Tag Archives: Oily

A pair of “off-the-beaten-path” Old Malt Cask whiskies today…

 

Challenge

Pronunciation: /ˈtʃalɪn(d)ʒ/

Definition of challenge
noun

  • call to someone to participate in a competitive situation or fight to decide who is superior in terms of ability or strength: he accepted the challenge
  • a task or situation that tests someone’s abilities.

Today I was challenged to taste and review whiskies from distilleries I’ve had little, if any, experience with: Fettercairn and Royal Lochnagar.

While I can say with 100% confidence that my physical strength has not been challenged in any way, my nose and palate surely were.  Very few people can say they have had whiskies from these from these distilleries and I think I’ve had maybe one whisky from either of these producers.

Fettercairn only recently started releasing whiskies (Fior, a 24, 30 and 40yo) and Royal Lochnagar has a 12yo expression but is mostly used in blends such as Johnnie Walker Blue.

As with all Old Malt Cask bottlings we’re looking at the single cask (yet diluted to 50% ABV).

The provenance of the casks is a bit elusive.  They are both ex-hogsheads but the first liquid held in them is unknown as both are 2nd or 3rd fill.

Both whiskies are very light in color.

Let’s dig in and see if I’m up to the challenge!

OMC Bottle Shot_Fettercairn  16_v1Old Malt Cask 16yo Fettercairn 50%ABV Single Cask

On the nose –  A affront of dusty, sugary lemon flavored American Smarties.

Public pay phones (the smell of the receiver to be exact).  Dungeons and Dragons dice.  For those of you that don’t the smells of either of those previous examples, think of clean and hard plastics.  Not rubbery and pungent but clean and plastic-y.

Green and unripened apples and maybe some watermelon pith.  Quite unique.

OMC-2On the mouth –  This one actually tastes exactly like the smell so I’m going to focus on the texture:

Very oily, coating the center of the tongue and zapping the sides of the tongue and cheeks forcing my mouth to water profusely.

Finish – Drying and growing with white pepper-like spice then, drops suddenly.

In sum – This is very much an aperitif whisky, something to welcome friends with.  It’s not overly complex but it is enjoyable.

RoyalLochnager_300dpi_13inOld Malt Cask 14yo Royal Lochnagar 50%ABV Single Cask

On the nose –  Very much an elusive whisky.

You shy pup, come out and play!  Ok, ok… I’ll be a bit patient here. (taps fingers, looks at the clock, checks email, posts something cheeky on Facebook…).

Alright.  Are you ready for me now, little whisky?

Well, there’s some apple cider vinegar but it’s light in scent.  Some malt grist but again, light.

OMC-1Wait a mo, now you rear your head (did I mention I love that term?).  Freshly skinned English cucumbers in Saran Wrap.  Cucumber yogurt sauce (aka Raita).

On the mouth –  Much like the Fettercairn, this is candied like American Smarties.  More apple-like in flavor than lemon-like but there is some lemon in here now that I swish it about.

Tinned fruit cups with a focus on the tin.

Lightly oaked and just a touch of sandalwood.  This is almost gin like (minus any juniper).

Finish – Very short finish but drying as well.

In sum – Much like the Fettercairn this whisky is one to start your evening with.  It’s way too delicate to have after a meal or other drams.

Special thanks to all of the wonderful people at ISW for their help and samples!

Glenglassaugh’s latest official bottling – “Evolution” which is matured in George Dickel Tennessee whisky barrels

 

Highland region – 57.2%ABV – £57 | $93

Crack that whip / Give the past the slip / Step on a crack / Break your momma’s back

When a problem comes along
You must whip it

Before the cream sits out too long
You must whip it

When something’s going wrong
You must whip it

Now whip it, Into shape, Shape it up, Get straight, Go forward, Move ahead, Try to detect it, It’s not too late, To whip it.  Whip it good.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Devo as much as the next guy.  In fact, I likely love Devo way more than the next guy and think their music is quite genius but man, these lyrics go on and on and I never got them (but love the ever living snot out of the song).

I’m such a Devo-geek that as soon as I heard what Glenglassaugh was calling their 2nd bottling, Evolution, I thought of Devo.  (Who, by the way, got their band name from the concept of De-evolution – “the idea that instead of continuing to evolve, mankind has actually begun to regress, as evidenced by the dysfunction and herd mentality of American society“.)

Whatevs – rock and roll!!

And now, perhaps my favorite version of The Rolling Stones “Satisfaction”:

Ok, enough with my love of the Devo, let’s get on with my new found love of the Evo(lution)!

Glenglassaugh-1On the nose –  Another “confident” whisky here.

To start, a great and somewhat forceful interplay between churned butter, oodles of butterscotch and fresh white grapefruit.

Heaps of white pepper and vanilla wrapped in saran wrap and all warmed up (yes, this is a warming nose).

Glenglassaugh-2Did I mention butterscotch?  Yes, I did.  Just above.  It’s well worth another mention though…

Barley cakes & oat cakes.  Light lemon notes and soft leather gloves.

Glenglassaugh-4On the mouth – Perhaps it should have been called “Explosion.”  This dram bursts with that now classic Next-Gen Glenglassaugh fruity character.

It is, however, tempered quite well with the very Tennessee oak characteristics of vanilla, honey and spice.

Light malt laden flavors now and back again with white pepper and a bit of that grapefruit I got on the nose.

Glenglassaugh-3Oh. So. Butterscotchy.

Medium oil-like texture with some citrus zing on the sides of the tongue.

Finish – Heavy wood spice, toasted oak, long and slightly bourbony.

In sum – I bought a bottle the day it hit the Glenglassaugh store.  I had to have it.  Glenglassaugh matured in George Dickel barrels?  No brainer.

I obviously wanted to do a formal review of the whisky but went through half the bottle before I took actual notes (mainly because I just wanted to enjoy the whisky without dissecting it).  Like George Dickel, this is great sippin’ whisky.  Perfect for sitting on your porch or deck and letting the hours pass by…

Normally I do not like to mix cigars with my malts but I imagine this would go quite well with a cigar.  Perhaps a mild bodied one.

To Glenglassaugh, this whisky is an evolution in their new story (and a great story it is!)  For you as the consumer, this whisky is all about a little you time.  Relaxing times.  At only 6,000 bottles, you may want to to grab a bottle fast!

You may be interested in Oli’s notes on dramming.com

 

2012 George T Stagg – An absolutely stunning whiskey.

 

Kentucky – 71.4% ABV – $79 (good luck finding a bottle, folks.  You’ll likely find more four leaf clovers than bottles of this juice)

The 2012 Buffalo Trace collection has been released and I was lucky enough to win a lotto from Julio’s Liquors in Westborough, MA to get a bottle.

Let me be clear, winning the lotto gave me that opportunity to buy the bottle.  I didn’t win the bottle.

This hooch is highly allocated and I count myself as one of the lucky ones to have actually gotten my hands on a bottle.

George T Stagg is one of five whiskies Buffalo Trace releases as part of their yearly “Antique Collection.”  And it is, by far, the most sought after one in the group.  (The other five bottles being: Eagle Rare 17yo, Sazerac Rye 18yo, Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye and William Larue Weller Bourbon).

At 71.4% alcohol content, this is the highest-octane stuff released this year by Buffalo Trace.

On the nose — For 71.4% I’m not finding this too hot to handle on the nose.  The heat is quite easily transformed in to a good deal of black pepper.

Some burn cranberries and heavily toasted hearty wheat breads become obvious.  So far, an inspiring nose!

Heavily peppered molasses and salted meat and burnt pencil shavings.

Brown spices (an old bourbon stand-by note) but there are also some lighter fruits in here including white seedless grapes, as an example.

This is one of those whiskeys that you could nose for a good, long time.  I see why people go so nuts for it every year.

On the mouth — For the uninitiated, this is some hot juice, no doubt.  However, please reward yourself and press on!  Take a smaller sip.  Here we go again (are you ready?)…

Yeah, that’s the stuff!

Cranberry relish, black pepper, orange zest, vanilla pods… this is BURSTING with flavor.  It’s about as moreish as a whiskey gets.

Lovely mouth feel — both zippy and oily at the same time.  Speaking of oil, getting a little gun oil here.

On top of this, heavy wood spice and a good whack of everything that makes lebkuchen.  It’s basically lebkuchen and Christmas cakes in a glass.

Wow.

Finish — Drying, spicy and near endless…

In sum — Quite possibly the best bourbon I’ve had in 2012.  Actually, this is easily the best bourbon I’ve had this year.  Kudos to the distillers.  In a word: amazing.

Happy birthday to me.  This was my gift to myself this year.  A fine purchase.  One of the best I made this year.

Two new whiskies for the Gordon & Macphail’s Private Collection. A 19yo Ledaig and a 20yo Balblair

 

Today, dear readers, you are going to get a two-for-one review session.

I’ve been reviewing whisky after whisky after whisky and have a whole host of notes at the ready.  However it’s been a little difficult finding the time to actually post my notes.

That said, seeing as I had a little window of time in which to post up a review, I thought I’d kill two whiskies birds with one review stone.

The two today, to me, are a couple of odd ducks.  I’ve never had a finished Ledaig until now.  The same goes with the Balblair I’m also reviewing today.  Both are wine finished and part of the Gordon Macphail “Private Collection” range of whiskies.  Furthermore, both are bottled at 45% ABV which is an unusual bottling strength given that 40%, 43%, 46% and cask strength tend to be the most common…

20yo Balblair finished in Crozes-Hermitage Wood – 45% ABV – $145

Some notes from Gordon & Macphail:

Private Collection Balblair Distillery Crozes-Hermitage Wood Finish was distilled in 1991 and bottled in 2012 and again finished for 40 months from casks from the northern Rhône region of France.

On the nose –  Very heavy with the wine influence on this one.  It smells of tannins and Acid brand cigars (herbed, herbal, perfumed, perfumal? Nah, just perfumed).

Wow, chili peppers and… salted avocado (???).

Some fruits are hiding behind the winey scents.

Still more, we have some damp, dank sweetness swirling about the glass.  A oddly interesting nose.

There seems to be a bit of a fight going on with the scents here.

On the mouth – Similar to what I got on the nose.  The chili pepper zing hits the side of my tongue.  Mouth begins to water.

Cranberry relish and other tart fruit relishes.  Lots of red fruit and an interesting mouthfeel.

There’s a wet-like viscosity that is drying my tongue.  It doesn’t make sense but, it’s happening.

Cigars again.

Finish – Long, drying and filled with red fruits.

In sum – Totally NOT what I look for in a Balblair.  While it’s not *my* bag but I can see folks loving this one.

If you like your whiskies with a heavy wine influence, look no further.  This does a good job highlighting that aspect while still retaining it’s whiski-ness.

19yo Ledaig finished in St. Joseph Wood – 45% ABV – $95

Some notes from Gordon & Macphail:

The expression from Ledaig Distillery was distilled in 1993 and bottled in 2012 and finished in St Joseph casks for 40 months.

On the nose –  What’s to be expected from a nice, older Ledaig: Soft peat and nice fruits.

Apple lollipops, even apple schnapps.

Spiced gum drops, allspice.  Lots of various candied scents.

A bit of a mishmash and focused on the fruity elements but really nice smelling overall.

On the mouth – Here’s where is begins to get real!

Very wine forward but oh, so pleasantly so (red fruits, black pepper and just a drop of fresh cement)!

A little woody but not in a bad way at all.  It helps add in some wood spice elements.

A touch of wet cardboard (I often get this in whiskies where the cut of the distillate has a fair amount of tails.  Heck, I get this a lot in most Ledaigs/Tobermorys).

Great mouthfeel.

Finish – Drying with threads of peat throughout.  Pretty gosh darned long…

In sum – A very interesting whisky.  I enjoyed it thoroughly.  While the nose seemed a bit too focused, it really drew me in to taste and this whisky shines in flavor.  A even keeled finish with decent length.

I could enjoy this repeatedly.

Thanks to CR for the official samples!!

Three various Single Casks in the Chieftain’s range: Jura, Glen Kieth and Craigellachie

 

Various regions of Scotland…  3 different single casks bottled for the Chieftain’s range.

After a few quick points, we will get straight on to the reviews today!

Special thanks to the folks from ImpEx for the cask samples!

To learn more about the Chieftain’s Range in general, click here.

Chieftain’s Glen Kieth 17yo bottled at 54.9% ABV

On the nose  A light peat influence here, or so it would seem.

Salty, hay and a touch of candy-like lemon drops (a thread of smoke?).

Sherry-like influence (getting hints of Amontillado) but also sort of bourbon in character (think wood spice, honey and even a shake of white pepper).

A fun little nose, if a little confused.

On the mouth Light white berries, unripened plums, sugared plums as well.

Biscuits, undercooked.  Pie crusts… Oh!  Gooseberry pie.  This is nice.

Somewhat simple but nice and focused.

Lightly oily slightly effervescent feel to it.

Finish –  Shortish with, again, a thread of smoke.

Chieftain’s Jura 12yo bottled at 58.4% ABV

On the nose Few whiskies yell at me from the glass saying, “Hey Hatton, I was distilled at such and such distillery… duh!!!” like Jura yells at me.

It always seems to start off with a note that I can only call Eeore’s thistles – like burning pricker bushes.

On top of this is a slight soapy quality.  People get a little freaked out about a soap quality in a whisky.  For me, done right, the soap “quality” can be just that, a “quality.”

The soap on this is within tolerance but surely on the higher side.

There’s also a touch of lavender in here as well as calking.

On the mouth Very industrial to taste, window putty, calking, wet cement.

Pushing these notes to the side and now we discover some great gristy notes.  You can taste the wash (beer to be distilled into spirit) but it’s very beer-like.  Lager-like.  But, a good lager (sans hops, obviously).

Rainbow candy buttons.

Finish Short and slightly drying.

Chieftain’s Craigellachie 21yo bottled at 58.3% ABV

On the nose You can see why they use so much of this malt in the Dewar’s blend.  It’s got a nice, balanced nose.

Let me start of with the fact that, even at 58.3%ABV, it’s not hot on the nose.  The scents are all right there.

This noses like a 21yo:  Wood spice and dill covered lemon slices.  Green wood and honey spice.  Apple sauce with brown spices.  Are you catching a theme here?  Tough to get beyond the spiced quality.

I’m a fan of the spice bombs so, let see how it translates in the flavor profile.

Adding a dash of water brings out some notes of pool water and gobs of malt!

On the mouth Yeah, yeah… this is it.  This is what I look for in, say, some of the older Dailuaines…  Fruity little spice bombs.

This is, however, just a little hot.  Without water, we’ve got baked pears with a slight hint of cloves.  Also, vanilla.  A good deal of vanilla.  Yeah, water is needed with this one.

Not just to temper the heat but the water *really* opens up this whisky!

Ooey flan comes to mind as I take another sip.  Browned sugar and candied fennel.

Finish A long and overly spiced finish.  Perhaps a bit too spiced (if there were such a thing).  Wow, very long.

In sum

Glen Kieth:  An interesting whisky.  My first Glen Kieth.  Over all, I liked it.  I wonder what a few more years in the cask might have done for this whisky…

Jura: Yeah, this is an odd one.  Over all, while it was a little all over the place, I enjoyed drinking it.  Nosing it was enjoyable mainly because it’s got that Jura oddness that has you coming back for more.  This really is a winter-warmer-upper!

Craigellachie: With a dash of water, I am incredibly impressed with this cask.  It tells a wonderfully balanced story from beginning to end (with the spice volume turned up just a touch too high at the finish).  Without the water….well, I suggest you add a dash.  Should you get a bottle, you’ll see what I mean.  This is one where the extra H20 makes an incredible difference.

For more solid reviews of Chieftain’s reviews, be sure to check out Peter’s (of “The Casks” fame) reviews.