Tag Archives: Berries

Glenglassaugh, Refreshed, Springtime, Summertime

A week dedicated to Glenglassaugh – first up, Clearac 50% ABV

Highland Region – 50%ABV – 200ml – $29.99

Soon to be released in the US will be a series of four 200ml bottled of Glenglassaugh spirit drinks.  Today I am tasting, along side my good friend Jason Johnstone-Yellin of Guid Scotch Drink, the Glenglassaugh “Clearac”.  A new, unpeated, un-matured spirit – straight off the still.

If you’ve never tasted or experienced new make spirit or an unmatured malt distillate, please do not go into it thinking you’re going to taste whisky.  This is not whisky.  Whisk(e)y gets a good 60% (or more) of it’s flavors from the barrel during the maturation process.  What I am reviewing today is an unmatured spirit which is unaffected in any way by oak barrels.

So, what should we expect?  Well, I would expect beer like, or, malty notes and gobs of sweetness.  Let’s see what we get:

On the nose – Big beer notes right up front — like a good Belgian beer (think Duvel or Leffe).

Beneath that there are some very fruity notes.

Berries (lighter, more sour berries, like gooseberry).

Baked pear.

There’s also notes of unsweetened iced tea.

This is a bright, fresh nose.

On the mouth – Pears, all the way (bartlett).

Nice mouthfeel, slight chewiness (chewy like gum, not like Chewbacca).

Some minty notes.

Malt is there for sure but this is really more fruity than malty (complete opposite of the nose).

Finish – Short to medium with a slight saltiness at the very end.

In sum – When I go back to the nose after taking a sip, those malty/beer notes seem much more prevalent.  The flavor is where it’s at.

As mentioned, this is NOT whisky.  However, let’s look at this as if we were chess players (as some of you may be).  Think a few steps/plays out or, perhaps 10 years out.  This liquid, matured in ex-bourbon barrels?  Now we’re talking!  This is going to be some fine tasting whisky!

By the way, as I mentioned, I’m doing this week along side the Guid Scotch Drink blog.  You can read Jason’s notes here.

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Angry, Ardbeg, Autumn, Cold Winter, Glenmorangie, Kosher Spirits (not for Passover), Need To Bundle Up, Refreshed, Springtime, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

Ⓤ… will not believe the great news that just came out of Moët Hennessy USA for Glenmorangie & Ardbeg

Breaking news!!! This just came across my desk here at The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society HQ:

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Glenmorangie, Scotland’s Favorite Single Malt

Scotch Announces OU KOSHER CERTIFICATION

New York, June 08, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — The Glenmorangie Company and Moët Hennessy USA are proud to announce that Glenmorangie Original, Scotland’s favorite single malt Scotch whisky, has become kosher-certified by the Orthodox Union (OU), the world’s largest and most respected kosher certification agency. Additionally, its pioneering new expression, Glenmorangie Astar, has also become kosher-certified. Glenmorangie’s sister distillery, Ardbeg has also received OU Kosher certification for its Ardbeg 10yr old expression.

New packaging and promotional materials bearing the “OU” symbol will be distributed nationwide over the next few months.

“At Glenmorangie we take great pride in producing Scotland’s favorite single malt whisky, using the finest Scottish barley and hand selected American white oak casks of only the highest quality. The OU kosher certification will bring our iconic brand to an entirely new consumer base that can now enjoy our products,” Brian Cox, Glenmorangie U.S. Brand Director.

The Orthodox Union rigorously monitors all aspects of production. It supervises the process by which the whisky is created, examines the raw ingredients used to make Glenmorangie and regularly inspects the distilling and bottling facilities to make sure that its standards are met.

“We are very pleased to have Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky become the first major single malt scotch brand to attain OU certification. It was also gratifying for OU to guide the Glenmorangie Company through the certification process and bring this famous single malt brand to the growing kosher market place,” remarked Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, OU Kosher Vice President of Communications and Marketing. “It was rewarding for OU Kosher’s team, headed by Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz and Dr. Avraham Meyer, to collaborate with the Glenmorangie team to bring these renowned products to an ever-growing kosher market place.”

For further information, please e-mail David Blackmore, Glenmorangie U.S. Communications Manager, at glenmorangiepr@mme.net.

PRODUCT NOTES

Glenmorangie Original, is bottled at a strength of 43% ABV and chill-filtered, to enhance the smooth but complex flavors. It is aged for a minimum of ten years in superior quality American White Oak ex-bourbon barrels, made from forests carefully and sustainably managed for the Glenmorangie Company. These casks are filled with the Glenmorangie spirit, distilled to an unparalleled level of complexity, aroma and smoothness in the tallest copper-pot stills in all of Scotland. The result is a smooth yet complex malt whisky, revered and rewarded across the globe for generations. Glenmorangie Original consistently outscores its direct competition, scoring 94 points for the past 6 years in “The Whisky Bible”. Jim Murray, the author of the Whisky Bible and world renowned whisky expert describes Glenmorangie Original as “Complexity at its most complex.”

Glenmorangie Astar, is one of the newest expressions from the famed Glenmorangie Distillery, and is the first whisky in the world to be matured in ‘designer casks’ sourced from selected, air seasoned, slow-growth American white oak.

The creation of Astar began in 1985 and is the brainchild of Dr. Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s Head of Distilling and Whisky Creation. The wood used to mature the whisky is carefully selected, slow-growth, fine-grained American white oak, found specifically in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. The wooden ‘staves’ crafted from the oak is left in the open air to season for at least 24 months. This long wait, coupled with the wood’s inherent porosity, allows the white oak wood to breath and soften, adding the first elements of flavor that will contribute to the final spirit. The staves are ‘coopered’ into oak casks and toasted to contribute further flavors of almond and coconut. The casks are then filled with Tennessee whiskey and set aside to mature for four years, smoothing out any rawness in the wood, and at the same time releasing luscious undertones of vanilla.

These ‘designer casks’ are then ready to be emptied and shipped to the Glenmorangie Distillery in Tain, to be filled with Glenmorangie’s renowned, delicate and complex spirit, uniquely derived from Scotland’s tallest stills. The casks are finally laid down for many years in dark, cool, earth-floored warehouses for a long, slow maturation. Glenmorangie Astar is bottled at 114.2 proof, 57.1% ABV which represents the whisky in its most natural form, and allows the drinker to explore the fullest spectrum of aroma, texture and flavors.

Dr. Bill Lumsden comments:
“At Glenmorangie we are particular. We believe up to 60% of the flavor of the whisky comes from the wood and our quest for the very best wood is unparalleled. It is difficult to sum up years of passion and commitment! But I would describe Glenmorangie Astar as everything a single malt should be – it is the result of an incredible journey: the pursuit of perfection.”

ABOUT GLENMORANGIE

Glenmorangie originates in the Scottish Highlands where, at the Glenmorangie Distillery, it is distilled in the tallest malt whisky stills in Scotland, expertly matured in the finest oak casks, and perfected by the 16 Men of Tain. The distillery was founded in 1843 and is renowned as a pioneer in its fields, uniting tradition with innovation. Most recently, at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Glenmorangie was awarded the prestigious title of ‘Distillery of the Year’.

Today, the company is one of the most renowned and innovative distillers and marketers of Scotch whisky brands worldwide and is part of Moët Hennessy, the wine and spirits division of Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH). Headquartered near Edinburgh, Scotland, the company produces two main single malt brands – Glenmorangie Single Highland Malt Whisky and Ardbeg Single Islay Malt.

ABOUT THE ORTHODOX UNION

The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of North America and beyond, represents the fastest growing segment in Jewish life. The OU is a world leader in community and synagogue services, adult education, youth work through NCSY, political action through the IPA (Institute of Public Affairs), and advocacy for persons with disabilities through Yachad and Our Way. Its kosher certification label, the OU, is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 400,000 products manufactured in 80 countries around the globe.

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Great news, right!?  How very smart of The Glenmorangie Company and Moët Hennessy USA to move forward with certifying these three great, staple Scotch whisky products.

I have come up with a couple of new logos which both Ardbeg and Glenmorangie are free to use (no royalty payments required!):

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Bruichladdich, Refreshed, Springtime, Takin' It Easy

Bruichladdich 19yr old Black Arts

Ok, before you begin to read my post on this dram, you may want to hit play on the youtube video below (so as to set the mood):

Is it playing?  Good.  Just keep it sort of quiet and in the background.  Umm, a little lower in the volume… there.  Good.

When I was young, about six years in age, my uncle started feeding me music from all sorts of great bands.  Bands he loved and wanted me to love in kind.  Two of the bands stuck out and I still love them to this day.  The Ramones and Black Sabbath.  In fact, the first album I ever owned was Black Sabbath’s Paranoid album.

Let’s put the Ramones to the side for now and focus on Black Sabbath.  Here I was six years old, listening to Black Sabbath and… was I scared?  A bit (I mean, listen to this song for “Peat’s” sake – you do have the video playing, right?).  But mostly, I was entranced.  Even at six, I knew that these guys were on some level beyond any other band I’d ever heard.

As I got older, I became more obsessed with the music of Black Sabbath and (here comes a crazy geek moment) Dungeons and Dragons.  There, I said it.  I was into D&D big time.  D&D, Lord of the Rings, you name it, I was into it.

You must be thinking “Hey Hatton, where are you going with this?” or, “Dude, D&D… seriously!?”

The point I am coming to is that I saw something mystical and magical in this music and those role playing games and sipping on this whisky took me back there.

Yes, nearly 31 years later and I came across this interesting and new Bruichladdich expression called Black Arts and I’m taken back to those things that got me interested in the “strange”.  But, come to think of it, it was not just strange.  It was new, different, unique and artistic – something I think this expression is.

What is Bruichladdich’s Black Arts expression?  First, let’s take a look at their bottle:

You’ll notice a matte black finish on the bottle and cylinder.  This, as I understand it, is a follow up to Bruichladdich’s “Blacker Still” expression.  Just looking at it and I get a creepy-cool feeling.  It’s the type of feeling you get when you’re around a campfire telling ghost stories – the good creepy.  You want more.

And yes, I wanted more.  I wanted to open the bottle right away but, before I did, I took a closer look at the bottle and saw a Star of David on there.  Wait a sec.  Hold you’re horses.  What does this mean?  I don’t know any Jew that works in the Black Arts – What’s going on here!?!?

I did some reading up on what this star meant and found that Bruichladdich says the star is actually “two triangles that represent the reconciliation of the opposites of fire and water”.  In fact, here’s the full quote from Bruichladdich’s product sheet: “Alchemy, the black art, the eternal search for rejuvenation and immortality, gave us whisky.  Gebber the Arab is said to be the first distiller of al-iksir, the water of life, in Persia around 790 AD.” (or, CE and I prefer to say.  C.E. being the Common Era) “The spirits Eau de vie, Aqua Vitae, Vodka, Aquavit, Uisque Beatha all share that same original meaning.  Geber understood that precious metals were hidden in alloys and ores.  By the rearrangement of base metal’s qualities, via elixir, it could be transmutated into Gold.  Elixir also existed as a dry, red powder made from Philosophers’ stone.  If it could turn poor metal into gold – it could give eternal life.  The two triangles that represent the reconciliation of the opposites of fire and water.”

Cool stuff, right?

Speaking of “red powder”, after I poured a dram, I wondered if Bruichladdich found this Philosophers’ stone and put a wee bit into each cask.  The reason I wondered this….well, take a look at the color of this whisky (on your left – click on it for a larger image).

While it may be tough to see here in this picture.  I will tell you that, in person, this fluid is red.  Red whisky.  I’ve never seen anything like this before and, just like when I first heard Black Sabbath, I was entranced.  Just a note here: this is the natural color of the whisky; no color added.

How did they get this whisky red?  Is it the red powder from the Philosophers’ stone?  If you think the answer is “yes” then I suggest you check yourself into an insane asylum.  While you may think the good folks at Bruichladdich are alchemists with all of those great expressions they come out with, this is the real world and they’re using real science here, not alchemy.

So, how did they get it red?  A little birdy told me that this whisky was finished in three red wine casks, one right after the other.  Awesome.

OK, I think it’s about high time I get to the tasting:

Islay region – 51.1%ABV – 700ml bottle – £75 | €94 (this bottle is not available through US stores)

On the nose — 51.1% alcohol be damned! I can sniff this all night with no issues.  Big red fruits!  Raspberry, strawberry, cranberry and some fruit of the more tropical variety — passion fruit & papaya (all of these berries makes me think of my daughter’s book called “Jamberry”).  Wow.  Some nail polish remover notes here, something a bit sour and some over steeped green tea…  I’m in love with this nose!  This is just the right influence of wine on the whisky.  Some spiciness on the nose and a bit of honey (which I did not expect here).  With a few drops of water the fruits get very juicy smelling – almost over ripe.

On the mouth — Great entry here and I’m a bit taken aback.  What a balance!  The fruits are big but dry – like a good & fruity cabernet.  Grassy, fresh hay.  Quite grapey, quite winey.  The mouth feel is nice nothing too special about it though.  Let’s add a few drops of water.  With water the mouth feel evolves into something completely different and beautiful.  I feel like an alchemist turning dried fruits into re-ripened fruits.  There’s something deep in the background that resembles the faintest whiff of smoke but, I dont think this was at all peated.

Finish — Longer and slightly burning.  Wow, increasingly burning and getting stronger by the second.  Cool stuff.

In sum — This is a true artisan’s whisky.  And while some folks thought this dram crossed the line a bit between wine finishes and whisky; to me, the extra finishing was something of pure genius.  What a great marriage between wine and whisky.  While the two whiskies are nothing alike, the mystery surrounding the Bruichladdich Black Arts reminds me of the mysteries around the Glenmorangie Signet.  Two very different whiskies; two very great whiskies.  My hat’s off to the folks at Bruichladdich.  They’ve created a magical dram here.

A World of Discovery, Glenmorangie, Springtime, Summertime, Takin' It Easy

The Glenmorangie Collection – Four 100ml bottles

Highlands Region – 43% – 46% – Glenmorangie Collection – (4) 100cl bottles – $49 (could not find sources outside of the US for this collection)

So yes, I write this fun and fancy blog and I have a lot of fun doing it.  Lots of great whiskies to taste; friends I’ve met, great comments, criticisms, etc…  So far, it’s a grand old ride.  In addition to writing this blog, I founded and manage a Malt Whisky Society called: The Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society (I’m not only the president, I’m also a client).

In our most recent tasting event we explored the Glenmorangie range (or at least 4 expressions from the Glenmorangie range).

We had a total of 7 people (including myself, though not pictured) that night and it was a total blast!  The group may have been a smaller one but, what a group we had!  These people are “the salt of the earth”.

While we did not taste the full range, we did get to sample the “Original Ten Years” Expression (at 43%) as well as “The Lasanta” (12yr sherry finish), “Quinta Ruban” (12yr port finish) and “The Nectar D’or” (12yr Sauternes finish) expressions; all at 46% abv.

The last three expressions are “finished” which means that they spent 10yrs in standard bourbon casks then were transferred for an extra 2yrs in their respective sherry, port or sauternes cask for “finishing”.  Basically, the whisky, having spent an extra 2 yrs in casks that have matured these different wines will have imparted to them some of the characteristics & flavors of each type of wine.

For instance, one can expect from a “sherry finish” to taste flavors that range from chocolate to dried fruits (think dates, figs, raisins, etc…).  A “port finish” imparts spicy qualities (think spiced gum drops, cloves, things like that).  Lastly, a “sauternes finish” should impart incredible sweetness (sauternes, being a fine, uber-sweet dessert wine) with flavors of honey & nuts, apricots, oranges, etc…

Glenmorangie is known for it’s soft elegant qualities.  Lots of honey & citrus, butter, etc…  So, imagine some of the above flavors on top of that!  Yum!

Let’s see how it all played out shall we?

The notes below are combined notes from the group as we were on the same page (for the most part) with all of these expressions.  Any stray from consensus will be noted accordingly.

The Original – Ten Years – 43% ABV

Initial whiff — Cirtusy, honeyed citrus candies, slight smoke & pineapples, grassy, vanilla bean ice cream.

On the mouth – Lemongrass, more honey, a bit thin but has a bit of an attack (“softens a touch with a drop of H2O” — John), pecans & oaky vanilla

Finish – (Here’s where tended to differ)  One of us thought the finish was surprisingly long while another thought it was “shorter than an oompa-loompa churning cream & sugar”  (Ok, I threw that analogy in.  It was better than just saying it was a short finish, right?).  I found the finish to be medium in length, a bit effervescent and with the slightest twinge of smoke (hugely slight!).

The Lasanta- Sherry Finish – 46% ABV

I’m going to be blunt and upfront about the Lasanta — I am not a fan in any way.  Maybe it’s my taste buds, maybe not, but…  each time I nose & taste this whisky, all I get is sulfur.  While other people got that too, they seemed to get past it and find other things and ended up enjoying it.  I, however, could not.  I’m not the only one who found this to be a sulfur-bomb, if I remember correctly, Jim Murray did too in his Whisky Bible 2009 edition.  For those of you who know me, you will be very surprised to hear that there’s a Glenmo out there I did not like.  Well, there you go, its out in the open.  Let it stand, too, that this is the ONLY Glenmomorangie I have not enjoyed (and I’ve tasted more than 12 Glenmorangies so far) so, finding one I did not like was bound to happen.  The notes below will be the groups notes, minus my notes:

Initial whiff — Cinnamon, caramel, black plums, pleasant & fruity, a bit sulfury, dark chocolates.

On the mouth – Caramel, figs, a big bite to it, tobacco, not very pleasant (this is not my note), “I think this one needs a bit of time to open up”, “Needs time & water, then, it’s lovely”.

Finish – A spicy finish. Longish and tannic.

Quinta Ruban – Port Finish – 46% ABV

Initial whiff — Spiced Oranges, Cloves, honey & vanilla, “this one will tickle your nose thinking that’s it’s actually Elmo” (Ok, so I threw in another little analogy…  it is a nose tickler, very spicy stuff).

On the mouth – More tannic than I expected, spiced citrus stuffs, honey and vanilla, some good nuttiness follows the nose here, oily mouth feel, coating and chewy.

Finish – Short, left you wanting more, off balance compared to what the nose & palate delivered, though with the addition of a bit of water, a creaminess stays with you.

Nectar D’or – Sauternes Finish – 46% ABV

The notes listed below are my notes from a previous tasting as we were all on the same page here.  The Nectar D’or really delivered and it was quite amazing to see the change in the group once we poured and tasted this stuff.  It truly is call a “Nectar” for a reason.

Initial whiff — Apricot jam, actual Sauternes (no initial whisky scents, pure Sauternes wine; delicious!), loads of vanilla, some coconut and a tad bit of smoke, more like apricot jam on burnt toast (after having scrapped off the burny parts with a butter knife).

On the mouth – My G-d, my mouth instantly started watering.  Very fruity, apricots again, pecans, oak and coconuts.  A bit peppery and some gobs of honey, sugared honey.

Finish – Long, this stuff coats your mouth quite well, in the way back of my tongue the pecans came back.  Quite lovely stuff.

In sum – What a night and ride this was.  I have to say that, in the end, the Original and Nectar D’or shined for the evening.  We tasted these in the order you just read and it was nice to see how this line was built using the basic 10yr fluid then building different flavor profiles on top of that with the different casks.  I don’t think, however, that this collection is a balanced one with the addition of the Original Ten Year bottle.  What I would like to see is a collection of the 10yr, 18yr & 25yr (and, I know this is a pipe dream because the 15yr doesn’t exist anymore but, the addition of the 15yr would be grand!).  Then, in another grouping, the colleciton should be the Lasanta, Quinta Ruban, Nectar D’or and Signet – this does not include a few other current Glenmorangie expressions but, hey this is just my wishlist.

Ardbeg, Autumn, Cold Winter, Need To Bundle Up, Takin' It Easy

Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist 1990, 16 years old

Islay region – 46%ABV – 750ml bottle – $79 and up | £64 | €71

So, a short while back the nice folks over at Shoppers Vineyard put on this amazing sale which, as of today (March, 12, 2010) is still going on – 46% off of their price on Ardbeg’s “Airigh Nam Beist” 16yr old beauty!!  Talk about a Sweet Sixteen!!  Take that Molly Ringwald.  You may never see a price like this again so my suggestion is to take advantage of it, while you can.

Pronounciation — The Airigh Nam Beist is pronounced “Ari Nam Baysht” (which actually sounds Yiddish to me).  Thankfully, the fine folks at Ardbeg decided to finally come out with products we all can pronounce: Rollercoaster and, umm, well that’s all of them I suppose (discounting the 10yr which was released years ago and we all can pronounce that one, right?).

As winter is now winding down, my taste for the peatier malts is beginning to wane.  So I wanted to get this review under my belt before the temps started hitting 70 deg F and the birds started chirping.

Initial whiffs — Peat (extremely warm peat, not like the citrusy peat you get from the 10yr), baby sick, quite fruity, gooseberry jam, the more you sniff, the less peat you get, grassy, oaky now but, not a ton

Palate — Warming peat, golden raisins, silky velvet in the tongue, very sexy mouth-feel like the Ardbeg licked my tongue, salted olive oil, pine nuts (like a peaty pesto minus the garlic & basil)

Finish — Shorter than I expected (due to the 46%Abv?), here comes the wood; now the beastie is showing it’s age (this baby is 16yrs old, BTW.  It can start driving here in the US), lots of wood but not too-too much (like a good Chardonay — the crappy ones are over-oaked, the good ones are complimented by the oaky influence), lasting peat with a warmth similar to that of the Lagavulin 16yr.

In sum — Wow.  Astounding stuff.  Alone, she shines like the morning sun.  Next to other, more youthful Ardbegs, not so much…  Drink her alone, this beast is a one guy gal (or a one gal gal).  Don’t believe me?  Check out Whisky Israel’s Corryvreckan vs Airigh Nam Beist review.  Enjoy this one with your family during Thanksgiving dinner (for my US & Canadian readers)!  Drinking this made me long for fun family times, roaring fires and relatives falling asleep due to high levels of turkey-induced tryptophan in their system.

UPDATE – I’ve come to find out from a friend that these bottles could have 16, 17 or 18yr scotch depending on the code etched into the bottle.  L6 = 16yrs, L7 = 17yrs & L8 = 18yrs old (or, another way of saying it is L6 was bottled in 2006, L7 in 2007 or L* was bottled in 2008 which makes this 1990 vintage 16, 17 or 18 years old).  My Airigh Nam Beist is 18yrs old, not 16yrs.  It make me want to try the 16 vs 17 vs 18yr old expressions.  Anybody up for some sample trading??