Jura Twitter Tasting

I took part in The Whisky Wire's Jura Tweet Tasting last Wednesday evening and made sure I got out of the office in good time to get home and prepared to sample the five great drams from the Isle of Jura.

The five sample drams arrived from The Isle of Jura, I didn't know what to expect following the last Tweet Tasting from the English Whisky Co. where four 'blind' samples were sent to tease us. 

The Jura samples however, were all clearly labelled and from their core range of single malts, with one exception, and 'jewel in the crown' a limited edition 21 Year Old.

Only one of the five drams sent was completely new to me, but the tweet tastings are always great fun, and it is always interesting reading others reactions to the whiskies we're sampling.

Steve Rush of the Whisky Wire had sent all of the Tweet Tasters some notes as well as a tasting mat with the whiskies laid out in tasting order, and as the hour approached photographs of the set-ups were being posted, mostly similar to mine below, and with everyone ready, we started promptly at seven o'clock:

My set up ready for the #JuraTT tasting session

Dram #1 Isle of Jura 10 Year Old 
40% abv Silver Winner at 2010 IWSC Awards
Circa £25.50 70cl

10 Year Old 'Origin'

This was one of the the first whiskies I tasted at the very beginning of my journey (Whisky Discovery #5) I bought a bottle of Jura 10 Year Old following an episode of 'Three Men in a Boat' with Dara Ó Briain, Rory McGrath and Griff Rhys Jones. In the fifth series they went to Scotland and Rory visited the Jura Distillery, the whole scene looked very idyllic, and the whisky looked and sounded fantastic. I loved it initially, but then went off it for a while for some unknown reason. Then when I returned to it later in the year I 're-discovered' it and was sad to see the end of the bottle.

The symbol printed on the 10 Year Old, or Origin, packaging is the traditional Celtic symbol for birth and is therefore the whisky at the beginning of the Jura collection.

To try this again within the Tweet Tasting group was great fun and opened up a great deal more from this core expression from Jura. My blog post for this 10 year old really doesn't do the whisky justice, but then I had only just started drinking whisky and knew little about it, and my blog wasn't even born at that time, just a 'liquid log' recording the whiskies I was discovering.

This 10 year old is light and delicate with a warming honey finish. Lingering taste of warming gentle oak, honey and caramel, soft liquorice and roasted coffee beans. I hadn't noticed previously but this time there was a definite young pine cone nose to this 10 year old at first, before giving way to soft fruits, sweet peaches and apricots. After a while longer in the glass a malty oakiness started to develop, there was a salty tang. and orange marmalade too. On the palate there were tastes of sweet caramel, dark chocolate, salt, buttery shortbread, and white pepper spices. The finish was fairly short, salty and white pepper. A great start to the evenings tasting.

Some of my favourite tweets for the 10 Year Old:

‏

@TheWhiskyBoys Nose 'Firstly honey coated cigarettes, singed flower petals, over stewed tea, salty and dry'

‏@fr1day 'Smells like you're walking through a pine forest, nibbling on a green apple'

‏@HTFWhisky 'definitely a buttery palate, but also quite salty at the same time! Like Norwegian salted butter cooked in honey!'

‏@ifotou 'Palette more of the seaside saltiness with dark cocoa and still some citrus notes, pine cones and crushed sunflower seeds'

‏@TIA568B 'Finish: Very dry, grapefruit pith, salty, leaves a bit of a citric bitterness in the mouth.'

Dram #2 Isle of Jura Superstition NAS
43% abv – Gold Winner at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2009
Circa £29.00 70cl

Superstition

I've still got some of this on my shelf, a Christmas 2011 gift, so have got to really enjoy this lightly peated Jura (Whisky Discovery #31)

The difference in my blog posts from the beginning of my journey to one year on is clearly evident! I got in touch with the distillery to find out more about the make up of Superstition at the time.

Superstition is lightly peated with hints of smoke and spice. This lightly peated malt – which incidentally Islanders believe is bad luck to be cut before May – features the Egyptian symbol of the Ankh cross which is believed to bring good fortune of immortality. 

A no age statement whisky brought together from a selection of different aged casks, some as old as 21 years

The nose is fresh, lightly peated, floral; with hints of orange blossom, sweet butterscotch and white pepper, lots of white pepper. There's a salty tang too. On the palate it's immediately salty or briny, before the sherry influence of rich fruits kicks in, then butterscotch and burnt vanilla, again the spice white pepper at the end. Once again this whisky evolves nicely in the glass slowly releasing it's secrets.

Some of my favourite tweets for Superstition:

‏@rodbodtoo 'nose: salty and lightly peaty. Bacon? The ghost of Bacon? Posh aftershave'

@FrazerJ 'ohh bamm, very pleasant peaty smooth, bit of heather/green - lovely smoke. I am buying this' 

‏@HTFWhisky 'On the nose I get a wealth of salty butter and suggestions of peat.'

@TheWhiskyBoys 'Palate - sweet & thick citrus fruits (orange, pineapple), dusting of just lit peat fire smoke, wine gums, sherry'

@sgilboa 'On the palate - warm, peppery, oily AND dry.caramel, brown sugar, coffee notes. Nuts, nutmeg on the finish'

Dram #3 Isle of Jura 16 Year Old (Diurach's Own)
40% abv – Gold Best in Class at the 2010 IWSC Awards

Circa £43.50 70cl

Diurachs Own 16 Year Old

First tasted this 16 Year Old at Whisky Live in London earlier this year, (Whisky Discovery #52) I was looking forward to revisiting this expression.

Those who hail from Jura are known as Diurachs and the Diurachs like nothing better than sharing their island’s history, legends and folklore over a dram of 16 years old.

The Diurach’s Own has rich flavours of dark chocolate combined with oranges and spices, with sweet toffee and honey to finish.

I tweeted that on the initially I had softwood sap on the nose - continuing with the pine cone theme! I also found a little acetone too, but being an ex-boatbuilder I quite like the smell of this. 

After a while fruity notes start to open up peachy apricots and blackened bananas. The 16 Year Old is not as peppery as the earlier two.

This Jura 16 Year Old is definitely moving up my wish list, and loved it's alluring sweetness, smooth and creaminess, and its light salty tang I found these first three whiskies tasted didn't need water at all, but always try adding a drop or two just to see the effect. As with the previous two the finish was quite short.

Some of my favourite tweets for Superstition:

‏@whiskyrepublic 'A more challenging nose, having to work a little harder, again a pinch of pine, soupcon of smoke, flighty fragrance'

@ifotou 'stunning sweet dried fruits, and pine trees, still has that seaside saltiness fresh wet forest leaves'

‏@WHISKYILEACH 'smells like my shed the day after I was using varnish a wee bit'

‏@stevenmcc82 'Jura 16 always reminds me of weathers originals, honey, toffee and vanilla' 

@PresleyKa 'Very over ripe banana, you know the ones that go black in your fruit basket because you've forgotten to eat 1 of your 5 a day.'

@HTFWhisky 'palate reminds me of Honey Ice-cream from the Halo Shop in Tywyn near Aberdovey in Wales. Very smooth feel in the mouth.'

Dram #4 Isle of Jura 21 Year Old 200th Anniversary Edition
44% abv
Circa £99.00 70cl

200th Anniversary 21 Year Old

This was the one Jura I was really looking forward to and this was my Whisky Discovery #154

A special commemorative bottling to celebrate 200 years of distilling at Jura Distillery. Finished in 1963 Gonzalez Byass sherry casks. (1963 was also the same year Jura was re-established on the Island.)

The limited edition pack contains a unique personal invitation from the distillery manager to visit the Jura distillery for a private sampling. Twenty-one owners of the Jura 21 will be selected to stay in the luxurious Jura lodge. 

Flawless finish of soft marzipan, crushed walnuts, fleshy pear and tangy orange peel. Whispers of succulent maraschino cherries, plums and soft liquorice complete this memorable masterpiece.

So What did I think?

I'm not quite sure why this limited edition commemorative bottling has been released at just 44% abv, I would have though at least 46% and possibly cask strength? That said however, this still was rather special. As with the previous four expressions time in the glass revealed more as the nose evolved, but I tweeted, rich dark orange marmalade, toffee, sherried fruits, sultanas, figs and a little furniture polish too, a very complex 21 year old, yet very smooth light and delicate and totally delicious.

Some of my favourite tweets for the 21 year Old

@sgilboa 'more subtle on the nose (apart boom of alcohol), gentle, rich, ripe plums, sultanas, apricots, oak'

@TheWhiskyBoys 'Nose - Caribbean fruits, chlorine, fresh beach air, cedar wood shavings, floral drawer liner, unlit cigar, metallic/brass'

@whiskyrepublic 'deep & dark, sherry & polish on the nose, I'm getting hints of orange ( a theme for me tonight)'

@AlasterPhillips 'nose: ripe bananas, cold earl grey tea, a large bowl of milky coffee and the marzipan off the top of an xmas cake'

@TheWhiskyWire ‏'Dried oak smeared in lemon curd'

@rodbodtoo 'palate: very smooth, light and a touch oily. Malty, with fruit round the edges, and a bit of sherbet lemon'

Dram #5 Isle of Jura Prophecy NAS
46% abv – Gold Best in Class at the 2010 IWSC Awards
Circa £49.00 70cl

Prophecy

This was the second of the the two Jura expressions I first tasted at Whisky Live earlier this Year, (Whisky Discovery #53) and one that has been high on 'Dad's Whisky Wish List' stuck on the fridge.

The seer foretold that the last Campbell to leave Jura would depart on a horse and cart with only one eye to lead the way. This prophecy came true when the last Campbell, who had lost his eye in battle, left the island on his white horse. 

To celebrate the seer’s mystical prophecy, each bottle has the symbol of the ‘all seeing eye’ to watch over this fine spirit.

This is a wonderful smoky peaty, Islay nose to the Prophecy - I love a peaty whisky! It's not got the medicinal notes that some peaty Islays can have, but it does have a wonderful beach bonfire nose, salty creamy and liquorice too - for me, this is very enjoyable and I'm pleased to see an abv content of 46%

Some of my favourite tweets for Prophecy

‏@whiskyrepublic 'nose - I'm getting the sea here - walking through a fresh fish market, briny, someone's burning leaves'
@NickDaBird 'nose- lemon zest, creamy, bonfire and tobacco weighs in- smoked bacon?'
‏@fr1day 'Wet, matted leaves covering a forest floor set on fire & smouldering (any idea how hard it is to get that fire started?!)'
@TIA568B 'Nose: Very floral peat, smoke, salty & coastal, citric zesty, charcoal, a bonfire on a beach, no lactic notes so far!'
@TheWhiskyBoys 'Palate - wait! is this an Islay.., powerhouse of peat, salty seaside, oily, BBQ coal, touch of smoked gammon'
@TIA568B 'Palate: Peaty, earthy, burnt wood, still a dry coaliness about it (Welsh steam?), sweet, nutty, sweet, vanilla, but very dry'

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

Yet another great experience and another highlight of my whisky journey, revisiting four and  registering a fabulous new ‘discovery’ A massive THANK YOU to Steve Rush at @TheWhiskyWire and everyone at @jura_whisky

For more information see: http://www.thewhiskywire.com/ and http://www.isleofjura.com/ and don't forget to sign up and become a Diurach too while you're there (check out my Whisky Clubs page too)

Whisky Discovery #153

Buffalo Trace NAS (40%abv, OB, Bottled 2012 70cl)
Straight Kentucky Bourbon
£22.00 70cl

The sun came out for my Buffalo Trace

I decided that this July I was going to get some Bourbon for my journey. I fancied a bottle of Four Roses Yellow Label which I first tasted at Whisky Live London earlier this year, and because it was on a special offer in the supermarket, my wife picked up a bottle of Buffalo Trace for me too. Both were on my wish list, and Buffalo Trace is also listed in Ian Buxton's fabulous book, '101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die'

So why Buffalo Trace? A ‘trace’ is a wide path, beaten out by herds of buffalo. These traces were followed by explorers and early settlers who travelled to the Wild West. Buffalo Trace was named for the Great Buffalo Trace which cut its course to the banks of the Kentucky River, the buffalo forded their way across the river, eventually reaching the Great Plains. The area was rife with distillation during the eighteenth century, the water was limestone which and the locality proffered excellent cereal growing conditions.

A distillery was built in 1857 and was the first to use steam power. During the 1880s, the distillery boasted climate controlled warehouses and was also the first to ship the product down the Mississippi river. The distillery was one of but four that continued to run during US Prohibition, legally. It was granted a permit for distillation for medicinal purposes. Once Prohibition was repealed, the facilities were managed by Albert Blanton. He was committed to his art and, accordingly, produced the best product he could. Named the George T Stagg distillery until June of 1999, at which point it was renamed Buffalo Trace, the distillery produces a range of upmarket bourbons including the acclaimed Eagle Rare and Blanton’s.

Since 1990, the distillery has received more awards than any other North American Distillery; notably Malt Advocate hailed it as their 2000 Distillery of the Year and in 2005 Whisky Magazine heralded it as their Distiller of the Year. Buffalo Trace is also noteworthy for marketing the first single barrel bourbon, released in memory of Albert Blanton, who produced a single barrel whiskey to enjoy with friends.

So What did I Think?

Buffalo Trace has a lovely tarnished copper colour. On the nose bright citrus notes were immediately recognised, mainly limes, perhaps even Kaffir limes. There's oak wood, and sweet honey cutting through the limes. Eventually the vanilla breaks out. There are some earthy, musty notes too which reminded me of a outward bound course when we had to came out in a recently mucked out cowshed. The nose certainly seems to evolve over time in the glass.

The mouth feel is oily initially then a short burst of spicy pepper heat, there's a slight sourness balancing the sweetness, with spiced orange peel, a slight clove like taste, but certainly not overpowering.

The finish seemed quite short with sweet honey, a light saltiness, pepper spice and a drying nuttiness at the very end. I've been very impressed with this entry level bourbon, I'm not one for drinking cocktails, preferring to drink my spirits neat, and Buffalo Trace is very enjoyable to sit and ponder over at the end of the day.

A beer with a Whisky Tale

Old Worthy Scottish Pale Ale (5% abv, OB Bottled 2012 330ml)
Craft brewed beer from the Isle of Skye

A chance meeting on Twitter introduced me to Nick creator of Old Worthy Scottish Pale Ale. One of my many nicknames has been 'Old Worthy' and I was recently sent a sample of this beer to see what I thought of this, and to be honest I was really blown away with this.

Many years ago I drank a lot of real ale, loved the stuff and was always trying different ales drawn from handpumps in small country pubs, or better still direct from the barrel. However seven years working in the Far East with nothing but ice cold German style lager to drink changed my drinking style. I didn't really get back into the ale drinking upon my return to the UK and following a rugby tour to Ireland returned to drinking Guinness which became pretty much the only beer I drank.

So why Old Worthy? The term 'local worthies' references the whisky men who mischievously helped themselves to the distillery 'wash'; a from of 'beer' from which new make whisky spirit is distilled. The name Old Worthy references those daring and cheeky men.

Scotland has a long and proud brewing history. Long overshadowed by whisky production Scotland's brewing culture thrived during the 1800's with Edinburgh famed for it's mineral ales similar in style to those from Burton on Trent.

Scottish beer is now facing a revived growth, driven by pioneering innovations from Innis and Gunn (Beer maturation in whisky casks) and Brew Dog (quality craft brewing).

Old Worthy Scottish Pale Ale is a craft beer brewed on the Isle of Skye and at the heart of Old Worthy brewing philosophy is innovation through fermentation, 'Fermented for Flavour' is proudly written on the bottle label.

The Scottish Pale Ale is a twist on the famed India Pale Style - with a medium hop (Challenger hops) content compared to IPA, coupled with a small percentage of Scottish distillery peat smoked barley (10-15ppm) and mellowed with Highland heather honey.

So what did I think?

This is a balanced and refreshingly creamy ale with a biscuit maltiness, soft fruit hoppiness tempered with a rounded sweetness on the palate and then a soft lingering smokiness on the finish.

As I said earlier I was blown away with it. I had mine slightly chilled from the fridge and it really was refreshing and I loved the smoky finish, as they say 'It's a 'braw brew!'

Whisky Discovery #150

The Devil's Punch Bowl NAS (52.3% abv OB, Bottled 2012 70cl)
Island Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky
Circa; £66.60 70cl

Devils Punch Bowl from The Arran Malt - spectacular packaging

The Devil’s Punch Bowl is a limited edition expression of The Arran Single Malt inspired by the glacial hollow Coire na Ciche, only accessible by boggy footpaths, and whose sinister presence dominates the north-east coast of Arran.

It is said that Arrans's Master Distiller, James ‘Lucifer’ MacTaggart, has been to 'hell and back' to select only the finest casks for this demonic masterpiece. Each cask has been chosen to contribute a specific characteristic and through the dark art of blending these whiskies have conspired to create an elixir of exceptional complexity and finesse.

Drawn from 24 different Arran casks, including Sherry Butts from 1996, it's also the first whisky from the Arran Distillery to combine both peated and un-peated casks. James MacTaggart goes on to say "The Sherry Butts act like the rhythm section of a band; setting the tone and driving the character of the malt. Deep in colour and rich on the palate these casks are the heartbeat of this whisky. The 1996 Bourbon Barrels add a wonderful honeyed sweetness to proceedings whilst the Sherry Hogsheads imbue a perfect harmony of aroma and flavour. As a unique twist I have added some of our 2006 Peated Arran, in combination with regular un-peated Arran for the very first time, giving the finish a subtle smoky edge.

Only 6,660 bottles of the ‘Devil’s Punch Bowl’ will be released worldwide, bottled at cask strength of 52.3% abv, and like the rest of the Arran range is non chill filtered and no artificial colouring is used.

So what did I think?

I had barely finished my blog post on the Arran Golden Eagle when I first heard about this new release. With the launch date to coincide with the Distillery Open Day at the end of June, I managed to get hold of a generous sample to taste without making the journey to the Isle of Arran. To be honest I would have much rather be at the distillery tasting it, but that wouldn't have been possible this time. So a huge thanks to The Arran Malt for sending me the sample for me to air my thoughts.

Just as the tasting notes state the nose is certainly fresh and vibrant with initially strong sherried fruits, candied peel, orange marmalade, rich vanilla essence and a light butterscotch sweetness. With water, and at 52.3% abv it can take a good drop of water, the sweet vanilla and butterscotch flavours come to the forefront. With five peated casks in the mix, I was expecting some peaty smoke on the nose but wasn't really able to pick anything out.

Rich spicy fruits on the palate initially, lots of dark black cherry and a lovely aniseed comes through before the slightest smokiness of the peated whisky comes through.

With a long lingering finish with a lovely balance of toffee sweetness and spicy white pepper with a final delicate fragrant pipe smoke at the very end.

I went onto taste this head to head with The Golden Eagle I bought at the beginning of the month. In the glass they both look very similar, a beautiful rich golden colour, but while the Eagle is light and fruity, the Devil's Punch Bowl is definitely more menacing with the darker fruits and smoky finish.

Another great whisky from this award winning distillery, with stunning packaging too, and I'm sure will fly off the shelves too quickly for most of us whisky drinkers.

Whisky Discovery #149

Elijah Craig 12 Year Old (47% abv, OB Bottled 2011)
Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Circa £30.00 70cl

Elijah Craig 12 Year Old is listed in Ian Buxton's 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die

Elijah Craig 12-Year-Old is a true Small Batch premium Bourbon, and had that distinction before the term even existed.

It's bottled exclusively from a dumping of 70 barrels or less, and all drawn from the middle to upper floors of Heaven Hill's traditional rick houses, and the brand carries the name of the Rev. Elijah Craig, the man who is said to have discovered the method of making true Kentucky Bourbon when he stored his wares in barrels that had been charred in a fire.

All straight Bourbon whiskey must be distilled from a mash- a mixture of malt, raw grains (no less than 51 percent must be corn), yeast and water. It must be distilled at no more than 160 proof, put into barrels at no more than 125 proof, and bottled at no less than 80 proof - without the addition of any artificial colouring or flavour additives. It also must age for no less than two years in new, charred white oak barrels. This Elijah Craig is bottled at 12 years old and at 94% proof (47% abv) making it unique among U.S. Bourbons, and comes bottled in a really elegant decanter-style bottle with an oversized cork stopper.

Unlike other distilled spirits, which can add ingredients to overcome "shortcomings" in the production process, Bourbon comes out as it went into the barrel. As a result, the distillation process is as much an art as it is a science.

Elijah Craig is critically acclaimed. It was awarded a double gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It has twice been awarded “Best of the Best” from Whisky Magazine.

So what did I think?

Rich burnished copper coloured bourbon

This has been on my list for a while now, well ever sice I read Ian Buxton's '101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die', and when my daughter's partner received a bottle last Christmas, I was keen to get myself a dram or two to try.

Jim Murray decribed it as "About as complete a bourbon aroma as you are likely to find...one of the most beautiful noses found anywhere in the world today. A bourbon to keep in the mouth forever."

It's a rich copper colour and certainly has a wonderful herbal vanilla nose, break through the herbs and the sweet caramel vanilla comes through stronger. There's a saltiness to the sweetness and some fruity undertones too. It has a truly magnificent nose to it.

On the palate there is an initial oily spiciness that coats the mouth. It's rich, smooth and creamy with sweet vanilla, a malty fruitiness and even a touch of aniseed.

The finish is long and spicy, a little light smoke, liquorice root and eventually a malty sweetness overcomes it all leaving my mouth salivating at the thought of another dram. This is an extremely drinkable bourbon and one I must have on my shelf soon. Good call Ian!

Whisky Discovery #148

Ardbeg Day NAS (56.7% abv, OB, Bottled 2012 70cl)
Islay Cask Strength Single Malt
£65.00 70cl

I was lucky to get a hold of a bottle of this 'limited' release

Ardbeg Day fell on June 2nd 2012 which was an extended Bank Holiday weekend in the UK due to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. I tried to get a sample bottle from the distillery prior to the official release but was told it wasn't possible for whatever reason.   Towards the end of May I had had my heart set of an Isle of Arran Golden Eagle and blew my June budget immediately the merry month of May ended, so thought that I might not get the chance to sample this at all.

I looked on the Ardbeg website regularly over the long weekend, checking the stock of the limited release bottling and longing for a bottle of my own! I settled for another dram of my fabulous Ardbeg 10 on Ardbeg Day, but later saw that @LRWhisky had brought a bottle home from Islay with them. They had cracked it open and were tweeting about the delights of 'dramlaxing' with it. I asked if they would spare me a sample, and a trade was agreed. A miniature of my Arran Golden Eagle was sent off in exchange for a miniature of their Ardbeg Day - we would get together, through Skype, and taste the two whiskies together.

As soon as it arrived I opened it for a sneak peek at the nose. I was immediately smitten and could hold on no longer, sod the budget I was getting myself a bottle or two of this! However, was devastated when I returned to the Ardbeg shop to find out that all 12,000 bottles had flown off of the shelves. Gutted!

I checked on eBay and there were numerous bottles being touted at double the original selling price, so it just wasn't going to happen. With nothing to lose I sent out a tweet for anyone with a spare bottle to contact me - a real long shot I know, but I had nothing to lose. I had a few 'you'll be lucky replies' before one Arbeg fan who had brought two bottles offered to sell me one of his bottles (only if I was going to drink it!) or share one of his bottles. I asked @Ardbaggie for a 50/50 share of one of his two bottles, which was immediately shipped to me, in the origianl bottle, complete with 'on this day in history' booklet. There really is a wonderful community of whisky fans out there in Twitterland.

So now I had my original sample swap, and my own bottle of Ardbeg Day whisky to enjoy. I decided to hold back until the Skype meeting with @LRWhisky before sampling.

So this whisky was specially bottled to celebrate the inaugural worldwide Ardbeg Day, the cult distillery's contribution to Islay Festival, or Feis Isle as it is more often referred to. Each year at the Festival each of the famous whisky island's eight distilleries, plus Jura across the water, release a special collectors bottling on their individual open days. The Ardbeg open day is traditionally on the last Saturday of the Festival and this year was no different, and so Saturday 2 June the Ardbeg Day single malt was released.

Ardbeg is a small distillery producing around one million litres a year, but it produces some of the peatiest and smokiest whiskies in the world, and has built up a cult following across the world. This Ardbeg Day release was limited to 12,000 bottles, you had to be a member of the Ardbeg Committee to purchase one, and it was limited to two bottles per customer. It was all gone in a couple of days! (If you haven't joined the Committee yet, then you can do for free by visiting www.ardbeg.com)

I've been reliably informed that Ardbeg Day whisky is a combination of 8, 9 and 12 Year Old bourbon casks, married for a further 6 months in ex-sherry casks (which may well have been ex-Uigeadail casks).

So What did I think?

RELEASE THE PEAT!

Well I was blown away at the first nosing of this from the wee sample bottle received from Living Room Whisky. I initially got a rich fruity nose out of this and was thoroughly enjoying a grapefruit pith like smell that brought back memories of eating grapefruit for breakfast with my Mother  (we used to share one in the mornings when I was an apprentice). However tasting this over Skype, with my daughter sitting next to me, and Mike and Jon from Living Room Whisky through Skype on the screen with us, Mike mentioned the straw from his rabbit hutch, and by auto-suggestion it was all I could get for a while! (and I haven't had a rabbit hutch since the mid seventies!)

The colour is a pale golden yellow and the nose is very pungent and full on. I've got my grapefruit pithiness back but there certainly is a straw-like rabbit hutch/cowshed nose to this alongside honey and vanilla aromas. The dominant element throughout is an earthy peat smoke, it reminds me of my Nan's coal tar soap There are also hints of ginger, candied peel and raisins, and I've just noticed a minty note too, fantastic stuff!

At cask strength it's initially quite fiery and a little oily. There's a short burst of sweetness which is quicky followed by the fiery spice again. The thick earthy peat smoke takes over your sense for a short moment and as it mellows there's a sooty charcoal taste which I love. With a drop of water the smoky charcoal is more evident at first, but the sweeter notes start to come out, honey and vanilla, there is a dark chocolate note too, aniseed and even a little lime tartness.

A very long finish with a slightly bitter smokiness to the bitter end It is dry, spicy and mouthwatering and I love it. I was recently very impressed by Ardbeg's Uigeadail and would really like to taste this alongside some, so will need to try hard to keep some of this until I can add the Uige to my whisky shelf!

Well done Ardbeg, this has been a blinder but I don't think it is worth the sums of money being asked for on eBay.

Book Review 101 World Whiskies

101 World Whiskies to Try Before You Die
Ian Buxton 
Published July 2012

Ian Buxton's new book

I bought Ian's '101 Whiskies to Try before you Die' towards the end of my first year of my whisky journey. I had run through almost everything that I was seeing in my local supermarket shelves and was at a point of not knowing where to go next.

That book gave me new inspiration to expand my horizons and augment the rapidly diminishing wish list that was stuck on our fridge door.

I love this book! My post-it notes on the whiskies tried

It immediately opened up my curiosity to try blended whisky as well as American bourbons which I certainly hadn't considered at the beginning of my journey. (I originally had planned a Scottish Single Malt journey)

My book is now full of small post-it notes on the pages of the whiskies I have owned and tried, with reminders of where I bought it, tasted it, who with, how much and what I thought of it.

It has encouraged me to seek out whiskies that I wouldn't have known about before and I know I'm not the only one, it has been a best seller and was clearly evident at Whisky Live London earlier this year, where I noticed a number of visitors were walking around with their copies, checking out which whiskies they should be tasting next and marking them off.

My 'Dad's Whisky Wish List' was suitably extended and I've been steadily working my way through them, and currently I've tasted a third of those listed.

So I'm really pleased to tell you that Ian has just released a great companion book titled '101 World Whiskies to Try Before You Die'. It follows the same theme as the first book, but now encompasses whiskies from a great deal further, including not only whiskies from the established whisky-producing countries, but also many newcomers. The book includes whiskies from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, India, Ireland, Japan, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, USA and Wales.

Once again all the whiskies included are both affordable and accessible. Ian doesn't believe in collecting whiskies or investing in whisky, and there is a couple of pages at the beginning of the book explaining Ian's reasoning why.

Ian believes in tasting and enjoying the huge range of whiskies that are available, and this book includes single malts and blends - and provocatively a few renegade suggestions that are bound to offend a few purists! (I was surprised, but certainly not offended!)

The book matches my earlier version perfectly and is the right size for me to flick through while savouring my current dram of choice. The photos of the bottles are clear on the left hand pages and the light heartened descriptions are laid out on the right hand pages, there's a little history, some candid commentary and amusing anecdotes for every entry. There's even a cheeky bonus 'one hundred and second whisky' but you'll have to get your own copy to find out what that one is.

Checking on Amazon I've found it's also available electronically for those of you who have moved onto this medium (I'm not quite there yet and want the hardcopy to thumb through to!).

I asked Ian if there were any plans for an App yet, but nothing in the pipeline yet due to the enormous expense, so come on app experts contact Ian with the right solution at the right price.

101 WORLD WHISKIES TO TRY BEFORE YOU DIE is published in hardback by Headline on Thursday 5th July 2012 and available from Amazon here

The original 101 Whiskies To Try Before You Die is still available there too, and if you're exploring the world of whisky, they both really ought to be on your shelf alongside your whisky, and now I need to revisit my wish list and start adding some more gems that Ian has chosen for me!

Ian Buxton

Ian Buxton

Ian Buxton is a former Marketing Director of Glenmorangie and has worked in the industry for more than 20 years. He now runs a successful consultancy business. He was elected a Keeper of the Quaich in 1991, the highest honour of the Scotch whisky industry, and is a member of the international tasting panel for the annual World Whisky Awards and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Distillers. Ian lives in Perthshire on the site of a former distillery from where he conducts his love affair with Scotland's national drink.

Check out Steve Rush's insider interview with Ian on The Whisky Wire

Whisky Discovery #147

Ardbeg Uigeadail NAS (54.2% abv, OB Bottled 2010 70 cl)
Islay Cask Strength Single Malt
Circa £50.00 70cl

Skype tasting sample of Arbeg's Uigeadail

I have been wanting to try Ardbeg Uigeadail for a while now and it's been near to the top of my wish list since tasting the Ardbeg 10 Year Old last October. Unfortunately something else has always come up before it and so seeing this was available on @WhiskyRepublic's whisky shelf, jumped at the opportunity in our five dram sample swap. I was very good, keeping this small sample bottle, untouched, on my whisky shelf for a good few weeks before our second Skype Tasting last week.

It was the final dram of our Skype tasting and directly followed another heavily peated Islay malt that was very different to this Ardbeg. A lot of the whisky community on Twitter have said some great things about this whisky and seems to be a very popular favourite. In 2009, Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible named Ardbeg Uigeadail ‘World Whisky of the Year’ – in praise of its “utter silky brilliance” and “complexity on a level only a handful of distilleries in the world can even dream of reaching.” It's also listed in Ian Buxton's great book, "101 Whiskies to try before you die"

Ardbeg Uigeadail (pronounced ‘Oog-a-dal’) is a special vatting that marries Ardbeg’s traditional deep, smoky notes with luscious, raisiny tones of old ex-Sherry casks. Uigeadail derives from the Scotch Gaelic for 'Dark and Mysterious Place' and is named for the Loch from whence Ardbeg draws its waters. It's non chill-filtered at high strength, which retains maximum flavour and gives more body and added depth.

So what did I think?

It has a lovely deep golden colour and thick legs slowly run down my nosing glass when swirled. It has the most awesome nose with notes of peat, lump coal, tar, dark brown sugar, freshly ground coffee beans, and some fruity notes. There's a slight whiff of a disinfectant or elastoplast too, actually I'm starting to think it is Germoline or even Deep Heat!

I love the nose on this, after getting used to the medicinal notes, so much more lies underneath this smouldering smokey coal fire; Sweet treacle toffee, rich Christmas cake, a touch of pine forest and freshly cut cedar wood. With water there's definitely a hint of diesel engine amongst the tarry smoke, but the toffee sweetness and coffee walnut cake keeps making a welcome appearance through the haze. Just spectacular!

An initial sweetness hits the tongue, rich fruits from the Christmas cake, a hint of marzipan before being followed by a spicy smokiness which is just heavenly, the medicinal notes come through that remind me of the old Victory V lozenges I used to like as a schoolboy. Wave upon wave of sweetness balanced with the peaty smokiness take over the senses

The finish is intense.It is incredibly long and initially very hot peppery spice which is promptly followed by a sweet caramel and malt, balanced by that smouldering coal fire again. The peaty tang remains for long time. I finished my dram over an hour ago, and can still taste the peaty smoke at the back of my mouth! This whisky will remain high on my wish list, and I think will need to be on my shelf at all times. If you are ever wondering what to buy me, a bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail would always be welcome - I could never have too much!

Whisky Discovery #146

Connemara Peated Whiskey NAS (40% abv, OB 2011 70cl)
Irish Whiskey
circa £27.00 70 cl

The golden Connemara Peated Irish Whiskey

This was one of the five whiskies I received in a sample swap and was part of my second Skype Whisky Tasting. I had not come across anything from Connemara in my journey to date and so needed to find out a little more about them:

Connemara is made by the Cooley Distillery, which was established by John Teeling. After studying in America, John concluded that there was a solid market for a new Irish Whiskey brand.

He acquired the Dundalk-based, potato alcohol plant, Ceimici Teo Distillery in 1987 converting it to a whisky distillery, renaming it Cooley, and it was the first whiskey distillery to be founded in Ireland for over a century.

It was not long before the owners began to acquire famous brands and distilleries which had been mothballed. Tyrconnell and Kilbeggan being amongst them. The Kilbeggan was reopened in 2007 and is run in conjunction with Cooley and proffers the company’s storage facilities. In 1989, a pair of pot stills was installed, furnishing the distillery with the means to distil both malt and grain. During the 1990s, the Cooley distillery launched Connemara, Ireland’s only peated whisky. Cooley is was Ireland’s only Irish-owned whiskey distillery, until recent acquired by Beam Global

Connemara Peated Whiskey has been inspired by the ancient Irish tradition of drying the malted barley of peat (or turf as it is locally known) fires, and it is distilled in small batches using copper pot stills.

So what did I think?

I first tasted this during my second Skype tasting session, and it immediately followed two glorious Speyside malts. I couldn't believe the nose I got from this initially, it was so rubber, like the inside of a tyre shop, and even brought back memories of my first summer holiday job working in ITS Rubber Limited in Petersfield, where I trimmed rubber soles for commando boots, rubber grommets for Triumph cars and rubber hoses for Hoover vacuum cleaners! We laughed over the fact that we were going to drink whiskey that smelt so heavily of rubber, caramelised inner tubes was the descriptive we decided upon during the Skype tasting.

I went back to this later and eventually the rubber subsides with a little air, and a honeyed sweetness comes through a peaty smokiness, there's a herbal heather freshness and even some floral notes buried within. However going back to a new dram, the rubber tyre shop hits me first!

It's very smooth on the palate but I still had the rubbery note to this malt, The sweetness eventually comes through with barley and  honey, and perhaps a little vanilla and musty wood too. The finish is long with pungent rubber, honey sweetness and light peat smoke. It was very different to what I was expecting from a peated whisky.

This was a strange one; I don't think I'll be tempted to rush out and add this to my shelf, but I did find it strangely alluring after a little while. I'll certainly look out for it when I'm out and about, and will find the Cooley stand at the next whisky show I visit as I would like to compare this against the other expressions from Connemara. I'd really like to hear from anyone else who found this to be rubbery as I haven't seen any other tasting notes describing this in my searches.

Skype Tasting #2

Tasting #2

A little while ago fellow whisky tweeter @WhiskyRepublic and I 

swapped five different whiskies from our shelves with each other and held a tasting session using Skype. 

We managed to run through five drams on our first meeting, so scheduled a second session last week to finish of the remaining five whiskies.

The five drams received from @WhiskyRepublic

With three peated whiskies left, alongside two Speysiders, and three of the five were also at cask strength, some careful planning was needed to get the balance right and make this session as enjoyable as the first one.

We started off with two from my shelf, The Balvenie 21 PortWood which although a rich Port finished Speysider it is bottled at 40% abv and the honeyed sweetness that is synonymous with the Balvenie range could be enjoyed and savoured without any other influences from either cask strength alcohol or heavily peated whiskies. The PortWood is one of my favourites from Balvenie.

We followed The Balvenie with an 18 Year Old Glenfarclas from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.  SMWS 1.162 is bottled at 58.8% abv, and was from a refill ex-bourbon hogshead and was one of 234 bottles. It seemed to follow The Balvenie perfectly.

The drams I sent to @WhiskyRepublic in front of their parents

With three peated whiskies left, two at cask strength, the Irish Connemara Peated Whiskey was next and what a surprising nose this had! This was my first experience of Connemara, and I have smelt a little rubber in whiskies previously, but nothing compared to what hit me here. It was unbelievable! It reminded us of changing tyres and we were both laughing that we were drinking whisky that smelt like rubber! The phrase 'caramelised inner tube' was coined to describe the nose we were 'enjoying' during this tasting.

We followed the Connemara with a Heavily Peated 13 Year Old Bunnahabhain from Signatory's Cask Strength Collection. This is a smashing drop of whisky that I've been nursing for a year now!

The final dram of the evening was the one I had been really looking forward to since receiving the sample; Ardbeg Uigeadail. Another heavily peated whisky, but a total contrast to the Bunnahabhain. Both Islay single malts, both cask strength, but the Bunnahabhain had been matured in two ex-bourbon hogsheads and the Ardbeg Uigeadail (pronounced 'oog-a-dal) is a vatting that marries traditional smokey Ardbeg with spirit matured in old ex-sherry casks.

Another very successful and hugely entertaining Skype tasting. Overall, five new whiskies were introduced to each of us, and we had two great evenings from the comfort of our own computers! There's not much of a whisky scene in the Bedford area yet, but I'm looking to start something in the near future. If you are interested in either a whisky club in the Bedford area or Skype tasting, please contact me and check out my shelf for Skype sample swaps - it is always changing as I drink from it almost daily, and add at least one bottle to it every month!

Whisky Discovery #145

Isle of Jura 'Elixir' 12 Year Old (40% abv OB, 2012 35cl)
Island Single Malt
Circa £17.00 35cl

Jura's elusive 12 Year Old addition to their core range Elixir

This expression from Jura seems to be only available from Sainsbury's as I have not found it anywhere else yet. It appears to have been launched at the end of 2011, and only available in 35cl bottles. I am on the Jura Diurach mailing lists and don't recall any publicity regarding it's launch and is not available to purchase from their online store. A little searching through the Jura blog and I eventually found some information in a blog post dated 18th November 2011 which launched Elixir.

The name Elixir refers to a local folklore. You may be aware that, Jura have a tradition of drawing upon the island’s myths and legends as inspiration for their whiskies, and Elixir is no exception. This folklore says that the island’s water, used in all their whiskies, has life-prolonging and mystical health-giving properties. Several Diurachs claimed to have lived to their hundreds, including one man who, according to his gravestone, lived to be 180 years old. They go no to say "We obviously don’t claim that drinking whisky does make you live longer, but it’s not called the water of life for nothing you know!"

This 12 year old malt has been finished in a mixture of American White Oak and Sherry Casks, this combination includes crushed almonds, pineapple and fresh roasted coffee aromas

So what did I think?

This is a very sweet whisky, both on the nose and the palate. The colour is a rich golden amber and the nose is initially very rich and sweet. There are huge obvious aromas of caramel, sultanas and toffee, but with a little time, other aromas penetrate the intense sweetness. There is a herbal note which I can't quite put my finger on, and a spiciness like nutmeg, a light cinnamon dusting, and a hint of wet, earthy potting compost.

On the palate, it feels a little thinner than I was expecting given the richness and sweetness of the nose. The sweetness is strong in the form of the caramel toffee with juicy dried fruits of sultanas and raisins, and a lovely spiced orange peel. A smoky herbal spiciness eventually comes through with and it finishes with a nuttiness to the light wispy smoke.

This is an interesting whisky and it certainly doesn't come across as the sherry bomb I was expecting. It was first introduced to me by my eldest daughter, but was fortunate enough to be given a bottle of this by my youngest daughter for my recent birthday, so it's on the shelf. 

As I said initially this is a very sweet whisky, probably perfect for a dessert whisky?