Discover Whisky

Hardly seems any time at all since the last Scotch Malt Whisky Society tasting at Queen St. but here we are again. Sadly Mike got sent off to London on business at the last minute - he missed at least two cracking malts.

Now before we go any further I’m going to talk about naming, because reviewing malts to the wider world is a bit awkward if you can’t tell people what distillery they come from. People don’t associate tastes with numbers the way they do with names. Up till now I’ve followed the SMWS line of only showing bottling numbers but in the context of a blog it’s all a bit artificial and anyone who wants to know the name can find it online anyway with very little effort. I’ve become aware that the main reason for continuing the “secrecy” is to prevent people thinking that the standard bottlings that you’ll find in your local off-licence are going to taste like the society’s specials, but given that we’re making it plain that these tastings are very much out of the ordinary I don’t see that as a real danger. So I trust they’ll forgive me naming the distilleries this time round.

So on to the first dram and what a choice to begin with!

1. Glenfarclas

The Society’s tasting panel name - Caribbean Beach Party

Bottling number - 1.151

10 years old, 63.3%

Colour
Medium light gold

Nose
Distinctively Glenfarclas, this took me back to a bottle that my best man bought me nearly 30 years ago. Robust, butterscotch, spicy, hint of rum, light smoke.

First taste
Incredibly rich and honeyed, sticky toffee pudding, a little Seville orange and a bit of peppery spice. This is seriously strong but to me it’s not overpowering, although some of my tasting compatriots found it so and immediately headed for the water. For a 10 year old this has incredible depth.

Second taste
The warmth and quality just gets better and better. Despite the strength the spirit only gives an edge to the richness and an accent to the touch of smoke that sits in the background. A little more fruit surprisingly appears as the taste matures in the mouth. The smws panel reckoned Papaya but I don’t know that taste well enough to say.

Finish
Long and spicy

Later
Unlike some malts that are left in the glass for a while it maintains all its integrity, dark spicy fruit notes are prominent.

I didn’t care to sully this with water - it was too good as it was - but it would probably have taken it quite well.

Conclusion
Glenfarclas is an old favourite of mine, particularly the 105 proof version and this was a supercharged version of that with oodles of depth and quality. As I said on the night, when you can drag me away from the west coast islands this is what can do it. And this bottling is remarkable value - I think Olaf said £43.50 (check out their site to make sure) which is scarcely more than a standard over-proof bottle. At that price it’ll be snapped up.

In complete contrast we moved on to

2. Glenkinchy

panel name - Exotic taste of summer
Bottling - 22.28

21 years, 54%

Colour
Pale yellow

Nose
Light. Melon and Lychee.

First taste
More complex than expected. Light on the tongue but quite vibrant. The far eastern fruits are there to match the nose but there’s a lot more going on underneath as well.

Second taste
Flowery notes come through, Elderflower perhaps.

Finish
Longer than expected given the lightness of the tastes

With water
Spicey dried fruit comes through but not in any overpowering sense, just enough to give more character.

Later
Some toffee notes. Not one to leave for too long but then you wouldn’t be doing that would you?

Conclusion
I could easily have used the word “unexpected” in just about every line of this tasting. This is a subtle and interesting whisky with far more depth than most Lowland malts that I’ve experienced. It would make a fine light apperitif or a summer afternoon dram, and I’d expect a lot of people to like this.

Our next is a real rarity and a possibly unique flavour:

3. Glenugie

Panel name - Tickled by monstera deliciosa
Bottling - 99.11

29 years, 43.4%

Colour
Pale honey

Nose
This one left us all feeling that we’d come across the major note before but none of us could place what it was. Maybe Apple Strudel? Waxy, a hint of diesel oil, leather, but there’s also something else that none of us could pin down.

First taste
Spangles (that was mentioned in the November tasting on a whisky I didn’t care for but the context is rather different this time), and all of the same flavours as mentioned in the nose.

Second taste
After much discussion someone came up with a touch of soft cheese. Very unusual.

Finish
Again cheesy, and longer than expected

With water
Not strong enough to withstand water which takes too much edge off it.

Conclusion
This is very unusual - I actually hadn’t heard of it before and you may never come across it again as the distillery, which was in Peterhead, is long gone. As a contrast to the others it was fascinating and provoked a lot of discussion.

In complete contrast again we moved on to the realms of sherry:

4. Tormore

Panel name - Pouring treacle on cut grass
Bottling - 105.13
26 years, 56%

Colour
Tawny sherry.

Nose
Brazil nuts, cherry cola. I was in close agreement with the society’s panel on this one - not always the case.

First taste
Cough syrup, black treacle, warm, upper mouth tastes. Lots of influence from the sherry cask it was matured in.

Second taste
Slightly bitter counterpoint to the sherry richness.

Finish
Medium long and rich.

with water
Opens out to a xmas cake taste.

Conclusion
Heavily sherried whiskies are seldom to my taste but this was a good one and my nearest neighbour at the table really enjoyed it. I wouldn’t drink it often but as a winter warmer and companion to the festive season I can see it being popular.

At this point I hadn’t read the society notes for our last whisky and Olaf told us he’d considered a fine Ardbeg but decided instead on this one. Hope rose in my taste buds immediately and I wasn’t disappointed because the first sniff identified it immediately. Short of handing me a gold bar he couldn’t have brought a bigger smile to my face.

5. Caol Ila

Panel name - Captain Pugwash
Bottling - 53.139

27 years, 55.2%

Colour
Pale yellow. Surprisingly none of the green tinge that it usually exhibits.

Nose
Unmistakeably Caol Ila but not quite as slap-in-your-face as some younger versions. Slightly medicinal as any Islay should be but not too much. Redolent with promise of wonderful tastes to come.

First taste
Heavenly!! Light and open, fragrant, peat smoky, complex, a hint of lime. Staggeringly good.

Second taste
And it gets better and better, so many layers of tastes interacting. Marvellously subtle. Some sweeter notes appearing, peach syrup. The society’s notes mentioned all sorts of seafood - scallops and lobsters and I can see where that’s coming from (oh for a glass of this with delicately cooked scallops in olive oil) but the whole amalgam almost defied analysis because it hung together so well. We talked about the bonfire-on-the-beach impression that I’ve used before to describe this so it was nice to have that confirmed.

Someone mentioned peatiness but here I disagree with common opinion - I don’t see Caol Ila as peaty but as peat smokey. To me peaty is the taste of those dark rivers in Perthshire, the taste you get in whiskies like Blair Atholl. Yes of course many Islays are peaty but Caol Ila has a much lighter flavour which is much more reminiscent of the light smoke and pure white ash you get from the dried peat briquets that are common in Ireland.

With water
Yeah right, wild horses could’t get me to put water in this, not even for a review. It’d be a crime.

Finish
Typical cask strength Caol Ila but much more so. It lasts and lasts and lasts and there isn’t a taste like it. (If there is somebody tell me what it is!)

Conclusion
Ok, you know I’m biased, but this is simply outstanding. Probably the best whisky I’ve tasted in the last 5 years and maybe a lot longer. I really can’t praise it enough. If I could get regular supplies of this I’d even walk past Talisker for it.

Overall Thoughts

A big thank you to Olaf for such a varied and interesting selection, with a big strong starter, a couple of thought-provoking and unusual tastes to follow, a big sherry flavour in the penultimate spot, and a spectacular finale to die for. When you’re trying to choose malts to match the tastes for a varied panel you usually have at least one that is a bit disappointing for at least a few of them - though which one it is is different for them all. This time I can say I enjoyed all of them in different ways and they all provoked memories and comment from the whole group. I have to mention the Glenfarclas because it was not only very good but also fabulous value. However Olaf and I had discussed previously that of all the distilleries there was only one which their tasting panel had never rejected a cask from, and that is Caol Ila. This one demonstrates why.

After cheese and oatcakes we headed downstairs for some convivial discussion - can you guess what Olaf and I were both drinking?

Regular readers will recall my tasting notes on the Balvenie 17 year-old Madeira Cask a little while back. This whisky has now been launched in the US with a two-night event at New York’s Eleven Madison Park Restaurant where invited guests were given tastings of the entire 17 year old range with the Madeira taking pride of place.

I’m heading back to Madeira myself in a few weeks so I might develop even more of a taste for it by the time I get back!

They are also offering a sweepstake on their website at the moment with a very interesting prize of an exclusive Scotch Whisky nosing and tasting kit containing 24 separate aromas and a dedicated nosing guide, along with a Balvenie hipflask. Go to Discover Rare Craftsmanship Sweepstakes if you fancy taking part in that.

The sweepstake seems to be part of a number of developments on their site with the Warehouse 24 members area and their Whisky Shelf - which is a place to record and compare your tasting experiences of all whiskies, not just the Balvenie, with other members.

Nice to see an attractive looking site making some enterprising additions. They should do well with it.

But not a Scottish island. This one lies off the coast of Africa but is part of Europe and run by Portugal. The delightful island of Madeira is famous for its mild climate, excellent seafood and the wine which takes its name. I was there myself over New Year and enjoyed it immensely, so when I was asked if I wished to sample a single malt which had been finished in Madeiran wine casks I was immediately intrigued.

The whisky in question is The Balvenie, a Speyside noted for its smooth taste. Now regular readers will know that I’m not really a Speyside afficionado; generally favouring the wilder and more complex flavours of the west coast, though I do have fond memories of an evening spent drinking Balvenie in the company of the historical novelist Dorothy Dunnett, herself an expert and appreciative malt drinker; but the prospect of a combination with the rich taste of Madeira easily pursuaded me to lay aside my normal preference for smoke and peat.

The Balvenie - Madeira Cask, 17 years old, 43%

Colour

Medium-light honey

Nose

Soft, smooth, a suggestion of honey with a slight hint of cough medicine. The Madeira comes through well. Leaving it for a few minutes produces a vanilla note with the Madeira fading back.

Taste

Initial taste

Warm without being spirity. Front of the tongue tastes predominate, redolent of one of the richer honeys such as Manuka.

Later taste

The honey dies back and a spicier taste appears - very reminicent of Christmas cake with flavours of dark dried fruits and cinnamon.

Finish

Medium length. Not essentially different from the flavours of the second taste, but while in a west coast malt I would find that slightly disappointing, here it is much more appropriate for it to maintain consistency.

After a little water

A touch of water releases some lighter vanilla notes and the taste lightens too, becoming sweeter and finally producing the Madeira cake flavour that I’d been expecting might be present. I seldom prefer watered versions but here it’s a satisfying counterpoint.

Conclusion

The marriage between smooth Speyside spirit and the rich flavours of Madeiran wine works very well. While Balvenie isn’t as complex a spirit as one from Islay or Skye, its smooth refined palate provides an ideal base for the addition of the rich spiciness provided by the wine casks. Had this approach been applied to a more complicated malt it might well have resulted in a clash, here it blends the respective flavours to produce something that exceeds both. If you like smooth Speysides and especially if you also like rich, spicy fortified wines then I’d recommend that you give this one a try when it’s released in September.

One of Dorothy Dunnett’s books involves the hero’s Scots father owning a plantation on Madeira in the 15th century - it’s a connection that now makes perfect sense.

I have to confess to never having previously tasted any of the output from this most northerly mainland distillery, so I came to it with no preconceptions, save perhaps wondering if it would be anything like the well known distillery on the facing islands of Orkney.

Old Pulteney - 30 year old, 44%

Colour

Pale gold, lemon or maybe acacia honey

Nose

Sea air, green leaves, light and airy

Taste

Initial taste

After the colour and nose this was unexpectedly warm and rich, redolent of caramel chocolate. Not the false “added caramel” taste you get with some cheaper malts though, rather a luscious but light flavour, and maybe that acacia honey thought wasn’t far off the mark. Darker chocolate notes increase later.

Later taste

A citrus tang  - perhaps bitter Seville orange - creeps in as the whisky warms up. This seems to help it remain relatively light for such a venerable malt.

Finish

Long and delicately rich - light honey predominating

Conclusion

Well balanced and satisfying. Although it’s a 30-year old it retains a freshness more associated with the 12-15s that I usually favour, with none of the over-rich cloying tastes that you sometimes see in older Speysides. The fact that there has been no additional finishing with wine or sherry casks, and plain white bourbon casks have been used throughout, means that the quality of the spirit has been allowed to predominate. Given the fashion for experimental finishes this could be seen as either brave or just very sympathetic to the nature of the whisky. Whichever it was it’s been the right decision and very worthwhile.

Again and again when I’m doing these tastings I’m amazed at how often the whiskies encapsulate the feelings of the places where they are distilled and matured. Even in a blindfold tasting I would know this was a north-east whisky without a shadow of a doubt.

This is a gentle dram, subtle rather than complex, but pure rather than simple. It has an understated but undeniable quality which is refreshing, like the air on the north coast from which it comes.

I would expect it to be a good match for fish, particularly something like the herring which Wick was once so famous for, where the citrus taste would match with the sweetness of the fish. But it would also stand alone as a perfect after dinner dram. This is not a cheap dram but it is a very good one. If you like sound of the descriptions or are already a fan of the northern malts then I can heartily recommend it to anyone with the budget. I’m quite taken with this and I’ll certainly be watching out for some of the other single malts they produce to see if they reflect the same fine qualities.

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.