could paint it on your lover's body." Brilliant note, and not wholly inaccurate. This is a delicious drop rich with complexity and, as DB implies, sensually smooth.

Avoid ice. I feel the need to say this as the few countries lucky enough to have this bottling in their markets probably drink all Scotch on the rocks or in mizuwari. AVOID ICE. This is blending that should be celebrated and appreciated as a constant reminder that this incredible art, this incalculable skill, is what initially brought the world of whisky to a world of whisky drinkers. We are still here, if you'll have us... we bow in your presence.

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Malt Mission 2008 #315

Glenfiddich Vintage Cask 1977

Cask #4414
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
54.1% abv
£375
$750 (USD)

While Glenfiddich fast approaches becoming the first single malt to sell 1million cases in a single year we begin to see signs of a possible downturn for the booming decade that Scotch whisky has enjoyed. And no, it is not because interest in waning or scotch is losing out some competition with bourbon/vodka/rum, but it is because the planet is producing insufficent food for demand, it is because the poorest people in the world cannot afford to feed themselves or their families, it is because people cannot afford homes they cannot afford, it is because the richest people in the world have invisible money that is vanishing (paradox?). Good times!

So here is a luxury good perfectly suited to be enjoyed as the ship sinks. May all this hardship rekindle a sense of community that has been eroded for so long in western culture and bring us back to the fundamental importance of taking care of one another. So let's share this proverbial bottle and come together.

This year's Vintage Cask release from Glenfiddich was selected from a shortlist chosen by David Stewart and Brian Kinsman of six european oak casks from 1975 and 1977. Both David and warehouseman Don Ramsay were around when this cask was filled (in fact, Don had been at Glenfiddich nearly twenty years at that point!). The other selection panelists this year were authors Gavin D Smith and Walter Schobert, restauranteur Jimmy Bradley, and Russian whisky expert Erkin Touzmohamedov. The cask yielded 450 bottles. Check out the Glenfiddich Channel on YouTube to see the selection process.

For all Glenfiddich had on the Malt Mission and distillery info, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Incredibly clean, a well-dressed gentleman. Raisins, sour plums, cranberries, and honey. Dried fruits with big, sherried french kisses. Water unleashes vanilla ice cream.

Powerful and bready, gorgeous chocolate croissant flavour. Reminiscent of very fine cognac. Big, soul-seducing oak, grapes and cinnamon.

SUMMARY:

An absolute treat. My tasting notes do not do this justice as I simply found it too much of a distraction to type impressions while in its grip. And to put those impressions into words somehow diminished their significance. Silent, contemplative sipping that can assure the battered spirit that the it will persevere. Could be worse.

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Malt Mission 2008 #313

The Balvenie 17yo Rum Cask

Speyside Single Malt Whisky
43% abv
£65
$130(USD)

The creative baby of the folks at Balvenie, the 17 yo expression has seen incarnations as Islay Cask, New Wood, New Oak, Sherry Oak, and now the 17yo Rum Cask. This year The Balvenie Malt Master David Stewart and his 9-year apprentice Brian Kinsman have gone for a Jamaican Rum Cask finished Balvenie to be their 17yo release.

Folks in the USA will notice that the Balvenie Rum Cask 17yo is about 45 bucks more expensive than its predecessor, the 17yo Sherry Cask (tasted on Malt Mission #312). This has spawned a bit of a discussion on John Hansell's WHAT DOES JOHN KNOW regarding price increases across the Scotch whisky world. I have not yet weighed in on the issue on John's site, but I will add my two cents now.

All of the top 10 single malt distilleries in the world are working at full capacity for the first time since the 1970s if ever. The technical advances and increases in labour hours have therefore increased and if we want, say, Dalmore 15yo in 15 years we have to help pay for that investment today, with the current prices of grain, energy, manpower, etc.

When every bottle a distiller can produce can be sold, the demand exceeds the supply. This seems terribly obvious, but we who have increased interest, passion and SALES of Scotch whisky must recognise that it is a finite product. Scottish distilleries are not enormous operations and that is why we love them. The time and patience that it takes to make, say, a BenRiach 20yo is what has so charmed us about the world of malt whisky. And yes, it makes us feel good and tastes great but if we were to put a price tag on time we would find that we have been paying far too little for far too long. When a Patron Silver (completely unaged tequila) can be sold for $40 and an Aberlour that has matured for 12 years and then gets a second maturation in a sherry cask can be sold for $41, something ain't adding up and we'd be idiots to think that this could last forever.

The instability of the American dollar demands that if a whisky company remains determined to keep the USA as a priority market then prices must be adjusted accordingly as the industry losses last year based on currency alone were VERY significant.

And finally, just look around; movies, bread, rent, WhiskyFEST tickets, etc. have ALL seen increases of well over 100%. Over the past ten years, the price of new Scotch whisky has NOT gone up at the same rate as this wider trend while resale and collector sales of whiskies have seen incredible increases. The eBAy phenomenon has definitely made distillers ask "if PC5 can be sold one month after we released it for 60% more on the auction market, why the hell didn't we charge that from the beginning?" A good, and fair, if annoying, question. (Die pirates, DIE!)

The market can certianly bear it and we, as whisky lovers, must support it for the tens of thousands who work in the industry and for our 30th wedding anniversaries where we want to be able to have the best whisky bar the world has ever seen.

Enough for today. On to the whisky at hand. Have your say at John's excellent site or leave me a comment.

DISCLAIMER: Please let it be known that I currently work for William Grant and Sons, the family-owned Scottish distilling company that owns The Balvenie distillery. If you choose to take my tasting notes as bullshit and Dr. Whisky has not, after 311 Malt Missions, earned your trust as a source of honest presentations of whiskies good and less good, then so be it. But I do vow to maintain objectivity and am under no constraints from my current employers with regards to how to present their whiskies. As a result are the listed impressions are my own, as always. In light of my editorialising above, I should also add that nothing I say reflects the opinion WGS and those opinions expressed are the sole expression of one SS, Dr. Whisky.

TASTING NOTES:

Multi-layered with sweet themes of fruit and spice. Candied and inviting with banana chips, dates, and anise flavoured liqueur. Loads of brown sugar sweetness with grapes and hazelnuts. Toffeed, some tamarind and synthetic orange, growing gently minty with time.

Coconut and creme with sweet oaky grip. Continues with berry fruits and spices (fennel, mint, cloves) with a luscious vanilla backbone of American oak influence. Sweet, lengthy finish with soft impressions of stewed fruits.

SUMMARY:

A luscious and sweet dram that, naturally, will not appeal to everyone. All the complexity comes in the key of sweet: peaches and nectaries, candies, apples, honey, syrup, brown sugar, rum, berries, grapes (perfect Rosh Hashana whisky?) but remains incredibly drinkable and neither cloying nor saccrine-sweet due to the gentle but permeating oaky core of this spirit. To a sweet new year!

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Malt Mission 2008 #312

The Balvenie 17yo Sherry Oak
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
43% abv
£60
$85(USD)

A few years ago Balvenie introduced a limited release 17yo that had been finished in casks that had previously held peaty Islay whisky called The Balvenie 17yo Islay Cask. Today, that bottling is highly collectible and it spawned a series of annually released 17yo expressions from malt master David Stewart and his long-serving apprentice Brian Kinsman. We have seen Islay Cask, New Wood, New Oak, Sherry Oak, and this year, The Balvenie Rum Cask 17yo (to be tasted on the next post).

This release spent all of its 17 years maturation in European oak casks that used to hold oloroso, the dark, glycerine-rich "scented" Spanish sherry. This presents a rare opportunity as most Balvenies contain significant percentages of American oak and only rare single casks like Cask 191 (50 year old and £6000 per bottle) show The Balvenie under full sherry influence.

DISCLAIMER: Please let it be known that I currently work for William Grant and Sons family-owned Scottish distilling company that owns The Balvenie distillery. If you choose to take my tasting notes as bullshit and Dr. Whisky has not, after 311 Malt Missions, earned your trust as a source of honest presentations of whiskies good and less good, then so be it. But I do vow to maintain objectivity and am under no constraints from my current employers with regards to how to present their whiskies. As a result are the listed impressions are my own, as always.

For distillery info and to see all Balvenies had on the mission, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Rich and sweet with heavy sherry influence. Peppery like shiraz. Spicy like coffee. Some oysert sauce and wax. Very fruity, jammy, and brilliantly oaky.

Less sherried than expected, more honey and vanilla creme at first, then explodes with toasted nuttiness, rich fruit and an array of spice including aniseed and cloves. Mmm, dark chocolate and candied cherries. Espresso. Flavours linger without much development beyond their initial statements, but fortunately that complex array is deep and rich from the beginning.

SUMMARY:

A very unique Balvenie and as close to Macallan or Glenfarclas' sherried style that the distillery gets. Although it is not a drop I personally reach for regularly, those who like it (ie. sherry cask lovers) will like it a lot. It sold out rapidly in certain countries and is highly sought after by many, a phenomenon that will only increase in time as the few remaining cases get snatched up. It has all the sherry you could want while maintaining a balance of the Balvenie's core flavours and the rich oakiness one would expect from 100% maturation in sherry casks. Kristin points out that the flavour profile suggests evening consumption rather than breakfast dramming. Absolutely, but don't let me stop you!

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Malt Mission 2008 #310

Gibson's Finest Rare 18yo
Canadian Whisky
40% abv
$49.95 (CAD)

A classic distilling company whose bottles have probably decorated the shelves of every Canadian home at one time or another. Apparently not this particluar expression as I could barely even find a pic online to use, which is probably why when I saw this behind the bar at the Robbie Dhu center at Glenfiddich distillery I just had to sit down with a dram.

I was very surprised by their website. Very much targeted at a particular demographic, and although I think I am a part of that group, I had to mute the damn music player. And the suggested serves included such ViSiOnArY cocktails as rye and coke and rye and ginger ale. Yowza.

I have always enjoyed the Gibsons 12yo, easy, mellow, affordable, and pleasant to sip and/or mix. Let's see how this 18 year old is. Tasted with RH in a couple of really comfortable chairs. His notes appear in quotes.

TASTING NOTES:

Rum, tropical fruit, milk chocolate. Coconut, tropical, and generally estery/fruity. Increasingly sweet and “happy to sip at a bar on ice”

Generic chewing gum, salty and sweet, and flat like old Coca Cola. Sweet and increasingly pleasant with subtle spice and gentle toffee and vanilla.

SUMMARY:

Easy and gentle, well-rounded and pleasant but all verging on boring. I think most folks who spend fifty bucks on a bottle of whisky want to EXPERIENCE flavours, not just consume comfortably. I think. But maybe not. I mean, I brought a Balvenie 21yo PortWood to a couple of gents at a fancy steakhouse where I was hosting a tasting last night and one of them took a sip and grimmaced before saying some really stupid and ungrateful shit. I managed to remain polite and asked him what he enjoys to drink and he said "expensive wine." Idiot. Nothing like choosing your wine based on price. He continued, "In fact, give me Ketel One on ice with a bit of lime and I'll sip that all night." Mmm... flavour country.

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Malt Mission 2008 #300

Balvenie Classic
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
43% abv
***price unknown***

Flew the amazing Porter airlines from Toronto Island to Newark, had a brilliant lunch with Charlie Maclean, and lugged my bags up 5 flights in an old walk-up in Hell's Kitchen: I have finally arrived in NYC, baby! And just in time for Malt Mission #300. Thank you so much for reading and supporting Dr. Whisky over these centuries of dramming. I raise a glass to you all. Cheers!

Discontinued in 1993, this old cognac-style (E&J?) bottle Balvenie is often referred to as "the tennis racket". It is a predecessor to the current Doublewood 12yo having been matured for many years in traditional casks (casks used too many times to be reasonably called ex-anything) and then finished in sherry butts. It also had an 18yo version that was more common and not finished in sherry casks.

I tasted this beauty with Sukhinder Singh and a room of whisky lovers and whisky makers that he had invited back to his batcave of whisky on the WhiskyLIVE London weekend after we had sat on a judging panel at the World Whisky Awards. Was a crazy day/night. As a result, my notes might not be 100% "scientific"... or accurate. It must also be admitted that many of SS's bottles have been open since the 1980s (exaggeration? maybe) so they may no longer be fair representations of their original selves. Nonetheless...

TASTING NOTES:

Buttery soft, warming nose with doughnuts, dried fruits and a meatiness of flesh, salt, and pepper, blood like a freshly seasoned raw steak. Garden weeds and a bit of smoke, too.

Oaky impact that blows flavours like warm air. Apricots, plums (sour?) rice pudding, but it is not sweet in the sugary sense, has a sherried sweetness and an oaky core. More meatiness like bacon and heavy sherried tones through the LONG jammy and fruity finish.

SUMMARY:

Confident and meaningful. Forward, fabulous, and doesn't faff about. Like a meaningful kiss from a long time lover or a hug from a much-missed friend. “It’s fucking good,” said John Glaser after a long sip directly from the bottle. Told you it was a great night.

Malt Mission #296
Malt Mission #297
Malt Mission #298
Malt Mission #299

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Malt Mission 2008 #299

Balvenie Port Wood 21yo
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
40%
£69
$130 (USD)

I have featured this drop on Dr. Whisky way back in March 2007 (here) but not as part of the malt mission proper so here it is, immediately following its younger brother (see Malt Mission #298).

This time I also tasted it under much more controlled conditions in the Robbie Dhu centre at the Glenfiddich Distillery with Balvenie Global Brand Ambassador David Mair, a true Dufftown boy with an honest and unpolluted passion for The Balvenie. We did a lot of "work" that afternoon and I will share more notes from that research session over the next few posts, if possible.

This expression was initially launched in 1999 as part of the standard range and has been critically acclaimed ever since winning accolades from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition to the Spirit of Speyside Festival. In fact, Balvenie made history when in 2006 it won Gold Medals for it's entire core range of whiskies (save the Single Barrel 15yo) at the International Spirits Challenge, the biggest single distillery award haul in the competition's history.

For all Balvenies had on the mission, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Fruity and creamy, like orange creamsicles. Raisin sweetness and brazil nut dryness. A distinct mustiness in the background verifies the age.

Honeyed and creamy with a big, rich flavour impact; but somehow gentle, like a pillowfight or Jello wrestling. Spicy, too, pepper and a bit of chinese 5-spice or something. Deep and complex. Long creamy finish with nutty oakiness and, i dunno... hard to explain; not a flavour but a feeling...very exciting, like gently touching the inside lip of someone you love (or lust) with your tongue. Warming and sensual. Each sip an experience that is happily repeated.

SUMMARY:

A Balvenie that is totally worth taking the plunge for the price jump, especially when you look around the whisky world and see other speyside distillers (Macallan?!?) charging almost double for their 21yo. Totally dig this sip after sensual sip. Ideal for after dinner-date dramming or even alone in the wee hours as a masterbatory malt. Could be my mood and present circumstances. Yours, Randy.

Malt Mission #296
Malt Mission #297
Malt Mission #298
Malt Mission #300

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Malt Mission 2008 #298

Balvenie Port Wood 1993
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£29

This is part of a popular series of whiskies with 1989 and 1991 vintages preceding this release, each one finished in port pipes after 14 years of initial maturation.

Many folks agree that each expression has been different and whether or not that was the intention of its creators, the very fact of that variation is one of the great excitements of enjoying malt whisky. Sure, sometimes it is a risk from the perspective of both the consumer and producer, but it is a risk we all take in the hope of discovering some new and more delicious flavour complex. Speaking of which, I had some chicken wings at beerbistro in Toronto and was absolutely bowled over by the intense but balanced flavours. Heavenly stuff. I haven't been able to shut up about them and now here I am typing about them. Thank goodness chickens can't fly, those wings just wouldn't taste the same.

There are apparently no more vintages of this line planned for the future. For all Balvenies had on the mission, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Shy at first, museli, oak, the white bottoms of green/spring onions and then more fruit: raspberries, blackberries, and a slightly sour malty note with pepper and shiraz-like wine notes emerging.

Honey and bittersweet fruits. Very drying ¾ of the way through, finishing with impressions of oak, egg noodles and newspaper.

SUMMARY:

A unique profile among the Balvenie family of malts (Founder’s Reserve, DoubleWood, 15yo, 21yo Port Wood) that once again brings to our attention the seemingly infinite diversity of scotch whisky, not just from region to region or distillery to distillery, but often between two bottlings from the same distillery. Subdued and oaky, this dram will lack excitement for many, but it is a well-constructed and unique Balvenie whose charms lie beyond superficial initial examinations.

Malt Mission #296
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Malt Mission #299
Malt Mission #300

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Malt Mission 2008 #297

Balvenie Signature 12 yo
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£29

NOMINATED in the 2008 DRAMMIES
*Bang for Buck
*Best New Product
Vote HERE (before Mar 6, 2009)

Launched in April in the UK this is Balvenie's newest product. Come autumn 2008, this Balvenie Signature will be available in selected markets globally to commemorate the forty-five (45!!!) years that Malt Master David Stewart has been with William Grant and Sons. Over the next short while I will be drinking The Balvenie to commemorate something as well.

At some point in the near future I will be taking up a position with William Grant and Sons as the Balvenie Brand Ambassador USA. There are few whisky companies I could proudly work for and the Scottish and family-owned WGS is one of them. I have known folks involved in the company for years and everyone I have met since being offered this job has been totally lovely, friendly, and supportive. Further, Balvenie is an outstanding hand-crafted whisky that maintains traditional production methods while being innovative with cask management and product development. Finally, the stuff tastes great. Doublewood was the first single malt I consciously saved up precious pounds to buy (it was £4 off at OddBins). I couldn't be happier to represent this stuff professionally.

But the problem is that now, suddenly, all that confessional fluff above could easily sound like marketing speak and that is the last thing I want to be present on Dr. Whisky. It always has been. That shit doesn't belong here and every distiller or bottler who has sent me samples has been aware that their drops are subject to my objective and honest critique/analysis/tasting notes, etc., no matter how many bottles they send me or product launches they invite me to. I have worked for various companies over the lifespan of Dr. Whisky and still been able to maintain objectivity. That doesn't mean you will trust me and I guess I could have continued and just said nothing about this. Oh well.

Although this site is well aware of its value as a whisky marketing tool (I often call myself a whiskevangelist) there will be no marketing bullshit on Dr. Whisky. Dr. Whisky will continue to represent all of god's own heavenly spirit but Sam Simmons will represent Balvenie professionally. So I will shut up. In fact, Dr. Whisky will shut up about Balvenie forever.

But before he does that and before I am on contract with the company and thus obliged not to say anything bad about their whiskies, I need to post on all the Balvenies I have tasted before my objectivity is legally stripped away from me and I officially become the Balvenie Bloke (very different than the Balvenie Guy... I will not wear bowties nor drink Balvenie in tumblers or on ice.)*

I can't wait for the supportive comments and/or hate mail. Bring it on. I am not scared.

For all Balvenie had on the mission click HERE.

*- note, I am not forbidden from expressing honest opinions about any other whiskies, just urged (legally) not to write anything negative about Balvenie, effective soon.

TASTING NOTES:

Not unlike the 10yo Founder's Reserve (discontinued come 2009) in its restrained richness with orange oil, honey, a touch of smoke, and a slight sherry influence of dried fruits.

Mellow and fruity. Some kind of spiciness, too. Toasty, vanilla-ed and laundry fresh, with a medium short finish of oak and outdoorsy spice.

SUMMARY:

Compact and complex, although pinpointing particular flavours is a challenge as they are all bound up in eachother. The kind of well-constructed whisky that reveals a new aroma, taste or impression every sip. The 18% sherry casks used in this whisky make their mark, but gently, like the Founder's Reserve (Malt Mission #113). Available in small releases, who knows how each batch will vary?

Malt Mission #296
Malt Mission #298
Malt Mission #299
Malt Mission #300

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Malt Mission 2008 #296

Robbie Dhu 12 yo
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£ no idea $

As we approach the landmark of Malt Mission #300, we also get closer to a big change in our lives. More on that tomorrow.

Named after the water source of Glenfiddich distillery, this blended whisky is not often seen anymore. As far as I am aware this is a discontinued blend from William Grant and Sons although it is still available in some Latin markets (South American, Spain).

TASTING NOTES:

Soft and floral with some chewy, dense vanilla and a touch of smoke.

Malty, smoky, sweet and vegetal like potatoes and cooked turnips. Turns drier and more salty but overall very soft and easy. Dry, oaky finish.

SUMMARY:

Great blend of characteristics from across the wide world of whisky, all well-bound together.

Malt Mission #295
Malt Mission #297
Malt Mission #298
Malt Mission #299
Malt Mission #300

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Malt Mission 2008 #244

Balvenie New Oak 17 "First Bottling"
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
43% abv
£55

Now don't get confused, even if the folks at Balvenie appear to be trying to confuse you. Yes, there was a "limited release" Balvenie New Wood back in mid-2006. This Balvenie New Oak is not the same. And although it apparently replaces the "Limited Release", it is called "First Bottling". And you will also note the abv is 43% rather than 40%. Beyond that I suppose it is completely different. Right?

Retailers' websites don't seem to help the matter much where "New Wood" and "New Oak" seem to be used interchangeably. Gets worse: the Balvenie official website (U.S. one, too)doesn't even make mention of this product, "New Wood", "New Oak", or "Who Knew?"

So I'll just drink it. Besides, it's what's inside that counts. For distillery info and to see all Balvenies had on the mission, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Apples and honey, cinnamon, pie spices. Bubble gum, warm honey, vanilla ice cream.

Cashews, chestnuts, melba toast, cloves, lemon zest, light and heavy at the same time. More vanilla ice cream, cinnamon, lemon meringue. Eager to have more.

SUMMARY:

Very Balvenie honeyed tones with slightly oak-amplified vanillins. Malty core. Creamy finish. Perfectly balanced or perfectly plain, depending on perspective and/or mood. Clean and tidy whisky from the creative mind of malt master legend, David Stewart.

Malt Mission #241
Malt Mission #242
Malt Mission #243
Malt Mission #245

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Malt Mission 2007 #241

Clan MacGregor
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
$15 (USD)*

It has been exactly a year since I installed a tracker that records visits to Dr. Whisky. Looking at traffic graphs of the past 12 months blows my little malt-soaked mind. I never thought this whisky blog would last as long as it has or attract as much interest from so many corners of the globe. I want to thank every whisky nerd new and old for reading and sharing with others, and to the retailers and distillers who have helped keep this site going from strength to strength, week to week, dram to dram. Thanks to you, this remains an AD-free blog, and I am very proud of that. Now, down to business...

In a way, Clan MacGregor is the younger sibling of The Gordon Highlanders blend as both are progeny of William Grant and Sons but only relatives of Grant's line of blended whisky. They have much lower malt content and are not sold globally. Clan MacGregor is rarely found outside of the USA but remains a HUGE seller as the highest selling US-bottled scotch (ie. it is tankered over to the states for bottling) and number 2 of all blended whisky in the US, behind Dewar's. The other major market for Clan MacGregor is Thailand where the brand has been introduced with a promotional push in recent years. A great thing about being bottled in the US of A is that you can find it in those huge-ass bottles with handles. Love it.

There is also some irony in the fact that at the value-end of the whisky range of two competing companies, Wm Grant and Sons and Pernod Ricard have brands named Clan MacGregor and Clan Campbell. "Such was the hatred between these two clans at the turn of the 17th century that the Campbells succeeded in having the MacGregor name outlawed," writes Jim Murray in Classic Blended Scotch (p.126), "to the extent that anyone bearing the name would be removed of it at pain of death." It took over 150 years for this savage law to be repealed but today the battle lives on in sales wars between French company Pernod Ricard's Clan Campbell (13th highest selling blended whisky worldwide) and Scottish company Wm Grant&Sons' Clan MacGregor (14th highest selling blended whisky worldwide).

Bottle text is always entertaining, especially with low end blends. The best part of this bottle text? "It is an achievement of perfection, distilled by skilled craftsmen, aged for thirty-six months, and blended by experts whose many years of experience in their art create a character of smoothness and taste that is unmatched." Unmatched taste is not necessarily a positive and although I like the poetic sonority of "distilled by skilled craftsmen", aged for 36 months is barely legal (whisky MUST be matured at least 3 years, 36 months, to be called "scotch whisky"). Brilliant. Excited to taste this puppy.

* - chances are you will find it cheaper.

TASTING NOTES:

Fresh, new-make element about it (which I quite like), with a bit of white pepper, Wonderbread, and not as much sweetness as I expected. In fact, not really sweet at all. In fact, not really ANYTHING at all.

Palate shows a touch of grain sweetness and the liquid has a pretty good body, not watery or oily, some elasti cresistance, if you know what I mean.

SUMMARY:

Totally surprised. Not hard to swallow or hot, actually quite chewy texture-wise and remarkably easy to drink, but really does lack any character. An absolute challenge to make tasting notes or to note any tastes. This is to be consumed by volume, ie. it is not a whisky to mull over on a late winter's evening, and for use as a budget mixing Scotch whisky. Ice, soda, red Noilly Prat, Crabbies, Coca-Cola, whatever.

Still shocked it wasn't horrid. 19 million Americans can't be wrong.

Malt Mission #240
Malt Mission #242
Malt Mission #243
Malt Mission #244
Malt Mission #245

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Malt Mission 2008 #231

Grant's Family Reserve
Finest Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£12.50
$23.45(CAD)
$15(USD)

It's Burns week... but that doesn't change much round here.

The weather is very un-wintery here as of late so we will have a week of Speyside whiskies to celebrate our first springtime-blossom-sighting 2008 (happens early over here). We will start a speyside-themed week here on the Malt Mission with a blend from the 'capital' of Speyside, Dufftown.

With a reasonably high malt content (35%) coming from Balvenie, Glenfiddich, and Kininvie (and allegedly around 25 others), Grant's Family Reserve is the 5th biggest selling Scottish blended whisky worldwide. Introduced in 1898, the whisky has gone by the name "Stand Fast" and "Best Procurable" but is now known as Family Reserve. It is an award-winning blended whisky from the family-owned distillers William Grant and Sons who own Balvenie, Glenfiddich, and Kininvie single malt distilleries and Girvan grain distillery (built in 1963).

The famous triangular bottle was designed by Hans Schleger, introduced for Grant's in 1957, was altered slightly and applied to the Glenfiddich bottle in 1964. Grant's experimented with 'wood finishing' with Grant's Ale Cask and Grant's Sherry Cask (Malt Mission #78 and Malt Mission #216) and has 12, 15 and 18-year old expressions that are available in the far east, Russia, and South America. I know many whisky lovers in Europe and North America who would LOVE to get their hands on these award-winning aged blended whiskies. I promise to share, if and when, if you do.

The Budget Hedonist had THIS to say about Grant's Family Reserve.

TASTING NOTES:

Floral, some baby powder, creamed corn. Pepper, nailpolish, green bananas and apple turnovers.

Excellent initial impact, banana and vanilla sweetness with a malty bite that is rounded with dust and smoke. Gets complex, thickens out after swallowing, which is unusual. Long earthy finish with a persistent but gentle sweetness.

SUMMARY:

The nose put me off a touch initially because there was such variety, but upon drinking the stuff the complexity of the nose was much more appreciated. VERY drinkable. Family. Indie. Scottish. All good.

Malt Mission #230
Malt Mission #232
Malt Mission #233
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Malt Mission #235

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Malt Mission 2008 #221

The Gordon Highlanders
Blended Scotch Whisky
40%
£16
$28.15 (CAD)

Glad to be back in London to my own bed, my own kitchen, and back to my morning routine. My body has greatly missed my morning malt and the habit was hard to kick... I was even caught sticking my nose into coffee and orange juice at breakfasts. A great time was had and I hope you had a brilliant Christmas period as well.

And Happy New Year!

Yes, it was a year ago that this Malt Mission began, when I was challenged to taste my way through my shelf for the entertainment of a few whisky liking/loving friends, a much needed impetus on a whisky blog that was pretty pathetic up to that point. As far as I am concerned, THAT was the real birth of Dr. Whisky. And now, here we are 250 whisky blog posts, 220 Malt Missions, and a few small miracles later. Yes, I remain somewhat shocked that this is still going strong with ever-increasing numbers of readers and a queue of whiskies to taste over the coming weeks. Some mornings I really do shake my head. Thanks to those who have shared drops over the year and those who regularly visit to see what whisky the doctor is medicating himself with each day. Here's to another year!!!

Launched in 1994, when the British regiment of the same name was amalgamated with another (more history HERE), The Gordon Highlander is a blended whisky from William Grant and Sons and is yet another bottle discontinued at the LCBO, not that I imagine it was a huge seller. And not that sales seem to have any bearing on which whiskies the LCBO chooses to discontinue.

Enough typing for today. Let's taste.

TASTING NOTES:

Floral and fruity with a malty core. Apples and honey, sweet oak and almonds. Some black tea and a touch of sherried spice.

Good density, but very easy drinking. Malt, shortbread, stewed apples, and a pleasant bitter grip of oakiness in the finish with a lingering whiff of roadworks/tar.

SUMMARY:

Nothing earth-shattering, but affordable, good, clean, easy-drinking blended whisky with a nice speyside-y character. Went down well in a rock n' roll basement in Toronto with folks playing terrible cover tunes... and cover tunes terribly.

Malt Mission #220
Malt Mission #222
Malt Mission #223
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Malt Mission 2007 #220

Glenfiddich 1976
Vintage Reserve Selection 2007
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
51.9% abv
£299
$550(USD)

Merry Christmas.

During the week of Malt Mission 200 celebratory posts I wrote about Christmas offers and made an addendum. In that post I asked Santa for the Glenfiddich 1976, a new release from my year of birth carefully selected by David Stewart, Brian Kinsman and six other talented noses (for more info visit Glenfiddich's page on the selection of the 1976 cask HERE.) Only days later "Santa" emailed me to say that he and the elves would be pleased to make my Christmas wish come true. [Yes, Ian Buxton, this was someone at the Red Consultancy (see Ian's related piece HERE)].

Within the week I had received a sample of the vintage. This morning we opened it with my other Christmas presents. I chose to share this gift with Kristin's brother Espen, another 1976-er (his notes appear in quotes below). The cask was an European oak third fill ex-sherry cask. There are only 549 of these babies available worldwide from the year of the dragon, filled to cask January 16, 1976, and only 33 of these bottles are available in the UK.

For all Glenfiddichs had on the mission click HERE.

Again, Merry Chirstmas... and big thanks to BM for sending the drop.

TASTING NOTES:

Light and fresh, with some mentholic whiffs that hit with strength. Sweet with a very pleasant bitter edge. Fruity (apples) and floral (lillies or something... I don't really know flowers). Like a flowershop, a little bit of vanilla, and "still a bit spirity, spicy." Great development with time in the glass.

Luscious mouthfeel, slightly minty, sweet, "and very smooth". Warming sherry shift upon swallowing, getting more oaky and slightly toasty with fruity sweetness, some orange, apricots and apples, among others. "I just had a teeny bit and it lasts forever. It makes the texture in my mouth... different."

SUMMARY:

A sophisticated old whisky, that is rich but light, tender but strong. Like many great aged whiskies, this cannot be quickly consumed and judged, it demands we slow our lives down and consider the whisky for a good length of time. Charlie Maclean has written that whisky is Scotland's most generous gift to the world and this Christmas season, as ever, we are all infinitely thankful.

Malt Mission #216
Malt Mission #217
Malt Mission #218
Malt Mission #219

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