skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Mackmyra Preludium 05
Svensk Whisky
48.4% abv
£40
Launched at Royal Mile Whiskies' excellent Whisky Fringe 2007 and sold out in just two days at Systembolaget in Sweden, this Mackmyra Preludium series has many whisky nerds rubbing their hands in anticipation of what's next from the young Mackmyra distillery. See Johan's first hand report of trying to get a bottle in Sweden at WhiskyGrotto HERE.
Each release in the series has a style theme. This one is "flavoursome small casks" meaning the spirit has been matured in specially made smaller volume oak barrels increasing wood contact.
The 06 was launched in Sweden in December and will be released in the UK in February. Dr. Whisky will get to taste it tomorrow. It will be the final entry in the Preludium series and after experiencing what the distillers have called a "foretaste" of the different styles of spirit produced at Mackmyra, we will soon see a mature, standard bottling. When? I have no idea.
For more info and all Mackmyra had on the mission click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Outdoorsy, like a forest. Pinecones. Prickly, sappy. Sweetened with cookie dough and humid like musty towels. Slight sour notes too, like pickles.
Clean and oaky sweet, but only initially. Explodes with alcohol with youth apparent. Spicy with some vanilla, but very immature-tasting. Spirit impressions stick around.
SUMMARY:
Cannot be judged quickly. Changes immensely both with time in the glass and with water. Fiery, yes, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Water, however, does not help much as the core spirit remains youthful. This is best at full strength. I really enjoyed the nose, unique and interesting in its combinations of aromas. And they changed and developed as the whisky sat in the glass becoming more creamy, like skin lotion not dairy, cheap waxy chocolate, and more organic smells of green peas, celeriac, and oak. Look forward to the 06 tomorrow.
Malt Mission #236
Malt Mission #237
Malt Mission #238
Malt Mission #240
Malt Mission HOME
Woodford Reserve (batch 79)
Small Batch Straight Kentucky Bourbon
45.2% abv
£24
$45.60 (CAD)
$28 (USD)
Two hundred and thirty eight (238!) Malt Missions and FINALLY, Dr. Whisky is having a bourbon. I am sure I will expand in this area if I ever live in the US. It is a vast whisky/whiskey world out there, and I intend to continue to tackle it one dram at a time...
It is said that the key to bourbon maturation is the Kentucky climate: the cold winters and the hot summers. Maturing casks of whiskey expand and contract with these temperature changes forcing the spirit to suck up the flavours in the new charred oak barrels. Having lived in Scotland I feel comfortable in saying the climate is much less extreme. I have called it perpetual spring/autumn and it is really not that far from the truth. That being said, the weather is the most unpredictable thing one can encounter in Scotland. Where Kentucky has 4 distinct seasons over the span of a year, Scotland can have four over the span of a day. This is just one reason why bourbon and Scotch single malt whisky can taste so very different from one another.
By law, bourbon must be made in the USA, must be matured in NEW charred oak barrels, must be made from at least 51% corn, must be natural (ie. no added anything, save water), and must be distilled to no more than 80% abv. All of these factors create a spirit that is darker in colour than typical Scotch whisky and that carries more of a toffeed, caramel sweetness from the new oak than Scotch. Most bourbons reach maturity after 4 years in oak (and can be called "straight bourbon" after just two). Scotch whisky can mature from 3 to 63 years, but bourbon can become over-oaked at a much younger age. That being said, there are a some excellent 6-20 year old bourbons on the market today, but 20+ really is ancient for bourbon.
Woodford Reserve represents not only the renaissance of one old-time Kentucky distillery but of the renaissance that ALL bourbon has experienced over the past decade. In 1994, Brown-Forman (owners of Jack Daniels) bought the derelict Labrot & Graham distillery. This was the location of Old Oscar Pepper distillery and was where Scotsman James Crow effectively created the sourmash process in the production of what we know as bourbon.* Woodford is made using pot stills (unusual in bourbon-production) and they even triple distill it (even more unusual). Further, the mashbill (recipe of grains) includes wheat, rye, barley, and corn (most bourbons use only three). By law, the staves of the new oak barrels are charred, but Woodford uses charred cask heads as well. To further enhance aging, Woodford Reserve is matured in a heated, stone-walled warehouse (a tradition in Bourbon that has precedent as early as 1892). With this much care for production, a whole generation of drinkers were fostered to appreciate bourbon as they would a single malt, not just a spirit to enhance Coca Cola.(i think he's talking to yoooo)
This small-batch bourbon has developed a loyal following, is one of the fastest growing spirits in the world, and has received critical praise winning Gold medals at the 2001 and 2003 IWSC and Double Golds at the World Spirits competition. I think it is a well-suited drop to be the first bourbon on the mission.
Tasted with KK, her notes appear in quotes.
* - Dave Broom, Handbook of Whisky, (Octopus Publishing Group: London) 2000, p. 128
TASTING NOTES:
Sweet, and spicy with grain. Floral. Complex but soft. Red BigFoot gummies, "yeah, candy, like Sours." Sour coated wine gums.
Sweet and sour. Jelly beans. White grapes. Lemony. Orange peels, or sweeter; clementines. Upon swallowing it all changes. Rich and full with an explosion of alcohol, dark chocolate, faint mosquito repellent. "Very drying, like dry wine." Finish gets sweet and perfumy after time, more like the initial palate, with marzipan and strawberry shortcake. Lovely perfumed flavours linger.
SUMMARY:
I am the first to admit that Scottish whisky is my area of whisk(e)y "expertise". That is this doctor's specialty. I have 5 solid years of real tasting experience. With bourbon I have next to none, so I do not pretend (like so many bloggers and forum lurchers out there) to be evaluating something which I am only beginning to understand. These are not whisky reviews. In fact, even after years of experience and self-training (with guidance from Charlie Maclean, Robin Laing, RHicks, RP, DR ...), Dr. Whisky doesn't really evaluate, he just tries to describe.
I learned a great deal about bourbon while drinking this whiskey and I felt I finally understood how it was functioning flavour-wise by the time my glass was empty. I will do more reading and "research" away from the Malt Mission and come back with more bourbon in the future.
Kristin thinks this would benefit from soda. If you don't know her, before you say anything or dismiss her comment, remember she is the Ardbeg freak in this family and her favourite region is 'cask strength'. "Yeah, cuz whisky [Scottish single malt] I would have on its own, its bigger somehow. This would need something to, to sprite it up." I suggest Sprite. "Yeah, or just soda. It feels like its lacking something, could use something else, which I think it would benefit from. But this wouldn't carry smoke and peat. (Scotch) Whisky doesn't need anything. I like (Scotch) whisky cuz it is fuller."
(pause)
"But hey, I finished it, so I must like it." She did. And quickly.
I like how prominent the grains are in the nose and the big oaky toastiness with all the sweet citrus, caramel and vanilla tones. In the mouth the flavour intensity increases becoming very oaky and bitter like chocolate-covered coffee beans or candied orange peels. For me, the highlight is the finish and beyond. I really liked it about 30 seconds after swallowing, when just the flavours (no tannins, no alcohol) lingered in my mouth, which they did for about 3 additional minutes. I do like a Manhattan and the spiciness and orange peel zest here would suit such a drink very well.
Malt Mission #236
Malt Mission #237
Malt Mission #239
Malt Mission #240
Malt Mission HOME
Greenore 8yo
Single Grain Irish Whiskey
40% abv
£25
Distilled at Cooley, Ireland's only independently Irish-owned distillery, Greenore is a grain whiskey of the highest quality. Over a decade after his academic studies into the decline of Irish whiskey, ambitious Irish entrepreneur John Teeling (and other investors) bought and converted a site on the east coast of Ireland into two of the most critically acclaimed Irish distilleries operating today. Other treats from Cooley that we've enjoyed thus far on the mission can be seen HERE. See their site for more.
Irish whiskey has a reputation for being lighter and "smoother" than Scottish whisky. This is partly because of the method of distillation that typically sees the Irish distill their spirits thrice while the Scots (with a few exceptions) distill only twice. It also is because Irish whiskey does not use peat to the same degree that Scotch whisky producers do. Cooley tosses out both of these Irish "laws" using peat (Connemara) and not (always) triple distilling.
Greenore 8 year old is matured in 100% first fill ex-bourbon casks. The best casks of maturing grains are selected to become constituents in the Greenore. The rest is destined for blended whisky. This results in a limited batch of 5000 bottles with a 15 and 18yo expected over the next few years. This limited expression 8yo has already sold out in most places. Jack Teeling informs me that the 15yo will be launched in April 2008.
Greenore 8yo won gold medal at the 2004 International Wine and Spirits Competition and has been enjoyed by yours truly on a sunny Sunday afternoon or two.
TASTING NOTES:
Sweet, appetising and organic nose. Sweet with vanilla, dried banana chips, and coconut oil. Bourbon-y sweetness that gets the mouth wet in anticipation. Organic like fresh corn, green tomatoes, chlorophyll.
Mmm, buttery and fruity. Toasty. Caramel. Almonds with a twist of watery lemonade. Honeyed finish with a tinge of those organic notes found on the nose.
SUMMARY:
Superficial stuff first, I like the bottle design (like the Arran Anniversary shape) and the cork is fat and tight giving a nice loud sssquuueeepft when you open it. This is a light, fresh, and invigorating whisky that is perfect for a summer day. Very bourbon-y without any of the harder tannins but might be a bit sweet and cloying for some people or even for some moods. Could do well in a cocktail in place of bourbon, or even rum. Yet more evidence that great things can come from the world of grain whisk(e)y.
Malt Mission #236
Malt Mission #238
Malt Mission #239
Malt Mission #240
Malt Mission HOME
Forty Creek Barrel Select
Canadian Whisky
40% abv
$23.95(CAD)
$20(USD)
It's Monday and we're going to have a week of international/non-Scottish whiskies here on the Malt Mission. We'll start with a drop that is up for a Bang-for-Buck award in the 2007 Drammies. These are the final few days to vote, so get busy! And don't forget to vote in all categories or your vote may not be counted.
By law, Canadian whisky must be made in Canada, matured in oak casks for at least three years, and be bottled at AT LEAST 40% abv. Typical, but not mandatory, ingredients are rye, corn and barley, and even though the whisky is usually not >50% rye, Canadian whisky is often widely referred to as "rye". There is also an old law that stipulates distillers may add 9.09% "flavouring ingredients" to their final product. Kind of hard to respect a product that allows such "additives", although in most cases it probably is improved by these flavourings. Sorry, but after 5 years of serious 'study' of whisky, I am pretty comfortable to admit that Canadian whisky is little more than a popular mixer for ginger ale around the world. In recent years Canadian Club and Crown Royal have released small batch, extra-aged and special releases, but with 60+ years of standardisation and lack of innovation (since the boom period of bootlegging during prohibition era America) there is still a lot to be done.
For over 30 years, John Hall has been making wine at Kittling Ridge Winery in Grimsby, Ontario. For 15 of those years he has been distilling various spirits using a copper pot still. His innovation and experimentation is to be commended. His whiskies have recently won accolades from critics who know their grain-based, oak matured spirits. Why? Let's taste.
Reviewed by the folks at Whisky Magazine twice over the past few years with slightly different reactions, HERE (editor's choice) and HERE. Listen to John Hall on Whisky Cast Episode 118 HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Sumptuous and sweet with a spicy rye core. Nutmeg, melted vanilla ice cream, egg nog, buttered corn.
Texture is thin and silky in the mouth, spicy with a lot of toasted oak character. Corn syrup, toffee, vanilla extract, cinnamon and cloves, crepes, grilled cheese on white bread, stewed stone fruits (apricots, plums) and a touch of pepper.
SUMMARY:
Very pleasant drinking whisky, pleasantly sweet with good complexity if not much flavour development. Very well-priced. Innovative, resourceful, and proudly Canadian, John Hall's whisky may single-handedly save the tarnished name of Canadian whisky.
Malt Mission #235
Malt Mission #237
Malt Mission #238
Malt Mission #239
Malt Mission #240
Malt Mission HOME
Glen Grant 1972 35yo
Single Malts of Scotland
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
54.9% abv
£89.50
Glen Grant was founded by brothers John and James Grant (in 1840), who had learned the ropes of distilling at Aberlour where they worked for 8 years. They became local legends for their social, environmental and political involvement, throwing grand parties, bringing the railway to Rothes and creating and maintaining a gorgeous botanic garden which is very worth a visit even if you don't intend to step inside the still rooms.
Italy is the number one market for Glen Grant, especially YOUNG (5 yo) Glen Grant, and this has been the case since owner/manager began dealings with whisky pilgrim Armondo Giovinetti in the 1960s. Today Glen Grant is a top five whisky in terms of both sales and by-volume production, as well as continuing to be huge across the boot of Europe.
Many would agree that although the Italians may love their Glen Grant young, it is a spirit that is at its best when it is of some age. Check out Serge Valentin's journey through the flavours of Glen Grant HERE.
For all Single Malts of Scotland bottlings had on the mission click HERE.
Tasted with RM who is in town visiting us.
TASTING NOTES:
Very rich and elegant without any of the negative, overly-sherried effects. Fresh sweet fruit, some zest like hops, honeyed and sweet. Very mellow.
Sherry and oak in a honeyed glaze," hay, dried herbs and vanilla stick things". Fresh fruit on the nose has turned dried, prunes, raisins, and a pleasantly bitter edge with tobacco and coffee. Sherried finish with a citrus peel tinge.
SUMMARY:
A very gulpable sherried beast, not one for slow sipping by the fire, more for after dinner decadent, indulgent quaffing. Ran thought it was stronger than I did so to each their own. Amazing price for the age, sherry, and strength. One expects nothing less from Single Malts of Scotland. Malt Maniacs awarded this bottle with a Gold Medal in their 2007 awards and one can understand why.
Malt Mission #231
Malt Mission #232
Malt Mission #233
Malt Mission #234
Malt Mission HOME
Longmorn 15 yo
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
45%
£33
$53.65(CAD)
$55(USD)
It has been a while since I had a Longmorn. The last one tasted on the Malt Mission was the 16yo bottling (that is replacing this 15yo expression) back at Malt Mission #69.
John Duff, ambitious distiller and founder of Glenlossie, Longmorn and BenRiach (in that order), was bankrupted (1909) in the wake of the Pattison crash(1898). In 1919, Longmorn permitted the young Japanese chemist Masataka Taketsuru to serve an apprenticeship at the distillery. He went back to Japan and founded Nikka distilling company.
In 1978, Seagram's (who owned Chivas, a blend to which Longmorn is a major contributor) took over the distillery and increased production by adding more stills but stopped the floor maltings on site, choosing instead to use the malting facilities at neigbouring BenRiach. Today, most of the 3.5 million litres of output is used for blending where it is widely regarded as a 'top-dressing'. It is also a darling distillery of the independent bottlers from Adelphi to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
This Longmorn 15 is well-priced in Ontario and is currently (January) on offer at the excellent Royal Mile Whiskies. It also won 'Most under-rated whisky' at the 2006 Drammies, the excellent People's Choice whisky awards created by the inspiration to dozens of whisky-blogger imitators, Kevin Erskine (The Scotch Blog). Don't forget to vote in this year's awards! Voting ends at the end of January with winners announced soon afterwards.
TASTING NOTES:
Nice handfull-scoops of aromas. Cherries, Christmas cake, almond/marzipan. Crisp, which is a ridiculous descriptor, but it IS. Crisp, fresh, like mint or leaf stems. But moist, like dew on a nastersium. More fresh fruit with the cherry now; apricot, banana, citrus. Complex but balanced.
Slightly salty initially, cooked vegetable, then sweetens to gummy bears and clover honey. Some spice with ginger, cinnamon and pear, bay leaf. Drops of sandalwood and a slight metallic tinge. Ends with sweetness again, the ripest of fruits in your basket, tea made by a well-intentioned friend who thinks one sugar means one tablespoon of sugar. Sweetness restrained by oaky, oily notes.
SUMMARY:
Balanced, complex, and a joy to drink. I remember there was as short time when I lived in Edinburgh that RMW was selling this for £20.99. How lucky we were. No big brand name, no complicated packaging, but this Longmorn doesn't need any of those things to be enjoyed by whisky drinkers everywhere and loved by this one this morning.
Malt Mission #231
Malt Mission #232
Malt Mission #233
Malt Mission #235
Malt Mission HOME
Macallan Fine Oak 10yo
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
£24
$59.45(CAD)
$40(USD)
Sorry for late post. Was in New York... for a night. Yes. Crazy, but whatever. It was fun. And necessary.
Naturally, I spent some of my free daytime hours cruising into a few liquor and book stores to see what they carried, prices, etc. In a book store there were several signed first editions of Kurt Vonnegut and Phillip Roth short stories as well as a first edition of MJ's Companion. Fascinating how THIN it was... how the whisky world has changed in less than 20 years! The liquor stores were a treat, too. I was totally blown away by how much the price could vary from one place to the next and by just how cheap some bottles were. It was amazing to see such large selections of quality bourbons and a great spread of incredible malts from the dirt cheap to the filthy expensive. I was then kicked firmly in the nuts when, having decided to hold off on any purchases until duty free, I saw the paltry display at DFA. I was shocked and amazed at how shit the selection was and how extortionate some of the pricing! A bottle of bourbon that I had seen earlier in the day for $24 was $38 at duty free!!! Litre or not, that is booooolsheeeeet. When street prices beat duty free prices you know you are in a wonderful country. America, putting the 'free' in 'freedom' and the 'doodie' in 'Duty Free'.
Today's whisky is from a line of Macallans that are not exclusively matured in ex-sherry casks like the 'standard' line. Launched in 2004, the Fine Oak range from Macallan is already #11 in top-selling single malts worldwide and has helped push Macallan into 6th position overall. Ken Grier at the Edrington Group says, "This has been the most successful new single malt launch from a major brand, ever." With 8, 10, 12, 15, 17, 18, 21, 25 and 30 year old expressions, the happy customers are spoiled for choice. Proof that when the restaurant is a success, it sometimes pays off to extend the menu.
For all Macallans had on the mission and more distillery information click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Cake mix, vanilla, wheat-y, flour-y, gristy. Apricots, jam, butter and crumpets. Boller. Although I am hungry and craving some of the aromas I am picking up, I am convinced these tasty treats are not just imagined. Thus, my next descriptor is "appetizing." Burnt sugar, hazelnut, permanent marker.
Sweet but waxy, like kissing a woman (man?) wearing lipstick. Sweet bread, challah, brioche, rhubarb yogurt. Getting drier and more bitter, like sucking a wooden spoon. Waxiness remains.
SUMMARY:
I suppose unlike more sherried Macallans, this expression cannot hit the youth of the spirit. The gristy, almost yeasty impression indicated that on the nose and the type of sweet/bitter mixture in the mouth showed that a few more years would add unity and complexity to a pleasantly sweet, fruity, malty spirit. Good and clean whisky though with a nice youthful fruitiness. Reminds me a bit of An Cnoc, which I have not officially tasted for Dr. Whisky but has passed my lips on more than one occasion. This is a positive comparision for both whiskies, I think.
Malt Mission #231
Malt Mission #232
Malt Mission #234
Malt Mission #235
Malt Mission HOME
Ben Bracken 12 yo
Highland Speyside Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£15
Available at LIDL here in the UK and probably easily found in budget supermakets in mainland Europe, Ben Bracken does not take its name from the distillery at which the spirit was produced nor a Ben (beinn, common Gaelic word for 'moutain') near its production site (cuz such a Ben does not exist), but rather they take it from THIS guy. Just kidding. I think it is just a Scottish-sounding name that was not copyrighted and that marketing folks thought would work in German value superstore Lidl. In Scotland, most hills, munros and bens are adorned with ferns, heather or bracken, so the name isn't totally out of left field.
"Ben Bracken is a distinctive single malt from the Highland sub-region of Speyside, the very heartland of scotch whisky in the north-east of Scotland. Distilled in copper pot stills in the traditional, centuries-old manner, it is laid down in oak casks, and matured undisturbed form twelve long years." One of the best bottle blurbs I have seen... which isn't saying much. It could have been worse.
I have read that this mystery Speyside malt is produced by Clydesdale Scotch Whisky Co., a part of the Whyte & Mackay group, and as W&M's only speyside distillery is Tamnavulin, that must be what is inside the bottle. I have also read that it is aged stock that Whyte and Mackay sold when they put Tamnavulin distillery to sleep in 1995. The stills were fired up once again after United Spirits bought Whyte and Mackay in 2007.
If you don't like my little exposé on Ben Bracken, go check THIS out (after a few German lessons).
TASTING NOTES:
Flat, but floral and fragrant; at its best it has a very Glenmorangie style. Sweet vanillas, some yeasty maltiness and a touch of spice.
Peaches and sweet breadiness followed by a surge of salt, a bit of raw smoked bacon, and then nutmeg and butter. Finish is drying on poppyseeds and a clean bitterness. Medium long.
SUMMARY:
Simple, but totally pleasant, drinkable whisky. In the mouth it quite coating and pleasant but the aftertaste does it no favours as the drying affect gets almost chemical, like regurgitating paracetemol or tylenol. A pretty tolerable budget drop, but for a few extra quid I would probably shop elsewhere... after getting my oven lasagne, german wieners, and cheap malted loaf at Lidl.
Malt Mission #231
Malt Mission #233
Malt Mission #234
Malt Mission #235
Malt Mission HOME
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
Malt Mission #234
Malt Mission #235
Malt Mission HOME
Circle your answers, tick the boxes, make your selections now...
Time is running out to get your votes into the only reader-selected whisky awards out there (I think?).
Kevin Erskine's (The Scotch Blog) The Drammies made news this week HERE, HERE, and in the Guardian (Wed, Jan 16).
We can be certain that Kevin is keeping a watchful eye on any ballot box loading, proving that it is not who votes that counts, but who counts the votes! He isn't accepting single votes (ie. emails that vote for only one category) and he is noting addresses and even servers to prevent Kenyan election tactics. We wish him luck in this unenviable task to keep democracy safe for whisky nerds in every any province, state, or country.
With these things in mind, I nonetheless say, "go vote for Forty Creek, Sheep Dip, Compass Box Cantos...
... and Dr. Whisky."
VOTE NOW at www.thedrammies.com
voting closes Jan 31, 2008
