Malt Mission 2009 #369

Michter's 10yo, GH-1
Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey
47.2% abv
$75 (USD)

"Michter's: the Whiskey that warmed the Revolution."

In 1753, Swiss Menonite farmer John Shenk joined the American tradition of whiskey making and built a farm distillery in Schaefferstown, PA for "local use". Within four generations the family distillery became a commercial venture (apparently on the back of supplying Washington's troops with liquid courage) and was sold.

After prohibition closed the distillery, a confusing web of tales seems to exist that this author tries to untangle, but the story seems to end the same: "sometime around 1991 everyone just up and left." Today, what was the Michter's distillery is a crumbling, weed-overrun site that scarecely looks like it ever produced anything.

The name "Michter's", however, was sold to Chatham Imports who proceeded to revive the brand with great success.

And goddamn it if this isn't just another example of how hard it is to wrap one's head around the world of American whiskey. Can't wait to finish my American "weeks" here on the mission; I don't have time for invesitgative journalism!

There still seems to be plenty of mystery surrounding the Michter's name and history that scholars far more informed on the topic than Dr. Whisky cannot seem to answer. For more info, check out Cowdery's book, click HERE or HERE, or just have a googlygander yourselves. Geneology in the world of American whiskey can be hard to navigate, but is made somewhat easier by this great online resource from Sku, Complete List of American Distilleries and Brands, which tells us who bottles this liquid (KBD), but gives no info on who produces the sauce. Heaven Hill? Other? Anyone have an idea?

Finally, this past weekend we saw the Michter's range on optic at the Roebling Tea Room in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Not something you see very often in this country so I thought it was interesting and that I would share it with you here.

Now, finally, let's taste.

TASTING NOTES:

Whoa. Vegetal, meaty, oraganic and gingery. Some floral notes but the meatiness persists with lamb and peanut butter, ginger again, green peas and/or soy beans. Brown sugar, clay, muddy autumn leaves, and plasticine.

Kale, vinegar and ice cream truck butterscotch. Strachy, bean-y. Perfumy vanilla. Oaky and spicy on the way out.

SUMMARY:

Firm, fun flavours, unusual ones, too, but jaw-splittingly unbalanced. It would be hard to get me to fill another glass, YES even if I added some Bernheim Wheat, rye, vinegar or applesauce. What is the point in trying to make this more appealing to me? Life is too short to drink whisky I don't enjoy and lord knows there is no shortage of fine drops to drink instead.

Now, I have examined other reviews of this and spoken with several friends about their reactions to the whiskey and although it is quite clear that David and I had a very different reaction to this whiskey than the majority of others, I stand by my (our?) opinion and only slightly reluctantly press "publish", esp in light of all the recent Dr bashing.

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Malt Mission 2009 #368

Four Roses Single Barrel
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
TN 85-4L
50% abv
$40 (USD)

Although Wikipedia tells us that Four Roses was possibly named after original founder Rufus Mathewson Rose, his brother and two sons, Four Roses' website tells the story of Paul Jones, Jr., founder of Four Roses, whose love interest accepted his invitation to a grand ball and showed up wearing, as promised, a corsage of 4 red roses. I guess if we whisk(e)y nerds weren't spending all our online time surfing porn and writing vitriolic comments on whisky websites and fora we could remedy the spread of misinformation. But where would be the fun in that?

Four Roses produces 10 different recipes of bourbons out of 5 different yeast strains and two mashbills (one 60% corn, one 75% corn) at their Lawrenceburg, Kentucky-based distillery. While most of their whiskies are made with a mix of each between 2 to 10 of these different bourbons, this Single Barrel is, obviously, I suppose, made using only one.

From 1957, Four Roses bourbon was unavailable in its country of origin with Yellow and Black label being more easily found in Kyoto than Kentucky.

Master Distiller Jim Rutledge continues to make great whisky: 5 stars from F. Paul Pacult, Gold at the ISC, and Best Bourbon (no age statement) WWA 2008. So the verdict is in. What of any significance could my opinion possibly add?

Tasted as a part of a lovely morning session with DS.

TASTING NOTES:

Big and sweet. Luscious candy fruitiness, Bazooka bubble gum, Watermelon Hubba Bubba, Juicy Fruit. Coconut and gorse, even some baby powder with water.

Dry but chewy with basil, mint, caramel. Sweet and light, floral. Cream soda and maple with time and a pleasant slightly bitter and spicy finish.

SUMMARY:

Interesting and tasty drop that kept insisting I stick and re-stick my nose in the glass and revel in its big, sweet, voluptuous vapours. My only complaint (or perhaps oversight on my part) is that there is no indication of which mashbill this cask is made. They have this cool tool on their website but the numbers on the label (TN 85 4L) seem to have no relationship to the spirit codes but rather to the cask and warehouse number. Would be cool to know which spirit is which, esp as it is single barrel, no?

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Malt Mission 2009 #367

Bernheim Original
Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey
45% abv
£50
$45(USD)

Keeping the American theme going with a few more drops from whiskEy country up my labcoat sleeve. Sorry if it takes me weeks to pull 'em out.

Typical of American whiskey, the Bernheim story is shrouded in mystery, some confusion, and even a little intentional deceit. The Bernheim website reads, "Brothers Isaac Wolfe and Bernard Bernheim, pioneering German immigrants with little money and big dreams, established a distillery in Louisville, Kentucky in the 19th century. Since that time, the Bernheim distillery has consistently produced whiskeys lauded for their superior taste and quality." The Heaven Hill website reads, "Heaven Hill produces its whiskies at the historic Bernheim Distillery."

Historic? consistently making spirit? The old Bernheim distillery was demolished and the new one was built in 1992. The whisky is distilled at (the new) Bernheim distillery and is matured at Heaven Hill's facilities in Bardstown, Kentucky. The amazing Sku, who helped me clarify some details about this whiskey (and many others over the years), also points out that this is straight wheat whiskey (>51% wheat), not to "be confused with what in Bourbon lingo is referred to as a "wheater." A wheater is a Bourbon in which the remaining grains, beyond the required corn, contain wheat instead of rye. In a wheater, corn is still the base grain. In wheat whiskey, which is not Bourbon, wheat is the base grain.

Thank you, my west coast malt loving brother!

Tasted with an east coast malt loving brother, David Stewart (no, not that one. Or that one).

TASTING NOTES:

Perfumy, aromatic, like hot tea. Vanilla, chamomile, and fresh mint. Simple and clean with a gentle spice beneath the sweet surface.

Very soft in the mouth, verging on bland. Not much of note happening here. Hmm... Late notes of bread, baguette and then... fin

SUMMARY:

In tasting this with DS, we were both speechless for no other reason than there was next to nothing to say about the flavours in this drop. Light? Clean? Yes, but also boring and inconsequential. Although unique in the world of American whiskey, I think Greenore provides a parallel but this drop doesn't come close to the complexities of oak influence in texture and flavour found in its Irish comparison.

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The Man Who Walked Around the World

Just before setting off to Scotland, friend and colleague Andrew Weir sent me a link to the new Johnnie Walker short film/ad "The Man Who Walked Around the World."

When I first viewed it, there had been 3000 views. There have now been 130,000, I believe the viral will continue to spread, and I feel no shame in sharing the contagion. Oh wait a sec, this one has subtitles. Ha. The one Andy sent me did not. Anyways... Will use this one for those of you who don't speak English, or those who do but cannae speak Scottish.

The video came up over conversation in the Highlander Inn, with a group of visitors to Glenfiddich Distillery, with members of The Edinburgh University Water of Life Society, and over several drops of Grant's 12yo with Robert Hill and David Stewart in the heart of Speyside. We all had different opinions and thoughts. Naturally. And thank god.

What are yours?

On Scottish Soil

In Scotland again and it feels great.

Landed to beautiful weather, good friends, and a killer curry at Kebab Mahal

Walked into an OddBins and a Tesco to take note of the increases of whisky prices across the board since leaving the UK a year and a half ago. Everything is about six pounds more than when I was last living here.

The pubs are still where I left them.

Tomorrow I hope to pop in on the lads at Royal Mile Whiskies in the AM before heading up to Dufftown to spend some quality time at Glenfiddich and Balvenie distilleries and hopefully include a visit with the good folks at Duncan Taylor. I am sure I will get up to some more nonsense before heading back to my home, kjaerste, and bed in Brooklyn on Friday. Unlikely it will include another Malt Mission, but I do plan to down a few while over here.

Have a great week, wherever you are.

Malt Mission 2009 #366

Stranahan's
Straight Rocky Mountain Whiskey
batch 32, 11/22/06
47% abv
$55

As promised, here come some more world whiskies, starting with this sweet drop from firefighter/booze-lover partners Jess Gerber and George Stranahan. Using Rocky Mountain water and Rocky mountain barley, 80% from within Colorado, Stranahan's holds fast to the belief that the quality of the sources of their natural ingredients separate them from the rest of the whiskey-making world.

First bottled in April 2006, Stranahan's remains a truly small-batch operation with about 60,000 bottles released per annum. And, so far as I can tell, Stranahan's is a single malt in that it is made from barley exclusively. Sku's Recent Eats confirms this with his complete list of American Whisky Distilleries and Brands, the only one of its kind online, I believe. Thanks for the resource, Sku.

Now let's taste.

TASTING NOTES:

Delicious butterscotch sweetness. Cedar, oak, banana chips and other dried fruit.

Big vanilla bearhug, woody, apple-y, and mildly spicy. Quick sweet finish encourages another sip. Or serving.

SUMMARY:

Simple and simply wonderful. Quaffable, sweet, and balanced whiskey, although nothing distinctly single malt about it. It shares features more with American-style whiskey. And that's no criticism.

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Malt Mission 2009 #365

Armorik Whisky Breton
Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£28
$50(USD)

It's taken me a heck of a long time to finish this "week" of world/non-Scotch whiskies here on this whisky/whiskey blog, or as a friend called it, Dr. Whisky's Casebook. And I think we are going to try another five world whiskies at the encouragement of a reader who challenged me to uphold my promise now that I live in the Etats Unis and taste more American spirit.

This drop is from France and is distilled at the Warenghem Distillery in Lannion, Brittany. Like stinky cheese, pâté, cornichons, and the baguette, Scotch whisky is ubiquitous in the French pantry. Still the worlds leading importer of Scotch whisky, France chugs back nearly 13 million cases of the liquid gold per annum, and the Cognac producers shake their heads in defeat and say, "c'est dommage."

Released in 1999, Amorik is widely available in France and has limited availablilty in the rest Europe, although I have seen it popping up in new places, most recently at Binny's in Chicago/Chicago/Chicago.

TASTING NOTES:

Vanilla and wine. Greasy, tarry, shoe polish, a savoury saltiness, like bouillon, with a light floral perfumy character throughout.

Dry and dusty, mossy, too, with a caramel apple-laden lift. Perhaps some ginger powder. Simple and light.

SUMMARY:

For origin and flavour, this is truly unusual stuff with more than just novelty appeal, and although I cannot think of ever coming home and saying, "man, I could really go for a drop of that Breton malt," I would keep a bottle on the shelf. But I am a fricking nerd.

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Malt Mission 2009 #364

Mackmyra Special '01
'Eminent Sherry'
Swedish SIngle Malt Whisky
51.6% abv
£80 (plus)

Not only a pioneer in Swedish whisky making but in whisky making across Europe, and indeed the world, the first Swedish whisky distillery spawned another in Spirit of Hven (2007) and inspired a look-alike bottle from Stauning in Denmark. But there are malt distilleries across mainland Europe, in France, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany...

And outside of Scotland, the best named distillery has got to be Gold Cock Distillery in Czech Republic. Become a friend of the Gold Cock today! Seriously.

In description of this 2008 limited release matured in ex-sherry barrels, the clean and easy to navigate Mackmyra website reads, "a cold winter's evening, crackling fire and good company to share the moment with. It is for moments this such as this that we have created Eminent Sherry. A taste that lasts a long time." As we all know, a long-lasting taste is only a positive feature so long as the taste is good.

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

TASTING NOTES:

Cocoa, vanilla beans, chocolate brownies, celery salt, figs, and butterscotch. Gala apples emerge with teh addition of water, raisins, and a nice oaky creaminess throughout.

Raisin fruitiness, oak, and extremely drinkable at this higher strength. Water increases the fruity sweetness and the finish is woody and mineral-y.

SUMMARY:

Impressive, and although showing signs of youth there is nothing immature about it. A very tasty, interesting, and satisfying drop. Mackmyra continues to impress, but your pay for the privilege of proof.

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Malt Mission 2009 #363

Mackmyra 1st Edition
Swedish Single Malt Whisky
46.1% abv
£50
$85 (USD)

Mackmyra is a small success story from an adorable wee distillery 2 hours north of Stockholm and this is their "first edition", an expression that followed the experimental, popular, and critically acclaimed Preludium series.

Released in June 2008, Mackmyra First Edition is matured in a variety of casks: about 50% first-fill bourbon, 45% smaller 100-litre oak casks, and about 5% Swedish oak casks, all matured in a mine 50 metres underground.

For more distillery info or to see all Mackmyra had on Dr. Whisky's Malt Mission, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Light estery fruitiness with dense vanilla overtones. Creamy, oaky, but youthful. Lemony labne. Some rose water, floral notes, and a persistent vanilla/custardy sweetness that is deeply appealing.

Sweet and light, peaches, watermelon rind, and lychee fruit. Some parsley and basil. Creamy on the palate as well, yogurty. Grainy with notes of granola or other cereals. Vanilla again, like waffle cones, in the finish.

SUMMARY:

A deLIGHTful treat. Sweet, light, aperitif style whisky with a solid oak backbone. Water reveals new make-y notes that implicates the whisky's age, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Spritely, estery, and exciting whisky from an increasingly exciting distillery.

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Malt Mission 2009 #362

Antiquity Rare
Premium Indian Whisky
42.8% abv
$20 (USD)

From the spirits stable of Vijay Mallya's United Spirts Ltd (UB Group), Antiquity is a high end Indian whisky and is among the most expensive domestic spirits on the market.

Now, I should probably be putting "whisky" in quotation marks as the SWA, EU and WTO consider whisky "an alcoholic beverage distilled from a fermented grain mash" and 90% of all Indian whisky (this one included) is made with molasses-based spirit, thus not really "whisky" at all. Nonetheless, all over this label one finds the words "malt" and "whisky", among other authenticating descriptors like "finest", "royal lineage", "matured oak casks" and "traditional copper stills." However, although there are no clues on the box, it does clearly state on the bottle "Distilled from Sugar Cane Molasses. 19% matured malt and vatted malt spirit, 3 years old."

Antique, indeed.

In May, 2007 Mallya bought Whyte & Mackay thus securing a supply of Scotch whisky for his 'whiskies' and, in combination with his substantial press draw as the showy, jewellery-laden Indian billionaire playboy, the acquisition afforded him some lobbying power within the whisky world. So far, he has promoted no great ideas and has cut 100 Scotland-based jobs within Whyte & Mackay.

For an SWA-approved Indian whisky had on the mission, click HERE.

TASTING NOTES:

Sweet, with and industrial core. Grape juice and apple juice, vodka, balsa wood, glue, corn syrup, metal, motor oil, and white wine can all be detected. Strange brew.

Smoky, plastic, brasso. Pistachio and oil paints, glue, apple sauce and something reminiscent of a smoker's car. Dandelion bitterness. Oak. Starts much better than it ends.

SUMMARY:

Odd stuff, no surpise there, but actually tasted much better than expected. I chose to sip it more than a few times and although the initial taste was actually quite pleasant, I grew to regret the decision every time.

Crazy, and inexplicable abv%. Any explanations or hypothoses welcome.

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