Archives for January 2016

Nikka Whisky / Yoichi 10 Year Old Single Malt

Summary: Country: Japan. ABV: 45%. Unit: 70cl. NIKKA’s historical Single Malt, guardian of tradition, YOICHI is a revelation for those seeking an uncompromising whisky. With its coastal and delicately peated aromas, supported by a perfectly balanced oak maturation, this exceptional Single Malt displays a truly authentic character. This 10 year old bottling unmistakably carries the Yoichi pedigree, which propelled Japanese whisky to international recognition. Peat notes surround a core of ripe fruit aromas, while a rich texture and underlying power make this the most masculine of Japanese single malts.

Glenmorangie / A Midwinter Night's Dram

Summary: Country/Region: Scotland/Highlands.
Unit: 70cl.
ABV: 43%
This Limited Edition whisky is inspired by the great Scottish winters. Elegantly balancing an underlying sweetness and a rich, spicy, nutty top-layer, it’s a dram to drink by a roaring fire when it’s cold outside. It celebrates our tradition where The Sixteen Men of Tain were treated with a special whisky in the festive season, created by the Master Distiller as a thank you for a job exceptionally well done, a gift to be shared with friends through the darker months. ‘A Midwinter Night’s Dram’ has been matured in select Bourbon casks made from American white oak, delivering Glenmorangie’s classic house-style which is smooth and soft with notes of citrus, vanilla and almonds. Complementing this is a fuller-bodied spirit, extra-matured in the finest Spanish Oloroso Sherry casks, famously used in our award winning expression, Glenmorangie Lasanta. Only available in the UK.
Aroma: Notes of orange marmalade, toffee, walnuts and mulled wine; tones of wine-soaked fruit, Christmas cake and a distinct whiff of musk or incense.
Taste: A rich, warming, peppery texture leading into myriad flavours of chocolate orange, ginger, walnuts, praline and some sweet butter candy.
Finish: A soft, medium strength, creamy finish, with further notes of malt biscuit and plump raisins.

1792 Small Batch Bourbon

Summary: Country/Region: America/Kentucky. Alc: 46.85% Unit: 1 x 75cl Sophisticated and complex. A distinctly different bourbon created with precise craftsmanship. Made from our signature "high rye" recipe and the marriage of select barrels carefully chosen by our Master Distiller. 1792 Bourbon has an expressive and elegant flavour profile. Unmistakable spice mingles with sweet caramel and vanilla to create a bourbon that is incomparably brash and bold, yet smooth and balanced. Elevating whiskey to exceptional new heights, 1792 Bourbon is celebrated by connoisseurs worldwide.

Paul John / Peated Single Cask #686

Summary: Country/Region: India/Goa. ABV: 59%. Unit: 70cl. Bottles Filled: 156 All Paul John Single Malts are Non chill filtered, No added Flavour, No added colour. 

Scapa / 16 Year Old Orkney Malt

Summary: Country/ Region: Scotland/Orkney. Unit: 70cl Alcohol by volume: 40% This beguiling whisky evokes the beaty of Orkney, the Unique intersection of the Atlanic and the North Sea, a history dating back to 8000BC, and endless summer evenings when the sun barley dips below the horizon. Colour: Rich autumn gold. Nose: Sweet and velvety on the nose with flavours of swet Clementine and heather honey. Taste: Perfectly balanced and rich with a tang of ginger and sweet baked apples. Finish: Rich long very slightly dry with the merest hint of the sea. The bottle is a tall, commanding and elegant shape conveying the graceful and alluring nature of the whisky contained within. With a colour palate inspired by the striking blues of the Orkney landscape.

A Smith Bowman Distillery / John J Bowmans Single Barrel Bourbon

Summary: Country/Region: USA/Virginia.
ABV: 50%.
Unit: 75cl.
Early pioneer Colonel John J. Bowman first explored Kentucky in 1775. Four years later he moved his family to Lincoln County where they were among the earliest settlers of Kentucky. He presided over Kentucky's first county court and was also appointed the first military commander and governor of Kentucky County. He was the great, great uncle of Abram Bowman, founder of Virginia's A. Smith Bowman Distillery. This single barrel bourbon whiskey commemorates the early American pioneer John J. Bowman.
Tasting Notes: This bourbon whiskey has been hand selected from some of the oldest barrels in our warehouse. Each barrel rests years on end while Virginia's moderate, but ever-changing climate extracts the complex flavours from the oak and mellows the whiskey. When the time is right, these prime barrels are hand-bottled with care. This single barrel bourbon is 100 proof, but still smooth as the fall breeze. Its fragrant nose is followed by hints of toffee, leather, figs and almonds with a long dry finish. Drink straight or over ice.
Ratings: Double Gold Medal / 2015 Sanfrancisco World Spirits Competition.

Springbank / 25 Year Old / 2015 Release

Summary: Country/Region: Scotland/Campletown.
Unit: 70cl.
ABV: 46%
Age: 25 Year Old.
Bottled: 2015.
This whisky has been matured in a combination of sherry and bourbon casks before being married together in port casks. It has been bottled at 46% and is limited to only 900 bottles worldwide
Nose: The nose is light and fruity with notes of red apples and blueberries. Honeycomb and milk chocolate provide a sweet creaminess, which combines well with traditional dunnage warehouse aromas.
Palate: Very well balanced with notes of toffee apple, brandy butter, liquorice, milk chocolate and honeycomb.
Finish: Long and bold with light spices and black pepper immediately recognisable against a backdrop of dried peat. Butterscotch follows up at the end. 
 

Ardbeg / 2015 Supernova Committee Edition

Summary: Country/Region: Scotland/Islay.
ABV: 54.3%
Unit: 70cl
Ardbeg, revered by whisky connoisseurs as the Ultimate Islay single malt whisky and famed for its peaty smoky flavours has gone “one step beyond” with the release of Ardbeg Supernova, its latest and limited expression.
At 100 parts per million and bottled at 54.3% ABV, Ardbeg Supernova is one of the peatiest whiskies on Earth. Yet it is also intensely spicy and unfathomably sweet.
Truly a mystery of the universe.
This final, fleeting Committee bottling of Ardbeg Supernova heralds the culmination of Ardbeg’s experiment in space. Its release coincides with the publication of Dr Bill Lumsden’s highly anticipated White Paper on the mysteries of zero gravity maturation.
Prepare for one last explosion of peat, intense chilli-spice and unfathomable sweetness.
And possibly one of the longest finishes in single malt…
AROMA: Big and powerful with peaty, earthy and deep herbal notes. With the first sniff, encounter deep earthy peat oils and crushed black pepper embedded in the darkest chocolate. Swirl the glass and dip your nose into herbal infusions of juniper, elderflower and agave. Tarry ropes and creosote-soaked elm follow with flowering currants, olives and hot chilli peppers. Swirl water into the glass, and voyage into the unknown with smoky coal tar, an open box of rolling tobacco, peat moss and roasted malt. A barbeque of smoky charcoal rises above the peat moss, softened by camomile, cedar and heather bloom. A blast of brine, white pepper and smoky asparagus escapes into the atmosphere with a spritely display of gooseberries and greengages.
TASTE: Ardbeg challenges the palate with a smoke and salt explosion – hot, sizzling and gristy sensations effervesce and explode on the tongue with a powerful peaty punch. Black and white crushed pepper pop with chilli and chocolate. Chewy sweet rolling tobacco, linseed oil and newly tanned leather roll backwards on a wave of brininess and burst of juicy lime marmalade. Cigar smoke builds up to a crescendo before drying out to bring dark roast earthy coffee, toasted almonds and liquorice root.
FINISH: Long, deep and powerful, refusing to fade away – remaining warm and drying with tarry peat, cocoa and chilli.

Ardbeg / 21 Year Old Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask 15th Anniversary Edition

Summary: To conclude a very rewarding year for me, professionally and personally, Hunter Laing & Co Ltd. is releasing two special new lines. The first of these is an Anniversary series of six casks, bottled to celebrate fifteen years of our flagship Old Malt Cask brand. Together with my sons Scott and Andrew, as well as our Master Blender Tom Aitken, I have selected casks from our maturing stocks which each do justice to the label's fifteen year milestone. These cask-strength Anniversary bottlings are presented in green glass with wooden gift boxes, and are finished in the original-style labels to pay homage to the earliest Old Malt Cask releases. Choosing these casks allowed me to reflect with pride on my last fifteen years as a single cask bottler and, in reviewing our stocks, to look forward with relish to the next fifteen years of the Old Malt Cask.
Stuart Laing.
 
Slightly damaged clasp on box.
 

Bruichladdich / Micro Provenance Cask #1527 Sauternes 2004

Summary: Country/Region: Scotland/Islay. ABV: 57.2% Bottles Produced: 313 DISTILLED IN 2004, BOTTLED IN 2014. FULL TERM MATURATION ON ISLAY IN A SINGLE CASK WHICH PREVIOUSLY HELD ONE OF THE FINEST SAUTERNES WINES IN THE WORLD. The Micro Provenance series is unique to Bruichladdich and is conceived as an exploration into cask evolution, each individually picked by master distiller Jim McEwan to explore the fine nuances of the Bruichladdich whisky and the effects of warehousing, oak, cask and micro-climate on maturing spirit. Character: Stand out superior. Indulgent. Colour: Light Hazel. Nose: Delicate and playful, you can sense it is holding something back apart from the initial whispers of lemon peel, vanilla, ozone and nectarine. Warm the glass in your hand and slowly comes passion fruit, apricot, a hint of mint and salt, then rich oak and vanilla. Palate: Take a sip and feel the incredible syrupy texture. As you experience the amazing mouth feel, swirl the glass and wait for the legs to slowly break and begin to run. The quality of slow and skilful distillation is evident in the silky texture and the achingly slow progress made as the drops make their way down the glass. Superior quality premier grand-cru Sauternes and the amazing floral and delicate Bruichladdich spirit combine in a match made in heaven. Finish: The rich oak leaves a spicy and fruity memory of a one in a million dram. Mood: All good things come to an end as this single cask quickly will but not without leaving behind an almost spiritual experience for those who tried it.

Glenfarclas / 21 Year Old 1198 Night Nurse In Carpenter’s Overalls

Summary: Country/ Region: Scotland/Speyside.
Alcohol by volume: 55.2%
Bottler: The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
Cask No: 1.198
Date Distilled: 23 September 1993.
Age: 21 years.
Cask Type: Refill ex-bourbon hogshead.
Bottles Filled: 176
Colour: Dull ginger gold.
Flavour: Deep, rich & dried fruits.
The nose oozed honey sweetness (Manuka, Demerara, Daim bars, trifle) with dried fruit depth (raisins, dates, figs, Christmas cake); plus hints of carpenter’s overalls. The palate’s taste explosion had similar themes – syrupy dates and clootie dumplings, with dried cranberries, lime and sour apple providing an interesting and rather pleasant cheek-pulling, tannic tug; followed by a lingering finish of espresso, walnuts and ginger. The reduced nose had fascinating layers of dunnage warehouses, honeyed pears, Night Nurse, teapot tannins, vanilla and burnt wood. On the palate now – everything from Turkish Delight, macaroons and cherry blossoms to incense, hot cross buns and Christmas spice.
Drinking tip: Homey and comfortable – best enjoyed curled up on the couch in joggies and slipper-socks.
Ratings: A⊕+ / Ben's Whisky Blog.

Blair Athol / 27 Year Old Rare Malts Selection

Summary: Country/Region: Scotland/Highland. ABV: 54.7%. Unit: 70cl. Bottler: Distillery Bottling. Series: Rare Malts Selection. Age: 27 Year Old. Distilled: 1975. Description: Full bronze in colour. Medium to full bodied. Creamy. The spicy ginger cake character that is Blair Athol is enhanced, rather than being hidden. A whisky that knows its own mind. Confident rather than complex. Unapologetic luxury. Nose: Appetising. Candied lemon peel. Nutty, sweetish. Sherry. A rich, gamey nose giving way to sweeter, cake-like aromas. With water the cake becomes a dry wedding cake, with a slight musty waxiness. Palate: Sweetly malty, though not as sweet as the nose suggests; complex and drinkable at natural strength. Sweet, moist, ginger cake. Toasted nuts. Retains these characteristics when water is added. Pleasant acidity. Finish: Spicy. Scenty. Delicious. Medium length and warming as it travels down.

Tullibardine / 23 Year Old Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask

Summary: Country/Region: Scotland/Highland. Bottler: Hunter Laing. Unit: 70cl ABV: 50% Cask#: 10453 Cask Type: Refill Hogshead. Distilled/Bottled: September 1990/April 2014. Bottles from Cask: 319  Age: 23 Year Old Old Malt Cask is unashamedly for connoisseurs of the finest expressions of Single Malt Scotch Whisky. As one of the most established brands in the single cask market, Old Malt Cask is trusted by thousands of Malt Whisky consumers all around the world as the selection which bottles some of the most noteworthy Scotches in the market. Each month, the Hunter Laing tasting panel reviews the company stocks and, after careful consideration, selects only the casks which are of the highest quality. Whether the whisky was distilled in Speyside or Islay, the Lowlands or the Islands, they all have one thing in common – they have been bottled at exactly the right time to capture the unique characteristics of the cask. Invariably bottled at 50% strength to maintain drinkability, each new expression is non-chillfiltered to ensure that the personality of each cask remains. Our expert blender also writes notes to guide the consumer through the tasting experience. We don't have to do much with the whisky – we let it speak for itself. Old Malt Cask has spent fifteen years as one of the market leaders in the single cask category. As the reputation of Hunter Laing rests on the quality of each release, they aim to ensure that each new bottling delights the consumer as much as the last one. Nose: beautiful structure and weight; a little toasty, but welcomes the nutty spread. Excellent salt to suger ratio; Taste: sublime delivery with near perfect weight and poise and some ramped up barley. The oils are delicate, the sugars playful and the quasi-bourbon style liquorice adding just the right degree of tostesterone; Finish: a late settling of some sugary scores as the light muscovado overpowers the fudgy oak; Balance: an early morning reminder why I can really love this job. Ratings: 95 Points / Jim Murrays's 2015 Whisky Bible. ©Tasting Notes from Jim Murray's 2015 Whisky Bible.