February 7, 2012

Suntory Hakushu Sherry Cask

We thoroughly enjoyed the Yamazaki Sherry Cask bottling last tear, as did many others. Now we finally get the combination we have been waiting for: Hakushu + sherry casks! Hakushu tends to be on the lighter more refreshing spectrum so it will be interesting to see how it will hold up against the bold robust sherry casks. This is a somewhat “limited” release of 4,300 bottles and like the Yamazaki release this is also bottled at 48%ABV. The Hakushu Sherry Cask is scheduled to be available for purchase from Sake Brutus on February 28 for 8,560円. However, there may be other shops releasing it earlier. We will update this post as we get more info.

Image taken from the Sake Brutus website

**UPDATE ** Official Suntory Press Release

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February 2, 2012

Glenfiddich’s Cask of of Dreams

Well it is finally here…the culmination of last year’s Cask of Dreams campaign has been bottled and is available for purchase.  If you are not familiar with the Cask of Dreams, it was a nationwide campaign where 11 individual casks were brought to different cities where individuals memorialized their dreams and aspirations by writing them onto the casks.  We attended the San Francisco event last year so it was great to see this project come full circle and sample some of the whisky from the Cask of Dreams.  I had the fortune of sitting down with Glendfiddich’s West Coast Ambassador Mitch Bechard to talk about and taste this expression.  If you ever get the opportunity to attend a Glenfiddich event make sure that you do – Mitch’s knowledge and more importantly his passion for whisky make for a great experience.

The Cask of Dreams is a limited release of 3500 bottles and is only available in the United States.  The whisky that composes this expression consists of American oak casks ranging from 14 to 16 years old.  These casks were vatted and then transferred to the 11 virgin American oak Cask(s) of Dreams that made the trip from the US.  Because these casks never held whisky before it was important to carefully monitor them – Brian Kinsman sampled them every few weeks – so that they do not over cook the whisky inside.  After 3 months, it was decided that the perfect balance had been achieved.

Before getting intoxicated (pun only partially intended) by the fumes of the marketing and advertising machine, we have to keep grounded and remember it is about the juice inside the bottle.  A grandiose story doesn’t make up for shit whisky.  So putting by best efforts to forget the story behind it, I gave the whisky a taste…

Glenfiddich Cask of Dreams NAS $99
14 – 16 year American Oak
Finished 3 months in virgin American Oak
Bottled at 48.8% ABV

The color was surprisingly dark and of an almost chestnut hue.  I wasn’t expecting that from the age of the component whiskies and from all American oak.  The nose was reminiscent of dried red fruit and spices.  The vanilla was hanging around in the background as well.  The palate initially hit with a firm spiciness then with a layer of vanilla and sweetness but underneath was the familiar yet subtle apple and malty notes that I tend to get from Glenfiddich 12.  There was also a chewy full mouth feel to it.  At the suggestion of Mitch, I added some water.  This took some of the spicy new oak edge off of it and made for a more composed whisky.  I got a little dustiness after letting it breath for awhile.

It is not a heart stopping powerful whisky but it does make for a well composed “round” whisky with an added touch of excitement.  The spice from the new oak along with the higher ABV make for a very user friendly whisky in that you can control the flavor settings with water.  All in all this is a tasty whisky that I did enjoy.

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January 30, 2012

Japan’s Scotch Shop “Shizuka More” Islay Bottling

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Japan’s Scotch Shop carries a variety of Distillery as well as Independent Bottlings. They also carry an interesting series called the Shizuku Series. This series is further broken down the Shizuku More and Shizuku Flavor lines. The Shizuku More line consists of single cask expressions from four different regions (Islay, Speyside, Highland and Islands). We do have to play the guessing game with these expressions as the distilleries are not disclosed. The Shizuku Flavor line,as the same suggests, are expressions labeled by flavor profile (Floral, Honey and Smoky) rather than region. Tending to prefer Islay malts and limited on budget the decision was made to go with the single cask Islay bottling. Although it cannot confirmed – after some interrogation – the salesman hinted at this being from Lagavulin…

Shizuku More Islay 3,000円
58.4%ABV
200ml bottle

Color – straight copper. Big nose, smokey salty bright. A cloud of charged flavors. With an undertow of sugar. An initial warm muteness breaks through dust with a rush of spiced peat, heat, and doughy sugars with a very slowly settling wake of burnt something, caramelized sugar, ash, and salted fruit. An impressively dynamic whisky with bright, faceted aspects. The 58% ABV is well handled and the Islay flavors are frisky and on display. Suspiciously well balanced somewhere between the armchair-fireplace dram and a palate-revitalizing, certainly young, conversation piece. Yum. Nate

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January 18, 2012

Whisky World News

Win a Trip to Scotland from the Glenrothes:

The Glenrothes is launching the a brand new video to coincide with the second-annual Vintage Maker competition (running now till Jan 31). The Are You The 2012 Glenrothes Vintage Maker? video can be found here.

A little more about the competition:

The Glenrothes®, the preeminent vintage distilled single malt Scotch whisky, is launching its second annual Vintage Maker contest. This bespoke dram, which prides maturity over age, (you won’t find any pre-determined age statements here) wants you to recall and share a game-changing or halcyon moment in your life. The winners will be the entries that in the opinion of the judges best represent the definition of a Glenrothes vintage moment: a perfect combination of time, place, people and/or occasion when everything comes together to create a moment that will stay in the memory forever. . .

Four of the most compelling stories will be selected from the US and the winners will be flown to the Speyside region of Scotland – home of The Glenrothes – in May 2012. Alongside The Glenrothes Malt Master, Gordon Motion, the winning four will nose a wide gamut of whiskies, before selecting the best casks to be laid down for maturation, to eventually be bottled and released as The Glenrothes 2012 vintage. This year’s Vintage Maker contest follows hot on the heels of over 10,000 budding whisky makers entering last year’s draw.

Morrison Bowmore Distilleries Appoints Rachel Barrie As Master Blender:

Morrison Bowmore Distillers (MBD), one of the major names in Scotch Whisky and producers of Auchentoshan, Bowmore and Glen GariochSingle Malt Scotch Whiskies, announces the appointment of Rachel Barrie to the newly created position of Master Blender effective immediately. Barrie will also head up the company’s Spirit Quality Control and laboratory functions. She will join Morrison Bowmore’s Operational Senior Executive Group and report directly to Andrew Rankin, MBD Operations Director and Chief Blender. Barrie joins the company bringing a vast amount of knowledge and experience having served many years in a similar role within The Glenmorangie Company.

Commenting on the appointment Andrew Rankin says, “Rachel is one of the most experienced Master Blenders in our Industry and I am extremely delighted that she will be joining our team here at MBD. We have a very strong blending team within the company and this appointment will massively strengthen and reinforce our commitment to producing the ultimate in quality single malt Scotch whiskies.”

Another New Release of Hanyu:

Not that we are complaining! Following up on their very successful single cask bottling of the now extinct Hanyu distillery, the Game, Shinanoya is slated to release another single cask bottling. This release will also be called the Game – distilled in 2000 and bottled in November 2011 at 59.4%ABV, Mizunara Heads Hogshead Finish. Shinanoya is taking reservations/orders on January 26th. Like all Hanyu malts, jump on this as soon as possible if you have the chance.

Update: this bottle is now available for purchase here

Update to the update: sold out now. That was faster than I expected

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January 12, 2012

AD Rattray Bowmore 20

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Last time we tasted a couple of younger whiskies from the AD Rattray line up – this time we visit an older Bowmore.

AD Rattray Bowmore 20 $120
Cask: Bourbon (#271)
Distilled: February 26, 1990
Bottled: October 27, 2010
No. of Bottles: 235
ABV: 54%

Color: Light gold

Nose: Wafts of peat and seaside brine, a cakey sweetness underneath the peat, none of the red fruit complexity that I tend to get from Bowmore.  This initially seems like straight forward peat but with time it filled out with coastal breeze, spice and sweet notes.

With water: Sweeter with the water, airs out – becomes lighter, more of the bourbon influence becomes present, some citrus.

Palate: Very oily, big peat forward and fading smoke, a bitter tinge in the middle, oak spice, surprisingly light for a 20 year old.  A lot more subtle than expected.

With water:  Becomes more ashy, softens the spices, dusty, drying, earthy, juice-like sweetness.

Finish: Medium with a full flavor profile of peat, ash, spice and sweetness.

A delicate but full flavored older Bowmore, a different dimension from this distillery, almost Caol Ila like with the sweetness and ash, I really enjoyed this one. Great balance of flavors.

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December 29, 2011

New Release of Ichiro’s Malt Card Series

Ichiro Akuto recently announced the release of 4 additional expressions to his much acclaimed Card Series. The Card Series are from the now closed Hanyu distillery. As you can see the labels will be different from previous releases with different winter constellations in the background – the individual cards on each bottle will remain though. This will bring the total number of bottles in the Card Series to 48. The details of the 4 new expressions are as follows:

Ten of Diamonds: ~13650円/$182
Distilled 1990 Bottled 2011 @ 54.9%ABV
American Oak Puncheon Finish

Nice of Clubs: ~11550円/$154
Distilled 1991 Bottled 2011 @57.3%ABV
Bourbon Barrel Finish

Six of Spades: ~7700円/$102
Distilled 2000 Bottled 2011 @58.6%ABV
Oloroso Sherry Butt Finish

Four of Hearts: ~7700円/$102
Distilled 2000 Bottled 2011 @59.2%ABV
French Oak Cognac Cask Finish

These were just released in Japan and should be available overseas at a later date. A word of advice – do not wait on purchasing a bottle if you want one because they sell out extremely fast.

**Update: Because this is such a new release most of the online shops do not have them listed yet. So far we have found one online shop that has them available. http://www.sake-hosoi.co.jp/

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December 23, 2011

The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve

The Dalmore…to be honest we haven’t really tasted many expressions from this distillery. Nothing negative about this distillery its just that We simply have not taken the time to get to exploring the whiskies it produces. The Dalmore originally released is Cigar Malt a few years ago and many took an immediate liking to it. A nice sherried dram that you can imagine yourself sipping in front of a fireplace on a nice leather sofa. But the Cigar Malt soon disappeared – well at least in name. There was some confusion as to the origins and purpose of the Cigar Malt, from wayward ideas that cigars or tobacco had some hand in the production/aging of the spirit to thoughts that it was meant to be enjoyed while leisurely puffing away on a cigar.  To fill the void of the departed Cigar Malt the Gran Reserva was released – but it just wasn’t the same and apparently the demand for the Cigar Malt remained.  The Dalmore responded to this demand by bringing back the Cigar Malt, but now with the added “Reserve” moniker.  The Cigar Malt Reserve now has a higher percentage (70%) of Oloroso Sherry in the vatting with the remaining 30% consisting of ex-bourbon casks.

The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve ~$125
44% ABV

Fragrant at a distance, the nose of this one breathes an enticing sweet butter caramel with touches of burnt earth, a hint of something medicinal and honey. A full-malt body parcels out oranges, leather, a little roasted char, and slightly smokey sweets. These flavors and a subtle spiciness linger. A pleasing experience.

Comments:  This is a very refined, regal sherried whisky that almost everyone would enjoy.  A relaxing whisky at the end of the day or to share while conversing with a good friend.  The price point is a little steep but not outrageous.  If you like this flavor profile in a whisky then I don’t think that you will be disappointed.  There are some whiskies that I enjoy that others argue are over priced and better whiskies can be had for cheaper – but my response is those other whiskies aren’t the same and I like this whisky.

Thanks to the Baddish Group for kindly providing us with this sample.

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December 16, 2011

Glenrothes Night

Another one of San Francisco’s whisky seasons has come, drunk, and conquered. With events ranging from time-well-spent to a-mediocre-night, I have been remiss in not commenting on a tasting that was decidedly pleasing. Some weeks back, the opportunity to attend a Glenrothes promotional event found me willing and able. The event played out in a private room of Nihon (a local whisky bar of note featuring Japanese fare). The powers that be did more than a few things right to make this event a cut above. Firstly, it was small. This was not a meet-and-greet party for gregarious inebriates sponsored by Glenrothes. While such events can be delightful, it is not always the best circumstances under which to get personal with a whisky. That Glenrothes held the event at Nihon also spoke to the caliber of the event. To revel in a little whisky promotion in the confines of a smaller, cushy chamber of wood and dimmed lighting plays to the strength of whisky sampling and related conversation. The garish lighting of warehouse-events is great for illuminating a huge space and helping you recognize people from across the room, but give me the intimate confines of a little faux candle-lit space with comfy seating (and the knowledge that there is a huge and varied selection of quality liquor downstairs) and I am more than satisfied. Glenrothes’ representative, one Mr. Ronnie Cox, it must be said, sealed the deal. A well-spoken man who is spoken well of, Mr. Cox proved a good host and a superior orator on Glenrothes’ behalf. Prior to the tasting I enjoyed the opportunity to share a beer and a few words with him concerning Glenrothes and whisky in general, as well as some incidental conversation. A seasoned veteran of much alcohol appreciation and promotion, I’m of the opinion that not only has Glenrothes provided Mr. Cox with a respectable product to laud, he has brought to Glenrothes his wide-ranging experience wrapped in a refreshingly mellifluous take on the English language.

And so, to bastardize the Bard (Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Prologue), we lay our scene. Glenrothes straddles a rare whisky ridge, it is well-known but not famous (or infamous, for that matter). You will not find it at a convenience store (don’t get me wrong, many good things are) and you might not even find it at your local bar. You will, however, find it at many a drinking establishment and any liquor store serious about good whisky. Its has a distinctively rotund bottle that steps outside the typical mold, and its had it since before fooling around with bottle shape was cool. A signature look. This coupled with their school report card-inspired label makes for a curious combination of a whisky that is distinct but not in your face… which accurately describes the whiskies themselves (if I can give the whiskies personhood). The age statement on the bottle is a rare and curiously refreshing approach to whisky bottling (one they have been doing for quite a while). They do not release a twelve or eighteen year that is regularly supplemented with like reproductions. Glenrothes places the year of distillation on the label and when that version is gone it is gone. No repeats, just an evolution of what they are aging and outputting. These are Speyside whiskies. These are whiskies that represent the Speyside palate well. These whiskies do not rely upon esoteric barrel agings or experimental approaches. I am crazy about bizarre and eclectic approaches to whisky aging, my taste buds can not get enough of it, be it an Islay finished in a Zinfandel barrel or a lowland in a Bordeaux (or an Ichiro in a port pipe!). But if one looses appreciation for the art, the time-proven work of crafting a traditional Scottish whisky, one is lost.

Glenrothes delivered. Tasting notes? If I had not enjoyed the evening as much as I did, I would probably have better notes to impart, but then if I had not enjoyed it so much I probably would not be writing this. Do your own homework. Try the line-up and you are like to find something more than agreeable.  And if you get a chance to try the Editor’s Cask, consider yourself lucky. Cheers to Glenrothes and all those involved for putting on a whisky tasting that stood out not only for its whisky, but for the places and persons involved. -Nate

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November 30, 2011

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Whisky Extravaganza

There are tastings-a-plenty to be had through out the year that offer an array of different experiences. The whisky that is being poured is obviously what most people are interested when they debate whether or not to go to a whisky tasting. But to be honest that is not the only thing that one should consider. You can only drink (and actually taste) so many whiskies in one evening.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has been putting its Whisky Extravaganza for years. Fortunately I am not old enough to have attended them all, but I have been to the my fair share. Last year’s Extravaganza was a good time with plenty of good whisky and great conversation. This year was no different as I was able to have great conversations with the whisky industry folks as well as with other whisky enthusiasts, including Pete our buddy from The Casks. One of the attractions that the SMWS likes to promote is the whisky panel where the audience has the opportunity to ask the different brand ambassadors questions. However I think it is more of an opportunity for the ambassadors to talk amongst themselves and take comedic jabs at each other. The questions were fairly straight forward but luckily for us the responses were not. There was a great combination of humor mixed in with very useful and interesting information about whisky and how it is produced. Any attempt by us to provide a commentator-like summary of the entertaining responses would not do them justice. You just have to be there to experience it for yourself.

After the whisky panel was over, which was about an hour and a half, we headed over to the main tasting ballroom. The Extravaganza is not the sensory overload event that WhiskyFest can be. Don’t get me wrong, I love WhiskyFest, but just for different reasons. The tables manned by the various whisky companies and distilleries surrounded the empty tables for the attendees in the center of the ballroom.

There was a solid showing of expressions to be tried. But my first order of business was to hit the event organizer’s booth: the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. I always look forward to trying their unique single cask expressions. The casks that they choose are usually excellent and there are many that are from lesser known distilleries. They brought 6 bottles out this year: 50.42 (Bladnoch), 125.48 (Glenmorangie), 73.40 (we were told Glenburgie but when I double checked the bottle code online it shows Aultmore), 27.90 (Springbank), and 127.9 (Port Charlotte). As is my normal operating procedure at whisky tastings I did not take tasting notes of the whiskies that I tried. I find that it really detracts from the enjoyment of the evening for me. I did enjoy the Springbank and the Port Charlotte. This Port Charlotte was significantly different from their earlier bottling that was aged in a first fill sherry cask. It was really interesting to see and taste the difference between the two.

There was also definitely a buzz around the Suntory table as they were pouring their new – to the US – release Hakushu. Another highlight of the evening was the classic malts’ 34 year old blend which was an amazingly complex and full flavored whisky – again proving that blends are not necessarily of a lower quality. It was also good to see distillery bottlings of Auchroisk 20, Ardmore 30 as well as the Johnnie Walker Double Black (another very solid blend). Another treat – although not publicized – was a small sample of the Balvenie’s soon to be released Tun 1401 Batch No.3. This is a vatting of casks from several different casks spanning over multiple decades. Nicholas Pollacchi, who helped to make this whisky was kind enough to share this with us. A fabulous whisky that should be arriving in the US soon.

I do have to say that I was disappointed that the selections from Old Pulteney and An Cnoc were not there despite being in the event’s program. I am assuming that the same program might be used at all of the Whisky Extravaganza events. But I was looking forward to enjoying a tipple or two from each of these distilleries. Overall it was another superb event held by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society that provided a broad array of great whisky, tasty food and excellent conversation and information. If you are interested in not only the whisky but also a great atmosphere, experience and relaxed conversation then this is the event for you. Thank you to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society for the invite and I look forward to future Extravaganzas.

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November 18, 2011

A Firestone Walker Night at the City Beer Store

Dropped in on The City Beer Store and the taps boasted more than a few annual releases by Firestone Walker. Ok, maybe I’ve been laying in wait for this and I bolted over when I got wind of it. And it went a little like this…

Abacus: The barely wine nose was loaded with a lot of fun sugar. A great, traditional granular intensity defined the body with a bitterness seeping through the sweet, barrel aging. A mature barely wine that manages to be intense and robustly sweet but not cloying.

XV: The bourbon flavors were cloaked but unveiled themselves midway, wood notes were subtle but solid, lush fleshy, peachy fruit nose combined with a wish of vanilla in the body, and curious nutty note somewhere. Solid heavy mouthful, brown sugary, vanilla, bourbon roasted into a near endless tail. And the bourbon and malt flavors were more prevalent as it warmed up. Where can I find a cask…

Sticky Monkey: A true rarity, mid-sweet nose, both carmel and lightly vegetative, the intense sweets of the abacus are rained in with british or reserve. That is, the sugary nose and body quickly crashed into a wall of complex and satisfying malts. And the lingering wreckage is a pleasant way to pass the palate, a bit of plum and hops drowned in darker, deeper tones. But there is no lack of liquor. You may call it boozy, I call it home…

Black Xantus: Roasted and yummy. I have written this up and it often ranks as my beer-at-the-end-of-the-world, so I won’t get too poetic here. As for the 2010 served on tap in 2012… The bourbon intensity has been cashed in for chewy, stout taffy forged in a roasted malt forge and layers of char. And yet you can still taste that insidious, vanilla bourbon somewhere. Dark and pleasing.

Firestone Walker’s expert use of barrels and even more brilliant approaching to blending barrels without smothering flavor (indeed, they seem to be able to accentuate flavors but blend the edges into a well knit medium) works well across there lineup. I love this time of year. City Beer’s current lineup satisfies in every way… so long as you have a little pocket money, a penchant for 11%-plus beers, and a palate thoroughly addicted to quality, thoughtful barrel maturation and blending. Kudos to Firestone Walker. -Nate

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