Well Well Welsh

Penderyn Peated
46% ABV
No Age Statement

In the last two years, I've had whisky from Scotland, Ireland, and England, as well as America, Canada, and even Japan.  But what about that "other" country in Great Britain?  What about Wales?  Well now I can check that one off the list as well.

Wales is a relatively small country, with only 3 million inhabitants (compared to Scotland's 5.2 million) and 8,000 square miles in size (30,000 for Scotland).  Although Wales shares a close political and social history with the rest of Great Britain, it has retained a distinct cultural identity. Wales is officially bilingual, the Welsh and English languages having equal status. The Welsh language is an important element of Welsh culture, and its use is supported by national policy. Over 580,000 Welsh speakers live in Wales, more than 20% of the population.

Although the country shared similar climate and resource conditions with Scotland, whisky production lapsed in the 19th century with the serious rise of the Temperance Movement.  The last of the Welsh Whisky Distilleries closed in 1910.  It was until the year 2000 that the foundation of the Welsh Whisky Company (now known as Penderyn) was announced. A distillery was built at Penderyn in the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Penderyn is a deliberately small distillery - it was designed with a single copper pot still and production is limited to a single cask each day (a lot of distilleries like to advertise the "we produce less in a year than the big guys produce in a day" angle, and Penderyn is one of them).  All of their whiskies are matured in two separate casks.  In the case of the peated whisky that I tried, it's a bourbon cask (Buffalo Trace) to start with and a reused scotch cask for finishing. 

Reused scotch casks usually have most of the coloring pulled from them already, so the peated whisky is bottled very pale.  I read a review which described the color as "chardonnay".  I don't know my wines very well, but OK, we'll go with chardonnay.

Now, usually when I see a "peated" variety of a whisky, I'm expecting the peat layered onto the spirit with a trowel like its Islay cousins.  Not so in this case - the smokiness of the nose is faint, much more welcoming.  It's more fruity and floral than peat monster (which is actually the name of an old Compass Box blend I would highly recommend if you can find it anywhere, but I digress).

There is no age statement on the Penderyn, but with the distillery opening in 2000, we can assume this is a pretty young whisky, and the taste and finish support that.  The peat is more prevalent here with some grassiness and pepper as well.  I found the finish to be pretty short, but with a pretty sharp spirity burn.

Overall, this whisky provides an excellent introduction to Welsh whisky.  I think you can tell you're drinking something different than scotch, and that's OK.  One of things I enjoy most of all is exploring these types of expressions and learning more about the process in different places.  I hope

(special thanks to Derek D. for introducing me to this fine expression)

Like Drinking Angels’ Tears

Johnnie Walker Blue Label

No age statement - 80 proof

One thing I’ve tried to be careful to avoid in this blog is the concept of “better”.  Scotch is not better than Irish Whiskey, Bourbon is not better than Rye Whiskey, and Single Malts are not better than Blends.  These different types of whiskies each have their great expressions and their poorly bottled expressions.
 
This brings me to one of the finest blended scotch whiskies in the world, Johnnie Walker Blue Label.  On Saturday night, I had my first experience with this legendary bottle.  I had thought that my first drink of the Blue would be “like drinking angels’ tears” – and I was not disappointed.

The great challenge of an exceptional blend is to use rare and ever changing ingredients to create a balanced, remarkable, and consistent expression year after year.  In the case of the Blue, that starts with Royal Lochnagar, a rare malt distilled near Balmoral, the Queen’s holiday home.  Add another 15 or so mature whiskies and you have yourself Blue Label.  The inventory of these ingredients is rightfully scarce, so slight changes are required year after year.  While there’s no age statement on the bottle, it’s expected that most of the ingredients are at least 12 years old, with some over 20 years old.

The experience with Blue Label began with the bottle itself.  It is beautiful.  The bottle looks thicker than your standard Johnnie Walker bottle, and with a slight blue crystal tint to it. 

The whisky has a pale amber color, extremely clear.

When I took a whiff of it, I realized I should expect a brief tour of Scotland in this glass with hints of smoke, sea, honey, and vanilla.

The palate brings peaty flavor, with a little bit of salt and pepper, although very light and slight vanilla taste.
The finish is extremely smooth, and relatively long.  Normally, I would say there’s a danger a bottle like this might meet it’s demise in one night.  But for some reason, I don’t think that’s going to happen to this one.

Now I know you probably don’t need some guy’s blog to tell you that if you get a chance to drink a glass of Johnnie Walker Blue Label that you should.  But that’s exactly what I’m going to do.  It’s one of those expressions and experiences I will remember for a long time.

(special thanks to Mark K. for making this happen)

A Glen by any other name

I'll have a scoth on the rocks, please.
Any scotch will do, as long as it's not a blend, of course.
Uh, single malt.  Glen livet, Glenfiddich perhaps.
Maybe a Glengow...Any Glen.
- Swingers

If you think every Scotch begins with the word "Glen", you're not that far off.  From famous brands like Glenlivet and Glenfiddich to lesser known distilleries Glen Scotia and Glen Garioch, thete are at least 30 active distilleries with "Glen" in the name.  Why is that?  Are there no marketing departments in Scotland?

Well the reason probably won't surprise you too much.  Most distilleries came into existence long before advertisers would have tried to give them the name of some obscure eighth century land baron.

The definition of glen is a narrow valley.  It can also be a general term to refer to an areas of countryside.  So, since scotch is often classified by and is often so diverse by the region in which it is produced, it's not surprising that the distilleries are named after the rivers they sit beside.

This brings me to my latest review.  Glengoyne boasts over 30 different expressions. For my first foray into this brand, I went with the 10 year old.  It's not a very surprising whisky, pretty standard for a highland.  The nose was slightly fruity, but definitely malty.  The taste was more of the same - mild honey, fruits, and malt.  This whisky is very mild on the tongue and the finish lacks a kick as well.  This whisky may be a good introductory whisky, and the full line from Glengoyne could warrant a closer look, but I think I've made up my mind about the 10 year old.

It reminded me of a homemade cupcake - without that kick of bakery-grade sugar in the frosting, what's the use?

Easy steps to enjoying duty free

One of the only enjoyable things about spending time in an international airport is the chance to go shopping in a good duty free shop.  In London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 that means World of Whiskies (I think they’re in three of the other terminals as well).  It can be a little daunting with the foot traffic, the sheer volume of whiskies, and you’re probably jet lagged or in for an early morning flight.  But that doesn’t mean you should miss the opportunity to get a killer bottle of whisky.  These are a few steps I take to make the most from my trip to duty free:

• Narrow it down. Most of these shops are organized by region or type of whisky.  For me, that’s probably going to be an Islay or Highland.
  
• Make it special.  You are hauling a bottle (or two) of whisky on an overseas flight, and perhaps a connecting one as well, so don’t get a bottle you can get at your local liquor store.  Get something not available in your state.
  
• Ask questions.  Unlike many local shops, a good whisky store is manned by experts.  Ask questions about how a special bottling is prepared.  What’s similar?  Is it popular?  Which leads me to . . .
  
• Samples!  Yeah samples!  Don’t be afraid to ask for a sample.  At Heathrow, the salesman had 20 bottles out on his sampling table.  They’re there for a reason, so have a sample.  Better yet, ask a question about another bottle you see out on the table and have a second sample.  It’s a much better way to buy a bottle than by just going off of the label.

So after I followed my own advice, I arrived at an Ardbeg Corryvreckan.  This baby packs a wallop at 57.1% ABV.  This whisky is powerful on the nose, full of peat. The taste has all of the things I love about Ardbeg – the gold color, the peat, the seaweed, and dark chocolate flavors – but in spades.  And, man – that first taste on the tongue is a punch.  A good one.  This whisky was 2009 Scotch Whisky of the Year from the Malt Advocate with a score of 96 out of 100.   The whisky has replaced Airigh Nam Beist in the Ardbeg line.  And with no age or year on the label, Ardbeg can find casks to age appropriately for Corryvreckan for a few more years.  That’s good news – get your ticket and get some!

The most expensive whisky I’ve ever bought

I’m just back from a trip to England and Scotland for two weeks.  I tried a new whisky, got reacquainted with an updated brand, made my pilgrimage to World of Whisky in Heathrow, and bought my most expensive bottle of whisky ever.


NEW Tormore 12 year old, 40% ABV: This is a little know Speyside whisky.  I saw it in the grocery store and since I had never had it before, and the price was right (20  pounds), in the cart it went.  Tormore is full bodied and oily, with a little taste of orange peel.  Ultimately, though, it’s pretty forgettable.  I probably won’t go back for more of this one.


UPDATED Tobermory 10 year old, 46.3% ABV: Tobermory, on the Isle of Mull, used to be the Ledaig distillery.  Now Tobermory is rebranded and Ledaig is the name of it’s peated expression.  Tobermory 10 in the meantime, is a delightful maritime whisky.  Light on the peat, high on grass, seaweed and gingerbread flavor, this whisky hit a lot of good notes and is worth picking up for something a bit out of the mainstream.

No trip to Scotland would be complete without a little links golf.  And that is where I found the most expensive whisky in my travels.  We played the Balcomie Course at Crail, a fantastic course laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1895.  It was a wonderful day on the course and I shot my lowest score ever in the UK.  Afterwards we went into the clubhouse for a sandwich and a pint.  It was there that I saw it – a commemorative airline-sized bottle of “A Unique Blend of the Finest Scotch Whisky Specially Selected for the Crail Golfing Society.”  Well, it was just a matter of time before I picked that one up.



After a nice lunch and a better pint, it was time to come to grips with the fact that I was about to buy a bottle of whisky I would likely NEVER drink.  And, with that, I walked to the bar, put down my 3 pounds 50 and walked away with my souvenir.    But the price was irrelevant - since I was never going to drink it, the bottle immediately became the most expensive in my collection.

As for my trip to Heathrow?  That trip yielded a special bottle of Ardbeg which will require it's own entry at a later date.

It’s just a see saw

Auchentoshen 7 year old

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Bottling

59.9% ABV (yeah, that’s right)

A good whisky is a lot like a see saw – a perfect balance of differently weighted pieces that somehow come together to create a complex, not overpowering dram.

A lot of whiskies use the maturity process to even out their whiskies.  The Lagavulin is a heavily peated Islay which which matures (and mellows) to the ripe old age of 16 before the flagship expression is ready for the world (and then, it’s really ready).  Others use special casks or finishes to impart that perfect balance.  Balvenie and Glenmorangie have taken these practices to a different level.

The cask strength Auchentoshen takes a different approach to the balance: delivering a powerful, strong, delicious, bold whisky.

How did that happen?  On the one side of the see saw, Auchentoshen has two “little kids” sharing the same seat:

• It’s a lowland whisky, imparting a lighter taste and color to the whisky based on traditional lowland distillery methods and ingredients (a la Glenkinchie).
• It’s triple distilled.  Auchentoshen puts its spirit through three separate stills, like an Irish Whiskey.  This, again, provides a lightness and clean taste to the whiskey.

On the other side of the see saw, there’s one heavyweight, fat kid: the Scotch Malt Whisky Society selected a kick ass seven year old cask for this bottling.

By balancing all of the light flavors and ingredients of Auchentoshen, with something more raw and unrefined like a seven year old casks, you get a delightful combination.  The color is still light, almost pale.  The nose is slightly floral with a mild spiciness.  But then you get that first taste on your tongue and BANG! this thing explodes on the palate.  I picked up orange and honey, but black pepper as well – something strong that really lingers in your mouth.  The second and third sips deliver the same punch, but in such a way that it’s absolutely drinkable.

With some whiskies, this combination of elements would throw off the balance of the see saw.  With this Auchentoshen, it’s different, and it works. 

I am going to see if they have any more bottles left from this cask, I’ll tell you that much.

The Best Kind of Homework

I'm working on a review of seven year old Auchentoshen bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.  If you want to see if my opinion of Auchentoshen matches yours, get to the store and pick up a bottle!  Try the Classic or the 12 year old.  Check back for a full review next week.

Lessons from the Golf Trip

I just got back from a golf trip to central/southern Pennsylvania.  Twelve guys, three nights, and 90 holes of golf.  The number one question I got from people leading up to the trip was, “are you bringing whisky?”  Of course I was bringing whisky!  I think the majority of the group ended up trying a little bit of the bottle and receiving it well.  It made me think of a list of rules for bringing a bottle of whisky on a road trip:

1. Get a GOOD bottle – You don’t need to break the bank on a 40 year old Highland Park for a trip to Chambersburg.  Just a good bottle, representative of the distillery’s products will do.  I chose the 10 year old from Ardbeg.  Avoid the plastic bottles for the trip.  Get something people will actually enjoy.
2. Bring a full bottle - There’s always less whisky left in an open bottle than you remember, so make the trip to the liquor store and get a fresh bottle in the box (easier to travel with anyway).
3. Share it – This is a great opportunity to expose whisky to friends who may not be familiar with it.  Give them a small sample and see what they think.  It’s a nice, risk free way for them to try something new and you’ll be spreading the word.
4. It’s a golf trip, not a whisky tasting – Not everybody needs to bring a bottle on a road trip.  We’re not doing a tasting event, we’re enjoying a drink.  Figure out the people who are bringing the bottle(s) ahead of time so the rest can take care of other supplies.
5. Bring your own glasses – For the first time, I packed up a bunch of glencairn glasses and packed them with my whisky.  Not relying on the “complementary” plastic cups from the Sheraton Four Points ended up being a good call.  The glasses added to the experience, discouraged mixing the Ardbeg with Diet Coke and made us feel more like grown ups than over-sized college students.
6. Finish it – You don’t want to drag a bottle back with you from a road trip.  Make sure you’re generous enough that it doesn’t come home with you.  If no one wants the last dram, I’m pretty sure you’ll know what to do.

So, that’s it. Follow these rules and a bottle of whisky will add a nice touch to your road trip or golf trip.  Enjoy.

Best of the Web

I thought I’d include a list of some of my favorite recent whisky articles and some good links for useful information on whisky:

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6667949/pappy-van-winkle – just to prove to you that I’m not only interested in scotch, this is a really enjoyable article about a hard to find bourbon and why people love it.

http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/restaurants-and-bars/how-the-world-fell-in-love-with-whisky-20110618-1g8i8.html – An explanation of the current scotch phenomenon.  Not living in the UK, I was surprised to has learn that its popularity was on such a steep incline there as well.

In addition to the occasional article, I use these websites regularly to research purchases and this blog:

http://www.scotchwhisky.net/ – this is my go to reference site on the internet.  All of Scotland’s distilleries, organized alphabetically, as well as regionally, to give you a nice overview.

http://inebrio.com/thescotchblog/ – this blog, from Richmonder Kevin Erskine, while not adding content since 2010, is a good reference for articles and information.  I also recommend Kevin’s book, The Instant Expert’s Guide to Single Malt Scotch.  I correctly answered a trivia question on Kevin’s blog a few years ago and he sent me a Johnnie Walker hat, so there’s that.

http://maltmadness.com/ – one of the best reference sites on the web.

http://www.whiskymag.com/ – yes, there’s a Whisky Magazine.  It’s a wonderful magazine which covers all of the world’s whiskies, and has articles from some of the world’s greatest whisky writers like Dave Broom, Dominic Roskrow, Jim Murray, and the late, great Michael Jackson.  The website also contains a wonderful database of information and reviews.

http://www.maltadvocate.com/ – yes, there are two whisky magazines.  This one is published in America by John Hansell.  John’s blog, “What Does John Know?” is a must read.

Jura 16 Year Old

Isle of Jura Single Malt Scotch Whsiky

Diurach’s Own 16 Year Old

40% ABV

I’m on a little streak here with whiskies of the Scottish Isles other than Islay.  We’ve looked at Arran, Highland Park, and Scapa.  With 790 islands off the coastline on Scotland, it's not surprising that more and more are waiting out there:  Talisker (Skye), Tobermory, which used to be known as Ledaig (Mull), the soon to be bottled Abhainn Dearg (Lewis) and Jura.

I’m reviewing the 16 year old Jura today, known as Duirach’s Own, from the Gaelic name for the inhabitants of the island.  Jura is an island of the west coast of Scotland.  It’s separated from Islay by less than a mile.  Before you even crack the bottle, you notice something different – the bottle.  I love the shape of the bottle.  You’ll see the silhouette on the box in the store and it is distinctive.  Along with Glenrothes, I think the bottle of Jura is the easiest to recognize at any far away restaurant bar.  And that’s important, right?

When you open it, you may expect the peat ladled into your glass.  But, while the smokiness is there, it’s much more subtle than Jura’s Islay neighbors.  The color is lightly golden, and the aroma has a pretty complex combination of slight smokiness, sea air, and flowers.  The taste was something very different for me.  I tried to figure out how to describe it for the longest time.  I finally settled on the taste of those old candied wax lips we had when we were kids.  Kind of sweet, but with a slight waxy dryness.  Maybe a reach there? 

Putting words to the taste of these whiskies is definitely the hardest part of writing this blog.  I’m always amazed at how the great ones like Jim Murray and the late Michael Jackson (no, the other one) can do it so well.   Mr. Jackson has an excellent summary of Jura with which I completely agree, “For an islander Jura is often thought to be something of a lightweight, but it has hidden depths.”

Overall, I can’t say this is a great whisky, but it’s safely on the very good list.  It is something different.  It defies categories.  I have noticed something slightly different every time I’ve tried it.  I’ve learned something.  And most of all, I’ve enjoyed it.

Try some Jura.  It’s a good addition to the cabinet.  And the bottle looks sweet.

You know what would go with this?

Ah what whisky to have right now? Always a good question, and never really a bad answer. But, there are certain whiskies that lend themselves to certain times of day, or the year, certain experiences, or even meals.
I’m not ready to go down the whisky pairing route. There are whisky experts (and gourmet chefs) doing great work in the development of pairing specific whiskies with specific meals. Many distilleries now offer four course meals to their visitors, complete with an expertly paired whisky for each course. And there are chefs who are starting to develop delicious, elaborate, gourmet dishes with whisky as a key ingredient (which would be my favorite episode of “Iron Chef” ever).
No, what I’m thinking about are specific whiskies for specific occasions:

• The outdoor barbecue dram – I’d go with something lighter for this one, probably a Glenkinchie 10 year old. A nice Japanese Whisky, like Yamazaki, would also go well here, and would be a good conversation starter.
• Tailgate flask – let’s go with the late fall version of a tailgate here. Crisp, fall day, waiting to go into the stadium – this is the time for Highland Park 12 year old. Honorable mention: Bowmore.
• Golf course – if you don’t bring your own, and you're asking the cart girl, pick the Dewar’s over the Red Label, and add a lot of ice. If you’re bringing your own, one of the lighter Glenmorangies, like a Nectar D’Or or the original is the way to go.
• 19th hole – you cracked 100. Well done. If the clubhouse has a single malt, it’s probably Glenlivet. Enjoy it.
• Dessert (restaurant) – Lagavulin 16. Shut the dessert menu briskly. Hand it back to the waiter. When he asks, tell him you want it neat. Try not to laugh. You’ll be smiling soon enough.
• Dessert (home) – you have time to kick back and savor the flavor. Pour a Jura or Dalmore here.
• The evening, crackling fire – something beefy and a little smoky. How about we say Oban, here? Scapa’s always a nice option in this spot as well.
• Showing friends your whisky collection – give them an Ardbeg
• Someone likes the peatiness of the Ardbeg? Show them the Laphroaig Quarter Cask, or better yet, the Compass Box Peat Monster.
• Christmas whisky – A few come to mind for this special occasion. I mentioned in my last posting that Arran had a Christmas pudding nose, so that’s certainly a possibility. But two others stand out as truly special for a special day – the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban and Macallan 18.
• Wetting the baby’s head – A nice tradition of having a dram to toast your newborn baby. In my case, I chose the Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist for both of my kids. I still have a bit of my son’s bottle left! But just choose your own memory here.

So, did I miss any occasions? Was I way off on any of my recommendations? Let me know . . .

An Island Whisky, But Not That Island

Arran (SMWSA 121.38)

7 Year Old, 61.6% ABV

Color: Dark deep sherry
Nose: Sweet, but in a dark chocolaty kind of way. I read something that compared it to Christmas Cake (fruit cake) and I like that analogy
Taste: Pretty strong, full flavors for a seven year old whisky. Sweet again with some cherry fruitiness.
Finish: Short finish, more what you would expect from a young one
Overall: A wonderful surprise with both the color and the palate, both of which bely this Arran’s age. The tasting notes from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society included this perfect drinking tip: “Find an excuse as soon as possible”. Thank you, I will.

So what about this Isle of Arran? Well, up until the 18th century, every island in Scotland made whisky. When the exporting of Highland Whisky was banned, bootlegging took over. But oddly enough only one legal distillery emerged on the island, Lochranza, even though Arran is located just off the Southwest Coast and not far from Glasgow. But that distillery closed in the 1830’s. It took until 1995 for a legal distillery to return to Arran, at Lochranza.

To help raise funds for the new distillery – and falling into the ultimate “wish I was there” category of a story – the owner issued $750 bonds to the public which would entitle them to five cases of whisky in 2001. The distillery face challenges. Every whisky must be aged at least three years, and even at that age, it’s typically only used in blends. However, Arran couldn’t the right party for their blends, so they had to wait. And wait. So, they opened visitor center, attracted tourists, and eventually bottled my sample (among others).

You may have noticed that the terms, “peaty” and “smoky” were not in my description of Arran, which is very unusual for an island whisky. That’s the route Arran has taken so far, and that makes it stand out a little bit among island competitors. For its distinctiveness, and it’s taste, Arran is worth a try.

Suntory Yamazaki

Yamazaki – 12 year old

When I try a whisky for the first time, I usually have a pretty good idea what it’s going to taste like – generally. I may be familiar with the distillery or the region. I may have read about it. You can also pick up some clues from the label.

When I poured my first class of Yamazaki, I had no idea what to expect . . .

Since the United States Navy steamed towards Japan in 1853, the country had been opening up to Western trade and Western tastes. Soon, Kirin beer popped up. The Japanese became fascinated with rugby and Sherlock Holmes. But attempts at making whiskey frustrated the country. Until the 1920’s, when Masataka Taketsuru attended the University of Glasgow and later worked for several Speyside and Campbeltown distilleries. He returned home to help Suntory establish its first distillery and later his own, Nikka at Yoichi.

For about 60-70 years, these distilleries, and several others, stuck to blends, even including some scotch in their expressions. About 20 years ago, Suntory finally decided to distribute some of its own single malt, from it's Yamazaki distillery. In 2001, Taketsuru’s Yoichi, won the coveted “Best of the Best” award from Whiskey Magazine. Japanese whiskey had arrived.

Back to the Yamazaki. The color was not surprising to me, pure gold. The nose was honey and vanilla. But the taste, was a very pleasant surprise. It was a very smooth taste, like sweet butter. But it’s not at all thin, like a weaker whiskey. Yamazaki has a nice long finish. It’s a lot more complete whiskey than I ever imagined.

I see this one as a summer whiskey, something for the deck after the cookout. Do a little investigating, try some pairings, and let me know what you think.

Let’s talk about Scotch, bourbon, and whiskey

There are a lot of different whiskies distilled around the world, prepared in slightly different ways, from slightly different ingredients that make them unique in their own way.  I received a great suggestion to try to highlight some of these differences:

• Scotch whisky – Made only from malted barley, the distillation and maturation (at least three years worth) must take place in Scotland.
• Malting refers to the steeping of a grain in water, allowing it to get just to the point of germination.  At that point, it is dried using heated air (this is where the peat comes in to play)
• All scotch is distilled twice, except for Auchentoshen, which is triple distilled (it’s a nice whisky too, if you’re interested in something smooth and lowland light, but I digress)
• Single malt scotch – the whisky used in a single malt scotch comes from only one distillery
• Cask strength whisky comes from a single barrel or “cask” from a distillery and typically contains a higher alcoholic content than most single malt scotches (cask strength whiskies will be labeled as such)
• Blended scotch whisky – the whisky used in blended scotch whisky comes from multiple distilleries
• Blends sometimes get a bad name.  And it’s true that there are many lower priced blends out there.  But keep in mind that Johnny Walker Blue Label is a blend.  Blends are what sustained the whisky industry for most of the 20th century.  Just think about the blender’s challenge as well – distilleries open and close every year.  Single malts’ taste change slightly from year to year, and even cask to cask.  Yet the master blender must balance all of those variables, and the changing ingredients at their disposal to create a consistent expression.
• Irish whiskey – conversely to Scotch, Irish whiskey must be distilled and matured in Ireland for three years.  Irish whiskey contains some unmalted barley, is distilled three times, and is rarely peated.  Better varieties of Irish whiskey are typically smoother than its Scottish cousin.
• Bourbon – must be made in America and is made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn.  There is no aging requirement for bourbon, but it must be aged in new, charred oak barrels.
• Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark are well known bourbons
• Tennessee whiskey -  Bourbon produced in Tennessee is called Tennessee whiskey.   It typically goes through an extra step where it is filtered through maple charcoal before going in the barrel for maturation
• Jack Daniel’s is the most well known Tennessee whiskey
• Canadian whisky – has the same location requirements of the other spirits, without the grain requirements.  Historically, Canadian whisky had some rye grain added to the mash to add flavor.  While that rarely occurs in great quantity anymore (the primary grain is corn), Canadian whisky is still often referred to a “rye”.
• Crown Royal and Canadian Club are two common examples

I hope this quick outline helped highlight some of the differences and similarities among major whiskies of the world.  But there’s no substitute for trying them yourself!

Scapa Part Two–the actual drinking of a glass of Scapa

 

Scapa 16 year old

40% ABV

As I mentioned in a previous post, Scapa can be one of those “throw the cork in the fireplace kind of whiskies”.  Well, a few weekends ago, two friends and I scared the heck out of that cork.

Scapa is one of two distilleries on Orkney – the northern-most island of Scotland.  It’s located about two miles south of the Highland Park distillery, so it just barely misses out on that distinction.  Scapa is a good example of a moth-balled distillery that was brought back to life after ten years in 2004.  So what’s currently on the shelf was produced under previous management.  Now, on to the whisky:

Color – a nice, welcoming amber, with a little bit of noticeable oiliness

Nose – starts sharp, kicking your head back a bit, but after another sniff, you get some nice, fruity sweetness

Taste – a little medicinal, and a little oily with a thinner finish.  Malty and sweet.  I read another review that compares this one to an Irish Whiskey.  I think that’s a pretty good comment.

Overall – this one definitely acts like more of a Highland whisky than its island neighbor.  But it’s a good dram, outside of the top ten, but in the spirit of March Madness, maybe it’s “on the Bubble”.

Random, annoying complaint – this is a very tall bottle which doesn’t fit into my liquor cabinet standing up.  So I need to lay it down in an adjacent wine rack, something I don’t like to do (and my wife doesn’t like me to do either!)

Any Requests?

Are there any whiskies or topics that people have questions about?
If there's anything you'd like me to cover in this blog, please let me know either through a comment here or a post on Facebook.
A few topics I'm working on right now:

• A review of Scapa 16 y/o
• Good whisky reference materials (online or printed)
• Whisky regions I haven't covered (Speyside . . .)

Celebration Whisky and a comment on age

Lagavulin

Age: 16 Years
Proof: 86 (43% ABV)

Islay

My wife took me out for a celebration last weekend and all the while I was enjoying my dinner (and the company, of course) I was thinking about my after dinner whisky.  Typically, I pass on this temptation as 1) the prices are astronomically inflated over the price of a bottle and 2) I usually have a fun bottle or two waiting at home that I would prefer anyway.  But on this particular night 1) Vicki was paying and 2) they had Lagavulin 16.

I’m not going to spend a ton of time assessing the merits of Lagavulin 16 – it’s quite simply one of the best whiskies in the world and something every whisky enthusiast should try.  The color is a beautiful amber.  The nose was certainly of an Islay whisky, but not overly peaty.  The taste definitely had some of the sea in it, but it was extremely smooth, with a mild finish and hints of caramel to help you say goodbye.

But that brings me to the age.  Lagavulin 16, Ardbeg 10, and Highland Park 12 are all some of my favorite drams, regardless of the age.  On the surface, many people assume that the older the whisky, the better it is (within reason, of course).  But as my tour guide at Glenkinchie once told me, whisky is as old as it should be to taste the best it can taste.  The maturation process must be synchronized with the rest of the whisky making process to create the perfect dram.  So in the case of Ardbeg, that’s 10 years in the barrel.  Conversely, Lagavulin is perfect at 16 years old, which is part of the reason it is such a sought after bottle.  It’s more expensive since there are higher production and storage costs, plus the scarcity factor with fewer bottles produced. 

Would I say that Lagavulin 16 was empirically better than any whisky which took ten years to produce?  I would not.  Would I say that it is a fantastic whisky that everyone should try once?  That I certainly would.

Let’s do a Top Ten List

I find that I have a problem writing about whisky – I tend to like them all.  And, while it’s true that I’m willing to give just about every distillery that takes the time to lay down a spirit for around 7 to 12 years the benefit of the doubt, I also have my favorites (and less favorite whiskies as well).  So I decided to come up with a list of Top Ten essentials I would stock my liquor cabinet with.  I’m not talking about rare or unbelievably expensive bottles (so no SMWS bottles or 40 year old Highland Parks on this list – but I’ll still accept them as gifts).  These bottles are typically available at better liquor stores in the US and you’ll probably see a few of them in some nicer bars (or all of them if it’s Pipers Pub, I assume):

1. Ardbeg 10 year old
2. Highland Park 12 year old
3. Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban
4. Laphroaig Quarter Cask
5. Glenkinchie 10 year old
6. Ardmore
7. BenRiach
8. Lagavulin (too much Islay? meh)
9. Oban
10. Balvenie Double Wood 12 year old

There you have it, a mix of Islay, Lowland, Highland, Speyside and islands.  Also a mix of finishes and maturation.

OK, well report back to me when you have them all in your liquor cabinet and I’ll stop by!

Scapa

Jim Murray (of The Whisky Bible) once referred to Scapa as a "throw the cork in the fireplace kind of whisky". I have a fireplace, I'm going to go get a bottle of Scapa. Report to follow.

More from Glenmorangie

In addition to the Quinta Ruban, there are two other extra matured whiskies from Glenmorangie which I would highly recommend:

- Lasanta: Extra matured in Oloroso Sherry Casks from Spain, so you get some warm spices and sherry flavore

- Nectar D'Or: Extra matured for two years in Sauternes Casks from Frances. I tasted honey and nuts the first time I had this one.

All three of the Extra Matured Whiskies from Glenmorangie are worth a try and perfectly representative of a distillery on the cutting edge.

Is there a doctor in the house?

Picture a distillery manager. What does he look like? A big, burly Scot? Old and cranky? Maybe a tweed jacket and a tam-o-shantern. How about a PhD in biochemistry? Not on your mental checklist, huh? Well Glenmorangie has a secret weapon, and his name is Dr. Bill Lumsden. Since 1995, when he joined Glenmorangie as the distillery manager he has been using it as his personal laboratory, creating some of the most innovative expressions in the industry.

Back in the mid-80's, when the good doctor discovered whisky at a party, his studies began to shift to the non-medical applications of biochemistry. He completed his PhD thesis in Yeast Physiology and entered the industry as a research scientist. Over the years, he became more keen to create something rather than examine it. This ex-malter and cereal scientist attained his wish in 1995, when he joined Glenmorangie as Distillery Manager. Today he is responsible for Distilling and Whisky Creation for the Glenmorangie and Ardbeg brands. He is recognized as a leader in the industry, winning many awards and accolades for his "wood management" and exotic finishes.

I've just enjoyed two of Glenmorangie's new era of whiskies: the Quinta Ruban and the Extremely Rare 18 year old (that's the name, not my own embellishment).

The Quinta Ruban is matured in standard bourbon barrels. There is no age statement, but I think it is matured for ten years. Then, the mature Glenmorangie is extra matured or finished in Ruby Port casts from Portuguese wine estates (known as Quintas). You certainly get taste of port in the finish, but it also creates a very comfortable, warm, dark chocolate taste.

What is there to say about the 18 year old? It is one of the smoothest drams I've ever had. Excellent taste of honey, but the finish is so soothing, so matured, there's just nothing standing between you and the bottom of the glass. Kind of sad, in a way . . .