Matetic
Corralillo
Merlot/Malbec
2005
14.5%
Chile
Had this kicking around the cellar for the last half a decade and for no good reason other than a bit thirsty decided to crack it open. This one was from 2005 when it used to be imported by Oddbins, when I used to work there, back then. Obvs that's a bit of time ago and even I can't remember the complete percentages. However, you can pick up the Winemakers blend which I believe replaced this bottle.
The 2006 is 67% Merlot, 17% Cab Franc, 10% Merlot and 6% Pinot Noir.
The 2009 is 40% Merlot, 28% Syrah, 20% Cab Franc, 12% Malbec.
I just got that off the internet - you can grab the Winemakers Blend in Majestic these days.
Now I'm pretty sure this vintage ain't any of them combos but it is a beaut. There's a wonderful depth to it as it's opened up over the evening. The balance is sublime. Full bodied and rather rich with lashings of deep dark chocolate, morello cherry and berry fruit, a subtle lick of vanilla and warm integrated spice that all arrives in a very orderly fashion. Like the best guests at a house party. The Malbec adding the floral notes, the Merlot giving it the fruity edge. The finish is long and drying and the tannins are firm but friendly. It's very soft but the structure is tip top. I seem to remember that this was a biodynamic/organic winery if memory serves.
The cellaring seems to have improved the integration of the elements - it is a long time ago back before I ever bothered with tasting notes but I vaguely remember the Malbec being more dominant and the overall vibe being a bit youthful and stalky. However, that may just have been a memory of another Matetic offering - so that's a completely reliable assessment! Whatever, this is a very lovely wine, with such a smooth and more-ish finish. I'm going to have to snap up a bottle of the Winemakers blend and see how that compares.
Thursday 6 September 2012
Tuesday 21 August 2012
Cocktail 1
Recently I worked up some cocktails for a hen-do. After a little fact finding I found out that the bride-to-be really liked cherry and was a fan of Italian cooking. There's a whole load of extra info that necessitated the need to use some jam jars too. This one was intended to be clean and fresh, to be drunk in the warm outside in the early afternoon. I'll post the other ones later.
Christina's Basil and Lemon Fizz.
Serves 2.
1/2 Orange
1/2 Lemon
Basil
4 Vodka
2 Limoncello
2 Blood Orange Juice.
Soda Water
Jam Jar
Half orange and lemon and cut to a couple of segments. Add 6-8 Basil leafs. Muddle them all in a large glass or shaker.
Add Vodka and Limoncello and Orange Juice.
Add a few cubes of ice and shake.
Taste and adjust the balance as needed.
Fill jam jar half with ice. Add 3-4 Basil leafs. Top up with ice.
Screw on lid and quick shake to bruise the basil but not to pulverise it.
Double strain the liquid and half fill the jam jars.
Top up with soda water.
Quick stir to mingle the drink.
Garnish with lemon and orange slice with fresh basil leaf in between.
There's a slight variation where you can add some triple-sec if the balance isn't to your liking but that's up to you guys.
Here's a picture of me during some intense research.
Christina's Basil and Lemon Fizz.
Serves 2.
1/2 Orange
1/2 Lemon
Basil
4 Vodka
2 Limoncello
2 Blood Orange Juice.
Soda Water
Jam Jar
Half orange and lemon and cut to a couple of segments. Add 6-8 Basil leafs. Muddle them all in a large glass or shaker.
Add Vodka and Limoncello and Orange Juice.
Add a few cubes of ice and shake.
Taste and adjust the balance as needed.
Fill jam jar half with ice. Add 3-4 Basil leafs. Top up with ice.
Screw on lid and quick shake to bruise the basil but not to pulverise it.
Double strain the liquid and half fill the jam jars.
Top up with soda water.
Quick stir to mingle the drink.
Garnish with lemon and orange slice with fresh basil leaf in between.
There's a slight variation where you can add some triple-sec if the balance isn't to your liking but that's up to you guys.
Here's a picture of me during some intense research.
Saturday 18 August 2012
Plantation Panama 2000
Nose - Sweet fudge and toffee. Thick and chunky. Herby. Thyme. Touch of bbq fish or more like Paprika crisps. Young pineapple.
Taste - Continues the same themes as the nose. Light dusting of spice. Eucalyptus (as stated on the label) shines through. A touch toasty. Slightly wooded vanilla. A hint of bitter. A lick of smoke.
Recently
I quite like the fact that the last few posts I made were when slightly under the influence. I guess it is called Jeffdrinks for a reason. Obviously they are a complete mess - the Smith and Cross one lacks capital letters and any reasonable punctuation for a start. I suspect that it was just a draft I decided to publish. And why not. The Blair Athol I certainly did consume with my friend Alex last night. And I do remember it being a lot more sherried than the last time I had it. But then maybe the last time I had it was at the distillery, and that was a wee while ago now. Certainly very tasty though. I've been thinking about restructuring the blog anyway. Now I'm involved in helping out the whisky sheffield peeps http://whiskysheffield.wordpress.com/ then maybe this should be more about what I drink and also used to tell what has been going on in the tastings that I run. Also some more pictures too. Now that I've learnt to steal them off the internet!
Friday 17 August 2012
smith and cross
instant and unmistakable aroma of unripe and then rotting bananas says that this is a jamican rum through and through. and then you know full well that there is probaby only one distillery that could produce this and that is the pots at hampden. longpond may have the column stills to give your rum a certain lightness but the dunder and the depths mean that it has to hampden. it's almost sickly in it's approach, it's like a rum on steroids. too beefy too concentrated. it's a classic example where it's not about the abv strenght but about the esters. about the long fermentation that;s built in the the flavours. about the pot still that makes it oh-so heavy. like the jap doom rockers. sustined deep distort chord
there;s the sweetness and the pungency
it's been described as camabert which in the scheme ofd things isn't that really far off the mark
its a lot-it of loathe it rum (although I'm personally not convinced that the second categoryt exists for this rum) - ok it's full bodied and if you hate strong flavours then this is not for you. but it's esters mean that it can pretty much resist anything flavour wise - bbq smoke and chilli yeah this rum will beat it down and then give it a warm hug before seeing it on it's way. It smells amazing but it smacks you around the mouth quite considerably. That's the beauty.
it's always going to come over the top, this one. the alchol is pretty on top too. but no matter what you've eaten or what you've drank this is going to wade through your palate. now i
thick treacle, and huge custard.
it's
there;s the sweetness and the pungency
it's been described as camabert which in the scheme ofd things isn't that really far off the mark
its a lot-it of loathe it rum (although I'm personally not convinced that the second categoryt exists for this rum) - ok it's full bodied and if you hate strong flavours then this is not for you. but it's esters mean that it can pretty much resist anything flavour wise - bbq smoke and chilli yeah this rum will beat it down and then give it a warm hug before seeing it on it's way. It smells amazing but it smacks you around the mouth quite considerably. That's the beauty.
it's always going to come over the top, this one. the alchol is pretty on top too. but no matter what you've eaten or what you've drank this is going to wade through your palate. now i
thick treacle, and huge custard.
it's
Blair Athol
Well apparently this is the 12 YO F&F.
But it's so dark.
So much more sherry than I remember it to be.
There's a lot going on, on the nose we decide.
Sherry. Xmas Cake, Nuts and lots and lots and lots of dried fruit.
Hazelnuts, Frangepan, Dates.
On the palate it's a lot more subtle.
Gentle waves with no real spice kicking in.
Mocha, coffee.
We've been given this blind and so we can chalk out what it's not.
Well it's deeply, deeply sherry for a start and it doesn't have anywhere near the body of a Glenfarclas. Nor the spritely layers of an Aberlour.
It doesn't begin with a glen or start with a "m".
So slightly tumbled when it's a Blair Athol.
Now this is a distillery I've visited before but, as above, I so don't remember this profile. At all. Nowhere near like the ones I've got stashed away.
In any case, the nose is sumptuous. Deep, complex, inviting and layered. Maybe the palate fails to live up to that nose but it's steady and holds no surprises. Perhaps a tad short but everything that is there is worth the money. I would have thought more a Mortlach than a Blair Athol personally but then I didn't pour it. A great, possibly classic nose that doesn't live up to it's promise on the palate.
I'll go find out if it's a F&F. But I'm still not so sure.
J
But it's so dark.
So much more sherry than I remember it to be.
There's a lot going on, on the nose we decide.
Sherry. Xmas Cake, Nuts and lots and lots and lots of dried fruit.
Hazelnuts, Frangepan, Dates.
On the palate it's a lot more subtle.
Gentle waves with no real spice kicking in.
Mocha, coffee.
We've been given this blind and so we can chalk out what it's not.
Well it's deeply, deeply sherry for a start and it doesn't have anywhere near the body of a Glenfarclas. Nor the spritely layers of an Aberlour.
It doesn't begin with a glen or start with a "m".
So slightly tumbled when it's a Blair Athol.
Now this is a distillery I've visited before but, as above, I so don't remember this profile. At all. Nowhere near like the ones I've got stashed away.
In any case, the nose is sumptuous. Deep, complex, inviting and layered. Maybe the palate fails to live up to that nose but it's steady and holds no surprises. Perhaps a tad short but everything that is there is worth the money. I would have thought more a Mortlach than a Blair Athol personally but then I didn't pour it. A great, possibly classic nose that doesn't live up to it's promise on the palate.
I'll go find out if it's a F&F. But I'm still not so sure.
J
Tuesday 31 July 2012
Run Tasting - Black Tot Day - July 31st.
Black Tot day tasting.
On July 31st 1970 the Royal Navy halted the rum ration for the sailors. An institution that had started around 1655 and at one time included a ration of half a pint of rum daily. For this reason July 31st is known as Black Tot Day and lovers of rum celebrate all over the globe by consuming a (responsible) quantity of rum.
The idea behind this tasting was to explore the various island styles that make up a typical Navy rum blend (so focusing on the English speaking islands) plus with a couple of extra nods to the French and Spanish style.
With rum, fermentation is predominantly where you build your flavour and distillation is where you select which bits you keep and which you leave out. I wanted to show different approaches to fermentation i.e. short vs long and also different approaches to distilling i.e. technological advanced, highly scientific approach vs traditional and also huge industrial style column stills, tiny wee column stills and ancient wooden coffey and 200 year pot stills. Included within all that was a few variations on maturation and cask usage.
This particular tasting was to be augmented with a couple of extras. First, if you had a smart-phone you could look at pictures of the different stills and distilleries as I had uploaded some pictures from google images to this blog (see below and sorry that I've not credited the original photographers - if I can find who took them originally I will, promise). And second, I purposely left out Pusser's Blue Label from the tasting selection as I gave people the option that if they bought one across the bar then I would give them a Ron Zacapa 23 for free. Thus fulfilling the part of actually drinking a proper Navy rum on Black Tot day, and also seeing if the audience could then recognise it's component parts that they had drank earlier in the evening. The Zacapa allowed me to talk about Solera ageing and give a nod towards the Spanish style of making rum. Also it was a nice one to end the evening on, especially as the Rhum Agriciole and Guyana and Jamaican Hampden would have been a little bit harder work. One of the Guyana Mezan bottles was sent incorrectly so I had to do one on one night and the other on the second - that's why there are two listed for number 4.
The tasting was king of divided up into drinks pairs with 1 and 2 being the easy drinking, 3 and 4 being slightly more challenging and un-rum like, 5 deeply pungent and 6 going down the Navy route and with 7 to sip a a nice reward.
Good reactions across both nights. Obvs. Zacapa came out as a winner. Everyone liked the Trinidad - but then what's not to dislike? The Foursquare was a love or not that bothered. For those who liked a bit more complexity the Mezan's were winners and for those who were into single malts the Agricole was an eye-opener. I was fairly pleased that people got into these slightly more tricky styles. The Jamaican was a love or hate and no where in between. But I did guarantee that I thought that after the tasting they would forevermore recognise a big estery Jamaican pot-still if ever presented with one.
Here's the list in full. As always some tasting notes and more information on the distilleries to follow sometime in the late future. (If you going to rock up some tasting notes then should at least consider these drinks in some depth and that takes a bit of time.) Still they will get done one day.
1. Plantation - Original Dark - 40% - Trinidad & Tobago (Angostura)
2. Foursquare - Rum 66 - 12 YO - 40% - Barbados (Foursquare)
3. Trois Riveries - Cuvee du Moiln - 3 YO - 40% - Martinique (Trois Riveries)
4. Mezan Guyana 1990 - 20 YO (Single Cask) 40% - Guyana (Versailles Pot Still at Enmore)
4a. Mezan Guyana 1998 - 13 YO (Single Cask) 40% - Guyana (Savalle Column at Uitvlugt)
5. Smith and Cross - Plummer and Wedderburn Pot Still - 57% - (Hampden, Jamaica)
6. Pusser's Blue Label - 54.5% - British Virgin Islands (Admiralty Navy Blend)
7. Ron Zacapa 23 - 40% - Guatemala
On July 31st 1970 the Royal Navy halted the rum ration for the sailors. An institution that had started around 1655 and at one time included a ration of half a pint of rum daily. For this reason July 31st is known as Black Tot Day and lovers of rum celebrate all over the globe by consuming a (responsible) quantity of rum.
The idea behind this tasting was to explore the various island styles that make up a typical Navy rum blend (so focusing on the English speaking islands) plus with a couple of extra nods to the French and Spanish style.
With rum, fermentation is predominantly where you build your flavour and distillation is where you select which bits you keep and which you leave out. I wanted to show different approaches to fermentation i.e. short vs long and also different approaches to distilling i.e. technological advanced, highly scientific approach vs traditional and also huge industrial style column stills, tiny wee column stills and ancient wooden coffey and 200 year pot stills. Included within all that was a few variations on maturation and cask usage.
This particular tasting was to be augmented with a couple of extras. First, if you had a smart-phone you could look at pictures of the different stills and distilleries as I had uploaded some pictures from google images to this blog (see below and sorry that I've not credited the original photographers - if I can find who took them originally I will, promise). And second, I purposely left out Pusser's Blue Label from the tasting selection as I gave people the option that if they bought one across the bar then I would give them a Ron Zacapa 23 for free. Thus fulfilling the part of actually drinking a proper Navy rum on Black Tot day, and also seeing if the audience could then recognise it's component parts that they had drank earlier in the evening. The Zacapa allowed me to talk about Solera ageing and give a nod towards the Spanish style of making rum. Also it was a nice one to end the evening on, especially as the Rhum Agriciole and Guyana and Jamaican Hampden would have been a little bit harder work. One of the Guyana Mezan bottles was sent incorrectly so I had to do one on one night and the other on the second - that's why there are two listed for number 4.
The tasting was king of divided up into drinks pairs with 1 and 2 being the easy drinking, 3 and 4 being slightly more challenging and un-rum like, 5 deeply pungent and 6 going down the Navy route and with 7 to sip a a nice reward.
Good reactions across both nights. Obvs. Zacapa came out as a winner. Everyone liked the Trinidad - but then what's not to dislike? The Foursquare was a love or not that bothered. For those who liked a bit more complexity the Mezan's were winners and for those who were into single malts the Agricole was an eye-opener. I was fairly pleased that people got into these slightly more tricky styles. The Jamaican was a love or hate and no where in between. But I did guarantee that I thought that after the tasting they would forevermore recognise a big estery Jamaican pot-still if ever presented with one.
Here's the list in full. As always some tasting notes and more information on the distilleries to follow sometime in the late future. (If you going to rock up some tasting notes then should at least consider these drinks in some depth and that takes a bit of time.) Still they will get done one day.
1. Plantation - Original Dark - 40% - Trinidad & Tobago (Angostura)
2. Foursquare - Rum 66 - 12 YO - 40% - Barbados (Foursquare)
3. Trois Riveries - Cuvee du Moiln - 3 YO - 40% - Martinique (Trois Riveries)
4. Mezan Guyana 1990 - 20 YO (Single Cask) 40% - Guyana (Versailles Pot Still at Enmore)
4a. Mezan Guyana 1998 - 13 YO (Single Cask) 40% - Guyana (Savalle Column at Uitvlugt)
5. Smith and Cross - Plummer and Wedderburn Pot Still - 57% - (Hampden, Jamaica)
6. Pusser's Blue Label - 54.5% - British Virgin Islands (Admiralty Navy Blend)
7. Ron Zacapa 23 - 40% - Guatemala
Monday 30 July 2012
Pictures for Rum Tasting
Angostura Distillery - Trinidad and Tobago
Big column still
Four Square - Barbados
Pot Still
Column Still
Richard Seale
Hampden - Jamaica
Fermentation
Fernenting Vats
The Pot Still
DDL - Guyana
The stills at DDL
Double Wooden Pot - Port Mourant
EHP Coffey Still
Single Wooden Pot Still - Versailles
French Saville 4 column still
Different marks at DDL
Trois Riveries - Martinique
The old column still.
The mill
Wednesday 11 July 2012
Rum Tasting Event
Rum Tasting event at the Sheaf View in Sheffield Tuesday 10th July 2012
The theme of this evening was to show some of the big names, highly regarded and highly decorated rums. Kind of a "best of". As I had run a rum tasting at that venue a few months previous these rums were to be different from the last one. As it turned out around half of the audience attended the previous event so I was justified in swapping the line up.
July Tasting
1. Diplomatico Reserva (Venezuela)
2. Pyrat XO (Anguilla) *Blend
3. Clement VSOP (Martinique)
4. Ron Zacapa 23 (Guatemala)
5. Pussers 15 (British Virgin Isles) *Blend
6. Mezan Jamaican
7. Plantation Panama 2000
El Dorado wasn't included as it featured in the last tasting event (see below). Also I included a Rhum Agricole just to show people that not all rum is sweet toffee, sugar and vanilla. Additionally I wasn't going to show rum that was available behind the bar and so things like Angostora 1919 and the hugely popular Kraken weren't on the list.
On the night the most popular were both the Pyrat XO and Ron Zacapa 23 (which I was very sure of from the start!). Interestingly the Clement was very well received (which I was pleased with) and also the Panama was fairly well liked. The Mezan Jamaican was far too pungent, the Pussers was somewhat lost amongst the line up (which surprised me) and I think the Diplomatico had been forgotten about by the end of the evening.
Given a little bit more money to play with then I'm sure the following would have been given an airing: Flor de Cana, Appleton, Mount Gay. However I'm sure they'll get an outing at future tastings.
As a comparison here is the line-up from the previous event:
March Tasting
I'm not 100% sure that 2-4 are in the correct order but everything else is.
1. New Grove Oak (Mauritius)
2. Plantation Barbados 5YO Single Cask
3. Mezan Trinidad
4. Trois Rivieres 5 YO (Martinique)
5. El Dorado 15 YO (Guyana)
6. Pussers Blue Label (British Virgin Isles) *Blend
7. Smith and Cross Jamaican
From this tasting the very strong Smith and Cross was liked. The overall winner was the Barbados 5YO Single Cask bottled by Plantation and the El Dorado 15 coming a very close second.\
The individual tasting notes for each drink will appear separately in the blog.
The theme of this evening was to show some of the big names, highly regarded and highly decorated rums. Kind of a "best of". As I had run a rum tasting at that venue a few months previous these rums were to be different from the last one. As it turned out around half of the audience attended the previous event so I was justified in swapping the line up.
July Tasting
1. Diplomatico Reserva (Venezuela)
2. Pyrat XO (Anguilla) *Blend
3. Clement VSOP (Martinique)
4. Ron Zacapa 23 (Guatemala)
5. Pussers 15 (British Virgin Isles) *Blend
6. Mezan Jamaican
7. Plantation Panama 2000
El Dorado wasn't included as it featured in the last tasting event (see below). Also I included a Rhum Agricole just to show people that not all rum is sweet toffee, sugar and vanilla. Additionally I wasn't going to show rum that was available behind the bar and so things like Angostora 1919 and the hugely popular Kraken weren't on the list.
On the night the most popular were both the Pyrat XO and Ron Zacapa 23 (which I was very sure of from the start!). Interestingly the Clement was very well received (which I was pleased with) and also the Panama was fairly well liked. The Mezan Jamaican was far too pungent, the Pussers was somewhat lost amongst the line up (which surprised me) and I think the Diplomatico had been forgotten about by the end of the evening.
Given a little bit more money to play with then I'm sure the following would have been given an airing: Flor de Cana, Appleton, Mount Gay. However I'm sure they'll get an outing at future tastings.
As a comparison here is the line-up from the previous event:
March Tasting
I'm not 100% sure that 2-4 are in the correct order but everything else is.
1. New Grove Oak (Mauritius)
2. Plantation Barbados 5YO Single Cask
3. Mezan Trinidad
4. Trois Rivieres 5 YO (Martinique)
5. El Dorado 15 YO (Guyana)
6. Pussers Blue Label (British Virgin Isles) *Blend
7. Smith and Cross Jamaican
From this tasting the very strong Smith and Cross was liked. The overall winner was the Barbados 5YO Single Cask bottled by Plantation and the El Dorado 15 coming a very close second.\
The individual tasting notes for each drink will appear separately in the blog.
Friday 6 July 2012
Laphroiag - Cairdeas Origin
Once a year the lovely isle of Islay has a week long festival celebrating the island, island life and it's distilleries. Accordingly, them distilleries release a special Islay festival whisky to celebrate. Most of it you can only buy from the distillery and then a wee while after they'll release them in the web for their "friends" or "members" to purchase. Although you have to be fairly fast as the 10,000 bottles or so will sell like the proverbial hot cakes. Any unopened bottles are then required to be re-sold on e-bay or other internet auction sites for at least double the money. Fairly simple really.
I managed to crack open a bottle of Laphroaig Cairdeas Origin before it doubled in price or something. Named Origin as it celebrates 18 years of Friends of Laphroaig by vatting together some of the original casks that were used for the very first Cairdeas (so about 17-18 years), alongside some stuff they've been maturing in Quarter Casks (for about 7 years I've been told). No age statement, non-chill filtered and bottled at a very respectable 51.2%.
I've been fond of the previous Cairdeas releases (although I've lost any tasting notes I ever had for them I've still got the odd empty bottle or two) so I was fairly happy to have a nag on this one and this time pay a bit more attention.
The first thing to remember is that Laphroaig only make one type of whisky: and that's Laphroaig. I know that sounds obvs but with a couple of exceptions the new make that rolls off the stills is pretty much consistently the same. So it's really the casks that are going to create the various flavour profiles (which is why you've got Quarter Casks and Triple Woods out there).
So with this in mind it's surprising to note that the traditional peat reek and sharpness that you associate with Laphroiag is tempered surprisingly well. On the nose it takes a distinct back seat with a real sweet citrus and orange aroma screaming out of the blocks first of all that it kind of takes you by surprise a bit. The peat and smoke is there but the iodine and seaweed really are not. There's also a creaminess to it, which after kicking a few ideas around came up with a cross between baked alaska and creme brulee. It's got that hot ice cream thing going on. There's a lot going on with the nose and that kind of transfers to the taste although doesn't live up to the layered and complexity of it. There's toasty and oaky flavours with the peat again taking a supporting role, subdued somewhat but not steam-rollered as it is in the Triple Wood. There's a distinct bitterness in the finish that clings to the sides of the mouth and fades to a burnt plastic, plimsol, rubber, tarpaulin edge I've sometimes found in other Islay malts.
A lovely interesting take on the Laphroaig riff and one that, for me, works a lot better than the Triple Wood gig. Perhaps not the most consistently balanced of any of the expressions but a huge amount of fun and one that I'll have to come back to again to double check my thoughts.
Post photo soon.
I managed to crack open a bottle of Laphroaig Cairdeas Origin before it doubled in price or something. Named Origin as it celebrates 18 years of Friends of Laphroaig by vatting together some of the original casks that were used for the very first Cairdeas (so about 17-18 years), alongside some stuff they've been maturing in Quarter Casks (for about 7 years I've been told). No age statement, non-chill filtered and bottled at a very respectable 51.2%.
I've been fond of the previous Cairdeas releases (although I've lost any tasting notes I ever had for them I've still got the odd empty bottle or two) so I was fairly happy to have a nag on this one and this time pay a bit more attention.
The first thing to remember is that Laphroaig only make one type of whisky: and that's Laphroaig. I know that sounds obvs but with a couple of exceptions the new make that rolls off the stills is pretty much consistently the same. So it's really the casks that are going to create the various flavour profiles (which is why you've got Quarter Casks and Triple Woods out there).
So with this in mind it's surprising to note that the traditional peat reek and sharpness that you associate with Laphroiag is tempered surprisingly well. On the nose it takes a distinct back seat with a real sweet citrus and orange aroma screaming out of the blocks first of all that it kind of takes you by surprise a bit. The peat and smoke is there but the iodine and seaweed really are not. There's also a creaminess to it, which after kicking a few ideas around came up with a cross between baked alaska and creme brulee. It's got that hot ice cream thing going on. There's a lot going on with the nose and that kind of transfers to the taste although doesn't live up to the layered and complexity of it. There's toasty and oaky flavours with the peat again taking a supporting role, subdued somewhat but not steam-rollered as it is in the Triple Wood. There's a distinct bitterness in the finish that clings to the sides of the mouth and fades to a burnt plastic, plimsol, rubber, tarpaulin edge I've sometimes found in other Islay malts.
A lovely interesting take on the Laphroaig riff and one that, for me, works a lot better than the Triple Wood gig. Perhaps not the most consistently balanced of any of the expressions but a huge amount of fun and one that I'll have to come back to again to double check my thoughts.
Post photo soon.
Wednesday 27 June 2012
American Tasting - Craft Distillers.
Just for the record this is what was tasted at the American Tasting evening.
The theme for both evenings was to show the different types of American whiskey - representing Corn, Rye, Single Malt and obviously Bourbon. Previous American tastings have also included a Straight Wheat - from Bernheim (Heaven Hill) but this time round the idea was to concentrate a little more on the craft and micro distillers in America - to highlight where the cutting edge and more radical approaches to whiskey making are occurring. I used Heaven Hill this time round as an example of a distillery making several different styles of drink (corn, bourbon and rye) as a comparison against a Scotch Whisky distillery that makes just one style of drink: single malt.
Due to limited availability of certain stock I had to run two nights a little differently.
Night 1 - Monday 25th June 2012
1. Balcones Baby Blue Corn Whiskey
2. Copper Fox Rye Spirit
3. Elijah Craig 18 YO Single Barrel Bourbon
4. Stranahan's Straight Malt Whiskey
5. Clear Creek McCarthy's Single Malt
Night 2 - Tuesday 26th June 2012
1. Mellow Corn 100 Proof
2. Rittenhouse Rye 80 Proof
3. Copper Fox Rye Spirit
4. Stranahans Straight Malt Whiskey
5. Elijah Craig 18 YO Single Barrel Bourbon
6. Clear Creek. McCarthy's Single Malt
I really wanted to highlight the radical and innovative approaches to Whiskey making that Chip Tate at Balcones and Rick Wasmund at Copper Fox take. Also included Stranahan's and Clear Creek to show small batch, artisan and craft distillation at work. Although not included in the tasting I also discussed Tuthilltown's Hudson range - especially about their idea of "sonic maturation" and also Charby with their inclusion of hops into the mash.
On the other hand I wanted to show the bigger players in Kentucky and used Heaven Hill as an example of a large-scale business that is still family owned (by the Shapiro Brothers) and can confidently emphasise tradition and heritage with the lineage of Joseph Beam being head distiller, right through the generations to Parker and Craig Beam as current father and son distillers.
Full tasting notes for each individual whiskey to follow.
The theme for both evenings was to show the different types of American whiskey - representing Corn, Rye, Single Malt and obviously Bourbon. Previous American tastings have also included a Straight Wheat - from Bernheim (Heaven Hill) but this time round the idea was to concentrate a little more on the craft and micro distillers in America - to highlight where the cutting edge and more radical approaches to whiskey making are occurring. I used Heaven Hill this time round as an example of a distillery making several different styles of drink (corn, bourbon and rye) as a comparison against a Scotch Whisky distillery that makes just one style of drink: single malt.
Due to limited availability of certain stock I had to run two nights a little differently.
Night 1 - Monday 25th June 2012
1. Balcones Baby Blue Corn Whiskey
2. Copper Fox Rye Spirit
3. Elijah Craig 18 YO Single Barrel Bourbon
4. Stranahan's Straight Malt Whiskey
5. Clear Creek McCarthy's Single Malt
Night 2 - Tuesday 26th June 2012
1. Mellow Corn 100 Proof
2. Rittenhouse Rye 80 Proof
3. Copper Fox Rye Spirit
4. Stranahans Straight Malt Whiskey
5. Elijah Craig 18 YO Single Barrel Bourbon
6. Clear Creek. McCarthy's Single Malt
I really wanted to highlight the radical and innovative approaches to Whiskey making that Chip Tate at Balcones and Rick Wasmund at Copper Fox take. Also included Stranahan's and Clear Creek to show small batch, artisan and craft distillation at work. Although not included in the tasting I also discussed Tuthilltown's Hudson range - especially about their idea of "sonic maturation" and also Charby with their inclusion of hops into the mash.
On the other hand I wanted to show the bigger players in Kentucky and used Heaven Hill as an example of a large-scale business that is still family owned (by the Shapiro Brothers) and can confidently emphasise tradition and heritage with the lineage of Joseph Beam being head distiller, right through the generations to Parker and Craig Beam as current father and son distillers.
Full tasting notes for each individual whiskey to follow.
Saturday 16 June 2012
Caol Ila - Unpeated
Now this is an interesting proposition.
An unpeated Caol Ila.
Ok. I've had this a few times. And at one point I think this was only available at the distillery. But now you can get it from a specialist. A whisky specialist yeah?
So is this Caol Ila's take on a Blasda?
I mean, let's face it - along with Bunnahabhain you're one of Islay's more unknown malts, you're utterly unpronounceable, and you've not got the marketing. So why. On. Earth. Would you bother release a unpeated version? Especially when your local supermarket will discount your fruity unpeated speysider for more than half the amount. It's equivalent to buying the demo's and outtakes of your favourite band then.
Nose:
Soft and subtle. Sweet malt barley. It's got a lovely fizzy sherberty barley feel. Like those Ufo sherbet parcels - rice paper and shebert. It's chunky on the nose. But it doesn't give away it's over 60% abv. Not. At. All. You would expect it to be more forceful than it is. It's mouthwatering alright. And there's a lovely combination of un-baked cake and un-risen cookie dough.
Taste:
Bitter and sweet in a quaint waltz. Then intense barley on the first sip. Like a rollercoaster. That by the second you are already used to. It feels like Oblivion at Alton Towers. After the second sip it quickly dies down.
Finish:
As it develops the bitter/sweet balances itself out. It's oily but nowhere near as you would expect the standard peated variety. Clean, clean, clean. All the way. Although there's no peat on the malt you know that there's some residue on all that copper. It's impossible to take it away. It adds a thread of robustness and props the cereal notes from the barley up superbly. It's weirdly balanced and the finish is weirdly short for such a high abv malt- but that's maybe it taming your taste buds.
An unpeated Caol Ila.
Ok. I've had this a few times. And at one point I think this was only available at the distillery. But now you can get it from a specialist. A whisky specialist yeah?
So is this Caol Ila's take on a Blasda?
I mean, let's face it - along with Bunnahabhain you're one of Islay's more unknown malts, you're utterly unpronounceable, and you've not got the marketing. So why. On. Earth. Would you bother release a unpeated version? Especially when your local supermarket will discount your fruity unpeated speysider for more than half the amount. It's equivalent to buying the demo's and outtakes of your favourite band then.
Nose:
Soft and subtle. Sweet malt barley. It's got a lovely fizzy sherberty barley feel. Like those Ufo sherbet parcels - rice paper and shebert. It's chunky on the nose. But it doesn't give away it's over 60% abv. Not. At. All. You would expect it to be more forceful than it is. It's mouthwatering alright. And there's a lovely combination of un-baked cake and un-risen cookie dough.
Taste:
Bitter and sweet in a quaint waltz. Then intense barley on the first sip. Like a rollercoaster. That by the second you are already used to. It feels like Oblivion at Alton Towers. After the second sip it quickly dies down.
Finish:
As it develops the bitter/sweet balances itself out. It's oily but nowhere near as you would expect the standard peated variety. Clean, clean, clean. All the way. Although there's no peat on the malt you know that there's some residue on all that copper. It's impossible to take it away. It adds a thread of robustness and props the cereal notes from the barley up superbly. It's weirdly balanced and the finish is weirdly short for such a high abv malt- but that's maybe it taming your taste buds.
Braeval - Signatory 1998
In the spirit of kicking out a few spirit reviews..
Braeval - This may well be Scotland's highest distillery. As if it makes a jot of difference apart from some bright spark in marketing. "Actually John I think you'll find our Low wines still is actually 20 metres higher than Dalwhinne's and our mash tun is at least 10 metres higher than Tomintoul". AIIGAF.
Anyway....
This bottle is another Signatory offering.
I like Signatory. I like their stark branding. I like the fact that Andrew Symington seems like Thomas the Tank Engine's Fat Controller. I like his grumpiness and gruff response to camera happy tourists at closing time around his pretty Edradour distillery.
I like Signatory. I like it's entry level into independent bottlings. You can pick up a malt for a few quid cheaper than that distillery bottle. That's got to be praised. You'll see them (and their "Tesco value"-like label on the shelf of many a whisky bar). And I like the fact they are fairly consistent. I've had a load of them that are pretty tasty. But nothing. That has rocked my world. Ever. And maybe that's the problem. Good - yes, Interesting - certainly, to die for - never. Regularly outbeat by Con Choice.
This was distilled at Braeval on the 12th November 1998. It was aged for 12 years in two bourbon barrels before bottling on the 9th March 2011. A release of 679 bottles from Signatory.
Nose:
Clean, sharp. Malty with a pungency.
Taste:
Spice, Bitter. Harsh Oak. Unforgiving. Salt. Oil. Sticking plaster. Mechanics.
A fatty mouth-feel but sharp and bitter. Like fluffy snow (yes both cold and wooly - at the same time).
Finish:
Long if a little bitter and unbalanced. A touch of salt perhaps at the end.
Look. This is not a joyous whisky. This is not celebratory. This is not a malt to savour. This is a malt to work through. It's just fucking needy. Even when it comes round from it's utter grump, even when it opens up it's just simply disappointing. Yeah, there's a hint of gingerbread. But it's just a concession to a malt that is not constructed properly. It's hard work. It's a fighty malt. You can understand why it may give importance to blends - it's all about body and strength. But in terms of taste and aroma it's left wanting.
End of.
Braeval - This may well be Scotland's highest distillery. As if it makes a jot of difference apart from some bright spark in marketing. "Actually John I think you'll find our Low wines still is actually 20 metres higher than Dalwhinne's and our mash tun is at least 10 metres higher than Tomintoul". AIIGAF.
Anyway....
This bottle is another Signatory offering.
I like Signatory. I like their stark branding. I like the fact that Andrew Symington seems like Thomas the Tank Engine's Fat Controller. I like his grumpiness and gruff response to camera happy tourists at closing time around his pretty Edradour distillery.
I like Signatory. I like it's entry level into independent bottlings. You can pick up a malt for a few quid cheaper than that distillery bottle. That's got to be praised. You'll see them (and their "Tesco value"-like label on the shelf of many a whisky bar). And I like the fact they are fairly consistent. I've had a load of them that are pretty tasty. But nothing. That has rocked my world. Ever. And maybe that's the problem. Good - yes, Interesting - certainly, to die for - never. Regularly outbeat by Con Choice.
This was distilled at Braeval on the 12th November 1998. It was aged for 12 years in two bourbon barrels before bottling on the 9th March 2011. A release of 679 bottles from Signatory.
Nose:
Clean, sharp. Malty with a pungency.
Taste:
Spice, Bitter. Harsh Oak. Unforgiving. Salt. Oil. Sticking plaster. Mechanics.
A fatty mouth-feel but sharp and bitter. Like fluffy snow (yes both cold and wooly - at the same time).
Finish:
Long if a little bitter and unbalanced. A touch of salt perhaps at the end.
Look. This is not a joyous whisky. This is not celebratory. This is not a malt to savour. This is a malt to work through. It's just fucking needy. Even when it comes round from it's utter grump, even when it opens up it's just simply disappointing. Yeah, there's a hint of gingerbread. But it's just a concession to a malt that is not constructed properly. It's hard work. It's a fighty malt. You can understand why it may give importance to blends - it's all about body and strength. But in terms of taste and aroma it's left wanting.
End of.
Been away...
Hello. Yeah been away for a bit. It's not like I've been lazy in the real world and actually not done anything. In the real world there's been a couple of Irish, Speyside, two amazing Japanese tastings and now work on a really good American tasting before doing a month of rum. On top of that I've been helping out set up the whisky society for Sheffield or the Sheffield Whisky Society as they like to call it. Or WhiskySheffield if you do twitter or facebook. And I've also been doing some music trawling that is more relevant to tumblr and soundcloud than here. And I've become a father. And been to Scotland. And work. and etc. etc. etc. Anyway...
Monday 28 May 2012
Speyside Tasting
Speyside Tasting
The idea of this tasting was to compare proximity of distilleries and how distilleries really close together create different malts. This was to show how it's the distilling process that influences the malt created. You can't get much closer than Mannochmore and Glenlossie. Both Diageo. Both operational. And about 100 yards from each other. The second element was to show how casks can create different flavour profiles. So a from William Grant, a single cask from Balvennie and the 14 year old Rich Oak from Glenfiddich which uses both virgin Bourbon and virgin Sherry casks for a very short finish right at the end. Finally the classic Sherried Speysider and where else but Glenfarclas to show us the workings of the Sherry cask. Could have been Aberlour Abunadh - but we've done that one before.
Mannochmore 12 Flora and Fauna
Nose: Fresh, sweet, cereal, honey crunchy nut cornflakes. Slightly fizzy, estery and clean. Hints of those higher alcohols that faint nail varnish remover and pear drops. Tropical fruits. Starburst/Opal Fruit Lime. There's another strand - a slight brine, wet cardboard, wooden edge. A touch of balsa wood, hot burnt wood - like when you leave a wooden spoon on a hot pan - or that smell of hot wood you get in a sauna.
Taste: Dry, medium bodied. Sharp with a touch of bitterness. Citrus. Then more mouth-filling and light.
Finish: Medium.
Glenlossie 10 Flora and Fauna
Nose: Savoury with a more depth than the Manochmore. Fruit and nut with a mere, just traceable whiff of smoke way, way down in the back. There's a Jaffa cake vibe. Along with the clean element of Peppermint sweets, humbugs. Alongside that you've got some butterscotch, toffee and caramel kicking around. There's that savoury edge too, thick, gluey and viscous. With a weird hint of farmyard - almost silage.
Taste: Oily, big upfront spice. Touch of bitterness. Thick. Verges into cake mixture. Then a herbal touch, almost a Jagermeister herbiness (although not that pronounced obvo).
Finish: Medium in length as the oils take over and not as drying as the Mannochmore.
Balvennie 15 Single Cask
Great. Lost my notes for this one. Come back and have a read later, you never know might have managed to include some photographs of the bottles too. But don't hold your breath.
Glenfiddich14 Rich Oak
Nose: Initially sweet. Quite grassy and clean. Then there comes that rich oak! Hot wood. Both thick and point at the same time - like a big wedge. It goes off in two directions. Like different notes harmonising to make a chord - you can identify the separation of the elements and how they fit together - which is pretty cool. There's a bubble-gum spice - almost American rye like - which obviously comes from the Virgin Bourbon. Then there's that fruity element, with spice that nods to an Indian Restaurant.
Taste: Dry spice, then wood spice comes kicking in. It's light and almost like sadolin. Almost reminding of the way Japanese malts work out. It's got that temple thing about it. There's a lick of bittering spice which keeps it fresh and maybe a hint of corriander to follow that Inidan Restaurant riff.
Finish: Long and developed, slowly dissolving into a quaint tartness.
Glenfarclas 15
Nose: Sherry, dark chocolate, figgy cake. Thick. Dates. A touch of sulphur - slight but present as it dulls everything, hampering it from being as vibrant as I would expect.
Taste: Sweet, oily and mouth-filling. Warm with the Sherry oak influence. Then dry.
Finish: Bittering towards the end as it seems to gently fall apart. There seems to be a tang of sulphur that breaks it apart. I don't remember the 15 being as disjointed as this a few years back so I suspect it must be this particular batch. Put it down to a glitch. Only a couple of people picked up on it though, so most people were happy. The 10, although lighter, hangs together much better.
The idea of this tasting was to compare proximity of distilleries and how distilleries really close together create different malts. This was to show how it's the distilling process that influences the malt created. You can't get much closer than Mannochmore and Glenlossie. Both Diageo. Both operational. And about 100 yards from each other. The second element was to show how casks can create different flavour profiles. So a from William Grant, a single cask from Balvennie and the 14 year old Rich Oak from Glenfiddich which uses both virgin Bourbon and virgin Sherry casks for a very short finish right at the end. Finally the classic Sherried Speysider and where else but Glenfarclas to show us the workings of the Sherry cask. Could have been Aberlour Abunadh - but we've done that one before.
Mannochmore 12 Flora and Fauna
Nose: Fresh, sweet, cereal, honey crunchy nut cornflakes. Slightly fizzy, estery and clean. Hints of those higher alcohols that faint nail varnish remover and pear drops. Tropical fruits. Starburst/Opal Fruit Lime. There's another strand - a slight brine, wet cardboard, wooden edge. A touch of balsa wood, hot burnt wood - like when you leave a wooden spoon on a hot pan - or that smell of hot wood you get in a sauna.
Taste: Dry, medium bodied. Sharp with a touch of bitterness. Citrus. Then more mouth-filling and light.
Finish: Medium.
Glenlossie 10 Flora and Fauna
Nose: Savoury with a more depth than the Manochmore. Fruit and nut with a mere, just traceable whiff of smoke way, way down in the back. There's a Jaffa cake vibe. Along with the clean element of Peppermint sweets, humbugs. Alongside that you've got some butterscotch, toffee and caramel kicking around. There's that savoury edge too, thick, gluey and viscous. With a weird hint of farmyard - almost silage.
Taste: Oily, big upfront spice. Touch of bitterness. Thick. Verges into cake mixture. Then a herbal touch, almost a Jagermeister herbiness (although not that pronounced obvo).
Finish: Medium in length as the oils take over and not as drying as the Mannochmore.
Balvennie 15 Single Cask
Great. Lost my notes for this one. Come back and have a read later, you never know might have managed to include some photographs of the bottles too. But don't hold your breath.
Glenfiddich14 Rich Oak
Nose: Initially sweet. Quite grassy and clean. Then there comes that rich oak! Hot wood. Both thick and point at the same time - like a big wedge. It goes off in two directions. Like different notes harmonising to make a chord - you can identify the separation of the elements and how they fit together - which is pretty cool. There's a bubble-gum spice - almost American rye like - which obviously comes from the Virgin Bourbon. Then there's that fruity element, with spice that nods to an Indian Restaurant.
Taste: Dry spice, then wood spice comes kicking in. It's light and almost like sadolin. Almost reminding of the way Japanese malts work out. It's got that temple thing about it. There's a lick of bittering spice which keeps it fresh and maybe a hint of corriander to follow that Inidan Restaurant riff.
Finish: Long and developed, slowly dissolving into a quaint tartness.
Glenfarclas 15
Nose: Sherry, dark chocolate, figgy cake. Thick. Dates. A touch of sulphur - slight but present as it dulls everything, hampering it from being as vibrant as I would expect.
Taste: Sweet, oily and mouth-filling. Warm with the Sherry oak influence. Then dry.
Finish: Bittering towards the end as it seems to gently fall apart. There seems to be a tang of sulphur that breaks it apart. I don't remember the 15 being as disjointed as this a few years back so I suspect it must be this particular batch. Put it down to a glitch. Only a couple of people picked up on it though, so most people were happy. The 10, although lighter, hangs together much better.
Saturday 26 May 2012
Irish Tasting
Okay.
Recently I ran a couple of Irish Whiskey tasting events. So what I've done here is to combine all of my the tasting notes into one super blog post. The events were both to the same brief but I tried to feature different whiskeys in both. To add another twist I also did an Irish Whiskey Tasting in the same venue a year ago (and so had to display completely different whiskies from the previous year).
Here's the brief:
For an Irish tasting I'm looking at covering the four separate styles made: single malt, single grain, blend and pot still. Combined with that I want to show the three main distilleries: Bushmills, Middleton and Cooley (I've got little chance of putting anything actually distilled at Kilbeggan unless I physically go there - just wanted to point that out) . So I've got five drinks in which to do that. And, as always, try and throw a couple of things in that people might not have had before, something that would be less likely to be seen in a bar that features over 100 different whiskies, and to get the whole lot in under £250.
And here's the ride:
Tasting One - Sheaf View April 2012
3. Jameson Select Reserve (Blend -- Middleton)
4. Bushmills 16 YO (Single Malt - Bushmills)
5. Connemara Turf Mor (Single Malt - Cooley)
Original Tasting - Blake Hotel May 2011
Greenore 8 Yo (Single Grain - Cooley)
Bushmills Black Bush (Blend - Bushmills)
Dun Leire 8 (Single Malt - Cooley)
GreenSpot [Old Presentation] (Single Pot Still - Middleton)
Tyrconnol Port Cask (Single Malt - Cooley)
Dun Leire 8 YO
n - sweet and dusty. broken orange. clean and homage. furniture polish, wax mr sheen. cheap cortina seats.
t - sweet, off kilter spice
bitter, burnt orange, burnt malt,
spice and tingle on lips and sides. nithing in centre of tounge.
clean, but one dimensional - it's a great riff just
finish is better, tangy spice, savoury fruity edge,
GreenOre 18 YO
Grain Whisky.
Beautiful depth. Enriching on the nose. It just keeps giving and giving. So much depth. You just want to drown in it. You can smell the years in the cask. They just slowly dissolve upon each sniff. It continues on the palate. That beautiful pooling of grain, melting spice. Simply gorgeous. Like early Jill Scot or Erykha Badu. Confident, assured, soft, funk and groove.
GreenSpot
Ok, this is in the new fancy packaging. So I was expecting it to be the same whisky but with a moderrn look. Nah. As soon as I sniffed it, this is different. The old version was all menthol and Fox's Glacier Mints. Ultra smooth, crisp and clean. This one is a bit more noisy. There's a bigger spice presence. It's instantly spikeier and hotter. Maybe a touch of younger whiskies at play. But the easiness has gone and been replaced with something a little more modern. The difference between trousers and distressed jeans. Maybe this is a better whisky but it was not the whisky I was expecting.
Recently I ran a couple of Irish Whiskey tasting events. So what I've done here is to combine all of my the tasting notes into one super blog post. The events were both to the same brief but I tried to feature different whiskeys in both. To add another twist I also did an Irish Whiskey Tasting in the same venue a year ago (and so had to display completely different whiskies from the previous year).
Here's the brief:
For an Irish tasting I'm looking at covering the four separate styles made: single malt, single grain, blend and pot still. Combined with that I want to show the three main distilleries: Bushmills, Middleton and Cooley (I've got little chance of putting anything actually distilled at Kilbeggan unless I physically go there - just wanted to point that out) . So I've got five drinks in which to do that. And, as always, try and throw a couple of things in that people might not have had before, something that would be less likely to be seen in a bar that features over 100 different whiskies, and to get the whole lot in under £250.
And here's the ride:
Tasting One - Sheaf View April 2012
1. Bushmills 1608 400th Anniversary Edition (Blend - Bushmills)
2. Dun Leire 8 YO (Single Malt - Cooley)
3. Greenore 18 YO (Single Grain - Cooley)
4. GreenSpot [New Presentation] (Pot Still - Middleton)
5. Redbreast 12YO Cask Strength (Pot Still - Middleton)
Tasting Two - Blake Hotel May 2012
1. Greenore 18YO (Single Grain - Cooley)
2. GreenSpot [New Presentation] (Pot Still - Middleton)
4. Bushmills 16 YO (Single Malt - Bushmills)
5. Connemara Turf Mor (Single Malt - Cooley)
Original Tasting - Blake Hotel May 2011
Greenore 8 Yo (Single Grain - Cooley)
Bushmills Black Bush (Blend - Bushmills)
Dun Leire 8 (Single Malt - Cooley)
GreenSpot [Old Presentation] (Single Pot Still - Middleton)
Tyrconnol Port Cask (Single Malt - Cooley)
A few clarifications - why the Dun Leire, well it was a fave from Jim Murray a couple of years back, also the Connemara I ordered failed to show (that was my "Irish do peat" card). Also it's a great bottle of booze and it went very well with the narrative of Cooley and how supermarket bottles helped the cash flow of the business and kept them on their feet and how now, with the sale to Beam Global in Decemeber 2011, the supermarket own brands that Cooley make will be disappearing from the shelves. It's also a pleasure to pop people's preconceptions too - that is, ask them if they like it and see the reaction when they're told it's a bought off the supermarket shelf.
Pretty much every bar has Bushmills blend, 10 Single Malt or Black Bush on the bar - the 1608 was a good deal from a leading whisky specialist at the time.
Greenore 18. Well personally I love this stuff and it showed really well. Again there is a snobbery that people have about grain - about it being the cheap component in blends and so must be cheap itself. But why the heck should the raw materials be discriminated in this way? It's all about the distillate, the cask and how it's aged.
Finally Middleton and Pot-Still. Well Pot-still is the DNA of Irish whisky. It's unique to Ireland and so pretty much unique to Middleton (I've heard there may have been Pot-still experiments at Kilbeggan but there is no way I can know for sure). It's the combination of roughly 60% unmalted and 40% malted barley (historically for skimping on the tax that malted barley drew) that gives it it's uniqueness. I said in the show, taste un-malted barley - hard, starchy, fibrous, and then taste malted barley - that classic malt, sweet taste we know (remember Ovaltine surely!). Scotch may be all about single malt (malted barley) but Ireland is all about Pot Still.
Finally Middleton and Pot-Still. Well Pot-still is the DNA of Irish whisky. It's unique to Ireland and so pretty much unique to Middleton (I've heard there may have been Pot-still experiments at Kilbeggan but there is no way I can know for sure). It's the combination of roughly 60% unmalted and 40% malted barley (historically for skimping on the tax that malted barley drew) that gives it it's uniqueness. I said in the show, taste un-malted barley - hard, starchy, fibrous, and then taste malted barley - that classic malt, sweet taste we know (remember Ovaltine surely!). Scotch may be all about single malt (malted barley) but Ireland is all about Pot Still.
Bushmills 1608 400th Anniversary Edition.
n - cereal, spice, paste, cocoa powder. mint, dry, dusty cereal after it opens up - a sharp, pointed attack. all trianglular at the the front
t - whoa that's nails. hard and unforgiving - like running into a concrete lamp post. the spice opens up quite quickly - like a airplane taking off and then banks it's way to a sharp bitter conclusion.
f - there's bitterness, but it's rock solid all the way. functional and direct.
this is not a soft dram - this is letting you know it's there. the barley and spice are intense. This bittle is made from Crystal Malt, which is slightly more expensive than Pale Malt and used in brewery to give a sweeter, toffee finish. there's nothing on the back palate it's all front loading all the way. the spice is sharp and unforgiving. it's like being told off, told to walk straight - fold your hands child you look like a peasant!!
Dun Leire 8 YO
n - sweet and dusty. broken orange. clean and homage. furniture polish, wax mr sheen. cheap cortina seats.
t - sweet, off kilter spice
bitter, burnt orange, burnt malt,
spice and tingle on lips and sides. nithing in centre of tounge.
clean, but one dimensional - it's a great riff just
finish is better, tangy spice, savoury fruity edge,
GreenOre 18 YO
Grain Whisky.
Beautiful depth. Enriching on the nose. It just keeps giving and giving. So much depth. You just want to drown in it. You can smell the years in the cask. They just slowly dissolve upon each sniff. It continues on the palate. That beautiful pooling of grain, melting spice. Simply gorgeous. Like early Jill Scot or Erykha Badu. Confident, assured, soft, funk and groove.
GreenSpot
Ok, this is in the new fancy packaging. So I was expecting it to be the same whisky but with a moderrn look. Nah. As soon as I sniffed it, this is different. The old version was all menthol and Fox's Glacier Mints. Ultra smooth, crisp and clean. This one is a bit more noisy. There's a bigger spice presence. It's instantly spikeier and hotter. Maybe a touch of younger whiskies at play. But the easiness has gone and been replaced with something a little more modern. The difference between trousers and distressed jeans. Maybe this is a better whisky but it was not the whisky I was expecting.
Redbreast 12 Cask Strength.
Not any old Redbreast but a cask strength at 57.7%. This is the first time, I reckon, a pot still has been issued at cask strength. I know it's limited. But hopefully some will still be kicking around.
The nose takes a minute to open up. Don't rush it. And then it becomes a garden of aromas. Layers of herbs, spices and sugars. Thick and viscous. So warm and inviting. A gentle waltz between sweet and savoury elements but everything complementary and gracefully in balance. Both masculine, in it's assured delivery and feminine in its pungency and a breathtaking array of heady bouquet.
The delivery on the mouth is nothing short of huge. It's titanic! The spice is aggressively forward, especially at full strength. You can feel the weight of the cask roll over onto your tongue. It reminds me of bagels on Brick Lane in London smothered in mustard - the kick when you first bite in with your senses being beautifully assaulted - a slight pain but enveloping synapse pleasure. After it settles there's a slight burnt or charred note, a wee touch of natural caramel propping that up to create a bit of harmony - to keep it all in check.
Even in the glass you can tell it's huge, the tears on the glass thick. The finish layers a little touch of woody bitterness, a slight tangy vibe at the edges of the tongue. Everso slightly fizzy. This whiskey is a beast. And perhaps one of the finest in the world. It's like Oblivion at Towers, in the queue the build up is intense, the complete fear as it sends you to the edge, and then the drop is nothing short of spectacular. Coming up for air. One of the most thrilling whisky rides this year - and a Jim Murray contender I'll wager.
Jamesons Select Reserve
Not expecting it to be that colour - had to check I hadn't tainted the glass. No it's deffo got a lovely orange hue to it. Unsurprising when you know that this particular version of Jameos is a blend of a fair whack of 12 year old Pot Still - 75% to be roughly exact and of that 75%, a quarter of it (that's 25%) has been matured in Sherry casks - which is a bit more than usual for a Jamesons release. Added to this is the rest of the blend (25%) is a special 5 year old grain whiskey that Middleton only cook up once a year over a few days. According to sources it's never been used or released before in a blend. What they do to it I do not know but I bet it involves a bit of knob tweeking and wash re-routing or something similar in the complexity of those giant Middleton stills. Anyway, is it any good? Well the South Africans reckon as it has been released over there in mid to late 2011 before hitting these shores in May (Which means when we did the tasting it was only a few weeks available).
Double anyway, it's soft and orangey on the nose and totally unlike Jameson. So I cracked open a standard bottle as a comparison (and smashed my nosing glass in the process which is why the photo shows the standard Jameson in a glass from Rum Fest - yes I could have put them both in a Glencairn but I couldn't be bothered - you can see the difference in colour though yeah? Good. Job done.)
Nose - Mealy, very soft, orange, gentle, luxourious. strawberry, chocolate banana (almost banana in a rum way), raisin, fudge. Toffee. Evaporated milk in those little tins. A nip of hot cake and custard.
Taste/Finish - oily, very oily. Skidding all over the mouth, a hunk of bitterness, but soft as well. The spice comes in very late indeed, you almost forget it should be there and it slowly makes it's presence known. Ambling in like the popular host at a party. There's a peppery catch to it which I find unusual - a bit like salt and pepper with a slight vegetal note at the back of the palate. Possibly like tempura battered salt and pepper bean curd with a slight chilli seasoning - or am I taking it too far here? It might make a food match if nothing else - especially working on the finish. Although a peanut satay may also be a winning food match move.
It's a hotter product than the normal Jameson - there's more bit, a bit more swerve. Possibly a bit more machismo and at the same time wider and less one-direction than the standard blend. I can, maybe, see why this was intended for a hotter climate - the whiskey would certainly cut through with a mixer and make it's presence known.
Jameson
Nose - hard, keen spice, plateau power chord or circular riff - motorik even, alcohol making it's way present.
Taste - oily and smooth, slight acidity, spice making a little shuffle apperance. still hard - like dancing in a straight jacket. You're not going to mess with Jameson - it's such a contender for all everything that it may as well be water. It's like a kitten, impossible not to love. The layering is so, so lovely. And subtle, the grain creating a little flashes of sweetness.
The finish is superb, it's still there, right at the end nagging you. C'mon we're not done yet. Perfectly drinkable with a straw out of the bottle, perhaps more-so than Jacky D. Overall, it's too drinkable a whiskey. I just noticed that whilst writing the introduction to this piece, and with both bottles equidistant from each other, that I unconsciously kept topping my glass up with the standard blend. Probably says it all right there.
Bushmills 16
This little baby is matured in the usual Bourbon/Sherry combo for 16 years before being finished in a Port pipe for a triple wood vibe. The deeper colour reflects the finish. Honestly, I'm not sure if the finish adds or detracts from the whiskey. The spice is tempered but that could do with age. It's comfortable, in a pipe and slippers way. Easy like a Sunday morning. Indeed this would probably be a great whiskey-in-bed. I reckon it would work really well a bit of bacon and touch of red sauce. (Note: I prefer bacon and brown but I'm not sure the whiskey would).
Vivid on the nose. Vivid. With a lot of depth and multiple layers. Big fruity kick. Melon. Figs and dates. A peek-a-boo hint of bitterness that darts in and shies out amongst the fruit salad. A subtle dose of wine. Stewed fruit. A banana. But it doesn't hang around. They kind of gang up, then scuttle away. There's a coconut. Coconut macaroon. Cakey. Dough mixture. Warm doughnut. Barley sugars.
The delivery is softer than I thought. The nose is all fruity and coy. It doesn't directly translate to the palate. There's not much spice present. It hints at being there but pretty much does a runner before it's cue. There's an odd bitter note that was hinted at in the nose but kind of rumbles in a luckluster way, neither offensive or sharp, surprisingly in balance and in check with the lack of spice. Oils pool. A certain sweetness. It's not as full bodied as expected. But in a good way. That bitterness is almost sardine like - oily fish. And bones. It finishes savoury and oil pooling. Smooth, like candy.
Thursday 24 May 2012
Arran - Amarone Finish
Arran loves to finish their malts in various casks. I'm not sure if the public are getting a bit tired of all this yet but if they keep making it, we'll keep drinking it I suppose. Amarone is the big balls out Italian red - made particially by let the grapes shrivel after picking to remove water and thus concentrate the flavours. It' s a great wine - classic Itailian full bodied and generally not cheap. I've no idea how long they've let this rest in the cask but it's certainly leached out all the colour and there's a fair bit of sediment kicking around in the bottle too.
It's a bit of a two headed beast. Quite wire-like, thin and direct to start. On the nose a touch of astringency along with the sweet red wine from the cask. A bit stalky too. There's some malt in there as well, let's not forget. It's all zippy on the tongue; a bit of a ying-yang. Bounces around with interesting sweet-spice combo moves. It gets more intriguing as it develops and there's certainly a lot going on. And a little lick of salt right at the end just to add to the mix. Comparable to the Caol Ila Hermitage I had a while back in that it throws you a curve-ball, letting you decide what to do with it. Perhaps, due to the lightness of the base malt to begin with, it manages to pull off the wine cask finish more successfully than most by virtue of being slightly more integrated than others I've tried. An interesting experiment, it's a lot of fun, doesn't take itself too seriously and certainly worth an investigation and twenty minutes of your time. I've got a feeling that I'll probably be coming back to it a couple of times - I quite enjoyed the ride.
It's a bit of a two headed beast. Quite wire-like, thin and direct to start. On the nose a touch of astringency along with the sweet red wine from the cask. A bit stalky too. There's some malt in there as well, let's not forget. It's all zippy on the tongue; a bit of a ying-yang. Bounces around with interesting sweet-spice combo moves. It gets more intriguing as it develops and there's certainly a lot going on. And a little lick of salt right at the end just to add to the mix. Comparable to the Caol Ila Hermitage I had a while back in that it throws you a curve-ball, letting you decide what to do with it. Perhaps, due to the lightness of the base malt to begin with, it manages to pull off the wine cask finish more successfully than most by virtue of being slightly more integrated than others I've tried. An interesting experiment, it's a lot of fun, doesn't take itself too seriously and certainly worth an investigation and twenty minutes of your time. I've got a feeling that I'll probably be coming back to it a couple of times - I quite enjoyed the ride.
Caol Ila UnchillFiltered Signatory 2000
Standard Caol Ila and Islay. This is maturated for 11 years in two bourbon casks then vatted together to get around 600 bottles. Some of the time, like in the Connoisseur's Choice bottles from Gordon and MacPhail, you'll be seeing Caol Ila in refill Sherry casks. The Sherry wood seems to temper the peat slightly. Here, the Bourbon cask amplifies the smoke and peat reek. It's Caol Ila but revved up. The oils are there but the grassy notes are more subdued. The casks really clean out the spirit and make it very clinical and medicinal at the same time. It's got a killer instinct this one. A one directional force du jour. The nose is all smoke with salt and a touch of scorched wood. The taste kicks off initially sweet then the spice arrives later and then the smoke after that wafts quite forcibly through the whole lot. The finish is that smoke amplified, tar and bitter, almost sailing rope. The scorched wood, like aroma you get in a sauna is one of the over-riding themes.
Wednesday 2 May 2012
Tyrconnel Port Cask
Tyroconnel - Port Cask Finish.
Nose - Depth and sweetness. A little liqourice allsorts style hit. You remember those blue ones covered with little dots? Well them. Still sweet but with savoury undercurrents. The mouth waters slightly. There's a lovely cereal depth, huge chunky malt presence. A tipple of chocolate. A leaning of a Cadbury Fruit and Nut. Pithy Orange. All the hallmarks of a classic Irish whisky.
Taste - Sweet, initially, With a lovely one-two touch off on the spice, integrating with the oak. Then the pooling of oils and the nod of a stalky bitterness. Creamy and a citrus sharpness.
There's not much to give the cask away. A touch of sweetness on the nose but nothing too much on the delivery to suggest an extended port finish. Maybe right at the very end when the spice has faded to a sweet ember does the touch of port play it's pipes.
Maybe this is both a good and bad thing. Maybe a little weary of over exposure for wood finishes. But maybe a little disappointed that doesn't live up to the expectations. However, is this a good whisky? Yes I say. Is it one I'm going to be remembering for years to come? Then probably not. Which is in itself a shame as with Jim Beam buying out Cooley it's unlikely that we ever will again.
Nose - Depth and sweetness. A little liqourice allsorts style hit. You remember those blue ones covered with little dots? Well them. Still sweet but with savoury undercurrents. The mouth waters slightly. There's a lovely cereal depth, huge chunky malt presence. A tipple of chocolate. A leaning of a Cadbury Fruit and Nut. Pithy Orange. All the hallmarks of a classic Irish whisky.
Taste - Sweet, initially, With a lovely one-two touch off on the spice, integrating with the oak. Then the pooling of oils and the nod of a stalky bitterness. Creamy and a citrus sharpness.
There's not much to give the cask away. A touch of sweetness on the nose but nothing too much on the delivery to suggest an extended port finish. Maybe right at the very end when the spice has faded to a sweet ember does the touch of port play it's pipes.
Maybe this is both a good and bad thing. Maybe a little weary of over exposure for wood finishes. But maybe a little disappointed that doesn't live up to the expectations. However, is this a good whisky? Yes I say. Is it one I'm going to be remembering for years to come? Then probably not. Which is in itself a shame as with Jim Beam buying out Cooley it's unlikely that we ever will again.
Dead Arm 2005 - Shiraz
Like a few people I've met along the booze highway I started out my professional life as a wine advisor at Oddbins. I'd always had a love for exploring the world of drink and had been a customer at Oddbins for a number of years. I just loved the way the stores were quirky, the staff laid back and personal. It really demistified and democratized the whole wine selection process. Now there was a store where I could go in and the staff would go "Nah, don't buy that, spend a quid more and buy this." Where I could go in on a weekend, taste some obscure wine from Italy and be exciting, fascinated and envigorated. Working for Oddbins meant my interest went from a passing hobby into a full scale addiction. I wanted to know about the grapes, the soil, the producers. How a grape in a "New World" country fared against the same grape in an "Old World" county. I was in awe on how you could declare a grape, a country, a region and maye a price and vintage from the nose and palate. And so Oddbins set forth, codeified and solidified my love for all things drink.
Anyway, I was looking through my wine cellar the other day and realised I had a double bottle of D'Arenburg Dead Arm Shiraz from 2005. So I opened it up, let it breath and drank it over a couple of days. Maybe later on in the year may crack open the whole lot and check out each years efforts.
Dead Arm 2005
Deep, heady and pungent fruit. Emphasis on depth and heady. Black fruit. Ripe blackberries. Upfront nose. So inviting. Sweet vanilla suggestion with a tart edge. Just a smattering of black pepper - cracked.
Beautifully lilting. Waltzes with poise and grace. Developed blackberry then to a sharp hint and hit of tartness again. That bitter-sweet you get with freshly picked fruit. A touch of herbacious green. A slight leather touch.
After a while all the flavours intensify and combine. The balance becoming increasingly refined. The acidity bitterness mellows and the leather tannins warm and soften.
Anyway, I was looking through my wine cellar the other day and realised I had a double bottle of D'Arenburg Dead Arm Shiraz from 2005. So I opened it up, let it breath and drank it over a couple of days. Maybe later on in the year may crack open the whole lot and check out each years efforts.
Dead Arm 2005
Deep, heady and pungent fruit. Emphasis on depth and heady. Black fruit. Ripe blackberries. Upfront nose. So inviting. Sweet vanilla suggestion with a tart edge. Just a smattering of black pepper - cracked.
Beautifully lilting. Waltzes with poise and grace. Developed blackberry then to a sharp hint and hit of tartness again. That bitter-sweet you get with freshly picked fruit. A touch of herbacious green. A slight leather touch.
After a while all the flavours intensify and combine. The balance becoming increasingly refined. The acidity bitterness mellows and the leather tannins warm and soften.
Thursday 19 April 2012
Lark and Tasmanian Whisky.
It's great having friends who get to jet around the globe because occasionally, knowing my love of exotic booze, they'll end up bringing something back for me from their travels. As is the case with this little beaut. Walking around near the sea front in Hobart in Tasmania my friend Nick and my sister Kelly managed to walk past the door to the Lark Distillery. Not shy of a drink or two and despite they seemed to be closing they managed to sample a few of the distillery wares including some malt and some of their rum. So I was both very grateful and lucky (and very excited) when they gave us a bottle of Lark Single Malt. Obviously the only thing to do was to crack it open immediately and proceed to share it's contents with those good travellers.
Obtaining anything from that part of the world from a supplier in the U.K. is near to impossible (although I'm sure the Whisky Exchange or Master of Malt probably has bottles around £100 mark). So I knew this would be a very special treat.
William Lark is considered the godfather of Antipodean distilling. The Lark distillery was set up in 1992 and is family owned and operated. The story (related from the guy in the distillery shop) goes that he and a friend were playing golf and drinking whisky when the penny-drop moment occurred that they had all the raw materials there themselves to make their own whisky. Water, amazing barley (the field next to them on the golf course), peat in the highlands and the right conditions for maturation.
William has since helped set up and advise other distilleries in the area to create a little micro-distilling scene (for want of a better word) in Tasmania. I believe there are at least five Tasmanian distilleries: Lark (Hobart), Nant (Bothwell), Hellyers Road (Burnie), Tasmanian / Sullivan's Cove (Cambridge) and Small Concern (Ulvertone). Furthermore, Bill has also been involved in a project to set up a distillery in Kingsbarns in Fife. Scotland.
Nick also had brought back a rum which we greatly enjoyed. It was unlike any other rum I've had. I've tried Bundaberg, another Oz rum, and that's very un-rum like. This was equally so and also very unlike Bundy too. The sweetness that you expect from most Caribbean rums starts but then fades quickly to an almost medicinal, dare-i-say almost Laphroaig style peatiness and bitter conclusion. I really enjoyed it but not sure what the others felt - they did say that the samples at the distillery were different to the ones they bought back. Fortunately we didn't smash in all of the Single Malt and so I had a little left to re-taste and give a bit more consideration to.
The single malt comes in a wide, thin, flask type 500ml bottle and looks the part with a large golden embossed distillery stamp on the bottle.
Cask 128. Bourbon aged.
58% ABV.
Hand signed by William Lark.
As soon as you smell this you know it's different. It's hard to pin it down exactly, yes it noses like whisky but all the usual reference points seem to be hanging back. It's unique. You can pick up the sweet barley, the sweet malt from the off. There's a fresh floral edge combined with something else you just can't hit. There's cereal notes, drying haystacks, dusty roads. You can smell the sunshine in a glass. It's that herby, savoury, wild flower aroma that seems to bind everything together that is elusive. You can smell the cask, there's a glance of vanilla and a chunk of spicy oak. There's a headiness as well, almost musk-like. A waft of old timers, heavy perfume.
There's something very clean and fresh, something that reminds of a clear, cold mountain stream. Fresh mountain air. Mountain forest. A faint of pine. Now pencil shavings, pencil lead, graphite. Rock. Then fresh linen. Freshly washed clothes. I think you get the picture on that theme. There could be a hint of the sea, not the brine and salt of Scotland but something more sheltered and placid. As it opens those rolling gentle waves seem to become slightly more defined.
It's creamy on the tongue, coating the mouth. There's a buttery, cream, milk vibe going on. A slant on a biscuit theme - cream crackers. With a dairy-lee wedge. The spice kicks in late on and then it really makes a break for it. Intense and intensive. Searing and soaring, like a huge sustaining power chord increasing. Like a Pacific wave rolling in. Like a surfer catching a wave, It breaks and the spice dissipates. Melts. The mouth-coating oiliness flooding the tongue in it's wake. An oaky wood bitterness that rises in tandem. A slight granular edge as it fractures. Like sand.
Make no bones about it, this is a singularly unique whisky. And like all good whisky (all good drinks in fact) it speaks of it's place of origin. If Japanese whisky reminds me of calm, collectedness, zen, harmony, balance and purity. If Sweden's Mackmyra reminds me of form and function, of totality of good design. Then Lark pictures a drink that takes it's call from nature, the raw materials it's formed from. The air, the land and the water.
Obtaining anything from that part of the world from a supplier in the U.K. is near to impossible (although I'm sure the Whisky Exchange or Master of Malt probably has bottles around £100 mark). So I knew this would be a very special treat.
William Lark is considered the godfather of Antipodean distilling. The Lark distillery was set up in 1992 and is family owned and operated. The story (related from the guy in the distillery shop) goes that he and a friend were playing golf and drinking whisky when the penny-drop moment occurred that they had all the raw materials there themselves to make their own whisky. Water, amazing barley (the field next to them on the golf course), peat in the highlands and the right conditions for maturation.
William has since helped set up and advise other distilleries in the area to create a little micro-distilling scene (for want of a better word) in Tasmania. I believe there are at least five Tasmanian distilleries: Lark (Hobart), Nant (Bothwell), Hellyers Road (Burnie), Tasmanian / Sullivan's Cove (Cambridge) and Small Concern (Ulvertone). Furthermore, Bill has also been involved in a project to set up a distillery in Kingsbarns in Fife. Scotland.
Nick also had brought back a rum which we greatly enjoyed. It was unlike any other rum I've had. I've tried Bundaberg, another Oz rum, and that's very un-rum like. This was equally so and also very unlike Bundy too. The sweetness that you expect from most Caribbean rums starts but then fades quickly to an almost medicinal, dare-i-say almost Laphroaig style peatiness and bitter conclusion. I really enjoyed it but not sure what the others felt - they did say that the samples at the distillery were different to the ones they bought back. Fortunately we didn't smash in all of the Single Malt and so I had a little left to re-taste and give a bit more consideration to.
The single malt comes in a wide, thin, flask type 500ml bottle and looks the part with a large golden embossed distillery stamp on the bottle.
Cask 128. Bourbon aged.
58% ABV.
Hand signed by William Lark.
As soon as you smell this you know it's different. It's hard to pin it down exactly, yes it noses like whisky but all the usual reference points seem to be hanging back. It's unique. You can pick up the sweet barley, the sweet malt from the off. There's a fresh floral edge combined with something else you just can't hit. There's cereal notes, drying haystacks, dusty roads. You can smell the sunshine in a glass. It's that herby, savoury, wild flower aroma that seems to bind everything together that is elusive. You can smell the cask, there's a glance of vanilla and a chunk of spicy oak. There's a headiness as well, almost musk-like. A waft of old timers, heavy perfume.
There's something very clean and fresh, something that reminds of a clear, cold mountain stream. Fresh mountain air. Mountain forest. A faint of pine. Now pencil shavings, pencil lead, graphite. Rock. Then fresh linen. Freshly washed clothes. I think you get the picture on that theme. There could be a hint of the sea, not the brine and salt of Scotland but something more sheltered and placid. As it opens those rolling gentle waves seem to become slightly more defined.
It's creamy on the tongue, coating the mouth. There's a buttery, cream, milk vibe going on. A slant on a biscuit theme - cream crackers. With a dairy-lee wedge. The spice kicks in late on and then it really makes a break for it. Intense and intensive. Searing and soaring, like a huge sustaining power chord increasing. Like a Pacific wave rolling in. Like a surfer catching a wave, It breaks and the spice dissipates. Melts. The mouth-coating oiliness flooding the tongue in it's wake. An oaky wood bitterness that rises in tandem. A slight granular edge as it fractures. Like sand.
Make no bones about it, this is a singularly unique whisky. And like all good whisky (all good drinks in fact) it speaks of it's place of origin. If Japanese whisky reminds me of calm, collectedness, zen, harmony, balance and purity. If Sweden's Mackmyra reminds me of form and function, of totality of good design. Then Lark pictures a drink that takes it's call from nature, the raw materials it's formed from. The air, the land and the water.
Wednesday 18 April 2012
Butternut Squash Risotto and Bowmore Tempest.
I like to make risotto. It's a meal that requires 100% of your attention. The ladling of the stock, bit by bit, means that you can't go and do anything else. Ladle, stir, ladle. It's quite zen in a way. Quite a chilled out, half an hour on your own. Anyway, you can pretty much stick anything into a risotto. One of my favourites is beetroot. It turns the rice a lovely purple colour. One of the best things about risotto is the way it totally comes together right at the very end - the addition of parmesan and herbs and a little bit of the stock just to loosen it.
But one of my favourite things, and of relevance to this blog, is the booze finish. A quick slug of spirit and in the closing moments can really transform the dish. For instance, when using fennel a slug of Ricard really works. The other week, whilst making it with the beetroot I realised that I couldn't find any vodka (beetroot and vodka - classic combo obvo!) in the amongst the many half bottles in the store! In a bit of an inspired move I had some Aviation gin on the side. Aviation is an American gin and is rye based but also not particularly juniper dominated like a traditional gin. It worked a treat.
Yesterday, I was using up a butternut squash in the risotto. The squash and onion, were giving it a sweet edge with the parmesan a touch of salt and sage giving it an earthy balance. What I wanted was a touch of smoke. Fortunately there was a bottle of Bowmore Tempest Batch 3 on the side from a tasting a did a couple of weeks ago. A perfect solution - a Laphroiag would have been too pungent - but the Tempest has the smoke balance along with a beautiful citrus orange touch which complemented the dish bang on. Also as it's cask strength it took seconds to burn off and I didn't need to use as much - which means a little bit more to drink!
But one of my favourite things, and of relevance to this blog, is the booze finish. A quick slug of spirit and in the closing moments can really transform the dish. For instance, when using fennel a slug of Ricard really works. The other week, whilst making it with the beetroot I realised that I couldn't find any vodka (beetroot and vodka - classic combo obvo!) in the amongst the many half bottles in the store! In a bit of an inspired move I had some Aviation gin on the side. Aviation is an American gin and is rye based but also not particularly juniper dominated like a traditional gin. It worked a treat.
Yesterday, I was using up a butternut squash in the risotto. The squash and onion, were giving it a sweet edge with the parmesan a touch of salt and sage giving it an earthy balance. What I wanted was a touch of smoke. Fortunately there was a bottle of Bowmore Tempest Batch 3 on the side from a tasting a did a couple of weeks ago. A perfect solution - a Laphroiag would have been too pungent - but the Tempest has the smoke balance along with a beautiful citrus orange touch which complemented the dish bang on. Also as it's cask strength it took seconds to burn off and I didn't need to use as much - which means a little bit more to drink!
Friday 13 April 2012
Intro to Scotch Tasting.
Well you got to start somewhere.. and last month at the Sheaf View in Sheffield the tasting was an introduction into the world of Scottish Whisky. Or to be a bit more precise Scottish Single Malts. Of course whisky can, and is, made all around the world but Scotland is probably going to be the best place to start for those new to the drink.
Here's the brief: 5 Scottish Single Malts representing different regional areas, different cask types (e.g. sherry v bourbon). Mainly aimed at the beginner but with a twist to keep a couple of old timers excited. In a pub that sells single malts (so no "classic malt series" thanks) £10 a ticket 25 people max.
Without repeating the night wholesale, and cutting a very long story short - what was explored were:
The Lowlands - represented by Bladnoch 20 (distillery bottling)
Speyside - represented by Aberlour 10 Sherry Cask Finish (French bottling)
Highlands - Clynelish 12 (Friends of Classic Malt) n.b. also representing a bit of a "coastal" vibe.
Islands - Highland Park (G&M Cask 1997) - Small Batch, Sherry Cask, Cask Strength.
Islay - Bowmore Tempest 10 YO Batch#3 - Small Batch, Bourbon Cask, Cask Strength.
So the idea being to compare and contrast a couple of Sherry dominanted casks - the Aberlour and the Highland Park - plus upfront bourbon casks - the Bowmore (1st fill bourbon). Plus Cask strength A.B.V.s (Bowmore and Highland Park). And generally to present 5 malts that try to represent the various geographical and taste profiles of Scotland whilst also being fairly "user-friendly" AND at the same time throwing a curve ball or two in for some people who may have drunk the more obvious malts or had drunk some of the malts that the bar had in stock (e.g. Aberlour 16). So that was the brief. Got it? Ok no bother.. on with the show.
Bladnoch 20
46%
On the nose it's chocolate chip cookie dough and vanilla ice cream. It's light, apples, a touch of spice, perhaps a faint whiff of smoke behind it, crunchy green apples coming back again. Apple and custard. A vibe of a lazy summer orchard, a hot summers day, and so maybe there is that distant smoke from a fire on the wind. But it's fleeting. There's flowers, heady flowers. A touch of 60s love psychedelica, but having said that this is 20 years old and so maybe 90s love beads, baggy and bowl haircuts are more probable!
The taste follows the nose. Apples again. Green and grassy. Melting quickly away. Lollypops. Apple pie and cinnamon spice. The finish is likewise. Smooth, short-ish but tasty. Balanced summer lightness all the way.
Aberlour 10
43%
This particular bottle is a French only release. Finished in Sherry Casks. It kicks off quite closed on the nose. Perhaps even diffident. Perhaps even defiant. Oddly, it feels French. There's an odd element of apples and perhaps Calvados. Different from the Bladnoch - it's not green crunchy summer apples but toffee-red pulped and stewed. There's a malt cereal note. There's a young alcohol and fresh paint note. The sherry cask brings the autumnal leaves in the boating lake. Other Aberlour's, like the 16, feel softer but this has a stricter, tighter feel.
On the palate it's youth and spice. It takes a small while to reach it, an existential shrug, a drying and then the canter of giddy spice. Exuberance and nervous folly. Still structured but around a loose framework. Still space to grow into bones. Finding it's flesh. Like a horse learning to walk. The finish also. Dries with more confidence than the delivery. Gangs on the back palate, making a show, asserting it's presence; it's influence insecure.
Is this the most perfect whisky to go with food? It's anomalies straightened out and synched in? I think so. Scotch but perfectly French.
Clynelish 12 (Friends of Classic Malt)
Ok so this is one for those who've done in the back bar a bit - it's a F.O.C.M bottling. The distillery bottling usually weighs in at the 14YO mark so this is a couple of years of youth young.
This is going to sound odd but on the nose it's grilled chicken breast, wet dog, the embers of a dying fire, that ozone smell of the beach, the inside of a tent at night. A slight hint of sea salt, oily engine oil, fatty deposits - coastal. The fats come back, building up like slightly off butter or a build up on a blocked cooker hood.
On the palate, that inside of a tent aroma is repeated. Not that summer sun hit, but that respite from the cold. There's a chill in the air and you're safely tucked up. It's drier and more mealy than the 14YO. Slightly more dirt. Less polite and a bit more turf, mud and oil. Salt and sweat. There is a tiny hint of fruit. Maybe a shimmy of toffee. Fleeting but more than trace.
The finish carries on what went before. Slight bitter edge. Bitter + oil + salt + bitter + oil. Gluey. Oil.
Underneath it all, there's fruit trying to elbow it's way out. Savoury apples. Bonfire toffee. Salt.
Highkand Park
G&M Cask 1997 (Casks 5825/5826/5827/5828 - 1st and Refill Sherry Hogsheads)
Dist. 17/11/97 Btl. 17/3/08
ABV 57.1%
On the nose it's warming sherry, Christmas cake, Battenburg and icing. Flowery and floral.
There's a touch of smoke - not really peaty. Something much warmer and rounded. Coming up towards the smell of treacle tart. Slightly overdone. Burnt treacle. As expected at this ABV it takes a while to open up but when it does those raisin and currant elements start to shine through. It's thick this nose. Dense. Turned chocolate cake mixture, cooked salami, chunky choc chip. There's a lot to go through and it's changing all the time. Occasional hints of swimming pool and then straight back in to a dry malt, dusty hay loft. Totally heady. So inviting.
Like the nose the flavour profile is several changes up and down. There's a load of various stages. This is a complex dram. More so than the distillery bottling or the last Signatory that we looked at. The Signatory Unchillfiltered was all smashed orange and engine oil, here those Sherry casks really take hold. There's lip tingling spice from the off, less sweet than the distillery bottles. Dry, then smooth, then metal, then savoury then nut, nut in a big, big way. Lingering spice on the finish. Toast. Burnt buttery toast at the end. A tang in the mouth.
Bowmore
Tempest Batch 3 10 YO
ABV 55.6%
Cheating a little as this was put on a Best of 2011 tasting I did back in January at another location. Yeah I reckon this is a proper bang-for-the-buck malt. It's nice to see Bowmore up the gear as well - I've always enjoyed their products but felt that somehow that the last couple of years have not been as good as I used to remember them (but maybe that's just me).
Clean and beautifully golden.
Smoke instantly on the nose but entwined with a lightness and a touch of sparkling orange. There's peat and there's sea, a lovely maritime number enveloped in some tidy fruit and a healthy chunk of chocolate. Like eating a chocolate orange next to a bonfire on the beach.
It's a full on ABV and can quite happily take a bit of water. Without water it's a full on steam roller chugging heavy on the palate and smashing it's way round like a naughty ox. It certainly opens up a bit more, with some water, making the smokiness a little bit more intense even. It's dry to start but the orange theme is reiterated later on. There's an intense rush of spice. Then that dry peat smoke lingers. Giving way to the salty sea.
We had one of the Bowmore Adelphi Bottles a while back and that was Autumn/Winter Islay. Well this is Spring/Summer Islay. It's got sunshine in it's step. Citrus fruit, a twist of lemon and the persistence of peat. It's got a lovely balance and fantastic layered depth. It's no wonder it made the Best of 2011 tasting.
Here's the brief: 5 Scottish Single Malts representing different regional areas, different cask types (e.g. sherry v bourbon). Mainly aimed at the beginner but with a twist to keep a couple of old timers excited. In a pub that sells single malts (so no "classic malt series" thanks) £10 a ticket 25 people max.
Without repeating the night wholesale, and cutting a very long story short - what was explored were:
The Lowlands - represented by Bladnoch 20 (distillery bottling)
Speyside - represented by Aberlour 10 Sherry Cask Finish (French bottling)
Highlands - Clynelish 12 (Friends of Classic Malt) n.b. also representing a bit of a "coastal" vibe.
Islands - Highland Park (G&M Cask 1997) - Small Batch, Sherry Cask, Cask Strength.
Islay - Bowmore Tempest 10 YO Batch#3 - Small Batch, Bourbon Cask, Cask Strength.
So the idea being to compare and contrast a couple of Sherry dominanted casks - the Aberlour and the Highland Park - plus upfront bourbon casks - the Bowmore (1st fill bourbon). Plus Cask strength A.B.V.s (Bowmore and Highland Park). And generally to present 5 malts that try to represent the various geographical and taste profiles of Scotland whilst also being fairly "user-friendly" AND at the same time throwing a curve ball or two in for some people who may have drunk the more obvious malts or had drunk some of the malts that the bar had in stock (e.g. Aberlour 16). So that was the brief. Got it? Ok no bother.. on with the show.
Bladnoch 20
46%
On the nose it's chocolate chip cookie dough and vanilla ice cream. It's light, apples, a touch of spice, perhaps a faint whiff of smoke behind it, crunchy green apples coming back again. Apple and custard. A vibe of a lazy summer orchard, a hot summers day, and so maybe there is that distant smoke from a fire on the wind. But it's fleeting. There's flowers, heady flowers. A touch of 60s love psychedelica, but having said that this is 20 years old and so maybe 90s love beads, baggy and bowl haircuts are more probable!
The taste follows the nose. Apples again. Green and grassy. Melting quickly away. Lollypops. Apple pie and cinnamon spice. The finish is likewise. Smooth, short-ish but tasty. Balanced summer lightness all the way.
Aberlour 10
43%
This particular bottle is a French only release. Finished in Sherry Casks. It kicks off quite closed on the nose. Perhaps even diffident. Perhaps even defiant. Oddly, it feels French. There's an odd element of apples and perhaps Calvados. Different from the Bladnoch - it's not green crunchy summer apples but toffee-red pulped and stewed. There's a malt cereal note. There's a young alcohol and fresh paint note. The sherry cask brings the autumnal leaves in the boating lake. Other Aberlour's, like the 16, feel softer but this has a stricter, tighter feel.
On the palate it's youth and spice. It takes a small while to reach it, an existential shrug, a drying and then the canter of giddy spice. Exuberance and nervous folly. Still structured but around a loose framework. Still space to grow into bones. Finding it's flesh. Like a horse learning to walk. The finish also. Dries with more confidence than the delivery. Gangs on the back palate, making a show, asserting it's presence; it's influence insecure.
Is this the most perfect whisky to go with food? It's anomalies straightened out and synched in? I think so. Scotch but perfectly French.
Clynelish 12 (Friends of Classic Malt)
Ok so this is one for those who've done in the back bar a bit - it's a F.O.C.M bottling. The distillery bottling usually weighs in at the 14YO mark so this is a couple of years of youth young.
This is going to sound odd but on the nose it's grilled chicken breast, wet dog, the embers of a dying fire, that ozone smell of the beach, the inside of a tent at night. A slight hint of sea salt, oily engine oil, fatty deposits - coastal. The fats come back, building up like slightly off butter or a build up on a blocked cooker hood.
On the palate, that inside of a tent aroma is repeated. Not that summer sun hit, but that respite from the cold. There's a chill in the air and you're safely tucked up. It's drier and more mealy than the 14YO. Slightly more dirt. Less polite and a bit more turf, mud and oil. Salt and sweat. There is a tiny hint of fruit. Maybe a shimmy of toffee. Fleeting but more than trace.
The finish carries on what went before. Slight bitter edge. Bitter + oil + salt + bitter + oil. Gluey. Oil.
Underneath it all, there's fruit trying to elbow it's way out. Savoury apples. Bonfire toffee. Salt.
Highkand Park
G&M Cask 1997 (Casks 5825/5826/5827/5828 - 1st and Refill Sherry Hogsheads)
Dist. 17/11/97 Btl. 17/3/08
ABV 57.1%
On the nose it's warming sherry, Christmas cake, Battenburg and icing. Flowery and floral.
There's a touch of smoke - not really peaty. Something much warmer and rounded. Coming up towards the smell of treacle tart. Slightly overdone. Burnt treacle. As expected at this ABV it takes a while to open up but when it does those raisin and currant elements start to shine through. It's thick this nose. Dense. Turned chocolate cake mixture, cooked salami, chunky choc chip. There's a lot to go through and it's changing all the time. Occasional hints of swimming pool and then straight back in to a dry malt, dusty hay loft. Totally heady. So inviting.
Like the nose the flavour profile is several changes up and down. There's a load of various stages. This is a complex dram. More so than the distillery bottling or the last Signatory that we looked at. The Signatory Unchillfiltered was all smashed orange and engine oil, here those Sherry casks really take hold. There's lip tingling spice from the off, less sweet than the distillery bottles. Dry, then smooth, then metal, then savoury then nut, nut in a big, big way. Lingering spice on the finish. Toast. Burnt buttery toast at the end. A tang in the mouth.
Bowmore
Tempest Batch 3 10 YO
ABV 55.6%
Cheating a little as this was put on a Best of 2011 tasting I did back in January at another location. Yeah I reckon this is a proper bang-for-the-buck malt. It's nice to see Bowmore up the gear as well - I've always enjoyed their products but felt that somehow that the last couple of years have not been as good as I used to remember them (but maybe that's just me).
Clean and beautifully golden.
Smoke instantly on the nose but entwined with a lightness and a touch of sparkling orange. There's peat and there's sea, a lovely maritime number enveloped in some tidy fruit and a healthy chunk of chocolate. Like eating a chocolate orange next to a bonfire on the beach.
It's a full on ABV and can quite happily take a bit of water. Without water it's a full on steam roller chugging heavy on the palate and smashing it's way round like a naughty ox. It certainly opens up a bit more, with some water, making the smokiness a little bit more intense even. It's dry to start but the orange theme is reiterated later on. There's an intense rush of spice. Then that dry peat smoke lingers. Giving way to the salty sea.
We had one of the Bowmore Adelphi Bottles a while back and that was Autumn/Winter Islay. Well this is Spring/Summer Islay. It's got sunshine in it's step. Citrus fruit, a twist of lemon and the persistence of peat. It's got a lovely balance and fantastic layered depth. It's no wonder it made the Best of 2011 tasting.
Monday 9 April 2012
Coffee - Blackburn, Tanzania
This month's instalment from Square Mile. And it's their 4th birthday today. Easter Monday. Happy birthday. Anyway...
This time, according to the literature, it's a bit of an experimental vibe from Michael Gerhrken in Tanzania. Using Kent and Bourbon beans and a natural process (i.e. not washing them - n.b. I'm yet to figure out exactly what the whole process thing is about but as I'm of an enquiring mind I'll do some reading up on the subject - it's mainly booze based drinks I work in and so getting the monthly subscriptions to Square Mile has really opened up the realm of new flavour possibilities in coffee - for which I am very thankful). The family live on the estate, which borders the Ngorongoro National Park. They work with the environment, allowing elephants and buffalos to pass through, and carrying out minimal and controlled intervention, such as little use of insecticide.
This is quite a pungent coffee, especially compared to last month's sample. On the grind it's really meaty, giving out quite strong beef stock, gravy/bovril aromas. The aromas on the brew follow, being earthy and dark. A little stalky and slightly wet. It's very clean though. Fresh with a lot of depth and a oily texture. A bit nutty with a cram of chocolate at the end. I'm not sure I get the ripe peaches and sweet pineapple (ok maybe a subtle hint of that pineapple) but I do have a slight cold. Perhaps not my favourite one so far but one that is properly enjoyable and with a little more going on than at first meets the eye (or mouth).
Good work Square Mile!
This time, according to the literature, it's a bit of an experimental vibe from Michael Gerhrken in Tanzania. Using Kent and Bourbon beans and a natural process (i.e. not washing them - n.b. I'm yet to figure out exactly what the whole process thing is about but as I'm of an enquiring mind I'll do some reading up on the subject - it's mainly booze based drinks I work in and so getting the monthly subscriptions to Square Mile has really opened up the realm of new flavour possibilities in coffee - for which I am very thankful). The family live on the estate, which borders the Ngorongoro National Park. They work with the environment, allowing elephants and buffalos to pass through, and carrying out minimal and controlled intervention, such as little use of insecticide.
This is quite a pungent coffee, especially compared to last month's sample. On the grind it's really meaty, giving out quite strong beef stock, gravy/bovril aromas. The aromas on the brew follow, being earthy and dark. A little stalky and slightly wet. It's very clean though. Fresh with a lot of depth and a oily texture. A bit nutty with a cram of chocolate at the end. I'm not sure I get the ripe peaches and sweet pineapple (ok maybe a subtle hint of that pineapple) but I do have a slight cold. Perhaps not my favourite one so far but one that is properly enjoyable and with a little more going on than at first meets the eye (or mouth).
Good work Square Mile!
Saturday 7 April 2012
Glendronach 14 - Sauternes Finish
Ok. Let's cut to the chase. Look I know full well that you, Glendronach and Benraich, make some fine whisky. Some of the best. I also know that, for some reason, (and I have my own suspicions) that you insist on travelling down this road of "finishes". Ok, so maybe Benriach takes the lead in this (6 different wood finishes) but in July 2010 GlennyD opened up 4 wood finishes - the "first of their kind ever to be released by the distillery in its 180 year history". So we had a Sauternes, a Virgin Oak, a Moscatel, and a Tawny Port finish. Most of the core range itself has been double dipped in a couple of casks along the way as well. So my question is what is the D.N.A. of the distillery? What is it's signature? What makes Glendronach, Glendornach? Because from this particular dram I'm finding it difficult to ascertain a straight answer.
Straight answers are not what this dram is about. Now, I'm not saying that this is a "bad thing". It's more like a thing I'm struggling with. You know that film "Inception"? Pretty tricky plot. Story with kinks in it. Tasty effects. That's what I feel about this.
On the nose it's bang, straight into the action with desiccated coconut, chocolate fudge, and back to Bounty Bar ice cream. Sweet. Then after a little while longer up comes the strawberry jam. This cask has obliterated any sign of what may have been whisky previously - it's just sweet, but in an unlike Sauternes way - there's no grape vibe, just teddy bears picnic.
The odd thing is that on the palate - it's all askew. Like a cake it's layered but with a sweet then bitter then a touch of salt as icing. There's no spice and no integration. It's sweet one way, and then hello bitterness coming from the other. There's no balance. And it just doesn't follow. Yeah, it's a little oily, a bit creamy, which is kinda nice. After a while in the glass it seems to be trying to become more whisky-like, like it's trying to shed off this big over-coat that's cloaking it. Will the real slim shady please stand up!
Look, I'll be honest, I haven't a clue what this particular dram is up to. I just don't get it. That doesn't mean I don't like it. I like most drinks. But it is like "Inception". There's a lot more questions it throws up than resolves. It's enjoyable, yes. Baffling, yes. But fulfilling, no.
Friday 6 April 2012
Springbank Rundlets and Kilderkins.
Working in the ale trade we're all too familiar with Kilderkins. 18 Gallons. Sinch. But a Rundlet? Well that's an old measure for wine casks - 18 gallons again, but wine gallons - or 15 imperial gallons today. Well since 1824 when the imperial system came in. Ah, easy eh?
Anyhow, this new Springbank baby is matured in these smaller size casks - not sure for how long though - maybe since it was distilled in November 2001 until they bottled it in January 2012 - it's a good guess in lieu of any other concrete information. And these smaller casks mean that it has more contact with the wood and so therefore should mature that little bit faster. This Springbank is a bit of a limited run, limited to 9000 bottles and apparently they'll be doing a Longrow and Hazelburn version in subsequent years.
Well I got to admit this is a very fine dram. And it especially doesn't drink like one at 49.4% either.
The nose on this is fairly stunning and one that you can have a good half hour getting around.
It kicks off with a lovely barley presence and then, quite interestingly comes the citrus touch - more like preserved lemons - those one's in a jar. After this comes a whiff of smoke, a touch peaty but not overtly so. There's a dryness, brittle wood. Some sweetness, a suggestion of cough sweets. The nose is intense, hitting the back of the senses and making the mouth water. It's beautifully balanced with the wood going hand in hand with subtle smoke waves. There's a touch of sherry sweetness too. A little while on, it breaks down to a hot chocolate chip pudding. Slightly dusty again. Clean, fresh. A final note of a walk in the forest. The forest floor. Pine needles.
The palate continues the theme of the nose. It's a slow builder, taking a while to get going. A long intro. The smoke comes first, then the spice rises later on. The sweetness and a little touch of bitterness. There's a touch of nut, some orange and those preserved lemons make an appearance again. The wood and smoke are, like the nose, balanced against the spice. It finishes long, creamy and full bodied with a lick of sweetness.
Anyhow, this new Springbank baby is matured in these smaller size casks - not sure for how long though - maybe since it was distilled in November 2001 until they bottled it in January 2012 - it's a good guess in lieu of any other concrete information. And these smaller casks mean that it has more contact with the wood and so therefore should mature that little bit faster. This Springbank is a bit of a limited run, limited to 9000 bottles and apparently they'll be doing a Longrow and Hazelburn version in subsequent years.
Well I got to admit this is a very fine dram. And it especially doesn't drink like one at 49.4% either.
The nose on this is fairly stunning and one that you can have a good half hour getting around.
It kicks off with a lovely barley presence and then, quite interestingly comes the citrus touch - more like preserved lemons - those one's in a jar. After this comes a whiff of smoke, a touch peaty but not overtly so. There's a dryness, brittle wood. Some sweetness, a suggestion of cough sweets. The nose is intense, hitting the back of the senses and making the mouth water. It's beautifully balanced with the wood going hand in hand with subtle smoke waves. There's a touch of sherry sweetness too. A little while on, it breaks down to a hot chocolate chip pudding. Slightly dusty again. Clean, fresh. A final note of a walk in the forest. The forest floor. Pine needles.
The palate continues the theme of the nose. It's a slow builder, taking a while to get going. A long intro. The smoke comes first, then the spice rises later on. The sweetness and a little touch of bitterness. There's a touch of nut, some orange and those preserved lemons make an appearance again. The wood and smoke are, like the nose, balanced against the spice. It finishes long, creamy and full bodied with a lick of sweetness.
Thursday 5 April 2012
Tea - Mackwoods.
Tea. I love Tea. First thing in the morning it's the best thing. Now I imagine, that like most people, it's Tea-bag straight into hot water. Mash and add milk. But I've been reading a bit about Japanese Tea making recently and they take tea making very, very seriously. It's a huge thing culturally, socially and it's almost taken as an art-form, taking years to master all the stages of the tea ceremony.
Obviously I like drinking all things and since getting into the various types of coffee beans has opened my eyes and taste buds to a new level of coffee goodness it's probably about time to investigate the world of loose tea and teas from around the world. Should make for quite an enjoyable journey away from all those booze drinks I have to taste and sell.
So first up is a tea that was brought back a present from Sri Lanka. This is from Mackwoods Labookellie Estate. It's a single estate and (so they claim) one of Sri Lanka's finest tea gardens situated 2000 metres above sea level in the hills of Nuwara-Eliya. Founded in 1841 by Captain William Mackwood, today the company is owned by a host of companies with a divergent portfolio of interests. Nevertheless they still retain 27,000 acres of plantation comprising 17 Tea and Rubber estates.
Known primarily for their Ceylon tea, but this is a Broken Orange Pekoe variety. I found it medium bodied, not citrusy or perfumed and perhaps slightly nutty, dry with no real big tannins going on. Refreshing and clean. For me I like a stronger, full-on brew for me first cup but this would be a very nice mid afternoon refreshing quaffer.
Obviously I like drinking all things and since getting into the various types of coffee beans has opened my eyes and taste buds to a new level of coffee goodness it's probably about time to investigate the world of loose tea and teas from around the world. Should make for quite an enjoyable journey away from all those booze drinks I have to taste and sell.
So first up is a tea that was brought back a present from Sri Lanka. This is from Mackwoods Labookellie Estate. It's a single estate and (so they claim) one of Sri Lanka's finest tea gardens situated 2000 metres above sea level in the hills of Nuwara-Eliya. Founded in 1841 by Captain William Mackwood, today the company is owned by a host of companies with a divergent portfolio of interests. Nevertheless they still retain 27,000 acres of plantation comprising 17 Tea and Rubber estates.
Known primarily for their Ceylon tea, but this is a Broken Orange Pekoe variety. I found it medium bodied, not citrusy or perfumed and perhaps slightly nutty, dry with no real big tannins going on. Refreshing and clean. For me I like a stronger, full-on brew for me first cup but this would be a very nice mid afternoon refreshing quaffer.
Sunday 1 April 2012
Glenfarclas 15
We've got a few bottles of Glenfarclas kicking about. The 105 cask strength, the entry level 10 year old. And there's the oh-so lovely 175 Anniversary edition all beaming proudly on the back bar of the Blake Hotel at the mo. So maybe that's a heads up for a bit of a Glenfarclas family tasting. Well that's certainly what I was thinking when I was out the other night and spotted the 15 Year Old.
I must admit I sometimes forget about Glenfarclas. It's easy to overlook them with so much whisky noise around, but really we shouldn't. For one, they are a family owned business, one of only a handful of Scottish distilleries that still are. And if business provenance is your thing then that's something worth considering when supping your Louie Vuitton Moet Hennessy owned Ardbeg. And two, they consistently make great whisky. No fancy triple wood experiments. No fussy finishes. No pretentious marketing names. Solid and reliable. It's what they've done for generations and it's what they'll continue to do for generations to come. And being a traditionalist is a little bit refreshing when there's so much quasi-innovation around. Of course, none of this would matter if they made bad drams!
Anyway back to the 15 which I had out the other night. In a tumbler it's hard to pin down all the aromas but it's full bodied and inviting. Quite savoury and meaty. There's a oak note and other incense wood, perhaps cedar but I'd have to go back to check that. On the palate there's a reservation of spice, subtle and slowly building. Smooth and delicate and perhaps slightly feminine. It's a way off the brash 105 masculine vibe. It's clean and goes through a through stages with a particularly interesting phase half way that I fail to pin down. There's a raisin and chocolate orange note along with the classic Sherry wood that you come to expect from Glenfarclas. It's a dainty finish, drying with a mere hint of salt. Beautifully balanced and well constructed.
A definite must and one that will be re-evaluated in that Glenfarclas family tasting hopefully sometime soon.
I must admit I sometimes forget about Glenfarclas. It's easy to overlook them with so much whisky noise around, but really we shouldn't. For one, they are a family owned business, one of only a handful of Scottish distilleries that still are. And if business provenance is your thing then that's something worth considering when supping your Louie Vuitton Moet Hennessy owned Ardbeg. And two, they consistently make great whisky. No fancy triple wood experiments. No fussy finishes. No pretentious marketing names. Solid and reliable. It's what they've done for generations and it's what they'll continue to do for generations to come. And being a traditionalist is a little bit refreshing when there's so much quasi-innovation around. Of course, none of this would matter if they made bad drams!
Anyway back to the 15 which I had out the other night. In a tumbler it's hard to pin down all the aromas but it's full bodied and inviting. Quite savoury and meaty. There's a oak note and other incense wood, perhaps cedar but I'd have to go back to check that. On the palate there's a reservation of spice, subtle and slowly building. Smooth and delicate and perhaps slightly feminine. It's a way off the brash 105 masculine vibe. It's clean and goes through a through stages with a particularly interesting phase half way that I fail to pin down. There's a raisin and chocolate orange note along with the classic Sherry wood that you come to expect from Glenfarclas. It's a dainty finish, drying with a mere hint of salt. Beautifully balanced and well constructed.
A definite must and one that will be re-evaluated in that Glenfarclas family tasting hopefully sometime soon.
Saturday 31 March 2012
Glen Spey 1995 Connoisseurs Choice
This is from a recent Connoisseurs Choice bottling.
On the nose it's clear, clean malt. There's hay and cut grass. It's light. Wait a while and there's an unexpected twist of strawberries and cream. A touch of baked apple perhaps. Some tropical fruit but reserved really. After a little bit more the aroma of cheap advent calendar chocolate and tinned condensed milk shine through.
The palate is a parade of malt, spice then cream and butter. There's a slight oiliness to it but not too much - it's all too delicately balanced. Again, a thread of smoke that links. And that strawberry and cream nose coming through as flavour at the end, when everything else has had enough of itself.
There's a tangy bitterness on the finish. It's a youthful dog, not exactly sprite but neither placid either. There's a touch of a salty edge but again it's all about balance. Nothing here pokes it's head too far out. Everything is well crafted. Everything in it's place. Everything well balanced. Not like a Japanese or Swedish malt where this is it's intended destination. More like a fruit picked from the tree as opposed to one that falls. You feel it has the legs to go that extra ageing. As if the casks have yet to fully reveal themselves. Possibly too polite. It's great where it is but this is not it's final stop. But where it is is great. Enjoy.
On the nose it's clear, clean malt. There's hay and cut grass. It's light. Wait a while and there's an unexpected twist of strawberries and cream. A touch of baked apple perhaps. Some tropical fruit but reserved really. After a little bit more the aroma of cheap advent calendar chocolate and tinned condensed milk shine through.
The palate is a parade of malt, spice then cream and butter. There's a slight oiliness to it but not too much - it's all too delicately balanced. Again, a thread of smoke that links. And that strawberry and cream nose coming through as flavour at the end, when everything else has had enough of itself.
There's a tangy bitterness on the finish. It's a youthful dog, not exactly sprite but neither placid either. There's a touch of a salty edge but again it's all about balance. Nothing here pokes it's head too far out. Everything is well crafted. Everything in it's place. Everything well balanced. Not like a Japanese or Swedish malt where this is it's intended destination. More like a fruit picked from the tree as opposed to one that falls. You feel it has the legs to go that extra ageing. As if the casks have yet to fully reveal themselves. Possibly too polite. It's great where it is but this is not it's final stop. But where it is is great. Enjoy.
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