SMWS London January 2014

I love being a member of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. I don't get down to our nearest venue in Farringdon nowhere near enough, but I try to make sure it features on each trip I make into the city as it is conveniently located just across from Farringdon station.

Farringdon also happens to be on our mainline in and out of London, so very easy for us to get to. My only 'gripe' is that it's not open on a Sunday (yet?) although I see the Edinburgh venues are, but that might be due to it's 'city' location where many places close for the weekend in this area

It was my youngest's 16th Birthday just before Christmas and big Sister Kat bought her some tickets to a ballet show in London for the fourth of January, informingg me that I would have to 'chaperone' this time as Kat wouldn't be able to make it due to college commitments.

I quickly checked where the theatre was and too my delight, found out it was just a fifteen minute walk away from 19 Greville Street. Ideal! So while the girls (she took her best friend with Kat's ticket) were at the show I could spend two hours in our favourite waiting room.

I've had a couple of good days out with Twitter pal Adrian Barnett (@mynameisgone) having first met him at last years Whisky Live London. We've since done a couple of shows together, Septembers Midlands Whisky Show and last November's Wine & Spirits Show which is another story.

I asked Adrian if he'd be able to get a 'pass-out' for a couple of hours to join me for a New Year dram, and over the Christmas break a couple of other local #WhiskyFabric decided they would like to join us, and meet for the first time too, so it was all set. A short afternoon session at the London headquarters of the SMWS, 19 Greville Street.

After dropping the girls off at the theatre I arrived on the dot at 2 o'clock. Adrian and Scott Saunders (@Saunders_AFC) were already installed when I arrived, just settling in for their first dram. It was the first time I'd met Scott who had recently joined the SMWS and this was just his second visit. I joined them with their first dram.

Matt Veira (@mattveira) arrived a little later and joined us and long time SMWS member Philip Storry (@philipstorry) who was split between two groups which all became one as the afternoon went on and after I left.

The Dram Team; Phil, Adrian, Dave, Matt, Scott behind the bar at 19 Greville Street

I had to run at 4 o'clock to pick up the girls, but in the two short hours I managed to meet two more of the wonderful #WhiskyFabric out there in the Twitterverse, register six new whisky discoveries on the Liquid Log including a new distillery, and taste some spectacular whisky.

Whisky Discovery #679

SMWS 48.38 'Sparkling Summer Effervescence' (58.2% abv)
Speyside Single Cask Single Malt Whisky
Only available by the dram at The SMWS

So for my first dram of the day was this nine year old Balmenach, and as the Liquid Log states was my second ever Balmenach, the first being another SMWS release, 48.33

Distilled on the 8th of March 2004 this spent nine years maturing in a first fill ex bourbon barrel and just 249 bottles were filled at 58.2% abv. This was a very refreshing light and fruity dram and a great start to the afternoon. I'm not sure who chose this one,but I've got a feeling it was Adrian.

Whisky Discovery #680

Brora 30 Year Old (2005)
Highland Single Malt Whisky
A 'money can't buy dram'?

A treat courtesy of Philip Storry for my second dram and this 2005 release of the 30 Year Old Brora. Philip has been an SMWS member for 10 Years and I've met him a few times in 19 Greville Street previously, and he also had the best name badge at The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show this year 'Grain Hoover' of Storry Whisky Disposal Inc. This sounds like the forward thinking company I ought to be working at!

This Brora was one of the Diageo special releases from 2005, a 30 year old from a closed Distillery. Left to breath for a while, this gives out some great oily anthracite notes which I particularly liked.

Whisky Discovery #681

SMWS 84.12 'Party in the Vineyard' (58.2% abv)
Speyside Single Cask Single Malt Whisky
Only available by the dram at The SMWS

My first ever Glendullan, a distillery I'd not even heard of until I'd rechecked Malt Whisky Year book, which reminded me I had heard of it, from The Singleton of Glendullen although I haven't ever actually seen a bottle of it. Matt Vierra had joined us for this dram, so not quite sure if this was Matt's or Scott's choice.

Glendullen is now owned by Diageo and is almost exclusively used in blended Scotch though once the favourite whisky of King Edward VII and Betty Boothroyd, the first female Speaker in the House of Commons

Distilled in September 1997 and matured in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead for 12 years yielding just 296 bottles at 59.3% abv this was another light fruity and fragrant dram, totally different to the dirty smoky Brora.

Whisky Discovery #682

SMWS 2.84 'Katherine Hepburn in a Vintage Jaguar' (53.3% abv)
Speyside Single Cask Single Malt Whisky
Only available by the dram at The SMWS

This was from the January Outturn and there had been quite a bit of interest on the twitter feed and had been asked by a few friends to sample and let them know what it was like. Joe McGirr loved this dram, and may have been the main perpetrator of the twitter interest. In any case releases from The Glenlivet are fairly unusual, and one as dark as this one almost unheard of.

This 20 Year Old was served up in one of the Society's nosing glasses, perhaps one of the prettiest in my opinion and I certainly need to get a set of these for home going forward. Distilled on 11th May 1993 and matured for 20 years in a first-fill ex-sherry hogshead it yielded just 77 bottles at 53.3% abv

This one has a most delicious nose, and an incredible depth of colour. With a little time to breathe I was picking out flavours that were very similar to a 30 Year Old Matusalem sherry I had over Christmas, lots of walnuts, as if they had been liquefied with figs and sticky dates. I needed to have a bottle of this.

Whisky Discovery #683

SMWS 53.200 'A Day at the Beach' (59.8% abv)
Islay Single Cask Single Malt Whisky
Only available from The SMWS £71.70

Another preview from the January Outturn and one I had every intention of buying when I left home that morning being a big Caol Ila fan. Unfortunately the other drams that I had around me at the time were distracting me and after The Glenlivet, Bruichladdich and Bowmore I was more interested in securing a bottle of 2.84 than this one unfortunately.

This is a good Caol Ila and one I hope is still around for a little while longer and I would like to add this to my shelf if still available when funds are sufficient.

Whisky Discovery #684

SMWS 23.52 'Teenage Dreams' (55.9% abv)
Islay Single Cask Single Malt Whisky
A 'money can't buy dram'?

Another treat from Phil Storry and a older release from Bruichladdich. Distilled in 1986, this would have been the Bruichladdich Mark Reiyner would have been enjoying before realising his dream and reopening the distillery in 2001.

Bruichladdich is another distillery that rarely crops up in SMWS Out-turns so the chance to taste this 19 Year Old was a real treat, and one of the highlights of the afternoon

Whisky Discovery #416

SMWS 3.193 'Baby Faced Arsonist' (58.2% abv)
Speyside Single Cask Single Malt Whisky
Only available by the dram at The SMWS

Not a new whisky discovery as I'd enjoyed this 14 Year Bowmore before when I spent a few days working in London. You can see what I thought of it then (as well as all the other drams enjoyed) here SMWS 3.193

This was my final dram for the afternoon, my choice, albeit my second choice as I was looking for an Ardbeg that had sadly run out. This has a lovely balance of sherry sweetness and earthy peat and I really wish I'd bought a bottle of this at the time.

Slàinte! Dave

The Glenlivet Tweet Tasting

A pretty special Tweet Tasting featuring three 'core' expressions from The Glenlivet range and for the finale dram, to newly released, and mysterious Alpha, a limited edition release with very little information published yet.

Famously the first legal Scottish distillery in Speyside after owner George Smith took the brave step of applying for the first license to distil following the Excise Act of 1823, Glenlivet became so synonymous with the best quality that the company was forced to take legal action in the 1880s to prevent its rivals passing off their own wares as 'the Real Stuff'. Despite the Smith family winning the exclusive right for their product to be known as 'The' Glenlivet, dozens of other distilleries persisted with the usage of the Glenlivet suffix (eg Macallan-Glenlivet) for decades afterwards.

Although the distillery's standard 12 Year Old epitomises the kind of soft, smooth, lighter style of Speyside malts loved by so many whisky fans, Glenlivet's spirit has also proven itself to be more than capable of withstanding long years of wood-ageing. The ongoing Cellar Collection was created to showcase some of the superb older malts in the distillery's archives, and some extremely old sherried vintages going back to the 1930s have been bottled by Gordon & Macphail.

All set up at Whisky Discovery HQ complete with my new Glenlivet glasses!

We were joined by International Brand Ambassador Ian Logan @iantheguardian who was on hand to answer all our ‘The Glenlivet’ based questions. So with the clock at 7:00pm precisely we started our evening with The Glenlivet 12 Year Old. 

Whisky Discovery #11

The Glenlivet 12 Year Old (40% abv)

Speyside Single Malt

circa £28.00 70 cl

This was one of my early 'Whisky Discoveries' and reading back through my initial 'liquid log' entry I think it is high time I revisited this and gave it the proper review it deserves.

The delicate and complex character of the 12 Year Old derives from the height and width of stills at The Glenlivet Distillery. This expression is matured in a mixture of cask types, including American and European Oak. Maturation in American oak imparts vanilla notes and gives the whisky its distinct smoothness. The mineral rich water from Josie's Well ensures the best possible results during mashing and fermenting to form the flavours that define this expression.

So what Did We Think?

Kat: Nose: Red apples, dried fruits (figs & raisins), some oak, dried hay, with hints of dark roasted coffee bean powder. With a little time, some more fruit notes develops of under ripe mangoes and red berries. 

Taste:  Zesty citrus, some spices (more like all spice berries), cooked lemons, and the apple note comes through as well. Overall a fresh and light taste. 

Finish:  White pepper, hint of spices this time of cloves, and leaving a bit of a dry mouth feel. Medium long finish. 

Dave: This has a lovely fresh floral nose, it reminds me of grassy summer meadows. There is gentle vanilla and tropical fruits too, I certainly noted pineapples, but later these turned more apple like and less pine like. With the teeniest drop of water the nose becomes much sweeter and refreshing with a crisp pear note

The palate is gently fruity at first, having a 'fruit salad' sweet like fruitiness to it. There is lots of creamy vanilla and some gentle peppery spice, and it all finishes rather quickly with gentle sweetness, a littler sherbet and quite dry.

Verdict: I'd forgotten how simply delicious this is. It is not an overly complex dram, but simply crisp, clean, very refreshing and oh so drinkable.

What did the others think?

@MasterOfMaltJM: Honey, pineapple, vanilla, pressed apples and a little cinnamon
@TheWhiskyBoys: Sipping now, vanilla and gooseberries, quite rich and creamy runny toffee
@whiskycast: That touch of green apple from the nose is still very subtle on the palate, but comes back out to play on the finish
@ifotou: Taste light and refreshing oaky and fruity with definite wood notes, young and fresh and vanilla custard
@steveprentice: On the palate is smooth and easy to drink, gently oily and mouth warming with some spices after a while.
@whiskywardrobe: Lovely vanilla on this, a bit light but I like the touch of tobacco that it has. Nice dram. 

Whisky Discovery #422

The Glenlivet 15 Year Old (40% abv)

Speyside Single Malt

circa £40.00 70 cl

The 15 Year Old’s distinctive character is the result of selective maturation; a proportion of the spirit is matured in a selection of French Oak casks for a limited period, so as not to overpower the final result.

The Glenlivet was one of the first distilleries to use French Oak in the whisky making process, a technique that has since been imitated by many others. Limousin Oak, which is cut in the Dordogne region of France, is often used to mature fine wines and cognacs. In the case of The Glenlivet, its low density allows the spirit to penetrate deep into the wood, imparting the expression’s distinctive spiciness. The French Oak also increases the intensity of the whisky, resulting in a richer and creamier finish.

So what Did We Think?

Kat: Nose:  Firstly you get this floral perfume that reminds me of a field of dandelions (the field opposite my house is just full of them in bloom at the moment), this is followed by strawberry jam, hints of milk chocolate, and madeira cake. No dried fruits being picked up. 

Taste: Interestingly I taste dried fruits (figs and raisins ) but nothing in the nose. I was expecting to get these flavours in the 12 year old but didn’t. Again it’s fresh and light, with the difference of the spices here being of cinnamon and liquorice. 

Finish:  To me, it’s not too dissimilar to the 12 year old. 

Dave: I immediately found spiced pears on the nose, with a rich honey sweetness, and some interesting spiciness coming through. There was an unexpected strawberry note, which as Kat pointed out was similar to a rich strawberry jam note. Rich toffee notes appear a little later.

This was so smooth and creamy on the palate, just mouthwatering, reminding me of a  warming vanilla custard with a sprinkling of nutmeg. The oak spiciness builds and remains with the finish

Verdict: I really enjoyed this dram and can see why a lot of people have been saying good things about this expression. Although similar in profile to the 12 Year Old it is much more spicy and richer in flavour too.

What did the others think?

@EdinburghWhisky: nose: more creamy, biscuity, hints of pastries and then the apples, almonds, and butteriness

@TheWhiskyBoys: Colour, doorknocker brass, Nose a rich sweetness,marzipan and a citrus hit Caribbean fruits quite complex

@GuidScotchDrink: red apples and toasted caramel with honey covered grapefruit and hints of Moroccan bazaar

@weheartwhisky: lovely and rich, with some excellent spices but not overpowering in anyway. Figs dusted with icing sugar

@steveprentice: A summer dram, it's not got the fresh grass and apples in quite such abundance, instead stewed summer fruits with a dollop of vanilla yoghurt on the nose

@DramStats: Ripe banana at first then warm apple pie filling with cinnamon and sultana, then fudge and apricots 

Whisky Discovery #423

The Glenlivet 18 Year Old (43% abv)

Speyside Single Malt

circa £50.00 70 cl

The rich palate of the 18 Year Old is the result of a combination of several different cask types. The Glenlivet Master Distiller Alan Winchester has a wealth of quality casks to choose from when creating this complex expression, with American and European Oak, first and second fill, all playing their parts.

European Oak imparts spicy hints and brings additional complexity first-fill American Oak adds tropical fruitiness

So what Did We Think?

Kat: Nose:  This shares some similar profiles to the 12 year old. Has same apples and dried fruit notes but overall richer. The apple notes is present, initially starting off as fresh apples but later turns into the smell of apple crumble. In addition there’s dark chocolate, hint of roasted coffee beans, and the smell of boats (ah it brings back fond childhood memories) with its damp decks and wet ropes. 

Taste:  Deliveries a full body richness which reflects the nose but more spices. Here is of black pepper. Towards the end there’s a brief moment of sweetness that’s reminds me of the taste of a trifle. 

Finish: Warming with a long peppery finish. 

Dave: Wax furniture polish was the first this that came to mind when I first nose this, but it settled down quickly. Vanilla started sneaking out, fresh vanilla pods, then tobacco, followed by dried fruits, rich toffee and slowly evolves to become wonderfully sweet

This is so smooth and creamy, rich and sweet with toffee and dates. Spices build with ginger and white pepper turning more nutty towards the end leaving quite a dry finish while still remaining spicy with a chilli heat.

Verdict: I can see why Ian Logan says that this is his favourite Glenlivet, it is dangerously drinkable!

What did the others think?

@ifotou: A really light nose which begins with light oak fresh vanilla pods and Ecuadorian dark chocolate

@weheartwhisky: tobacco on the nose with toffee apple, figs again, vanilla pods and creme caramel

@themisswhisky: Nose: Peaches, cherries and grassy note found in 12 comes back but more sour, silage now for me

@TheWhiskyBoys: Rich gold in colour, nose - florist shop fragrance. Bourbon infused fruit cake.hint of peat

@steveprentice: Late autumn gold in colour. A fabulous nose, juxtaposed fresh fruits but old wintery fruits at the same time, but married together very happily. Earthy mossy dunnage cask oak notes with apples around it in harvest festival style

@lucycryle: Toasted seeds are all over this palate, followed by very ripe 

Whisky Discovery #424

The Glenlivet Alpha NAS (50% abv)

Speyside Single Malt

circa £100.00 70 cl

The Glenlivet Alpha was released on the 8th of May, 2013 A unique new whisky, limited to just 3,350 bottles, with only 600 bottles available for the UK. This has been released without any details about the cask maturation or any tasting notes, even the colour of the whisky was mystery as packaging consists of a solid black bottle. 

So what Did We Think?

Kat: Nose:  Your first hit by the almost overpowering aroma of those foamy banana sweets but this does take a back seat to allow the other flavours to come through, but still lingers in the back ground. This is followed by raw dark chocolate chip cookie dough, fresh strawberry and vanilla ice cream milkshake, Madeira cake (like the 15 year old),  and some butterscotch. 

Taste:  This reflects the nose beautifully with some spicy warmth from black peppers. This is also a full bodied whisky but not with the dark roasted qualities. Maybe full bodied is not the right description, perhaps saying it has richer flavours is more accurate. 

Finish:  Warming, long peppery finish. 

Dave: Well I can confirm it certainly wasn't pink as @whiskycast tweeted to see if the PR team would bite! As I poured the reassuringly whisky coloured golden liquid into the glass it reminded me of rhubarb and custard sweets from when I was a lad. The nose came across as fresh and clean. Tropical fruits started to develop, and a sweet melon note, I couldn't remember the variety, but I remember finding them in France a little while back at a family wedding. Alongside the melon there was honey mango, passion fruits, and citrus flavours oozing from it, limes, lemon drizzle cake. After a little while in the glass some spicy wood notes started to develop. I was keen to taste this one!

It was very light and fresh on the palate, getting back towards a summery garden dram. The  tropical fruits picked up on the nose come through on the palate too still there. There was a creamy vanilla note before the spices started to build with some peppery heat before settling back to being smooth and creamy.

The peppery spice remained on the finish, while starting to turn quite dry, similar to finishing a Fino sherry.

What did the others think?

@TheWhiskyBoys: Colour pale sunrise yellow gold. nose, mixed soft fruits and heather honey and bounty bars
@themisswhisky: Wowzers - waves of tropical fruit hit the nose with a backbone of spicy intrigue on this 
@champdenwhite: Different from others, yet still that family backbone, very well integrated wood, so much so it's just there
@lucycryle: Smells like a lemon drizzle cake I use from a family recipe - slightly undercooked to give a creamy sweet flavour
@EdinburghWhisky: Palate: grapefruit, pears, gooseberry, lime, lemon. It's like a very high quality pinot gris
@ifotou: Gentle bourbon influence with freshly scraped vanilla pod mixing with red crunchy apple fresh pineapple chunks and a touch of caramel

Our favourites?

Kat: Out of the four whiskies, my favourites are the 18 year old then the Alpha. For my taste, I find the 12 and the 15 year old too light and much prefer the fuller richer flavours of the others. However my absolute favourite, from what I’ve tasted so far from Glenlivet has to be the 25 year old. I had this at Whisky Live earlier this year but sadly didn’t take tasting notes at the time. Fingers cross, I will be able to taste it again soon and will be sure to post my thoughts. 

Dave: I totally agree with Kat (and Ian Logan!) the 18 Year Old was my particular favourite of the four, and was feeling rather smug with myself as I had only recently bought myself a bottle of it which was unopened at the time of the tweet tasting. The Alpha is an exceptional whisky with bags of fruit. I'm a little sceptical of the marketing campaign, however it is very brave of Glenlivet to release a whisky with no information at all. Information is slowly being revealed through their website and Facebook pages and I've recently learnt that it is a marriage of two cask types, first fill bourbon, and second fill new wood. Unfortunately I expect much of this to be snapped up by collectors, and not drunk - it should be, because it is very very good. I was also impressed with revisiting the the core expression, 12 Year Old is a great re-discovery and I would be very happy to have a bottle of the 15 Year Old French Oak on my shelf.

And finally....

As per previous Tweet Tastings there was a great deal of tweeting going on and to see what happened search on the #Alpha hashtag on twitter for the full story.

Yet another great experience and another highlight of our whisky journey, with three new discoveries for us, Tweet Tastings really are a great way to taste whisky.

A massive THANK YOU to Steve Rush at @TheWhiskyWire, International Brand Ambassador Ian Logan @iantheguardian to all the team at @The_Glenlivet and of course the tweet tasters.

This events tweet tasters were:

@TheWhiskyWire @EdinburghWhisky @WeHeartWhisky @MasterOfMaltJM @themisswhisky @TheWhiskyBoys @cowfish @whiskycast @Whisky4Everyone  @malthound @ScotMaltWhisky @themaltedmuse @TheWhiskyLounge @ifotou @whiskywardrobe @thinkingdrinks @GuidScotchDrink @WhiskyDiscovery @steveprentice @Girl_Whisky @dramstats @WhiskyDiscovKat @PlanetWhiskies

@DrinksPRAgency

For more information see: www.thewhiskywire.com and www.theglenlivet.com

An evening with Berry Bros & Rudd

I was thrilled to be invited to an evening tasting at Berry Bros & Rudd last Monday evening, where Doug McIvor, Berry Bros & Rudd's very own Master of Cask Selection, took us through the widely acclaimed Blue Hanger blended malt.

Berry Bros. & Rudd is Britain's oldest wine and spirit merchant, having traded from the same shop for over 310 years, being established in 1698 by the Widow Bourne at 3 St James's Street, London. Members of the Berry and Rudd families continue to own and manage the family-run wine merchant to this day

Berry Bros. & Rudd have a long association with supplying fine spirits through their `Berry's Own Selection' for well over a century, making Berry's one of the earliest Independent bottlers. By 1909, they were offering 1897 Macallan and 1885 Talisker by the gallon or dozen; to name a few.

In 1923 the company created Cutty Sark Scots' Whisky, and pioneered the vintage concept for The Glenrothes single malt Scotch Whisky. More recently a range of fine vintage Single Malts.

This event was held in the famous 312-year-old vaulted 'Pickering Cellar' located beneath the shop and adjacent town houses. The event was set to start for 6:00pm and I arrived in plenty of time to have a walk around the area beforehand including a browse through their impressive whisky selection in the shop.

It was good to see a few familiar faces from whisky enthusiasts, writers and bloggers that I'd met over the last year during the whisky shows, and great to meet some of the people I had been following since the beginning of my whisky journey.

We were greeted with an aperitif, a 1988 Invergordon Single Grain Whisky (Berry's Own Selection of course!) served on the rocks and billed as Doug's Monday night dram. I've never added ice to my whisky before, and to be honest don't think I'll be doing it again, it did seem to kill the flavours I should have been experiencing from this twenty four year old single grain.

With everyone settled we were introduced to Doug McIvor who told us how one of the his first tasks when he joined the company was to evaluate the state of the reserves of Scotch whisky Berry's have been storing. He tasted around four hundred casks scoring them between 1-5 and how over two thirds were rejected due to poor cask management. The vintage single malt whisky looked good on paper to the accountants, but after Doug was through grading them all they had to write off the perceived value.

Doug then went onto explain how Blue Hanger came about. Originally the name of a blend introduced in 1934, named after a loyal customer from the 1790's; William 'Blue' Hanger.

In 2003 Doug was experimenting by blending a handful of aged Speyside malt samples when he came across a combination that seemed to bring the best out of each of the single malts. It was decided to revive the Blue Hangar name in order to release the new limited edition blended (vatted) malt which consisted of a blend of these aged Glen Grant and Glenlivet casks.

Last year the 6th Release was launched which went on to win 'Best Scotch Blended Malt in the World' at the World Whisky Awards 2012. This has almost sold out (you really had better be quick!) and so Doug was now working on a new release for later this year.

Sadly there were no bottles of the first release of the Blue Hanger blended malt available to start our tasting, not even in the Berry Bros & Rudd archives and so we commenced our evenings education with a dram of the 2nd Release, which was followed by the 4th, 6th and a sneak preview of the 'work in progress' 7th release due to be launched later this year.

Whisky Discovery #315

Blue Hanger 2nd Release 25 Year Old (45.6% abv, Bottled August 2004)

Blended Malt Whisky

No Longer Available

The youngest whisky in this vatted malt was twenty five years old at the time of bottling came from casks from just two distilleries just as the first release. The blend consisted of four hogsheads of 1974 Glenlivet, one sherry butt of 1974 Glenlivet and two hogsheads of 1974 Glen Grant.

1757 bottles were filled, naturally coloured and non-chill filtered

So What Did I Think?

Naturally I was blown away! Here I was sitting drinking 'liquid history', not only in the presence of some of the people I was reading when I first started learning about whisky, but also in the presence of its creator!

Upon first nosing this I was getting fresh licorice root (I love the stuff!) but after a short while it settled to give malty citrus notes, lemons and oranges. The vanilla from the bourbon casks taking a long time to come through. 

There was a slight grassy or straw note too. I kept coming back to each of the drams and this was certainly the lighter of the four releases we were experiencing.

Whisky Discovery #316

Blue Hanger 4th Release NAS (45.6% abv, Bottled September 2008)

Blended Malt Whisky

No Longer Available

This was 'the one' I had been hoping to taste ever since I saw it in Ian Buxton's 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die. It was also mentioned by Ingvar Ronde as one of his recommendations when I asked him a few questions regarding his whisky journey and how his Malt Whisky Yearbook came about.

Again Doug gave us the 'recipe' (as unlikely that I'd be able to recreate it!). With vintage stocks running short Doug had to select casks to bring about a 'family' flavour profile, whilst retaining the balance, complexity, elegance and texture.

So the 4th release was a marriage of two hogheads of 1992 Mortlach, one sherry butt of 1991 Mortlach, one sherry butt of 1991 Glen Elgin, one hogshead of 1976 Glenlivet and two more sherry butts from Glenlivet, one from 1975 and one from 1976. 

This was the largest ever release of the modern Blue Hanger series, yielding 3,256 bottles

So What Did I Think?

There is a much great sherry influence in this whisky than the second release, and a sweet smoky note, not peat, more of a 'char' like smell. I had a 'struck match' note but it wasn't unpleasant.

It was much sweeter on the palate than the 2nd release, softer, with burnt toffee notes, some dried fruit and orange and spicy wood. I preferred this profile to the second release.

Whisky Discovery #317

Blue Hanger 6th Release NAS (45.6% abv, Bottled 2012)

Blended Malt Whisky

£71.50 70cl

This is the current release, 2223 bottles were filled from  the following cask make-up: one sherry butt of 1998 Glenrothes, one sherry butt of 1990 Bunnahabhain, and two hogsheads from Bowmore, one from 1987 the other from 1990

So What Did I Think?

To me, these were getting better each time! Again quite a sherried influenced dram, with some licorice root on the nose, rich toffee, and a sweet light Islay peat smoke, like a driftwood fire smouldering on a beach. 

There was that 'struck match' note again, and when I returned to this later got a lovely smoked mackerel note. Glorious!

It had a sweet smoky entry with a lovely balance of sweet fruit, smoky BBQ and the salty sea air. 

Whisky Discovery #318

Blue Hanger 7th Release 'Work in Progress NAS

Blended Malt Whisky

TBC

With the 6th release rapidly running out, Doug had been tasked to create a seventh release, and he had brought a bottle of the current work in progress for us to share our thoughts. 

Doug told us how he brings various cask samples together in a small scale at first, using a syringe, blending the different cask samples to give the profile he is looking for. 

Once he has something he think might work, he has this made up into a bottle using the same proportions.

The 'recipe' so far consisted of a 1998 sherry butt from Glenrothes, a 1991 hogshead from Bruichladdich, a 1997 hogshead from Glen Keith and and 1997 hogshead from Clynelish. Because this is 'work in progress' it was tasted at cask strength, when it is ready to be released it will be bottled at the traditional Blue Hanger 45.6% abv

So What Did I Think?

Looking good so far, though I was missing the Islay element I had been enjoying in the 6th release. It had quite a sweet nose with a 'struck match' note, some wispy smoke and a honey and lemon note too. There was a light sweetness when tasting and quite creamy on the palate.

The next three drams were something that Doug thought would compliment the Blue Hangers we had just tasted, and because Doug was starting to investigate Rum added the 11 Year Old Panama Rum to the tail of this tasting session. Notes were fairly sketchy after the Blue Hangers as the formal tasting session had degenerated into simply enjoying the whisky!

Whisky Discovery #319

Glen Moray 1991 (57.3% abv Bottled in 2012)
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
£71.50 70cl

I love a Glen Moray and have a similar SMWS bottling. No detailed notes, too busy enjoying the whisky amonst very pleasnt company.

Crisp and clean, chalky with white pepper. Gentle sweetness on entry before peppery spice. With water much sweeter and pears start coming through on the palate.

Whisky Discovery #320

Glen Grant 1974 (47.8% abv Bottled in 2012)
Single Malt Whisky
£140.00 70cl

I only wrote jotted down a couple of words for this one. Too busy talking and enjoying this whisky, my first ever Glen Grant. Tropical fruit notes on the nose, Lychee and Mango.

A splendid 1974 Glen Grant

A delightful1991 Glen Moray

The full line up as follows with links to Berry Bros & Rudd pages as applicable:

• Whisky Discovery #314 Berry's Own Selection Invergordon 1988 46% abv
• Whisky Discovery #315 Blue Hanger 2nd Release 45.6% abv
• Whisky Discovery #316 Blue Hanger 4th Release 45.6% abv
• Whisky Discovery #317 Blue Hanger 6th Release 45.6% abv
• Whisky Discovery #318 Blue Hanger 'Work in Progress' 7th Release Cask Strength
• Whisky Discovery #319 Berry's Own Selection Glen Moray 1991 57.3% abv
• Whisky Discovery #320 Berry's Own Selection Glen Grant 1974 47.8% abv
• Rum Discovery #4 Berry's Own Selection Panama Rum 11 Year Od 46% abv

This was all washed down with a pint of Guinness in the pub around the back of Berry's after the tasting with most of the attendees. Many thanks for my invitation, it really was appreciated.

Whisky Discovery #108

SMWS 2.81 15 Year Old (59.9% abv, Single Cask)
Speyside Single Malt Whisky
Club bottling, not for general sale

‘Black tea in a greenhouse’ 

Rich and heady aromas of butterscotch, molasses and rum soaked raisins together with crème brulee, orange oil, geraniums and a greenhouse on a warm day. 

Toffee sweetness was balanced by balsamic and a trace of struck matches. The taste was hot, there was liquorice, black tea tannins, toffee and black pepper. 

Water improved it offering smooth buttery toffee, tobacco and balsamic. The palate was still tannic (like chewing sticks) with brown sauce bitterness but also sweet with vanilla, butterscotch and caramel. 

This Speyside distillery is close to the famous pack horse bridge.

Drinking tip: A pudding dram.  Well that's what the label said!

So what did I think?

Probably not the best  idea of starting a whisky show with cask strength whisky, but once again I found myself at the SMWS for the first dram of the day. This happens to be a Speyside from the Glenlivet distillery, distilled on 30th April 1996, filled a first fill sherry butt, and after fifteen years yielded just 500 bottles.

With a rich mahogany colour it was immediately evident that this had been matured in sherry, and a heavenly aroma that I could have quite happily nose all afternoon. The rich sherry and Christmas pudding fruits, a citrus edge to it too. Another great start to a whisky show from the SMWS and I've just checked on line, and there are still a few bottles of this left.

Whisky Discovery #11

The Glenlivet 12 Year Old (40% abv, OB, Bottled +/- 2011 70cl)

Speyside Single Malt Whisky

Circa £20 –£30

April's official bottle

One of the most famous malts in the world.

Another Speyside Malt, The Glenlivet 12 Year Old has a soft smooth balance of sweet summer fruits and the floral notes of spring flowers.

The Nose is remarkably flowery, clean & soft. The body is light to medium, firm, smooth

Flowery, peachy, and notes of vanilla on the palate. A delicate balance between sweetness & malty dryness. The finish being long and gently warming.