Month: December 2020

Categories
Preview

Coming Attractions

Last week in TTB Approvals

11/30-12/4

Here are the label approvals from last week that I found most interesting and noteworthy:

Go West, Young Man

Westland Peat Week
Source: TTB

From one of America’s premier distillers of malt whiskey comes the annual Peat Week release from Westland. This installment looks to be finished in rum casks.  Westland’s signature nutty coffee character should be a really interesting interplay with the peat and rum notes. Kudos for the fantastic retro-comic label.

Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks

It’s easy for established, massive brands to rest on their laurels and stick to their historically successful profile.  Stephanie Macleod and Dewar’s have deviated from that route and experimented with some interesting and innovative cask finishes recently.  First was the “Caribbean Smooth” expression, finished in rum casks.  Then, the “Ilegal Smooth”, finished in Mezcal casks.  Next up is “Japanese Smooth”, finished in Mizunara oak casks. 

A Glenmorangie budget offering?

X by Glenmorangie
Source: TTB

Glenmorangie X was “[c]rafted with top bartenders” and “made for mixing”.  A Scotch distillery known for their single malt making a bartenders’ edition is not unheard of (e.g., Auchentoshen), but I don’t recall any such distillery marketing and labeling an expression of their single malt as “for mixing”.  Could this be Glenmorangie targeting a much wider market than they normally reach?  As far as I’m concerned, Dr. Bill Lumsden can do no wrong, so this will be on my home bar shortly after it hits the market.

New Expressions from Kentucky

Old Forester expands their Rye lineup with a Single Barrel, Barrel Strength expression, and Bardstown adds “Distillate”, their version of White Dog, or un-aged, whiskey. The Old Forester lineup expansion is no surprise, as that’s a trend for larger American distilleries. Bardstown adding Distillate is a welcome treat for whiskey geeks. It’s not often you get the chance to compare un-aged spirit with the aged products to really see what effect a barrel has on a finished whiskey.

Sourcing Bourbon with Magnificence

The world’s first crowd-sourced distillery, Crowded Barrel Whiskey, received approval on their latest in the Eleanor series, sourced from MGP and aged in Texas.  Crowded Barrel is the brain-child of Daniel Whittington and Rex Williams, producers and stars of the top 2 whisky channels on YouTube, The Whiskey Vault, and The Whiskey Tribe. Daniel and Rex have sourced funds, ideas, and decisions from their fans, the Magnificent Bastards, to create a truly unique whiskey community.  This Eleanor is a wheated mash bill from MGP, but unfortunately will not make it to retail shelves. A visit to the distillery or Patreon subscription are your only routes to trying this one.

Very Olde and just a smidge olde-er

Two from Very Olde St. Nick: a 15.96 year old and a 16 year old. I’ll be curious to see if the 15.96 ever makes it to market. That would be one of the more unusual age statements on a bottle. I’d imagine when/if these hit retail, they’ll be very difficult to procure.

Categories
Blind Review

Giving Thanks for Jack Rose

My family has been fortunate in these unfortunate times.  Amid lockdowns and economic collapse, we’ve suffered no financial burdens, having already worked from home full time.  Our modest contribution to keeping this ramshackle cruise liner of an economy afloat has been patronizing (when we can) favorite small businesses. Chief among those is the legendary whiskey paradise, Jack Rose Dining Saloon.

For Thanksgiving, Jack Rose offered various food items, themed cocktail flights, and whisk(e)y tasting flights.  We decided to go with a bourbon pecan pie (the best pecan pie I’ve ever had) and the subject of this post, the “Tour of Scotland” tasting flight.

Tasting flight and pie
Name a more iconic duo.
Drams unveiled
Unboxing the flight.
Unpoured drams
Waiting for the kids to go to bed…

The Tour of Scotland included the following:

  • Mortlach 1993 Single Malts of Scotland Sherry Cask, 26 yr., 60.5 abv
  • Royal Brackla 2006 Classic Cask, 11 yr., 46 abv
  • Glenturret Northstar, 8 yr., 57.1 abv
  • Talisker Distiller’s Edition, 10 yr, 45.8 abv
  • Lagavulin “South Shore Islay” Valinch & Mallet 8 yr., 48.8 abv

Some big hitters in there.  A smart consumer would have been sure to grab the tasting notes before leaving, so as to be able to confirm which dram corresponds to which whisky, but I may have neglected to do that.  So we have ourselves a (semi) blind tasting!

Ready to taste
And here…we…go!

Dram #1:

Nose: Brown sugar, salted butter, cantaloupe, nutmeg, toffee; water unlocked an herbal bouquet and damp leaves

Palate: Walnut, dark chocolate, ginger, oak; water unlocked black licorice and caramel

Finish: long; Mexican chocolate and softer, lingering oak

What a depth and breadth to that nose!  Confectionary notes, tropical fruit notes, herbal notes, earthy notes.  It was enticing, complex, and interesting.  I could have spent an hour just nosing this whisky.  The palate was hot and a bit more compact. Fruit notes faded, the spice ramped up, and the tannic oak took control.  More spice on the finish along with that a more pleasant, lingering oak.

Score: 6.5/10. The nose was astounding, but taste did not hold up to that high bar.

My guess: This is the Mortlach, and the prominence of tannic oak leads me to believe it’s a bit overaged.  I would have loved to try this in the 18-21 year old range.

Dram #2:

Nose: Honeyed pear, fresh cut flowers, a touch of spice; water pushes the floral notes in the direction of fresh mint leaf

Palate: Fruit – more dried than fresh – dates, figs; caramel, vanilla, that touch of spice again; water lightened the fruit tones ever-so-slightly

Finish: medium-long; baking spices – clove, anise – and black coffee

Rating: 5/10.  Nose and palate were each a bit shallow and compact. It was a nice whiskey, and I was glad to have tried it, but I wouldn’t seek it out.  Better shelfie options available.

My guess: Even if I’d had this before #1, I’d have guessed the Royal Brackla.  It doesn’t have the maturity of an older whisky, and the other non-Mortlachs should all have significant peat influence.

Dram #3:

Nose: Smoke, bruleed sugar, grilled pineapple, menthol, the underside of a wet log

Palate: Rich buttery caramel, smoked milk chocolate, pecan sandies

Finish: medium-long; pepper, char, earth

Rating 7/10.  It’s tightly packed and not particularly complex, but my, is it delicious.  I may buy a bottle.

My guess: Little doubt this is the Glenturret.  I could buy an off-profile Talisker or Islay with that nose, but the palate is unmistakably Highland.

Dram #4:

Nose: Root beer, vanilla, toffee, light brine, sweet barbeque sauce

Palate: Dry and ashy; dark chocolate, black pepper, vanilla, a memory of smoke, slight oak, dried cherries

Finish: medium-long; bitter, extra dark chocolate, oak

Rating 5/10.  This one is a victim of expectations.  At this point in the tasting, I’d already assumed it was the Talisker (the color is particularly revealing there).  The signature maritime notes of Talisker are hinted at in the nose and completely vanished on the palate.  A shame.

My guess: No suspense here.  It’s not an Islay, and the color means it can only be the Talisker

Dram #5:

Nose: Grilled lemon, smoke, spearmint, caramel, cherry cola Bubblicious

Palate: Vanilla, pear, smoke, lemon peel, pepper, mineral earthiness, brine

Finish: long; ashy smoke turns to earthy peat reek

Rating 6.5/10.  I like this one.  It’s certainly an Islay – the heavier smoke and peat make that evident. What makes it a bit more interesting are the atypical notes of lemon and cherry cola flavored chewing gum.

My guess: Lagavulin, duh.

Overall, I really enjoyed this tasting. Five whiskies I’m unlikely to ever see on a store shelf or at another bar/restaurant.  That’s what makes Jack Rose so special.  It’s a land of dusties and unicorns. The 2700 bottle-strong whiskey book is constantly in flux, and never leaves you wanting.  It is a pilgrimage-worthy destination for any whisk(e)y nerd.

Categories
Review

Glenfarclas 105

Glenfarclas 105

I’m surprised at how long it took us Whiskeyteers to get to the Glenfarclas 105, considering that we’re all 3 fans of sherried whiskies and we all have a soft spot for the family-owned Glenfarclas (especially their 15 year old, which is really, really hard to get in the States). Did I mention we all loved every single barrel sherried Speyside/ Highland we’ve tried from the SMWS?

I guess the availability of the 105 takes out the impetus to grab one and get it done. We still haven’t grabbed a bottle; this dram was purchased by my brother who’s working from home from Aruba during this Covid pandemic. He said the beach gets old after a couple of weeks, the kids get used to the novelty and it’s business as usual with the downside of severely limited and overpriced whisky selection – I don’t buy it.

This Glenfarclas 105 is a cask strength whisky bottled at 60%. It should be a fair comparison to the SMWS single cask releases mentioned above, whenever we get to that. Which reminds me… I should get Mike to draft a post on cask strength vs. single casks, scotch, bourbon, blends, single malts, bottled-in-bond, scotch regions, glencairns, independent bottlers, e150, chill filtration, ABV and proof, Oloroso, PX and all things 101 and beyond. He’d love it I’m sure.

Glenfarclas 105:

Bottled at 60% and I’m sure left unchill filtered and at natural color. No age statement, but it’s suggested the whisky is 8-10 years old and aged in sherry and bourbon casks.

Appearance: auburn, like polished mahogany.
Nose: A pot of dark pine honey exploded in the spice cupboard, which was build recently out of quality hardwood. There was also a bag of ripe oranges in there, for some reason. And vanilla. With water, the nose goes caramel supernova. Cheremoyas.
Palate: The high ABV juice builds up to molasses and toffee, accompanied by orange rinds and a touch of zaatar. The wood, fruit and sherry are inseparable. A touch of salt makes an appearance on the long and drying finish. With water, we go deeper into sherry territory, dried fruits and some pepper on the finish.
Score: 7/10

Categories
Review

Longrow vs. Kilkerran 12 (vs. Ardbeg 10)

Longrow, Kilkerran 12, Ardbeg 10

I’m thinking about beginnings. Specifically, the genesis of this post.

Was it is the first time I tried a peated whisky, 18 years ago at the Cheesecake Factory’s bar in Tyson’s Corner? It was a Lagavulin 16 and I was not able to finish my dram.

Was it the first time I actually enjoyed a peated whisky? That was 10 years ago and the dram was a Laphroaig 10, shared with a good friend. Something must have happened to my palate (and nose) in the 8 years between that Lagavulin and the Laphroaig. Peat was suddenly this delicious, addictive thing and I needed to consume a whole lot more of it.

How about the first time I had an Ardbeg? Jihane and I picked up a bottle for our friends when we got invited to dinner, some 8 years ago, and I was so floored by that dram that I could not wait to pick up a bottle (or six) for myself. I still find considerable enjoyment in that whisky.

Or was it the first time I had a taste of whisky, back in Lebanon when I was entirely too young to drink and had a sip of my dad’s Red Label?

I’m not sure. Who cares? What’s important is peat, people. That wonderful vegetal moss and the wonderful whisky makers who use it to dry malted barley (fact: peated was traditionally used at malting as it was the main source of fuel around Scottish distilleries) . Peat smoke melds with the malting grain and imparts intense smoky, tarry, meaty, medicinal notes in Islay whiskies, smoky and briny notes in other Island scotches, smoky and industrial notes in Campbelltown whiskies. Speyside and Highland distilleries consistently peat some expressions as well and the results are worth exploring.

Islay Scotch was my first peaty love. I’ve explored a bit wider since and am now having a serious fling with Campbelltown juice. More importantly, I’ve started picking up on both the quality of the distillate and the barrels whiskies are aged in, so a peathead description would be narrow and limiting. This is not a post about peat. Well, not just. It’s a post about good whiskies, even great whiskies if you factor in value.

Onto 3 of what have become daily drams slash perennial stockers:

Longrow

Distilled by the Springbank Distillery, one of the last surviving producers of single malts in Campbeltown, an area that once boasted over 30 distilleries. Springbank is family owned (by J&A Mitchell & Company) and produces the unpeated Hazelburn line, the lightly peated Springbank and the more heavily peated Longrow lines.

Longrow is a no age statement (NAS), bottled at 46%, unchill filtered and with no color added.

Appearance: light gold
Nose: I’m hit by so much maltiness. Raw white flour dough, butter, vanilla, a touch of motor oil. Imagine a crème renversée that’s been aged in a car mechanic’s tool box. A touch of salt, stewed apples.
Palate: creamy mouthfeel, peaty deliciousness with hints of rubber (toy car tires) and diesel, quickly giving way to caramel and vanilla. Peaks at dark cherry jam with orange peels (of yeah, plenty of fruit notes here). Salty throughout. medium long finish with salty toffee and a touch of sulfur. Water is not hugely beneficial.
Score: 8/10

Kilkerran 12

Produced by the Glengyle distillery in Campbelltown which is also owned by the Mitchell family. Between Springbank and Glengyle, J&A Mitchell owns two thirds of all of the remaining Campbelltown distilleries (the third being Glen Scotia). According to Kilkerran’s web site: Kilkerran is derived from the Gaelic ‘Ceann Loch Cille Chiarain’ which is the name of the original settlement where Saint Kerran had his religious cell and where Campbeltown now stands.

Kilkerran 12 is bottled at 46%, unchill filtered and with no color added.

Appearance: light gold (no coloring, unchill filtered)
Nose: leads with vanilla (quality, not artificial vanillin) and malt. Butter and salt again, similar to Longrow, If I dig, a touch of alcohol gives this a bit more bite.
Palate: creamy/oily mouthfeel. Wherthers originals with bitter orange rinds, into buttery and creamy desserts, then warm and peppery with nutmeg and white pepper on a medium long finish. Herbaciousness and brine throughout, peak on the finish. This dram tries to balance everything.
Score: 7/10

Ardbeg 10 (46%)

Located on the south coast of Islay, the Ardbeg distilley produces heavily peated whiskies. It was at one point owned by Hiram Walker, was then bought by Glenmorangie which was in turn bought by the now current owner, Louis Vuitton Moët Hennesy (LVMH). Dr. Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s director of distilling has a hand in Ardbeg whiskies.

Ardbeg 10 is bottled at 46%, unchill filtered and with no color added.

Appearance: light gold (no coloring, unchill filtered)
Nose: tar, bandaid, a touch of iodine, a touch of rock pool, green olives. Weirdly enough, you can get hot cinnamon and mastic gum if you smell this from a different mental angle.
Palate: ashy smoke, vanilla, honey, then caramel with some green apple and lemon zest. Medium finish with some warming cinnamon on the tail end. Water tamps down the peat into wet ash and the mouthfeel suffers.
Score: 7/10

You may have picked on the fact that I like these 3 drams, a lot. Longrow gets the gold on the incredible creamy mouthfeel, something that’s become increasingly crucial in my book as I go through the unfortunate Laphroaig 10 on my shelf (review to come soon). It’s also so well balanced (and just plain delicious) it’s so hard to find any faults with it.

Kilkerran is outstanding as well but loses a point by compariosn to Longrow. Where Longrow is, to borrow a British expression, moreish, Kilkerran is, to borrow another British expression, slightly uncouth.

The Ardbeg 10 stands on its own as a great Islay (one that is very near and dear to my heart).

Mike and Fadi both have samples or bottles of these whiskies, my daily drinkers if I could drink every day. I can’t wait to see what they think.