Whisky Discovery #179

Auchentoshan Springwood NAS (40% abv OB, 2012, 1l)
Lowland Single Malt Whisky
Travel Retail Release, Circa £35.00 1 litre

The Travel Retail only Springwood

The British Airport shops have been running a deal most of this year, offering two bottles of a limited range of whiskies for just £55.00. I picked up a couple of bottles on may way back from Mexico (that I've not opened yet) and a further pair of bottles on a recent business trip to France. This Auchentoshan was one of them.

Auchentoshan released a new range of no age statement whiskies earlier this year, the Springwood is the entry level bottling, and youngest of the range. It's been triple matured as with all Auchentoshan whiskies and then matured solely in North American Bourbon oak casks, bottled at 40% abv.

So what did I think?

It has a light golden colour, which has unfortunately been modified with the addition of caramel. On the nose it comes across as quite young, with lots of sharp citrus fruits; lime, grapefruit and lemon, there are grassy notes, and even some Vietnamese coriander. The vanilla notes you would expect from the Bourbon casks, eventually breaks out the sharp astringent notes.

On the palate its light fresh and delicate, there is a light sweetness to the vanilla notes, yet there is a grapefruit sourness that cuts through it, I guess it's what would be expected of a young classical Lowland single malt.

There is a drying nuttiness to the finish, with light pepper spice and citrus notes which all fades quite quickly

While not overly complex it is very drinkable whisky. It is quite young and there is that 'new make' feel to it. The addition of caramel is probably necessary to give it some colour, as I doubt there would be much from the casks considering it's assumed young age. It benefits from sitting in the glass for a while, which I didn't expect for such a young spirit, but being fresh and zesty would be perfect for sunny summer afternoons, however will have to wait until 2013 till I see one of those again. However, when you can pick up two litres for £55 it offers great value for money!

Whisky Discovery #167

Bowmore 18 Year Old (43% abv, OB Bottled 2012 70cl)
Islay Single Malt Whisky
Circa £73.00 70cl

This was the first whisky I have tasted from the Bowmore Distillery, of both distillery bottlings and independent labels, which I find hard to believe! Especially as Bowmore is the first recorded distillery on Islay and one of the oldest in the whole of Scotland, being founded over two centuries ago in 1779 by local merchant David Simson.

Islay malts are renowned for their peaty smokiness and Bowmore is no exception. However, in contrast to heavily-peated Islays, Bowmore’s unique location on the shores of Loch Indaal in the middle of Islay makes for a perfectly-balanced whisky with medium levels of peaty smokiness.

Despite having a population of just 3,200, Islay is home to no fewer than eight whisky distilleries: Ardbeg, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, and of course, Bowmore. Both the catalyst whisky that started me off on this journey and my first whisky purchase were both Islay malts, and although I haven't been there yet, I am hoping to make my pilgrimage next summer.

We first tasted the 18 Year Old during a great day out at the Midlands Whisky Festival and was one of the three drams tasted in between two fabulous masterclasses. However it must have made an impression on me as I scribbled some legible notes down which included 'Impressed my first ever Bowmore!' along with my notes for the nose, taste and finish. 

I was really fortunate to taste this again recently during a meeting with Morrison Bowmore Distillers UK Regional Sales Executive, Phil Nickson, who brought along four splendid drams along for me to taste. I've also added a bottle of this 18 Year Old to my shelf too.

So What Did We Think?

The 18 Year Old, replaced the earlier 17 Year Old and was launched in January of 2007 and bottle notes goes on to say:

"Everything about Bowmore 18 Years Old is exceptional, from the rich peat and finest ingredients used in its production right through to its final, unique resting place. Cosseted away in the finest, hand-selected oak casks and allowed to mature at its own sedate pace, this is one of the most remarkable and perfectly balanced malts of its kind; a true rarity to be sought after and then savoured"

The colour of maple syrup or as described on the bottle 'mellow mahogany' which I believe it has been 'homogenised' as the dreaded 'mit farbstoff' is written on the box under the bar code. Surely the addition of caramel should be unnecessary for an 18 year old whisky?

My original tasting notes read; Creamy caramel toffee, dried fruits and peaty Islay smoke on the nose, however this is one to ponder over at a leisurely 'Islay-time' pace, as it won't be rushed and takes a little time to open up and reveal its true quality. Now that I've had additional time to fully saviour this whisky I can add a great deal more; It's fresh with some bright citrus notes too, The sherry influence comes through as stewed fruits. The below sea level maturation must give it the salty maritime notes, but there is also a damp wood, mustiness. With a little longer in the glass the chocolate notes develop, slowly building alongside the very soft coal smoke.

On the palate it came across as a little spirit like at first but with time develops with soft fruit sweetness; grapes, plums, along with a rich dark chocolate and light peat smoke. This has a long and wonderfully balanced finish with a burnt-floral character, dark marmalade, and a peat y coal smoke.

The meeting with Phil Nickson was at a local hotel, and I finished off my evening by sipping a large dram of this 18 Year Old. I drained my glass when I saw my wife pull up outside the hotel entrance, and made my way out to the car. Upon getting into the car both wife and youngest daughter told me I smelt of vanilla! Still with my empty glass in hand the vanilla notes were drifting into the car, and nosing this empty glass also gave me rich dark chocolate which accompanied me for my journey home.

A fabulous introduction to the Bowmore Distillery and as they say on the bottle; 'The stocks of Bowmore 18 Years Old may be limited but there’s no end to its enjoyment.'

Midlands Whisky Festival

A dram fine day out!

Trains, Planes and Automobiles (and a short walk!)

On the last Saturday in September, the Midlands Whisky Festival is held in Stourbridge's historic Town Hall.

I first learned of this whisky festival by fellow tweeter and whisky collector @Ardbaggie who after sharing a bottle of Ardbeg Day with me said I should really and try to get up to meet him there. I checked out their website and worked out that it would be possible to get there by train, as long as we could get to Milton Keynes station and back.

Organiser David Gardener

I made a call to the organiser, David Gardner the owner of Nickolls and Perks if he could fit us in and it was all set up. I booked the train tickets, there would be three changes and four trains each way!

Kat says: We started our journey bright and early as it would take us just over two hours to travel from Milton Keynes train station to Stourbridge. I think it was the first time I've been on the high speed train but I'm not sure, if I had, this time was different as it made me feel very queasy. The cabins of the train felt like they were floating.

Apart from the train ride, all four of our connections were straightforward and we arrived as planned into Stourbridge for just after 11.00 am. As we were a bit early for the show we spent some time in the Nickolls & Perks shop admiring their collection of whiskies for sale. They really have an excellent choice of whiskies and hold tastings in their cellars too!

A Bagpiper to open the show

As we waited in front of the doors of the Town Hall (being keen, we were right at the front!), we got nabbed by the film crew who were filming for the festival. We obliged and said some words on film so keep an eye on YouTube for this! To entertain everyone as we waited and to proudly announce to Stourbridge that the Whisky Show was about to open on today, there was a lovely man playing the bagpipes.

Dave says: While waiting at the head of the queue to be let in we caught up with Jon and Mike from Living Room Whisky, we were all looking forward to the first Master Class with Colin Dunn, Diageo Ambassador Supremo, and knowing what he had in store for the lucky participants, decided it would be foolish to wake up the palate with anything beforehand.

Kat says: This was the the third time we'd met Colin and went to our first master class with him at Stratford upon Avon in April. As ever he was very engaging and had a trick or two to help break the ice. If you've been along to one of his masterclasses before you will know what I mean, if you haven't then you should try to get along to one at the earliest opportunity. Here we sampled seven very special whiskies including a Rosebank and Port Dundas.

Dave says: Colin had lined up seven drams for the masterclass. Our last session with him was called 'the magnificent seven', this was spectacular! All seven were not something you'll find easily, or cheap! With three of them being from closed distilleries.

• Rosebank 21 Year Old (53.8% abv)
• Port Dundas 20 Year Old (57.4% abv)
• Caol Ila 12 Year Old unpeated (64.0% abv)
• Port Ellen 11th Release 32 Year Old (53.9% abv)
• Johnnie Walker Platinum 18 Year Old (40.0% abv)
• Knockando 25 Year Old (43.0% abv)
• Lagavulin 12 Year Old (57.5% abv)

The Diageo Special Releases from 2011

We started by nosing the Rosebank 21 Year Old, and comparing it against the Port Dundas 20 Year Old Single Grain Whisky. Colin likes to get the senses working before tasting and regularly asks you to return to an earlier dram to notice the differences in the nose. 

Kat had tried the Rosebank earlier at Whisky Live and I had tried the Port Dundas then too. Colin brought out a huge bar of dark chocolate and proceeded to give us all a piece of chocolate to taste with the Port Dundas.

From here we moved onto the wonderful Caol Ila 12 Year Old, another whisky we had tasted at Whisky Live London before moving onto what I was really waiting for.

I have heard of Port Ellen, but never thought I might get the opportunity to taste something from this Islay distillery. Closed in 1983, stock of this whisky is getting scarcer and prices are rocketing as it is sought after by collectors. This 32 Year Old was distilled in 1979, I was still at school and Kat hadn't even been born! Colin went on to tell us that we were drinking 'liquid history' and we savoured every last drop and it certainly was the highlight of my trip to Stourbridge.

We followed the Port Ellen (although how can you follow a 32 year old Port Ellen?) with Johnnie Walker's new Platinum, a blended scotch whisky, all over 18 years old and from the Speyside region.

From Johnnie Walker we tried an excellent Knockando 25 Year Old and finished the class off with another favourite Islay Lagavulin 12, we first tasted at The Whisky Lounge Midland Fest

Kat says: The masterclass over ran slightly which meant we didn't have long before the start of the second masterclass. However, we did manage to fit in an Eldorado 15 Year Old Rum, a Bowmore 18, and a Hibiki 17 before making our way back upstairs for the masterclass. 

This was the second time I've tried the Hibiki, the first time was in Sheffield, thanks to Jeff @sheffieldwhisky. I wasn't sure if I liked last time as I found it too floral, not really making me want to go back for more. This time round I did enjoy it more but again left me with the feeling that its a whisky that I would have to be in the mood for, not one that I would enjoy at any-time.

The second masterclass was hosted by Melanie Stranger from the Springbank Distillery. She also treated us to some special whiskies, some had not even been released and one of them drawn direct from the cask.

Dave says: Melanie had six fabulous Campbeltown whiskies for us to taste, which I was really looking forward too, especially after tasting my first Longrow recently.

• Hazleburn 12 Year Old (46.0% abv)
• Kilkerrin WIP 4 (46.0% abv)
• Springbank Calvados 12 Year Old (52.1% abv)
• Springbank Local Barley Cask Sample (53.6% abv)
• Longrow Rundlets and Kilderkins 11 Year Old (51.2% abv)
• Longrow Red 11 Year Old (51.2% abv)

The six from The Springbank Distillery

We started with the Hazleburn 12 Year Old, a dram I had tried before in a Skype whisky tasting with @whiskyrepublic following a sample swap. From the Hazleburn we moved onto Kilkerrin WIP 4, a relatively new expression released in May of this year.

Next we were treated to Springbank Calvados, a 12 year old due to be released in October 2012 (not 2013 as in incorrectly stated on the masterclass notes) This peated whisky had been triple distilled, then matured for six years in bourbon casks and then six years in Calvados casks

We were then treated to a sample drawn directly from the cask of Springbank local barley, distilled in 1999 before trying Longrow Rundlets and Kilderkins, an 11 Year Old, due to be released in January 2013. This spirit had been matured in smaller casks which resulted in a much higher 'Angels Share' at a whopping 5-7% 

We finished the session off with a Longrow Red another 11 Year Old, released just a month earlier. This whisky had spent seven years in bourbon casks before being 'finished' in Cabernet Sauvignon casks for a further four years of maturation, it was my favourite of the Springbank Masterclass.

Kat says: After the second masterclass time seemed to fly, the festival was all over before we had a chance to sample from some the distilleries we've never tried yet. It was great to meet up again with the guys from @LRwhisky and we finally met Andrew Purslow (@Ardbaggie) and Joe Ellis from HTF Whisky for the first time. Its always nice to meet other 'whiskyheads'.

Dave Says: We managed to sample a few more 'new' whiskies before the show closed, a couple of Glenmorangies, and Ardbeg's Corryvreken before heading over to catch up with Andrew Purslow who after managing the masterclasses all afternoon was now helping out on the BenRiach stand where our final dram was the 'Dream Dram' and their 25 Year Old 'Authenticus'.

The Midlands Whisky Festival in Stourbridge was a fabulous day out and well worth the two taxi rides, eight trains and the short walk up and down Stourbridge High Street. Yes me managed to get home and make all of the connections without any problems.

We'd like to thanks Andrew Purslow (@Ardbaggie) for letting us know about it in the first place, for David Gardner of Nickolls and Perks for inviting us, for Colin Dunn and Melanie Stanger for two great Masterclasses and for all the staff and volunteers who put on 'a dram fine day out'. 

A couple of the great people we met!

We met some great people in the Midlands - enjoy your whisky journeys wherever they they take you, and we look forward to seeing you all again next year on September 28th 2013.

For more information and updates visit:
http://www.nickollsandperks.co.uk/

and check out their blog too at:
http://blog.nickollsandperks.co.uk/

as well as The Midland Whisky Festival website too:
http://www.whiskyfest.co.uk/

The guys at Living Room Whisky have also got a great blog post of their experiences and their photos are way better than ours! http://www.livingroomwhisky.com/whisky/midlands-whisky-festival/
(Note to self, buy a camera and stop relying on your very old phone)

If you are on Twitter you must follow the following top class acts: @Nickolls_Perks @midlandswhisky @Ardbaggie @LRWhisky @whiskyrepublic @JosephEllis and @whiskysheffield

The full dram list, with links to separate blog posts where applicable and when finished!

• Whisky Discovery #163 Rosebank 21 Year Old (53.8% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #47 Port Dundas 20 Year Old (57.4% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #151  Caol Ila 12 Year Old unpeated (64.0% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #164 Port Ellen 11th Release 32 Year Old (53.9% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #165 Johnnie Walker Platinum 18 Year Old (40.0% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #166  Knockando 25 Year Old (43.0% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #118  Lagavulin 12 Year Old (57.5% abv)
• Rum Discovery #1 Eldorado 15 Year Old Rum (43.0% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #167  Bowmore 18 Year Old (43.0% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #168 Hibiki 17 Year Old (43.0% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #137 Hazleburn 12 Year Old (46.0% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #169 Kilkerrin WIP 4 (46.0% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #170 Springbank Calvados 12 Year Old (52.1% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #171 Springbank Local Barley Cask Sample (53.6% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #172 Longrow Rundlets and Kilderkins 11 Year Old (51.2% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #173  Red 11 Year Old (51.2% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #174  15 Year Old Nectar D’Or (46.0% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #175  15 Year Old Artein (46.0% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #176 Ardbeg Corryvrecken NAS (57.1% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #177  17 Year Old Solstice (50.0% abv)
• Whisky Discovery #178  25 Year Old Authenticus (46.0% abv)

Our First Article in Print!

Enjoying the last weekend of summer in the back garden!

A couple of weeks back we were invited to write a 'Guest Column' for our new midweek paper Bedford Midweek.

We're trying to bring whisky to Bedfordshire and the surrounding area, it won't be long before we've either organised something.

The link below should take you right to our guest spot!

Bedford Midweek Guest Column Thursday 27th September

Tequila Discovery

I spent 3 weeks in and around Mexico City during the summer and decided that I really should get to know something about the national spirit of Mexico. With the help of my Brother, Sister-in-Law and her wonderful family I learned a little about Mexican distilled spirit.

In all I sampled eleven different Tequilas/Mezcals during my stay, and brought a further five home to enjoy at my leisure.

I've created a separate Tequila Discovery page for my notes which can be found here, but in summary;

• Tequila Discovery #1 Mezcal Sanzekan Joven (48% abv)
• Tequila Discovery #2 Tequila Don Julio Blanco (38% abv)
• Tequila Discovery #3 Tequila Hornitos Reposado 100% Agave (38% abv)
• Tequila Discovery #4 Tequila Jose Cuervo Tradicional Reposado (38% abv)
• Tequila Discovery #5 Tequila 1800 Añejo (38% abv)
• Tequila Discovery #6 Tequila Herradura Reposado (40% abv)
• Tequila Discovery #7 Tequila Don Julio Añejo (38% abv)
• Tequila Discovery #8 Tequila Don Julio 70 Cristalino (39% abv)
• Tequila Discovery #9 Tequila Tres Generaciones Añejo (38% abv)
• Tequila Discovery #10 Tequila Corralejo Reposado (38% abv)
• Tequila Discovery #11 Mezcal Fandango Reposado (38% abv)

Still to come....the Tequilas I brought back to Blighty with me

Whisky Discovery #162

Ardbeg Galileo 1999 (49% abv OB Bottled 2012 70cl)
Islay Single Malt Whisky
circa £75.00 70cl

Once again I am indebted to Andrew Purslow, a self confessed Ardbeg Addict who maintains a very special Ardbeg shrine in his whisky den, for the immensely generous 'slug' of Galileo he sent to me upon it's release. It came packaged in the original box too. If you use Twitter make sure you're following @Ardbaggie

This limited edition bottling released on the 1st September, celebrating Ardbeg's first ever experiment in space. You can read more about the launch on the Living Room Whisky website as Jon was fortunate in getting invited to the launch at the National Space Centre in Leicester

At the heart of this whisky is the hallmark Arbeg spirit distilled in 1999 and matured in the classic ex-bourbon bottles with the addition of some ex-Marsala casks from Sicily

So What Did I think?

There is lots going on in this malt; On the nose I got the hint of 'stable' and hay that was present in the Ardbeg Day tasted earlier this year, but there was much more sweet fruitiness to this expression, with a sooty note over the vanilla, caramel and even popcorn!

On the palate the peaty goodness that I would expect from an Ardbeg is dominant, the sweetness of dark fruits, and some smoky soot followed by a salty smack in the chops.

The finish seems to go on forever - well a very long time! There's burnt toast, (I love burnt toast) charcoal and both a sweetness and a saltiness that felt perfectly balanced to me, but all the time there are waves of smoke of a dying fire wafting through till the very end. I could even still taste these waves of smoke long after cleaning my teeth and going to bed - great to drift off into dreamland to!

There are many mixed reviews of this expression, yes, it has been hyped up and Ardbeg have probably made a good return on this expression. Let's not forget though, it wasn't long ago that the Ardbeg distillery was in danger of being lost to the whisky world, and you've got to make hay while the sun shines as I've been told many times.

The prices the bottles are exchanging hands for now is way over the top, it needs to be drunk and not saved away as an investment, it would appear that most of them have been bought for that, or turning a quick profit by selling as soon as distillery stocks were exhausted. This is a good drinking whisky, I love the sweetness the Marsala casks has added to the traditional Ardbeg 10 taste, bring it out as a standard addition to the range and I'll get myself one, but for my bang for my buck I'm very happy with their 10 Year Old and next on my list will be the Uigeadail

Mystery Twitter Whisky Tasting Adventure #1

There is a fantastic whisky community on Twitter, I only signed up for Twitter at the beginning of the year and my whisky circle and knowledge has increased immensely. One of my new friends, Femke who tweets under the handle of @Girl_Whisky, and hails from The Nederlands organised this 'blind tasting' event through her website, Facebook page and of course Twitter.

When enough people registered interest, Femke purchased three bottles of whisky, a number of miniature bottles, sorted out the necessary decanting, packaging and posting, the cost of which was shared among the participants. In due course my three blind drams arrived at Whisky Discovery HQ, and the miniature bottles came with nothing but a coloured label on the lid, red yellow, and blue. They were placed on my whisky shelf awaiting for the Mystery Whisky Tasting event to be announced (#MTWTA)

My drams were ready!

With so many attendees and summer holidays in progress the date was changed a number of times before a majority settled on September 8th at 21:00 European time, 20:00 UK time and just after Doctor Who. Unfortunately some of the attendees couldn't make it and so it ended up as just three of us, Femke (@Girl_Whisky) who knew exactly what we had in front of us, and Joshua Feldman (@cooperedtot) and me!

Because we were expecting a number of others to be there, we had already prepared our drams, pouring each of the three whiskies into our Glencairns ready for the start and so there was no going back - neither of us were prepared to pour the whisky back into the sample bottles, and so the first part of the Mystery Twitter Whisky Tasting got under way.

Dram #1 (Red) Nikka All Malt NAS (40% abv)
Japanese Blended Malt Whisky
circa £27.00 70cl

This is now logged as my Whisky Discovery #160. I initially that I might have tried this before, and Femke wasn't into giving any real clues, I asked the question if all of the samples had come from European distilleries, and that there wasn't any Scottish whisky being tasted, again no clues but it was certainly hinted that there was nothing from Scotland. Josh and I were convinced that it would be from the European mainland and so our guesses were constrained by these assumptions.

This was the darkest whisky of the three, the colour was such that we guessed that it had been matured in sherry casks, and the sweet fruity nose seemed to confirm this too.

My tweets to @cooperedtot and @Girl_Whisky with comments below:

"Loving the sweet nose of red, feel like I've had this before but can't put my finger on it" (Wrong! although I had tried a Nikka whisky at Whisky Live earlier this year)
"it is a great dram, lovely sweet fruity nose, I get the fresh grass, and some lime" (I can't be wrong with a comment like this!)
"it feels light and young on the palate, 40% abv?" (CORRECT! I guessed the alcohol content correctly! - a point to me?)
"Melon and limes on the palate"

Verdict: I was way off in my thoughts, but think I picked up a point for getting the abv correct! I certainly enjoyed the dram, and am starting to believe that I really ought to start my Japanese whisky education very soon.

Dram #2 (Yellow) Belgian Owl 3 Year Old (46% abv)
Belgian Single Malt Whisky
circa £50.00 50cl

This is now logged as my Discovery #161. Of the three drams, this was the lightest in colour, with the colour of a light white wine. Josh and I were comparing our thoughts on the nose and we determined that it was very young, with Josh guessing around 18 months. I replied that I was fairly sure that in order to be called whisky in Europe that is would have to be at least three years old, but agreed that it seemed young and feisty

My tweets to @cooperedtot and @Girl_Whisky with comments below:

"Yellow's nose is like boiled cabbage water at first!" Josh said that this could be due to the sulphur he was picking up, like burnt matches he explained "I like burnt matches!" I responded
"fruity vanilla on yellow, very floral fragrant after the cabbage water!" after a short while the nose opened up and I went on to say "it's opened right up now with some air, much sweeter and fragrant"
"yellow palate is grassy sweet, there's a light pepper kick too" and returning to nose after the first taste tweeted "Yellow has the nose of lemon zest now."
I had returned to the red to compare the two and said "Love the red, is it Dutch?" (Wrong!) "and Yellow, Belgian Owl?" (Bingo!)

Verdict: Bang on the money - how cool was that? To be fair it was a wild guess after frantically searching through Ian Buxton's 101 World Whiskies To Try Before You Die looking for similar tasting notes that I was making and that was the only one that fitted the bill for me! So full points, (I'll take them any which way they come) and another of the 101 to tick off!

Dram #3 (Blue) Mackmyra First Edition NAS (46.1% abv)
Swedish Single Malt Whisky
circa £44.00 70cl

I had tasted this once before in a dram swap with @whiskyrepublic and was my Whisky Discovery #139. In was only a little darker than the Yellow dram, but the legs were much stronger in the glass so was guessing a higher abv here.

My tweets to @cooperedtot and @Girl_Whisky with comments below:

"OK moving onto Blue, grassy hay notes initially on the nose"
"There's an earthy note too to the Blue nose"
"Getting fruitier now, but still have a grassy note underlying, now some bourbon notes too"
"Blue is very smooth, wow liking this!  (I was very happy!)
"Blue is dangerously drinkable, nice pepper spice mid palate" I agreed with Josh
"drying nuttiness to the finish of Blue, Swedish?" (Oh yes, more points!)

When I asked Swedish I was immediately shot down in flames by Josh, who went on to say that he'd been recently tasting Swedish whisky at home, so was sure that it couldn't be. Again I was thumbing through Ian's book and my from my notes I was comparing it to Mackmyra Brukswhisky - not First Edition, but respecting Josh's knowledge didn't pursue this any further!

Verdict: I got the distillery correct! More points! I'm very happy with that! Again it was all down to having some relative information in front of me and matching my thoughts with what was written in Ian's book.

By the end of our Twitter Tasting a couple of 'no-shows' showed up and made their excuses, a second event was hastily planned for the following week while Josh and I pestered Femke for the answers to our blind tasting - we promised not to let the secrets out.

This blind tasting game certainly isn't easy, but it was great fun and got the senses working hard. I'm not sure I could do it completely solo as it's always good to bounce thoughts around with other like-minded tasters. To improve my 'skills' I decided that I would start playing the 'blind whisky drams' game at home, whereby my youngest daughter pours the drams for me, and I have to determine from the colour, nose and taste profile what I am drinking - not only is this improving my recollection, I no longer have to choose what to drink next!

Don't forget to check out Femke's article on here website The Whisky Girl and Josh's website The Coopered Tot is a damn good read too. After the success of the first #MTWTA Femke is organising new events that you can sign up for on her website now, so check it out - it will be a lot of fun!

Whisky Discovery #159

Tormore 12 Year Old (40% abv, OB,)
Speyside Single Malt
Circa £25.00 70cl

I'd not heard of Tormore until my daughter Kat brought a bottle round the other evening, it was her latest purchase in her own whisky journey. I immediately ran a search on Tormore to see if they were a distillery, and then checked them out in my copy of the Malt Whisky Yearbook. 

As soon as I tweeted about tasting it that evening I immediately received a few tweets letting me know that it had been seen for sale in Morrisons, so either it is making an effort to enter the Single Malt shelves of the supermarket or there was a lot of slow moving stock that some supermarket buyer got for a song.

The distillery must be one of Speysides most recent distilleries being founded in 1958 and I read was originally set up to produce malt whisky for the then owners of Long John. 

Its water source is the Achvochkie Burn and the distillery building is made of granite and has a copper roof and a clock which plays four different Scottish songs each quarter of an hour! The distillery is currently owned by Chivas Brothers and this 12 year old is currently the only official  bottling from the distillery, first introduced in 2004 There is no Tormore website which is unusual for a single malt these days and further internet trawling hinted that this whisky may soon be discontinued. 

So what did I think?

To be honest I was pleasantly surprised by this light and fresh Speysider. I was immediately reminded of Balvenie Doublewood when first nosing it, and poured myself a dram of this to compare. It is a little similar, but once alongside each other there was a noticeable difference.

On the nose there are fresh meadow notes, cut hay and stemmy grass, heather and a little sweet honey. It was very smooth on the palate, light, citrus and a little honeyed sweetness. Not a challenging dram, but quite charming in it's own right. Not sure I would rush out to buy myself a bottle of this, there are lots of 12 year old whiskies that I would prefer over this, but it's certainly not offensive.

Whisky Discovery #158

Longrow 10 Year Old Shiraz Cask (58.9% abv Distilled 19/10/2001)
Campbeltown Single Malt Whisky
You won't find this for sale

Beautiful colour to this Shiraz Casked Longrow experiment

I'm really grateful to David Carson for this sample of a very special 'one of a kind' whisky that he picked up on his recent trip to Cambeltown. I've 'met' David through the wonderful whisky community that is on Twitter, and he is a big fan of the Springbank distillery. You can read the full story 'Been Away Dramlaxing' but in summary:

David stopped off at Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop, which is Scotland’s oldest independent bottler and owned by J & A Mitchell & Co. Ltd, who are incidentally the owners of the Springbank distillery.

The full bottle came from 'the back room' of Cadenhead’s where they sell one of a kind bottles drawn straight from the casks at Springbank distillery. David goes on to say "these really are one of a kind bottles, not 1 of 150 or however many bottles the cask yielded, they have hand written labels, a duty stamp, the top’s sealed and a little tag to say when the sample was drawn and by who. The bottles are priced according to age (with the exception of local barley which is £80), bottles up to 11 year old are £45, 12-15 year old are £60, 16-18 year old goes for £75 and anything older than 19 years old is £100"

Check out David's Glen Untitled blog for his thoughts on this one off whisky, if you haven't come across his blog before you had best put it on your reading list!

So what did I think?

This has a wonderful rich nose, I love a drop of red wine and quite partial to a good Shiraz too. The wine influence is evident in the rich copper colour and the abundance rich vine fruits but the peated barley of the Longrow comes through as a fragrant pipe smoke. On the palate it's very rich and velvet textured, sweet juicy ripe grapes and blackberries. The peaty smoke is still there and a peppery spice too.

The finish is a little drying and there is musty wood flavour, like a wine soak cork. The pepper spice remains with the fragrant pipe smoke wafting through it all.

Wow, this was really more-ish and I could see why David was really pleased with his find! Not sure if we'll ever see something like this again and I wonder what happened to the rest of the cask. I must start my pilgrimage to Campbeltown soon!

Compass Box Twitter Tasting (Part Deux)

I was really fortunate to be chosen for the recent Compass Box Tweet Tasting last Wednesday evening. This was the second Compass Box Tweet Tasting hosted by Steve Rush @TheWhiskyWire, the first one being held towards the end of last year, before I had discovered Twitter and before I started publishing this blog.

I've tasted a number of Compass Box Whiskies this year having been first introduced to them through Ian Buxton's 101 Whiskies to Try before you Die. I first got to taste the core range at The Whisky Lounge London Fest. Then in June I managed to catch up with Compass Box in Oxford on their  record setting tasting event. 

Although I had tried two of the three drams received, I was really looking forward to revisiting them and to experience the new release of 'Flaming Heart' which I had heard good things about previous releases.

Just got ready before the 7:00pm start

The package containing the three generous and well present samples arrived the day before the event, I just made it in from work for the seven o'clock start, when Steve Rush and Chris Maybin, Commercial Director from Compass Box guided us through the three drams:

Dram #1 Oak Cross
Blended Malt Whisky Bottled at 43% abv
Circa £35.00 70cl

Oak Cross from Compass Box

I had tasted Oak Cross once before at The Whisky Lounge London Fest earlier this year, it was Whisky Discovery #92 of my journey. 

Oak Cross, is a blended malt whisky, and comprises entirely of Highland single malt whiskies from the villages of Brora, Carron and Alness that have undergone a unique secondary maturation in American casks with new French oak heads.

All whiskies are between 10 and 12 years old and from casks chosen individually, cask-by-cask, to ensure perfect maturity. The whiskies are aged for their primary maturation in a mix of American oak cask types. The marrying casks are a mix of first-fill Bourbon barrels and Compass Box Whiskies proprietary “Oak Cross” casks made of American and new French oaks before bottling. 

As with all Compass Box whiskies it is bottled at natural colour and non-chill filtered

A charming blended malt, very smooth with light notes of clove vanilla accent, a sweet maltiness and subtle fruit flavours. It was great to taste this again, it has a lovely creamy vanilla nose and light fruity taste. It's not my fist choice Compass Box whisky, both Peat Monster and Spice Tree are first!

Some of my favourite tweets for Oak Cross:

@GJR71 Nose: some bourbon notes, liquorice as a start. Fruity apple/pear, some grassy notes, spicy anise, cinnamon, nutmeg.

@whiskyrepublic I'm getting fresh fruit....dandelion.....touch of marzipan

@steveprentice So Oak Cross; A light floral, faintly spicy nose.. which seems to have opened up in my glass after a few minutes with fruity goodness

‏@DramStats Definitely vanilla. licqourice note with sweet fruit of the pineapple cubes ilk. Some grass and green apple too

‏@TIA568B Nose: Peaches, heather honey, slightly grassy, vanilla, cereal, oats, orange pith, floral, a hint of spice.

@whiskyrepublic I'm still getting a "meadow after rain" sweetness on the nose

@rodbodtoo Oak Cross palate: dry (really rather dry), peppery, a rounded creamy texture. Some malt in the finish

Dram #2 Hedonism
Blended Grain Whisky Bottled at 43% abv

Circa £53.00 70cl

Hedonism from Compass Box

Another of the Compass Box range I had tasted at The Whisky Lounge London Fest earlier this year, it was Whisky Discovery #95 of my journey. It was great to revisit this as the first time I was blown away with the coconut nose.

Hedonism was the first whisky John Glaser ever made (on 23rd October 2000) and is a unique vatting of Scotch grain whiskies from top quality American oak casks it’s also unusual in the Scotch whisky world being a blended grain Scotch whisky.

It is very rare to see 100% grain whisky bottlings as today, most Scotch grain whisky gets blended into the big brand names, typically at young ages. For Hedonism, Compass Box search for old casks of Scotch grain whisky. It is only produced once or twice a year, when casks with the right flavour profile are found. It’s typically a marriage of two Lowland distilleries averaging over 20 years old. However, the combination of whiskies will vary according to batch, but whiskies from Cameron Bridge, Carsebridge, Cambus, Port Dundas or Dumbarton distilleries are used.

The grain whisky is aged in good quality American oak casks, either 100% first-fill American oak barrels or rejuvenated American oak Hogsheads. This batch of Hedonism was made up of 49% Cameron Bridge 1997, 44% Dumbarton 1993 and 7% Port Dundas 1991. All from 100% First fill American oak The whisky is bottled at 43%. It is not chill filtered and naturally coloured.

Some of my favourite tweets for Hedonism:

@CompassBox when asked about pronounciation Depends on what country you are in. Heedonism in the US. Headonism in the UK. And Edoneeeesm in France.

@TheWhiskyWire Summer & autumn berries in a cloud of coconut, showered in a finesseful flurry of crushed pink peppercorns.

@ifotou bliss on the nose, dewy grass, light watery fruits like melon and nectarines, slight vanilla and a touch of light wood
@rodbodtoo Hedonism tastes super-sweet, very smooth, creamy texture. Lovely white chocolate with extra vanilla flavour
@LRWhisky Very sweet - like those white chocolate mice you had as a kid
@DramStats From foam bananas, through coconut mushrooms to white mice washed down with banana milkshake. The sweetshop dram. Want!

‏@PresleyKa I'm getting a slight caramelised grapefruit jam but not as sweet.

Dram #3 Flaming Heart 2012
Blended Malt Whisky Bottled at 48.9% abv
Circa £85.00 70cl 

The New Flaming Heart 2012

This was the star of this evenings Tweet Tasting and the one that ended up being most of the tweet-tasters favourite. It was also my Whisky Discovery #157

This is the fourth release of Flaming Heart and the samples received had come straight from the bottling line and we were the first people to taste it. The whisky had not been released yet, so we were very priviliged.

This batch of Flaming Heart combines Highland single malt whiskies aged on the highest quality, new French oak, with a heavy-peated Islay single malt. And for the first time, a small portion of whiskies aged in sherry casks, providing added layers of richness and complexity. Chris let on that the heart of this blend is from Clynelish (the highland element) Laphroiag (the Islay element) and supported by a slug of Ardmore. The all important cask selection came from a combination of refill American oak (ex-Bourbon), new French oak (heavily toasted) and sherry casks.

This fourth release is again a limited edition due to the selection of the whisky available an there will be only 9,147 bottles available. Bottled in August 2012, non chill filtered and natural colour it was due for release in the UK and Europe in September and October for those in the USA

So What did I think?

It is magnificent and I just loved the Laphroaig presence. I'm still 'nosing' the empty sample bottle, refusing to wash it out until its presence is no longer detected! It is big and powerful on the nose; smoky, vanilla and spice, there is leather, charcoal, sweet rich fruits, kiwi boot polish, there's a light tobacco element and the hint of cinnamon too.

On the palate, again rich and powerful, the medicinal Laphroaig note perfectly balanced with the rich dark fruits, peppery spice and a light salty note too. This was my favourite of the evening taste wise, although I was a little surprised at the price, I was expecting this to be around the sixty five pound range, the extra £20 would certainly make me think hard before parting with my hard earned cash, but I really did enjoy it. Hopefully, if my next bonus payment is good I'll treat myself with a bottle.

Some of my favourite tweets for Flaming Heart 2012:

‏@DramStats Nose. First hit: Leather armchairs.
@TIA568B New leather boots, bbq smoke, smouldering grass, vanilla and pears
‏@GJR71 Nose: More aged, darker, leather, library, smouldering wood.. Fire place

@JayDieNL Some waxy smoke on the nose 

‏@whiskyrepublic If "nose" can have a colour & texture then this one is rich & dark...It's Jack Palance...mysterious, dangerous, loving it.

‏@ifotou light smoke like sitting next to an open fireplace while sniffing citrus fruits, lemons and limes with vanilla

@TIA568B smoke, peat, nutmeg, white pepper, sweet and creamy, dry, driftwood with orange oil and a bit of vanilla, very rich

@PresleyKa Wow, getting spices, dry fruits, dried flowers, slight of salty sea air on a fresh day. Just really makes me want to go camping.

‏@TheWhiskyWire Plumes of smoke juggling blackberries, peppercorns, vanilla pods and a cavalcade of winter spice

As per previous Tweet Tastings there was a great deal of tweeting going on and to see what happened search on the #CBTT2 hashtag on twitter for the full story!

Yet another great experience and another highlight of my whisky journey, revisiting two and  registering a fabulous new ‘discovery’ A massive THANK YOU to Steve Rush at @TheWhiskyWire Chris Maybin and everyone at @CompassBox as well as all the Tweet Tasters for sharing your tasting notes with us all.

If you want to be included in the next Tweet Tasting make sure you are following @TheWhiskyWire on Twitter to find out what is happening.For more information see: http://www.thewhiskywire.com/ and http://www.compassboxwhisky.com

Whisky Discovery #156

Johnnie Walker Red Label NAS (40% abv)
Blended Scotch Whisky
circa £19.00 70cl

One of the empties from my flight home

On the flight out to Mexico City Johnnie Walker Black Label was the whisky option and I was hoping to have a few more drams of it on the way home. Unfortunately only Red Label was available on the return flight, however I don't think I've ever tasted this either, so notched up another discovery.

Red Label is the worlds best selling whisky and is said to be a blend of up to 35 different whiskies.but once again could only sample it through the very cheap plastic tumblers used on airlines. Another long haul flight and free whisky, so did have the opportunity to sample it a few times before I was satisfied and settled off to sleep for the remainder of the flight.

So what did I think?
Unfortunately the plastic tumblers weren't conducive to effective nosing but this was definitely more malty on the nose that the Black Label. The palate was rich and smooth again, very malty and  fruitier than the Black Label, but the pinch of peppery spice at the end was still there.
I know it wasn't the best of tasting conditions, but each discovery of my journey must be recorded, however I don't think I will be in a rush to return to this one.

Whisky Discovery #155

Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old (40% abv)
Blended Scotch Whisky
Circa £22.00 70cl

Johnnie Walker Black Label - recognised everywhere?

Probably the most recognised Scotch Whisky brand in the world, and I can't really believe that I've not sampled this before now. I certainly knew of this Whisky long before I started drinking Whisky, although I don't recall ever seeing it in my fathers drinks cabinet while growing up.

I spent seven years working in Thailand during the nineties and this was the Whisky to have on your table to show you've made it, and whilst I bought a number of bottles as gifts, never tasted the stuff as far as I can recall, maybe drowned in coke or soda water as the Thai's liked to drink it, but then it would have been only after a number of cold beers.

It was during my long flight to Mexico City recently that I took the opportunity to sample Black Label, it was the only Whisky available, and I could only sample it through the very cheap plastic tumblers now used on airlines.

However it was along haul flight and the whisky came free, so could sample it a few times before I was satisfied and settled off to sleep for the remainder of the flight.

So what did I think?
Unfortunately the plastic tumblers weren't conducive to effective nosing but I was able detect sweet molasses along with a musty spiciness on the nose. The palate was rich and smooth and there was a definite note of wood smoke over the cereals and creamy toffee along with a pinch of peppery spice at the end.

I'm glad I've gotten around to tasting it at long last. I've learned that Black Label consists of up to forty different whiskies, and was recently told that Cardhu is one of the prime single malts used. 

I know it wasn't the best of tasting conditions, but my journey must be recorded. I will have to return to this at a later date with a nosing glass in hand.