This blogger's goals for 2012

I'm not really good at New Years' Resolutions.  They tend to be a bit tactical.  Some of my previous gems include, "learning how to sharpen knives" (aced it) and "getting better at doing cool card shuffling" (a little better, I suppose).
But when it comes to this blog - and this hobby in general - there are definitely some goals I have for 2012:

• Write more - I wrote 21 posts in 2011.  I think I can do more.  There is a world of whiskies to explore.  If anyone reading this has any ideas or requests, let me know.
• Expand my audience - I have 3 followers.  3.  Thanks guys.  I'm trying to figure out ways to increase readership, posting articles on Facebook and Twitter.  If you read this, and like this, please follow it.  And please forward it to your friends (or enemies if you don't like it).
• Conduct an interview - last goal for the blog - I'd love to get an expert's opinions out there, to learn and to share.  Keep an eye on the blog to see if I succeed.  

Personally, I also have some goals in expanding my knowledge and experiences with whisky:

• Try a whisky from a "mothballed distillery" - when you drink a whisky from a distillery no longer producing barrels, you are drinking history.  There's no more of this coming down the pike.  Mothballed whisky is, obviously, rare.  It's also highly sought after.  Rosebank and Port Ellen are two great examples - these distilleries produced, according to what I've read, excellent whisky.  But economic conditions made it impossible for them to continue.
• Keep exploring the world - in the last two years, I've had expressions from Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Japan, Canada and America.  All of these whiskies are made from slightly different ingredients and processes.  I'd like to keep going: there are a few more distilleries in Japan and Scandinavian whisky out there.
• Bourbon - Small batch bourbon is exploding on the market right now.  I've just secured my first bottle of Old Van Winkle, and I'd like more, please.

Well, I think that's a pretty exhaustive list.  If I achieve half of it, it should be a pretty good year.  What about you?  Let me know what your goals are for the year.  Maybe I can help . . . 

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.