Davin De Kergommeaux Tweet Tasting

During the month of May I spent four very interesting Sunday evenings, re-reading Davin De Kergommeaux's Canadian Whisky and joining a section of the #whiskyfabric from around the globe discussing the book with the author. 

Organised by Johanne McInnis (@Whiskylassie to us on Twitter), each week we reviewed a section of the book, starting from section four 'a concise history of Canadian Whisky' and working our way through to the nine key distilleries that remain today. At the end of each session we tasted a Canadian whisky, blind, and this is the culmination of those four tweet tastings.

Week 1

Whisky Discovery #420

Lot 40 (43% abv)
Canadian Whisky
Not available in the UK yet

For the first week of Canadian Whisky we were all to read the first part of Section Four, A concise history of Canadian whisky reading Chapters 10-13 which covers three of the early distilling dynasties; Thomas Molson and the Molson Distillery (1821-1867) Gooderham and Worts (1832-1990), and Henry Corby's Corbyville (1859-1987)

Our first whisky comes from the largest distillery operating in Canada today. Hiram Walker & Sons was established in 1858, Ontario, is also the longest continuously operating beverage alcohol distillery in North America.

Lot No. 40 is expertly distilled in small batches using only the finest locally sourced ingredients. By distilling in a single copper pot still, the resultant whisky starts off earthy and woody tasting before becoming full bodied and complex with a velvety vanilla oak finish.

So What Did I Think?

Ready to go at Whisky Discovery HQ

These notes were all done blind, the expression only being revealed after we had all nosed, tasted and posted our notes:

Colour: Lovely rich golden colour

Nose: Sweet butterscotch popcorn with spicy rye like notes. Cloves came to mind at first, then after a little while in the glass there is a slight sour note, almost vinegar like. There's also a crushed green pine needles note, and even picked up some Thai Basil. Adding a drop of water mellows the sour note picked up.

Palate: It's oily and mouth-coating. Vanilla and butterscotch lead, some herbal notes, Quite creamy, the pine needles found on the nose appear on the palate and spice gently builds on the tongue. with liquorice remaining at the end.  With a drop of water it becomes really smooth and even creamier

Finish: Remains spicy with more sweet butterscotch and vanilla although slightly drying

And Davin's notes?

Dark, sour German rye bread, with dry grain, caraway seeds, oak and bitter dark molasses. A floral fruitiness matures into dark prunes, oranges and aromatic vanilla. but this is all about rye bread

What did everyone else think?
@sjoerd972: A very creamy variety of rye whisky. But thick rye is very recognisable. Rather sweet too
@The_Casks: Vanilla bean, caramel, bruised apples. Toasted, buttered rye bread
@WhatTastesGood: Nose; major caraway and some delightful ginger snappy notes
@jfpilon: white flowers. orchard. orange blossoms
@WhatTastesGood: First sip, sweet like a dark butterscotch, spicy with cloves and cinnamon. Fresh herbal notes too, esp mint.
@WhiskyNotes: The woody sourness stands out on the palate for me, lots of spices and herbs as well. Menthol. Caramel. Ginger.

Week 2

Whisky Discovery #421

Alberta Premium Dark Horse (45% abv)
Canadian Whisky
Not available in the UK yet

Our second Sunday afternoon of Canadian Whisky had us continuing with Section Four, A concise history of Canadian whisky reading Chapters 14-18 covering three more of the early distilling dynasties; Joseph E Seagram, Hiram Walker and J.P. Wiser, and the first chapter of Section Five, intoducing the first of the current (at time of printing) nine distilleries of Canadian Whisky, Alberta Distillery and we ended our evening tasting one of their core expressions.

The nose of Dark Horse is full of oak and smoke imparted by the heavily charred American white oak barrels. When sipping Dark Horse, you can experience a horseshoe shaped pattern on your tongue, with some sour and spice on the sides and sweetness on the tip. Flavours of vanilla, smoke, sweet oak, and savoury dried fruit such as plum and blackcurrant. Smooth and long lasting sweetness on the finish.

So What Did I Think?

As before these notes were all done blind, the expression only being revealed after we had all nosed, tasted and posted our notes:

Unfortunately I was struggling with a cold during our second session and my notes at the time were hopeless.

My initial thoughts were an alcohol burn on the nose, and so I was guessing 45% abv and later I found a chicory note on the nose.

On the palate I could only taste Chicory and wasn't sure if that was from the cough/cold sweets I had eaten that day. However, it reminded me of 'Camp coffee' (is it still around?) which has chicory in it, there was a light sweetness to it too and a little pepper at the end. I did manage to return to this dram later on after clearing the cold and really loved this dram and would love to see this one in the UK

And Davin's notes?
Unfortunately Alberta Premium Dark Horse did not feature in the first edition of Canadian Whisky, but you can read Davin's notes here

What did everyone else think?
@jfpilon: nice plum & prune nose, with a touch of rubber, pine and flint. Dark. nice
@mavisinc: spiced orange and ginger. Reminds me of Christmas pudding.
@Macdeffe: Ryesyrup, whatever that is, is my first impression. Very sweet and very dark for a Canadian
@WhatTastesGood: The palate has a lot of cherry cough syrup and, to me, some cigar smoke. V sweet, almost cloying
@mavisinc: Orange peel or grapefruit peel bitterness
@WhiskyNotes:  I now get a little mint on the palate, nice in combination with the sweetness.
@cocktailchem: The heavy dose of molasses make me think of Crown Royal Black

Week 3

Whisky Discovery #422

Danfields Limited Edition 21 Year Old (Black Velvert) 40% abv
Canadian Whisky
Not available in the UK yet

Four our Third Sunday afternoon of exploring Candain Whisky we contued reviewing Section Five covering the nine (at time of print) distillers of Canadian Whisky. This time it was Black Velvet, Canadian Mist, Glenora and the Gimli Distillery.

We finished this afternoon's entertainment with an older Canadain Whisky, Danfield's 21 year old limited edition from the Black Velvet Distillery

So What Did I Think?

Once again these notes were all done blind, the expression only being revealed after we had all nosed, tasted and posted our notes:

Initially I was getting some dusty grain notes that seems to be the signature opener for Canadian whiskies. There was a lovely sweetness that I just couldn't put my finger on what it was reminding me of and a gentle perfumed note to this too. Although fragrant this came across as quite delicate.

Although there were hints that this was an old whisky, this certainly didn't smell like an old Scotch, no dominant notes of old wood, leather or mustiness to it. Although gentle it was very crisp and clean.

This tasted quite gentle on the abv so I guessed at 40% After pouring a second dram notes of Cedar, certainly a fresh resinous woody note appeared alongside some orange zest, and a mandarin juice note too. Spices with pepper cloves and cinnamon too and a very dry nutty finish, like you've eaten too many hazelnuts!

And Davin's notes?

Fragrant cedar and crispy oak, then peppery spice with masses of sweet and tart fruit. Lilacs, spices and hard wet slate tinged with pickles become blistering white pepper, cinnamon, ginger and cloves

What did everyone else think?

@Macdeffe: I get lacquer light and wood, then wet wood/cardboard. This just reminds me so of grain whisky aged 15-25 from Scotland in flavour and nose, not agewise though
@Whiskylassie: This smells so delicate! Ever sniff apple blossoms in the spring? Really sweet and floral beautiful!
@WhatTastesGood: Nose features big fruit, esp cherry at first, then brown sugar, fresh sawdust & something earthy like slate.
@WhatTastesGood: Water rings out more herbal notes and mutes the spice which makes the sweetness too much. Prefer this one naked.

Week 4

Whisky Discovery #224

Forty Creek Port Wood Reserve (45% abv)
Canadian Whisky
Not available in the UK yet

I had tasted this before and recognised it quite early on in our blind tasting, though kept quiet. You can find out what I thought of this here:

Port Wood Reserve is made in the same style as all Forty Creek whiskies. No mash bill is used, the varietal whiskies are aged separately, and once completed, they are brought together for marrying. The Forty Creek blend was thenaged in the vintage port wood barrels for another two years prior to bottling.

John makes his own vintage ports, made from Niagara grown grapes and aged in white oak heavy charred barrels. There were just 6,600 bottles filled.

So What Did I Think?

This has a fabulous rich nose as well as a dark almost pinkish colour. On the nose toffee and butterscotch, along with black cherries, raisins, dates and  figgy too, even a little licorice. With a little air I was getting some wild fennel notes as the spicy rye notes emerged from the glass

I was tasting vintage Ports and Sherries the previous week and the taste of this whisky was reminding me of that afternoon, Oloroso Dulce came to mind at the time.

And Davin's notes?

Moscatel, wine vinegar, and red wine, with hints of wood, dark chocolate and a saltiness. Berry fruits and excitingly hot pepper. Magical, rich, lucious and full-bodied

What did everyone else think?
@galg: the nose is very rich almost toffee. lots of caramel (the good one ) also quite a lot of spice
@WhiskyScores: Warm almonds, caramel & spices with light solventy note on nose
@The_Casks: Lush caramel sweetness, caramel apples & warm caramel over vanilla ice cream, & a bit of nutty toffee. Toasted rye & candied orange
@WhatTastesGood: Tons of spice on the nose (cinnamon, black pepper) and herbs. Wet earth and a slight mustiness, like a mushroom. Really pleasant.
@sjoerd972: On the nose I get cleaning liquid, toffee and caramel, rye bread and balsamic vinegar.
@Macdeffe: Almost smells like a weak Pedro Ximenes

And Finally..

A huge thanks to Johanne McInnis and Graham MacKenney for sharing their Canadian whiskies with us all and for Davin De Kergommeaux for spending time with us all, four Sundays running, and answering all of the questions we were bombarding him with.

If you want to find out more about Canadian Whisky then I recommend you get a hold of Davin's book first and make sure you're following these people on Twitter! @DavindeK @Whiskylassie and @grahammackenney

I know I should have finished this post ages ago, especially as we've just finished tasting four new Canadian Whiskies with the second DavinTT event. Unfortunately life gets in the way sometimes and as much as I'd like sit and write about our journey everyday, sometimes it's just not possible! Hopefully we'll be able to catch up a little over the Christmas holidays.

Slàinte! Dave

Whisky Discovery #671

Ballantine's Christmas Reserve NAS (40% abv, 2013)

Blended Scotch Whisky

Circa £25.00

Although not my first ever Ballantine's whisky (I was foxed by a Ballantine's 17 Year Old - Whisky Discovery No.375 earlier this year in the #12Blends of Easter tasting) this is the first individual review for one of their range, which is surprising considering Ballantine’s is the number one Scotch whisky in Europe and second placed in the world with the range selling over seventy million bottles a year worldwide. 

Towards the end of last month Ballantine’s launched their 2013 Christmas Reserve Limited Edition, the fourth release since it was first introduced in 2010 and we've managed to get hold of a sample to review.

So What Did We Think?

This certainly has a rich tarnish copper colour, but being a blended Scotch whisky assume that caramel has been added to give this rich warm colouring.

The nose is very gentle, and although initially opening up with a soft sweet grains note develops some spicy tangy orange notes with juicy sultanas. Soft candied ginger notes and Caramel toffee follow and there's a touch of liquorice root in here too. After the first sip sweet honey notes appear. Not overly complex, but enough to interest the Christmas whisky connoisseur for a quiet moment of reflection.

Soft and gentle is the theme on the palate too, sweet with mandarin orange juice, runny honey and ginger spices, gently warming, and easy drinking leaving a sweet malty finish. The finish is quite short, but no shorter than I would have expected for a 40% abv blended Scotch. Again there are some nice flavours in this bottle and if there is just one bottle of blended Scotch in your drinks cabinet for Christmas why not have the Ballantine's Christmas Reserve on hand?

Currently available in Sainsbury's for £25 a bottle

Many thanks for to Ballantine's for the sample 

The 2013 Ballantine’s Christmas Reserve Limited Edition is available within 15 markets around the world now, including in Vietnam, the UK and Global Travel Retail. The price varies according to the market, with an RRP of £30 within the UK.

Slàinte and Merry Christmas! Dave

DavinTT2

During December we have been taking part in the Canadian Whisky Twitter Tasting with author and Canadian Whisky expert Davin De Kergommeaux. (@DavindeK)

Each Sunday evening Graham MacKenny (@grahammackenny) and Johanne McInnis (@whiskylassie) have hosted the tasting, which end with a blind tasting of one or two Canadian Whiskies.

While we're been discussing Canadian Whisky we have been set a number of questions relating to Davin's excellent book. (you can see what we thought of it here). 

10 were set on the first Sunday, and a further 10 were set last weekend. Answering all of the questions correctly will put you in to the draw for a fabulous prize.

Today is the third Sunday, and we're tasting the fourth and final sample (we started with a double header) and the third tranche of questions will also be released this evening, one of which is below:

#DavinTT2 - Scavenger Hunt Question 23

23. What is “blending at birth?”

a)  Canadian term for mixing different grains together to form a mash bill. 

b)  Mixing 2-year-old rye whisky with base spirit and then put into a cask to mature. 

c)  An in-house breeding program used by a prominent Ontario distillery to insure a bloodline of Master Blenders.
d)  Blending different new make spirits from multiple distilleries and grains to form a Canadian Blended Whisky.

Simple eh?

If you've missed the first 20 questions, have a copy of Davin De Kergommeaux's book Canadian Whisky, the portable expert, (or are extremely knowledgeable !) and would like to enter this competition drop me a line, and for a small bribe I'll send them all to you.

Follow along on Twitter this evening from 2000 GMT using the #DavinTT2 Hashtag

Although all answers should be sent to @whiskylassie you are welcome to send them to me for 'validating' first. I will to check your answers against my own, and if yours are all correct, guarantee to modify one or more of your answers for comic effect before forwarding them to Johanne for you, thus increasing my chances of winning the prize.

The Glen Garioch Experience Part 2 (Virgin Oak Launch)

The second of our Glen Garioch experiences over the summer was an invitation to the launch of the Virgin Oak, at an intimate gathering at the boutique Zetter Townhouse in Clerkenwell, London. Although originally planned for the 3rd July 2013, due to reasons beyond our control it was postponed until 16th July, and so we duly set off down to London to meet up at the venue. (July 3rd would have been handy as we were already in the city that day having spent all day at Imbibe Live. You can see our Imbibe Live Facebook album here) 

Well if you can cast your minds back to mid-July you should remember we had a glorious summer. The evening of 16th was one of those hot, humid sultry evenings. We got down into the city a little earlier than necessary, but living out in the sticks means taking an afternoon off of work to attend London events, and with an afternoon off of work, you might as well be enjoying yourself, so we found where we were supposed to be going and then parked ourselves in a nearby pub for a crisp cold beer before dinner.

We weren't sure who was going to be at the dinner, but we were the first to arrive, perhaps a few minutes early, but then we were only sitting in the pub across the way. Along with host Carolynne Coole, from Consolidated PR, Morrison Bowmore's Phil Nickson was ready in the dining room. We waited for the other guests to arrive, the dining room wasn't huge, I quickly counted up the seats and realised that this really was going to be an intimate dinner, just nine of us in total.

Matt and Karen from Whisky for Everyone

First to arrive was The Miss Whisky herself, Alwynne Gwilt. We've met up with Alwynne at a number of events over the year as we've made ourselves known to the whisky industry, and its always good to catch up with her. Matt and Karen Chambers from one of the very first whisky websites I was reading 'Whisky for Everyone', were next to arrive and were promptly followed by acclaimed whisky writer Ian Buxton and Whisky Squad founder Jason B Standing making up the nine. We were feeling very privileged to be amongst such esteemed company, and while we had met everyone before, the evening provided a fantastic opportunity to simply sit down and talk!

Yes, that's Ian Buxton next to Phil Nickson

A very enjoyable three course dinner with wine followed while we all got to know each other a little better. Kat and I had already made our menu selections, ensuring that we chose something different for each course so we could swap halfway through, ensuring we tried a little of everything. So we shared starters of Smoked Chicken and Salmon tartare, which we followed with main courses of Baked Cod and a Veggie chorizo. We both picked the Apple Tarte for our deserts as none of the other choices grabbed our attention obviously!

With the meal finished it was time to bring out the whisky. We started with their aged core expression the 12 Year Old before the unveiling of the Virgin Oak. (a few more pictures can be found on our Facebook page here:)

12 Year Old left, Virgin Oak right

So What did we Think?

Both Kat and I had been at the earlier tweet tasting where Rachel Barrie had tested the reaction to the Virgin Oak by sending it out as a blind dram, and so we had tasted both of these expressions before, although we didn't know it was the Virgin Oak then.

Whisky Discovery #453

Glen Garioch 12 Year Old (48% abv)

Highland Single Malt

circa £35.00 70 cl

First released in 2010, the 12 Year Old is one of Glen Garioch's two core expressions, sitting alongside the NAS 1797 Founders Reserve. Both of these expressions are bottled at the unusual strength of 48% abv and non-chillfiltered (although I understand colouring is used to ensure consistency between batches). This whisky has been matured in a combination of both ex-Bourbon and Sherry casks

Dave Said: The nose opens with floral and herbal notes of heather, grassy, vanilla notes starting to evolve, grapefruit too.

On the palate this is not an immediately sweet dram, opens with bitter grapefruit pith and a huge hit of white pepper, but hold on to it, the fire subsides and becomes creamy with lots of ginger, I wasn't expecting that. The finish is long, spicy at first, softening with a woodiness before turning dry

I really liked the Glen Garioch 12 Year Old the first time I tasted it and added a bottle to my shelf.

Whisky Discovery #456

Glen Garioch Virgin Oak NAS (48% abv)

Highland Single Malt

circa £65.00 70 cl

Glen Garioch is one of the few distillers to produce a fully matured virgin oak single malt. Its intense flavour means it can hold up in the new fill cask, bringing its own unique woody tones to the malt – a dram to savour.

Dave Said: The nose has lots of spicy wood notes with a herbal element too that is slightly reminiscent of Vietnamese Coriander. A drop of water sweetens the nose and lots of vanilla notes develop in the glass.

On the palate this is sweet and smooth and creamy, almost buttery. The heather notes come across and there are some tangy orange marmalade flavours too. The initial sweetness is balanced by a savoury side too and has a warming finish with ginger and spices.

Kat Said: On the nose I was greeted with an instant hit of spices & vanilla notes from the virgin American oak cask. After a short while spices can be pin pointed as nice blend of mace with a touch of sweetness from star anise and cinnamon. Some hints of toasted nuts and toasted white bread follows. At this point the dryness of this dram is noticeable, with dry straw notes wandering back & forth. With sometime in the glass, the golden syrup note makes its way through but doesn't make the whisky feel heavy. With a generous splash of water, it brings out more floral notes, Manuka honey, more vanilla, and creamy white chocolate.

Taste: Again you’re hit with the spices, this time predominately of cloves, some pepperiness & oiliness of light virgin olive oil. These are followed by bitter lemon pith, raw hazel nuts, and a touch of honey. Water tones down the spices, making it more balanced. For me this whisky is a tad too spicy so prefer this one with water.

Finish: Not a surprise that you also find spices lingering in the finish. Some toasted nuts & cereal notes towards the end.

Generally I like my whisky neat but this one is so spicy that it over powers the other aromas & flavours. Luckily with a decent splash of water, the spicy wild beast was tamed. It allowed the sweet, creamy & toasted notes to come through making it a more enjoyable dram for me. As this just uses virgin oak casks, there’s a lack of fruit flavours that you get in say refill sherry casks which makes a nice change.

Slàinte! Kat and Dave

Whisky Discovery Tasting #1

A full house for our first 'Whisky Discovery' tasting at The Embankment, Bedford

We finally did it, jumped in with both feet, closed our eyes, and hoped for the best. When we finally caught our breaths, the chaos that was left behind was a bunch of strangers brought together by seven beautiful drams, and all having a whale of a night. 

From the reaction of everyone who came to our first tasting, it was a big fat tick in the fun box, and we are delighted that there are enough people interested to start a whisky club in Bedford! Hooray! What this space in 2014 for more news. 

For the evening, we teamed up with the Embankment Pub in Bedford The line-up on the night was seven drams, each paired with a different canapé that were jointly selected by the head chef and me, to complement each dram. 

These are the pairings in order of their appearance on the night:

1. Smoked Salmon on Sourdough Toast paired with SMWS G10.5 
2. Sweet Potato and Baby spinach Frittata paired with Paul John’s Brilliance. 
3. Morn Dew Cheese paired with Glen Garioch 1995 Vintage. 
4. Smoked Haddock Rarebit paired with The Whisky Lounge’s Salted Sea Dog. 
5. Pear Crumble paired with Glen Moray Chardonnay cask.
6. Vanilla Ice Cream paired with Balcones Baby Blue. 
7. Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart paired with Douglas Laing’s Scally Wag.

It was a big gamble starting the evening with the SMWS G10.5 as it was the highest abv at 61%. Due to food pairing, it was difficult to place it anywhere else in the line-up. It would have been too weird having a smoked salmon in between sweet canapés. It did become a good bench mark dram though, with many really appreciating the freshness and floral qualities of this dram after they had tasted the others. 

So what did we think of each dram?

Whisky Discovery #614

SMWS G10.5 A ‘Schweppervescene’ Moment 23 Year Old (61% abv)

Single Grain Whisky from Strathclyde Distillery 

Circa £68.50 70 cl

This is a single cask, single grain whisky from the Strathclyde grain distillery, located in the Gorbals district of Glasgow. There are no official distillery bottlings of this single cask however it is a popular grain whisky that’s used in many blends. 

Nose:  Punches with freshness, very lively and vibrant. A while later creamier note comes through of young ripe avocado, there’s some acetone notes that tickles the nose, with some sharp lemon/lime sherbets but without the oversweet sugar smell. 

Taste:  It starts with the lemon sherbets, followed by corn flakes and cereal notes, then a hint of bitterness which is nice to give it some depth, and at the end it becomes a minty menthol mouthwash. 

Finish:  The cooling minty menthol mouthwash has stayed, then it becomes warming with the bitterness returning right to the end. A long finish with leaving a dry mouth feel. 

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:

@Mooley: First dram is the SMWS schweppervescence. grass & vanilla on the nose. Pepper on the palette, after taste of leather car seat. This one better with water, softens it.

@JohnnieStumbler: Wonderfully fresh on the nose. Grassy with fresh fruits. Great mouthfeel, sweet and grassy with a citric edge. With a touch of water, it really delivers. Paired with smoked salmon on sourdough toast. It really highlights the contrast between sweet and salt. Good shout! Very capable and worth further exploration. Needs time, water and a brave heart.

Whisky Discovery #429

Paul John’s Brilliance NAS (46% abv)

Indian Single Malt Whisky 

Circa £46 70 cl

The distillery is based in Goa, India, and it is one of only two distilleries in India currently exporting to the UK. It is made with using Indian six-row barley from the Himalayan foothills and has been matured in ex-bourbon barrels. It’s non-chill-filtered with no artificial colouring. 

Nose:  Rich and intense aromas. Aromatic and spicy of teak wood and nutmeg, with the smell of warm leather. 

Taste:  Again rich full bodied flavours. Teak wood comes through with some sweetness, for me it’s similar to the taste of flat Coca-Cola, and there’s also a floral notes present. 

Finish:  Begins with sweet cassia bark followed by some spiciness, leaving a mild wood note at the end. Not a very long finish, would have loved for this to go on for longer. 

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:

@Mooley: Bloody lovely Indian Whisky. Not as grim as the Amrut. I really like it. Matched well with the sweet potatoe & spinach fritter. Would be excited to try the edited peated from them.
@JohnnieStumbler: Bourbon-a-plenty on the nose. Lots going on for a young whisky. Some rich fruits on the nose. Rich palate balanced out by a spicy finish. Intriguing. With sweet potato and baby spinach frittata, there isn't a stark contrast. Think harmony.
@cecilnorris1988: Plums, dates, a hint of the dreaded vanilla on the nose for me.

Whisky Discovery #454

Glen Garioch 1995 Vintage 17 Year Old (53.3% abv)

Highland Single Malt

Circa £50.45 70 cl

They don’t make it like this anymore! This vintage bottling was distilled in the last year that the distillery used peat in its kiln to dry it’s barley before malting, due to this, there is some peat present but at a very low ppm. Not really noticeable as peat. It’s been matured in first fill ex-bourbon barrels. 

Dave has tasted this whisky before as part of a tweet tasting, click here to see what he thought then.

Nose:  Very spicy with a sweet bread aroma that’s like Panettone bread, there’s an Ovaltine note, and the smell of lemon butterfly cakes. 

Taste:  Begins with a spicy chili heat, followed by barley sugar sweets, sugared covered roasted hazel nuts, slight hint of smokiness and floral notes that’s like a mild black cardamom taste. 

Finish:  Warming spices with a touch of sweetness and smokiness, then spiciness returning right at the end, leaving a dry mouth feel.

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:

@Mooley: Smells divine, light hint of peat, sweet, candy & grass on the nose, sting like chilli aftermath. Good warmth. This is a sexy Whisky.
@cecilnorris1988: I've had this before with @JohnnieStumbler. As good now as it was in the Summer '13 A huge shout out to Morn Dew Cheese too. Your marriage with the Glen Garioch 95 17 Year Old is a beautiful one.
@JohnnieStumbler: I'm hugely biased as this is one of my go-to drams. Wonderful. With Morn Dew cheese. Works splendidly. The creaminess of the cheese just marries with the mild peatiness perfectly.

Whisky Discovery #616

The Whisky Lounge ‘Salted Sea Dog’ Batch No. 2 NAS (46% abv)

Islay Single Malt

Circa £21.00 20 cl

This is an independent bottling from the lovely folks at The Whisky Lounge. All we know is that it’s from one of the well-known distilleries on the North-East of Islay, and who are not normally known for their peated whiskies. This is non-chill-filtered and free from artificial colouring. 

Nose:  Peat is noticeable but not overpowering. Warm banana bread aromas followed by powdered ginger, and the smell of very dry crumbly fruit cake that’s gone stale. 

Taste:  Nice balance of peat smoke and sweetness. Texture and flavour of watered down cinnamon infused sugar syrup, with some bitterness at the end from lemon pips. 

Finish:  Initially warming with hints of sweetness that lingers, and then warms again, this time of white pepper giving a good length finish.

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:
@Mooley: I AM IN HEAVEN! I am not sharing that with anyone. *sits in the corner and has a moment* Salty sea dog, is heavy peat that melts away making you want more. Coal dust, seaweed & a slight twang of 2p pieces #wdt1 #buymeabottle
@JohnnieStumbler: Beautiful peaty, coastal nose. Less of a peat assault on the palate. Gentle and moreish. With smoked haddock rarebit, a symphony of smoke and sea spray.
@cecilnorris1988: Back at St Peter Port in Guernsey. Salt (surprise surprise), seaweed, PEAT!
@Johnnyboythrash: Not a fan of the smoky whisky that we experienced, but this is my & @rosetintvintage first whisky tasting, so still finding palette.

Whisky Discovery #132

Glen Moray 10 Year Old Chardonnay Cask (40% abv)

Speyside Single Malt Whisky

Circa £25.00 70 cl

Glen Moray still doesn’t seem to be that well known, it is only a smallish distillery and one of the seven distilleries listed on the Speyside Single Malt Trail, and are located in Elgin, Morayshire. This whisky has been fully matured in for its entire life in Chardonnay cask which gives this dram a light delicate floral feel. 

We first tasted this dram last year. Dave wrote about a posted in thoughts back in May 2012, you can read about it here 

Nose:  Noticeably creamy and smooth, with vanilla, hints of dryness, sweetness from clear honey, and a floral bouquet throughout. 

Taste:  Instantly of the clear honey, leading to a fresh citrus zest which prevents the dram being overly sweet. The sweetness is however present throughout. Texture is a smooth silky feel. 

Finish:  The honey note stays for a split second, a lot shorter than I had expected. A fresh fruity chili heat, like a Scotch bonnet chili, appears and stays, while cereal notes arrives at the same time as leaving the mouth with a dry mouth feel with some bitterness right to the end.

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:
@Mooley: Not blown away, a bit too nicey nicey & soft after taste. I like whisky with balls! this is light, sweet, pear drops apples on the nose. It's nice but too nicey nicey.
@JohnnieStumbler: This is a little sweetie on the nose. Fruit and gentle oak. Sweet and lightly fruity; a dessert whisky. Overpowered by the butteriness of the pear crumble.
@Johnnyboythrash: Just found a whisky I really like, and @rosetintvintage agrees.

Whisky Discovery #321

Balcones Baby Blue NAS (46% abv)

Texas Blue Corn Whisky

Circa £55 75 cl 

We have tasted this whisky many times, and it’s one of my personal favourites. You can find out what Dave thought about it when he first 'discovered' it here. 

This is Texas whisky and the only distillery in the world using blue atole corn to make whisky.  Atole corn has a nutter flavour than yellow corn. It gives the whisky extra depth to other corn whiskies but still keeps the freshness and verve of a traditional corn whisky with a smooth finish.

Nose: There’s some sweetness from Demerara sugar, some dry oak notes but more like oak shavings and saw dust, and there’s some creaminess there also. 

Taste:  This reflects the now, starting with caramel notes with some dry oak. Then the nutty flavour of roasted hazel nuts and hints of burnt toasts comes through, balancing out the sweetness. It has a very smooth Crème Brule like texture but without the heavy feel.

Finish:  Again the same flavour profile that you get throughout this dram but begin with warming black pepper. The caramel, toasted bread, and oak notes comes through afterwards, these lingers right through to the end.

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:
@Mooley: Honey, macadamia nuts, vanilla on the nose. Let down on the palette, hard corn spirit. It's so unusual it draws you back. Strangely I'm not a huge fan but I can't stop retrying it. Popcorn Whisky.
@Johnnyboythrash: Ooh, the Balcones is even better. Was trying to describe & @rosetintvintage  says nuts & toffee...I'd agree
@JohnnieStumbler: This has corn chips and nuts all over the nose.The palate doesn't live up to the nose but not bad at all. With vanilla ice cream, it's Doritos time!
@cecilnorris1988: Damn you vanilla! The penultimate whisky. I know @JohnnieStumbler and @Mooley are fans of the nose.

Whisky Discovery #610

Douglas Laing Scallywag NAS (46% abv)

Speyside Blended Malt Whisky

Circa £38.00 70 cl

Douglas Laing has been in business for the last 65 years as the leading independent Scotch whisky master blenders and bottlers. They specialise in selecting single casks and small batch whiskies. I find it incredible that the business was started by Fred Douglas Laing in 1948 and today, it is still owned and run by the Laing family; Fred Laing Jr and his daughter Cara Laing. 

Scallywag has been blended from Speyside malts, all we know is that it includes whiskies from Mortlach, Macallan, and Glenrothes. It’s non chill-filtered and uses predominately whiskies that’s been matured in various Spanish sherry butts, but there is some first filled bourbon casks in there as well. 

Nose:  Initially of some new make spirit then as it opens up to give some vanilla and creamy notes, reminds me of raw Victoria sponge cake mix, and soft butter. There’s also some fruitiness there as well, mainly raisins. 

Taste:  On the initial sip, I found it to be full of almond essence that turns into Amaretto liqueur after several sips. This is followed by the taste of Plumb Schnapps, and then the fruity richness arrives, full of dates and raisins but doesn’t make the whisky feel heavy. Towards the end there’s some lovely creamy shortbread. 

Finish:  Lemon zest and hint of lemon pith, then honey and vanilla notes with raisins right at the end.

Some tweets we picked up from our tasters:
@Mooley: Not out on retail yet! Scallywag Douglas Laing.Toffee, dates, WITH A MASSIVE HIT ON THE PALETE. Amazing So @amjohnno has preordered me a bottle of Scallywag for Christmas. I am a very lucky girl! 
@JohnnieStumbler: A little young on the nose, a tad feinty perhaps.A privilege indeed; trying before general release. With hazelnut tart, it just works really well. Good call. Christmas on the palate. Worth a punt but this whisky hound likes the peat.
@Johnnyboythrash: I like this Douglas Laing Scallywag, and the badge...awesome!

Going by the ‘mmmm’ factor from the room, the top 3 most popular pairings were Douglas Laing’s Scallywag with chocolate and hazelnut tart, The Whisky Lounge’s Salty Sea Dog with smoked haddock rarebit, and the Glen Moray Chardonnay Cask 10 Year Old with pair crumble. These pairings just worked so well together.

My favourite moments from the evening was someone wanting the Smoked Haddock rarebit and Salty Sea Dog on tap, and a lady who was pretty sure she wouldn’t like the Glen Moray because she hated Chardonnay, turned out to absolutely love the Glen Moray! 

Check out our album on Facebook page for some more pictures from the night. 

Lastly thank you…..

We were very lucky to be given a bottle of Douglas Laing’s new little scamp, Scallywag, before it was available in the shops. A big thank you goes out to them, it was the cherry on top of the cake. You can check out their whiskies on their website here. Douglas Laing

I would also like to say thank you to the other independent bottlers and distilleries for their support, and for creating some beautiful drams. For more information on all of the other drams listed in the tasting, and where you can purchase them, visit these websites below:

• Single Malt Whisky Society
• Paul John’s Whisky
• Glen Garioch
• The Whisky Lounge
• Glen Moray
• Balcones 

Until the next time, Slàinte! Kat

The Glen Garioch Experience Part 1 (Tweet Tasting)

This post is long overdue. This Tweet Tasting was the first of a number of Glen Garioch experiences that we have enjoyed over the summer, so look out for following posts coming very soon, including a trip to visit the distillery!

A special Father's Day Tweet Tasting organised by Morrison Bowmore Master Blender Rachel Barrie saw these four splendid drams from the Glen Garioch Distillery delivered to Whisky Discovery HQ. Glen Garioch is not a Distillery that I was that familiar with at the time, although I had bought a bottle of Founders Reserve at the airport on a return trip from somewhere.

Four Glen Garioch samples beautifully packaged, albeit with a little leakage

All four would be new Whisky Discoveries and while three were identified on their labels one of the bottles had a question mark for the abv and 'New?' written for the expression. Were we being tested on a new expression that Rachel thought was worth releasing? It turned out that we were, read on......

Under the #GGGenerations hashtag a large group of tweet tasters were led through the expressions by Rachel herself, however my village internet was playing up again and kept dropping out on me so I missed taking part in the very end. Fortunately I was able to find all the tweets, and of course I had the drams and always scribble my own notes anyway.

Whisky Discovery #453

Glen Garioch 12 Year Old (48% abv)

Highland Single Malt

circa £35.00 70 cl

First released in 2010, the 12 Year Old is one of Glen Garioch's two core expressions, sitting alongside the NAS 1797 Founders Reserve. Both of these expressions are bottled at the unusual strength of 48% abv and non-chillfiltered (although I understand colouring is used to ensure consistency between batches). This whisky has been matured in a combination of both ex-Bourbon and Sherry casks

So What Did I Think?
The nose opens with floral and herbal notes of heather, grassy, vanilla notes starting to evolve, grapefruit too.

On the palate this is not an immediately sweet dram, opens with bitter grapefruit pith and a huge hit of white pepper, but hold on to it, the fire subsides and becomes creamy with lots of ginger, I wasn't expecting that. The finish is long, spicy at first, softening with a woodiness before turning dry

What did the others think?
@steveprentice: Stewed apples and some autumn fruits all with a dollop of custard whist sitting outside with the grass freshly cut. Some boiled sweetie notes and a touch of chocolate (Cadburys Eclairs?)

@WorldWhiskyDay: Nose: Werther's originals and green apples with nice ripe pears too

@mattveira: Nose; I get vanilla, sweetness, honey, fruit (especially pears) and a fresh flower quality.

@mallygraveson: I can taste the oak and the tress of a Highland forest. Very nice.

@aberdeenwhisky: So smooth and fruity it is like summer in a glass.Perfect after the Aberdeen sunshine we've had recently!

@bumpythechemist: After the first hit of spice, the fruit and malt come back, citrus rind on the finish.

Whisky Discovery #454

Glen Garioch 1995 Vintage (Bottled 2012 55.3% abv)

Highland Single Malt

circa £62.00 70 cl

This vintage bottling is rather special as it was distilled in the final year that the distillery malted it's own barley. Peat was used in the kilns during the initial phase of drying the barley, albeit at a very low ppm. When the distillery re-opened in 1997 the maltings and kilns were no longer used. One of Glen Garioch's small batch releases, it has been matured in first fill ex-bourbon barrels.

So What Did I Think?

The nose came across as spicy with an underlying sweetness. after a little while in the glass it became more floral for a brief moment until waves of vanilla start. Woodiness comes through with a touch of pencil shavings. This really does have a very enjoyable bouquet and would be quite happy sitting nosing this all evening

Like the nose this starts quite spicy on the palate, and the floral note picked up on the nose comes through as Parma Violets. A drop of water tames the spice and leaves a much sweeter note. The finish is long and spicy with white pepper and a touch dry at the end with citrus pith

What did the others think?

@bumpythechemist: The first thing that springs to mind on the nose of the 95 is peated opal fruits, the green ones

@WorldWhiskyDay: Nose: shortbread peppermint creams! (is that a thing? If not it should be!)

@mattveira: Nose: Very malty! Slight hint of musky mocha at the front, before a bit of menthol, woodiness, banana and fudge notes

@mallygraveson: I'm loving this! 1995 Vintage is Classic. Grapefruit. Sours. Retro Sweets. Refreshers. Wham Bars

@steveprentice: On the palate it's got some heat for sure, it's 55% after all, but it's still retaining a smooth character, a full and nicely oily mouth feel, and lovely fresh summer fruits. The finish is again quite long, helped by the fact it's not chill filtered, oils stick around keeping flavour all over your palate for a good long while, lovely stuff. A drop of water makes it sweeter and more creamy and is recommended for sure.

@aberdeenwhisky: A drop of water's made this dram even smoother, and brought out a stronger hint of peat for me. Still strong banana flavours.

Whisky Discovery #455

Glen Garioch 1986 Vintage (Bottled 2011 54.6% abv)

Highland Single Malt

circa £158.00 70 cl

An earlier vintage distilled when the distillery was malting it's own barley and still peated a proportion of its malt. Another of Glen Garioch's small batch releases this 25 Year Old has been matured in North American oak casks.

So What Did I Think?

Sweet floral notes initially come across on the nose, with citrus notes underlying; lemons sweetened with heather honey. There's also a very gentle and pleasant peat reek about this one.

Very floral on the palate with Parma Violets, Swizzles and Sherbet Lemons. Although this is almost 55% abv I really didn't think this needed any water as it is so smooth and gentle on the palate. Another long finish and those Parma Violets staying right to the very end

What did the others think?

@aberdeenwhisky: Nose; reminds me of the woodfires in my grandads village in Ayrshire. Peaty but still with bananas.

@mattveira: Nose: Fruit (peach) & spicy ginger, with toffee & hint of smoke. Bit herbal. Definitely menthol peat notes.

@mallygraveson: This is like classical music. It just builds and grows upon crescendo & crescendo! Love it!

@bumpythechemist: Sweet and floral palate gets taken over heavy leather and wood notes. very subtle sweet peat in the background.

@WorldWhiskyDay: I'm enjoying the mouth feel and lingering smokiness. Definitely more woody than peaty!

@steveprentice: The finish is long and richly warming, the peat works to add even more depth and flavour than you already would be used to finding, and behind it all there is the obvious bourbon influence just backing everything up and rounding it off.

Whisky Discovery #456

Glen Garioch Virgin Oak NAS (48% abv)

Highland Single Malt

circa £65.00 70 cl

At the time of the tweet tasting no information was being let out by Rachel, it was only when the Virgin Oak release was announced that we were told what this was. However as this blog post is so overdue, there's no point pretending that I don't know what it is!

The we're many suggestions being proposed as what cask this spirit had been matured or finished in. The pinkish red hues were suggesting Port pipes to many, including me

So What Did I Think?

The nose has lots of spicy wood notes with a herbal element too that is slightly reminiscent of Vietnamese Coriander. A drop of water sweetens the nose and lots of vanilla notes develop in the glass.

On the palate this is sweet and smooth and creamy, almost buttery. The heather notes come across and there are some tangy orange marmalade flavours too. The initial sweetness is balanced by a savoury side too and has a warming finish with ginger and spices.

What did the others think?

@WorldWhiskyDay: Lovely notes of Parma ham and melons, warm jam tarts and big juicy sultanas!

@darrochr: Top dram, strikes as being a manzanilla or amaroso sherry cask.vanilla notes, very mellow.

@bumpythechemist: Hins of balsamic vinegar, really meaty savoury nose nose on the mystery dram. touch of salt too.

@steveprentice: Rich gold in colour, orange with a flash of pinky red. On the nose to me it smells like sherry's Portuguese cousin, i.e. Port. It's light, creamy, but with a back depth of dark fruits, crushed red grape nuts and a slight farmyard whiff, possibly the esters of new make / distillery character.

@aberdeenwhisky: This has a salty edge with a sweet finish. Definitely something delightfully different on the palate & nose.

@mattveira: Palate: Zest, sweet jam, cocoa, dry maltiness also spicy butterness on the finish. Quite a dry finish too

And Finally....

Many thanks to Glen Garioch for getting in touch and sharing these with us. Four new Whisky Discoveries were added to the Liquid Log, and a bottle of their 12 Year Old joined the stable shortly afterwards. Out of the four, the 1986 Vintage was my favourite, and the 1995 is a cracker too, and is one I would like to add to the shelf soon, but the 12 year Old is an affordable everyday dram, and I like everyday dramming!

Slàinte! Dave