Tag Archives: Fruity

Koval, Refreshed

Speed dating… with whisk(e)y! Episode 1: Koval Four Grain whiskey

Chicago, IL – 47% ABV – $50

Picture shown is for the Koval Single Barrel Four Grain Whiskey
Picture shown is for the Koval Single Barrel Four Grain Whiskey

Those regular to my blog (and those that are friends via my Facebook group) know that it’s been a LONG time since I *really* blogged about whisk(e)y.  Heck, lately, I’ve had some good reasons.  In particular, a certain thing has been taking up my time, you know?  Well, this has kept me busy too!

We live in a modern age where I can tell fewer fart and di¢k jokes leading up to my whisky review.  I know this makes you sad and it makes me a little sad too.

Soon I will get back on the longer-review wagon but, until then, I’m launching a new semi-regular series called “Speed dating with Whisk(e)y!”

The idea is that each step in approaching a whisky is like a little mini-date.  I will give you my notes as I move from nose to mouth and then to finish and also give you an idea of how I am feeling about the girl, I mean whisk(e)y, as I am experiencing the hooch.

Moving forward in this series there will likely be less pictures involved…

Let’s go!

Koval-Four-Grain-Whiskey-1On the nose (Date # 1) – She’s really showing me her quality! Melons, big old melons!

I mean, I can smell melons as well as a bit of papaya. Turning now pineapple and cinnamon spice.

This one is quite fruity and most inviting (note: this is very much unlike many American whiskeys I’ve experienced)

Koval-Four-Grain-Whiskey-2On the mouth (Date # 2, I’m hopeful here! She’s not like all those other girls) –  Mouth filling and sticky sweet. Like french kissing a lollypop.

Banana forward here (hey, size doesn’t matter here, put that thing away!).

Tropically-and-fruitily sweet with star-bursting spice.

Koval-Four-Grain-Whiskey-3Finish (Date # 3: The deciding factor)– Short in length but there is an interesting note of hot mint chocolate cocoa.

In sum (The decision)– I think I might have a glug-buddy in this one. Sure, I’m not going to marry her but we’ll have a lot of fun together.

If you enjoy adventure in your whiskey, this one is well worth your time!

Special thanks to the folks at Koval for the sample!

Glenlivet, Refreshed, Summertime

The Glenlivet Alpha [Dawg] invades my mouth and sense and I share my opinions with you. Fun!

 

Highlands region – 50% ABV – About $150.  Good luck finding some!  Only 3350 bottles were made available.

So, what in the blue $#%@ is Glenlivet Alpha?!  Well, there were a lot of people wanting to know just that.  Glenlivet, those sneaky little buggers, decided to make this whisky a big ‘ol secret: bottle the whisky in a black bottle with zero info, packaging came with zero info and there what, guess what?  Zero info around the web as to what this whisky was all about.

So, what do we know?  It’s bottles at 50% ABV which means there is no chill filtration needed.  And, at only 3350 bottles and this being sort of a special one-off and coming in a black bottles, I am guessing no caramel coloring.

So, that’s really all we know about this whisky.

What about the name?  Alpha?  Hmmm… Alpha *is* the first letter in the Greek alpha (hey, there’s that word again) bet.  (not to be confuse with Aleph or Aleph Bet).  First?  First fill?  But first fill what?  Bourbon, I’d guess from the lighter color.

So, here in the whisky blogging world there were a lot of cranky bloggers upset with Glenlivet that A) they charged so much for a NAS (no age statement) whisky and B) this expensive bottle of whisky came with ZERO information!  I’ll come right out and tell you that I was one of those crotchety bloggers.  Big price for a NAS whisky with zero information.  I was upset but I was also intrigued.

What intrigued me more is I came to find out this week that Glenlivet were going to do a big reveal on the whisky.  That I liked!  I like, too, the fact that Glenlivet seemed to be getting out of their comfort zone of 12yo, 15yo, 18yo, 21yo, etc… and decided to do something a bit whacky!  Good on ye, G’livet!

So, I tasted this whisky right before the big reveal.  I will post the reveal below my notes but, let’s see what I get:

On the nose –  Highly malty with a sweet and tangy quality to it.  Perhaps just a whiff of smoke?  Either there’s are good deal of refill barrels in the mix allowing a stronger spirit quality to come through or there is a higher proportion of young whiskies in here.

Glenlivet-1This bright and vibrant.  Light lemons (or orange) and pear, more lemons than pear.  There’s some black pepper in here, too.  It’s fun and refreshing so far!

I do detect some older, more wood influenced whisky in here.  Smaller casks?  Nah, methinks older whisky is a component.  Maybe some Cognac cask maturation in here?  Hmmm, not sure.  Must sip.

On the mouth – A very viscous mouth feel but a touch hot.  The malt carries through as does that hint of smoke I got on the nose.

I think I change my mind about the Cognac cask influence.  I change my mind about the smoke too.  This is a dodgy duck!

Glenlivet-3Notes of star fruit, unripened mango and fresh rain.  Yummy stuff!  The heat is gone after the 2nd sip, btw.  Highly sweet and malty!  Is there some Bere barley in this make up?

I know the Nadurra was with Triumph barley.  Maybe this is a them delving into different barley with less active casks?  Whatever it is, it’s delicious.

Glenlivet-2Finish – Lasting, peppery, toffee-like, sweet and malty.

In sum – If the price was lower and if there were more than 3350 bottles, I’d say this is an everyday, easy drinker!  This was a fun experiment to get people’s minds working and getting them to think about the whisky.  I am glad that there will be a reveal as to the make up of the whisky because if there weren’t, if this were all no-info marketing, it’d be a big joke without a punchline.  Kudos to Glenlivet, I say.  Kudos!

An everyday dram, English Whisky Company, Need To Bundle Up, Takin' It Easy

English Whisky Company comes to the US!

 

English-Whisky-Company-1I could start off this post by exclaiming: “The British are coming! The British are coming!”

Or worse (and this would be really bad), I could wax on about the British Invasion and make references to Herman’s Hermits dramlaxing with ‘Enry the Eighth or The Kinks rocking out with The Village Dram Preservation Society or The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Dram…

Heck, if I wanted to I could post this Monty Python bit about Kamikaze Scotsman… if I wanted to:

However, I’m not going to do any of that.  Wouldn’t even consider it!

There is a lot to cover in this post so I am going straight to the two whisky reviews.

Both whiskies are bottled at 46% ABV and non-chill filtered and can be found for around $69/bottle here in the USA.

Note that these bottlings are USA specific and have a slightly different make-up as compared to the UK or EU versions.  These whiskies have both been matured in both new oak and ex-bourbon casks.  The new wood cask usage is specific to the US market.

English Whisky Company “Classic” non-peated – 46% ABV

On the nose –  A slightly pungent start on the nose however it’s balanced quite nicely with hints of pear drops and a slight spicy/spiced edge.

English-Whisky-Company-2Damp dish towels are in here but it’s also bit like a banana split with, well, bananas, vanilla bean ice cream, the smell of nitrous from the whipped cream dispensing bottle and slight, distant notes of salted almond.  A vegetal quality as well that reminds me of milk thistle.

On the mouth – Ab-fab mouthfeel.  Attention whisky producers – this is the oily mouthfeel you want to target for your bottlings.  For realz.

English-Whisky-Company-3The spicy element really comes through.  It’s a most welcome element that creates a nice frame for the fine and malty backbone.  Some light fruits in here as well as hints of wild flowers.  This is a really delicate and soft whisky.

Finish – A nice long and drying finish.

In sum – This whisky is nice, delicate and understated.  However, there’s a spicy edge to it that is so very interesting….  Oddly enough, I see myself bundling up by a fire and drinking this one.  So, I’d say this is a fine winter-time dram.

English Whisky Company Peated – 46% ABV

English-Whisky-Company-4On the nose –  Soft peat and again, floral, like I got with on the “Classic” version.  An absolute joy that is somewhat reminiscent of the Octomore Comus when I nose it.  Salty and oh, so biscuity on the nose.  Anise seed or black licorice and touches of plums.

After a few minutes, the spice really shines through.

English-Whisky-Company-5On the mouth – A nice mouthfeel but not as oily as the sample of the “Classic” I have.  Very malty and salty with a good deal of smoke at the back of the tongue.  Salty, spicy, subtle fruits and more flowers for you.

Amazing that behind all of the spice, salt and malt that the delicate character of the spirit shines through.

Finish – Soft, drying and hints of chocolate and chicory (unexpected).

In sum – If I had my choice, as nice as the peated is, the “Classic” is so well done that I’d reach for that.  Actually, I’d reach for it anytime now that I think about it (and have a sip of it again).  Dare I say, the “Classic” is an everyday dram?  Yes, yes it is.  Yum!

Special thanks to RS and Purple Valley Imports for the official samples!

Keys to the Clan, Let's celebrate!

Keys to the Clan – 50ml mini bottles of Single Malt Scotch Whisky – and now, to taste the whisky!

 

KeyToTheClans_Smith+Macleod+CameronA couple of weeks back you might remember me waxing on about the Keys to the Clan minis program (programme, for my friends on the other side of the pond).

Here’s the link to the post, just in case you missed it.

In short, there have been 48 different Clan minis released into the US market and our friends over at ImpEx were kind enough to send me three minis.  All from a different clan.

Thanks to ImpEx, SF and EK for the samples!

Being a New Englander and basically growing up knowing this and that person who knew or was related in some way to the Kennedy family (as in JFK, RFK and Teddy of the famous Chappaquiddick incident) and having a life-long crush on Jackie Kennedy Onnassis… I decided to open the Kennedy mini.

Note: all of the minis contain the same juice, I just wanted to drink a Kennedy under the table.  

Here are my notes:

keys-to-the-clan-kennedy-whisky-1On the nose –  Young yet pleasant.  I know it says single malt but it almost has the vibrancy of a nicer high-malt-content blended Scotch whisky; orange creamsicle, pears, sherbet and the slightest hint of smoke.  (The smoke could be my imagination playing tricks on me.)

keys-to-the-clan-kennedy-whisky-2A bit of pineapple cake in here as well and then some sugary angel food cake.  This is quite the dessert-like dram so far.

All this fruit makes me think of Balblair a bit, to be honest.

On the mouth – As to be expected with 40% ABV, there’s very little attack upon entry which is just fine for the newbie whisky drinker as it’s quite fruity and very approachable (no burn).

That touch of smoke returns, yet the fruit doesn’t go away.  But now there’s something sour in here that I can’t quite place my finger on.  Not offensive, just sour-like.

keys-to-the-clan-kennedy-whisky-3Oat cakes lead us in to the finish…

Finish – Shortish finish with slight pepper and that sour element I caught on the palate.

In sum – While this is not really a “sit and ponder” sort of whisky, it holds it’s own well enough.

keys-to-the-clan-kennedy-whisky-4All I can picture is 200 Kennedys at a wedding or something like that and toasting to the husband and bride.

Mazel Tov, I mean, Kampai, I mean Slainte!!

 

Ardmore, Springtime

Exclusive Malts Ardmore Single Cask, 2000, 12yo 56.3% ABV

 

Highland Region – 56.3% ABV – About $100, US market only

ARDMORETrying to get back on the horse here with my whisky reviews.  I really have a lot in the pipeline to cover.  Thankfully I’ll be traveling quite a bit less this month so with hope, luck and a bit of work, I’ll be reviewing more during May.

I had received five Exclusive Malts samples from ImpEx and reviewed the 15yo Clynelish here, the 17yo Mortlach here and the 11yo Bowmore here.

Thanks again to the good folks at ImpEx for the samples!

The last two Exclusive Malt bottlings are a Glenlivet from 1976 and today’s Ardmore from 2000.  A 12yo single cask that I am guessing is from a refill bourbon barrel based on the pale color.

215px-Shyguy_MP9On the nose –  A bit of a shy guy, this one here.  Take deep whiffs with this one.  Don’t worry, it’s not hot to nose at all so you can really breathe it in.

Ardmore-Exclusive-Malts-1Clean smoke meets rusty steel.  This relents quickly to reveal the smell of my Grandpa John’s mostly unused pipe collection – gah, the memories!  That house in Fairfield in the 70’s…  Such great times.

This is all china cabinets and basement crawlway spaces — places you rarely go but when you do, there’s a reason you went.

Hints of wild flowers and drought-stricken grass fields where the electrical wires go on and on and on.  Hike around the woods of Connecticut long enough and you get used to this sort of stuff.

I’m not sure if you can you tell but this whisky is bringing back tons of memories for me.

On the mouth – Much more smokey than the nose lead on to be.  Also, she’s no longer shy.

Ardmore-Exclusive-Malts-2Lots of pear and fruit elements to it.

This make be 12 years old but she drinks like a much younger whisky.  Me?  I sort of like that!

Ardmore-Exclusive-Malts-3
Note: this image is from the Glenfiddich spirit safe, not Ardmore. Try as I might, I oculd not find an image of the Ardmore spirit safe!

The spirit character seems to shine through here as it’s all about the heavy smoke, pears, malt and, very prominent new make-y-ness to this whisky.

It’s not overly complex but enjoyable.

Ardmore-Exclusive-Malts-4Finish – Cheap penny candies but mostly, Fortune Gum gum.

In sum – I am a fan of Teacher’s blend and Ardmore is the obvious smokey element.  This reminds me of why I like Teacher’s.  I am not a fan of the Ardmore Traditional Cask but this I like.

This is a whisky I’d keep in a flask and go on a long hike with.