Dear Whisky Customers
As usual the first couple of months of the year are generally quiet on the bottling front and this year is no different but come March and the bottling season begins, so I’ve taken a look at some new stuff from Dewar Rattray and Duncan Taylor. I have also had time to re-evaluate the Bourbon/ American Whisky selection and finally got round to trying the Jack Daniels Single Barrel, to see if it is all that it is cracked up to be.
Also I decided that this year I wanted to take a closer look at blended whisky. There are several reason for this. One is that blended whisky is the bedrock of the whisky industry and with out them many of the single malts we take for granted may not have existed. The first proprietary ‘vatted malt’ was created in 1853 by Andrew Usher, the Edinburgh agent for the Glenlivet distillery and named it Usher’s Old Vatted Glenlivet. Blending was nothing new at this point, but what Usher was the first to set out to achieve a consistent product, rather than being a vehicle to dispose of inferior casks. Many firms followed his lead, such as Bell’s, Haig and Johnnie Walker for example. These companies set out to develop lighter, softer blends for the emerging markets of London and the British Empire.
Secondly. It has been said, that whilst distilling is a science, blending is an art. Each blend will have a formula. It could be as simple as one malt and one grain whisky; however they are more often created from a number of each. The blenders job is far from simple. First he needs to decide on the style of the blend, this may be pre-determined by what malts he has to play with and at what price point it will retail for. This will then determine the age of the malts and grain whiskies and the proportions that he can use.
I remember having a lesson in blending Cognac at Maxime Trijol and it’s not a case of just throwing various aged spirits into a measuring tube. You have to be acutely aware of the characteristics of each of the components that you have to work with and how they interplay with each other. My VSOP was stunning (even though I say so myself) but due to the large proportion of old spirit it would have been far too expensive.
As whisky is an ever evolving product he must be aware of how each of the components ages, and how that ageing will affect the flavour of the final blend. It’s a continuing juggling act and thus the formula will continually need to be re-adjusted. Obviously this familiarity will only come over time.
However that is not the end. Once the blend has been finalized, the blender decides on how it will be created. Will the malt components be married together with the grain or on separately? Will the blend be racked back into casks for an additional maturation period or will be just be bottled? So I guess you could say that a distiller merely conducts and a blender plays god!
The final reason is financial. With many customers looking to spend less than £30 on a bottle of whisky it has become apparent that I needed to find interesting bottlings to fit that price point and by and large blended whiskies are less expensive than single malts. However in saying that they still need to pass my rigorous selection criteria. So I contacted both Diageo and Whyte and Mackay as they have a large portfolio of blends on their books and the results of the Whyte and Mackay tasting follows.
And…………. Beer!!!
The label said. “This is not a lowest common denominator beer. This is an aggressive beer. We don’t care if you don’t like it. We do not merely aspire to the proclaimed heady heights of conformity through neutrality and blandness. It is quiet doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to appreciate the depth, character and quality of this premium beer. You probably don’t even care that this rebellious little beer contains no preservatives or additives and uses only the finest fresh natural ingredients. Just go back to drinking your mass marketed, bland, cheaply made, watered down lager, and close the door after you.”
Well that was a challenge and a half, and of course it had to be met! And the beer? Brewdog’s Punk IPA and the result………. Well read on!
New Releases from Duncan Taylor
Someone said to me what is the point of Imperial? Well, you could say that it is a bit lacking in the complexity department, which is true but I have to say that many of the young bottlings of Imperial that I have tasted are unpretentious, unassuming and go about their business in a rather pleasant way, so to speak. With a bit of age it can often be overwhelmed by the oak, but as the 19 year old below shows that get the balance right and can be quiet honeyed.
Imperial 10 year old 43% £22.95
A straightforward, clean and fruity nose. It displays a good balance between the oak and the apricot, grass and citrus aromas. The creamy oak adds a luxurious quality. Soft and fruity on the palate with citrus notes and a touch of spice. The alcohol adds a lovely piquancy. Good length with a spicy finish and a late grass after taste. Straightforward, drinkable and good value.
Imperial 1990 (19 year old) 55.7% £59.95
Cask 448
An immense and honeyed nose, redolent of mature honey and tangy orange zest. Again straightforward with hints of earth and grass. The glorious creamy oak percolate throughout. The palate is pretty much like the nose, soft, juicy and full of mature honey, butter and vanilla oak. The middle is a tad drying with hints of spice. It definitely requires a drop of water which emphasises the honeycomb purity of the nose and brings out a lovely sweetness and emphasises the gentle spices on the palate. A gloriously unassuming honey monster!
What is it with single bourbon casks of Macallan. They continue to be so undistinguished. The questions I keep asking myself are. Do they need some sherry influence? For me the Fine Oak range seems to strike the right balance between distillery character and the sherry wood.
Macallan 1991 (18 year old) 55.1%
Bourbon Cask 21439
Restrained and earthy on the nose with rich orange and apricot. Quiet classy with a touch of mature honey. Mellow and inviting. Soft and rounded on the palate. It’s rather simple and one-dimensional, flecked with honey and a slight spice note. Water brings out an orange blossom note. It’s really come alive but still simple. On the palate it becomes a bit watery and oily with a late spice burst. For all its class I’m not overly thrilled. Well made but like a lot of single cask Macallans ultimately uninspiring.
This single cask Dalmore is certainly not commercial and maybe one for the aficionados only. I decided to go with it because of its peculiar nature and it’s left of centre complexity. Fancy a challenge then go for it.
Dalmore 1990 (19 year old) 56.7% £59.95
Bourbon Cask 7329
Deep and oily aromas of mature, earthy fruit, light coffee along with a touch of grist, white liquorice and some botanicals. Over time it develops a marc like quality with those familiar decaying rose petals and farmyards nuances. Very intriguing it finally moves into rum-like territory. A constantly changing and challenging nose!
The palate is surprisingly light in body with the Guyana rum like character evident from the start followed by botanicals, light toffee, white liquorice and some farmyardy/ earthy fruit. The alcohol is quiet intrusive. Water emphasises the light coffee, chicory, spices, herbs and marc, the oiliness recedes somewhat. Interesting and definitely not what I expected.
Glen Grant is one of those malts that seems to handle both sherry and bourbon casks with consummate ease. The former bottlings show an amazing depth of mature honey, beeswax and spice boxes, and the later have a wonderful spicy dried fruit character, with oodles of natural honey. Young or with some age it is fantastic. This new bottling like a number of their bottlings is dramatic and probably the most perfumed Glen Grant I have tasted. For a malt that can seem quiet masculine this has a very feminine character.
Glen Grant 1972 (36 year old) 46.2% £108.95
Bourbon Cask 8948
Seriously floral and perfumed with candied apricots and almonds followed by some light mature honey. It then becomes exceedingly herbal as the honey begins to assert itself. A wonderful dusty spice character emerges. Finally a touch of tropical guava, lime zest and buttery oak materialize It maybe light but it has a wonderful concentration. Even the earthy notes seem perfumed!
The palate is gloriously mellow, soft, perfumed and leads off with the oak, candied fruits. A slight oiliness leads into light honey. Amazing depth and purity, the spices zing and dance on the tongue. Light, elegant and belying it’s age. A long, feminine, perfumed (surprise!) finish. What a length. Definitely no need for water.
Ahhh old Bowmore. Love it or hate it, but you definitely can’t ignore it. Bowmore to me is quiet multi-faceted. It can be quiet fishy and coastal, peaty as hell, or a down right smoky monster, and this one has a combination of all three.
Bowmore 1982 (27 year old) 53.8% £90.95
Bourbon Cask 85068
An intense, deep and oily nose. Redolent of fishermans sowesters and pure iodine. Extremely fishy and coastal with medicinal and funnily enough oodles of iodine (did I mention that!). It’s not particularly smoky but there’s some lovely herbal honey, a hint of mature peat and coffee all set against a mellow, honeyed/ coastal backdrop. Very oily on the palate with upfront, no messing Ardbeg-esque Parma violets. Quiet sweet initially the coastal flavours build delicately as do the wood tannins and the alcohol. It’s a hardy, windswept, oily old soul, encrusted with fish scales, and the residue of smoking peat brickets. The alcohol delivers a piquant wake up call.
A splash of water brings out a wonderful perfumed orange and citrus fruit note. Funnily enough there’s parma violets (have I said that?!), oil, fish and tar. It momentarily dims the iodine, but it soon reasserts itself. The palate is a tad less intense and possibly a touch too sweet, but the fish oil and parma violets remain undiminished. Personally I prefer the punch it packs neat.
All things American
We’ve all had the No7. It’s just so rock and roll, but frankly the only thing you can do with it is drown it in coke! Over the years customers have come into the shop looking for the single barrel version, and I have ordered it especially for them, but curiosity got the better of me and I decided it was time to find out if it was any good, or whether it was worth a place on the list. So with an open mind I poured a dram……………
Jack Daniels Single Barrel 45% 49.95
Barrel No. 8-3277 09-12-08
A sweet and slightly syrupy opening with thick, caramel and vanilla lace grains. Slightly earthy with a violet note. A pleasant depth with a slightly orange note. Surprisingly light in the mouth with no shortage of pepper and spices complimented by natural caramel, oak and lively grains. A touch short but it has a wonderful, pure vanilla pod note in the finish. Good intensity though. A drop of water emphasises the soft, caramel graininess of the nose and relegates the sweetness somewhat. On the palate it subdues the intensity and homogenises somewhat but doesn’t tame the pulsating spices and wood notes. It also brings out a touch of toffee coated banana in the after taste. In conclusion it is rather good and definitely a step above the sweet and sickly No7.
Since our suppliers have de-listed both the Canadian Ryes that we used to stock, I had to find a replacement, so after reading Jim Murray’s glowing review of this extremely cheap rye, I thought it was worth checking out. Ok, you might argue that it is not the most complex rye on the market and its horrible white plastic cap doesn’t do it any favours, but………. For less than twenty quid this is a bargain!
Heaven Hill Distillery
Pikesville Straight Rye 40% £19.95
An incredibly clean nose of lovely rich oak and crisp rye grains along with a touch of violets. It has a lovely balance and depth with a touch of bubblegum and smoke. Soft on the palate with the grains to the fore. Spice and a delicate touch of oak follow. The piquant intensity builds nicely. Straightforward and well made. Excellent value for money. It never becomes too oaky and the earthy rye always stays in control with an amazing clarity.
Like the Jack Daniels No7, we have all encountered the ubiquitous ‘white label’. It is nasty and spirity, so the ‘black label’ had to be an improvement. Matured for double the length of the ‘white label’ it doesn’t have that spiritiness. You may argue that it is all a bit upfront, but it is a solid performer and again offers good value for money at just under thirty quid.
Jim Beam Black label 8 year old 43% £29.95
Gentle yet pungent aromas of earthy, animally liquorice, dried fruits and moist fruit cake. Very layered, it continues to open up to display a complexity that I wasn’t expecting. The soft oak is restrained and balanced by a crisp grainy note. The palate begins with a slightly floral note and pure corn oil followed by peanut brittle and toffee, which has been slightly burnt at the edges. There’s lashings of dried fruit, figs, spices, brown sugar and violets. Good earthy length and a vibrant piquancy with just the right amount of bitterness imparted by the oak. The oak is wonderfully subtle, forming a backdrop for the corn and rye to shine. A million times better than the frankly horrid white label!
Dewar Rattray
The six brand spanking new bottlings are very good. After tasting them the word that sprang to mind was ‘classic’. I might have criticised an occasional bottling of theirs (just like any of the other independents), but these are absolutely spot on. Pick of the bunch is probably the Tomatin.
Glenrothes 1990 (19yr) 51.4% £48.95
Bourbon cask 35460
A clean, crisp nose. Slightly smoky with a farmyard note. Lovely crystalised orange and tangerine add complexity along with a hint of coffee. The palate is initially quiet sweet and soft with a strong hay-like character, followed by juicy tangerine, hints of barley and more straw! The alcohol is quiet piquant and it develops a late grassy note. Good length with the sweetness returning in the after taste. A drop of water deepens the orange fruit aromas, giving it a translucent purity and emphasizing its candied disposition. On the palate it softens the alcohol impact and rounds it out.
Pulteney 1982 (27yr) 47.7% £58.95
Bourbon cask 502
Once past the brief hessian and bung cloth note it reveals a majestic depth of rich, mature honey and an intimation of coastal fruit. Very mellow with a burst of late exotic orange fruit and a touch of coffee-cream. The coffee-cream notes build on the palate to mingle with the mature honey and barley. Gentle coastal notes drift in and there is a suggestion of peat and earth. Superb balance between the spirit and the wood – So harmonious! The alcohol keeps the palate lively and the clean barley sugar gets a look in at the finale, leaving behind a lovely, malty, coastal mouth coating.
Water really brings out a briny note along with some iodine and Coal Ila-like garden fruits. The vanilla oak also asserts itself. It does much the same for the palate, although it does make the palate quiet sugar coated, which is why I would opt to drink it neat.
Laphroaig 1996 (12yr) 60.3% £56.95
Bourbon cask 7290
Big inhalation! ………. Yep, ticks all the right boxes. Very oily with youthful coastal seaweed peat and fresh menthol. Wakes the senses up a treat! There’s some rubber, herbs and coal tar soap to offset the coastal astringency. In the mouth there is a lovely sweetness to the malt and barley before it dives into the expected medicinal peat and coal tar. Very leafy with bog myrtle, iodine and menthol. Extremely intense. The alcohol wades in on the end but it can’t subdue it’s glorious peaty-sweetness and late hints of wood and hickory. This must be the sweetest Laphroiag I’ve ever tasted
Water ramps up the manure, bog myrtle peat and pure brine (if that’s possible!) On the palate the crumbly, pure, oily peat is divine. It’s still quiet a sweety and the finish is pure coal dust and herbs. Lovely! But hold on we’re not finished yet, there’s a late soupcon of banana skins and white fruit amid the rampaging coastal notes. Only an Islay could give you this kind of ride! So good I’m going to have to do it again!
Bunnahabhain 1990 (19yr) 51.8% £59.95
Sherry cask 970
Few malts can handle sherry as adroitly as Bunnahabhain in my opinion. It seems to cope it so well and is never over powered by it. The rich, leafy sherry begins but is quickly usurped by the gorgeous liquid honeyed orange and satsuma fruit. Showing quiet a bit of maturity with leafy-earthy-peat and coffee, along with barley and building coastal notes. An exemplary nose, with character and balance. The palate isn’t bad either! Again the sherry begins the proceedings followed by earth, fruit, a touch of hessian, coffee and wood tannins. Mature honey coated orange fruit takes over with a fluid liquid intensity. The alcohol bites nicely and balances the rich darkness of the fruit and earthy peat.
Can that nose get any better? Well add a drop of water and it overflows with buckets of yummy, coffee laced fruit, which takes on an almost tropical character. Still dripping in honey and the coastal edge keeps it keen. On the palate it is still rich and luxurious with the nutty sherry oak more prevalent.
Linkwood 1983 (26yr) 53% £65.95
Bourbon cask 5711
A dense and obdurate nose. It really takes some time to discern the component aromas as it is so damn fruity; full of impenetrable summer, yellow, squishy fruit, hay and mature honey. Given time a perfumed orange and vanilla note arrives. Unbelievably soft and succulent with a lovely sweetness with a touch of toffee, yet balanced by that classic Linkwood freshness. On the palate the soft, gentle flavours caress the taste buds with mature yet brittle honey, malt and barley. The alcohol bites on the middle and it finishes with a touch of crystalised fruit and grass. Lively!
A drop of water emphasisies the maturity and straw notes on the nose, but it is on the palate that it weaves some serious alchemy. Up comes the sweetness level and the fruit is now liberally sprinkled in a powdery/ crystalline sugar. The alcohol just about keeps the sweetness in check and pushes it to the edge of the tongue. Rounded and mature but even at this age it still retains a lovely freshness. Amazing length with a sort of grassy/ soda-esque finish.
Tomatin 1988 (20yr) 55.4% £53.95
Refill Sherry cask 1087
Would you believe it? Another bottling that caused my hand written tasting notes to fill an entire page! Mind you I must have written ‘wow!’ a dozen or so times!
Huge, enveloping aromas of delicate re-fill sherry along with lashings of spiced dates, mature honey and walnuts. It then descends into a stunning moist fruitcake depth. Wow! (sorry had to leave at least one in!) We’re not finished yet as hints of vanilla, smoke and scented flowers drift by. Very, very complex with an abundance of honey to die for. The balance is superb. The sherry only lays a supporting role (as it should). Finally there is a late malty/earthy/rose petal intimation
Like the nose the sherry begins this journey along with a fair degree of wood tannins. Then it’s off. Juicy, liquid honey and moist fruitcake flavour proliferate along with dates, walnuts and liquorice. The alcohol briefly halts the procession but it is quickly swamped. Amazing earthy maturity, amazing length, amazing whisky!
A little drop of water emphasises the gorgeous liquid honeyed fruit, the sherry aromas retreat and form a lovely backdrop. Stunning! It also brings out some leafy-herbal, mint and menthol along with coffee ice cream. On the palate it becomes a morass of honeyed dried fruits, figs, raisins sultanas and malt. Again the sherry supports. Stunning length with a piquant finish and even a hint of smoke and the most crumbliest spices imaginable, absolutely divine!! ……… Wow!!
A Couple of Older Bottlings.
Benriach 1990 (17yr) 61.6% £38.95
Bourbon cask 1779
Quiet subtle, with a greater degree of grassy character than previous bottlings. The high alcohol content prickles somewhat but there’s a lovely depth of orange and apricot fruit with hints of mature honey. The grassy notes continue to build as intimations of flowers an vanilla appear. The palate is oily, quiet rich and honeyed with an earth shade to the fruit. The alcohol is rampant though. A drop of water softens and allows the silky honey and wonderfully juicy orange crystalised fruit to shine on the tongue. There is a hint of malt and barley swirling amid the grassy character. Even with water it is still edgy and grippy with a dry finish. A lovely aperitif whisky.
Braes of Glenlivet 1989 (18yr) 60.2% £44.95
Bourbon cask 962
A full, rich and astonishingly deep nose of malty, earthy honey. Distinctly robust and rounded with hints of sawdust and vanilla. Some light perfumed top notes develop as do the oak vanillins. To finish there is a late hint of peat, smoke and violets. The palate is as rich as the nose suggests, dripping in mature, honeyed fruit with a lovely earthy, malty quality. The alcohol although quiet high only really pops its head above the fruity morass towards the finish, yet it is wonderfully kept in check by the barley accentuated fruit.
A drop of water surprisingly makes no difference to the nose, but it brings out a slight toffee-caramel note on the palate. Wonderfully mouth filling and departs leaving a pleasant oily coating.
The Whyte & Mackay Tasting
Before I started tasting I thought it would be a good idea to have a bench mark. So I chose probably my favourite blend, the Compass Box Asyla. I haven’t tasted it in a long time and it seems to me that the level of grain whisky used has increased and the age has decreased, as my notes below would attest to. Also after checking on their website it would appear that the blend has slightly altered. Originally it was a blend of Linkwood, Craggenmore and Glen Elgin malt, plus Cambus and Cameronbridge grain, all aged between 11 and 12 years. Now the Craggenmore has been replaced by Teaninich and there is no mention of how old the component parts are, which would appear to support my findings.
As with all blends, the components may change from time to time due to availability, so replacing one relatively bland malt (although I have tasted some un-bland bottlings) for another shouldn’t constitute too much of a change. I think it is the age and percentage of the grain whisky in the blend which is more apparent. However it’s still very good though.
I don’t claim to be an expert on blended whisky after this small tasting but I do ‘get it’. They are a distinctly different creature to single malts, and like the best single malts can take you on a journey. Some like the Asyla and the Whyte and Mackay ‘Special’ move through the components in a seamless flow, whilst some are more homogonised (and I don’t mean that in a negative way). I have to say I was impressed with the overall quality of the Whyte and Mackay stable. Even if some lacked a bit of depth, all the components were of a high standard.
Compass Box Asyla 43% £29.95
A crisp, clean nose which is initially a touch grassy, followed by delicate Speyside fruit, earth, a touch of perfumed orange, hard barley, honey and grain. Smooth on the palate, opening with the creamy oak. The grain begins to bite, with more intensity than I remember, leading to a soft, juicy Linkwood-grassy middle with brusque hints of honey. The spirity-grain returns again on the finish. It’s interesting; it feels like the malt is the sandwich filling between two layers of grain. Still very polished.
The Whyte & Mackay Range (In no particular order!)
Highland Pride
A rich, malty, quiet weighty nose with a touch of maturity, honeyed orange fruit and an integrated grainy note. Clean palate with the grain showing first. It seems a lot thinner than the nose suggests although there is a pleasant bitter/ sweet balance. It’s a bit lacking in fruit and the finish is a bit spirity. Not a bad start.
John Barr
A crisp, grainy nose. There’s some rich, dried fruit and honey but you have to dig deep to find it. The palate is dominated by the grain spirit. Not totally unpleasant but a bit bland.
Old Mull
A crisp nose again dominated by the grain but this time there is a greater degree of polished orange fruit with a hint of dried fruit and a perfumed top note. Opens on the palate with some silky liquid orange fruit. The grain kicks in on the middle and gives it some bite. Fairly straightforward with a touch of spice on the finish. A definite improvement on the previous two.
Claymore
A deep and robust aromas of violet scented fruit. It seems like there is some sherry influence at work (a touch!). The grain is well contained and there’s a dusting of dry spice. The palate has a pleasant depth but once again it is thinner than the nose would suggest.. Slightly oily with the faultless grain holding sway. Very crisp and clean finish. A textbook blend as no one aroma or flavour stands out. Very amalgamated and not spirity.
Stewarts Old
A smooth, densely packed nose. Harmonious and amalgamated. There is a pleasant level of malty fruit, and the malts have some good maturity and sweetness to balance the grain. The crisp fruit builds rather well. The palate is soft with the juicy, aged malt leading off and keeping the grain in check. The oak comes through pleasantly on the middle and the grain returns on the finish. Beautifully soft with a balancing granity hardness. A lovely blend with an unassuming complexity.
Whyte & Mackay ‘Special’ 40% £15.95
The key to this ‘special’ blend (according to the company) is a process they call the ‘double marriage’. First the 35 component malts are vatted together and left to ‘marry’ in selected sherry butts. This first marriage lasts for three months. This ‘vatting’ is then blended with 6 different grain whiskies and returned to another set of sherry butts to complete it’s maturation. They claim that this ‘second marriage’ provides harmony and consistency.
The nose is full and soft. Beautifully sweet orange fruit hovers above its grainy base. The sherry influence is noticeable giving it hints of earth and crystallised fruit. A pleasant nose! The palate is soft, unassuming and harmonious and begins with the grain component but it is far from spirity. A more serious palate than the other blends, with a synchronized amalgamation of weighty fruit along with some sherry wood tannins. The malt component has a greater feeling of age. Finally the grain pushes in again on the finish.
Whyte & Mackay 13 year old 40% £21.95
The production process for the 13 year old is the same as the ‘special’. So after being impressed with that I’m quiet looking forward to this.
A very good nose! It’s richer and juicier with a greater malt component and maturity. Succulent sultanas merge with mature honey and delicate sherry notes along with a touch of perfume and earth. The grain is there but it is almost imperceptible, buried beneath the weight of the wonderfully honeyed fruit. This is a really classy nose. The palate is like the nose, displaying a greater malt content. The grain is again well integrated and adds an edge. Juicy and honeyed with barley, dry spices and delicate sherry fill the mouth. The grain comes through on the finish with a grassy freshness. This will definitely change your opinion on blends!
Bark like a Brewdog!
I had an inkling that I was going to love their beers. Maybe it was the irreverent sense of humour or the blatant two fingers to the oceans of bland, mass produced beer that you see in any number of pubs around the country that really appealed. However it could have all been for nothing if their product was all mouth and no trousers!
Thankfully it wasn’t!
Brewdog was founded in 2006 by James Watt and Martin Dickie. Thgese two friends had progressed from making home brew in their student flat to being the owners of Scotland’s largest independently owned brewery producing somewhere in the region of 120,000 bottles per month. However it wasn’t all plain sailing. When the first bottles rolled of the production line of their Frazerburgh (Aberdeenshire) brewery in 2007, they faced complete disinterest from Scottish retailers, so much so that four months after setting up they had sold the grand total of zero bottles.
In an interview with the Daily record James, said: "I spent a lot of time in the beginning trying to create some interest in the product in Scotland but a lot of places wouldn't even take free samples from us. They just didn't want to know. It was frustrating, as well, because Fraserburgh gets such a lot of bad publicity and attention for all the wrong reasons. But here we were, two young lads trying to do something positive for the area and give the community something to be proud of and no one wanted to know."
Martin, added: "It was very disappointing. We spent so much time just trying to persuade people to taste it, never mind buy it, but they weren't interested.
"The problem is a lot of people in Scotland like their mass-produced beers so much they weren't even willing to give ours, which are only made from top-quality natural ingredients with no chemicals or additives, a try."
So being a self-confessed risk taker, James turned to the internet based beer-bloggers and beer-geeks, and interest in their beers began to spread. All well and good but they still hadn’t sold a bottle! However he must have had a bottomless pit of faith in his abilities and probably a great deal of sheer bloody mindedness, so much so that he was named as Scotland’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2007.
Yet as interest around the globe grew, retailers began to put orders in and from selling bugger all they found themselves shipping as many as 25,000 bottles a time to America, Canada, Japan, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Italy. In fact, they now sell 50 times more beer in Tokyo than they do in their home district of Aberdeenshire. But at least British retailers (like us) have now finally realised how special Brewdog beers are.
Now with names like Punk IPA, Rip Tide, Trashy Blonde and 77 Lager they are not going to be appreciated by the blue-rinse brigade, so much so that In May 2008, the Portman group decreed that three of their beers, the like Punk IPA, Rip Tide and the now discontinued Hop Rocker fell foul of their code of practice. They proclaimed that the labeling of the Punk IPA as an “aggressive beer” was more likely to “be seen applying to the drinker rather than the drink”. And that the Rip Tide, which proclaims itself to be a “twisted merciless stout” – is also deemed to be associated with antisocial behaviour.
They also alleged that because Hop Rocker declared itself to be “nourishing foodstuff”, it would imply that the drink could enhance mental and physical capabilities! Actually I think the reverse is true if too much is consumed!
Thankfully common sense prevailed and by late December 2008 all three, along with the Orkney Distilleries ‘Skull Splitter’ were cleared. So now we can all enjoy the paradoxical charms of a trashy blond whilst riding the crest of a rip tide………. Oooh best stop there or I’ll get myself into trouble!!!
Right time to shut up and drink some beer. Oh, the hardship I subject my self purely for your edification!!!
Trashy Blonde 4.1% 330ml £1.75
This IPA has a deep and fruity nose. Aromatic hops and fleshy apricot and yellow fill the senses. Almost tropical in character. The palate is as deep and rich as the nose suggests with a lovely intensity and a lager-esque bitterness. The finish is all about the raw purity of the hops, which give this ale an unprocessed feel. Lovely depth and a refreshing finish.
77 Lager 4.9% 330ml £1.85
A lovely dense nose, Initially slightly wheaty, yet full of apricot, hay/ straw and hops. Definitely not a shrinking violet! Crisply bitter and develops a deep, earthy, malty gloss. Full flavoured and abounding with natural fruit. A piquant lager-bitterness along with a touch of malt and hops adds complexity. Mouthfilling, intense and thirst quenching. Excellent length with the straw/hay note returning in the after taste
Zeitgeist Black Lager 4.9% 330ml £1.85
A powerful, earthy, full throttle nose of coffee-malt, treacle with a touch of herbs and bitter chocolate. You can tell that it is not a stout with it’s crisp edginess. The palate us relatively light in body, as you would expect. Superb intensity of rich coffee-malt, dried fruit, liquorice and a slight herbaly nuance. Long, refreshing finish with a pure, softly bitter, coffee and lingering wood notes finish.
Punk IPA 6% 330ml £1.95
A deep and hoppy nose with an abundance of different hop aromas. Ripe, natural fruit, a touch of citrus and tart lager-bitter. My it’s got some attitude! The palate has a serious bitter kick with the flavours mirroring the nose. Soft, smooth and very fruity, yet the alcohol keeps it real (so to speak!). Very long, refreshing and nicely balanced.
Chaos Theory IPA 7.1% 330ml £TBC
Dark aromas, showing a greater malty character than the Punk IPA. Slightly grassy and hoppy with a smidgen of wheat and straw. Deep, rich succulent fruit aromas abound. The palate is full flavoured and displays a touch of dried fruit and coffee-malt. Softly bitter and fruity with coffee and iron notes in the finish. An IPA that thinks it’s a brown ale. Definitely chaos theory at work!
The Physics 5% 330ml £TBC
Rich, malty and hoppy aromas. The crystal malt gives it a crystalised edge. Dried fruit, nuts straw, earth and berry aromas are also evident. Quiet aromatic. The palate is earthy and straw like with crystalised berry fruits and nuts. Softly bitter, yet edgy. Lovely length, slightly fudgy with hints of toasted caramel in the finish
Storm 8% 330ml £TBC
Another Islay cask matured ale (Coal Ila?). Rich and deep with apricot and tropical fruit aromas up first, followed by the slightly medicinal Islay notes. Very coastaly and windswept. The palate opens with the smoky, peaty Islay notes followed this time by the slightly tropical fruit. Lovely bitter/ sweet balance. Rounded and powerful with straw/ hay notes. Distinctive and interesting with a long coastal finish and a whisky like after taste.
Rip Tide Stout 8% 330ml £2.50
It wallows in the grandeur of its earthy farmyardy aromas. Deceivingly not one dimensional though as rich coffee and chocolate malt notes arrive along with an undertone of dried fruit and hops. Full, rich and coffee’d on the palate with dark crystallised dried fruit, figs, chocolate and more coffee! Very intense with a slightly spirity note coming through on the finish. Amazing length, softly bitter and like all their brews it has a very natural purity of character.
Paradox Islay Cask Matured 10% 330ml £4.75
One inhalation leaves you in no doubt to its origins. It has a Laphroaig-esque medicinal-peat note. Earthy, seaweed and iodine notes swirl amidst the fathomless depths of rich dried figs, prunes, raisins and coffee-malt. Overtime a hint of roasted malt and hops become apparent. On the palate the Islay peat gradually builds and then all hell is let loose! Sausages barbequed over an open fire of islay wood smothered with a lovely sweet bbq sauce with some Laphroaig-esque medicinal notes thrown in for good measure. Juicy, chewy, mouth filling. and coating. After the madness subsides it leaves behind an ashy Ardbeg like after taste!
(A brief) General Round Up
Baillie Nicol Jarvie 40% £21.95
A blended whisky produced by Glenmorangie.
A lovely, crisp and clean nose. Quite fruity with touches of iodine, smoke and peat. Quite creamy beneath with a floral note, and a touch of grain and pepper. On the palate it is smooth, slightly honeyed. Piquant with a late touch of smoke. Quite drinkable actually!
Jameson Gold 40% £55.95
Takes its unique character from the small selection of traditional pot still whiskeys matured in new oak which is used in the blend.
A wonderfully soft and smooth nose showing some maturity. Big and aromatic, the honey coated barley and grains mingle with the toasted oak which gives it a light bourbony character. There are lashing of wood spices along with a slight creamy and floral note. The palate is similarly soft and smooth, beginning with the honey coated barley followed by the hugely spicy wood which builds to a bitter crescendo, which offsets the honeyed sweetness perfectly. It’s big and luscious and although the mouth is coated in an oily/ creamy residue the grains return to give it a lovely crisp finale.
Raymond Armstrong’s Longmorn 11 year old 62%
Very youthful on the nose with a fleeting orange fruit note. Quiet oily with marc-like rose petals, flowers and a hint of nuts and sweet earth. The aromas are a tad winey, almost Sauvignon-Blanc like in character. The palate is pretty much like the nose. Young and winey with a touch of sweet cereal and grass. The alcohol really dominates. A drop of water brings out a dirty straw-like note on the nose, whilst on the palate it brings out an almost overwhelming candied sweetness. I actually tasted this blind and I swore that this was about 5 years old, and reminded me of the bourbon casked 6 year old Bladnoch. When it was revealed I was amazed. To be honest it was a bit simple and seemed to lack the rich fruit that I associate with Longmorn. I don’t think that ageing it any longer would have added any further complexity. Overall somewhat disappointing.
Tyrrells Blackcurrant Liqueur 20% 20cl £10.95
A pure and intense nose of very ripe blackcurrant with a hint of smoke, earth, vodka spirit and a faint suggestion of loam/ peat. In the mouth it is thick and viscous, full of amazingly ripe blackcurrant with a hint of smoke and a slight earthy character. Lovely concentration and weight of fruit, which blankets the alcohol, however the spirit comes through on the finish to give it a bit of bite.
And Finally………… Springbank
Well it’s been awhile since I’ve uttered those immortal words. In the last newsletter I ruminated about re-tasting the 10 year old, and lo it has come to pass!............ And it’s ok. The problem I have when tasting it, is that the thought that goes through my head is ‘Damn this will be so much better in five years!’ Is that being unfair? I mean I’m struggling to think of another whisky that makes me feel the same way. Maybe I’m too demanding or fussy!!!!
Also next month I will be taking delivery of the latest expressions to be released by the distillery. The Springbank 11 year old Madeira Wood Expression 55.1%, which will retail at £39.95 and the Springbank 18 year old 46% (80% Bourbon/ 20% Sherry casks) 46%, which will retail for £65.95. Initially this is just a limited release but according to the distillery when stocks allow in a couple of years time it will become part of their core range. So if you would like a bottle of either please let me know.
In July they will be doing a new bottling of Hazelburn, which has now reached 12 years of age (retail price to be confirmed) and finally, sometime in 2009 they aim to let the market have a sneak preview of the Kilkerran single malt from the Mitchell’s Glengyle distillery that they re-opened in 2004. 12,000 bottles are to be released of this ‘work in progress’. As yet I do not have an allocation or prices of those two, but if you are interested, again, please let me know and I’ll see what I can do.
Until Next Time
Regards
Chris Goodrum