Kanpai!
@111hotpot
Not too long ago I visited PK Maltroom – one of the top whisky bars in Ho Chi Minh City with great hospitality and a nice range of spirits at prices that don't break the bank.
This bottle is one of my proudest discoveries from the bar.
For the uninitiated, Springbank Distillery is one of the few remaining family-owned whisky producers in Scotland, and is notable for its commitment to traditional methods of whisky production, including floor malting (germinating barley by hand) and use of heritage barley. It is considered as a cult brand by whisky lovers for its ability to maintain its very distinct and complex flavour profile through the decades despite the modernisation seen in the rest of the Scotch industry.
The Springbank C.V. is the last-seen non-age-statement Springbank expressions. The series had been around since at least the 1990s when it had a white label, but has refreshed its look to a sleek black label that was then discontinued by the cult brand around 2013. Since then it has become something of a collectible item.
“C.V.” stands for Curriculum Vitae, symbolising that the spirit is a concise summary of various batches of Springbank whiskies made at the distillery including various ages and various cask styles. Unfortunately, preciously little can be gleaned from the label of this bottling, so we fall back on some research and whispers about this bottling. The post-2010 bottlings of C.V. are a blend of 7, 10 and 14 year old whiskies from various casks including ex-bourbon, ex-Sherry and ex-Port casks that are selected by Springbank’s then-Director of Production Frank McHardy and Distillery Manager Stuart Robertson (credit to Whisky Notes for the details!).
The idea of this bottling is really to represent Springbank’s unique DNA and showcase the distillery’s blending expertise.
Tasting notes
Nose: Right off the bat, you're hit with a bouquet of sweet, rich fruits – think apples and peaches with a dash of creamy vanilla. The initial sweetness is gently undercut by a hint of a rustic gameyness, reminding me of a countryside barnyard, which might sound odd but is exactly what fans of Springbank enjoy. As it evolves, the scent of pears or melons joins the fray.
This is super expressive and despite all that's going on, it's quite gentle on the nose.
Palate: The first thing I notice is how oily and unctuous this whisky feels in the mouth – it's slick and thick, like velvet. Opens with a lovely combo of sweet cream, apples, pears, and vanilla, topped with a dominate rich honey vibe.
The honeyed sweetness interplays very beautifully with more orchard fruits, while being spiced up by the Port and Sherry cask influences, raisins and toasted nuts. The rustic barnyard nuances and a slight funkiness reappear, alongside salted butterscotch, biscuits, and a subtle hint of light gasoline.
Finish: Long and memorable. I get smoked cheese, caramel, honey, and mint, and right at the very end there is some retro-nasal aromas of dark chocolate, light bonfire embers and a touch of sea salt.
I was really stoked to have discovered this Springbank C.V. It's packed with flavour, super aromatic, has all the good quirks of a Springbank and also doesn’t require you to sit through the high ABV of a 50+ % ABV cask strength whisky to access this level of flavour.
For me, it's up there as one of the best modern Springbanks I've had – and by modern, I mean anything post-2000s. It just nails the balance and integration of flavours.
I know there's some mixed chatter out there about the 2010s Springbank C.V., with folks saying it's either too subdued or not quite meshed together right. But from what I tasted, I'm sold. It could well be that this has been opened and been sitting for some time, especially considering the fill level of it - the amount of air in the bottle could have mellowed and melded the flavours more through oxidation. But I’m all for judging the whisky by its best performance.
This is a fantastic expression that just gets better with time, proving that sometimes, a little patience can make a good thing (or just an OK thing) much, much better.
My Rating: 8.5
Score/Rating Scale :
|
@CharsiuCharlie
]]>
When it comes to the topic of Glendronach - you'll most certainly encounter a topic that folks feel greatly towards, which is that of the Glendronach Revival, appended with an unofficial "Billy Walker Release" - and boy does it matter. A Billy Walker release and one that's not commands a palpable price difference.
So what's that all about? Because quite frankly, I knew nothing about it.
But through my research, here goes.
Glendronach itself its a pretty old distillery, in fact when it was founded in 1826, it was only the second distillery to gain a license to legally produce whisky under the Excise Act that was passed just three years prior to the distillery's founding. Of course, illicit distilleries abounded but that's a different matter altogether. Over the course of its history, it would change hands numerous times, from Teachers and Sons, Charles Grant (the son of Glenfiddich's founder), to Allied Distillers, Chivas, and then BenRiach, now finally it lies in the hands of the Brown Forman Corporation.
But most noteworthy was its time under Allied Distillers (which was later acquired by Chivas) when the distillery would be mothballed - basically shut down - in 1996, before the man by the name of Billy Walker came along to revive the distillery. Billy Walker has had a long storied career in Scotch, and long story short, came to be close to the folks at Chivas. At the time in the early 2000's, Chivas was sitting on something like 20 inactive distilleries - which keep in mind whilst not actively producing new whisky, many were still sitting on stocks of whisky made years prior that continued to mature regardless of the distilleries' activity (or lack thereof). And so the opportunity arose for Walker to acquire the BenRiach Distillery, and soon after, GlenDronach (he would later acquire a third distillery, Glenglassaugh).
Billy Walker.
Under his watch, it is said that when GlenDronach had its whiskies put back out on the market, Walker would buttress his core range of whiskies with stocks of whiskies far older than what was indicated on the age statement. Glendronach Revival 15 Years Old? Try 25 Years Old (hypothetically as nothing was ever confirmed). This led to mass market expressions that tasted ridiculously superior and were incredibly accessible in terms of availability and price - what a steal! The distillery's reputation rocketed!
Now of course, there were other changes under his watch, having swapped out peated malt for unpeated malt, changes to the heating equipment for the pot stills, changes to the cask quality - change aplenty.
But I suppose the reason folks are convinced that the reason for saying it was a matter of blending in much older whisky stocks is that as you can imagine - there was a finite amount of well-aged whisky stocks that Glendronach had! The party couldn't last forever. And so when Walker eventually sold the distillery to Brown Forman in 2016, while the Glendronach Revival 15 Year Old remained, there was said to be a massive noticeable difference in taste. Apparently it was even said that of all the core range expressions, it was the 15 Year Old Revival which benefitted the most from the use of older whisky stocks, wherein it took up the most sizeable proportion.
The single casks of the 1993 vintage are yet another hot Glendronach topic. (Image Source: Single Malt Savvy)
Again, none of this was ever confirmed, but it is the lore that explains why when you delve into Glendronach, you'll most certainly hear of the Glendronach Revival 15 Years Old (Billy Walker Release).
Since then, Walker has moved on to his next project, the GlenAllachie Distillery, while Glendronach continues to operate under the helm of Master Blender Rachel Barrie.
Today we're going to give the Glendronach Revival 15 Years Old a taste and see what we think of it. Onward!
Color: Light Copper
Aroma: Incredibly funky - chock loads of farmy notes, which on first take comes across somewhat umami, savoury and sour - a la buffalo cheese or maybe a soft reblochon cheese. But more nosing brings out a light nuttiness and leathery note that would push this more towards something of a sulphuric rancio, with additional scents close to mulled wine.
Taste: Leather, honey, mulled wine sweetness, cacao nib - more rancio funkiness that borders on farmy, cheesy somewhat lactic notes. There’s more of those nutty flavours, and also mortadella cured meat - there’s that savoury, umami meatiness. It’s medium bodied but works well with these intense flavours.
Finish: More mulled wine cooked fruit dense sweetness, quite malty and buttery here too. It’s also chocolatey with chocolate sauce and again with that nuttiness.
To call this wild would be an understatement - one of the most funky whiskies I’ve had with its two way funkiness of farmy, lactic, musky cheesiness (think yak cheese or goat cheese) and also the sulphuric rancio notes of cured meats, mulled wine, and nuttiness.
This is one intense ******, this should carry some sort of disclaimer or warning sign (and as mentioned earlier, I tried this blind! How am I still here?!).
Frankly you couldn’t rate this on flavour - it’s really quite an exceptional experience in the sense that this is so distinctive and striking. It’s etched on my palate with equal parts of awe and horror.
Luckily, those funky notes are supported (maybe I should say I’m supported instead) by denser, sweeter, more comforting flavours of chocolate sauce and cooked fruit, which softens the blow.
Definitely, definitely a must try. You don’t have to like it (and believe me, lots of people do) but you definitely shouldn’t miss out.
A real love-it-or-hate-it whisky, that you won’t drink everyday (unless you’re insane) but try it once, and trust me, you’ll definitely remember it for a long time.
My Rating: 9/10 (Memorable, not necessarily tasty)
Score/Rating Scale :
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
Don't let anyone tell you the blends business is easy - that couldn't be further from the truth. With the value of single malts rising significantly, what was once the beneficiary of the logic of the whole being larger than the sum of the parts, has now found itself on the flipside - that is the individual parts are greater than the whole. Whiskies are valued more when sold singularly from an individual distillery than they are packaged into a blend from multiple distilleries. Chalk it up to the ability for distilleries to brand themselves better these days and communicate the value of their identity to fans.
Yet, what about the value of a holistic expression, one that has layers and is wholly defined rather than singularly, never of just one profile but of many, each carefully curated and constructed to complement one another. If we did not think there was value in that, wouldn't it be akin to preferring one tube of paint over that of a masterfully conceived painting?
Compass Box founder John Glaser.
Well, I'll leave that to Compass Box to prove its worth, as part of a rarefied category of independent blended Scotch bottlers. Personally, I think what Compass Box is doing creates alot of unique value that is solely of its own work, craft and merit, and for that I've been a fan for a while now. But even so, the independent Scotch blender has gone through several notable changes as of late - being acquired, and with which I presume are some internal changes to both leadership, and who knows, what the company values perhaps?
Update: Coincidentally a week after this review was penned, it was announced that John Glaser would step away from Compass Box.
In any case, today we're going to try something that Compass Box has been getting up to lately - that is the Extinct Blends Quartet. As the name of the series suggests, this will be four blends that are meant to pay homage to bygone blended expressions that have inspired the team at Compass Box.
Compass Box has done no small feat of showing us how blends are still top notch.
The four expressions by now have all been announced, with the first three already released. They are, in chronological order, the Ultramarine, Delos, Metropolis and Celestial. As the last expression of the Quartet was not released yet, I was only able to try the first three.
I was piqued when I saw Compass Box showcase at the 2023 edition of Whisky Live Singapore, and so if you're down to try some of these newer expressions, Whisky Live is a great place to do so. It'll happen again in 2024 at the Singapore Flyer on 23/24 November 2024.
Okay, let's get down to it! Onward!
First up, Ultramarine, I'll save the suspense, this was inspired by Johnnie Walker Blue Label, and is a blend comprised of: Cameronbridge, Caol Ila, Girvan, Glendullan, Speyburn, Glen Ord, Miltonduff, as well as several undisclosed parcels of malt and grain whiskies.
Aroma: A whiff of orange blossoms, it’s rather waxy as well - beeswax, lacquered wood, musty wood cabinets, but there’s also some bit of plums, blackberries, raisins and leather. Some thyme herbs, light bit of smoke, sort of like freshly laid asphalt, wet pavement, gravel. Light fruit sourness.
Taste: More prominently coastal here - umami and savoury kombu splashed with sea water, there’s some wood smoke as well, light bit of ash, and then more on the classic apricots and prunes. Some butterscotch and lemon sherbet.
Finish: Very characteristically Islay - sea brine, oyster shells, light squeeze of lemons, some parsley too and cold ash. Light bit of savoury burnt ends but not bitter.
Hmm… very big Islay influence over here. On the nose it’s alittle more of that sense of antiquity, more Highlands sort, but as as it progresses it gets very Islay-ish with all these classically peaty profile accompaniment of flavours - the coastal brine, the lemons, minerality, ash. Here and there there’s some bits of the Sherry cask talking, but for the most part it you can really feel the Caol Ila.
Overall it’s decent, but at the price, there are other comparable options. Now too blown away by this to be honest.
Delos takes inspiration from Compass Box's own Asyla expression that is no longer in production. Here we've got a blend of Cameronbridge, Miltonduff, Glen Elgin and Imperial.
Aroma: Lots of dense, thick honey, vanilla cream, orange blossoms, dried apricots. Again with the deep fragrance and mustiness of agarwood and wooden antique libraries - lots of those lacquered woods with an almost incense scent.
Taste: Really flavour forward, more of those orange blossoms, beeswax, honey. It’s also rather herbal with notes of eucalyptus, manuka honey, with some bits of dried pineapple. It has a thicker, almost syrupy texture.
Finish: More of that incense notes, musty wood cabinets, orange blossoms and potpourri - incredibly aromatic.
This was really enjoyable with this great depth and fragrance that conveys a sense of antiquity - like a proper well aged blend! I really enjoyed the richness and fruits that ranged in intensity from medium to bright flavours. It somehow jogged my memory towards an old Glenmorangie.
Really fantastic stuff with superior depth, aromatics and texture.
Metropolis takes heed from a Scotch blend that is probably not as well known, the Bailie Nicol Jarvie. This is a blend made of Aberlour, Miltonduff, Bowmore, and then several undisclosed parcels of malt and grain whiskies.
Aroma: Brighter here, more honeyed definitely. Somewhat herbal with manuka honey, again with the mustiness of lacquered wood, some orange blossoms and apricots. Over time it turns alittle richer with chocolate syrup and cigar box notes.
Taste: Still with that herbal manuka honey, some leather, more of those confectionary milk chocolates. There’s some apricots in here as well.
Finish: Interesting turn of events - more Islay here. Sea spray, kombu, more briny before turning more bitter with a deep long warmth.
This is a bit of a hodgepodge of regional profiles. It starts off as a bit of a Highlander, and then into the palate, it’s narrowed down to being more of your typical sherried Speyside with the more fruitcake sort of flavours, and then into the finish a big twist - it’s Islay-driven. I must say I find this very interesting and quite tasty at that, but at times I can’t help but wonder if it’s trying to be too many things. Also I’m not sure if these jigsaw puzzles necessarily fit…
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
Rittenhouse Rye is the bread and butter of pretty much any bar - whether fancy or otherwise; cocktail bar; dive bar; hotel bar; whiskey bar; you've a pretty good shot of finding a bottle of Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whiskey on the shelf. And yet, no one can place it. Is it supposed to be for cocktails? On the rocks? Neat? Is it entry level? Is it top notch whiskey? Rittenhouse's versatility is the definition of a double-edge sword.
But perhaps most commonly, because of its really good price point, availability and being easy to fit into cocktail recipes, it tends to be perceived as cocktail component.
Yet, could we be in fact looking at a screaming bargain? That diamond in the rough?
For starters, what is Rittenhouse Rye?
Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia.
Rittenhouse Rye was first introduced in 1934 by a Continental Distilling Corp in Philadelphia. Its founder had started his business by squeezing remaining drops of whiskey from used up barrels just to make up a full bottle that he could then sell as industrial alcohol. The taxman soon came knocking and he thought it best to go clean and start a distillery proper. At the time rye whiskeys were the default (and because of the accessibility of rye grain, is actually America's native spirit!), rye was produced and given the name Rittenhouse, taking its name from a popular landmark in Philadelphia - the Rittenhouse Square.
Then everything came to a halt when Prohibition hit. When Prohibition first ended, Bourbon was first to be officiated as legal and this gave Bourbon the lead that it holds on till this day. By the 80's, rye whiskey was on its last breath, and yet thankfully Bourbon biggie Heaven Hill had brokered a deal to purchase Rittenhouse Rye, and has kept it alive till this day. By ensuring that Rittenhouse carries a 100 Proof (50% ABV) and undergoes a 4 year old ageing before bottling, RIttenhouse has consistently punched above its weight, which made it a solid component for cocktails and hence its popularity with bartenders, who find Rittenhouse more affordable than using Bourbon in their cocktails.
The popular Sazerac cocktail is a common use for Rittenhouse Rye - but there's probably more than meets the eye to the Rittenhouse.
Going alittle deeper into Rye, there are two primary styles of Rye whiskies - the Maryland style and the Pennsylvania style. The Maryland style typically is sweeter, made with around 65-70% Rye and 30-35% Corn, while the Pennsylvania style is typically more spicy and herbaceous as it is made with 95% Rye. These days, most whiskey enthusiasts have gravitated towards the Pennsylvania style ryes (also known as High Rye) as they view it to be more distinctively rye and closest to the characteristics that rye offers to whiskies.
So where does Rittenhouse sit? Well, it's made with 51% Rye, 37% Corn and 12% Malted Barley - which would technically place it closer to a Maryland style rye, which would make sense as Philadelphia sits geographically closer to Maryland. However, Heaven Hill has maintained that Rittenhouse Rye is in fact made in the Pennsylvania style.
While it is commonly accessible and known for being a stand out bang for buck whiskey, let's withhold our thoughts till we taste it.
Let's go! Onward!
Colour: Amber
Aroma: Gentle wafts of butterscotch, brown sugar, with alittle bit of white pepper, mint, eucalyptus. Light bits of dried apricots and dried cherry. Also some candied ginger. Good range but also alittle spirity.
Taste: Thick on the palate, surprisingly vibrant and punchy - caramel, butterscotch, vanilla frosting, orange peel, chocolate sauce, cinnamon, clove spices, rather confectionary. Cinnabons and churros - a little maple syrup. There’s a little bit of treacle and blackberry jam as well.
Finish: More of the woodiness coming out, some herbaceousnesss too, but overall clean with a deep warmth.
A really solid value for money rye! While the reality is that the Rittenhouse sort of sits in alittle bit of a no-man’s land where it’s either used as part of a cocktail recipe by non-whisky drinkers or for serious whisky folks, seen as an entry-level rye that’s not sufficiently high rye, and might even be thought of as being more bourbon-like - the fact is this is actually a really value for money solid rye whiskey that definitely shouldn’t be overlooked.
It’s a great everyday rye, super versatile, but just as enjoyable on its own, and I actually like it for precisely what some might critique it for - I think the fact that it tends towards the bourbon sort of confectionary sweetness, whilst still offering some of that rye spices is precisely what makes it very accessible and enjoyable. It’s got both familiarity and something delightfully surprising about it.
It’s surprisingly vibrant in flavour and while not incredibly distinctive and wholly unique (not always a good thing), it doesn’t ever tire and keeps itself being really tasty and satisfying with a solid mix of confectionary, slightly herbal and spiced flavours, with some fruit here and there as well.
Really solid, great bang for buck, total crowdpleaser, easily available - good job, Rittenhouse!
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
While whiskymakers can rely on several levers to imbue their whiskies with flavor - none is more reliable or as overused as cask maturation.
Of course, maturation in oak barrels itself has the amazing effect of mellowing out otherwise hot and sharp flavors associated with new make, allowing the spirit to take on deeper, more rounded and cohesive flavors, that make for a great drink.
Yet, as anyone who has ever glanced across a whisky aisle can attest, the word "cask" is mentioned probably second only to the word "whisky". That's because a whole range of casks previously holding other spirits can be used to impart flavors - oak barrels used for Bourbon is most popular, for it gives sweet vanilla and caramel flavors, and then there is of course Sherry, which is the flavor of the decade - decadent, rich flavors of raisins, fruitcake, espresso and more. There are also of course Rum (which has of late become quite popular), as well as Cognac (also fast becoming popular), and then wine and then more recently experimental casks such as Tequila and many more.
Suntory has even snapped up French vineyards such as Saint-Julien, Medoc's Chateau Lagrange which supplies some of the wine barrels used for Suntory's own whisky aging. (Image Source: IDealwine)
This is such a big deal that it's enough to lift Macallan to where it is today for its use of Sherry casks, and was certainly a big enough deal that drinks giant Diageo was apparently found to have created a task force to provide some encouragement to Scotch regulators to broadening permissible cask types in a landmark rule change in 2019. Turns out Diageo really wanted to try maturing some of its Scotch in Don Julio Tequila casks.
Unlike other levers such as yeast or barley, the effects of casks on the whisky's flavors are quick, easy, distinctive and makes for a great flashy label. More recently one Scotch expert, the late Dr Swan, even helped pioneer a way to accelerate a whisky tasting more well-aged, through the STR method. STR stands for the cask used being Shaved, Toasted and Recharred, which would expose the whisky to a more active cask, imparting flavors more quickly. This was a huge hit and was widely used by up and coming distilleries such as Kilchoman and Kavalan, both of whom are recognised for high quality whiskies. Only in the world of whiskies do folks want to skip the line and age faster.
STR is one of the hottest recent cask innovations. (Image Source: Kilchoman)
In any case, cask aging is a big deal and perhaps the most used tool in the whiskymaking handbook.
So why would Japan's distillers be any different?
That's not to say they don't toggle with other details, but again the allure of a flashy label with the print "Sherry Cask" or "Mizunara Cask" is just far too much of a draw. Yet it is worth mentioning that in Japanese whiskymaking practice, the release of such a whisky is actually quite undesirable. A cultural centerpiece for whiskymaking in Japan has its focal point on a distillery's blending ability, hence the Master Blender typically holds the highest position in a Japanese distillery. To release whiskies of a specific profile would come across as one-dimensional and unbalanced and hence kind of goes against the whole art of whiskymaking in Japan. But dat "Sherry Cask" label tho...
One of the coolest parts of a visit to Yamazaki Distillery is a hallway that features a library of various Yamazaki styles that have been tested over the years. (Image Source: Japan Guide)
And so going back to 2009, Suntory began to release its Yamazaki Sherry Cask, which for awhile became somewhat of an annual tradition, later followed on by a Yamazaki Mizunara Cask, a Yamazaki Puncheon, and so forth. I suppose at some point the good folks at Suntory probably thought they should probably not veer too far off from the whole art of blending thing, as these cask editions were getting really popular.
And so in 2013, Suntory released a Yamazaki Cask Collection coinciding with the distillery's 90th anniversary - this would include a Sherry Cask, Mizunara Cask, Bourbon Cask, and a Puncheon. And as the masses had called for, Suntory's other distillery, Hakushu, would also release a set of two select styles for just as well its 40th anniversary - a Sherry Cask and a Heavily Peated expression. The narrative had then somewhat shifted to these select styles being one-off arbitrary limited releases, towards Suntory peeling back the veil and allowing fans to try the various styles that together are expertly blended together to create the respective distilleries' core expressions.
The various elements that make up Yamazaki. (Image Source: Suntory)
Eventually today we have what is known as the Tsukuriwake Selection from Yamazaki, which sees anything from the good ol' Sherry (sometimes called Spanish Oak), Bourbon, Mizunara and Puncheon, to varying annually, extensions such as Bordeaux Wine or Peated Malt. Unfortunately, as usual Hakushu hasn't caught up and their select styles still remain kinda one-off and sporadic, most recently a Peated Malt and Spanish Oak expression.
Going back to the 2010s, something that was kind of charming was that one of Suntory's press release regarding one of these Hakushu select style expressions detailed how the distillery's sales rocketed over 100% one year and over 300% the next on the back of a marketing campaign encouraging women to try a mint garnished Hakushu Highball (called a Hakushu Mori Kaoru Highball).
In any case back to the Hakushu Sherry Cask 2013 expression I have on hand, another thing worth noting is that with these releases, Hakushu's new make is actually fully matured in Sherry casks up till bottling. Now, of course these are nonetheless NAS whiskies, which is a euphemism for young whiskies, but still that's pretty neat, as most of the time you'd just get a Sherry finish of a couple of months at best, with the bulk of the whisky's maturation being in likely a Bourbon barrel.
Color: Deep Amber
Aroma: Ooh already so complex - wafts of baking spices pouring forth, raisins, Kyoho grapes, rich and slightly tannic. It's surprisingly very fresh and vibrant, akin to Colheita port wine, even with a touch of minerality. More on worn leather, walnut oil, espresso, cardamom and just a squeak of varnish. The classic Sherry notes are all present and accounted for, except here there is a beautiful elegance and refinement - harmonious, aromatic and fresh. Not the slightest hint of harshness.
Taste: On the palate this is more viscous than its aromas would have you believe. Fruit-forward with raisin, apricots, figs, absolutely ripe and saccharine, intensely flavorful. More spices come forth, namely aniseed. Over time this evolves into a fruit jam of blackberries, good spoonful of caramel, reminiscent even of maltose candy. Altogether well-rounded, vibrant and wonderfully cohesive.
Finish: Long, smooth, having you feel like this symphony goes on forever. Incredibly delightful with a nice burst of menthol, chalky minerality much as you would Evian spring water. It gets more tannic, with a woody sweetness much like licorice, and then on black tea and chewing tobacco, and just a touch of medicinal bitterness right as the end.
My Thoughts
This was just wonderful - it is classic Sherry, supremely well done. It is well-married, rounded and integrated with the characteristic Sherry notes, with a touch of minerality and herbaceousness that the Hakushu distillate is known for, further enhancing its dimensions. It has certainly mellowed out and at least in this instance presents no harshness or heat, with just a great ember of warmth, to an otherwise delectable sumptuous Christmas feast.
My Rating |
🕑This is absolutely an ace at combining the distinctive Hakushu profile with a high quality Sherry cask - it is well-married, integrated and rounded. Every Sherry note is present and accounted for, fresh and vibrant. A textbook example of how to make Sherry cask whisky at the highest level. Class is in session and Hakushu shows us how it's done. |
So approachable, fresh and vibrant with every desirable Sherry flavor presented distinctively, straightforward and clean - it's all here served on a silver platter. This is a classy, sexy, textbook lesson on how to perfectly combine cask and distillate at absolutely the highest levels of the game. Incredible.
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
Ah two Japanese single malt expressions from the famous independent bottler, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), that I thought I'll never be able to try - these two expressions were my grails for a long time. Until now.
One of the amazing things about the spirits community is just how generous fellow spirit lovers can be, one moment you're enquiring about an expression, and the next you're invited to try them. Well, not quite so few steps, but you get the idea.
I hadn't even dared dream of ever owning these highly sought after expressions, and even the chance to try them was long thought by me to be a sheer impossibility. After all, these aren't even standard expressions released by a distillery, nay, these are single cask expressions as is the modus operandi of SMWS.
The batch of SMWS Japanese expressions from which this came, not pictured is an 11th expression, a 20 Year Old Yoichi. (Image Source: Nonjatta)
With just over 500 bottles each, having been released in late 2014 when you could find double-digit aged single sherry cask matured Japanese single malt expressions (each descriptor raises the impossibility by a notch) for about £200 - and back then folks were complaining about it being expensive... pfft! - the outlook of trying them today was all but bleak.
Most would have been opened and enjoyed at the time (whilst simultaneously complaining about the prices then), after all it was a time that just narrowly preceded the massive Japanese whisky fever, and as such the collectible market hadn't yet materialised in full.
Nonetheless, by a massive stroke of good fortune, I was very generously offered a couple of drams of each expression by a gentleman who too was a big fan of Japanese whiskies.
The SMWS, founded by Pip Hills, has done a phenomenal job of staying relevant by constantly staying on the search for new world whiskies to bring into the fold, despite their original Scotch centered mission.
Some might beg the question - what's so special about these two expressions besides the more obvious value driver being that it's a couple of well-aged (by Japanese standards) single sherry cask Japanese single malts?
When SMWS had first released this pair of Japanese single malts (Yamazaki and Hakushu, by the way), there were in fact 11 expressions that were launched in the same batch, and already then, the excitement around them was palpable. However, these two stood out then, and even till this day, as probably the only instance of the use of Bota Corta Spanish Oak Butts (more specifically 1st Fill).
"Bota Corta" is a reference to a specific size for a Sherry butt and actually translates from Spanish as "Little Boot" or "Short Boot", and as the name suggests, is a smaller sized Sherry butt, and given that this was 1st Fill (the whisky being filled in right after Sherry was emptied out), you can bet this was a pretty active cask - and thus the myth around them is that these stand out as remarkable examples of the use of Sherry casks which has imbued them with fantastically rich and deep Sherry flavours.
Bota Corta Sherry butts are not the most common sight!
As mentioned, while these may just be Sherry cask aged Japanese single malts, the fact that they've been so raved about and the highly unusual usage of the "Bota Corta" reference, has made them quite the grail for Japanese whisky lovers and SMWS fans. And while Suntory has bottled similar Bota Corta Sherry Butt matured single casks for their private buyer's Owner's Cask program, these two stand out as having been the only to be bottled independently.
And with that, let's give them a go!
First up, we have the SMWS 119.14 'Raspberry Imperial Stout', that is a Yamazaki 2003, 11 Years Old, bottled at 53.9% ABV, with a total of 538 bottles.
Doesn't that already sound ridiculously enticing, Raspberry Imperial Stout, wow!
"Deep notes of sherry trifle, black coffee and dark chocolate with cherry. Spicy fruits of the forest, Vimto, sweet, earthy beetroot, and imperial stout with raspberry. Water brought ginger preserve, malt loaf, raspberry concentrate, chocolate prunes and Fisherman's Friends to the fore. Very moreish... "
SMWS Label
Color: Mahogany
Aroma: Deep, deep cooked fruits of plums, figs, cherries, raspberries. Also lots of rich, dark scents of mulled wine, leather, tobacco leaves and cacao nibs. Over time it lets up to a brighter note of raspberry jam and lacquered wood. There’s also some mellower, more earthy notes of coffee powder.
Taste: Really powerful stuff - it’s still punchy and bold, with a deeply sherried character of the same cooked fruits of plums and figs, as well as raspberry jam. This comes in tandem with those mulled wine, tobacco leaves and cacao nib notes. Deep layers of coffee candy as well. A perfect continuation of its aromas. Incredibly rounded and full-bodied, with an absolute cohesiveness.
Finish: There’s a slight funkiness here of rancio, nuttiness, as well as a slight touch of brie rinds. This is all layered atop a rich, sweet base of mulled wine that fades out into a more acute quality of espresso.
This was an incredible sherry bomb - you couldn’t find a hair out of place. It had big and bold flavours that were perfectly balanced and expressed - but what struck me was how cohesive and rounded it was, never for a moment slipping. It was a ball of classically sherry flavours - dark, dense, sweet and earthy. Into the finish, there was a growing funky rancio quality along with more noticeable coffee qualities that unveiled itself.
Now for the Hakushu, this is SMWS 120.7 'Sweet, fragrant and satisfying', this was distilled in September 1999, 14 Years Old, with a total of 517 bottles released, and bottled at 55.5% ABV.
What's particularly fascinating about this pair is the ability to compare how the Yamazaki and the Hakushu takes to the Bota Corta cask at 1st Fill, and while there is a significant difference in years of maturation, they're fairly similar in proof - a solid head to head in the works!
"The nose carries fragrant blossom, deep Pedro Ximinez notes as well as sweet, rich rolling tobacco. There’s treacle spiced buns, rum and raisin fudge, dates, blackcurrants and spices galore. Espresso with lots of brown sugar was quickly replaced and complimented by coffee cream dark chocolates. To taste we found kirsch cocktails with burnt orange skin, liquorice, caraway seeds and teriyaki glaze. “It has everything!”
SMWS Label
Color: Deep Amber
Aroma: A distinctive Sherry profile but alittle brighter and lifted here - cooked plums, figs, raisins, tobacco leaves, alittle bit of cherry twizzler candy. Here there’s less of that mulled wine denseness. In its place there’s more spices revealed, of nutmeg and cloves. There’s also a light woodiness of casks resting in a dunnage. Nosing the empty glass gives lots of bright, juicy red berries and currants.
Taste: Most certainly sweeter here, with more of a Port quality - there’s those cooked plums, figs and raisins, and also more earthy notes of coffee. It has an incredibly deep and silky texture that extends into infinity. More on chocolate sauce and molasses. More sips reveals brighter red berries and currants, raspberries, cranberries and hawthorns.
Finish: There’s more raspberry jams here, still keeping that sweetness, before a gentle rancio note comes through - it almost melds into a Cognac quality. A deep, long warmth that comes with a slight farmhouse funkiness. A final touch of leather comes through.
Certainly it goes without saying that the cask influence is remarkably strong here, but that makes it no less tasty. This possesses a sort of elegance with how the whisky takes all that richness and sweetness from the cask without going out of balance. On the palate is an incredibly silky and never-ending depth that’s as intense as it is breathtaking.
Between the Yamazaki and the Hakushu, it is without a doubt the Hakushu that steals it for me - while both of them are Sherry bombs with great balance, body and power, the Hakushu has an elegance to it, where the cask influence, while strong, is not overly dark and thick. This allows all those gorgeous berries and currants to come through, as well as showcasing more nuance and complexity. It also has an unbeatable depth to its palate that extends infinitely.
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
This RyeLaw is the first bottling released by InchDairnie Distillery from the Fife region of the Scottish Lowlands. The Fife peninsula (still referred to by the Scots as the Kingdom of Fife) sits across a piece of the North Sea to the north of Edinburgh. It’s a scenic locale and prime agricultural zone known to be conductive for cultivating grains like barley and rye.
The distillery itself began operating in 2015, in the city of Glenrothes - a location not to be confused with the Speyside town of Rothes claimed by the well-known Glenrothes Distillery. The site is on the southern slopes near the Prinlaws Mill and is is steeped in history as it occupies land once part of the InchDairnie estate, a gift from the Scottish crown to the Ayton family in the 1500s, which they held until 1901.
InchDairnie Distillery stands out for its innovative approach to whiskymaking, its willingness to be very experimental with unique ingredients, and its dedication to its experiments (i.e. it’s willing to wait for them to mature).
As far as I know, it is one of the only distilleries in Scotland to implement a mash filter in its production process - it’s likened to a series to grains being stored in tea bags that were compressed, allowing for an efficient extraction of sugars and flavours from the grist.
The distillery also uses a bespoke Lomond still – a special type of still that has a metal contraption at the top that increases reflux during distillation – making a spirit that is sweeter and oilier in texture.
The distillery’s first batch of single malt - called the InchDairnie - is still resting in oak after being distilled in 2016. This batch is exclusively made using local barley harvested in Fife. The distillery even differentiates batches of whisky by season – some batches are made from spring barley, some batches are made from winter barley. These batches are also made with distinct yeast recipes, fermentation time and casks aimed at highlighting the seasonality of flavour. This would mean that it isn’t just the local terroir that we might be able to taste in the resulting spirit – we might even get to taste the seasonal variations as well. These folks are new, but I get the sense that they are incredibly meticulous about their craft.
And as I mentioned, they are patient. The Inchdairnie single malt was distilled in 2016, but would only be released in 2029 - highlighting the distillery’s forward-thinking view to things.
The portfolio extends to a peated single malt called the KinGlassie - set for release in 2025 as an 8 years old single malt, and the intriguing PrinLaws range that is set to showcase flavours from different yeasts, cereals and oak. The first batch of PrinLaws was distilled in 2021 and is expected in 2027. Beyond these, the distillery has also experimented challenging ingredients like 6-row winter barley and dark kilned barley, typically reserved for brewing dark ales.
As its siblings continue to rest in oak, our focus today is on the RyeLaw Single Grain – the first bottling recently released by InchDairnie.
This is made with 53% malted rye and 47% malted barley - a mashbill that mirrors the ratio of American rye whiskies that require at least 51% rye. But it’s not quite the same either. Unlike American ryes, which predominantly use unmalted rye, InchDairnie works with malted rye, which is also challenging to work with. The malting process of rye is difficult because it tends to get very sticky and clumpy when sprayed with water, and is also more susceptible to diseases and molds compared to barley.
The grains are then fermented with special rye-specific yeast which according to the founders, “results in lower yields, but higher flavour” - a rule of thumb echoed by the Thompson Bros of Dornoch.
After distillation, they are then kept in charred Virgin oak casks from the Ozark Mountains – which once again seems like a very American whiskey-influenced approach.
Let’s give this a taste!
Nose: Sweet, vibrant and pure - very reminiscent of an American bourbon but with a more candied character that is indisputably Scotch. It's laden with honey, medley of caramel-dipped apples, stewed apples and Martinelli's clarified apple juice. This appley fruitiness is compounded by powdered sugar and this general cereal sweetness, with a bit of rose peeking through. There's also a complex array of spices just as present, and some herbal notes: light eucalyptus and spearmint.
It's quite honeyed and pure with next to no bitterness or oakiness detected.
Palate: Fwoah - it's both really vibrant in its sweetness and very spicy. It also has a lightly oily texture that coats the tongue.
Like the nose it's heavily draped in honey. Apple juice dominates once again while biscuity flavours are gently introduced, evoking thoughts of baked apple pie. This is beautifully intertwined with vanilla and caramel in the background.
As expected from the rye, it's got a very robust spice profile that evolves slightly, beginning with black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, star anise, and then the distinctive zing of Sichuan mala peppers.
Finish: There's a peak of warmth and spice with a chili padi-like kick right at the end that targets the back of the tongue. More vanilla and lighter oak nuances show up along with a hint of toasted coconut flakes.
This one's really different and really memorable! The RyeLaw is something like a cross between a spicy American rye whisky and a delightfully vibrant refill cask Scotch. Unlike an American rye, it's also much cleaner with lots of fresh orchard fruit influences. It's also got a pleasant oily texture (courtesy of the Lomond still, no doubt) as well as a very nuanced evolution from warm spices to bold pepper, to various herbs.
This is a solid sipping dram that I find myself drawn to for seconds. The distinctiveness of the fruitiness and spiciness also makes for an interesting Manhattan cocktail. The spiciness should balance beautifully with sweet vermouth and bitters, while the existing fruitiness would make for a more vibrant overall cocktail.
The sheer intensity of the spice might overwhelm those less acquainted with cask strength whisky though. Unlike American rye which tend to mellow down the inherent spiciness with heavy caramel and oak, we don't get the same counterbalance in the RyeLaw which has a much lighter, fruitier profile. I think this would be wonderfully balanced if it's just a tad less spicy.
Overall, a solid choice for Scotch or American rye enthusiasts looking for something unique but not completely unfamiliar. Also a great showcase of the unusually delightful stuff soon to come from InchDairnie Distillery.
My Rating: 7/10
Score/Rating Scale :
|
For Singaporean readers, the RyeLaw is now available on Resaca Singapore!
@CharsiuCharlie
]]>
Today we've got a very nicely labelled Ichiro's Malt & Grain Single Cask World Blended Whisky that's specially bottled for La Maison du Whisky for its Singapore Flower Series. It was aged in a 3rd Fill ex-Peated Bourbon Barrel - so that should give us some not too intense peaty notes and also a more gentle sweet influence from the Bourbon barrel - that tells me the whisky itself should stand out a little more here.
For these Malt & Grain World Blends, the idea is for Chichibu Distillery to create an expression that's representative of the major whisky producing regions - so you'll find Scotch whisky, Bourbon from the US, Canadian Rye whisky, Irish whiskey and finally Japanese whisky that's from Chichibu Distillery itself! It should showcase the well-regarded Japanese distillery's sourcing and blending expertise, which we'll have to give it a taste for ourselves.
Let's give this a go!
Aroma: Gentle scents - scoop of vanilla cream, soft cheeses, with a light farmhouse raw unpasteurised sourness, and a side of sliced peaches.
Taste: Turns up several notches here - more punchy and intense in flavour. Spiced honey, more of that farm-y funkiness of soft cheese, hay, old wood cellars. Lots of Szechuan peppercorn spicy tingle, with an overall lightly sweet and farmy profile.
Finish: Smoked vanilla cream, still with that lightly sour cheese curds, quite farmy and unpasteurised. Really elegant and cohesive, rounded but also quite punchy with a long, nice warmth.
Very soft on the nose, with a very gentle aromas that takes quite a bit of time to pick up on. But when you get to the palate it’s a total flip - really intense and punchy with so much flavour right in your face. The flavours are really lovely with that really nice farmhouse quality. Into the finish I found this particularly elegant just how cohesive and rounded it was, with a great sensation of a long and deep warmth.
I got to try this at Singapore's Whisky Live 2023, and I'm told that the mega spirits event is going to be held again in 2024 at the Singapore Flyer from 23/24 November 2024.
My Rating: 7/10
Score/Rating Scale :
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
A mere handful of years ago, English whisky could scarcely hold a candle to its Scottish counterpart in terms of global recognition and prestige. Even within England, the concept was met with a mix of surprise and, sometimes, condescension.
However, the landscape began to shift: slowly, and then all at once. As the prices of Scotch began to become a bit insane, there’s a rising trend of exploring and appreciating regional and craft spirits.Thenin 2022, the World Whisky Awards crowned the England-based The Lakes Distillery as the World’s Best Single Malt, and it catapulted English whisky into the international limelight.
Founded in 2011 and nestled in the picturesque Cumbria county of North West England, just a short drive from the Scottish border, is The Lakes Distillery. It is a relative newcomer to the whisky scene compared to venerable Scottish or Irish distilleries. But in its relatively short history, it’s amassed impressive acclaim. The company adopts ambitious marketing and aesthetic appeal, with a commitment to “exquisite wood-forward, sherry-led, single malt whiskies.” It’s clear from the beginning that it harboured ambitions to become England’s new Macallan.
Beyond the marketing, the distillery distinguishes itself through a meticulous maturation process that uses the “élévage technique” that is inspired by Cognac production. Rather than just filling casks and leaving them to mature without intervention, élévage involves regular monitoring and actively moving the spirit between different casks to adjust its flavour and character, sometimes even altering the warehouse climate such as humidity or temperature, to affect the ageing process.
This technique was pushed by ex-Macallan whiskymaker Dhavall Gandhi when he became appointed whisky director of the distillery in 2016. He introduced a more dynamic process of maturation and controlled development of flavours with a watchful eye on the casks as they age.
The distillery’s journey was not without its challenges. Initially, The Lakes released a blended whisky named The One, followed by The Lakes Genesis and Quatrefoil single malts. The early-produced spirit received a lukewarm reception. The company eventually recruited Gandhi from The Macallan in 2016, whose arrival marked a turning point for the distillery.
Gandhi wasn’t satisfied with the quality existing spirit of the distillery and went back to the drawing board, taking the distillery in a different direction. Under his stewardship, the distillery underwent a significant transformation and an upgrade in quality, and developed the award-winning line of Whiskymaker’s Reserve range of whiskies. In September 2019, the distillery unveiled The Whiskymaker's Reserve No.1 expression with a stunning new livery, a testament to Gandhi's efforts and a symbol of the distillery's new direction.
Although Gandhi has since moved on to a new venture, the result of his work at The Lakes continues to speak for itself. The revamped expressions were well received, while the Whiskymaker's Reserve No. 4 earned the title of World's Best Single Malt Whisky in 2022.
In this review, we taste The Whiskymaker’s Reserve No. 7, a continuation of Lakes’ exploration into their sherry-led signature style. This expression was matured in Oloroso, PX and red wine casks, comprising Spanish and American oak.
Appearance: Auburn.
Nose: Thick and sweet. Opens with a vibrant array of tropical tones and an abundance of red fruits. Red apples, jackfruits, raisins, raspberries and cherries create a succulent bouquet, complimented by a layer of spice that adds a prickly sensation and then warm and sunny ripe notes of fresh persimmon rounding out the aroma.
Palate: A syrupy sweetness with added spice. Evocative of sipping mulled wine, with stewed red fruits like cranberries and red currants at the forefront, then gradually darkens into treacle, dark chocolate and new leather and a handful of roasted walnuts.
Finish: Medium in length, carries on the theme with lighter touch of red fruit notes, soft tannins that transition into dry oak, cinnamon, with hints of leather and a subtle rancio quality.
Delightful and robust expression, with a nice bold sherried sweetness and a pleasing oak dryness. It’s got every nuance you’d expect in a good sherried whisky, all balanced and well-proportioned – plenty of enjoyable red fruit sweetness with a moderate touch of spice and dryness and a nice depth with pronounced cacao notes.
For me it’s reminiscent of some older vintage sherried Scotch whiskies.
Impressive stuff from The Lakes.
Score/Rating Scale :
|
@CharsiuCharlie
]]>
A great evening at @originbarsg yesterday, catching up with @rumtender over a couple of drinks. The @michterswhiskey 25 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon was a delightful dram, and certainly not what I was expecting as the bourbon was in fact rather soft and subtle, elegant even, and with profound complexity, a kind of grassy, fruity note, paired with the vanilla, the oak dryness, light smoke, with nice, buttery mouthfeel.
Image Courtesy of @weixiang_liu
This is the 56th release from highly-regarded Belgian independent bottler The Whisky Jury. It has been a practice for independent bottlers to release their Laphroaig expressions under the name “Williamsons”, as they sometimes do not have permission from the distillery to apply the Laphroaig name to their bottlings. Why Williamsons? This is a tribute to the late Bessie Williamsons, a respected figure in Laphroaig’s history.
Elizabeth “Bessie” Williamsons began working at Laphroaig in 1934 and eventually became the owner of the distillery after demonstrating her competence at running the business. She became the first female owner and manager of a Scotch distillery in the 1900s despite joining with no family connections or background in whisky.
Said to have a sharp wit and level-headedness during a time of war, Williamson rose from being a secretary to take over the then owner distillery manager, Ian Hunter’s full-time duties. She protected her whisky as soldiers hunkered in Laphroaig Distillery’s site, and helped the Allied hide tons of ammunitions with her malt stores. After Hunter passed away, Bessie inherited Laphroaig under his will; she then worked on building the reputation of Laphroaig and Islay single malts in the American market.
The Whisky Jury has released a couple of Williamsons aged in refill barrels, but what caught our eye with this one is the fact that it was aged in a first-fill Oloroso sherry cask (yum), and said to have a nice farmy style. This has been aged for at least 12 years, and had been teaspooned – hence the need to label it as a “Blended Malt” instead of a single malt.
We got a taste of this thanks to Benny from Nanyang Whisky and the good folks at the The Single Cask Singapore!
Laphroaig, First Fill Oloroso Cask #06017
Colour: Garnet.
Nose: rich, syrupy and multifaceted. Opens with thick jam on toast and cherry pie, then delves into a mustiness of a wine cork and the sophisticated leatheriness of a new car interior. A touch of freshness with notes of sea spray, fresh mint, and perilla leaf, and some depth added by a waft of tobacco. Rather heavily dominated by red fruits and very mild and subtle ashiness.
Palate: Syrupy, spicy and meaty. Feels rather similar to a cask strength sherried Tobermory but much more syrupy. An initial burst of vibrant red fruits segues into familiar leathery notes and the earthiness of whole peanuts with their skins. Evoking thoughts of well-aged prosciutto and a mild lamb gamey-ness together with a savoury funk that feels almost barnyard-like. This meaty quality blends seamlessly into sweeter profiles akin to honey char siu pork and the delectable richness of teriyaki sauce on unagi. Also a layer of spicy cracked black pepper, the mild dry bitterness of Oolong tea, and a faint ashy note. The peatiness remains more of an unobtrusive echo than a main character in this narrative.
Finish: Long. Sweet notes of honey and strawberry jam gradually gives way to the re-emergence of tobacco. A noticeable spiciness from cracked pepper lingers on the tongue, coupled with discernable woody dryness that persists.
🍒🍑 Impressive in its balance and vibrance!
Lots of sweet fruitiness unmarred by peat or an overly tannic or sulphuric sherry cask – something that is all too common. While the rich sherry influence seems to mask the typical iodine notes we might expect from a Laphroaig, this does not diminish the overall pleasure. There is a slight sharpness suggesting youth, and perhaps we don’t quite see a fully expressed Laphroaig house style. But given the abundance of flavours, these are just minor details that most of us, including myself, would happily overlook.
@CharsiuCharlie
]]>
I was really fortunate that the opportunity came up to get a dram of a whisky that I've really been extremely eager to try - a 1993 Kilbride (that's codename for Laphroaig) that's 28 years old, aged in a Sherry cask.
I've been dying to try this for a number of reasons - firstly, it's a joint bottling by several bars/bottlers who're highly regarded (we've got Tokyo's Mash Tun Bar, Taiwan's WhiskyFind, and Hong Kong's The MaltCask), secondly it's a Sherry cask Laphroaig which I've always heard great reviews of when it's fully matured in a Sherry cask (I don't quite enjoy modern Laphroaig's with the exceptionally medicinal, peaty and bitter flavours), thirdly it's a really well-aged Laphroaig's which in my experience have been vastly differently from what's available these days, and finally the vintage is of some significance to myself.
Are there really any other reasons to want to try a whisky?
Oh yeah, there's also the iconic Mash Tun signature - a real life cat whose name is Ribbon, and belongs to Suzuki-san, the bar owner of the illustrious Tokyo bar.
While I would've relished the chance to have a bottle of this myself, a dram will have to do for now, but in the whisky game, you really never know what opportunity might pop up - so fingers crossed.
So with that, let's give this friendship bottling a go! Onward.
Color: Burnt Sienna
Aroma: Sweet and smoky - it’s a combination of dark berry jams - blackberry and raspberry, Port wine, and aromatic tea smoke. Also medicated oil, cigar boxes, tobacco leaves, aged Pu’er tea leaves, and also a light earthiness of soil. It’s really rich, leaning towards being dark and sweet, but also with a herbal and smoky touch.
Taste: Rich, dark, a mix of sweet, herbal and smoky. Still keeping with the Port wine, berry jams, but the herbal and medicinal parts are much more prominent here. Burnt tea leaves, tobacco leaves, soil, chocolate sauce. There’s more of that medicated oil and eucalyptus. It tips slightly into being bitter at times but then quickly disappears.
Finish: It recedes into a lingering fruit jam sweetness but with a spoonful of ash and smokiness. There’s a sort of leafyness as well of dried tobacco leaves.
This was a superb example of a Laphroaig that’s got great Sherry integration. You get a sense of both the underlying whisky itself - that iconic medicinal touch of Laphroaig’s - but also you’re ushered into this lovely richness of the Sherry. What I really love about this is that you don’t ever get the sense that either is jostling for attention, they’re just so well-married and you couldn’t begin to tell where one ends and the other begins.
On the nose, it’s all this mellowed richness with no harshness whatsoever, incredibly aromatic, and it just wafts forward unhurried. The palate is a continuation but also an evolution of what was on the nose - here the herbal and medicinal profiles come through more, and yet it never does get bitter. As it recedes, you sense more of that earthiness - lots of those dried leaves that come through.
Overall it’s densely fruity, earthy, herbal and also smoky, with a bright and medium body that provides a nice contrast to the darker and denser flavours. This was really stellar!
If there was anything I’d ask more for, it’d be for more depth of the flavours and just taking up the punchiness a notch.
My Rating: 9/10
Score/Rating Scale :
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
The Capitol Kempinski Singapore is a hotel and bar housed in a historic building right in the center of town. Its original structure was built in 1930, with a specification for it to be decked out in a neoclassical style - which today stands out as being strikingly stylish amidst the landscape of more metallic modern buildings - and has served its history as one form of an entertainment venue or another, at first a private live entertainment venue and then later a public movie theatre. Eventually the building was gazetted for preservation by the local authorities.
One fine evening I was invited to head down to the hotel's bar, The Bar at 15 Stamford, helmed by the very hospitable Edriane Lim, for what was to be a showcase of two very well-aged Scotch - not so common these days eh?
When I got down, I found a rather bustling scene of folks from the local drinks community, and in the center of it all, the two bottles in question - a 1990 Springbank with a whopping 33 years of age, and a curious 1993 Tullibardine that was no child either, 30 years old.
Accordingly the bottles were jointly bottled by some of the higher up folks to do with the bar and the accompanying cigar lounge, and hence some of these were decidedly placed at the bar for sale as well.
So with all that said, let's give it a go!
Color: Gold
Aroma: Medley of ripe stone fruits - apricots, plums, nectarines, with some orchard fruits joining - apples and pears. It’s fresh but also rich, right on the cusp of being fruit jam. Backed up by more honey and vanilla cream. Some powdered sugar, cream frosting, marzipan, and alittle bit of apple compote.
Taste: Back to the fruits - stone fruits and orchard fruits, alittle heavier on the honey here. It’s alittle denser and darker here, with more on butterscotch, before some woodiness comes through with some oaky tannins.
Finish: Takes a more herbaceous and minty turn here, eucalyptus, and some dried oregano. Light bit of honey and cream to end off.
I found the Tullibardine quite striking - it’s alittle more vibrant and fruit forward, supported by more confectionary notes that made it sweeter and more approachable. It’s quite surprising how this was brighter despite quite a hefty age on it. I only got a little bit more of a sense of its age towards the finish where there was more oakiness and herbaceousness coming through.
I think it’s not out of pocket to say that not many folks would’ve had too much experience with Tullibardine, much less one of this age, and this expression would certainly give cause to keep a look out for more. Definitely a surprise - a positive one!
Color: Straw
Aroma: There’s a farmhouse funkiness that emerges fairly quickly, that bit of animal hide, saddle and hay. Moving beyond that, there’s some mellower notes of apricots, peaches and plums overripe and soft. Honey, soft cheese, vanilla cream - that vanillic, lightly sweet but also unpasteurised quality.
Taste: More tart on the palate with some immediate honeyed sweetness, vanilla cream, black pepper, and then there’s that farmhouse funkiness that comes through again - soft cheese, hay, saddle. A little light in terms of body here.
Finish: A more industrial quality emerges here, some of that engine grease, and then back to that farm-y funk. Some pressed flowers and canola oil.
A real old style Springbank alright - it’s got all that farmhouse funkiness, and then all those meadow-y dried flowers and vanilla cream. In that sense I find it quite singular, really honing in on that Springbank funky quality, which is vastly different from modern whiskies in that sense. Here it feels alot more natural, with more of that rawness of the distillery’s character coming through. That said, I didn’t find the funkiness overpowering, rather what I was reminded of was that this really stood out from what we’ve come to be used to with whiskies today.
While I might have personally preferred if this was alittle sweeter with a heftier body, I can also appreciate how closely this threads Springbank’s of yesteryear. A glimpse of a different time!
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
Wild Turkey must have felt that it needed a bigger stick to play with the boys in the international market for whisky.
Built in the mid-19th century, Wild Turkey is a staple in the American whiskey industry. Its roots stretch back the Irish immigrant founders, the Ripy brothers, who laid the foundation for a legacy and built the distillery on Wild Turkey Hill in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky which lent the brand its iconic name.
The distillery weathered the storms of Prohibition and economic adversities, and is today renowned for its high-quality bourbon – a reputation fostered by the stewardship of the Russell family of distillers. The father-and-son Russell duo are affectionately known as the “Bourbon Buddhas,” and are revered figures in the industry and emblematic of the bourbon tradition in America, where expertise are passed down through generations.
The elder Jimmy Russell began working at the distillery in 1954, while is son Eddie joined in his footsteps. Both became master distillers at Wild Turkey.
The Wild Turkey 12 Years Old we’re reviewing here may look ordinary, but isn’t a typical iteration of the brand's portfolio. This is a more mature counterpart to the flagship Wild Turkey 101 Proof that is typically aged around 6 years – both bottlings have the exact same mashbill and proof. The 12 Years Old expression was first introduced in the 1980s but discontinued in 2012. It was then reintroduced in 2022. Interestingly, this bottling is difficult to find in the States and Americans have to source it from Japan or other Asian markets where this product is positioned.
This strategic focus on the Asian market is part of a broader trend where American whiskey is expanding its horizons beyond the domestic market. Those well-familiar with American whiskey would note that the American whiskey market traditionally places much less emphasis on age, focusing more on the quality of maturation and flavour profile. After all, the soaring temperatures in a Kentuckian warehouse and the use of virgin oak barrels means whiskies typically acquire flavour much, much faster than a single malt that is matured in the temperate regions of Scotland or even in Japan. To the Americans, age truly is just a number.
Yet this Wild Turkey 12 YO bears an age statement. So I suspect this expression is a clear nod to the purchasing habits of the Asian drinker who is likely more familiar with single malts with much larger age statements. 12-year-old Scotch whiskies are quite common finds, and Scotch makers rarely even bother labelling a 6-year-old single malt. Wild Turkey must have felt that it needed a bigger stick to play with the boys in the international markets.
The Wild Turkey 12 Years Old uses the standard distillery mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% barley, then aged for a minimum of 12 years in virgin American oak. Let’s give this a taste.
Nose: Rich and sticky with sweet, syrup-like qualities. Opens with a mixture of burnt sugar and generously spread cherry jam on charred toast. Sweet peeled tangerines accompanied by a robust oaky character and a slightly mustiness akin to old wooden drawers. There’re also some notes of crushed peanuts and orange marmalade, rounding off with a subtle root beer influence sneaking in.
Palate: Follows the nose pretty closely and really distinct in flavour. Opens with an indistinct note of cherries, strawberry jam and oranges, which develops into caramel, all smooth and sweet, with a sidekick of cinnamon, adding some gentle warmth with no harsh spiciness here. There’s also the hint of cigar boxes and the aroma of hazelnuts.
Finish: Moderate in duration, it gracefully winds down with a lingering sweetness of honey, accompanied by notes of burnt caramel, dry oak, some musty wood character and peanuts, complete with their skins.
What a shame that those based in the US can’t have this easily! This has many of the same chords as the standard Wild Turkey 101 in terms of flavour profile, but it brings an enhanced richness and oakiness to the table.
It offers a rich and flavourful experience and is also deceptively approachable despite its fairly high ABV. It’s remarkably smooth and easy to drink with just a gentle warmth and none of that astringency associated with higher proof bourbon. It's a fantastic expression of Wild Turkey, and I appreciate the opportunity to taste this rarity outside of the United States.
Score/Rating Scale :
|
@CharsiuCharlie
]]>
Loch Lomond Distillery was established in 1960s, which in human terms may seem like a long time ago if you’re not yet in your fifties, but it’s a very young player in the Scotch whisky scene. It’s part of a larger group that also owns Glen Scotia Distillery from Campbeltown, the historic, albeit now demolished, Littlemill Distillery, and a suite of mass market Scotch brands.
Being founded in the 60s’, it emerged during a time when the Scotch whisky industry was undergoing a serious downturn, with many distilleries either closing down or consolidating. It was perhaps for this reason that the distillery was designed to be highly versatile and practical, with a wide breadth in the styles of whisky it may produce, a feature less common in an industry marked by adherence to tradition.
While most Scotch distilleries are dedication to a singular style and singular category, Loch Lomond releases a range of single malts and even single grain whiskies and blended whiskies. This capability is possible through the different pot stills and column stills that it possesses. The distillery is able to tailor their whisky's character – whether grain or malt, from heavy to light, and peated to unpeated.
Zooming in to just single malts, the distillery has at least 4 different single malt styles. It has the unpeated, delicate Inchmurrin; the semi-peated Loch Lomond single malt; and the intensely peated Inchmoan and the discontinued Inchfad which was also heavily peated.
If you talk about Loch Lomond’s single malts, you’d also have to talk about their iconic straight necked pot stills, specially designed with rectifying heads (also known as ‘Lomond Stills’). These stills are capable of producing different spirit types by tweaking the distillation process, from lighter, fruitier spirits akin to triple distillation, to heavier, peat-infused varieties.
These stills were originally designed by Duncan Thomas of Littlemill Distillery who wanted to efficiently produce a high proof new make that could fulfil the post-World War II demand by whisky blenders for single malts. When Duncan Thomas went on to build the Loch Lomond Distillery, he decided to use the same design.
Distillation aside, the distillery uses a fairly long fermentation period (by Scotch standards) of about 4 days. The distillery also uses various yeast strains for different styles of whisky, even experimenting with wine and ale yeasts to craft distinct flavour profiles – which speaks to the effort and investment of time that these folks are putting into their whisky.
Our focus today is the Loch Lomond 12-Year-Old Sherry Cask Finish. I initially thought this was a very new release because I couldn’t find much data of it online. But upon closer inspection of the packaging, I realised this was actually a special edition released earlier this year, made for the Asian markets to celebrate the Chinese Zodiac’s Year of the Tiger. For the art on the box, Loch Lomond partnered with a silver artisan from China's Fujian Province who belongs to the minority “She” ethnic group, to design the tiger-themed art.
Let’s give this a taste.
Colour: Light gold.
Nose: Predominantly fresh and vibrant, opening with an assortment of bright, tangy red fruits, raspberries and black tea. Bittersweet manuka honey, a very light touch of wood polish with a faint rancio note of Madiera sherry and the nuttiness of roasted walnuts.
Palate: It’s sweet profile, but it’s thinner than anticipated. Opens with the dry, fruity sweetness of Sherry or Port, red currants, raspberries and F&N Cherryade adding a juicy element, intertwined with the darker tones of cocoa powder. The palate grows more astringent and we begin to see steeped tea, dry oak, then a subtle leathery texture and the distinct skin of wine grapes. There's a noticeable sharpness in the palate.
Finish: Relatively brief, continuing the theme of raspberries, more dry oak, ending with hints of cocoa powder and faint coconut flakes.
This is good for its berry-forward character and it’s overall acceptable. However, the Sherry cask maturation doesn’t seem quite compatible with the character of the spirit that seems a bit too delicate to stand up to the Sherry cask. We’re getting aspects that aren't entirely complementary, and the whisky comes across as somewhat too astringent. The palate feels lacking in depth or fullness as well.
We’ve seen some very enjoyable core range whiskies from Loch Lomond but this limited edition is not their best work.
Rating: 5.5/10
Score/Rating Scale :
|
@CharsiuCharlie
]]>
The announcement of this Jack Daniel's was met with a whole lot of excitement - you'll notice that it's labelled as an American Single Malt. That's not a whole lot common in America's staple Bourbon scene, not especially with the big Bourbon brands. So when a household name like Jack Daniel's announced an American Single Malt - you can bet folks were pretty damn roused. What would a Tennessee malt whisky taste like?
Well, there actually were alittle bit of teasers here and there - but this was still very much the first permanent expression that's 100% malted barley. And if that wasn't enough, this was finished in Oloroso Sherry casks! Taking a leaf from the Scotch whisky playbook, American bourbon biggies are coming for ya - Sherry has always had the ability to get the heart pounding for whisky fans.
Jack Daniel's in Tennessee, US.
Now with all that said, let's just add a little footnote that things didn't quite seem to pan out as one would hope - folks didn't think too well of this expression. Could it be the insatiably high expectations? Or was it really a case of Jack Daniel's missing the mark? We'll find out shortly.
So for some technicalities before we get down and dirty, this is 100% malted barley (so not a Bourbon just to be clear) hailing purely from Jack Daniel's. It's aged for four years in charred American White Oak, before two more years of aging in Oloroso Sherry casks from Antonio Paez Lobato Cooperage, making it a grand total of 6 years of aging - so a rather serious contender. It's charcoal mellowed as per Jack Daniel's signature, and then bottled at 45% ABV (or 90 Proof). It's also a travel exclusive that peculiarly came in a 1-litre format bottle.
Let's get to it! Onward.
Color: Burnt Amber
Aroma: Really nice integration of Sherry sweetness with the classic Jack Daniel’s peanut scent. On the top note there’s the peanuts and a slight herbaceous parsley scent, and then backing it up is always this sweeter, thicker base of caramel and Sherry wine. It’s really rounded and fragrant with little wisps of berry jam, peanut butter, light bit of musty wood.
Taste: Still with the combo of sweet Sherry and the classic Jack Daniel’s peanuts and herbaceous parsley. Here it’s alittle more dry and more of the woody tannins come through. It’s medium-bodied, rather bright and smooth. There’s some caramel here and there and some berry jams once again. Good combination but was alittle mild and too gentle.
Finish: Alittle bit of that rancio and more on tobacco leaves, leather, light bit of yeastiness of soft cheese. Recedes into wine notes of light berry juice.
I absolutely loved the aromas - it was like a match made in heaven for me where the standard Jack Daniel’s got a massive upgrade with these richer, sweeter notes filling in the blacks to give a fully-loaded palette of aromas from bright to denser and more rich. The Sherry perfectly complemented the signature Jack Daniel’s profile here.
I think where lots of folks got alittle bit disappointed was the palate. The palate is almost a continuation of its aromas, which would’ve gotten you thinking that this was going to be incredibly, but somehow while the Sherry and Jack Daniel’s notes were both distinct and well integrated, it lacked depth and oomph. It was alot more mellow and light than one would expect. Texturally perhaps it could have had abit more body, but it was still fine as is for me - certainly it wasn’t thin by any means. But the flavours were rather light and didn’t really pack it in - now don’t get me wrong, having tasted it myself, I can most definitely say it was still enjoyable, it just didn’t meet folks’ out of this world expectations to see Jack Daniel’s and Sherry combined.
And to that end, the same could be said about the finish - nothing wrong with it, it was enjoyable, but just alittle light and lacking that depth and oomph.
Killer nose, nice flavours all around really showing Jack Daniel’s and Oloroso Sherry is a winning combination, but the flavours have got to be dialled up heavier and more intense, with depth comparable to the Mariana Trench.
My Rating: 7/10
Score/Rating Scale :
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
Willett's been back at it for a hot minute, with sibling duo Britt and Drew Kulsveen at the helm, having brought the distillery back to life in 2015. The name Willett itself definitely goes way waaaaay back than that though.
The Willett name casts a big yet rather mysterious presence in the American whiskey scene - it's a name that certainly commands weight, but most folks probably aren't too familiar with what exactly the name is about.
So let's get to it!
Willett actually goes all the way back to the 1600's, with the Willett family having distilled rye in Maryland at the time, before eventually moving over to Kentucky - today widely regarded as Bourbon country. Prohibition proved to be a snag in the family's trade but nevertheless when Prohibition was over, the Willett family went right back to distilling. This would go pretty well for several decades up until the great American whiskey bust in the 1980s, which would see the Willett Distilling Company run into some trouble.
Thankfully, the family's company was saved when Martha Willett and her husband Even Kulsveen would fight to keep the business alive, but importantly made a crucial change to the family business - they would trade in distilling for bottling. This came with a name change to the Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (or KBD), and under the astute eye of Even, the family would go about the country purchasing incredible barrels of American whiskey at a time when no one wanted the stuff.
When the American whiskey scene picked up again, guess who had stock of some pretty incredible barrels - you guessed it, KBD. As a Non-Distilling Producer (or NDP), which is the American way of saying independent bottler, KBD would help supply great whiskies to many legendary cult American whiskey brands, the likes of Black Maple Hill, Michter's, Very Olde St Nick (VOSN), Rare Perfection, Red Hook Rye and even Pappy Van Winkle.
Yet, as the family business was handed down from one generation to the next, it eventually came time to bring back the family's distilling tradition. This would happen under the watch of Martha and Even's grandchildren, Britt and Drew Kulsveen. Under their helm, they've refurnished the distillery, bringing back many artefacts from its past, and since 2015, have begun producing their own whiskies again. With distilling back on the table, it was time to change the family business's name back to Willett.
Today we've got with us one of Willett's flagship releases - the Willett Pot Still Reserve. While earlier batches of this expression, which was first introduced in 2008, was sourced from other distilleries (said to be 8 to 10 Year Old Heaven Hill) under the KBD brand, the one we have today (from 2023) should most likely be the Willett Distillery's own whiskey (you can tell by the label "Small Batch Bourbon" which indicates Willett's own whiskey, versus "Single Barrel" which would indicate KBD-sourced whiskey). This transition happened around 2015, and is said to be made from approximately 12 barrels per batch, and comes from Willett's wheated recipe, with whiskies aged a minimum of 4 years old.
Worth noting is that this is Willett's entry level offering, and what the brand has come to be known for these days are the Willett Family Estate Bottled Bourbon and Willett Family Estate Rye, both of which are single barrel releases.
Let's give it a go!
Aroma: Bright confectionary sweet notes - honey, caramel, vanilla cream, light dusting of baking spices. It’s alittle thin, with some ethanolic prickle. There’s also notes of cola syrup, cherry candy, lemon sherbet, orange zest. There’s a slightly sour bit of bread dough, and also this slight metallic and pencil shaving sharpness.
Taste: Syrupy sweetness, maltose candy, brown sugar, backed up by more of that cherry candy, and also a sort of wheat with a good dash of pepper. There’s a distinct grain-y profile, with some orange zest, corn mash, and vanilla frosting mixed up together - rather confectionary. It’s alittle thin and tannic in texture.
Finish: Cherry cola, more of that peppery note, and now mixed up with a more prominent herbaceous parsley edge. It’s still rather thin as it fades out.
Overall this tended towards something that felt young (the key is to exude a sense of agedness even if it were young, being young in and of itself isn’t really too much of an issue) - so we’re talking some sharpness, hotness and not too much in the way of cohesion and depth of flavour. It felt rather thin at times, alittle prickly and disjointed, but overall had a sense of being quite confectionary - like walking into a bakery of sweet pastries. What I did especially like was the finish where that cola flavour really peaked and nailed it for me.
Worth trying, but don’t expect too much.
PS. I do suspect there might be quite a bit of batch variation given that Willett is really still in its early innings and even the Pot Still Reserve started out being made with sourced whiskies and eventually moved towards being Willett’s own distillate.
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
One of the great opportunities for world whiskymakers ie. those operating outside of Scotland, has always been the freedom to mature whiskies in a much wider range of cask types.
Scotch rules on what types of barrels can be used to mature whiskies, which were once designed to protect the quality of the Scotch category, had at some point began to chafe when it seemed to have become more of a limitation than anything.
Whiskymakers outside of Scotland were able to exercise such freedoms without any negative implications - has anyone stopped buying Japanese whiskies just because it didn't abide by Scotch regulations? Heck, folks were buying anything that looked Japanese even if they weren't made in Japan!
Agave harvesting for tequila making.
Of course some requirements are necessary to legitimise any category of products, but the thing about rules are that they are by nature rigid, even in the face of changing contexts and attitudes.
And so, Scotch rules began to finally buckle and relax to allow a wider range of freedoms for Scotch whiskymakers, while ironically, Japanese regulations tightened to cut out faux Japanese whiskymakers. Almost both converging to become more similar to one another than ever before, if anything.
Mars' Shinshu Distillery with Mt. Komagatake in the backdrop.
Today we've got something really unusual - a single cask from Mars' Komagatake range, that's been aged in a tequila anejo cask (anejo being tequila that is aged (1 to 4 years) for Sake Shop Sato which is an established liquor store in Osaka.
It comes with a really cute label and a title "Santa Claus Vacation", which is a series that Sake Shop Sato has run for several years, and is supposed to be about how Santa Claus is so hardworking that he's always thinking about Christmas and how he wants everyone to have a good time, even on vacation.
Here Santa Claus is depicted climbing Mt. Komagatake, which is a nod to the Mars distillery where this whisky was made.
I'm excited! Let's give it a go!
Color: Dark Gold
Aroma: Really aromatic - alittle bit smoky, denser honeyed sweetness, with a side of lightly vegetal greenness that’s alittle more cooked fleshy aloe vera or cactus - lightly bright but more earthy darkness, thick and herbaceous. A light chalkiness of clay too. Mostly a mix of honeyed sweetness and cooked vegetal, fleshy succulents.
Taste: Very oily and buttery, it starts peppery but quickly moves to a mix of sweet honey and light vegetal flavours - again those fleshy cooked cactus. The somewhat sweet glossy initial flavour reminds me of agave syrup. More herbaceous flavour - mint and eucalyptus and thyme, very aromatic stuff! It’s almost potpourri like, also reminiscent of herbs cooked in butter and mint jelly.
Finish: Intense warmth, turning slightly medicinal and herbaceous - eucalyptus notes here. It leaves with a very interesting oily texture of melted butter. Gentle notes of clay here too - alittle chalky and earthy.
Incredibly lovely! The most immediate question is of course whether malt whisky goes with tequila flavours - and this gives a definitive yes! It had great integration between the sweeter honeyed flavours and the gently vegetal herb and fleshy cactus notes. It’s such an interesting combination that gives a whole new dimension that I haven’t yet found in whiskies, and adds to the overall complexity of what flavours are possible.
There’s also something about the texture here where it’s almost like melted butter - it’s glittle perplexing at first only because it’s so unusual but personally I really enjoyed it.
The highlight for me was the almost potpourri or herbs cooked in melted butter flavours that came out on the palate - just intensely flavourful, aromatic and just so tasty - and unique!
My Rating: 9/10 🤩
Score/Rating Scale :
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
A couple of weeks ago I was very kindly invited to taste some interesting spirits from @preciousliquors’ lineup. Precious Liquors themselves aren’t strangers to bottling some fantastic rums, such as the 98 Caroni bottled for Lime House, and the 94 New Yarmouth that was co-bottled with Malt Grain Cane. This time round, I was able to taste some of their other spirits, including this delicious 5-year-old Glenglassaugh that was bottled by @claxtonsspirits exclusively for Precious Liquors themselves.
The Glenglassaugh distillery is located at the north-east corner of Scotland, near the fishing village of Portsoy, and is generally considered as part of the Highland region that produces single malts that are light, floral and fresh, all the traditional traits of Highland malt that makes me love them so.
Now I do have to put out there that I’ve never had Glenglassaugh’s official bottlings, and thus the distillery’s character is completely unbeknownst to me. Therefore, I’d be tasting this from a blank slate, without being able to relate back to what they might originally be. But one thing is for sure, this isn’t one of those peated whiskies that have recently been introduced into Glenglassaugh’s range. Instead, it is what I would refer to as a real sherry bomb, having been fully aged for five years in a first fill Pedro Jimenez hogshead, and bottled at cask strength of 57.7% abv with an outturn of 300 bottles.
The nose was, as you would expect, overwhelmingly rich, decadent and round, purple fruits come to mind, perhaps dried prunes and raisins, a bit of those musty or earthy notes, and just a touch savoury, all hallmarks of the dominant sherry-influence. You do get those light florals, perhaps even a bit of those hay notes, but very much subdued in this instance.
Quietly, Suntory released, pretty much unannounced, a pair of domestic duty free NAS bottlings - one from Yamazaki and the other from Hakushu - that first began begin taken noticed of when it crept into various Japanese whisky related Facebook groups and sub-Reddits.
Initially there were folks who even thought these might've been a hoax - we do live in an AI age these days, so it's not that farfetched. There's been quite a few fictitious out of this world expressions from other distilleries that have been circulating about social media as well.
At the Narita Airport Duty Free. (Image Source: u/Sherry_Bombardier on Reddit)
But alas, as the photos of the bottlings began showing up in increasing intensity, it had to be real - as it turned out, you could only pick them up from the likes of Narita Airport, as this was a domestic duty free release. These made them incredibly sought after - a smoky Yamazaki and what seemed like a Sherry Hakushu?! Way to get the crowd going!
To Suntory's credit, at least they gave us something tangible to be excited about. No marketing spin, stories or names that aren't backed with something tangibly different about the whisky itself. Sure, they're NAS, and everyone wants an age statement, but you give some, you take some right? But in any case, the point is that these weren't just re-packaged standard expressions (which for some reason or the other, they saved for their big 100th Anniversary commemorative bottlings...🤔) - they were the real deal.
Suntory's 100th Anniversary Bottles. (Image Source: Suntory)
And I've heard excitement for each of the releases - the Yamazaki fans and the Hakushu fans, almost as if these two weren't from the same parent company, which is really a testament to Suntory's success in creating two distinctly separate but equally beloved profiles of whiskies from its two primary distilleries.
For me, I was personally more excited to try the Hakushu as I had been a big fan of the Sherry Hakushu, and not so much a peated whisky fan. And so, believe me when I say I was willing to bury the hatchet, let bygones be bygones, water under the bridge, and all that stuff, if any uncle or auntie or friend's dog or parakeet could help me snag one as the world made its way through Japan. Everyone's in Japan these days - you could probably find half the world's population there.
Suntory's two powerhouses.
I fought hard to resist the urge to pick one up from a reseller - think 2-3x retail prices - just hoping that some kind soul would pop one open and share it at a local bar or a dram share. And after months of praying (which materially just looked like me scrolling through local whisky group chats, ceaselessly refreshing webpages and from time to time bugging folks in the community) they finally showed up! Some very generous pals from the community came through and kindly allowed me to get my sample (considering how hyped they are and how much they're going for, it would've been easier to just keep them closed). It's a Christmas/New Year's miracle! Okay, okay let me screw my head back on. I'm just pretty elated to finally get my turn to try it after seeing it all around.
And you're coming with me as I taste them!
For this expression, we're told in a card that comes with the bottle that this is "made entirely of smoky malts produced at the Yamazaki Distillery.", which I'm guessing - and I might be stating the obvious here - that this is made with imported peated malt (which Yamazaki has done before, as opposed to other techniques ranging from peating their own barley to using an ex-peated Islay whisky cask, the latter of which has become rather popular as of late).
Also interestingly the use of "The First", would - again I might be stating the obvious - imply a second? Is this going to be a regular batch thing? In any case, this is an NAS bottling, bottled at 43% ABV, originally retailing at 18,000 Yen (or US$124.50).
Color: Canola Oil
Aroma: Really aromatic - mellow and all encompassing gentle smokiness, it's a really lovely bouquet that's neither hot nor sharp, really pillowy and fragrant. It's backed up by more honey sweetness, vanilla cream, flower meadows, hay, pressed flowers - floral, fresh and gently sweet. There's a light bit of smoked cream, ricotta topped with honey and pine nuts. Also a sort of light industrial grease. Light bit of leatherbound books and musty wooden cabinets.
As it lightens up, the smoke falls away and reveals this really lifted, fresh cream, hay and honey aroma that's really gorgeous.
Taste: A little lighter than you might expect, it's just a touch lighter than medium-bodied. There's some cold ash, light bit of honey, vanilla cream, red apples, pears, maltose candy, as well as some camphor and mint. Other than the weight, it does sport a good roundedness and silky texture.
Finish: The acidity is more prominent here, with more ash coming through. It's alittle nippy and slightly more bitter. As it recedes there's alittle more honey and vanilla cream. It's a medium-length finish that leaves you with a slight smokiness.
All in, this was a pretty decent whisky with great aromas and an otherwise fairly standard flavour on the palate, as well as finish. Within the flagship Yamazaki lineup, I'd say this ranks just a touch higher than the 12 Year Old for me, and definitely beats the Distiller's Reserve no question.
It has an amazing aroma on the nose with this perfect smokiness - bear in mind, I don't usually enjoy smoky whiskies, but this was so incredibly fragrant and mellow, but it was still very all around. It has this really great freshness about it as well, and kept developing with all these lifted gorgeous scents of cream, hay and honey - reminiscent of a certain Campbeltown whisky that everyone goes bonkers for (specifically the 70's stuff) sans the funkiness that might throw some folks off - this is just fantastic, very lovely, friendly aromas.
And that's kind of the prelude to the big BUT, isn't it? So great aromas, but that leaves you with high hopes for what's to come on the palate. Now, nothing wrong about it, I should say. But it's rather simple (which could still be a winner) and not all that impactful - the flavours were pretty gentle, and just okay. It comes off as a very standard smoky whisky for the most part - although a well integrated one at that. I just kind of wish there was more oomph. It didn't quite give me pound-the-table-I-need-three-bottles-now! vibes.
So altogether, great aromas, tastes okay.
Score/Rating Scale :
This next one's the Hakushu Japanese Forest Bittersweet Edition - would that also imply other editions? Who knows. I find it rather amusing that Suntory isn't particularly consistent with the naming conventions for the pair of bottlings. In any case this focuses more on having "been aged exclusively in Spanish oak casks". So this is the one I've really been waiting for, let's get into it.
By the way, also an NAS bottling, an also bottled at 43% ABV - at least that part's consistent. Retailed at 18,000 Yen (or US$124.50) too.
Color: Honey / Burnt Sienna
Aroma: Fairly dense - prunes, figs, raisins, burnt brown sugar, alittle bit of that rancio note with a slight yeasty funkiness and some nuttiness. More on leather, musty wooden cabinets, tobacco leaves, soil - rather earthy. It gets sweeter with time, more on Port and mulled wine, with all those concentrated sweetness from stewed and dried fruits.
Taste: Good richness and depth with notes of cacao, dark chocolate, raisins, tobacco leaves, brown sugar, still quite earthy and really with those bittersweet notes. Some feared that this would be really bitter - here to tell you those worries are unfounded! It has a great balance of earthy bitterness and sweetness (think 50/50) - so not all that sweet nor all that bitter. There's more on leather, abit more woodiness as well, but really more of those Port flavours of dried prunes and figs, nuttiness, soil. It's got a medium-body but it supports well the richness of the flavours which were really cohesive.
Finish: More of those dried fruits of raisins, prunes, figs - it gets alittle sweeter here. Coffee right at the end - like a cup of cappuccino. There's some eucalyptus and mint in the back as well, and some cough syrup. Cleans out aromatically with lingering sweet and earthy notes again reminiscent of Port wine and cigars. Not particularly drying, kind of a nice velvety (slightly sweet), rounded and rich finish.
This was very good - really lived up to my hopes to be honest. To alleviate anyone's fears that it might be particularly bitter - it really was not all that bitter, in fact it came off more as earthy than bitter, sort of like a 50% dark chocolate. And the finish wasn't drying at all either!
What was even better than it not being particular bitter or drying is that it showcased a very lovely balance between sweet and earthy notes that really conveyed an incredible use of the Spanish Oak casks - it's about as precisely balanced as the slabs in the Great Pyramid really. And supporting those lovely, rich flavours was a decently hefty body that had enough body to carry all of that without ever getting thin or dry - really wonderful.
The aromas were also a nice dense and richness of your classic Hakushu Sherry Cask flavours, while the finish had this really lovely progression from dried fruits to this wonderful pop of coffee and then backed up by the signature Hakushu minty note. The finish not only managed to not be dry, but receded softly and in this really rounded, velvety fashion that was incredibly satisfying.
If I were forced to pick a point of improvement (because I really enjoyed it thoroughly), it would be that this could use more oomph and more depth to its flavours - to bring it more forward and amped up. This was simple but done very well as is.
Score/Rating Scale :
Now parsing through my tasting notes, it should be pretty clear which of the two was my favourite - obviously the Hakushu Japanese Forest Bittersweet Edition was the winner.
But let's get into the nitty gritty here. The Yamazaki Smoky Batch The First had a superior aroma - absolute banger! But then sort of eased into a more standard offering on the palate. It was alright but nothing to write home about. Altogether this didn't quite give me a sense that I would be missing out that much with just the standard Yamazaki lineup.
The Hakushu Japanese Forest Bittersweet Edition was more all rounded - it had a solid aroma, taste and finish, and in particular had great balance on the palate and a really nice progression on the finish, which were rather outstanding beyond the standard Hakushu profile. And that's what really makes the Hakushu such a top pick because it's really giving you Hakushu Spanish Oak on a budget (minus some richness and depth of course), but at the same time it's beyond what you could usually find with Hakushu.
Across both bottles, they were both definitely above average, both bringing some unique aspects that were fairly outstanding, but also at the same time could use more oomph and batting heavier flavours if we're talking about climbing up the rankings. Though for what they are, that is Duty Free releases that are designed to be more entry level, they are definitely hitting above their weightclass.
Hakushu Japanese Forest Bittersweet Edition nevertheless came out on top for me!
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
In whisky time, 2010 is not all that long ago - sure, lots have happened since that has pulled at the whisky world in more ways than one, but perhaps one of the biggest developments since is the proliferation of new distilleries all around the world. Now if you thought whiskymaking was a build-it-and-they-will-come situation, you'd be in for a big surprise. If anything, fans have benefited from the unprecedented variety, and distillers on the other hand have, more than ever before, had their work cut out for them.
And yet, while elusive, success if not magical thinking - just take a look at US's Westland.
And sure, the US has an intensely feverish Bourbon fanbase, but Westland could not be more different - which makes their success all the more incredulous.
Based out of the Pacific Northwest in Seattle, Washington (not exactly Whisky Town), Westland has completely eschewed the tenets of Bourbon-making, for something much more unusual - a Scotch-esque malt whisky made with beer principles. Who woulda thunk?
Matt Hofmann. (Image Source: Breakthru)
According to founder Matt Hofmann, it made simple sense given US's vibrant craft beer scene and the Pacific Northwest's climate that is more suitable for growing barley rather than corn (recall that the Bourbon industry was founded upon the US's proficiency at growing corn over barley).
This led to the distillery being established in 2010, opting to use a five malt barley mashbill (Pale Malt and Munich Malt from Washington, Extra Special Malt from Wisconsin, Brown Malt and Pale Chocolate Malt from the UK), brewer's Saison yeast, a pot and column custom made still, and oak barrels that include Virgin Oak and Garryana Oak from the US, along with staples such as ex-Sherry barrels from Spain.
A unique five malt combination. (Image Source: Tales of the Cocktail)
So where does that place Westland? Unlike Scotch distillers who only use one standard malted barley variety, Westland uses five varieties, but veering away from the Bourbon and Rye scene native to the US, they don't use any corn, rye or wheat. Unlike most whisky distillers, they've gone for brewer's yeast that is used by beer brewers, their distillation still is a combination of both pot and column rather than pot or column, and most uniquely, they've brought into the scene the use of Garryana Oak that is native to Oregon.
American peat bogs represent the next frontier of American whiskey. (Image Source: Spokesman)
All of that combined has created not just a unique whiskey expression, but one that is almost uncannily American. That must have done the trick because Westland has done remarkably well for itself in the past decade plus of its operation.
They've since even gone above and beyond, campaigning to change rules around the use of peat bogs native to the US, which are currently controlled by the US government, but which Westland believes will imbue its expressions with an even more local smoky and herbaceous flavour.
Garryana Oak native to Oregon. (Image Source: Sparrowhawk Native Plants)
The same is the case for Garryana Oak, which too is protected by the US government and can't be felled for us. Accordingly, the team has to keep their ears out for thunder, which on occasion strikes down Garryana trees, and that'll be their signal to hop on a truck and go out into vast kilometers of forests in search of fallen Garryana oak. The oak is said to impart darker tones of the classic American oak flavours of caramel, vanilla and baking spices, providing flavours of molasses and clove, as well as strong BBQ smokiness.
But Westland does not stop there, noting the rarity of Garryana Oak, which once grew massively along the Pacific Northwest, the distillery has worked with forestry experts to help revitalise the specialty American oak.
Westland's maturation facility in Washington. (Image Source: Tales of the Cocktail)
Once all that fermenting and distilling is done, it's time to load the trucks with barrels of Westland whiskies to the distillery's maturation site over at Hoquiam, Washington, which sits approximately two hours south from the distillery itself. That location allows the whisky to sit right alongside the Pacific Ocean, absorbing the coastal sea breeze, and in that more humid environment, take on an angel's share of just 2%, which is closer to Scotch standards as opposed to the much higher share for Bourbon's maturing in super hot Kentucky. This allows the whisky to mature more slowly and for much longer, without risk of being over-oaked and becoming too bitter or woody.
With all that said, let's give it a go. Onward!
Color: Light Gold
Aroma: Deep honey notes, accompanied by some distinct woody scents of polished wood, air dried oak, musty wood attics and libraries - lots of depth here, really rich too. There’s also intermediary chewy and malty notes of beeswax, buttermilk biscuits, toasted oat, nougat, with some sweeter notes of chocolate. As it continues to open, brighter more floral notes of rose water and Turkish delight, more fruity notes of red apples and pears as well. Super aromatic!
Taste: Medium-bodied here - more on brown sugar, milk chocolates. There’s a sort of chewy, nutty maltiness reminiscent of Maltesers candy, nougat, oats, marzipan, rice pudding sprinkled with cinnamon. The nuttiness somehow goes back to those oak logs sitting along temperate forests, dried grass too. There’s some light bitter tannins - black tea, leather. Also noticeably a light oiliness in its texture. More on manuka honey and herbal cough drops.
Finish: Very mellow, super long seamless receding aftertaste of marshmallows, chocolate sauce, cocoa powder and clove spices.
Wow! This really stood out as a very different flavour profile than I’ve come across thus far. Specifically there’s all these aromas of wood logs you’d find in a temperate forest - it’s aromatic and somewhat nutty, but also neither sharp not tannic or even dense.
It’s certainly not your typical woodiness you’d find in most whiskies. It also leads into flavours on the palate that are are more chewy and nougat like, with lots of chewy sweetness of oats, beeswax, rice pudding, malt candy - yet at the same time it’s a sort of lifted quality.
The finish was also pretty remarkable with this soft pillowy confectionary sweetness of marshmallows.
If there were really any drawback, it’d be that the palate was abit thinner than the aromas, which sort of lagged keeping up with the really rich flavours.
But overall, incredibly enjoyable - definitely solidified my interest in Westland.
Score/Rating Scale :
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
Hang on to your seats because today we're gonna get deep with one of America's whiskey's biggies - Willett.
Besides a really cool, almost medieval looking label and sleek and slender bottle, Willett is one of those names you'll hear about in high regard when talking about America's whiskey producers - but as with everything, it's complicated. For once, let's get into it.
Willett Distillery in Kentucky.
Willett is not a new kid on the block by any sense of the word - the brand has had its root all the way back to the late 1600's when rye distilling was still big in Maryland - the Maryland Rye style pretty much that even the likes of George Washington was fond of. Eventually the family moved over to Kentucky, American whiskey distilling mecca, and brought their ryes with them, producing two labels - Belle of Nelson and Morton's Spring Rye.
Eventually, Prohibition hit and things grounded to a halt. Nevertheless Aloysius "Lambert" Willett continued to hold on tight to his distilling dreams. When Prohibition was finally repealed, Lambert got to work! On St. Patrick's Day 1937, Lambert's son, Thompson, would together barrel the family's first post-Prohibition whiskey - this was the start of the Willett Distilling Company.
By the 1980s, the all of American whiskey was in a downturn and the Willett Distilling Company was not spared. Nevertheless Lambert's granddaughter Martha and her husband Even Kulsveen had fought to keep the family business alive, and at which point changed the company's name to Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (or KBD). What's really crucial here is that under KBD, the business model was changed - the Willett's would move away from being a distiller to becoming a Non-Distilling Producer (or NDP), the American way of saying Independent Bottler.
This is key to note because Willett was probably no more prolific than when there were an NDP under the moniker KBD, and at the time had come to be involved in a number of cult bottling collaborations that would substantially raise Willett's profile - Black Maple Hill, Michter's, Very Olde St Nick (VOSN), Rare Perfection, Red Hook Rye and Pappy Van Winkle. There is likely no other NDP that has come to be affiliated with such an incredible roster of legendary brands.
As it turns out, the Kulsveen had an immaculate eye for amazing whiskies and had turned one man's junk into another man's treasure. As you recall, this was the 80's when no one wanted American whiskey - which ironically made it the best time to be picking out well-aged stocks of whiskies to purchase from the likes of Stitzel-Weller, Heaven Hill, Four Roses and Jim Beam. By turning themselves into an NDP, KBD was able to gain rarefied access to some of the most sought after warehouses and have their pick! Eventually as the things started to pick up a decade later, KBD became known for their treasure trove inventory that stocked the cream of the crop whiskies from pretty much every distillery in America, except one - Willett!
Britt and Drew Kulsveen.
By the early 2010s, Martha and Even's grandchildren Britt and Drew would now run the family's company and given American whiskey's revival, would begin planning a long awaited revival of the family's legacy Willett name. They would refurbish the distillery equipment that had not been touched for decades, and by 2012, they were ready - KBD would go back to being the Willett Distillery. 2015 would see the first Willett-distilled expression from the family's own copper pot still, the 2015 Willett Family Estate Bottled Rye Whiskey.
This would expand to also include the Willett Family Estate Bottled Bourbon. Willett has now been regularly releasing whiskies produced by themselves to much acclaim - each one being cask strength and single barrel, hailing from one of six different mash bills. As such each batch of bottlings varies from to the next, and yet has generally been very positively received.
Today we're going to try the Willett Family Estate Bottled Bourbon, a 6 Year Old single barrel that was bottled for Australian liquor distributor Cerbaco.
Onward!
Color: Deep Amber
Aroma: Deep, rich, dense sweet notes of butterscotch, caramel and baked cherries, as well as baking spices, cinnamon, clove, and lots of brown sugar. It’s mellow, rich and rounded, with a silky quality. With a couple of seconds, this evolves into more on cherry bakewells, oodles of brown sugar, and also a deep and aromatic note of lacquered wood.
More time allows the aromas to brighten with more on vanilla cream, cinnamon, aromatic wood spice potpourri, and of course brown sugar.
Taste: Caramel and brown sugar aplenty - deep, dense and rich. Incredibly smooth too, leading onto a minty herbaceousness, and also a little bit of oily char reminiscent of burnt meat.
Finish: Back on the brown sugar and cherry bakewells, this time with more eucalyptus and mint - a lightly menthol herbaceous bitterness. It packs a super long finish with amazing warmth. Lingering notes of oily charred meat, and also more of cherry twizzler liquorice.
This really blew me away - first off, it was so smooth, so rounded, such an amazing density from its aromas to flavours and texture; all incredibly rich and dense and packed with those warm comforting flavours.
I frankly found it wholly incredible with such a great mouthfeel, that super long and deep warmth on the finish, and aromas that continued to open up with time.
Now, admittedly the flavours to be had were quite simple - but trust me, it’s no issue here. The flavours were so bold and powerful, and yet well-rounded at the same time. When you pack that much power and cohesiveness, these lovely warm confectionary flavours really hit the spot.
Awesome awesome awesome.
My Rating: 9/10
Score/Rating Scale :
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
A kind friend popped by one balmy Saturday afternoon and offered me some samples he snuck away from a recent tasting he had attended - now I was not told what it was till I actually had it handed over. When I got it, very casually passed along a round table at a recently organised rum gathering, I was pretty surprised. It was a set from The Last Drop which I had heard about but hadn't tried till now.
Considering what rarities these were, I thought I should do a proper introduction just to make sure I immortalise what transpired.
The Last Drop - as the name sounds - are bottlers of some very impressive spirits. Their aim is to search for or help lay the canvas for some very impressive distillates, no matter the spirit time nor the house style. They've released 32 expressions now in 15 years - so this isn't one of those "we're really picky, but hey we've got 20 different releases this year alone" sort.
Not quite your run of the mill independent bottler it seems.
Pry alittle deeper and you'll see expressions including lost distilleries such as Japanese legend Hanyu and the historic American George T. Stagg Distillery, spirits including a 1976 Jamaican rum, 1947 single estate Cognac, and you start to get the impression that The Last Drop ain't fooling around. Let's go another step further, you've also got bespoke blends created specially for The Last Drop by popular Irish Whiskey brand JJ Corry's founder, US giant Buffalo Trace's Master Blender - if you've been around spirits long enough, you start to figure, these folks have got to be something. Who else had that much suasion, speaking as someone who can barely get my cat to get on my lap on demand - let's not even think about getting my feline roommate to start making some expensive blends.
See anything familiar?
The About page quickly informs us that The Last Drop was founded in 2008 by one Tom Jago and a James Espey OBE (don't see too many of that around) - and if you're like me and don't recognise these names as uncles from the family gathering or that classmate you lost touch with, Google will tell you that they are the folks behind Bailey's Irish Cream - yep, that one - and wait, Malibu Coconut Flavoured Liqueur - yes, also that one - and two more here - the Classic Malts of Scotland and Johnnie Walker Blue Label, both under Diageo.
From Left to Right: Rebecca Jago, Beanie Geraedts-Espey, Tom Jago, James Espey.
So that's why they could get these folks to make blends for them, I wonder what they can do with my cat, she really needs to learn how to get off the couch.
I won't go too much into their history, but Jago's the guy who's made these iconic brands and their associated spirits, while Espey has been a long time collaborator who operated as the Chairman of International Distillers and Vintners (IDV), where he and Jago first worked together, and also President of United Distillers (UD), both of which is today Diageo, after which he was President of Chivas as well.
Today The Last Drop is run by Rebecca Jago, Tom Jago's daughter, who took over the reins when her dad had passed. Espey's daughter Beanie Geraedts-Espey is also part of the business as well. What about me? Nope, unfortunately. Maybe I missed the mail.
Today's roster.
Now back to the spirits themselves, given that The Last Drop has such select expressions you can count on 7 hands, they've numbered each expression. And so today we've got No. 22 a 50 Year Old Blended Scotch, No. 26 a c. 1950 Petite Champagne Cognac, No. 28 Kentucky Straight Whiskey Blend and No. 32 a 32 Year Old Irish Single Malt.
After 21 expressions being selected and bottled, the folks of The Last Drop figured that given their experience, maybe creating a blended Scotch of their own would be pretty lovely - and so they enlisted Colin JP Scott, Master Blender for Chivas, but also a former colleague and fellow architect of the now popular Chivas Regal 18 expression, to create this debut Signature blend.
The blend is said to contain malt, grain and blended Scotch whiskies that were married together, all aged at least 50 years across Bourbon and Sherry casks.
Onward.
Color: Gold
Aroma: Deep notes of musty oak, a discernible peanut butter funk and a side of eucalyptus herbaceousness. There’s lots of caramel, candy corn, butterscotch, alittle bit of caraway seeds.
Over time it almost gets sweeter and deeper, opening up to more on mulled wine, leather, more treacle, before an even more intense bouquet of farmhouse notes of hay, funky animal hide, smoked cheese, vanilla cream, barley grist, a light bit of engine oil, industrial smoke, lemon curd - it evens out to a gorgeous brightness of pressed meadow florals, vanilla cream and hay - still that touch of farm-y funkiness. Lots of floral potpourri aromas in the empty glass.
Taste: Vanilla cream, candy corn, bright meadow florals, hay, lemon curd - it’s creamy and bright, vanillic and floral. It’s amalgamated by mint jellies, dried oregano, and then a more industrial note of engine grease. It spans quite the spectrum seamlessly. Add another scoop of sweet cream and butterscotch here.
Finish: More herbal and herbaceous here, before a more powerful bit of Sherry-led notes of leather, mulled wine, cacao and also a bit of coffee grounds. Clean and aromatic finish, like a bowl of potpourri.
Very nice, very nice indeed. This was really enjoyable in so many dimensions - from an incredibly layered and constantly evolving aroma on the nose, to a bright, beautiful full palette of flavours to be tasted, and then a lovely aromatic finish.
On the nose, I could have sworn it was a Bourbon at the start, but give it a minute or two and whatever you thought - throw that out the window, we’re in a Sherry-led intermission which precedes the second act which was a mix of Lowland and Campbeltown notes - floral, farm-y but also with an industrial quality. The scents are so rich and well-expressed here but at the same time unhurried, stabilising into a full on vibrance.
On the palate, I got a full spectrum that gave it a really delightful richness, vibrance and complexity that ranged from bright florals and cream to deeper, darker notes of industrial engine grease - yet it manages to remain bright and lifted.
The finish was a final burst of intensity before it left cleanly and only had wisps of potpourri left behind.
Now, it is stated that this is a blend, but I’d say that this overlaps most closely with a certain Springbank - specifically something right out of the 70’s. And on top of that, in spite of the age, half a century old, it remains so vibrant and bright, fully expressive and of such vigour!
Really amazing work here.
Single estate Cognac from Petite Champagne that comes from an unnamed historic distillery along the banks of the Charente that has recently closed, this was found in the original oak barrels that has seen its maturation for the past seven decades.
Onward.
Color: Deep Amber
Aroma: Deep notes of black grapes - lightly tannic, yellow raisins, apples, some musty wood, backed up by honey, beeswax, caramel - really fresh but also densely lush. With time, more fresh peaches, lychee, rose water and rose flowers - it’s brighter and more floral.
Taste: Lots more honey and beeswax, accompanied by green apples, yellow raisins, light bitterness of wood tannins. There’s a hit of black pepper too, with some almond nuttiness, praline, and then more earthy coffee grounds.
Finish: A good dusting of cocoa powder, and then more on leather, browned leaves, polished wood, cigar boxes. A last wisp of peach - fresh and floral. Lingering light tannins from black grape skins.
Really well done - lots of freshness and vibrance, a really beautiful contrasting bouquet on the nose, having started off with darker scents and then continuing to open up and brighten into a basket of fruits and florals - absolutely enjoyable.
The palate has a nice buoyancy, it has a sort of crystalline brilliance of something of a cross of maltose sugar crystals and fruit jelly cups. Quite the opposite of the scents on the nose, this went from bright and fruity to more autumnal and earthy - what a transition!
I really love this to and fro, going back and forth, traversing one shade of the spectrum to another and then displaying that versatility to transition the other way around. Quite remarkable really.
The finish showcased more tannins and darker, denser, but sweeter flavours of the earth, but just before it goes, one last kiss of juicy, vibrant peach!
Quite something really!
We've had Scotch, Cognac, and now we come to some Kentucky Straight Whiskey. As is the case with the modus operandi of The Last Drop, an American whiskey would require the work of some illustrious person in that category - in this case that's Drew Mayville, Master Blender for Buffalo Trace.
This blend is created using Kentucky Straight Whiskeys including Bourbon and Straight Ryes from Buffalo Trace.
Let's go!
Color: Amber
Aroma: Heavy notes of peanut butter funk, backed up by freshly sawn wood and musty dunnage, with a more herbaceous side of parsley. There’s a thick but denser creamy note almost reminiscent of peanut butter ice cream - very rich and quite confectionary.
As it continues to open up there’s more of an orange cupcake or orange pound cake with strips of candied orange peels; also a sort of blueberry swirl or blueberry pastry note as well with a good dusting of powdered sugar and cream cheese frosting. Really lovely notes that open up with time.
Taste: Ooh really punchy here - really complex but expressive bundle of peanut butter, mint and parsley, manuka honey, butterscotch - it sort of comes at you all at once. Quickly thereafter there’s some salted caramels, candied oranges, cream - sweeter and more mellow, still quite confectionary. There’s still that musty dunnage quality, old wood, alittle bit of that farmhouse flavour too, but also lots of these caraway and fennel seeds.
Finish: More citrus here, also more of those dried herbs and spices - the parsley and dill persists for so long but in a really nice way, balanced by the peanut butter funk, old wood, but also a layer of cream sweetness. Bits of leather and musty attics really.
Very wonderful stuff - it definitely knows it needs to put on its best show here. It has layers and complexity and so much going on, sometimes all at once (especially on the palate), and yet long after it’s done you continue to get this very classic core of spices, herbs, candied citrus, funky peanut butter and musty dunnage that just stays on and on - really quite something.
It has not just great cadence and evolution, but continually switches it up. On the nose - you definitely want to give it time, it keeps opening up and showing more nuance before mellowing out to all these unimaginable pastries and confectionaries. On the palate it speeds up and comes at you full blast of flavour but mellow (no heat whatsoever), packing in all these harmonised flavours yet somehow it still makes clear it’s a combination of bourbon and rye. Then on the finish it just doesn’t give out - it keeps that essence going long after.
Quite honestly, this is not one of those whack you in the face whiskies in terms of heat and power, nor is it one of those take you down a rabbit hole type stuff, what it offers is elegance that cannot be understated and a profile that’s at once familiar but not quite. It is immaculately entertaining and persistent in its flavours that are so well expressed.
We get to the fourth and last dram of the day - our last drop so to speak. This is the third signature creation for The Last Drop, the previous two being the work of Colin JP Scott, Drew Mayville, and now we've got one from Louise McGuane, the founder of Irish distiller JJ Corry (along with Helen Mulholland of Lough Gill Distillery). These folks are all part of The Last Drop's Assembly which aims to bring together experts of various fields to see their visions come to reality.
Here we have a 32 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey hailing from the 1991 vintage of distillates which was then married and finished in an ex-Oloroso Sherry Butt before bottling.
We move forward.
Color: Deep Amber
Aroma: Intense notes of pink guavas - flesh and peel. There’s also mint jellies, oregano, with a light and bright rancio note, brie rinds. More on lychees, rose petals, passionfruit, jackfruit. At the back a deep Sherry sweetness of blackberry and raspberry jams, a light nuttiness and earthy mushroom note, musty oak - almost like cream Sherry. Also leather, cigar boxes, brown leaves, tobacco leaves - all these autumnal scents.
It’s really fruity upfront but also vibrant and rich whilst not dense - an almost bright syrupy body.
Taste: Immediately bright, vibrant fruit jelly cups - green apples and pink guavas, alongside mint jellies. It’s at once sweet, herbaceous and lightly bitter. There’s a layer of cacao nibs - bittersweet and rich. There’s some leather too, but also an umaminess of dried mushrooms.
Finish: More herbaceous - big hit of those dried oregano and mint jellies, and then back to the tropical fruit programming - guava, jackfruit, duku. It’s a sort of light acidity and greenness combined with muskiness. There’s some bits of leather and miso paste, aged parmesan - slightly salty and umami. Finally it takes a more Cognac approach of honey, yellow raisins, green grapes and maltose candy. Pink guava jelly cups long after.
Wow! To say this was a stunner is quite an understatement. It was all out on the pink guavas - intense tropical fruits with a mix of bright sweetness and acidity, with a side of muskiness. Just incredibly big and vibrant.
Intermingled are these Sherry rancio notes that are distinct and creamy sweet, but not dense, which complements all those bright fruits. This is all alongside a persistent note of mint jellies and dried oregano that really gives this so much character, complexity and really just makes it outstanding.
The flavours on the palate comes through intensely and quickly - it packs it all in from the first sip and can at times feel like a bullet train, the finish was equally a masterclass as with its aromas, with such interwoven flavour profiles that layer atop one another - fresh, vibrant, elegant and exceptionally flavour forward.
Absolutely spectacular! I could cry a river at how much I enjoyed this.
Four drams in is a pretty good way as any to be acquainted with the work of The Last Drops, all the more so given that they're pretty spread out in terms of categories and styles, ranging from blended Scotch to Irish single malts, Kentucky straight whiskies and then a Cognac to boot.
It's pretty clear that these folks have not only the backing of some incredible figures in the field who - frankly - can only be called upon by the likes of the luminaries who founded The Last Drop, that means unparalleled selections and bespoke creations, all of which while typically touted as the value proposition of independent bottlers, is rarely, if ever, as proven to be the case with The Last Drop. What they've got is impressive to say the least.
Of the four expressions I got to try (thanks to my good pal who has some interesting things in the works!), the highlight for me was the No. 32 Irish Single Malt - an out of this world experience of intense tropical fruits.
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask is a staple in the popular Scotch distillery's core range, and is part of the Double Cask range that stretches from 12 Years Old to 30 Years Old. And if there's a Double, there must be a "Single", which yes, there is - it's the Sherry Cask range. Together these two line ups underpin Macallan's flagship year round offering.
As the name suggests, the Double Cask makes use of two casks - that is Sherry-seasoned American Oak casks and Sherry-seasoned European Oak casks. Now compared to the Sherry Cask range, which instead only makes use of solely Sherry-seasoned European Oak casks.
The Macallan Distillery has a most unusual and very futuristic looking setup.
Flavour-wise, American Oak is typically sweeter and more mellow, but also less intense and punchy compared to European Oak - this is a Double Cask after all, so it bears some dissecting. This itself presents something rather unusual that Macallan has done - which is to have American Oak casks seasoned with Sherry for its use. Macallan's reputation is pretty much built upon the use of Sherry casks, which allowed them to stand out as a single malt for producing richer and deeper flavours in their whiskies - which is obviously very popular.
And so you'll find that pretty much all Macallan whiskies coming out from the distillery itself (so notwithstanding independent bottlers) typically make heavy use of Sherry casks.
A Sherry bodega in Jerez, Spain.
So going back to why the use of Sherry-seasoned American Oak casks are unusual - that's because Sherry comes specifically from an officially designated region in Spain, where local bodegas use local European wood typically sourced from Jerez, Spain, to mature their Sherry. In the old days, once the Sherry was bottled, the emptied out cask, having absorbed the rich flavours of the Sherry, could be passed along to whisky distilleries to age their whiskies and at the same time imbue it with these richer and sweeter flavours - which really gave rise to the immense popularity of Sherry cask aged whiskies.
And thus American Oak isn't really the practice when it comes to Sherry casks, and instead typically find themselves being used as Bourbon casks due to their proximity to America's most popular spirit - Bourbon. Similar to the Sherry bodegas, Bourbon distilleries would use the locally available American Oak to mature their Bourbon, and then pass it along to whisky distilleries from outside of the US.
Bourbon distillery in the US.
This all means that Macallan had sought to pass American Oak casks over to the Sherry bodegas for seasoning with Sherry before using it to mature their whiskies - which is a pretty unusual crossover!
With that, let's give this a taste!
Colour: Amber
Aroma: Caramel, prunes, raisins, orange liqueur. It's quite aromatic and somewhat rich, with a slight booziness.
Taste: Alittle boozy. Honey, butterscotch, milk chocolate, raisins, prunes, orange zest, slight woodiness.
Finish: Honey, orange zest, more woodiness coming through with some more pronounced bitterness. Mid-length, light booziness.
For some reason this reminded me of a Negroni - like the same sort of profile. The Sherry cask influences are front and center here, with a very distinctive orange note all throughout that gives the overall palette a nice contrast and keeps it somewhat interesting and refreshing.
I found it rather classic of what a “Scotch” is - and for what it’s worth, it’s actually pretty well-balanced with a good expressiveness of its flavours. The only drawback is the noticeable booziness on the palate and finish that was alittle nippy. Now, obviously this is the entry level of the range, so if you're looking for something richer, with more depth and stronger flavours, less booziness, Macallan would gladly have you go up the range and try for the 15 Year Old Double Cask and up.
Overall, a decent expression from Macallan.
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
Nestled within the central Japanese Alps is Mount Komagatake, also known as Kiso Komagatake. The stratovolcano is the tallest peak within its mountain range, with an elevation of close to 3,000 metre. And like many of the tallest mountains in Japan, it holds cultural significance in local folklore and custom, with some believing the mountain to be the abode of powerful deities. It has long been a site for ascetic religious practices and Shinto rites. Practitioners are known to embark on spiritual journeys across these mountains, seeing these treks as paths to spiritual growth and enlightenment.
It is in this realm of high altitude and cool climate that Mars Whisky found the name and inspiration for its flagship Komagatake single malt whisky. The whisky is made at Mars Shinshu Distillery which is situated near the mountain range.
Perched at an altitude of about 800 meters, Shinshu is amongst the highest distilleries in Japan and enjoys a cool, temperate climate of around 8°C on an average through the year, with winter temperatures dropping to as low as -15°C. This cooler climate slows down the whisky's maturation process, believed to lead to a lighter, more refined single malt.
A few days ago, I sat in with Jeremiah, the bar owner of Samsu Huay Kuan, for an insightful guided tasting and masterclass of Mars’s latest range of whiskies. Conducting the tasting session was brand representative Hiroki Nakamura from Hombo Shuzo Mars, who is supported by Joseph from Barworks, the Singaporean distributor for Mars Whisky.
During this session, I got to taste the Komagatake 2023 Edition that was only just released.
According to Hiroki-san, Mars has been working to bring its Komagatake single malt in the direction of a whisky with a smoother, more delicate character. While past editions were made with just ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, the latest edition added Port wine casks to the mix.
Let’s see how this is.
Nose: Approachable and refined, with a very delightful perfumy quality. Very prominent caramel notes, complemented by a burst of fresh apple, pomelo and perfumed lemony scents. There’s a subtle maltiness anchoring the aroma, and most interestingly a slightly salty soy sauce note that adds some umami and depth.
Palate: Very flavourful and very approachable. Opens with caramel and stewed apples turning towards a sweet and mild tang of acai berries. In the background a bit of maltiness, baked pastry, vanilla and cream.
This is notably smoother than the 2020 edition I’ve tried above, with much less heat and a gentler expression of spices.
Finish: Medium length. A combination of cool mint and caramel once again, with an added sweet liquorice note reminiscent of Hacks candy and Chinese herbal jelly. Smooth tannins emerge right at the end with a light leathery note, black tea, dry oakiness, and a subtle hint of aromatic smoke.
The 2023 edition of Mars Komagatake does stand out for its exceptional smoothness. This is arguably the most approachable in the series so far – and it seems that the use of Port casks this time around must have made a difference. It also demonstrates a more cohesive blend of flavours than its predecessors.
On the other hand, while it does remain broadly faithful to the classic Komagatake profile with its orchard fruit character, it seems to me that in pursuit of smoothness, there's a noticeable reduction in complexity and dimensionality compared to earlier expressions. A toned-down spiciness would appeal to many drinkers. Personally though, I’m completely fine with a bit more boldness in whisky. This Komagatake edition is great, but to me it appears to lean towards a safer, more predictable experience.
Rating: 7.5/10
Score/Rating Scale :
|
@CharsiuCharlie
]]>
It might surprise some, but before there was Kanosuke Distillery, there was Hioki Distillery - yes, Kanosuke's parent, Komasa Jyozo, which many might know for its pioneering Mellowed Kozuru shochu, does its shochu-making at Hioki!
As the story goes, Kanosuke Distillery is named after Kanosuke Komasa, the second generation head of the family's shochu brewery Komasa Jyozo, but stood out for being the first to introduce a long aged barrel shochu, the rice shochu (or kome shochu) known as Mellowed Kozuru - this was a big hit at the time in the 1950s and garnered the brewery great acclaim.
Nonetheless the past decades have seen quite a steady decline in shochu consumption (albeit alittle bit of a resurgence lately) which prompted the establishing of the whisky arm that is Kanosuke Distillery. As the Hioki facility saw less and less use, it was initially used to produce Komasa Gin (quite popular as well), and then more recently retrofitted to produce grain whisky and other whisky styles to complement Kanosuke Distillery. The idea here is to get two birds with one stone - as the shochu activity at Hioki comes down, there's more downtime which in turn can be used to supplement the production of other more popular spirits such as gins and whiskies.
The Hioki Distillery.
As such, it's more than likely we'll hear more from Hioki with time as it'll play a bigger role in Kanosuke's whisky ambitions in helping to produce much needed locally distilled grain whiskies for the use of creating Japanese whisky blends for Kanosuke.
And thus this is the first instance we're getting to try something from the Hioki Distillery. It's made using a combination of unmalted and malted barley and then distilled in a pot still, which Kanosuke likens to the process used by Irish whiskey distilleries. It is aged in Virgin American White Oak Casks and Bourbon barrels, and aged for about 3.5 years old before bottling at 51% ABV.
Let's go!
Color: Gold
Aroma: Incredibly aromatic - black sugar, caramel custard, black tea, red apples, orange marmalade, honey lemon candy, that then moves into denser scents of cooked plums, dried apricots and dried herb roots. There’s even a little bit of bubblegum in there. It’s fruity but overall denser and darker in profile.
Taste: Dense, darker cooked fruits - plums, orange marmalade, coupled with lots of manuka honey. It’s sweet and more concentrated, with a thicker texture as well. Also toasted almonds and cinnamon in the mix. It starts off rather spicy and punchy but mellows out mid-palate, into more richness and depth.
Finish: More herbal here, eucalyptus and ginger candy, sticky date pudding, cooked plums, that brightens up to more pastry notes of brown sugar, cinnamon, and toasted marshmallows. There’s more white florals and vanilla here too - reminiscent of cinnamon rolls topped with vanilla sauce.
The wow factor here was how aromatic it was - really great dense and fruity flavours that turned more herbal but at the same time was alittle confectionary too, approachable with enough to keep you excited about.
On the palate it was noticeably more spicy with some sharpness initially that came across quite nippy, but it did mellow out to a more herbal and floral finish. At time it bordered on being Bourbon-like but with more freshness and fruitiness, which was also quite compelling.
While it could use more mellow-ness and roundedness on the palate, the nose was really quite something else, and the finish was also particularly standout with those wonderful baked pastries.
This is the first time we’re getting to taste something from the Hioki Distillery and for a start this is really off to high marks, and definitely worth keeping a look out for as we see how it complements what has become quite defined as the Kanosuke signature profile.
Score/Rating Scale :
Image courtesy of Sasesaketen.
Kanpai!
@111hotpot
]]>
Glenglassaugh Distillery was founded in 1875 in a quaint coastal town in the Scottish Highlands by the name of Portsoy, which has a rich history and a connection to the maritime trade, including the transport of spirits. This provides not only a fitting backdrop for a distillery like Glenglassaugh, but also as a filming location for the incredibly popular hit TV show "Peaky Blinders,” in which the band of well-dressed gangsters used the port as a hub for delivery of bootlegged alcohol.
The distillery is one of the Scottish adopted children of American spirits giant Brown-Forman, alongside GlenDronach and BenRiach. And although GlenDronach and BenRiach have garnered high regard among modern whisky enthusiasts, you might be wondering why Glenglassaugh has in recent memory remained somewhat of a hidden gem, often only found in specialty whisky stores with obscure releases.
The reason is simple. Glenglassaugh’s distillery had been mothballed from 1986 to 2008, which led to a significant gap in its inventory. Moreover, even after resuming operations in 2008, the distillery wasn't exactly producing tons of whisky. This is why until very recently, the distillery produced a small range of mainly no age statement (NAS) whiskies such as Revival, Evolution, and Torfa, interspersed with a few older, limited edition releases.
2023 marks a big turning point for the Glenglassaugh brand. After a long wait, the distillery announced a rejuvenated portfolio and three new core range releases, already launched in Europe, the US and now in Singapore. The fresh design direction and new branding is also evident from the packaging: the new bottles feature mint-coloured caps and an elegant waveform indentation the bottles.
Behind the new lineup is the respected Dr Rachel Barrie, the current Master Blender of Glenglassaugh Distillery. Barrie stands amongst some of the most respected figures of the modern Scotch industry, and is not only a Keeper of the Quaich, but has also been honoured as a Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame Inductee. Much of this is due to her work at many of the most well-known distilleries over the course of her career, including Glenmorangie, Ardbeg, Bowmore and Laphroaig just to name a few.
Before this brand revival, not many of us are familiar with Glenglassaugh. So without tasting this new lineup, you can’t quite say there’s a typical profile of a Glenglassaugh malt. That said, Master Blender Barrie shared that the distillery’s coastal location near Sandend Bay, which faces the North Atlantic ocean, inspires a maritime character in its whiskies. This is a character augmented by the choice of cask and spring water used in the production process.
The proof is in the dram. We had the privilege of sampling these new offerings through a very sweet tasting set sent by Glenglassaugh, which invites us to do a flight of all three of their core releases starting with the 12-year-old.
First in the lineup is the Glenglassaugh 12 Years Old at 45% ABV, which serves as the new flagship 12-year-old single malt, a first for the distillery in this age category. Next, we have the Glenglassaugh Sandend at 50.5% ABV, aged in manzanilla sherry casks, which apparently is intended to enhance the distillery's coastal character. Finally, there's the Glenglassaugh Portsoy at 49.1% ABV, which incorporates some peated malt and explores a different dimension to the Glenglassaugh range.
Let’s give them a taste!
This new 12-year-old flagship is drawn from bourbon, sherry, and red wine casks.
Colour: Amber.
Nose: Fruity and expressive, with a predominantly bourbon cask influence. Opens with orange oil and expressive rich fruit notes of apples, pears, figs and dates. A creamy vanilla undercurrent is present, along side a growing woody mustiness that gradually reveals a subtle solvent-like quality. There is a mild mintiness that prick the nose a bit, reminiscent of camphor. Over time, gentle coastal elements surface, evoking salted caramel nuances.
Palate: Great texture – it’s notably creamy, viscous, and oily. Opens with very light flavours and a clean profile, starting with a mellow sweetness akin to candy floss and bubble gum. This cleanliness in profile paves the way for quite pronounced saltiness and very distinct pepperiness. At the same time, there’s some tart apple sharpness and a hint of copper that hints at the youth of the spirit. There’s also a herbal flourish, as pepper turns towards a light mintiness.
Finish: Pretty long, with persistent saltiness, gradually giving way to fading spice notes. A delicate dusting of cocoa powder lingers at the very end.
This expression stands out for a very unique taste sequence. The nose is really inviting and expressive. The palate is pleasantly sweet, though not as fruity and expressive as expected – what took my attention was the distinct coastal character that actually seems to take over my palate quite a bit. The transition between flavours feels slightly disconnected - I’m intrigued but not yet fully convinced. Let’s turn to the others.
Turning to the Sandend expression, this has a base of ex-bourbon matured whisky with a proportion of manzanilla sherry casks that are said to bring out a bit more salinity in it.
Colour: Pale gold.
Nose: Wow – this is delightfully floral and sweet. Opens with powdered sugar, luscious Sauternes or a sweet, oaked Chardonnay. Tons of green grapes blend with sweet citrus notes of grapefruit and pomelo, tinged with a light tartness. Lashings of vanilla cream come through, along with soft oak notes and subtle white florals.
Palate: Remarkably mellow and smooth for its 50.5% ABV, and it’s quite well-integrated too. Very clean and sweet in the mouth, gradually showing hints of green grapes and citrus fruits, then vanilla and cream. A coastal dimension also slowly unfolds, becoming subtly maritime but this time a lot more balanced and subtle. Spices do emerge, with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and a touch of black pepper.
Finish: Relatively short, characterised by vanilla and salted caramel, and a gently fading warmth from the spices.
Charming and well-balanced. This whisky is reminiscent of a sweet white wine or sake in its sweetness and clarity. It has an outstanding bright, floral, sugary character beginning with the nose, and carrying on with the mellow palate – which once again, it's surprisingly smooth and welcoming for its high ABV.
Finally, probably the heaviest one of the trio – we have the Portsoy which is made with “peated single malt”, then matured in sherry, bourbon and Port wine casks.
Colour: Deep gold
Nose: Rich and multifaceted. Opens with a rich maltiness and honey, layered with the freshness of apples and caramel. There’s a light mossy grassiness intertwined with an earthy, plowed soil aroma. Peatiness isn’t very obvious here, though there’s some smoked heather and grilled pineapple, developing into intriguing savoury elements of soy sauce and grilled unagi, rounded off with a hint of toasted nuts.
Palate: This is the fullest bodied of the trio sampled, opening with a robust maple syrup sweetness, vanilla and malt forming the core. There’s a rather pronounced chili spiciness that quickly builds along with – once again – rather subtle smokiness that resembles charred pineapple, and gradually grows in ashiness (with an edge of vegetal notes) that mirrors roasted broccolini, with a squeeze of lemon and a twist of the sea salt grinder.
Finish: A fairly short finish once again. I get a drying sensation, with a touch of coffee grounds, dry oak and a subtle ashiness that fades.
This tastes decidedly intentional, and is my favourite of the whiskies tasted. It’s the most multifaceted of the trio and still manages to strike a remarkable balance and harmony across the dimensions of fruits, salt and smoke. I also like the rich maltiness and honeyed vibe it gives.
It’s a very gentle nudge into the world of peat, rather than a full plunge. Peat lovers (like myself) might not even register the smokiness here. For those who generally steer clear of Islay whiskies, this should also be very acceptable - it offers a kind of smoked heather or roasted vegetable experience that is very acceptable and quite pleasant.
This flight has been a pretty insightful look at what distillery has been cooking up for the past couple of years!
It’s clear to me that distillery has crafted a range with both diversity and a unifying theme. All 3 expressions seem to fit the common thread of a bourbon-focused profile with a touch of the coast, and yet they are pretty much impossible to mix up in unlabelled glasses. I have little doubt that under the guidance from Master Blender Rachel Barrie, the distillery would evolve from being a hidden gem into a recognised name in Scotch in the years to come.
That said, what caught my attention most were the no aged statement expressions – the Sandend and the Portsoy – the Portsoy emerging as my star of the trio for its richness, balance and subtlety in peatiness.
The varied profile of Glenglassaugh’s whiskies offers an interesting mix of diversity and subtlety for both whisky enthusiasts and newcomers to Scotch alike. All three expressions are now available via Brown-Forman’s official online channels and various spirits stores in Singapore.
@CharsiuCharlie
]]>For this year’s Whisky Live Paris and Whisky Live Singapore, Chichibu Distillery unveiled a very pretty series of single cask whiskies in collaboration with a Japanese designer, Katsumi Komagata, that became part of LMDW's 2024 "New Vibrations" catalogue.
The bottle labels are characterised by soft abstract shapes with vibrant, bold and cheerful tones that mirror the colours of children’s books, two of them with wavy shapes that might evoke the feeling of a dynamic, flowing substance.
Katsumi Komagata is best known for his vibrant paper crafts. For this special collection, Katsumi-san illustrated a quartet of nature-inspired images titled “Bird, Forest, Sky, Wave” that would resonate with the world of Chichibu whisky.
According to the artist, the images were inspired by his former studio in Ichinoseki, in Iwate prefecture. It is a place surrounded by bountiful nature, with a gorgeous sky, clouds, mountains, and colours that change with the seasons. A great many kinds of wildlife can be observed there.
When asked what relationship is there between his work and the whisky bottled, Katsumi-san said that he believes the aesthetics of the bottle could make a whisky taste even better because our sense of sight has a great influence and bias on our perception when we eat or drink. This is something he realised after working with visually impaired people.
Some of Katsumi-san’s most famous works several award-winning picture books made since the 1990s’. The birth of his daughter inspired him to create picture books that were different from traditional ones. He created picture books for children filled with beautiful paper crafts which garnered attention across Japan and in many parts of Europe. Outside of art, he has also been a designer for Comme des Garçons and Hermès.
Turning to the whisky. The set is a quartet of single cask bottlings aged from 6 years to 9 years, and have been made with various barley varieties and different cask types and the variety mirror’s last year’s Chichibu x Aki Kuroda collection. Last year’s collection featured a Virgin Oak, a Heavily Peated, a Wine Cask and Ex-Peated Cask. This year, they preserved the Heavily Peated and the Wine Cask expressions, and introduced a Sherry Cask as well as a Bourbon Barrel Chichibu expression. Two of the most memorable expressions from last year were the Wine Cask and Heavily Peated.
Let’s see what this new set brings!
Single Cask #12508 - Japanese Koshu Grape Wine Cask, Odyssey barley
Colour: Amber
Nose: Fresh and lively with a fruit-forward character, with an array of orchard fruits – apples and pears intertwined with toasted walnuts. There’s a notable depth that leads into a rich, caramel-like sweetness reminding me of Lotus Biscoff cookies. Spicy undertones meld with mint, long with a slightly prickly, peppery sensation.
Palate: Very sweet and very vibrant with a syrupy texture to it. Bursts forth with flavours of cherries and red apples, complemented by subtle, light tea nuances that avoid veering into the dry territory. Barley candy and raspberry notes emerge, bringing a layered richness. What makes this interesting is also an undercurrent of rustic barnyard notes that is quite faint yet distinctive, evocative of the gaminess of lamb or the funky notes found in Belgian Flanders' ale.
Finish: Relatively short yet delightful, marked by the sweetness of maltose candy and fading Cognac notes. Spices make a reappearance, felt prominently at the back, yet they remain pleasant and far from overwhelming.
My Thoughts:
The influence of the Koshu wine casks is evident, and it imparts a beautiful Cognac-like sweetness that makes this stand out from the set.
This year's wine cask Chichibu expression is a delightful evolution from the previous year's expression . While last year's variant showcased a more austere profile, brimming with Mediterranean herbs and spices, this year's release leans towards a sweeter and fresher spectrum. The fruitiness is more pronounced, and the sweet and fruity notes are more vivid compared to the predecessor. The classic Chichibu spice is present but subtle, very harmoniously integrated, and creates a well-rounded and thoroughly enjoyable dram.
This makes it refreshingly novel but really tasty, deserving a 9/10 for this successful cask experimentation.
My Rating: 9/10
Score/Rating Scale :
|
Single Cask #6959, Second Fill ex-Oloroso Sherry Hogshead, Propino barley
Colour: Amber.
Nose: Sweet and rich, with a distinctive Kyoho grape-like sweetness, enveloped in a fresh and floral bouquet - though it doesn't quite reach the depth of the earlier Chichibu wine cask expression. It has a prominent quality of strawberry jam, intertwined with a light vanilla oakiness and refined sandalwood adding to the complexity.
Palate: A little more robust than the Chichibu wine casks. Very syrupy and oily, immediately noticeable upon the first sip, with stewed red fruits and raisins, turning towards a more pronounced dry oak influence and generic toasted nuts balancing the syrupy sweetness.
Finish: A caramel and toffee-like sweetness define the finish, joined by coffee grounds. The spiciness grows to become quite substantial, with notes of anise and cloves accompanied by a strong spearmint note. Dry oak, tobacco and wood polish rounds out the finish, lending it a mature and slightly earthy character.
My Thoughts:
This expression is undeniably robust in flavour, presenting a bold and adventurous profile. The Oloroso Sherry influence is evident, imparting rich, sweet, and spicy characteristics. However, the intensity of spiciness is a little too much for my preference. It doesn’t overshadow the other complex elements, but it’s just a little too intense and painful for my liking.
It's a nice expression overall, demonstrating Chichibu's characteristic flair in the form of a sherried whisky. A solid 7/10 for its boldness and richness, though the pronounced spiciness might not be to everyone's taste.
My Rating: 7/10
Single Cask #4701, First Fill Bourbon Barrel, Heavily peated Concerto barley.
Colour: Pale gold.
Nose: Opens with a slightly vegetal character with a subtle herbal rootiness, with a just-as-present aroma of clarified apple juice, lemon zest bringing out a fresh, citric quality. Even on the nose it seems quite powerful with its price profile, reminiscent of pepper and chili flakes, though overall impression is that this is quite elegant in the manner the flavours gently unfold.
Palate: Initially rather mellow, with flavours evolving gracefully. Opens with vanilla and coconut flakes, while sweet yuzu and honey add sweetness and freshness. There’s a prevailing accent of aromatic, temple incense-like smokiness woven through the tasting experience, light touch of iodine, seaweed (reminiscent of certain Islay malts), and a very mild hint of soy sauce saltiness.
Finish: Quite long and dry, with dry oak and a mild chalkiness setting the stage, and a bitterness best described as grapefruit pith. Balanced by the floral note of dried lavender and sage alongside sweet ash and temple incense.
My Thoughts:
This is a decently complex Chichibu. We see some traditional Islay-style peat notes here with but more delicate nuances like temple incense and a gradual unveiling of flavours.
This is about as well-executed as the Heavily Peated expression of last year, although last year’s expression seems a tad bit sweeter and more appley. I’m not sure if it’s the presence of peat or the extra year of oak aging that overshadows some of the sweetness (this year is a 7YO while last year’s peated expression was a 6YO).
All in all, it’s still a commendable effort in creating an expression with elegant peat nuances, and a slightly different take on the typical peated profile. A solid 7/10.
My Rating: 7/10
Single Cask #3094, Second Fill Bourbon Barrel, Heavily peated Propino barley.
Colour: Pale gold.
Nose: Bright, fresh and fruity. It's filled with the sweet scents of canned peaches and grapefruits, complemented by depths of vanilla and cream that adding a rich, almost dessert-like quality. A touch of coconut cream adds a tropical twist, before the profile subtly shifts to a slightly woody character, reminiscent of a cinnamon chai latte.
Palate: Sweet, lively, yet carries an austere elegance. Opens with honey, but juxtaposed with mineral and slightly briny notes, and as the palate develops I get vanilla cream and cereal maltiness, with an interesting hint of barnyard funkiness or perhaps lactic acid notes that I find in certain Chichibu expressions.
Finish: Long and evolves beautifully. It’s spicy, featuring anise and pepper, with just-as-present notes of honey and vanilla, with a sweetness of baked apples that transition gradually into darker notes of cocoa and a slight umami reminiscent of soy sauce.
My Thoughts:
This is a lovely, classic Chichibu expression that showcases the distillery's signature spiciness and slight bucolic funkiness, but also has a slightly more indulgent profile, being a bit more pronounced in its sweetness, which is a delightful surprise. I’m guessing that’s the result of its slightly longer aging.
It's a great representation of how a bit more time in the very ordinary bourbon cask can bring out richer notes in a whisky that's already known for its depth and spice. As a compelling classic dram this earns a solid 8/10.
My Rating: 8/10
These four single cask Chichibu bottlings have rather distinct temperaments but they’re bound by a thread of commonality that is unmistakably Chichibu. A recurring theme is the clean sweetness, a signature spice profile and a slight funkiness or bucolic (of lactic acid) note most prominently showcased in the Bourbon Cask expression.
The Bourbon Cask and Wine Cask expressions stand out as my personal favourites. The Bourbon Cask expression for its satisfying complexity and well-executed classic Chichibu character. The Wine cask expression, deviates a bit more from the typical Chichibu style but it’s an absolute delight with its grape-like fruitiness and sweetness that reminds us that we haven’t seen the best of Chichibu – it still has a couple of tricks up its sleeve.
@CharsiuCharlie
]]>
The 1960s hold a special place in the history of Scotch whisky, and Bowmore's creations from this era are a very big reason why. Among these, the Black Bowmore and Samaroli's Bowmore Bouquet stand out and are viewed by many whisky experts as the best Scotch whiskies ever bottled.
1960s’ Bowmores are celebrated for their complexity, rich fruitiness, and elegant smokiness; a flavour profile that modern whisky distilleries continue seeking to replicate but can never quite get right (at least at time of writing).
We recently had the pleasure of attending an event hosted by Bowmore and Beam Suntory, and got a chance to sample a number of rare expressions including this Bowmore 1969 that was distilled in the legendary 60s' and aged for at least 50 years.
American Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry European Oak Casks
Colour: Yellow gold.
Nose: From the nose you can immediately tell that this is markedly different from the other Bowmores. This is a departure from the Sherry-influenced expressions we've encountered before. It offers an array of fresh and ripe tropical fruits - apples, pineapples, mangoes, pomelo - blended with cream and vanilla. This fruity bouquet is complemented by a mild citric sourness and brown sugar. There is a much more pronounced smokiness than in earlier expressions, likely due to the lighter influence of Bourbon casks.
Palate: As expected of a 60s’ Bowmore, it’s really fruity with passionfruit, pomelo, grapefruit and apple juice. But there’re added dimensions of liveliness, showcasing a powerful lemon-like sourness and a bit of a “bite” typical of certain iconic old-style Islay whiskies. There’s a prominent minerality and coastal saltiness, vanilla, toasted coconut flakes, caramel and honey, all laced with lemon juice; very distinctive flavours.
Finish: Long and persistent. It unfolds with notes of fresh herbs like sage, menthol, and eucalyptus. There's barely any smoke, just a lingering sensation of coffee grounds and saltiness, transitioning into sweet aromatic oak towards the end.
This is simply exceptional. In contrast to the rather heavily sherried expressions we’ve explored, this expression is much lighter in colour and seems much more influenced by ex-Bourbon casks.
There’s the funky tropical fruits, the powerful liveliness of citrus, the aromatic oak. And of course the saltiness – the coastal influences stand out to me as I’ve never encountered such a strong maritime character in a whisky. It isn't cask strength, but I can imagine grandpa Samaroli nodding his approval to this dram.
This merits a perfect score in my book.
My Rating: 10/10
This bottling will be made available for purchase in 2024.
@CharsiuCharlie
]]>
We recently had the pleasure of attending an event hosted by Bowmore and Beam Suntory, and got the opportunity to explore some amazing Bowmore expressions from 22 years onwards, including this 30 year old Bowmore.
The spirit had been matured in American oak ex-Bourbon casks and Sherry-seasoned European oak hogsheads, and half of the spirit was also finished in first-fill Spanish oak Oloroso casks for an added oomph. From the looks of it, it's another Sherry-forward expression.
Let's taste it.
First-fill Oloroso, European Oak Sherry and American Bourbon Casks
Colour: Deep gold.
Nose: Exceptionally well-integrated and unfolds elegantly and gradually. Opens with a syrupy sweetness akin to Port wine, with wood polish, plums and tons of other red fruits. There's a transition to honey baked glazed buns and light fruits, with a notable return of the earlier blood orange notes.
Palate: Expressive yet opens up gradually once again, with all the elegance of an old Scotch. Compared to the earlier ones, this expression presents a bolder and richer texture. Fresh fruit notes of cherries, raspberries, and very ripe pink guava are evident. These are deepened by the richness of Lotus caramel biscuits, toasted hazelnuts, and aromatic wood polish. And despite the intensity of flavour, the sweetness is quite moderate and precise.
Finish: Very long, with a gentle ashiness and aromatic wood. Gradually transforms into notes of orange dark chocolate, concluding with aromatic oak and a hint of spearmint.
We can see how Bowmore's sherry-matured whiskies really shine when they cross the 20-year threshold.
This tastes very precise and intentional, as if each flavour dimension has been carefully adjusted for. It's like a well-coordinated film production where every element is in perfect harmony and at just the right amount. This is masterful in the fruitiness and sweetness, intertwined with an underlying aromatic smokiness. Almost perfect.
If this was bottled closer to cask strength, it would be phenomenal.
My Rating: 9/10
This expression will be made available for purchase in 2024.
@CharsiuCharlie
]]>