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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!
Malt Mission #311
Malt Mission #313Malt Mission #314Malt Mission #315
Malt Mission HOME
Gibson's Finest 12yo
Canadian Whisky
40% abv
$26(CAD)
Selling about 300,000 cases per year, Gibson's is a popular whisky in Canada and available almost exclusively in its home market where it is number 3 premium Canadian whisky nationally. We had the Finest Rare 18yo in my last post so I thought I would follow it up with its younger brother.
Now, people often refer to Canadian whisky as 'rye', and while it is true that at one time or another almost all of the whisky produced in Canada was made with a mash bill (mix of grains) of predominantly rye, many spirits we use this description for today are not regulated by any legal directive as the term is in the USA, for example. The law does dictate that, like with Scotch whisky, the Canadian whisky must be produced in Canada, and matured in oak casks IN Canada for at least 3 years.
Other big Canadian whiskies are Crown Royal and Canadian Club. For all Canadian whiskies had on the Malt Mission, click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Intensely sweet, toffeed with firm graininess keeping that sweetness in check. Maple syrup, honey, coca-cola, vanilla and a touch of envelope glue.
Waxy with a strong grain presence, slighly piney, rye kick. Buttery. Very gentle with a big vanilla-ed oak finish. Caramelly and soft throughout.
SUMMARY:
Really nice stuff that goes down easy. Lots of pleasant flavours, not overly complex, but very moreish and fairly priced.
Malt Mission #310
Malt Mission #312Malt Mission #313Malt Mission #314Malt Mission #315
Malt Mission HOME
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.
Malt Mission #306
Malt Mission #307
Malt Mission #308
Malt Mission #309
Malt Mission HOME
Macallan 1988 cask no. 8426
Duncan Taylor Rare Auld
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
53.3% abv
???PRICE???
Been a few days since my last post. Apologies. Was in Scotland earning the "Dr." in Dr. Whisky. Yes, that's right, I can call you Betty and Betty, you can call me Doc. As a result, next string of Malt Mission posts we'll be delving into the 'spency stuff to celebrate.
So we're back with another Macallan, this time a single cask from the good folks at Duncan Taylor. For other Duncan Taylor bottlings had on the mission, click HERE. For all Macallans, click HERE.
And if you see Mark at the pub in Dufftown, thank him for the sampler!
Tasted with TF. His notes appear in quotes.
TASTING NOTES:
Fruity, leathery, very sherried with a touch of smoke. "Very forward. Apples, varnish, brown sugar, I think also some rosehip and apple blossom." Perfumy? I find it musky, or like bad breath from a scolding school teacher. "Maybe. But sweeter. Toffee apple. Golden syrup." Sour cherries and dark melted chocolate. All in all a smokers car, 1984 Audi. With a lingering flatulence. Soggy tea biscuits, cardboard and a chocolate sundae.
Oaky and sherried with lots of candied character; ginger, raisins, licorice. "I'm getting the chocolate, sort of cocoa."
SUMMARY: Abv kicks, but it is the oak that grips. Lots of fun to chew on. "Its got a nice sweetness, cake spice, a sherryheads malt." Yeah, not subtle, but has what a sherry lover might be after with a lot of enjoyable and varied sweetness.
Malt Mission #306
Malt Mission #307
Malt Mission #308
Malt Mission #310
Malt Mission HOME
Macallan 12yo (two of them)
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
84.96(CAD)
$55 (USD)
When I was in Speyside this past April I could see the hillside above Craigallachie passively accepting the newly constructed Macallan warehouses in all their bright orangey glory. Sure, green or even blue might have been a wiser decision, but it seems they figure planting thousands of trees and waiting decades was a better solution. Now THAT is whisky logic.
I was able to visit The Macallan distillery last month, was told of their plans to build and expand and build and produce and build, walked past their steel washbacks, witnessed their famously small stills bubbling all the way up their short necks, experienced their "story of wood" sensory exhibit, and tasted a few of their products in the award winning visitor centre under the tutelage of some very friendly guides.
Described by Paul Pacult, the renowned international whisky writer, in his book Kindred Spirits as: "simply the best 12 Year Old single malt around", The Macallan has justly reaped such critical acclaim. But in the UK there is only the 10yo version of the sherried Macallan which suggests that Pacult should end his sentence with "...around these parts." So in markets where the 12 isn't available, I suppose some other whisky is the best? Anyways, let's taste.
Thanks to LC and KF for the drops.
Macallan 12 (1990s)
TASTING NOTES:
Big sherry, chocolate, and some orange. Oaky and slightly peppery. Dangerous to nose too deeply. Hot and funky. Fresh coconut, green apples, white grapes, waxy and cheesy like brie.
Soft and rich with oaky and sherried tones. Toasty and warming with some allspice and ginger. Heavily toasted almonds, nearly burnt pine nuts. Drying in time. Flavours sweeten in the finish but general feel remains dry.
SUMMARY:
Strange because there seems to be juvenile or undermatured spirit detectable under heavy and rich sherried tones. If this is your thing then you already know it is and nothing I say will have any effect on you.
Macallan 12 (2004)
TASTING NOTES:
Apricots and milk. Yogurt. Butter and peaches. Sweet and salty sherry, almost fishy. A little smoky or even tarry. Toffeed and quite inviting.
Initially sweet, then coal smoke weightiness. Very nutty, toasty character. Fish and yeast. Sherry. Oaky finish with a bit of that cheap butterscotch flavour like from an ice cream truck.
SUMMARY:
The more recent bottling had a harder impact but fuller flavour, if somewhat one dimensional. Both had a sour or cheesy or fishy organic note beneath all the sherry but it was certainly more prominent in the more recent bottling. Nonetheless, a classic Speysider that has worked hard to earn its place in the minds of malt lovers.
Malt Mission #306
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Malt Mission HOME
Deerstalker 10yo
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
46% abv
£23
$49.95 (CAD)
They say there are over 4000 different expressions of Scotch whisky out there to be tried if you had the determination, money and wherewithal to take part in such a malt mission. While there are a finite amount of functioning distilleries in Scotland, there are, theoretically at least, an infinite amount of labels, brands, independent bottlers, FACES that scotch whisky can wear on the bars and retail shelves of the world. Dr. Whisky has always been clear about his fascination with the hundreds of blended whisky brands, most appearing in very limited markets, around the world. In this case, this is a single malt whisky with a stage name... like Smokehead, Auld Reekie, Stronachie, McClellands, McLeods, etc.
The source distillery of this whisky is Braes of Glenlivet or "Braes" or Braeval as its been known since 1994. Braeval is a relatively recent addition to the world of scotch whisky (built in 1974) and is a distillery that, now that it is back in production after being mothballed since 2002, unseats Dalwhinnie as the highest distillery in Scotland. It is rarely seen as a single malt and has never been bottled by its owners as most of the output has been going to blends (Chivas).
TASTING NOTES:
Oily, waxy, linoleum, linseed oil, all balanced with the sweetness of fruit pastilles.
Spirited, even vinous, like grappa. Sandy like, well, sand. And slightly rubbery like wet rain jackets. Freshness in the finish, youthful.
SUMMARY:
Tasted with friends and after getting over the youngish nature of the flavour profile, the general responses were positive. Nothing special, but not unlikable.
Malt Mission #306
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Malt Mission HOME
Sorry, I have really been neglecting the Malt Mission as of late, but that is not to say I haven't been tasting some gems!
I have a few giveaways over the next little while, starting with the following...
Whisky Guild and The Whisky Life Magazine present another Whisky on the Hudson event Wednesday September 10, 2008. As is to be expected, by this point all the tickets have been sold out...
However, Dr. Whisky has TWO tickets that he would love to share with YOU.
Clicking on the Dear Doctor image to the left will bring you to a profile page. There you can click on my email (under CONTACT). Send me your details and I will send you tickets IF:
-you live in the USA
-you are over 21
-you answer the following question:
Name THREE(3) distilleries still in operation that were built in the 18th century, ie. 1700s.
Too nerdy? Too bad.
Good Luck!
Grand Macnish
Blended Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£15
$22.75 (CAD)
Right, let's get back to the Malt Mission. In no particular order, here come some tasty treats starting with Grand Macnish today, a blend I bought in Ontario some time ago. Will try to get a few MMs done before I am off to Scotland for ten days. Am certain I will try some treats while there, as well.
If you know Dr. Whisky at all then you will know how he loves the obscure no-age-statement blended whiskies to be found in various markets across the globe. Though, Grand Macnish isn't exactly obscure. Created by Robert Macnish in 1863, this blend is no longer easily found in all markets, although it has been consitstently produced for 145 years. Hemingway even wrote about it in 1954 and was an avid fan of its nectar. Or maybe the dimples in the bottle just served well as a pillow for passing out on the beach.
Tasted with IM.
TASTING NOTES:
Old leather coats, bananas, has a congnac-y edge. Some citrus fruits, red grapes and caramel. Still some musty vintage clothes shop and a bit like Inder's memory of a doctor's office when growing up, "Dr. Ham, if you must know."
Toffeed and generally sweet with a corn flour element. Salt and vanilla, a mix of spices. Quite a long finish of sweet and dry woody impressions with gentle smoke.
SUMMARY:
Some off-notes on the nose, for sure, but a pretty decent drop with a big and confident, if simple, finish. Great value and ridiculously retro bottle: you will either dig the dimples or not. And on that point, are there any practical point to them or are they simply for design?
Malt Mission #305
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Malt Mission HOME
Bennets Bar
8 Leven St.
Edinburgh, Scotland
EH3 9LG
So we made it to ten posts under the BEST PUBS IN EDINBURGH banner. Should it stop here?
If so, there is no better place to end than one of the pubs I miss most. I could walk in here any time of day (and I mean ANY time) and find friendly folk and the creamiest pint of 80/- at the ideal temperature. It would never take long to slug back one of these barley milkshakes.
Add to that a bar with great history: from the private nook up front to the dimples from canes on the bar to the embedded water taps for cutting your whisky (they have nearly 100, and some oddities, too!) to the gorgeous woodwork and beautiful Victorian mirrors. I left my heart in Bennets, and it is lovely to know that I can always go back there to pick it up.
Something visitors always noted was the fact that the men's room has a great urinal as well, if that is something even worth mentioning. I always loved the acoustics in that room. As a result, men can often be heard singing their way through a slash.
And please remember, as a good friend once put it, "one does not go into the Green Room."
For more of Dr. Whisky's picks of the best pubs in Edinburgh, click HERE.
The Cloisters Bar
26 Brougham St.
EH3 9JH
0131 221 9997
A wonderful pub that is regularly busy and therefore doesn't really need my promotion, but a pub this good cannot go unmentioned on a list of this nature.
With an ever-changing selection of guest ales, this is an excellent place for real ales that comes complete with a seal of approval from CAMRA. Add Dr. Whisky's seal of approval for their excellent selection of single malt whiskies all served in 35ml servings AND in appropriate glassware. Excellent dramming to be had.
Furthermore, you can add to the drinking benefits of this pub the fact that their is no music played, that there is a working fireplace, gorgeous old beer and spirits mirrors. Yup, add all this up and you have the makings of an absolutely wonderful pub experience, which is why you will rarely be the only folks enjoying its pleasures.
For more of Dr. Whisky's picks of the best pubs in Edinburgh, click HERE.
