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
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
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.
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