Whisky Discovery #1646

Loch Lomond Single Grain NAS 46% abv
Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Circa £32.00 70cl

I first discovered this whisky at Whisky Live London earlier this year, I was intrigued at the time, to learn that it was a single grain made with 100% malted barley distilled through their Coffey Stills.

You see, the Loch Lomond Distillery is a very adaptable distillery, being somewhat unique (certainly for Scotland) having a range of different distillation apparatus.

We were fortunate to visit the Loch Lomond distillery earlier this year, the headline trip of Dramboree 2016, and saw for ourselves the unusual set up of stills. When we visited there were four pairs of copper pot stills, however, all but two of them are fitted with rectification columns instead of the traditional swan necks, alongside there was a Coffey Still that was installed in the early 1990's. There's also five continuous stills used for their grain whisky production. The distillery's capacity is noted at around 5 million litres of malt spirit and 18 million litres of grain.

A curious combination of stills

The legal definition of a single malt whisky says it "must be made exclusively from malted barley (although the addition of E150A caramel colouring is allowed), and must be distilled using copper pot stills at a single distillery." Therefore this Coffey Still distilled spirit cannot be called a single malt, hence the Single Grain tag.

So What Did We Think?

Nose: Plenty of sweet, fruity grain character here, I was picking up a strawberry note, which Kat said reminded her of strawberry shortbread. There are subtle hints of candied lemon peels, icing sugar, and fresh grasses, not your lawn grass, but summer hedgerow grass.

Palate: Pineapple juice is one of the official notes,and it's certainly something I picked up, albeit more of a canned pineapple flavour. It's sweet, but not overly so. I found stewed apples too, alongside pencil shavings and some woody spices adding a mild peppery hit. There's a pithy dryness towards the finish

Finish: Surprisingly long, which starts off dry with  grapefruit pith, and finishes with Wrigley's Juicy fruit chewing gum.

Verdict

This is a very easy drinking whisky, It's soft, and smooth, with a barley water sweetness. It's not overly complicated, but it is very enjoyable. Think of it if you will, as the Scottish equivalent of Nikka's Coffey Malt, but at a fraction of the price!

Slàinte! Dave

Glencadam, two new releases

Early in February, I received an email from Angus Dundee Distillers telling me about some new releases from The Glencadam and asking if I'd like some samples. Of course, we love emails like this, especially as we've really had little exposure to this distillery. Checking the liquid log, just two listed; the first was from a 'Drinks by the Dram' Advent Calendar back in 2013 when I was treated to a sample of their 21 Year Old. The only other expression was a superb single cask release from retailer and independent bottler Abbey Whisky, with a sample from their ‘Rare Casks’ series 22 Year Old

The Glencadam Distillery

Once again I had to turn to Malt Whisky Yearbook to find out a little more about the Glencadam Distillery. Located in Brechin, the Eastern Highlands, a region once known for its whisky smuggling past, whisky production has been decimated in recent years with the closures of North Port, Glenesk (Hillside) and Lochside distilleries. Just Fettercairn and Glencadam have survived, and apart from a short period between 2000 and 2003. The Glencadam Distillery seems to have been in continuous operation since it was founded in 1825. Angus Dundee Distillers bought the distillery in 2003 (they also own the Tomintoul Distillery) and its capacity of 1.3 million litres per year puts it at the same size as the Ardbeg and Scapa distilleries.

Michael Jackon’s Malt Whisky Companion tells us that the ‘House Style’ is; Creamy with a suggestion of berry fruits, and recommends that this is enjoyed with dessert, or after dinner

A few weeks after the original email was received, a wee package arrived, beautifully presented, with two small samples of their latest releases, and one evening towards the end of the month I sat down and enjoyed these two new Whisky Discoveries

Whisky Discovery No.1589

Glencadam Origin 1825 NAS 40% abv

Highland Single Malt

Circa £30.00 70cl

First out of the box was the recently released Glencadam Origin 1825 the first No Age Statement whisky that the distillery has launched. We’re told from the Press Release that a very special collection of casks was chosen, with the final selection consisting of a unique marriage of whisky matured in first-class American white-oak bourbon barrels with whisky “finished” in the finest Spanish Oloroso Sherry butts. 

So What Did I Think?

The nose has a creamy buttery feel to it with sweet floral notes alongside melting vanilla ice-cream. Hints of tangerine start to come through a little later. On the palate, it’s soft and light with a creamy fruitiness finishing with gentle spices and hints of cinnamon. The sweet fruit remains to the very end which turns a little dry.

Verdict

So the ‘marketing speak’ was perhaps a little nonsense as Scotch whisky can’t be ‘unique’! Firstly the SWA (Scotch Whisky Association) have strict rules of what can be and what can’t be done with maturing Scotch whisky. Secondly, American ex-bourbon barrels and Oloroso Sherry butts have been the norm for way longer than I’ve been drinking whisky!

I must admit I was immediately sceptical of another average NAS whisky launch but much to my delight, I was pleasantly surprised by this new release. Whilst not overly challenging, this is a very pleasant, dare I say it, ‘entry level dram’ and while it is a no-age-statement whisky they’ve decided to pitch it at a price point that reflects its position in the full range rather than ‘have our eyes out!

The original press release was dated October 2015, but I’ve not seen it on general sale from the on-line retailers yet and I tried to revisit it at Whisky Live London recently and it was unavailable here too.

Whisky Discovery No.1590

Glencadam 25 Year Old 46% abv

Highland Single Malt

Circa £250.00 70cl

The second sample was of their soon to be released 25 Year Old, with the press release describing this to be a limited release of just 1600 bottles with each bottle individually numbered. Master Distiller, Robert Fleming, deemed that the time was right to bottle the whisky at 25 years of age when the combination of exciting flavour notes such as sweet malt, exotic fruit and mixed nuts had reached a wonderful balance. 

So What Did I Think?

The nose was simply glorious! I’d only received a small sample but wanted this to last forever! Its maturity was instantly apparent with those ‘old malt’ notes. It wasn’t particularly sweet, but the light fruity notes picked up on the Origin were evident. This too was a delight on the palate. Creamy, light and wonderfully fragrant and gently spiced while ‘old malt’ notes of polished oak hinted at its vintage. 

Verdict

I really loved this vintage release, and while it was just a small sample I sat and savoured this for as long as I could resist draining the glass. £250 is a great deal of money to spend on a bottle of whisky, and it’s certainly not something I consider on a regular basis, but I try to put it into context. There are 14 ‘healthy’ drams in each bottle (a single is rarely enough!) so think of it as 14 instalments for 14 special evenings over a period of time of your choice. I tried to revisit this at Whisky Live London recently too, but sadly it hadn’t travelled down with the team.

Want to find out more? You can find Glencadam on-line here and across social media with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Slàinte! Dave

Whisky Discovery #1565

Wemyss Malts 'Fallen Apples' 1989 Glen Garioch (46% abv)

Highland Single Malt

Circa £110.00 70cl

Independent bottler, Wemyss Malts, announced their first Single Cask release of 2016 towards the end of January with six casks selected to showcase the best of Speyside, Islay and The Highlands and, ranging in age from 13 to 25 years old.

The full list from this tranche of single casks released:

• "Sizzling Charcoal" 1997 single cask from Bunnahabhain Distillery, Islay,
• "Coastal Confection" 1996 single cask from Bowmore Distillery, Islay, Cask Strength
• "The Highland Mariner 1997 single cask from Clynelish Distillery, Highlands
• "Fallen Apples" 1989 singe cask from Glen Garioch Distillery, Highlands
• "Barrista’s Dram" 2002 single cask from Craigellachie Distillery, Speyside
• "Toasted Anise" 1996 single cask from Glenrothes Distillery, Speyside

Each cask has been selected and named by the Wemyss tasting panel, under the watchful eye of industry aficionado Charlie Maclean, and Dave was one of the few who received a review sample of the Glen Garioch 'Fallen Apples'

There are only a few hundred bottles from each cask and the suggested retail prices range from £55 to £110. These bottlings will be available in selected retailers in the UK, EU and key Asian markets.

So What Did I Think?

When I saw the press release, two of the six single casks interested me a little more than the others; the 1997 Clynelish and this 1989 Glen Garioch and cheekily asked if there was a sample available to review.

In 1989 Glen Garioch still had their own floor maltings, hence my immediate interest when I saw this list. When the floor maltings were in operation, the malt was peated, albeit to a very low level, at circa 8-10 ppm.The practice discontinued when the distillery was mothballed in 1995, and like most distilleries these days, all the malt is brought in from independent maltsters. 

'Fallen Apples' bottled at 46% abv at the end of last year was distilled in 1989 and just 266 bottles are out there so when it's gone, it's gone!

As with so many of their single cask releases, the Wemyss Malts team are bang on the money with naming this one as an Autumn apple harvest was my first impression when bringing the glass up to my nose. With a drop of water, it's baked apples covered in glazed brown sugar, while a herbal heather note brings up the background. There's also an elusive hint of smoke, not an earthy peat-like smoke, but more like the smoke from a blacksmith's forge (anthracite) and some charred wood.

Apples dominate the palate flavours too, with stewed apples initially, which is followed by apple wood notes, freshly cut at first, seasoned and polished later. The gentle wood smoke comes through right at the end of the spicy finish.

Verdict: I really enjoyed this traditional Highland malt, it's a little over my £100 budget but for a little piece of history, this gently peated 25 Year Old Single Cask Glen Garioch is good buy. Many thanks to Wemyss Malts for the sample (any chance of a sample of the Clynelish too?)

Slàinte! Dave

Whisky Discovery #1560

Glenmorangie Private Edition 'Milsean' 46% abv
Highland Single Malt
Circa £76.00 70cl

Candy stripes on the bottle seal but wait till you see the box!

We always look forward to marking the start of the year with a Glenmorangie Private Edition release! On cold grey Tuesday afternoon in mid-January, we sneaked out from our respective 'day jobs' early in order to make the 1700 train into London and headed down to Browns Hotel Ablemarle Street to join Dr. Bill Lumsden and his team for the launch of the latest release in Glenmorangie’s Private Edition series.

Milsean (pronounced ‘Meel-shawn’) meaning 'sweet things' in Scots Gaelic, marks the seventh release in this range, and follows Tusail in 2015, Companta in 2014, Ealanta, Artein, Finealta and Sonnalta PX from previous years.

In a packed room, dressed with jars of Flying Saucers, Dolly Mixtures, Sherbet Lemons and icing sugar dusted Bon-bons (both strawberry, and lemon flavours) to remind you of an old-fashioned sweet shop. Dr Bill Lumsden commenced proceedings with a dram of The Original, the single malt that almost all of the Glenmorangie releases start from.

I wish all sweet shops looked like this!

OK, perhaps the sweet shop was a little stretch of the imagination with the back wall lined with alternate bottles of The Original and the new Milsean, but there were plenty of sweets to go round, and we all had at least one bag of sweets to take home with us. Dr Bill explained his love of old-fashioned sweets before going off piste for a short while, telling a story of the state of teeth in Scotland, and his relationship with his dentist!

Back on script Dr Bill went on to explain how the Private Edition series came to be. Prior to the first release, Glenmorangie had released some single cask editions that were very well received (and now highly collectable) but single casks make each release very limited, and exclusive, and a wider release was desired.

Extra-maturation is a process pioneered by Glenmorangie. Whisky is first matured in one type of cask (such as ex-bourbon), then is transferred into a different type of cask (such as ex-wine casks) where it spends additional years gaining further layers of flavour. With a greater outturn the risk is higher, so for the first Private Edition release Dr. Bill decided to stick with a known 'finishing' cask, Pedro Ximenez Sherry.

Milsean is the first Glenmorangie expression to be extra-matured in heavily toasted Portuguese red wine casks. Milsean, draws on the effect of charred wine casks, unlocking an unusual dimension in extra maturation.

Created from Glenmorangie first matured in ex-bourbon oak casks, Glenmorangie Milsean then spent a number of years in casks which had contained Portuguese red wine. Yet before they were used to create a Glenmorangie Private Edition, the casks were heavily charred to enhance the sweeter notes of Glenmorangie, which has created a whisky with such attractive hints of sweetness, that it has surpassed even his expectations.

Tthe Douro valley is said to be one of the most distinctive terroirs in the history of world viticulture

Before presenting the Milsean, Dr Bill had a glass of the Portuguese Red Wine for us to adjust our senses while introducing future successor Brendan McCarron who played a major part in creating this new release.

Dr Bill told us: “A glass of Glenmorangie Milsean transports me straight to an old-fashioned sweet shop with its sweet and spicy bouquet, with hints of sugar cane, ripe fruits and fudge. Extra-maturing Glenmorangie in heavily toasted red wine casks for the first time, has allowed us to create a whisky recalling a bygone era. I hope its deep tastes of cherries, angelica, candied orange peel and unusual intensity of caramelised fruits, will surprise and delight whisky aficionados and malt connoisseurs.”

Bottled at 46% abv, and non-chill filtered for extra body and texture, Glenmorangie Milsean will be available from specialist whisky shops worldwide, including The Whisky Exchange, Soho’s Vintage House, Selfridges and Royal Mile Whiskies from 19th January 2016

mmmm Flying Saucers and even a hint of giraffe!

So What Did We think?

Kat says: The difference with this year's release that interested me was the way the cask was toasted. The wine cask was re-toasted over a brazier of oak chips before the whisky went in, instead of the whisky going straight into a wet cask. Their plan was to make a whisky that smells and tastes like old fashion sweets. This explains the red and white stripped packing resembling the striped paper bags you get in the older or traditional British sweet shops. It's very cute, very playful.

Nose: Begins with a full on sugar hit, full of fudge, Dolly mix sweets, sticky sweet tobacco and figs. With some time in the glass, the more familiar house style of orange zests starts coming through with more aromatic notes specifically picking up bay leaves. Lacing between all of this, more robust notes of toasted coconuts and sesame seeds, adding some good depth. The general feel is sweet without feeling sticky or clinging, the sweetness being uplifted by the zesty notes, and the toasted aromas offering dryness offering some balance to the sweetness.

Taste: It came as no surprise that the sweetness carries on through into the taste. Found it to be a straightforward sweetness of white caster sugar, with the same consistency as watered down sugar syrup. Following on is orange zests, providing a nice all-round light coating of orange essential oil, same as the nose, this provides a balance to and lifting the sweetness stopping it becoming sickly sweet. As time goes on, other notes that were picked up on the nose is pretty much mirrored in the taste and in a similar sequence. Leather notes and toasted coconut emerges with some welcome dryness, allowing spice notes of mace and nutmeg to come through. Subsequent sips still begin with plenty of sweetness but turns more complex, becoming more of Dolly mixture sweets and fudge.

Finish: Here surprisingly, it’s not overcome with sweetness but of toasted oak and coconuts. Some of the essential oils are also here, with some spices that vanish a bit too quickly for me. Would say a medium finish but only because I wished it would linger for a little longer.

Dave Says: Well not quite as much as Kat! When someone is waxing lyrical about something they are passionate about, it's easy to be led through the power of suggestion, especially when you're in a room dressed as a sweet shop, with open jars and bags of sweets that we were 'expected' to find during the tasting. It had been an awfully  long time since I'd had 'Flying Saucers' and these made a very happy food pairing with Milsean for me! Fortunately not only did we get to enjoy this at the launch event, we were also sent a review sample to follow up on.

Whilst this is a very sweet dram, something I picked up on both at the tasting and at WDHQ, was that the distillery character certainly comes through and much more evident than the previous four editions that we've tasted.

Nose: There really is a great deal going on in here. The sweet shop notes are all here as initially directed, Dolly Mixtures and Sherbet Lemons for me. The bags of sweets given to us at the beginning of the tasting made a great reference point for candied fruity notes. I picked up some summer fruit notes too though, raspberries in particular. The 'house-style' orange notes were clear but there was also an interesting toasted coconut flavour.

Palate: This is a definitely a dessert whisky. with soft fudge leading the flavours, before a cornucopia of sweet fruits evolve, with ripe cherry, golden plum, melon, mango and a hint of BBQ'd pineapple, alongside citrus, which was more grapefruit than orange for me. The sweetness is balanced by the spices that follow, ginger predominantly but hints of cinnamon were noted, and I found that toasted coconut coming across towards the short and sweet finish.

Finish: As mentioned above, short and sweet is most apt. There are so many interesting flavours, both on the nose and on the palate, but once swallowed, it seems to finish abruptly.

Verdict: Definitely moreish! Compared with the previous two releases, this stayed much closer to the house style and flavours of The Original. It is a seriously sweet dram and those without a sweet tooth, this is not the whisky for you. Dr Bill and his team set out to make a whisky that resembled the smells and tastes of an old-fashioned sweet shops and Milsean pretty much did that.

This was also the second time we had met Dr. Bill Lumsden, and was very happy that we managed to have a good chat with him. We discussed the flavour profile of the previous release Tusail and what the Maris Otter barley brought to that whisky. Kat told him how she would be interested in doing a side by side comparison with Tusail and The Original, and Dr. Bill agreed this would be an interesting comparison. Something they carried out at the time, with The Original acting as a control.

Having been fortunate to taste the last four Private Editions we'd really like to run a tasting with them all alongside each other with The Original acting as control. At the time of the release of Ealanta, I wasn't a huge fan. I'm not sure 'I got it' then, so would really love to revisit it. Now to get my hands on a bottle of Ealanta…

Slàinte! Dave and Kat

Whisky Discovery #1367

The Dalmore Distillery Exclusive 2015 NAS (48% abv)

Highland SIngle Malt

£150.00 Only available from the distillery

The Dalmore recently announced the release of a Distillery Exclusive and Dave has been fortunate to receive a sample to review. This latest bottling, The Dalmore's Master Distiller, Richard Paterson, has hand selected a collection of Port, Moscatel and Madeira casks to mature this whisky in, before finally being finished in first fill bourbon barrels.

Richard Paterson Master Distiller for The Dalmore commented: “The Dalmore Distillery Exclusive 2015 is a stunning whisky. Our artisanal approach to whisky making bestows this bottling with a bold, rich, sweet amber gold colour with aromas of caramelised orange, forest fruits and marzipan, and on the palate macerated plums, almonds and pecans.”

Only 450 bottles have been made available, each individually numbered. Priced £150 The Dalmore Distillery Exclusive 2015 is available from The Dalmore Distillery.

So What Did I Think?

This sits in the glass, a rich amber gold and colour of my favourite Amontillado Sherry. The nose is rich and sweet with a distinct orange oil note that's been softened with caramel. There are wood notes too, a new cedar wood cigar box, followed by a slightly sour note of tart fruits and just the faintest hint of parma violets

There's an underlying sourness to the sweet entry, reminding me of stewed plums. An almond/marzipan note follows and on my second sip found dark cherry and that hint of parma violets found on the nose comes across on the palate. Spices linger on the long finish.

Verdict

I enjoy visiting distilleries and always look out for a 'distillery only' release which is often in the form of a single cask, 'fill you own' affair. It's a great idea and a just reward for those who make the pilgrimage to the distillery. However I find £150 a little steep for a distillery exclusive. Don't get me wrong, it's a smashing drop of whisky that I thoroughly enjoyed, but I don't feel value for money at this price - it's a great deal more expensive that their 18 Year Old and King Alexander III releases that I also enjoyed.

Slàinte! Dave

Whisky Discovery #1151

Glenmorangie Tùsail NAS 46%abv

Highland Single Malt

circa £75.00 70cl

Every year since 2010, Glenmorangie have released a new expression from their Private Edition collection, and Glenmorangie Tùsail is the 2015 release, following on in the footsteps of Sonnalta, Finealta, Artein, Ealanta and last years Companta.

Whilst previous releases have focussed on the casks used in the maturation (Sonnalta - Pedro Ximenez , Finealta - ex-sherry and American oak, Artein - Sassicaia, Ealanta - virgin oak, Companta - red wine) Tùsail is all about the grain drawing on the unique taste of Maris Otter barley, a rare quality grain that was almost lost to the world. But there was more to this story than just the grain selected. Glenmornagie's floor maltings were closed in 1980 but Dr. Bill Lumsden has traditionally floor malted the barley for this release.

Maris Otter Barley

Maris Otter was originally bred in 1960s England, near Cambridge, at a site on Maris Lane, the street after which the barley was named. Maris Otter’s flavour was initially sought after by the craft-brewing industry. But the variety’s popularity began to wane in the 1970s as tastes in beer changed and farmers switched to barley with higher yields. By the late 1980s, uncertified seed and cross-pollination had put Maris Otter at risk of extinction. This greatly alarmed some in the brewing industry, who still depended on its unique flavour to produce their cask-conditioned ales. Reacting to these concerns, two English seed merchants formed a partnership to rejuvenate the variety, and in 1992, began a programme to build the stocks back to an acceptable standard. 

With Kat's interest in craft beer, she decided she would do some research and found that the revival of the Maris Otter grain is predominately down to a barley merchant Robin Appel of Robin Appel Ltd. His entrepreneurial spirit could see a demand Many breweries valued this barley over other varieties because it gave superior flavours, and breweries were prepared to pay a higher price for the crop. In the '90s the majority of barley that was grown was spring harvested barley, so growing winter harvesting barley like Maris Otter showed to be bucking the trend at the time. Robin’s vision was obviously very convincing as everything has paid off. Today Maris Otter is going strong with many beers produced with the barley winning awards year after year. 

Kat contacted Robin Appel and to her surprise and delight, he replied to her email! Below is his reply giving us a brief history of barley:

‘Dear Kat,

Thank-you for getting in touch. Of course I can go on talking about Maris Otter forever, but the Media Pack which you have accessed on our website captures the main points.

I have been involved in saving and promoting the variety since 1990, and in 2001 purchased Warminster Maltings in Wiltshire, Britain’s oldest working maltings, to ensure Maris Otter could still be malted traditionally, by hand, on floors. With the maltings came the ‘preface’ to the Maris Otter story: E.S.Beaven, proprietor of the maltings at the beginning of the 20th century, was also a self taught plant breeder, who bred the first genetically true variety of barley in the world, in 1905. He crossed a Swedish variety called Plumage, with an Irish variety called Archer, and for the very first time produced a variety of barley, nay cereals, that was “uniform, distinct and stable”. Beaven named it Plumage Archer, and it was a massive breakthrough, and confined the ‘landrace’ cereal varieties, that had presided forever, to history.

The Plant Breeding Institute at Cambridge (Dr GDH Bell) picked up on Beaven’s work, and crossed Plumage Archer with Kenia to produce Proctor in 1953, and then crossed Proctor with Pioneer to produce Maris Otter in 1965.

So you see I have managed to round up the heritage of modern barley varieties – we have one grower still growing Plumage Archer – and in the wake of Maris Otter’s success, we are now expanding Plumage Archer production for the Whiskey market. Should we be trying to revive Proctor? I do not think so, because Maris Otter is really a Mk 2 Proctor. I can say this with confidence, because I joined the barley trade in 1963 when Proctor ruled. There were two strains – Spring Proctor and Winter Proctor, and the latter was regarded by the brewing industry as the ‘creme de la creme’. Maris Otter is, in my book, a more robust version of Winter Proctor!

So there is a few more snippets of information for you. Regards,

Robin Appel.’

So What Did We Think?

Kat Says: The nose begins with a delicate floral note which develops into a vibrant freshness, aromas becoming creamier, vanilla notes starts to come through together with a strong toasted cereal notes. With some time in the glass toasted cereal notes resembles that of seasoned oak on a hot day and the smell of oatcakes. Some dusty hot ash aroma can also be detected. 

Tasting I first noticed the dryness; this quickly goes being replaced with a hint of clear runny honey and plenty of lemon zest. The sweetness is diluted so not very sweet and it is nicely balanced by the lemon zest note. After this plenty of spices come through – for me its mace and fresh ginger. Then I got a bitter sweet note – molasses maybe, but quickly goes away making way for lashings of juicy fruit flavours to come through (more white fruits than red fruits), mainly white grapes and sultanas for me. A spicy dry finish that’s short lived with lingering bitter sweetness. 

Verdict: Compared with my memory of last year’s Private Edition release Companta, Tùsail is polar opposite. My memories of Companta were dark, rich, and full of dark fruit flavours, whereas Tùsail is very much light, fresh, and spicy.

Dave Says: The colour emulates golden fields of ripened barley on a glorious sunny day, and on pouring barley water flavours were my initial thoughts. once settled these give way to notes of sweet summer fruits; peaches and apricots. It certainly comes across as very rich and creamy. There's notes of fresh lumber too, sawn softwood and later a hint of that Glenmorangie soft orange notes coming through, almost blossom like in fragrance.

That creamy orange juice note comes across to the fore on the palate as does the softwood lumber notes. Tasting floral and fragrant there's a gentle sweetness which is balanced by a spicy build up while vanilla flavours richen with toffee notes which in turn evolves into milk chocolate. The spices build finishing with a peppery 'zing' and fresh ginger. The empty glass the following morning yielding notes of chocolate digestive biscuits (other chocolate covered malty biscuits are available)

Verdict: Personally, I loved it! The barley story interested me immensely and the rich creamy, yet almost rustic flavours drew me in completely!

A wee dram of Glenmorangie Tùsail

We would like to thank Glenmorangie for providing us with tasting samples, and to Robin Appel for his passion and help with our research.

Sláinte! Kat and Dave

Some further reading on Maris Otter Barley

After I read through other whisky bloggers reviews of Tùsail, many commented that they are not sure if they could taste the impact Maris Otter had on the flavour and aroma profiles of the whisky. I was wondering the same thing, so wanted to find out if I can find a description of the flavour profiles of Maris Otter and use this as a benchmark to compare my tasting notes against. I knew I tasted beers made from Maris Otter before but couldn't remember what they tasted like or what brewery they were from, just that the name rang a bell and knew I came across it before on beer bottle labels. 

My research came up trumps, when I found that Robin Appel had commissioned the Brewing Research Institute to conduct two separate studies (2006 and 2007) to identify the flavour profiles of Maris Otter. It seems that within the craft brewing circles there was similar debates on whether the variety of barley used made any difference to flavour of the end product. The results of the two studies (which I've read included blind tastings of beers from the different malts) concluded that the flavour ranges were “very clean, crisp, with biscuit and grain notes”. Comparing this to my tasting note I came to the conclusion that the flavours of Maris Otter does seem to come through in the dram. 

The only other whisky that I can find that’s known to be made with Maris Otter is the ultra-premium Hicks & Healey Cornish whisky which was jointly produced by St Austell Brewery and Healey’s Cyder Farm in Cornwall. This whisky is certainly on my list to try if given the opportunity!

This year sees Maris Otter celebrate 50 years of being in production and there are many beer related events around the country to celebrate this anniversary. To find out more about the 50 year anniversary campaign check out the Maris Otter Facebook page and follow their Twitter account: @marisotter50.


Sláinte! Kat 

Whisky Discovery #785

Glencadam 22 Year Old Abbey Whisky 55.3% abv 

Highland Single Cask Malt Whisky

£76.95 70cl only available from Abbey Whisky

This is the fourth release from Independent Whisky Retailer Abbey Whisky's 'Rare Casks' series, following earlier releases from Caperdonich, Bunnahabhain and Ben Nevis. I was supposed to have completed this post a long time ago, as my tasting notes were taken on 30th April last year! However other commitments and a few circumstances beyond my control set me back a little on the blog posting last year and I'm trying to play catch up now as I have two notebooks full of 'discoveries'.

This Glencadam was distilled in 1991, aged in a refill bourbon cask for 22 years, and is a worthy addition to this cask strength series of malts. As one would expect of a cask strength malt, this has been bottled at 55.3% abv, without chill filtering or colour additives. Just 96 bottles have been released.

Checking the liquid log we have had very little exposure to whiskies from The Glencadam Distillery and the only other one listed was the 21 Year Old that was in my Drinks By the Dram Advent Calendar last year.

I decided I needed to find out a little more about the distillery and reached for my Malt Whisky Yearbook along with some older books by Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson's World Guide to Whisky from 1987 tells us that the distillery was founded in 1825, and was bought by Ballantine's and extensively modernised in the 1950's. Most of it's Whisky went for blending at the time Michael wrote this book, but he describes it as having a very fruity aroma and a smooth, almost creamy palate. He also goes on to say that it's a 'most unusual and characterful Whisky.'

His Malt Whisky Companion (4th Edition) from 1999 describes the House Style as 'Creamy with a hint of berry fruits.'

Having previously been mothballed in 2000, the distillery was brought back to life in 2003 and is the only existing distillery in the region of Angus. 

So What Did I Think?

Twenty two years in a refill bourbon cask hasn't imparted a great deal of colour to the spirit during its slumber, but with the colour of a Sauternes wine, it immediately looks light and refreshing. 

The dominant aromas for me were coconut and vanilla. It always amazes me when I find these coconut flavours, I'm easily pleased! It's all down to the right wood conditions you know. This has a very pleasing, fragrant nose, and alongside the initial flavours I was finding ripe barley and some zesty citrus notes. The palate came across with some good malty flavours, biscuity almost, and although initially creamy and sweet, there was an interesting spicy build up towards the end. The coconut remains throughout and lasts right through to the very end, albeit turning a little soapy. 

(I'd like to point out that we eat a lot of coconut in our house, so know what a soapy coconut smells and tastes like. When anthropologists dig up our garden in years to come, they will believe there was once a coconut plantation and processing plant in the Bedfordshire countryside)

The empty glass the following morning gave notes of milk chocolate. Astonishing!

But don't just take my word for it, Jim Murray awarded this 92/100 in his 2015 Whisky Bible

Many thanks to Abbey Whisky for providing the sample, and for their continued patience in waiting for my this blog post! For further information and how to purchase this fine single cask single malt check their website here: Abbey Whisky 

Sláinte! Dave

Whisky Distillery Discovery No.2 - Glen Garioch

It was exactly one year ago that I visited my first Scottish whisky distillery, The Glen Garioch Distillery in Oldmeldrum and I still have fond memories of that September Friday afternoon.

I got the opportunity to visit Scotland on a business trip to Aberdeen during the that week of September. A large industrial show was being held in the city of Aberdeen I and was being sent up there to evaluate the show for a possible future exhibition. Although I hadn't left it too late to book flights which were readily available and still reasonably priced, booking a hotel was a little more tricky. The nearest place I could find to stay was in Elgin, some 60 odd miles away and an hour and a half drive each way.

Originally I was scheduled to travel with my Managing Director and I was already making plans to extend the trip over a weekend in order to take in some sights (read distilleries) but upon seeing the distance we would be traveling each way, he decided that I should go on my own, as he has little patience for travlleing, and so the trip was arranged. With a double room booked at the Premier Inn Linkwood, just outside Elgin, from the Wednesday evening until Sunday morning, and a hire car for the duration I thought it would be a good idea to ask my wife to accompany me. My wife doesn't drink and as long as I stayed awake to give directions, she would drive me home from the distilleries.

In the meantime I started investigating possible distillery visits and hatched a plan. The nearest distillery to Aberdeen is The Glen Garioch Distillery in Oldmeldrum, it was practically 'on the way home' taking the scenic route, and as the trade show finished early on the Friday (scheduled to close at 1400) it certainly seemed feasible to make an afternoon appointment for a tour. I made the necessary calls and booked it all up for 1500 which gave me plenty of time to escape from Aberdeen and meet my appointment.

The Still Room

Glen Garioch is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. Founded in 1797, it is Scotland’s most easterly distillery. Situated just twenty minutes from Aberdeen in the town of Oldmeldrum, it’s known as Aberdeenshire’s malt. Proud of their north east heritage, the Doric pronunciation is everything when it comes to Glen Garioch. Pronounced Glen Geery (which means Granary) the whisky takes its name from the local dialect for a tract of richly fertile land. It could be said the area was made for whisky production. The beautiful and richly fertile land has been famed for centuries as the ‘Granary of Aberdeenshire’, known for producing the finest barley in Scotland. When we visited the fields around were very busy with the farmers working hard and long hours trying to bring all the harvest home before the autumn set in

Arriving at Aberdeen late that Wednesday evening, we drove straight up to the hotel, it was very late when we finally reached our destination, overnight roadworks on the A96 causing some delays to the expected ninety minute run, and with a fairly early start the following morning decided to call it a day (the pub next door had already closed, so no dram before bedtime possible)

After a very long day at the trade show (Offshore Europe is a huge show and I spent the whole day walking each and every one of the halls, checking out the exhibits, looking for business opportunities and checking out competitors) I decided that we would take the long way back to the hotel, via Oldmeldrum, to check the route, the time needed and to make sure at could find the distillery the following afternoon. (I was a boy scout and being prepared is my motto!)

Pagodas in the sunshine - the old Maltings are to the left

Over the years Oldmeldrum has grown around the distillery, now nestled on the outskirts of the thriving town. It was a glorious afternoon, clear blue skies with bright sunshine and when we pulled up in the visitor centre car park, there were still a few cars there, so we made our way into the visitor centre to have a quick scout around, meeting Frank who confirmed we we were expected for the following afternoon. With the weather so fine it was also a good opportunity to take a few photographs as the weather forecast wasn't quite so good for the Friday. 

The show in Aberdeen seemed to fizzle out earlier than expected on the Friday, with many of the exhibitors starting to pack up while I was still trawling the aisles so we decided to leave early and head out to explore Oldmeldrum first, stopping for lunch in the community cafe in he middle of town. The community cafe was a wonderful find. Every table was taken when we popped our head in, but one of the tables had two spare seats and we were asked to join them, as they were just having their lunch before their shift at the cafe started. The cafe is all run by volunteers, for the community, and all the food was home made and we got to chat to some of the locals and find out a little bit about Oldmeldrum

After lunch of home made soup, followed by tea and scones we made our way over to the distillery, which was conveniently located in Distillery Road. We were met by visitor centre manager Fiona who poured me a large dram of their Founders Reserve while we waited for Distillery Manager Kenny 'Digger' Grant to take us around.

Although founded in 1797 The Glen Garioch distillery, like most of our older distilleries has had a chequered history. Production stopped in 1968 due to a chronic water shortage and five years passed before it started producing spirit again in 1973. It was then mothballed again for two years in 1995

Kenny has some history with Glen Garioch, having worked his way through every part of the process since joining the company as a young man after an initial career with the Army. His connection with the distillery goes back further than his own career, as his father affectionately known as 'Digger' Grant was responsible for finding a suitable water source after the distillery was mothballed in 1968.

Kenny, who has also assumed his fathers nickname 'Digger', took us straight across the road and into the old maltings. The maltings haven't been in use since the distillery was last mothballed in 1995 and so have been slowly decaying through lack of use. It's sad to see such a grand old building with its two malting floors and two grain storage floors unused. Repairs were being made to the upper wooden floors and roof when we visited, but I'm not sure what they will be used for.

Enjoying a dram of the 1999 'fill your own' with Kenny

As it was my first full distillery visit I'd never walked the malting floor, and although familiar with the process, Kenny explained what it was really like, back in the day when he was working in the maltings for real. It certainly sounded like back breaking work, but like all places of work, there seemed to have been a lot of fun there too, as Kenny let on about some of the pranks they would play on each other, and especially with the new guys.

From the maltings we went through to see the old kilns, again no longer in use. When the distillery was reopened in August 1997 it was decided that malted barley would be shipped in. Nowadays the malt is unpeated, but pre-1995 there peat was used in the kilning process to circa 8-10 ppm.

Stainless Steel Washbacks

From the kiln we moved into the current working operational side of the distillery. The 4.4 tonne full later mash tun is used 15 times a week, filling the eight stainless steel wash backs where a fermentation time of 48 hours is usual.

There are three stills in the still room, there used to be two pairs back in the mid seventies, but now the 'spare' spirit still sits between the wash still and the spirit still that is used. The wash still is a traditional onion shaped still with a capacity of 25,000 litres, the spirit still similar, but a little smaller at 12,000 litres capacity. When we visited the distillery was more or less running at full capacity of circa 1 million litres a year, so it is one of our smaller distilleries in terms of capacity. There's very little room to expand, but if the missing wash still was replaced I guess production could be increased.

The 12,000 litre Spirit Still

The spirit collected is tankered away for cask filling and although there is on-site dunnage the majority of the maturing stocks is held offsite. 

Kenny reflected in the Spirit Safe

Our visit included a trip into one of the four warehouses where some 8,000 casks lie maturing. This was something I was really looking forward to, having heard so much about the 'Angels Share' and it certainly didn't disappoint. The heady aroma of maturing Whisky combined with the whisky soaked oak barrels and cool damp earthiness is just sublime!

Traditional dunnage at Glen Garioch - the smell in here should be bottled

There's an opportunity to fill your own bottle straight from a cask in the warehouse. It was the first time I'd handled a valinch, but managed to fill the glass beaker without making a mess, or without bringing too much of the charred oak that lies in the bottom of a cask.. When we visited the 'fill-your-own' was a 1999 ex-bourbon cask (cask number 2907) that was filled on the 27th November. Once bottled you get to label your bottle and each is individually numbered, mine being No.100, bottle on 6th September 2013. I haven't opened it yet, but will be soon I'm sure.

Back in the visitor centre there are a selection of their current range to taste from their core staples, Founders Reserve and 12 Year Old, to some of their vintage releases. I have both the Founders Reserve and the 12 Year Old on my shelf, with the 12 Year Old my favourite of the two. Of the vintages I've tried, the 1986 is a stand out dram, although slightly above my budget, and the 1995 is just superb, although scarce now. I recently added a bottle of their 1999 Sherry Cask Matured vintage to my shelf having finished the 1995 vintage

Glen Garioch is certainly well worth a visit, and being just 30 minutes away from Aberdeen , and 'on the way' to Speyside it must be in your plans! I'm hoping to be able to return there soon, I'd love to spend time there to really get under the skin of the team. Whisky is about the people, and everyone we met at Glen Garioch are passionate about what they do. In addition to that, Oldmeldrum is a lovely Aberdeenshire town which has grown up and around the distillery and visitor centre making it truly part of the community.

If you've not been there yet, do something about it, you won't be disappointed

My single cask bottle, No.100 from 1999 Vintage Cask No.2907

I've tasted quite a few of the Distillery releases as well as a couple of independent bottlings. I have (or have had) the following on my drinking shelf; Founders Reserve, 12 Year Old, 1995 Vintage, 1999 Vintage and my 1999 single cask that I filled myself.

CORE RANGE

Glen Garioch 1797 Founder’s Reserve 48% ABV (Whisky Discovery No.216)

Glen Garioch 12 Years Old 48% ABV (Whisky Discovery No.453)

VINTAGES

Glen Garioch Virgin Oak 48% ABV (Whisky Discovery No.455)

Glen Garioch 1978 57.8% ABV

Glen Garioch 1986 54.6% ABV (Whisky Discovery No.455)

Glen Garioch 1990 54.6% ABV.

Glen Garioch 1991 54.7% ABV.

Glen Garioch 1994 53.9% ABV.

Glen Garioch 1995 55.3% ABV (Whisky Discovery No.454)

Glen Garioch 1997 56.7% ABV

Glen Garioch 1998 56.7% ABV French Oak Matured (Whisky Discovery No.780)

Glen Garioch 1999 56.3% ABV Sherry Cask Matured (Whisky Discovery No.529)

Glen Garioch Drambassador

The beautiful Still Room at Glen Garioch, conveniently located in Distillery Road

If you've bumped into me at Whisky Shows recently you'll know I'm a big fan of Glen Garioch, I'll always drop by to saviour one or more of their Vintage releases, despite having sampled them all previously. I have a few from their range on my shelf too, and we called upon their 1995 Vintage for our first Whisky Tasting that we held towards the end of last year. The Glen Garioch distillery was also the first Scottish distillery I visited, so has even more relevance as I've met the people who make the Whisky.

You can imagine I was pretty excited to learn that I had been chosen to be a 'Drambassador' for the Glen Garioch distillery, an unpaid position, but with the opportunity to revisit the distillery on an expenses paid trip should this blog post be favoured amongst the others, how could I refuse? 

My first task (hopefully there will be additional duties) as a Drambassador is being to be among the first to discover a new Glen Garioch expression/vintage, receiving a blind sample along with some clues as to it's identity along with a bar of plain chocolate that had pieces of crystallised ginger stuck to it along with a small pot of jam.

The Drambassador's pack

The Clues

The first of my clues told me that the entire batch of this expression was distilled one Summer's day when Scotland took part in a global sporting event, and that the country where this event took place being closely linked to their tasting notes. 

My mind immediately thought of The Commonwealth Games, especially as Scotland would be hosting the event in Glasgow this year, but was it truly a global event? I considered some vintages: 1994-Victoria, Canada; 1998-Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 2002-Manchester UK. Three vintage years certainly, global? Yes, but not all inclusive. There has already been a Glen Garioch 1994 vintage, but 1998 could be a contender, but how could Malaysia be closely linked to the official tasting notes? Then there was 2002 and Manchester? I didn't think so!

With rugby being my favourite sport, this was my next line of investigation. I'm also aware that Morrison Bowmore Master Blender Rachel Barrie is also a big rugby fan, so this seemed to fit nicely. The Scotland rugby team have always featured in the Rugby World Cup tournament, a truly global sporting event, and totally inclusive (well if you can field a rugby team, and qualify!) and again I started to think of some vintage years: 2003-Australia; 1999-Wales; 1995-South Africa. Again three vintage years, but with 1995 and 1999 vintages already in the current line up, left only 2003 as a possible contender, alas being held in October and November didn't fit with the summers day, and with England being the winners that year seemed even less likely!

The only other Scottish sporting team I'm familiar with is the Football team, and with 2014 being a FIFA World Cup year, this also seemed 'topical'. Unfortunately Scotland hadn't qualified this year, and haven't done so since 1998, when the competition was held in France during the summer months of June and July. There's no 1998 vintage Glen Garioch, and since this year has cropped up twice in my initial investigations looked a strong contender!

My second clue told me that the Whisky is a perfect marriage of two regions, and that I might find that I may be reminded of something else. No research needed here? I wasn't sure, and thought I'd best read on to the end of my clues before tasting.

Clue number three told me the casks were previously stored in a cave, 100km from the Atlantic Ocean. Despite being the second largest ocean, with all of the East coast of the Americas and all of the West coast of Africa having Atlantic shores, I was still being steered towards a 1998 vintage and France, where 'cave' is also French for cellar and started thinking of wine casks from South West France.

The farmer called them 'effers' but I knew what he meant

The fourth clue was describing the type of wood this expression has been matured in: 'The oak shares it's name with a breed of cattle.' I know very little about breeds of cows but surprised myself with being able to write a fair number of cattle breeds down! All those Sunday evenings watching Countryfile paying dividends for my cow knowledge, but none of them closely resembling names of oak! Friesian Oak anyone? Perhaps I needed to review types of oak used for casks?

And so I discovered that Limousin was not only a region of France famed for its oak forests, but also for a breed of highly muscled beef cattle. While researching Limousin I discovered that it's grove of French Oak was prized for it's distinct character and flavours in wine fermentation, and that vintner Rémy Martin has exclusive rights to these oak groves, a partnership that has been established for over 100 years. 

I needed to find out a little more about Rémy Martin next, as it was most likely that the casks used would have once held something from them. Whilst I had heard of the brand and knew that they were famed for their Cognac, I wasn't aware of any whiskies being matured in Cognac casks. I also need to find out if Rémy Martin used caves to mature their Cognac! 

Further investigations told me that because of it's 'loose' grain Limousin oak is most suited for Cognac, Armagnac, Sherry and Whisky ageing. Discounting whisky, I considered the two French spirits, Cognac and Armagnac, both fitting into the 100km from the Atlantic range, but I'm not familiar with either of them, having never tasted either. Can you believe that? I'm the wrong side of 40 and have never tasted Cognac or Armagnac, something I intend to change this year! 

I then considered Sherry, and upon deciding it was indeed sherry o'clock poured myself a glass of Fino, that was a smart move! I've been on a bit of a sherry mission recently, initially from curiosity to find out a little more about the fortified wine casks so often used in whisky maturation. Sherry comes from Jerez in Spain, which also features an Atlantic shoreline, so could also be a possible contender! 

So before tasting this new expression from Glen Garioch I have determined (rightly or wrongly) that it was distilled one summers day in 1998, that it has been matured in French oak casks, Limousin Oak to be precise, and that the casks had been previously used, so definitely not virgin oak, and possibly Cognac casks.

This brought be straight back to clue number two; a perfect marriage of two regions, Scotland and France, the 'Auld Alliance', perhaps I could be on the right track?

Where is this chocolate and jam leading me?

But where does the chocolate with crystallised ginger and pot of jam fit in with all of this? I hear you ask. I pondered with the same question, for hours. Before I knew it I'd eaten half the rich dark chocolate and picked off most of the crystallised ginger, I was getting nowhere! The French aren't well known for their chocolate, especially as two of their neighbours are renowned for their chocolatiers. The jam seemed to be a type of plum jam, not Victoria plums, but more of a Damson Plum, or Blackcurrant And Plum. France is famed for a type of Plum Jam, though Mirrabelle Plums are golden plums grown in the Lorraine region and much of the production goes into jam making, but it's an orangey yellow colour.

Whisky Discovery #780

Glen Garioch 1998 'French Oak' ex-Cognac casks (48% abv)

Highland Single Malt

Price tba

I give you the new Glen Garioch 1998 Cognac Cask in front of some 'familiar friends

I tasted this on its own and immediately found the 'house style' in my mental notes. I decided That I must be frugal with each pour, keeping it to no more than 15ml each time as I wanted to sample at different times of the day, and get a morning tasting in too, seeing as I had a long Easter weekend. I also wanted to try it with and without water (really taking this role seriously) as well as sampling alongside the othe Glen Garioch expressions I have at home; Founders Reserve, 12 Year Old and 1995 Vintage. 

I decided to stick with the Cognac Cask for my guess as further investigations into the Suntory brands led me to Louis Royer, a Cognac producer from Jarnac which is just to the East of Cognac, fitting nicely with the 100 km rule, and closer inspection of their website seemed to indicate caves were used to store the casks. However, if I was supposed to find Cognac notes it this new expression, I've failed miserably as I wouldn't know a Cognac if it slapped me in the face!

So What Did I Think?

Colour: Yellow Amber (or Ambre Jeune)

Nose: A familiar Glen Garioch spicy herbal note of heather greets you, with an underlying honey sweetness. Not quite as spicy as the Founders Reserve, and not the soft honey sweetness of the 12 Year Old, something right in the middle of the two. There's no aroma dominating the nose, it just comes across balanced, with some gentle fruit notes, soft pears and white grape notes. a drop of water brings some fresh sawn lumber and releases waves of soft vanilla.

Palate: Rich and refined, a lovely malt-wood balance, with a mouth-coating quality that again feels right. The spices build quickly which last right through to the long finish, along with a zingy peppery note, but never over powering. There are flavours of fine oak wood, shavings from a carpenters plane, the grape juice note follows from the nose, bringing sweetness to the balance, then right at the end there is a touch of earthiness to it. a drop of water releases ginger, but not the crystallised ginger I was expecting.

Finish: The finish is long initially spicy, which is followed by the oak wood flavours, some of the oak tannins starting to dry the mouth, inviting another sip, then again a touch of earthiness at the very end.

Empty Glass: My morning treat, nosing the empty glass (covered overnight) the following morning gave malty chocolate notes and a touch of that herbal heather.

Verdict: A lovely inclusion to my flight of four Glen Garioch's, and it sat very nicely alongside one of my favourite vintages, the 1995. I'm very much looking forward to it's release and revisiting this, because it really is something I would like to put on my shelf.

Sláinte! Dave