E-pistle #16/08 - The Trouble with Harry
Submitted on 15/09/2005 by Louis Perlman, USA
This is the conclusion of how to enjoy whisky without going broke or insane. So how how many bottles to you need for a good collection?
To best illustrate the perils of collecting, lets pay another visit to Harry, our fictional whisky lover. But an opportunity soon presents itself for Harry. But Harry's mind is racing in high gear. With only a hundred bottles
available, he must strike while the iron is hot, and get hold of as many as he can before word gets around. That way, by the time everybody else has either finished their only bottle, or locked it away for good, he will be the one to break out
a magical bottle years down the road. The next day, Harry feverishly works the phones, calling every store he's ever dealt with (which doesn't leave out many). Up and down the list, nobody admits to knowing anything about the independent GW.
Harry finally hits paydirt at (the fictitious) Wally's Wild West Whisky World. Yes, the stuff exists, and some bottles will be coming over to the US. The price will be $125 per bottle. Harry takes a deep breath, and tries to order a case. No
can do, says Wally, my allotment is two cases. They settle on three bottles, as consideration for Harry's considerable past patronage. The bottles arrive in due course, and Harry stores them away in the farthest corner of his closet, preparing
to wait patiently for HIS chance at center stage. But disaster strikes a few weeks later, in the form of a press release that lands in Back to reality, now.
It's worthwhile having a reserve stock for a number of reasons. You have extra cash on had now. 1) Because you like it. 2) You are actually going to open the bottle.
3) It could make your Desert Island list. Having dealt with the selection criteria, here are some buying strategies. Look for sales. There seem to be two distinct financial strategies that whisky purveyors have. Seek out alternatives. Old, but not too old. We all know that whisky gets better with age. Middle age is fine
too. There is no doubt that the rally good older whiskies are truly special. But most of us aren't going to drink those whiskies all of the time, they are best kept for special occasions, or at least for those perfect whisky moments. The rest
of the time, the better bottles in the 15-18 year range will do just fine. And they cost a whole lot less, typically in the $50-80 range. Find the best of those, and you'll be happy you stocked up.
Uncommon ages. We all know the standard ages at which scotch whisky is bottled. Gap whiskies. In the lat few years, quite a few distilleries have been re-opened. Just in the B's, we've got BenRiach, Benromach, Bladnoch, and Bruichladdich. For for now, the only malts that these distilleries can sell is what was
distilled before they were mothballed. That means that there will be an age gap when the older stock has run out, but before the new distillation has reached your preferred age. So if you like anything but the youngest offering from any of
these distilleries, stock up while you can. And better make it now, because they may not tell you exactly how much of, say the 15 year old, they have left. Going, going.... Sometimes, the distillery expressions are discontinued or replaced.
Just recently, the heavily sherried Glendonach 15 was replaced with a less sherried 12. Not being deemed particularly collectible, the remaining bottles of the 15 haven't disappeared overnight. But if you really like the 15, time is running
out. And finally, I have a suggestion on how to deal with all of those 'special occasion' bottles. The ones you spent the big $$$ on, which you couldn't justify buying for anything but a special occasion. But now you have a bottle for every
conceivable birthday, wedding, anniversary, and graduation. As mentioned above, you can't bear to part with them, and you still find bottles you'd like to to pick up. So here is the solution. In fact, if you think that everything I've written
up to know is utter nonsense, this last item will make up for it. Establish a buffer system. If you are an SMS lover of average (for this hobby) means, pick out your best six bottles. If you have plenty of spare cash, make it a dozen. But
that's it. Anything that doesn't make the cut must be opened. You don't have to open a whole bunch of expensive bottles all at once, but at least a couple have to be included in your standard rotation at all times (remember now, if you've got
a couple of dozen 70's Ardbegs, older Springbanks, Brora's, and Port Ellens, then you are on the collection side, and this advice isn't aimed at you). Now, if you are going to buy another expensive bottle, it either gets opened right away, or
it bumps something from the buffer. Bottom line, if an expensive bottle isn't good enough to make your Top 6 (or 12) and you don't really want to drink it any time soon, leave it behind. There a two additional points worth discussing. The
first is potential price appreciation. You are buying the whisky to drink. Maybe down the road, some of your bottles will be worth a lot of money. If/when that happens, you could sell a few to finance something special that you can't
ordinarily afford, or perhaps finance a trip to Scotland. But you are more likely to hit the jackpot on something purchased at a normal price than the big ticket bottles. Those $200 bottles may already have most of the price appreciation built
in, your big winners will be the really good bottles that you discovered long before everybody else, and stocked up on at the regular price. Second, there is the issue of the truly great bottles. The older Springbanks, any Ardbeg from the
seventies, and the remaining bottles of Brora and Port Ellen. Also included is any Bowmore from the 60's, which will eternally live in the shadow of the Black Bowmore, and older Macallans whose price wi! ll be affected by the Fine and Rare
series. There are others that I won't mention by name, so as not to accelerate the appreciation process, but you probably have a few of your own favorites in mind. There are only a finite number of these bottles left in the world, there are
none left gathering dust in those sleepy little local stores, and the price is going in only one direction. Lets face it, with some of these bottles, $200 or even $250 starts to sound quite reasonable. So I would allow an exemption from
the buffer system for those truly special bottles. But the other rules apply. Stay on the price/value curve. The $250 bottle may well be worth double of the current $125 version, but pass if it isn't by your personal value system. And buy only
if you are prepared to drink, and realize that at one point, the bottle will be gone, In conclusion, your fantasies about collecting may have ended up being exactly that, fantasies. Slainte.
In the first installment, we covered day-to-day acquisitions, this time we will talk about collecting.
It would hardly be a surprise if a whisky lover began to measure his or her place in the whisky food chain by the number
of bottles their collection. After all, a collection is a very worthwhile thing to have. You can build a special cabinet to display all of your prized bottles for your friends and family to see (or alternatively, to constantly remind your
family just how daft you've become). Your home now becomes a destination for your whisky buddies and you always have just the right bottle to bring with you when you hit the road. And out of town dignitaries will want to stop by after
completing their official business.
I would say a minimum of one hundred interesting bottlings, but two hundred wold be much better.
Of course once a bottle is finished, it
is no longer part of the collection, so you'll have to double or triple up, and even put away a case or two of something likely to go fast. That's a lot of bottles we're talking about, and more importantly, an awful lot of money. There is also
poor ROI until the collection hits that critical mass, after all, no one is going to be impressed y just two or three boxes in a closet somewhere. Suddenly assembling the collection becomes a rather daunting proposition. If we assume that just
about any bottle worth collecting will run at least $100 nowadays, that's a thousand dollars for just ten bottles. At that rate, it could take a couple of decades to come up with a decent collection. Trying to accelerate things doesn't work
either. Just how do you know what will be collectible five or ten years from now? Maybe a new car is a better use for all of that money, after all, a Honda Accord will retain 90% of it original price long after you've paid it off.
When we last left Harry, he was dealing with the day-to-day acquisitions, and now he is busy trying to build up his collection. Of
course Harry is active in his personal SMS circle, and he tries to keep up as best that he can. But his nemesis is his friend George, who travels to London on a regular basis for business. Over here in the states, Harry has the same sources as
the rest of the group, but George is always bringing back all sorts of interesting bottles on each trip. And those are the ones that George lets on about. Who knows how many more he has in storage, waiting to be brought out for those key
occasions.
The Glen Whatever distillery is owned by the Major Whisky Conglomerate, and is a prominent component of all on MWC's blends. It is only available as a single malt as the 12
year old 43% official bottling, and MWC goes to great lengths to make sure that not a single cask of GW is bottled by the independents. One day, George comes back from England with some incredible news. The gang assembles at Georges house, in
eager anticipation. It seems that a single 18 year old cask of GW has escaped MWC's grasp, and has indeed been bottled independently. The cask yielded two hundred something bottles, perhaps one hundred of which will make it over the the US
eventually. But, George says with a flourish, 'why wait when you can try some right know', as he produces the bottle. A hush falls over the room. Eyes open wide, jaws drop, as the group stares at the bottle. This is one on the great moments in
single malt history, a story to be passed on for generations. The wee drams are duly poured, the nosing and tasting rituals performed, and not much more needs to be said.
Harry's in-box. The Major Whisky Conglomerate has been paying attention to the downward trend in
worldwide scotch whisky consumption, and is introducing a new marketing campaign to turn things around. The first step will be to release as single malts, expressions from distilleries previously only available as part of MWC's blends. The
first release will be an 18 year old Glen Whatever, vatted from two thirds bourbon casks and on third sherry casks, and bottled at 46% ABV with no chill filtering or caramel colouring. Price will be $75, and supply will be 'adequate to meet
demand'. Future releases will follow. And of course, just a few weeks later, George brings back one of the very first bottles, and the crowd once again gathers at George's house. the accolades start to flow, Wonderful stuff, truly awesome, Big
Whisky really knows what it's doing when the bean counters let them. Blows away that other bottle I got, quips George, I hope nobody paid that thief Wally $125.No indeed, sighs Harry, as he takes another sip, and pretends to study the fine
print on the label.
To put this whole thing in perspective, I'd like to borrow a line from an article about travel that I once saw.
A great collection is like great sex. It's something that a few of us have, and
the rest of us read about. This may sound a bit harsh, but but it needn't be. To put every body's mind at ease, I would like to distinguish between a collection and reserve stock. A collection is where the bottles are more desirable as a group
than individually. Reserve stock is meant literally, the unopened bottles you have in reserve. A well chosen reserve stock may resemble a collection, but that's just means that you've done a good job assembling it. Now I can't tell you
anything about collecting, you'll have to ask some of the other maniacs about that. But I am going to give you some pointers about accumulating a reserve stock, without having any/too many Harry episodes.
Your financial demands are still heading upwards. The high end bottle you'd like to put away for a special occasion won't be around in a
couple of years. The distillery isn't in existence anymore. This expression is no longer being bottled. Stuff you like is a limited release (which by definition, includes single cask bottlings). Etc., etc. The main thing to realize is that you
are buying bottles that you will eventually drink, not for desirability by others or future appreciation. So then, every bottle that you acquire for your reserve stock must possess the following three criteria.
Not because your friends like it. Not because Michael Jackson or Jim Murray gave it a high rating. Not because it got a good review in The Malt Advocate or Whisky Magazine, and not because your favorite Malt Maniac likes it. But because you
like it.
OK, you finally scrape up enough cash to buy the bottle of your dreams and/or actually found it in stock somewhere. But having finally acquired the darn thing, you'd better be able
to open it and actually enjoy the whisky inside. Whisky is made to be consumed, not worshiped. You can't take it with you to the next world, and it makes no sense whatsoever for you to be buried with the unopened bottle. If you
honestly feel that there would be a void in your life one you've finished off your prized bottle, then leave it on the shelf to begin with. For advice on how to deal with this particular situation, see the last point in this e-pistle.
I don't mean that this is necessarily one of the greatest whiskies you've ever tried. Rather, lets say you were taking a case with you. Imagine J. Thurston Howell III preparing for the three hour
cruise aboard the SS Minnow (from the TV show Gilligan's Island for those not familiar with American TV shows from the 60's, where 'the millionaire and his wife' seemed not to have left too much behind). You'd want some of the bottles for
general purpose dramming, not just the top shelf stuff. So the criteria here is that if you could imagine this bottle as being on of a dozen that you would have to live with for a while, then by all means pickup a bottle or three or six. But
if it's just a curiosity that you'd be tired of after a dram or two, then pass.
I've tried to come up with as many as I could, but you may find a few more of your own.
The first is buy and hold. Whatever works its way into
their inventory stays there at full price until it sells. No matter how long it takes. This is not all bad, as you can still find the more interesting bottlings sometime down the road, long after the last bottle left the distillery or bottler.
But other stores prefer to dump unsold inventory and reload. No sense tying up capital and shelf space for a handful of bottles that could take years to sell. This is your opportunity. Get on every mailing list that you can. Become familiar
with all of the higher end local stores, and their sale cycles. Track the bottles that you are interested in, and be ready to pounce the moment the sale starts. Last year, I picked up a Port Ellen 24yo, 1976 (50%, Old Malt Cask) for $110 at a
local store. It's typical price is $160, and the sale was DURING the holiday season.
Let's say that you like older, heavily peated malts. But Ardbegs from the 70's, as well as just about any Brora or Port Ellen
will easily set you back around $200. That's pretty stiff for most people, especially since you are planning on actually consuming the bottle. But there just happens to be another Islay distillery that is in continuous operation, and bottlings
at all ages are plentiful. I'm talking about Caol Ila, and you can find something in the low twenties age-wise for $120 or so. That's still not peanuts, but there are fewer pangs of guilt for $120 than for $200. Or let's say you're into
Speysides. The Macallan Fine and Rare 1972 sounds good, but they want four figures for that one. The Glenfarclas 1968 is a whole lot more reasonable, but it still costs $200. But similar to the Caol Ila, you can find bottlings of Longmorn or
Glen Grant for much less. And finally, there is nothing wrong with well regarded distilleries that don't really ! have any pride-of-ownership issues. You can drink a good Highland park or Mortlach and enjoy it, without worrying about whether
the bottle can be replaced or that it's the last bottle from that distillery that you will ever own.
But older whisky also costs more, much more once it gets past 25
years. This is not just because of price gouging. The longer the whisky stays in the barrel, the more the angels take, and eventually, it ends up fading out or tasting like wood if not bottled at it's peak. But not everybody agrees that very
old whisky is more desirable. Phillip (Pip) Hills and John Hansel don't. The truth is that something in the 20-25 year range will probably be better balanced, and a whole lot cheaper than the same whisky 5-10 years later.
10, 15, and 20 years in the UK, 12, 18, and 21 in the US. And 25 and 30 years are standard for older stuff everywhere. So when something is bottled at 11, 13,
14, 16, 17, 19, and 22-24 years, it must be defective, right? So it has to cost less, since nobody in their right mind would pay full price for defective whisky. Of course WE know that the particular cask may have been deemed just right for
bottling or maybe the bottler was doing a whole bunch of casks at once, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the whisky. While my theory may not be true 100% of the time, it is still worth a bit of time paying attention to bottles of odd
ages.
But in exchange, you are now drinking the real good stuff a whole lot more often.
And isn't that why you jumped into the deep end of this hobby to begin with?
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E-pistle #16/09 - Poetry & Whisky
Submitted on 16/09/2005 by Krishna Prasad Nukala, India
For me poetry and whisky are the same. The following poem is reflection of my feelings of how I feel about my malt and I found no other means but to put it up in a poem. Notes to the poem are given at the end.
Hope the reader enjoys it. I There is a sensuous pleasure in this mellowed malt
Both are six lettered and end with 'y' and give same result.
The unusual sensuous pleasures of both wake up my dormant passions to take me back to my yonder days and turn me into a Romanticist. The
sharpened sensibility and heightened imagination sometimes borders on some unexplained rebellious activity, much like Robert Burns rather than Wordsworth or Coleridge. Whisky and poetry appreciation is a result of acquired taste and I must say
that it is not everybody's peg of whisky. Both are things of beauty that are better enjoyed as a private pleasure rather than in a boisterous group activity. For me whisky drinking is a quite and serious affair that kindles exuberant
intellectual curiosity, awe, wonder and beauty in exchange of a portion of rational side of my mental faculties. A Romanticist is an emotional fool and a Maniacist is an emotional Romanticist. In other words, the maniacal allegiance to malt
and love of poetry make me a Maniacist rather than a Romanticist.
That makes time halt and take a back-vault into past,
As slowly the memory turns its forgotten folios
It takes a pause; for, its breath is held 4
As it chances upon the chapters of Keats's Hyperion.
Deep in dark vale, there sits still the Saturn, all forlorn 6
As helpless Thea, mighty Amazon and all tattered Titans
Wait for succour, wait for victory and wait for Hyperion
8
The poetry's prodigal son didn't age, age of youngest dram
And left us to compose to His consumption. 10
II
This Malt does a Milton, evoking emotions
In explosion, revisiting the splendour of yester years.
Those carefree days, the grassy smells of first monsoon
A mother's anxious wait for the rain soaked child 14
And that olfactory signature of towering dad
And those slushy soccer games in autumnal maidan, 16
As rains recede, conch shells welcome the October Mother
And cricket in the lush green winter meadows 18
And those half grasped lyrics of Tagore
All now make more meaning, after this magic dram. 20
III The sun kissed golden grains, plumped by waters
Of gentle burns flowing through druid wandered glens,
And elements heightened peated beds of heather,
As Angels had their thirst quenched, wakes up
24
This long slept splendour from the cozy oaken beds.
Stay away, weak hearts! For this potion 26
Is meant for maniacs lost in their bearings
But relentless in pursuit of the ultimate 28
On a wintry Venlo night and the town walls
Reverberating the sounds of Pagliacci. 30
IV
This dram brings me memories of a lost love, Notes: Lines 1-10 : It is an invocation using my most favourite poet, Keats and the characters mentioned here are
from his poem Hyperion. Keats died of consumption at a very young age of 26. Lines 11-20 : My childhood in Calcutta; Lines 27-30 : two maniacs who lost their way en-route to Alsace had to spend a night at Lines 31-35 : Description of a lost love Lines 36-40 : His wife and his married life (These lines are an inspiration from John Donne - a poet known for his shocking metaphor) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The soft perfumes she wore (no, no, not Bowmore)!
The un-kept promises and the long walks at Eden
And the boat rides on Hooghly, all vanquished 34
With a whimper, like a cheap finished Loch Dhu.
This lass is a class of Glenfarclas, growing 36
In stature with increasing age, and our marriage
Is a bond of wood with raw spirit. Long years of quite 38
Acts, raging passions and peace embroiled in
Everlasting finish, that never satiates…. 40
Maidan = meadow
October Mother = Goddess Durga
Tagore = Poet, philosopher and Nobel Laureate of India in early 1900s
Eden= Eden gardens in Calcutta
Hooghly = River Hooghly in Calcutta
E-pistle #16/10 - Whisky with Jim
Submitted on 17/09/2005 by Lawrence Graham
, Canada
A National Geographic style close up of the world whisky wild man Jim Murray. The Victoria Arrival Prior to the tasting Jim had a few days of down time at the
The by now growing entourage, including Dave's Toronto business
After settling the group into their hotel and a quick meeting with Peter at the Strath to check over the whisky line up for evening
tasting the Blackberry Twins, (Dave and Tom) left us for a business meeting while I chaperoned Jim until tasting time. Lunch at Vista
18, an 18th floor restaurant with a stunning view of the Victoria harbor. Jim, with a slightly mischievous smile, used his binoculars to
observe and comment on the short skirted locals all those floors below. Maybe a street level venue would have been a better choice?
Interestingly Jim stuck to a fairly bland meal and black coffee so as not to ruin his palate for the evening tasting. I would become used
to this meal criterion over the next few days as I hunted down suitable establishments to satisfy Jim's culinary needs. At one point in the lunch conversation I let 'slip' that I belonged to the
Post lunch I offered to show Jim around Victoria as we had some time before the tasting; Jim asked if there was anywhere he could go
to engage in one of his other passions, bird watching. After his binocular work at lunch I experienced a Lost in Translation moment but
I quickly recovered and realized that he actually meant birds with feathers and not birds with a brass pole and accompanying cheering
section. A quick drive to the Ogden Point breakwater and we were soon observing the local finches and this was followed by a rare
hummingbird viewing in nearby Beacon Hill Park. Jim was very pleased to have spotted two new birds in quick succession. Mission
accomplished and so far so good. I dropped Jim off at his hotel for some down time and a chance to catch up on emails with plans for pick up in a couple of hours.
Later at the pre arranged time Jim and I met up and walked the short distance from his hotel to the Strath where Jim was ambushed
by a news team from CHEK TV lead by Nancy Sinclair, a colorful local TV personality. Within seconds Jim was flirting with her quite
outrageously. Set up on a table were 3 nosing glasses containing different single cask Bushmills; Rum Barrel, Bourbon Barrel and Sherry
Hogshead, all bottled exclusively for Canada. Despite zero prep time Jim handled the interview very well and led Nancy through the 3
different whiskies. I managed to sneak a dram of each while the camera man was fiddling with Jim's microphone; fortune favors the bold!
The 2006 Whisky Bible will have tasting notes on the three cask strength Bushmills along with some interesting comments involving
Nancy who was a good sport throughout, though she seemed incapable of not giggling during the mini tasting. I think the cask
strength Rum Barrel Bushmills was by far the best of the three whiskies and rated it quite highly despite my lack of experience with
Irish whiskies. Just prior to the tasting the Strath arranged an excellent buffet dinner for the majority of the attendees upstairs in the
Maple Room and most took the opportunity to chat with Jim and have copies of their 2005 Bible's signed. Jim was gracious throughout but stuck to the blandest meal that he could pick off the buffet and black coffee.
The Victoria Tasting May 9th, 2005 After dinner we all trooped down to the tasting while Jim took a few minutes to mentally sort himself out for the show ahead. The
sight of 1000 glasses of whisky laid out precisely on specially printed and numbered tasting mats nearly brought a tear to my eye,
indeed an inspiring sight but I'm glad I didn't have damn well pour them. After all that's what the minions were there for (if they ever read this I'm going to be made to pay for that last comment).
After an brief introduction Jim launched into the tasting and asked the group for this night only to taste the whiskies the way he
tastes them, neat and with hand warming. He explained that he tasted all his whiskies neat, this was the only way to ensure
commonality with readers of the Whisky Bible. He talked briefly about his Whisky Bible and that all the whiskies we were tasting that
night scored 90 points or higher in the Bible. Jim also admonished people for adding water to 40% whisky, "What for? It's no longer
whisky but very strong water!" He also directed us to only sample the whiskies in order and as a group. Jim also took the time to
advise people to spit after tasting due to the number and strength of the whiskies being sampled that night. Most followed his advice.
He put the audience at ease by telling us not to get stressed if we didn't "taste the strawberry field across the meadow" as has had
been written on a whisky tube tasting note or back of a bottle. "It's all just rubbish, just don't worry about it" The point was for
everybody to enjoy the whiskies without a lot of baggage and it worked. Thus prepared he then talked about the sin of adding caramel to whisky and that there was a lot of bad whisky in the market place whatever the marketers tell you.
On caramel he completely dismisses the assertion that caramel does not affect the taste of whisky.
Interestingly one of the sherried Speyside whiskies was tainted with sulphur and this gave Jim a chance to talk about the challenges
facing the industry in sourcing quality casks for maturing whisky. While he was disappointed that the whisky was flawed he used this
example as a teaching tool to educate the audience on sulphur and how it arrives in the cask. (Sherry producers light a sulphur candle in the cask after it is empty to kill any bacteria present before shipping the cask off to the distillery).
He also related a story of his being involved with the launch of a high end whisky to a group of non Scottish distillers and agents.
After the whisky had been introduced by the distiller/master blender Jim was asked to say a few words about the whisky. After a
moment or two Jim asked the assembled group if they could detect the heavy sulphur taste in the whisky and the entire room agreed
that they could indeed taste a heavy sulphur note. At that point the distiller/master blender said "Yes, but it's really good sulphur!"
I have never repeatedly tasted the same group of whiskies, barring minor changes, in a structured setting and I was quite surprised to
see the shift in my scores as I came to know and enjoy the whiskies. The Victoria tasting was tasted blind and as one of the
organizers I had made a valiant attempt not to have any knowledge of the whisky line up however I did spot an Ardbeg box prior to
the tasting while giving the room a final check. Thanks to Peter for doing 'the heavy lifting' in this regards and coordinating with Jim and the various distillers who provided the product. My Victoria scores are as follows;
#1 Hiram Walker's Special Old Rye Whisky, Canada Score 78 While familiar with the Scottish single malts I had never tasted the Grant's Family Reserve (being a single malt snob) and I had never
really tasted the whiskies of my own country, Canada. To say the tasting was an eye opening experiences is an understatement. Both
Canadian whiskies, the Walker's and the Gibson's are a true joy to drink. I was completely horrified by the Redbreast and the score
reflects this. It's the only whisky I've ever had that seemed to strip all the living tissue from the inside of my mouth. Perhaps it's just
not suited to the company of other whiskies and needs to be tasted alone. Some day when I summon the necessary resolve I will
taste Redbreast once more. It should be mentioned that a large number of the room quite enjoyed it. These variations in taste are what make a market.
After the tasting Jim took the time to talk with those who had questions and signed more copies of his book. Victoria-Calgary Travel may 10th 2005
After a quick flight from Victoria to Calgary and the usual car rental details etc we made our way to the venue of the next tasting, the
Willow Park liquor store in Calgary. Willow Park has the advantage of a tasting room slightly above the sales floor however it seemed
to be a little small for the needs of the tasting. Despite that we were assured that all would be OK and then talk turned to the BenRiach that was been flown in from the UK specially for the tasting.
Despite Jim's pre planning and the Benriach actually being at the airport it transpired that the bottles never made it to the tasting and
were returned to the UK. This was quite disappointing as Jim was looking forward to introducing this whisky to Calgary since it was a
new bottling. Jim also stated that no food was to be served at the tasting as well as a few other minor items. At that point Jim was
introduced to one of the female assistant managers and within seconds he commented on her perfume and shortly there after was sniffing her neck muttering some rubbish in her ear while she giggled.
The Blackberry twins went off for a meeting (I think they expensed the whole trip) and Jim and I checked into our respective rooms at
a near by hotel with plans to meet the Willow Park manager for dinner later than night. Dinner was an all Canadian affair of local beef,
British Columbia red wine picked by Dave (Jim was surprised by the quality) and Canadian whisky, all very enjoyable. Jim commented
that when he visits a country he likes to try the local food, wines and spirits. Later back at the hotel Dave and I joined Jim in his room
to taste Canadian whiskies for the new addition of the bible, he tasted and wrote notes while we tasted. At one point Jim tasted a
sample of a Canadian rye and said, "You know, this stuff is so cheap that they don't bother adding any caramel or playing around with
it and it's really quite good", an interesting insight. It was here that he also tasted a Murray McDavid Royal Brackla bottles exclusively for Willow Park and the three Bushmills from the Victoria TV interview.
The Calgary Tasting, May 11th 2005 The next day Jim and I went off to Alberta Distillers Ltd for a tour of their Calgary distillery with Jim Rogerson, the distillery manager
and or as his card said V.P. Operations. Alberta Distillers is owned by Jim Beam Brands Worldwide and the actual Calgary plant is quite
industrial looking from the outside but clues to its purpose were all around in the form of casks, grain deliveries, warehouses and the
rest. Jim Rogerson issued us with hard hats and eye protection for the tour and showed us the entire operation with the exception of
the bottling hall. The make is Canadian rye and bottled under various names for domestic sale and for bulk export for bottling in other
countries. The distillery even has a rail siding to tanker away the mature product. In addition to whisky the distillery also makes Vodka
and gin in the huge column stills. The distillery was in full production despite the problems in recent years in buying enough quality
grain. During the tour we were fortunate to be present when they were turning in some casks of "flavouring whisky" for bottling. I
have nosed this rye before but never tasted it and now Jim and I took the opportunity to dip our fingers into the trough for a taste. I
thought the whisky was stunning and Jim agreed, why this whisky is not bottled on its own is a mystery to me. After the tour we went to the sample room to nose and taste some of the official bottlings. There was some gently teasing back and
forth over some scores Jim had given to one particular whisky in a previous edition of the bible. After tasting the Alberta Premium Rye Jim asked if some bottles could be sent Willow Park to be included in that evenings tasting.
Back to the hotel once again for email checking for Jim while I went back to Willow Park to make sure the venue was set up properly.
As I mentioned before the venue was quite small but now it was packed with tables and chairs for 65 people, however this was not
the end of the world. It's been my experience once people are settled with a glass in their hand all will go smoothly after that, despite
the cramped quarters. However what was problem was that half the glasses were large wine glasses and the other half were tiny 3
ounce stemmed wine glasses. I had seen these smaller glasses before and knew them to be hopeless for nosing whisky but it was too late in the day to arrange for a new set of glasses.
After the final inspection I headed back to the hotel to gather up Jim and where upon he felt a sudden need to have his beard
trimmed. Despite the late hour we found an open salon and a willing beauty who Jim was chatting to within seconds as she went to
work. Afterwards I asked what she had charged him, 'nothing' he replied 'but I gave her a good tip'. Then off for a bite to eat, a meal
of consisting of a turkey & cheese sandwich and …black coffee. The palate was intact. Off to Willow Park and introductions and book
signings before the tasting, good news the event was a sell out. Suddenly Jim was at my side muttering out of his freshly trimmed beard about some women's perfume and it interfering with his sense of smell.
I vaguely recollect him finding a less offensive lady to chat with. Soon after being introduced Jim asked for a new flight of whiskies because of course he had been given a flight with the tiny useless 3
ounce glasses. In the back of the room, near where I was sitting was a kitchen used for cooking and wine pairing classes. Naturally,
since the tasting had been classed a 'no food event', the kitchen was in full production producing garlic laden snacks for after the
tasting. The smell of cooking garlic wafted over all the whiskies and throughout the room. I could actually smell a layer of garlic on top
of my first whisky until I blew the offending aroma away. I covered the rest of my glasses with my tasting mat after that little eye
opener. Despite these set backs Jim carried on. I heard a few mutterings about "I thought this was a scotch tasting" when the
Canadian and Irish whiskies were revealed but Jim soon had the whole room entertained and educated about the assembled whiskies.
As with Victoria the Calgary tasting was blind however as one of the organizers I knew before hand what whiskies were in the line up.
This allowed for an interesting period of observation as I watched my fellow attendees surprise as the whiskies were revealed. Some
of the whisky agents in attendance did not even recognize their own whiskies and were very surprised when they were revealed. They
all had new found respect for their own product after the tasting. My foreknowledge also allowed me to pick and choose the whiskies I wanted to drink and the ones I wanted to spit (ever so elegantly). My Calgary scores are as follows;
#1 Alberta Premium Canadian Rye Whisky Score 85
After the tasting, myself and the Blackberry twins gathered up the unused bottles of whisky and divided them into those that were
surplus and those that were needed for the Vancouver tasting. In fact there were, happily, nearly 36 bottles left surplus, a few of
which were opened. It seemed that Willow Park had issues with pouring measured drams. Since we were flying I had to make an
impromptu carry on suitcase out of a whisky box, some packing tape and some hotel plastic laundry bags which when rolled length
wise made an excellent handle for the carry on. I came home with an An Cnoc, a Highland Park 18, a Macallan Fine Oak 15 and an
Ardbeg 17 (why a single bottle of Ardbeg 17 was there I have no idea). Later in the summer I returned to Calgary and retrieved the balance of the bottles for eventual distribution to club members and other whisky enthusiasts.
Naturally after the tasting we all went for beers, I drank water. The Vancouver Tasting, May 12th 2005 After an easy flight to Vancouver and a quick ride downtown Jim and I checked into our hotel rooms while the Blackberry twins
vanished into the city and later surfaced at the tasting having been busy pouring whisky for quite a while, I missed that nasty pouring
business once again. The Vancouver tasting was held in a large beautiful room in the Terminal City Club, one whole side of the room
was windows and there was a fantastic view of the mountains across the harbor. The room was perfectly laid out class room style
and happily Dave had arranged for enough ISO Nosing Glasses for the whole tasting. Naturally everything went smoothly without any
hiccups and Jim worked his way through the line up of whiskies and only having to bring a few eager drammers back into line.
Prior to the tasting Jim and I wandered around the area of the hotel looking for something to eat, we soon found a sandwich shop and
after finally convincing the behind the counter sandwich artist that no, Jim did not want, pickle, tomato, mustard etc, Jim finally had
his dinner of a neutral tasting sandwich and ….black coffee. On the return to the hotel we wandered by a shop front and displayed
were two male manikins done up in black leather from head to foot and one was in the frozen act of whipping his counterpart. After a
moment Jim exclaimed "Crikey, that's just not right!" We dissolved into laughter and made our way back to the hotel laughing to our selves.
Angela Travers of Buffalo Trace distillery joined us for the taxi ride down to the Terminal City Club for the tasting as she was also
staying at our hotel. Angela was in Vancouver to meet Jim and to see the tasting first hand and if I remember correctly the Vancouver
tasting attendees scored the Buffalo Trace as their favourite whiskey of the evening. Angela sat next to me at the tasting and giggled at Jim's jokes throughout and she drank all her Buffalo Trace. My Vancouver scores are as follows;
#1 Hiram Walker Special Old Rye Whisky, Canada Score 85
Curiously one of my many cousins was in attendance at the tasting, neither of us had any idea that the other liked whisky so it was a
great opportunity catch up with family. An interesting side note to this meeting was the fact that Dave had been talking about a
fellow in Vancouver who had some really old bottles of Caperdonich and that the owner wanted Jim to taste them and the owner
turned out to be my cousin. The next day I learned that he had inherited (!) four casks of 36 year old Caperdonich from his father and
that after a lengthy period of time and loads of paper work the two casks/bottles were now in his possession. He also mentioned that
he sold two casks to Douglas Laing and they were bottled under the DL name, perhaps you may have tasted them, if they are the
same casks as scored in the bible then Jim scored the DL cask at 96 points. I had a quick chance to taste these old whiskies and I
can say they both casks are quite exceptional and for once, Jim did not spit after tasting. I understand both whiskies were scored by Jim in the 90's and will be included in the 2006 Whisky Bible.
And here are my average scores for each whisky tasted: Hiram Walker's Rye Whisky, Canada - 81.5
The trip with Jim Murray, Dave Mason and Tom Burrow was fun, tiring, very educational and the three of them were very good
company. I returned with a new perspective on the whiskies tasted, while I didn't agree with Jim on every score I agree that they are
very good whiskies and have enjoyed most of the again since the tastings with the exception of the poor Redbreast. I really must give
it another try. Jim was ready to talk about whisky at anytime of the day despite being jet lagged and I often marveled at his energy.
Once I asked him an obscure whisky question and I was surprised when he simply said he didn't know which was refreshing, no pretense or B.S., just a straight up answer.
Jim is obviously very passionate about whisky and it is quite evident that he hates to see the consumer being screwed in any way, he
does not want caramel added to whisky and I think he'd be happy to see the industry put an end to chill filtering. He's also very
passionate about the smaller distilleries having a chance to shine as they are producing some very good whiskies. He also talked about
his frustration, as a writer, to the odd incident of having his tasting notes being altered after being submitted for printing. I can only
presume this is the reason that he does not write for some publications these days. I came to the conclusion that he prefers whiskies
matured in bourbon or new oak because then he has a better chance of identifying the distillery style unfettered by the influence or
sherry, port or any other 'masking' agent. I never talked to Jim about his preferences; it was just my own observation. Very shortly
after tasting the two Caperdonich I said my goodbyes to my cousin and Jim and rushed off to catch a seaplane home, the finish of Caperdonich still present.
The trip ended much as it started with a seaplane ride to Victoria over the stunning Gulf Islands except I really couldn't see a damn
thing because of the really big guy between me and the window, but it didn't matter; I had case of scotch on the floor in front of me.
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(Note from Editor; remember to never again pay the Maniacs by the word)
My friend Dave Mason, President of the West Coast Whisky Society,
and I had been in touch with Jim Murray via email in late 2004 and in
those communications the barley kernel of the Western Canadian tour
germinated. Dave and I were very keen to have Jim conduct whisky
tastings for our whisky clubs and Jim would have the opportunity to
re-taste Canadian whiskies for his 2006 Whisky Bible. Dave swung
into action and very ably organized a three city tour with tasting in
Victoria, Calgary and Vancouver working with Willow Park Spirits in
Calgary, his own Club in Vancouver while I coordinated the Victoria
tasting for my club, the appropriately named Victoria Single Malt Club
(www.victoriasinglemaltclub.com) with the Manager of the Strath
Spirits Merchants, Peter Heemskirk.
Black Swan B&B in Abbotsford (near Vancouver) with host, whisky
enthusiast and collector Mike Smith, another member of the West
Coast Whisky Society. I think Jim was a little surprised to see such
an excellent collection so far from anywhere!
partner Tom, arrived in Victoria harbor via West Coast Air Twin Otter
seaplane from Vancouver harbor. As I watched from the reception area
I reflected that they had a great day for a flight over the Gulf Islands
and the view, always spectacular, (something like the Shire before
Lord of the Rings trashed it) would have been even better for this
low level and short trip. After introductions and while we were loading
the luggage into my Range Rover Jim looked at the "Ardbeg" license
plate and exclaimed "Now that's class!" A good start.
He related to us that he works with some rum producers and when blending rum that they use caramel for coloring and the added
caramel changes the flavour of the rum. Since rum is essentially made from caramel then it follows that if caramel changes the taste
of rum then it will certainly change the taste of whisky despite what the whisky industry maintains. Jim talked for over four hours,
without notes and was both entertaining and highly informative. However there was some restliness after half and hour and no damn drams sampled, but I managed to keep my self settled by sneaking a sip or two while he wasn't looking.
#2 Gibson's Finest 18 Year Old, Canada Score 83
#3 Grant's Family Reserve, Scotland Score 68
#4 Jameson Irish Whiskey Score 72
#5 Glenmorangie 10 Year Old, Scotland Score 82
#6 Glenfiddich Solera Reserve 15 Year Old, Scotland Score 86
#7 Highland Park 18 Year Old, Scotland Score 89
#8 Macallan 18 Year Old, Scotland Score 86
#9 Buffalo Trace Kentucky Bourbon, USA Score 88
#10 Ardbeg 10 Year Old, Scotland Score 90
#11 Redbreast Irish Whiskey Score 32
When the last person had departed the Blackberry Twins, Jim, myself and my beloved Carollyne went upstairs to the pub for a drink
because we simply had not had enough to drink already. Jim it seems is like every other whisky presenter after a tasting, by saying he was absolutely dying for a ....beer. After four hours of talking he had earned it.
The rest of us die hards drank scotch and we all soon called it a night.
#2 Gibson's Finest 18 Year Old, Canada Score 85
#3 Grant's Family Reserve, Scotland Score 85
#4 Dewars 12 Year Old, Scotland Score 86
#5 Jameson Irish Whisky Score 86
#6 Glenmorangie 10 Year Old, Scotland Score 87
#7 An Cnoc 12 Year Old, Scotland Score 90
#8 Macallan Fine Oak 15 Year Old, Scotland Score 86
#9 Glenfiddich Solera Reserve 15 Year Old, Scotland Score 89
#10 Highland Park 18 Year Old, Scotland Score 93
#11 Buffalo Trace Kentucky Bourbon, USA Score 93
#12 Ardbeg 10 Year Old, Scotland Score 93
#2 Gibson's Finest 18 Year Old, Canada Score 90
#3 Grant's Family Reserve, Scotland Score 90
#4 Dewars 12 Year Old, Scotland Score 89
#5 Jameson Irish Whiskey Score 85
#6 Glenmorangie 10 Year Old, Scotland Score 90
#7 An Cnoc 12 Year Old, Scotland Score 87
#8 Macallan Fine Oak 21 Year Old, Scotland Score 88
#9 Glenfiddich Solera Reserve 15 Year Old, Scotland Score 91
#10 Highland Park 18 Year Old, Scotland Score 90
#11 Buffalo Trace Kentucky Bourbon, USA Score 93
#12 Ardbeg 10 Year Old, Scotland Score 93
Alberta Premium Canadian Rye Whisky - 85
Gibson's Finest 18 Year Old, Canada - 86
Grant's Family Reserve, Scotland - 81
Jameson Irish Whisky - 81
Dewar's 12 Year Old, Scotland - 87.5
Glenmorangie 10 Year Old, Scotland - 86
Glenfiddich Solera Reserve 15 Year Old - 89
An Cnoc 12 Year Old, Scotland - 88.5
Highland Park 18, Scotland - 91
Macallan 18, Scotland - 86
Macallan 15 Fine Oak, Scotland - 86
Macallan 21 fine Oak, Scotland - 88
Buffalo Trace Kentucky Bourbon, USA - 91
Ardbeg 10 Year Old, Scotland - 92
Redbreast Irish Whiskey - 32
E-pistle #16/11 - Whisky Fringe vs Whisky Live
Submitted on 26/09/2005 by Ralf Mitchell, Scotland
.......... 2005 has seen the continuing success of two prominent whisky festivals in Scotland.
There is also the strong and particular culture in Scotland of not drinking moderately for sociable enjoyment, but rather from an early
age, getting drunk as fast a possible, followed by a fight, or, on a quiet night, self pity !!! Getting older does not seem to diminish the
heavy drinking habit. Alcoholism is a serious social and cultural problem throughout Scotland (actually, it always has been), and whisky
delivers a hang-over from Hell!!! Vodka doesn't !!! Being very drunk in the street does not carry the same social stigmas as in other
European countries, and the tolerance of Scottish society towards drunkenness can be seen in everything from folk songs, news paper
stories, hospital casualty units and football culture. It's called Binge (Bin-j) Drinking, and results in a high national rate of alcoholism and related health problems.
Mercifully free of any real 'Binge drinking' both Festivals are an oasis of civilized sociable sipping and provide the best opportunity to
try whiskies one wouldn't normally buy. Considering the price of whiskies, especially older ones, it is very tempting for your average
malt drinker to stay within an age or region parameter, and in doing so, enjoying the security of not spending money on a whisky that
might not be satisfying. The real beauty of a whisky festival is the inexpensive opportunity to try a great range of whisky, and gain the benefit of the education this provides. WHISKY FRINGE
(www.whiskyfringe.com) happens in August at the end of the Edinburgh Festival fortnight, and is organized in Edinburgh by
Some Whisky Fringe 2005 sample assessments; Balblair 38y.o. official bottling .................................(92 - takes time to open up fully, pure water required ! ) WHISKY LIVE (www.whiskylive.com) occurs during September in Glasgow, and is organized through Whisky Magazine.
Some Whisky Live 2005 sample assessments; Brora 23y.o. old malt cask 1981 61%.........(94 - sublimely beautiful and rich, a master-class ! )
So there you have a brief intro: to two major Scottish Whisky Festivals, but there's more !!!!!
Along with the 'Pot Still' in Hope Street and 'Lismore' in Dumbarton road, the 'Bon Accord' in North street as well as having a large
range of real ales, has gone from five to over one hundred Malts in only a couple of years and now has a thriving whisky scene
complimenting it's ales. The old scottish tradition of a hauf n' hauf (half and half) i.e. a pint of beer with a quarter gill of whisky drunk side by side together (but not mixed) is being resurrected. Regards - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Both are recent arrivals to the scottish calendar, due primarily to scots people's perceived general disinterest towards whisky in
preference to vodka mixers and alco-pops along with a recent vogue for Morgan's spiced rum or whatever's cheapest at the bar !!!.
Malts in particular are considered expensive, and really only of interest to wealthy old men, tourists, and younger, mainly middle class "nuveau-scotias".
Benrinnes 14y.o. cask from Dewar Rattrey .................(92 - such a great character !)
Brora 1981 refill sherry cask from Duncan Taylor...........(91 - good example of a great malt)
Poit Dhub 21y.o. vatted Praban na Linne Ltd..............(90 - masterful mix of good malts)
Port Ellen 26y.o. bourbon cask from Douglas Laing........(90 - clear signature of classic Islay)
Balblair 16y.o. official bottling ..................................(88 - rose-water, nautical, and soft spices signature)
Eleuthera by Compass Box......................................(87 - good mix of malts helped by caol ila and clynelish)
Balindalloch (Glenfarclas) 40yo from Douglas Laing ......(79 - fresh oloroso)
(That last one was a very good example of a cask trying to tame a 'volcanic' hot malt and not quite winning !)
With a large marquee located in the city centre of Glasgow;- George square to be exact, Whisky Live does not enjoy the magnificent
venue locations of Whisky Fringe, but does have a larger range of exhibitors, especially from the corporate brands, including Diagio,
Grants, Chivas,Whyte & Mackay, Inver House e.t.c., and also, there is much in the way of special presentation tastings and expert
talks from the likes of Dave Broom and other whisky worthies. The opening hours of Whisky Live are longer than that of Whisky Fringe
by at least an hour, and one also gets a 'goody bag' of a decent miniature, copy of Whisky Magazine and other assorted sales
literature. A standard ticket costs (for 2005) £28 for one day, and although one is issued with 15 tokens for obtaining samples,
thereby limiting options, staff at the tables are not fussy about collecting the tokens if small samples are requested. All in all, this event seems to be gaining momentum with a large presence of European visitors.
Highland Park 30y.o. official release..........(92 - balanced, quietly complex with oak harmonies)
Carsebridge(grain) 25y.o. Duncan Taylor....(92 - another prize from the old grain masters !)
Ardbeg Serendipity 12y.o. 40%................(90 - an Ardbeg/Glen Moray fusion that works!)
Glenrothes 1972 43% ...........................(86 - old ones are fine, but recent efforts are duller !)
Longrow Tokaji 10y.o. ...........................(86 - sweet hungarian wine cask cramps the style !)
Hazelburn 8y.o. ...................................(84 - triple distilled Springbank........ O.K. not Great !)
Bowmore 16y.o. 51.8%..........................(84 - competent, but not a lot of sparkle, short finale !)
Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum 35%......... (42 - nippy industrial rum made worse by the chemicals masquerading as spices)
Islay and Speyside both have great week-long festivals of increasing popularity and inventiveness thus ensuring their continuity, and
also the availability in real ale pubs (public houses) of an increasing range of whiskies is promoting in-house tastings nights and
distillery visits. Glasgow's Whisky Connections festival in February ran for the first time this year, exclusively in local pubs, and is likely to be repeated next year.
E-pistle #16/12 - Chocolate & Whisky; A Good Combination?
Submitted on 04/10/2005 by Olivier Humbrecht, France
Having a very strong wine background, it is quite hard for me to fully appreciate single malt whisky, or any other alcohol, with food. Of
course, occasionally, I do enjoy a full dinner with specially selected malts, especially if it has been done by pros like Martine Nouet
(that seafood 'tian' served with some Islay bottled Laddie…). I also have great memories of Loch Indaal oysters served with 10yo
Bruichladdich or 16yo Lagavulin. Anybody visiting Bunnahabhain distillery during Feis Isle should try the local butcher's burgers made with the 12yo Bunna… and, I think, there's nothing better than a great sherry cask Ardbeg to go with Haggis!
Slainte!
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How do people drink whisky ? I am sure that there are multiple answers, but in my case, it is often after dinner, with… a small piece of
chocolate, most of the time dark chocolate. I do find that the bitterness, light sweetness and richness of chocolate covers the
tannins of a rich sherry cask, hide the higher alcohol of a cask strength and tempers the bold character of a very young peaty malt.
During the fabulous Whisky Live Paris 2005, Aberlour distillery proposed their current range of malts with a selection of chocolates from
Weiss. I was quite excited, because generally I like Aberlour, I like chocolates and I like the two together.
The tasting started with a new bottling of Aberlour 10yo (43%,OB tall bt, 2005) 80 pts.
This whisky has a classic light fruity quality, quite aromatic with hints of sherry and a good length. This is a perfect starter to the
Aberlour style. It was proposed with some Orangettes (candied Orange skins covered with dark chocolate) and Trinité ( a Tribago
cocoa at 64%, dark). The Trinité was a classic combination, even though the dark chocolate was slightly overpowering the whisky,
but the Orangettes were spot on! The fruity orange aromas and the light bitterness of the skins made the whisky taste even more elegant and lighter.
Following was the Aberlour 12yo (43%, OB, double cask matured, 2005)
81 pts.
More intense and sherried as the 10yo, it also shows sweet grain flavours. The palate is soft, quite light. Again, a very well made
whisky with a medium length and easily enjoyable. It was served with Paledor (a ganache of 57% cocoa with some dark chocolate
crunchy bits). The combination worked perfectly. The 'éclat de fève' in the chocolate brought some extra length to the whisky and the flavours went well together. After each bite, you felt like having another dram…
The
Aberlour 15yo (43%, OB, double cask matured, 2005) is a lovely sherry/fruity malt.
It shows discreet sulphur aromas, typical of strong sherry influence. The palate is much more intense and longer than the previous
whiskies and it also feels better balanced, deserving its 85 points. A lovely dram. Jasmine chocolate was proposed with the 15yo
(Dark chocolate and jasmine tea). The pungent aromatic chocolate did marvels to the 15yo. Both had strong aromatic profiles, but
they complemented each other perfectly. The palate was even more interesting. I did fear that the strong aromatics of Jasmine would
overpower the whisky, but this wasn't the case. Again, perfect match. The light bitterness of the Jasmine was covered by the rich unctuous texture of the chocolate and the sweetness of the sherry cask.
The Aberlour 16yo
(43%, OB, double cask matured, 2005) boasted some very fine sherry character and a beautiful balanced palate. Curiously, it didn't feel more intense that the 15yo. I almost had the feeling that the 15yo was more pungent and vibrant on the
palate, hence the same score of 85 points. Two very different chocolates were proposed with this malt: some citronettes (lemon
candied skins covered with dark chocolate and crunchy 'fèves') and some classic Noisette (thik milk chocolate with whole hazelnuts).
The citronettes, very similar to the Orangettes, did marvels to the whisky. Perhaps the higher acidity and bitterness of the lemon
helped to cut the richness of the sherry, without affecting the flavours. I know it sounds odd, but on the palate the combination was
perfect. The Noisette was slightly too rich for me. It is a very creamy/sweet chocolate, excellent on its own, but the whole hazelnuts
did not balance the palate enough and the chocolate slightly overpowered the whisky. Perhaps with a higher strength ?
Next: Aberlour NAS A'bunad'h Batch #13
(59.8%, OB). Classic, with all the richness, creamy character and full sherry influence. Perhaps my palate was influenced with the chocolate and other malts I just had before, but I really felt that it was a perfect exemple
of Abunad'h. Great sherry influence, not too tannic and fabulous length. 90 points well deserved! For this sherry monster, Mr Weiss
proposed a plain black chocolate (57% cocoa). Simple, no fuss, great dark chocolate (sorry, I couldn't get the origin), soft bitterness
and a rich cocoa taste. The combination with the intense sherry and very high strength was marvellous. The chocolate really made
the whisky taste even better and it also made its higher alcohol not noticeable. (I tried some of this whisky with water, but it doesn't go well with the chocolate). Fabulous combination.
The last whisky proposed was an
Aberlour 30yo 1975 (49.2%, OB, Single cask 4556, 168bt). Under the advice of the distillery representatives, I took a break (went to taste some lighter whiskies), to give my palate a rest and 'clean' the chocolate flavours.
Good idea, because this is a very delicate style. The sherry is elegant, showing lots of ripe apples aromas, cider… Whow, what a beauty! 92 points
. Fabulous length, but it feels very delicate after the Abunad'h. The chocolate proposed here was the Noisette Noir
(dark chocolate with whole hazelnuts). Great combination! The richness of this chocolate (imagine half an inch thick chocolate filled
with whole hazelnuts) and its sweetness paired the delicate character of the 30yo perfectly. I couldn't resist, but I also went back to some Orangettes and plain black chocolate, and both of those two paired very well also.
In conclusion:
Aberlour is a great distillery and its malts are worth tasting and drinking,
Chocolate is a good companion to whisky, sometimes enhancing the quality of the spirit and helping the palate when the strength is
very high, I would avoid the sweeter milk chocolate, unless it is a very powerful malt.
E-pistle #16/13 - Wash 'yer' Wort
Submitted on 13/10/2005 by Michel van Meersbergen
, Holland
My ongoing quest for understanding the whisky making process brought me to Islay last September.
I had a very clear concept about what I wanted to do. I wanted to seriously sample the wash, the beer without hop, of the Islay
distilleries to find out what differences between them are and perhaps find a hint or suggestion which leads to the final bottled
product. Another thing that counted was the fact that, as far as I know, there's no e-pistle about wort and wash on the pages of the
Malt Maniacs. This is about mashtuns and washbacks.Ardbeg, Bruichladdich, Caol Ila and Laphroaig immediately cooperated and gave
me samples from their wash as close as possible to the stage the fermenting was to be stopped, one distillery was crying something
about 'it's non duty paid' and two were not visited as my girlfriend had enough of it and wanted to enjoy the countryside during walks… together…
There you have it...
At Bruichladdich we were lucky to bump into Jim McEwan.
We had a little chat, we had to try the new Trestariagh run because he
wanted to see our faces when we tried it at 11:00 AM. He also offered his
experience for this article. I larded this writing with some Q+A's from Jim.
Jim, 84.5% ABV before lunch is really tough!
Christel still has no clue as to what will happen two seconds later...
and I still have to deal with this enormous crispy, minty taste on my palate.
First things first.
In alphabetical order a profile of the visited distilleries & their sampled washes:
The mashtun is a bit of a fake. I can understand were bottled Ardbeg is coming from.
So there's little correspondence between the wash used for the current bottlings (apart from the 'Very Young') and the wash sampled
recently. However it might gives us a clue why the 'Very Young for Discussion' (Distilled 1997) is quite different from the 'Very Young Committee approved' (Distilled 1998)...
Cast iron from 1961 on the outside and cold stainless steel on the inside and of the semi-lauter type.
The mash size is around 4.5 tonnes. Water is poured in three stages: 1st water: 17.500 litres at 68¥C. 2nd water: 8.200 litres at 82
¥C. 3rd water: 17.500 litres at 90¥C. The 3rd water is used for the next 1st water. The wort is cooled down to 20¥C and pumped to
one of the six Oregon pine washbacks where 75 kg Mauri yeast (for a charge of 23.500 litres) is added and allowed to ferment for 55 hours during week days and a maximum 75 hours during weekends. The wash has an ABV of 8% by then.
Ardbeg Wash >7% < 8% ABV. Carbolic acid added to stop further fermentation (*).
Colour: Clover honey, around 80% opaque, dense foam.
Nose: Animal-like peat-smoke, very deep, charcoal, clover honey. Dash of tar.
Palate: Smoke continues, fruity, honey/pollen and a bit soapy.
Finish: Very fruity, peat smoke goes on but now at a more subtle scale.
Flowery notes on pollen and some late warm tarry notes. Monolithic style.
A lot of tell-tale Ardbeggian signs are to be found in the wash.
Change the honey/pollen with 'cooked apple', add vanilla and voilà quite a decent
tasting note for an OB TEN'ner. There is a point of caution though. In the beginning
of 1998 the malt mill was adjusted to ground husks more efficient and lift the ppm's
in the spirit. The initial 54 ppm average for the malting resulted in 16 to 17 ppm's in
the new make spirit. Due to the adjustment the ppm's in the new make spirit has
risen to 23 – 24 ppm using the same malting specification.
Bruichladdich
At the time of our visit Bruichladdich just transferred from Quest to Anchor Dry yeast. (**) I also had the chance to taste the New Make from the wash fermented Michel: Since a few weeks Bruichladdich is using a new yeast strain, Jim:
The benefits we are experiencing from Anchor Dry are most importantly the change the new spirit profile which is now more
floral and with a wild mint trace which adds more complexity to our very fruity new make, that is the reason for the change. We are
not concerned about the price being more expensive its all about the flavour and the bonus is the fermentation is complete in 55 hours. Michel
: In my opinion the wash generated with Anchor Dry has an even more fruitier style than previous washes from Bruichladdich.
What are the effects on the spirit? Are there any changes regarding to the cuts made? Is there a higher amount of pure alcohol distilled? Jim:
I have changed the middle cut on the new make Port Charlotte but that is due to the peating level rather than the yeast, we have not achieved a higher PSY by using Anchor Dry I repeat it is the flavour that makes the difference for me.
The 7 tonnes cast-iron mashtun is the only open type on Islay. Due to loss of heat the mashing takes longer and water is poured four
times to extract most of the sugars from the grist: 1st water: 24.230 litres at 65¥C. 2nd water: 12.488 litres at 86¥C. 3rd water:
16.775 litres at 88¥C. 4th water: 16.775 litres at 93¥C. 3rd and 4th water are used for next 1st water. The worst is cooled down to
21¥C before pumped to one of the 5 Oregon pine washbacks. There is a 6th washback which is believed to be made by the
grandfather of current manager Duncan McGillivray, it's not in use at present time. 75 kg of Anchor Dry yeast is used for a wash
charge of 36.000 litres. The following fermentation data are for the previous yeasts Quest and Mauri. (150 kg for a normal charge) 60
hours during weekdays and 106.5 hours for weekends. The wash has an ABV of 6 to 7% at the time of stopping fermentation. The fermentation time with Anchor Dry yeast is about 5 hours shorter.
Bruichladdich Wash >6% < 7% ABV
Colour: Clover honey, around 90% opaque, dense foam.
Nose: Farmy, dung, hints of lime, sour humus, yeast, bread dough.
Floral and some bittery vomitty notes.
Palate: Fruity, grainy golden delicious, Low ABV Blanquette de Limoux. Cider.
Finish: Lemon zest, malts, hints of honey and lingering bitter notes.
By far the most deeply fruity style, also the most monolithic…
with Anchor Dry. Compared to previous new makes I tried it's more fruity
and complex, very sweet indeed. I'll guess there will be magical
Bruichladdich from 10 years on…
Anchor Dry. Did you feel any need to use a new strain at Bruichladdich?
What are the benefits, both commercial and technical?
Caol Ila
The workman's distillery is one of the most traditional. The only computers you'll find are at the offices, all distillery equipment seems
to be operated from classic NASA-like control panels which suggest the use of bomb-proof relays rather than high-tech PCU's. The
cast-iron shell, steel bottom and copper toped mashtun is of the Lauter type and has a capacity of 11.5 tonnes. The following data
are for the unpeated Caol Ila 'Highland' Water is poured 3 times. 1st water: 42.000 litres at 68.5¥C. 2nd water: 13.500 litres at 76¥C.
3rd water: 44.000 litres at 79¥C. the 3rd water is used for the next 1st water. The wort is cooled down to 16¥C before being pumped
to one of the 8 Oregon pine washbacks. For fermenting 150 kg of Mauri yeast is used for a charge of 54.000 litres. Fermenting time for
week days is 80 hours, for weekends it's a whopping 120 hours. At the final stage it has 8% ABV. I smelled the just opened washback at this stage and almost passed out due to the enourmous C02 gas concentration. I never had an Coal Ila Highland per sé. Michel
: Neil McSomething from Caol Ila thinks/feels the secret of pine washbacks is about enzymes in the wood itself, acting as a kind
of preservative/disinfectant. Surely the enzymes will be washed out in the years of use. What are your thoughts about Neil's idea? Jim:
Neil may believe that and that's his call however the washbacks are cleaned after every charge some with chemicals some with
steam and some both unless there is some mega enzyme that can withstand that kind of attack for decades then its some enzyme.
Caol Ila Highland wash >7% <8% ABV Colour: Lemon curd, 70% opaque, dense foam.
Nose: Clover honey, pollen, powdered sugar, underlying soapy notes and lemon peel.
Palate: Very light and mild. The honey continues with added hints of lime and yeast.
Finish: Leaves with a lightly spiced taste and feel. An oily type of Bierre Blanche.
The most refined and delicate wash on Islay.
Therefore it's hard to tell if there're any signs that leads to the bottled spirit.
Judging from the peated version there might be a connection between the refined
wash and the clean Caol Ila style we encounter most. I know this is a very bold
statement because Caol Ila focuses on a lighter style of spirit. Coolest and longest
fermentation times, smallest wash and low wines charges, longest distillation runs
and the most narrow middle cuts. It all adds up to what we find in our glass.
Laphroaig The only fully stainless steel equipped distillery on Islay. Especially the vegetal aftertaste of the Laphroaig wash is very interesting. Michel: Reading the taste notes I made on wash samples the ones from pine backs have a more narrow yet deep fruity and gentle
soapy style while the ones from stainless steel are more broad shouldered at first but at the end lack complexity. As some sort of a general consensus, would you agree with the above? What exactly is the wood influence on wash? Michel: There's a lot to say about washbacks made from pine or stainless steel. Most of the managers/washman I met were indifferent about the differences between the two. Do you think
there's a noticeable difference between Pine and Stainless steel? Jim: I do not believe there is any difference in the new spirit,
Not only back from the Island but back to reality as well!! Michel van Meersbergen * The samples were treated with carbolic acid to stop fermentation, therefore the tasting notes are not bullet-proof due to an acidic
taste (although I tried hard to taste thru the acid which was very much on its own in the taste. ** Anchor Dry is the yeast now most commonly used at the mainland distilleries. Coming from the South African company Anchor it
has several advantages. It has a shelf life of one year compared to a few weeks for Mauri and Quest and, according to Anchor
important for Bruichladdich because it carries the 'Organic' seal thus perfectly implements with the 'green' policy at Bruichladdich.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The 8.5 tonnes mashtun is of the Lauter type. Water is poured 3 times. 1st water: 37.000 litres at 67¥C. 2nd water: 16.000 litres at
85¥C. Third water: 32.000 litres at 85¥C. The 3rd water is used for the next 1st water. The wort is cooled down to 18 - 19¥C before
being pumped to one of the 6 stainless steel washbacks where it receives 125 kg Mauri yeast on a 42.000 litres charge. Fermentation time is 55 hours during weekdays and 90 hrs for weekends. The wash has an ABV of 8.5%.
Laphroaig wash >7% <8% ABV. Carbolic acid added to stop fermentation (*).
Colour: Clover honey, 90% opaque, dense foam.
Nose: Crude oil, diesel. Charcoal, solid peat smoke. Soapy tarry background.
Palate: Fruity, smokey pollen and late charred peaty notes.
Finish: Zesty and honey. Becomes thin and drying leaving with vegetal notes.
Quite a broad taste compared to the other washes tried.
The only wash I tried to have such notes. Is this an omen to the illusive sea
weedy notes found in most Laphroaig's? Another thing that stood out was the
fact that it had a much wider and punchier style of smell and taste.
Can this be the result of fermenting in stainless steel washbacks?
Maybe we should ask Jim about it?
Jim: I have never been in a distillery that had both pine and stainless washbacks
with fully fermented wash of exactly the same age to compare so I have no idea how
you compared your samples, it would be impossible to compare one distiller V another
unless the malt was the same varity the amount of yeast , the type, the pitching
temp, the type of mashtun, and so on. Could you find the difference 15years later in
a single malt that had be filled into various casks some first fill some second some
even forth fills lying in different types of storage, some traditional, some racks, some
block pallets and then filled with E150 and chill filtered, I doubt if the good Lord himself
could but I'm sure there are lots of experts in Scotland that can though I have still to
meet one... In conclusion I believe you are looking in the wrong area for significant
changes it really is all in wood quality and for to long sub standard casks have been
filled more than once to often and as long as E150 is used this practice will continue
to be used, does god love Scotland so much that he created an oak tree that would
grow for 200 years be cut down made into casks that no matter how often you used
them the colour would be the same, that's what many companies would like the
consumer to believe and in fact I have heard it said hundreds of time, ask around
some companies how many times they fill a cask and for how many years ,then
stand back and watch the action as the marketing men rush in with the spin.
whether it comes from wood or stainless steel.
E-pistle #16/14 - Ask an Anorak: Sensory Preparations
Compiled on 30/10/2005 by Johannes van den Heuvel, Holland
It's high time for another 'anoracal' discussion on these pages.
I haven't had time to start a fresh discussion recently, but fortunately Serge brought up an interesting topic.
I imagine the contents of this article will prove especially useful for the heavy drammers among us.
Serge - Hi Maniacs, here is something I always wanted to write about, but I guess it'll be much more useful when we all add our own
'secrets': 'How do we prepare our senses before a tasting session?' We all know that our 'shape' can influence our judgements and
ratings very much. Sure, there are also the glasses we use, the way we sort our flights, the pauses we make between each flight, or even the music we listen to. But I think what's even more important is what we do... Before!
Anyway, here are a few observations as far as I'm concerned: - I'm a smoker but contrarily to some friends, smoking does not influence my nostrils and taste buds.
- I'm extremely sensible to odours (except cigarette smoke ;-), and I just can't nose a malt properly if there's any smell of food in the
room, especially 'cooked' dishes or cheese. On the other hand, some odours such as wood, furniture, flowers etc. do not bother me
too much. Anyway, I always try to aerate the room before a tasting, and I go in the open as soon as I can (provided my neighbour doesn't light up his barbeque).
- It's hard for me to taste a malt when I just had some food, especially 'strong' food such as Indian dishes, cheese, tomato sauce etc.
That's why I try not to eat anything else than bread and butter before a serious tasting session. Smoked salmon works well too, don't ask me why.
- If I feel my palate isn't in such good shape - for instance when I had to swallow some 'strong' food - I'm having a coffee. It's
incredible how it recalibrates the palate (I think I got this from Richard Patterson). On the other hand, chocolate doesn't make it for me (too bad, I used to own a small chocolate company a few years ago - sold it four years ago).
- The hours aren't that important, although I tend to think that the best time for me is early in the afternoon. - And finally, it's rather easy for me to check if my 'mechanical parts' work well.
- Oh, yes, one last thing: B vitamins (B50 pills etc.) seem to work quite well before a heavy session or whisky event. And you?
Granted, it must influence them globally, on the long term, but having a cigarette (not a Brazilian cigar or a Toscani, Johannes) just
before a malt does not affect my senses, I believe. Having a cigarette between each set of three or four samples even helps me recalibrate my palate. So, I don't stop smoking one hour before any tasting, like some do.
Well, provided my lunch was light.
When I'm not in such good shape, I smell and/or taste always the same aromas, whichever the malts. That doesn't mean that I can
smell/taste only this particular aroma, thank God. This aroma changes almost each time (weird!) For instance, sometimes all malts are
bitter, or grassy, or very spirity, or weak, or loaded with caramel, or on heavy notes of ripe apples. Strange, isn't it? Anyway, that's always a warning for me - except when all malts are more or less the same indeed.
But I'm sure Davin and the other North-American maniacs can tell us more about these...
Olivier - I always feel better after a wine tasting.
My palate is awake and malts actually often calms the aggression of acids or tannins on the palate.
Davin - I avoid spicy or heavy foods and ask my wife not to use garlic or heavy spices or to fry anything. Rather than whacking me
over the head with a frying pan, which she should do when I am being so fussy, she very generously indulges my eccentricities.
Immediately when I start tasting I pour myself a Glenlivet 12yo When it gains its familiar tastes and smells and scores 75 point I know
I am ready. This can happen quickly but can also take a good half hour sometimes. When there is no Glenlivet 12 around I start with
any simple malt, not for calibration, but just to warm up my palate. I have done this for a couple of years, since Craig introduced me
to the notion of the 'death seat' that being the first whisky consumed in competition, which often performs badly. I heartily agree with Serge's comments. Smoke in a room does temporarily reduce my appreciation of some malts - probably hides the cigarette and tobacco smoke aromas in
the whisky as well. However, I quickly get used to it and have no real problem tasting if someone is smoking. Given the choice, I
prefer to dram in a smoke-free room, but in a bar, I will go to the smoking section if that's where my friends are. I have no doubt that
smokers taste right past the cigarette smoke, so it doesn't surprise me that your taste buds work so well even when you are smoking.
For me, having smoked only once, a cigar, and having killed my palate for two days in the process, smoking is no longer of any
interest. I like whisky too much. I wonder if your smoking does enure you to some similar flavours though. I absolutely HATE the idea
of mixing whisky and cigars. To do so to me is just a waste of good whisky, but I am sure others see something in it, and Mark's little
experiment has actually made me curious to try it to see what I have been missing because I have made my judgement in the worst possible way - without actually experiencing it.
Yes, I try to avoid odours. Cleaning fluids and solvents are particularly bad. I also found that dramming in a forest is not too good.
Too earthy and musty in a deciduous forest and too many piney smells in a coniferous forest. Yes, I try to avoid spicy food and any food that lingers for as long as possible before dramming. I don't know about smoked salmon,
but cooked fish is not a good meal before dramming. I have found that sweet wine (like late harvest or ice wine) really prevents me
from tasting vanilla or sherry in a whisky if I drink it too soon afterwards. I wonder though, would a palate cleanser like Prosecco do just the opposite? I haven't tried the coffee trick Serge mentioned, but I will.
Serge, your last remark about the 'mechanics' worries me.
Regarding vitamins: B50s are good as long as you don't take too many.
ANY dram tastes better in good company for instance.
Any dram tastes better after a good days work.
Chocolate destroys my palate for a long time. I simply avoid it altogether. Hours don't matter to me either, but at Johannes' place we tried one skalk that turned into six and each was yummier than the one before.
I have recently reviewed about 3 months worth of wine tasting notes and I found that everything I tasted n February tasted like
grapefruit and green apples or cedar and green peppers. I think I was maybe going through a dead nose period. Some whiskies I tasted in February tasted better in April so I am going back to re-taste some others.
If you overload on these you can start to smell it in your urine and also smell it on your breath and I think this must also affect how
whisky tastes. I use B50 but carefully. The first truly effective hangover preventative.
Ho-cheng - Dear all, I am not a smoker and smoking does affect my nosing.
I like spicy food especially Chinese Hot Pot, which is extreaming hot and spicy. If I had that kind of food, I don't do any serious tasting at least for two days. Honestly speaking, I only drink beer if I want something spicy.
A good sleep actully helps a lot for a serious tasting.
And very strange, I need some drams to warm up. Though, more the drams I had, less the tasting note I wrort down. But I can normally found more detail in the whisky, I don't know if it is good or bad.
We didn't allow any smoke in the tastings at our club. I found myself quite sensitive to pets, especially cats.
There was one tasting in my friend's house, I record an very chemical smell in all drams and later it turnd out I sit in a spot close to the "Cat sand". Though the sand has been moved to another room the smell stays there.
If I had a bad sleep the night before the tasting, I can't do too much for the whisky.
Mark
- I see what Olivier means when he says he feels better after a wine tasting.
As for smoking, I prefer cigars, or whatever the 'house smoke' may be (Johannes!) to cigarettes, and do not consider myself a smoker
per se. I will usually have between 2 and 10 cigars a month, and have never bought more than 4 sticks at a time. Cigars do not
enhance whisky, but if I am smoking outdoors in the cold, a whisky is a great companion. For me, whisky and other spirits (or beer)
greatly enhance a smoking session, but the reverse is hardly ever true. Like Serge, Johannes and Charlie, I have not noticed any adverse palatal distress due to smoking some time before a tasting/nosing session.
I try to stick with starchy foods, fried if possible, and as tasty as possible without hammering my tongue and lips. I also prefer to eat
after the nosing, or before, at a seperate location. Cooking odours (and pet!, KingFisher), really can foul my calibration. I don't practice formal benchmarking, but I try to begin sessions with something I know fairly well.
Coffee has never killed my palate, and if I ever again try to take notes on whiskies while smoking I will be sure to have coffee available.
Vitamin B is a good friend of mine, and I begin to take it 24 hours prior to DramTime, more just before and after the session,
concluding the treatment with a final dose the following morning. Yes, it colours the urine and lends a certain odour, but not nearly as
much as asparagus will. My chief concern with vitamin supplements is to not overtax the kidneys and liver. Heavy dramming already
works those organs hard, so I try not to make it worse by dosing the Bs too heavily. Additionally, I find that chewing Vitamin Bs will definitely kill the palate for a long time.
I am no good at a tasting if I am limited on time or somehow feel pushed to be quick about it. I can be very quick, but it needs to be
organic. Same for me with practicing music - I would rather skip a session than partake at an unfriendly pace.
Of Riannon Walsh's litany of pre- and post-treatments I most like the excercise and water consumption hints. Lately, I have taken to
standing quite a bit during tastings, and walking around, chatting up other WeDrammers and comparing notes. That gives a touch of
excercise, and affords more opinions than a large table format will. Our tasting yesterday was the best yet because hardly anyone sat
for longer than 10min or so, as we were in the First Class section and cockpit of a 747 (British Airways) on display at a local air
museum. We all roamed about freely, clutching in 2s and 3s. Previous tastings have had us mostly static at a large table, or seated around a coffee table on couches, etc. Great idea for an ATM topic, Sergio!
The acids and tannins of red wines in particular seem much more palate-striking than even the heat of a cask strength malt. I have
only twice followed a substantial quantity of wine with whisky: (1) with John Glaser on March 4th, and (2) with some Maniacs at
Maison du Valentin, Turckheim, near Christmas 2003. Neither of those were planned that way, but I must say that I had no sense at all of the whiskies suffering their predecessors' impact.
Lex - Few things which are important for me when tasting. * No strong-tasting, like spicy, food before. And in moderation; no large meals before a tasting.
* Coffee before tasting doesn't work for me; it completely changes my experience of a malt. I tried once tasting a malt (think it was a Springbank), then had a coffee and then tasted that very same malt again. Two different worlds .....
* Being a non-smoker, and never having smoked, cigar or cigarette smoke completely ruins my nose. Worst experience with that was
at the Malt Whisky Festival in The Hague, where smoking was allowed throughout and it was sometimes really hard finding a place to enjoy a malt without having someone blow second-hand smoke over it. Johannes will probably agree with me on that.
* I always try to have biscuits, crackers, whatever, at hand. Both to neutralise my palate between drams and also, at long sessions, to keep getting something in my stomach.
* Same thing with water; I always drink at least a full glass of water between drams. * Pace, or rather, lack of. Don't like to rush things. If I'm at home and am pressed for time or don't feel relaxed, I'll have a whisky I
know. In order to taste a new one, I need to feel I have all the time in the world. * Finally, last but certainly not least, company! Not only because enjoying a dram is more enjoyable in the company of like-minded
people, but also because bouncing tasting notes of each other makes you detect other things you might not have on your own. Or put a word to this infuriating note you know you know but can't put your finger on ....
Not the 'Olympic' preparation regimes of some maniacs (;o), but it works for me.
Serge
- Well, when I was mentioning smoke that doesn't bother me, I was talking about light, 'blond' cigarettes.
Now, I have also built kind of a 'tasting notes frame' on my laptop (using Filemaker). It lists hundreds of aromas and flavours, and I
just have to check the ones I get, and the thing theoretically writes some automated tasting notes, with simple sentences etc. It's far from been perfect but it sort of works. Some of the latest tasting notes on Whiskyfun are written by 'him'.
Now, as for water, I did a little experiment recently (conducted by Martine) using various bottled waters, and I can tell you that it's
plain incredible how different waters can change a malt's profile. In short, the softer the water (like Volvic), the worse it gets. Hard - or neutral - water worked best (Gleneagles, Glenlivet...)
No cigars, no pipes, no heavy 'brown' cigarettes and most certainly no weed! Other than that, I fully agree on 'company'. Tasting with
Olivier, for instance, is always an enjoyable experience. Only drawback: we can't help chatting a lot, which might slow down the pace
every now and then. But I feel I'm most lucky to have a Maniac living so close to my place! As Lex says, it's also extremely useful for 'putting a name on this infuriating note you know you know'...
Michel
- Like Serge I'm a big smoker too. Whisky and cigarettes seem to go well together altough never at the same time. Preperation
is done in silence, outdoors. I like to be saturated with fresh air before a tasting. I'll have a smoke after each third dram, outside - rain
or no rain - before continuing. As with a lot of the others I can't stand most foreign smells (cooking, perfume, etc.). The best thing to
have arround are a few bottles of coke. A glass between every dram will keep the palate as soft'n'shiny as a baby's bottom, will
destroy every shadow effect from the previous dram, kills the tabacco flavours. A small glass of water after that will stop the coke from disolving you teeth and takes out the citrussy notes left by the coke...
If I have to eat during a session I prever red meat. Yes, I turn into a meat eating bastard. Fish might be convenient altough smoked fish kills my palate. Might be the smoke and released oils...
Good company is good dramming and good dramming is serious dramming and serious dramming is mighty fine dramming. I think all of us
will have a certain nose/taste speciality which makes us overlook other aspects of a malt. When you can combine certain specialities
you're able to almost X-ray a malt. Never ever write down a suggestion you can't trace. It is YOUR note, remember?
All in all: Fresh air, enough drinking (non-malts that is) in between and proteine rich food keeps me going (like this weekend during a
monster session of 24 malts and being able to come up with more than decent taste notes for all of them, no hangover next day).
Luca - I usually don't take many precautions for sampling a whisky, but some are required.
I am a smoker: mostly pipes, sometimes cigarettes. Again, I don't smoke two hours before a serious dramming.
Anyway, I don't think being a smoker hinders my taste: actually, since I started smoking a pipe, I learnt to recognize different
nuances of flavor. And I have become a "serious" tobacco taster, as you can see on www.tobaccoreviews.com if you look at my
reviews under the name Beer. BTW, speaking of beer: take a look at www.birreria.com. It is a small microbrewer near Torino with a
great reputation (I have tasted his beers and they are excellent), and I remember Michael Jackson saying great things about him a few years ago. He has recently released a new beer called Elixir, made with peated malt and yeast from Islay...
By the way, Serge, you wrote 'No heavy 'brown' cigarettes'.
Concerning water: I have found two Italian waters which are quite cheap and very neutral, either for diluting a malt or for simple
palate cleansing. They are S. Bernardo and Sant'Anna di Vinadio. Both are mountain spring waters from the area of Cuneo (Piemonte).
I try not to eat spicy food before, as many others have stated. But not only for the effect on my tastebuds, simply because I don't
like to ingest an irritant like alcohol when my mouth is already in flames! I don't follow a particular diet. I must say that I don't eat
many vegetables, and of course this is bad. I drink lots of water, though, which must be good: never less than 2 liters per day, sometimes even 3 or 4. It cleans my body and I think it helps taste.
I know that many people like a cigar or a pipe with their drinks, I don't. I don't think I have ever found that the combination enhances
either. Malts become bitter, and the smoke loses some flavour. It is also a very unhealthy thing to do: medical studies evidenced the
increased danger of smoking and drinking at the same time for the oral tissues. For the same reasons, after dinner I light my pipe only
half an hour after I have had a dram. And in the meanwhile, a couple of glasses of natural water. The only drink that I have found
quite agreeable with a pipe (but only in summer) is Pastis with lots of fresh water. It somehow enhances, with its anis taste, some English latakia-based tobaccos.
You can read all about it in my
Hmmm... Are the Gauloises and Gitanes Caporal still sold in France?
In Italy they are no longer available! A shame, since I liked them...
Klaus - My dramming preparations:
1) Most important for me is that I am in the mood. This is the case when I am together with my whisky friends or when I am at home
and my bottles begin to whisper: "Hey Klaus,- how can you resist all the time. Don't you want to feel me. I can make you so glad." 2) Spicy food is bad for me. It ruins my taste buds. I try to avoid it.
3) Serious dramming with a flew is like spitting against the wind. 4) Cigarettes: I am hooked to it. And fear it steals some of the finer details of the aroma.
5) Food: When I have a heavy duty tasting session especially when a lot of peat monsters or c/s malts are on the table I like to take
oat cakes (or white bread) and a mild cheese (Gouda or Cheddar) between the drams. This makes the palate sensitive again. 6) Nose cleansing: For double precission nosing I rinse my nose with salt water before I devote myself to the malt.
I think it is the nose that is slightly damaged, not the palate.
This increases my nosing ability approx. 50%. Since I almost never detect salt in my whisky it works great.
Craig - I won't nose with cooking smells either, especially Asian (Thai or Indian) - I find that everything ends up smelling like coriander
or curry. Likewise I used to be a smoker (gave up in 1993) and while I respect Serge as a taster, I just don't find the argument that
smoking doesn't affect your palate credible. My olfactory capacity as a non-smoker is a lot better than when I smoked. My best time
of the day is early afternoon and I set up in a room with good natural light and away from any strong smells. I prepare by eating bread with sliced meat such as ham or something equally as bland - only one or two sandwiches and I make sure I
drink at least one glass of water before starting. I always drink still filtered water between drams and I won't taste more than 8
whiskies at a time. The most I've ever tried to do sensibly was 12 and I was not confident that I'd done them justice, but I am comfortable and confident with 8.
I don't worry too much about tasting order as I find I can calibrate quite well even when I taste a lowland after an Islay. I am used
to 'blind' or 'masked' tastings and have been doing them for over a decade. I wash and polish my tasting glasses after a tasting and let them air before using them again. I always use small brandy balloons (180ml) to do my tastings.
Mark - Here's what works for me.
B-150 Mega B-Complex, Prod. #3802 from Puritan's Pride (www.puritan.com). Breakdown:
* VitB1 (Thiamin Mononitrate) 150mg
* VitB2 (Riboflavin) 150mg
* Niacin (Niacinamide) 150mg
* VitB6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride) 150mg
* Folic Acid 400mcg
* VitB12 (Cyanocobalamin) 150mcg
* Biotin (d-Biotin) 150mcg
* Pantothenic Acid (d-Calcium Pantothenate) 150mcg
* Choline Bitartrate 150mg
* PABA (Para-Aminibenzoic Acid) 150mg
* Inositol 150mg
* Proprietary Blend (Alfalfa, Watercress, Parsley, Lecithin, Rice Bran) [ base materials? ] 7.5mg
Davin - I use B-50's, a smaller dose than Mark uses. I worry about poisoning myself with a larger dose and I also don't want to be
able to detect the smell on my breath. The effect is to increase endurance, but most of all to reduce or prevent hangover. I sent a
package to Luc a few months ago and will bring a new pack along with me to Islay. Mark is right: DO NOT CHEW! They taste vile and
have an exceptionally long finish. By the way I discussed this with my pharmacist and she agrees that vitamins are salutary when consuming a lot of alcohol or when you get over-tired as I am sure we non-Lutherans will on Islay.
Serge - Yeah, Davin is right, don't chew it!!! (I still have the taste in my mouth ;-))
Ho-cheng
- I haven't really tried the Vit. B in this purpose. But I normally take some enzymes before the tasting.
It works for most of my friends. It seems can let the alcohol fade away easil, if you are not too drunk.
I gave some enzyme to Andrew Grey of Bruichladdich last year.
He later told me it also works for him, better than Vit. B.
Davin - Surfing the net I note that drinking alcohol depletes some B vitamins, thiamin being of most note. B-vitamin supplements prevent dementia in alcoholics and reduce memory loss when bingeing. Not that any of us are in that category, but Canada is the most insured nation on earth - so we tell ourselves - and my passport could be revoked if I did not buy this insurance as well. ;-)
Olivier - Maybe you should all try a glass of wine before sampling!
It's also very rich in B vitamins, especially white wines… Like this one Ulf ?
Mark - Finally, a voice of reason. Yearly meetings at DZH are in order, I think. Wonderful!
Martine - Sorry for my silence. Quite a lot of travelling these last weeks...
I swallow a glass of water first, then I proceed to my tastings.
I have experimented a miraculous fruit : Pitahaya (or dragon fruit), a fruit coming from Asia, especially Thaïland. Music is a fascinating soother before tasting.
Re the tasting: I am like Serge. Can't stand "parasite" smells such as food and perfume, deodorant, eau de toilette (must be my
French origin !!!). I need to be rested and calm to do my tastings. If I feel excited and anxious, I feel my tastebuds are completely
mute. I have no problem tasting in the morning, even at 6 0'clock when I get up (before brushing my teeth of course). Coffee does
not do my any good; I know Jim Murray says he always have a coffee before tasting. My other "black beast" is garlic. I cannot taste if I have eaten only the slightest bit.
I do not need vitamins; I have never had a hangover after tasting. I must confess I spit half of what I have taken...
It has the shape of a mango, and a flashy pink color (Indian pink we say in France). The flesh is white with tiny black seeds. It does
not have much taste (just like sugared water). But It is great for cleaning tastebuds. It works like a flush. You eat a little piece and all
the memory of what you have tasted disappear. It just clears everything. Back to a clean palate and nose; helpful for a working tasting session but for pleasure, very frustrating.
Luc
- Rest assured that Vitamin B helps a lot (thanks for the tip Serge) !!
It prevents the morning after effects and is good for your vitamin levels in your body ;-))
Ulf
- Biochemically you are taken for a ride. There are absolutely no medical researches that proves this.
It is just an urban myth that B's prevent hangovers. Show me that I wrong.
Davin
- Hey Ulf!! I don't care if it's out and out brainwashing. It works for me and I'm sticking with it. :-))
Try this link: http://www.doctoryourself.com/alcohol_protocol.html
Mark - Ulf, feeling provocative today ? ;-)
I like dramming with it better than without. Prove me wrong.
My body - my preference. Other people swear by pickle juice and herring freckles.
Ulf - Hello Mark and MMs; a bit provocative, yes.
Further, still referring to my 'panel', they insist that there are no researches confirming that B-vitamin supplement prevent or soften
hangovers. The consensus seems to be that 'if you believe it works for you then go for it' as it is harmless. Prairie oysters, raw egg yolks or mystic concoctions may do the same trick for others. More on hangovers could be found at:
Reason is that I have tried to find that golden remedy for years.
Even tried the B-vit supplement formula, to no avail. I still lost memory and got hangovers. . .(;-)
The medical expertise available to me (and they are quite a few in the wine and whisky circles I happen to belong to) says if you do
need B-vitamin supplements to prevent dementia and memory loss then you should stop dramming, immediately, period.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15706734
Mark - Ulf & Maniacs, I have a feeling that our personal doctors may ask us to go cold turkey on dramming if we were ever honest
with them about it, regardless of supplemental vitaminic intake. As far as I am aware, no over-the-counter remedies for the common cold will quicken recovery or cure the thing, but we all take stuff hoping to get some relief.
Since it is harmless, and readily available, I choose to take it.
Thomas - Sorry, I've been so quiet the last few weeks but I basically had two jobs lately and as usual that coincides with having to
meet a lot of deadlines… I was astonished to see that some of you are fighting hangover symptoms by taking vitamins precautionary.
I've never heard of that possibility before. I know that by drinking too much alcohol you loose a lot of body fluids and with it a lot of
salts and minerals among others. And I know that you can gain back some of them by drinking a lot of fruit juices and/or broths.
As luck will have it, I usually don't suffer from hangovers unless some serious partying took place. As long as I don't drink anything
else in addition to whisky (beer, mostly) I wake up the next morning just fine after a tasting, even if I had a lot of malts. The one
thing that I need, however, is a good night's sleep. Otherwise headaches will be creeping up and I'll be tired all day.
So I can't really say if vitamin B helps in that regard but I have other positive experiences with vitamins. All my life I had been
suffering from colds until I started to take one multivitamin fizzy tablets five days a week a few years back. Even my doctor was
sceptical about any positive effects coming from that tablets (he still is) but the fact is that now I almost never catch a cold any
more. I know that I'm not eating fruits and vegetables regularly enough so the vitamins probably only cover those deficiencies, but if they work for me in that regard why should they not work by "strengthening" the body in respect to alcohol?
Johannes
- And on that uplifting note the discussion drew to a close.
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I have very little to add at this point - far too busy with the MM Awards at the moment.
The results will be published in a little over two weeks!
E-pistle #16/15 - Heaven & Hell
Submitted on 05/11/2005 by Klaus Everding
, Germany
It is
Malt Maniacs Awards tasting time again. There is also another regulation which drives me insane. Information embargo!!!
I have given up trying to be objective. It is not an intellectual sport to taste single malts. Heaven:
I am a member of the beer brigade, which means I do not have the refined French palate of the malt maniacs wine brigade
faction. I like my malts with a strong expression. But this expression should be related to whisky. Strong acetone, pickled cucumber water or bubblegum flavour is definitely no advantage. Peat:
Peat, smoke and tar make me happy. I love this medicine. It reminds me of a campfire on summer evenings, the waves splashing, a soft breeze whispering of seaweed, mussels and stranded starfish. When I
encounter a peat monster it almost automatic receives at least 10 points above average. Sometimes I prefer the young and rude
Islays with a powerful punch over the older siblings. But not when a Don of the Ardbeg clan appears, - all gentleman at the surface,
but with a phenolic steal fists in the velvet gloves. There are some dangers where the expression can go astray with heavy peated
malts (vanilla / ash tray-kind, peat / honey / toasted bacon / rust solver-kind, some peat/sherry-kinds) but these dangers are marginal compared to what can happen with other expressions. Sherry
: a) I like heavy sherried malts, the ones which make me think that I am in a fruit shop in the woods. There is a perfect example of that kind among the candidates of the 2005 award malts. It is …,
- sorry you will have to wait until November 12th and study the award pages. I am condemned to remain silent. b) Now to the ultra
sherry monsters, which instil the impression of a library in a lord's house (decades of bees wax and furniture polish, comfortable leather
seats). They can be even better. Better because these candidates are usually cask strength malts. If you add water to it, you can have all the impressions. Starting with sandalwood and bees wax to sherried fruit garden. Hell:
Peat & Sherry: This is a walk on the knife's edge. I have encountered only a few malts of that kind which found grace on my
palate and nose. The ones which made it (e.g. some Port Ellens) got an exceptionally high rating. But the rest, - better not talk of it.
Dead Rats, cow- and chicken shit mixed with ash makes me reject such drams. My judgement can be harsh. Last year the overall
winner, the Brora 30yo "2003" (55.7%; OB, 3000 bottles) got the terrible rating of only 4 points. Big mistake Doctor Everding, - the
majority will yell, but I stand to my score. So be careful, when I throw a peat/sherry-monster into the pits of doom. You might love it.
Sherry & Sulphur: The greatest danger for sherried malts is sulphur. It starts with the lowest escalation stage, organic or oriental
sherry as some of the maniacs call it. Grandmaster Johannes shows extreme bravery in that field. He even adores chicken shit. But for
me the sides are clear. And for you? Compare Glendronach 15yo OB and Glendronach 12yo OB and you know, if you favour the fruity
or the oriental style. The next group of sherried malts, which are in danger, are the very dry ones. Sandalwood rules here. Too much
sulphur can shape shift a beauty (nice creamy and elegant style) into a disgusting monster (fireworks with one or two rotten eggs).
Unpleasant nose at the start: I hate it, when a malt needs 15 minutes or so until the nose is acceptable. I am impatient. How would
you react if you order a beer at the bar and you have to wait 15 minutes until it is drinkable without a clamp at the nose? No way!
Obvious candidates for this behaviour are malts with a chemical nose (acetone, glue and other solvents). Too much foreshot in these
malts. The next category are the malts, which have the aroma of wet rotten mattresses in an attic, wet cardboard or newspaper,
dust and bad wood. This is annoying and displeasing, because it takes very long until that nose is reduced to acceptable limits. IMHO
this behaviour is increasing during the last year. Again I think that the reason is bad distillation. But this time it is more difficult to
avoid it. The annoying aroma evaporates slowly, which means the vapour pressure is close to the one of desirable components. But
hey, - why do they employ master distillers. These guys should be able to do their job and place the cut in the right region.
Unfortunately there is also the management which cries out: "We must increase the yield" – then even a genius must strike its
weapons. Fruit spirit: Some malts taste and smell like fruit spirits (e.g. grappa, cherry, pear or plum spirit). Such spirits are medium ok
for me, when I drink from a bottle that is labelled as Grappa, Slibowitz or Kirschwasser. But it is not the aroma, which I want to have
in a whisky. Therefore thumbs down. Caramel, - hoops, what was this: The uninteresting malts which fail to develop a profile. You
smell and think "What might this be?" Then you take a sip. A short uninteresting flash and it is all gone. This is not the stuff to get
angry about, it is simply boring. Such malts might get their 70-75 points which they deserve. But it really makes me angry when
"clever" managers mask the whisky, - either by adding tons of spirit caramel or by applying a short whatsoever wood finish. This is
cheating the consumers. And beware nobody should be so foolish as to believe that the maniacs will not detect such attempts. Earth: Between Heaven and Hell lies Earth. This is where most single malts reside.
OK lads and lassies. Time to stop writing and moving to the "hard" work of malt maniacs award tasting again.
It's heaven, - because this year 114 malts are waiting to be rated with passion and devotion to the pale, golden or amber coloured
liquid. I will be among the first ones, who try the new jewels of 2006. And it is hell, - the 114 samples, little soldiers arranged here at
home on a chessboard and on the windows-sill will fall in a blitzkrieg. I have only 6 weeks for 6 litres of whisky.
Quite a challenge for the liver!
All malts are sampled blind and information exchange among the members of the 'jury' is strictly forbidden.
While I think that the blind tasting is excellent (I am not immune to the influence of an attractive package/bottle, high age or famous
distillery reputation) I have great difficulties to remain silent. The mouth flows over with the things which move the mind, or something
like that, is written in the bible. My solution is to dram together with a friend, who is also a malt aficionado but no malt maniac. This way I can exchange ideas, reduce the amount of whisky to be consumed and still present my unique rating.
For me it is pure hedonism. I play god and let my preferences rule. This means a perfect malt of a style, which I do not like, might
score only average, whereas a whisky following the path that I favour receives bonus points. Being a god also means that some
entries will feel my wrath. Either because they are really so terrible, that the liquid never should have been bottled, or because my
palate plays havoc (sorry) and I strike at candidates, which my fellow maniacs would like to raise to the single malt Olympus. Let me
explain my preferences here. What is necessary for a malt to skyrocket into the stellar regions, what makes it a case for the kitchen sink and what is the in-between stuff?
They are simply enjoyable whiskies. There is no reason to be ashamed about it, at least when the bottle costs less than 50 euros. If
the price surpasses that limit and I buy a mediocre malt, I am disappointed. Here are typical candidates for the "down to earth" malts.
No obvious faults: It is an advantage for a malt to have no obvious faults. In fact it is a prerequisite for achieving the greater
blessings. But when the composition is just mainstream (a little bit fruit, some toffee, vanilla, a touch of oak and maybe 2 or 3 other
impressions), then there is no reason to get excited. At a party I would take a second dram of it instead of a beer. But I need not
have a full bottle of it on my shelves. Lowlanders / summer whiskies: I admit I am no fan of the light and fine malts. Lowlanders usually
do not move me. It is the stuff I would drink in summer nights. Unfortunately such bottles are never at hand, when I could use them.
And so it is beer or rosé-wine in summer. Everbody's darling: This kind of single malts appears seldom. Everything is in balance, all is
ok, no reason, why it should not receive a high rating. But wait, there is no challenge. That's it. The whisky is simply to appealing. I
look at my Glenfarclas vintage 1989 first fill oloroso cask bottling which is almost full and know this is everybody's darling. By the way,
not a bad idea to have such bottles, when you want to explain young ladies why you are a single malt fan. They will enjoy the stuff and you can hang on to your heavy peated Islays.
Now you know how I rate and you can decide, if I belong to the heaven, hell or earth section of the maniacal whisky judges.
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E-pistle #16/16 - Ballechin – A New Peated Edradour
Submitted on 13/11/2005 by Davin de Kergommeaux, Canada
Two years later, at Whisky Live in June 2005, I had a chance to Edradour calls itself the smallest distillery in Scotland and indeed,
It reminded me of nothing so much as a small Ontario, family dairy.
My first Edradour 10yo was an old Pernod-Ricard bottling which I rated at 74 points, meaning I liked it about as much as the current
Glenlivet 12yo. Craig gave it 80 points, but since we tasted from different bottles the difference really could just have been batch
variation. In any case, no Edradour since had really tickled my fancy. Not, that is, until the results of the 2004 Malt Maniacs Awards
were announced and I discovered that no fewer than three Edradours had won medals. We had tasted the whiskies blind for the
awards, and believe me there was shock when we realized that all twelve judges (including me!) had something good to say about at least one of the entries from Edradour. Here are the 2004 winners; - Edradour 10yo 1993/2004 Sauternes Finish
(56.8%, OB, Cask #04/11/2, 445 bottles), average score 84 points. As you can see these are all finished whiskies. "Ballechin malt is peated to Ardbeg specifications,"
Edradour's Andrew Symington told me, "at least 50ppm." The peat is obvious in the young malts right from the get-go. The new spirit is very fruity, sweet and strong in the nose, with malty notes of sweet licorice
and lots of peat smoke on the palate. Already a 12mo (that's months old) maturing in 1st fill oloroso wood is quite whisky-like, as is
an 18mo maturing in a bourbon cask. But here are my brief tasting notes for all eight so you can draw your own conclusions: Ballechin New Spirit Ballechin 12mo 1st fill Oloroso Sherry Cask
Ballechin 15mo Bordeaux Cask (red wine) Ballechin 15mo Sauternes Cask (sweet white wine) Ballechin 15mo Madeira Cask (Puncheon, cooked, nutty red wine)
Ballechin 18mo Bourbon Cask Ballechin 30mo Port Wood (Pipe) Ballechin 30mo Burgundy Cask (red wine – Pinot Noir)
Part of the acquisition strategy with the Signatory takeover of Edradour in July 2002 was to increase the self-sufficiency of Edradour.
The first step was to boost sales of Edradour as a single malt. Under former owners, Pernod Ricard, upwards of 80% of Edradour's
meager output (7 sherry butts or 12 hogsheads or 16 bourbon casks per week) went into blends like House of Lords. The range has been successfully expanded way beyond the standard 10yo, as the
The second planned step was to introduce a peated malt, and as luck would have it, this was Iain Henderson's forte. Ballechin, like Edradour, was one of the original farm distilleries in Perthshire.
I have to say I was more than surprised when Edradour emerged a winner in last year's Malt Maniacs Awards. - Edradour 11yo 1994/2005 (57.1%, OB, Straight from The Cask, Gaja Barolo finish), and Obviously it was the finishing that did the trick for Edradour, and now we have a fine new smoky spirit starting it's life in wine casks.
With annual production of only 600 barrels a year in total from Edradour, not much Ballechin is going to find its way onto the market.
On the other hand, if the mature Ballechin turns out to be as good as the young cask samples predict, maybe Edradour will have to put in a couple more stills and give up the title of the smallest distillery in Scotland. Davin
Prior to 2004, the maniacs could not be said to be Edradour fans.
Several of us had visited the pretty little distillery in 2003, where
an amiable Iain Henderson, clad in a Laphroaig polo shirt, stopped
to chat on his way to breakfast. Henderson had just arrived from
Laphroaig in December 2002 in order to replace an ailing John Reid
as manager, but it was clear he had big plans for Edradour.
sample his very promising peated Edradour, to be named 'Ballechin'
and it's obvious that Henderson brought more than a polo shirt with
him from Islay. This peated Edradour is going to be good....
the distillery operations, to our eyes, were somewhat primitive.
A single fir washback gave off apple cider notes and a little worm
tub out back was cooled with water diverted from the passing stream.
"This is why their bottlings are inconsistent," one of us observed, "in these conditions they really can't control the fermentation."
Well, I'm not sure if that is true when a master like Henderson takes the helm, but prior to his arrival significant batch variation
certainly had been a hallmark of Edradour. At least, that is, of the standard 10yo OB version. Since the takeover by Signatory gains
have been made at the lower end, in that there are fewer and fewer reports of so-called 'bad' bottlings, but until we tasted some new Edradours in the
- Edradour 10yo 1993/2004 Burgundy Finish (57.4%, OB, Cask #04/13/3, 458 bottles), average score 84 points.
- Edradour 21yo 1983/2004 Port Finish
(53.6%, OB, cask #03/1041, 776 bottles), average score 81 points.
Clearly the folks at Edradour know what they are doing when they put their whisky into a wine barrel.
Well, the same is true for Ballechin. Six of the eight Ballechins I tasted at Whisky Live have spent their short lives in wine casks. One
other resides in a bourbon cask while the eighth is maturing in first fill oloroso (OK, oloroso is also a wine cask, but it's a traditional
cask for maturing whisky). At less than three years of age, and in three cases only 15 months old, the influence of the wine casks is
already quite obvious. It makes one wonder if these whiskies, now kick-started in wine wood, might better finish out their maturation
in traditional bourbon or sherry wood lest the wine notes take over the whisky - kind of like reverse finishing. "No" Edradour's Des McCagherty tells me,
"the intention, based on the positive results to date, is to fully mature the spirit in their respective casks and release bottlings of these in due course."
Nose: very fruity, sweet and strong
Palate: malty with sweet licorice, lots of peat smoke
Nose: peat smoke and sherry, malty,
Palate: cow barn, gets quite muddy, already whisky-like; fresh peas says Olivier
Nose: horse barn and new make, animals, lots of peat smoke, licorice
Palate: very sweet, new make, very spicy and peat smoky
Nose: new make, buckwheat honey, mash room,
Palate: spirit, new make, mash, more new make quality
Nose: new make, cow barn
Palate: rich and sweet, peat smoke,and sherry, smoked meat, very peat smoky. Andrew says chocolate. Great sweet and peat on
breathing out. (Bruichladdich has a 20yo Madeira finish coming soon if you are curious about the effects of Madeira casks on good whisky. I like it. Or you may still find a Madeira-finished Edradour from Signatory in some shops.)
Nose: mild, then develops peat smoke; some animal smells, mash
Palate: sweet, hint of new make, but very whisky-like.
Nose: some spirit, mash, nice dirty peat smoke
Palate: a bit astringent, sweet, very hot and spicy; the peat smoke is getting more integrated
Nose: peat smoke, spirit, cow barn, nice peat smoke
Palate: sweet, hint of gunpowder, very spicy, sandlewood, the best of all.
(This one will be released for Whisky Live next year.)
Henderson's arrival at Edradour gave the folks at Signatory the confidence to push ahead with step two much earlier than planned.
"The small stills at Edradour produce a heavy oily type spirit which is also ideally suited to the production of heavily peated whisky" McCagherty told me.
"We did an experimental run in March 2003. The quality of the new spirit and also the progress in wood after 4 months, confirmed to us that we had an outstanding potential with a peated malt."
Maniac, Lex Kraaijeveld, writing on Malts-L recently, was enthusiastic about the potential of Ballechin, and having tasted it, so am I.
Since it closed in 1927, no one really knows what it's whisky tasted like. However the folks at Edradour wanted their peated whisky to have its own identity, so chose to adopt the name 'Ballechin' for branding purposes.
And now they are back with two silver medals in the
- Edradour 11yo 1994/2005
(59.6%, OB, Straight from The Cask, Madeira finish, cask #04/316/4, 488 bottles)
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Front Page of MM #16
<-- Previous Issue
Next Issue
--> Next Page of MM #16
Up until now every 'normal' issue of Malt
Maniacs contained two pages, but from
now on (for reasons that I can't divulge
just yet) each issue will contain no less
than three pages. This second page of
MM#16 contains eight fresh E-pistles.
Updates to MM were fairly infrequent
until November 15, when we published
the results of the MM Awards 2005
.
Now the madness continues on page 3.
... of MM Issue #16
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