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2012
February 1
January 1 - 2
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2011
Music
Awards
December 1 - 2
November 1 - 2
October 1 - 2
September 1 - 2
August 1 - 2
July 1 - 2
June 1 - 2
May 1 - 2
April 1 - 2
March 1 - 2
February 1 - 2
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2009
December 1 - 2
November 1 - 2
October 1 - 2
September 1 - 2
August 1 - 2
July 1 - 2
June 1 - 2
May 1 - 2
April 1 - 2
March 1 - 2
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2004
December
1
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2
November
1
- 2
October
1
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September
1
August
1
July
1
June
1
May
1
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1
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1
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1
No archives for 2002-2003
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The
Malt Maniacs Monitor
(PDF,
printable, 4.6MB, sorted alphabetically, updated Feb 21, 2010)
The file
contains 286 pages.
At the moment, we have collected 40,504
ratings on 13,007 different single malts and whiskies.
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Serge's
Statistics
Shack
The
data on the MMMonitor allows us Malt Maniacs to play around
with the numbers for our own amusement. Please note that only
the results and conclusions published on Malt Maniacs are
'official'. However, these statistics are often used as the
foundation for our 'official' opinions.
Top
Maniacal Malts
Recent bottlings
version
Old
bottlings version
( updated 06/08/2009)
We've
taken all the malts that have been sampled by at least six
different certified malt maniacs and simply ranked them from
'best' to 'worst'. Please note that these results can be very
different than our Awards', the latter addressing only malts
that have been submitted by the industry, whereas most of
the malts on the monitor have been, yes... bought by us!
Strange
Bits on Bottlers
(updated
06/08/2009)
As
we already came up with around 32,000 ratings in June 2009,
we felt we could try to come up with a ranking of the various
bottlers. Nothing really official or too serious, though,
especially because the bottles' prices have not been taken
into account and because a bottler that specializes in rare
and expensive whiskies will be 'advantaged' anyway. But if
you're a number crusher, please go ahead and browse the list!
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The Magical History
of the Great
Brora Distillery
1969 - 1983
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All the linked files (mp3, video, html) are
located on free commercial or non-commercial third party websites.
Some pictures are taken from these websites, and are believed
to be free of rights, as long as no commercial use is intended.
I
always try to write about artists who, I believe, deserve
wider recognition, and all links to mp3 files are here to
show you evidence of that. Please encourage the artists you
like, by buying either their CDs or their downloadable 'legal'
tracks.
I
always add links to the artists' websites - if any - which
should help you know more about their works. I also try to
add a new link to any hosting website or weblog which helped
me discover new music - check the column on the right.
I
almost never upload any mp3 file on my own server, except
when dealing with artists I personally know, and who gave
me due authorizations, or sometimes when I feel a 'national'
artist deserves wider recognition. In that case, the files
will remain on-line only for a few days.
I
do not encourage heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages,
nor dangerous motorbike riding. But life is short anyway...
As
they say here: 'L'abus d'alcool est dangeureux pour la santé
- à consommer avec modération' |
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Leave
feedback |
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Copyright
Serge Valentin,
Nick Morgan,
Kate Kavannagh
2002-2012
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February 22, 2012 |
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Tasting two independent 1992 Ardmore |
We’ve already tried quite a few 1992 Ardmores and I think all have been quite great. I think many people forget Ardmore when they thinnk peat… |
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Ardmore 19 yo 1992/2011 (49.3%, The Single Malts of Scotland, 207 bottles)  Colour: white wine. Exactly Ardmore, with this very precise moment where the fruitiness and the smokiness find perfect balance. I don’t know if it’s rather smoked peaches and cranberries or the other way ’round, but what’s sure is that it works. Also melons, hay, garden bonfire, a little coal, tangerines… I short, very Ardmore. With water: the barley comes out more. Fresh muesli. Nose (neat): Mouth: plain and pure estery peat. I mean, smoked sweets and drops (pineapples, oranges, strawberries, apricot, melon and god knows what else). Then more roots and pepper, both white and black, but this very peaty fruitiness will just remain there. Spectacular in its own kind. With water: an even bigger fruitiness. Lovable and much quaffable. Finish: medium long, tart, light, fruity, very clean. Comments: I love these Ardmores. Perfect if you like peat but do not always want to feel like you’ve put your head into a stovepipe. Ahem. SGP:546 - 90 points. |
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Ardmore 1992/2012 (49.9%, The Whiskyman, 'Peat Fighting Man', 146 bottles) Colour: white wine. Nose: same whisky as the TSMOS. I’m not saying it’s exactly the same whisky (nor the same cask of course), I’m just saying these two babies are even less distinguishable than the Kessler twins. Mouth: maybe a notch rounder/vanilla-ed, maybe not. Very same-ish for sure! Finish: ditto. Comments: the wonders of consistency. Same pointless comments about stovepipes. SGP:546 - 90 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: Japanese bassist and wonder of fusion jazz Tetsuo Sakurai does Wonderland in the Sky with luminaries Greg Howe and Dennis Chambers (from his CD Gentle Heart, 2001). Not everything fusion is good of course, but this is very impressive methinks - and I'm sure Al di Meola would agree. Please buy Tetsuo Sakurai's music! |
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February 21, 2012 |
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Tasting old and very old Lochside |
Time to have more Springbank of the East today. |
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Lochside 1981/2005 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail, Rare Old)  Colour: deep gold. Nose: it's not the expected fruity burst that happens, rather a slow take-off on all kinds of teas such as earl grey and chamomile, with the expected tangerines and kumquats only whispering in the background. More menthol after a while, walnut liqueur, a little toffee, marzipan, chartreuse… It's all quite subtle but certainly not weak. Very nice profile, with even old roses and Turkish delights coming through after quite some minutes. Kind of oriental… Also a little ale. Mouth: the oak's louder and there are also unexpected notes of Guinness and other stout beers (Guinness is stout, right? I know nothing about beer). Very big maltiness, then more herbs, cinnamon (quite huge) and cloves. Good body at 43% but this is quite un-Lochside in my opinion. Finish: medium long, even more on malt. Ovaltine, chocolate and cinnamon. More bitter oranges in the aftertaste. Comments: not much citrus fruits (or they're buried deep underneath the maltiness) but an interesting profile. As sometimes happens, a bottling by G&M that's quite different from the usual distillery style. SGP:452 - 83 points. |
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Lochside 1981/2010 (50.5%, Thosop, refill sherry, 206 bottles) Colour: amber. Nose: we're more or less in the same style as the G&M's, even if this is even drier and vegetal. I get a lot of nutmeg, 'nice dust', cinnamon, lime blossom, beeswax, mushrooms, liquorice, mint leaves… Once again, no fruity explosion this time and a very complex profile that just wouldn't stop developing. With water: a walk in the forest in the middle of October. Moss, mushrooms, truffles, Havana cigars, then more citrus fruits. Quite superb. Mouth (neat): starts on green tobacco and bitter oranges, then ginger and grapefruit, the whole being slightly prickly (Schweppes feeling). Develops on more orange zests and ginger liqueur, with touches of guavas. With water: swims like a champ. Here they are, tangerines, papayas, oranges, bergamots and, err, Lochside! Finish: long, candied yet fresh and vibrant, on all these tropical fruits intermingled with herbs and soft spices. A little soot and more ginger in the aftertaste. Comments: yeah! (being a lazy writer again, S.?) SGP:651 - 90 points. |
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Lochside 44 yo 1967/2011 (41.5%, Coopers Choice, cask #807) Colour: gold. Nose: it's the oak that's talking but it's absolutely not oaky as such. So vanilla and coconut at first, then more marzipan, custard, putty, hazelnut liqueur (and even touches of the dreaded Bailey's) and then only distant ideas of limes and lemons. Frankly, it's a big surprise that this baby wouldn't be oakier and more tired, esp. at such low strength (btw, it's cask strength). Mouth: the miracle goes on, with a very wide assortment of tropical fruits (coconuts first, then mangos, pineapples and papayas) and aromatic herbs and flowers (teas). Rosehip, hawthorn, honeysuckle pastries, baklavas, vanilla… It's quite incredible that oak didn't take control here, and there's certainly something of an old high-quality grain whisky (although the label stipulates 'single malt'). Finish: more of all that plus strawberries and orange blossom water in the aftertaste. Comments: old malt whisky that tastes pretty much like old grain whisky in my opinion. Who cares, quality's very high but warning, it's extremely quaffable. SGP:641 - 90 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: the Swingle Singers' absolute lightness, with their rendition of the Largo of JSB's Harpsichord Concerto No. 5 in F minor BWV 1056. Don't we all need a little lightness these days? Please buy the Swingle Singers' music. |
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February 20, 2012 |
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Remember we’ve started to taste Caol Ila ten by ten? Yeah well, I’m afraid we’ll have to do the same with Laphroaig as there are peated oceans lapping against WF Towers these days, really! But remember our rules for these sessions: there are none! Which means that these ten babies have not been tasted ‘together’…. |
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Laphroaig 12 yo 1996/2009 (46%, Milroy's, bourbon hogshead, cask #7289, 337 bottles) Colour: white wine. Nose: nice, as all youngish ‘phroaigs are, but a tad simple and subdued. Sea water, soot, hessian, and only the tiniest wet dogs. Chihuahuas? Also peat of course, and ripe apples. Mouth: good, easy, rounded, candied, smoky and slightly salty Laphroaig. Quite briny, in fact. Simple and mucho quaffable. Finish: long, ashy, briny, salty and liquoricy. Dry and ashy aftertaste. Comments: very good, but may lacks ageing, thus complexity. The fact that Laphroaig can be very good when very young isn’t an excuse, is it? And between us, there are countless thousands of similar indie Laphroaigs around, but yeah, this is still very good. SGP:347 - 84 points. |
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Laphroaig 18 yo 1990/2008 (46%, Hart Brothers, Finest Collection)  Colour: white wine. Nose: a rather candied version of Laphroaig, that verges on white rum at times. It’s also a tad buttery and pretty porridgy I must say. More and more notes of horse sweat and cow stable. Dung? Mouth: nicer now. Still sweet and almost sugary but I enjoy these touches of cider apples and oysters. A blend of brine and apple juice, 50/50, plus a little fruity Swiss cheese. Fribourg? Finish: medium long, on seashells and Demerara sugar. Comments: was this baby from refill sherry wood? Too bad the label wouldn’t tell us… And too bad some parts were a tad flabby – I think. Aren’t we becoming hard to please with anything Laphroaig? SGP:447 - 81 points. |
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Laphroaig 22 yo 1987/2009 (46%, Silver Seal) Colour: gold. Nose: ah yes, now we’re talking. Keyword: balance. Balance between lemon and lime juice, seawater, oysters, cough syrup and a very delicate smokiness, then some beautiful farmyardy notes. Touches of passion fruits as well, grapefruits, a little high-end vinegar, then more butterscotch… Great nose! Mouth: a wonderful liqueurish Laphroaig, complex and becoming more and more medicinal ‘the old way’, with quite some eucalyptus and… more eucalyptus. And olive oil. And plain olives. Maybe capers. And lemons. And more and more salt. Finish: not the longest ever, and certainly not the smokiest, but maybe the saltiest. Comments: spectacularly briny Laphroaig. You have to like that style but if you do, you’ll love this baby. Ueber-salty! SGP:357 - 90 points. |
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Laphroaig 12 yo (48.4%, Mr. P.G. Jensen & Sons, Denmark, 4 months sherry finish)  Colour: straw. Nose: classic Laphroaig but rather rounder than usual offerings. Brine, seaweed and bandages plus touches of kumquats, oranges and quinces, then soot and plain peat smoke. In fact, this has something of the best batches of the official – and sadly discontinued – 15yo. Mouth: ooh-ah! Very, very, very nice, and I mean it. Perfect combination of raw, medicinal peat and orange marmalade, with also these notes of passion fruits and mangos that scream ‘old 10’. Too bad there’s a slight bitterness in the background (leaves), otherwise this would have been fab. Finish: long, with a little salt and again that slightly leafy thing. Smoked maracuja ice cream. Comments: Laphroaig can be very versatile and this baby is a fine example. Well done, Mr. Jensen! SGP:557 - 88 points. |
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Laphroaig 16 yo 1995/2011 (57.1%, Signatory Vintage for Paris’ Harry’s New York Bar, bourbon barrel, cask #49, 229 bottles) A cool decanter – a silkscreened flagon - for the famous bar’s 100th anniversary. It was bottled at 100°proof because of the bar's 100 years. Why not? Colour: full gold. Nose: a top Laphroaig, extremely smoky, lemony and salty, with a little vanilla and maple syrup in the background to make it just a tad rounder. Mouth: very punchy and truly ‘uncompromising’. Only hints of grapefruit liqueur make it a little more approachable after a while. After a few minutes, more vanilla again and a little more smoothness. Finish: long, very salty. Comments: plain and pure Laphroaig, hinting at the famous official 10 years Cask Strength. SGP:358 – 90 points. |
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Laphroaig 11 yo 2000/2011 (53.6%, The Whisky Fair, bourbon, rum cask finish, 276 bottles)  Do a few litres of rum stand any chance against a 2000 Laphroaig? Let's see… Colour: white wine. Nose: indeed, this seems to be a slightly sweeter version of a young, potent Laphroaig, and maybe there's a little more marzipan and putty than usual? Also wee notes of Grand-Marnier that are just as unusual in Laphroaig… Hard to say, all that may come from autosuggestion… Mouth: I think the rum is a little more obvious on the palate, and it's far from being unpleasant. Some candy sugar and wee touches of banana skin, marmalade, sweet ginger liqueur… And in the background, Laphroaig's roaring peat! But little salt or brine this time, as if the rum had annihilated that side. Funny! Finish: medium long, rather round and candied. A little more lemon in the aftertaste. Comments: a nice variant, that works well. Who will ever try to smoke sugar canes? Or even peat them? Yeah, a strange idea… SGP:657 - 85 points. |
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Laphroaig 21 yo 1990/2011 (56.3%, Wilson & Morgan, cask #2351, 215 bottles) Colour: amber. Nose: this is more complex, with more secondary and tertiary notes but quite funnily, I find a little rum again. Strange how the mind works. Seriously, we're rather on tobacco (new pack of Camels), smoked salmon and other fish this time, then some Demerara sugar (here we go again), liquorice wood, pine sap, humus, putty and cough syrup. Very, very nice nose, les extreme and deeper than others. Mouth: excellent, candied yet nervous start, with some pineapple jam, papayas and vanilla, then more honey and mint liqueur. Big peat of course but not that big, some leather, tobacco again, a little brine, kippers, lemon… Finish: long, with more sweet cough syrup and touches of green Chartreuse. Passion fruits and pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: a very active cask here! I think it's the kind of great bottling that will benefit from further ageing in glass - all we need is twenty extra-years ;-). SGP:657 - 89 points. |
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Laphroaig 12 yo 1997/2010 (54.7%, Duncan Taylor, Rare Auld, cask #56363, 187 bottles) Colour: straw. Nose: textbook young Laphroaig, coastal, smoky and… well, very smoky. I'm meaning not only peat but also coal and wood, with even a little tar in the background as well as hints of cinchona (Campari). Unfolds of herbs and leaves, grass and leather. Mouth: excellently earthy and citrusy. Very fresh, nervous, beautifully sharp and crystalline. Bags of lemons. Hurray! (curb your enthusiasm, S.!) Finish: long, chiselled, resinous, peaty and lemony. What the people want. Comments: a little beauty if you like them ultra-clean and almost Riesling-like, as I do. Great quality/age ratio. SGP:658 - 90 points. |
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Laphroaig 20 yo 1990/2011 (52.1%, The Whisky Fair, bourbon hogshead, 221 bottles) Colour: white wine. Nose: a rather sappy, rounded and vanilla-ed version, with a lot of custard and cake that make this baby much smoother and rounder than most of its brothers and sisters. Even the peat is kind of discreet, while there's more oysters and fresh butter. Funny whiffs of sorrel and fresh coriander in the background. Mouth: we're back on the tracks now, with more peat and, above all, litres of grapefruit and lemon juice that make it very tart and nervous, not unlike the marvellous 1997 by DT. Excellent. Finish: long, clean, salty and limey. Some toffee in the aftertaste, as if the hogshead had been heavily recharred prior to filling. Comments: a bit of a Janus, so to speak. Quality's high, as expected. SGP:557 - 88 points. |
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Laphroaig 25yo 1986/2011 (60.6%, AD Rattray, bourbon, cask #2123, 170 bottles) Colour: straw. Nose: hot and powerful, seemingly a little buttery and quite mentholated, but that may be the effects of the very high strength. With water: more butter and even yoghurt, muesli, boiled cereals… And a moderate smokiness. Mouth (neat): ah yes, this works greatly. Starts with some sweet round vanilla and touches of pink grapefruits (more than touches, actually, there’s plenty) and goes on with a great balance between lemon, smoke and brine. With water: more of all that, it all becomes nicely tart and very nervous. Passion fruits. Finish: long, citrusy. Notes of tinned pineapples and orange segments (in syrup). Comments: I’m not extremely fond of the nose but the palate is something. A peaty fruit salad. SGP:656 – 86 points. |
Crikey, isn't that ten Laphroaigs already? More, many more to come within the next few weeks… And Caol Ilas too! |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: a little fugue with a Cuban feeling by the wonderful flutist Jane Bunnett and her Cuban masters. It's called Fugado y Son Nocturno and it's on the lady's fantabulous album 'Jane Bunnett And The Cuban Piano Masters'. Please buy it - and many others. |
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February 19, 2012 |
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Auctions, tricks and traps
After McTear’s whisky debacle the other day – remember they refused a refund after having sold bottles that had been opened while the description on their website did not mention any problems -, may I humbly suggest a few guidelines as soon as absentee bids are allowed, a situation which makes the “sold as seen” condition pretty one-sided if not plain fallacious… |
Any bottle that’s not perfectly alright should be advertised as such, just like an old car that would have no engine. |
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| Pictures should be of the genuine items, not from a database of bottle pictures. |
| When the glass is dark, or whenever the picture isn’t good enough, the level should be mentioned in the description (like, in the neck, lower neck, shoulder and so on). Well, better always put that! |
| Pictures should be taken at a standard temperature of around 20°C and not at 30°C (mind you, alcohol expands so levels go up!) |
Ceramics should be weighted and subsequent filling levels should be advertised. It’s not difficult to keep a list of the ‘normal’ weights of the most well-known ceramic bottles and decanters, like Springbanks, Highland Parks, Signatory Vintage and others…) |
| Always better with also pictures of the backs (labels…) |
| Any use of ‘extra’ stuff such as lacquer, wax or cling film should be advertised, especially when that’s hard to spot from the pictures. |
| Items should not be touched/changed anymore after pictures were taken. Well, certainly not opened! |
| Any change of conditions after the picture was taken should grant the possibility of a full refund. It’s amazing how quick a level can go down or even a cork go dry when you display a bottle right under a 100-Watt halogen lamp for just a few days! |
| Only sell items that are 100% genuine and 100% no refills. If you’re not 100% sure, refuse the bottle. If you fail, which can still happen because nobody’s perfect, never hide behind the dreadful ‘sold as seen’ clause… |
| After all, the auction house is the expert, not the buyer, (well, he should not have to be one!) If some items have not being evaluated, advertising the fact that you've got inhouse experts becomes misleading at best. |
| All that in good spirits! Anybody can fail, let's just not repeat mistakes. |
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February 17, 2012 |
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| SHORT
RAMBLINGS (too long for Twitter! ;-)) |
Does Glentauchers have anything to say? |
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Yeah, I’m trying to be creative with my titles. What? I can hear you!…
Glentauchers 2006/2009 (46%, Càrn Mor, Scottish Liqueur Centre, cask #9, 20cl)  Barely whisky, this! Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: apples, pears, white cherries, grass, sweet barley and vodka. Definitely not whisky if ‘mature’ is a part of the definition of whisky. Not an unpleasant newmake, though, but it’s almost newmake. Mouth: not bad, to be honest, quite oily, with some barley water, pear liqueur and touches of liquorice allsorts. Very simple, very sweet, with good body. Finish: medium long, more on cane syrup. Comments: quite passable, this baby whisky. Not one to nose but it’s kind of sippable. SGP:430 - 70 points. |
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Glentauchers 10 yo 2000/2011 (46%, Aberdeen Distillers, ABD 1010, 360 bottles) A series by the excellent Blackadder. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: it’s not very old either but the grassiness has disappeared and it became rounder, with pleasant notes of plum pie and custard. Other than that, we have apples, pears, barley water and just a touch of muesli. Pretty harmless. Mouth: now we’re talking – a bit! It’s still very simple and rather sugary, but some parts are pleasant, such as some apple pie, cane syrup again, light honey, vanilla sugar, maybe touches of agave/tequila? Finish: medium long, with something slightly salty and then more herbs, chives, rosemary, mint... Very nice finish I must say. Comments: it’s youngish malt whisky of decent quality in my opinion. Nothing to write home about but the finish worked well. Typical 75 in my book. Right, 76. SGP:531 - 76 points. |
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Glentauchers 30 yo 1981/2011 (58.5%, La Maison du Whisky, Artist, cask #11/839, 175 bottles) A nice new series by LMDW, with a fairly Parisian label. No I’m no Parisian. Colour: gold. Nose: to tell you the truth, the 2006 and the 2000 were only (valid!) excuses to have a go at this baby and indeed it’s just the opposite. Of course much more complex, more mature, more ‘tertiary’ and, frankly, much more interesting. Starts on some herbs liqueur, with some mint and kummel, then we have more and more earth and roots (gentian, that’s usually more to be found in the peaters in my experience), then tropical fruits (green bananas? No fruit bomb) and some vanilla. Keeps developing on leather and beeswax and then we’re back on earth. To earth? Anyway, a nice, complex and changing nose, really entertaining. Mouth: rich, creamy, starting very earthy and sweet at the same time. A funny feeling of bourbon (ginger-vanilla-corn sugar) and some bitter herbs that prevent it from getting too sweet. Cloves, liquorice wood, then cough lozenges, more candied ginger, plain grass, maybe that gentian again, bitter apples… And then more and more pepper. I like this quite a lot, but let’s try to add a few drops of water (while the nose became even earthier and more camphory): water doesn’t make much differences, maybe more citrus, grapefruits… Finish: long and more citrusy now. Ginger and Seville oranges, with always that earthiness in the background. Camphory aftertaste. Comments: a very interesting oldie. Glentauchers is no big name so it may pass unnoticed but that would be a shame. In short, if you haven’t got any Glentauchers in your bar… SGP:462 - 89 points. |
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About investing in whisky.
Yes I’m late.
There are lots of strange comments and hyperbolic articles on investing in whisky or even speculating since the end of last year. In fact, so much has been spoken and so much written (*) about those very topics that I won’t add much and only make a few observations. |
| First, people tend to put everybody into the same bag. Investors, speculators, collectors, ‘accumulators’… I wouldn’t. ‘True’ collectors are passionate and often fountains of knowledge. They sometimes know even better than the brands’ people themselves. They do not collect for the sake of making money and having to sell only one of their precious bottles is usually excruciating. In short, they are the exact opposite of speculators and should not be mistaken for them. If they sell, it’s because they have to – or because they just lost interest. Yes, that can happen. |
| The speculating breed is different. They’re seeking short-run profits while investors seek long-run returns, although the long run is often a short run that had failed, with whisky just like with many other goods. Just ask Ernst & Young or your bank. |
| So, the general press has pushed ‘investing in whisky’ a lot before Christmas. It’s one of the old chestnuts, every once in a while those people need to find ‘a hidden gem’ – and one or two ‘experts’ to match and give credibility to the claims. There used to be old cars, contemporary art, photographs, Bordeaux, watches, comic books… and now whisky. As always, the clever dealers know how to whip the cream. Fair game! But sadly, newborn collectors will rarely make any extra-buck out of their new collections, just because the ‘collectability value’ was already in the price in the first place. And because it was already too late when they started. Sure they can ‘win’ with a few bottles - usually starting with an A - , but they’ll also lose with several others and their overall profit will probably be small. |
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Glenlivet ad, 1986. |
| I’d add that it’s not easy to detect true collectable items when you’re not experienced enough. Many new so-called ‘collectable’ bottles may well be to whisky what Franklin Mint’s, err, ‘things’ are to fine arts. In fact, it could be that any new bottle that’s pushed as ‘a collectable’ (on the label, box or in the usually delightful yet silly press releases) is a perfect example of what’s NOT collectable, precisely. Mind you, no genuinely collectable item has ever had ‘collectable’ written on it, even Picasso wouldn't have done that. |
| Lastly, three personal pieces of advice if you really want to ‘invest’ in whisky but are not ready to buy Diageo or Pernod shares (which is the normal way of investing in a business, isn’t it?): |
| 1. Secure your investment. Watch the closures, watch the levels, watch changes of temperature and hygrometry. Often levels go down over time and a level that’s ‘low neck’ already means a significant loss of value. A level that’s ‘in the shoulder’ means a very heavy loss. Very important: it’s not so much whether the level is a little low or not that’s important when you buy whisky, it’s whether it’s in the process of going down or not, and at which pace. That, you won’t see on a picture. Experienced collectors know which series are ‘dangerous’ and which aren’t, and check if some levels suddenly start to go down. What’s more, perfect storing conditions as far as levels are concerned can be quite bad for labels, and labels are important as well. I’d add that whisky companies should start to propose ‘official reconditioning’ for their most valuable bottles, just like the châteaux in Bordeaux do. Luckily, a relatively low level does not mean that the whisky got worse (it’s sometimes the opposite!) but it means indeed that the value got lower. |
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A low level Banff at
The Whisky Exchange.
Shown and advertised
as such, and priced
accordingly. |
| 2. Be aware of fakes. I’ve stopped writing about fakes for several reasons. First, because that was damaging to the ‘serious’ whisky merchants, especially several very honest, friendly and highly reliable Italian sellers. Then, it was a negative topic and I’d like to keep whisky positive. And lastly, I started to get many requests from good people who had just bought a bottle of Glentowbullin 10yo at the nearest supermarket and who were wondering if it wasn’t a fake because the foil over the cap was a little loose. Or dark green instead of light green. But there aren’t only fakes, there are also refills (genuine bottles that have been refilled with cheaper whisky). So, beware and try to buy only from reputable sellers and houses because most know how to detect fakes and would never take chances with their reputation (**). |
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| 3. Invest in good whisky, never, ever invest in bad whisky. Unless you’re a serious collector and would like to own complete series, but that’s another topic. When a bubble bursts (remember bubbles look perfectly all right just before they burst), the high-quality items tend to be less affected than the ‘junk’, provided you did not already buy them at a ‘collectable’ price or at their peak of value, which is hard to define. Bell's decanters, anyone? ;-). |
| Well, it seems that I did not manage to keep this short. Apologies!... But if you want to read more and have a little fun, why not check what the excellent Sku wrote about those topics… All very true! |
| (*) Latest example, an article in The Scotsman quoting a collector who bought an Ardbeg Provenance twenty years ago for £200 (while it was first issued fifteen years ago, but who counts?) that's now worth £4,000 to £5,000 supposedly (while it actually sells for around €800 to €1,100). |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: I may have posted this before but after all these years, it's still immensely powerful and after all, it talks about whisky's best friend: water. So yes, it's Mr Fela Anikulapo Kuti and his wonderful, unbeatable incantation called Water No Get Enemy. Remember to buy Fela's music! |
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February 16, 2012 |
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Tasting two new official Dalmore |
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Dalmore ‘Cigar Malt Reserve’ (44%, OB, 2012) The successor to the discontinued former Cigar Malt. Matured in 70% oloroso and 30% bourbon according to the official website – successively it seems. Colour: amber. Nose: rich and well in the Dalmore style, a style that, I believe, isn’t to be found at many other places these days. Toffee and lovage, a little parsley, caramel, milk chocolate and orange marmalade, then just whiffs of toast crumbs and mint. Works well, in a fairly antique style (think old gentlemen’s club and, maybe, cigars…) Hints of Port. Mouth: starts all on gingerbread and raspberry jam, although it’s no thickish palate. Quite some bitter chocolate too. Nice attack but it’s soon to become a little lighter, yet I like these touches of pink grapefruits and oranges. Finish: rather short but pleasantly chocolaty and gingery. Citrus fruits and cardamom in the aftertaste. Comments: a pleasant, old-style dram, well-composed for sure. I like the fact that it’s rather less sweetish than some. SGP:541 - 82 points. |
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Dalmore 1996/2012 'Cromartie' (45%, OB, oloroso finish, 7,500 bottles) Bottled for some kind of charity for some kind of castle up there. Not too sure it’s finished in oloroso as the press release mentions both techniques, finishing and full maturing. Well, it’s probably finished (finessed in Dalmore speak). We also learn that it’s ‘a complex composition of unashamed luxury’. Must be true! Colour: amber. Nose: it’s rather a lighter and rather more mineral (in comparison) style. A little more grass, mint, leather and then touches of peonies, chocolate and kumquats. Again, lighter and a notch more elegant than the Cigar Malt in my opinion. Mouth: definitely more to my liking than the Cigar. More oomph this time, more body, more herbs and liquorice, more spices, more Seville oranges, lemons, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, kumquats (and that feeling of earl grey)… This is pretty excellent! Finish: long, on pepper, sultanas and marmalade. Peppery aftertaste. Comments: I find this excellent. Should I have to have only one ‘current’ official bottle of Dalmore, I may select this one (not talking about the GlenWonkish bottlings of course). SGP:552 - 87 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: I know we have some reggae fans amongst WF's distinguished readers so let's have a good slice of pure, rare Jamaican stuff. It's called In Time to Come and it was crafted by Earth and Stone in the late '70s I think. Please buy their music. |
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February 14, 2012 |
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Shameless tasting for Valentine's Day, young very old and very old young whiskies |
You’re probably not without knowing that there’s a new ueber-bling Johnnie Walker ‘Diamond Jubilee’ that retails for around US$ 150,000 and guess what, we won’t try it (because we haven’t got it, eh…), but to find consolation, we’ll have a nice wee beast from 1912 that’s obviously even rarer, head-to-head with a former ‘rarest Johnnie Walker’, the Baccarat Edition that was issued for Mr Walker’s 200th birthday a few years ago. Let’s shamelessly bathe in luxury today!... |
1912... |
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Old Liqueur Pre War Whisky 1912/1922 (17 up, Dundee Supply Company) A very interesting bottle, although it’s impossible to know whether this was single malt, vatted malt or a blend. It could be from one of those long gone distilleries that were still active in 1912, such as Ardlussa in Campbeltown, or Stromness on Orkney… Who knows? As for the bottlers and as written on the label, they were ‘Wine merchants and Italian warehousemen’, an old designation for delicatessen. And regarding the strength of ’17 up’, that means 17 under proof, so 83° UK proof, that is to say around 47.3% vol. if I’m not mistaken. Colour: full gold. Nose: smells like malt whisky, and a peated one at that, but many malts were peated at the time so that doesn’t mean it’s an Islayer. In fact, it’s quite amazing that the peat smoke remained so loud and clear after all these years, but it’s also true that long driven corks used to make for much better closures than today’s tiny corks. So, a lot of peat smoke and other smokes, some burnt bread, cigar ashes, old stove, gunpowder and then a very complex mix of Barbour grease, leather, black Corinthian raisins, camphor and freshly sawn pine wood. What’s sure is that it’s spectacularly vivid and expressive – and extremely dry, manzanilla-style. Mouth: amazingly creamy, citrusy and peaty, big-bodied, becoming more peppery and gingery by the minute. An ode to driven corks! Bitter oranges, Jägermeister, liquorice, peppermint… There’s actually more and more mint, which is something I’ve often found in very, very old whiskies. Was that already there in the beginnings? What’s sure is that this is brilliant almost-Shackletonian whisky ;-). Finish: amazingly long, still very smoky and mentholated, with some citron and lemongrass in the aftertaste. Comments: I believe this was single malt whisky, or a blend containing a very high proportion of one single peated malt. Fascinating whisky, that I’d describe as ‘globally peatier and drier’ than modern offerings. SGP:356 - 92 points. |
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Johnnie Walker Blue Label 'Baccarat' (60.5%, OB, blend, 200th anniversary, 2005) I believe there's been different versions of this baby, some recently bottled at 40% or 57% under various names but in the very same decanter, while the original one that we'll have today was bottled at even higher ‘cask’ strength, that is to say 60.5% vol. (for the bicentenary, in 2005). It's said to contain the oldest and rarest malt whiskies but one cannot not wonder how the strength could be so high if the whiskies inside were so old... Colour: full gold. Nose: it’s absolutely incredible that this baby is actually quite close to the old Dundonian, as it starts on almost as much peat smoke and a very comparable oomph. Frankly, they’re very similar whiskies, although this JW has a little more fruits such as blackberries and hints of oranges. Maybe a little more bacon as well. Me likes this! With water: more differences with water. The smokiness is almost as big as in the Dundonian but there are even more fruits. Very nice shoe polish/soot combo in the background. Mouth (neat): … and once again, we’re in an old style, rich and dry at the same time, very smoky and sappy and not too hot. Wonderful development on many tart fruits that keep the whole ‘flying’, lemon, tangerine, grapefruits… Even touches of strawberries. Well, this baby had to be good, I guess, and it is, no doubt. With water: more earth, leather, mushrooms and tobacco. A little green tea as well. Finish: very long, more and more on bitter oranges but it seems that the peat still had a lot to say in the aftertaste. Comments: right, it’s the kind of bottling that us malt aficionados love to hate. First, because of its ‘bling’ side (but no worries, many malt brands seem to be catching up ;-)) and second, because of all the great old malts that were probably sacrificed. Well, it’s still my opinion but I won’t deny that the end result was of the highest orders in this case. A very great, very old style whisky, and I cannot see why I’d give it a different score. Well worth 92! Ha, blends! SGP:455 - 92 points.
(with heartfelt thanks to Pat and Pierre) |
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Sir, this is a revolution!
I keep getting gentle pushes from many friends who think WF should go Web 2.0 (3.0, 4.0, 5.0…) and I keep telling them that the Jaguar E-Type Series 1 was a much nicer car than all its ‘updates’ (same with many other nice little items in my opinion…) |
Having said that, sadly, WF isn’t a Jaguar E-Type (no kidding) so maybe we could do something indeed, now that we’ve reached our 6,500,000th visit and our highest month ever in January. But what? I think I’ve got an idea, and it’s going to be a revolution, I tell you… And as usual, no sacrifice too great, no task too difficult... trumpets please, drum roll… Yeah, to rejuvenate this measly website, we’ll simply remove the annoying eyelets that we had in each top corner of WF’s main frame! I told you, a revolution… |
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| The nasty eyelet |
The revolution! |
| PETE
McPEAT AND JACK WASHBACK |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: maybe you remember when Mr Hancock's Headhunters returned, around 1997? There were many punchy and bouncy pieces, one of my favs having been Skank it (from the album 'Return of the Headhunters!', obviously). Please buy the Headhunters' music. |
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February 13, 2012 |
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Tasting three official sherried Glendronach 1972 plus aperitifs |
We know what that means, quite some wonders to be expected! And as we like to do from time to time, we’ll kick this off with a little aperitif at low strength. Right, make that two… Or maybe three… |
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Glendronach 1971/1990 (43%, Moon Import, The Birds, sherry, 600 bottles) Colour: dark brown amber. Nose: ah well, this is simply the most complex and richest kind of raisiny sherry-matured malt one can find on Earth. In other words, an avalanche of fruitcakes, figs, dates, sultanas, dried bananas and even touches of Demerara, then old balsamico. What’s quite incredible is that it remained extremely elegant and never ‘too much’, which may partly come from bottle ageing. It’s also a bit similar to the best old cognacs. Mouth: probably a little less polished now, maybe a little metallic in a certain way, but it’s still very excellent. Notes of strawberry jam and then more marmalade and liquorice, as well as some cloves, star anise and cinnamon. And what a body at 43% vol.! Finish: medium long, on a combination of coffee and liquorice, with some mint and more liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: quite amazing, almost on par with the best old Macallans in a similar style. This little session starts well! SGP:452 - 91 points. |
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Glendronach 18 yo 1970 (43%, The Prestonfield, Highlander, casks #542-558, +/-1988) These 1970s by Signatory and affiliated names are a bit hard to track down and understand, as we’ll find different combinations of the same cask numbers under various labels. But who cares, should be excellent… Colour: reddish mahogany. Nose: this baby is rather drier, more on malt, coffee, chocolate and roasted nuts than the Moon, although global styles are rather similar. It becomes also a little more herbal (parsley, which we often find in so-called sherry monsters) and even a little sooty and mineral, quite unexpectedly. What’s sure is that it’s another brilliant nose. Mouth: very, very strange now, and I’m not meaning badly so. Starts on notes of oysters and curry, which reminds me of some manzanilla (but this is oloroso, I’m almost sure) and develops rather on strawberry drops and bitter oranges, with a feeling of squash, then plain orange drops. Quite some green tea and bacon as well and a little tonic water. Quite unusual. Finish: rather long, drier, on bitter chocolate and again something slightly metallic. Comments: some parts are totally fab, some others maybe a notch disturbing (on the palate). That may come from the bottle methinks. SGP:462 - 89 points. |
But let’s try another old 1970 just to double-check all that… |
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Glendronach 1970/1990 (56%, Scotch Single Malt Circle, sherry, casks #513-518) Colour: full amber. Nose: well, we’re much closer to the Moon here, with the very same kind of rich, fruity sherriness. I’m meaning bags of dried figs, bananas, kumquats, sultanas, dates, then prunes, toffee… Ultra-classic sherry monster of high quality. With water: great, typical development of a classy sherry monster, that is to say more tobacco, leather, smoked tea, balsamico, Seville oranges… Absolutely superb! Mouth (neat): perfect nervous, citrusy sherry this time. Many marmalades, bergamot, kumquat, raisins, citrons… And a pleasant dryness behind all that (cocoa powder) that prevents it from becoming cloying. Well in the style of several great sherry monsters that Signatory had at the time (Glenlivets, Fetterairns, Glendronachs…). With water: perfect again, with more passion fruits and mangos (chutneys) and soft spices. These hints of curry again. Finish: long, extremely well balanced, very lively. Kumquats, cardamom and curry. Comments: just great and to tell you the truth, that as expected. I had it at 91 and finally decided to go for 92, because life is too short (hey?!?) SGP:651 - 92 points. |
Good, maybe it’s time to have the three official 1972s, don’t you think? Will they stay the course? Let’s not forget that one 1972, cask #712, was the overall winner of the MM Awards last year (we tried it on Dec 1, 2011)… |
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Glendronach 39 yo 1972/2011 (53%, OB for Shinanoya, Tokyo, oloroso, cask #717, 150 bottles) Colour: dark amber. Nose: certainly a different style, heavier than the 1970 but let’s remember this baby spend much more time in wood. In fact, it’s a little orgiastic, so to speak, as it’s extremely aromatic, rich and jammy, not too far from the style of some very old Demerara rum (our beloved Port Mourant). So yes, we have Demerara sugar, game, figs, bacon, cured ham, blood oranges, flowers (peonies, as often with sherry monsters), chocolate, sandalwood, raspberry jelly, prunes… What a maelstrom! With water: yeah yeah yeah, same kind of development as with the old 1970 by SSMC. Stunning notes of tobacco! Mouth (neat): classic very chocolaty sherry monster, with also some raspberry jam, liquorice and espresso coffee (not decaf, George!). And the same notes of Demerara and bitter oranges. Very, very classic and classy… With water: purrfekkt. Orange and tangerine liqueurs plus the finest spices. Finish: long, very clean and fresh despite its ‘pedigree’. Great feeling of chewed Havana cigar in the aftertaste. Comments: same very high quality as the 1970 SSMC, even it this one took twice the time to reach quasi-perfection, but who counts? ;-) SGP:651 - 92 points. |
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Glendronach 37 yo 1972/2009 (54.8%, OB, oloroso, cask #719, 474 bottles) Colour: dark amber. Nose: completely different. Drier, shier, kind of mineral, leathery and herbal but all that with an immense elegance. Fig liqueur, camphor and liquorice, maybe old roses. I think I love this nose just as much as the 717’s. With water: indeed, it’s superb. More camphor and menthol this time, eucalyptus, Spanish ham… It’s all very great! You just cannot beat a great old sherry cask, can you? Mouth (neat): more powerful and hot than cask #717, less jammy again, and spicier and more peppery. Quite a lot of ginger and green tea from the oak, then more oranges (liqueurs, marmalades, juices, zests, anything). With water: same feeling, the spices and an oaky sourness are rather more in the front than with cask #717. It’s all very all right, it’s just a notch less perfect. Finish: long, somewhat tannic but very nice of course. Comments: extremely high quality and a magnificent nose, too bad the wood became a tad too loud and tiring on the palate in my opinion. SGP:561 - 89 points. |
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Glendronach 39 yo 1972/2011 (54.7%, OB for Taiwan, PX Puncheon, cask #2033, 450 bottles) Colour: dark amber. Nose: we’re somewhere between both previous ones, although we’re closer to the richer Tokyoite. In fact, it’s probably gamier, meatier, with more balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and beef bouillon. Unexpected as I had though PX would impart insanely sweet notes to this baby… With water: probably the least expressive within the trio, but I enjoy these rather subtle notes of orange blossom and Muscat wine. Also marzipan and a little menthol… Mouth (neat): it is sweeter now, but also slightly sour (grape skin, lemon juice), with more and more cider apples after that. Greengages? It’s quite unusual in my opinion. Very nice but quite unusual, not exactly ‘PX’ again… With water: ditto, with a tannic sourness that keeps growing. Finish: quite long but rather dry, with a lot of heavy green tea and other pretty tannic stuff, such as grape pips. Also mint and leather. Comments: in fact, it’s excellent old whisky, with a superb nose yet again, it’s just that it doesn’t swim too well on the palate in my opinion. And frankly, it’s more ‘oloroso’ than ‘PX’ but we won’t complain! SGP:461 - 89 points. |
PS: I think it’s not very easy to taste several very heavily sherried whiskies in a row, it can even get a little tiring towards the end (which may show in some scores) because you reach some kind of saturation point quite quickly, even when you down quite a lot of water during the proceedings. That’s why we’ll try not to do that again (well, not too often!)
(with heartfelt thanks to Emmanuel, Hiroyuki, Konstantin and Mike!) |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: that's the sound! Mister Gene Harris and his famous and much sampled yet unpronounceable Losalamitoslatinfunklovesong (from 1974's album Astral Signal). Please buy Gene Harris' music. |
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February 11, 2012 |
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Macduff is one of those distilleries - and there are many - I do not know much about. Granted, I've tasted a few (around 35, it seems), but I have almost no points of reference and while I've seen my 'Macduff' compartment filling up with quite a load of new young sherried ones last year, I've been procrastinating a bit with them. So today I thought we could try to know more about Macduff, thanks to a special 'wide' tasting session during which we'll try to use some 'artillery' tactics, shooting first at the extremes and then having the recent youngish ones. Let's see if we'll learn something… |
So, to kick this off, what better way than tasting some 'almost new make'? |
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Macduff 2005/2009 (46%, Càrn Mor, Scottish Liqueur Centre, hogshead, cask #23, 20cl)  Colour: water. Nose: pure new make. It's a mix of kirsch and unaged plum spirit, with whiffs of burnt grass and an obvious soapiness, very common in new makes in my experience. Thankfully, that will go away with more age! Mouth: applejack, kirsch, barley water and… Well, that's all. Impaired whisky, for education purposes only. Finish: very short. Ripe 'dull' apple, with little character. Comments: maybe you remember we tried some White Dog a few days ago, and before that an extremely young Clynelish. Well, those had much more character, while this baby Macduff is very, very dull. So, one thing we might have learnt already: Macduff's distillate seems to display little personality. SGP:330 - 55 points. |
And now another extreme, a very old version of a young Macduff… |
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Macduff 12 yo 1964/1977 (80° Proof, Cadenhead, dumpy, black label) Colour: straw. Nose: it's another world. No, another planet. Greasier, waxier, sootier like many of these old CAD (hard to guess what comes from the bottle itself, from the cap, from bottle ageing…), with these notes of metal polish (do you know Glanzol?) and motor oil. Then more humus, new leather, humidor, cigarette pack, hot chocolate, then rather eucalyptus and camphor, mint liqueurs (peppermint), After Eight… Really beautiful if you like this ancient style. Mouth: once again, an obvious feeling of peppermint liqueur blended with various greasy/metallic things. Old tools? Even rust? After that, bags of overripe apples, Williams pears and some kind of ashes, not at all in the Islay style. Finish: medium long, very mentholated, with a sooty aftertaste. Comments: nah, probably not the best example of an old style Macduff since there's a lot of OBE, like in many CAD dumpies. Having said that, it's incomparably better than the very meagre 2005. We may have to find a better benchmark now… SGP:453 - 87 points. (und danke schoen, Heinz) |
Let's try that again, with a more recent version of an old Macduff that should display much less old bottle effect (OBE)… |
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Macduff 32 yo 1965/1998 (53%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection) Colour: full gold. Nose: many of these 30yo+ malts that Cadenhead's bottled around ten years ago were absolutely superb and it seems that this one is no exception. Directly complex, resinous, fruity, honeyed and pretty phenolic, with these notes of tropical fruits that were often to be found in these bottlings. No, I don't know why. Passion fruits, papayas, tangerines… And mint-flavoured Turkish delights. Perfect nose, even if there's more and more straight oak (new plank). Mouth: rich, creamy, even more resinous and phenolic than on the nose. A lot of mint, chlorophyll, apple pie, liquorice, hints of marshmallows, then more kumquats and honey, a little bergamot… It's all very perfect and what's striking is the mint. We already had some in the old 1964 but there was none in the blandola. So, is mint part of Macduff's profile? Well, mint usually comes from the wood, but we'll see with the next ones… Finish: long, on pink grapefruits and mint again. Comments: lovable old Macduff, complex and rich. SGP:462 - 90 points. (with thanks to Cyril) |
So, that was still an old-style Macduff, let's try a newer old one now if you please… Will there be mint? |
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Macduff 30 yo 1980/2011 (54.1%, Malts of Scotland, bourbon hogshead, cask #6107, 175 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: this one has lost the phenolic side, but it probably got more elegant, refined, better 'chiselled' I'd say. The chlorophyll is well there, together with several dried herbs (teas) and touches of earth and leaves. But I hear you, is there any mint? Yes there is, even if it's more spearmint than peppermint here (S., you nitpicker!) Other than that, not too ripe bananas and just touches of coconut and cinnamon. Maybe a little tinned pineapple too? Ah, topical fruits, another marker of Macduff? Mouth: this is funny, we're giving almost the same palate as the 1965's! Seriously, I'm having a hard time finding nuances. Maybe a little more pineapples? But that may well be my nose playing tricks on me. And more oranges? What's sure is that it's excellent. Finish: long, fruity, beautifully nervous at 30yo. Blood oranges and cinnamon (a little) in the aftertaste. Comments: lovely, and for once I liked the palate better than the nose. Impossible to say whether it's better or worse than the 1965. Same high quality and same profile, with a few differences on the nose. SGP:562 - 90 points. |
So, let's try to find mint and tropical fruits in another, younger Macduff displaying less age/wood influence according to its colour… |
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Macduff 1990/2009 (46%, Mackillop's Choice, cask #2346)  Colour: white wine. Nose: you know, the problem is that when you're looking for something in a whisky, you'll find it, and it's the case here with the mint. This has mint. Having said that, I don't seem to find any tropical fruits, rather a lot of grass, moss, fern, hay… Pretty farmyardy, I'd say. Mouth: well, it's more the 2005, with more ageing of course. Apples, apples and apples, touches of bitter oak, green tea, a little lemon (not in an exuberant, 'tropical' way) and maybe a little cardboard. Not too bad but it really lacks wideness and oomph. Keywords: simple apples. Finish: medium long, with no changes, except a little cinnamon. Curious metallic notes in the aftertaste. Comments: drat, no actual confirmation of the presence of neither mint, nor topical fruits. Or so little that it could be pure autosuggestion. Maybe apples are one of the main markers of Macduff, after all? Pfff, apples… SGP:451 - 79 points. |
So we need to delve deeper into Macduff! Let's avoid the sherry monster just now, and rather try to find another 1990 from fairly 'neutral' wood. We'll get it, we'll get it! |
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Macduff 21 yo 1990/2011 (59.4%, A.D. Rattray, bourbon hogshead, cask #1424, 262 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: this is much dirtier and wackier. Musty and mouldy, very yeasty, with notes of stale lager and then sorrel. Maybe even some cheese and, dare I add, gym socks. Strange from a BB hogshead, that, maybe water will kill all those fairly nasty aromas. With water: porridge galore! Clean porridge, but porridge. Mouth (neat): okayish, I'd say. Big attack but it's kind of green and acidic. Cider apples, pepper, lemon squash… Not much pleasure in my opinion. Indeed, maybe a little mint… I may be dreaming… With water: not much development. It became a little cleaner and rounder, a little less acidic as well, but that's all. Overripe apples? (apples, yeah!) Finish: shortish. Apples indeed. Comments: not quite up to A.D. Rattray's usual very high standards in my opinion, but it's still okayish malt whisky. SGP:441 - 75 points. |
We may have found a common denominator: apples. Not mint, not tropical fruits, but apples. The problem is that there are apples in many, many whiskies, especially in Speyside. Unless, of course, sherry just masks those rather mundane and 'narrow' aromas and flavours. Let's see… |
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Macduff 2000/2010 (61.1%, Whisky & Rhum, L'Esprit, First Fill Sherry, cask # 5778) Colour: deep amber. Nose: pure coffee-schnapps (my Swiss friends would rather say schnappsli). Add to that gunpowder and used matches and you get the drift. It's not unpleasant, it's just that this has gone to far for my taste, it's too raw and unpolished. As they say, not all sherry monsters are equal! But maybe water will change everything… With water: well, it did! The mint is back (hurray!), together with some walnut liqueur, Seville oranges and dark chocolate. No more matches, no more straight schnapps(li). Mouth (neat): much better than on the nose when undiluted, much much better. Less raw, smoother, fruitier and frankly, very Glenfarclassy. And in Glenfarclas there's class - it's not one single 's' that'll bother us. Try this blind and you'll think it's Glenfarclas 105. With water: same. Pipe tobacco and chocolate. Finish: long, balanced, with more jams (once diluted). Comments: I think this kind of restless baby always needs water. It's incomparably better with water. SGP:452 - 85 points. |
Incomparably better with water? Maybe that's why the bottlers had an excellent idea, which was to bottle a part of the cask at 46% vol. instead of cask strength. Let's try that version… |
Macduff 2000/2010 (46%, Whisky & Rhum, L'Esprit, First Fill Sherry, cask # 5778) Colour: amber. Nose: same whisky as when we diluted/reduced it ourselves. Aren't we good with a pipette? ;-) (the water was our usual Vittel). Maybe the 'official' one has a notch more walnuts, or maybe not. Mouth: same, and I mean exactly the same. Finish: same. Comments: enough babbling. SGP:452 - 85 points. |
I'm not sure we made any real progress regarding Macduff's profile. The sherry was so loud in the previous ones that they could have been any fairly light unpeated malt behind the heavy sherry in my opinion. And while I've got quite a few other unsherried Macduffs yet to taste, once you've had some sherry monsters, it's too late. The heavies only bear their equals over them - and that's exactly what we're going to do, with two sister casks that were probably distilled in the same week, if not on the same day… But we'll do that quick, it's all becoming a little tiring… |
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Macduff 10 yo 2000 (56.5%, Exclusive Malts for The Bonding Dram, sherry but, cask #3525, 200 bottles) Colour: deep amber. Nose: classic, drier sherry, on chocolate, prunes and raisins. No matches this time and very little winy aromas. With water: more jams, raspberries, marmalade, leather… Nice freshness for a young sherry monster. Mouth (neat): good, rich, fruity and spicy attack. Crystallised oranges, pepper and cloves plus full fruitcake. With water: same, plus a little sweet white wine and even a muscaty side. I like! Quite some nutmeg too. Finish: rather long, a little drier, as often with these sherry monsters. More spices coming out, cloves, cardamom… Comments: as I wrote, I doubt the distillate has much importance here, but does the distillate have anything to say anyway? Quality's high. SGP:552 - 86 points. |
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Macduff 10 yo 2000 (56.6%, Exclusive Malts for Whisky.com.tw Taiwan, cask #5800, 349 bottles) I think this one won an award at the MMA 2011, but not the one that the very excellent bottler, who did not submit the bottle (the distributor or 'sub-bottler' did), would have been pleased with, while the distributor was. Do you follow me? It was a Kafkaian situation that made quite a few people laugh, for once ;-). Colour: full amber, slightly paler than #3525. Nose: this baby's more expressive, fruitier. In fact, we're right between casks #5778 and 3525. Oranges, sultanas. With water: more sultanas and just a little vinegar (volatile?) Mouth (neat): closer to #3525 - although mathematically farer but there are even more spices. Mulled wine. With water: a slightly more nervous version. More fruits (raspberry purée). Finish: same as with cask #3525. Comments: a very pleasant young sherry monster once again. SGP:552 - 86 points. |
I guess we need a general conclusion, don’t we? Did we find Macduff's profile? Or at least a few markers? Or only one we could be sure about? A way of recognising Macduff while tasting some whiskies blind? Well, I'm sorry but I'm afraid the status of our mission is: failed. And we won't try again anytime soon! |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: Mister Augusto Martelli plays his Krypto Blues (it's on Black Sound From White People, Italy, 1972). Ah, the good old sound of early lounge jazz... Well, what we call lounge jazz today .Well, that was better than today's lounge jazz. Oh well... Please buy Augusto Martelli's music. |
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February 10, 2012 |
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Tasting two 22yo Glenburgie and Glencraig as an aperitif |
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Glencraig 1970/1991 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseur's Choice, old map label) As you most probably know, Glencraig was the name of the malt whisky made at Glenburgie with two Lomond stills between 1956 and 1981. I’ve not tried dozens but the ones I tried have been relatively poor… Colour: pale gold. Nose: well, it’s not unpleasant, just quite light and all on apple juice, with a little lemon and cinnamon thrown in. Also a little malt and orange juice. Mouth: on exactly the same aromas as on the nose, with a slightly weak start but a rather sufficient mouth feel. A little cardboard, touches of caramel, tea… The more apple and orange juice again. Not unpleasant. Finish: short but pleasantly honeyed and orangey. Comments: quite good and not as weakish as I had feared. Good apple juice! SGP:331 - 79 points. |
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Glenburgie 22 yo 1988/2010 (52.6%, Duncan Taylor, Rare Auld, cask #11239, 233 bottles) Colour: gold. Nose: starts extremely waxy, earthy and mineral. Soot, gravel, paraffin, fresh walnuts, apple peeling… And becomes even more austere after a few seconds. Anti-sexy so far, I’d say. With water: becomes a little medicinal. Also notes of warm milk, flour… Maybe not the best part. Mouth (neat): the exact opposite of the nose when undiluted. Bags of vanilla, lemon and coconut, Turkish delights, marshmallows… And then wood spices. It’s actually more ‘Lomond stills’ than the Glencraig! With water: a fruit salad that would include both ‘Western’ garden fruits and tropical ones. Right, sweet apples and guavas… Also a little barley sugar. Finish: rather long, with more spices and bitter walnut skin. Comments: two whiskies in one! A very funny and interesting dram – well, maybe a tad schizophrenic. SGP:651 - 86 points. |
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Glenburgie-Glenlivet 22 yo 1966/1988 (58%, Nibada, 323 bottles) There used to be another version by Sestante bearing exactly the same label, but I think it wasn't a single cask, while this one is. So, different whiskies… Colour: amber. Nose: interesting how close to the 1988 we rare here. Same austerity, same waxy/flinty notes and then more metal polish, soot, mint and camphor. In the background, a dry sherry, all on dark chocolate and coffee. Also whiffs of old wine vinegar and leather. With water: huge and beautiful OBE. Dried mushrooms and a mechanic’s old toolkit. Mouth (neat): big notes of blackcurrant jelly and spices at first sips, it’s almost old-style gingerbread. Very excellent, in fact. Goes on with a lot of cloves, star anise, a little cumin, chocolate, raspberries… Once again, an austere nose and a pretty extravagant palate. With water: top notch, complex, both fruity and kind of phenolic. Very tertiary, in fact. Finish: long, rather more on chocolate and spices. Comments: this is G&M stock and G&M had many fab Glenburgies. This is a good example. SGP:642 (palate) - 91 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: something very sweet and even soothing, the great, great Brazilian multi-instrumentist and WF favourite Egberto Gismonti plays Palhaco (from his 1986 album 'Alma'). Please buy the master's music... |
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February 9, 2012 |
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Malternatives: tasting a few more rums en passant |
After quite a pot-pourri last time, we’ll have three or four rums from Trinidad today. And Trinidad means… drum roll… Caroni! |
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Caroni 1996/2008 (43%, Bristol Spirits, Trinidad) Caroni is a closed distillery that used to make heavy style rum. I think this particular bottling came from ex-bourbon barrels. Colour: amber. Nose: the oak comes out, definitely bourbon. Not that it’s plankish, not at all, but there are notes of pencil shavings. Other than that, it’s nicely aromatic, with many dried and tinned fruits including pineapples. Quite some honey too, and then a little ginger coming out (the oak again). Mouth: my, this is too drinkable, especially because of the moderate strength. Very nice combination of dried fruits and spices, some from the wood. Yes, ginger again, a little mead, then quite some nutmeg… Finish: medium long, with the spices showing more in front, especially in the aftertaste. Comments: to my liking for sure, but in fact, I find those oaky notes a little disturbing. In other words, lacks integration. Was it just finished in bourbon wood? SGP:540 - around 78 points. |
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Caroni 1997/2011 (46%, Silver Seal, Trinidad) Colour: full gold. Nose: no obvious oaky tones here, rather unexpected notes of… black olives. Well, we shouldn’t be surprised, olives, usually black ones, are often to be found n some rums in my experience. I’m not talking about James Bond. Other than that, we get motor oil, heavy tar, brine, camphor… And no, it’s not some Ardbeg sherry cask! Lovable… Mouth: brilliant. More or less the same notes as on the nose but also a feeling of hessian, earth, mushrooms… And always these olives. Rum for malt drinkers! Finish: long and pretty salty. I told you, Islay… All what’s missing is peat. Comments: spectacular whisk… rum. I think any whisky (or olive) lover who’d like to try some rum should love this style. SGP:462 - around 90 points. Not ‘around’ actually, 90 big, fat, genuine points. |
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Providence Estate 1990 (43%, Bristol Spirits, Trinidad, sherry wood) Not sure when this baby was bottled, there’s no indications on the label. I think it’s the first time I try rum from Providence… And first time I hear of Providence ;-). Colour: deep amber. Nose: pencil shavings once again, just like with the first Caroni, then more chocolate and coffee from the sherry. The ‘rumness’ is a tad hidden underneath the wood and there are rather notes of ginger that become louder and louder. Not unpleasant, rather a tad… say indistinct. Mouth: same feeling, the rum does not have the upper hand – but it must have been light rum anyway. Notes of blackberries and coffee. Finish: rather long, in fact, more on raisins. Bags of raisins… Comments: I don’t know what to think. It’s not really ‘rum’, and it’s no whisky either, obviously. Some kind of rummy world spirit? SGP:451 - around 75 points. |
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Trinidad 1991/2011 (50%, Silver Seal, Trinidad Distillers Ltd.) Trinidad Distillers make Angostura rum, so maybe this could be called an independent Angostura? Are we even allowed to write that? Colour: gold. Nose: indeed, smells like Angostura 1919 (or is it 1818?) Litres of honey, corn syrup, barley water… And then tinned pineapples. Kind of pleasant but too sweet for my taste, despite the faint earthiness that pleasantly arises after a while. Oak? Mouth: way nicer now. It’s still extremely sweet although not thick at all. Jams and sweets on a bed of vanilla… And straight oak, with this feeling of sawdust that’s not obligatorily a problem. Finish: medium long and sweet and fruity. Litchis. Comments: indie rum for teenagers? Modern rum like we have modern whisky? What’s quite striking is how both light and syrupy it is. In short, not quite my kind but it’s probably very good stuff. The excellent bottlers would know… SGP:830 - around 80 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: what could be better, whie sipping a few rums, than listening to the fab percussionist Poncho Sanchez and his Papa Gato, I ask you? Please buy Poncho Sanchez' music, thanks. |
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February 8, 2012 |
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Tasting two little Littlemills |
More and more Littlemill around these days, did they rebuild the distillery? Remember it was destroyed by a fire… |
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Littlemill 20 yo (46%, Hart Bros, Royal Wedding Celebration) This one to celebrate the wedding of Kate and Will last year, obviously. Notice the subtly interlaced rings on the label? Better try this baby before they divorce… Colour: straw. Nose: interesting, it’s not so much one of these recent indie Littemills (many are great!), rather something akin to the last official 12, with some cardboard, dust, butter and beer at first nosing. The good news is that it keeps improving after that, with more lemon and tea, but there’s always this big yeastiness that’s a little disturbing – to me. The dust didn’t go away either. Mouth: rather better, with that candied citrusnesss (citrusity?) that’s often to be found in the good Littlemills and nice touches of liquorice and maybe Chartreuse. Some barley sugar as well, cornbread, even that very sweet blackish bread that our German friends call pumpernickel… Really, nice palate. Finish: medium long and even more ‘new Littlemill’ (relatively speaking). Candied citrus fruits. Comments: I don’t like the nose too much but I liked the palate quite a lot, which makes scoring difficult. Let’s try… SGP:641 - 83 points. |
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Littlemill 24 yo 1988/2012 (54.2%, The Whiskyman, 159 bottles) This baby is nicknamed ‘Sympathy for the Whisky’, so there should be obvious connections to Keefff… Colour: pale gold. Nose: ha, Cointreau! Or rather Compass Box’s Orangerie, and I’m not making this up, I just tried some for some well-established whisky awards (not the Malt Maniacs!) Well, it was supposed to be blind but you just cannot not recognise Orangerie – esp since I love Orangerie. But back to this very unusual Littlemill, it’s really something special that goes on with more citrus liqueurs, maybe Mandarine Impériale, until your nose got accustomed and you start to find many other aromas, such as coriander, cardamom, ginger, vanilla fudge, kiwis… Spectacular whisky from a rare vintage. Mouth: … and it goes on with the same notes of Cointreau, except that there’s also more limoncello and other lemon liqueurs. What happened? We all know Littlemill can be very citrusy but this is almost extraterrestrial. Some kind of tweakings? Keeef? Finish: long, greatly bitter and lemony this time. In short, no more Cointreau, only limoncello. Comments: spectacular and in that sense, brilliant. Perfect for anyone who’d already have quite a few different malts in his cupboard. Say 50. In the meantime, I can’t wait to taste other 1988s, I hope there will be others around! SGP:851 - 90 points. |
MUSIC
- Recommended listening: a pirouetting track from Sllovakia by the David Kollar Band, with a firing guitar and excellent swing. Sounds unlikely? Try Ethnology (Swing part I) and see... And then please buy David Kollar's music. |
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Ardbeg 18yo 1974/1992 (57.6%, Cadenhead's Authentic Collection, 150th Ann., D07/'74 B08/'92)
Ardbeg 25yo 1975/2000 (50%, Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask, D10/'75 B10/'00, 702 Bts.)
Ardbeg 13yo 1975/1989 (54.8%, Gordon & MacPhail for Intertrade, D10/'75 B07/'89, 288 Bts., 75cl)
Ardbeg 30yo 1964/1995 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail for John Gross & Co, Baltimore, USA)
Ardbeg 29yo 1967/1996 (52%, Kingsbury, Sherry, D03/'67 B06/'96, C#923)
Ardbeg 1974/1993 (55.1%, Scotch Single Malt Circle, D09/'74 B11/'93, C#4377)
Ardbeg 1976/2002 (53.1%, OB for Feis Isle, Sherry Butt, D11/'76 B04/'02, C#2390, 494 Bts.)
Ardbeg 28yo 1967/1995 (53.2%, Signatory Vintage, Dark Oloroso, D02/'67 B11/'95, C#574, 488 Bts.)
Ardbeg 29yo 1967/1996 (54.6%, Kingsbury, Sherry, D03/'67 B06/'96, C#922)
Bowmore 1956 (43%, OB for Soffiantino Italy, 1980s)
Bowmore 8yo (43%, OB, Sherriff's, Pear Shape, Black/White Label w. Age in Red, 1960s, 75cl, 1965*)
Bowmore 18yo 1966/1984 (53%, Samaroli Bouquet, 720 Bts.)
Bowmore 1964/1993 'Black' (50%, OB, 2000 Bts., First edition)
Brora 22yo 1972/1995 (58.7%, OB Rare Malts Selection)
Brora 22yo 1972/1995 (61.1%, OB Rare Malts Selection)
Caol Ila 15yo (63%, OB, Manager's Dram, Dark Sherry, B07/'90)
Caol Ila 1968 (58.5%, Gordon & McPhail Cask Series for Meregalli, 1980's)
Caol Ila 15yo 1969/1984 (60.4%, G&M for Intertrade, Celtic label)
Caol Ila 12yo 1974 (63%, James MacArthur, C#74)
Caol Ila 1968 (57%, Samaroli, oval label, 1980's)
Caol Ila 17yo 1974/1991 (61.1%, Signatory, C#5-9, 3000 Bts.)
Clynelish 23yo 1965/1989 (51.7%, Cadenhead's for Nibada, Black label)
Dalmore 50yo (52%, OB, 2006, crystal decanter)
Glenfarclas 21yo (51.5%, OB, Pinerolo, selected for Edward Giaccone, rotation 1974)
Glen Garioch 1971 (59.6%, Samaroli, Sherry, 2280 Bts., 75cl, 1988*)
Highland Park 30yo 1955/1985 (53.2%, G&M for Intertrade, 216 Bts., 75cl)
Highland Park 30yo 1956/1986 (55.6%, G&M for Intertrade, 215 Bts., 75cl)
Laphroaig 10yo (91.4 Pr., OB, Unblended Islay Malt, clear glass, Esbach San Francisco Import)
Laphroaig 10yo (43%, OB for Bonfanti Milano, +/-1978)
Laphroaig 12yo (80 Pr., Cadenhead's, tall bottle black label, 1977)
Laphroaig 15yo 1967/1982 (57%, Duthie's for Samaroli, 720 Bts., 75cl)
Laphroaig 19yo 1966/1985 (50.2%, G&M for Intertrade, 360 Bts.)
Laphroaig 27yo 1967/1994 (50.1%, Signatory Dumpy, C#2957, 208 Bts., D11/'67 B11/'94)
Largiemeanoch 12yo 1967 (54.2%, Howgate Wine Co., Bowmore, C#2655/6/7, +/-1979)
Macallan 1947 (80 Pr., OB, Rinaldi Import, +/-1962)
Macallan 1954 (80 Pr., OB, Campbell, Hope & King, Rinaldi Italy, late 1960's)
Macallan 1938 (43%, OB, hand written label with seal, Imported by Corade France, 75cl)
Mortlach 35yo 1936 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail for Pinerolo, rotation 1972)
Port Ellen 12yo (62.7%, James MacArthur, Fine Malt Selection, pale version, 75cl, 1985*)
Port Ellen 12yo (59%, James Mac Arthur, Fine Malt Selection, dark Sherry, late 1980's, 75cl)
Port Ellen 15yo 1969/1985 (64.7%, G&M Cask Strength, for Intertrade)
Springbank 12yo '100 Proof' (57.1%, OB, 2400 Bts., early 1980's, imp. Samaroli)
Springbank 24yo 1966/1990 'Local Barley' (58.1%, OB, C#443)
Talisker (53.5%, Gordon & MacPhail Licensed Bottling, NAS, Black label, Cork, 75cl, 1972*)
Talisker 16yo 1970/1986 (53.1%, Gordon & MacPhail for Intertrade, 75cl)
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