Discover Whisky

This is the first tasting note from my recent visit to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s rooms in Queen St in Edinburgh. The Society has a tradition of not referring to their bottlings by name, but only by cask number, but they do give hints that enable you to identify them with a little research. I’ll continue that tradition here. For those of you who are Society members they can be bought at www.smws.co.uk/shop/ (though I imagine you’ve all been there already!) and all of you can see the full selection there.

The first whisky in our tasting was from a distillery in Falkirk that is sadly no more. Mike has long had a soft spot for this one so he’ll be annoyed that he couldn’t make the tasting. Regrettably my original tasting notes disappeared from my Palm Pilot, so these are based on recollections a few days afterwards with hints from the Society’s own notes. Sometimes I agreed with them, sometimes I didn’t…

Cask no 25.47

Described by the Society as A Sunny Flower Meadow Picnic
19 years old, 59.7%

Colour

Pale yellow

Nose

Spirity to begin with, as might be expected from this strength, with floral scents coming through and a hint of what might be a resin.

Taste

first taste

Not really what I’d expected at all - much better than the basic malt that used to be sold in the shops. Softer and more subtle, floral notes - maybe elderflower - but with hints of spice - probably Cinnamon - and wood.

later taste

Rose begins to come through along with a taste that reminds me of the smell of old leather furniture. The Society tasting panel mentioned chocolate and marshmallow although I can’t say I noticed those.

Finish

Some of my fellow tasters thought the finish was long but I found the opposite. What was there was good though.

With a little water

I have to say that I overdid the water a little, and as a result I probably missed the effect somewhat. However there was no sense of the sudden release of aromatics that I’m familiar with from the western distilleries. A little more rose and maybe a touch of pineapple-type citrus. The Society notes mentioned lemon and cut grass and I could see where that might be the case if I’d used a little less water.

Sometimes leaving a whisky for 10 or 15 minutes can bring out more flavours. We checked back on this one later and found that it wasn’t one that benefited from this approach. Personally I’d drink it at cask strength.

Conclusion

While this lowlander wasn’t my usual style of malt it was a satisfying dram, light and subtle with some excellently blended flavours. Because it is no longer made it has rarity value - at the price quoted I probably wouldn’t buy it myself, but for those of you who favour this style I can imagine it being a must-have and I suspect it’ll sell out quickly.

In midweek I had the great pleasure of attending a tasting given by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society for invited whisky bloggers at their lovely premises in Queen Street in Edinburgh. While I had visited their original home in Leith on previous occasions this was my first sight of the interior of their New Town rooms and I have to admit to being impressed on all levels. For this event we were directed to the top floor of the building to a well-appointed boardroom with superb views over Queen St Gardens and further to the Firth of Forth. Perfect timing as it was a suberb evening of soft sunshine highlighting the pink blossom which has been such a feature of this Spring. One of those nights when it’s good to be alive.

The purpose of the tasting was to sample the latest release of the Society’s bottlings which will be available this week, and it was gratifying to be invited to such company, particularly given the recent hiatus in our postings caused by upheavals in business and personal life for both Mike and me. The five malts concerned will each be accorded individual tasting posts here in the near future - all were very interesting and quite different from each other, and reflected the efforts of the Society’s tasting panel to provide quality for their members. I had a small disaster in that my Palm Pilot decided to ditch the tasting notes I made during the evening due to a battery problem - next time I’ll use old technology and write them down (if I can work out how to read my own writing!). Fortunately the Society provided a selection of their own panel members’ notes so I should be able to reconstruct mine before the memory fades too much.

The tasting group were warmly welcomed by the delightfully enthusiastic Jenny and Stephanie and the tasting was led by Olaf, who described how he had originally become the first overseas member and subsequently become more involved in the activities after moving over here, as well as later regaling us with stories of some of his many distillery visits. My thanks to all of them for an excellent night.

It was fascinating to hear the other bloggers talk about their own recent tastings and to discover how differently we all viewed the diverse tastes that we were presented with. It’s all too easy to concentrate on your own preferences and ignore some of the vast diversity of flavours available in our favourite drink and I’ll certainly be on the lookout for some of the whiskies mentioned during the evening.

Unfortunately Mike wasn’t able to attend, being on a business trip to London - he missed a fine selection of whiskies and a very convivial evening which I hope may be repeated in the future. I’m off to try writing up those tasting notes.

Although I’ve still to finish off the first sweep of the standard Islay malts the only remaining one was heavily mentioned in my recent book review so I think it’s time to venture further afield on the west coast.

The island of Mull has always been one of my very favourite places, ever since a lovely holiday early in married life. I saw my only “in the wild” otter there and despite twice having car problems have only good memories of the place. However when I first visited, the little distillery in Tobermory was the one downside as it was mothballed and looking a bit down at heel. Thankfully it has since been revived and there are two versions of its output fairly readily available. One uses the modern name of that most picturesque of villages while the other uses the old name. This time round we look at the old one.

Ledaig - 10 years old, 40%

Colour

Pale straw

Nose

Spirity with just a hint of oiliness.

Taste

Initial taste

Soft and fairly dry. There is no particularly over-riding flavour - very little peat or smoke, although a taste of peat ash comes through after a couple of minutes. A mild lemon appears shortly after.

Later taste

Curiously this dram seems to get stronger the longer you leave it. A warmer richer taste replaces the lemon and the nose seems to become sharper. There are some brief notes of what might become floral but these are short-lived. There is also something that reminds me of some herbs but I haven’t been able to identify which ones as yet.

Finish

Medium length.

Conclusion

After having spent the last few months with the heavyweight Islays I’ve had to readjust my expectations. All single malts can’t be in the top 5% or be deep and challenging but that doesn’t make then unworthy of drinking at the right time. I may also have to retune my tastebuds because malts that other people describe as peaty seem to me to be devoid of that taste!

On the strength of this tasting, and I’d like to try it again, Ledaig appears to have little of the complexity of its more celebrated island cousins. This is a much simpler spirit, which in some ways echoes its Tobermory origins, clean, light and relaxing, but with an inate strength that underpins it. If you like the west coast or island style but balk at the salty and/or peaty superstars then this might just be for you.

I just got a message from one of the girls in my office that she is looking for a bottle of the Glenmorangie ‘Cellar 13′ urgently - needs to be available in Glasgow PDQ.The Glenmorangie ‘Cellar 13′ - if memory serves, was a duty free only bottling but I think it may be on more general release. If anyone has more information on this I’d be delighted to hear from them. I’ve had a quick look on the glenmorangie website and cant find any information on it.All help would be appreciated. 

Like the earlier tasting of Blair Athol, this Glenmorangie expression arrived via my father and a good friend who knows his tastes. The Tain distillery have been in the forefront of special finishes and this one uses Spanish Oloroso Sherry casks. I’d heard Mike talking about one of their other finishes, the Quinta Ruban which uses Port casks, in enthusiastic terms so I was intrigued to discover what this would be like; especially when I realised that two days after opening it was already half empty! Perhaps though I should mention that this was partly due to a farewell toast to Jock Wilson, the oldest Normandy Veteran at 105, whose funeral had taken place that day, and at which dad had spoken eloquently.

Glenmorangie - The Lasanta -  46%

no age given other than the Sherry finish is after at least 10 years in Bourbon casks.

Colour

Rich dark-golden honey.

Nose

Warm, spirity, the sherry is quite noticeable but well-blended, hints of black treacle and perhaps a little peatier than expected for a Glenmorangie.

Taste

Initial taste

Rich, dark chocolate, treacle again, walnut, black raisins. The sensation seems to go across the top of the palate and down the back of the mouth.

Later taste

A little of the spirit edge comes off and leaves a lush, warm, enveloping taste. There is a hint of spice and bitter Seville oranges but with the bitterness masked by the sweetness of the sherry, while there is a suggestion that the treacle has changed to almost-licquorice.

Finish

Long, smooth and rich. Very relaxing. It’s hard to resist another glass!

Conclusion

In some ways quite unlike the standard Glenmorangie which is much lighter, this is a rich concoction suited to long evening discussions surrounded by wood panelling and a warm fire. However in other regards you can still detect the essential nature, which I’ve seen described as “soft and gentle”, providing the base for the darker richer layers which the sherry finish provides. Their advertising uses the “Glen of Tranquility” translation prominently and that is a perfect description of this excellent combination of Highlander and Spaniard.

No whisky enthusiast needs to be told about Islay, the island that is so steeped in our favourite spirit that it seems to run in the very blood of the inhabitants. Equally we are all aware of the sad fate of many of Scotland’s famous old distilleries; mothballed or closed forever due to the boom and bust nature of the blended whisky market mixed in with the effects of prohibition and two world wars. So any reversal of fortune, any revival of a closed distillery is to be celebrated.

Such is the case with Bruichladdich, and this new book looks at the background to its purchase, reopening, and subsequent success. There are many people behind the revival of this famous old distillery, and author Stuart Rivans is careful to ensure they are all well credited, but two men stand out - Mark Reynier and Jim McEwan. The former has the vision of a wider range of the highest quality malt whiskies for every occasion - born out of his deep knowledge of the wine trade and changing tastes - and the business drive to pull off impossible deals, while the latter has the consummate knowledge of the art of whisky distilling, of the men who help produce it and how to motivate them, and is natural communicator to the public. Along with their entire staff they have a passion for what they’re doing.

Without these two it’s doubtful if Bruichladdich could have been revived, but what comes through strongly is that it could probably only have succeeded on Islay; because of the strong community spirit, the generous help freely given by the local population, and the native ability to repair just about anything with minimum resources. The delightful little mention of the scones and pancakes left anonymously at the distillery door after yet another late night had been worked gives just a hint of the nature of the people there.

As Reynier said, it’s not really his or his shareholders’ distillery, it’s theirs, it’s part of the soul of the island, and the boost to moral which the reopening has produced is testament to it. The further project of rebuilding and reopening Port Charlotte is an even bolder step which promises further benefits for the island and its people as well a new flavours for malt enthusiasts to savour.

For the first few chapters I confess I was a little concerned about the writing style. It seemed to repeat and have false starts and I wondered if it needed editing. However after a while I began to realise that it was a by-product of the author’s enthusiasm for the tale being told and affection for the people and place being described, and by the end I was wishing the book was longer and wondering about signing up for the Whisky Academy which was so lovingly described.

If you’re a whisky enthusiast (and why else would you be reading this blog!) then you’ll want to read this story; to feel some of the atmosphere of Islay, to confirm that the little guy really can survive and prosper against the conglomerates, and to rejoice in the prospects of even more interesting single malts becoming available in the near future. And of course you’ll want a bottle of one of Bruichladdich’s highly individual products by your armchair as you do so!

Slainte!

Whisky Dreams: Waking a Giant
by Stuart Rivans
Published by Birlinn
Paperback
ISBN-13: 9781841586816
Price: £9.99

Bowmore used to be regarded in some quarters as piggy-in-the-middle; a bit of a compromise between the two extremes of the Islay tastes, but certainly in recent years this seems to me to be rather unfair. I’ve enjoyed it on a number of occasions, particularly since a visit to Islay some years ago, and Mike and I attended a tasting of three Bowmore bottlings in the Spring, but given the comparative nature of my current enquiries into Islay malts I was interested to see whether it would stand out as well as the others.

Bowmore 12 year old, 40%

Colour

Amber.

Nose

Peaty, warm soft smoke.

Taste

Initial taste
Again warm and smoky, an enveloping taste that seductively wraps itself around your tongue, leaving a comfortable feeling like the memories evoked by the still-warm remains of a peat fire.

Later taste
An unexpected sweetness briefly appears and then recedes again, replaced by hints of liquorice - but not too much. The alcohol tastes stronger than its rating, maintain the warmth. Some oak coming through the smoke. There is none of the saltiness of Bunnahabhain but it would be wrong to think of it as being one-dimensional as the peat smoke is a subtle thing, changing wraith-like in your senses and never quite allowing you to pin it down.

Finish

The intensity isn’t as long as you might expect - as the alcohol dies back it seems to take the main tastes with it - but the remnant background flavour remains in place for rather longer to remind you that another sip is waiting.

Conclusion

While very different from its neighbours it has a distinctive feel of its own. Perhaps not as complex as Lagavulin or Laphroaig nor as clean as Bruichladdich or Caol Ila, this is nevertheless a quality dram. Ideal for escaping a cold winter’s night. I know from experience that the 15 year-old is even better but that is for another tasting note. In my own preferences in this raft of tastings I’d say it is above Laphroaig and possibly Bunnahabhain, but below Caol Ila and Lagavulin. There would be times I’d prefer Ardbeg and others where I might prefer this Bowmore.

I remember, many years ago, trying Lagavulin a few weeks after finding Laphroaig too medicinal for my young palate, and quite liking it. However for some reason our paths have hardly ever crossed since then. Memory and changing tastes often play tricks so I was interested to see what my opinions of it would be now.

Lagavulin 16 year old, 43%

Colour

Deep amber

Nose

Oh, this is good. You can tell immediately. Warm, slightly salty.

Taste

Initial taste
Exactly like the nose, love at first sip. Brings to mind a warm summers day by the seashore with the grass warm under your feet. There’s a real feeling of mature quality; the fact that it’s older than the normal “standard” malts at 16 years old is very evident. It makes me wonder what the Laphroaig, which readers may remember I thought was not yet fully developed, would have been like at this age. I also wonder what the special 12 year old bottlings of Lagavulin will be like - I’ll definitely be finding out! Did I mention it was warm?

Later taste
The saltiness increases slightly, but not to excess as was threatened with the Bunnahabhain. A little caramel comes through, and increasing suggestions of sweet sherry. The sweet and the salty battle for supremacy but in the end they settle for parity in a balance that retains interest and vitality.

Finish

A strong distinctive finish that stays mostly at the front and sides of the tongue and lasts a long while.

Conclusion

This time the memory merely understated the quality - or the young tastebuds couldn’t yet appreciate it fully. I like this, a lot; better even than the Ardbeg and very close (though a rather different style) to the Caol Ila. It has something in common with Talisker in the rich complexity and saltiness. Perhaps a little more sherry and caramel than the Skye classic, perhaps not quite so many interwoven flavours, but very satisfying indeed. In my list of favourite standard single malts this has now taken a place in the top three - displacing Bowmore (which I’ll be reviewing next) and Highland Park - which is high praise indeed.

My only very slight concern is that any older versions might not be any better, as the sweet sherry flavours might take over, but I’ll happily try them out just in case!

That strange whirring noise you can hear is old Scots stillmen spinning in their graves. A Japanese whisky has been named Malt Whisky of the Year by Whisky magazine. Yoichi 20 year old from Hokkaido succeeded last year’s winner Talisker 18 year old to become the first ever overseas winner. It’s £150 a bottle so I don’t anticipate sampling it anytime soon, but it apparently tastes of smoke and blackcurrant.

Just to pile on the agony Suntory Hibiki won the best blended category. Excuse me while I go and cry into my Caol Ila.

P.S. I would have included a link to Whisky Magazine, but any site in this day and age that tells you that you have to use a particular browser to view it doesn’t deserve one. As a web designer I won’t be visiting it again.

I’m taking a little detour from my Islay survey to venture into Mike’s territory. Blair Atholl village is situated in the rolling hills of Perthshire. There is a famous castle and the village contains an old water powered grain mill. Along with Dunkeld, Pitlochry (which is actually where the distillery is) and the Pass of Killicrankie, I used to visit the area quite often, having fallen in love with it back in the days of Scout camps. It is a land of dark brown rivers running through narrow gorges surrounded by ancient woodlands and tales of heroism.

The whisky of the same name but slightly different spelling (only one l) is something of a rarity these days but my dad is a great fan of it and received a bottle which he passed on to me for tasting.

Blair Athol, 12 Year Old, 43%

Colour

Reminds me immediately of the dark rivers, it is a deep brown. (The distillery has its own burn, the Allt na Dour; and while I don’t remember what colour it is it’s a safe bet it’s brown.)

Nose

Gentle, dark peat but not too strong, a hint of wood bark.

Initial Taste

Malty, a little smoke, a touch of caramel but not too much. A nice balance.

Later taste

The taste develops as you progress down the glass. It becomes stronger and spicy to a degree. The smokiness also increases, like an old howf with a log fire in the grate.

Finish

A long satisfying finish that leaves you with a smoky caramel taste with a spicy kick.

Conclusion

This is a relaxing dram, not too challenging but with a quiet strength that would round off a fine day on the Perthshire hills or fishing the Tay.

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