skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Glenmorangie Sonnalta
Highland Single Malt Whisky
46% abv
£50
$70 (USD)
You know when you come home and feel like enjoying a whisky but can't find one on your shelf that you fancy? Well this can happen no matter how vast your selection is and it is a phenomenon that blows my little whisky-soaked mind but completely puzzles friends and family. 4, 10, 40, 400 bottles and not a drop to drink. When you get this feeling, I officially welcome you to geek country.
At the beginning of 2009, Glenmorangie announced a new line of "private expressions" to be released. Glenmorangie Sonnalta (meaning "generous") is the first of the series and is only available at selected Duty Free.
For more distillery info and to see all Glenmorangies had on the mission, click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Fruity and light in spite of the often weighty influence of Pedro Ximenez casks. Beachy, with the aromas of suntan lotion (coconut, jojoba) and sea air. Chocolate covered raisins, banana chips, apple cider and dessert wine are also wound up with the beautiful Glenmorangie vanilla notes.
Big and initially oily on the palate with cinnamon, pears and apples, with hints of mint and salt as well. Dries out and gets your mouth ready for another sip through a finish of flan and oak. Very appetizing and very quaffable.
SUMMARY:
Light but rich, full but restrained, spicy but wonderfully sweet. An aperitif style sherried malt if ever there was one, but equally well-suited for enjoying al fresco with dessert. How seasonally appropriate...
Malt Mission #346
Malt Mission #347
Malt Mission #348
Malt Mission #350
Glemorangie Astar
Highland Single Malt Whisky
57.1% abv
£52
$80 (USD)
Nearly a month since my last post making me the real April Fool. Thanks for your emails and comments of inquiry, concern, and encouragement. The good news is I have been trying some excellent stuff in recent weeks, but the bad news is I have had less and less time to post them on the Malt Mission. So here come three new drops from Glenmorangie. Let's see if I can do it in three days...
Some of you may remember the 2005 (?) Glenmorangie Artisan Cask, a 500ml bottle of Glenmo matured in slow-growth, air seasoned oak from the Ozark mountains. It was a toasty, creamy, vanilla-soaked fruitbowl of a whisky that was loved by those lucky enough to try it.
Launched in late 2008 in the UK and available in the USA in early 2009, The Astar takes its name from the gaelic for "journey", referencing the decade plus experiment with Missouri "designer oak" by Dr. Bill Lumsden, the visionary whisky creator behind Glenmorangie.
For all Glenmorangie had on the mission, click HERE. Tasted with ISM, and his notes appear in quotes.
TASTING NOTES:
Wonderfully fruity, if slightly acetone, with "grapes and pears and fuckloads of them." Baked goods like buttertarts. Spicy with ginger and pepper, sweetened with butterscotch, and toasted with peanuts... and lager.
Sweet, creamy vanilla with more of the pepper but some salty tang as well. Slight skunky notes like some European beers and even bitter near the end at full strength. Leathery books, paper, and tarte tatin.
SUMMARY:
Inder let out a wheeze upon sipping it so I think it is worth noting that this is bottled at cask strength. The nose is gorgeous with all the best elements of quality american oak cask maturation, if having a few hints of youth in the acetone, nailpolish elements noted. Flavourwise, water gets rid of a bitter/acrid flavour that was present at full strength. Unfortunately, the skunky element remains and there simply is no amount of water one can add to mask it. Nonetheless, this liquid is proof that tough, macho whisky can be made without peat or sherry casks. Go try it! I would love to hear your thoughts as I am to date the only person I know who has tried this and not been 100% blown away.
Malt Mission #346
Malt Mission #349Malt Mission #350
Glenavon Special Liqueur Whisky40% abv₤14,850$25,000Sold at auction in November of 2006 and subject to much scientific and historical scrutiny to test its authenticity, this is believed to be the oldest bottle of scotch whisky in the world. I was fortunate enough to sit down with the anonymous buyer who won this at Bonham's for ₤14850/$25,000 USD and after a passionate discussion about the cultural history of the New York rat she insisted that "we do a shot of some scotch." I thought, as long as it's not Aldunie, I am in!She poured this amber nectar from a nasty old bottle that smelled like the yellowed pages of a first edition of Charles Darwin's Origins of the Species (1859) found in the bottom of a shoe and I asked her, "How old is this? Where is it from?" Her answer was as seductive as it was simple, "who gives a shit?" she said.So I called Charlie Maclean [+44 (0) 773 808 8008], the worlds #1 authority whisky historian and bassist in Motorhead (1979-83). So Chuck, from what distillery does this drop come? He answered, "It has been suggested that Glenavon and Denalbo were one and it the same. What is certain is that the Smiths closed Denalbo in 1858 and in the following year they consolidated all their distilleries - including Denalbo/Glenavon - at Minmore, the site of the present Glenlivet distillery." You lost me, mate. For all 150 year old whiskies had on the mission, click HERE.TASTING NOTES:Opens with a burst of bad breath, ash, and porno music. Hints of slaveholders' guilt emerge with time and there are whiffs of abolitionism, even allusions to Uncle Tom's Cabin with deep nosings. With water, the whisky begins to smell like post-asparagus urine and the labs of Benjiman "Silly" Silliman. Explodes on the palate like blood from the fields of Bleeding Kansas, with gentle nuances of paint, paint thinner, and College Pro Painters. Notes of Bessemer processed steel and Newman's Own Three Cheese Balsamic Vinaigrette are unleashed with a touch of water while the finish brings us opium, a touch of Huckleberry Finn's father's racist pride and a lingering note of Tom Sawyer's pathetic pussy-footed admiration of his mate, Huck. SUMMARY:Old, smelly, and lacking enough literary references to really be called "whisky" at all. The liqueur in the name of this drop is its only redeeming feature as I would much rather lick 'er than drink 'er. Malt Mission #346
Malt Mission #348Malt Mission #349Malt Mission #350
Malt Mission HOME
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.Malt Mission #345Malt Mission #347Malt Mission #348Malt Mission #349Malt Mission #350
Malt Mission HOME
George T. Stagg
2007 edition
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
72.4% abv
$65
£120
Since being launched in 2002 as a part of Buffalo Trace's "Antique Collection", George T. Stagg has made quite a reputation for itself among boozehounds worldwide. High proof, well-aged, and rare, the stuff cannot be sipped and forgotten; it makes an impression.
Awarded Best American Whiskey in the World at the 2008 World Whisky Awards and a great way to end our "week" of American whiskeys here on the Malt Mission.
Each release is usually around 15 years old and this drop was distilled in 1992. George T. Stagg whiskey is named after the man who was responsible for building the distillery that is known today as Buffalo Trace, a name taken from the tale that the distillery itself sits upon an ancient meandering trail of migrating buffalo.
For all American whiskey had on the mission, click HERE. To see what another whisky nerd I love reading said about it, click HERE.
Tasted with GS. Thanks for the drops, brother. Now go put Aurora to bed.
TASTING NOTES:
Rich and nougaty, baklava and Honey Nut Cheerios. Maple, that red chinese dipping sauce, gingerbread, fudge, and sourdough.
Strong, but sippable. Invigorating. Chewy. Buttery, chillied, and miraculously warming. Cucumber skin freshness but weighted with butterscotch and applesauce, boozy boozy applesauce. Water is not absolutely necessary (believe it or not), but WOW does it unleash berries, syrup, and a gorgeous oaky creaminess left only in the best American oak casks.
SUMMARY:
I wanted more with every sip, and refilled my glass several times. Truly riveting like a well-made action movie seen in the cinema... however you really need to be in the mood for this kind of movie.
Malt Mission #341
Malt Mission #342
Malt Mission #343
Malt Mission #344
Malt Mission HOME
Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Four Grain
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
46.2% abv
$80
I think this drop has the longest name to be had on the Malt Mission. Congratulations!
Woodford Reserve is the only triple-distilled pot still-produced bourbon in the world and the bottle shape of the Master's Collection is seemingly inspired by those copper kettles. Brown-Forman bought the historic Labrot & Graham distillery in 1994 with the explicit intention of producing a quality pot still-produced bourbon. The result has been well-received and Kentucky is all the better having this "spiritual resurrection" of an otherwise derelict distillery that might have faded into history. The explicit intention was always to create a bourbon fit for sipping like a single malt, not for mixing with coke, and the stills used were made at Fosyth's of Rothes in Scotland.
So what is Four Grain? Typically, bourbon is made with three grains, corn (at least 51%), rye, and barley. The fourth grain here refers to the addition of wheat and in this case the mash bill recipe is based on one from 1903, according to the distillers. This liquid was launched in 2005 in a worldwide release of just 250 cases.
For more distillery info and to see other Woodford Reserve whiskey tasted on the mission, click HERE.
Thanks to GS for opening this puppy to share. Sharing is caring. And you do. So thanks.
TASTING NOTES:
Grainy and sweet, root vegetable (parsnip, carrots, even turnips) and a floral note with cherry pie, a drop of vinegar, and some Chinese 5-spice.
Hot and oaky, rye toast, brown sugar granola, sushi nori and sticky rice, cinnamon buns, with a bundle of baked and sweetly spiced notes in the finish.
SUMMARY:
Flavourful but somehow thin, light, and lacking body or structure. That being said, perfectly refreshing with a mellowed sweetness that would be well suited to accompany the zip/zing of spiced bbq, korean food, or curry.
Malt Mission #341
Malt Mission #342
Malt Mission #343
Malt Mission #345
Malt Mission HOME
Straight Rye Whiskey
45% abv
$26
Sazerac Rye whiskey comes from Buffalo Trace Distillery, the production site and innovation teams responsible for what can most simply be called great American whiskeys and bourbons. More HERE.
In 1803 A.A. Peychaud created a cocktail based on cognac/brandy that was popularized in the 1850s and christened a Sazerac in the 1870s, once whiskey replaced cognac as the primary spirit ingredient.
As America's first cocktail it had to fight typically American oppressions, unfair taxation of imported spirits driving brandy out of the recipe of "America's first cocktail", The Noble Experiment, and the outlawing of one of the drink's ingredients (absinthe), driving the drink deeper into the melting pot, adapting to its new surroundings of 'freedom' under the heavy hand of religion and government. Ah, America; you contradiction, you.
Sazerac cocktail
1.5 oz Sazerac Rye Whiskey
1 tsp. Absinthe or Pernod
1 tsp. sugar
3 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters
Ice
Coat a chilled glass with the Absinthe/Pernod by swirling it around being sure to touch the sides and bottom of the glass. In a cocktail shaker, add ice, rye whiskey, sugar and bitters. Shake, then strain into the absinthe/pernod lined glass.
John Campbell of Laphroaig ordered me a Laphroizerac in Philadelphia, a drink where the absinthe/pernod is replaced by Laphroaig. Delish. And weird.
TASTING NOTES:
Herbal with a honey sweetness. Dentist office minty-ness, some coconut milk and vanilla, and a green vegetal sharpness that keeps it fresh.
Orange rind, spice, honey, sweet vermouth and unsalted Triscuits. Dry oakiness to finish.
SUMMARY:
Loved the nose, unusual (to me), sweet and odd. The palate was dry, and lacking... something. It was pointed, edgy. Which can be cool, I suppose. This whisky is allegdly 6 years old, three times the legal minimum, but I conclude that this is a whiskey better suited to mixing in fine cocktails than sipping straight. The spiciness and edge can also be attributed to the nature or rye whisky, I suppose.
Malt Mission #341
Malt Mission #342
Malt Mission #344
Malt Mission #345
Malt Mission HOME
Buffalo Trace
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
45% abv
$23
Continuing my week of American whiskey on the Malt Mission, and it seems the lads over at Caskstrength are on a similar kick.I think it is safe to say that American whiskey is booming. Sure, the LCBO still carries more Irish than American, but when one cannot count on liquor control to represent the spirits market or cater to consumer demand(!). Since 2003, premium bourbon and American whiskey has seen huge increases domestically and worldwide, and in 2007 whiskey exports exceeded $1billion dollars for the first time which indicates that value has been added to a category that has for so long been under-appreciated and drowned in Coke.
Buffalo Trace has been a leader in this regard raising distribution of its award-winning straight bourbon as well as introducing antique (fine & rare) releases on an annual basis.
Buffalo Trace, as a brand, was introduced in 1999 and is produced at a distillery of the same name but that was previously known as O.F.C. Distillery or George T. Stagg Distillery. The distillery washbacks/fermeters are the largest in the industry and their website indicates that the best maturing casks are found in warehouses C, I and K, and only from the middle racks. This is a less common practice in Scotch whisky because in America more warehouses are climate controlled. In the case of Buffalo Trace, they pump steam into the warehouses during the winter months. They've been using this technique since 1886 and were the first to do so.
TASTING NOTES:
Lemon peels, apple sauce, red licorice and jelly beans with a richly vanilla-ed oakiness backing it all up.
More candied fruitiness, red licorice again, with the spice of rye and sweetness of corn in complex but pleasing balance.
SUMMARY:
A tasty sipping whiskey with great balance and approachability. And with a friendly price tag to boot.
Malt Mission #341
Malt Mission #343Malt Mission #344Malt Mission #345
Malt Mission HOME
Ezra Brooks 90 Proof
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
45% abv
$15
My expertise(1) is in Scotch whisky and I have never pretended to know about bourbon or American whiskey. As a result, this blog has seen very few posts featuring the American spirit. Since moving to the USA last June, however, I have been reading, attending tastings, and conducting "field research" in order to increase my knowledge and understanding of American whiskies. I am not there yet, but with the help of some friends, libraries, and distilleries, I hope to gain a wider appreciation for American whiskies and feature more on the Malt Mission. The web provides a pretty flimsy resource for information about the history of the spirit that isn't corporate or commercial, but content is growing every day. In this regard, I ask for your help and guidance. If there are any errors in my coverage of American whiskey, please correct me. Cheers.
It is said that in the 1830s there were over 2000 distilleries in Kentucky, certainly most of them were illegal. In the decade before prohibition there were some 200 distilleries. Today, there are 9 (thank you Sku!). Most of these distilleries produce a wide variety of brands, and this Ezra Brooks is one such example. Owned by Luxco, a company that produces spirit in St. Louis, this whisky is likely sourced from Heaven Hill thus earning the label "kentucky striaght bourbon".
More American whiskey to come in the next few posts.
TASTING NOTES:
Spicy with rye and kimmel seeds, maybe some black pepper. Starchy like raw corn. A sweet, smoky note like charred barbecue sauce and a good licking of oak in there, too.
Hot, cinnamon gum, red licorice, then mellows into a nice black licorice lozenge with vanilla cream and raspberries.
SUMMARY:
Not at all disappointing, and it must be admitted that I came into this with far more pre-judgement than I like to on the mission. Not great, but quite good. Worked well in a Manhattan over the weekend, too.
Have you ever been told or shown the technique of trying a whisky without drinking it whereby you pour some of the spirit into your hands, rub it in until most of the alcohol evaporates, and then take a whiff of your cupped palms? I DO NOT recommend this technique with this drop unless you want to induce vomiting or turn someone off whisk(e)y for life. Sour and rotten smells came of my hands, though that may say more about my hands than the spirit...
Malt Mission #340 Malt Mission #342Malt Mission #343Malt Mission #344Malt Mission #345Malt Mission HOME
Longmorn 40yo (1968)
SMWS 7.48
"Cold nights and warm fires"
Single Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky
53.6% abv
£180Oh, Scotch Whisky, how I love thee...
Had a great night last weekend when I was back in NYC sitting (well, standing) with friends in our apartment and enjoying dozens of different bottles of scotch whisky, single malts, and blends. It really is a spirit that is conducive to group enjoyment and discussion and could warm the coldest winter night or icy heart.
I was very lucky to live in Scotland when I was 26-30 years old and have the opportunity to dive into the history and diversity of this spirit by meeting industry legends and whisky scholars as well as spending days reading and nights responsibly dramming (shhh... it was responsible). I have heard many friends and colleagues say with regret, "I didn't get into Scotch until I was 30" on more than one occasion. One of the hardships of falling in love with single malts in your 30s is coming to terms with the reality the opportunities to try whiskies older than you are few and far between and decrease at an alarming rate. But, of course, older does not mean better.
So love each glass and let each sip impress upon you the weight of years so we cherish those digits on the labels of bottles not as mere numbers but as millions of silent seconds of patient maturation that can sometimes make up for our own rushes to grow up, get married, rush to work, get promoted, and apparently race to the grave. Good whisky waits years to come to us because it can, and does, slow down time for reflection of our years and appreciation of these precious seconds.
Now let's taste a 40yo single malt whisky.
For more distillery info and to see all Longmorns had on the mission, click HERE. For all whiskies from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society had on the mission, click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Molasses and cloves, sherry and mulled wine. Full-on sherry maturation with tons of chocoaltey goodness (esp with a touch of water). A gentle rubbery note lingers in the background with fully ripe brown bananas, rum balls, and Irn Bru.
Chocolate covered raisins, almonds, and coffee beans. Dates, dark chocolate, and vanilla with a touch of soy sauce. Madiera-soaked apples, and a long finish of sherried oak... as expected, I suppose.
SUMMARY:
Put the kids to bed, light the fire, put the dog on your lap, and sip slowly.
OR
Finish dinner, go out on the fire escape, immerse yourself in the hum of the city, and sip slowly.
Malt Mission #336 Malt Mission #337
Malt Mission #338
Malt Mission #339
