LCBO Vintages Release for November 2012

  Ah, the winter season is upon us!  I expect to start cracking into some Islay's and big rich malts soon to keep the cold out.  The first release for November 10th doesn't have any news for us, but it does contain a great entry level Armagnac from Armagnac de Montal should you be interested in learning more about Congac's grittier brother.  That aside, the second release contains a sherry monster... an affordable big sherry that (IMO), topples, crushes and lays waste to the king of the 18 year old Sherries (Yeah, I'm referring to the stupid purple box).

  The November 27th release holds only a single bottle, but what a bottle!  I've been a round the block a few times and sherry finished whiskies are still a great love of mine, they were one of the reasons I got into drinking whisky so easily, as a big sherry whisky tends to be a super easy drinking dram.  Now that I'm a little older and a few hundred drams more knowledgeable, there is a bit more expectation out of these drams.  I realize that the base spirit needs to shine through, not play second fiddle.  All that sherry should be used to emphasize the whisky, whereas it tends to be used to hide some poor distillates sometimes.

  I can vouch though, that spirit in the bottle were about to delve into is neither a poor distillate, nor a cover up.  This is the real ting that so many big sherries attempt to live up to.  Glendronach 18 year old Allardice (named after the distillery founder James Allardice), is a fantastic example of heavy sherry done right!  Non-chillfiltered, no colour added and served at 46% (all hallmarks of this distillery and of quality Whisky), all appear on the outside of the bottle which immediately caught my eye.  Seeing as how this is the only bottle this release, we'll give it the star treatment.

• Colour:  Deep, rich and enticing mahogany.  I see hints that range from dark brown rums to highlights of tawny port. Non-chillfiltered and no colour added marked clearly.
• Body:  Thick and rich.  Oily consistency with big drops slowly forming on the side of the glass.  Equally big legs take forever to form when twisted and run incredibly slowly back into the glass.  This ladies and gents, is flavour country.
• Nose:  Incredible sherry!  Loads of deep rich sweetness with notes of raisins, almond, candied oranges and a hint of mineral smokiness on the back end.  Hints of richly macerated fruit and honey (like Christmas cake), Demerara sugar/fudge, and earwax (not unpleasant, but a common element in sherried whisky).
• Palate:  Oh boy!  Incredibly rich sweetness, this is a monster!  Macerated fresh cherry and baking spices on the forefront, with black walnuts, dark chocolate and tangerine on the back end.  More roasted nuts and mineral earthiness, with subtle hints of grassiness hidden under neath fantastic Oloroso sherry!
• Finish:  I think you can imagine this.  Long and drawn out with loads of rich toasted oak, Muscavado sugar (similar to Demerara but with a little more molasses left in for a more mineraly note),  more baking spices now with some anise.  Deeply sweet and indelibly complex.
• Empty Glass:  Rich sweetness spices and rubbed oak, with more hints of fudge sweetness and sour gummy candies (kinda like Wine-Gums).

  If you can't tell, I'm kind of over the moon with this one.  This is my new benchmark for a masterful sherry finish.  I've tried both the 12 and the 15 (and love them both equally), but this is the sherry monster that lurks in my dreams of whisky.  This is a fantastic bottle, that I strongly recommend looking for, whether it be a gift for that whisky lover in your life, or an early Christmas present to yourself.  Priced at $140 (yes, it's on the high side, but after you've tasted it...), check you local LCBO for this one <HERE>.

  So that about wraps up November, and soon we will be rolling into the Christmas season .  That means you'll start to see some more chewy rich whiskies and Islay's coming in and most importantly; my personal favourite malt Mortlach.  So in closing, keep your stick on the ice and the ice out of your glass.