Dear Whisky Customers
This newsletter is brought to you by the letter C. C stands for criticism. Now no-one likes to be criticised, and to be honest I’m no different. But it all comes down to how that criticism is meant. If you are being unduly harsh for the sake of it then that is a less than admirable thing to do. But (notice how that word creeps in a lot!) some times we wilfully potter away in our own little gilded cage thinking everything we do and say is fine and dandy until a helpful person points things out to the contrary. Maybe one has become complacent, descending into the ‘yeah that’ll do mentality’, maybe one is as they say ‘pulling a fast one’ or has something that needs to be disposed off, or maybe one is just having a bad nose day!
Yes I’m back to my favourite soap box rant about the quality of some whiskies being bottled. I have spoken to a number of respectable people within the industry, and by and large they have told me the same things:
a) We reject more casks than we choose to bottle
b) There are very few good quality casks on the market
c) The wholesale price of spirit has rocketed
d) There’s a lot of rubbish, or more precisely, overpriced rubbish out there!
e) We’re fortunate being small that we can only bottle the good stuff.
You get the idea. Every independent is only bottling top quality stuff………. Allegedly! But (again!) that is not the case. Having finished judging the independent bottlers challenge, I’m still amazed at the number of sulphurous sherry casks that are being bottled, let alone entered for a competition. Now either the person that selected the cask believes that this sulphur taint is not an imperfection, which I suppose is possible as I have seen the terminology used in distillery tasting notes more than once. Or maybe it’s more a case of ‘Oh my god we spent how much on a duff ‘en?’ ‘Best we get rid of it then!’ This is all well and good but surely it is doing there reputation no good at all.
But it’s not just duff casks that raise my ire. It’s those casks that are bottled far too early. Mainly because of commercial reasons rather than for quality reasons. This was perfectly illustrated in the 12 years old and under Islay category. Practically every sample had a pleasant enough nose but had a disappointing palate. Often a one-dimensional peat monster, occasionally alcohol dominated or just down right watery. My bench mark was the fabulous Ardbeg ‘Renaissance’. Which shows that you can be a peat monster and have depth at the same time. One suspects that is because most casks are nosed rather than tasted and as I said the ‘noses’ were rather pleasant and in some cases very good, and I scored every one of them higher than the palates. That is not to say they were bad whiskies. In a lot of cases there was definite potential, and really should have been left in the cask to gain some further complexity, especially on the palate. I can only assume that commercial pressures are prevalent and the need to have a continuity of bottlings on the list outweighs the fact that a cask maybe a tad too young.
This leads nicely me on to what happens to these supposed less than perfect casks or casks that mature in a manner not quiet expected? I pointedly asked a well known bottling company that buys fresh fillings about what they do if they are faced with this situation. “We sell it”. To which I answered “Well would you tell them it’s a duff ‘en?”. “Depends” was the reply. “On if we liked them [the broker] or not!”
Honest I suppose. And not wishing to cast aspersions but one would guess that brokers are as well loved as used car salesman! caveat emptor as they say!
Anyway. Coming back to my point about criticism. As long as it’s constructive then I don’t have a problem with it and I would like to think that any minor criticisms’ that I might level at a particular bottling are just that. Constructive. I would like to think that they are taken in the manner in which they are offered. As the Diageo rep said to me. “I might not agree with your assessment [of the singleton of dufftown] but I respect your opinion”. One might say that trying to sell Dufftown is akin to flogging a dead horse, but I would never say that! Ooops I think I just have! Only joking! I’m sure Jim Murray would agree with me on that one.
Talking of Jim Murray. We have copies of his excellent Whisky Bible 2009 now in. Priced at £10.99. It is as always a fabulously entertaining read, and his tasting note for the PC6 is worth the admission price alone! Honestly! In his review he pays a moving tribute to the late Michael Jackson. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting him, I’m sure that all whiskey lovers will echo his sentiments that ‘Michael Jackson was a one off’.
Still on the subject of books. Ulf Buxrud has kindly sent me a copy of his new book to review. Called J apanese Whisky – Facts, Figures and Taste. Priced at £30.00. Ulf is a man on a mission and a liver of iron! The task he set himself was ten days, ten distilleries and 100 Japanese malt whiskies to sample! In fact according to him, he failed as he eventually ended up tasting 114!
It’s a lavish, coffee table style book, packed full of facts, figures and pictures from all the distilleries he visited. Did you know that in the early 1980’s Japan boasted the biggest distillery in the world in terms of production and size? It’s called the Hakushu Distillery. By 1978 it had twelve pairs of stills in operation, but obviously that was not enough so they built a new complex on the site to house an additional six pairs of stills, christened Hakushu Higashi (Hakushu East) with the original distillery being called Hakushu West. In 2006 however Hakushu West was mothballed, and you thought it was just America that had a size obsession!
Ironically enough the holder of the title of the worlds largest distillery is owned by a Japanese company, but is situated in Scotland. The distillery is Tomatin with twenty three stills and was the first Scottish distillery to be wholly owned by a Japanese company, that being Takara, Shuzo and Okura Co Ltd, who acquired it in 1986.
But I digress. This is not just a dry facts, figures and tasting notes book. It includes a well written chapter on the fascinating history of Japanese Whisky as well as a suggested travel itinerary and suggestions on where to eat and drink whilst there. So if you are contemplating a trip to the land of the rising sun, or just contemplating a glass of Yoichi, then this is the book for you.
WHAT’S NEW?
Well I’m being courted. In a commercial sense that is! By Angus Dundee Distillers, owners of Glencadam and Tomintoul distilleries and the Mackillop’s Choice range of single cask bottlings. Some samples should be on their way and will probably appear in the next newsletter. I also had a visit from Berry Bothers and the results of that tasting are featured a bit further on and like pretty much every independent bottler there are some good and some not so good bottlings. The best of which may make it into the Gauntleys Selection in the new year.
Aside from that there is the usual round up of new releases from James MacArthur, Dewar Rattray, Duncan Taylor and the Alchemist, which should be in the shop in time for Christmas. So without further ado let’s kick off!
GLENCADAM
Glencadam 10 year old 46% (Approximate Retail £28.95)
A very tropical nose. Peach, banana, orange, kiwi and crisp Sauvignon Blanc-esque fruit burst from the glass. Wonderful! Underneath is a lovely layer of barley cut through with a lovely honeyed note and a touch of earth. Over time the perfume really starts to build – It’s a veritable fruit bomb! The palate is a tad less exuberant than the nose, displaying a greater degree of malt and barley, the fruit hovers nicely in the background. Good length and piquancy with slightly oily, soft spices on the finish. Definitely worth it for the nose alone.
Glencadam 15 year old 46% (Approximate Retail £40.95)
The aromas are a lot heavier than the 10. There’s more caramel, vanilla, lazy spices and toffee notes. The wonderful tropical fruit of the 10 has been lost beneath the hobnail boot of the oak. Yes there’s some pleasant malt and barley but it lacks the vibrancy of the 10. The palate is very much like the nose. Oak dominated and to be honest a bit flat. Quiet a disappointment after the 10.
TOMINTOUL
Tomintoul 10 year old 40%
A clean nose. A touch grassy with honey, barley and some caramel. Quiet pleasant with a granity fresh/ herbal note. The palate is a bit simple with quiet intrusive alcohol and a slightly bitter finish. A drop of water does tame the alcohol and sweetens the palate a bit but it still simple nevertheless.
Tomintoul 16 year old 40% (Approximate retail £29.95)
The aromas are considerably deeper and thicker than the 10 year old, the honey and barley has taken on a lovely mature sheen and is supported by a dollop of orange fruit and a thin thread of smoke. The slight grassiness and the granity freshness remain. The palate displays a depth and delicacy opening with the mature honey and barley and opens into a quiet herbal middle. The mature honey rushes back in and it becomes quiet delightfully chewy in texture. The piquant alcohol dies the finish out a bit and there plenty of coffee grains supporting the returning herbal character on the finish. All in all good value for money.
Tomintoul 27 year old 40% (Approximate retail £51.95)
A beautiful nose. Frightening depth of rich, unctuous mature honey, toffee and sweet marmalade coated fruit. There’s a herbal note buried under the huge weight of honeyed, sweet barley. Late vanilla, dusty spice and a slight dunnage join in the fun. Soft and gentle on the palate. A huge depth of mouth-filling vanilla, mature honey, toffee, dunnage and glorious barley caress the palate. The middle has a delightful piquant alcohol to balance and a touch of crisp granite and herbal notes. Very long with a touch of stewed fruit along with some wood spices. Lingers wonderfully!
Tomintoul 1976 (31 year old) 40% (Approximate Retail £199.95)
A verdant array of wonderfully exotic, honeyed tropical fruits greet the nose. The aromas are somewhat lighter than the 27 and positively reeks of mature bourbon oak. Amazingly juicy without being hugely sweet. Over time some gratifying herbal spice drifts in and a lovely perfumed/ floral top note appears. Soft and oily in the mouth beginning with gentle tropical fruit and mature oak. Wave upon wave of oily vanilla soaked barley, mature malt and gentle spice roll over the tongue. All garnished with a dusting of powdery cocoa, malt and a smidgen of smoke. A lovely balance and it still retains a playful youthfulness. Mouth-filling but not overstated. Gentle, mature, divine! A wonderfully mature Spey.
BERRY ’S OWN SELECTION SPECIAL TASTING
THE HITS
Glen Scotia 1992 (16 year old) 55.7% (Retail 55.95)
Re-Fill Sherry
Intense and slightly leafy aromas from the cask are ably abetted by buckets of coastal orange fruit and marmalade. There’s an underlying malty richness and the balance between the oak and the distillery character is spot on. Gentle sherry notes roll over the taste buds with a slightly musty and damp dunnage floor note. The coastal character kicks in on the mid palate and gentle peat wafts in as well. The peat flavours are wonderfully fragrant and heathery. Lovely length with the coastal notes returning.
A drop of water brings out more of the sherry wood spices and coffee aromas with a brief smoky bacon nuance. A wonderfully clean cask, which goes onto reveal mature honey and soft spices. The palate has now become a bit tannic and the wood comes down like a shutter on the proceedings. The finish is plesant enough with plenty of coastal, heathery, cocoa notes and leaves the tongue coasted with salt spray.
Benrinnes 1991 (16 year old) 46% (Retail 43.95)
An extremely oily start. Pure cod liver oil, followed by grist, sawdust and orange fruit. It’s all rather fun as some citrus peel, conserve and honey is added to the mix. Over time it becomes quiet floral and grassy. The palate displays a lovely honeyed character with layers of crystallised citrus fruit and vanilla ice cream. It’s woinderfully soft with hints of flowers and grass on the middle. The sweet vanilla returns and leaves hints of sugared almonds on the after taste. Very appealing.
Bowmore 2000 (8 year old) 58.7% (Retail 30.95)
Quiet sweet and gristy to begin with. Barley and floral notes abound along with some heather, sweet spices and lovely sweet peat. There’s a slender medicinal and iodine note and it become a touch farmyardy and manurey over time with a late smidgen of rubber. The palate is oily and sweet with a serious mashtun character. Youthful grist and cereal notes buzz around. It’s alcoholic but it’s balanced by its deliciously oily fruitiness and dry peat. The tongue gets a real coastal lashing!
A drop of water brings out the smoke on the nose as well as a slightly soapy note, yet doesn’t detract from its youthful gristiness. On the palate this gentle smokiness is now more evident as well and the gloriously sweet peat lingers. Finishes with a lovely coastaly, fishy note. Great stuff!
Caol Ila 1995 (12 year old) 58.9% (Retail 43.95)
A classic Caol Ila nose. Crisp, manuery and rubbery. There’s the trade mark sweet garden fruit lingering beneath the peat reek! Good grief this is getting seriously stinky!! The palate opens with a lovely, sweet barley arrival, followed by the fresh garden fruits and a powerfully coastal personality. The peat reek builds, but the alcohol dominates here. There’s not a whole load of complexity, however it’s wonderfully linear and the barley takes on a gristy, sweet, almost grapey note on the finish.
A drop of water makes no difference to the nose, but on the palate it tempers the alcohol enough to allow a soft, albeit brief tropical note to flit across the tongue. The intensity is still there and the water definitely enhances the show. All in all a deliciously drinkable Caol Ila.
Caol Ila 1982 (24 year old) 46% (Retail 59.95)
A transitory earthy aroma starts things off and then it’s into big, booming, fruity country! It’s breathtakingly complex with leafy, fern notes and a soupcon of mature honey. Almost Speyside in character. The huge honey and malty aromas continue to appease the nostrils. Time even teases out a shy thread of peat smoke and some perfumed orange fruit. Finally there’s an ephemeral coastal note. Delicate and gentle on the palate. Again one would think you are in Speyside territory here. Hugely fruity for a Caol Ila, the exquisite mature honey arrives gracefully on the middle as does some gentle, wafting peat and a veritable cart load of barley. Very long, the alcohol keeps it all in check and stops it becoming flabby. Lovely finish with coastal notes and a suggestion of garden fruits and flowers. At this price it’s an absolute bargain!
THE HMMM NOT SURE!
Auchtentoshan 1991 (16 year old) 46% (Retail 37.95)
Clean, crisp, buttery aromas of liquid caramel, set against a background of rose oil, cereal and rose petals. The aromas are a little bit on the sweet and sickly side. On the palate the oak holds sway to begin with followed by a touch of grass and crisp white fruit. There’s some spice and a touch of cereal and dried husks on the finish. Quiet pleasant for a Bourbon cask from this distillery.
Bladnoch 1990 (18 year old) 46% (Retail 47.95)
The aromas are a touch muted, showing it’s age perhaps? Its quiet oily with vanilla and a suggestion of fruit, flowers, earth and grass. Delicate hints of tropical fruit make a fleeting appearance. The palate is a touch watery, would have bottling it as cask strength bee a better idea? To be honest it’s all a bit evanescent with some grassy citrus fruit, which does build with a mellow intensity on the mid palate. Lovely conclusion with a spicy, barley finish. Personally I feel that 15 years is where Bladnoch is à point.
Dailuaine 1974 (32 year old) 46% (Retail 69.95)
Much like the 22 year old its quiet reserved but displays a greater degree of earthy, mature fruit and honey. The oak drifts in with some crème caramel notes and with time the oak becomes more prevalent and toffees. A crisp barley note tries its best to balance it out. The palate is like the nose, quiet oaky to begin with. Tannic and mouth drying with crème caramel notes. Then whoosh, it’s like the hand break has come off and the rich, mature fruit and honey comes bounding in, topped off by some lovely gingery spice. It descends into a bitter/ sweet finish which is liberally laced with wood splinters and leaves quiet an oily coating to the tongue. I have to say that I’, totally unsure of this one and would struggle to recommend it at that price.
THE MISSES
Bruichladdich 1988 (19 year old) 46% (Retail 53.95)
Great nose. Pure, juicy, tropical laddie aromas with a Sauvignon Blanc/ gooseberry/ green fruit tinge. Crisp and mineraly with dusty honey, malt and barley. It doesn’t stop there! Next comes lovely cinnamon flecked banana and yet more honey. Devine! Slightly perfumed and ethereally complex. The palate is a lot more delicate than the nose would suggest. It begins well enough with the slightly coastal fruit notes along with some crème caramel. After such a wonderful nose the palate is a bit watery and so-so. The finish is spirity and disappointing with the finale being pretty much all wood. I think it would have been better to have bottled this a few years earlier.
Dailuaine 1985 (22 year old) 46% (Retail 59.95)
Big and boisterous, yet strangely reserved at the same time. Idiosyncratic is the word that springs to mind. It takes awhile before the aromas get going and there’s some delightful honeycomb, coffee spices and orange fruit. There is definitely some depth here and a perfumed note adds to the weight of heavy fruit, which is enveloped by the moist honey. The palate is quiet shy and gentle, but it builds nicely from its earthy, malty beginning. Then the pure honey and mature, rich, sweet fruit flavours kick in. It seems to want to go further but it strangely doesn’t. It feels like the oak is holding it back and one is left with unrequited feels towards this dram.
Benriach 1996 (12 year old) 46% (Retail 35.95)
Brash, butch an oily. There are all sorts of heavy oils firing off here! Amidst the carnage there’s some cereal, fish oil, orange fruit, earth, a touch of peat, honey, vanilla and violets. It starts to get a bit bent out of shape and soapy after awhile and the aromas are now reminiscent of shaving foam! The palate is like the nose. Oily, cerealy and seems a lot younger. Its way too oily and foreshorty, leaving the palate quiet flat. There’s some late honey and floral notes, but the finish is a bit hot. I can only assume that the cut was probably taken a bit too soon.
Clynelish 1993 (14 year old) 46% (Retail 42.95)
It’s extremely pale in colour and it comes as no great surprise to find that there is very little cask integration. It’s actually quiet grassy, with citrus and a thread of lovely sweet barley and a wafting of smoke. Over time it becomes quiet floral. Clean and unassuming on the palate, with a touch of malt, honey and sweet, white liquorice on the middle. The finish is a bit fiery and there’s a peppery burn on the finish.
Mortlach 1991 (16 year old) 56.4% (Retail £51.95)
Sherry
A big, brash, sherry monster with quiet a heavy handed sprinkling of sulphur. I think I can detect some marmaladey fruit underneath but it’s hard to tell under the noxious cloud of sulphur. The palate is frankly innocuous and dull. Ruined by the sulphur and not even a late dollop of coffee spice can save it. A drop of water strips away some of the sulphur from the nose and more of the violet tinged fruit can be detected. The palate however becomes horribly sweet and confected.
Blue Hanger 4th Release 45.6% (Retail 59.95)
This is a vatting of 4 butts and 3 hoggies of Glen Elgin, Glenlivet and Mortlach. The youngest spirit is 16 years old and the oldest 34.
There’s a vague hint of sulphur to begin with, probably from the Mortlach, but to be fair it does blow off. It leaves behind a rich, leafy, and bold, Mortlach infused aromas of perfumed orange fruit, delightfully mature honey and a lovely barley sheen. However that struck match head note lingers in the background. The palate is delicate with the crisp barley leading off and the sherry Mortlach following. There’s a touch of leather spice and old floor polish, liberally wiped down with wonderfully mature honey. It has an excellent intensity and balance, with the busy spices tumbling all over the place. Some late coffee brings the proceedings to a finale.
I was just beginning to like this and forgive its sulphur tainted nose until I added a drop of water. That action brought back the sulphur big time and to be honest has ruined what could have been an exceptional bottling.
JAMES MacARTHUR
Ben Nevis
10 year old 57.9% £39.95
A wonderfully crisp and clean nose. Slightly floral with cereal/ barley and a touch of bread dough. I can’t get over the lovely freshness of the aromas, it reminds me of a salt-free Bruichladdich. Over time it develops a floral/ apple blossom and vanilla note. Quiet oily and subtle on the palate beginning with the apple blossom and summer flowers before adding a touch of apricot and peach. The middle is quiet bready with the doughy note noticeable from the nose apparent. Good length with a lovely, light spice flecked finish. With water the nose become even more floral. It emphasises the oils and removes some of its freshness, but it adds a glorious spicy orange note now. On the palate it softens and possibly over sweetens it, giving the fruits a candied sheen. Or me I would drink it neat.
Allt-A-Bhannie 11 year old 56.9% £38.95
Sherry Cask
A rich, sherry infused orange fruit nose with hints of coffee, bark and leafy notes. There’s a touch of sweet natural caramel, bracken and a slightly floral top note. The palate is also quiet leafy and herbaceous with the sherry cask influence obvious from the start. The alcohol masks the palate somewhat but its mouth wateringly intense. Good length which finishes with dark chocolate orange and fern/ wood notes. Water makes the nose a tad liner but adds notes of liquorice and pine needles. On the palate it subdues the alcohol allowing it to become more herbaceous with a juniper and coriander note appearing. An all round excellent sherry cask.
Isle of Jura 15 year old 53.9%
A quiet fatty/ oily/ lanolin nose with malty, sweet digestive biscuit and a touch of coastal. It seems a lot younger. It’s a McVities malt! There’s some late tangerine and dark melon and a slight thread of apricot, smoke and vanilla oak. The palate is pretty much like the nose all malty digestives and a touch of encroaching decaying rose petals. Like the nose it seems quiet young and over time a sugary sweetness emerges, finishing with a hint of smoke. A drop of water only emphasises the rose petal and sugar.
Actually I had quiet a long conversation about this bottling with Arthur Winning of James MacArthur and he was telling me that he preferred this bottling to their previous 13 year old. I have no problem with the quality of this malt, it just doesn’t appeal to my palate, and of course not everyone’s palate is the same. Incidentally Jim Murray liked it and gave it an 88.5 rating. If the sound of it appeals to you I’m more than happy to order a bottle for you. It would retail at £49.95.
Bruichladdich 20 year old 53.6% £65.95
Hugely fruity! This is damn good; laddie at it’s glorious best. A veritable fruit salad nose – apricot, apple, pineapple, cantaloupe melon all dripping in the most luscious honey imaginable, lightly sprinkled with a touch of gristy barley, sweet spice and salinity. The honey is to die for! This is what I have missed – Mature, bourbon oaked perfection! I’ve not experienced an aroma this good since the first bottling of 21 year old all that time ago. The palate is soft and delicate. It gently opens up, displaying majestic floral and coastal imbued apple, apricot and pineapple. The middle is a bit drying with more salt, wood notes, light coffee, mature honey and slightly dark peat. Light in body but it dances over the tongue, finally descending into a cod liver oil finish. Absolutely majestic! A drop of water makes he nose very winey, quiet Sauvignon Blanc-esque. It increases the freshness of the aromas and the lovely coastal notes sing. On the palate it flattens it a bit, the spirit now starts to show its age, although it becomes exceedingly peppery and leaves a lovely malty/ coffee coating. Personally I would opt to drink it neat though.
DUNCAN TAYLOR
Imperial 9 year old Battlehill 43% £22.95
A lovely nose of earthy, loamy, undergrowthy fruit. Quiet big and rounded with deep honey and vanilla. Over time the oak asserts itself with toffee, cream and natural caramel aromas, yet it is balanced by a crisp barley note. The palate is quiet sweet. Fukll of appealing apricot fruit with a touch of grass and ginger spice. There’s a crisp barley thread running through it which balances the candied sweetness. Very drinkable with a light gingery finish.
Ben Nevis
8 year old Battlehill 43%
A bold, butch and oily nose. Dominated by the vanilla oak. Some banana bread notes fight to get through the oak as do some herbal honey and malt, sprinkled with brown sugar. The palate resembles the nose in being oak dominated. There is an intense burst of peppery spice on the mid palate but it is short lived as the alcohol wades in to give it a terse and harsh finish.
Lonach Caperdonich 1969 (39 year old) 42.2%
Light and very herbal with some delicate mature honey and barley. A pleasant depth with a background of tropical fruit. Light and honeyed on the palate with lots of barley and mature honey, a touch of vanilla, butterscotch, malt, coconut and lush tropical fruit. So far so good, but it is extremely woody and tannic and to be honest a bit unrefined with a somewhat bitter finish and a winey/ oily aftertaste.
I have yet to be completely convinced by the Lonach bottlings. In theory the vatting together of over and under strength casks is an interesting idea. However it would appear that these bottlings turn out to be overly woody in character. You may say that is a small price to pay for a relatively cheap old malt, and you might be correct if you are prepared to accept this characteristic. In my opinion if you are thinking of spending £80 to £100 on a malt you get more bang for your bucks with their single cask selection.
Brora 1981 (26 year old) 53.8% £125.95
Cask 1427
Rich and fruity aromas intermingled with a greater degree of peat than their previous bottling (cask 1424). Intense and juicy with oodles of medicinal peat. Sort of Laphroaig-esque, in one of its mellower, introverted moments. It has an excellent clarity with hints of barley and rubber. This is a stunning nose, enhanced with a touch of perfumed white fruits. The palate is quiet dry, a touch tannic to begin with. Ok so it’s like sucking on wood, but the wonderfully pure peat, coal dust and rubber flavours just about balance it up. It’s a touch spirity on the middle, but once past that it’s phenols a go-go! It’s a bit of a brutal Brora. Hammering the tastebuds with wave after wave of bog myrtle and rubbery fruit – Just how a Brora should be in my opinion!
A drop of water really ramps up the rubbery peat and brings out a violet and iodine note. In fact it could almost be a salt-free Islay! On the palate it releases it’s nature oils and allows the rich, earthy fruit to ride those oils! It’s incredibly oily, it coats the tongue in a perfusion of rubbery oils. The peat is definitely less brutal now, it displays a lovely crumbly, sweet edge and the violet notes become apparent. If only Clynelish could be this interesting.
Glenrothes 1969 (39 year old) 46.5% £134.95
Cask 1969
All I can say is that a nose like this needs time to contemplate. Deep and complex with tropical rum like dried citrus fruit, raisins, old floor polish, crisp, herbal honey and barley. Wonderfully herbal/ menthol with a touch of smoke and mature honey to die for. A slight perfumed note floats above the decadent demarara, cinnamon and allspice flecked toffee/honey. It might take some time to open up, but when it does, it’s pure hedonistic pleasure! Gloriously soft on the palate, liquid toffee and honey with a touch of tannins and wood spices. The rum like fruits arrive on the middle in all their piquant cinnamon laced glory. Mouth-filling and mouth watering barley hits the tongue followed by the alcohol and bitter/sweet notes. Back comes the oils, mature honey, raisins, sultanas, cocoa and a soupcon of chocolate drops. Stunning!
Water = Wow! Cinnamon flecks and vanillins have now appeared amidst the gloriously mature honey. On the palate it’s oiler and gentler, the honey and dried fruit becomes a gloriously mouthfilling morass, which lingers and caresses the palate. Forget the credit crunch and the financial instability and loose yourself in this amazing malt.
THE ALCHEMIST
Macallan 18 year old 46% £TBA
Bourbon
Wonderfully fruity aromas of crisp apple, apricot and fleshy peach and orange fruit, with hints of dunnage floors and spice. Over time it becomes wonderfully honeyed and develops a slightly floral top note. It is pleasantly oily, soft and smooth with mouth-filling fleshy fruits and a crisp salinity. The alcohol somewhat dominates the palate, which necessitates a drop of water. This brings out the perfumed orange fruit and vanilla oak on the nose and softens the palate even more! Emphasising the maturing honey and spices. A slight hint of coffee is detectable as are some botanical notes on the finish. Goes to show that you don’t need to swamp Macallan with sherry!
Gandel Distillery, Guadeloupe Rhum Agricole 10 years old 46% £TBA
The aromas kick off with an intense, grapey note, swiftly followed by oodles of cinnamon, clove, camphor, mint and a very unexpected iodine/ tcp note. Light, yet with an incredible depth of dried fruit and candied peel, sprinkled with a touch of demerara sugar. The complexity is added to with a smidge of tobacco leafy, smoke and walnut. The palate follows the same journey as the nose, latterly flowing through the flavours. The middle is hugely spicy and there’s that medicinal/ tcp note that is evident in the aromas. Very complex and exceedingly drinkable. So there you have it a Rhum for Laphroaig lovers!
DEWAR RATTRAY
Clynelish 1982 (25 year old) 51% £70.95
Refill Hogshead – Cask 5878
Initial aromas of hessian sack are followed by deep, mature honey, delightful liquid orange, a touch of barley, vanilla and slightly perfumed top notes. Lovely light spices drift in along with a suggestion of smoke. The palate is quiet dry, opening with white fruit and flowers. Oily vanilla and a crisp barley note battle it out on the middle. The oils and perfumed note carry on right through to the finish. A drop of water really makes the nose sing. Pure Seville oranges and conserve mingle with the enhanced barley aromas and there’s even a late coffee note. On the palate it sweetens and emphasises the barley, orange and honey. Wonderfully soft and mouth-filling with the coffee/ earth and hessian note returning. A breakfast malt perhaps?
Inchgower 1974 (34 year old) 61.3% - Unfortunately out of stock
Hogshead – Cask 7877
I really don’t know quiet where to start with this as it really came out of left field and I really wasn’t expecting this – One word – Stunning!
It’s damn big, monolithic in fact. I’m sure this is rum. It certainly has all those glorious stewed and dried fruit – apricots, sultanas and figs aromas firing off in all directions. Great fun! There’s even a sugar cane note along with a sight earthiness. Amazingly complex with a coconut/ vanilla touch. The palate pretty much follows the nose. Full of dried fruits, mature honey, ginger and crumbly spices hammering the tastebuds. Delicately oily, wonderfully balanced. Even the relatively high alcohol plays a supporting role. A drop of water mellows the nose and homogenises a bit, however on the palate it brings out an earthy, leathery, tobacco note and the length is amazing and leaves a lovely sweet raisiny/ sultanary coating.
Glenkinchie 1975 (33 year old) 60.7% £99.95
Refill Hogshead – Cask 2967
Yes that’s correct 33 years old! I really couldn’t believe it. Knowing how light the character is I though this may well be somewhat old and woody and initially it is, but then something magical happens. The woody curtain parts to reveal an awesome depth of the most glorious spicy orange fruit imaginable Ok, so there’s not a huge amount of complexity but the depth! The fruit takes on a wonderful perfumed sheen and there’s some malty goodness at its core. On the palate the oils and heavy woody spice notes battle it out, eventually revealing luscious mature honey and then the alcohol sears the tongue – I think it needs some water! And…… wow! Major aromas of perfumed orange overload the senses along with some cocoa and then its back to the wood spices and a thread of barley. The palate is absolutely unbelievable. The orange fruit creeps up and gently fills the mouth with the oily and heavy spices caressing. There’s even a hint of rum butter, ginger and malt. And it leaves a an oily, wood infused finale. I’m in shock. I can’t say this enough – It’s amazing!
Port Dundas 1991 (17 year old) 61.5% £49.95
Cask 120376
It’s a bit spirity to begin with but the hard and grainy character comes through with lovely, moist honeyed orange and a touch of peat of the slightly medicinal nature!? My, it’s really changing now. There’s a slight toffee note amidst the peppery grains flying around. Hang on, we’re changing again. Now the toasted vanilla and bourbon notes arrive. This has more personalities than mr mad from madsville! – I love it! On the palate it’s crisp, grassy, grainy and a bit spirity, followed by slightly perfumed bourbon fruit and wood notes. Quiet piquant with hints of rum like dried fruit, which gradually build to an irresistible chocolate infused mouth-watering finale. The aftertaste is a tad woody with hessian notes.
A drop of water sweetens the nose. There’s more vanilla and some caramel coated wheat biscuit, heavy toffee and sugar coated banana amongst the crisp grainy notes. The palate displays more of the rum like dried fruit and bourbon notes – crème caramel and toffee, however the dried fruits hang in there. The flavours are immense and seep into the crevasses of the mouth, finishing again with an oily thwak of bourbon. There’s definitely not a dull moment with this – It’s a rum, no it’s a grain, no it’s a bourbon, no it’s a grain! – Major entertainment!
Imperial 1983 (25 year old) 46.9% - £TBC
Refill Sherry Hogshead – Cask 1410
It begins with the brittle barley and mature honey. Liberally sprinkled in wood spices. It reminds me of old Glen Grant, with a lovely old wood polish and dusty library character. Not overly complex, yet it has a delicious depth with a slight perfumed note. Soft, delicate and leafy on the palate. Mellow and honeyed with a crisp barley seam running through. There’s even a playful violet and lavender note.
A drop of water brings out a pure orange/ tangerine freshness that has distillery character written all over it. The sherry plays a lovely supporting role. The palate is all very mellow and accommodating. The honey, barley and gentle spices are supported by the sherry soaked fruitcake and finishes with a treacle flourish
Bowmore 1991 (17 year old) 56.2% £55.95
First fill Sherry Butt – Cask 2063
The latest in a long line of excellent casks from this distillery. Big and briny with rubber, smoke, a big hit of medicinal bog myrtle, leather and tobacco all set against a clean sherry background. Lovely complexity with smoked fish, stewed fruit, iodine and stinky peat, ash and peat dust which hammers the sherry into submission. The palate is big and bold with sherry soaked orange fruit, wood spices and tannins winning the battle with the rubbery peat initially, however the distillery character finally holds the field and finishes with peat smoke, violets and coal scuttle liking goodness!
A drop of water doesn’t change it very much, maybe it’s a touch more candied but it’s still coal scuttle madness – Damn it’s good!
Arran
1996 (12 year old) 55.7%
Puncheon
Definitely heavy on the oils and the peat. There’s a slight costal note and a slight sulphur note, which I really dried to ignore given that it was only a suggestion and well I could’ve been wrong. It takes awhile to open and when it does there’s a glorious weight of orange fruit and liquid honey. The palate is quiet earthy again that slight sulphurous note is present along with soggy earth/ cardboard, which kind of transmutes itself into a weetabix flavour. Piquant and intense with an earthy, coal dust, peat and coastal finish. I’m afraid that a drop of water emphasises the sulphur which is a shame.
Deanston 1995 (13 year old) 60.8%
Refill Sherry Butt – Cask 1952
A slightly astringent, spirity start with a touch of peat and orange blossom. There’s a big seam of coffee and a musty/grubby note but loads of malt and a touch of leafy sherry. The palate is oily and a touch dumb with orange-ish fruit, intense alcohol and a sherried leafiness in the background. Water becalms the nose and emphasises the sherry cask. The palate becomes sugary-sweet, and I’m afraid that I find it all a bit charmless and unrefined in that Dufftown kind of way. I guess you either love or hate it.
Lochside 1987 (21 year old) 59.8%
Refill Hogshead – Cask 20621
The oak arrives like a speeding train, all big and toffee’d followed by mature honey, beeswax, gentle tangerine and Satsuma fruit. There’s even a slightly medicinal peat note. Oily in the mouth, but quiet light in texture and dry with plenty of wood tannins and spice. Some orange fruit and barley comes through but it’s a bit short and alcohol dominated. Water emphasises the oak and the peat note disappears. It softens the palate, bringing out a candied sweetness along with a suggestion of coconut. The finish is still a tad dried out and is interspersed with hints of dried fruit. Nothing wrong with the quality there’s just a bit too much oak for my liking.
GENERAL ROUND UP
Murray
McDavid Caol Ila 1991 (17 year old) 46% £TBA
Bourbon/ Quarts de Chaume – Chenin
Very dark amber in colour. It could almost be a fortified wine finish. The nose displays a lovely integration between the rich, subtly sweet (surprisingly) fruit and the gentle peat smoke, iodine, rubber and brine. However the palate is a lot more wine dominated. Again subtly sweet with buckets of creamy apricot and malt flavours. The crumbly peat and coastal notes fight to get through the overwhelming wine-fruit. Very mouth filling with notes of apricot conserve and salt. Not exactly my cup of tea but if you like well made, big, sweet malts this is for you.
Thomas H Handy Rye 8 year old 66.35% £89.95
Good grief where do you start, the aromas buzz around like an agitated bag of bees! There’s intense crisp rye grains fighting with vanilla oak, manure, salty-chestnut, Cuban coffee crystallised fruits and a beguiling violety note. The palate is no less intense. As Jim Murray says, this is faultless and mesmeric. The crisp rye grains hit the tongue first followed by a gloriously soft toffee-vanilla fudge flavour. Then it opens into a grassy, floral, violety phase, lazily followed by a bittersweet, earthy, spicy, gingery symphony. As it winds its way leisurely to its conclusion some waxy, vegetal spice and sandalwood notes become apparent. Wow this is a serious journey!
William Larue Weller Wheat 12 year old 45% £25.95
An extremely intense nose. First up it’s the sweet vanilla oak, balanced superbly by the sharp rye grains and lashings of bitter chocolate and coffee. Next in the olfactory rollercoaster ride are the wonderfully velvety soft wheat notes, which mingle delightfully with the vanilla, honey and clotted cream aromas. All topped by an earthy note. The palate is soft and subtler than the nose. There’s more of a gentle kiss of soft wheat and vanilla oak followed by the piquant rye grains, which give it a lovely ‘bite’ on the middle. Good, faintly floral length with hints of coffee, marzipan and earthy nuance. Obviously not quiet as complex as the cask strength offering, but it’s wonderfully drinkable!
Longrow 7 year old Gaia Barolo Finish 55.5% £45.95
An intense, wine infused nose collides with rubbery peat and sweet, ripe, dried fruit, coffee, cocoa. The big, grapey nuances float amidst the smoky sweet peaty morass. It has an almost sherry tinged sweetness along with the classic earthy-Longrow earthiness. I can only describe the palate as Amarone meets whisky in a head on collision. It’s intense and taste bud pummelling with sweet, dried fruits, smoky earthy-peat and a sharp graininess. Intense is not the word. It finishes with a smoky/ winey bbq like after taste.
Water emphasises the sweetness of the fruit and peat. Bringing out notes of dunnage floors, slightly medicinal peat, rubber, fish and salt. On the palate the water makes the wineyness less intense and now adds a beguiling sweetness to the full on peatiness. It also emphasises the natural oils amid the layers of sweet, woody fruit and earthy-peat. The finish is chewy with lip smacking dried fruits and leaves a gentle, lingering peat note on the tongue. Your taste buds will not know what has hit them!
Milestone Brewery Crusader 4.4% £2.50
A soft, blonde fruit nose with hints of hops, wheat and light malt with a lovely honey thread. A soft and quaffable session ale, the flavours mirror the nose and are balanced by a touch of lemon and a refreshing bitterness. Finishes with a floral note.
Milestone Brewery Dark Galleon 5.4% £2.95
Dark and rich aromas of sweet plumy fruits, gorgeously enhanced with a touch of sweet rum and spices. Mouth filling, rich, dark and malty with treacle and dark plum fruit along with hints of rum and spice. Good length with a nicely balanced finish.
Malcolm Cowen Sloe Gin 26%
A slightly smoky nose of red liquorice and sweet sloe berries. The palate is sweet-ish with red berry, sloe, straw and rose petal notes. It’s a bit short and sweet with the botanicals coming through along with crisp, London Dry notes on the finish. It’s a bit too sweet and confected for my liking.
AND TO FINISH OFF – COGNAC
MAXIME TRIJOL
Elegance 40%
Quiet youthful with a pleasant intensity of rich, grapey, herbal fruit along with a touch of honey, dried fruit and cinnamon. The palate is a bit watery and straightforward but has a good level of herbal, spicy, dried fruit with a hint of tobacco, cinnamon and wood on the middle. The finish is a tad piquant.
VSOP (Classic) 40% £26.95
A deeper, woodier nose than the ‘Elegance’. Definitely showing a greater degree of age. It’s actually quiet whisky like with earthy dried fruits, herbs and oodles of orange fruit and mature honey, along with a nutty note and a thread of smoke. It could almost be a sherry casked whisky! The palate is like the nose, deep and woody. Elegant yet punchy with quiet a noticeable amount of wood tannins, dried fruit and orange peel. Like the nose it seems quiet whisky like. The mid palate weighs in with a veritable bucket load of spice and delightful mature honey. Very long finish with a peppery kick.
VSOP (Grande Champagne) 40% £37.90
From a blend of spirits which are a minimum of 10 years old. A very intense and powerfully complex nose. It has a greater degree of refinement than the ‘Classic’. Rich, fruity and spicy in character. Hints of aged honey, dried fruit, apricot, nuts, cinnamon, herbs and wood/ coffee combine with underlying citrus aromas. Subtle yet powerful on the palate, combining rich, dried fruits, nuts, cinnamon spice, dried fruit, coffee and sumptuous mature honey and citrus peel along with a slightly floral/ violet note on the middle. Very long with a superb intensity and freshness
Well that’s it for this newsletter. All that’s left is to thank you all for your support and purchases over the year and if you are in the vicinity of the shop, please drop in and say hello. So I hope you all have a merry Christmas and a drunken new year – Oooh did I say that?! That’s a bit un-pc!
Sincerely
Chris Goodrum